Dashing Druid (Texas Druids) (40 page)

Lil exchanged a glance with Tye. He frowned, obviously not liking Thea’s question. Rather than answer it, she caught hold of her friend’s arm. “Come on. I need to buy cloth for two new gowns. You can help me pick some out.” Leaving Tye with a quick smile, she led the way over to the stack of yard goods.

Once out of hearing from the men, Thea crossed her arms and demanded, “Well, are you going to tell me the story, or do I have to drag it out of you?”

With a good bit of prodding, Lil wound up telling her a lot more than she intended, including the threat posed by Judd Howard. As she talked, she sorted through calicos and ginghams but soon lost interest in choosing fabrics. It seemed so unimportant when she spoke about her fear of losing Tye. Occasionally, she glanced over at him. He and Arni were visiting with Mr. Benedict and riding herd on the Knudson children, who appeared to be getting restless.

Watching her husband stoop to pick up the youngest of the three, a tiny girl with curly white-blond hair and chubby cheeks, Lil thought of Etta and Wiley Gable and baby Katy. She remembered the joy in Etta’s eyes when her daughter was born and wondered, as she had many times since, if she would ever know such joy. And if Tye would be alive to share it.

Thea finally took charge and chose two fabrics she said looked good with Lil’s hair and coloring. They carried the bolts of cloth over to the counter, and Lil asked Mr. Benedict to cut off the amount she needed. He was just wrapping up her parcel when the front door burst open, slamming against a display table near the doorway. Turning at the sound, Lil saw Dewey Sherman rush in looking wild-eyed. He spotted Tye and charged over to him.

“You gotta get back to the ranch quick! Miz Jessie’s goin’ plumb outta her head and she say you’s the only one can help.”

“What’s happened?” Tye demanded. “Is it Howard?”

“Nah, it ain’t him. It’s li’l Miz Nora. She done disappeared.”

Lil gasped in shock.

“Mother of God!” Tye cried. Then he grabbed her hand and ran for the door, pulling her with him.

* * *

Rather than letting Dewey and the other riders bring her home in the wagon, Lil insisted on riding back with Tye. With no time to argue, he helped her aboard Dewey’s horse, shaking his head as she fought her skirts into submission. Then he commandeered another horse belonging to one of their escorts and they raced from town, galloping toward the River T.

After what seemed like forever, they brought their tired mounts to a skidding halt in the ranch yard. Tye was off his horse before the animal came to a complete stop. He moved to help Lil dismount, but she waved him off.

“Go to Jessie,” she said breathlessly. “I’m fine.”

He had little choice in the matter as his sister came running from the house and down the steps to meet him, swollen belly leading the way. “Thank the saints! I thought you’d never get here.” Sobbing, she clutched his arms, nails biting into him through his shirt sleeves. “You’ve got to help find her!” she cried.

“Easy now. Of course I’ll help,” he said, kneading her shoulders, trying to calm her as he fought off the panicky fear emanating from her. “Where’s David? Is he out looking for her?”

“Aye, he and all the men wh-who were close by. But th-there’s been no word and I’m going out of my mind!”

“’Twill be all right. Let me get a fresh horse and I’ll start –”

“Nay! That won’t help.” She stepped back, swiping at her tear-wet cheeks. “I-I want ye to reach out to her with your mind. I’ve tried and tried b-but the wicked visions won’t show her to me. Damn them!”

Tye frowned. “What good would it do?
I won’t be able to see where she is. Ye know that, Jess.”

“But ye could tell if she’s hurt, aye? And perhaps you’ll pick up something from her that will tell us where to look.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “Will ye do it?”

He cast a doubtful glance at Lil, who’d come to stand beside Jessie. She gave him an encouraging nod.

“Very well, sis, I’ll try.”

“Thank you,” Jessie whispered, sighing in relief.

“First, I’ll need ye to fetch something of Nora’s, something she often handles. Touching it may help me reach her.”

“Of course! D’ye want to come to her room, to be among her things?”

He considered briefly. “Nay, out here in the open is best, I think.”

“Whatever ye say. I’ll be right back.” Whirling around, Jessie dashed back up the porch steps and into the house, moving faster than Tye had thought possible in her condition.

“What if I feel nothing from Nora? Has she thought what that could mean?” he wondered aloud as he pulled off his gloves and stuffed them in his pocket.

“I doubt it. She’s too desperate to think straight,” Lil said. “If that does happen, could it mean Nora’s just too far away for you to connect with her?”

“Perhaps, but I’ve no way of knowing that. Jessie could be left thinking the worst, true or not.”

Stepping close, she clasped hands with him and they waited in tense silence, each caught up in their fear for Nora and her parents.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Jessie returned holding little Reece and a small rag doll with only one button eye. “She carries this around all the time,” she said, handing it to Tye. “One of the buttons came off. I’ve been m-meaning to s-sew it back on.” She pressed a hand to her mouth, smothering a sob.

