Bobbi Smith (22 page)

Randi had finally managed to free her hands, and she was ready to do whatever it would take to get away from Fred. Soon this would all be over. Soon she would be with Hawk again!

In her heart, she prayed that if Hawk had survived the ambush, maybe her father had, too. She looked out again to see what was happening, only to catch sight of Fred working his way toward her.

“No!”
Randi was frantic to protect herself from Fred. She looked around and grabbed up a good-sized rock, then threw it at him. Her aim was true.

Fred had been concentrating on staying down low, so Hawk couldn’t get a shot at him. He hadn’t expected Randi to attack. The thrown rock caught him off guard. He tried to dodge it at the last minute, but it still hit him in his wounded arm.

Fred swore loudly as pain racked him, and his hatred for her grew even stronger. He charged after her.

Randi turned to make a run for it, but Fred was there before she could get very far. He grabbed her and jerked her forcefully back to him.

“Thought you were gonna get away from me, did you?” he snarled in a threatening voice.

Randi fought him with all her strength, but even with his injured arm, his hold on her was brutal. Fred drew his gun and pressed it against her side.

“Stopping fighting me now or you’re dead,” he said harshly.

She felt the cold metal of the gun against her and went still. “What do you want? What are you going to do?”

“You’ll see.”

“But Hawk’s here—and the Comanche. You can’t get away from them.”

“Oh, yeah? Watch me!”

He dragged her back to where he’d left his rifle. If he were to end up dead, so would she.

Hawk rode with the other warriors toward the rocks where Fred had taken refuge. They reined in a good distance away.

“Give it up, Fred! Throw down your guns!”

“Like hell!” he shouted back. He was tempted to open fire on them, but he had only a little ammunition left and they were still far away. He knew he had a better chance of bargaining for his freedom as long as he had his gun and Randi.

“There’s no way out for you now.”

“You wanna bet?” He stood up and dragged Randi to her feet in front of him. He held the gun on her. If even one of the Comanche took a shot at him, she was going to die. “You let me ride out of here, and maybe—just maybe—I’ll let Randi live!”

Hawk closed in on Fred. He knew better than to try to bargain with him.

“Let her go—now.” It was an order.

Running Wolf and the other warriors followed Hawk’s lead. They spread out on either side of him in a show of force.

Fred looked around, trying to figure out the best way to end the standoff.

“Listen to him, Fred. It’s over,” Randi said.

“It ain’t over! I still got you!” He tightened his hold on her even more to emphasize his words. “And I got Hawk right where I want him.”

Fred started to lift his gun to take a shot at Hawk.

Randi suddenly realized what he planned to do. She didn’t hesitate. Praying silently for strength, she violently twisted free of his hold. She deliberately hit out at his wound as she tried to knock the gun out of his hand.

Fred grimaced in pain and reacted instinctively. He shoved her from him and pushed her violently down. When he did, his gun went off.

Hawk saw him shove Randi down and heard the sound of the gunshot. Fearing the worst, he drew his gun and fired.

Hawk raced to the scene and all but threw himself from the stallion’s back. Gun in hand, he made his way through the rocks to find Fred lying on the ground. Hawk kicked his gun away from his hand, then rolled him over to make sure he wouldn’t be shooting at anybody anymore. He wouldn’t be. He was dead.

Hawk turned to Randi.

She lay unmoving, facedown in the dirt.

Hawk knelt beside her and carefully turned her over.

Relief and excitement swept through him when Randi gave a low, pained moan. She was alive! There was an ugly mark on her forehead where she must have hit her head on a rock when Fred had shoved her down, but she hadn’t been shot.

With great care, Hawk took Randi in his arms and got to his feet. He suddenly realized he’d left Phantom untethered and feared the stallion might have run off. He glanced back to see Phantom standing quietly, waiting for him.

Hawk carried Randi to where Running Wolf and the other warriors had reined in by Phantom.

“Your woman is alive?” Running Wolf asked, concerned.

“Yes, but she’s been injured. How far are we from the village?”

“Not far. We will go there.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

“You have been injured, too?” He noticed the dried blood on the cloth Hawk had used to bind his head wound.

