Guardian Bride (31 page)

"No, we checked. Furthermore, outside her bedroom

window we found a piece of cloth. Rosalie swears it's a piece

of the nightgown Dora was wearing last night." Kid removed

his hat and played with the brim.

The entire group stood silent for a moment. The news

hung heavy in the air.

"Did they hear anything?" Bug broke the silence by asking.

"Aw, hell," Skeeter thumped his hat on his thigh several

more times. "The way that wind blew last night, a man

wouldn't have heard a freight train until it crashed through

the front door."

The others agreed with grunts and gestures. "Do they

think she ran away?" Snake asked, almost wishing Kid would

say yes. Dora was spoiled, but Snake doubted she'd set out

on her own, yet it painted a far brighter picture than the

alternative.

"No." Kid's straightforward answer held no reservations.

"We checked for tracks, but the roads leading in and out of

Scott are well traveled. Men volunteered to start searching in

all directions. I stopped at my place and sent ranch hands out

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to cover my land and told Stewart we'd scour the area out

here."

"We best go saddle up," Bug said.

"I go, too," Buffalo Killer said.

Snake glanced to the trail of women carrying armloads into

the house. Household supplies had been ordered during the

past weeks, and stored in the barn as they arrived. There was

also a large supply of things that folks had donated, including

the Zimmermans. He released the heavy air in his lungs.

"We can't all leave. I don't want the women and children

alone."

"I feel the same way, Snake, but I gotta admit, Lila can

out shoot me." Skeeter stepped up beside him. "And if it

came to protecting this family, she'd shoot long before she

asked questions."

Kid stood on his other side. "I agree. We may want to

think they need our protection, but those women we married

are of good stock. They're amazingly tough and can be

downright intimidating when they want to be."

Hog nodded toward the house. "They'll be fine. The house

is solid, and once we tell them what's happened, they'll keep

the kids inside. There's nothing here to worry about."

"We can't tell them what's happened," Snake disagreed.

Everyone stared at him. "What?" Skeeter shook his head.

"I can't ride out of here without telling Lila where I'm going. I

already told you she's a better shot than me."

"Secrets have no place in a marriage, Snake." Kid laid a

hand on Snake's shoulder. "We have to tell the women."

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"Yes, we do." Skeeter said, clearly relieved by Kid's

judgment.

Snake frowned at Skeeter. Surely his brother wasn't that

afraid of his wife. As if Skeeter could read his mind, he said,

"Remember, my wife blew up half of the badlands. Kid's wife

has already shot two men. Hog's wife captured two outlaws,

shooting one of them in the arm pit." His gaze went to Hog.

"That had to hurt."

Hog nodded. "I'm sure it did."

Bug stepped forward. "Summer's no softie, Snake. She's

been raising those kids by herself for years. Have you

forgotten that she saved your life?"

While Snake was contemplating Bug's statement, Hog

offered two more cents, "And don't let any of us forget Ma."

All five brothers swallowed. Ma was definitely not afraid to

shoot someone.

Buffalo Killer grunted. "Maybe we should send the women

out to find Dora."

The brother's turned to stare at him. The Indian glanced at

them, one at a time, and then shrugged his broad shoulders.

"All right," Snake agreed, convinced the women were far

from helpless. "Let's go tell them and figure out a grid to

ride."

Summer was in the kitchen, lining the cupboard shelves

with flowered paper. A stack of unpacked dishes sat on the

table in the center of the room. Snake paused in the doorway,

enticed by the way her back stretched as she smoothed out

the paper. Behind him, he heard Kid moving up the stairway

to where Jessie made beds, and on the far side of the living

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room he could hear Hog speaking to Randi and Ma who were

getting Ma's new stitching room settled. Skeeter had gone

around to the back of the house. Lila had their children,

Kendra and Charles, as well as Kid's two, Joel and Winifred,

playing in the grass with August and Jerome.

Worry tugged at his brow. "Where's September?"

Summer spun about so quickly, she almost made a

complete circle. "Oh, my, you startled me. I didn't know you

were there."

He moved across the room. "Where's September?"

"She finished a new hat for Maisy. The other one is about

to fall off. She went out to see if she could convince the mule

to let her switch them. Did you get the freight unloaded?"

Summer gaze grew serious. "What's wrong?"

Sidestepping around her, he went to the window. The edge

of the barn and the corral came into view. There was no mule

with a flowered hat.

"Is Maisy in the barn?"

Summer stretched on her toes, peering out the window.

"She was in the corral when September went out. Maybe she

led her into the barn."

His veins grew icier every moment. He pushed open the

back door and seeing Bug leading a horse out of the front of

the barn, he yelled, "Bug? Is September in the barn?"

Summer clutched his elbow. "What's going on? What's

happened?"

He turned and fought with what he had to tell her. He

wanted to keep her safe, make her happy. Not tell her sad or

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bad news. His name floated across the yard, and he turned,

sticking his head back out the door.

Bug ran across the yard. "She's not in the barn. Is she

supposed to be?"

Skeeter and Lila, each carrying two kids, climbed the back

steps behind Bug. "Who's not in the barn?"

"September," Bug said.

Others gathered in the kitchen through the living room

doorway.

"What's happened?" Kid asked, pushing his way to the

front.

