Wind Rider

by Connie Mason

  * * *

  “I’d better go up to the house and help Abby with breakfast,” Hannah said with marked reluctance. She touched Ryder’s face and bent down to kiss him.

  “Now isn’t that a pretty sight.”

  Hannah froze, her gaze swiveling upward. She saw Trent Gilmore looking down at her and jerked upright, her hands flying up to cover her bare breasts. “Oh, no!”

  Ryder sprang to his knees, rummaging in the straw for his knife. He gave a feral snarl, crouching low and swinging the blade from side to side.

  “Take him, men. Be careful of the knife. You know how vicious animals can be when cornered.”

  Instantly, six men jumped on Ryder. It took all six to wrestle him to the ground and bind his hands.

  “Leave him alone,” Hannah cried, too distraught to care that the men were leering at her.

  Suddenly Zach and Abby burst into the barn. It took Abby a moment to recover from the shock of finding Hannah and Ryder both naked; then she rushed forward to shield Hannah from view. “Zach, don’t let them do this!”

  “What is this all about, Lieutenant? You’re invading my home.”

  “I know who you are now, Mercer,” Gilmore said. ”A courier arrived yesterday from Fort Laramie with an answer to my dispatch.

  You’re Wind Rider’s brother-in-law. You used your influence to have him released from the stockade. But Captain Purdue didn’t have the authority to set him free. When I presented my evidence to Colonel Chivington he signed an order for Wind Rider’s arrest.”

  “What are the charges?”

  “Murder. There are witnesses who will swear they saw a white savage riding with Indians and taking part in raids that resulted in the deaths of soldiers and civilians.”

  “That’s going to be difficult _to prove,” Zach charged.

  “Nevertheless, Chivington has ordered Wind Rider held in jail until his trial.”

  “Get him on his feet, men.” The six members of the Colorado militia wrestled Ryder to his feet.

  “For God’s sake, let him dress first,” Zach said. He spied Ryder’s clothes lying nearby and picked them up.

  “He can put on his pants, but I’m not untying his hands until he’s behind bars.”

  Hidden behind Abby’s skirts, Hannah scrambled for her shift and pulled it over her head. When she peeked up at Ryder and saw the closed look on his face her heart went out to him. Speechless, she watched as Zach helped Ryder step into his pants. When the troopers led him out the door she sprang from behind Abby and grasped Gilmore’s arm.

  “You can’t take him,” she cried beseechingly. “Please, what can I say that will stop you?”

  Gilmore stopped abruptly and stared at Hannah, her disheveled beauty stunning him. “We’ll talk about this later.” His voice was pitched low, so that only she could hear.

  “You can’t take him. He’s blind. He can’t see.”

  Gilmore stared at her in disbelief. “Blind? What do you take me for, a fool?”

  “It’s true. Why would I lie about something like that?”

  “Why, indeed?” Gilmore stepped close to Ryder and passed his hand before Ryder’s face. There was no reaction. Ryder’s eyes were blank, expressionless. But Gilmore still was not convinced. “Mount him up, men.” Then he turned back to Hannah. “I’m not taking your word on this. I’ll have a doctor check him out. But I warn you, it will make little difference. Chivington wants to find Red Cloud’s camp real bad, and Wind Rider knows where it is.”

  “You don’t understand,” Hannah cried, shaking with anger.

  “Hannah, don’t.”

  Ryder’s strident voice carried a silent message that Hannah recognized immediately. Having a woman plead on his behalf shamed him. Reminding Trent of his blindness would embarrass Ryder and make him bitter, Hannah thought as she clamped her lips tightly together. One way or another, she silently vowed, she’d help Ryder. She watched miserably as Gilmore’s men dragged Ryder through the yard to where the horses were tethered. A small cry escaped her lips when she saw him stumble to his knees. He was pulled roughly to his feet and hoisted onto his horse.

  “Where are you taking him?” Hannah asked. “What will happen to him?”

  Gilmore sent her a searching look, grasped her arm, and pulled her away from Zach and Abby, where he could speak to her privately. When both Zach and Abby moved to follow Hannah shook her head, warning them away.

  Gilmore’s voice lowered to a whisper. “What happens to your lover depends on you.”

