Stained Snow

by Brown, Fallon

  She tried to shake her head, but his grip tightened even more on the back of her neck and she couldn’t move it at all. She touched her tongue to her lips before she spoke. “No. You’ve been gone more than a year. That’d be impossible.”

  He tightened his fingers at her neck even more, digging them in, until she saw spots in her vision. She cried out, but he didn’t loosen them until she had fallen to her knees. He dragged her back up by her arm. “I’m not letting him take this from me, too.”

  He pulled her toward the door, but as she drew oxygen in again, she started to fight.

  He was stronger than her. For every inch she pulled herself back, he dragged her another foot. She swiped at the knife on the table as they passed, but only managed to knock it to the floor. Thomas swore and threw her over his shoulder.

  Tears slid down her cheeks. That had been her last chance. Light winked off the blade as Thomas carried her from the cabin. She left her chances of a life beside William with it.

  When Thomas stepped into the yard, a shout sounded. Her eyes squeezed shut. Holt. He was young, had started at the ranch earlier that summer. He would be no match against Thomas. She kicked her legs, hoping it would give the boy a chance to fight. Thomas dropped her, though. She landed hard on her knees, barely keeping her face from smacking against the ground. A shot fired before she even lifted her head, and she cried out. Thomas dragged her up again. “Another man dead at your expense. Come on, we need another horse.”

  He tossed her up into the saddle and tied her hands to the horn before she could fight back. Tears streamed down her face as he led her down to the barn to steal one of her pa’s horses. There wasn’t anything she could do. Now, she’d never see William again.

  #

  September 4, 1888

  William wanted to push his horse faster. They’d been going since early morning, and he doubted the animal would make it far at that pace. By the time they’d herded the cattle into town and gotten everything settled, it was too late to make it far. They’d set up camp a little north of town. He’d wanted to ride straight through the night. He could have been home by the time everyone else started out.

  George had talked him out of it. They’d been riding and working most of the day. Both him and the horse needed to rest. It wasn’t safe to travel by night, either.

  As much as he wanted to get back to Maggie, he wanted to be in one piece for it.

  George rode up beside him. “We should give the horses a rest. You may not, but the other men could use one as well.”

  “They’re your men, George.”

  “You’re one of mine as well, Will.”

  “I have to get back.” He couldn’t explain it, but dread dug its claws into him. It was probably ridiculous, but he couldn’t shake it.

  “We’re nearly there. Another hour or more on the trail will get us home, but not if we kill ourselves and the horses trying to get there faster. Relax, Will. You’ll see when we get there everything’s fine.”

  He wasn’t so sure he would. No matter how many people told him to relax, he couldn’t do it. He stopped at the creek’s edge and let his horse graze and drink with the others. When George called to mount up again, he was the first one in the saddle and across the water. He wanted to be home.

  William set a hard pace, not even caring if anyone else kept up with him.

  They made it to the ranch in less than the hour George had predicted. Only George and Adam still rode behind him. He imagined the others had broken off to spend the rest of their day in town. He didn’t care about that. He had more important matters to see to. Like kissing his wife.

  When he rode into the yard, something was wrong. Maggie didn’t come out on the porch. She should be in the main cabin getting dinner started. That feeling of dread came back, the claws digging even deeper into him. No one else was around either. At least one of the men should have been here with her. Something was not right.

  He swung down from the saddle and ran toward the cabin. He couldn’t even get her name past the lump lodged in his throat. He stopped in the doorway. The cabin stood empty. He spun around, his gaze scanning the yard. No sign of her. He had nearly made it to the cabin George had built for them when someone stumbled out from the bunkhouse.

  “Thought I heard somebody.” Daly’s words sounded slurred, like he’d been drinking. The discolored bruise and dried blood on the side of his head told a different story.

  “What happened?” He didn’t know how he could ask the question when his heart had stopped beating.

  “I finished checking the fence and was about to get on my horse to come back. Hit me from behind. Saw him when I went down.”

  “Thomas.” The name was barely more than a breath across William’s lips.

  The older man nodded then winced. “I got back and Holt was laid out in the yard. He’s still alive,” he said with a wave back toward the bunkhouse, “but in bad shape.”

  “You’re not in too good of shape yourself, Daly,” Adam said from behind him.

  “Fine. Head hurts.”

  It was more than that, but he couldn’t drum up much concern right then. “Where’d he take her?”

  He shook his head then brought his hands up to it. “Feel like I spent all night in the bottle. Damn.” He brought his gaze up to Will. “I don’t know, son. She was gone when I got back. Holt only woke up once. He said he tried to stop him. If he wakes up again, he might be able to tell you, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

  William spun on his heel and started for his horse. He wasn’t waiting around to see if the other man woke up. He had to find Maggie. He didn’t even stop when George called his name. He only turned when someone grabbed his arm.

  “Damn it, Will, you can’t-”

  William shoved George away from him. “I have to. I can’t let him take her away from me, too.”

  “I want my girl back, too, but you don’t even know which way he went.”

  “I’m going to find out.”

