"What do we do now?" the gambler asked.
Sawyer lifted his hat and ran his fingers through dirty-blond locks. "Sit tight, I guess. Not much more we can do until they make a move."
"And the women?"
"We'll continue to watch them as we have been. And you'll move forward and start clearing the mine."
Ronan shrugged again as he looked over the rubble spilling out of the entrance. "Their dime." Then he chuckled. "I bet the mayor is dying over the news of the mine's payout."
Sawyer's instincts hummed. "Why is that?"
"Because of the debts he has. He actually tried to keep the mine for himself originally, tried to buy it cheap, but when others wanted it to be given as a bribe to the women, he caved."
"I didn't know he wanted it."
"Not a lot of people did. He tried to keep it quiet."
"How do you know about it then?"
Ronan smirked. "Let's just say I have my hand in a lot of pies around town. There isn't much that goes on without me knowing about it."
"I'll keep that in mind."
As Ronan sifted through rubble, Sawyer's mind wouldn't let go of what Ronan had said.
Sawyer had been with the mayor when he'd heard the news, and he hadn't seemed anything but genuinely surprised. He hadn't been upset, frustrated, or jealous. In fact, he'd been a little too calm. A little too collected.
As if he'd known.
Sawyer’s heart hammered.
The mayor wasn't surprised about the strike because he knew about a mother lode in Ivan's mine. It was why he'd been quietly trying to buy it. It was why he'd been calm even though he was in debt and this payout was his ticket.
But if he knew there was gold, then why had he handed it over to the women? That part didn't make sense.
He didn’t have solid proof, but Sawyer’s instincts screamed that Mayor Bracken was behind this.
The sound of two horses thundering their way jerked him out of his thoughts.
Belle and Olivia jerked to a halt in front of them, their eyes wild as they pulled in air.
Ronan sprung to action and pulled Olivia down from her horse before Sawyer asked, "What's wrong?"
Ronan checked Olivia for injuries. And while Sawyer had other things to think about, seeing Ronan behave so concerned over the lady gave him pause.
Belle didn't seem to notice. "Clara's missing."
"What?" Sawyer yelled. "What do you mean missing?"
"She's gone. She's not anywhere in or around the house, and none of the horses are missing."
Sawyer went cold inside. "When did you last see her?"
Olivia seemed to snap out of the shock of being manhandled by Ronan and smacked his hands away before answering. "Last night. She stayed up to make sure all the candles were extinguished. No one saw her after that."
"So she could've been missing since last night." It wasn't a question.
He was such a fool. They'd been waiting for someone to go after the mine. It never occurred to him that they'd go after one of the women.
"Why would someone take her? It can't have anything to do with the mine, could it?" Belle asked.
Sawyer shook his head, hoping the movement would calm him enough to think rationally. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense. What does taking her accomplish?"
But as he said the words, the answer hit him like lightning. "No."
Ronan stepped forward. "What?"
Sawyer met the man's gaze. "I think I know who took her. And more importantly, why."
"Who?"
Sawyer closed his eyes, blocking out unwanted images of what could be happening to Clara that moment. "Mayor Bracken."
"The Mayor?" Belle asked. "But why? He's been so nice to us."
Sawyer’s jaw clenched. "Because he wants the mine. And he thinks he can get his hands on it by forcing Clara to marry him."
Ronan cursed.
"We'll need Asher if we're going to find her."
Ronan's jaw clenched, but he nodded. Regardless of past feelings, Asher was the best tracker around. If anyone could find Clara, it was him.
"When do we ride?" Ronan asked.
With or without help, Sawyer would find her.
"Now."
Chapter 15
Sawyer flew off his horse when they arrived at the small cabin deep in the mountains. Smoke lazily puffed from the chimney, signaling someone was home, but no one exited at their arrival.
“Asher!” Sawyer banged on the door, uncaring that he was out of control. “It’s Sawyer Morrison, the sheriff.”
