“I’m thirsty.”
“We have to ration it in case they don’t give us anymore. I’m thirsty too, but I only took a few mouthfuls.” It was like hitting your head against a rock wall dealing with Lucinda.
“Actually, the young one, what I could see of him, was quite handsome. He had the most beautiful blue eyes.”
She had caught Lucinda’s interest now. How shallow she was. “Um, he kept saying how beautiful you were, and what a shame it was that the other men treated you so badly.”
“What color hair did he have?”
“I couldn’t see.” Please God, give me patience. Over the last few years they hadn’t spent much time together, so she had forgotten what her sister was like. She was just plain stupid sometimes.
The aroma of coffee wafted in between the cracked boards. And was that bacon?
“I’m hungry,” Lucinda whined.
“Shh, someone is coming.”
The bolt slid back and the young man entered, juggling two plates of beans and bacon, and two mugs of coffee.
“Here you are,” he said. “The others didn’t want to give you anything to eat, but Lenny, he’s my pa, is the boss of all this, so I told them we couldn’t let you starve.”
Becky smiled at him, and unobtrusively kicked Lucinda.
“Oh, thank you.” She fluttered here eyelashes at him. “Becky said it was you who got the other men to untie us. It was so brave of you to help us.”
When he handed her the plate of beans their fingers touched, and Lucinda let his fingers linger for a second or two before pulling back. She was dumb, bordering on stupid with most things, but certainly knew how to reel in a man.
His eyes widened. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful gal as you.”
“I bet you’re handsome beneath that mask,” she went on.
He laughed. “I’m not taking it off.”
“A gal can’t help wondering.” She smiled prettily and Becky almost laughed out loud. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, it would have been comical.
“Cal, get back out here,” one of the men yelled.
“You will come back won’t you, Cal?” Lucinda lowered her voice, so his name came out on a tremulous whisper, and Becky could only marvel at the way Lucinda worked on men. It was her only talent, but she used it to full advantage.
Cal backed away, banged the door shut and slid the bolt into place.
“You did that so well,” Becky said. “You reeled him in like a fish on a hook.”
Lucinda giggled between mouthfuls of food.
Never had food or coffee tasted so good. At least they weren’t going to starve, Becky thought. For a split second she had seen pyramids of dirt and rock. This was an abandoned gold field. By the state of the shack it had been empty and left to the elements for some time. Had the gold miners dug up their fortune and departed, or had they left in despair?
Chapter Five
Monday afternoon.
Wes stumbled into the Sheriff’s office. Ryan was leaning back in his chair, his booted feet resting on the desk as he perused a newspaper.
“She’s gone. She’s gone. Someone kidnapped my gal.” His voice was distorted he was so upset.
Ryan dropped the newspaper and leapt to his feet.
“Do something.” Wes wrung his hands. “I don’t pay your wages so you can sit on your ass all day.”
“Calm down and tell me what you’re talking about.” That’s all I need, Wes on the warpath. He had enough worries working out the best way of wriggling out of his betrothal with Becky, so it wouldn’t cause her any problems. The gal had enough to put up with as it was.
“Some no good varmint kidnapped Lucinda.” He waved a grubby piece of paper around. “They want a thousand dollars in gold by Saturday.”
“What about Becky?” Ryan’s heart slammed against his ribcage.
“Her too.”
“Let me get this straight.” Ryan pushed his hands into his pockets so Wes couldn’t see the tremor in them. “Lucinda and Becky are being held for ransom.”
“Yes, that’s what I said,” Wes growled.
“Give me the note.” Ryan grabbed it out of his pudgy hand and read the message. By the childish scrawl he surmised the writer didn’t have much schooling.
If ya want to see ya gals alive. Meet me at the Forked Creek bridge. 2 o’clock Saturday. Bring a thousand dollars in gold. Come yerself or they’ll be kilt.
“Sonofabitch, can you raise that kind of money?”
“Yeah.” Wes prowled the office.
