Bran (Prairie Grooms, Book Six) (14 page)

He waded across the creek and once on the other side, used the trees for cover and tried to pick up the trail again. It didn't take him long to find it. It also didn't take the outlaws long to find him. Before Bran could turn around, someone hit him in the head with a rock. He then fell to the cold, hard ground.

Fourteen

Apple trembled in her bonds and stared at the unconscious form of Deputy Bran O'Hare. The two men she'd met in the canyon had been joined by several others, and together, they took their captives and rode over some pretty rough terrain to make their escape and anyone that might be pursuing them. Her predicament was precarious, this she knew. What she also knew was that Bran might be seriously injured. He was still out cold and had been for over an hour. This, of course, led her to one solid conclusion. The only one that made sense and why she was now staring at a trussed up Bran beside her.

The curse was real.

Of course, this also meant it was only a matter of time before further harm came to her precious deputy, which meant she would have to come up with a way to save him. But the only thing she could think of, was to get herself as far away from him as possible, but to do that, she'd have to escape the outlaws. Come to think of it, as they
were
outlaws, why hadn’t they killed Bran, or her, for that matter? Even worse, had their way with her? She got her answer soon enough when they set up camp.

“Ya had better be right about this, you two,” snarled a man with an eye patch.

“Have we ever steered you wrong before?” asked one of the men she’d met in the canyon. She'd learn through their conversations that his name was Eli, and that his companion was in actuality his cousin. His name is Luke.

“You Randall boys lie like a rug,” said the man with the eye patch. “And as I've never seen or heard of any of these gals before, I'm not likely to believe you.”

“She says she's their cousin, and that means she's family, and wouldn't a family want to get their cousin back? Come on Spider, we can ransom her for a lot of money.”

The man with the eye patch was named Spider? For a brief moment Apple thought of the last penny dreadful Imogene read to Cutty, and its heroine, Miss Penny Winkle. Apple herself was beginning to feel like the proverbial damsel in distress, and if she wasn't so frightened at the moment, she’d be amused. But because her erstwhile hero lay next to her bound, gagged, and not to mention unconscious, things were looking rather grim.

“All right,” said Spider. “But my boys, what's left of them, haven't been around a woman in a long time, and I can't guarantee that she'll be returned the same way ya found her.”

“She'll be worth more if she’s sent back in the same condition we got her,” said Eli.

Spider looked at Apple with his one eye, and leered. “Yeah, but I haven't been around a woman in a long time either, and she's a mighty fine looking piece of sweetness.”

“Well, since me and Luke found her, then we should be the ones to decide.”

Spider growled. “You're lucky I’m hungry, or I’d have to shoot ya.” He turned toward the fire the men just built. “Hurry up and get what’s left of them beans cooked, then put that fire out. Won't be long before they start lookin’ for her.”

His men quickened their efforts and hurried to do as he said. “What about him?” Eli asked as he pointed to Bran. Apple's eyes flicked to the still form next to her.

“I don’t understand why ya had to bring him along in the first place,” hissed Spider.

“We thought maybe he was another cousin to them Cookes. Two is better than one in this line of work.”

“As hard as you hit him, he probably ain’t gonna be worth nothin’. Is he even still alive?”

Apple's eyes widened in panic, and she studied Bran. She breathed a sigh of relief through her nose, gagged as she was, when she saw his chest rise and fall.

“Yeah, he's alive. We'll find out who he is as soon as he comes around.”

“Well if he ain’t no relation to them Cookes, then kill him,” ordered Spider. He turned and went to the fire where his men were heating up a small pot of beans.

Kill him!
Oh no! Now what was she to do? As soon as Bran came to and they found out he was a lawman… wait a minute… They should already know he's a lawman, shouldn't they? Apple studied Bran more closely and noticed he wasn't wearing his deputy’s star. Where could it be? Maybe he lost it hiking through the trees after her. She’d heard her captors say that Bran had followed them up and across the creek. He must have lost it pushing through the branches and brush. It was one of the reasons the outlaws—after binding her wrists and gagging her—had picked her up and carried her. It was easier than having to pull and push her through the trees. Her skirts having caught on every limb, branch and bush.

