He hated the feeling of hunger, even though he was well-practiced in staving it off.
“I’m sorry. No one should go hungry.” Elise looked up at him with understanding in her eyes. “What happened to Timmy?”
“He was adopted. One day a family came in, and they picked him out. It was strange since a lot of us never found families. But they seemed really nice. Timmy didn’t want to leave without me, but I made him go. I knew that he would never get a second chance if that family didn’t take him.”
“That must have been hard, losing your only friend.” Elise said the words as if she’d experienced them. For a moment, Ronan thought back to the moments that they’d shared in the past when they were friends.
Did she think of him leaving like that? Did she think that she’d lost her only friend? Surely, she had found other friends. He wanted to ask her, but something kept him from doing so.
“It was hard, but I think being at the orphanage played into who I am today. When I was fourteen, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get out of there. I left one night with a bit of stolen food and a handful of dreams. That year that I was on my own was one of the worst years of my life.”
“Then you found my father.”
“Yes, I did. He was a good man and changed my life forever.”
The two of them sat in silence for several long minutes. Ronan wondered if Elise was thinking of her father the way he was. He remembered all the kind things that Mr. Herrin had ever said to him. The way that Mr. Herrin had built him up and given him skills and confidence had changed him in so many ways.
“I miss him,” Elise said. Her voice was small and fragile.
“Me too.” Ronan had always been afraid to admit it, as if he didn’t know if he had the right to miss Mr. Herrin after not showing back up in his life for so long. But he knew that he did miss the old man. He missed the world that had existed when Mr. Herrin was in it.
“We should both get some rest. We need to leave before dawn if we want to get to the trail before the Indians track us down. We can bet on the Indians being after us. They won’t take well to us sneaking off or to stealing their horse, even if it was them who planned to break the deal.”
“All right. Goodnight, Ronan.” Elise pushed some sticks and leaves aside and then laid down on her side, curling up into herself. Ronan moved a couple of feet away and then did the same.
The night was cool, but they couldn’t risk starting a fire. The Indians would be able to spot a fire from miles away. They were going to have to sleep on the ground with no fire and no shelter if they wanted to stay hidden. Shelter would take much too long to build with no tools.
Ronan looked over to Elise’s still form. He worried about her. Yes, she was a country girl, and she had a lot of experience caring for others, but she also had things that she needed throughout her life. She’d never gone hungry for long periods or gone without a place to sleep at night.
He knew that this was all new for her, but she was handling it well, very well. He was more than astonished at her grace and ability to take on every new situation they faced.
Hopefully, the next day they would make it uneventfully to a town and find a solution that would eventually take them to California.
Ronan had believed that arriving in California would be a humongous struggle with the wagon train. But now they were on their own, with no money, no supplies, no horses or wagon of their own, they were going to be at more than a disadvantage. They had one Indian horse and each other and the hopes of reaching a town that was probably hours away. Unless they found the wagon trail, they were basically lost.
If they could manage that while keeping a village of angry Indians off their trail, they maybe had a slim chance of reaching Elise’s destination. But the challenges and dangers were many.
Ronan flipped on his back and stared up at the sky. He offered up a prayer to God that he would give them the strength, guidance, and blessings to help them reach their destination. They were going to need God’s protection if they were going to have any chance of getting to California safely.
Ronan allowed his mind to wander to the criminal he had been chasing before he had changed his goal to getting Elise to California. Hank Bowen. There was more history between him and Hank than he would like to admit. His time with Hank had probably been one of the worst times he’d ever had in the bounty hunting business. The fact was, he had heard rumors in Faircrag that Hank was in Overport. It really wouldn’t surprise him.
Hank Bowen seemed to make it around, always one step ahead of Ronan. There was a chance they might find Hank’s trail along their way, but there was also a chance they would find nothing. Even if that were the case, he would be able to use his connections to maybe get him and Elise a job until they could save for some supplies.
Whatever happened, they were going to need to take things one step at a time. He was going to have to trust God and get some rest. He was certainly going to need it the next day.
Chapter 21
Elise awoke to the sound of Ronan moving about and muttered frustrations coming from his mouth. She sat up and groaned at the aching in her body and her shoulders. Sleeping on the hard ground was very uncomfortable. Even sleeping in the Indians’ teepee on a buffalo skin was more comfortable.
