Texas Lawman Page 20

  “Not hardly,” Brace said. “But I have.”

  He turned from her and headed back to the foyer, then climbed the stairs, his long legs cutting the trip in half as he took two steps as one. Their bedroom beckoned him and he crossed the threshold, noting that Sarah had made up the bed, fluffing the soft feather pillows invitingly. The trunk he’d given her for her use was open, her belongings in a state of disruption, and it was obvious that someone had scattered her belongings hither and yon.

  He looked down at the bits and pieces of her past, small treasures she had hoarded to herself, mementos of her family, a picture of her sister and Stephen together, Stephen still a babe in arms. He spoke her name in a low whisper. “Sarah. Sarah, where are you, sweetheart?” As if she might answer, he lifted his head to listen for some sign of her presence. And there was none.

  “Damn that man to hell,” he groaned, not looking back as he left the mess behind. Lin approached down the hallway, her heels resounding on the bare boards. She watched him from the hallway expectantly as he closed the door behind him.

  “She had a bit of money, but nothing like what they’ve demanded,” Brace said. “I didn’t bother searching for it. I’ll almost guarantee she offered it to them for Stephen’s return.”

  “What will we do now?” Lin asked, Amanda beside her. The little girl clutched at her skirt, and Lin’s son, held high in her arms, seemed almost too heavy for her to carry.

  “I’m going to get my hands on the money in my safe and go after them,” Brace said.

  “Where…?” Lin asked, the single word telling him she was totally in the dark as to which direction they should seek.

  “I have an idea,” Brace said. “Nicholas won’t want you along, Lin. You’d do well to stay here with Sarah’s family and your children, I think. We can make better time without you.” Hastening past her, he headed down the stairs and into his office, situated in the library. There, surrounded by countless shelves of books, sat his desk and chair, with a small safe in one corner.

  He spun the knob on the front and with a steady hand chose the appropriate number that would open it. Turning the handle, he drew forth a metal box. He opened it with a quick snap and lifted a stack of bills from its depths. Sorting through them quickly, he nodded his head. “I’d thought they might have somehow gotten into this,” he told Lin, “but apparently not. It all seems to be here.”

  “Will you offer it to them?” she asked.

  “You know he will,” said Joshua, standing in the doorway, looking on. “And if need be, I’ll wire for money from Big Rapids. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

  Brace shot him a look of gratitude, and then noted Colleen’s tearstained face in the shadows behind her husband. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to get Sarah and Stephen back,” he told her, stuffing the wad of bills into his pocket.

  “I know you will,” Colleen said tearfully. “Just be careful. We’ll stay here and wait. You don’t need us tagging along.”

  “Get me the gun and ammunition,” Lin said. “I’ll make a safe spot in the parlor for the children and the rest of us, and keep a weather eye on the road.”

  Relieved that she had so readily acquiesced to his demand that she remain behind, Brace nodded. “That’s a sensible thing to do,” he said, wondering at the slow smile she cast his way.

  The gun was loaded, the extra shells stuffed into Lin’s voluminous pockets, and she began rearranging the parlor furniture, the better to contain her children safely. The big sofa was turned toward the fireplace, a chair at either side to offer protection, and a blanket from the sofa placed on the floor for the little boy. His sister sat beside him, watchful of his every move, and Colleen joined them on the floor. Lin took a place near the window.

  “We’ll be fine,” she said firmly. “Just don’t be too long, Brace. I’m not a patient woman.”

  “So I’ve heard,” he told her, thankful for her knowledge of handling a gun and her methodical way of protecting those who would be left behind. “I’ll head out and meet Nicholas and the others. You stay safe.”

  “I don’t think we’re in any danger here,” she said. “I doubt that Stephen’s father will come back. I suspect he’s long gone.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Brace admitted. With a small salute, he left her to her preparations, stopping just long enough to shake Joshua’s hand and send an approving look in Colleen’s direction. The second long gun from the parlor closet was at Joshua’s side and he seemed to be comfortable with the weapon, giving Brace an additional bit of comfort at leaving Lin with the children. In moments, he’d gone through the back door, taking the key from inside the house and locking the door from the outside. He slid the key into his pocket and sought his horse.

