Love Inspired Historical November 2014 (86 page)

Betsy's eyes narrowed. “I'll tell you why. Because Slade's dirty. The preacher doesn't see it, because he always sees the best in everyone. I'm telling you, Slade is the worst of them all.”

Wes nodded, his lips drawn in a thin line. “You can tell a lot about a man by how he takes care of his horse. Slade's ruined many a good animal. I don't like to speak ill of anyone, but I have to agree. If I were a betting man, I'd go all in on the notion that Slade caused that landslide.”

It just didn't seem right. Not with how highly Frank regarded the other man. “Has he been in any trouble? Done anything that would make you think...?”

Wes shook his head. “Nothing that could be proven.” He frowned. “Not even enough that I could go to the preacher with. It just seemed like I'd be speaking ill of someone without cause.”

Unfortunately that didn't do any of them any good with Annabelle and Nugget at stake. Surely he wouldn't hurt Annabelle. Not since they'd made up.

“He wouldn't hurt Annabelle, though, would he? I mean, everyone says—”

“Don't trust him with her,” Betsy said too quickly. “We learned real quick at Miss Betty's to be busy when Slade came around. He liked doing things, bad things, and the more the girl cried, the better he liked it. I'm telling you, he might put on a pleasing attitude in public, but that man likes hurting people.”

Betsy didn't need to go into detail for Joseph to feel sick.

“Why would he finally show his true colors now?” Joseph looked at the two, hoping that there was some way they could be wrong. That all of this wasn't true. Because if it was, Slade was on his way back to the camp with no one there to protect Nugget and Annabelle.

Wes looked at him intently. “Because you must've been close to finding the silver. I always thought that your pa's death was suspicious. He was having an assayer come all the way up from Denver, so why would he get drunk and accidentally fall into a ravine the day before?”

Because his pa had always had a weakness for the drink. “Maybe he was celebrating prematurely.”

Or maybe, based on Slade's evasive answers, he was pushed.

“Slade was trying to talk me into selling the claims to a land agent.”

“Who'd he recommend?”

“He didn't say.”

But with the strong hints that Slade gave, Joseph was sure he'd probably had someone in mind. He'd almost been convinced to go ahead and do it. And maybe, had Slade been patient enough to not try to kill him, Joseph would have.

Now, knowing what he knew, Joseph had no choice but to see it through.

First, though, he had to find a way to keep Annabelle and Nugget safe.

Chapter Nineteen

G
ertie had decided that Annabelle's foot wasn't healed enough to help with the laundry or much of anything else. Probably not a bad thing, considering that if she stepped on it just right, tears still sprang to her eyes. So she'd brought the children to collect wildflowers. Still within sight of the camp, but far enough that Annabelle could have a moment's peace while two little girls scampered in the meadow and picked flowers.

Annabelle had found a nice rock to sun herself on, and the girls' laughter was enough to almost lull her into a nap. Not that she'd do such a thing, of course. Especially since every time she closed her eyes, Joseph's smile haunted her.

Fortunately any other flight of fantasy in regards to the man too handsome for his own good was interrupted by Gertie's dinner bell. She held out her hands to the little girls. “I believe we have enough flowers to decorate the table. Let's take these back to Gertie to see what we can come up with.”

The little girls gathered their baskets and took Annabelle's hands. Except Nugget's grasp seemed a little less firm than usual.

Gertie's cabin was within eyesight. “Caitlin, could you bring the baskets to your mother? Nugget and I will be right there.”

Caitlin nodded solemnly, then scampered off. Annabelle knelt in front of Nugget.

“What's wrong, sweet pea?”

She wrapped her arms around Nugget, who remained stiff and didn't return the embrace. Annabelle kissed the top of the little girl's head.

“You're going away.” Nugget finally looked up at her, tears streaming down her face.

“Where did you hear that?”

Nugget sniffed. “Your pa was telling Caitlin's ma. Then I heard you telling Joseph.”

Annabelle rubbed Nugget's back. She should have been happy at the victory of finally being able to leave, but all it did was make her feel as miserable as the tears running down the little girl's cheeks. “So are you, remember? Joseph is going to take you to meet your other brother and sisters. You're going to finally be a family.”

Light shone in Nugget's eyes. “You're coming with us?”

“No.” Annabelle shook her head. “It wouldn't be proper. But I know they're going to love you.”

“What if they're mean?” Nugget asked in a tiny voice. “Who will protect me?”

Annabelle closed her eyes.
Please, Lord. You don't answer prayers for me, but could You please honor this little girl? She doesn't deserve this.

She opened her eyes and looked at Nugget. “You'll have Joseph.”

“He's not you.”

How did a person respond to such a thing?

“We'll write letters. And perhaps we can find a way to visit.”