“Keep calm. The lives of those gals depend upon it. If you pay the ransom, you’ve got no guarantee they’ll be released. I think we should raise a posse tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” Wes spat the word out. “My baby gal is a prisoner of those dirty varmints and you want to wait until tomorrow.”
“We can’t do anything now. Use your brain, Goddammit. By the time we raise a posse it will be dark. Spread the word. We’ll meet outside my office at first light tomorrow and organize a search. Do you know how they left?”
“Yeah, wagon by the looks of the wheel marks. Me and a couple of the hands followed them until they left the road. I want my baby gal back.”
“Get a grip on yourself.” He had never seen Wes in such a state. The man was normally ruthless, hard as nails. What kind of father made it obvious he didn’t care about poor Becky, just Lucinda?
“I’ll offer a reward to any man who finds them.”
“Good idea,” Ryan said.
“I’ll pay the wages of any man who leaves his job to help with the search.”
“Yes, another good idea, Wes. We’ll go to the saloon and announce it. Visit the ranches that you pass on the way home, too.” Ryan put on his Stetson and buckled on his gun belt.
They took a risk calling for men to form a large posse in the saloon, but they had to chance it. It was unlikely the kidnappers would be in town. They had to act fast. If they could raise fifteen or twenty men they could fan out and cover a large area. It was the best plan he could come up with. The only alternative was to wait and let Wes pay the ransom, but it wouldn’t guarantee the gals’ freedom.
Their footsteps on the boardwalk sounded overloud, particularly Wes’ as he stomped along. Ryan’s gut twisted into knots, a heavy weight pressed on his chest. He was worried for both gals, but his mind kept wandering to Becky. No woman had ever affected him like this. He was honest enough to admit it.
Poor, maligned Becky. He hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since Saturday. Her small, work roughened hand had been engulfed by his. She had large doe-like eyes, he couldn’t decide whether they were hazel or green. Those soft sweet lips. He could have tasted them for hours. “Sonofabitch,” he muttered.
Pushing open the doors of the saloon, he stepped inside with Wes on his heels. The tinny notes of the piano, raucous laughter and one of the saloon gals caterwauling, assaulted his ears. The smell of stale tobacco, sweat and cheap perfume filled his nostrils.
“Cut the music and quieten the crowd, Bert,” he ordered. “Wes and I have an important announcement.”
Once the saloon fell silent, Ryan said. “Wes’ two gals have been kidnapped.”
Several gasps were followed by cusses.
“I’m raising a posse tomorrow at first light to search for them.”
“I’m prepared to offer one hundred dollars to the man who finds them. And I’ll pay a day’s wages to any man who’ll join the posse.”
“Daylight tomorrow outside my office,” Ryan said.
“I’ll be withdrawing the loans of any man who owes me and doesn’t turn up,” Wes yelled.
What a nasty sonofabitch he was.
“I need a whiskey,” Wes growled at the barman. “Fill the glass right up.”
He didn’t offer Ryan a drink, not that he would have taken it if he had, but it would have been the right thing to do. Why expect any decency from Wes, the man was a pig through and through.
“Don’t go getti
ng drunk,” Ryan warned. “You need a clear head for tomorrow. On your way home call in and tell my father and Jase, they’ll be able to rustle up a few of the boys. I’m going, I’ve got work to do.”
***
Next morning at sun up, forty or so men congregated outside Ryan’s office. This would have to be the largest posse he had ever raised. Wes, Jase and Pa waited together. He lifted his hat to acknowledge them.
“Right men, we’ll split into four groups and start at the place where Wes lost the tracks. Wes can head one group, I’ll do another and my deputies will head the other two groups. Two shots in the air if you find anything. Three shots if you find the gals.”
With a pounding of hooves, the posse set off, leaving a dust cloud behind them. On arrival at the place where the wagon had left the road, Ryan dismounted and inspected the wheel tracks on the dusty ground. They headed north, but after only twenty yards or so, the ground became hard and pebble strewn. The badlands was the obvious choice, but they stretched for miles, and the terrain was rough and treacherous.
