by Bobbi Smith
“There.” Trent pointed out a faint glow several miles out.
Faith saw it, too, and her breath caught in her throat. “It’s them.”
“Let’s go tell the others. We’ve got to move fast.”
They hurried back to their campsite.
The men saw them coming and hoped Trent had good news.
“We’ve spotted the campfire!” Faith told them anxiously.
“Let’s get ready to ride!” John insisted.
“Wait.” Trent’s order was stern.
“What for?” John demanded.
“We’re not riding in on them without a plan. If they hear us coming, they’ll kill the women. We have to be very careful.”
Everyone was sickened by what they realized was a very real possibility, and caution replaced eagerness. They listened intently to Trent’s directions.
“We’ll leave the horses a distance away from their campsite and approach on foot. We know that there are at least three female captives, and from what I could tell by their trail, there are four warriors.”
“How can we be sure this is their campsite?” Jake asked.
“We’re going to find that out real soon,” Trent answered. “Once we’re certain it’s them, we’ll split up. Jake, you come with me. John, you keep Pete with you, and Faith will stay with Hank. We want to surround them so they can’t slip away. Make every shot count, and watch out for the women. Take all the ammunition you have with you, because once the shooting starts, there will be no turning back.”
The mood was solemn as they shared a look of understanding. They knew the danger they faced.
“Let’s ride—and be careful.”
They mounted up and moved out.
After the failed escape attempt, the pain of accepting that she would never go home again was more than Abbie could bear. She lost all hope and fell into a silent existence, as did Ellie and Caroline. They were helpless to save themselves. The future stretched bleak and horrifying before them. Their lives as they’d known them were over.
Huddled beneath her blanket, her ankle bound to the warrior’s, Abbie closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Sleep was the only haven she had in her life. Only in her dreams could she escape the torment her life had become. Only in her dreams was she back in the loving safety of Jake’s arms at the dance.
Though she tried to hide from the truth of what was coming, Abbie knew things were only going to get worse. She didn’t even try to imagine what the renegades were going to do to her. It was too horrible to think about.
Trent kept their pace slow as they rode in. No one said a word. They didn’t want to risk being heard. About a mile out, he signaled the others to stop. They reined in and left their horses tied up where they were. Silently, they covered the final distance through the rocky terrain on foot. As they drew near the clearing, Trent directed the others to stay where they were while he moved in to check things out.
Drawing upon all the lessons Old Jim had taught him, Trent made his way in close enough to observe the scene below. He had been almost certain the campsite belonged to the raiding party, and he was relieved to find he was right.
Trent could make out the four warriors he’d expected to find there, along with the three female captives. Trent recognized Abbie and frowned when he saw how her leg was bound to the warrior bedded down beside her. He knew that meant she must have tried to escape before, and the thought that she was so spirited made him smile slightly. Abbie was a lot like her sister. He also saw the women he assumed were Ellie and Caroline Gray. They were huddled together on the far side of the fire, their wrists bound. The women were being kept right beside the warriors, and Trent realized there was no way he could sneak in and free them without a fight. They were going to have to attack.
Trent went back to tell the others what he’d learned. As he described the situation they would be facing, tension filled the group. What happened in the next few minutes would mean the difference between life and death for Abbie, Ellie, and Caroline. The rescuers got their rifles and quietly moved off to take up the best positions they could find around the camp.
A terrible sense of fear and unease ate at Faith as she followed Hank toward the camp. She refused to give in to it, though. If ever there had been a time in her life when she needed to be strong, this was it. The shooting lessons her father had given her all those years ago had never been as important as they were now. Her sister’s life depended on it.
John and Pete made their way toward the far end of the campsite. As they sought the best cover, they spotted Ellie and Caroline bedded down near the fire. Seeing that they were alive elated them, and they were ready to do whatever was necessary to bring their women safely home.
Trent looked over at Jake.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” he said quietly.
“Nothing worth doing ever is,” Jake countered. “Let’s go.”
Trent nodded and led the way up into the rocks that overlooked the campsite. Their weapons ready, they settled in there and waited, to give the others time to get in position.
Little Dog had been sleeping soundly, but he suddenly found himself awake. The fire had burned down to a low flame, and all seemed quiet, but his instincts were telling him something was wrong. He got up cautiously and, taking his rifle with him, walked over to where the two women were bound together. They seemed to be asleep on the ground.
Little Dog had just come to stand over the captives when the first shots rang out. He heard Black Cloud and Crooked Snake scream in pain, and he ran for cover, forcing the two terrified women along with him.
At the sound of the gunfire, Lone Eagle reacted instinctively. He grabbed his knife and severed the rope that bound him to the Golden One. She began to scream and tried to fight him as he dragged her along to the place where Little Dog and the other captives were crouched, hiding out behind some rocks.
“Did you see who it is?” Lone Eagle asked him.
“No,” Little Dog answered as he began returning fire.
