Nicki rubbed her temples, realizing how thankful she was for someone to give all her burdens to. Her headache was lessening already. Just knowing that God loved her more than words could say and would be there to help her because she’d asked removed some of her tension.
Her prayer continued as she thought of the Jeffries and all they had lost. Help them turn to You for their strength, Lord. Help them know that You are with them even during this terrible time. Use me, if You can, to be a comfort to them, but mostly I pray that you will give them the strength to make it through the coming days and still cling to You.
Thoughts of the Jeffries’ little May saddened her, and she suddenly wanted to see Sawyer more than anything. She headed toward the door, intending to ask Ron if he would mind running her over to Tilly’s for a while. Maybe I should ask Conner. There’s no way he would pass up a chance to go to Tilly’s. A slight smile crossed her face at the thought.
She was just reaching for the door handle when it opened. Startled, she stepped back.
It was Jason, with his saddle slung over one shoulder. He started to step into the room but paused upon seeing her. Their eyes met and held for a long moment, then his mouth softened into a barely perceptible smile.
Her heart soared but she was careful to keep her face blank.
“Hi.” His one word was tentative.
He obviously wasn’t sure if she was going to welcome him back. Well, he should be wondering after what he had accused William of. He’s out of jail? “Hi. What are you doing here?”
He nodded, rubbing one hand across his jaw. “You’re right. I’ll just find a place to stay in town. But I’m not backing down. I’m telling you the truth, and until you figure it out for yourself, you need someone to watch your back for you. So don’t expect me to go far.” He started to turn away.
“Wait. That’s not what I meant. I meant, how did you get out?” He told her, his words clipped and to the point.
“Slim was the man who was following you?”
He frowned even as he nodded, knowing he hadn’t told her about Slim. She smiled slightly. “I’ve been talking to Ron.”
“And did he convince you that I was telling the truth?” He shifted the saddle to get a better grip.
“Oh, goodness, come in. I didn’t mean to keep you standing at the door.” He hesitated briefly but followed her back into the room, dropping the saddle into the corner.
“I never thought you were lying,” she said.
He contemplated her for a moment, then evidently chose to ignore that line of conversation. “You were going somewhere?” He gestured to the door.
“I was going to see if I could talk Ron or Conner into taking me to see Sawyer. He’s at Tilly’s.”
“I’ll take you. Just give me a minute to hitch the buggy.” She nodded. “Thank you.”
Minutes later they were seated in the buggy, with his blanket tucked snugly around her legs.
The silence grew heavy as they jostled across the snow-rutted road. Nicki sensed Jason’s tenseness. His words had been deliberate and controlled for the past hour.
“Something bothering you?” she asked.
His jaw clenched, but his hands remained loose and steady on the reins. The horse trotted on, and he made no reply.
She chuckled dryly. “You’re mad at me and acting like a spoiled little boy!”
He cast her a sideways glance and then pulled the buggy to a stop by the side of the road. He stared across the fields. “A little.” He turned and casually draped his arm across the back of the seat. “Mad—not acting like a spoiled boy,” he clarified with a slight smile.
The point of contact where his arm brushed her shoulders sent shivers of pleasure down Nicki’s back, and she leaned forward, not daring to allow herself to linger in that pleasure. She had to keep her head about her if she was going to figure things out. She searched his face but found no answers in his frank gaze. “Why?”
He lifted the arm draped behind her and trailed his fingers across her temple, tucking a strand of her hair back. “Because I’m worried about you. Especially now that I know you’re pregnant.” His eyes gentled.
“Worried?” she whispered. The word almost stuck in her throat as she tried not to think about the intimacy of his last statement.
He nodded, but no twinkle leapt into his gaze as she had hoped. He was angry.
“And worrying about me makes you angry with me?”
A twinkle did show in his eyes then. “No. You make me angry with you.”
She shook her head. “You’re not making sense.”
He looked past her, staring out across the white fields around them again. Nicki followed his gaze and could see several of her cows dotting the crests of the hills on the horizon. He didn’t respond for a long time.