Sensing something was wrong with his mother, Reece patted her face and babbled, “ma-ma-ma-ma.”

She hugged him close. “Shh. Mama’s all right, darlin’.” She sent Tye and Lil a wobbly smile. “He just woke up from his nap. His grandfather is still lying down.”

Tye sensed the agony of emotion she struggled to hold at bay. Knowing he stood no chance of contacting Nora as long as Jessie was so close, he said, “I need ye to go up on the porch. Both of ye,” he told the women. “If you’re too close you’ll block me from picking up anything from Nora. And if I should cry out or behave as if I’m in pain, you’re not to come near. Ye mustn’t interfere, d’ye understand?”

Jessie laid her hand over his heart. “God grant ye strength,
mo deartháir,
” she murmured, gazing at him with hope in her eyes. Then she turned and headed for the porch with her son.

Lil hung back, worry clouding her expression. “I didn’t know there could be pain. Maybe you shouldn’t –”

“Don’t fret, love,” he said, tunneling his hand under her hair and bending near to kiss her brow. “I’ll be all right. ’Twill be worth a bit of pain if this works. Now, do as I said.”

She hesitantly obeyed. Once she’d joined his sister on the porch, Tye began to walk slowly around the ranch yard, cradling Nora’s doll in his hands, turning it this way and that, pressing it, smoothing it, touching the one button eye. All the while, he concentrated on clearing his mind of everything but the image of his niece.

He went on like that for an interminable time, feeling nothing from Nora. Greatly afraid he would never pick up a trace of her, he lowered the doll, deciding to get a drink and rest for a bit before trying again. Just as he started to turn toward the house, the doll seemed to tug on his hand. He had time to register surprise, then he was suddenly in Nora’s mind.

He felt her overwhelming terror and sensed she was unable to see or hear a thing. She didn’t like this dark place. She was afraid of monsters, and her foot hurt bad. She was crying, wanting her mama. Her pain and terror became his. He fell to his hands and knees, crying out, unable to escape the phantom throbbing in his foot or the black terror pounding at his brain.

Watching from the porch, Lil instinctively started to go to him, but Jessie grasped her arm to stop her.

“Nay! He said not to.”

“But he’s hurting! I can’t stand to watch it!”

“Then go in the house. ’Tis my daughter he’s trying to find, and I’ll not let ye interfere.”

“You can’t stop me!” Snatching her arm free, Lil ran down the steps. Before she got to Tye, he sat down hard on the ground, looking as if he was about to faint. Crying his name, she dropped to her knees and caught him, preventing him from toppling over. “Tye!” she called more softly, brushing damp ebony hair from his forehead.

He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. “Lily? What happened?”

“You nearly passed out.”

Regaining enough strength to sit upright, he picked up the rag doll he’d dropped and stared at it. “I felt her.”

“She’s alive, thank the saints!” Jessie blurted, standing nearby with little Reece. “But she’s hurt, isn’t she?”

“Aye, her foot’s paining her. Her left one, I think.” With Lil’s assistance, he pushed to his feet. “I’m all right,” he assured her, swaying slightly.

Not so sure about that, she stayed close until he got his balance.

“Could ye tell where she is?” Jessie pressed.

“She’s trapped in the dark, and she can’t get out. She’s terrified.”

“Oh God! My poor baby!” Jessie buried her face against her son’s tiny form, causing him to fuss. Patting and soothing him, she said in a shaky voice, “What ye describe, it sounds almost like what I saw when I tried to call up a vision of her, except ’twas you in the dark place.”

“Like in your dreams?” Lil asked, drawing a jerky nod from Jessie and a startled glance from Tye.

He frowned at his sister. “You’ve had dreams about me again?”

“Aye, the same as I told ye before the cattle drive. I see ye in a dark, narrow space, a tunnel it seems like. I thought ye must have gone back to the mines until the two of ye returned here. Now . . . I don’t understand. If ’tis my Nora who’s trapped, why do I keep seeing
you
?” She looked at Lil. “And ye said there are no mines around here, didn’t ye?”

Lil nodded. “I’ve lived around here all my life, and I’ve never heard of any mine in these parts. Could it be an abandoned well you’re seeing?”

“Nay. I see Tye crawling along the passage, not climbing up or dropping down it.”

Lil watched Tye finger the doll he was still holding, then turn to stare off toward the creek. “I was facing this way when the spell took hold of me,” he said. “I wonder –”

“Jessie,” a raspy voice called from the house, drawing Lil’s attention. Reece Senior stood in the open doorway, leaning heavily on his cane. Gaunt and ashen, he looked like a man with little time left to live. “Has David found Nora?” he asked.

Hurrying up the steps, Jessie touched his wizened cheek. “No, not yet. But ye mustn’t worry, I’m sure he will.”

Wondering how she managed to put on a brave face for the old man, Lil jumped and Jessie cried out when three gunshots cracked in the distance, one right after the other.