“It is nothing.” Hawk knew he would be all right. All that mattered now was Randi.

“The stallion did not run off,” Running Wolf remarked, impressed. “You are truly the finest of warriors.”

Hawk said nothing. His only concern was taking care of Randi. He had her back again, and he would never let her go.

Running Wolf dismounted and went to help Hawk. He took Randi from him so he could mount up, then handed her up to his friend. He swung back up on his own horse.

“Let us ride.”

They headed for the village.

Hawk cradled Randi protectively against his chest as he followed his friend’s lead.

It had been many years since Hawk had visited the tribe. After his grandparents’ passing, he had not had any reason to return. He’d had a few friends there—Running Wolf among them—but his life had been in the white world.

Hawk was thankful now that the tribe was camped nearby. With Randi injured, he needed the haven the village offered to tend to her.

The ride to the village took less than an hour. When the word spread that a warrior on the phantom stallion was riding in with Running Wolf and the other braves, the villagers rushed from their tepees to watch them approach. All were in awe of Hawk as he rode into their midst.

Running Wolf dismounted and helped Hawk with Randi again. When Hawk got down, he took her back in his arms and followed the warrior to a tepee near the center of the village. Running Wolf went in first, and Hawk followed. Hawk laid Randi on a blanket there.

“I will get the medicine man,” Running Wolf told him.

Hawk stayed there by her side, praying that her head injury wasn’t serious. There was a small container of water in the tepee, so he carefully bathed her face as he waited for the medicine man to come.

It was only a short time later when the flap of the tepee was thrown back and Running Wolf entered with another man.

“This is Sun Chaser,” he told Hawk. “He will help your woman.”

Hawk looked at the older man and nodded. “Thank you.”

Hawk quickly explained to the medicine man what had happened to her; then he and Running Wolf left him alone with Randi.

Tense and worried about Randi, Hawk went to tend to Phantom, wanting to keep busy. He found that a large number of the villagers had gathered around the stallion, studying him with great interest. Hawk went up to Phantom and stroked his neck. He spoke to him in low tones.

“You saved Randi today,” Hawk praised him. “Without you, I would never have reached her in time.”

Phantom stood calmly before him and whickered softly, almost as if in response to his words.

The villagers were amazed at the ease with which Hawk handled the stallion and believed now that he truly was the warrior who fulfilled the legend.

Hawk led Phantom down to the nearby spring to drink. He fettered him and left him to graze with the other horses. He returned to the tepee to find Running Wolf there, watching for him. His friend offered him food, and they sat together, eating. Running Wolf spoke of the adventures they’d shared as young boys, and while Hawk joined him in those reminiscences, his thoughts were on Randi. He kept glancing toward the tepee, anxiously waiting for the medicine man to emerge.

When at last the flap was thrown back and Sun Chaser came out of the tepee, Hawk immediately stood up and went to him.

“How is she?” he asked, nervously looking past him into the tepee.

“She will be well,” the medicine man assured him, “but she will need rest.”

Sun Chaser stepped aside to allow him to enter, and Hawk hurried inside to see Randi.

He knelt down beside her and bent to gently kiss her.

Randi lifted her arms to him in invitation, wanting to hold him, needing to be as close to him as she could.

“You saved me again.”

Hawk gathered her close. His relief at knowing she was alive, at knowing she was going to be all right, nearly overwhelmed him.

“I was afraid I’d lost you,” he told her with deep emotion.

“And I was afraid I’d lost you. Fred told me you were dead. He told me that he’d killed you—and Pa.”

“Your father is alive. He was wounded, but he should be all right. He’s back at the ranch.”

Randi started to cry with joy at the news. Hawk held her to his heart.

“I love you, Randi,” he swore. He drew back to seek her lips again in a kiss that told her all she needed to know about the truth of his words.

“And I love you,” she told him when they finally ended the embrace and moved slightly apart.

Hawk wanted to keep her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and spend the rest of his life showing her how much he loved her, but this was not the time. He knew he needed to let her rest and regain her strength. He started to get up, but she reached out to hold his arm.

