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  She thought of all the reasons why John was late, dismissing them one after another, and then concentrated again on Jane’s failure to come home. And in the midst of all of that, the aching of her back continued unabated, causing her to rub unconsciously at the lowest part of her spine where the drawing sensation began.

  Supper was almost ready, and Katie slid the pan of beans and ham into the oven to finish cooking. The bread was sliced, applesauce poured into a bowl and pickles and beets dished up and waiting delivery to the table. She set out the plates and silverware, scurried around the kitchen to finalize preparations and then stood at the window and watched the lane for a sight of Jane’s arrival.

  An arrival that did not materialize.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  KATIE HAD WAITED LONG ENOUGH. John was not here to send out looking for Jane and she was on her own. Katie dressed warmly, donning a pair of John’s long warm drawers beneath her skirts, then wrapping herself in a heavy shirt made of flannel before she put on her winter coat and headed for the barn.

  Shorty was tending the horses in their stalls, measuring oats into their feeding bins, lifting hay into the mangers, and his surprise at seeing her invading his territory was apparent.

  “What you doing out here, ma’am?” he asked, his frown deep as he regarded the young woman who was only days away from having a child.

  “Jane’s not home yet and I’m worried about her,” Katie said. “I thought I’d take one of the mares and go looking for her in case she’s run into trouble between here and town.”

  “Now, I don’t think you riding off hunting her up is a very good idea,” Shorty said slowly.

  “Well, I’d like you to saddle a horse for me,” Katie said firmly. “I used to ride bareback, and I’m sure I’ll do as well with a saddle under me, Shorty. And I can’t be just sitting here waiting while Jane may be in trouble. I’ll have to go find her.”

  “I surely don’t like the idea, ma’am. Why don’t you give it another half hour or so. The men should be back any minute now and John will take care of things.”

  Katie shook her head, determined now to do as she saw fit. “I’m going to go look for her, Shorty. If you won’t saddle a horse for me, I’ll walk.”

  Her jaw set and her mouth pouched out in a fashion that spoke volumes to the man who watched her. He seemed to recognize a stubborn woman when he saw one, and his sigh was loud and long as he went to the tack room to find a saddle that would be appropriate and a docile mare for her to ride.

  “I’d be most happy if you’d wait till John shows up. He’s gonna be madder’n hell at me for letting you go.”

  “I’ll make it right with John,” Katie assured him, leading the mare to a mounting block and climbing into the saddle.

  She looked down at Shorty, hesitant that he might not do as she asked. But her courage won out and she pointed to his gun, secured at his hip.

  “Will you let me take your gun with me, Shorty? I know how to shoot, but I don’t intend to use it unless I have to protect myself.”

  Shorty peered up at her, as if he gauged her ability to do as she had said. “Where’d you learn to aim a gun, ma’am?” And Katie smiled smugly.

  “John showed me a little, out in the orchard one day last summer. Just enough so’s I’d know how to defend myself, he told me.” With a smile, she held out her hand, waiting silently until Shorty took the weapon from its holster and with a last, worried look, handed it to her.

  Much comforted by the weight of the weapon, she tucked it into the deep pocket of her coat and took the reins in hand, turning the horse through the barn door and then up the lane to where the town road curved off to the east. From the house, Berta called out to her, coming to the porch and waving in a frantic motion, but Katie ignored her, determined to complete the task she had begun.

  The horse had an easy gait, and Katie rode well, so she felt confident that her trip would be short-lived and productive, once she located Jane. It was a ride of probably close to thirty minutes to town and she rode slowly, ever careful not to urge the horse on to a faster pace, but willing to take her time lest the animal slip on the snow and ice that covered the ground and rutted the road.

  Ahead of her lay the schoolhouse, and it seemed to be abandoned, for there were no horses tied outside to the hitching rail, the door was closed and no light glowed from within the small building. Katie rode up to the door and bent to rap on it. There was no answer and then from around the side of the building came Mrs. Rice.