Nicki was just opening her mouth to speak again when Jason laid the finger of his free hand across her lips and she stilled. “I’m frustrated that you won’t listen to the facts. And worried about you because you might be in danger. And yes, a little angry with your stubborn insistence to stick by William. But mostly worried about you. I’m sorry I was short with you.” He let his hand drop back onto his knee, but his other hand still played distractedly with a strand of her hair. Tingling darts of fiery heat ran down her spine.
She fought to churn the Spanish words floating in her head into English. “Don’t. Worry about me, I mean.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t worry. But with the money coming in from these horses, I can’t help but think there will be more threats.”
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me,”
Nicki quoted quietly as she gazed across the fields surrounding them. “I don’t know who wants me off my land. But I know God will be with us, Jace.” She blushed at her inadvertent use of a more intimate version of his name and fiddled with an invisible speck on her skirt, but he didn’t seem to notice. She hurried on. “I owe you an apology, too. Pastor said something in his sermon on Sunday, and I realized that God sent you to me to help and comfort me during this time and I wasn’t very pleasant to you when Sheriff Watts arrested you.” She turned to look at him. “Lo siento.”
He swallowed, his throat working visibly, as he turned from looking at her to scan the horizon. He dipped his chin once, indicating his acceptance of her apology. Then he spoke. “Yes, I know God will be with us. I’m still learning to leave things in God’s hands. But I think it would be wise to be a little more careful over the next few weeks. And no more glaring down bullets, all right?” His blue eyes pierced her, a demand for compliance shining in their depths. “Promise me you’ll run for cover if shooting starts?”
She smiled. “I guess that was pretty stupid. I just didn’t want them to think they could bully me.”
“Promise?”
She rolled her lips together and nodded. “Promise.”
“Good.” He sat up straight and gave her mouth a gentle tap with one finger. “You’ve got to stop doing that.” He faced forward and once again took up the reins in both hands.
She frowned even as she realized he meant her habit of pressing her lips together when she was in deep contemplation. “Why?”
With a click of his tongue he started the buggy down the road. “It makes me want to kiss you.”
She sucked in a startled gasp and turned her face away so he wouldn’t see the heat washing over her.
He chuckled. “Consider yourself warned, Nick.” He bumped her gently with his shoulder.
She groaned inwardly but found that a tingle of anticipation couldn’t be vanquished.
Dusk was just falling when Tilly Snow opened the door and stepped outside to call the dog in. She froze, horror dropping her jaw.
Cutter, their sheep dog, hung by his back legs from the weeping willow tree in the yard, his throat slit, a pool of blood darkening the ground underneath his body.
Tilly glanced aroun
d. Terror pounded through her fast and furious, taking the strength from her legs. She collapsed to the ground, staring at the horrible sight, her mouth gaping. Who would do something like this? And then everything inside of her broke loose.
Her scream brought her family running.
“Oh, sweet Jesus.” Mama sank to the ground beside her.
One word had been carved boldly into the bark of the tree. “Leave.”
Mama wrapped her arms around Tilly’s shoulders, tears coursing down her cheeks. “Oh, honey. Come inside. It will be okay, now. Patty,” she spoke to Tilly’s younger sister, “put on some water for tea.” The last thing Tilly wanted was tea.
“I’ll be all right, Mama.” She climbed to her feet, stepped away, and started for the barn to get the shovel.
Behind her, she heard her father pull his rifle down from its pegs above the door and check his loads.
“Jim?” Mama asked. Tilly glanced back.
Daddy laid one hand on Mama’s arm. “It will be okay, Suze. Don’t worry. I’m just going to town for the Sheriff.”
Tilly’s eyes were drawn once again to the gruesome scene, and she couldn’t seem to make her legs work.
With purposeful strides Papa stepped past her and into the barn to saddle his horse.
