Storm grabbed a downed branch and lit the end with a Lucifer he carried in a small tin box. “Looks like he had horses waiting here. They’re headed east.”
Monk cried, “We have to follow them. If he doesn’t kill Betsie he’ll torture her until she’ll wish he had.”
Bill laid a hand on Monk’s shoulder. “Mitchum and Wooster have gone for horses and supplies. We can’t do her any good if we go off with no lanterns or provisions. I keep packs made up at my office in case I need a posse. The men will be here soon.”
Monk wanted to lash out but these men were trying to help. He followed Storm on foot, who was tracking the villain’s horses.
Drake remained by Monk’s side. “We’ll catch him. He can’t get far at night. He must have found a place to hole up until daylight so that’ll give us time to locate them.”
Monk kept Storm in sight. “I tried to stay with her, but I could hardly go into the outhouse with her. Still, I shouldn’t have been caught like that while I waited for her.”
“Man, don’t beat yourself up. I remember when Pearl and Storm and Sarah were kidnapped and there was a heavy rain that wiped out their trail. I nearly went mad.”
“I’m about there now. I was watching but the coyote still hit me from behind.”
“You can only watch on three sides. This man sounds like he’s had plenty of practice fighting dirty. He hasn’t come up against a bunch of Kincaids before. He’ll be sorry he left Memphis before we’re through with him.”
“I sure hope so.” Realizing Drake included him in the Kincaid family offered a little boost to his steps. Not enough to give him any peace, though.
He had horrible flashes of what could be happening to Betsie. She didn’t deserve this treatment. She deserved to be treated like a princess, his princess.
Monk could barely breathe. Not from exertion, but from fear. Downum had arrived to snatch Betsie’s and Monk’s dreams away from them. Betsie had protected Liam. Could she protect herself?
Monk had been in tight spots before and so had Nate. Their bad experiences were usually of their own making. This was Betsie, though. She hadn’t done anything to warrant being kidnapped by Downum. Monk began reciting the 23rd Psalm to calm himself.
The sound of horses behind them caused Monk to turn. Nate rode toward him and handed him the reins to a horse. Monk swung into the saddle at the same time Drake climbed on another horse. Storm stayed on foot.
Carrying a lantern, Bill joined him. He lit a second lantern and handed it to Storm. “Your torch is about burned up. Try this.”
“Much obliged.” Storm stubbed out the branch on the dirt then walked on using the lantern held close to the ground.
The rockets bursting overhead had died out. Only a sliver of moon illuminated the night. The only sounds were the horses and tack. Storm picked up something from the ground.
He walked back to Monk. “She wearing beads like this?”
“Yes, a necklace of them. I believe there were earbobs too.”
Storm returned to the trail. He spoke quietly, “She must have managed to break the strand. Here’s another.”
Monk sent up a prayer. Thank you, God, for giving Betsie the courage and presence of mind to leave a trail.
Storm continued picking up beads and pocketing them.
Drake rode forward to speak to Storm. “Remember that line shack on the old Ferguson place? Isn’t that near here?”
“Sure is, and I don’t think he’s used it in years. I’d say that’s where they’re headed.”
Chapter Sixteen
Betsie had managed to break her necklace and palm the beads that hadn’t fallen inside her dress. Downum rode in front of her and led her horse so he hadn’t seen her actions. Her hands were tied to the pommel so she could only drop the beads like marbles from her hand as they rode. She had no doubt Monk and the others would follow but would they arrive in time to save her?
Downum had been so angry with her she’d thought he was going to kill her then and there. He assured her he had plenty of unpleasantness in store for her when they stopped for the night. She didn’t doubt his claim. Who knew what the devil could devise?
She saw a crude cabin with a lean-to beside it and realized they had reached their destination for the evening.
Dear Lord, help me. I don’t know how to defend myself against this man. Show me the way.
At least Liam was safe. Although he’d been scared, he’d gotten away from Downum. Perhaps by now he was safe at home asleep. Poor little boy, likely he’d have nightmares.
