Desperate (Harris Trilogy Book One) (30 page)

She
found herself sitting on the neck of a horse with two strong arms holding her a little too intimately. She peered into dark brown eyes with a mischievous twinkle. A wild mane of brown curly hair, his Confederate hat couldn’t contain shone in the sun. His gray uniform was worn and tattered.   

With a wide grin he
chuckled, “God has truly blessed me today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone prettier.”

She
finally realized her predicament and found her voice. “Put me down this instant, sir.” He made no move to release her. Close to panic, she took several deep breaths. Her nerves were already near the breaking point. “Get your grubby hands off my person.”

He threw his
head back and laughed heartily. “I love a spitfire, darling. Now explain what a beautiful, young lady is doing out in the middle of nowhere. It is not safe to traipse about the countryside without a chaperone. The nearest farm is miles from here.”

M
aybe she could convince him to return her to her grandfather and Jacob. “I was kidnapped by an odious man who was taking me to Durham, North Carolina against my will. I put some poison mushrooms in his food to make him sick so I could escape.”

A
gain he laughed. “You look too sweet and delicate to be poisoning people.” He tilted his head and gave her a hard stare. “Looks can be deceiving.” Tugging on a lock of her hair, the young man asked, “What’s your name?”

“Kate Monroe.
I promise if you take me back to Richmond my grandfather will pay you a large amount of money. He will be so glad to get me back.” She did not feel comfortable with the young man. He was leering at her as if she were a piece of apple pie.

“Happy to meet you, Kate.
My name is Terry Robbins.”

“Wi
ll you please put me down, sir? I have been riding night and day to get back to Richmond before Slade could catch up to me. I’m pretty sore from all the riding and need to stand on my feet for a few minutes.”       

Arm looped around her waist, he lowered her to the ground.
She stumbled and almost fell, but he caught her just before she tumbled to the ground. When he made no attempt to release her, she pushed at his hands. “Thank you, Mr. Robbins. I think I can stand on my own.”

“You can call me Terry.”

“Mr. Robbins, will do, thank you.”

Terry chuckled. “You are a breath of fresh air.
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.”

He was leering again.
Even though he made her uncomfortable, she felt she could convince him to help her. “Mr. Robbins, will you please escort me back to my grandfather? I swear you will be compensated for your time.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’
m just returning from taking a message to General Lee himself. I have to report back to my company right away. I’d be honored to take you along. I’m sure my Captain will arrange an escort to take you home.”

“Thanks, Mr. Robbins. I promise you will be rewarded.
Let’s just get out of here before Slade tracks me down. He is pretty good with a gun, and I don’t want you to get shot because of me.” She had seen Slade shoot at rabbits and other vermin on the trail. He could draw his gun in less than a second and he never missed.

Chapter Eighteen

Kate and T
erry rode the rest of the day. The curious sort, he had asked one question after the other. It was all she could do to keep her eyes open, let alone focus her mind to answer him.

“Why did Slade kidnap you?” 

The explanation began with Bob Lewis and ended with Slade kidnapping her. Perhaps in the near future she wouldn’t have to mention Lewis’ name again. The best she could hope for is he would spend the rest of his life in prison for paying Slade to kidnap her.

“I’m sure my captain will help you, Kate, especially after you explain your predicament
to him.”    

She rolled her eyes and looked up at the sky for patience. Maybe she was wrong and she’
d never be able to omit the name Bob Lewis from her vocabulary.

God, she was tired. She closed her eyes and let the clip clop of her horse calm her frayed nerves. Next thing she knew, she was groping for the saddle horn. A strong hand caught her before she plummeted to the ground.

Terry shoved her back onto her horse. He grabbed the r
eins of her horse and halted in the middle of the road. “Let’s camp here tonight, spitfire.”

Her voice full of fright, she
pleaded, “No, we must push on. I’m afraid Slade will kill you, and take me to Bob Lewis. I can’t go back. Please let’s keep going.” The thought of being at the mercy of Bob Lewis was just too painful. 

“Kate, you almost fell off your
mount from exhaustion. Do you want to break your neck? I insist we stop for the night. I will protect you. Besides, I don’t plan to die in a hail of bullets unless it’s on the battlefield.” 

She didn’t have the strength to argue. Chances were Slade was still sick. Anyway, he didn’t have a horse or gun so could pose no threat to them
. No matter how many times she told herself they were not in danger she was still scared. 

Terry began to build a fire since it was going to be another
cold night. She unstrapped his saddlebag and rummaged through for something to eat. A can of beans in her hand, she gasped when he gripped her wrist and took the can from her hand. Hand still around her wrist he led her to the fire, and pushed her to the ground. 

