by Holly Blake
Love was something that Grover hadn’t believed in until he saw Anna. From the moment he saw her pretty smile he knew that he would do anything for her. He knew he was in love.
He smiled to himself and then forced his usual grimace to replace the smile. He looked at the two deputies that flanked him but they hadn’t noticed the smile he almost let slip. They had been riding the better part of two days with little signs of the outlaws. The evil men that had taken Anna had covered their trails well. But Grover Wright was onto them. He had picked up the trail not far from town. He was surprised by how far they had travelled. He was sure that their camp couldn’t be much farther out.
The sun was nearly gone and the air was getting cooler. They would have to set up camp soon. He hoped to find some clue to their whereabouts before the sun went down.
“We’ve gone too far, there’s nothing out here.” Johnson, one of Grover’s men announced.
The second deputy, Briggs chimed in. “We passed that old abandoned farm a while back. We checked it out. They had been there but they were gone,” Briggs whined.
“That was Beau Brady’s farm.” Grover stated, annoyed by Briggs’s whining of the last few hours. He would have said anything to shut the young man up. “Did you continue on up over the hill and check out the bunky? It’d make a great hideout. Near impossible to see unless you know it’s there.”
Briggs shook his head and shrugged. “Didn’t check it out cause I didn’t know it was there.”
Grover reeled around, his horse standing on two legs as he pivoted a full one hundred and eighty degrees in the air. Without saying a word to the soldiers he was off at a fast gallop pushing Lightening as fast as the horse could go. The deputies glanced at each other in shock and then set out after the sheriff. Their horses were no match for Lightening’s speed but they managed to keep the pale horse in sight as they whipped their horses into frenzy.
The outlaws had to be at the bunky. All Grover could think about was Anna in the hands of those men. He had to find her and he had to find her fast. Grover drove Lightening faster yet, leaving his deputies far behind in his dust.
Chapter Four
Bennett began to murmur in his delirium and woke Brody from his sleep. “Nurse, I think you need to come and have a look at Black Heart.”
Anna sprang up from the corner and bolted to the bed. She knew that if this horrible man died she would probably be killed. “He’s burning up with infection,” she told Brody. Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at him imploringly. “I don’t know what else to do. I’m not a doctor and he needs one badly,” she cried.
“It’ll be ok,” Brody said gently, putting his strong hand on her arm to calm her. She shook her head sadly. His belly ached with every move but he knew in his heart that this girl needed his strength to get through this trial. I know you have no reason to trust me or even want to talk to me for that matter, but believe me when I say I would never hurt you. I’d like to help. Will you tell me your name?”
She nodded but her eyes were still full of uncertainty. “It’s Anna,” she said, barely above a whisper.
Brody nodded. “My name is Brody. Okay, Anna, here’s what you can do. There’s some more whiskey on the table, pour it over the wound and re-bandage it. I know it won’t help much but at least the boys will see that you are trying your best to treat him.”
Anna looked into Brody’s eyes and felt reassured. She could see the tenderness in him and wondered why he was associating with such scoundrels. She got the whiskey and did what he suggested, hoping that it would at least buy her some time.
As she cleaned the bad man’s wounds she saw that green puss had begun to ooze out of the angry red hole. The leg had begun to turn black and she knew that Bennett would have to have the leg amputated immediately. Brody saw her concern and pulled himself up on the edge of the bed.
“You shouldn’t move, or you’ll tear those stitches and be just as bad if not worse than this man,” Anna exclaimed.
“I’ll be fine,” Brody assured her as he looked at Black Heart’s wound. He had seen injuries like this before and realized immediately why Anna had looked so scared. “Anna, we both know that this gunshot has gone very badly, but the men in the other room don’t know how bad this is. It won’t be long until Black Heart either dies or starts having fits. We have to be prepared for that inevitability.” Anna shook her head as the tears started pouring down her cheeks uncontrollably. She knew what Brody was saying. She was in great danger and there was nothing she could do to prevent her fate.