  With a wave of welcome, Nicholas rode into the backyard, his gaze searching the empty buggy, his hands drawing the gray gelding to a halt. “Where’s Lin? And the children?” he asked.

  “Inside,” Brace told him. “I think they’ll be all right. Joshua and Colleen are with her. I gave her a loaded shotgun, plus a pocketful of shells, and Joshua apparently knows how to handle a gun, too. She’s got the youngsters all stashed away behind the furniture and she’s keeping watch.”

  “All right,” Nicholas said, obviously aware of his wife’s capabilities. “What’s our next move?”

  “Finding Sarah and Stephen. Lester sent a note into the house, all wrapped around a rock, and asked for money for Stephen’s safe return.”

  “What do you think Sarah did?” Nicholas asked. “Did she have much cash?”

  Brace shook his head. “They asked for five thousand, and she probably had several hundred dollars in her things. I gave her a trunk to put her belongings in and it had been ransacked, either by her or those goons. So I took cash from my safe. Enough to wet Lester’s whistle.”

  “You think it will work?”

  Brace shrugged. “We’ll give it a shot, anyway. Remember that place where Faith lived in the woods, before you let her have the farmhouse?” he asked.

  “Of course,” Nicholas said. “There are several of those squatters’ shacks on that piece of property. Used to be a whole colony of folks living there some years back.”

  “Well, it seems a likely spot for Lester to have taken Sarah and Stephen,” Brace said. “I doubt he’d have set off for the western side of the state till he figured he was in the clear. What do you think?”

  “You may be right. Hauling a woman and child two hundred miles or so is a touchy proposition, and when the woman doesn’t want to be toted along, it could mean trouble.”

  “Sarah’s not a willing prisoner, I’ll guarantee it,” Brace said with a shake of his head. “She’ll be giving them a hard time. And Stephen will be trying to look out for her. I’m just hoping they’re not being abused. I wouldn’t lay odds that Lester is feeling kindly toward either of them right now.”

  “I checked on his family and looked into his claims,” Nicholas said, riding close to Brace’s side. “He was right about having money, and the property his family owns. His pa died just yesterday, according to a wire he received last night. Apparently he and his brothers think they’re going to be set for life. Another wire from a lawyer his father had put in charge of his finances came a little while ago. It seems that the whole kit and caboodle is to be left to whichever one of the old man’s sons has a son of his own first.

  “That puts Lester in a nice spot. Stephen is the sole grandson and seems to be Lester’s ticket to the family money and a nice bit of property. He’s probably made a deal with his brothers to split things three ways.”

  Brace listened with no trace of surprise. “Well, no wonder he was so set on claiming the boy. I figured there had to be some good reason for what he did. That answers several questions for me,” Brace said. “I knew he didn’t have any great love for Stephen, but he sure enough would enjoy getting his hands on money. If he’d hold his own son hostage, he’s pretty much on the bottom rung of the ladder, so far as I’m concerne
d. He knows he’ll get his hands on Sarah this way, forcing her to bring the ransom.”

  “Did she leave a note?” Nicholas asked impatiently.

  Brace filled him in on the particulars, assuring him that Lin had not seen hide or hair of Sarah or any of Lester’s clan, but had walked in after the fact. “I don’t really think they’ll come back to the house,” he said. “They’re on the run.”

  “Well, I’m determined to track them down,” Nicholas said. “I heard from my friends in the bank in Big Rapids yesterday. Got a wire delivered to the house after church, and the news is good from our viewpoint. Seems that there’s a warrant out for Lester for embezzlement and extortion back in Big Rapids. It sounds like Sarah’s folks put the wheels in motion before they left home. I think Joshua is determined to put the man in prison, and I agree with that.”

  Brace snorted, and laughed harshly. “I wish they’d been that aggressive when Sarah’s sister died. Too bad they waited so long to get things straight. But they’ve sure tried to make amends now.”

  Nicholas nodded in agreement. “The best we can do now is cut to the chase and locate Sarah and the boy.”

