Linda Ford (3 page)

“Who’s she talking to?”

“She’s strange. Just like Thorton says.”

A whole section of the door gave way. Holding the ax ready to use as a weapon, Red poked her head through the opening. Belle sat shivering on a crude bed. “Belle, honey. It’s me. Come here.” She held out her arms.

Belle’s eyes were wide and staring.

What had these men done to her in the three days that Red had been missing? She swung about and faced them, the ax lifted like a sword. “Anyone touch either of us and I’ll leave you in pieces.”

The men kept back a safe distance.

She turned back to her sister. “Belle, come here. I’ll look after you. Just like I always do.”

Whimpering, Belle slipped from the bed.

“What’s going on here?”

Red slowly turned to face the Mountie with Thorton on one side and Ward on the other.

“She’s trashed my house.” Mike pointed. “Arrest her, I say.”

“Red, what are you doing? Give me the ax.” The Mountie gingerly reached for her weapon.

Red didn’t budge. Didn’t offer to release it. Nor would she until Belle was safe and sound. “Have a look for yourself.” She stepped aside and indicated the Mountie should look in the hole.

He watched her carefully as he edged forward. She kept her back to the shack as she watched the circle of men for any threat, but she knew the moment the Mountie saw Belle because of his indrawn breath. “Come on, child. You’re safe now.”

Red kept her eyes on Thorton. She saw his intention to escape and sprang forward, waving the ax.

Ward also saw his intention and grabbed an arm and twisted it behind Thorton’s back.

The Mountie lifted Belle through the opening. She glanced about at all the men and pressed her back to the shack.

Red dropped the ax and held her arms out. Belle hesitated a moment, then raced to her sister.

“Thorton Winch,” the Mountie said, “I’m arresting you for kidnapping and a number of other charges. Take a good look at the sky. You won’t get many more chances.”

As he was led away, Thorton turned to Red. “Don’t think this is the end. I’ll get away and I’ll find you.”

The Mountie jerked his arms. “You aren’t going anywhere.

“Mike Morton, you are under arrest, too. Ward, would you bring him along?”

Thorton gave Ward a look fit to cure leather. “I’ll find you, too, and make you regret your part in this.”

The Mountie pushed him along.

The men shrank away, muttering they didn’t know about a child. She expected most of them told the truth.

In a few minutes Red and Belle were alone.

“What are we going to do?” Belle whispered.

“We’ll be fine.”

“Who’s going to take care of us?”

“We’ll take care of ourselves.” She spoke so reassuringly she almost believed her words. But she had no money. No clothing except the dress on her back and grateful she was for the brown one Linette had given her. But they had their freedom.

“Let’s go.” She took Belle’s hand and headed out of town, a different direction than the one that had brought her back a few hours ago.

“Where we going?”

“To a new life.” One, she vowed, where she would never again depend on a man. Or trust one.

They marched bravely onward until Belle dropped to the edge of the trail.

“We’re lost. And I’m hungry.” Silent tears trailed down her pale cheeks.

Red hated those tears and that silent cry, even though she felt like sitting at Belle’s side and joining her in a good wail. Her leg hurt even though she’d looked at it closely when Linette changed the dressing last night and knew it was a minor injury. Her head pounded like a thousand horses kicking to be released. “We’ll be okay.”

Belle shook her head. Not that Red blamed her for not believing. She had no plan. No options. “Come on. We can’t sit at the side of the road feeling sorry for ourselves.”

Belle didn’t move.

Red dried her sister’s tears on the skirt of the brown cotton dress. “Something will work out. It always does, doesn’t it?” Even though she said the words, she could think of too many times when things had gone wrong to be convincing.

“Can I call you Grace now?”

Red looked past Belle to the low bushes beside the trail. “I’ll never be Grace again. Continue calling me Red.” She yanked on a lock of hair. Why had she been cursed with hair that drew unwanted attention?

Belle sprang to her feet. Her eyes widened as she stared down the road. “Someone’s coming.” She bolted for the bushes.

“Belle, wait.” But Belle didn’t slow until she was well out of sight.

