Chase the Wind

by Cindy Holby - Wind 01 - Chase the Wind

  “Maybe someone is living there,” Jenny warned him.

  “It’s okay, we’ll just tell them who we are and we wanted one last look.”

  “I would like to find out if anyone has Momma’s quilt.”

  “If they do, I’m sure they’ll give it to us. Come on, let’s go.”

  The Duncan ranch was still a good ways from town, and it surprised the two of them that there weren’t more homesteads out that way. Jenny wanted to go in by way of the ridge, to see the lay of the land first, but Jamie insisted that they had nothing to hide, so they rode down the drive, circling the rise and coming up into the yard in front of the house.

  The place had run down in the years since they had been gone, the well-tended gardens nothing but a memory. The porch was missing some boards, and the window in the loft was broken. A bunkhouse had been added out beyond the barn, and the area around it looked like a pigsty, littered with broken bottles and busted pieces of furniture. The farm animals were missing; not even a dog barked to announce their presence.

  “Should we see if anyone is home?” Jamie asked after they had sat a minute, trying to take in the sad state of affairs. His horse stomped and shook, trying to free itself of a fly buzzing around his head.

  “I don’t think so. Let’s just go on.”

  “No, I want to find out about Momma’s quilt.”

  “I doubt if it’s survived this.” Jenny swung her arm out to encompass the mess.

  “Come on, Jen, have a little faith.” He grinned at her as he swung off his horse. Jenny took his reins and decided to keep her distance from whatever was living in the house.

  Jamie tested the rotting boards of the porch before he stepped up and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so he went to the window of what had been their sitting room and tried to peer in through the grime.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Jenny called. Jamie rolled his eyes at her and went to the end of the porch and leaned out over the rail to see if there were any signs of life at the back of the house. “Jamie, please.” Jenny could feel the hair standing up on the back of her neck.

  “Don’t move.” The voice came from the loft in the barn, and Jenny heard the sound of a rifle being cocked as she slowly raised her hands. In the blink of an eye, Jamie had turned with his gun drawn, and was leaning sideways against the post of the porch, the thin column offering little protection to his wide frame.

  “Drop that gun, or your girlfriend is history.”

  Two sets of sapphire-blue eyes exchanged looks. Don’t worry, Jamie’s said, we’ll talk our way out of this. He flashed his grin towards the loft and twirled his gun around so he was holding it by the barrel, his arms held out in surrender.

  “We didn’t mean to trespass. We used to live here and came to look around, that’s all.” His arms were held out in innocent supplication, proving that they didn’t mean any harm.

  “Drop that gun.”

  The next thing they knew, the yard was full of riders, close to a dozen in all, the horses milling around Jenny as a horrid stench filled the air. Jenny’s eyes widened as she recognized Logan and Joe in the group, and she ducked her head, hoping they wouldn’t notice who she was.

  A bulky man on a huge horse rode up to the porch where Jamie was standing, his arms still spread wide. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “You look just like the bastard.” He pulled his gun out of his monogrammed holster. “Now drop that piece.” Jamie’s fingers released his gun as the man leveled his own pistol at his head. “Push that hat back, boy, so I can get a better look at you.” Jamie’s eyes narrowed, but the gun cocked so he pushed his hat back off his forehead. The man rode closer to get a better look, then turned his huge head towards the barn and returned it to Jamie with an evil grin on his face. “I know who you are. I heard your screams that night.”

  Realization hit three people at the same time. Jenny and Jamie knew in a flash that this was the man who had murdered their parents. Logan realized that his longtime enemies were before him. He reached up and knocked Jenny’s hat back at the same time that Jamie dove off the porch, aiming for the huge man’s neck with his arms outstretched, determined to choke the very life from his body as he knocked him off his horse and wrapped his hands around his beefy neck.

