by Connie Mason
His eyes widened as he stared curiously at Jackson. Then he slapped Jackson on the back and said heartily, “Say, ain’t you Freddie Jackson? I’m Cal Bork, remember me? We had some good times together before you left town.”
Freddie gave him a nervous smile. How unlucky could he get? He’d never expected to meet someone who knew him his first night in town. “I remember. How have you been, Cal?”
“Couldn’t be better. What are you doing in town? Isn’t it dangerous? A bounty hunter’s been nosing around, asking questions about you.”
Freddie spit out a curse. “I ain’t gonna stay long. Just came to see my parents. They’re getting up in years. I had business nearby and decided to pay them a visit Thought I’d lost that damn bounty hunter weeks ago.”
“Sorry to be the one to give you bad news, but your folks died three or four years back and your sisters married and moved out of town.”
“Shit! It was a dumb idea anyway. Reckon I’ll hightail it out of town before that bounty hunter finds me.”
Jackson tossed back the last of his whiskey and made as if to leave. Suddenly he turned back to Cal. “Whatever happened to that preacher’s daughter. What was her name… Oh, yeah, I remember now. It was Sarah. Sarah Temple.”
Cal laughed. “You’d never guess. The pious little tart lifted her skirts for some man and got herself knocked up. Her parents disowned her and kicked her out She and her bastard son are living in a shack across the tracks. She takes in laundry for a living. Some say she takes in tricks.”
Jackson’s attention sharpened. “She has a son? How old is the kid?”
“Let me think… Must be five or six by now. Cute little fella. Too bad.”
“Thanks, Cal, you’ve been a big help. Take care of yourself.”
Abner was subdued when Sarah served him supper that night. She knew he felt Chad’s loss keenly but there was nothing she could do to make him feel better.
“Are you sure Chad left town, Mama?”
“That’s what he said, honey.”
“Why did he have to leave? Why can’t he stay with us and be my papa?”
“Mr. Delaney doesn’t want attachments. And besides, I don’t want a husband. His leaving is best for everyone. You wouldn’t want him to be unhappy, would you?” Abner shook his head. “He’d be very unhappy if he had to stay here with us. Men like Chad come and go with the wind.”
A furtive knock on the door brought the conversation to a halt.
“Chad!” Abner cried, running to open the door. “He’s come back!”
Against her will Sarah found herself moving expectantly toward the door, just steps behind Abner. It had to be Chad, she reasoned, for no one else ever visited. Certainly not her parents, and she had no friends.
Abner reached the door and flung it open. His face fell when he saw a strange man standing on the doorstep. Jackson didn’t wait to be invited in. He merely shoved inside and closed the door firmly behind him.
Sarah grabbed Abner and pushed him behind her. “Oh my God! It’s you. What do you want?”
“I thought you’d recognize me. Ain’t you glad to see me?”
Sarah stared at Freddie Jackson, her fear escalating. She’d recognized him immediately. How could she forget him? Her knees nearly buckled beneath her and she clutched Abner’s hand so hard he cried out.
“Mama, you’re hurting me!”
Sarah barely heard him, so great was her shock. What was he doing here? Freddie Jackson was her worst nightmare come true. For the first year or two after Abner’s birth she’d lived in terror, fearing Jackson would return and learn that he had a son. As time passed her fear began to wane, especially after Jackson’s parents died and his sisters moved away. She reckoned he’d have no reason to return to town now. She’d been wrong! Dear Lord, she’d been wrong.
“What do you want?” Sarah hissed, swallowing past the lump in her throat. “I prayed I’d never see you again.”
“So you do recognize me,” Jackson said. His probing gaze settled on Abner, who was peeking around his mother’s skirts. The boy’s eyes were bright with curiosity, not in the least fearful. Jackson liked that in a kid.
“Is that the boy?” Jackson asked. “Handsome little fellow. How old is he?”
“I’m five,” Abner sang out to his mother’s horror. “Why are you scaring my mama?”
“Brave, too. I like that. He’s got my eyes, Sarah. What did you name him?”
“My name is Abner.” Abner glared up at Jackson, assessing and judging him with a child’s astute perception of good and evil. “I don’t like you.”
