Beside Still Waters (10 page)

“There.”

Jonesy jerked his head up at the sound of Randy’s voice. The first words between them for two hours.

“In that cliff. There’s a cave.”

“You have horses in a cave?”

“That’s where we brand them. Every couple of days, one of us takes two horses and heads to Oregon City to sell them.”

“I’m supposed to believe you’re going to give me that information just like that?”

“Don’t matter none anyway. You ain’t gonna make it out of this alive.”

“I will.”

“We’ll see.”

Jonesy cautiously rode a couple of miles more until they reached the bottom of the cliff. Then he dismounted and lifted his pistol from his holster. He grabbed his extra rope and nodded at Timothy. “Get down.”

Timothy unlooped his bound wrists from the pommel of his saddle and dismounted.

“Over there,” Jonesy said, pointing the barrel of his pistol to a tree. “Sit down.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I only need one prisoner. And I have a feeling your friend is more important to the rest of your gang than you are.”

Timothy sat still while Jonesy tied him to the tree, then took the boy’s handkerchief from his pocket and tied it through his mouth. “Sorry, but I can’t have you calling out a warning.”

Jonesy looked up warily at Randy. Standing a safe distance from the horse, he nodded to the outlaw. “Your turn. Get down.”

Randy dismounted awkwardly. Jonesy regretted that he couldn’t gag Randy, too, but he didn’t want to holster his pistol with the man’s powerful legs still free.

“All right,” Jonesy said. “Let’s go. Slow. And don’t try anything. As soon as I have Pete, I won’t try to hold you.”

He glanced down at Timothy. “You’ll be all right. They’ll come and untie you as soon as I’m gone.”

Timothy’s eyes widened, but his focus went over Jonesy’s shoulder.

“Drop the gun.”

Dread clenched Jonesy’s gut at the unfamiliar voice. He turned slowly. Two men stood holding guns on him. One, who looked identical to Timothy, was wearing a pair of buckskin chaps and a ripped calico shirt.

Jonesy knew better than to try anything stupid. He tossed his pistol forward.

“Good to see you, Al,” Randy said, a chuckle rumbling in his barrel chest. “This fool thought he’d walk outta here with Pete.”

“Pete?” The redhead kept his rifle on Jonesy but turned to Randy. “We thought he was with you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Jonesy.

Al sneered and backhanded him hard across the jaw. “Shut up.” He nodded to the redhead. “Untie Randy and your dim-witted brother.”

“This feller’s girl got attacked,” Randy said while Timothy’s brother dismounted. “We figured Pete did it and ran off to find you.”

“Pete got another one?” Anger marred Al’s brow. “You know what I told him after the last one.”

Randy nodded. “Guess that’s why he didn’t come lookin’ for you. We probably ain’t gonna see him again.”

Panic seized Jonesy. “You mean to tell me Pete’s not here?”

Al glared. “I told you to shut yer mouth.”

Jonesy glared at Randy. “We had a deal.”

“I kept my part of the bargain. I brung you to the gang, didn’t I?”

“You knew Pete wouldn’t be here. I’m a day away from Eva, and that monster could still be around Hobbs. How am I going to protect her?”

“That ain’t our problem, mister,” Al broke in.

Jonesy kept his focus on Randy. “Wouldn’t you have given anything to keep Cynthia safe?”

Randy’s face reddened, and his eyes flashed in anger. “Shut up about her.”

“What if someone like Pete had snuck around watching her for two weeks and then violated her? Almost killed her?”

“Shut up!” Randy stepped forward until they were nose to nose, his rancid breath nearly choking Jonesy.

“Enough of this,” Al barked. “We’re pulling out with the last two horses tonight. And we ain’t takin’ an extra man, so move outta the way.”

His words sliced through Jonesy like an ax head, but he refused to be deterred. “Think about it, Randy.”

“Cynthia died a long time ago.” He nodded toward Al and the twins. “This is all the family I got left. If I turn against them, I’m alone.”

“Turn against us?” Al frowned. “You thinking about being a turncoat?”

“No.”

“Then let’s get it done.” Al handed him a knife. “Use this. We don’t want to make any noise.”

Jonesy saw hesitation mar Randy’s expression. He jumped on it. “Randy, what would Cynthia want you to do?”

