“Sounds good.”
Sabrina watched as he ate the meat, hungrily tearing at it with his strong white teeth, and saw that he had plenty of water. Finally she asked, “Did you find anything, Waco?”
“Not really.” He gave her a sharp look. “Are you wantin’ to give up?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think so.” He finished his meal, put it to one side, then came to his feet. He moved slowly at times, but there was a hint of speed and power in him. “Come along.” He walked out of the camp, and she followed him with some trepidation. He walked quickly for all his fatigue. Finally he stopped and said, “Look at that.”
It was growing darker, but she moved closer and saw a stone flat and upright. “That looks like a tombstone,” she said.
“That’s what it was, but the wind and the sand and the rain have eaten it all away. Look. Whoever buried him made an outline of where the coffin is.” He pointed down, and Sabrina saw that there were a few stones that marked a rectangle. She watched as Waco suddenly moved forward. He began to pull his boot through the line of stones, digging a little trench. When he had gotten all around it, he kicked the stones back in the trench.
She could stand it no longer. “What are you doing, Waco?”
“Don’t know. Maybe trying to put off what has to come.”
“Like what?”
“Whoever this is, they had the same kind of dreams I have, I expect. Maybe a husband that found a wife and loved her. Maybe a wife that found a husband, but she only made it this far. I don’t know. It makes me sad.”
“You didn’t know whoever it is.”
“No, that’s true,” he said slowly, and she could see he was thinking deeply. “But whoever it is, when they were alive, they have the same hungers I do and the same problems probably. Maybe it was a husband whose life was cut short. His wife had to bury him out here in this wilderness.”
“Could have been a woman.”
“That would be even sadder to me.” He began to move away from her and traced the line of small stones that marked the grave into a trench with the toe of his boot. Then he carefully put the stones back in there.
When he stood up, she asked, “Why did you do that, Waco?”
“Don’t know. Feel sort of down, I guess.”
Suddenly she said, “Waco, I wish you could put that behind you. If you don’t, you’ll be like those men who took Marianne. Like you say LeBeau is. I wouldn’t want you to be that kind of a man. Don’t nurse grudges and hate until you are rank inside. You’ll be your own worst enemy. You weren’t meant to snarl at the world, be against people, be cruel.”
He took her hand and looked into her face. “When you lose something it hurts.”
“You’re thinking about the woman who ran out on you.”
“Guess I’ll never forget her. How she betrayed me.”
Again a wave of pity came as Sabrina was very much aware of his hand, the warmth and the strength of it. “I’m sorry, Waco.”
He shook his head. “Funny thing, Sabrina. I haven’t been thinking much about the hurts of other people. Too busy pitying myself—but I hate to see you hurting over your sister.”
Sabrina did not know what was happening, but she waited there, saying nothing, when suddenly he reached out and pulled her to him. He put his arms around her, and she looked up at him. The feeling of his kiss went through her, and it was a goodness without shame. She was stirred and did not know why it was, but it was what she wanted. She felt the luxury of it as well as he.
She felt that Waco was on the near edge of rashness. His impulses were clear. He was a strong man, and she was a beautiful woman. She saw the battle take place, and then with some sort of joy, she saw him shake his head and step back. “I’ll do my best for you, Sabrina, to find your sister… even if I have to die for it.”
The deer meat was about gone, and that night it was Waco who said, “We’re going to have to go get more grub. We’re worn down to nothing.”
It was night, and they had just eaten the last of the canned beans they had brought along with the last small chunks of bacon. They hungered for bread, for something solid.
Silas had been quiet, and as they sat there finishing their meal, he said, “You know, I still miss my wife, Lottie.”
“How’d you meet her, Silas?” Sabrina smiled.
“Well, I was no good, but I took one look at her and fell in love with her just like in the storybooks. She wouldn’t have anything to do with me. I’m glad she wouldn’t. She was a pure woman.”
“Well, how did you ever get her to marry you?”