“We have to get back to the ranch,” she said in desperation.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“I know who is behind all this—it’s Wade. Fred said Wade paid him to shoot you and Pa. We have to get back to the Lazy S. With Wade there, anything might happen.” Her plea was frantic, and the exertion left her pale and exhausted.

“We’ll ride for the ranch as soon as you’re strong enough,” Hawk promised her.

“All right.” Randi knew he was right. She wouldn’t last five miles, feeling as weak and dizzy as she did now. She closed her eyes against the pain, emotional and physical, that threatened to overwhelm her.

“Rest now,” Hawk told her. He stayed by her side until he was sure she was asleep. Only then did he leave the tepee.

Hawk saw Running Wolf standing with some of the other warriors, watching Phantom, and he walked over to join them.

“Who is this Hawk that he could catch the phantom?” Red Eagle, one of the youngest warriors in the tribe, was asking Running Wolf. He had always been fascinated by the legend and had chased the stallion several times, trying to catch him, but with no success. He wanted to see the man who’d finally caught him.

“Hawk is the finest warrior,” Running Wolf told them. He glanced toward the tepee and saw Hawk coming their way. “This is Hawk.”

Red Eagle and the others who hadn’t been riding with Running Wolf earlier turned to look at him. They immediately realized that Hawk wasn’t a full-blood Comanche. They were shocked.

“How can he be the one?” Red Eagle challenged. “He is a white man!”

Running Wolf fixed him with a commanding glare. “Hawk is Comanche. He has claimed the phantom and proven himself as a warrior.”

Red Eagle fell angrily silent. It infuriated him that this man—this white man—had claimed the horse he had wanted so badly.

“How is Phantom?” Hawk asked as he came to stand with them. He was unaware of the younger brave’s anger.

“Your stallion is fine. Many are impressed with your skill and want to hear the tale of how you claimed him.” Running Wolf nodded toward those standing nearby.

“The phantom claimed me,” Hawk told them. He recounted the story of how Bruiser had thrown a shoe and how he’d been forced to continue tracking Fred and Randi on foot. “I didn’t know if the stallion would let me ride him, but he did. He’s fast, faster than any horse I’ve ever ridden before. It’s no wonder no one was ever able to catch him.”

“What will you do with him now?” Red Eagle asked, wondering if Hawk was going to set the stallion free again.

“I plan to keep him.”

“I will trade you for him,” the young brave offered, willing to pay handsomely for the beautiful animal.

“No.”

Red Eagle was irritated by Hawk’s refusal. The legend said only the finest of warriors could ride the phantom stallion, and he wanted to prove to everyone just how good he was.

Red Eagle considered stealing the phantom and just riding away. If he were mounted on the stallion, he was certain no one would ever be able to catch him. The young warrior smiled at the thought, but knew he couldn’t steal another warrior’s horse. Somehow, some way, though, he was determined that he was going to ride the phantom.

“Who is this man?” Moon Flower asked her friend Dove Song. Her voice was a little breathless as she watched the handsome stranger walking through the village with Running Wolf.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Dove Song said. She was just as intrigued as her friend.

“He has a woman with him,” Moon Flower reminded her.

“I know, but I have not heard that she is his wife.”

“We will have to see. If he is the one who tamed the stallion from the legend, then he is a great warrior.” Her eyes gleamed with delight and interest.

“I could tell that just by watching him,” Dove Song agreed with a quick smile. She began to plan a way to find out more about the new man in the village.

It was growing dark outside when Hawk returned to the tepee to find Randi asleep on the blanket. He was hard-pressed not to lie down next to her and take her in his arms. He wanted to hold her close. He wanted to reassure himself that she was going to be all right. Instead he forced himself to sit down across the tepee from her. It was enough for him to know she was safe and resting quietly.

Hawk let his thoughts drift as he watched her sleep, and his mood darkened as he realized the trouble they were going to face when they returned to the ranch. They knew the truth now—Wade was behind the rustling, and he had little doubt anymore that Pete Turner was involved. He still had to find a way to prove it, but he didn’t think it would be hard once they returned and told the sheriff what they’d learned.