  “Katie, what on earth are you doing here?” she asked. “I just went to the outhouse and if I hadn’t come in this direction, I’d have missed you.”

  “I’m looking for Jane. She didn’t get home when she should have, and I’m worried about her.”

  “She left here over an hour ago, Katie. I can’t imagine where she would have gone. I know she’s always anxious to get home. Are you sure you didn’t miss her on the way here?”

  Katie frowned. “Of course not. I was looking for her every minute.”

  Mrs. Rice seemed worried, and her brow furrowed. “Perhaps we should go into town and see if she headed in that direction.”

  And so they traveled together, Mrs. Rice atop her own mare, which she kept in a shed behind the schoolhouse. It was a scant mile into town, and there they found the sheriff standing in front of his office. Katie told him about Jane.

  “Old man Schrader hasn’t been out to the ranch, has he?” the sheriff asked when she finished. “I know he’s been upset over Jane leaving his farm, asking about her around town. She surely wouldn’t head out there.”

  Katie felt a pang of fear shoot through her at his words. “I can’t imagine such a thing. She wouldn’t be caught dead within a mile of those people.”

  “Maybe she didn’t have a choice,” the sheriff said slowly. “Maybe old man Schrader got real brave and got hold of her when she left the school.”

  “Should we take a ride out to the Schrader farm and find out if she’s there?” Mrs. Rice asked Katie. “I’m willing to go with you if you want to.”

  Katie shivered. “It’s not my first choice, but if I have to, I will. You know that. I wouldn’t want to take the chance of Jane being kept there against her will. That fella’s downright mean and Jane isn’t strong enough to handle him.”

  “Is she afraid of him?” the sheriff asked and then as if he knew better he shook his head. “Well, of course she is. He treated her like dirt for a lot of years. Why wouldn’t she fear him?”

  “I think we’ll take a ride out of town, Sheriff,” Mrs. Rice said firmly.

  “I’ll follow you after I take care of a couple of things in my office, and then locate a deputy to bring along,” he told her. “Just be real careful not to get within grabbing distance of that man, Katie. He’d like nothing better than to have you in his power and from the looks of you, you don’t need anybody treating you rough these days.” His gaze swept her form, the fullness of her pregnancy more than obvious.

  “I’ll look after her, Sheriff,” Mrs. Rice told him stoutly. And they set off, their horses at a slow pace, careful not to hurry lest the animals slip on the uneven ground.

  Their path took them past the school yard again and then to the west, following the road that led past several farms, where houses showed signs of occupancy, chimneys streaming smoke, lights glowing within their windows.

  They had ridden for over thirty minutes, coming to a hilly area where rocky cliffs stood sentry near the road, and Mrs. Rice slowed her mare. “I wonder if we shouldn’t wait for help from the sheriff, Katie. It’s going to be full dark before long and we don’t want to be out in the weather once the sun goes down.”

  Katie nodded reluctantly. “I’m sure you’re right, ma’am. But I just can’t go home without her. I just know she’s in trouble of some sort and I’m scared to death it has something to do with Jacob Schrader.”

  “That may well be, but we’ll be in the same mess if we get caught on his land and he’s in a nasty
frame of mind.”

  Their horses were halted in the middle of the road, snow blowing past them as the skies began to open up again with another wintry blast. Katie’s frown drew her brows together and she peered through the falling snow toward the west. “It’s just a short ways down the road to Schrader’s place. Let’s at least take a peek at the barn, in case she’s there. We might see her horse anyway and we’d know where to look for her.”

  As if against her better judgment, Mrs. Rice nodded her approval of the scheme and they continued on their way. Katie worried that John would be frantic when he arrived home to find her gone.

  Surely he would follow her, probably head into town to seek out her direction and if the sheriff saw him, he’d let him know where they’d gone. John would have a fit, sure enough, but she’d deal with him later on. For now, Jane was her first concern.