From the child's expression, she could tell that Nugget wasn't too keen on either of those ideas.

“I want you with me always.”

Nugget flung her arms around Annabelle and clung as though she expected someone to separate them right away. But Annabelle wouldn't be so fortunate. She already knew that. She'd have more time to fall deeper in love with the girl so that when she was finally wrenched away, her heart would be broken into tinier pieces than it already was.

The pain of losing shouldn't be as bad, having already lost so much. But it seemed like this time, it was even crueler, given her vows not to be attached and the way Nugget had crawled in anyway.

As Annabelle and Nugget headed for the cabin, the first drops of rain began to fall.

“Come on, sweet pea, we've got to hurry if we're going to stay dry.”

“Look what we have here.” One of the men from the previous day stepped in their path.

Annabelle grimaced as he gave her a toothless sneer. From her discussion with Slade yesterday, she surmised him to be Pokey Simpkins, which meant the other guy must be Bart Wallace. Not that knowing their names changed anything.

“Looks like our sparrow that got away,” Bart said.

Annabelle turned to run in the other direction, but Tom, the very man she had been fighting with Polly over, had come behind her. “I don't think so. You and the brat are coming with us.”

“Run, Nugget,” Annabelle shouted, but it was too late.

Bart had her securely in his arms, and even though the little girl was kicking and screaming, it did no good.

At that moment, the sky decided to open up into an all-out downpour. Everyone within shouting distance was scurrying for cover and shouting their own instructions to their people to keep safe.

No one heard their cries for help.

Tom bound her wrists with a rope. She tried kicking at him, but he laughed when she missed, and her injured ankle gave way, landing her squarely in the mud.

“Aw, the lady got herself all dirty.”

The men cackled with glee, as if it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. Too bad Polly wasn't around to see Tom with her now. Of course, she'd probably help with whatever nasty scheme these men had in mind.

“Mebbe,” Tom said. “But just like a juicy piece of fruit, a bit of dirt ain't gonna stop me from plucking it.”

She might be a lady, but there was no mistaking his reference. Too much time working in her father's ministry had taught her more than she'd ever wanted to know. There had always been a meanness to his eyes that she'd never trusted. And now she knew why. She'd been right all along in her instincts about this man, but being right didn't help her now.

Pokey brought around a horse. The men hoisted her up then tied her to the saddle. Tom got up behind her and spurred the horse on.

“Nugget!” She twisted to try to see the child.

“Don't you worry your pretty little head none. She's coming. Just by different route so's we can fool any rescue party.”

Lightning lit up the sky around them. “'Course with this storm, no one's going to be able to track us anyways.”

He stuffed a cloth in her mouth. Old and tasting of stale...well, something old. Worse, it made her feel a little woozy....

When she woke, she was inside a cave, tied up. Nugget slept next to her, also tied. Her heart wrenched at the thought of everything this child had been through in her short life.

“About time you woke up, princess.” Tom kicked her in the side. “You got me into a heap of trouble, let me tell you.”

She stared at him, the gag too tight around her mouth to say anything.

“Yes, sirree...” He pulled a knife out of his boot and began playing with it. “Polly overheard me talking with the boys about our plans, and I had to do some fast thinking.”

Tom leaned in close, his foul breath stinging her nose. He flicked the knife along her cheek. “You're scared, ain't ya? I loves me some scared girls. Something I have in common with the boss man.”

She struggled and tried using her body to strike at him, but he moved away, laughing.

Pokey and Bart entered the cave.

“Anyone follow you?”

“Nope.” Bart grinned. “They haven't sent out a search party yet. No one realizes they're missing.”

“Good.” A familiar voice sounded in the background. “All the more time to find out where the silver is before I have to get back.”

She looked up to see Slade standing before her.

“Surprised?” His eyes gleamed in the firelight. “You were right about that night Peter died. I had to see a man about some silver. Only there was no wife I sent it to.”

Slade stared at her with more hatred than she'd ever felt in her own heart. “You have no idea what that night cost me. I'd worked so hard to gain Frank's trust, to be able to hear about all the claims and mines. Playing his errand boy so that I could get the inside track. And you know what?”

He stepped in closer, shoving Tom aside. “You had to go ruin it all with your silly tantrum about how it was all my fault your stupid brother died. Your pa asked me to stay away until you cooled down, making it harder for me to find the big one. I knew then, I'd make you pay.”

His laugh shook her insides. “But look how convenient. Not only are you going to pay, but you're going to get me my silver.”

Pure evil. That's what Slade's face looked like. Being right was no consolation for what stood before her. He pulled the gag down off her mouth.

“What do you want from me?”

“The kid knows where the silver is. One of the girls at Miss Betty's said she overheard the kid talking about seeing her daddy's silver.”

