The Heart's Charge

by Karen Witemeyer

  “Will you be staying in the area long?” Dr. Hampton asked. “Last time we met, I got the impression you and your partner were passing through.”

  “Something came up in Kingsland that requires our attention. We’ll be sticking around a while. If you hear from the Dawsons, you can send word to Harmony House. Wallace and I are helping the ladies there with some repairs.”

  “Excellent! I’ll send word as soon as I hear anything. Thank you again for all you did for Fern and her baby.”

  Jonah waved off the gratitude. Wallace had done all the work. All he’d done was fetch the doctor. But still, he was glad he’d made a contribution, no matter how small. Kids had a hard enough row to hoe in this world without adults making things worse. If he could help one of them get a fair shake, he was glad to do it.

  Too bad helping the other kids God had placed in his path wasn’t quite so clear-cut.

  Excusing himself from the doctor, Jonah hiked the rest of the way to the telegraph office, composing his missive in his head as he went. He had it slimmed down to close to a dozen words by the time he walked through the door.

  Dropping sixty-five cents on the counter, he grabbed a telegram blank and filled out his message.

  To: Matthew Hanger, Gringolet Farms, San Antonio, TX

  KIDS MISSING IN KINGSLAND

  STAYING TO INVESTIGATE

  WILL SEND FOR HORSEMEN IF NEEDED

  Matt would put Preach on alert. They’d be ready to come at a moment’s notice. Jonah hated pulling the captain away from his work and his new wife, but there was no one he trusted more to have his back.

  Once he and Wallace figured out where Wart and the others had been taken, he’d call in the cavalry.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-TWO

  You are not going to use yourself as bait!” Katherine dropped the wooden clothespin from her hand as if it had suddenly combusted into flames.

  Leaving a sheet half secured on the clothesline, she ducked around the flapping fabric that had hidden her from view and marched over to the cluster of boys who’d been too busy plotting their own demise to pay attention to who might be listening. And thank God for that!

  The five boys jerked their faces toward her, their expressions varying from guilty to embarrassed to mutinous. The mutinous one concerned her most. Focusing her full attention on Rawley, she wagged her finger as she approached.

  “You are children, not worms, and you will not purposely put yourself in danger. Is that clear?”

  Rawley’s chin lifted and his eyes narrowed as he stepped away from his compatriots to meet her on the field of battle. “It’s been over a week, and we still ain’t got a clue as to where Wart and the others are.” His gaze darted over to Alice and Ruby sitting beneath a tree near the house, a picture book stretched over their two laps. “It’s takin’ a toll on Al.” He looked at his gang. “It’s takin’ a toll on all of us.”

  Heads nodded in agreement.

  Katherine’s heart ached for the boy. She fretted over Wart and the others too. Mark and Jonah didn’t even know how many boys in total were missing. Stolen children forced into an unsavory situation—the horrible possibilities didn’t bear thinking about. She had to focus on hope. Not only for herself, but for those around her. She wasn’t a warrior like the Horsemen. She couldn’t fend off evil with her fists or a gun. All she could contribute was prayer and a steady diet of optimism.

  “I know waiting is hard,” Katherine soothed, “but Mr. Wallace and Mr. Brooks will find them. We just have to be patient.”

  Rawley huffed and crossed his wiry arms over his chest. “Look, Miz Katherine, you and Miz Eliza are nice and all, and I gotta admit that the eatin’s been real good around here, but me and the boys are gettin’ itchy. We don’t belong in a place like this. All the rules and schoolin’ and stuff. I only agreed to stay until I was healed up, and I am now. Good enough not to slow the boys down, at least,” he qualified when she raised a brow in challenge. “Truth is, we can go places Brooks and Wallace can’t. We can do more to help Wart and the others out there than we can hidin’ out here.”

  “And who will take care of your boys if you get taken?” she asked, making a desperate appeal to his protective nature. It had worked in the past. But this time he just smirked.

  “You will.”

  Katherine’s mouth hung open, her protest evaporating on the breeze.

  “He’s got you there.”

  Mark! Katherine turned, thankful to see him. Rawley would listen to him, surely.