She took a deep breath against her gag. She couldn’t give in to tears now. Doing so would only please Downum.
He led her horse into the lean-to and untied her hands from the pommel though they were still tied together.
“Get down and don’t try any tricks. You’ve already added to your punishment for letting that snot-nosed boy get away free.”
She couldn’t speak plainly because of the gag in her mouth but managed to say, “Posse.”
“Fat lot of good it’ll do them. I paid a cowhand to get me supplies. We can last a week here if we need to. By then, you’ll be begging me to take you with me.”
That day would never come but she wisely kept that information to herself. She was on guard, looking for any opening. She could run now but she suspected he’d tie her legs once they were inside. She dismounted and pretended to fall into him.
“Sorry,” she mumbled around the gag.
He pushed her toward the cabin and she pretended to go then shoved him and took off running as fast as she could into the night.
“Hey, how far do you think you’ll get?” He chased after her.
She changed course and hid behind some bushes. Darn, she had to be wearing a dress with a white background. If he came this way, he’d be certain to see her outline. Quickly, she scooped dirt and leaves onto her skirt then pulled the gag from her mouth.
“I know you’re here. The longer it takes me to find you, the worse it’ll be for you.”
She didn’t even take a deep breath for fear he’d hear her. He was on the other side of the bushes. She couldn’t move or he’d hear and probably sight her.
One of the horses in the lean-to whinnied. Maybe the posse was nearby. She wanted to shout, but if she was wrong she’d give away her hiding place.
“You’d better come out, little lady. You can’t get away. We’re miles from any help. You’ll be set on by wolves or a cougar.”
Betsie would take her chances the wolves and cougars were less vicious than Downum. She heard a slight sound on her left. Was that a light through the trees?
Downum spun toward the light. Cursing, he ran for the cabin and slammed the door behind him.
Whimpering with relief, Betsie staggered to her feet and moved toward the light and sounds. Strong arms clasped her and she folded into Monk’s embrace. Thank you, Lord.
He held her tight against him. “You’re safe now, Betsie. Your kin are here. Storm and Bill tracked you.”
Storm took out his knife and cut the rope binding her hands. He dug into his pocket. “Here’re your beads back. Smart move. You’d better get back now because there’s bound to be shooting.”
Monk took her to Drake. “Can you take her to Liam? I told him to stay with Pearl until one of us comes.”
Drake held his horse’s reins. “Fine, we’ll go to Grandpa’s and wait for you.”
She reached for Monk. “I want to stay with you.”
He caressed her shoulders. “By now Fiona and Liam must be sick with worry. Make sure you and Liam are safe at Grandpa’s.”
She gazed into his eyes. “Come with me so I’ll know you’re all right.”
He brushed a curl from her face. “Can’t yet. Go with Drake. He knows the way and will insure you get to Liam and Fiona safely. Please, Betsie. This is important.”
“All right, I’ll go because I know you’re right about Liam and Mam.” She stepped back and already he missed her warmth.
Drake mounted his horse and took one of the lanterns. Monk helped Betsie into another saddle. With a nod to Monk, Drake led Betsie into the night.
Bill and his deputies gathered in conference.
Nate signaled Monk and Storm. “We ought to check the back so he can’t escape that way.”
Storm nodded toward the sheriff and deputies. “I’ll let them know. Sure don’t want to be caught in crossfire.”
Monk circled around the cabin with Nate at his side. He stopped to consider the two horses in the lean-to.
“Cover me, Nate. I’m going to loosen the cinch on those saddles. No point leaving him a method of escape.”
Monk darted toward the horses, keeping them between him and the cabin. He loosened the cinch of both saddles. Gunshots sprayed the dirt near him, causing the horses to startle. Monk calmed the animals before they trampled him.
Nate fired at the cabin’s window that looked out on the lean-to. Monk took advantage of the volley to leave the makeshift shed. Where was Storm?
From the front, Bill called, “This is Sheriff McAfee. We have you surrounded so you might as well give up. Come out with your hands up.”
Downum answered with gunfire.
