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Keep on Believing

Page 12

by Marie Higgins


  By the time he reached his small cabin near the schoolhouse, he realized he still held Ella’s shawl. Perhaps he felt closer to her by keeping this garment. As he climbed out of his buggy, he held the fabric to his nose and breathed deeply, taking in the fading flowery scent. Silently, he prayed he and Darby would be able to find her. Right now, Darby was their only hope.

  As he jumped down from the buggy, shuffling of feet was heard behind. Before he could turn to see who it was, something large and thick knocked against the side of his head. Pain exploded in his skull as dizziness assailed him. He reached for the horse to try and steady himself, but he missed his target and crumbled to the ground.

  Darkness slowly invaded his vision, but he could still see someone running away...someone with wild, long, blond hair.

  Groaning, he realized that was the description of the first man that Hobbs had given Chris. His stomach twisted as bile rose to his throat. But the darkness finally succeeded in filling his head and he gave in to the black void.

  ELLA WANTED TO RETCH all over the man who’d taken her, but she had nothing in her stomach. Because she’d been so nervous about her date with Chris, she hadn’t eaten anything. Of course, that probably was one of the reasons she didn’t have energy right now.

  Although she had no idea where the kidnapper had taken her, there were two things she was certain about. One, that this man was not Robert. He was too short, and his voice was whinier than her former beau. And two, that this particular outlaw was dumber than rocks—as were the other two imbeciles he’d met up with. She wasn’t sure where they were taking her, however, they were close by the ocean, because she could smell the sea salt and hear the squawk of the seagulls.

  If only she hadn’t insisted on opening the door and had allowed Hobbs to get it. But she’d thought it was Chris. Instead, this stranger met her by throwing a brown woolen blanket over her head and dragging her out of the house. She’d started to fight, but then he’d said the very thing that made her body and mind go stiff with terror.

  “Say one word, lady, and I’ll kill yer brother.”

  If they could capture her, she knew they would be able to get Billy. She had to protect him any way she could...and in this case, that meant by being quiet.

  During the time in the wagon, she realized they were not alone. Two other voices joined his as they rejoiced in capturing the wealthy woman. From what she’d gathered from their conversation, they weren’t exactly sure what to do with her seeing how her father was still out of town.

  She didn’t think these imbeciles worked for Rodmilla, either. At this point in the evening, Ella wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

  Although these men probably didn’t know one end of their body from the other, she was certain they weren’t stupid enough to ignore her. They probably expected her to try and escape. And given the chance, she’d take the opportunity to get away.

  She wasn’t sure how far they traveled in the wagon, because for her, it seemed like eternity. But finally they stopped and dragged her into some kind of shelter and sat her on a chair. Rough hands bound her wrists to the wooden slats of the chair while binding her ankles together. Finally, they took off the blanket.

  When she was able to look at these men clearly, recognition struck, making her head throb. These were the three men who’d tried to accost her when Chris had rescued her, and the man who’d done the initial kidnapping was Joe.

  “My, aren’t ya a pretty one,” one of the other men said as he stroked his dirty knuckles along her cheek.

  Joe stood against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. His gaze pierced through her, making her extremely uncomfortable. She couldn’t tell if he was upset at something, or if he always looked this miserable whenever he had to use his brain.

  “What are you going to do with me?” she asked in a shaky voice.

  “We’re gonna get a ransom for ya, don’t ya know?” The other man in the threesome moved to the back of the room, motioning his arm for the others to join. “But first, we need to figure out how.”

  As the men conversed in low tones, tears stung her eyes as she watched out the grimy window. The sun was setting in the horizon and soon it would be dark. She was sure Chris was trying to look for her by now, yet once the night had fallen, would he be able to find her?

  Every so often, she heard what the three men were discussing. It seemed they couldn’t put a price on how much they wanted for her. When they finally decided on a price—five thousand dollars, no less—they couldn’t decide on how to collect the money. They obviously knew her father’s absence was going to be a problem. She rolled her eyes. Hadn’t she told them that when they first tried to abduct her? What fools!

