Mayor Burke nodded. “So you can get to know them better. I was thinking maybe we should have the brides cook you something else since the pie contest didn’t turn out well.” He tapped his thick mustache as if considering the idea then studied Luke’s face. “How is it you already know which one you want?”
“I just do. And I need to get my announcement made so the other gals can make some plans. No sense leaving them hanging.”
“True, but I think we should wait until Saturday when most of the folks come to town. A lot of folks will be disappointed if you do it midweek.”
Luke shook his head. “Too late. I told Jenny yesterday to post an announcement in the paper. Knowing her, she’s probably already got them made up and ready to distribute.”
The mayor’s mustache twitched, and he leaned forward. “So ... which one is it?”
Luke should have expected this, but the mayor surprised him. “Surely you don’t expect me to tell you when I haven’t even told her?”
“I guess not.” He looked put off but shook his head. “Well, if we’re going to have the announcement tonight, I’ve got a lot to do. Have you seen Rachel today?”
“Not yet. I’m headed there now to get my breakfast.”
Mayor Burke walked toward the café. “Tell her I need to see her right away. I’ll be at Polly’s for the next half hour or so.”
Luke quirked his mouth. If the mayor wanted to see Rachel, he could go to her house. He tied Alamo to the hitching post outside the jail and glanced around. Few people were out this early. Birds chirped in the tree beside the jail, and the sun shone full in the cloudless sky, promising another scorching day. But this day was filled with hope. Hope for love. Hope for the future. Hope for a family. Luke couldn’t help grinning.
He whistled, and Max ambled out the jail door, wagging his tail. Luke stuck his head in his office to see if Jack had brought the scrap bucket yet, but it wasn’t there. Hmm. Where was that gal? She usually headed to see him first thing after breakfast.
He took Alamo to the livery, rubbed him down, and fed him before tending to himself. A man who didn’t take care of his animals first wasn’t worth much. Reaching down, he scratched Max’s ear. “Right, boy?”
As he neared the boardinghouse, Luke’s steps quickened. He had a lot to repent for, but for the first time in over a decade, he had a clear hope for the future—and that future included a pretty brunette with blue eyes as pale as—
The front door of the boardinghouse flew open, and Jack galloped out the door. She jumped off the porch and raced toward him. “Luke, help!”
What in the world? He burst into a run, stopping as she skidded to a halt in front of him. His gaze scanned the house for signs of trouble. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Ma. She’s gone.”
Luke’s heart all but stopped. Was this just another of Jack’s tales? “What do you mean?”
“She never came to bed last night, and she hasn’t even started breakfast.”
Luke’s jaw tightened. What could have happened? She’d been fine when he last saw her. “Are there any signs of anything disturbed in the house?”
Jack shook her head, her unbound auburn hair swinging side to side. “No, except the back door upstairs was open—and Ma always keeps it locked to protect our guests.”
“All right. Calm down and let me have a look inside.”
“Where could she be? She never leaves without telling me where she’s going.” Jack’s deep blue eyes carried too much concern for a child. Max whined and stuck his head under her hand.
Luke pulled her to his side. “Don’t worry, half bit. I’ll find her.”
Of all the nights for him to be off licking his wounds.
What could have happened? Rachel was a very responsible person and mother. She’d never go off without her daughter or leave her guests to fend for themselves.
Jack pulled him through the house and into the kitchen. She waved her hand toward the empty room. “See. No food. She hasn’t even made coffee.”
Luke’s concerns mounted, knowing Rachel always did that first thing each morning. Jack yanked on his arm and dragged him to the bedroom. Luke stopped in the doorway, not wanting to intrude into Rachel’s most private area.
“See. Her side of the bed is still made, and her nightgown is still on its peg.” Jack pointed behind the door.
“Could she have made up her side of the bed and then gotten dressed?”
Jack shook her head. “No, we make it together right after breakfast most days.”