“That’s okay
Kate, I’ll prepare our supper. I wouldn’t want any poisoned mushrooms to find their way into my food.”

“Very funny, Mr. Robbins, I only poison people I don’t like.”

“I promise to never forget that, Spitfire.”

After
their meal Kate felt uneasy. Terry’s smile was a little too warm, a little too personal as he sat watching her. “I think I’ll turn in.” She stood and wiped her hands on her pants. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Wanting to get as much warmth as she could, she unrolled her bedroll near the fire. It seemed she had not been warm since she left Richmond.

When he
unrolled his bedroll and lay down much too close to her, she requested, “Would you please move to the other side of the campfire, Mr. Robbins?”

Propped on his elbow, he peered into her eyes. H
umor in his voice, he lifted an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?  Are you afraid of me?”

It seemed the young man
didn’t take anything seriously. “I’m engaged to be married, Mr. Robbins. On my return to Richmond I will immediately be married. I don’t think it is proper for you to be so close to me.”

He gave her a rakish smile. “I’m here to protect you.
What if Slade catches up to us?” 

Of course
he was just trying to scare her. She rolled over facing the fire. “Good night, Mr. Robbins.”

For the moment she
felt safe. All they had to do was get to Terry’s camp and someone would make sure she found her way home. She smiled as sleep took over.

****

A gentle hand was shaking her shoulder. She curled into a tight ball and moaned. “Spitfire, wake up, it is time to go. We need to get moving.”

Kate stretched out the kinks from sleeping on the hard ground and yawned.
It would be wonderful to get home so she could sleep in a comfortable, feather bed once again. Dirty, sore, and miserable, she accepted the hand he offered. With little effort he pulled her to her feet. Once he was sure she could stand on her own he relinquished his hold on her. 

She groaned in agony as her aching muscles screamed for more rest.
“How did you sleep?”

“Better than I have in days.”

She dropped to her knees and rolled up her bedroll. Without much enthusiasm, she replied, “I’m ready, Mr. Robbins. Let’s ride.”

His dark eyes swept over her as if he wanted to devour her. She blushed. “I’m sorry, Kate.
I guess it’s easy for you to read my thoughts. You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. If I weren’t a gentleman, I would have made an attempt to bed you last night.”

Ka
te rolled her eyes. “Thank God, you’re a gentleman.”

Terry chuckled.
“You are something, Spitfire. Your fiancé is a lucky man. Let’s get moving before I forget I’m a gentleman.”

Little more than an hour passed, and she finally
felt safe enough to enjoy her surroundings. The sun was beginning to peek over the trees, birds were singing, and she felt a sense of peace. Before dark they would arrive at Terry’s camp and the nightmare would be over.

“Where do you hale from, Terry?”

“A little farm on the outskirts of Tarboro.” After a brief hesitation he continued, “Both my father and brother are dead, casualties of the war. My mother is still on the farm trying to survive best she can without any help.” Eyes straight ahead looking at nothing, he seemed to be deep in thought.

She saw the sadness on his face. The carefree attitude of not taking life too serious seemed to have disappeared for the moment. The pain of losing
his father and brother was evident. She liked Terry. Suddenly, his eyes swept over her as if she were something sweet to eat. Did the man ever think of anything else? She rolled her eyes.

All hell broke loose as gunshots came from the forest.
In the chaos, Kate couldn’t tell from which direction the shots were coming. Terry yelled for her to head for the woods on the left side of the road. She bent low into the saddle, kicked her horse into a full gallop and headed for cover. Glancing over her shoulder just before she entered the forest, she saw Terry fall from his horse. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. She watched in horror as he hit the ground hard. Not considering the danger, she reined her horse around and headed back to help him. 

When Terry saw her coming back
, he yelled, “Ride, Kate! Get away!” 

Instead of following his orders, she dismounted and ran to him
. Injured and lying in the road, blood oozed from his shoulder. On her knees at his side, she ripped strips from her shirt, and put pressure on his wound. 

A cry ripped from her throat
when she was jerked to her feet by her hair. Slade wrenched her hair forcing her to look into his steely eyes. “Bitch, I would love to kill you.” He backhanded her across the face with enough force to throw her backwards to the ground. He griped the front of her shirt and pulled her to her feet. 

He
was mad enough to kill her. Temper simmered in his cold eyes. This time she had pushed him too far. When he raised his hand to slap her again she screamed, “If I’m scarred Bob Lewis will not pay one cent for me! That’s the only reason he wants me is because I’m pretty! Don’t hit me again!” She feared for her unborn child. She hoped he had not hurt her baby.