  “Well, the good part is that Joshua and Colleen seem to have got their heads on straight now. Seeing Sarah and Stephen again probably made them realize what was really important.”

  They rode hard, and at the edge of the woods, just two miles from the town boundaries, Jamie and two other men were waiting for them. “I didn’t know how much ramming around in the woods we should do without you here to direct us,” he told Brace. “Amos and Mr. Simms are armed and ready to do whatever you say,” he added, his face set in determined lines.

  “I appreciate that,” Brace said. “We have no idea if this is a consideration or not, but I’m thinking that those fellas must have set up some sort of shelter to take their prisoners to, somewhere they could hold them and wait it out till we showed up. For sure they’ll be set to defend themselves. I doubt they’d take off on a long run with the probability of a posse on their tails.”

  “They’ll want to get rid of you first,” Nicholas told Brace.

  “That’s what I figured.” His hand touched the wad of bills he’d stashed in his pocket. “I’m hoping they may be money-hungry enough to come out of hiding if I tempt them with some cash.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Nicholas told him. “With Stephen on hand, Lester figures he’s got a safe bet. I think the money angle was just for traveling funds, and if Sarah had enough with her, they won’t fall for a ruse.”

  “Let’s find out,” Brace said, determining his course of action. “Jamie, you and Amos ride into the woods from the north. Check out those two closest shacks first. I doubt that’s where they’re holed up, but we need to be certain. Nicholas, Bart and I will head in straight from here. We should find you in less than an hour if you stay on a straight path.”

  “We can do that,” Amos said, obviously eager for the chase to begin. “That Clark fella is a nasty one. I’ll be glad to see him back in jail. And if we don’t show up right shortly, cut back through the woods. If we should by chance come across anything, we’ll stay put till you show up.”

  Brace nodded his agreement and waved the two men off, then turned back to Nicholas and Bart Simms. “Let’s go see what we can find.”

  Sarah’s pleas were for Stephen’s safety, and the three men laughed at her, taunting her efforts. “He’s gonna be my ace in the hole,” Lester told her. “You don’t need to worry none. I won’t let anything happen to him.”

  “Ace in the hole is right,” one of the brothers said. “He’s our ticket to prosperity, lady. And you don’t want to get in the way of that. You’re in over your head right now.”

  “Over my head?” she asked, aware of their plans for her. The thought of Brace’s pain, should these men use her as they wanted and then leave her for her husband to find, was like a canker in her soul. She ached for him, for the moment forgetting about the danger she was in.

  But there was Stephen to worry about right now, she decided. Would Brace be on their trail by now? Even as she sat here on the edge of a chair, was he watching from a vantage point?

  If there was some way of getting Stephen to safety, she would snatch at it, but the brothers seemed to be vigilant right now. Perhaps later they might sleep. Or, if their possession of a large bottle of whiskey was an indication, they might succumb to the lure of alcohol. But neither option was guaranteed, not so long as they kept leering in her direction, their thoughts almost visible as their eyes roamed her body, seeming to peel the clothing from her.

  “I’m thinking I’d like to have a talk with the lady here,” one of the brothers—LeRoy—said boldly. He seemed to be the most avid of the bunch, she’d decided. “There’s a perfectly good bed over there in the corner.” He approached her with an outstretched hand. “We could get a little better acquainted, don’t you think, lady?”

  Sarah shuddered and shook her head, her distaste drawing her face into a frown.

  “I don’t think the lady likes you, LeRoy,” Shorty said. The smallest of the three, he was stocky, and though not nearly as tall as Brace, presented a formidable presence in the room. The thought of his thick hands on her made Sarah shiver again, and Shorty laughed, a vile sound of anticipation.

  “See, she likes the idea of havin’ me for a friend,” Shorty said, leaning close to her as she shrank back in the chair.

  “Don’t you hurt Aunt Sarah,” Stephen said in a shrill voice. “I don’t want you to touch her.”

  “I’m gonna do more than just touch her, boy,” LeRoy told him, shoving Shorty out of his way as he approached the cowering woman. “We’re gonna get to know each other right well.”

