On the Mountain (37 page)

“We hold a woman’s weekly community gathering every Wednesday night.  We would be honored if you came and joined us.”

Taken back, her jaw dropped and she thought desperately on how to respond.  Thankfully, that chore was taken out of her hands.

“I’m afraid my wife is very busy at the ranch.  She has little time for such nonsense.”  Though his words sounded offending, Wade offered them a friendly smile.

“Don’t be ridiculous Mr. Haddock.”  They brushed off his comment, apparently use to his bland remarks.  “With all that male company up at the Circle H, your wife could do for some female companionship.”

His brow arched and he turned to look down at Anna.  “Do you feel that way?”

She hesitated, not sure why, other than she hadn’t given it much thought.  But if she were to be truthful, perhaps the ladies were correct.  It seemed he read the answer in her eyes for he raised his brows in surprise.

“Your wife is a beautiful woman, Mr. Haddock, but a bit of female influence wouldn’t hurt her.”

“I’m fully aware of how beautiful my wife is, ladies, I do not need your affirmation on that account,” he told them, and had Anna’s mouth gaping open.  Wade had never told her he thought her beautiful.  When he glanced at her, she immediately closed her mouth and looked away.  “I do not believe she is in any need of your attention.”

They chuckled and he looked away from Anna swiftly, his face screwed up as if he had just been slighted.  “Then allow her to own a half decent dress when coming into town.  Those boys’ pants she is purchasing, we admittedly envy, but she needs to feel elegant once in a while.”

Wade’s eyes narrowed as he glared down at Anna.  “Pants?”

She shifted and wished the ladies would leave.  Better yet, she wished she could go.  Running would actually be her preference of exit.  “I thought they were more practical.”

He did not respond and Anna dared not look at him.  They stood there for several minutes before he turned and addressed the women.  “Thank you, ladies, you have been most cordial with my wife as she waited for me, however, if you will excuse us now.”

They nodded and stepped away.  “Shall we see Mrs. Haddock at the woman’s gathering Wednesday night?”

“If Mrs. Haddock wishes to go, then I will ensure she will be there promptly.”  He turned and took her arm in a firm grip, then propelled her toward the counter.  “Would you kindly include the dress in the window to my wife’s purchase order?”

“Certainly.”  The storekeeper smiled and went to fetch the item.

When they were alone Wade turned his attention to Anna.  She kept her eyes fixed firmly on the ground.  Any second now he was going to realize his mistake in marrying her.  She was a far cry from what a countess should be.  However, before he could say anything the entrance to the shop swung open and Prescott hurried toward them.

“I just saw Bob O’Connor,” he told Wade.  “He said he was on his way to our ranch to let us know that he spotted four good sized pregnant heifers in the Sattler Canyon.”

Wade frowned and dropped Anna’s arm.  “If it rains, the river along the bed of the canyon will be sure to rise.”

Prescott nodded.  “He tried to lure the one animal out, but the banks have already started to get far too muddy.”

He nodded and turned back to the shopkeeper as he made his appearance.  “Package those items up quickly and add them to my account.”

Then turning back to his brother, he said, “We best ride back to the ranch as soon as possible and round up as many of the hands before we lose daylight.”

The shopkeeper had finished wrapping the items and handed them to Anna.  She returned his smile before Wade led her out of the shop.  “I can drop both the wagon and Anna off and saddle up Sty.  He’s familiar with the terrain.”

Anna felt an unexpected jolt of uneasiness.  She had no idea of its origin, or the reason for the growing and paralyzing fear that gripped her heart the entire trip back to the ranch. 

What she did know by the time she dismounted at the Circle H, was if she did not go with Wade, he would not return.

Chapter 22

“I want to go.”  Anna told him matter-of-fact and tried to think up plenty of reasons why while she waited for him to tell her no.

So was surprised than when he replied, “Saddle up one of the horses.”

“I want to take Lucy.”

“No way.”  He didn’t even look at her as he moved quickly saddling Sty.

“Why not?”

“Because she’s not fully trained,” he said.  “There’s a storm on the horizon.  It won’t take much to spook an inexperienced horse like her.”

“But she’s strong.”  Anna fought hard for the animal.

“And green.”  Wade’s voice was flat and she knew he considered the topic closed.  She sighed and went over to a nearby stall to begin saddling up one of his many horses.  “Anna.”

Turning, she found him watching her closely.  “Stay close to me out there.  I don’t intend to lose you.”

Her breath caught in her throat until she realized he was speaking factually.  “I won’t get lost.  After all, I grew up in this area.”

He smiled and went back to work.  Ten minutes later, six of them headed east.  Joe and Prescott rode alongside Wade while Anna, Neil, and Frank rode behind.  It was only mid-afternoon, but the sky had gotten so dark it looked like evening was nearly upon them.  Anna didn’t like the look of the dark and angry clouds.  She hoped they reached their destination quickly and had no problems pulling the first-time heifers out of the canyon.  The sooner they returned safely back to the ranch, the sooner she could breathe easier.  There was something about this trip that made her feel uneasy.