He gave her another cold stare. “The kid trusts you. Make it tell us where to find the silver.”

Nugget stirred beside her, but didn't wake.

“She's just a child. She doesn't know where the silver is. She couldn't even get us to her father's cabin. When we got to the clearing, she led us in the wrong direction.”

Madness. That's what this all was. Nugget could no sooner help them than she could. And the crazy look in Slade's eyes told her that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

“Besides, you know how children are. They have wonderful imaginations. They—”

Slade's hand came across her cheek in a stinging blow. “I've wanted to do that to your smart mouth for a long time. You never did know your place. Get the kid to talk.”

“There is no silver.” Annabelle stared at him. Or at least in his direction. She could still see spots.

“Don't lie.” He struck her again, on the other side, and as his hand made contact, she tasted blood.

“I've seen the silver. Billy used it to pay Slim for his worthless claim. Was spitting mad when he found out that Slim seeded it. Now get the kid to tell me where the real mine is.”

Tears prickled her eyes. How could he endanger a child like this? “You'll need to free my hands so I can wake her up.”

Slade's head jerked up and down. “Fine.” He gestured to Tom.

“Cut her loose.” Then he looked over at his other men. “If she tries to escape, shoot her. We don't need her. Just the kid.”

If Slade had no problem with hitting her and kidnapping a child, he could do much worse to Nugget. Annabelle took a deep breath as Tom cut the ropes at her wrists.

“Nugget,” she whispered when she was free. Annabelle shook the little girl softly. “Wake up, sweet pea.”

“My head hurts,” Nugget said as she struggled awake. “I had a bad dream.”

The little girl blinked, then looked around, her eyes widening as she realized it hadn't been a dream.

“Annabelle,” she cried, burrowing into Annabelle's arms.

Annabelle stroked Nugget's hair. “They want your father's silver.”

Nugget whimpered and looked up at her. “I thought he was our friend.”

She had, too. He'd fooled them all. The worst part was how her father was going to feel when he realized that he'd been betrayed by someone he'd loved like a son.

“I'm sorry, Nugget.”

“Enough.” Slade held up a hand like he was going to hit her again. “Get her to tell me where the silver is.”

Annabelle squeezed her precious charge. “It's going to be all right. But you have to help us get out of here by telling Slade what he wants to know.”

Nugget's eyes darted over to Slade, then she looked around at all the other men, her gaze resting on Tom.

“Papa always said you were a snake.”

“Shh.” Annabelle pulled Nugget closer to her. “We can talk about this later. But right now, we've got to do the right thing.”

Nugget pulled away. “Papa said it was a secret.”

Slade's chuckle made Annabelle's heart sink. The problem with the child's reasoning of keeping her father's secret was that she didn't understand that men like Slade didn't care about promises or secrets. He'd do whatever it took to get what he wanted.

“Please,” Annabelle said, looking at the little girl. “Tell him what he needs so we can get safely back to Joseph.”

Another laugh from Slade. How had she missed the pure evil in this man? How had her father?

“Joseph won't be joining us this afternoon. Or ever.” His features twisted into a sneer that skittered down Annabelle's back into the darkest pit of her stomach.

“What'd you do to him?”

“Joseph?” Nugget's whimper as she slid back into the protection of Annabelle's arms made her heart hurt.

Slade smiled. “I didn't do anything to him. Wasn't my fault he couldn't keep up in the storm. Just too bad about all the lightning.”

His yellow teeth stuck out from his tobacco-stained lips. “There might have been some dynamite involved. But in a storm like that, you never can tell. It'll be weeks, maybe even months before they find the body. With all the rocks on top of him, and then the flash flood washing everything away, who knows where his body ended up.”

Familiar grief welled in Annabelle's heart. Why, God? Why, when she'd finally agreed to opening up her heart, did He have to take away Joseph, too?

Sure, he was going to leave anyway, but it was so much easier to think of him as being away, where she could write him and stay in touch, than it was to think of yet one more loved one gone forever.

Nugget hadn't spoken, but the wetness against Annabelle's bodice said all that needed to be said. The little girl had lost both mother and father, and now a beloved brother had been taken, as well.

So unfair.

“Now...” Slade leaned in, so foul that she had no idea why she never saw how completely indecent he was. “Since we have that cleared up, why don't you tell me what I need to know.”

He reached for one of the tendrils by Annabelle's face, winding his finger in it. “It would be a shame for you and the kid to come to the same end.”

The sinking feeling in Annabelle's gut told her they probably would anyway. If Slade was going to kill them no matter what, why convince Nugget to tell them what he wanted? It didn't seem right for so much to be lost for Slade to win.

Annabelle pulled Nugget tighter to her chest. “She just found out her brother is dead. So back off for a minute or else we'll both gladly take a bullet just to spite you out of getting the silver.”