Both warriors realized they were surrounded and outnumbered. They knew their only hope was to try to get away.
“We have to get to the horses!” Little Dog said. He grabbed the youngest girl, believing she would be the easiest to control. “She is going with me!”
“Leave her!” Lone Eagle told him.
“No! She will give me cover! They will not shoot at me if I have her with me!”
Both warriors started to run toward their horses. Lone Eagle went first, and Little Dog followed, taking Caroline with him.
Jake had seen one of the warriors forcing Abbie to go along with him into the rocks. He had come a long way to rescue the woman he loved, and he wasn’t about to stand by and let something happen to her now.
“I’m going down there!” Jake told Trent.
Trent joined him, and, together they cautiously worked their way down toward the place where the renegades were holed up. They were just closing in on them when Jake caught sight of one warrior running for the horses and the other following behind him, dragging along the girl he thought was John’s daughter. Just then, more shots rang out from John and Pete’s direction, and the warrior who’d reached the horses first was wounded.
At the sound of the gunfire, Abbie looked up to see that the warrior had been shot. A torrent of conflicting emotions tore through her. A part of her was concerned about him, worried that he might have been killed, yet even as she found herself worrying about his safety, she kept praying that she would be rescued. Abbie was relieved when she saw the warrior slowly get to his feet and, with great effort, mount a horse.
Caroline’s frantic cries for help forced Abbie’s attention away from the wounded warrior. She knew that, no matter what else happened that night, she couldn’t let the cruel one escape and take Caroline with him. Abbie looked over at Ellie. If they were going to save Caroline, they would have to work together.
“We have to stop him!” Abbie told Ellie.
“He can’t tak
e my daughter!”
Even though their hands were bound and gunfire was still raging around them, the two women were determined to take action.
Little Dog had seen that Lone Eagle had been wounded, and he knew he needed the girl with him now more than ever. He brutally forced her along.
Abbie and Ellie were as ready as they would ever be when he passed by them. They knew they couldn’t stop him completely, tied up as they were, but they hoped they could slow him down long enough to give their would-be rescuers a chance to get to him and save Caroline. When he walked in front of them the women made their move. They threw themselves at him with as much force as they could muster, hoping to jar him and possibly knock him to the ground. They knew he was armed and they might suffer for their actions, but Caroline’s life was more important than anything else.
Their ploy worked.
Little Dog was caught off guard by their unexpected assault. He stumbled and almost fell.
Caroline took advantage of their help. With all her might, she shoved him and broke free of his painful hold. She scrambled to escape, wanting to get as far away from him as she could.
Little Dog was furious. He swung around, bringing his gun to bear on the women who’d dared attack him. He smiled coldly as he stared down at the Golden One. He had never had the satisfaction of taking her the way he’d wanted to, but now he would have the satisfaction of knowing she would never escape from him.
He would kill her.
He would make her pay.
Abbie watched in pure horror as the evil warrior took aim at her. She could see the hatred in his eyes, and she held her breath.
She was expecting pain and death.
She was expecting her life to end.
And then a shot rang out.
Abbie could only stare in disbelief as Little Dog collapsed to the ground and lay unmoving before her.
“Abbie!”
The completely unexpected sound of Jake’s call sent a thrill of pure ecstasy through her.
“Jake?” she cried aloud in disbelief. Hearing her beloved’s voice, she felt her heart swell with emotion.
Jake was there!
Jake had come to save her.
Abbie suddenly realized that it had grown quiet. The gunfire had stopped. Looking out toward the place where the Indians had left their horses tied up, she could see that the other warrior was still there and that he was looking her way. She saw, too, that he was bleeding severely from a gunshot wound to his shoulder.
In that instant, across the distance, their gazes met and held.
“Abbie! Get down! There’s another warrior!” Jake shouted as he ran up to her, his rifle in hand. He lifted his weapon, ready to take aim at the last surviving member of the raiding party, who was about to escape.
But Abbie reached out and stopped Jake, putting her bound hands on his arm to keep him from getting off a shot.
“No—don’t, Jake. Let him go,” she told him.
“But . . .” After all the murdering the raiding party had done, Jake wanted to make sure this last renegade never hurt anyone again.
“He didn’t hurt me.” She looked up at Jake, loving him. “And you’re here now.”
Jake looked down at the woman he loved and saw the intensity of her emotion. He lifted his gaze to look in the wounded warrior’s direction again, only to discover that he was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
While Jake took care of the captives, Trent went to check on the warriors. He wanted to make sure the gun battle was really over.
“She’s alive!” Faith cried out excitedly to Hank when she saw Abbie with Jake. Tears of joy filled her eyes, and she rushed down from their vantage point to be reunited with her sister.
John and Pete realized the shooting was over and started down, too.
Jake helped the other two women to their feet and then quickly freed all three of them from their bonds. Caroline was the first one he cut loose, and she looked up right then to see her father and brother running toward them.
“Ma, look!” Caroline called joyfully.