Slade released his hold on her
. One beefy, hand clenched at his side as if he wanted to hit her again. Quickly, she dropped down beside Terry to check his wound. The bleeding had slowed. Hand to his cheek, she cried, “I’m so sorry, Terry. This is my fault.” Guilt swept through her knowing Terry would not have been shot if he had not helped her. 

Trembling fingers
wiped at the tears streaming down her face. “It’s okay, Kate.” 

She
raised his shoulder causing him to scream out in pain. The bullet had gone straight through and had not done any major damage, but his wound still needed attention.

Slade bent and jerked
Terry’s gun from his holster. “Come on Kate, because of your escape we are well behind schedule. Bob Lewis is waiting for you.” Feet braced apart, he stood over Terry and pointed his own gun barrel at his heart. “I told you if you asked anyone to help you I would kill them. Too bad you didn’t take my advice.”

She
tried to push the gun away from Terry’s chest. Slade shoved her to the ground, and pulled back the hammer aiming the pistol mere inches from the young soldier’s chest. Bolting off the ground, she put her hand on Slade’s arm, and pleaded, “Please Slade, don’t shoot him. I begged him to help me. He has done nothing wrong. Please don’t kill him. I’ll do anything if you let him live.” Hysterical, she pushed at his arm. Time seemed to stop as she waited to see if her friend was going to die. Worst part was Slade seemed to be enjoying her fear. 

Slade
grabbed her around the neck with his free arm and squeezed until her eyes watered. She scratched at his hand, kicked at his legs, but he had lost all control. An evil smile on his lips, he squeezed tighter. Just when she thought he was going to kill her, he released his hold. She dropped to the ground on her hands and knees taking in huge gulps of air to fill her lungs. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet. 

“If you promise not to try to escape
again Kate, I’ll let him live. It is all up to you, but you must swear to God or I’ll shoot him dead now.” He made his point by aiming the pistol closer to Terry’s chest.

As much as she despised it, she
accepted defeat. In a hoarse voice she promised, “Okay Slade, I swear to God I’ll not try to escape again. Please don’t shoot him.” She rubbed her neck where his fingers had probably left terrible bruises. Her throat burned as if a hot poker had been pressed against it.

“Leave her alone, Slade.
Let her go.” Terry struggled to stand, but he was too weak to rise from the ground.

Putting his booted foot onto Terry’s shoulder, Slade pressed
causing him extreme pain. He rolled into a ball and cried out in agony. 

She screamed, “Stop, Slade.
He has been punished enough by you! Have you no compassion?” 

“No, I lost it when I threw my guts up because
someone tried to poison me.” He dragged her to her horse and forced her to mount.

“We can’t leave him. He will die.
Please, we have to help him.” Every word she spoke caused unbelievable pain in her throat.

“I
f you say one more word I’ll shoot him and this time I’ll do more than injure him!” She was the one Slade wanted to kill. He had been through agony because of her. If he didn’t need the money Bob was paying him, she was sure he would end her life right now. 

He walked
to his horse and also mounted. Leaning over in the saddle, he grabbed the reins from Terry’s horse and threw them over his head. With a swift slap to the rump he sent the horse racing in the opposite direction. Maybe the horse would find its way back to camp and someone would come searching for Terry.

Grief poured out of her when she looked over her shoulder to see
Terry lying in the road in a puddle of blood. If someone didn’t find him, his death would be on her hands.

****

A deep sorrow settled into Kate’s soul. They had been riding for several hours before she got up her nerve to ask Slade how he found her so fast. He was still extremely angry, but her curiosity was greater than her fear. “You should have been sick for several hours. How did you find a horse and gun in your condition?”

He reined his horse in front of her forcing her to have to stop.
He gave her his most menacing stare. “I threw up for hours. If I could have gotten my hands on you, I would have strangled you to death.” His eyes dropped to the bruises on her neck. Was that regret she saw on his face? All the times he had been angry with her, he never laid a hand on her. Maybe he was a stone-cold killer, but he had never hurt her until today. But then he had proved he could be deadly if provoked.

He looked terrible. Haggard and gray around his lips, he looked as if
he was still sick. His dark brown hair was dull and matted to his head. He even smelled of sickness.

“
When I regained enough strength, I walked to a nearby farm. There I stole a gun and a horse. It didn’t take me long to find your trail. I wondered how you found someone to help you so quickly. Did he touch you? Lewis will not be so happy to know you are not chaste.”

Kate blushed crimson. “No, he did not touch me.
He was a true gentleman, unlike you.”

“You have no idea how much of a
gentleman I have been, Kate. Do you have any idea the nights I have laid beside you and wanted to make love to you? I have fantasized every night about opening your legs and plunging my shaft deep into you.”

Shocked and embarrassed, she
put her hands over her ears and screamed, “Shut up!”