Monk worked his way to the back of the cabin and saw Storm at the other corner. There was no back door, but there was a window. Monk figured Downum would try to use that for his escape. Storm inched his way further into line with the window but back so he wouldn’t be in Monk’s line of fire.
Nate appeared at Monk’s side. “He’s firing at the men in front.”
“I figure he’ll try vaulting out of this back window. He knows I did something to the horses and can probably figure what. To a guy like him, getting away on foot would be preferable to surrender.”
“He’s a city slicker. He may not know that much about horses.”
Monk shook his head. “He was smart enough to find this line shack and stock it. We don’t know what he might do.”
“Yeah, guess you’re right. Hope Storm stays out of the way of gunfire. Sarah will skin me alive if her brother is injured.”
“You protected him with your life so I think she knows you’re taking care.”
A dark shape somersaulted out the back window. Nate and Storm fired at the man. Downum jumped as if hit but kept going. Monk raced after him, with Nate and Storm joining pursuit.
Monk’s long legs allowed him to overtake Downum. Tackling the criminal, Monk landed on top of the man. “You’re going to pay for hurting Betsie.”
“No chance of that, you tinhorn.” Downum aimed his revolver at Monk’s chest.
Monk grabbed the man’s hand and fought to disarm him. The gun went off and Downum went limp. Holding the revolver, Monk stood.
Bill ran up, carrying a lantern. The bullet had gone through the criminal’s heart. “You want to tell me what happened here?”
Monk was stunned but Nate and Storm both started explaining.
Bill held up his hand. “Nate, you first.”
Nate gestured at the prone figure. “He somersaulted out the window and we all gave chase and Monk tackled him. Downum had a revolver in his hand and pointed it at Monk. They fought and the gun went off.”
Storm nodded. “Yeah, that’s what happened. Monk was only trying to disarm Downum.”
Monk let the revolver drop from his hand. Staring at the lifeless body, regret overwhelmed him. He had never caused another person to die and had never planned to change that. Now, he’d been the cause of this man’s death.
He’d wanted to exact revenge for Downum threatening Betsie and Liam. But, he’d intended the man to rot in prison, not die. Now he was guilty of taking another’s life.
Nate clapped him on the shoulder. “Wasn’t your fault, Monk. Don’t dwell on this. You saved Betsie from ever having to worry about this man’s threats. If he hadn’t tried to kill you, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Doesn’t erase the fact that it was at my hands he died. Even though that wasn’t my intention, I certainly wasn’t going to let him escape.”
“Come on, let’s go home.”
“I’d better tighten the cinch on those saddles. We’ll need the horses for all of us to get back.”
Bill looked at Monk. “My regular deputies and I will handle things from here on out. The rest of you can go home.”
Monk let Nate guide him to the horse he’d ridden. Storm had one of the lanterns and led the way. By the time they returned the horses to the sheriff’s office, Monk was exhausted and thought the others were as well. Storm bid them goodbye and headed for his ranch on a borrowed horse.
Nate kept step with Monk. “I’ll just go to Grandpa’s with you.”
“Naw, you go home so Sarah knows you’re all right.”
“I will as soon as we make sure Betsie and Liam are fine.”
The walk to Monk’s home would have been shorter but he had to see Betsie and Liam.
Had to.
Could not have survived without at least glimpsing her and Liam.
The lights were still on at Grandpa’s home. He walked up the front walk and rang the bell.
Betsie opened the door and threw herself into his arms. “Come in, come in. We’ve been waiting for word of what happened.” She’d changed from the dress she’d worn to the fairgrounds and now wore a robe over her nightgown with slippers on her feet.
Monk let her lead him into the parlor and Nate trailed them. Grandpa sat in his usual chair and Fiona sat on one couch and Liam slept on the other one.
Betsie gestured to her son. “He wouldn’t go to bed until he knew you were all right, but he fell asleep while he was waiting.”
Grandpa gestured to a chair. “Sit down and tell us what happened. Start with when you left the fairgrounds.”
