Desperate (Harris Trilogy Book One)

by Teresa Greene

  When Jacob never answered, Roy shook him. He was out cold and there was no waking him.

  “Penny, please notify me if he awakes and remembers anything at all. I’m going home in case there is a ransom request.”

  Scott knew he would be of little help at the hospital. He left to do a little investigating of his own. Maybe he could find out who kidnapped Kate.

  ****

  When Roy arrived home, Myra greeted him at the door. She looped her arm around his waist and led him to the sofa in the parlor. “I’m sorry, Roy. I came as soon as I heard. I can’t believe Kate has been kidnapped. Do you know who has taken her?”

  Roy looked as if he would fall over from exhaustion. “No Myra, we know nothing. I hired someone from the Pinkerton Agency. He comes highly recommended, and I hope he can find out where she has been taken and why.”

  “Is Jacob going to be okay?”

  He scrubbed his palms over his tired eyes. “Yes, he is going to make a full recovery. The man who shot him knew what he was doing. It was as if he only wanted to injure him instead of murder him.” Which gave Roy hope. If the man was a murderer, he would have killed Jacob.

  Myra crossed the room to the liquor cabinet and poured a snifter of brandy. She handed the glass to Roy. “I’m going to send a telegraph to David to notify him Kate has been kidnapped. He will want to know since he is in love with her. I feel David is making a huge mistake marrying Abigail when his feelings are so strong for Kate. They truly love each other.”

  “Kate confided to me her feelings for David. Maybe he can help. Please communicate to him her situation. Nothing would make me happier than to have Kate back home where she belongs.” He ran his fingers through his snow, white hair in frustration. Whatever it took he would find a way.

  ****

  Kate woke from a fitful night. She had hoped it had all been a bad dream. Pain shot up her arms from sleeping with her arms tied to the bed posts, letting her know it was reality. Her wrists were raw from trying to wiggle from her bonds. Every time she thought she might get free Mr. Slade woke, and tightened her restraints again.

  Hopefully, he felt as wretched as she did. At least she slept in a comfortable bed, while he slept on the cold floor. She peered over the edge of the bed but didn’t see him.

  The door swung open, and his boots made a scraping sound on the worn boards of the floor as he stepped to the side of the bed. “Let’s get going, Miss Monroe.” With his knife, he cut the ropes tied to her wrists. “Put these clothes on.”

  Kate rolled her shoulders, and rubbed the irritated skin around her wrists. She looked at the faded and worn pants Slade threw on the bed with distaste. Where he had gotten them? Maybe they belonged to Abigail because they looked much too long for her. There was also a thick, gray coat to protect her from the cold autumn mornings and nights.

  “Move it, Miss Monroe. I want to put as many miles behind us as possible before night fall.” Perhaps she was mistaken, and he did not feel as wretched as she. He seemed well rested and ready to take control.

  Strong hands gripped her arms and pulled her close. “Here are the rules. You will ride beside me at all times. If you try to escape, I will tie you over the saddle like a sack of potatoes. If you ask anyone we meet on our way for help, I will have to kill them. I don’t think you want to be responsible for someone losing their life. Do I make myself clear, Miss Monroe?” His cold look let her know he meant business.

  She was probably spinning her wheels, but she at least had to try. She had the feeling if she didn’t convince him to let her go now it wouldn’t happen once they were on the road to Durham. “You know people will be searching for me. I’m engaged to be married. My fiancé will kill you for abducting me. He will find me and you will be sorry you ever laid your filthy hands on me. If you want to live, let me go.”

  “Shut up, Miss Monroe. I don’t want to hear another word.” His expression was thunderous causing her to silence.

  He turned his back while she dressed in the riding clothes he had provided, since she refused to put them on if he watched.

  She stepped onto the tiny covered porch and shivered from the cool morning air. Two horses were already saddled for the long ride to Bob Lewis’ plantation. He must have prepared for the journey while she slept.

  When he tried to help her mount her horse, she slapped his hands away. “I don’t need your help!” She cringed every time he touched her. Gilded light sprinkled through the trees as the sun was just beginning to rise into the sky. She hoped the sun would warm the chill away.