  “Me?”

  He sent her a meaningful glance. “Come to town tomorrow and well talk about it.” He turned his head in Zach’s direction. “Don’t bring your guard with you.”

  “Ill come to town now,” Hannah said. “Why wait until tomorrow?”

  Gilmore was adamant. “Tomorrow, Hannah. Colonel Chivington wants to question him first.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hannah stared with growing horror into the small windowless cell where Ryder had been imprisoned. For the past two days she’d been trying to gain permission to visit him, but to her chagrin, Lieutenant Gilmore did not have the authority to grant visitation rights. Zach had found her a room at a boardinghouse shortly after they had arrived in Denver, and together they had sought permission to visit Ryder. When their request was denied Zach had gone straight to the governor, but thus far he’d been unable to gain the man’s ear. Zach had been kept cooling his heels in the governor’s outer office with promises of an audience.

  Meanwhile, Trent had managed to cut through the red tape, and when Hannah had presented herself at his office early on the morning of the third day to argue her case she had been gratified to learn that he had pulled some strings and gotten her a visitor’s pass, allowing her a brief visit with Ryder. But he had warned her that his generosity carried a heavy price. Too excited at the time to inquire about the cost, Hannah had accompanied Trent to the dank cell where Ryder was imprisoned. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been time to inform Zach so he could join her.

  To Hannah’s horror, she realized Trent hadn’t warned her about what she was likely to find.

  “Oh, my God! What have you done to him?”

  A single candle provided the only light in the room. Ryder lay sprawled on the floor, his face turned away from her. His hands and legs were shackled and the chains were attached to the wall, preventing free movement. He was so still, Hannah feared he was dead. Rushing into the room, she dropped to her knees beside him.

  Ryder heard her voice and tried to tell her to go away, but his split and bloodied lips were too swollen to work properly. He didn’t want her to see him like this, beaten and bruised beyond recognition. In an incredibly short time he had gone from proud Cheyenne warrior to lowly prisoner. They could beat him all they wanted, he silently vowed, but he’d never tell them where to find Red Cloud’s camp.

  Hannah reached out and gently turned his face toward her. What she saw sent the breath rushing from her lungs. “Ryder, dear God, they’ve beaten you!” Her head whirled around to glare accusingly at Gilmore. “Why did you let them do this to him? Look at him: He’s been severely beaten. Get me some water, quickly.”

  She didn’t waste precious time wondering if Gilmore would do as she bid. Instead, she ripped the hem from her petticoat to use as a cloth. When he reappeared at her elbow with a bucket of water she merely grunted, too enraged by Ryder’s condition to speak coherently. Dipping the cloth into the water, she tenderly cleansed his face of blood and gore. Both his cheekbones were discolored, and the swollen flesh around his eyes had turned an ugly shade of purple. There was a deep cut above one eyebrow and another at the corner of his mouth.

  Gilmore sent Hannah a censuring look. “I didn’t order the beatings. Once I turned Wind Rider over to Colonel Chivington and the Colorado militia it was taken out of my hands. Chivington wants information badly, and he believes Wind Rider can give it to him.”

  By now Hannah had finished bathing Ryder’s face and was turning
her attention to his torso, still bare from the waist up. When she ran the cloth over his ribs he groaned.

  “His ribs are broken,” Hannah accused. “How could they do this to a helpless man?”

  “I told you, Hannah, I had nothing to do with it. I understand Wind Rider has been questioned daily since his capture. He was also examined by a doctor, who confirmed that he is blind. This isn’t my doing; I had no idea Chivington’s men would be so brutal/’

  Tears streamed down Hannah’s pale cheeks. “You could have stopped them! You must have known what would happen.”

  Placing his hands on Hannah’s quaking shoulders, Gilmore tried to lift her to her feet. “It’s out of my hands, Hannah.”

  Hannah shrugged his hands aside. “You can do something, Trent; I know you can. Please, help him.”

  Gilmore gazed down at Hannah, thinking her more beautiful than any woman he’d ever known. He wanted her as much now as he had the first time he’d set eyes on her in that Indian camp. “Perhaps there is something I could do,” he allowed cautiously.