The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention. Something must have happened to Rachel after he left. But what? He hadn’t had any reports of trouble. Yeah, he was down at the river, but he would have heard any gunfire, and the mayor would have said something if there’d been any trouble. He forced himself to step into the room. He didn’t want to miss any evidence—if there was some.
“Miss Blackstone is gone, too.”
Luke spun around and stared at Jack. “What?”
“I noticed when I was upstairs looking for Ma that Miss Blackstone’s door was open and she wasn’t in her room. Do you think they could have gone somewhere? Did something happen in town last night?”
Luke shrugged, not willing to admit that he’d shirked his duty. He might have seen something suspicious if he had been working. Maybe Rachel had gone out to help a friend. His conscience told him she’d never leave Jack or her guests unless forced. He placed his hand on his pistol, not liking the thoughts chasing through his mind. “Show me Miss Blackstone’s room.”
He followed the child upstairs and first checked the back door. “No signs of forced entry. Whoever came or went this way must have had a key.”
“Ma’s got the only one. Keeps it on a ribbon in her apron pocket.”
Luke’s thoughts raced around his mind like a bumblebee caught in a jar. Had someone broken in and taken Rachel and Miss Blackstone? But why those two? If someone had come upstairs, why not take the other brides, too? Why Rachel?
He had to find her. After he left last night, he realized he still hadn’t told her he’d forgiven her. He had to tell her—had to let her know that he still loved her.
How could he go on if something happened to her?
One of the bedroom doors opened. Luke grabbed Jack and flung her behind him at the same time he drew his gun.
Miss Bennett yelped and lifted her hands, her blue eyes wide.
Luke relaxed and holstered his weapon. “Sorry to frighten you, ma’am. Did you see or hear anything unusual last night?”
She shook her head. “Not really. Maybe just a thump or two.”
Miss O’Neil’s door flew open, and Luke turned toward it, hand on gun. The young woman took a step back when she saw him. “I heard voices last night. It sure enough sounded as if Miss Blackstone had someone in her room, but I wasn’t certain, because we often hear noises from the street. Right after that, I went to bed and fell asleep.”
If someone had been in Miss Blackstone’s room, he—or she—could have taken Rachel and the young woman somewhere. But why?
He was going to need some help. “Jack, could you go fetch my cousins?”
She nodded but seemed reluctant to leave his side. He squeezed her thin shoulder and bent down. “I promise I’ll find your mother.”
Jack’s chin and lower lip wobbled, but he gave her credit for not crying. “All right.”
Luke offered her a smile; then she spun and raced down the stairs. He looked at the brides. “You’re sure you didn’t hear anything else last night? See anything out of the ordinary?”
Miss Bennett shook her head, but at the glint in the Irish girl’s eyes he lifted his brows.
“’Twas smoke I smelled—before I heard the voices. I stuck my head out the window and looked around but didn’t see anything a’tall. The scent didn’t get any stronger, so I didn’t worry about it.”
“Thank you. I’m sure Rachel would want you to help yourselves to breakfast, if you don
’t mind fixing it. I could use a cup of coffee to help me think.”
Both women nodded and headed downstairs. Luke studied the back door again but still found no signs of forced entry. Rachel must have unlocked the door.
Luke pushed open Miss Blackstone’s bedroom door and surveyed the room. The bed was slightly rumpled but didn’t look as if anyone had slept in it. He checked for signs of disrupted things, but all looked in order. He started to leave, but his gaze fell to a black spot on the rug. Squatting, he touched the spot and sniffed his finger. Ashes?
So, someone had been smoking, and that would most likely be a man. Someone Miss Blackstone knew, perhaps?
His gut twisted. Had Rachel smelled the smoke and come upstairs to investigate? That could explain why she was upstairs.
Down at the bottom of the back stairs, he checked the dry ground for footprints—there were several. He knew Rachel kept the door locked, so these prints had to have been made last night. There were two narrow sets and a larger set about the same size boot print as he made. He clenched his jaw. Was this a kidnapping? For ransom?
