“I’m just asking how he is, if I can do anything to help him.”
The horses left the creek and began cropping the grass along the canyon.
“Let’s move on. We can get through this canyon before full dark and maybe spend the night sleeping in a city of gold.” Lurene’s harsh laugh had a ring of madness to it.
Shannon held out no hope that she would survive this.
“No, too far.” Cutter went to his horse and began stripping the leather. “We camp for the night and start early tomorrow.”
Lurene looked as if she wanted to fight, force Cutter to move on, but the man started setting up camp. The dusk deepened, and finally Lurene growled and stalked toward her horse to unpack it.
“And then, we might just take Shannon back home and see if her family thinks she’s worth paying to keep alive.” Randy Lloyd stood, looking alert and suspicious. There’d be no taking him by surprise.
“My family? What do they have to do with this?”
Randy turned to catch the horses and led Shannon’s and Gabe’s to them. “Take care of your own horses. We can talk about ransom later.”
A wild look at Gabe told Shannon he was as dumbfounded as she was. Shannon took the reins to both horses.
Randy left to deal with his own.
Gabe leaned close and touched Shannon’s cheek with one finger. “That’s good. It means they don’t intend to kill you.”
He kissed her quickly then turned away and staggered to his feet, the knife securely hidden. He got to his horse and nearly fell while uncinching the saddle. All a sham—Shannon hoped.
Shannon went to the sweet mustang and got to work. Ransom? What in the world? Did they plan to take her all the way back to St. Louis? Or did they plan to kill her and trick her mother into paying? One thing she knew, if these outlaws could find a way to make it easy on themselves, they would.
She determined then and there, she’d make it hard.
Twenty~Two
The sun rose straight overhead, and the day turned boiling hot. Just like all the rest of the days they’d spent on this fool’s mission. Buck had a notion to find Shannon and turn her over his knee. Except if it wasn’t for her obsession with this expedition, he’d never have met Tyra.
Buck hadn’t gone all the way to the bluff yesterday. Setting up camp had been slow work.
“They should be back with the fish any minute. Get out of the way so I can get a fire going.” Tyra swatted Buck on the shoulder.
He grinned at her. “I don’t know much about building a fire, Miss Morgan, but I can learn. Just you watch me.”
The smile she flashed him made Buck want to laugh out loud. He felt free in this place, with this woman, in a way he never had before. He took the few steps that separated him from Tyra and pulled her to her feet, away from the fire. “Just leave that alone. Listen to me, Tyra. Do you think—”
The soft whicker of a horse had him turning away from Tyra toward the mouth of the canyon that led into this place. “Maybe Hance came back. We don’t want him to catch me kissing you.”
Tyra laughed softly. “Better Captain Hance than my pa.”
Buck laughed, then the laugh died as a group of riders appeared through the narrow mouth of the canyon. How had they gotten horses down here when Hance hadn’t been able to, and was that—”Shannon?” He took two uncertain steps toward her. “Shannon, you’re here?”
“Buck! No, get out.”
“Stay where you are.” A bullet struck the ground inches in front of Buck. He jumped backward and sideways to put himself in front of Tyra.
An older man riding behind Shannon aimed. “Don’t move again, or I’ll shoot.” The man cocked his gun, serious as a hanging. “Hands up where I can see them.”
Buck looked over his shoulder to exchange a look with Tyra then faced the group approaching him. He raised his hands slowly, not wanting to startle anyone.
Shannon, now that he looked closer, was filthy. Trail worn of course—who wouldn’t be? But her face was badly burned. Her hands trembled. One arm was in a sling. Tears filled her eyes. A man beside her had his hands tied to his pommel. Behind them rode the gunman, two women, and two other men.
“What’s going on here?” Buck asked.
A dark-haired woman riding a length back between Shannon and the bound man said scornfully, “Miss Dysart here is leading us to a city of gold. It’s supposed to be in this meadow, so where is it?”
Shannon shook her head. “We need to look. The basin is huge. There are hills it could be behind, bluffs it could be on top of. It’s here. My father’s map is clear that the city he was searching for is in this basin.”
