“Lots of women don’t wear rings. That’s hardly a reason for them to be suspicious.”
“You can stay if you want to, but I’m out of here before dawn. I’m not sticking around to watch them torture the truth out of you. Your life ain’t worth penny candy right now. You’re a dead man and don’t even know it,” she said, trying to conceal her frustration with Beau, wanting to scream this knowledge at him, knowing they had to leave tonight.
“Slow down and tell me exactly what they said.”
God, he was so patient. So damn exacting, when all she wanted to do was for the two of them to ride until there was a safe distance between them and this gang of ruthless outlaws.
Annabelle whispered everything she’d heard to Beau. He listened carefully, and when she was finished, he was silent.
“I’m leaving,” she said quietly, pulling up the covers and settling in.
“And just how do you plan on sneaking out of here?”
“Men are stupid. While you saddle the horses, I’ll take care of the watchman.”
Beau could do what he wanted, but she was riding out of here in an hour, two at the most, and leaving this gang of cutthroats behind. She wasn’t ready to die. No amount of bounty money was worth her life.
“Now is not the time for us to discuss your falsehoods about men. Still, I don’t like this plan.”
“Do you have a better one?” she asked.
He was silent and then she heard him sigh. “No.”
“Okay, then. I’ll lure the watchman into the bushes, while you saddle the horses,” she said, knowing she could entice the watchman into his downfall. He’d follow her if he saw her going into the bushes, and she’d be waiting with her pistol in hand.
“Are you sure about this?” Beau asked.
“Honey, a man like him thinks with only one part of his anatomy, and when I was a waitress, I learned years ago how to cool men off. Let’s just say he’ll have one hell of a headache in the morning.”
“If you don’t show up in five minutes, I’m coming for you.”
“Just have the horses saddled and ready to go.”
“Try to get some rest. We need these guys to sleep while we’re slipping away. They’ll come after us,” he warned.
Oh yeah, they’d come after them. The chase would be on, and they’d be searching for her and Beau. If they were caught, they were dead.
“I’d rather die trying to escape them than watch while they inflict pain on you. You may be a ruthless outlaw, but you’re still a man who doesn’t deserve to be tortured,” she said, knowing she would capitulate before she’d let him suffer.
“You’d rather see me hang?”
No, she didn’t want to watch him hang. She couldn’t bear the thought of a rope around his neck and him swinging from a tree, but what was she supposed to do? Choose him over her sisters’ well-being?
“You’re a lot of trouble, but you’re my bounty. I’m looking to collect that five hundred dollars, not watch them torture you to death.”
She wasn’t brave. She was as weak as they came, and the idea of anyone being deliberately hurt or injured would have her screaming out whatever it was they wanted to know. She’d last about two seconds, and then they’d kill her, just to shut her up.
He rolled to his back. “I’m not liking this one bit.”
“Do you like pain?”
“No.”
“Then we’re leaving.”
*
An hour later, Annabelle rolled up their bedroll and handed it to Beau.
“I still don’t like this,” he whispered.
“Then stay, I’m leaving,” she said, knowing they had to get away. Fear pulsed through her veins like the scotch whiskey she occasionally sipped with her sisters.
She’d bluffed her way out of the gang’s questions yesterday, but if they were to hurt Beau, she’d confess. She’d confess everything and probably some things she’d never done, just to save him from being hurt.
“You’ve got five minutes,” Beau said. “Then I’m coming in after you.”
“Fine, but wait until I lure him in, before you start counting,” she said. Good grief, the man didn’t have any faith in her abilities to ensnare stupid men. This, she could do.
She pulled out the little pot of lipstick she carried with her. Just a dash of the color would make her feel more enticing.
“What the hell is that?” Beau said in a loud whisper.
“Lipstick.”
He shook his head, a frown on his face. “Is that necessary?”
“You bet it is,” she said, feeling closer to her sisters. “It’s my calling card.”
“Just get this over with and let’s get out of here.”
She smiled at him, turned, and walked away, swaying her hips as she went, letting him get some idea of her trap. She strolled to the edge of the camp, turned her head, and glanced back over her shoulder at the sentry who was watching her. His brows drew together in a frown.