The second the words left his lips, Randy’s face darkened. He approached with utter hatred flashing in his eyes. “I told you not to talk about her anymore. I’m done remembering.”

Randy raised the knife to Jonesy’s throat.

He returned the man’s murderous gaze with unflinching dignity, though everything in him screamed to beg for his life.

A blast of gunfire sounded. The twins dove for cover.

Randy landed with a thud on the ground. He clapped his hand to a bleeding shoulder and looked up at Jonesy with accusing eyes. “You double-crossed me.”

Jonesy glanced at the sheriff, who had been following them since they left Hobbs, then turned back to Randy. “Now we’re even.”

Al dropped with the next blast from Billy’s gun.

Jonesy dove for his pistol, which the outlaws hadn’t bothered to retrieve from where he’d dropped it.

When his fingers were inches away from the gun, Jonesy felt a sharp pain slice through his leg. Crying out, he looked down. Randy pulled the knife out and raised it again. In a split second, Jonesy kicked with his other leg and knocked the knife from Randy’s hand. Randy rolled to his feet and ran for the nearest horse.

Despite another round of fire, Randy rode away amid a cloud of dust. Jonesy crawled to cover and snatched his handkerchief from his pocket. His leg throbbed, and blood poured from the knife wound in his calf.

“Jonesy,” Billy called. “You okay?”

“I’ll live.”

“How many more are there?”

“Just two, and neither of them seem that smart. We won’t have any trouble bringing them in. It’s dead or alive, right?”

“That’s right. And I brought along plenty of bullets, so I’ll outlast them.”

“Wait!”

Jonesy recognized Timothy’s voice.

“Don’t shoot. We’re coming out.”

“Do it, then,” Billy said. “Slowly, with both hands in the air. Any sudden moves, and I’ll open fire.”

Within moments, Billy had both of the red-haired men tied up. He glanced at Jonesy. “You going to make it back home?”

“I’ll have to.”

Billy nodded. “Which one is Pete?”

“Neither.” Jonesy flinched against the pain in his leg as he limped to his horse. “Apparently this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. Even these vermin didn’t care for it. They had told him not to do it again. That’s why he didn’t come back to them.”

Billy’s face blanched. “You mean he could still be in town?”

Jonesy gave a grim nod. “Or close by.”

They slung Al’s lifeless body over one of the horses. Once the others were mounted, they headed toward Hobbs.

Though she had awakened this morning with optimism, now, mere hours later, depression clouded over Eva as she scooted beneath the blue coverlet, ready for sleep. Darkness had fallen, and Jonesy hadn’t come by today. Even though she had no intention of seeing him, the fact that he had given up disappointed her.

It had only been a few days. But she supposed he had to start making his plans to go back to Texas. After all, his land meant more to him than anything.

She had told him to leave, she reasoned, so it wasn’t fair to be angry with him for giving up. Still, he hadn’t tried for long.

A heavy cloud hung over her, and she thrashed about as sleep eluded her. Only the darkness, and fear of what might be there if she left the safety of her bed, prevented her from throwing off the covers and pacing away the nervous energy buzzing in her stomach.

Where was Jonesy now? Was he still at home? Had he finally taken her hint yesterday and left for Texas?

In a fit of frustration, Eva labored to sit up. She glanced about the dark room, lighted only faintly by the moon shining through the window.

Her heart was racing by the time her back rested against the feather pillows propped against the headboard. A scratching noise by the window caught her attention. She tensed, fear gripping her tighter than a corset. Paralyzed, she watched as a shadow passed by, stopped, and came back. She wanted to scream, to cry out, but her throat tightened.

Then she remembered the words her attacker had whispered that awful night:
This ain’t over
.

The screams found their voice. Eva couldn’t stop even when Pa and Ma burst through the door.

“What is it, Little Papoose?” Pa took Eva into his arms, and the screams gave way to silent sobs.

“He came back for me, Pa. Just like he said he would.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw him outside the window.”

“Oh, honey, you must have been dreaming,” Ma said. “That evil man is gone. As a matter of fact, Jonesy and Billy tricked those other two outlaws into leading them right to the hideout for the whole gang of thieves and cutthroats. So you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Hope,” Pa said, his voice ringing with frustration, “Billy told me that in confidence. Eva wasn’t supposed to know about this until it was all over.”

“Jonesy went after the outlaws?” Eva asked.