The city? Buck’s stomach sank. That stupid city of gold was going to get them all killed. Who were these people, and how had they gotten their hands on Shannon?
“We’re traveling down here to—to meet Shannon.” The surprise had been too much. Buck now wished he hadn’t let on that he knew Shannon, but there were still secrets to be kept.
Was there anything here to give away four people? They’d unpacked and spread things around enough that he didn’t think it was obvious, though there were more supplies here than two people could possibly carry. They hadn’t laid out any bedrolls, which would have given away that there were four people.
Lucas Morgan and Abe Lasley were tough western men. They’d be careful after hearing that shot. Buck just had to keep Shannon and Tyra alive until help could come or a chance showed itself to get free.
Considering Tyra was a lot more at home in the West than Buck or Shannon, he knew he wouldn’t have to do it himself. Shannon’s saddle partner looked as if he’d been hurt, so was that Gabe? Was that who Abe Lasley was looking for? It had to be.
“Can we get down?” Shannon asked. Her eyes burned into Buck’s, and all he saw was regret. She blamed herself for the danger they were all in.
Good choice. Buck blamed her, too.
But she looked so tired and subdued, not his intrepid Shannon at all. It did no good to assign blame.
Later, when they were safe, he might have a few choice words for his lunatic friend.
Without waiting for permission, Shannon swung down using only her right hand. Her knees gave out, and Buck started forward.
“Stay back!” The dark-haired woman had her gun aimed straight at Buck’s chest.
He hesitated and Shannon steadied herself.
“I’m fine, Bucky.” Shannon rested her face against the saddle of her sturdy little black horse, her hands clinging to the pommel.
From behind his back he heard Tyra whisper, “Bucky?” then give a very quiet snort. Tyra sounded like she was holding up pretty well if she had time to laugh at him.
Shannon drew in a slow breath, and her shoulders squared. Buck caught himself doing the same.
The others dismounted, all but the one tied to his saddle. Shannon slowly released her grip and turned to walk unsteadily to the man who must be Abe Lasley’s brother.
Though Shannon’s captors watched her, they let her untie Gabe. He seemed to slump sideways, and Shannon helped ease him to the ground, favoring her injured left arm. Upright, but with wobbly legs, she guided him to the fire Tyra had gotten crackling. A large boulder acted as a backrest for Gabe. Shannon mostly collapsed beside him.
“I don’t see a city of gold around here anywhere.” The dark-haired woman licked her lips as if the word gold had a taste to it. She crossed her arms as she looked across the expanse of the meadow.
Buck knew he had to react to that. The only person who could ignore it was someone who already knew the story. “City of gold? Down here? Where?” He looked around, hoping he had a bit of acting skill. He’d acted interested in all the things his mother talked about. That took some acting.
“We’re just exploring the canyon.” He didn’t have to do much pretending to be cautious of these folks and their drawn guns. “We just got here. But there are bluffs and rock outcroppings big enough to hide a city, I suppose.”
&nb
sp; Buck thought of that Indian village Hance had spoken of. Could that be what Professor Dysart had found? The man had always been fascinated by history. It was possible he’d found ruins and considered them a treasure. But where did the gold come in? Buck had seen a lot of Shannon’s notes. He occasionally had tried to get involved with the biggest passion of her life, to find a way to be included.
“Look folks, we didn’t come down here mining or treasure hunting. We’re not going to fight with you over any gold. We were getting ready to eat. We packed a lot of supplies down here.” He felt more than saw Tyra go tense, afraid he’d mention her pa and Abe. “My—my wife and I were—well…”
Buck saw Shannon’s brows arch at the word wife. Then the surprise was replaced by confusion and a quick glance at all their supplies. She was figuring it out. She knew he wasn’t married, and she knew Buck wasn’t down here alone with a young woman.
