Love's Rescue (18 page)

Jake, Jess, and the men led their animals into the sunshine and mounted up. As they rode out, Jess waved back to a smiling Two Hands. She was already looking forward to seeing the boy again.

“He’s well mannered,” Jake commented beside her. The other cattlemen were talking among themselves.

For her own peace of mind, Jess wouldn’t spend the day in familiar conversation with Jake, but she responded, “He is. You can see he’ll be good with a horse one day.”

“Already is. I brought your horses back with me, and he’s been helping look after them.”

“My horses?”

He spoke softly. “The three from your pa’s stable. The roof caught fire just after Lone Wolf and the other boys left with you.” Jake paused, pulled a couple of biscuits from a pouch on his saddle, and handed them to her. “You haven’t eaten yet,” he said, then continued. “Ho Chen and I were able to get the horses out, but they were struck by falling timbers. Lone Wolf has been caring for them near his lodge—he’s something of a healer. I’ll take you to see them soon.”

Jess’s mind snagged on the fact that Jake had helped save her horses. Even so, she couldn’t see his abandoning her crazed father in any kind of forgivable light. “Two Hands can take me,” she said shortly. “You have a ranch to see to.”

She gathered her reins for a run, but Jake’s big glove closed over hers. “I need you to stay close, Jess.”

At his tone, she looked up. For some reason, his gaze had intensified, as if warning her of an unknown danger. Frowning to herself, she recalled what Diaz had said the night before: “This place, it is no safe for a woman. The boss, he knows this.” What did Jake know?

“I trust my men, and we have good neighbors. But wild animals or outlaws could do you harm. You ride with me.”

Lifting his hand to signal his men, Jake split away from the group to search the distant foothills for cows, and Jess followed. He wore his revolver and, like all the other men, carried a rifle sheathed on his saddle. She thought about what he had just said, but the prospect of trouble didn’t bother her for long. The glorious afternoon swiftly took her in.

Jess basked in the sunshine, and the cold of winter became a distant memory. She almost forgot they were working, and as she galloped beside Jake, she let go for a little while her concerns about returning to the city. She felt as free as the falcon she had seen gliding on the wind, and the joyous run of Luina gave her flight over the land.

***

Jake was drawn to the glow in Jess’s face. Since the day Olivia had left the ranch the year before, he hadn’t felt the passion for his work he’d once had, but now, seeing Jess ride with her heart wide open, he was reminded of himself not long ago. With a little smile he loosed the reins and let Cielos fully go. With Jess and Luina beside them, they raced along the foot of the Sierra Mountains. The thought came that he had brought Jess here for her protection, yes, but also to help heal her heart. Unexpectedly, she was helping to heal his, as well.

When a woeful bawling reached their ears, they slowed, Jake whipping his lariat at the ready. Not knowing what else to do, Jess stopped to watch. Jake approached the wary cow, keeping Cielos at a mild walk. Cielos appeared calm yet keenly aware of the cow’s movements. When the bovine tried to run, Jake swiftly roped her and jumped to the ground. Cielos immediately leapt backward until the lariat tied to the saddle horn was taut, his gaze locked on the cow.

Jess looked in bewilderment from horse to cow, then back again. Never had she seen such a thing.

The immobilized cow bawled again. Jake quickly knelt beside her and began squeezing milk from her bulging udder.

“What’s wrong with her, Bennett?”

“She hasn’t been milked. Her calf must have died in the cold, or maybe wolves got it. I’d rather save the milk for the calves at the barn that need it, but she isn’t going to wait.”

Jess gazed out over the miles of sagebrush that spread out before them. “I’ll have a look around. Maybe the calf is tangled in a bush or fell into a gulch nearby.”

“Jess?”

She glanced at him.

“Don’t wander out of earshot. I need to hear you if you run into trouble.”

For once, she didn’t take offense at his instruction. “I won’t go far,” she said, and she nudged Luina on her way.

After Jess had made a few rounds as far as she dared, she guided Luina up a hill for a better vantage point from which to survey the area. From the top, she glimpsed a bend of the creek to the east, but she could no longer see the ranch. Far off to the north, the tiny forms of ranchmen on horseback were spreading out to herd the group of brown specks she knew must be cattle.

To the west, less than a mile off, was something odd: dozens of small rocks arranged in a rectangle on the ground. Intrigued, she lifted her hat to block the glare of the sun. A jolt shot through her as she identified the curved marker at the end of the rocks. It was a gravestone.

It was far removed from the ranch. A passing traveler must have died, perhaps long before the ranch was built. Still, seeing the grave twisted her insides. She had experienced too much death of late and had been relishing a life with few reminders.