“I went off and I looked for God. I had some trouble there,” Silas said thoughtfully. “I signed a trade with God. I’ll be a good man if You give me that woman. I found out pretty soon you don’t do business with God like that. Finally I said, ‘God, whether You ever give me Lottie or not, I’ll serve you.’ So I got saved out behind the church with the service goin’ on. I was too ashamed to go in, so I listened to the singin’ and the preachin’. When the preacher made an altar call, I went in. Been servin’ Jesus ever since.” He turned and said, “Gray Wolf, how’d you find Jesus?”
Gray Wolf had been listening carefully. He grinned, and it softened his features. “I was a real bad man. I was on a horse-stealing raid and got captured. The chief was a tough hombre. I was on the ground tied, and he had a spear in his hand. He lifted it up, and I knew he was going to run it through my heart.” He grew quiet then.
Finally Waco said, “Well, he didn’t kill you obviously.”
“No, he didn’t. He stood there looking at me, and something came into his eyes. He had hard eyes, I tell you, that Indian did! But after a while he threw his spear down and walked away. I couldn’t understand why he let me live. For a long time I wondered about it, but I know one thing… only God could have made that man spare me. So I promised I’d live like a Christian.”
Silas said, “I’m going to tell you two sinners how to get saved.”
“That’s what I like. You’re a real Southerner with your preachin’.” Waco grinned. “Go ahead. Turn your wolf loose.”
Silas began to quote Scriptures, almost all of them about the death of Jesus. “It’s His blood that washes us from sin. The Bible says God puts our sins behind His back. He blots ’em out of the Book. We become a part of His family, and all you have to do is give Him everything you’ve got, which most people can’t do,” Silas said.
He spoke for a long time, and finally Sabrina was forced to admit, “I don’t know what he’s talking about. I’ve been going to church all of my life, but I don’t have anything in me like Gray Wolf and Silas.”
The next day they pulled out, and as they did, Sabrina turned to Waco and said, “What did you think about what Silas said?”
“Funny you should ask,” Waco said. “I’m a pretty hard nut, but I can’t forget what he said about Jesus.”
“Do you think you’ll ever be a man of God?”
Waco dropped his head. “I hope so,” he whispered.
CHAPTER 17
Heat lay like a thin film in the windless air as Sabrina stood with her back to the campsite looking out into the distance. The sun was a white hole in the sky, and the deep haze of summer had lightened so that the land was a tawny floor running immeasurably away into the distance. The Territory frightened her, for it was not the kind of climate or the kind of world that she had been born into. There was no security in this land. None by day and none by night. It was a country of extremes, of long silence and sudden wild crying, a bone-searching dryness followed by a sudden rush of cloudburst torrents down in the narrow canyons. It was raw and primitive, and she had already seen it scoured the softness out of a man and made him into something sometimes frightening.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you, Sabrina, about Marianne.”
Instantly Sabrina turned to him, for she heard a somber tone in his voice. “What is it? What do you want to tell me?”
“I don’t thi
nk you’re going to be happy, Sabrina, even if we find her.” There wasn’t the faintest hint of tension in his body or voice. “I think we’ll find her,” he said finally. “But you come from a family that’s well off, and your parents are religious people. Well—”
“What is it?” Sabrina asked. “What do you want to tell me, Waco? Just say it.”
“All right. I know LeBeau. He’s using your sister like he uses all women. That’s what he does, Sabrina. He never loved a woman in his life. To him they’re something to be used and thrown aside. He’ll throw her aside, too, as soon as he gets tired of her.”
Thoughts of this nature had come to Sabrina in many forms, but she refused to agree. “I don’t care. I don’t care what’s happened or what she’s done. Marianne’s my sister.”
“You may love her, but what about the way she feels? You think she can just walk away from this? When these things happen they leave scars.”
“You’re wrong.” She held her hand up and said, “See that scar?”
Waco nodded.