The tree covered mountain range was another possibility, but was probably too far away, and too steep for a wagon. He reckoned the hideout had to be within a few hours ride of town.
“Ok men, let’s get going. We’ll meet back here at dusk.” Fortunately, Wes elected to stay with his ranch hands, so Ryan joined Jase, Pa and their men.
Jase was haggard, his eyes bloodshot. “What if they hurt Lucinda? I love that gal.”
“You’ve been drinking,” Ryan accused. “Goddammit, you need to keep a clear head. You too, Pa.” They looked as if they’d been up half the night drinking.
“Keep a civil tongue in your head, boy. I’m your father and I can still give you a good whupping.”
“Well, I’m the sheriff, and don’t forget it.”
“Do you think they’ll be all right?” Jase moved his mount closer.
“Frankly, I don’t know. Becky is a resourceful gal, got plenty of courage, too.”
“Yes, but Lucinda is so sweet and frail.” Jase rubbed at his eyes.
Ryan gave vent to his annoyance. “Why is everyone so worried about Lucinda, but not Becky?”
“Because that gal is no good,” their father butted in.
“It’s not true what they say about her, Pa. I know her better than anyone else,” Jase said.
“Yeah, you were the one who told me she opened her legs for you.”
The breath hissed from between Ryan’s teeth.
“It wasn’t true, Pa, I was angry and made it up because she wouldn’t let me. Now I’m glad because I love Lucinda.”
The old man gave an angry snort. “Don’t you try anything with that little gal until you’re wed.”
“I won’t.”
Ryan couldn’t believe their hypocrisy, they didn’t care about Becky’s virtue, but tenaciously guarded Lucinda’s. He was like that, too. Honesty pared his soul wide open. He had bedded so many soiled doves over the years he had lost count, yet if he decided to get hitched, he always thought he’d want a virgin bride, the same as most men.
Now what did he want? Becky. He wanted her with a fierceness he hadn’t thought possible. It wasn’t love, he didn’t know anything about that. Lust probably, he wanted her, but wouldn’t defile her by doing it without getting hitched, or at least the promise of making her his wife. His groin tightened every time he remembered the taste of her sweet lips, the feel of her body, and the subtle perfume of her skin. For a man wanting to start up a ranch, a gal like Becky would be perfect. They could work side by side during the day, and sleep wrapped in each other’s arms at night. Of course, that was if he was a marrying man. Which he wasn’t.
He took a swig from his canteen to moisten his dry mouth. Dust and grit swirled around them, making the horses skittish. That’s all he needed – a dust storm. What in tarnation else could go wrong?
They entered the canyon and made for a large overhang of rock. The horses needed resting. They dismounted and leaned with their backs against a solid wall of rock. In the distance the yellow stone glimmered in the sunlight. He hated places like this, a perfect place for an ambush.
He pulled a piece of jerky from his pocket and nibbled on it, most of the men did likewise. His horse nuzzled his drawn up knees. “You can’t eat this Brandy.” He grinned. The horse was darn near human. He cupped his hand and filled it with water so the horse could have a drink. “Two only,” he said. “I can’t spare anymore water.” He laughed when Brandy shook his head.
“Were you talking to me? Jase asked.
Ryan grinned. “No, my horse. Brandy here has got more sense than the two of us put together.”
“Do you think we’re going to find them,” Jase asked. “I feel bad about what I did to Becky, we were sort of courting.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“She’s no damn good,” the old man said.
“Stop saying that, Pa. I would have married her if I hadn’t fallen for Lucinda.”
“She’ll never be welcome in my house.”
“It’s Jase’s house now,” Ryan snapped. “He can invite anyone he pleases.” He didn’t like the snapping and snarling between him and his father, but the old man was so cantankerous and downright vicious, particularly when it came to Becky.
Ryan stood up and squinted into the sun. “Come on, men. Time we were going. We’ve got another couple of hours, then we’ll have to return to town if we want to get there before dark.”