  The glow of a lantern showed from the barn where Jacob Schrader kept his livestock, and the bulky form of a man was seen making his way to the farmhouse, lantern in hand, barely visible in the blowing snow.

  Katie shifted uncomfortably on her mare, aware more than ever of the aching of her back, the occasional pain that lanced through to her belly and seemed to surround the rounding of her child’s form.

  If she spoke of it to Mrs. Rice, that lady would no doubt turn back to the town road and head for the Stanley ranch, for she would consider it too great a risk for Katie to be caught out in the weather should she go into labor.

  Drawing their horses to the side of the road, they watched, almost blinded by the falling snow, yet able to catch sight of a horse heading in their direction from the Schrader’s farm.

  Quickly, they turned their mounts and went deeper into the line of trees that lined the road, concealing themselves in the thick undergrowth, where tall pines were surrounded by bushes. Dismounting, Katie motioned to Mrs. Rice to leave her mare and follow her on foot.

  In their dark clothing they blended into the surrounding thicket and found a shelter amid the heavy undergrowth. Behind them was a sloping hill and it was in that direction that Mrs. Rice pointed, catching Katie’s attention. Carefully they crept upward, their movements slow, their attention torn between the sloping terrain before them and the man who rode ever closer behind.

  Halfway up the hill, a small opening caught Katie’s attention and she headed in that direction, Mrs. Rice at her heels. Shrubbery grew in a thick cover, but Katie pushed aside the branches and made her way within a small enclosure. Behind her, Mrs. Rice crowded close and her voice was a soft whisper.

  “I don’t think Mr. Schrader can see us in here, Katie. Sit very quietly against the wall and keep low. The branches out there should provide enough cover for us. Surely the sheriff can’t be far behind us now.”

  JOHN RODE ACROSS THE pasture, urging his horse to a rapid pace, for he felt the need to be at home. Perhaps Katie needed him, maybe she was ready to have the baby. He didn’t know what drove him on, but there was an urgency in his mind that would not let him be.

  Shorty met him at the barn door, a frown on his face, his eyes dark with concern. And his words frightened John as nothing else could have.

  The knowledge that Katie was gone, that she was riding astride a horse, even in her condition, was enough to make him angry, and more than that, fearful for her safety.

  “Saddle me up a fresh horse, Shorty. I’ll follow her to town. Maybe I can catch up with her.”

  “Doubt it, boss. She’s been gone over an hour now. I tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen to me. Started off when it was still daylight and the sun’s about at the horizon now. Why don’t you hang on a minute, and I’ll ride along with you? I should have let this work go and gone with her.”

  And so it was, with twilight falling around them, they rode out together. John felt a new surge of fear thinking of Katie alone on a horse, yet, more frightening was the consideration that she was not alone, that somehow someone might have found her and taken her with mischief in mind. And if that someone should be Jacob Schrader, it would be more than mere mischief, for the man was demented.

  John saw Berta on the porch watching him, her face a mask of anxiety. “Where’d she go, John? Do you know which direction she headed? I saw her leave but she wouldn’t stop when I called out to her.” She leaned over the porch railing. “Here, take this with you. She’ll be hungry when you find her.”

  John rode closer to her and Berta handed him a bundle wrapped in a dish towel. He stuck it in his pocket and nodded his thanks at the woman.

  “I’ll find her Berta. Don’t worry.”

  She hurried back into the house, and he rode off toward town. Behind him he heard the sound of another horse and John turned to see Gray Wolf riding hard to catch up to them.

  “I’ll go with you if it’s all right,” he called out, as he caught up to ride beside John. “You may need another man with you, and perhaps even another gun if it comes to that.”

  John nodded briefly, knowing that the man would be dependable should worst come to worst. Should they have to resort to violence if the girls were being threatened in any way.

  They rode toward town and met the sheriff, who was already on his way. He hailed John with an uplifted hand and approached him.