Please, Lord, keep her safe until I can find her.
“Luke!” Garrett yelled.
“Down here.”
His cousins trotted down the stairs and joined him with Jack following on their heels. “What’s going on? Jack just said you needed us fast.” Garrett looked around the backyard; then his gaze landed on Luke again, while Mark held his rifle, waiting with a concerned expression on his face.
“Rachel and Miss Blackstone are missing. I think—” He glanced at Jack.
“What?” she asked, brows dipped as if she dared him not to tell her.
She’d know soon enough as it was. He would need the whole town’s help to find Rachel. He squatted down and pointed to the prints in the dirt. “See here. There are two sets of women’s prints, and a larger set. I think a man took them.”
Jack gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “I just remembered. I saw a man in Miss Blackstone’s window last night. I told Ma.” She ducked her head and frowned. “But she didn’t believe me.”
“I believe you.” Luke pulled her to him. He stared at his cousins. “Gather the town outside my office—and fast.”
His cousins nodded. “You take Main and Oak streets,” Garrett said, “and I’ll take Bluebonnet and Ap...” His voice faded as both men jogged around the side of the house.
“I want to help.” Jack yanked on Luke’s vest and stared up at him. Her vulnerability made his heart ache.
He shook his head. “I need you to stay here and watch over the brides.”
Jack puckered her lips. “They don’t need me. They don’t even like me.”
“Well, your ma will want to see you the moment I bring her home. You don’t want her to get here and you not be here, do you?” Luke hoped she’d take the hint and stay out of trouble.
She toed the dirt with her bare feet. “I guess not.”
“Good.” He placed a kiss on the girl’s head. “Say a prayer that we find them fast, all right?”
Jack nodded and looked on the verge of tears. He wished he had someone better than the remaining brides to entrust her care to, but he supposed they’d do. He hugged her tight then turned her away. “Go on, now.”
As soon as Jack had traipsed in the back door, Luke started following the tracks. They led to the rear of Rachel’s property and to hoof prints. Luke ground his teeth together.
“God, I need help here. Help me find Rachel, and soon. Keep her safe until then.”
Spinning around, he headed back to his office. He needed his rifle. Needed his horse. And he had a rescue to organize.
CHAPTER 30
Jack hurried through the house and out the front door, then slipped back around the side, her heart pounding. She waited a few minutes and then peeked around the corner. Luke was at the back of their property, studying the ground. She’d seen the footsteps he’d shown his cousins. They were clearly marked in the dirt, and if Luke could follow them, so could she.
Something wet touched her hand, and she jumped and yelped at the same time. Max cowered beside her, staring up with questioning eyes. She knelt and patted his head. “You scared the dickens out of me.”
She sneaked another glance at Luke and then ran to the nearest oak and hid behind its large trunk. Max followed at a jog. Jack tried to wave him away, but he didn’t take the hint. She feared he would draw Luke’s attention her way. Peering around the trunk, she watched Luke walk behind the Sunday house and stare off with his hands on his hips. He looked up at the sky, and she wondered if he was praying. Suddenly, he turned left and strode away.
Jack jogged to the shed that held the garden tools and watched Luke march past his house and down Main Street. A small crowd had already gathered outside his office. She waited for a few minutes as the crowd grew, debating whether to follow the tracks or do as Luke had ordered.
There was only one thing she could do to help her ma. She spun around and ran back into the house, leaving Max whining at the back door. She hurried past the two brides, who had made themselves at home in her ma’s kitchen. Scowling, she scurried into the bedroom she shared with Ma. She opened the last drawer and pushed aside her pa’s old shirts. A black pistol lay in the bottom, and next to it was a round tin can. She pulled out both the gun and the can of bullets. She might need them to save her ma.
“Jacqueline, where does your mother keep her bacon grease?”
Jack jumped as Miss Bennett appeared in the doorway. She slammed the drawer shut, heart pounding, and stood, keeping the gun behind her. “Uh ... in that Elkay loganberry can beside the stove.”