Annabelle smiled at him and winked. She didn’t know if he’d see her eye twitch in the dark, but she hoped it was enough to get him to follow her. If not, she’d come back and motion him into the darkness.
Hurrying through the bushes, she found a tree to hide behind, pulled out her gun and waited. In less than a minute, the sound of a snapping twig alerted her someone approached. And she’d bet her next meal the sentry was near.
God, men were so predictable. But then women, other than her sisters, you could foretell when they’d take their next breath. They were boring and silly and difficult to be around. When Ruby was expelled from school, Annabelle had secretly rejoiced that her sister wasn’t an ordinary woman. She liked that she was different. Unusual. Not conventional.
But then, all three of the McKenzie sisters had been called unusual on many occasions.
Through the bushes, she watched the man as he walked toward her and she held her breath. She had a surprise waiting for him. And not what he was hoping he’d find in the bushes with her.
He made her job so easy. He stopped with his back to her, and she took the butt of her gun and whacked him hard on the head.
“Damn,” he said, wheeling around to face her. Holding his head, he weaved and fell to the ground with a loud thump. She breathed a sigh of relief. There for a moment she’d feared he was not going to pass out, and she would have to fight him. Her whack on the head had taken a moment longer than she’d liked to take effect.
She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the path. Pulling out a piece of rope she’d stashed earlier in her pocket, she quickly tied him to the tree. Forcing his jaws open, she stuffed a rag in his mouth and then stood back and admired her handiwork.
Not bad for a chicken wrangler who took care of the farm. Not bad for a newbie bounty hunter without experience. Not bad for a girl scared out of her wits and just wanting to get away.
She sighed, releasing the fear that had gripped her insides like a case of food poisoning. Sure, she’d been confident with Beau, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid. She’d been scared enough she’d worried he would hear the pounding of her heart.
But she was done and it was time to rejoin Beau.
Lifting her skirts, she ran back down the path to where the horses were tied. Hopefully, he’d have them ready to ride. When she came around the corner, he was standing there frowning, waiting on her.
“About time you got here,” he whispered.
“Oh, shut up and let’s go.”
“Is it done?”
She wanted to reply something sarcastic and witty, but didn’t have time to think. They needed to ride and quick. “He won’t be bothering us for a while. He’s got a goose egg on his head, and he’s all tied up, taking a little forced nap.”
Beau smiled at her and shook his head. “God, you scare me, woman.”
“I should,” she said with bravo, knowing that really she was just a big pussy cat who when petted would purr happily. But mess with her or her sisters and she could turn into a tiger.
“Let’s go,” he said and handed her the reins to her horse.
She glanced around, frowning, knowing once they rode off, the gang would be right behind them. They’d be riding hell bent in the dark. Not exactly the safest ride. “Wait.”
“What?” he said, his voice rising above a whisper.
“We’re making it too easy for them to follow us.”
Walking to the other horses, she untied each one. When Beau realized what she was doing, he joined her. He slapped the horse on the buttocks and the animal took off running. By the time all the horses were racing away, the camp was beginning to stir.
“Hey, what are you doing?” a deep, sleepy voice yelled.
“Come on,” Beau whispered.
Annabelle slapped the last horse on the butt and then climbed on her own animal. Men were calling out, asking what was going on.
Together, they took off at a run, and the other horses followed them. She smiled. Now the Harris gang had no way of following them.
A gunshot blasted the night air. She felt a bullet whirr by her head. Leaning over her horse, she spurred him on into the night. Into the darkness.
Excitement of getting away spiraled through her. Maybe being a bounty hunter wasn’t so bad after all. Then the rational part of her laughed. No, she couldn’t wait to get home to her boring life. It was safer.
M
eg glanced over at her husband and frowned. So far, the honeymoon was dreadful. She was worried sick about Annabelle. They’d spent the last three days searching for her sister with Ruby’s help. And while she loved both her sisters, being alone with her new husband would have been great. It was kind of hard to experience the loving touch of his arms when Ruby slept less than five yards away.