  “Hannah, don’t. Don’t believe anything he tells you.” Bordering on the edge of consciousness, Ryder struggled to make himself understood. “Don’t worry about me. Go back to the farm.”

  “Tell them what they want to know, Ryder, please. I can’t stand to see you like this.”

  Ryder tried to rise to his elbow, grimaced, and fell back down. “I will not betray the People.”

  “Think of yourself for a change. Think of me!” She almost said, “Think of our child,” but now was not the time to let Ryder know he was going to be a father.

  “Come away, Hannah. There is nothing more you can do for him. He can escape these beatings if he tells us what we want to know.”

  “He’ll never do that. You don’t know Ryder as I do.”

  The words had scarcely left her lips when two enlisted men entered the cell. Surprised to see visitors with the prisoner, they stared at Hannah before recalling protocol and saluting Lieutenant Gilmore.

  “We’re here to interrogate the prisoner again, Lieutenant,” the senior enlisted man said. “We didn’t expect to find anyone here.”

  Gilmore returned the salute. “Sergeant Collins, Corporal Holmes. We were just leaving.”

  Hannah leaped to her feet. “No! You can’t beat him again. Can’t you see he can’t stand anymore? You’ll kill him.”

  The sergeant, a husky man with meaty fists and a thick neck, gave her a leering grin. “Well, now, ma’am, that’s just too bad, ain’t it? Our orders come from Colonel Chivington, and we’re only doing our duty. Are you this here white Injun’s squaw?”

  Before Hannah could answer Gilmore said, “No, she’s not his squaw. We’ll leave now so you can get on with your duty. Come along, Hannah; we can’t interfere with justice.” He tried to drag her from the room. Hannah dug in her heels, but her strength was no match for Gilmore’s.

  “Trent, no! You’ve got to do something.”

  “Go, Hannah!” Ryder’s deep voice cut into the confusion. His head was turned in her direction, but Hannah knew he couldn’t see her. “They won’t kill me; they need the information I hold. Soon they will learn it will do no good to beat me.”

  “You heard him, Hannah. Let’s get out of here.” Gilmore grasped her around the waist and literally dragged her from the cell.

  The door banged shut behind her and she let out a strangled sob. “He can’t survive too many more beatings, Trent. You said you can do something. For God’s sake, tell me.”

  The soft thudding noises and muffled groans emanating from behind the closed door gave Hannah the kind of desperation she’d never experienced before. She’d do anything, anything at all to save Ryder from further beatings. “Tell me what you want of me.”

  Gilmore glanced down the dim corridor and saw that they were alone. Grasping her arms, he pulled her hard against him. “I want you, Hannah McLin. I think you know that by now.”

  Hannah swallowed convulsively and looked away. She knew what was coming and dreaded it.

  “I’ve asked for a transfer back to Fort Laramie. Duty with the Colorado militia isn’t what I thought it would be. I’ll be leaving in a day or two. I want you to come with me. If you agree, I’ll arrange an escape for your white Indian.”

  “You want me to be your whore?”

  Gilmore shook his head. “No, it would never do. Once we arrive at Fort Laramie we’ll be married by the chaplain and assigned a house on Officer’s Row. It’s the only way we can live together in assigned quarters without causing a scandal.”

  “Marriage?” Hannah’s voice shook. She said she’d do anything to save Ryder, but marriage? She’d thought she was already married, but obviously an Indian ceremony had no standing in the white community. And what about her child? If she told Trent about the baby she was expecting, he’d no doubt withdraw his offer to help Ryder. She was caught in a vicious trap.

  “I’ve decided marriage is the only way,” Gilmore continued smugly. “The white community at Fort Laramie is small but rigid in its morals. I realize my parents wouldn’t approve of you, but times have changed since the war. The West is a world apart from the South, and I want you enough to forget your past.”

  Hannah tried not to think about the baby now, or what Trent would do when he discovered she was carrying Ryder’s child. By the time he learned about it Ryder would be free, in Powder River country, and Trent could take his vengeance out on her.

  “What do you say, Hannah? Will you go with me?”

  “How do I know you aren’t lying about helping Ryder? How do I know you won’t go back on your word once I leave with you?”

  “You’ll just have to trust me.”