Pa patted her leg and stood. “I’ll go have a look around outside.”

“No!” Palpable fear slithered up from Eva’s gut until she felt it in her chest and in her throat. “You can’t go outside. What if he’s still out there?”

“I’ve survived a lot of things in my day. I’ll be careful.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.”

With foreboding, Eva watched him leave.

Ma took Pa’s seat on the bed next to her. “It’ll be all right, Eva. I’m sure you were only dreaming.”

“No, I wasn’t, Ma.” Eva pulled away. “I know what I saw.”

Ma’s eyes flashed hurt, and guilt pricked Eva. But she had to be heard.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I sat up. And when I looked over to the window, I saw him walking back and forth. Then he tried to get inside.” Ma still didn’t look convinced. Eva sat up slightly and patted her pillows. “Mama, look! Why would my pillows be propped up if I had been sleeping?”

For the first time, a worried frown creased her mother’s brow. A light glowed outside the window where Pa held the lantern.

“Eva, darling. What did you mean when you said that he came back for you like he promised?”

Swallowing hard, Eva fought the image. “I was barely conscious, Ma. But when Jonesy started calling my name, that scared him. Before he ran away, he said he’d be back. He kept saying I had betrayed him. But the only time I’ve ever seen him was that day on the road. He must have mistaken me for someone else. I kept thinking he’d realize I wasn’t the woman he thought I was and he’d stop. But he didn’t.”

“Oh, Eva. You’ve been through so much.” Hope put her arms around her daughter. But Eva stayed limp, unmoving. Surprisingly, for the first time since thinking or talking about that night, there were no tears. She was just so tired.

“Jesus, heal her.”

Ma’s prayer was cut short when Pa came back into the room carrying several boards and a hammer. Eva searched his eyes, and terror cut a line through her heart. “I was right, wasn’t I?”

He gave a grim nod. “Someone was out there, all right. I looked around and couldn’t find any signs that he might still be here. But I’m not taking any chances that he might come back.”

Pa made an imposing figure when he was determined. Eva had always been a little in awe of him. Spending his young adult years as a wagon scout, meeting Indians. He’d even married an Indian girl who had died before he met Eva’s ma. His wild spirit had always reached out to Eva. Had always inspired her. How her cowardice must disappoint him.

He glanced at Ma over his shoulder. “Hope, will you come hold the other end of the board?”

Ma stood immediately and went to him.

Eva watched her parents close her in, nailing boards over her window as though she were a princess in a tower. Keeping her locked away and safe from the dangers of the big, bad world.

Though part of her enjoyed the safety those boards afforded, another part of her deeply resented the confinement. Now there was nothing for her to see but the inside of this room. No light shining through, no birds flying by.

“That ought to do it.” He walked across the room. “If you hear one sound, you be sure to call out. We’re going to leave your bedroom door open.”

Eva’s heart picked up speed.

Pa studied her face. “I’ll spend the night in the chair. Don’t worry, honey.”

“I’m sorry, Pa.”

Setting his hammer on the table next to the bed, he sat beside her. “For what?”

“For being so afraid.”

“No need to be sorry. It’s a pa’s job to keep his little girl safe.”

“But I’m not a little girl anymore.”

“You’re my little girl. And I’ll sit next to your bed as long as it takes for you to feel safe again. Until then, just know that your family loves you.”

“Thank you, Pa.”

He started to say something else but hesitated.

Eva smiled. “I know. You want to tell me that Jonesy loves me.”

Pa gave a soft chuckle. “You know your pa pretty well, don’t you?”

“Yes. We’re alike in so many ways.”

Ma moved softly across the room toward the bed. “I’ll leave the two of you alone.” She bent forward, and Eva caught the scent of apple blossoms that always seemed to cling to Ma.

She pressed a soft kiss to Eva’s forehead. “Good night, darling.”

“Good night, Ma.”

Eva had grown increasingly short-tempered with her ma over the past few days. Not that she’d be openly disrespectful, but inside, she wanted to tell her to stop trying so hard to make her feel better. Stop feeding her cookies and cake and chicken pie, even though it was her favorite meal. Stop asking her to get out of bed and take a bath. Didn’t Ma realize that no matter how many baths she took, she’d never feel clean again?

After Ma left the room, Pa picked up the Bible on the nightstand.