  “The two of you stop scarin’ the boy,” Lester said, not even bothering to turn his head toward the ruckus. Stationed by the window, he was intent on the woods at the side of the cabin. “If you want to be useful, take a turn at standing watch. Sarah ain’t goin’ nowhere. She’ll still be right handy when the shootin’s done.”

  “You see something out there?” LeRoy asked, his attention caught by Lester’s words. He snatched at Sarah’s hand and drew her up into his embrace. She fought him silently, her teeth clenching as he gripped her jaw and forced her face upward. Lips that knew no mercy pressed against hers and she groaned, an almost silent plea, but one that brought quick laughter resounding from LeRoy’s chest.

  “She’s a fighter, she is,” he grunted. “We’ll see just how tough she is when we get her stripped.”

  “Not in front of the boy,” Lester said sharply. “He’s not ready for that kind of stuff yet.”

  “Huh!” Shorty snorted. “I had my first woman when I was twelve. Boy’s been coddled enough in his life. He needs to know how much fun he can have in this world.”

  “Please, no,” Sarah begged. Her mouth felt bruised, her body crushed by the man who held her. Then, with a harsh touch, she was torn from his arms and clutched close to Shorty, his hands like big hams as he pawed at her bottom through the folds of fabric that protected her from his palms.

  “I’ll please you, little lady,” he growled, his mouth wet and disgusting against her cheek, and then she felt his teeth as he bent lower to bite at her throat. It was a brutal, bruising attack that stunned her.

  “You couldn’t please a sow in a pigsty,” she said, hating the man with a passion that almost overwhelmed her.

  “Well, we’ll sure enough find out about that,” Shorty said.

  “Let her alone, I told you,” Lester shouted from his post. “Get your butt over here and keep an eye out this window.”

  Shorty dropped Sarah back onto her chair and drew his gun. “If I see anything movin’, I’m shootin’, Les. I don’t like bein’ holed up like a rat in a trap.”

  “Just be sure you don’t go wasting our ammunition on some wild critter,” Lester told him sharply. And then he turned aside as Stephen nudged him impatiently.

  “Pa, I gotta go outside for a minute,” Stephe
n said, looking up at Lester with a sober look on his face. “It’s kinda an emergency, Pa.”

  “You gotta go use the outhouse, boy?” his father asked.

  “Is there one out back?” Stephen wanted to know.

  “No, Stephen,” Sarah told him harshly. “Stay inside. Don’t make a fuss.”

  “I’ll tell my boy what he can do and what he can’t,” Lester said, taking umbrage at her words of advice. He opened a smaller door at the back of the cabin, near the fireplace, and looked outside.

  “See that outhouse there?” he asked Stephen. “You run out there and do your business and get yourself back in here right quick. I’ll be watchin’ you, so no funny stuff, you hear me?”

  “Yessir,” Stephen answered. “I just gotta go right now, Pa.”

  “He can go in here. There must be a kettle or something he can use,” LeRoy yelled from across the room. “Don’t be lettin’ him out, Les. It just makes one more thing for us to keep an eye on.”

  But it was too late. Stephen was over the threshold and running like lightning for the shabby wooden structure.

  “Stephen!” Sarah bolted from the chair, intent on keeping an eye on the boy, and two men clutched at her. Lester left his post by the door and slapped her an open blow across the face and she screamed, a loud cry of pain that almost halted Stephen in his tracks. He looked back for a moment, then as if something had caught his attention, he darted around the outhouse and was lost to sight.

  Sarah fell to the floor, her head swimming, blackness seeming to surround her, and barely felt the rough hands that picked her up and tossed her across the rude bed in the corner. Her dress tore, one sleeve almost ripped from the bodice, and her buttons came undone with the force of her momentum.

  The lace of her chemise was exposed, along with a generous portion of a creamy, curving breast, and Shorty dropped to the floor beside the bed. One hand reached to touch her bare skin, and she pushed at him, a useless gesture, for he slapped her again, this time causing her to curl into a ball.