Brody longed to take her in his arms and comfort her. But now was not the time or place. At this point, Anna knew nothing about him. In her eyes he was nothing more than an outlaw who had been a part of her kidnapping.
But Anna’s tears subsided as she watched him look at her. She sensed that she could trust him, that he would never hurt her.
“How did you get involved with these men? You aren’t like them. I don’t understand.” She looked into his eyes, her brow furrowed in confusion.
As Brody looked into the eyes of this sweet woman he felt he had to explain himself. He wanted her to know that he wasn’t one of these bad men, that he was really a good man at heart.
“I can’t explain it all right now but I assure you that I am not one of these men. Had my life turned out differently I might have been, but I am not. My younger brother got into trouble with Black Heart and was supposed to be part of this robbery. I took his place here to save him from this life. My brother isn’t like these men either; he’s just misguided in his ways. But I have to keep up pretenses with these men. They must believe I am one of them in order for us to get out of this alive. But please trust me when I say that I am not.” Brody’s eyes implored Anna to understand. He could only hope that she would see that his story was honest and from his heart.
Anna nodded. “What will we do, Brody? Can we escape?”
“I don’t know, but I have been in worse binds and found my way out. I do have a plan, but you’ll have to trust me. Can you do that?”
Brody turned toward the door and shouted, “Boys, come quick.”
Anna pulled back and looked into Brody’s face horrified by what he had just done. His eyes had gone dark and she could no longer see the warmth that was there just a moment ago. What was she going to do? She stepped away from him and looked frantically around the room for escape, somewhere to hide but there was nowhere.
In quick succession five of the men came through the door with lanterns. The fresh light filled the room and gave Anna no shadows to hide in. She squeezed herself against the wall hoping to pass through it like a ghost.
“What’s the problem Long Tall?” The first man questioned glancing first at Brody, then at Bennett and then finally landing a venomous look on Anna. He strode to the bedside of Bennett and saw what Brody was gesturing toward.
“He needs a hospital with proper equipment,” Brody told the first man as the other five stood at the doorway waiting for instructions from the first. “Lamont, you’re going to have to take charge now. This young nurse can’t save him now. He needs to be taken to a place where he can have that leg amputated. If you don’t do that he’s going to die. You have to make a decision. Right here, right now. Do you really think he’d thank you for letting him lose his life?”
Lamont looked at Brody and pointed his thumb at Anna. “She could have fixed him if she wanted to. It’s all her fault.” He rose from the bed and lunged at Anna who sidestepped the man in fear. She pulled herself into the corner of the room as if it could protect her.
“It’s not her fault Lamont! Use your head man!” Brody yelled at the furious man. “Black Heart got himself shot up. It’s part of the life that he chose. This woman has done all she can for him. I’ve seen wounds like this during the war, the leg needs cutting,” Brody insisted.
“He’ll kill us if we agree to that Brody; you know what he’s like,” Lamont said, fear in his voice now. He looked at the other men and they all cas
t their eyes to the ground. No one wanted to make the decision.
A crashing sound came from the front of the house, “Sheriff’s on his way,” a voice yelled as another man came hurtling into the room past the other men. “We got to get out of here now!” The man roared. “Sheriff looks like he’s going to shoot first and ask questions never.”
Lamont bolted to the door and the others scrambled after him. Anna heard shouting at the front of the house but couldn’t make out what they were saying. A new fear rose in her.
“Anna, run out the back of the house, now!” Brody growled under his breath so the others wouldn’t hear.
Anna looked at him as he rose from the bed, his full height realized for the first time. His head nearly touched the ceiling and his body filled the room with new shadows he was so large. Anna shrunk back into the corner, frozen in fear.