  She blew out a frustrated sigh. If only these idiots would have planned the kidnapping in advance, she wouldn’t be sitting here waiting for them to make up their tiny minds. Her limbs ached, and she needed a drink. She needed to eat, too. Would they keep her in this position until they expected her father to arrive? For certain, that would be the worst torture of all.

  Suddenly, one of the men growled and slammed his hand on the table. She jumped, but she couldn’t see what they were doing.

  “Joe, I’ve had enough of this.” He cleared his throat. “We either return her, or ya need to figure out a way to get the ransom. We cannot wait for her father to return, especially when nobody knows where he is or when he’ll come back. I’m sure her servants have contacted the sheriff by now, and they’ll be sniffin’ our trail like a hound searching for the fox.”

  She rolled her eyes. These men were definitely not as crafty as a fox!

  “Well Garrett, I can’t help it if I misunderstood your instructions,” Joe whined. “Ya should have been more clear.”

  The man growled. “What don’t ya understand about we’ll wait until her father gets back?”

  She wanted to laugh at his idiocy, but this really wasn’t a laughing matter.

  “Ya didn’t get the ‘structions wrong,” the man named Garrett snapped back. “Ya prob’ly just wanted to be the leader, and that ain’t right.”

  Joe growled. “So ya caught me. I wanted to be in charge of this kidnappin’.” He muttered a curse. “I should have listened to Morgan when he told me what fools the two of ya were.”

  “Ha!” the other man snapped. “We aren’t fools. Yer the fool for wantin’ to go along with Mr. Morgan, anyway.”

  “’Sides,” Garret said, “what are ya listenin’ to Mr. Morgan for? This is our heist. Not his.”

  Confused, Ella shook her head. Mr. Morgan? Chris’s last name was Morgan, but she knew he wasn’t the man they were referring to.

  “And ya know that schoolteacher will be lookin’ for her,” Garrett added.

  She had her answer. Their Mr. Morgan was not Chris. A sense of relief washed over her even as her heart thumped harder. She prayed Chris would search for her, but she doubted he knew where to look. Even with the odds against her, it was hard not to have hope. At this point, that’s all she could hold onto.

  “Mr. Morgan promised we wouldn’t have to worry about his son, Chris. He said as long as we got the woman, he’d take care of the schoolteacher.”

  A different kind of fear sliced through her. Somehow she must warn Chris. But... She scrunched her forehead. Had she heard correctly? Did they say Chris was Mr. Morgan’s son? That didn’t make sense. Chris told her both of his parents were dead. Had he lied to her?

  Her heart twisted as the ache of betrayal consumed her. Tears burned her eyes, and she blinked. Could her kidnapping have been thwarted if Chris had told her the truth? And, if he lied about this, what else had he lied about, because apparently, he wasn’t the orphan he’d led her to believe he was.

  Her heart crumbled a little more. She hadn’t really known him at all. He probably just told her those things to get close to her...as most men who wanted her money.

  Tears fell freely down her cheeks now. She didn’t know what else to think, and at this particular
moment, she wished it would all disappear. Her heart hurt too much. She must put aside her doubt and concentrate on getting out of here. Billy needed her just like she needed him. They couldn’t rely on—or trust—anybody else.

  THIRTEEN

  Ella needed to get a grip on the situation. She couldn’t sulk like a wounded cat. Hadn’t she gotten beyond this when she left her father’s estate? At that low point in her life, she’d decided not to be a helpless creature any longer. Keep on believing...

  Lifting her shoulder, she tried to wipe her wet cheeks on the material of her dress. When she was satisfied, she cleared her throat and said loudly, “Beg your pardon, but might I have a word with one of you jackanapes?”

  The three men in back of her grew silent. She waited for one of them to speak, but after a whole minute passed, she wondered if they were pretending not to be there. She wouldn’t put is past them. They were stupid enough to believe that.