“I almost cut that finger off, and it bled and it hurt. Even after it was bandaged it hurt for weeks, but look at it now. Touch it. See? It doesn’t even hurt. I know it’s there. I know that something happened that day, but the pain’s not there anymore. Just the memory. And that’s what it’ll be when we get Marianne back. We’ll take her home, take care of her and love her, and she’ll be all right.”
Waco smiled slightly. “You always think the best, don’t you, Sabrina? Well, I’m glad you do, and I hope you always do.”
Their talk was interrupted when Gray Wolf rode up on his pinto pony. He slid off of the horse, walked over, and grinned at the pair of them. “I found them!”
Waco looked up and exclaimed, “LeBeau!”
“Yes. My cousin, he come from the north. Cherokee nation. Says he saw LeBeau three days ago close to Grand River.”
“Come on. Let’s tell Silas.”
Quickly they held a council of war, and when they heard what Gray Wolf had to say, Waco said, “Why, I know where that is. I’d forgotten about it. LeBeau doesn’t use it much. Sometimes he goes out and robs a train; then he ducks back in there. It’ll be hard to get at,” he sighed. “They can see for miles in every direction. If too big a bunch comes after them, they split up and fade in the hills. Then they’ll come back together somewhere else.”
“What do you think, Waco?” Sabrina asked. “You think we can go after them?”
“Yeah, we can. We’ll travel tonight. Be cooler that way.”
The party pulled out shortly before dark, just as the air was beginning to cool, and traveled most of the night. Waco called a halt just before dawn. The horses were beginning to tire. They rested there all morning then started again after eating at noon. They traveled hard all that day, making quick camps and taking short rests.
Waco was glad to see that Sabrina was standing the trip better than he had hoped. “I believe we’re going to make it,” he remarked to Silas. “She’s doin’ better than I thought she would.”
“I guess so.” Silas nodded. He took off his hat. A slight breeze lifted his fine white hair.
Waco saw that the old man was tired and looked even more frail than ever.
“I wish she weren’t here, Waco,” he said. “This ain’t no place for a woman like that. She could get killed.”
“I’ve thought of it, but I don’t know what to do with it. That woman’s got more determination than a hungry mule.” The two stood there for a moment looking off in the direction they were headed. “What do you think of her? Sabrina, I mean.”
“A good-looking woman. Stubborn though.”
“Always liked a woman with grit in her,” Waco remarked.
They rode hard, and the next day Waco sent Gray Wolf ahead to scout. The Indian left at three o’clock while the others made camp. Darkness fell as they were finishing the evening meal, and Waco lifted his head. “Somebody’s comin’,” he said in a low voice. He picked up his Winchester and moved over to a large rock, listening carefully. After a moment he lowered the rifle and said, “Gray Wolf.” The Indian rode in, excitement lighting his smooth face. “Found them!”
“You saw him? LeBeau?”
“No, LeBeau’s not there, but a woman is there and Boone Hagerty.”
“It’s them then.” Waco nodded.
“A woman?” Sabrina asked curiously.
“Yes.” Gray Wolf grinned. “Name is Calandra Montevado. I always liked her name. People just call her Callie though.”
“Did you see my sister?”
“Small woman with blond hair?”
“It’s Marianne. We found her!”
Silas was excited. “Found ’em at the right time, too. If there’s only two men there, the rest of ’em must be out on some kind of a raid. What do you think, Waco?”
“Sounds good. We’ll take ’em in the morning. Tonight might be better. Catch ’em off guard.”
“I’d say morning,” Silas said. “You get to shootin’ in the dark, no tellin’ who could get hurt. Tomorrow we get there and we surround that cabin at daylight. As soon as the men come out, I’ll take one, you take the other. With only two, we can kill ’em the first thing. They won’t be causin’ no trouble.”
His words seemed to send a chill over Sabrina. “You mean kill them without warning?”
Silas stared at her. “You didn’t think we’d get your sister back without shootin’, did you?”