  “I saw your wife and the schoolteacher, John. They went out looking for Jane, your wife’s sister. They left town a while ago, and I’m on their trail now.”

  “That’s about what I figured happened,” John said curtly. “If you want to ride along, the three of us are heading for Jacob Schrader’s place. I have a notion that’s where we’ll find them.”

  “I’ll go with you,” the sheriff said quickly. And his horse turned in a half circle as he followed them, taking the road to the west.

  THE TWILIGHT SURROUNDED HIM as Jacob drew his horse to a halt at the bottom of the hill and peered around, his figure barely visible to the two women who watched. Katie heard his voice, heard the curse he spewed aloud, and recognized his anger.

  She curled even tighter against the wall of the enclosure they’d found, Mrs. Rice beside her as if she would offer her own body as a shield should danger come closer. And then they watched together as Jacob turned his horse and headed back toward the farm buildings that could barely be seen through the falling snow.

  “Do you think he gave up on finding us?” Katie whispered, her heart seeming to be lodged in her throat, her voice sounding puny to her ears.

  “There’s a good chance he thinks we’ve ridden across the ridge. I’m just thankful our horses are quiet, and didn’t give us away. If he’d known we were on foot, he might not have turned around.”

  Below their vantage point, the trees seemed to blend in with the snow, their branches covered now by the thickly falling white stuff, the world almost seeming a fairyland. How ironic, Katie thought, that such a place of beauty could contain so evil a man as Jacob Schrader.

  “I’d think the sheriff should show up soon, don’t you?” Katie asked her companion, hoping against hope that Jacob had not made a prisoner of her sister. And yet, she knew, with a deep inner conviction, that the man even now held Jane hostage somewhere on the farm. Probably in the barn. And in that case, the heat from the animals might be enough to keep Jane alive.

  If only Jacob left her alone.

  Mrs. Rice murmured words of encouragement, her voice soft as she spoke of John and his concern for Katie. “Surely your husband is on our trail already, Katie. When he found you gone from the ranch, you know he set off behind you. He’ll have gone to the sheriff by now. I’d lay odds that they’re on their way out here. John’s a smart man, and he’d know the sort of thing Mr. Schrader would try to pull.”

  Her arm circled Katie’s shoulder, her strength lending its power to the courage that was flagging within Katie’s breast. The aching pressure in her back had not ceased but increased to a painful throbbing that seemed to grow in intensity and then ebb away for a few minutes before it once more wound its way through her body to center there at the base
of her spine.

  “Are you hurting badly, Katie?” Mrs. Rice asked, leaning to peer into her face as Katie stifled a low groan.

  “My back’s aching something fierce, ma’am. But not more than I can stand.”

  Mrs. Rice bit her lower lip, as if she held back words that might frighten Katie.

  “I think the baby’s gonna be making his appearance before the day’s over,” Katie said quietly, to which the teacher nodded agreement.

  “I feared as much,” she said with a sigh. “But I’m sure John and the sheriff will be here soon and get this whole thing straightened out. And in the meantime, I’m going to go down the hill to where we left our horses and lead them up here. So long as Jacob didn’t find them, they should be over there to the left about a hundred yards or so.

  “Will you be all right here alone for a few minutes, Katie? I hate to leave you alone, but if we decide to ride back toward town, it would be handier to have our mares here, close at hand.”

  “I’m fine,” Katie assured her. “Just be careful that Jacob is truly gone back to the farm, and that he doesn’t see you.” She dug deeply into her pocket and drew forth the gun Shorty had given her. “I know how to shoot, ma’am, and if I have to, I’ll use this gun. Don’t worry. I’ll keep a good eye on you, as much as I can, and watch for Jacob, lest he might have circled back and still be out there nearby.”

  Mrs. Rice looked stunned at the sight of Katie holding the weapon, but only nodded and crept from the opening in the hillside, making her way down the slope with care. Katie moved closer to the dim light outdoors, her gaze focused on the woman’s figure as she worked her way toward where the horses were last seen.