  “Of course I would take care of you boys,” she said, pivoting back to Rawley and his cohorts, taking the time to smile at each one. “Every one of you is welcome here anytime. For as long as you wish. No strings attached.” Her gaze zeroed back in on their leader. “But that doesn’t give you permission to recklessly endanger yourself.” She glanced over her shoulder at Mark. “I overheard him plotting to use himself as bait to try to lure the kidnappers out. Tell him that’s a horrible idea.”

  “I can’t.”

  Katherine’s stomach clenched. “What?”

  Mark shrugged, his gaze as apologetic as his jaw was firm. “It’s a good idea. One we would have tried days ago if Jonah or I could pass for a ten- or eleven-year-old boy. But since neither of us is that clever with disguises, we took the option off the table.”

  “Well, put it back on. I’m volunteerin’.” Rawley jutted out his chin, daring Mark to naysay him.

  Mark took the dare. “Nope. Even with both Jonah and I watching, there are too many factors outside our control. If the snatcher spots one of us, he could decide you aren’t worth the trouble, put a bullet in you, and dump you on the trail to halt our pursuit.”

  Katherine shivered, her imagination painting the scene in vivid detail. He won’t let him do it, she told herself. Mark was not the type of man to endanger a child, not even to save others.

  Rawley, on the other hand, was just wild enough not to care. The rebellious gleam in his eyes made it clear he wasn’t one to abide by an adult’s ruling if he didn’t agree with it. And he obviously didn’t agree with this one.

  Mark acted as if he didn’t notice the rising insubordination. “Besides,” he said offhandedly, “neither of the snatchers would consider you an easy mark. Not after the way you stabbed that horse and fought your way free. These types of criminals go for the easy pickin’s. Safer that way.”

  A bit of the fight faded from Rawley’s gaze, but he wasn’t fully convinced yet. “It don’t hurt to try. If nuthin’ else, bein’ back on the street will let me keep an ear to the ground. There’s other fellas that ride the rails. They mighta heard somethin’. Seen somethin’. Can’t learn nuthin’ hiding out here.”

  You can’t get hurt hiding out here either. Katherine had to bite her tongue to keep the words from escaping.

  Things had been quiet over the last ten days. Mark’s and Jonah’s presence proved a comfort to the children and a deterrent to anyone bent on mischief, yet she couldn’t deny the truth of Rawley’s words. They’d made little progress in their search for the missing boys. And while she insisted on guarding the children in her care, she couldn’t neglect the ones who’d been taken. They needed to be found. Soon.

  Mark had grown unusually quiet. Katherine glanced his way. His face looked far too thoughtful, as if he were actually considering Rawley’s plan.

  She touched his arm. “Mark, you can’t. . . .”

  He didn’t look at her. He addressed Rawley instead. “Jonah just returned from town. He’s in the barn seeing to Augustus. Go fetch him, and we’ll talk.”

  Rawley nodded and strode off to the barn, his gang flanking him.

  Katherine yanked her hand away with enough vigor to jostle Mark’s arm. “You can’t seriously be considering putting those boys in danger. They’re children!”

  Mark’s jaw ticked. “They’re boys on the cusp of manhood, Kate. Far too eager to prove themselves. You saw that look in his eyes. If we don’t find a way to involve him, he’s
going to leave and do it on his own.”

  She pressed her lips together and shook her head, wanting so badly to deny the truth staring her in the face.

  Mark curled his hands around her upper arms and tugged her close. “I don’t like it either, sweetheart, but in all honesty, we might actually need them out there if we’re going to make any progress with this investigation.”

  Katherine peered at his face and noted the haggardness of his features, the dark smudges beneath his eyes, the flat line of his mouth. The late nights standing guard and the frustration of a less-than-fruitful investigation had taken their toll. He was worn out. Fighting discouragement. She didn’t want to add to his burden. She wanted to lighten it. But how? She couldn’t just agree that they throw Rawley and the others to the wolves.

  Reaching for him, she bent her arms upward and clasped his elbows. She’d listen. Stand with him. Love him. Even if she didn’t agree.