  Chapter 24

  William turned toward the barn while George went to the bunkhouse with Daly. He’d barely made it halfway across the yard when Adam came running out of the barn. He hadn’t even realized the other man had gone there.

  “The rest of the horses are gone. Looks like they were run off.” He nodded past the barn. “Most didn’t go far. We’ll have to round them up.” William started past him, but Adam held out a hand, and he stopped. “I found this.”

  William took the small item from Adam’s hand then dropped it again. “No.” The word came out as barely more than a whisper. Then louder. “No, no, no.”

  He nearly dropped to his knees as every ounce of strength and energy drained from him. Not again. This was a message to him. He couldn’t go through this again. It was too much like losing Anna all over again.

  A hand rested on his back. He turned his head, and George stood there holding the small wooden toy out to him. “You know what this is?”

  William nodded and took the hand carved train from him. He had to swallow before he could speak. “Pa made this for David. For his last birthday. Thomas must have taken it before he burned the house down. He dropped it out there for a reason. He wanted me to know.” He looked up then. “He’s doing it again. I can’t let it happen again.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  He stepped away. Knowing what he needed to do gave him strength and a sense of purpose again. He strode across the yard, but Adam stepped up to him, standing in his way. “ I need to go. I need to find her. He won’t do this to me again.”

  “You know where she is?”

  William shook his head. “Not where. Thomas has her. Now, get out of my way so I can bring her home.”

  “You’ve been riding that horse all day. We need to round up fresh horses.”

  “No. This is on me. I should have taken care of her. I should have made sure he never came back. I have to find her.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Adam said. “You can use help. I’ll come.�
�

  “I don’t want him to hurt anyone else. This is between me and him.”

  “I care about her, too.” The words burst from Adam as if he’d lost control over them. “I love her, too. She chose you, but I love her, too. Either I go with you, or I go on my own. I won’t stay here while she’s in danger.”

  The words surprised William. Remembering the man’s reaction to him being with Maggie and his initial hostility towards him, they shouldn’t have. “Fine. I’m going now, though.”

  “Let me throw some food together for you,” George said.

  “I don’t need any food. I need to find Maggie.”

  “You need fuel, Will. You can’t run on this anger alone.”

  William wanted to argue with him, but that would only waste time. “I’ll go get the horses.”

  “I’ve got them,” Adam said.

  William glanced over at him. He didn’t realize Adam had moved away as soon as he’d started arguing with George. He didn’t even know how he’d caught the horses so fast. He didn’t have time to ask, either. “Let’s get them saddled.”

  He switched his saddle from the horse he’d been riding all day to one Adam had caught. He only let himself pause for a moment when he had the saddle cinched tight. He had given up his search for Thomas. Had been determined to make a new life, a good life, with Maggie. Thomas brought the trouble right to his door. He wasn’t going to get away with it. Not again.

  William fit the bridle onto the horse’s head then swung up into the saddle. He didn’t care if Adam was ready because he wasn’t waiting any longer.

  #

  William wanted to push his horse faster. According to Daly, it had been a day since Thomas had been there. The man had been a bit confused, obviously still suffering from the blow to the head, but he didn’t have any reason to doubt that memory. Maggie had been with him for nearly that long. He didn’t want to think of what he’d done to her in that time. To their baby.

  He was going to be sick.

  He had to push away all those thoughts, and the panic they brought, or he would never be able to find them. He cast around for the trail again when they came out from the trees. They’d had to keep to the trail until then. There wouldn’t have been another option for Thomas and Maggie, either. Now, they could have gone in any direction. That was enough to bring back the panic. If they lost the trail now, how would he ever find her?

  That question in his head nearly stopped him. He wasn’t even worried about Thomas. He only wanted to get Maggie back.

  He’d have to deal with Thomas. If he didn’t, his brother would never stop. He wasn’t concerned with bringing him in anymore. That would never happen. He had to stop him, and the only way to do that would be with a bullet.

  That thought should bother him more.

  He couldn’t think about that right now. The important thing was getting Maggie safe. Then, he’d worry about killing his brother.

  “They headed west.”

  Adam’s voice dragged William from his thoughts, and he glanced in the direction the other man pointed. “How can you tell?” He only saw a mess of hoof prints, going off in different directions. He’d been taught to track by one of the younger men at the Washakie reservation. He could usually pick up a trail, but this one didn’t even make sense to him.

  Adam swung down from the saddle and knelt down beside one of the tracks. “I know this horse.” He pointed to the track. “She is riding it. Not deep enough to be him.” He pointed over to the other set of tracks. “From the distance, her horse is being led.” He looked up at William then toward the other tracks going in the other directions. “Those are his tracks, too. Trying to mislead us.”

  “How can you be sure? Maybe that’s the one misleading us.”

  Adam shook his head. “My uncle taught me to track. I can read them like you read a book. This is the way they went.” He walked back to his horse.

  “A Shoshone tracker taught me,” William said as Adam swung into the saddle. “I can’t even make sense of these ones.”

  Adam pulled on the reins, turning his horse to follow the tracks. “My uncle would say there are clouds in your mind. That’s why you can’t read them.” They rode side by side for a few minutes then Adam asked, “You know my mother’s people?”