“Thank heaven Storm is an expert tracker. At first, Betsie dragged her feet and that made following her easier. When they were on horses, Storm didn’t stop and didn’t ride. He covered ground on foot about as fast as we could ride, though. Betsie managed to break her necklace and Storm found beads that let us know we were on the right trail.”
Nate interrupted, “When we figured out where Downum was headed and got there, Betsie had already escaped.” He proceeded with the story of how Monk had tackled Downum and fought for the gun.
Grandpa rubbed his hands together. “I know you hate that he died, Monk, but I’m sure glad we don’t have to worry about that snake any longer. We’ll all sleep easier knowing that threat is gone.”
Monk shook his head. “Not sure I’ll sleep very well. I keep reliving me wrestling him for the revolver and then him going limp when it fired. Don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling.”
Nate stood. “Gotta get on my way to let Sarah know what happened.”
Fiona stood. “I’ll walk you out, Nate. Thank you for your help rescuing my daughter.”
When she returned, she came to Grandpa. “Time for you to go to bed, Rob dear. We’ve had a long and troubling day. Thank the good Lord, our family is safe.”
Grandpa stood. “Can’t say I won’t be glad to stretch out on our bed, Fiona love. Goodnight.”
Monk rose to his feet. “You need to get to sleep, too. I’ll carry Liam up to his bed and then be on my way.” He picked up Liam and carried him toward the stairs.
Betsie lowered the gas lamps and followed him. In the playroom, Monk laid Liam on his bed.
Liam opened his eyes and smiled. “I knew you’d save Ma. I love you, Monk.”
Monk knelt beside the bed. “I love you, too, Liam. What do you say I marry your ma and the two of you come live at my house?”
Liam sat up. “Can we go now?”
Monk gently pushed him back on the bed and tucked him in. “That would be fine with me, but women like a proper wedding with lots of fuss and frills. Grandma and Ma will want to plan something.”
“Okay, but get them to hurry.”
“I’ll try. In the meantime, Mrs. Lopez told me about someone who has puppies they want to give aw
ay. Would you like to go with me Saturday afternoon to pick out a puppy for our house?”
Liam rose on his knees on his bed, excitement animating his features. “A real live puppy? Would it be part mine when you and Ma get married and we come live with you?”
“It would be all yours, Liam. That means you’d need to feed it and give it fresh water, and train it to do it’s business outside. Could you do that?”
Liam grabbed Monk’s arm. “I can. You know I’m a big boy now. I love puppies. Well, I never saw one up close, but I know I’ll love ours.”
“I’m sure you’ll be loved back. Dogs are very loyal.”
“Thank you, Monk.”
“My pleasure, Liam. But, now, growing boys need sleep. Goodnight.”
Liam hugged his toy dog and Monk tucked the cover around him. He stood but left the lamp burning in case Liam waked during the night.
Betsie waited for him in the hall. She wrapped her arms around him. “I was so frightened. I knew you’d come after me but I was afraid of what Downum might do before you arrived and what he’d do to you. Please, don’t be sorry he’s dead. He killed many people, including my father.”
“I never wanted to harm anyone, Betsie. I can’t change the fact now, but I regret that a person died by my hand, even someone as evil as Downum.”
“He never would have let me live in peace. Even if he were in prison, he’d have his henchmen carry out his revenge.”
That thought hadn’t occurred to Monk, but he recognized the truth in what she said. “Perhaps you’re right.”
He took out his pocket watch. “Not long until time to get up. I’ll be going to mass. Do you plan to sleep in?”
“No, I have a lot for which I’m grateful. I’d like to accompany you.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll call for you later this morning.”
Chapter Seventeen
Three weeks later
In the anteroom of St. Brendan’s Catholic Church, Betsie fluffed her veil. “I’m hardly Queen Victoria, so I didn’t need a fancy gown for the wedding.”
Fiona adjusted the skirts of Betsie’s dress. “Suzanne said cream is a suitable color and you’re beautiful in it. This one is similar to Queen Victoria’s but not so elaborate and without a train.”
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