"That's what I want to know!" Summer planted herself in

front of Snake. The air cracked with gloom and her nerves

were eating at her skin. "Snake? What's happened? Tell me!"

He spun back to Bug. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

Snake pushed him aside and tore out the door, taking the

back steps in one leap. The rest of the men followed, all

yelling her sister's name.

"What's going on?" Summer screamed.

Ma took her arm. "Someone stole Dora Zimmerman out of

her bedroom last night. The boys think it might have been

Wainwright."

Summer's knees buckled. People caught her by the elbows

and leaned her back against the cupboard. A second later Ma

set a chair in front of her. Jessie holding one arm, and Randi,

holding the other, lowered Summer onto it.

"No," she whispered, pressing a hand to the ache deep in

her chest. A chill tickled her spine. "September?"

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"Don't worry, the boys'll find her," Ma said.

"September ain't in the barn," August said from the

doorway.

"Where is she?" Lila asked, standing beside the door,

keeping the toddlers from exiting the room.

August shrugged. "I dunno." He set Jerome down on the

floor. "She went to meet Dora awhile ago."

"What?" Every woman in the kitchen yelled at the same

time.

August scooped up his puppy before anyone stepped on

him. Summer wasn't sure who made it out the door first, all

she knew is she was in the front of the crowd, running across

the front yard and shouting for Snake.

He met her in front of the barn door, caught her when her

feet, still in motion, couldn't stop.

"What?" he yelled above the screaming women behind

them as they collided. His fingers dug into her arms. "What?"

Her throat had locked up. She tried, but when she opened

her mouth, no words would come out. Tears blurred her

vision.

"August says September went to meet Dora," someone

behind her said.

Questions and answers. Male voices and female. Summer

couldn't decipher who was saying what. Her throat, heart,

and mind were on fire. Snake pulled her across the yard, back

toward the house.

Her senses, voice, and strength returned simultaneously.

She twisted out of his hold and pushed at him with both

hands.

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"Wainwright is here, and you didn't tell me?" The fire filling

her insides turned into fury. She slapped away his hands as

he tried to catch on to her again. "Why didn't you tell me?

Why?"

"Summer! Calm down. I have to go talk to August." His

fingers caught a hold of her dress sleeve.

She tore it out of his grasp and ran for the house. The air

in her chest burned as it flowed in and out. Part of her was

running to August, to hear what he knew, but an inner part,

screaming with pain and hurt, was running away from Snake.

As far away from him as she could get.

When she landed in the kitchen, gasping for air, and with

her insides twisted into knots tight enough to cut off every

ounce of blood flow, August was sitting in the solitary chair,

staring up at the men circling him. Summer brushed past

them to kneel in front of her little brother. Before she had a

chance to catch her breath and ask him where September

was, Snake, already beside her, took both of August's hands

and started talking.

"When did September leave?"

Summer wanted to shove him away, and ask August

herself, but she knew the important thing right now was

September. Not her anger. There would be time for her to

deal with Snake later.

"I don't know, Snake. Is something wrong?" August's voice

shook.

"Yes, something is wrong. We have to know exactly what

happened. Did you see Dora?"

August nodded.

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"When? Where?"

"While you were unloading the freight wagon. Jerome and

I were in the barn loft. Grandma told me to get my bedding

from up there." His cheeks turned red, and he bowed his

head. "Jerome made a pile while we were up there. I knew I

had to clean it up and while I was throwing it out the loft

door, I saw September and Maisy. I was gonna shout at her,

tell her to not step in the hay I was throwing out, but she was

too far away already. That's when I saw Dora. She was on the

far end of the corral. Waving at September."

"Did you see anyone else?"

"Nope. Just September and Maisy, and Dora. Dora must've

wanted to see Maisy's new hat 'cause she was waving really

big."

Skeeter, at least Summer thought it was Skeeter, slapped

Snake's back. "Come on, they couldn't have gotten far."

Snake didn't even look her way, as he stood and then

barreled his way through the crowd and out the door.

The rest of the men followed, and in the silent moments

that followed, Summer's heart landed on the floor.

It was a moment or more before she could stand, feeling

hollow inside. September had to be all right, she just had to

be. The air flowing in her lungs helped, and by the time she'd

taken a couple steps toward the doorway, she was ready to

join the search.

Ma caught her arm and the door slammed shut. "No. We

gotta stay here."

"No, I don't. That's my sister. I'm going to find her." She

twisted against the hold.

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Ma's grip grew as firm as a man's. "The men will find her.

We'll stay here."

"No, I won't. Let go."

"I can't let you go," Ma declared.

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Summer tugged harder and glanced up, looking for

someone to aid her. Lila, with baby Charles on one hip, stood

in front of the closed door. Her eyes were sad as she shook

her head. Summer turned around, looking toward the

doorway that led to the living room and ultimately to the front

door. Jessie stood in that opening, holding Winifred. She, too,

shook her head.

Randi wrapped an arm around Summer's other elbow. "I

know it's hard. I know you want to go help. We all feel the

same way."

A sob exploded in her chest. "I have to do something. I

can't just stand here."

A rumbling not unlike thunder sounded outside, close

enough to make the new windows rattle. Lila leaned over and

glanced out the window beside the door. "It's just the men

leaving."

"What direction are they headed?" Jessie asked.

"South," Lila answered.

"All of them?" Jessie walked across the room and handed