Boot steps sounded inside as someone moved around. The door bolt slid to the side, and a scruffy looking man peered out. His light brown beard, tinged with red, was trimmed, but his hair was long and strands fell forward, obscuring sharp blue eyes.
Asher opened the door wider. “There’s trouble,” the man said, reading the situation perfectly.
“Mayor Bracken kidnapped a woman last night.” Something a little wild came into Asher’s eyes, but Sawyer continued, “We need you to help us track them. Will you?”
“Us?” He leaned to the side and silently studied a stone-faced Ronan still on horseback before giving his attention back to Sawyer once again. “He agreed to come?”
“He has a personal interest here.”
“Is it his woman?”
A sharp edge came into the man’s voice, and Sawyer uneasily looked between them. “No. She’s mine.”
A little of the tension in Asher’s shoulder’s faded. “When was she taken?”
“We don’t know for certain. But we think it was sometime last night.”
Asher swore before ducking back into his house. Metal clunked together, and there was a lot of rustling inside a few moments before Asher strode out the door, hooking a small pack onto his back. “Do you know why she was taken?”
“We think he’s going to try to force her to marry him.”
“They’d need someone to officiate then. They could’ve headed in either direction out of town. There’s no way to know which.”
Ronan finally broke his silence. “We’ll head in opposite directions. Cover the most ground.”
The idea was sound. “I could head south,” Sawyer suggested.
“No.” Ronan firmly shook his head. “You and Asher will head south, and I’ll cover the north road. It makes more sense that they’d head south and hide in a large town, but just to be safe, I’ll search the small towns north of here.”
When Sawyer looked to Asher for an opinion, the man tightly nodded. “I agree with Ronan. Splitting up gives us the best opportunity to find her quickly.”
“Fine.” Sawyer didn’t want to argue. Not when he had no idea what was the best course of action. Asher had tracked more people that Sawyer could count, and he would trust him on this. “Let’s go.”
They rode out quickly. Traveling back into town wasted time, but there were no shortcuts to the main roads.
As they rode down Main Street, the town bustled with even more activity than usual. Men ran back and forth between buildings and their horses in a frenzy, and Sawyer guessed that they’d heard about the kidnapping. “Damn.”
When Sawyer slowed his mount, Ronan snapped, “Make it quick. We don’t have time to waste.”
Something had to be done to quell the posse before they hunted down the mayor. Letting those men leave town, armed with both knives and guns, would only cause Sawyer more trouble in the long run.
Sawyer nodded his head north. “There’s no reason you need to stay. I’ll take care of this, and then Asher and I will ride out.”
“Don’t take too long,” Ronan warned before urging his mount on the north road. He’d still made no move to talk to Asher, but the mountain man didn’t seem surprised or offended.
Moving his horse toward the crowd, Sawyer decided it was best if he stayed on his mount. The men would ask him question after question until precious time was lost.
“There’s the sheriff!” One of the men called out, and a g
roup of angry men circled him.
Someone shouted, “One of the women was taken.”
“By the mayor,” another called out. “We’re going after them.”
A chorus of agreement filled the air. This was getting out of hand.
Sawyer leaned forward in his saddle. “I need all of you to listen. I don’t have much time, but I need you to cancel your hunt.”
“Why?” another asked from the crowd.
“Because the more men that ride out will only cause more problems. It’ll slow us down. It could alert the mayor, or anyone he may be working with, that we’re on to them.” He pointed behind him outside the gathered crowd. “I have Asher Walker with me. You all know him, know what he’s capable of. Trust me to see this through.”
One of the men stepped forward, the tendons in his neck straining beneath his skin. “We won’t just sit here and wait. He can’t get away with taking off with one of them.”
“You’re absolutely right. You can’t just sit and wait.” He looked over the crowd. “While I’m gone, the other women are left defenseless. Anyone could hurt or take them. If you all, as a group, station yourselves outside their house, warding off anyone in particular who gets any ideas from what the mayor has done, the rest will be safe. Can I count on you?” he asked the group.