And with Annabelle still missing.
In fact, it was impossible. Meg was worried sick about Annabelle, and Ruby insisted on going with them to locate their missing sibling. Meg couldn’t blame her. She would have laughed if Ruby suggested Meg sit at home, while Ruby searched for their wayward sister.
They were family. She’d do whatever was necessary to save Annabelle because she couldn’t for a moment think she might be dead. Meg believed Annabelle was still alive. She had to be. And they had to locate her.
They traveled slowly, stopping at every small farm to ask if Annabelle had been seen. Until late yesterday afternoon, they’d had no luck, but then they’d come across a muddied A in the dirt with an arrow. Meg could only hope Annabelle was leaving them a message, and that gave her hope.
This morning they rode down the lane of a farmhouse. There were no barking dogs, no sounds greeted them, even the birds seemed to have deserted the property. When they rounded a curve in the lane, she saw the burned out farmhouse.
“That’s not good,” Zach said, gazing worriedly at the property. “You girls wait here.”
“No,” Ruby said. “We’re going with you.”
“Why do I even try to protect you two?” Zach asked, shaking his head.
Meg smiled. “Someday you’ll learn we’re not your usual helpless women.”
They halted their horses in the yard. Meg knew Zach wanted only to protect her and Ruby, but giving total control over to a man, even the man she loved with every fiber of her being, was tough. It was something the newlyweds were grappling with.
“How’s your ankle holding up?” Meg asked Ruby, not wanting her running around on the sprain.
“It’s sore, but I’ll make it. Don’t worry about me.”
“Ha, I always worry about you.”
Ruby raised her brows at her older sister. “That’s your problem, not mine.”
She was still angry that Meg was getting out of the bounty hunting business. But she’d get over it and soon learn to settle down, once they found Annabelle. Meg was giving up chasing bad men to settle down and enjoy her husband and live her dream of owning a dress shop.
Zach dropped to the ground and turned to help his wife, who had already alighted from her horse.
He shook his head at her. “Stay close.”
“Sure,” Meg said and then walked in the direction of the back of the house.
“I’m sure glad I’m the man of the house,” Zach said beneath his breath.
Meg turned and smiled at him. “Cowboy, in the bedroom you are the man, but out on the trail, we’re equal.”
He shook his head at her. “It wouldn’t do me any good to argue with you, would it?”
“Nope,” she said with a laugh and winked at him before she focused on locating clues that her sister had been here. It was difficult to hold back not being excited to be near her husband, yet so frightened for Annabelle. Once they located her missing sister, they could focus on their new life together. Then she could enjoy her husband.
Zach walked around the burned out structure, while Meg wandered in the opposite direction. She found the door to the root cellar and opened it. Peering down inside, she could see where canned goods had been removed from the dusty shelves, leaving rings showing jars were missing.
Climbing down inside the cellar, she walked around the small area. On a shelf hidden from view, an A appeared in the dust. Her sister had been here. Knowing Annabelle, she’d taken the canned goods because she’d left without any supplies. Now, at least she had food.
Ruby yelled. “Hey, I found it.”
Meg hurriedly climbed out of the root cellar and raced toward Ruby’s voice. Zach and Meg arrived at the same time at Ruby’s side. There in the dirt was the letter A and an arrow pointing back down the lane. Annabelle had been here, but she was gone. But what had happened and why was the farmhouse still smoldering?
“There’s a fresh grave back behind the house,” Zach said. “And the fire didn’t happen that long ago.”
What if that grave was Annabelle’s?
Meg reached out and touched her husband’s arm for strength. Their eyes met and held for a moment.
“No,” he said. “She couldn’t have left us this message if she was dead.”
She sighed with relief. He was right. She had to be alive. She just had to be.
“The root cellar has been gone through,” Meg said. “There was an A scratched in the dust on the shelf.”
“See, she’s alive,” Zach assured her.
“There’s no livestock?” Ruby said. “No animals. I don’t know a farmer who doesn’t at least have chickens.”
“Yeah,” Zach replied. “Something happened and whatever it was, the place has been cleaned out.”