Soon the outlaws settled themselves around the fire, ignored Apple, and got down to the business of eating. Thankfully, while their attention was on their food, Bran moaned. Thank Heavens he was gagged! He might say something that would tip them off that he was a lawman. She had to find some way to let him know that he needed to tell them he was a relation of hers. A brother perhaps?

Apples thoughts were interrupted as Bran's eyes slowly opened. She quickly looked at the outlaws to make sure none of them glanced their way, then scooted over to Bran and nudged his leg with her foot. He turned and looked at her, his eyes opening wide. He quickly scanned the area, saw the outlaws, and then looked at her again. She shook her head for him to stay quiet and still. She then made a show of closing her own eyes and letting her head loll to the side, to tell him to pretend he was still out. He gave her the tiniest of nods and did just that. If he pretended to still be unconscious he could learn for himself the nature of their predicament. It didn't take long for him to find out.

Finished with their meager meal, the outlaws belched a few times and got up from the fire. Then as instructed, put it out, and lit a single torch in its place.

“Gonna be cold tonight with no fire,” one complained.

“Shut up!” Spider barked and snatched the torch from him. “Would you rather get caught and hanged?” The complaining outlaw muttered something unintelligible and stomped off.

Eli scooped the bottom of the Bean pot, tossed a spoonful into a tin cup, and walked over to Apple. “I suppose we should feed her.”

“What for?” asked Spider. “She ain’t the one been out on the trail, half-starved, and hidin’ from the law like we have.”

“Because the better shape she's in, the more money we’re gonna get.”

“What are you sayin’? You hold someone for ransom on a sliding scale?” asked Spider with a laugh. His men laughed too.

“Sure, I learned it from a fella named Slade. When you send a note you send three different demands. One amount if they don't care what shape their relative comes back in. A bigger one if they want their relation returned in decent shape. And a really,
really
high amount if they want them returned in tip-top shape.”

Spider glared at him. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Well, that Slade fella was a businessman,” said Levi in his defense.

Spider stared at him a moment, his upper lip curling in confusion. He looked to Apple and Bran, then back to Eli. “Huh, well what do ya know? Maybe he's got an idea there.”

“So we do it my way?” asked Eli.

“Oh, all right,” said Spider. But let me write the note. You can deliver it.”

“Sounds okay by me,” said Eli. “We should ask double for the girl.”

“Yeah, but how much should we ask for him?” one of the other outlaws asked.

“First, we gotta find out if he's related to them Cookes. If not, he ain't worth nothin’,” said Spider.

There it was. She knew Bran had to have heard all that, unless of course he lost consciousness again. She carefully looked at him, but wasn't sure if he was faking it or not. He lay so still, she didn’t wonder if he really was out cold.

“Why don't we make sure, and ask him?” suggested another.

“You can't ask a man nothin’ when he’s unconscious, you idiot!” snapped Spider.

“I know how to ask him,” said Eli. He went to one of their horses, grabbed a canteen off the saddle, came back, and dumped the contents out on Bran’s face.

Bran, bless his heart, played his role well. He let out a muffled moan, let his head loll to one side, then the other, and ever so slowly, opened his eyes.

* * *

There were four of them, possibly five, but Bran wasn’t sure yet. He knew the pair called the Randalls, had seen their wanted posters, and knew they weren’t killers. Yet. The longer they stayed with the others though, that might change. The dirty looking one with the eye-patch he didn’t know, but pegged him as the leader, which was easy enough to do. What other men he was able to get a glance at, he didn’t recognize from any wanted posters either. But to hear them say they were running from the law, told him enough. They probably came up from California, or had worked their way west from Texas. He thought he noticed a bit of an accent on the chap with the eye-patch.