Red shared her sense of panic. Had Thorton escaped? She squinted at the approaching rider. He led a second horse. That fact alone sent shivers up and down Red’s spine. Slowly she backed away, aiming for the opposite side of the trail as Belle. That way if Red was caught, Belle might hope to escape.

To what? Starvation in the wilds?

She spun about. Her head did not like the sudden movement and dizziness made her stumble and fall to her knees.

“Red. Hold up. It’s me.”

She recognized the voice. Ward. Interfering again.

But her annoyance was laced liberally with relief. Surely he’d give her a ride.

To where? She had no place to go.

* * *

Ward was too far away to do anything but kick his horse to a gallop, and watch helplessly as Red fell to the ground. The woman seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble. But right now he didn’t have time to analyze that observation. He had to take care of Red and her little sister. Where had Belle disappeared to?

He jumped from his horse and trotted over to Red who now sat on the ground, her legs drawn up, her face buried in her knees. He squatted at her side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just turned too fast and fell.” She eyed him with squinting disfavor. “Could happen to anyone.”

He chuckled. “Yup. Happens to me all the time.”

She snorted. “Sure it does.”

“Well it does every time I have a blow to my head that leaves a lump the size of a turkey egg.”

She stared away.

He looked in the same direction. Saw nothing of interest. Some scraggly bushes along the trail, poplars with their lacy leaves dancing in the breeze, and further off, dark green spruce and pine. In the distance, the blue-gray Rockies. “Where you going?” Seemed to be nothing much out there for her to aim for.

“To freedom.”

“Yeah, sure. But where will you hang your hat?”

“No hat to hang.”

He guessed she had little of anything to hang. She’d left without pausing to collect her belongings. All she took with her was her little sister. Who—if he had to guess—hid from the sight of a man. No doubt men represented danger in her young mind. Maybe in Red’s not-so-young mind as well. “Even without a hat, you need a place. You can’t survive out in the open. Do you have any family?”

She didn’t shift her gaze. “Just Belle.”

“Uh-huh. Friends? Anyone who would give you a home?”

The look she gave him dripped disbelief. “Do you think if we did, we would have fallen into the clutches of a man like Thorton?”

“Guess it was a stupid question.”

“It sure was.”

He sank to his backside and drew his knees up in a pose that mirrored hers. Together they stared down the trail. “I got a place. Ain’t much. Just a tiny cabin. Someday it’s going to be more. Got plans for a big house.”

“What you want with a big house? You got a girl?”

“I got a mother and two brothers. It’s for them.”

“No pa?”

“He died.”

“Where are they now?”

Her question unleashed a tornado of memories, infiltrated with regrets and pain. “Back in New Brunswick. Travers is three years younger than me...” When he and Travers said goodbye, Travers swore he would come and join Ward when he thought Hank could take care of himself. The Travers he remembered never went back on his word. “Hank is ten years younger,” he continued. “He’d be thirteen by now. I ain’t seen him since he was six.”

She shifted to see his face. “How come?”

“I left.”

“Who is taking care of them?”

“My stepfather.” The man had vowed he loved Ma and the boys.
Love!
A word easily spoken. It meant nothing. Taking care of others was all that counted. That and kindness.

“Oh.” Her voice was small, tight. “That why you left?”

Something in her tone drew him. He met her probing gaze. “He didn’t care for me. Just me being there made him angry.”

Understanding flickered through her gaze. “He used a belt? Fists?”

He nodded, and in that moment they formed a bond—one based on the shared experience of abuse. He looked deep into her hurting soul, found a reflection of his own. He knew then what he must do. “I’ll take you to my cabin. You can stay there as long as you need.”

“What about your family? Aren’t you expecting them?”

He closed his eyes, shutting out her gaze, as a newer, fresher pain surfaced. “They aren’t answering my letters.” He’d had but three letters in the years since he left—two from Ma and one from Travers. Nothing in almost three years.

“Oh. I’m sorry.” A cool hand touched the back of his, and he jerked his eyes open. She pulled her hand to her knee and looked into the distance, but she’d touched him. Offered comfort. That tiny gesture slipped into his troubled heart and mind like a warm summer breeze full of sweet scents.