  Mark stared at the blond topknot belonging to the only woman he’d ever loved. He hated that he had to disappoint her, sure her protective instincts toward the children would put them on opposites sides of this argument. Yet as he rubbed her arms and sought the right words to assuage her concerns while not shying away from doing what had to do be done, she surprised him.

  Instead of pulling away, she leaned closer. Her palms curled around his elbows. And when her face tipped upward, it wasn’t anger or disillusionment he read in her eyes. Nor was it surrender. It was commitment. A decision to stand by him no matter where the upcoming discussion led.

  A weight he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying shifted and fell off his shoulders. She wasn’t holding their burgeoning relationship hostage. If he displeased her with his decision, she wasn’t going to send him away. Her affection wasn’t shallow.

  His hold on her arms tightened, and if there hadn’t been half a dozen sets of footsteps tromping across the yard behind him, he would’ve bent his head to hers and kissed her. Ah, horsefeathers. He had to kiss her. There were too many fireworks shooting off inside of him to ignore. Releasing her as if nothing earth-shattering had just occurred would be a crime. She’d offered him freedom, love, and trust. He had to respond in kind.

  So he tugged her close, leaned down, and pressed his lips to the top of her forehead. His eyes slid closed for a precious heartbeat as he savored the feel of her skin on his lips. Inhaled the fragrance of her hair. Heard the tiny sigh that escaped her lips. Felt the slight softening of her posture and the caress of her thumb against the crook of his elbow.

  It was the best moment of his life. But that was all he could allow it to be. A single, glorious moment.

  He lifted his head and set her away from him, trailing his fingers along the length of her arms as they separated.

  By the time Jonah and the boys reached them, Mark had his mind back on the question at hand and preempted the conversation before anyone could comment on what they’d just witnessed.

  “Learn anything at the livery?”

  Jonah shook his head. “Still no word about a knife-injured horse. I hoped Rawley’s snatcher would have sought out a healing salve at one of the liveries in the area or called someone out to treat the animal, but no one’s heard anything. Not here or in Llano or in Hoover’s Valley. The farrier’s done a handful of trimmings in the last week, but only for local customers, and none had a nick on the right rear hoof. Our two strongest leads have gone cold. We got no choice but to mix things up. Try something new.”

  Mark nodded. He’d come to the same conclusion when his two forays into Burnet County had turned up nothing substantial on the dark-skinned man clad all in black. The fellow probably only dressed that way when hunting kids at night, using the camouflage to conceal himself in the darkness.

  Mark had been widening his search, trying to learn about any vaqueros in the area who might match the description and checking on their whereabouts on the night Wart had been taken. But of the half-dozen men he’d tracked down, none raised any suspicions.

  Not even the Mr. Lopez Alice had mentioned. Mark had checked on him first, seeing as how his job as porter at the train station gave him access to the boys who had been targeted. But Lopez was pushing sixty and far from spry. With his bum knee, Wart and Alice could have easily outrun him. The old fellow seemed harmless. He was the friendly sort who could talk a man’s ear off. Told Mark all about the boys who rode his train. Rawley confirmed Mr. Lopez was an ally. The porter had never turned them in and even gave them a few coins when they carried the heavier luggage for him. He wouldn’t hurt the kids.

  However, his garrulous nature could have endangered them unintentionally. He’d shared all kinds of stories with Mark despite the fact that Mark was a newcomer to town. What if he’d told another stranger the same stories? He could have unwittingly painted a target on the boys’ backs. Yet when Mark had asked if any other men had questioned him about the boys in recent weeks, Mr. Lopez had shaken his head. Said most people just wanted their luggage, not conversation.

  “What do you think about letting Rawley and the boys sniff things out around the train station during the day?” Mark kept his gaze locked on Jonah, knowing he’d be tempted to waver if he looked at Kate.

  Jonah rubbed his chin. “I think Miss Eliza won’t want them missin’ their lessons.”

  Rawley scowled. “Addin’ numbers on a slate ain’t gonna get Wart added back to his sister. Schoolin’ can wait. Wart can’t.”

