Tracie Peterson - [Land of the Lone Star 03] (21 page)

Forgetting about the leash Long Knife had put her on, Carissa rolled to her side. The Indian didn’t so much as move. She didn’t know if that was because he slept or because he knew she wasn’t going anywhere. Either way, she was his prisoner.

C
arissa felt that she’d barely fallen asleep when Long Knife was shaking her awake. “Get up. We’re gonna ride. You need to eat.”

She sat up and looked around her, remembering the night before. She wondered where the other two men had gone. The camp looked deserted. Long Knife untied her ankles but left her hands secured.

“Where are your friends?” she asked.

Long Knife looked at her for a moment. Finally he gave a grunt and replied, “They’re readying the horses. You need to go?” He motioned to the trees.

Carissa shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”

Long Knife brought her some jerked beef and a canteen. “Eat. We have a long ride.”

She ate the beef and took a long drink from the canteen. It was awkward at best with her hands tied, but not impossible. The men approached with the horses, and Long Knife came to pull her to her feet. He took the canteen and motioned to the horses. “Can you ride?”

“Not well, but I certainly don’t want to go in the same manner as yesterday.” She eyed the large buckskin gelding and then looked back at the Indian. “I’ll do my best.”

“You’ll ride in front of me,” Long Knife said. He didn’t give her a chance to protest, but lifted Carissa as if she weighed nothing and hoisted them both up to the saddle in one motion. Carissa gasped, fearing he might drop her, but Long Knife’s strong arms held her fast.

He rested her in his lap and the forced nearness was enough to make Carissa rebel. “I cannot ride like this.”

“You’ll ride like this or like you did yesterday,” he told her.

The men laughed, and one of them couldn’t help but comment, “You’d best get used to it, missus. Ain’t nobody here concerned about your comfort.”

Carissa narrowed her eyes at the man. She wanted nothing more than to tell him exactly what she thought, but she held her tongue. If she was going to get away, she would have to convince them that she wasn’t a threat. Bowing her head, she nodded ever so slightly.

Long Knife kicked the buckskin into motion and the trio made their way across the vast expanse of land. Carissa looked for landmarks—anything that she might recognize—but there was very little to go on. She didn’t know where they’d brought her.

The horizon stretched out before them in grassy prairie and rocky hills. Occasionally they crossed a muddy creek or river and enjoyed the shade of the trees that lined the water’s edge. They followed small trails from time to time, but mostly they cut across the land and headed ever farther from her loved ones.

If she could have been with Tyler, the ride might have been enjoyable. The views were definitely pretty and she was quite amazed at how this part of Texas differed from that of the coastal south. Herds of longhorn cattle grazed openly, and occasionally a mule-eared dear or a rabbit could be spotted. At one point one of the men riding ahead took off after a rabbit. Carissa heard the shot and in a short time he rejoined them with the rabbit hanging off the side of his saddle.

“We’ll have rabbit stew this evening,” he said, grinning.

The idea actually sounded rather appealing to Carissa. She wondered if they would expect her to clean and cook the animal or if they’d leave her tied up. Perhaps she could volunteer to be useful and they’d leave off her bonds. It was worth asking about.

“I can cook quite well,” she told Long Knife. “Perhaps you’d like for me to prepare the rabbit.”

He paused for the briefest moment. “Maybe.” That was all he said, however, and Carissa didn’t feel she should press the issue.

She noted the sun moving across the sky as the day dragged on, and determined they were headed southwest. At least that was what it looked like to her. Maybe they’d get overconfident that she was far enough away from all that she knew, and they’d leave her unbound if they allowed her to cook. If so, Carissa could take a chance and run tonight.

But what good will it do me? I have no idea where I am or where they are taking me. If I managed to get away, there would be nowhere for me to go. With miles of open land, they would easily find me.
She frowned, fearing the entire situation was rather hopeless.

Toward late afternoon they rested the horses, shared some more jerky, and then resumed the ride. Carissa was so stiff and sore she could hardly bear to be put back on the horse. She said nothing, however, afraid that if she did, Long Knife would threaten to return her to her former position.