  Her shoulders slumped as she tried to look defeated as she rode in silence beside Slade. She wanted him to believe she had accepted her fate and had no fight in her. She didn’t realize she was crying until a tear fell on her hands.

  “Remember, Miss Monroe. We are lovers traveling together. Behave yourself and you will be delivered to Bob Lewis without being harmed. If you cause any trouble or try to escape, I will punish you.”

  How would he punish her? She did not like his tone and was sure he wasn’t the kind of man that made idle threats. She wiped at the tears and reined her horse to fall into step beside Slade’s. It was a long way to Durham. A lot could happen before they got there. Jacob was resourceful. He would find out where she was headed and save her.

  ****

  Jacob felt as if he were in a fog. How long had he been asleep? He was trying his best to remember any detail about the man who shot him and kidnapped Kate. From the effort, he received a throbbing headache.

  Scott padded into the room on silent feet. It amazed him how a man of Scott’s size could enter a room without making a sound. “Do you have any information?”

  “Someone matching Kate’s description was seen on a secluded back road with a strange man two days ago. The descriptions vary of the man, but most of the witnesses have said he was a tall man. I’m sorry I couldn’t find out more.”

  “Two days? Have I been sleeping for two days?”

  “Yes, you lost a lot of blood. Doctor Taylor said you were lucky to be alive.”

  Jacob looked haggard and feeble. He struggled to sit but fell back against the pillow as weak as a kitten. “That’s something. At least we know she is alive.” A glimmer of hope surfaced.

  Scott was an expert tracker and at least they had a clue. He would know the right questions to ask. “I’m going to be of no help. Go to Roy Talbert’s townhouse and tell him what you found out. He has hired a Pinkerton. Maybe he has some information. Kate’s probably been abducted for some reason other than ransom since they were seen on a secluded road the day after she was kidnapped. Work with Roy and find her for me, Scott.”

  Scott laid his hand on his shoulder. “I’ll do everything in my power to bring her back to you.”

  ****

  David pounded on Roy Talbert’s door impatient for someone to answer. Irritated, he considered kicking it down.

  The door flung open and Roy sighed tiredly, “David, you came. Myra felt you would.” He stepped to the side and let him pass. “You look like hell. When is the last time you slept?”

  Wrinkled clothes, mused hair, and bloodshot eyes were evidence that David had not stopped to rest since receiving the telegraph informing him of Kate’s abduction. He threw some things together and left immediately.

  “Two days. You don’t look as fresh as a daisy either, Roy.” The worry lines and dark circles under Roy’s eyes led him to believe he had not slept since Kate’s abduction.

  Pushing him to the sofa, Roy plopped down beside him and explained, “Jacob was shot trying to rescue Kate from her abductor.”

  Concern showing on his face, David asked, “Is Jacob okay?”

  “Yes, he is in the hospital, but is expected to make a full recovery. He did get a good look at the man who abducted Kate and believes he is a hired gun. He handled his weapon like a professional. I have waited for a ransom note, but there hasn’t been one. I have come to the conclusion Kate was abducted for another reason. I just don’t
know why.” While Roy talked, he poured David a large glass of whiskey.

  “David! How did you get here so fast?” Not giving him time to answer, she continued, “You must be exhausted.” Myra sat on the sofa beside him, and threw her arms around his neck. Seeing his worry, she could no longer hold in the tears. Tears flowed down her beautiful cheeks.

  “Please Mom, I need you now. You are going to have to pull yourself together. We need to think.” He tipped back the glass and drank the whiskey feeling the burn as it hit his empty stomach.

  “I’d better eat something before I collapse from hunger. Mom, will you please see if the cook can prepare me something to eat?”

  Myra hurried from the room and veered off toward the kitchen.

  Roy waited until Myra left the parlor before turning on him. His tone very serious, he replied, “David, there is something I have to tell you. Kate may never forgive me, but I feel it is best you know. She is carrying your baby.”