Wade led them east through thick brush and rocky ravines.   Anna had been truthful when she told Wade she was familiar with the area.  Many times as children, her and Edmund would go exploring and would often find themselves in this particular part of the mountain range because of its breathtaking gorges.

They crossed over Shadow River, aptly named because of the huge pine trees looming over its banks, which cast long and dark shadows across the river.  Not more than several miles downstream, it emptied out into the Centralia River in a three hundred foot waterfall.  It simply was nature at its best.  Beautiful, breathtaking, and deadly all wrapped up in one.

When they finally reached their destination, Anna sat back in her horse’s saddle and watched the men with a sigh of relief.  So far the trip was uneventful, and hopefully would remain so.  In the distance a small rumble was heard.  Anna turned to look out toward the small clearing surrounded by towering pine trees toward the eastern sky.  It was far too dense, however, and she was unable to see anything.  Turning back toward the men she fixed her gaze on Wade, and silently hurried him along.

Suddenly an ear-splitting thunderbolt resounded overhead.  Anna literally leaped from her saddle.  All the men paused, exchanged concerned looks, then worked thus much faster.  With her heart still beating hard, she tilted her chin all the way up and stared straight up at the sky.  The meanest looking black cloud hovered directly overhead.  She brought her chin down and looked anxiously at Wade.  He, however, was more intent on getting the four heifers out.

It took two horses each to drag out one single beast.  So far as she could tell, they were having no difficulty dragging them out of the deep gorge.  However, for Anna it was taking far too long. 

They had just brought up the last heifer when the sky opened up and showered the earth.  She reached for her slick then turned her horse around to follow Wade and the wranglers up the now wet slope.  Thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as slippery as it would be shortly, and so they were able to get the heifers to higher ground with no incident.

“Let’s get out of here.”  Wade raised his arm and indicated for everyone to follow after the animals were safely moved.

Anna was silently grateful, but still felt edgy.  They rode back in the same direction they came, however were now pounded by rain coming out of the sky in huge sheets.  Upon reaching Shadow River, Wade came to a halt and as Anna came up alongside him she discovered why.  The river which had been fairly calm earlier, was now moving quickly downstream.  She shot an anxious look to Wade, but he was already starting to make his way down the riverbank.

Anna tried not to allow her apprehension to get the best of her, as it was apparent Wade did not feel there was any danger in crossing the turbulent river.  Prescott and Joe followed him with Anna trailing after them.  Neil and Frank brought up the rear.  The river came up as high as her horse's forearms, but with the rampant current she could feel the choppy water reaching as high as her calves. She kept her gaze transfixed straight ahead on Wade’s back.  He reached the other side and proceeded to lead Sty up the bank and Anna felt a surge of appeasement.

Behind him, Prescott followed safely.  Joe was almost at the river’s edge when suddenly his horse lost his footing.  The lead hand attempted to steady the animal, but to no avail.  They both tumbled and fell into the river.  Anna watched horrified as the river swallowed them up and carried them away as if they were a meager piece of debris. 

She heard shouting and realized Wade was hollering at her to get out of the river.  However, Anna was gripped by a numbing fear that left her immobile.  Neil and Frank came up behind her and grabbed her horse’s reins and dragged her out of the river.

A movement along the riverbank caught her attention and with a start she realized that Wade had reentered the river.  Reaching far out he grabbed her reins and pulled her the remaining distance to safety before turning back and plunging both he and Sty into the river after Joe.

Anna’s heart shot up her throat as she screamed out his name.  But he did not even so much as look back.  A crippling sensation seized her chest, causing her breathing to suddenly become torture.  Then with a jolt, she kicked her horse and ran along the riverbank.

“Anna,” Prescott attempted to call her back.

Ignoring him, she searched the water until she saw Wade and Sty moving slowly through the wild current.  “Wade!”

He did not hear her and the next thing Anna knew the river unexpectedly lunged at Wade knocking both he and Sty over.  Anna cried out in horror as their two heads went bobbing down the canal at a remarkable speed, but it was evident they had lost complete control.  They were moving faster than her, but Anna only rode her horse harder, heedless of the now wet and slippery riverbank.  Rain soaked her head and cascaded down her face, but she refused to take her eyes off Wade.

“Wade!” she hollered his name again, utterly terrified by this point.  Not more than a few yards around the approaching bend, was the river’s three hundred foot drop.

The riverbank she was following suddenly came to a steep incline and Anna was left with no choice but to leap from her horse and clamber up the muddy slope.  As she neared the top, the sound of the thunderous waterfall reached her ears.  Her vision blurred and then a ghastly image seared her thoughts.  She gasped, clutching her chest.

However, without any time to resurrect the memory, she frantically searched out Wade since losing sight of him when she had to crawl up the steep embankment.  Then, suddenly in the turbulent water, she saw Sty.  Right before her horrified eyes, she watched as he was carried violently down the river’s wild rapids toward the edge of the drop.  Then in one fatal moment, plunged to his death.  There was no sign of Wade.

“No!” she screamed and fell to the ground.