The heat had grown steadily throughout the day and Carissa found herself quite miserable. Perspiration trickled down her face, and she didn’t even have a sunbonnet to ease her discomfort.

“When will we stop?” she asked Long Knife.

“Soon.” His brief reply irritated her, but again Carissa held her temper.

The long ride took its toll, and she found herself dozing off and on. She first tried to fight her exhaustion, but soon found sleep a welcome relief from the pain. She thought again of Tyler and how he had plans to teach her to ride. If this trip was any indication, Carissa knew she’d want nothing more to do with any time on the back of a horse. Then she dreamed of Gloria and Tyler together. They seemed so happy, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Tyler would remain in Gloria’s life—should something happen.

“There’s the shack,” one of the men called out.

The sound of men’s voices slowly awakened Carissa. She was drenched in sweat and now smelled as bad as the man who held her. She longed for a bath but doubted anyone would offer her such a treat.

She tried to get her bearings and noted that the landscape had changed to scrub and rocky ledges. They seemed to be making their way along a dry wash or something of the sort. Just ahead was a small cabin—a shack, just as the man had called it. The unpainted wood made it look ancient and fragile. Carissa couldn’t help but think of the seaside shack Malcolm had kept her in just before his demise.

They pulled up to the place and dismounted. Carissa’s legs buckled beneath her and without a word, Long Knife lifted her in his arms. She was too tired and sore to protest. Once inside, Carissa couldn’t suppress a moan when Long Knife put her upon a straight-backed chair. He looked at her with something akin to sympathy.

“Are you thirsty?”

“Thirsty. Hot. Tired. Hurting. You name it,” she replied.

He nodded and brought her a canteen. “Drink.”

She did as he instructed. “So what now?”

“Now we wait.”

She looked at the men who were busying themselves with lighting a lantern and laying a fire. “Wait? For what?”

“For the man who paid us to bring you here,” Long Knife replied.

They didn’t have long to wait. The sound of horse hooves coming toward the cabin sent all three men into position. Long Knife put out the lamp and went to the window. The other two men took up their places on the other side of the door. Carissa remained where she was, knowing that if bullets started to fly, she’d most likely be struck.

“It’s Jesse!” a voice called out. “Don’t shoot.”

Carissa could barely see in the faint glow of firelight from the hearth. One of the men went to open the door while the other lit the lamp. She racked her memories for a man named Jesse. Was he one of Malcolm’s friends? Perhaps an enemy?

The door burst open and a tall, grizzled-looking man bounded in with an older, shorter man behind him. The older man took one look at Carissa and screwed up his face.

“Who in the blue blazes is she?”

“The woman you sent us to get,” Long Knife replied.

Jesse shook his head. “You got it wrong, brother. This ain’t Hannah Barnett.”

Carissa looked at the men and shook her head. “No, I’m Carissa Lowe. I was just staying at the Barnett ranch.”

Jesse spit on the floor and scowled. “Should’ve gone myself.”

“She fits the description you gave us,” Long Knife countered.

“Well, she might have Hannah’s coloring,” the older man said, “but it’s not her. You have to go back and get the right woman.”

“Go back? Now?” one of the other men questioned. “They’ll have the law called on us by now.”

The older man moved forward and took a seat across from Carissa. It was then that it dawned on her that this man was the one who’d broken out of jail. The one Hannah was afraid would come to seek her out.

“You’re Mr. Lockhart, aren’t you?” she asked.

He seemed surprised, but smiled. “I am. I suppose Hannah has talked about me.”

She shook her head. “Not much. But the sheriff has. He warned us that you were on the run.”

Lockhart sneered. “Well, he might know that much, but he don’t know much else.”

“So you had these men come to take Hannah, but they got me instead,” Carissa said, trying to put all the pieces together. “You were planning to kill her, weren’t you?”

“She has it coming,” he said without feeling. He looked at Jesse. “You’re right, you should have gone yourself. Long Knife and you best go back now and do what you can.”

“You’re a fool if you think Hannah hasn’t already prepared for that,” Carissa declared. “She has that place well defended. It was only my own foolishness that allowed me to get taken by your men. Besides, our men are due back anytime. Once they’re in place, you won’t stand a chance to cause any more trouble.”