  It felt as if a fist plunged into his chest. How could he have been so careless? He should have been more careful and thought of the consequences of their lovemaking. She must hate him, and probably feels he had abandoned her. “How long has she known?”

  “She’s known for two weeks. She is a little more than two months along.”

  “I tried to talk her into writing you and explaining her predicament. She loves you, but she is stubborn and proud. You were so adamant about marrying Abigail even though you were in love with Kate.”

  “What was she thinking?” The thought of Kate facing her pregnancy without him tore at his heart. He was in agony knowing she had kept it from him.

  Roy answered, “Kate and Jacob are to be married in a couple of days. Kate told him the child is yours and he was going to marry her anyway even though it is not his child. He has stood by her and supported her through her time of need.”

  So that was why she was marrying Jacob in such haste. They were going to pass the baby off as his. The wave of shame was almost more than he could bear. He stared at his empty glass unable to look Roy in the eye. He felt like a cad for abandoning Kate. Hopefully he could get her to forgive him. Now she would have to marry him. He would give her no other alternative, but first he would have to find her.

  He struggled to stand and circled the room. “I never wanted to marry Abigail. I felt obligated because her father made me promise on his deathbed, I would marry her. I gave my word to a dying man. I have loved Kate from the first time I discovered she was a woman. She is sweet, beautiful, and caring. Everything about her is perfect. I will find her and she will marry me.”

  Relief showed on Roy’s face. “I’m glad to hear you say that. You are the one she really loves.”

  Myra flew into the room with a tray full of food. Her mood seemed much lighter now that David had arrived. She sat the tray on the table in front of the sofa. “You have to eat. You are going to need your strength. You can’t think on an empty stomach.”

  David was tearing into his meal when Scott barged into the room. His eyes narrowed when he saw him sitting on the sofa. Ignoring him, Scott spoke only to Roy. “I have been asking questions trying to find out any information I can about who abducted Kate. Two days ago someone saw a woman of her description on a back road on the outskirts of Richmond. She was traveling with a man who was wearing two, six guns. I know it is not much to go on, but it is more than we’ve had. I’m leaving in the morning to pick up their trail.”

  David bolted to his feet. “No, let’s leave now before the trail gets cold.”

  With a look of pure hatred on his face, Scott twirled around and faced him. Before he could say what was on his mind, Myra interrupted.

  She put her hand on David’s arm. “No, you have to sleep tonight. You haven’t slept in two days and look as if you are near death. Please, you can leave in the morning after you have had a decent night’s sleep.”

  “I agree with Myra, David. You will not be able to rescue Kate if you collapse from exhaustion. Follow me. You can sleep in her room tonight.”

  “Mr. Jackson, please wait and I’ll be back down as soon as I get David settled. You can sleep here tonight and the two of you can depart early in the morning.”

  When Roy returned to the parlor, Scott Jackson was nowhere to be found. What a peculiar man, he thought. He hoped he would return tomorrow to help David track Kate’s kidnapper and bring her home.

  ****

  Unable to sleep Jacob lay staring at the ceiling. Worry kept plaguing him. Where was Kate? Was she okay?

  As if out of thin air, Scott appeared by the bed. He didn’t even hear him come into the room. “How do you do that?”

  When his friend didn’t crack a smile, he knew something was wrong. “Is it Kate? Have you heard from her?”

  Scott gripped Jacob’s arm to calm him. “No, we have heard nothing.” A shadow of concern flickered in his eyes. “Captain David Harris was at Roy’s when I arrived. He is leaving in the morning to pick up the trail of Kate and her kidnapper.”

  “I feared this would happen. He is in love with her.” Jacob raked his fingers through his hair, and grimaced in pain from the simple movement. “Well, I guess there’s nothing we can do to stop him. Maybe he will bring her back unharmed.” His eyes met Scott’s. “I would appreciate you going with him and give your expertise in tracking. There’s no one better for the job.”

  “Sure, Jacob, I’d be honored to go in your stead.”

  “Bring her back, my friend. Even if she chooses David, I still want her returned safely.” His distress intensified. While he lay in a hospital bed, David intended to rescue Kate. He loved her with all his heart and soul. Thoughts of a life without Kate were too depressing.