Sarah gasped in horror. “Abner! Go to your room. Let Mama handle Mr. Jackson.”
“I have to protect you. Mama,” Abner protested.
Jackson stepped forward, gripping Abner’s arm and pulling him forward. Grasping Abner’s chin, Jackson raised his little face to the light as he searched the boy’s features.
“Don’t touch him! Leave him alone!” Sarah cried, flying to her son’s defense.
“Well, well,” Jackson muttered, grinning at Sarah, “what do you know. Looks just like me. He’s my kid, ain’t he, Sarah?”
“No!” The word burst forth in an angry rush of denial. “Go away! Abner is my son… my son, do you hear? You have no right to him.”
“The boy needs a man to raise him. You’ll make a sissy of him.”
Sarah sneered in derision. “Look at you. You’re an outlaw, a man on the run. You can’t possibly think that you…” The thought was so horrendous she couldn’t find proper words to express it.
“That’s exactly what I am thinking,” Jackson said, staring at Abner. “I gotta lay low for awhile. I got a snug little hideout on Elk Mountain and a squaw to look after the kid. All I gotta do is knock over one more bank and I’ll be set for a long time.”
Sarah’s mind worked furiously. This couldn’t be happening. No one was going to take Abner from her. She and Abner had gone through too much together. He was hers and hers alone.
“Sooner or later the law will catch up with you. What will happen to Abner when they do? A bounty hunter was in town looking for you. Leave now, Freddie, before he comes gunning for you.”
Jackson sent Sarah a fulminating look. “You’re no longer that innocent little girl who worshipped me.
“Thank God. I know you for what you are now, Freddie Jackson. You’re a despicable bastard. If not for you I’d still be innocent”
“Watch what you say in front of the kid,” Freddie warned. “Besides, you wanted it”
Sarah wanted to tear out Jackson’s eyes, but not in front of Abner. “Go to bed, Abner. I’ll be in as soon as Mr. Jackson leaves.”
Jackson didn’t stop Abner as he reluctantly obeyed his mother.
“You have no rights where Abner is concerned, Freddie,” Sarah spit out once Abner was gone. “You raped me and left me lying on the ground, hurt and broken. I was a child when you ripped away my innocence.”
Freddie frowned. “That ain’t the way I remembered it. I hear your pa disowned you. You been turning tricks for a living?”
Sarah raised her hand to slap him but he caught her wrist in his big hand, bringing her up against him. “Don’t raise your hand to me, woman. You’re nothing but a whore. You ain’t fit to raise my son. Pack up his clothes, I’m taking him with me.”
“I’m more fit than you!” she screamed at him.
“At least with me he won’t be no sissy.”
“Why? Why are you doing this?”
“Maybe I took a shine to the kid. Maybe because he’s mine. And don’t try to tell me otherwise, he’s the picture of me when I was his age. Maybe being a father appeals to me. Go on, pack his clothes.”
“No. You can’t have Abner.”
He pulled a Colt .45 from his holster and pointed it at Sarah. “I got a friend here who says I can have anything I want. Are you gonna get the kid or shall I?”
Sarah lunged at him. Jackson retaliated by knocking her aside with the barr
el of his gun. Stunned, Sarah fell to the floor, unable to move, unable to speak as Jackson stepped over her and stalked into the bedroom.
Minutes later he returned with a wildly protesting Abner. Jackson held him tucked under one arm as he nudged Sarah with the toe of his boot “Get the kid’s clothes. I ain’t got all day.”
Coming out of her stupor, Sarah scrambled to her feet. Raising her hand to her temple, she pulled it away stained with blood. She ignored the pain. “Where are you taking him?”
“I told you. I got a hideout on Elk Mountain.”
“I understand the area is crawling with hostile Indians who have left their reservations. You’re deliberately placing my son in danger.”
“Naw, the Indians won’t hurt me. Spotted Deer is a Shoshone.”
“Take me with you,” Sarah pleaded frantically. “I can take care of Abner better than Spotted Deer. I’m his mother.”
“Mama! Don’t let the bad man take me away!”