“So you’ll accept my offer?” He hoped she’d agree willingly. Let him help her and Belle.

She developed a keen interest in the blade of grass plucked from nearby. Her hesitation gave him plenty of time to reconsider, but rather than withdraw his offer, he silently begged her to accept it.

Slowly she turned and faced him. “What would you expect in return?”

The question sliced through him like she’d used the ax she’d threatened the circle of men with. Then the meaning of her words hit him with peculiar force. He sprang to his feet and backed away three steps. “I am not that sort of a man. I made an offer out of concern for you and Belle. I have no ulterior, despicable motives.” What had Thorton demanded of her? His cheeks burned to think of the sort of things that went on in the back rooms of a saloon. Some would see Red as soiled, ruined. But all he saw was a woman who needed help to escape a bad situation. He could offer that.

She didn’t lower her gaze, nor did her silent demand ease.

“If you accept my offer, it will be clearly understood that I—” he could think of no gentle way to say it “—I do not want repayment of any sort. My only concern is making sure you and Belle are safe from the kind of treatment you received at Thorton’s hands and that you have a place to live.”

Still she considered him, looking up from her seated position. He felt her careful examination of his words. Of him. As if she probed his thoughts, his heart. His very soul.

He met her gaze without once blinking. She would find him reliable, trustworthy, perhaps even noble so far as he was able.

Finally she spoke. “Very well. I will accept your offer until I can find something suitable that allows me my freedom and independence.”

Her answer was less than satisfactory. After all, he had no intention of infringing on her freedom, though she’d had none whatsoever until he intervened. She might remember that. And how much independence did she expect? She had neither means nor opportunity to pursue such. “I’m not asking to own you, only help you.” But at least she had agreed to use his cabin. “Then let’s get on our way. Where’s Belle?”

“Belle, come.”

Nothing.

“She’s afraid of you.”

“Now, that hurts. If you’d said she’s afraid of men, I’d understand, but you make it sound like it’s only me.”

“That’s because you’re the only man here. So at this point she’s only afraid of you.”

“Do you always have to win every argument?”

He might as well have accused her of some heinous crime the way she glowered at him. “I most certainly do not. Do you turn everything into a confrontation?”

“A what?”

“Yes. See, a simple comment about Belle being afraid of you becomes a—a—”

“Yeah. What?”

“A challenge. That’s what.”

He slapped his forehead. “I can see this is going to be a fun time.”

She slowly rose to her feet, planted her hands on her hips and stuck out her chin as she faced him. “Do you mean to say you will be residing in this cabin? Because I did not understand that part. If that is so, then I change my mind. We’ll find some other place.”

He groaned. “I will be living at the ranch. That’s where I work. But unless you have a means of getting supplies, filling the wood box, bringing in meat... Well, do you?”

She squinted without answering.

“I thought not. So I expect you’ll be happy enough to let me do that. Which—if you can bear the thought—means I will occasionally come by to perform those necessary tasks.” Suddenly the idea held a lot less appeal than it did just a few minutes ago.

“Just so long as we understand each other.”

“Oh, I think we do.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Her gaze slid past him and her scowl vanished. “Belle?” Her voice grew soft, gentle, inviting.

Ward’s first instinct was to spin around, but remembering Red’s words that Belle was afraid of him—the way she’d said it still irritated—he stepped aside so he wasn’t blocking Belle’s view of Red and slowly, cautiously turned about.

Belle stood at the far edge of the road.

“It’s okay. He won’t hurt you.” Red’s words were as much warning to Ward as encouragement to Belle, and irritation scratched at his decision to help.

Ward let Belle assess him. Though the wariness never left her eyes, she crossed the road to take Red’s outstretched hand. She carefully kept Red between herself and Ward.

“He has a cabin we can use until we sort ourselves out.”

If not for Belle’s presence, Ward would have pointed out how she made it sound as if accepting his offer was a last resort. She gave no account of the fact it was a generous offer made from a concerned person. After all, he was preparing a place for his mother and brothers. Having Red and Belle there would be inconvenient should they arrive. But he already knew the frustration and folly of pointing out flaws in her words. Still, he couldn’t keep from murmuring, “I’m only trying to help.”