“What does it mean?” Jessie yelled from atop the porch steps.

“It means they’ve found something,” Lil replied. She clutched Tye’s arm. “It sounded like it came from down the creek.”

“Aye, I’d best get out there.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Nay, not this time, love.” He shot a glance at his sister. “I need ye to stay with Jess. She’s near sick with worry. We can’t leave her alone with only the boy and old Reece.”

Lil glanced at her sister-in-law. She looked like she wanted to take off running toward the sound of those gunshots, not too likely though, considering her condition and the child she toted on one hip. She also looked exhausted.

“All right, I’ll stay with her. But I want you to send word the minute you know what they found.”

“I will, I promise.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and called to Jessie and Reece, “I’ll go see what they found.” Hurriedly mounting the horse he’d ridden from town, he spurred it toward the creek.

When he was out of sight, Lil joined Jessie on the porch. The elder Reece still stood in the doorway “Let’s go inside, folks. We won’t help them by standing out here. And you need to sit before that baby takes a notion to get born today,” she told Jessie. She held out her hands to little Reece. “Come here, youngun. Your mama needs a rest.”

* * *

Tye found David about a half mile down the creek. Sul Smith and two other River T hands were with him. More would no doubt be arriving in answer to David’s signal.

The men were scattered along a rocky landslide, tossing small stones aside and attempting to move larger ones that far outweighed them. David straightened as Tye walked up to him. “Glad you got here,” he said, mopping his face with his bandana. “We need more men.”

“Ye found some sign of Nora?”

“Yeah, I spotted her tracks up-creek, about halfway to the home place. She must have waded through the water to that point, then climbed out. We followed her tracks here.” He pointed to a set of small footprints in the dirt leading to the rock pile. “Then they disappeared. And this looks like a fresh rock fall.”

Tye squatted to examine several rocks, some no bigger than a man’s fist, others boulder-size. A number of them had been chipped or broken in the fall, revealing clean, unweathered surfaces. “Aye, ’tis very fresh,” he confirmed.

“If she’s under there . . . .” David’s voice choked off.

“I don’t believe she is.” Rising, Tye met David’s questioning stare.

“What makes you so certain?”

“Call it a hunch,” he said, tapping his temple. “I’ve a
feeling
she’s trapped and afraid, possibly hurt, but alive.”

David stared at him doubtfully. “You think she’s trapped in a pocket behind these rocks, is that what you’re saying?” he asked, eyeing the landslide and the rocky hill that rose along this section of the creek.

Tye nodded. “Lil told me there’s never been any mining around here, so I’m guessing there’s a cave of some sort.”

“Can’t be.” David shook his head. “I grew up here and I explored every inch of this creek as a boy. If there was a cave, I’d know it.”

Sul, who was working nearby and had caught their discussion, spoke up. “If the gap was small, the dang thing coulda filled in over the years so’s yuh couldn’t see it.”

“Then how could Nora find it?”

“Remember all them rains we got last winter? One of ’em was a real gully-washer.”

“Ye think it washed away some of the dirt blocking the entrance?” Tye asked.

“If there’s a cave like yuh think, it makes sense.” Sul shrugged. “It wouldn’t take much of an opening for a little one to crawl through.”

“And if she happened to dislodge a stone, even a small one, it could have started the rock slide,” David grimly added.

“Aye, and she’d get scared and run back deeper into the cave.”

David aimed a sharp stare at him. “You really think she’s in there? And alive?”

“I’ve never been more sure about one of my
hunches
than I am about this.”

“Then we’d better work fast. We don’t know how big the cave is or how long her air will last.” David glanced around and pounded a fist to his other palm. “We need more men! Even when all my hands get here, it won’t be enough.”

“Jessie’s half crazed with worry. Why don’t ye have Sul ride back to the house to let the women know what’s happening. Then send him into town to spread the word that we need help.”

“Good thinking. Should have done that already. Would have if . . . .” Not finishing the thought, David gave Sul instructions and sent him on his way. By then Tye had joined in the arduous task of freeing his niece before time ran out.

As the afternoon wore on, more men arrived to add their muscle to the job of clearing away the rockslide. They included not only River T hands, but several neighbors and friends such as Arni Knudson, who announced his wife was at the house helping Lil and Jessie prepare food for the men. Del and Jeb Crawford also showed up, earning David’s thanks. Tye paused in his labors long enough to assure them Lil was fine. Beyond that, none of them had much to say as they continued the backbreaking task.

The sun was low on the horizon when Lil and Thea rode up on horseback, leading pack animals loaded down with food baskets and a huge speckled coffee pot. Their arrival made Tye realize how hungry he was and how much he needed a strong cup of coffee, but it was Lil herself he was most glad to see. Striding over to her as she dismounted, he caught her in a quick hug.

“You’re a welcome sight, colleen.”

“How’s it going?” she asked, turning to watch the men climbing about the landslide, lifting rocks and teaming up to roll away boulders.