Brody approached her and pulled her gently from the corner. “I will keep them busy; you go and find a place to hide, away from this house and any bullets that may be fired when the Sheriff gets here.” Brody strode away from Anna, through the door and toward the front of the house. Before he passed through the door he ducked to fit through it and glancing back gave her a reassuring nod.
His smile made her pulse quicken and her heart leap, not out of fear, but something else. She thought he had betrayed her, but maybe this was all part of his plan of escape. She crept out the bedroom to the back of the house and then through a doorway that brought her outside into the rainy night. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see rock formations everywhere, offering up the perfect spot to hide. The horses were tied up to the side of the house and she knew that from where she was hiding, the men would not be able to see her if they came to get their horses.
Suddenly a gunshot rang out through the rainy night and Anna saw Sheriff Wright, a gun in the air and Lightening, his horse reeling up on his hind legs. He was a sight. She had seen picture books with heroes from the West depicted in this way, but she had never believed it to be real. Here he was, a hero on horseback looking every bit like an image from a book or a painting, and he was looking for her. Anna felt more calm and safe as she watched Sheriff Wright take a stand near the horses.
“Come on out of there and bring the girl with you!” Grover yelled to the house full of men. There was no movement and no sound from within. Grover Wright shot his pistol into the air once again just as a flash of lightening filled the air with light and a roll of thunder peeled through the sky.
Chapter Five
Anna heard galloping from behind her. She looked back as a cold bead of sweat trickled down her spine. She saw one outlaw approach not far from where she saw Sheriff Wright appear, and another came up just beside her hiding spot. This man had his gun raised but instead of aiming it at the house he aimed it at the deputy at Sheriff Wright’s side. He fired and the man near the Sheriff grabbed his arm as he was thrown from his horse. The horse ran off and the Sheriff, looking startled glared at the man who stood so very close to her.
“Come on out fellas, I’ve got the Sheriff under gunpoint,” the outlaw yelled at the house. Anna watched Lamont come out of the house with his gun pointing straight at the Sheriff. He glanced around as his other men began to emerge from the front of the house and to the side, each approaching the Sheriff cautiously.
No one seemed to notice Anna and yet she was close enough that she could have reached out and touched the man’s foot. Anna scanned the area looking for Brody but he had not come out of hiding with the other men. Holding her breath, she eased further back behind the rock she was using as cover. Suddenly she felt a large hand cover her mouth and pull her from around the waist back yet further away from the scene.
When they were a good twenty feet away he let her go and she swung around to defend herself but it was Brody with a wide grin on his face. He motioned for her to be quiet and stay still as he slinked back toward the house. Confused, Anna watched in amazement as the standoff continued between the Sheriff and the seven men who confronted him. Sheriff Wright was a good man and a good friend, and Anna prayed that he would be alright.
Suddenly a loud explosion came from the far side of the house. Lamont and the other men startled at the sound. Lamont shouted orders and the men advanced toward the Sheriff. Another explosion filled the air and the outlaws all suddenly turned and charged off the way they had come. Lamont shouted after them but it was too late, the cowards were gone into the darkness.
Lamont and the Sheriff stood motionless, nether one willing to back down. The two kept their guns raised and pointed at each other. Just then another explosion rocked the house and made Lightening rear up in fright. Before the Sheriff could calm the horse, Lamont too had disappeared.
Brody was back beside Anna with one of the horses. She had no idea how he had managed it all but she took his hand and jumped on the back of the horse and rode off with him.
“Did you do all of that?” Anna asked as she pulled herself tightly against his back. Brody nodded. “But I don’t understand. Why didn’t you just reveal yourself to the Sheriff if you are as innocent as you say?”
“I can’t explain it all right now. Right now we needed to get away,” Brody said simply as he quickened the horse to a trot.
****
Grover Wright leapt from Lightening and strode into the house with purpose. He was determined to save Anna, and then he would deal with what had just happened with Lamont and his band of thieves.