Long Knife shook his head. “She’s right. They had that place pretty well under guard. They even had night riders keeping watch. It won’t be easy to get within a mile of it.”

Carissa smiled and nodded. “Exactly. You won’t ever get your hands on Hannah or anyone else.”

Lockhart considered her words. His expression was almost a leer as he turned back to her. “Well, we still have you.”

His words caused a chill to go down Carissa’s spine, and she could see the cold indifference in the man’s eyes. He truly didn’t care what happened to her and would use her to suit his purpose. That much was clear.

I
can’t believe you’re finally here,” Hannah said, falling into William’s arms.

“Me either.” He pulled her to his lips and kissed her, then stepped back to eye her rounded stomach. “Just look at you.”

“I’m a sight to be sure.” She sniffed back tears.

“A beautiful sight,” he said with a grin.

Tyler looked around for some glimpse of Carissa, but saw no one else. He pounded the dust off his pants and shirt and went to the well for water. He gave the handle a couple of good pumps and was soon rewarded with fairly cool water. It felt good on his face and with another pump he had enough water flowing to pour over his head.

“It’s good to have you home, too, Tyler.”

Snapping up at the sound of his name, Tyler grinned behind the streams of water. “Feels mighty good to be back, Hannah.” He crossed back to where she stood with William and Brandon. “Although I guess I’m without a ranch now.” His smile faded. “You never know what life is going to throw your way.” He tried his best not to sound too discouraged, but in truth, this homecoming was something of a mixed barrel of emotions for him.

Hannah started to say something, but Brandon took hold of her arm. He looked grim and his voice sounded strained “Laura?”

“She’s doing very well, and so is your son Lucas.”

A look of relief filled Brandon’s face. Tyler thought he might actually fall to his knees. “Praise God.” Tears trickled down Brandon’s cheek. “I’ve been praying since we got the telegram from the sheriff. I have to say I feared the worst.”

“He said something about having sent the news, but I wish he wouldn’t have done that. I knew there was nothing you could do, and I knew it would only cause you greater worry to wait.”

“I must go see my wife.” Brandon wiped his eyes and bounded for the front door of the house.

Hannah said nothing until he’d gone. She looked into the eyes of her husband and then turned to Tyler. “We have an entirely new problem—a very grave matter. Carissa has been taken.”

“What? Taken where?” Tyler demanded. “By whom?” He pulled off his kerchief and wiped his face and hair. With his fingers he slicked back the wet strands and waited for her answer.

Hannah shook her head. “We don’t know. I know this sounds ludicrous, but someone took her two days ago. She went to the outhouse, and that was the last anyone saw of her. We found some tracks, but whoever took her worked to cover them. Then the rain obliterated any further signs before Berto could get very far. You can speak with him about it, but he said that once the tracks made a wide circle around the ranch, the rider headed southwest.”

Tyler thought surely she was joking. Who would have any reason to take Carissa? “Indians?” he asked aloud.

“Berto doesn’t think so. The horse was shod, the man wore boots, and there wasn’t any other indication of Indians. The person did try to cover their tracks.”

“Then who would want to take her?”

She looked at William. “I think I might have an idea. Herbert Lockhart escaped jail some months back. The sheriff told me he’d be crazy to come here, but I know the man is crazy—and it wouldn’t surprise me at all for him to have been the one to take Carissa.”

“He wouldn’t have done it himself,” William said. “He’d probably hire it done. But why take Carissa? Why not wait it out and nab you?”

“If he sent someone to do it,” Tyler said, “could be they didn’t know what Hannah looked like. The two aren’t that different in build. Might be, too, they weren’t expectin’ any other white women on the ranch. After all, Lockhart would have no way of knowin’ that Carissa and her sister were here. He probably told his men to grab the only white woman on the place.”

“That would make sense.” William looked back at his wife. “Two days ago, you say?”

She nodded. “Yes. It was about lunchtime.”

“Did the sheriff have anything more to say about it?” Tyler asked. He moved toward his horse. “Never mind. I’ll ride into town and talk to him myself.”

William gave Hannah’s arm a squeeze. “I’ll go with him.”