He hoped that she followed his thinking that he wasn’t about to reveal that there were other people with them. “I’d heard Shannon talk about this place, and we wanted to do some wandering. We came down here, not really knowing if we’d find Shannon of course, but—but—”
“Join us for a meal.” Tyra came to his side and took his hand in hers, adding to the tale of marriage. “Then go along with Shannon on her treasure hunt. We won’t get in your way.”
“I’m really glad you’re down here.” Lurene crouched across the fire from Gabe and Shannon. Her eyes slid from them to Buck.
“Why’s that?” Tyra edged closer to Buck.
“Because we’ve been getting her cooperation by threatening to kill her friend.”
Buck swallowed hard and looked at Gabe who had pulled his knees up. From this angle, Buck could tell he was working his fingers, no doubt numb from the rope. On this ride with Tyra, Abe, and Lucas, Buck had heard enough about Gabe, former cavalry officer, Wyoming rancher, to know he was a tough man. Probably not as beaten down as he appeared. Smart to encourage these villains to underestimate him.
“Trouble with killing him is once he’s dead, how do we get her cooperation then?” Lurene leveled her gun straight at Tyra. “But if you know her, then we’ve got some spare prisoners. Might be a good idea to prove we mean business by shooting one of you right now.”
For one heart-stopping moment, Buck thought the woman was going to do it. He braced himself to throw Tyra to the ground and block the bullet with his own body.
A harsh laugh erupted from the redheaded woman with the group. “Spare prisoners. And with plenty of food. Who’d’ve thought we’d find that down in this godforsaken place?”
Not godforsaken, Buck thought. Just the opposite. God was here. All the way down here. It settled his terror at the thought of that gun firing, bullets striking Tyra and ending forever her fiery spirit and flashing smile.
Keeping her gun level, Lurene said, “You, what’s your name?”
“Tyra.”
Buck heard the control in Tyra’s voice. He suspected she was thinking hard right then. She was no shrinking maiden who got a fit of the vapors in the face of trouble. She was a tough woman, a good one to have in a fight. Probably had a better grasp of this mess than he did.
With grim humor, he thought that Tyra and Gabe would make a much better match than Tyra and him. Too bad.
“Let’s scout around this place,” Lurene barked at the others with her.
“Can’t we eat first?” Ginger gave a longing look at all the packs. “We’ve been living on beef jerky and water for days.”
“Take a quick look in the packs then, but only while the horses drink. And take any weapons you find.”
Ginger, one of the younger men, and the older one began searching.
“A rasher of bacon, Lurene.” Ginger held up a cloth-wrapped object. “Let’s eat before we start hiking around.”
“We’re not going to sit around lazy while there might be gold close at hand.” Lurene looked as if she’d cut Ginger’s throat with little provocation. “Randy, you come over here and keep a gun on these four.”
Randy was the youngest of the group. Buck wondered how a man, just a barely grown boy, ended up so far out in the wilderness, living by his gun. The gun stayed level, the aim true as he took over.
“Get over by that boulder so we can keep you covered.” Randy gestured with the gun as casually as if it were an extension of his body. “And keep your mouths shut.”
Buck held tight to Tyra’s hand as he walked over to Shannon and sat down so Gabe was between them, Tyra on the end.
Randy’s eyes dared them to speak a single word.
Buck noticed Tyra tilt the brim of her hat down as if to shade her eyes more fully from the sun. But the gesture made no sense since the sun had lowered past the rim of the canyon. Tyra had just signaled someone. Someone like her father or maybe Abe. Or both.
Buck was very careful not to react, but he braced himself for whatever came next.
Help had arrived if they could just figure out how best to make use of it.
Gabe was so happy to see his big brother he almost smiled. A grin wasn’t the weak, wounded image he hoped to give to Lurene and her gang, so he suppressed it, but honestly, he was getting a little tired of acting like a weakling. He thought Abe might have a few remarks to make about that.
They had a fighting chance now. Gabe had also seen another man with Abe. Both of them had very carefully shown themselves. Tyra had reacted to let them know she saw them, and so had Gabe. He didn’t think Bucky and Shannon had noticed, but that didn’t matter. Neither of them was going to be much help when the fighting started.