They mounted up and walked their horses through the canyon. No sign of life here. It was so dry and dusty it was like crossing a desert. Either they hadn’t come this way, or the wind and dust had obliterated every sign. He noticed a couple of buzzards flying overhead, but nothing else broke up the huge expanse of blue sky.
It was a dispirited bunch of men who met up as the sun set behind the distant mountains. “We’ll meet here again tomorrow and widen the search area. Thanks for coming out, I appreciate it. Wes does too.”
“If you don’t find them you don’t get the money,” Wes growled.
Goddammit, the man was a pig.
Chapter Six
Becky paced the shack. There was only one small room. She noticed the rotting remnants of a mattress, a couple of rusty spoons and a horseshoe. Obviously, whoever lived here must have cooked outside. It was primitive, not even a fireplace. Was it a family? Or perhaps a couple of prospectors. The dirt floor held no clue as to who had been here and what might have happened to them.
“I need to pee,” Lucinda said.
“Find a spot over in the corner and use that.”
“I can’t, what if someone comes,” she whined.
“I’ll stand in front of you and block their view.”
“It’s all so terrible, I can’t bear it, Becky.”
She was tempted to give Lucinda a slap. “We’re lucky to still be alive, so quit whining. You don’t hear me sniveling about our predicament. I’m trying to work out a way to get us out of here. I’m suffering the same discomfort as you.”
“It’s different for you.” Lucinda stepped over to the corner of the shack and pulled up her skirt and petticoat. Becky turned her head away.
“Why is it different for me?”
“You’re much tougher than me. I’m a lady…”
“Meaning I’m not?”
“Pa says you’re a whore. What’s it like being with a man?”
“I have no idea; I’ve never been with one.”
“But, Pa says…”
“I don’t care what he says. I don’t know why he spreads lies about me, but I have never been with a man before.”
“You’re lying.”
“Listen to me, we’re trapped here together, we could die here. Why would I lie?”
“Even Vaughan Mulligan says you are. He told Jase…”
“Don’t mention that horrible old man’s name to me. He hates me worse than Wes.”
“Why would he hate you?”
“He just does.” It would
be useless telling her about what Vaughan had done. She wouldn’t believe her. No-one would. She had to do what she had done for years, push it to the back of her mind and bury it.
Becky kept tapping at the walls, trying to find a place where the boards had rotted. If they got out where would they go? She made her way to the back wall and loosened a plank of wood. Behind it was solid rock. The back of the shack must have been built against the canyon wall.
The door faced directly on to the men. She could see the flickering flames of their fire through the cracks. It would have to be one of the side walls, but which one? She went to the back of the wall on her left and poked at the wood. Grabbing up one of the rusty spoons she tried to wedge it between the cracks, but when she applied pressure the handle snapped off.
“Quick, give me a couple of your hair pins.”
“Why?” Lucinda pouted.
“I’m going to poke a hole in one of these boards and try to find out where we are.”
“We’re going to escape,” Lucinda squealed.
“Be quiet. Do you want to get us shot?”
Lucinda dissolved into tears. Becky stepped over and wrenched a couple of pins from her hair and she yelped.
“Shush. Don’t draw attention to us.”
Instead of trying to help, she sat watching Becky scratching and poking at a spot right at the back, close to the ground. Using her nails and the pins, she finally made a small hole in the wood. To see out she had to lay flat on the ground.
Dusk was falling, the rays of the dying sun turned the rugged peaks various shades of pink. Six feet away from the shack was a sheer, unbroken wall of rock. They must have come in on the other side or behind where the men sat. She now needed to poke a hole in the shack wall on the right side.
Her nails were broken and torn, her fingers throbbed. “I need a couple more pins.”
Reluctantly Lucinda handed them over. Her hair tumbled down, the bright curls stopping only when they reached waist level. Becky set to work on the wall, but had barely started on it when she heard the door bolt sliding back. Cal stepped in bearing two mugs of coffee and one plate of beans. They obviously had to share.
The Sheriff's Outcast Bride Page 4