It seemed to be the right thing to say to get them to back down. And it was the truth. If they were all intent on guarding the women, none of them would be able to go out there alone and take another. As a group, the men would wipe out anyone who dared.
“We’ll take good care of them,” the man said before turning to the crowd. “We have a job to do, men.”
Sawyer watched them ride toward Ivan’s house before he nodded to Asher. “Let’s move.”
They headed down the south road, looking for fresh tracks. There wasn’t much need to ride to the next town on a daily basis, so he prayed it wouldn’t be too difficult to spot clues.
If they couldn’t, the only other hope was that Ronan had luck on the north road.
As time trickled by, both riding in silence, Sawyer couldn’t help but think of the interaction between Asher and Ronan. There was a whole long, twisted history between the two of them that he didn't know enough about to diffuse. It was better for all that they’d separated. Not just for the ground they were able to cover, but because Sawyer worried having them in close proximity to each other would only distract Asher from tracking.
Sawyer didn't know the first thing about picking up a trail in the mountains. Weighing facts, examining crime scenes, that's where he excelled. But out here, out in the open, he was useless. He couldn't imagine Ronan was any better now that he thought of it. Going off on his own could actually make things worse.
Ronan was gifted in many ways, but he never traveled anywhere either. "Maybe we should've stayed together. I don't want to have to go after Ronan when this is all over." Damn it, he was sick of worrying about everyone.
Asher’s eyes never wavered from the trail. "He'll be fine. We trained together in the army. You don't need to worry about him getting lost or dying on the mountain."
The army?
That information both relieved and disturbed him. Sawyer would’ve never guessed that Ronan had been in the army. He was too calculating, too gun ready. But maybe that’s where he learned those skills. War changed men.
If they were in the military together, wouldn’t they be closer? The rift between the two men was so wide it seemed as if nothing could ever cross it. Something bad must've happened.
"There." Asher pointed out prints that splintered off the main road onto a lesser used trail. "It's fresh. They came this way. Or someone did. But this trail isn't normally used so I'd guess it was them."
Sawyer squinted up at the high sun, wondering if they'd catch them soon. They had to. He had to believe that. But the mayor had a good lead on them. The only thing in their favor was that Asher knew the mountains like he was born to them.
"Why this trail?" Sawyer asked. There wasn't anything around but wilderness. "It doesn't go anywhere."
"That's not true, exactly. It's an old road that eventually leads to the Montana Trail, but it's been abandoned since the road through Benton Pass made travel faster. I'd bet he's headed that way."
If he made it to the Montana Trail, he could stop at any number of cities along the way and force Clara to marry him. "We have to find them before they reach it."
Asher's eyes hardened, deepening in color. "We'll get her before the bastard forces her to do anything."
Sawyer could only imagine how painful this must be for Asher. The one woman he'd loved had been kidnapped, but he hadn’t found her in time to save her life.
This time, it’d be different. Sawyer staked his life on it.
Clara stumbled through the forest as spiky bushes pulled at her shredded skirts. Her arms ached from her bonds, and she’d lost all feeling in her hands long before.
If she could just get them free, she might have a chance to escape. As of now, she could neither fight nor run.
At least he'd loosened the gag. "Do you intend for me to walk the entire way to wherever we're headed?"
Bracken glared down at her. She refused to think of him as the mayor anymore. "The horse can't carry both of us. You're younger and stronger. You'll be fine walking."
It wasn't about who was younger or stronger. She was certainly capable of walking, but perhaps, if she could appeal to a gentlemanly side of him, she could get on the horse and escape. "I can't make it much farther with my hands tied. They're hurting and slowing us down. We could be a lot farther ahead if you'd loosen them. And my legs hurt." It took all her willpower to pout up at him with sad eyes when all she wanted to do was let fury fuel her muscles and lash out at him.