  ****

  Muscles ached Kate didn’t even know she had. Her legs were numb from being in the saddle for so many hours. “Please, can we stop so I can rest for just a few minutes? I’m hungry and I’m spent. I need to rest now.” They had been riding nonstop through lunch and supper. She was famished. She was also worried that all the riding would harm her unborn child.

  Slade rifled through his saddlebag and fished out a couple of cold biscuits. He handed one to her. “We’ll not stop until it is too dark to see. I plan on getting as many miles from Richmond as I can. I’m sure your grandfather has hired someone to find you. I’m not taking any chances.”

  Biting into the biscuit, she hissed, “Jacob is who you should be worried about. When he finds you he will kill you.” She was in a rotten mood. It didn’t help matters that Slade ignored her. “I’m exhausted. I want to rest.”

  Sick and tired of her complaining, Slade barked, the ever present cigar clamped between his teeth, “Stop belly aching. You are wasting your breath. We’ll stop when it is dark and not before.”

  She couldn’t wait until Jacob rescued her. She wanted to see the fear on Mr. Slade’s face when he was face to face with Jacob. Hopefully he was on her trail at this very moment. Every time she heard a sound she peered over her shoulder praying it was him, only to be disappointed when he was not there. She closed her eyes and prayed, “Please, come, Jacob. I want to go home.”

  ****

  Ready to leave at 6:00 a.m. David stood in the foyer of Roy’s townhouse. He had a restless night, but at least he had slept a couple of hours. His mother stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. “Please be careful, David. Kate’s abductor must be a professional with a gun if he got the drop on Jacob.”

  “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll be fine.” Her eyes were swollen and red because she had not slept well either.

  Laying her hand on his arm, she tried to smile but it did not reach her eyes. “I hope I did the right thing sending you the telegraph. If something happens to you, I will never forgive myself.”

  “I would have been angry if you had not notified me.” He embraced his mother. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring her back. We’ll be married and then she will be mine.”

  Roy gripped David’s hand in both his. “Please bring her back to me
. We just found each other and I can’t tolerate losing her. My winter years should be spent with my precious granddaughter.”

  “Don’t worry, Roy, I will bring her home.”

  Already mounted on his horse when David exited the apartment, Scott’s angry eyes met his. By his expression he didn’t want him tagging along. It did not matter how he felt. Kate’s safety was what was important. Together they would find her and bring her home.

  “Are you ready, Captain Harris?”

  David caught the smoldering violence in his eyes. “Lead the way, Mr. Jackson. Show me where Kate was last seen.” David pulled the collar of his coat tighter around his neck. The crisp, fall morning had his cheeks tingling.

  Last night he had a dream of him and Kate lying in his bed at Harris Plantation. It was so vivid and perfect he could taste her on his lips when he woke.

  ****

  It didn’t take Scott long to pick up the trail of the two horses hopefully carrying Kate and her abductor. Just by the imprint of the horses’ hooves, he estimated one to be carrying a woman approximately the size of Kate, the other horse a heavy man. They couldn’t be sure, but it was the only lead they had. One thing he could say about Jacob’s right hand man, he could track. “We have a lot of catching up to do, Mr. Jackson. I hope you don’t mind since they left two days before us if we push hard to catch up with them.”

  “Not at all, Captain Harris. I’m as anxious as you to get Kate back where she belongs.”

  A person would have to be deaf to miss the sarcasm in Scott’s remark. His intentions were to rescue Kate so she could return and marry Jacob. The man was loyal to Jacob. However, he would be the one to marry Kate. Because he needed his expertise, he refrained from saying so out loud. No reason to cause more conflict. The tension was already thick enough to cut with a knife. They needed to work together.

  They followed the trail until it was too dark to see and camped for the night. The two, exhausted, dusty men rested by the campfire eating their meager meal of beans and biscuits. Lifting his coffee cup, Scott peered across the campfire at David. His voice firm, he stated, “I have come along to find Kate for Jacob. I hope you understand when we find her I will escort her back to Richmond so they can be married.”