  Jenny hauled on the reins of her horse and pulled her gun. Her horse reared, pawing the air, just as arms from all directions reached out, clawing at her. She shot at the first face she saw, Joe’s, his eyes opening wide as the blood spread on his chest. He hit the ground dead, just as she was swept off her horse and pulled to her feet by Logan, who ran his hands over her breasts as he jerked her from the ground, her fists managing to land a few blows before he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

  “Let me go, you son of a bitch,” she snarled. “I’ll kill you just like I killed your sneaky little friend,” Jenny hissed, desperate to get away from him. She kicked the air as he swung her around in time to see Jamie dragged off of their boss by six men, three on each arm, using all their strength to hold him back.

  Randolph Mason raised his huge bulk out of the dust and slowly cleaned himself off. Unlike his companions, a ragtag bunch who seemed to have an aversion to bathing, he wore stylish clothing, cut from fine cloth and embellished with initials on everything. The fine cut of his clothes could not disguise what years of eating rich foods and drinking fine liquors had done to his body. Where once he had had the build of a strong bull, he was now soft in the paunch and around his jaw. His eyes were lost in the folds of his face, and his mouth was nothing but a narrow slash in his flesh.

  One thing that had not changed through the years was his hatred of Ian Duncan. Though his rival was long dead, Mason was still haunted by the knowledge that Ian Duncan had beaten him and humiliated him by stealing Faith away the night before their wedding. Killing them had not been revenge enough, he had realized: not even taking over the land that had been their dream was enough to dampen the hatred that still burned within him. And now, before him stood their children, the son the image of the father, the daughter strong and glorious in her anger. He almost laughed in glee as he approached the snarling Jamie, who stood red-faced with rage, almost knocking the men who held him off their feet as he tried to jerk his arms from their hold.

  “So you are the son,” Mason said as he stood before him. “Randolph Mason, at your service,” he sneered. He grabbed Jamie’s jaw and tilted it to get a better look at the scar that gleamed white against the flush of his skin. “I guess I got you good that night and didn’t even know it.” Jamie jerked his jaw out of the fleshy fingers. “How ‘bout that boys? I got me two Duncans with one shot, and this one squealed like a pig.” The group guffawed.

  “You bastard,” Jenny screamed. “He was just a boy!”

  Mason turned his attention to Jenny, who was struggling in Logan’s hold, wrestling her way off the ground, only to have her legs slammed down as she pushed against his arms. Mason reached out and picked up the braid of golden hair that had fallen over her shoulder as she fought against Logan. “And the daughter,” he mused as he rubbed the silky strands between his fingers. “You look a bit like her, I suppose, around the mouth, but you’re taller, bigger, I guess you get that from your father. It’s a pity, you know, because I was supposed to be your father, not that Scottish stable boy.” Jenny landed a kick in the soft paunch of his belly.

  “Hold her!” he shouted after he had caught his breath. Logan brought his hands up under her arms and firmly placed his palms on either side of her face, wedging her so she could not turn her head. She stood with clenched jaw, seething as Mason stood before her, his dark eyes roaming over her body. “We called your mother the Ice Princess.” He reached out his hand and cupped her breast, Logan firmly placing his booted heel on top of her foot to keep her from kicking again. She could feel Logan’s hot breath against her neck as he laughed. Lower, pressing into the small of her back, was his erection. Jenny fought the urge to vomit as Mason squeezed her breast. “I believe you’ve got
more spirit than your mother. Like a wild thoroughbred, isn’t she, fellows?” The gang in the yard agreed wholeheartedly, some of them even licking their lips. “Have you ever been broken?” he said into her ear.

  Jamie’s rage reached a new level as he watched Mason running his hands over his sister’s body. He managed to break an arm free, throwing his guards to the ground as he turned towards the others holding him. One of them had the presence of mind to strike him in the back of the head with the butt of his gun, and Jamie fell to one knee. The mob was upon him again, driving him to the ground, where they kicked him repeatedly in the head, back and side.

  “Stop it!” Jenny screamed, choking on a sob as Jamie tried to protect himself from the barrage of blows. Mason held up a hand and the men stopped instantly, leaving Jamie curled on his side as he tried to draw a breath. At Mason’s signal, Jamie was hauled to his feet, this time needing the support of three men. Mason grabbed the hair that had fallen over Jamie’s face and pulled his head up. To his surprise, the boy’s blue eyes were flashing with rage.