  “Please, Sirs, I need to make a deal with you. I’ve been listening to your conversation and I think I can assist you with the mess you’ve gotten yourselves into.”

  Finally, the shuffling of feet grew closer and she squared her shoulders, ready for battle of any kind. When the imbeciles moved around and stood in front of her, all three men pierced her with menacing stares.

  “I hear you have a dilemma,” she began, deciding not to act as if she was afraid of their glares, “and I agree with you. Keeping me here until you hear from my father will not work. As you had mentioned, the sheriff will eventually find me, as well as Mr. Morgan.”

  Joe tilted his head. “Which Mr. Morgan are you referring to? The schoolteacher or his father?”

  She rolled her eyes. “The schoolteacher, naturally, since from what I understood, the father already knows I’m here.”

  Joe traded glances with the other two and they nodded.

  “Anyway,” she continued, “here is what I propose. You release me and I shall get you the money you so desperately seek, however, I won’t be able to get you the five thousand dollars. Instead, I shall pay you one thousand.” She decided to start out low and make it sound as though she couldn’t get her hands on the rest of the money. “And,” she looked directly at Joe, “the schoolteacher’s father won’t even have to know I gave you the money. I can hand it over quickly, and you and your friends can be on your way out of town before the sheriff finds you.”

  One of the men who appeared to be around her age, scratched his bushy chin. “What excuse should we give Mr. Morgan if’n he asks about ya?”

  She shrugged. “You can tell him the sheriff found me, and the three of you quickly got away before the man of the law could arrest you.”

  Once more, the three exchanged glances. Two out of the three nodded as if they agreed with her proposal, but Joe’s scowl told her he was going to fight it all the way.

  “Listen, little Missy—”

  A scratch at the door stopped him. All three men quieted. They quickly withdrew their pistols and pointed them toward the door.

  Another few seconds passed before the scratching returned. This time, the whine of a dog followed.

  “What’s that?” Joe whispered.

  “There’s a dog out there,” Garrett mumbled in a low voice.

  Joe elbowed the other man in the arm. “I can hear that, but why is there a dog out there?”

  “Uh, do ya think he’s hungry?”

  Joe growled and glared at his buddy. “I don’t care if he’s hungry or not. The point is, there shouldn’t be a dog scratchin’ at our door.”

  Garrett huffed and turned to face his partner. “And why not? If’n I were a hungry dog, I’d try to find someone to feed me.”

  “Oh, for cryin’ out loud,” Joe’s voice lifted in irritation, “I don’t care if you’re hungry or if you’re a dog. That’s not the issue here.”

  Ella couldn’t endure these three idiots any longer. How had they made it so far in their lives without using their brains? “If you’re so worried about the animal, why don’t you just open the door and shoo him away?”

  The beefier man pointed to the door. “Garrett, you do it.”

  “Fine.” He stuffed the pistol back in the holster and marched toward the door with the other two close behind.

  When Garrett pulled the door open, immediately, Robert’s face came into view. She never thought she’d be so excited to see him. But when he lifted his hand and blew a grain-like substance into the outlaws’ faces, she became very curious to his actions. All three outlaws coughed and rubbed their eyes, and seconds later, they crumbled to the floor, motionless.

  Robert checked each man, lifting an arm to see if they were really out, and when he was satisfied, he grinned and hurried over to her.

  “Robert? How did you know I was here?” she asked as he untied the rope around her wrists and ankles.

  “I followed them.” He sat back on his heels and swiped the long hair out of his face. “I was still on your property when they came to get you. I knew I had to act fast, but I couldn’t think of anything at the time, so I just followed them and waited for the opportune moment to rescue you.”

  “What did you blow into their eyes?” She glanced back at the outlaws who were still passed out cold. “They aren’t dead, are they?”