  William glanced over at him. “We weren’t too far from Fort Washakie. My pa had a lot of business there.” They rode in silence for a moment then Will said, “I notice you call them your mother’s people. Why aren’t they yours?”

  Something flashed in the other man’s eyes, then his face was cut from stone again, his eyes blank. “I was raised by my Pa. We didn’t stay with them after Ma was gone. They are not my people, either. None of those I come from want to claim a halfbreed.”

  William opened his mouth to say something then closed it again. He wasn’t even sure what to say. Instead, he pushed his horse forward. “How far ahead do you think they are?”

  Adam shook his head. “Several hours. We won’t catch up with them tonight. If we push on until dark and start early, we could gain on them. As long as he doesn’t push harder.”

  “He won’t. He’ll expect me, but not so soon. He won’t be worried. He never did think much of me.”

  They fell into silence again and rode for a couple miles before Adam spoke again. “We should have a plan. We can’t keep riding until we run into them.”

  “I have a plan. Get Maggie safe and kill my brother. It’s the only plan I need.”

  Adam shook his head. “How are you going to do that? If you go riding right in, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

  “That doesn’t matter as long as she’s safe.”

  “Are you that stupid? It will kill her if you give up your life for hers. I’m not going to watch her fall apart because you didn’t give a damn.”

  “Then, don’t watch or help her pick up the pieces. It won’t matter. I’m not going to let him take everything away again. I’ll get her safe no matter what.”

  “Stop and think. We can get her safe without you getting killed.”

  “Drop it, Adam. We don’t need a plan. We need to get her out and safe. I’m counting on you for that. Nothing else matters.”

  “You still being around for her does. I’m not letting you do this, Will. We need a plan. We need fresh horses. All three of us need to make it back home.”

  “No, the only important thing is making sure Maggie makes it back home.” He was so afraid it was already too late. “I’m not discussing it anymore. That’s the only plan I need.”

  Adam threw his hands up in the air. “You are impossible. I don’t know how she puts up with you. I don’t understand why she always chooses the ones who are going to break her.” He yanked on the reins, turning his horse.

  “Where are you going?” William asked.

  “I at least have a plan. I should be back before you get yourself killed.”

  William watched him ride away then kicked his horse into a trot. What did it matter if he got himself killed? If Thomas took Maggie from him as well, nothing would matter.

  #

  William staked out his horse near some trees then turned to collect wood for a fire. One had been built here before, but not recently. It had likely been abandoned since before the first snow fell. Once he had a small fire going, he squatted in front of it and closed his eyes.

  Too much time. It had been too much time since Thomas had taken Maggie. He had to fight off the panic that brought along with it. There were still tracks to follow this time. Not like when Thomas killed Anna. Now, it was only a matter of finding them. He wished he knew where Adam had gone.

  It didn’t matter. He could follow the trail himself with the ground still soft from a recent rain. He saw where the two horses had gone. Where a hoof sunk into the ground in some places.

  His stomach twisted, and he tried not to picture what had already happened to Maggie, what he was doing to her. The images came too easily. He saw Anna all over again, only now Maggie
lay in that coffin.

  William got up and stirred the logs in the fire, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. Before it got too dark to see well, he’d seen sign one of the horses had veered away from the path. Not much farther on, the tracks of both came back to the path. His heart dropped to his stomach again at the memory of what those tracks told him.

  Maggie had tried to escape, and Thomas caught her. The fear she had gone willingly, even though he didn’t really believe it, had been there before that. A sharper one replaced it now.

  He wouldn’t get there in time.

  He didn’t have time to let this wave of emotion pull him under. He had to find Maggie. He’d let Anna and David down. He couldn’t let it happen again. Couldn’t let him take anyone else away. He had to pull himself together.

  William started a pot of coffee just before a horse approached. Actually it sounded like more than one. He straightened and drew his gun from the holster. Probably Adam, but he wasn’t prepared to be killed out here. Not now. Not until Maggie was safe. A ragged breath caught in his throat. He had to push those thoughts out of his head and focus on what was in front of him.

  The light from the fire reflected on Adam’s face and the two horses he led behind him. “Didn’t think I would find you before it got too dark.”

  “What’s your plan? Why did we need more horses for it?” He paused for a moment. “Where did you get the horses?”

  “We needed fresh rides. The Barnes’ ranch isn’t the only one my pa worked for. I know a lot of the ones around here. They lent me a couple mounts when I told them Maggie was in trouble.”

  He could accept that. “So, the plan?”

  “We need to find them first. Which means taking it slow and not riding right into an ambush.”

  That wasn’t quite as acceptable. “We have to find her. He’s already had her too long. I don’t know what he’s doing to her.” He could imagine it all too well, though. “We need to find her.”

  “We will. We can’t follow them now anyway.”

  “I know that.” He cursed under his breath. “We leave at first light. If I know my brother, he won’t rouse nearly that early. Even if he doesn’t drink himself into a stupor tonight. We can erase some of the distance. There’s nothing I can do to get there faster, but I won’t leave her with him longer than necessary.”