“I’m your pa, kid. Get used to it”
“Please, Freddie, take me with you,” Sarah repeated.
Jackson frowned. “I got no use for you, Sarah. There’s too much hate in you.” His gaze raked her with contempt “You’re too skinny. Spotted Deer suits me better. You’re as cold as an icicle in winter, if I recall. I was the first with you and I liked that, but you ain’t my type.
“Are you gonna get the kid’s clothes or shall I take him like he is? It gets cold in the mountains at night He’ll freeze without a jacket to keep him warm.”
When Sarah didn’t move fast enough, Jackson gave her a vicious shove. Sarah stumbled, righted herself, then dragged herself into the bedroom. Numb with grief, she gathered Abner’s clothing and stuffed it into a pillowcase. Why, after all these years, did Freddie Jackson have to turn up? And why did he want his son? Nothing made sense. Of one thing Sarah was certain. Freddie Jackson wasn’t going to take her son from her without a fight She’d follow him to he’ll and back if necessary.
“Hurry,” Jackson growled.
Sarah grabbed the pillowcase and Abner’s heavy jacket and hurried back to the parlor. “This is everything,” she said, handing the pillowcase to Jackson.
“Tell your mama goodbye, kid,” Jackson said as he dragged Abner out the door.
“Mama! Mama! Don’t let him take me!”
Sarah couldn’t stand it. Disregarding her own safety, she lunged at Jackson, gripping him around the middle in a futile attempt to stop him. Jackson spit out a curse and flung his arm back, tossing Sarah aside like a rag doll. By the time she regained her wits, Jackson had already mounted his horse and had Abner perched in front of him.
Abner was nearly frantic now, trying to dislodge himself from Jackson’s grasp. Sarah shook her head to clear it and picked herself off the floor. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ll find you. Be brave.”
No answer was forthcoming. Darkness was all around her, suffocating her as pounding hoofbeats echoed in the distance. Sarah didn’t waste precious time crying and carrying on. She knew what she had to do and there wasn’t a moment to spare. If only Chad were here, she thought dimly. Chad would help her, she knew he would. But Chad had already left and she was on her own. Grabbing her jacket from the nail by the door, she rushed out into the night.
All was dark and silent inside the Barlows’ shack. Sarah knew they kept a swaybacked nag stabled in a small lean-to next to the house and she silently prayed for forgiveness as she saddled the animal and led him away. She hoped the Barlows would understand. Stealing was nothing compared to the lengths she was prepared to go to in order to save her son.
Mounting the horse, Sarah set a course toward Elk Mountain. She couldn’t be too far behind Jackson. With a little luck she would catch up to him by morning. Brilliant moonlight flooded the night as Sarah scanned the horizon. Then suddenly she saw him. He was riding east along a ridge, clearly outlined against the moonlit sky. Sarah offered a silent prayer of thanksgiving and took off after him.
Chapter 6
Chad made camp in a canyon beneath a sheltered overhang a few miles east of Carbon. He saw no reason to continue on to Medicine Bow that night He’d all but given up on finding Freddie Jackson. After he made a campfire and ate a meager meal, he retrieved a stack of wanted posters from his saddlebags and sat down on a rock to study them by firelight. Three other outlaws were known to be in the area and he decided to question the leader of the local vigilante group in Medicine Bow in the morning. Perhaps Sean MacKay could give him a good lead on the other men.
Chad built up the fire to ward off wild animals, hoping that hostile Indians, known to be roaming the area, wouldn’t see it. Rolling up in his bedroll, Chad searched for sleep and failed to find it. He was restless and disturbed by things that shouldn’t bother him. Sarah and Abner were nothing to him. He’d given more of himself to Sarah than he’d given any other woman. The day his mother had left three small boys for a lover was the day he’d developed a deep distrust of all women.
Of the three brothers, Pierce had found a woman he could trust, a woman who loved him unconditionally, but Chad didn’t expect miracles where he was concerned. Cora Lee Doolittle, may she rest in peace, had come close to destroying the lives of all three Delaney brothers. Chad vividly recalled the day Cora Lee had died, and the changes that fateful moment had wrought in his life.