The woman eyed her with suspicion but nodded. “Thank you. Breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes. You should get cleaned up.” She turned, and Jack allowed the tension to drain from her shoulders, but then Miss Bennett spun around again. She nibbled on her lip. “I’m sure the marshal will find your ma.”
Jack nodded. If she didn’t find her first.
The woman left, and Jack nearly collapsed on the bed. If Miss Bennett had seen her with the gun, what would she have done?
She waited until both brides were busy then ran down the hall and out the front door. Max greeted her in the backyard, wagging his tail. She stuffed the small tin of bullets into her pocket and shoved the heavy gun between the bib of her overalls and her shirt. At the rear of the yard, she found the hoof prints and started following them. Max trailed alongside her, looking as if he had every intention of helping her. Grateful for the dog’s companionship, she patted her thigh. “C’mon, Max. We have to rescue Ma before something bad happens to her.”
***
“No, don’t.” Rachel tried to run, but her feet felt as if they were stuck in quicksand. She fought the swirling haze and tried to get free from James’s groping hands, but the tight grip of his arm held her immobile. She’d thought him a charming and comforting friend, but in a moment, he turned on her. Tears ran down her cheeks, and her stomach churned. He stole the most precious gift that she’d had to give Luke. “No!”
She jerked awake and felt herself falling. Her head collided with the hard wooden floor, and she sucked in a breath, allowing her vision to clear. But when she tried to move her hands, the bristly rope cut into her wrists. She’d been dreaming, but the reality of her situation was just as dreadful.
Ignoring her head, she wrestled herself into a sitting position and studied the small cabin. Fingers of sunlight clawed their way through the gaps where the chinking had eroded between the logs, giving the room a striped look. Dust coated her lips, and she longed for some water.
Sitting was difficult with her hands tied behind her back and her ankles bound together. At least the bed had been slightly soft, though it was dusty and smelled like it had been used as a carpet for a privy. She shuddered and scooted sideways. Miss Blackstone was still asleep on the small bed. At least she was against the wall.
Rachel struggled with the ropes, but they wouldn’t
yield. She leaned her head against the side of the bed. What had Jacqueline done when she’d awakened and hadn’t found her?
Had she been worried? Scared? Gone to Luke?
And where had Miss Black—no, Miss Payton’s—brother gone? What did he intend to do?
She had to get free. To find her daughter and get her somewhere safe. To warn Luke about Ty Payton.
She searched the room, looking for something, anything she could use to cut the ropes. But there was little in the cabin. It must have been abandoned years ago. Or maybe it was a line shack some rancher no longer used.
One chair lay on its side, halfway under the small, warped table. The fireplace was filled with debris—the remains of a bird’s nest, charred wood, ashes, and leaves that had fallen down the opening. On the wall sat two shelves that held three cans. If she could get free, maybe she’d find one of them held something edible.
She scooted across the floor, trying hard to ignore the filth and the pain in her shoulders from having her arms pulled back for so long. Up close, she noticed one of the chair legs was broken, leaving a pointy end. Maybe she could cut her bindings with it.
She squirmed around until the chair was behind her and started sawing the rope back and forth against the point. Miss Payton rolled over onto her side, and Rachel stared at her. She’d been irate at her brother for tying her up and leaving her. At first, she’d tried to reason with him to let them go. But her brother was a hard case. He slapped her and told her to shut up. Rachel could see that the young woman’s lip had swollen overnight.
Rachel’s hands slipped, and the sharp point bit into the tender flesh of her wrist. She cried out, and Miss Payton’s eyes flew open. The young woman looked around, and Rachel knew the moment she remembered her circumstances, because her eyes widened.
She struggled for a few minutes and managed to sit up on the bed. Rachel froze. Should she continue to try to free herself?
“I’m gonna kill Ty for doing this.”
How would she go about that, trussed up like a turkey? “Why did your brother do this? What does he want in Lookout?”
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