Tyler shook his head. “You don’t need to.”

“Neither of you need to go. The sheriff is with his men looking for Carissa right now. He promised he’d stop in on his way back to town if he had any news at all. So it would be better if you’d come inside and wait rather than head out aimlessly. Juanita and Pepita are getting supper on.”

Everything in him protested doing nothing, but Tyler knew the futility of just heading off on his own without any real understanding of the situation. Especially since they were losing the light. He would talk to Berto and see if he could get the man’s fix on what happened, and then perhaps he would head out to search for Carissa after he had a good night’s sleep.

“Like I could sleep now,” he muttered.

Just then the children came running out the front door with Marty close behind. Robert made his way to William, squealing with delight as his father hoisted him up and tossed him high in the air.

Gloria made a beeline for Tyler and clapped her hands. “Papa Tyer! Papa Tyer!”

He looked at the child in wonder and lifted her in his arms. He hugged her close, and she nestled her head against his neck. “I think you’ve grown a foot,” he murmured.

“I got a foot,” she said, her head popping back up. She stuck out her leg. “See.”

He smiled. “You sure do. And I got you a present.” He tried not to think of the ring in his pocket and the woman who was so evidently absent.

“Mama goed away,” Gloria said matter-of-factly. She didn’t even seem to care that he’d brought her a gift. “Did you see Mama?” Her expression grew quite serious.

He shook his head. “No, but I will find her for us.”

Gloria smiled and nodded. “I come with you.”

Tyler shook his head again. “No, you’ll have to stay here. But when I find her, I’ll bring her right back.”

The little girl gave a pout, and Tyler wasn’t sure if it was the prelude to tears. So he again brought up the fact that he had a gift for her. “Don’t you want your present, Miss Gloria?”

“A pwesent for me.” It wasn’t a question, but rather a statement of fact.

“Yes, a present for you. Come on. I think I put it in the wagon. Let’s go see if we can find it.” Despite his desire to talk to Berto, he knew Gloria needed the distraction at the moment.

They retrieved the doll, and Gloria hugged it close. She said very little but studied the doll long and hard. She kept touching the golden hair and china face.

“So what will you name her?” Tyler asked.

“Mama,” Gloria replied.

He felt his throat tighten. He hadn’t thought of the doll looking similar to Carissa, but apparently it touched that chord in Gloria. He put her on the ground and watched her continue to assess the toy.

“Come on. Let’s head back to the house.”

As they walked, Gloria chattered to the doll and occasionally stumbled over her own feet. Tyler was poised to right her, knowing she couldn’t be bothered with the ground and her feet when such a toy awaited her inspection.

She was such a precious child, and the fact that she was now calling him Papa had touched him in a way he hadn’t expected. He wondered if Carissa had encouraged the title, or if Gloria had come up with it herself. It wouldn’t have been likely that Carissa would promote such a thing. After all, when they parted company, Carissa had seemed almost indifferent to him. Almost. But not quite.

Now she was gone, and Tyler couldn’t help but wonder what they would do if Carissa didn’t return.

Don’t be borrowin’ trouble,
he chided himself silently.
Won’t do any good to think that way. I need all my focus to be on finding her. Not on what to do if I don’t.
He continued to berate himself about how to handle the matter until Hannah interrupted his thoughts.

“Tyler?”

He looked up and met her concerned expression. “Yeah?”

“I’m so sorry. I feel like there’s something more I could have done, but I honestly thought we were taking all the necessary precautions.”

“Don’t go blamin’ yourself, Hannah. This is the fault of an evildoer, not some lackin’ on your part.”

Gloria held out her doll. “See Mama?”

Hannah’s look of confusion caused Tyler to speak. “Gloria says she’s callin’ the doll
Mama
.”

“Oh, I see. For a moment I thought she was calling me that. I couldn’t . . . well . . . never mind. I understand now.” She smiled and leaned down. “She’s a beautiful doll.”

“Papa Tyer got her for me.” Gloria beamed.

“She’s quite lovely. Now why don’t you go inside and get washed up for supper. Ask Marty to help you put the dolly up until after you eat.”

“No, Mama’s gonna eat with me.”

