To Tame a Renegade (13 page)

“Good luck, Delaney. We’re gonna hang him on the spot if we find him first”

They left Chad in a cloud of dust. Turning his horse around, Chad rode back to Carbon. Late afternoon shadows had lengthened by the time he reached the dreary little town. The dingy, sun-baked buildings presented an appearance of peace and respectability, but Chad knew better. The town’s “respectable” citizens were small-minded and judgmental, and their preacher was the worst offender of all.

Chad rode directly to shantytown and dismounted before Sarah’s small shack. A strange premonition twisted his gut when he saw no sign of Abner, or any other movement about the shanty. Chad’s worst fears were realized when a gust of wind caught the door and it swayed open on rusty hinges.

His fears escalated when Chad walked through the house and found it empty and cold. The yard was as deserted as the house. Where could Sarah be this time of day? He glanced across the way at the Barlow shack, feeling a welcome rush of relief. If Sarah wasn’t at home perhaps she was with Carrie Barlow. His long legs carried him across the distance to the Barlows’. He rapped sharply on the door, chafing in impatience until one of Carrie’s brood appeared to open it.

Chad stepped into the house. Carrie saw him immediately and came to greet him, her newborn babe nestled at her shoulder.

“Why, Mr. Delaney, what brings you here? I thought you’d left town. Is something wrong?”

“I was hoping you could answer that question, Mrs. Barlow,” Chad said grimly. “Sarah isn’t home. You haven’t seen her, have you?”

Carrie shook her head. “Why, no, I haven’t. Perhaps she stepped out for a spell.”

“Perhaps she did,” Chad said uncertainly.

Carrie grew thoughtful. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Abner since yesterday. The little scamp usually turns up to play with one of my kids.”

Chad began to have a bad feeling about this. “Thanks, Mrs. Barlow. Is there anything else you can think of? Did anything unusual happen yesterday or today?”

“Now that you mention it, our horse disappeared from the lean-to next to the house. Charlie is fit to be tied. He’d sure like to get his hands on the horse thief who stole it. That horse was Charlie’s pride and joy.”

Chad didn’t have time to chat about a missing horse when he was so worried about Sarah and Abner. “Sorry about the horse, Mrs. Barlow. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if I can find Sarah and Abner.”

Chad hurried away. He had another stop to make before jumping to conclusions. He mounted Flint and rode to the parsonage. Hezekiah himself answered Chad’s knock. He scowled when he saw Chad standing on his doorstep.

“Have you come to seek redemption, Mr. Delaney? I seriously doubt you’re worth saving. Get thee gone, Satan.”

“Is Sarah here?” Chad asked brusquely. He wasn’t here to beat around the bush with a man who saw evil in everything.

“If you’re referring to Sarah the harlot, no, she is not here. She is not welcome in my home.”

“Do you know where she is?”

Hezekiah’s stern features hardened. “In some man’s bed, I suspect.”

“I hope you rot in hell,” Chad said, whirling on his heel. He was wasting time here and knew it.

Chad rode into town, tied Flint to the hitching post in front of the One-Eyed Jack Saloon, and walked down one side of the street and up the other, looking for Sarah in each of the businesses he passed. It appeared as if Sarah and Abner had disappeared into thin air.

“Hey, Delaney, you still in town?”

Chad whirled on his heel toward the sound of the voice. He saw Cal Bork coming out of the general store and waited for him to approach.

“Yeah, I’m still here. What of it?”

“Don’t get your dander up, I was just curious. I was in the storeroom taking inventory when I heard you asking Pa about Sarah Temple.”

“That’s right, Bork. Have you seen Sarah? She’s not at home and I haven’t been able to find her anywhere.”

“Can’t say as I have.” He gave Chad a speculative look. “Are you still looking for Freddie Jackson?”

“Yeah, why do you want to know?” Now it was Chad’s turn to become suspicious. “Has Jackson been in town recently?”

“Er … no. Not that I know of.” His eyes shifted away from Chad. “Reckon I’d better get on back to the store.”

Chad was astute enough to recognize a lie when he heard one. He grasped the lapels of Bork’s shirt and pulled him close, until they were nose to nose. Chad stared him down. “If you value your life, I suggest you tell me what you know. Jackson is an outlaw with a price on his head. You look like a reasonable man, so I’m appealing to your sense of honesty. Was Jackson in town yesterday?”