She forced a brave face and turned to see what Ronan was so upset about.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“The horse, he’s gone. The rope I made last night wasn’t good enough. He must have broken it. He is probably heading back to the village.”
Elise suddenly remembered the fact that they had ridden the horse bareback. There had been no rope, only the short one attached to the hackamore, and she’d been so exhausted, she had failed to realize that.
“You made a rope?” she asked.
“Yes.” Ronan held up what looked like a quickly woven rope made out of plants and vines. That technique could work in a pinch. Her father had taught her, but it was still something that Elise knew took time to do properly.
It was snapped in the middle, and it was clearly inadequate for keeping a horse contained.
“So, we don’t have a horse now?” Elise couldn’t keep the worry from her voice even though she wanted to. She didn’t like to make Ronan feel concerned for her or feel like he had to protect her, but their situation was becoming more and more frightening.
They couldn’t go back to the Indians. Even if they were forgiven for their thievery, if Ronan was right about them not intending to let her and Ronan go free. They would merely become prisoners again, even if there were safety, warmth, and food there.
But Ronan had mentioned there was a possibility of them finding the wagon trail and following it to a town. If they had to walk that far, it might take them all day or longer. Texas was unforgiving state. Elise knew that from living there her entire life. The heat was often unbearable, and it wasn’t as if there were convenient little places to stop for food or water, and even if there were, they had no money to purchase such items with. There were cactus and snakes, and many other dangers on the trail. And the Indians would be looking for them. They would track them down, eventually.
“I know what you are thinking. We are going to have to walk.” Ronan interrupted her thoughts with his words.
“Yes. Are we going to be able to? I mean, I know staying here isn’t an option, but can we really walk that far?”
“Yes, we can. It will probably take all day or maybe two, and it will be hard, but I think we can do it. I saw a stream yesterday when we were riding. It runs southward, I think. We can follow it as long as possible. We also need to cover our tracks and try not to leave a trail, so I think doubling back to the stream may buy us time. I would say we still have an hour and a half before sunrise. We should take advantage of that time.”
Elise nodded in agreement. She hated the sound of his plan, but she didn’t have a better one or one that was remotely more appealing.
She followed numbly as he led the way back
to the stream. It was about a twenty-minute walk through the woods, but at least it was generally in the direction they needed to go after Ronan adjusted and took them at an angle through the trees.
His calculations were right, and they found the clear stream, bubbling through the rocks cheerily, unaware of the weary travelers at its banks.
Elise knelt beside it and splashed water on her face, doing her best to adjust her hair. She knew that she must look a sight. After several days with the Indians and a night in the woods, she wasn’t exactly at her best.
She wondered if Ronan had noticed her ill repair. He also looked rough. He had grown a beard since they had left the wagon train, and his sandy blond hair was disheveled and in need of a trim.
Ronan’s face was grim. “Drink a good amount of water here. I know it might make it harder to walk, but it will give you more strength in the long run. You will still get thirsty, though.”
Elise nodded and began to drink. She drank until she couldn’t hold any more and waited for Ronan to do the same. When they both stood, Ronan gave her a strong smile and then motioned for her to follow. The two of them set out through the woods, keeping the stream to their right. They found a deer trail and kept to it trying to leave the plants around them as untouched as possible.
The morning was cool, and the going wasn’t hard for the first part. Elise found herself hopeful that the rest of the journey would be easy. But then the sun started to peek over the horizon and then cast sunlight over the valley, filling it with heat, and the trees thinned and gave way to bushes and prickly plants that smarted when they were brushed against.
On a normal day, Elise would have appreciated the warmth, even admired it. But today, she loathed it. She was afraid that it would wither them as they walked. Slowly, even the bushes began to thin, leaving them with a flat open space dotted with cactus with nothing to protect them from the harsh sun. The stream had also diminished to nearly nothing and began to turn westward.
They stopped and took one last drink before leaving the stream behind.
It seemed like the next two hours became a blur of heat and thirst.
“How are you doing?” Ronan asked. He seemed concerned, and she knew why he was.
“I’m okay.” Elise knew that she didn’t sound convincing. She wasn’t even convinced herself.
Her stomach hurt, her feet ached, and her throat was dry.
“You can tell me how you are really feeling.” Ronan’s voice was full of worry.