Hannah bit her lip and nodded. “All right. Go get washed up.”

Tyler watched Gloria head into the house. He turned back to find tears running down Hannah’s face. He shook his head and handed her a handkerchief from his pocket. “Don’t be cryin’, Hannah. It won’t help a thing, and you’ll just upset yourself. No sense causin’ that baby any grief.”

“Oh, Tyler. I wish it had been me.”

“No. Don’t be sayin’ such things,” he said, putting his arm around her. “God’s got a plan in all of this. I don’t begin to understand what it is, but I know He’s got a plan. We gotta trust Him with Carissa.”

She nodded and wiped her eyes. “I do. It’s all that’s gotten me through.”

“Oh, Brandon,” Laura sobbed. She clung to him, refusing to let go. “I prayed so hard for your return. I’ve been so afraid.”

“I was afraid myself. When I learned you were so sick . . . well . . . all I wanted was to be home,” he said, smoothing back damp hair from her face. “I’m so glad you’re on the mend.”

“I am, but Carissa is gone.” She pulled back just a bit. “She’s been missing for two days.”

“What are you talking about—missing?” He shook his head. “Surely she didn’t just take off.”

Laura grasped his hand as he sat beside her. “Someone took her. We don’t know who did it or where they’ve taken her.” Her voice broke. “I just feel like the entire world has turned upside down. What are we to do?”

“I can tell you what we’re not going to do: We’re not going to let you get yourself all worked up over this. This is bad, but not so bad that we can’t find hope in God. Right?”

She lifted her tear-filled eyes to meet his gaze. “I know you’re right, but Carissa is so fragile. She doesn’t know how to do much for herself. Even if she managed to escape her captor, how would she ever find her way home?”

“A body usually does what they have to when put to the task. Your sister is stronger than you give her credit for. We’ll find her, but you have to calm down. Or is this problem too big for God?”

She looked rather shocked at his question. “Of course not.”

“Good.” He nodded to the sleeping baby in the cradle beside the bed. “He needs for you to get strong and be back on your feet. Daniel needs you to be there for him. And I need you, Laura. I need you more than I could ever imagine needing anyone.” He caressed her cheek, then leaned forward to place a gentle kiss upon her lips. “We will see this through together, and God will oversee it all.”

She nodded. “I know you’re right. I want to be strong and have faith. Hannah and Juanita have been so good to pray with me. They saved my life, you know.”

“I figured as much.” He smiled. “William told me Hannah is quite handy with sick folk. I’ll admit, I wanted for you to have a doctor and a good hospital for all the best of care, but then I got to thinking about how competent Hannah is—and I figured you had the best.”

“I did. The doctor did come, but he said I was beyond his ability. At least that’s what Juanita told me. She said the doctor did what he could, but said it wasn’t likely for either Lucas or me to make it.”

“I’m glad you proved him wrong.” William caressed her arm. “I don’t honestly know what I would have done if you hadn’t made it. I couldn’t imagine living my life without you here. I don’t care if we never have another baby—but I can’t lose you, Laura.”

It was her turn to reach out to him. She put her hand against his cheek. “I love you, Brandon Reid. I promise you, I’ll do my best not to cause you any more worry.”

He grinned and covered her hand with his own. “You’d better not—if you know what’s good for you.” The baby stirred, drawing Brandon’s attention. “He’s so little.”

“Yes, but he’s got a good appetite, and he’s eating quite well on a goat milk mix that Juanita came up with. I couldn’t provide for him because of the sickness.” She frowned. “It’s my deepest regret.”

“Don’t let it be, Laura. God has provided another way, and the most important thing is that you are getting well. That is all I want.”

“And all I want, now that you’re back, is for Carissa to be found unharmed. Oh, Brandon, what will we do if they have . . . if they . . .” Laura couldn’t finish. She lowered her face and shook her head.

“I thought we agreed to trust God.” She looked up, and Brandon continued. “We will do whatever needs to be done, Laura.”

“But what about Gloria?”

“Listen to you. You’re already thinking the worst. Now stop it. You need to have faith that God will get us through this. It might not turn out the way we expect or want, but we will trust in Him.”