“Yeah, Jackson was in town yesterday, asking about his parents. I told him they were dead and that was the end of it. I haven’t seen him since so I figured he hightailed it out of here.”

Chad tightened his grip on Bork’s lapels. “Is that all, Bork? Think hard. What else did he say?”

Beads of perspiration popped out on Bork’s forehead. “Now that I think on it, Jackson did inquire about someone else.” He swallowed convulsively. “He asked about Sarah Temple.”

Everything Chad feared had come to fruition. Ever since Sarah’s strange reaction at the mention of Jackson’s name, Chad suspected a connection between the two. He’d tried to convince himself that he’d been imagining things, that his fancy was working overtime, yet the gut feeling had remained. Abruptly he released Bork’s lapels. “I suppose you told Jackson where to find Sarah.”

Bork gave a jerky nod. “I might have mentioned it. He seemed interested in that kid of hers. Wanted to know how old he was. I thought it odd but Jackson always was a strange one.”

Taking advantage of Chad’s distraction, Bork slowly backed away. “That’s all I know, Delaney, I swear it.”

“Did Jackson say where he was heading? Did you know he meant to rob the bank in Medicine Bow last night?”

“No! That’s all he said. I don’t know anything about a bank robbery, or where Jackson was heading. Can I go now?”

“Go on, get out of here.”

Chad needed to think. All kinds of possibilities were running through his mind and he needed time to sort through them. His growling stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten all day so he headed for the nearest eating house. After ordering a thick steak, fried potatoes, apple pie, and coffee, he sat back and stared out the window while his mind sorted through the facts.

Fact one: Sarah and Abner were missing.

Fact two: Jackson was in town asking about Sarah.

Fact three: No matter how much the thought riled him, Sarah and Jackson had to be more than casual acquaintances.

Now came the questions. Was Abner Jackson’s son? Did Sarah go off willingly with Jackson? Her house showed no signs of a struggle. Did Sarah love Jackson? That thought caused him no small amount of consternation. After listening to Sarah’s disparaging remarks about men, Chad got the impression that she neither trusted nor liked them. Was Jackson the cause
of
her distrust? What had he done to her? And why would she go with him?

His meal came then and Chad ate slowly, mulling over the options open to him. If Sarah had willingly accompanied Jackson, then it was none of his business. The reward for capturing Jackson was still a consideration, however. There was also something else to consider. If Jackson forced Sarah to go along with him, Chad would brave hell and high water to find her. Abner was a good kid. A man like Jackson would be a bad influence on him. Surely Sarah knew that.

By the time he’d eaten the last bite of pie and drained his coffee cup, Chad had made up his mind. He couldn’t abandon Sarah and Abner to a violent man like Jackson. He would find Jackson and rescue her, even if she didn’t want to be rescued.

Women! They didn’t have the sense they were born with. The fact that Jackson was Abner’s father, if indeed that was true, didn’t give Jackson the right to take Sarah and Abner. God, he was confused. Had Sarah gone with the outlaw willingly or did Jackson take her and Abner by force?

Suddenly another thought occurred to Chad. Did the Barlows’ missing horse have anything to do with Sarah’s disappearance? His gut told him it did. Chad’s face was grim with determination as he left the eating house. Fortunately, Chad knew this area like the back of his hand. Jackson was no dummy. He knew he couldn’t show his face around here without risking capture. Common sense told him Jackson would lay low for awhile. Medicine Bow sat at the foot of Elk Mountain. Wouldn’t it make sense for Jackson to have a hideout somewhere on Elk Mountain? Chad thought it did and that’s exactly where he headed after replenishing his supplies at the general store.

Jackson led Sarah along a winding trail to an abandoned miner’s shack. It was protected on one side by a ridge, making it difficult for passersby to see. Nearby, a clear creek meandering down from the mountain top bubbled over a stony bed. It was a peaceful setting, and Sarah thought the air much cleaner than the soot-drenched air she breathed in Carbon.