He looked into the house and shouted, “Anna! Anna!” He went from room to room looking for the young woman who must be racked with fear from all the noise. He found Black Heart and surmising that he was not a threat continued looking for Anna. There were signs that she had been there, but she was not here now.
He went back to the room where Black Heart lay moaning and sweating. There were two beds and a cot in the corner. The cot was clean and neat, Anna’s he guessed. The second bed must have held another injured man as there was dried blood on the sheets. He noticed that Black Heart’s leg was newly bandaged and he naturally assumed that it was Anna’s handiwork.
A new rage filled Grover Wright, one he had never felt before. He turned from Black Heart and flew out of the house screaming for the woman he loved. “Anna! Anna! Where are you, Anna!”
Grover felt a bullet whiz past his ear. He ducked and studied the area. The storm had gotten heavier and he could see nothing. “Ping” another bullet in his direction ricocheted off a bell hanging from the verandah. Grover got as low as he could and found cover behind a cabinet. He scanned the area but saw nothing except silver streaks of rain in the moonlight.
A peel of lightening lit the stormy sky up like daylight. He saw one of the outlaws hiding behind a rock formation. His horse must have thrown him and now he was looking to grab a new one. There were only two horses left at the house, Lightening and another small black horse that must have been Black Heart’s.
Grover knew which horse the coward would try to steal and he knew the man would be in for a surprise. Grover came around the back side of the veranda and jumped down to the ground, making it look as if he was retreating away from the house. He watched smugly as the man approached Lightening and tried to mount the big horse.
Lightening was an Arabic horse that had been given to Grover by a strange man who had thought he would come to America and build a new kingdom. His plans came to naught when he realized that the West was not as conducive to his plans as he hoped. He left Grover his prize horse Lightening after Grover had saved the man’s scalp.
Grover had soon learned that Lightening was not like other horses. He was huge and had a mind of his own. His speed was only matched by his bad temper.
As the outlaw grabbed Lightening’s reins the horse acted docile and calm. As soon as he had pulled himself atop the horse, Lightening sank his bottom down to the ground like a sitting dog and his rider simply slid off the horse’s back.
Lightening immediately stood back up and kicked. One of his hooves connected
with the man’s chest and he fell, like a tree, to the ground. Grover, although still writhing with anger, approached him with a chuckle. He pointed his gun at the short man and pulled back the trigger. “You about done trying to run?” he asked the frightened man.
Chapter Six
As the sun came up the rain trickled to an end and Anna shivered in the cool air.
“Are you alright?” Brody questioned. He knew he had to get them somewhere they could dry off and warm up but he wasn’t familiar with this area. He hadn’t ever been to this side of the territory and the strange terrain was all beginning to look alike. He was exhausted but determined to finish what he had started and save this fine young woman.
“I’m fine.” Anna said as she shivered. Her only warmth was coming from Brody’s back. “I think we’re close to the Flannigan farm. Just over that hill there should be an old abandoned farm house.”
“There sure are a lot of abandoned places for an area that has barely been settled,” Brody laughed.
“The Flannigan’s have a very sad tale. I never knew them, I only arrived a few months ago, but the story goes that they were an Irish family that came out west to make their fortune. When they arrived one of their six children died of the pox, then one died of pneumonia the following winter. The next summer one died from drowning in the nearby stream and then their twins got mauled by a bear that wandered through their land. By that time Mrs. Flannigan had had enough and she went mad. Her youngest child, a boy I’m told, got sick with a fever and the father took him to the local Indian village for healing. When he returned without their boy Mrs. Flannigan thought she had lost her final child and she hanged herself in the barn. It is truly tragic.” Anna relayed the tale feeling the depth of the grief the mother must have felt.
“So what happened with Mr. Flannigan and his boy?” Brody asked.
“Oh, they went back to Ireland.” Anna said matter-of-factly. “I guess Mr. Flannigan decided that America was a curse to his family and he took his son and they just left. They never sold the farm and everything is just as it was when they left.”