  “I burned you, didn’t I, boy, in that barn right over there?” Jamie’s eyes darkened; his hands ached to close once again around Mason’s stout neck. “Dick, go fix me a torch,” Mason commanded, and one of the men took off to follow his orders. Jamie and Jenny locked eyes as the group waited in nervous anticipation for what was going to happen next, the day’s excitement a high spot in their dreary, worthless lives. Mason stood patiently waiting, slapping his gloves against his thigh as he looked between the two Duncan offspring, wondering what he had done to earn such a glorious reward.

  The one called Dick returned, carrying a flaming torch before him like a trophy as he breathlessly skidded to a halt before his employer, handing him the torch as if it were a great treasure.

  “Have you ever seen anyone burn?” Mason asked as he held the torch up for all to see. Jenny felt her stomach turn and the earth drop beneath her as she saw the color drain from Jamie’s face. The torch danced before him, Mason jabbing it in the air like a sword, the flame hypnotizing the group as they yearned for what was sure to happen next. Logan giggled in Jenny’s ear, and she jerked her head back hard, hitting it against his jaw and shutting him up for the moment.

  Surely he’s not that evil, Jenny prayed as Mason played with the torch, bringing it closer and closer to Jamie. Then in her mind she saw her father lying in a pool of blood. She was standing almost in the exact spot, and she knew that this man was capable of anything. “Wait! Stop!” she screamed, her voice rising above the nervous laughter of the watching men. Mason turned to her, one eyebrow raised, enjoying the moment and the power it offered him. “Take me and let him go!” Jenny yelled.

  “Jenny, no!” Jamie cried.

  “Oh, I plan to take you, have no doubt in your mind about that.”

  “You plan to take me, yes—” the wheels began to turn in Jenny’s mind as she remembered everything her father had told her about Randolph Mason. “But how would you like to have me, willing, in your bed? Wouldn’t that be sweet revenge? To have me, Ian Duncan’s daughter, as your whore?” Jenny gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile as Jamie began to curse. “Let him go and I’ll be everything you wanted my mother to be and more. As you said, I’m no Ice Princess. I’m my father’s daughter.” Jenny prayed she was hitting the right note as she went on, her voice growing silky and seductive.

  Mason threw his head back and laughed. The sound of it sent a chill down Jenny’s spine as it awoke the demons of her past. She kept her eyes focused on Jamie, who was desperately fighting the men who held him. “Duncan’s daughter my whore? Oh, that is too sweet.” He laughed some more, finally letting his mirth die into a few grunts as he contemplated the situation. Logan, behind her, was shaking his head. He had a stake in this, too. He wanted to see Jamie burn, wanted his turn at taking revenge on Jenny for killing Joe, but he saw the peculiar light that was burning in Mason’s beady eyes and knew that Jenny was winning the day.

  Mason walked up to her and grabbed her breast again, pinching it painfully in his fingers, Jenny’s face remained frozen in a half smile the whole time. She knew that if she flinched, Jamie was done for. Mason brought his hand up, under her neck, and she raised her head to give him better access. He hooked his hand in the front of her shirt and jerked it down, ripping the buttons off. The sides of her shirt gaped open so the tops of her breasts were revealed by the camisole underneath. He ran his hands over the curves, testing the softness of her skin as he kept his eyes on her face, waiting for the sign that would consign her brother to a painful death. She didn’t bat an eye. “You’re his daughter, all right.” He sighed as if a heavy load had been lifted from his shoulders. “Let him go!”

  Jamie fell snarling to the ground as the three released their hold on him. He quickly jumped to his feet. “Jenny, I won’t let you do this.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” Jenny said. She made her eyes soft as she looked at Mason. “Let me talk to Jamie, please.” Mason jerked his head at Logan, who begrudgingly let her go. Jenny ran to Jamie, who was trembling with rage or fear, she could not tell which. “Jamie, please, they will kill you.”

  “I won’t let you do this.” His voice was low, their heads together.

  “You can’t fight them. There are too many.”

  “I won’t leave you here.”