Ellie turned, and her heart ached at the sight of her husband and son. She had feared she would never see them again. Together Ellie and Caroline rushed to meet them.
Abbie was standing quietly beside Jake, watching their excitement when she saw her sister. “Faith?”
“Oh, Abbie!” Faith ran as fast as she could to throw her arms around her little sister. “We found you! Thank God, we found you!”
Jake looked on as they embraced and began to cry, holding each other close. He stepped away to give them time together.
“Faith, how’s Mason?” Abbie asked, drawing away from her sister and searching her expression for some clue to their brother’s well-being.
“He’s alive and recovering,” Faith told her.
Abbie began to cry even harder at the news. “I was so worried about him—I thought he might be dead.”
“He’ll be waiting for you when we get home,” her sister promised, and they hugged each other again.
When Trent had finished his gruesome task, he made his way over to stand with Jake.
“You’re as good as they said you were,” Jake told him, extending his hand with respect and admiration.
Trent shook his hand, and replied, “Thank you, but some days a man just gets lucky.” Watching the families being reunited touched him in ways he didn’t want to admit.
“It takes more than luck to do what you do.” Jake turned to him. “Thanks.”
Trent only nodded.
Faith finished hugging her sister. “Come here. There’s someone you have to meet.”
She led her sister over to Jake and Trent.
“Abbie, this is Trent Marshall. He’s the one who helped us track you down. We couldn’t have done it without him,” Faith said.
At first Abbie didn’t say a word. She went to stand before Trent and looked up at him, all the admiration and thanksgiving she was feeling evident in her expression. “You saved our lives. Thank you.”
“You’re the one who tracked us down?” Caroline asked excitedly after overhearing their conversation.
“He’s the one,” Faith answered.
Caroline didn’t care what anyone else thought. She was just so excited to be free that she went straight to Trent and impulsively hugged him. “Thank you for helping my pa and my brother find us. Thank you for saving us!”
Trent was touched by the young girl’s display of emotion, and he returned her hug. “You’re welcome.”
John came over to thank him, too, then returned to his own family.
Trent stood back then, watching Abbie with her sister. He saw the deep love between them, and remembered a time long ago when he’d had a family. He knew Faith and Abbie were blessed to have each other, and their brother, Mason, too. He needed some time alone with Faith, but that would have to be later, once things had calmed down. He noticed Jake wasn’t saying much and looked a bit troubled, so he went to speak with him.
“Something bothering you?” Trent asked.
“The other warrior—the one who got away. I know he was wounded, but do you think he’ll try to come after us?” Jake didn’t want to risk letting his guard down just yet.
“No. He knows what he would be up against. He won’t be back,” Trent assured him.
Relief flooded through Jake at his words. “You about ready to ride?”
“Yes.”
Trent and Jake went to where Faith and Abbie were standing together.
Jake looked down at Abbie and smiled tenderly at her. “Let’s go home.”
Abbie had never known such happiness as she was feeling right then. Looking up at him, she said right there in front of everybody, “I love you, Jake.”
Jake didn’t hesitate. He’d been waiting for this moment. He swept her up into his arms and held her to his heart. “Thank God we found you.” He drew back to gaze down at her and then told her, “I love you, too, Abbie.”
Everyo
ne was touched by the emotional moment.
“Jake’s right. It’s time for us to head home,” John spoke up. “Pete, come with me. We’ll get the horses.”
While they went after their horses, Hank got the women’s mounts from where they were tethered near the camp. John and Pete weren’t gone long. By the time they returned, everyone was more than ready to ride out. They turned the renegades’ horses loose to fend for themselves and then rode for their original campsite, where they would spend the night.
Faith and Abbie traveled side by side, following Trent and Jake, who were leading the way. The others brought up the rear.
Not much was said on the trek back. They were all beyond exhaustion, but they were happy. The torturous miles of tracking had paid off. They had rescued the women, and the raiding party had been stopped. The murderous savages wouldn’t be terrorizing the area anymore.
When they reached the site, they quickly spread out their bedrolls and got ready to sleep. The worst was over, but they still had a long way to go before they reached home.
The others seemed to fall asleep quickly, but Trent lay awake, staring up at the moonless night sky. He knew it had to be at least two in the morning, or maybe three, but sleep was proving elusive for him. He found himself mentally reliving the treacherous events of the hours just past, and, though everything had turned out the way they’d hoped, the memories left him tense and on edge. Unable to fall asleep, Trent finally got up and moved silently away from the camp. He was dead tired, but needed to unwind before he could rest.
Faith had almost been asleep when she’d heard what sounded like someone moving about. She looked up to see Trent walking off alone into the night. She’d been desperately wanting some time alone with him, so she took advantage of the moment. She slipped out of her bedroll and went after him. She found him sitting in the same place he’d been earlier that evening, when he’d been watching for a sign of the raiding party.
Trent sensed he wasn’t alone and turned to see Faith coming toward him.
“You should be resting,” he told her.