On the Mountain

by Peggy Ann Craig

  Giving his beard a rub, he looked over at the other dead cows and noticed his ranch’s brand still visible among their charred skin. He had thought the missing cattle were on account of a cougar feasting on his livestock. Cursing under his breath, he ran weary hands through his soot covered hair.

  “Haddock!” Someone called from across the way.

  Thrusting his thoughts aside, he stood back up and headed toward the cluster of remaining huts that constituted the core of the village. He spotted Constable William Stanford with Prescott standing next to a mound of burnt logs. They were in the middle of what looked like a small courtyard. Evidently the core of where the people in the mountain lived. However the homes were more similar to sod houses than wooded huts, and built directly into the mountainside, which caught him as being strange, considering all the timber available for proper housing.

  As he approached the duo, he noted the look on his brother’s face and knew whatever it was, wasn’t going to be pretty. They stood in an area that was a mass of scorched wilderness with a lingering trace of smoke still rising from the ashes. He glanced around and noticed the only people about were the volunteer town folks and his own ranch hands. At least, that was his initial impression.

  However, as he drew nearer, the acute stench of torched skin assaulted his breathing causing him to realize that what he thought were tree logs, turned out to be human corpses. Prescott used the bandana around his neck to cover his mouth and nose while his eyes watered from the foul fumes. “This is the most barbaric thing I have ever seen.”

  The constable glanced first at the younger brother before diverting his attention to the older one. “It looks like the fire started here.”

  Wade’s brows came together in confusion. “What do you figure? The bodies were a human fire pit?”

  In reply, the constable knelt down and raised the head of one of the corpses. From the general shape of the body, it was clear it was male. Its teeth and eyes glowed white against the charred flesh in a grim evidence of the horrified man’s state right before death.

  “Were they alive when set on fire?”

  “Yeah.” The constable agreed then laid the head of the dead man back on the pile of bodies. “The lucky ones.”

  “The lucky ones?”

  He nodded and stepped over to a separate group of remains. Wade headed in the same direction with Prescott following, handkerchief glued to his mouth. “This lot took the blunt of the attack. Ax to the back of the head. Execution style.”

  “Christ.” Wade drove a hand through his hair.

  “And all female,” the constable added.

  A surge of anger flooded his veins, but years of controlling his emotions kept it under control.

  “Indians?” Prescott asked under his handkerchief.

  “More than likely.” Constable Stanford agreed.

  Wade shook his head and swore once more. He never had any problems with the Indians in all the years he had ranched on his homestead. Though he heard of many ranchers and farmers that had. They weren’t the most civil people and had come to hate the white man for stealing land they felt was rightfully theirs. Wade had seen the same possessive anger consume a man only once before.

  But the women? It didn’t make sense. He could tell the same thought crossed the constable’s mind.

  “Let’s give them a proper burial,” he said.

  “Right. I’ll get some of the ranch hands.” Prescott took the opportunity to scurry away from the revolting smell.

  The constable waited until he was completely out of earshot. “I hear you have a new ranch hand.”

  Wade frowned. “You heard right. What of it?”

  “The rumor is he’s one of the mountain people.” The constable spoke with deliberation. “Possibly from this very village.”

  He hesitated before slowly replying, “Afraid I couldn’t tell you. The boy’s a mute.”

  “Is he now?” He looked somewhat surprised, but Wade felt the insincerity. “That’s mighty convenient.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “A strange boy shows up dirty and frightened the morning before a massacre sweeps out his entire village.”

  “We’re not certain this was his village.” He didn’t like the direction of the lawman’s thoughts nor the fact he knew so much about the boy’s state when found at the ranch.

  “True,” he conceded, however added, “But, say I was right, it sure would make my job easier knowing what that boy knows.”

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to solve this one on your own Stanford.” Wade kept his gaze level as he spoke. “As I said, the boy’s a mute.”

  “Still the same, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll have a little talk with him when we get back.”

  Wade watched the constable wander off toward some of the huts and felt a rush of mixed feelings. Like the lawman, his first instinct was to blame the boy. However, realizing this man-made forest fire was the result of a village-wide massacre brought the realization this barbaric act was far beyond the boy’s capabilities. How he knew, he wasn’t certain. There was something in the boy’s eyes that spoke words he could not voice. Something that was laced with fear and ghastly memories.

  * * *

  The sun was slowly dipping below the western mountain tops and Anna had a fear Wade and the rest of the men wouldn’t be back before sunset. She wrapped her arms around her legs and cuddled further into her own embrace. The nights were getting colder and that evening was no exception. A shiver crept over her and she wished she had a blanket to warm herself by the river. Chuck Rhodes had disappeared and reappeared several times while she sat and waited. Thankfully, he made no attempt to join her.

  She first felt rather than saw the men return. Beneath her the earth began a slow rumble that grew until a cloud of dust proceeded a group of men on horseback out of the trail that led from the mountain. Leaping to her feet, she watched as they headed toward her, their faces covered in soot and drained from exhaustion. As they neared, she noticed something else. It was in the eyes. They lacked life.