"Stop complaining. It's annoying. And I won't have an annoying wife."
Her blood went cold. "I will never be your wife."
He laughed then. "Yes you will. If you don't agree to marry me at the appropriate time, I'll make sure you pay for it. I'm sure the other women wouldn't take kindly to their only source of income being taken away. I can do that, you know. I gave it to them, and I can take it away."
Her feet planted in the ground. She didn't care if he continued on and dragged her body behind his horse. "If that's true, then why take me at all? You don't love me, and I certainly don't love you. Just take the mine."
His lips twisted. "How about Sheriff Morrison? Would you be so quick to disobey me if his life was on the line? It would be so unfortunate if he were to have an accident. Another cave in, perhaps? Or a rogue bullet." He shrugged. "Those things happen."
She gasped. "You wouldn't."
"I would," he said flatly. "You don't want to test me."
"Why are you doing this? You don't want me."
He leaned back in his saddle. "Oh, but you're wrong there. I do want you, Clara. I want you very much."
"Why?"
"Because with you comes the mine. I want that gold. And by marrying you, it can never be taken from me."
Gold? All of this is over the fictional gold? Well the joke was on him. "I'm sorry to tell you, but there's no gold. We spread that lie to draw out the person sabotaging the mine… you. You've made the mistake. You get nothing by marrying me."
He laughed. "You're wrong there. Your lie might've sped up my decision to marry you, but it was going to happen anyway."
"Why?"
"Because there really is a mother lode. Ivan bragged to me about it the day before he died. Well, truth be told, the day before I killed him."
Her skin went clammy. "You killed Ivan?" She could barely get the words out. "How could you do such a thing?"
He shrugged. "I needed the gold. My mine never paid out. I kept looking, but it was barren. Ivan didn't need the gold. He didn't even care. All he wanted was that stupid house and his choice of bride. But would he sell? No. Last mistake he ever made. I poisoned him the next day."
Heavens. Bracken was a madman, and there'd b
e no reasoning with him. He wasn't driven by logic or conscience. Something darker drove him. Something infinitely more evil.
Something she could never escape from.
She glanced up at the waning sun. The others must know she was missing by now. They had to be searching for her.
But how would they find her? They'd been wandering in the mountains for what seemed like days. Every passing tree looked the same. They could be going in circles for all she knew.
No one would come for her. It was up to her to save herself.
And when the opportunity presented itself, she’d fight.
She glanced at the gun resting across his lap.
If she didn’t, she wouldn't survive.
As night came for the second time while being held captive, Clara was grateful that besides the mine, Bracken seemed to have no other designs on her.
"We'll reach the trail tomorrow and get another horse. We should arrive in the Idaho Territory soon if we can find one."
She could just imagine what finding one entailed. If he'd had the funds to purchase another mount, he would've done so long ago. The only question remained was if he would force her to steal one or if he would steal it himself.
She wouldn't wait to find out. If they made it to the Trail tomorrow, she'd have a harder time getting away. If she could escape into the forest, she might be able to find her way to the Trail, and from there, get help. But who would help her if she was with Mayor Bracken? She had a feeling, not many.
"I need to freshen up." It was the only time he released her hands, and she intended on making the most of it. She would’ve waited until he was sleeping, but as she'd learned last night, he didn't untie her even at night. In fact, he tied another rope around her wrists and tied it to his own.
“What the hell are you talking about now, woman?”
She rolled her eyes behind his back. So much for trying for delicacy. “Nature is calling.”
If she was going to escape, it had to be now. There was no moon tonight, and it was dark. Dark enough that if she got a head start, she could get away from him.
He rose from the rock he was sitting on, grumbling at the inconvenience. Not that she'd had much need to relieve herself. Not with the pittance of water he’d allowed her.
A Mail-Order Heart (Miners to Millionaires Book 1) Page 11