  Chuckling, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a tied leather bag. “No, they are asleep. The other day when I was on my way to confront you, I ran into a little old man who wanted to make a trade. He liked my hat and I traded him for this bag of sleeping powder.”

  She rubbed her sore wrists and stood, kicking off the loosened ropes around her feet. “Why would you want sleeping powder? That wasn’t a smart trade.”

  He pointed to the floor. “It wasn’t? Are you sure?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You didn’t know I was going to get kidnapped when you traded it, though.”

  The smile on his face stretched further as he slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Actually, my dear Ella, I thought I would have to use this on you.” He arched an eyebrow.

  Once again, fear slammed through her and her hopes sank like a boulder in the ocean. Who was worse? The three imbeciles who only wanted money, or Robert who wanted to take her to Rodmilla? By the way her heartbeat hammered out of control, she already knew the answer.

  “But you realized you don’t have to use it on me, correct? After all, you’ve noticed how completely happy I am here. Right?”

  Robert’s cocky grin turned into a crooked, pitiful frown. He shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. I’m still taking you back home, and I will use this on you if you fight me.”

  He gripped her wrists hard, and she cried out. When he turned them toward the door, she struggled, not wanting to go with him, but her struggles were in vain. Either she went willingly, or he’d force her. She really had no other choice.

  Realization that no one would be coming to her rescue was devastating.

  “WHAT ABOUT NOW?” CHRIS urged. “Try to get it to work again.”

  His head pounded, both from worry and from the injury from someone knocking a thick stick against his skull. Trying to ignore the pain, he focused on Darby as he tried to get his magic spell to work...but to no avail.

  They both stood in the kitchen by the table. Sighing heavily, Darby frowned as he focused on the stick. His hands hovered above the object as he muttered disjointed words. The stick rattled on the table, just as Chris had seen it do earlier, but by now, he doubted anything would happen.

  If Darby couldn’t make the spell work, the only other choice would be to summon the sheriff. Yet, that was just more time spent away from Ella. Time was precious. Chris didn’t want to waste any more of it.

  Darby groaned and dropped his head in his hands as he slumped in the nearest chair. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’m trying to command the stick to lead us to Miss Parker, but it can’t understand my words.”

  Chris was losing hope fast, but he couldn’t wait for Darby. A search party needed to
be gathered quickly. Chris didn’t know how long he’d been unconscious when someone had whacked him over the head, but he didn’t think it had been very long. Only because the sun was still in the same spot in the sky.

  He reached his hand back and tenderly touched the lump on his head. Pain shot through his skull again, and he flinched. That was going to ache for a while. Nevertheless, he had to ignore it. Finding Ella was more important.

  He patted his friend on the shoulder. “I understand. You tried, and that’s what counts.”

  Chris marched toward the front door, grabbing his coat off the back of the chair, but something else dropped to the floor. He stopped and peered at what had been hiding under his garment. Ella’s shawl. His heart twisted with worry again as he bent and picked it up.

  Bringing the garment to his nose, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Oh, Ella. I’m coming to find you. Don’t give up hope.” Imagining how helpless she must feel right now, made tears sting his eyes. He focused on the shawl and sighed. “I wish you could take me to Ella.”

  Suddenly, Darby let out squeal and jumped up and down. Chris whipped his head around to see what had his friend acting in such a way. As the little man danced back and forth, he pointed to the table.

  “It’s working!” Darby shouted.

  Chris couldn’t believe his eyes. The stick had lifted off the table and was moving toward him. He held his breath, waiting to see what would happen next. It shocked him when the stick stopped by her shawl...as if sniffing?

  “Darby? What’s it doing?”

  “I’m not certain.” He hobbled over to Chris and stood by the hovering stick. He cleared his throat. “Take us to Miss Parker,” he instructed the flying object.

  The stick lost its energy and dropped to the floor.

  Chris scowled. What was wrong with that thing? Darby was the one putting the spell on it, and yet it hadn’t listened to him. Yet, when Chris had said something...

 

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