  “Go, get the others. It will only take a few days.” They were whispering, their heads turned away from the men who watched. They heard Mason impatiently clear his throat. “I can hold on that long. He won’t kill me.” Jenny took his face between her hands. “It’s the only way. If you don’t leave, he’ll kill you and then let all of them have me. At least this way, it won’t be so bad.” Her eyes begged him, the depths of her love for him spilling over into tears.

  Jamie punched the porch post in rage. He knew Jenny was right. There were too many—he couldn’t fight them all, and they would both surely die, horribly, at the hands of this man.

  “I’ll be back. I swear it on my life, I’ll be back.” He pulled her to him and hugged her desperately, his eyes burning as he fought back the sob that threatened to wrench forth from his gut.

  “I’ll be here,” she whispered. “Tell Chase . . .” She didn’t dare cry or he wouldn’t go.

  Jamie nodded, picked up his gun, jerked it into his holster and went to his horse. The gang of men fell back as he went by, so powerful was the rage radiating from his body. Jenny wrapped her arms around the post as he took off. It was the only way she could keep from collapsing into a sobbing heap in the dirt. She had to stay strong until he was out of sight, she had to keep her end of the bargain until she knew he was safe.

  “You know he’ll be back,” Logan said as Jamie disappeared around the bend.

  “Oh, yes, I know, and when he comes back, we’ll torch him, but in the meantime, I’ll be enjoying myself with the daughter. I never dreamed my revenge would be so complete. This is much better than anything I could have thought of. I hope that Scottish bastard is spinning in his grave.”

  They watched as Jenny slid down the post, hanging on to it for dear life as she landed on the step. Mason walked over to where she sat, still watching the bend in the road, scarcely believing that they hadn’t gone after him with guns blazing. She looked up at Mason in a daze, blinking at the afternoon sun shining directly behind his head. He didn’t say a word, just reached down and wrapped his fingers into her hair, then pulled her behind him as he made his way across the porch. Jenny wrapped her hands around his to keep her hair from being pulled from its roots and willed her body to relax as he dragged her through the front door, kicking it shut behind him.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Jason scrutinized the group ranged on the ridge on either side of him, overlooking the ranch where Jamie and Jenny had been raised. Two days had passed since Jamie had caught up with them, his rage still wild as he kicked them awake, ranting about Jenny and Randolph Mason. It had taken him two days of hard riding to find
them, and another two days for them to return, and Chase had not spoken a word since Jamie had told them the story, nearly choking on the words. No one faulted him, they all knew that he and Jenny had done the only thing that would save them, but Jason knew it was eating Jamie up that he had deserted his sister, even if it was to go for her only hope of rescue.

  The Chase that they knew had disappeared with the telling, replaced by a savage whose only thoughts were of taking revenge on the men who held his love prisoner. Jason shuddered as he imagined the lengths Chase would go to make them pay.

  They had come up behind the ridge, leaving their horses hidden in the brush below, all of them crawling up on their bellies. Ty, Cat and Jake were on Jason’s right, Jamie, Zane and Chase on his left, all with jaws set and death in their eyes as they surveyed the scene before them.

  It was late afternoon, and obvious that the chores were done for the day. There was smoke coming from the chimney of the main house, and the sound of muted laughter could be heard from the bunkhouse. In the loft of the barn, they caught the occasional glint of sunlight on a gun barrel and assumed that a guard was posted there to watch for Jamie’s return.

  “Where do you think she is?” Jason asked Jamie, who was lying beside him.

  “Probably in my parents’ room, to the right of the door,” Jamie replied, never taking his eyes off the house. A sound caught their ears, and they all held their breath as the front door opened and Randolph Mason stepped out onto the porch, yawning and stretching, his shirt tail hanging out and his suspenders dangling around his knees. There was a sharp intake of breath as Jamie’s hand curled into a claw against the ground, grinding dirt into his palm. Chase’s eyes focused on the man, imprinting his face and the approaching moment of his death into his brain.

  “Ty, you and Cat circle around the back and see if you can find Jenny,” Jason said. “The rest of us will split up and come at them from both sides. Jake, can you take out that rifle in the loft?”