Two Texas Hearts

TWENTY-FOUR

THE WIND WHIPPED AROUND, CONFUSING THE DIRECTION of sounds. Cheyenne crept in the blackness of the night until he could see the lights from the house. He’d saddled his horse and now all he had to do was wait.

Jamie stepped off the porch just as the three strangers emerged from the barn. They were talking among themselves. One pointed in Jamie’s direction while the other two huddled around him.

Cheyenne saw her walk toward the well, a bucket swinging at her side. Good, he thought, look natural. She was doing a great job of shortening her step to act more like Kora. In the dress he could almost believe she was a lady. Before the three men had moved more than a few feet, a blackness passed between Cheyenne and Jamie. One second she’d been walking toward the well, the next she vanished as though the moonless night had swallowed her whole.

Cheyenne twisted uneasily. There were too many black spots in the yard. He couldn’t see her. The three men were still standing by the barn door mumbling. They seemed to be arguing about something as they tossed a blanket between them like children playing hot potato.

Somewhere in the shadows at the side of the main house, Cheyenne heard the jingle of a harness and the groan of a wagon beginning to roll out. The lonely sound of a harmonica drifted from the bunkhouse, and the cook yelled from the kitchen, reminding Cheyenne that the ranch was still very much alive, though Win was near death.

Cheyenne searched the darkness once more, fear climbing up his spine. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Then he saw Jamie step off the porch once more. She was safe! He’d worried for nothing.

She walked slowly toward the trees as though just out for a stroll. Since earlier, she’d grown restless. Her steps were jerky, not nearly as smooth. Cheyenne reminded himself she was young, and despite her bravado, games like this one were new to her. He hoped she wouldn’t panic and run before the men could kidnap her. If they were going through with this plan, everything had to go right. Her life was the ante.

The three strangers finally took the bait. They were in the saddle and heading toward her before she had time to turn around. Cheyenne heard her muffled scream as one man tossed a blanket over her head and another lifted her off the ground and onto the front of his saddle.

Somewhere in the darkness a guard sounded the alarm. Men hurried from the bunkhouse pulling weapons ready as they moved. Cheyenne raised into the saddle, allowing the strangers enough lead not to know they were being followed.

But Jamie’s reaction was too natural to be forgotten as planned. She fought wildly, kicking and screaming. Her actions frightened the poorly trained horse, who began circling instead of running. She kicked violently, knocking the man from his horse and landing on top of him. The two others slapped their animals into action without staying to help the downed man. Jamie was on her feet whirling a knife at her captor even before she could pull the blanket from her face.

Suddenly she realized what she’d done. ‘‘What kind of kidnapper are you?’’ She stormed at the injured man, kicking him hard in both legs and banging him on the head with her fist as though he were a drum. ‘‘Can’t you even stay in the saddle?’’ She booted him again and continued her pounding beat against his ears. ‘‘Don’t you even know how to grab someone and hold on? I should kill you for not even knowing how to hold a frightened mount!’’

Cheyenne grabbed her around the waist from behind before she could deliver another blow to the poor man balled on the ground.

‘‘Stop it!’’ Cheyenne shouted in her ear. ‘‘Don’t kill him before he answers a few questions.’’

‘‘Keep her off me!’’ the man yelled.

‘‘Where are your friends going?’’ Cheyenne asked as he struggled to hold Jamie.

The man hesitated. Cheyenne lowered a still kicking, fighting Jamie to the ground.

‘‘I’ll tell.’’ The man held up his hand. ‘‘Just don’t let her at me.’’

Cheyenne pulled her back against his side. ‘‘Then you’d better talk fast, because as you know, she’s hard to hold.’’

‘‘They’re heading for the Breaks Settlement. We was just going to keep her there for a day or two. We weren’t going to hurt her none, I swear.’’

‘‘Who’s paying you?’’ Cheyenne fired the next question as other men came running from the barn.

‘‘I don’t know. I swear. I just saw a woman on horseback bring the money. She told us to make sure Win McQuillen was busy for a few days. I don’t know nothing else.’’

‘‘What’d she look like?’’ Cheyenne shouted over Jamie’s death threats.

‘‘I couldn’t tell.’’ The man crawled away a few feet. ‘‘I couldn’t tell nothing. It was night and she had on a black duster.’’

Several ranch hands reached them, pulling the man to his feet and removing his weapons.

‘‘Tie him up.’’ Cheyenne let go of Jamie. ‘‘I’ll follow the others.’’ He grabbed his reins, when a single fact froze him in place.

The woman heading toward the well earlier had carried the bucket in her left hand!