Sid galloped into the yard just as Papa led his horse from the barn. “Pa! The sheep’ve been slaughtered. More’n thirty of ’em!”
Jenny Ashland smiled at her husband, Jacob, over the top of their son’s head. They both held one of Jake Jr.’s hands, swinging him between them. They had taken the opportunity to enjoy the warm weather and had gone for a family walk.
“Ready?” Jacob hollered. “One…two…THREE!” They swung the boy high in the air, laughing as the child squealed in glee.
“FEE!” Jake giggled, when his feet were back on the ground. “’Gain!”
Jacob’s eyes dropped to her slightly rounded belly and then took in her face. She knew there were tired circles underneath her eyes. She hadn’t slept well the night before.
Jacob glanced down at Jake. “One more time, son, and then we have to get home so Mama can get dinner and I can finish the chores.” His eyes held a little worry as they traveled back to her face, and Jenny smiled to assure him that she was all right.
“Ready?” Jacob asked, “one…two…THR—” Jake’s swing died before it had even begun.
“Oh, dear Lord!” Jenny gasped at the sight before them as they crested the low rise just south of their farm. One wall of the barn was on fire, and someone had shut the doors so the livestock couldn’t escape.
Jacob immediately launched into action. “Jenny, stay here with Jake. I’ll put out the fire and call for you if there’s no danger.”
“Be careful, Jacob.” Jenny reached to touch the back of his shoulder as he hurried down the hill.
“Uh-oh,” Jake uttered, pointing at the burning building.
“Yes, honey.” Jenny squatted down and pulled the toddler into her embrace. “Uh-oh.” Lord, if only this was an accident.
But it was obvious the fire had been set on purpose.
The note was pinned to the front door of the house with an arrow: Move on, or next time it will be worse.
16
The evening sun was sinking low as Rocky and Cade swung down from their saddles in front of Farewell Bend’s mercantile and looped their reins over the hitching rail. Rocky sighed and stretched. It had been a long trip. They had pushed themselves hard to get here as quickly as they could. After all, this was Jason they were talking about. He would have done the same for them were the situations reversed.
Sky was back home, literally pacing a worn path in the floorboards of the sheriff’s office. Rocky smiled. Sky had wanted to come with them, but Brooke was coming into her time any day now. And Sky’s pacing wasn’t even half due to the fact that Jason was in trouble.
Rocky glanced down the street and saw the sheriff’s office and jail. He and Cade wanted very badly to go straight there and see Jason, but Ron’s telegram had informed them that it might be better if they showed up without making it known they were here to help Jason out of this fix.
The town was not very large. Most of it stretched out before them on the one main street, although he could see a few buildings behind the others. Much of Farewell Bend’s patronage probably came from outlying farms and ranches.
They pushed open the door of the mercantile and stepped inside to the jangling of the bell overhead.
“I’ll be right there,” the voice of a young woman called from a storeroom behind the counter. A moment later she emerged, carrying a stack of small crates that towered above her head. “Is that you, Mrs. Hamilton? We just got in that shipment of shoes that you were asking about last week.” She peeked around the stack, let out a startled squeak, and dropped all the boxes, sending shoes, lids, and crates flying in all directions.
Rocky glanced at Cade and laid a hand of sympathy on his shoulder. Women were always falling all over themselves when they saw his good-looking friend. Cade’s black curly hair and blue eyes were apparently enough to send even the most collected of women into a titter.
Ever the gentlemen, both bent to help her pick up the scattered mess but when they were done, Rocky was convinced that several of the boxes had shoes of different sizes in them. He was also surprised to note that the young woman was not staring at Cade but at him.
The pretty girl who apparently had lost her ability to speak for a moment suddenly found her voice. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. I was expecting Mrs. Hamilton. You see, she always comes in on Wednesdays about this time. She’s been wanting a new pair of shoes, and we just got in the shipment yesterday.” She blushed and gestured to the once again neatly stacked crates. “As you can see. Well, when I looked around that stack and saw you two, you can imagine…” She giggled. “Well, you’re definitely not Mrs. Hamilton. She’s not nearly so—oh goodness!” She blushed to the roots of her hair, her eyes flitting from Rocky to the ground and back again. “I can’t believe I almost said that. It’s just that—” She stopped once again and Rocky saw her literally bite her tongue.