  One of the first men to cross the river was Wade. His horse easily plowed through the deep river and up the rocky bank. She felt a surge of panic as Sty closed the distance between Wade and herself. When the animal came abreast to her, his rider leaped from the saddle and handed her his reins.

  “Take my horse to the stable, boy.”

  Desperately afraid to look into his eyes, she recalled vaguely nodding and hurrying off toward the barns with Sty. A small fragment of her mind wanted details about the fire, however a greater portion feared it immensely. Her entire state of mind lay on its foundation. The information Wade carried would affect her completely, whether it be good or evil.

  She stepped inside the dimly lit stables and was immediately confronted by Chuck Rhodes. He caught her by surprise when he loomed from the shadows near the entrance as if waiting for her. He was smaller and weaker than Anna and due to his disabled form stood shorter than any of the other men, but he was the one she trusted the least.

  Stepping far too close he sniffed the air around her as a dog would upon a new arrival. Agitated, she pushed him away and was startled to see the anger leap to his eyes. Thankfully, the sound of footsteps and pounding hoofs followed directly behind her as the ranch hands piled into the stables along with their horses.

  “Get back to work, old man.” Neil ordered the man twice his age. “Christ, and take a bath. You’re beginning to smell like horse shit.”

  Without another backward glance, he scurried back into the darkness and out of sight. Anna released a silent sigh of relief, and headed for Sty’s horse stall. She didn’t know what the old man’s story was, but from now on she would be on her guard.

  She was in the act of brushing Sty down after removing the saddle and blanket from his back when Wade entered the barn along with a man she did not recognize.

  “Put that down and come here, boy,” he said.

  Apprehension crept up her spine
, causing her delayed reaction.

  “I said, come here boy.” This time Wade’s voice was firmer.

  Avoiding any eye contact, she put the brush back in a bucket nearby and stepped out of the stall. With her back to them, she took her time in the process of closing and locking the gate. To her surprise, Wade waited patiently until she completed the task and turned around at last to face him.

  “This is Constable Stanford,” he said. “He wants to ask you a few questions to see if you know anything about the forest fire.”

  Keeping her head downcast she did not acknowledge nor refuse. She simply stood and waited.

  The man identified as the constable stepped forward. “Do you have a name boy?”

  She offered no reply.

  “I asked you a question boy.” The constable’s voice grew stern.

  Slowly she nodded her head.

  Satisfied, he continued. “Can you tell me?”

  A third person joined the small group. Prescott was reigning in his mount when he caught this last question and offered, “We call him Peter.”

  The constable turned to look at the younger of the Haddock men. “Is that his name?”

  “He conceded to it when I asked, so yes it is his name.”

  “He told you his name?”

  “No I guessed it.” Prescott offered a bright smile.

  “You guessed it?”

  “Yes. The boy’s a mute you see and couldn’t tell us himself. He has a name and it’s just right we use it. We couldn’t continue calling him boy forever.” Prescott stated what he felt was obvious.

  “You’re correct about that, Mr. Haddock.” Constable Stanford stated. “The boy does have a name, but I don’t believe its Peter.”

  She felt the sheriff’s eyes staring hard down at her.

  “Boy, I want you to tell me what you know about that fire up there in the mountains.”

  “Oh, he can’t speak Constable.” Prescott informed the official as if he accidentally missed this tidbit of information.

  “Prescott.” Wade’s voice stilled his brother. “Let the constable conduct his investigation.”

  “Investigation?” Prescott sounded dubious. “What investigation? Peter knows nothing about this.”

  “You see, Mr. Haddock, that’s where I think you might be wrong.” All the while she knew his attention had not faltered from her face. She had not looked up, but could feel his gaze boring into her. There was an odd sense he was seeing through her facade. “I believe your Peter here does know something and would be a great benefit to my investigation.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Prescott was not convinced. “You saw the people in the village up there. Peter could not have possibly had anything to do with it. Wade, tell him.”

  His words sent a painful blow to her chest. She felt the color drain from her face while her vision wavered in front of her. Wade must have noticed for she heard him say, “Christ, Prescott. Don’t be so damned careless with your words.”

  “Lord,” his brother cried. “I didn’t think.”

  “I think that’s enough for now, Stanford. The boy has obviously just received a shock.”

  But the constable wasn’t dissuaded so easily. He reached out and snatched her slender shoulders between his large callused hands. “Answer me, boy!”

  “Jesus Christ,” Wade shouted, reaching out to pull her from the lawman’s grasp. “I said that was enough.”

  With the constable’s hands still gripping her shoulders, she was violently shaken before Wade was able to snatch her away and haul her out of the barn and toward the house. She heard him holler at the lawman to get the hell off his property and Prescott’s own choice of words requesting the same, if not slightly less crude. However, it was the constable’s parting words that engraved themselves on her brain.

  “What the hell happened on that mountain, boy?”

