Chase the Moon: A Historical Romance (26 page)

A coyote howled in the distance and she again tried desperately to free herself. She had managed to loosen the filthy rag in her mouth, which freed up her breathing and she concentrated on releasing her hands. At first, she had tried to twist her hands out of the ropes but they were too tight and she had just ended up abrading her tender skin. Taking some deep breaths, she tried to move her fingers as much as she could and feel her bonds. Her mind tried to envision the knot and the best way to loosen it. This system worked two fold. Not only was she not damaging herself further but also the concentration helped block out her surroundings.

She had just loosened her first strand using her nails and a bit of luck when she heard a twig break deep in the woods. The symphony of the forest stopped and the only thing she could hear was the pounding of her heart as she held her breath not daring to even breathe. Her blood turned to ice. Had her captors returned?

***

Chase cursed the night as the dark trees blocked out what little light there was. All he could do was follow the narrow path and trust his instincts. It took them to a well traveled road and even in the dark he knew it led to Montgomery. He could hear water nearby and recognized the trail that ran along the river.

He hesitated at the edge not wanting to expose them out in the open. He was not sure if they had left men behind to keep watch. He closed his eyes and listened. Listening to all the sounds around him everything seemed in place. Leaving Jaelyn and the others behind while he scouted out the road, he heard horse hooves cantering towards them.

Brock’s heart turned to ice. Sabrina. He cursed before kicking Thor into a run the others in his group followed without hesitation. Chase stood where he was frowning as Jaelyn joined him. “What are you waiting for?”

“I have to find Amelia.”

“Well then, let’s find her.” Jaelyn said with convection. They had the rest of their party follow Brock while they continued their tedious search on foot. Chase cursed at the new hoof prints trampling over the trail. He heard a coyote howl nearby and he froze. Coyotes normally didn’t attack people, unless they were injured. His heart pounded in his chest as he strained his eyes in the darkness using every sense that the spirits gave him in his search.

He came to a spot on the trail that seemed different. There was a slight depression on the right hand side and Chase knelt down to examine it closely. It was a deer trail. However, the print left was from a horse. He was close now. They tied the horses nearby wanting to reduce any noise as possible.

He so wanted to scream out her name. Amelia. The name that was pounding in his head and that had been running through his blood since he had met her. That would endanger them both. They could easily slit her throat to prevent her from giving away their position.

He crept closer, silently, deadly. His keen eyes detected a still white figure through the trees and Chases heart almost stopped. It was Amelia her alabaster hair shown even in the darkest of night. He had found her; but was she breathing? After a heart stopping second, the small figure moved a bit and Chase’s spirit rose. She was alive.

He felt Jaelyn’s hand on his back letting him know she was behind him. He waited a couple more breaths making sure there was no guard before revealing himself. He inched forward slowly. He didn’t want to startle her. He didn’t want her to scream.

***

Brock could hear the riffles blasts before he could see the house. He wanted to run Thor all the way to the porch and sweep Sabrina up in his arms and keep her safe, but he couldn’t. There were more than a dozen men between them. His sensible side kicking in he pulled the breathless Thor to a walk and dismounted as the others followed suit. He patted his sweaty neck and thanked him. He quickly ground tied him as he moved closer to the mayhem.

Warren took some of the hands to make their way around to the back of the house. Brock was hesitant about splitting up in the darkness but it was their best chance to get to the house.

A flare of light blazed through the darkness. They had lit a torch. Using the light as a guide. Brock fired. The man dropped the torch illuminating others around him. They were picked off easily by the hands as Brock took aim and fired again not wasting any lead as another man fell.

The men hollered in panic and anger as they were torn between firing at the house or behind them. Another volley of gunfire exploded nearby as Warren moved into position. He wasn’t as good a shot as Brock but what he lacked in skill he made up for in quantity.

During the mayhem, both teams crept closer. One of the hands discovered the outlaws’ horses and set them free. He scattered them with a swat of his hat. With their only means of fleeing, running away one man stood up to surrender but was shot in the back by one of his pals.

A few escaped to the woods and Brock gave chase. Hardly hampered by the darkness he glided through the trees silently unsheathing his knife as he went. The men were not too hard to follow, their crashing and heavy breathing made them simple to track. One of the men fell and Brock was sorely tempted to slit his throat but instead kicked the gun out of his hand and punched him in the face knocking him unconscious as he pursued the next one.

***

Amelia closed her eyes tightly not yet ready to see her fate. She could hear footsteps coming closer and she felt a tear slip from her eye mirroring her despair. She felt a hand touch her face, not the rough calloused hand of her capture, but a large gentle hand.

A sob tore through her throat as her emotions exploded inside of her. Chase drew his knife and quickly sliced through her bindings as he gathered her in his arms. She so wanted to throw her arms around his neck and hold him tightly but her numb limbs were not obeying her commands.

Chase froze hearing a commotion in the woods. He reluctantly placed Amelia on her wobbly feet and placed himself in front of her to face the danger. Pulling his bow and grabbing an arrow from his sheath he knelt down and took aim.