“Well no, but don’t we need to give them some warning? Give them a fair chance?”
“You’re thinking like a woman that lives in a fancy house in Memphis,” Waco said. “Don’t you understand? We let ’em know we’re here and one of ’em will grab a pistol and put it to her head, threatening to kill her if we don’t leave, and they’d do it, too, Sabrina. They don’t think any more of taking a human life than you think of taking a drink of water.” He hesitated then shook his head. “I know it sounds rough to you, but out here it’s different. These men you have to treat like wild animals.”
Sabrina walked away and began cooking over the fire.
Later on Waco came and sat down cross-legged in front of her. He put aside his hat. “You all right?” he asked.
“I’m worried about tomorrow.”
“Yeah. I knew you would be, but Silas is right. The important thing is to get Marianne out of there. If you give those men one chance, they’ll kill her, Sabrina.”
A heavy stillness seemed to hang in the air, and as Sabrina stared into his face, he knew she was wanting comfort. “I—I just can’t think straight,” she whispered. “It goes against everything I’ve ever thought that I know.”
He stood up then and stood before her, his face impassive. She was very beautiful as she stood close to him, and the vulnerability of her spirit was reflected in the troubled lines of her face. Her eyes were enormous, and they glistened in the ghostly light of the moon. She was trembling, and Waco muttered, “I wish you didn’t have to go through with this.”
Suddenly Sabrina stepped closer to him. Finally she whispered, “I just don’t know what to do.” Unconsciously she reached out and touched his arm as if to gather strength from him.
Waco was starkly aware of her closeness and the aura of femininity that seemed to emanate from her. Sabrina was a woman, shapely, beautiful, full of vigor, and her nearness made him desire her in a way he had never wanted a woman before.
Seeing desire in her eyes, Waco put his hands at her hips, pulled her upright against him, and kissed her full on the lips. His mouth bore down hard and heavy on hers, and he could feel her wishes joining his. Her response touched the deepest chord within him, and he had never known such exhilaration.
Suddenly she drew back. “I don’t know why I let you kiss me.” Her voice was distraught. “This must never happen again.”
“It probably will,” Waco said calmly. Then he shrugged his shoulders. “You’ve got to decide, Sabrina. What will we do?”
She stood absolutel
y still for a moment, and then she whispered, “All right. Do what you have to do. I want my sister back.”
“I know you don’t want to shoot nobody, Sabrina,” Silas said. He handed her a rifle and said, “You just point this up in the air. Make a racket with it. Here are some more shells. Make it sound like we got twenty marshals out here.”
The small group stood facing Waco, and he said suddenly, “Sabrina, you sure you want to go on with this? We can back off right now. We can take you back, and me and Gray Wolf and Silas will get at it another way.”
“No, I want Marianne back now.”
“All right,” Silas spoke up. “We’re going to surround the house. If anything happens, remember you just fire off as fast as you can in the air. We want to make ’em think they’re outnumbered. Waco, let’s you and me and Gray Wolf take up a position beside them rocks. As soon as those two birds come out, we’ll pop ’em, and it’ll be all we need to worry about. You think we need to worry about the woman?”
“No, she’s an old friend,” Waco said evenly. “I think we can leave her alone. What if the men come out one at a time?”
“No good,” Silas said. “We’ve got to get both of them. They’ll have to come out together sooner or later.”
The plan seemed simple enough. They arrived, and at first light a lantern came on inside. Almost at once a man stepped outside. “That’s Boone Hagerty,” Silas said. “He’s as bad as the rest of them, but his mother was a fine Christian.”
Time crawled on, and Hagerty did nothing but smoke and stare out across the desert. Suddenly the door opened, and Marianne came out. Sabrina almost cried out. She seemed to devour her sister with her eyes. Finally she went back into the house, and for nearly an hour Hagerty sat on the front porch smoking and staring out at the desert. Finally he rose and got a drink of water.
The Western Justice Trilogy Page 41