Swept Away (21 page)

Flint slammed the door, leaving her in darkness. His pounding feet thudded up the stairs. She listened as he opened and closed both doors to her children’s rooms, but he only stayed long enough to look, then went to his own room. Glynna thought of the handsome doctor who had treated her with such kindness. She thought of the older cowhand, Dodger, who was helping them right now. She thought of her children.

Flint would do anything to keep her, though it made no sense when he hated her so. That meant trying to help her might get others killed. The thought was too painful.

She’d already done too much damage with her decision to answer that stupid mail-order bride advertisement. If she believed the doctor’s rescue would work, she’d let him try. The price she’d pay didn’t matter; she’d given up worrying about her own life.

But the doctor . . . the price he’d pay would be his life. And what about the price her children would pay if she were dead and they were left here at Flint’s mercy?

It was unbearable. She had to get word to Dodger for the doctor to stay away.

C
HAPTER 14

“Vince followed her and she stood in the middle of the street staring into the sky for a while. Finally, she went to the boardinghouse and checked in. Vince waited for a few minutes until he heard her snoring.” Dare slipped into the woods before sunrise with Ruthy and Luke. “We’ll have Jonas go talk to her this morning.”

Luke didn’t envy Jonas. The more he learned about his friends, the more he thought ranching was the perfect way to make a living . . . if he could just get his ranch back.

“She never even asked about Bullard? Where he went?” Luke asked.

“Nope.” Dare looked asleep on his feet. “Vince is giving the letter to Sheriff Porter right now.” Dare rubbed the back of his neck as if he were in deep pain. “We’ll hold off for four days if possible so Big John can get back. You go talk to Dodger.”

“I intend to. I’ve got a message I need to get to Mrs. Greer.”

“A message?” Dare narrowed his eyes. “What are you going to say to her? I want to know.” Dare seemed way too interested in Glynna Greer. And that was saying something,
because all of them were mighty worried about protecting her.

“I think I’ve mentioned that Greer is living on my land.”

“About six thousand times.”

“Well there’s one good thing about that.”

“No there’s not,” Dare said.

“I know the S Bar S as well as I know my own name. I was born there, and I ran wild there all my growing-up years. I know every acre, every hill and valley, every game trail.” Luke’s eyes flashed like black fire.

“Okay, fine. I believe you. You know your own land. What are you going to say to Glynna?”

“And I know every hiding place.”

The silence was broken only by the gusting of the wind.

Finally Rosie said, “Hiding place?”

Luke nodded. “And with that hiding place, I think I’ve figured out a way to keep us all alive and get our hands on Greer without flying lead.”

“Without putting Glynna or her children in the line of fire?” Dare asked.

“Especially that.”

“Tell me what you’ve got in mind.”

Luke smiled. “It started with a Texas cyclone the year I was born, followed closely by a worrisome visit by a Comanche band.”

A thunder of hooves drew their attention and they watched Sheriff Porter go tearing out of town. A man on a mission that would take him out of Broken Wheel for two weeks.

Vince came around the corner, and even though they were deep in the thicket, he looked right at them and smiled.

Luke gave his head one firm jerk of pleasure at the sight of the polecat sheriff leaving. Then he finished his story.

“Where’s Bullard?” Flint slapped his gloves in his hands, wishing for someone to punch over all his cowhands riding off.

Dodger shrugged. “I ain’t seen him this morning.”

Payday had been a week ago and he’d had a short group then. More had drifted off right after he handed them the month’s cash money.

It was because of Luke Stone.

Flint slapped his gloves again, bringing them down with his left hand to smack his right. He wished it was someone’s face. Today that someone was Simon Bullard. Except to hit Bullard was to die. Since Bullard wasn’t here, Flint didn’t have to fight the urge. Flint glanced at the house and knew who he could hit.

She was worthless now, though. He’d have to go into her room, where she was always lying down, to teach her a lesson. No fun in that.

His gloves hit with a sharp whack again as he imagined it.

“I ain’t seen him for a couple days.” The old coot, Dodger, was a solid worker. Slower than he oughta be, age taking its toll.

The old-timer hadn’t looked Flint in the eye lately. There were a few of his men acting like that. The ones who’d hired on recently, brought in because of their reputations with their guns, were loyal, but Flint had a bad feeling about Dodger and a few of the others. Flint would’ve sent them all down the road if he wasn’t so shorthanded.

Dodger pulled his own weight and that of another man or two. But he was slow about it.

Things would change around here once Flint had finished with Stone.

Slap
.

Stone and Glynna. Somehow this was his wife’s fault. Things had been fine around here without her. The ranch ran well. The men worked hard. Flint was making good money. But when she’d shown up, Flint’s luck had changed.

Somehow Luke Stone coming home was all tied up with Glynna, and it made Flint killing mad that he’d ever been so weak as to want a woman of his own.

Slap
.