  Hannah was far from convinced. “No. I have to know for certain that Ryder is free before I’ll go with you/1

  Gilmore’s mind worked furiously. He wasn’t certain how he intended to set Ryder free, but somehow he had to convince Hannah of his sincerity. Once he took her away she’d have no way of knowing what happened to the white Injun. He could even arrange to have Wind Rider recaptured and returned to his cell before his absence was noticed.

  “Give me a day to arrange it. You can watch him walk free yourself if you won’t take my word for it. Once he walks away a free man you must agree to come with me immediately, without speaking or communicating with him in any way.”

  To see Ryder free with her own eyes was all Hannah wanted. If Trent could arrange that, she would be forever grateful. “I agree.”

  Hannah waited for Zach at the boarding-house. Somehow she had to convince Ryder’s brother-in-law that leaving with Trent was her decision. It wasn’t going to be easy. It was fortunate that neither he nor Abby knew about the baby.

  It was late afternoon when Zach knocked on Hannah’s door. His mood was jubilant. “I’ve seen the governor! He listened to my story and said he’d consider Ryder’s case. I tell you, Hannah, it’s the most encouragement I’ve had in days. I even submitted a plan that I’m hoping Governor Evans will endorse.”

  “What kind of plan?”

  “I don’t want to get your hopes up, Hannah, so I think 111 keep it to myself until Ryder is released. I’m to see the governor tomorrow for his answer. If amnesty is granted, Ryder will never have to worry about being a fugitive again.”

  “Tomorrow might be too late.”

  Zach searched her face. “What do you mean?”

  “I saw Ryder today. He’s been beaten. He could barely speak, his face is unrecognizable, and I’m sure he has cracked ribs. I was told the beatings will continue until he reveals the location of Red Cloud’s camp.”

  “Good God! Hell never give them that kind of information. How in the world did you manage to get in to see him?”

  Hannah flushed. “I went to see Trent. He obtained a visitor’s pass for me.”

  “Hannah, I told you to leave this to me. I don’t want you begging Gilmore for anything. I’m sure the governor .. .”

  Hannah looked away. “Yo
u can’t be sure, Zach; that’s the problem. I’ve decided to handle it in my own way. I’ve agreed to accompany Trent to Fort Laramie. We’re going to be married.”

  Zach stared at her, stunned. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  “It’s true. Ryder and I are from different worlds. There is no future for us. You heard him; he wants to return to the Indian Nation.

  He believes it’s what the Great Spirit wants. Ill not stand in his way.”

  “I don’t know where in the hell you’re coming from, Hannah, but I don’t buy it. Why are you really doing this? What did Gilmore promise you? Did he offer to release Ryder if you went with him? Surely you don’t trust him, do you?”

  Hannah refused to meet his eyes. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that I see no future for Ryder and me.” God, please let Zach believe me, she silently prayed.

  “Dammit, Hannah, you’re being foolish. Promise me you won’t do anything rash until I see the governor tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll order Ryder’s release once he understands the situation.”

  “I wish Ryder the best, but it no longer concerns me.” Each word was like a knife wound to her heart.

  Zach stared at Hannah as if he were seeing her for the first time. Hotheaded as ever, he jumped to the wrong conclusion. “Why, you coldhearted little bitch! I thought you loved Ryder, but I see now I was mistaken. Go, then. Ryder will be better off without you. But rest assured that neither Abby nor I will desert him. I’ll see him free if it’s the last thing I do.” Spinning on his heel, he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

  Hannah sank down on the bed, too upset to cry. She hoped that Ryder and his relatives would understand and forgive her one day, but all that mattered now was freeing Ryder before he was beaten to death. If Trent could do that, then it was well-worth her sacrifice.

  Trent Gilmore had little difficulty arranging Rider s release once he offered Sergeant Collins sufficient monetary reward to win his compliance. Since Ryder’s release was to be temporary, Collins agreed to the deception, though he understood none of it. According to Gilmore’s plans, Collins was to set Ryder free, have a horse waiting for him, and allow him to ride away. Then he and Private Holmes were to follow and recapture him after Hannah saw him ride away a free man. Gilmore suspected the savage would offer little resistance. Since his arrest three days ago he’d been ruthlessly beaten and could scarcely stand on his own two feet.