  Something moved to Mark’s right. Alice and Ruby must have overheard the commotion and come to investigate. They eased close, eyes wide, ears probably open even wider. Abner neared too, though he hung back, not mixing with the other boys. It was a good thing Miss Eliza had the youngest ones upstairs in the schoolroom, or they’d have a three-ring circus on their hands.

  Scraping the bottom of his diplomacy barrel, Mark quickly hatched a plan he hoped would grant Rawley enough freedom to satisfy while still keeping some protective measures in place. “How about this?” he said. “You and the boys conduct your investigation, but keep in groups of two or three at all times. And report back to Harmony House once a day to let us know what you’ve learned and help us plot our next moves.”

  “There’ll be food waiting for you,” Kate inserted. “Whenever you come. And cookies.”

  Mark couldn’t hide his grin. Bribery wouldn’t keep Rawley at Harmony House permanently, but the kid had enjoyed more than a week of regular meals and probably wasn’t all that eager to scrounge for scraps and leavings again.

  Jonah tucked his thumb into his gun belt and nodded toward Rawley. “If you get a lead on someone you suspect as a snatcher, send a runner for us right away. I got the wagon back yesterday, so I won’t be making any more trips to Llano. But if we ain’t here when you come, Miss Eliza or Miss Katherine will get word to us.”

  “If you don’t report in,” Mark warned, “we’ll round you up and lock you in the classroom with Ted, Quill, and Prissy for an entire afternoon.”

  The inane threat elicited a round of groans, but it also elicited unanimous avowals of agreement.

  “We still got a good five or six hours of daylight left,” Rawley said, squinting up the sky. “Let’s get a move on, boys. Leave your gear here for now. We’ll fetch it tonight when we come back to make our report.”

  Mark chanced a glance at Kate. She looked a tad ill, but she made no protest.

  “I’ll be in town later today, chewing the fat at the saloon to see if I can learn anything new,” Mark said, for Kate’s benefit as well as Rawley’s. “If you run up against any trouble, you can find me there.”

  However, it wasn’t Rawley or one of the boys who came to fetch Mark from the card table later that afternoon. It was Kate. Flushed. Out of breath. And far too beautiful for a room smelling of stale beer, sweat, and tobacco spit.

  Mark dropped the full house he’d been holding as if it were no more valuable than a pair of twos and pushed to his feet. “Kate?”

  Every head in the room turned to stare, but
she ignored them all and ran straight to him, not stopping until her hands pressed against his chest.

  “It’s Alice. She’s gone.”

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-THREE

  Katherine grabbed the lapels of Mark’s coat, ready to drag him out of the saloon if need be, but he required no urging. Without a backward glance, he abandoned his cards and his winnings, clasped her hand, and headed for the door. She trotted to keep pace with his long quick strides, the strength of his hand calming her panic.

  Mark would find Alice. He was a Horseman, after all. The fact that he hadn’t yet found Wart nipped at her confidence, but she shook off her doubts. Mark would find her. He would.

  He ushered her around the corner of the building and halted, giving her a chance to catch her breath before asking the inevitable question. “What happened?”

  “After Rawley and the others left, I asked Alice and Ruby to help me finish hanging the laundry on the line. I worried how she might react to the boys leaving and wanted to keep her close. She was so quiet and withdrawn. Her gaze constantly drifted to the road. I tried to reassure her that they would be safe, thinking she must be afraid for them. I never guessed she wanted to join them.”

  Foolish error, assuming Alice’s thoughts would mirror Katherine’s own. The girl had grown accustomed to traipsing around like a boy, making her own decisions, forging her own destiny. Her brother had been gone for over a week. She’d want to be part of the hunt.

  “How long has she been gone?” Mark cut through her rambling, disordered thoughts, searching for the pertinent facts.

  Katherine straightened as if she were a trooper under his command. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “The last time I saw her was around four this afternoon. She told me she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to lie down. I went to fetch her for dinner around six and found the room empty. Her dress was on the bed, and her trousers were missing. I questioned Ruby, but she didn’t know anything. Somehow Alice snuck out of the house without anyone noticing.”