He played his part well, and groaned into the gag. He’d have to come up with a plan to get Apple and himself out of there, before they decided to send Apple back to the Cookes in less than pristine shape. To do that, he’d have to play along and convince them he was English.

“Take that gag off him,” barked the one with the eye patch. “Let’s find out who he is.”

One of the Randalls removed the gag from Bran, who made a show of taking in a huge gulp of air. “Wha … what is this all about?” he sputtered in the best English accent he could muster, his tone indignant.

Apple raised an eyebrow at him, but otherwise, didn’t make a move.
Bravo, lass,
he thought.

“Who are ya?” Eye patch demanded. “What were ya doing down at that creek?”

“Creek?” Bran asked. He struggled in his bonds, and then pretended to look surprised to find he was tied up. One of the Randalls laughed at him. Bran glared back. “I’ll have you know, I was looking for my sister!”

“Did ya find her?” Eye patch asked.

“So it seems,” he said and aimed his glare at Apple. Her eyes darted nervously between him and ol’ Eye patch. “What I want to know,” Bran continued, “is what you’re planning to do with us?”

“Brother and sister, huh?” said Eye patch. “You don’t look much like brother and sister.”

“Yeah,” said the fifth man as he approached. “How come your hair is dark and hers is blonde?”

Bran rolled his eyes. “You know nothing of good breeding, do you, sir?”

“He’s as snooty and uppity as she is,” said one of the Randalls. They must be related.”

“Another cousin to them Cookes, huh?” mused Eye patch. “Hmmm…”

“Let’s get rid of him, and just ransom the girl, huh, Spider?” asked another.

“Shut up and let me think!

So, the one with the eye patch was named Spider. Where did he come from? As far as Bran knew, there wasn’t any mention of an outlaw with that name in this part of the state.

“No, we’ll ransom them both.” He paced back and forth, as if weighing something. Stopped, and grabbed the cup of beans from the hands of the other Randall. Cousins, Bran thought. Yes, the Randalls were cousins as he recalled from wanted posters.

“Hey, what are ya doin’?” the one Randall cousin asked. “I was gonna feed that to her.”

“I can’t think when I’m hungry!” snapped Spider. He shoved the torch at one of his men, then reached into the cup with his fingers, and began to eat what was left of the beans.

“We’re all hungry. We ain’t had a decent meal in days!” complained the man now holding the torch.

“Yeah,” started another. “When are we gonna get some real food?”

“Shut up!” Spider spat. “Be glad you’ve got something in your bellies!”

“I’m sick of beans,” said one of the Randalls. “I want me some meat.”

“After we get the ransom on these two, you’ll be able to afford steak!” said his cousin.

“We ain’t gonna get nothing unless we get that note to them Cookes,” said Spider. “Eli, take care of it. As soon as you get back, we’ll find another place to hold up. I don’t like being out here on the prairie like this. We need to head for them woods on the other side of town, and reach them before daylight.”

Eli smiled, and ran to his horse. Bran watched him go, then turned back to the leader. “You … you barbarian!”

“Yeah, go ahead, see if your fancy words do anything to save ya. As soon as Eli gets back, we’re leavin’.”

“In the dark?” asked Bran, as if in shock.

“Best way to travel without bein’ seen,” Spider said with a sneer. “Besides, if’n we’re lucky, we’ll catch a rabbit or somethin’ along the way.”

“Yeah, we done run out of beans,” said the outlaw holding the torch.

Spider ignored him, and leered at Apple. “Gonna be cold tonight, boys. Best hunker down until Eli gets back.”

Bran tried his best to stay calm. If the man so much as made one step toward her, he thought he’d go mad. Thankfully, the outlaw turned on his boot heel, and strode off toward the horses.

Bran breathed a sigh of relief as the others followed, and left him and Apple alone. He leaned toward her. “Are ye all right?” he whispered.

She nodded, tears in her eyes.

“I’ll get us out of this, don’t worry, but ye’ll have to do exactly as I say, okay?”