He decided to rescue her. “Ma’am, we need directions out to the Hanging T.”
She jumped on that lifeline. “You’re here to work for Mrs. Trent, aren’t you? I heard that she was hiring. At least you look like ranchers.” She paused. “Well,” she gestured to Cade, “he does. You,” she turned back to Rocky, “look more like a lawman.”
Rocky pushed his hat back on his head and scratched his scalp before he replaced it. “Ma’am, can you tell us how to get out there?”
“Sure I can. It’s not difficult to find. Why, once you’ve worked here for a time, you’ll be able to ride the trail with a blindfold on.” She giggled. “Not that you’d want to. That’s just how easy it is to get there from here.”
Cade sauntered down an aisle to browse. Rocky glared at his retreating form, promising himself that he would lock horns with Cade later for leaving him to deal with this chatterbox.
“Ma’am?” he paused, waiting.
“Oh my! I’ve gone and done it again. I’m always talking too much, people say. It’s really a bad habit. I tend to talk too much when I’m nervous. I’m not always like this, you know. It’s just—oh! Never mind. Okay.” She took a calming breath. “Head out of town that way.” She gestured to the left. “Go about three quarters of a mile and you’ll come to a fork. Take the fork to the left and the Hanging T is down that way just a couple of miles. You won’t be able to miss it.”
Rocky and Cade started toward the door.
Rocky tipped his hat. “Thank you, ma’am. We’re much obliged. You have a good afternoon.” The words almost tripped over themselves, he rushed to say them so fast. Turning, he hurried to the door, hoping that Cade would quickly follow suit.
He did, and when they were clear of the building, Rocky glanced at him. “That woman needs a man to temper her tongue.”
Cade laid a hand on his shoulder. “Just
so long as it’s not one of us, Rock.” He gave a mock shudder, and both men grinned as they mounted up. Cade’s grin turned devilish. “’Course, it was you she had her eye on, and she wasn’t bad to look at. Maybe you’ll have to try your hand at quieting that tongue before we leave town.”
Rocky snorted. “Not in this lifetime, Cade. I’ll leave the flirting to those who are good at it.” He gave his friend a pointed look, and Cade threw back his head on a laugh. Rocky knew that would keep Cade quiet for a while. He had been needling Cade lately about the number of girls he had taken out over the past two years. And Cade wouldn’t want to touch that subject with a thirty-foot cattle prod.
Janice sighed as the two men rushed out. Sinking down onto one of the crates, she folded her hands on her lap.
“Lord,” she whispered, “If You’re going to send me a husband, You’d better make him ugly as a cow’s backside. I can’t seem to hold my tongue around the good-looking ones You send my way. But my, I can’t say that I’d mind if You’d just send one handsome man that liked to hear me talk. I would greatly appreciate it.”
She leaned back into the wall and stared with starry eyes at the door. She was still sitting just so when Mrs. Hamilton came in a few minutes later.
“Janice! Are you all right?” the woman screeched.
Janice grinned. “The shoes you’ve been waiting on came in, Mrs. Hamilton. I was just going to put them out.” She turned away before the woman could pry further into her state of airiness.
Jason glanced up when Nicki entered the barn. He was in the back corner clearing out the last vestiges of rubble. Jacob Ashland had ridden over to let them know what had happened at his place last night. And Tilly had arrived this morning with the news of what had happened to their dog and their sheep.
Nicki’s face held vague disquiet, and he wondered what was troubling her now. They had brought Sawyer home with them the day before, and he knew she hadn’t slept well last night with the boy in her bed. He’d heard her up a couple of times in the night. Perhaps she was just tired.
High Desert Haven (The Shepherd's Heart) Page 20