For two years he’d drifted aimlessly, hoping to escape his demons. Then he’d met Sarah and Abner. Somewhere within his barren soul he’d discovered a tiny spark of compassion he thought he’d lost forever. He realized now that compassion was the emotion that had kept him in Carbon. He’d fought against accepting responsibility but couldn’t find it in his heart to leave Sarah and Abner to fend for themselves. Even now he felt a pang of guilt for having taken off like he did.
A part of his conscience argued that he should have stayed longer. He should have been more concerned about how Sarah and Abner would survive after he left. Yet a darker, deeper place inside him whispered that he’d done more than was required of him, more than most men would have done under the circumstances. Though the thought was new and frightening, Chad prided himself for not bedding Sarah when he wanted her so badly. Had he bedded her, he wouldn’t have been able to leave her. He realized that making love to Sarah would mean he would lose himself to her. Thank God he hadn’t let his loins rule his head. If he hadn’t left when he did he knew he would have succumbed to the desire pounding inside him and taken Sarah.
Chad imagined Sarah’s slim body stretched out beneath him and felt himself harden. He gave a snort of disgust Obviously he needed a woman. His first order of business upon reaching Medicine Bow was finding a willing whore to ease his discomfort. Unfortunately he feared that no woman but Sarah could alleviate the persistent ache inside him. Flopping over on his stomach, he welcomed sleep when it finally arrived.
Freddie Jackson kept up his furious pace until he reached Medicine Bow, unaware that Sarah trailed behind him. He reined in before the High Rollers Saloon and dismounted. It was very late. Abner was sound asleep and he eased the boy from the saddle and carried him inside the saloon.
One of the girls ambled over to him, eyed Abner, and asked, “What have you got there, Freddie?”
“A kid,” Freddie said. “My kid. Will you do me a favor, Sadie?”
Sadie’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of favor? I don’t know a thing about kids.”
“I got an errand to do. Will you watch the boy for me? I won’t be gone long.”
“How much?”
Freddie snorted with disgust. “Ten dollars. That’s more than an hour of your time is worth.”
“Take him in the office, the boss is gone tonight,” Sadie said, indicating a doorway. “He won’t wake up, will he?”
“Naw, the kid’s dead tired.”
“He better not or it will cost you more.”
“I said I won’t be gone long.” He placed Abner on a leather sofa and made a hasty departure.
Freddie stripped the sad
dlebags from his horse and crept along the shadows of the nearly deserted street until he reached the bank. He’d passed through Medicine Bow on his way to Carbon and had already cased the town and the bank. Medicine Bow was a small town hardly worthy of the name. It consisted of a depot and baggage room, a store, two eating houses, a saloon, a bank, and several shanties. About thirty buildings in all.
The bank was newly constructed and not very secure. Few people knew that the railroad used the bank to deposit its payroll. But Freddie knew and had been planning this job for a long time. He walked around to the back and pried open a window. No alarm gave him away as he crept through the dark bank to the small safe in the back office.
He lit a match, got his bearings, located the floor safe, and knelt before it. The safe was no different than a dozen others he’d cracked. He’d have it opened and the money out in record time. He fiddled with the dials, listening to the clicks as he slowly spun it first to the right and then to the left. When he began to detect a pattern he memorized the numbers and continued on. Forty-five minutes passed before the last tumbler fell into place and the heavy door opened.
Freddie smiled grimly. He could have used dynamite, it was quicker, but he’d have to leave fast and wouldn’t have had time to go back for Abner. Besides, he was an expert at manipulating combination locks. This way was quiet; the robbery wouldn’t be discovered until morning, allowing him plenty of time to escape. He began packing money in his saddlebags. When they were full he stuffed bills into his vest, jacket, and trouser pockets. When he could carry no more, he left the same way he had arrived, returning the saddlebags to the horse’s back before returning to the saloon.
Freddie found Sadie sitting in the back room watching over Abner. “You done good, Sadie. Thanks. I’ll take Abner off your hands now.”
“Where did you go?” Sadie asked suspiciously.
“Don’t ask questions, you’ll live longer.”
Opening his coat, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. “Here’s a little bonus. See you around, Sadie.”