“Let’s go.” Lurene took two long strides for her horse and paused. “We’ve got seven horses and nine people.” She glared at all of them as if deciding who to kill. “Randy, you stay here with that one.” Lurene jerked her head toward Gabe. “Better to have ‘em split up anyway.”
Gabe’s fingers were mostly working again. He knew because they were on fire. Working them, he went through in his head, over and over, how he’d strike. The knife. It was all he had. And he had a lot of people to protect. Bucky… what kind of stupid name was that for a man? And what in blazes was he doing in the bottom of the Grand Canyon? He’d popped up out of the ground like some stupid gopher.
Randy’s eyes went cold. “I’m not staying behind while you find gold and maybe never come back for me.”
It wasn’t so bad Bucky was here. Convenient even. As soon as Gabe bested these outlaws, with his brother’s help, he could have Shannon break things off with Bucky, and Gabe could hunt up Parson Ford and have him marry them then take her straight for Wyoming. After he had a nice visit with Abe of course. Shannon could write her snooty mother a letter explaining the situation.
Lurene jabbed a finger at the canyon they’d just threaded through. “That’s the only way in and out. Where are we going to go except right past you?”
“How do I know that’s the only way out?” Randy sounded cool.
Gabe would have preferred a hothead. He hoped his brother didn’t underestimate any of these outlaws.
The woman Bucky had called his wife caught Gabe’s attention when she pulled her hat off and slapped it on her leg. The movement was casual, something anyone might do. But it struck Gabe as deliberate. Who was she anyway? Abe was here. He’d have gotten Gabe’s telegraph and come hunting to help. Maybe Abe had met Bucky and the girl on the trail somehow and dragged them along.
Bucky was clearly a greenhorn. The woman, however, looked comfortable in her western clothes in a way Shannon didn’t. So maybe she was with Abe. But she was way too young for Abe’s wife; Gabe had met her years ago. And too old to be one of Abe’s children, not to mention his brother had only sons. Gabe shook off all these secondary matters as he mulled his choices.
Lurene turned on Randy. “You think I know my way around down here? I don’t know of any other way back to the top of this pit but right out the canyon we came in through.”
“But if you found another way ou
t and had your hands on the gold, you’d risk it.” Randy wasn’t pleading or whining. He was telling the straight truth as he saw it, and it was a shame, because Gabe didn’t blame Randy one bit for not agreeing to stay behind.
“With a city of gold,” Lurene sneered. “What pocket am I going to stuff that into?”
If they left Randy and Gabe behind alone, he’d take care of Randy, team up with Abe, and be after Shannon and the rest in a couple of minutes.
“You’d go off in a second if you thought it would give you a bigger share of the gold.”
And that, Gabe knew, was the bare truth. Lurene had a hunger in her eyes for gold that she couldn’t hide. He suspected she intended to thin everyone out she could when it came time to split up any money and gold.
A few tense seconds passed.
“Who stays?” Lurene asked.
“I’m going,” Darrel said. “I trust my brother to look after my share of anything you find, but I don’t trust my brother alone with any of you. I’m going along to watch his back.”
Honor among thieves. Gabe had never particularly believed that old saw, and nothing there was changing his mind.
Gabe really hoped it was Ginger. He thought she looked like the weakest link, and he could relieve her of her weapon hopefully without shooting. He’d been in a few battles in the cavalry, and he’d done some killing. He could do it again. But he was sorry he had the memory to live with. And he’d never so much as been in a fight that involved a woman. He didn’t want any new memories to haunt him.
“We’re all going,” the older man said. “I don’t trust none of you enough to leave you behind because I’d have to turn my back on you. The horses are worn thin, so leave ‘em behind and go afoot.”
“We’re gonna hike this whole basin, Cutter?” Darrel asked.
Cutter. Gabe had all their names now. As far as he could tell, these weren’t known desperados. Shannon had brought them west with her. But at least Cutter seemed comfortable in the West. He might have changed his name ten times.
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