It was that exact instance when her heinous past came flooding back.  She stared frozen at the river, and felt her heart literally die.  Her eyes burned from dryness as she stared transfixed at the wild current.  Rain pounded the earth around her while the river took the full onslaught of the torrential downpour.  However, its real deadly power lay in its wild currents and served as a cold reminder to Anna of its cruelty.  In one sweeping moment it had taken her only reason to live.

“Anna?”

She froze, then slowly pivoted on her mud encased boots, hardly believing she heard his voice and for a split second she thought his spirit had risen from the falls.  Then she saw Wade standing at the top of the bank from which she had just climbed, soaking wet. 

Anna gasped and felt the sharpest pain in her chest before the tears broke free and poured from her eyes.  Getting to her feet, she slipped on the mud and fell down on one knee but didn’t care.  Crying hard, she said his name and this time he came to her.  When he was within reach, she threw her arms round him and clung.  Tears cascaded down her cheeks and she openly cried against his chest.

“Shh, it’s all right,” he said into her ear and stroked her wet hair.

“I thought you went over,” she said into his slicker, clinging desperately to him.  “I thought you were dead.”

He continued to hold her and stroke her hair while Anna cried in his arms.  The memories that she had worked so hard and long to forget, came rushing back and the tears came harder.  She began to shake, not from the wet and cold, but from the memories that had tortured her for so long.

When her crying only got worse, Wade pulled her gently from his body and looked down into her face.  “Anna?  What is it?  What’s wrong?”

She looked up into his eyes and saw such compassion and tenderness.  In that moment, she needed him more than she ever did before.  Sobbing horribly, she cried, “I killed him.”

He went deathly still, his face completely blank.  “What are you talking about?”

“That day in the village,” she said between hysterical sobs.  “I wasn’t alone.”

Prescott came over the riverbank.  “Everything okay?”

Wade was frowning and didn’t respond immediately.  Then he replied, turning from her slightly, “Yes.  How’s Joe?”

“Grumpier than usual, but he’ll live.”  His eyes darted to Anna who was visibly crying and he frowned.  “What’s going on?”

Wade looked down at her and a look of puzzlement crossed his face.  “I’m not sure, but we best head back.”

“We lost Joe’s horse,” Prescott stated.  “He’ll ride back with Neil.”

Wade nodded.  “Sty’s gone too.  I’ll ride with Anna.”

Prescott nodded as well, then hesitated before leaving, obviously concerned for Anna.  When he was gone, Wade pulled Anna out of his arms.  “I’m soaking wet.  You’re going to catch a death of a cold.”

Anna felt her heart give a painful lurch.  She was already drenched from the rain.  It was obvious that Wade wanted nothing to do with her now that he knew the truth about Anna.  She was a murderer.

* * *

The ride back to the ranch was in utter silence.  Wade’s mind was completely on what Anna had told him by the river.  He didn’t want her saying anything in front of anyone else in fear of incriminating herself.  His mind played with all sorts of scenarios which could possibly explain this bit of information regarding Anna.  She had been a mystery since the day she arrived at the ranch.  Even when he felt he knew all there was to know, he was slapped with yet another shocking missing piece.  He knew in his heart that whatever her crime, she was innocent.  A woman could not walk away from such a horrendous event unscathed.

Sitting in his arms on the ride home, she had gone silent and still.  Her tears had dried and her hysteria had gotten under control.  However, Wade wasn’t entirely sold on the thought that it was a good thing.  When he found her sitting along the riverbank, he knew she had been traumatized. 

After seeing him and breaking into tears, he had thought they were for him.  For the first time since knowing her, she had finally broken down and cried.  However, thinking back, he realized her tears were in fact for a buried memory that resurfaced.  A memory where she killed a man.

When they finally reached the homestead, he saw to Joe and ensured he was well before heading up to the house.  Prescott and Anna had already headed that way.  He wanted nothing more than to go straight to Anna, but he needed to change into dry clothing first.  In his room, he quickly peeled off his wet shirt and pants and replaced them with a fresh dry set.  Then he headed downstairs.   He found Prescott in the kitchen putting on the kettle.  “Where’s Anna?”

He gestured to the cook’s room but asked.  “What’s going on Wade?”

Hesitating, he debated whether to inform his brother or not.  He would much prefer knowing the circumstances first.  But as he searched his brother’s face, he realized that he had not been the only one affected by Anna’s presence on the ranch.  Prescott had become very fond of her as well.

“Hold on.”

Tapping on the door, he waited for a reply on the opposite side.  There was a moment’s pause, then, “Come in.”

She had just finished changing into dry clothing as well and Wade’s eyes automatically dropped and took in the boy’s clothing.  “Are you feeling better?”

She nodded vaguely.

“Could you come out here please?”  There was a small hesitation where he could definitely read her misgivings.  “Anna.  You can trust us.”

Her eyes lifted and he saw they were still red and sunken from her outburst.  His heart ached and he wanted so much to take her back into his arms and comfort her for as long as she needed.  Slowly she moved toward him and he stepped aside to let her pass.  Out in the kitchen Prescott was watching them closely, a small frown dancing along his forehead, the kettle whistling behind him, unnoticed.