Stan crashed into the clearing and raised his gun. Using the glint of metal as his guide in the darkness, Chase’s arrow flew true and embedded itself deep into his chest. A gasp of shock escaped his dead lips as his gun exploded, the sound echoing through the night.

Amelia screamed as Brock rushed into the clearing. Chase turned in time to see Jaelyn waiver and then fall forward. The outlaw’s shot had torn through her chest. Her heart beat no more.

Brock still in motion, reached Jaelyn first rolling her onto her back. Her sight less black eyes starred up at the night sky. Amelia knelt by her side grasping her hand as she sobbed uncontrollably. A mantra ran thru her mind, it was her fault. All her fault.

Chase fell to his knees. He leaned back his head as a cry of anguish rent the air. Jaelyn was dead. It was all his fault. What would he tell his parents? What would he tell Thomas? How could he face them?

Silence filled the void even the crickets were still. It was finally broken by Brock. “She is gone. We need to get back. I’ll carry her.”

He reluctantly put her down as he helped Brock mount and handed up their sister. He pulled Amelia close to his chest and hugged her tightly before mounting his own horse and settling Amelia behind him for her safety. They headed back to the ranch at a walk. Ever alert for more bandits. Brock briefly thought of the man left in the woods and then dismissed the idea for going back for him. It was his lucky day.

By the time, they arrived back at the house all of the lights were lit. The encounter was over. Anna was on the porch and rang the bell on their approach. She smiled brightly seeing Amelia but stopped short seeing the look on Chase’s face as Brock rode up with Jaelyn.

“No, not Jaelyn, not my girl.” Anna cried as Warren moved forward to lift her from the horse. Amelia’s heart ached and she was barely aware as she was lowered from the horse and then pulled tightly into Sabrina’s arms and then Riley’s. Sally stood on the porch holding the railing so tight her knuckle’s were white as she took in the scene.

Chase followed the slow procession into the house as Warren carried Jaelyn into the foyer and laid her gently on the settee. Tom hurried forward to check her. Brock felt a tug on his arm and turned almost surprised to see Sabrina standing there next to him. Her face was mimicking what he felt in his heart. He pulled her into his arms tightly as he buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed. He blamed himself for his sister’s death, if he had only been faster.

Chase stood off to the side watching the scene unfold around him. His father holding his mother tightly. Brock holding Sabrina. His eyes sought out Amelia who was standing next to Sally and his heart ached. Her face was black and blue where she had been beaten. Her body was covered in dirt and scratches from the forest Her wrists were raw from her bonds. He had failed her just as he had failed Jaelyn and the rest of his family.

Not able to face them he slipped out the back unnoticed.

Brock exhausted as he was volunteered to ride into town and get Thomas. “I’ll ride with you.” Tom said feeling his son and or Brock may need him. Brock nodded gratefully and kissed Sabrina goodbye before heading out again. He rode Justice who had been rested after Jaelyn’s desperate ride. The thought of his carefree sister being gone made his heart ache.

He had the ranch hands throw the outlaws corpses on the wagon and drive it into town. They followed at a slower pace. None of the remaining outlaws had survived, Brock didn’t question it. He didn’t care.

They found Thomas at the former Doctor’s office. He was still awake and looked exhausted as he finished packing his instruments. “I was just about to head back.”

The three rode back in silence the only sound was an occasional sniff from Thomas who was still in disbelief. When they arrived at the house Thomas ran to her and sobbed over her until it felt like his heart would explode.

Sabrina was in the bathroom with Amelia. She scrubbed her from head to foot as Amelia protested. “You have to clean the dirt off it can get infected.”

“I don’t care! Jaelyn is dead and it is all my fault. I should be dead not her.”

“Don’t you say that. None of this is your fault. You can’t blame yourself for the evil that men do. It took me a long time to realize that.”

“How will Chase ever forgive me? Every time he looks at me he’ll remember that because of me his sister is dead.”

“Jaelyn made her own choices. There was no way in hell she would let those men leave her behind. She knew the risks and felt that they were worth it. That you were worth it. Now bend over I need to rinse your hair.”

Brock sat at the kitchen table with his parents. Alma put a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and he nodded to her gratefully. The rest were either on the porch or had gone to bed.

He lifted the steaming cup to his lips and ignored the burn as he took a gulp. The first rays of sunlight were peeking over the horizon. He thought back to the day before when Sabrina had begged him to go with her to the dress shop. Maybe things would have been different if he had gone. Maybe Jaelyn would still be alive.

As if reading his thoughts his mother placed her hand on his arm. “The past will not change no matter how much you think about it.”

“I was right there. I just had to pull the trigger.”

“And shoot a man in the back? That’s not you Brock, He will pay his dues in hell.” Jonathan spoke up, his own eyes red and swollen.

The door creaked open to the washroom and Sabrina appeared leading a damp Amelia. Sally met them at the stairs and Sabrina went over to the table while the two women headed upstairs to rest.