  Chapter 6

  He was walking so fast, she had to run just to keep up, her arm still in his death grip. Once up at the house he flung open the large wooden door dragging her behind him. He was still cursing and still very mad. Anna just didn’t know exactly who it was directed at.

  “Have a seat boy.” His voice was harsh but not necessarily directed at her. “Dammit, I knew not to let him speak to you until after I had.”

  She felt convulsions running up and down her body.

  Wade’s eyes finally focused on her and cursed once more. “You’re cold. Sit here while I get a fire started.”

  Obediently she sat in the oversized chair next to the equally oversized hearth.

  “Listen, kid, don’t let what Stanford said upset you.” He spoke to her while quickly lighting the logs already in the fireplace. “He’s leaving. Prescott is escorting him off the property now.”

  She felt more shudders rip throughout her body. Wade looked over and noticed. “Christ, you’re freezing.”

  She was freezing. After all, she had spent a major part of the day waiting by the river. But her shudders had more to do with all she had endured in the past twenty-four hours than the actual cold climate.

  “Let me get you something to drink.” He got to his feet and went over to a cabinet. “Ever had bourbon?”

  She shook her head.

  “It will warm your insides up real fast.” He filled a glass half full of some amber liquid then handed it to her.

  Taking the offered drink, she proceeded to take a gulp. Anna was grateful he had turned his back to tend the fire and missed her automatic reaction to the potent drink. She had never tasted anything so foul.

  “I know you think you’re responsible for what happened up there,” he said. “But you didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Words meant to comfort only added to the confusion. She may not have the memories, but she had the emotions. They were real and she knew what they meant.

  He stood up and she realized was asking her a question. “You don’t remember what happened, do you kid?”

  Frowning, she tried to bring an image to mind, but in the end had to shake her head.

  Wade nodded in understanding, reaching up to remove the filthy handkerchief tied around his neck. “I thought as much. It explains your reaction to a lot of things.”

  Anna was still in a state of shock and confusion and did not notice him beginning to unbutton his shirt. “Do you recall your name? Who you are?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s a good start,” he said. “What about your family?”

  Again, she nodded.

  “Do you know where you came from?”

  A sharp, unexpected pain pierced her chest. Closing her eyes, she slowly nodded.

  “The village?” he asked quietly. “Was that home?”

  With her eyes shut tightly, she wasn’t sure if she was trying to block out the image of the village or to recapture it. She gave Wade another nod.

  There was a moment of silence before he gently told her, “I’m sorry, but you should know. There were no survivors.”

  Her eyes remained closed as she felt the force of his words. There was no pain, only sorrow. It was something she had known in her heart all along. Whatever had happened in the mountain had completely wiped itself from her memory, however no amount of erasing could remove the feeling of loss. She had prolonged confronting those feelings, but deep inside she had known her family was gone. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.

  “Are you all right?”

  Wade’s gentle question brought her dry but anguished eyes up to look at him. He was kneeling directly in front of her and a warmth raced through her body and eased slightly the pain in her heart.

  “You’re safe here, boy.”

  His voice was low but tender and for the first time since this horrible incident occurred, Anna felt safe. With him.

  She nodded and he offered a comforting smile before getting to his feet and shrugging out of his shirt. Her breath caught in her throat as he stood in the room naked from the waist up. Never before had she seen a naked man out
side her family. Never before had she seen anything so beautiful. He was far broader and stronger than she would have imagined beneath his loose cotton shirts. The thick growth of dark hair over his chest had her looking away before he could catch her examining him.

  Her brother and father had both gone shirtless many times during the hot summer weather, but they had never looked anything like this. This man was the most perfect male species she had ever seen. A new spasm of quivers racked her body.

  “Hey.” Wade mistook her convulsions and rushed back to her side. “It’s going to be all right.”

  Automatically, Anna withdrew from his close proximity, not having been that close to a naked man before. He touched her arm only slightly, but her body gave a jolt. He frowned and Anna felt a flood of fear, praying her stupid female urges hadn’t betrayed her and threatened to expose her true identity. She held her breath.

  “I’m not going to hurt you, boy.” Concern lit his eyes. Eyes that before she had never noticed were as blue as a glacier lake. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise.”

  The sincerity in his eyes held her spellbound. As she sat there drowning in those blue depths, a spark lit deep inside. It was a small spark, but it had a huge impact. She felt the force of it knock the breath from her lungs.

  He must have realized she was staring at him far too long to be considered proper for he got to his feet and said, “I’m going to go and wash off this soot and grime. You just stay here and finish your drink and warm yourself by the fire.”

  She nodded vaguely, wishing he wouldn’t go. Giving a friendly nod himself, he turned and left the room. Anna had an overwhelming urge to follow him.

  The man was huge and burly and could scare the soul from a grizzly, but he was also tender and kind and Anna would only be too happy to follow him to the end of the earth.

  Her eyes felt suddenly weary reminding her how truly exhausted she was. Though she hadn’t done anything physically strenuous, emotionally she was drained. The large chair she sat on was plush and inviting. She thought about heading back to the bunkhouse but somehow knew Joe would only put her to work.