“I’m gonna ride out, boss. Maybe Bullard’ll show up later. If Lana didn’t come home, then it figures he’s with her. Give him time.” Dodger seemed more than normally interested in the dirt in front of his toes.

“He’d better show up.” Flint didn’t bother to mutter words about firing Bullard. He oughta. It helped to rule this ranch if he kept the men a little scared all the time. But threatening to fire Bullard was so out of the question that Dodger wouldn’t believe it, and that’d make Flint look weak.

Dodger turned for the barn. As he went in, it occurred to Flint that he should give Dodger the job of tending the house. Taking in milk and eggs and garden vegetables for his wife to burn to a smoldering ash heap.

Slap
.

No way this slow-walkin’ old man could take an interest in his wife.

He saw Marty heading for the house with a pail of milk. Marty was another one of the men who didn’t meet Flint’s eyes.

But the men loyal to Flint were shifty. He didn’t want
them to even get a peek at Glynna. Better to let this youngster do the chores.

Or switch to Dodger. He saw Dodger ride out to the west. Well, he’d switch men tomorrow. Flint had a long, hard day ahead of him, worse than ever without Bullard, who did his share of the hard work if his wife wasn’t cutting up.

His irritation with Bullard grew and Flint thought of Glynna and wished she were on her feet again. He liked to face her when he had a lesson to teach.

Slap
.

His hand stung and he realized how hard he was hitting himself. Better to hit someone else hard. He wished he’d ordered Dodger to take over tending the house. He should have done it before the old man left.

Marty came out of the house. Flint had men standing watch. If Marty stayed inside too long, Flint would hear about it. But the kid came and went fast.

“Dodger, is that you?”

Ruthy saw the white-haired man emerge from the bushes. It was the beginning of the second day since Big John had left. He should be turning Bullard over to the law sometime today, and then he’d run for Broken Wheel. Big John would be here in two days. It was almost time to act.

“How is Mrs. Greer?”

Ruthy shuddered to think of anyone married to a man who had mistreated her to the extent Dare described.

“I haven’t seen her. I got assigned the job of hauling supplies in for the family. I’ve talked with the children and they say she’s better. She didn’t get out of bed for a week, but now she’s on her feet, not in top shape but mending.”

“Can’t you get in to see her?” Ruthy hated this. She thought of how hard this land had been on Lana Bullard, who was still at the boardinghouse, nursing whiskey and occasionally coming out to buy a new bottle. Jonas had asked the saloon to stop selling to her, but they wouldn’t cooperate.

Jonas and Dare had both tried to talk to her, but she started singing lullabies whenever they talked and acted as if they weren’t there.

Now here was Glynna Greer, trapped with a brute for a husband. And Luke was taking Ruthy to a gunfight.

“I only have a minute when I take in the vegetables and later go in with the eggs and milk. There are men paying attention. I have to be in and out fast. The kids talk a little, but they’re real scared to break any of Greer’s rules.”

Luke had a note ready. “I need to get this to Mrs. Greer.”

Dodger took the folded piece of paper.

“We’ve got a plan to lure Greer into town. Mrs. Greer needs to help. If she’s willing, she has to wait for us to tell her it’s time.”

“I haven’t liked the way Greer is acting.” Dodger stuck the note in his pocket without reading it, which might mean he respected Luke’s privacy. It might also mean he couldn’t read. “I think he’s heard you’re close to home. That’s why he never leaves the place. Of course, it’s a busy time on the ranch and he’s shorthanded.”

“Has he asked about Bullard yet?”

“Yep. Threw a fit over Bullard running off. He’s still hoping the polecat will come back. I told him I heard tell Lana was staying at the boardinghouse and all Greer could say was good riddance. He figures Bullard ran off to escape his pecking wife. But Greer is real upset to lose Bullard.”

“Has he lost any more hired men?”

“He’s got eight men left. But three of them won’t back Greer in a fight. Me among ’em. But the five left who will back him are hard, dangerous men. They spell each other on lookout and always stay close to the place, which makes the rest of us work even harder. Greer at least is working his cattle. He’s out of the house for long hours every day. And he’s put out the word for more men, but none have come along yet. I think he’s too well known for his hard treatment.”

They heard a galloping horse approaching and all three of them turned and threw themselves toward the shelf of rock that shielded them.

No one in sight.

“I’ve gotta get back on my horse fast.” Dodger left in a near run.

Ruthy knew the old man’s joints hurt.

“We need to cover our tracks and get out of here.” Luke grabbed a fallen branch.

“Dodger might need help. We can’t just abandon him.” Ruthy was shocked at Luke’s decision to desert someone in danger.

“No, Dodger’ll have a story spun if someone catches him walking. But if they’re suspicious and they come up here and find tracks, that’s when he’ll be in danger. Let’s go.” Luke caught her upper arm and dragged her along. “Head down and wait for me on that rock shelf. I’ll cover our trail.”

“Dodger, hold up.” The voice that hailed Dodger rang with authority rather than friendliness.