“I am not feeling my best. The lack of water and the heat … well, I hope we make it to the trail sooner rather than later.”
Ronan nodded. “Me too. I hope it’s not going to take too much longer. We’ve already been walking five or six hours.”
Elise tried not to show how terrible his prediction was. The idea of walking more hours sounded like torture. She was also afraid because she knew they were in the open, and if the Indians were looking out here for them, it wouldn’t be hard for them to be spotted.
“Look. There’s another section of woods up ahead. I can see it from here. If we hurry, we will be there soon, and where there are trees, there is water. Ronan’s eyes lit up at the idea.
Elise felt hopeful for a moment. Some nice cool water at the moment sounded lovely. She was certain that all the water she’d drunk before had done was make her stomach hurt and her walk miserable, even though she knew better, and she knew that it was working into her body.
When she saw the trees appear up ahead, she nearly sagged with relief. They would finally be out of the open. At least some of the fear she felt about the Indians finding them and dragging them back to the village dissipated. Elise wondered if Little Sparrow had been in trouble for helping them. Had anyone else realized they were leaving or even that the little girl had helped them with their escape? Maybe it had been a great mystery how they had escaped unseen.
Elise followed Ronan blindly, trusting that he knew where he was guiding them. A short while later, they stumbled up to a tiny stream. It was much smaller than the first one, but it was clear fresh water, and that was enough for Elise. It looked to be a spring coming out of the hillside.
“We should take a little rest and drink some water. I think it must be around noon now. We can lay down until the day starts to cool again and walk some more then. If we wait till evening though it will give the Indians a chance to catch up.” The worry in Ronan’s eyes and the tension in his shoulders convinced Elise he knew what he was talking about.
“We should keep going. But we can afford a small rest, right?” Elise wasn’t sure what she would do if Ronan said no.
Instead, he simply nodded and offered her a hand to sit down. She lowered down to the stream, folding her legs back beside her, and then took a deep drink of the pure, clear water. It was delicious and slid down her throat, cooling her down into her stomach. She took off her shoes, put her feet in the water, and felt immediately better.
She had never realized that water could be the best thing that anyone could ask for. At this moment, it was truly the most delicious thing she had ever tasted.
Ronan sat down beside her, and when they were both done drinking and cooling their feet, they put their shoes back on and sat leaned up against the trees, basking in the cool shade and allowing themselves the much-needed rest.
“I’m sorry,” Ronan said at long last.
“For what?” Elise was caught off guard by his words.
“For making this all so complicated. If I hadn’t been so determined to pay off my debt to your father, maybe I never would have interfered with your trip, and maybe you would have arrived safely with the wagon train.”
Elise shook her head. “Or my horse still would have gone lame, and I would have been taken by the Indians alone and had no idea they were planning to double-cross me until it was too late, at which point, I would have been their prisoner forever.” Elise took a deep breath. “You can’t blame yourself for everything that has gone wrong. We have no idea why things have turned out this badly and where they could end up. Maybe things will get better, and this is where we are meant to be. Who knows? Maybe there is a reason that this way is better than it would have been.”
Ronan shook his head. He didn’t look convinced. In fact, he looked quite the opposite of convinced.
“Is this what your job is like? Do you chase after criminals and get into these situations all the time? You said you were tracking down a criminal before you came to my father’s funeral. Is that what you do for a living? Or what you did since you left us?”
Ronan winced at her words and looked like he wanted to correct her, but he didn’t say anything.
“I do hunt criminals. I am a bounty hunter. I know that it’s not a real job in any sense, but the bounties are good most of the time, and I can usually track down a criminal without too much hassle.”
“What happens when you catch up to one. Do they just let you tie their hands and follow you to the jail?” Elise motioned to the area around them.
He chuckled at the thought. “No, it’s not always so easy. I just take it one step at a time. Sometimes it feels like the adventure will end, and it will be my last job. Sometimes they put up a fight, and I have been in a few shootouts. But then somehow I end up coming out on top and having a criminal to turn in and another bounty in my pocket.”
“What was your worst job? The one that got you into the worst situation?” Elise asked. She didn’t know if Ronan would want to tell her, but she was curious. She had never met a real bounty hunter. She had heard it talked about in town, about how some men dedicated themselves to finding criminals. Some saw them as men who couldn’t hold down real jobs, or who were bad at family life.
A Long Way to Love: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 15