Though remarkably beautiful, and despite being within a day’s ride of Medicine Bow, the area was remote and uninhabited. She was more alone than she had ever been in her life. If only Chad… No, she wouldn’t allow herself to think about Chad. He was far away by now and probably glad to be shed of her and Abner.

“We’re here,” Jackson said, setting Abner on the ground and dismounting behind him. “Lots of wide-open spaces. No one will find us here.”

“What about Indians?” Abner asked fearfully.

“Indians ain’t gonna hurt us, kid. Spotted Deer won’t let them.”

Just then an Indian woman appeared in the doorway of the crude cabin. Her face seemed carved from stone as she stared at Sarah and Abner. The woman was handsome rather than pretty, with dark skin, penetrating black eyes, and a statuesque figure. Her malevolent glare caused a shiver to skitter down Sarah’s spine. Sarah recognized something cruel about the woman, something dangerous in her eyes that made Sarah want to take Abner and run.

“Who is the woman?” Spotted Deer asked in guttural English. “Why is she here?”

Jackson pushed Abner forward. “This here’s my kid. His name is Abner. And that’s his ma. Her name is Sarah. I wanted the kid with me. His ma followed. She don’t mean a thing to me, Spotted Deer.”

Spotted Deer approached Sarah, her eyes dark with contempt. “Her skin is pale and her eyes are strange. Send the woman away, Fred-die.”

“Aw, forget her, honey. I got no feelings for Sarah. She can clean and cook for us so you won’t have to work so hard.”

Jackson’s eyes glittered with lust as his gaze settled on Spotted Deer’s breasts. “What say you and me go inside so you can give me a proper greeting?” he said, pulling her toward the cabin. He paused in the doorway and turned back to Sarah. “You and the kid stay here until we’re finished. Don’t even think about running because it won’t work. If the wild animals don’t get you, the Indians will.”

Sarah waited until Jackson and Spotted Deer were inside the cabin before leading Abner to a fallen log and sitting down beside him. She had no idea where she was or how to get back to civilization. She could steal a horse now, while Jackson was occupied, but she wasn’t sure she could find her way back to civilization. She was exhausted and so was Abner. Her hands were so raw she doubted she could hold the reins properly. When the time came for her and Abner to escape she wouldn’t hesitate, but at the moment she was too tired to try.

“Why did that bad man take me away, Mama?” Abner asked, laying his weary head in Sarah’s lap. “Is he really my papa?”

The answer to that question wasn’t easy for Sarah to give. Biologically Jackson was Abner’s father, but in all the ways that counted, Abner had no father. How could she explain that to a five-year-old?

“Freddie Jackson really is your father, honey, but I never wanted you to know. I’m sorry to say he’s not a good man. I wanted to spare you this. You might never have known if Freddie hadn’t shown up in Carbon and found out about you.”

“He didn’t know about me?” Abner asked, his interest piqued.

“No. Someday, when you’re older, I’ll explain it to you.”

“I don’t have to like him just because he’s my papa, do I?”

“No, honey, you don’t. But if I were you I wouldn’t say anything to make him mad. I’m going to try to find a way for us to escape. That will be our little secret.”

Abner seemed to accept that. “I’m hungry, Mama.”

“So am I. When Freddie comes out of the cabin I’ll ask about getting us something to eat”

Fifteen minutes later Freddie exited the cabin. His shirt was unbuttoned, and he was in the midst of fastening his trousers. “Get inside and fix us something to eat,” he barked. “You insisted on coming along, now make yourself useful.”

“Come on, Abner,” Sarah said, rising quickly so as not to rouse Jackson’s anger.

“The kid stays,” Jackson growled. “He’s too much of a mama’s boy for my liking. You’ve turned the kid into a sissy. From now on Spotted Deer will see to his needs. She can teach him some of her people’s ways. Shoshone discipline will do the boy good.”

“If that squaw hurts Abner I’ll make her sorry she left her people,” Sarah warned. “Abner is a good boy; he doesn’t need to be taught discipline.”

Jackson’s face hardened. “Do as I say and don’t argue. I’m still mad at you for following me. You don’t want to see me when I get really angry.” His tone held a threat Sarah wasn’t prepared to challenge at the moment. Turning abruptly, she walked into the squalid cabin.