Jess descended the hill, riding toward Jake yet circling wide, hoping to locate the calf. The more she searched for it, the more she wanted to find it and hoped it had survived. Something had to survive.

As she neared a shallow ravine, she spied a mob of vultures hopping about some distance ahead, and her heart plummeted. Jess knew she had probably discovered the calf, and she reluctantly guided Luina down. When she neared the ugly birds, they retreated with awkward pumps of their huge, tattered wings, revealing, as expected, a calf. It was dead.

Jake had mounted and was waiting when Jess returned. He studied her face. “You found the calf?”

“Yes, killed by wolves, I’d guess. I wouldn’t have thought they’d come this close to the ranch.”

“They do, especially in winter, when meals are hard to come by. Other times, though, I think they hunt for the thrill of it.”

So much death. Death and no reparation. The cow stood, head drooping, at the end of the lariat. Though Jess wanted to avoid them, recollections of the fire stirred in her mind, as did another matter she’d been mulling over.

“Why do you suppose those Unionist fanatics waited four days to set the fire, Bennett? They must have followed us after we rode in from the mountains. They knew where my family lived. And when they did set the fire, why didn’t they wait until we were all in bed asleep?”

“I expect a couple of them were still enraged about what happened in the street…maybe they had been drinking. They gathered up a can of kerosene and a Confederate flag, and they set the house on fire.”

“As easy as that?”

“Many of the families that come west are Southerners. Confederate flags are easy to come by, and every household has kerosene.”

“Perhaps,” Jess allowed, “but the men couldn’t have been drunk, or someone would have seen them staggering from the house.”

“Then they weren’t drunk,” he agreed. “Now, that troubles me.”

“It troubles me, as well. You know something else? I wonder why they didn’t see you, my father, and me leaving the house. Even if only one man was responsible, you and I were away from the house less than ten minutes, and my father left after we did. An arsonist would have had to approach the house, douse the perimeter with kerosene, strike a match, and then run—all in five minutes, and without seeing the three of us, who remained within view. My point is, the fire took patience, forethought, planning. That doesn’t sound like the result of a hot temper.”

Jake chewed on her hypothesis, his expression inscrutable under the shade of his hat brim. “You think that someone else planned the fire?”

“Maybe a visitor to my father’s store who hated Southerners, maybe someone else.”

Thoughtful, Jake propped a gloved hand on his thigh. “If that were true, a killer would have made certain Isaac was inside the house, and, like you said, why not wait until your family was asleep? That doesn’t make sense, Jess.”

“It does if the man wanted to punish my father, if he wanted my father—and only my father—to survive and to watch his family die. It would also explain why all of this didn’t happen the day I was attacked in the street. This man might have been around back, where he wouldn’t have seen you and me leave the house. If he saw us walking, he would have thought we were just neighbors out for an evening stroll, but he must have seen my father with his unmistakable silhouette.”

“Jess, the men who attacked you in Carson City openly hated Southerners. They saw where you lived, and they decided what they wanted to do about it,” he said. “Unless you can think of anyone else who might have done this…”

“No,” she said, “but I do see another problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Whoever set the fire would have watched from nearby to be sure they accomplished what they intended. If so, they were there when Lone Wolf took me away. Bennett, they saw you there. They know I’m alive.”

She let that sink in, then continued, “Do you see why I have to return to Carson City?” The situation was much worse than she had thought. “I’m not the only one in danger. If I don’t help the sheriff find those men, they’ll come after you and the cattlemen here. Diaz, Taggart, and Reese all saw them that morning on the street, and Lone Wolf and the others were there the night of the fire. Those Unionists know there are more besides us who can identify them. They’ll be looking for all of you!”

“Is that why you’ve been trying to leave?” he asked, incredulous. “Because you want to help the sheriff?”

“Didn’t you hear the rest? The killers saw Taggart and Reese and the others. I need to help find those men before they harm anyone else!”

“Jess, one of the men brought news last night. I wanted to wait for a better time to tell you, but the sheriff has called off the search—”

“Called off?”

“—but Tom thinks there’s something more. He’s received a report of a similar fire near Lake’s Crossing.”

For a moment, Jess set aside her anger at the sheriff. “Another fire was set?”

“Yes. Tom will send word when he knows more, but those fanatics have apparently moved on, so there’s little point in your returning to Carson City right now. I’ll warn the boys. They’re capable of looking out for themselves.”

The thought of another fire chilled her. “The captain is still searching, then.”

“Tom won’t give up so long as there’s a lead.”

The sheriff called it off, she thought. Had she already returned to Carson City, she wouldn’t have allowed the search to desist, and now her family’s murderers were roaming free in Nevada Territory, possibly hurting others, while Jake held her at the ranch. Reluctantly, she admitted that although she still wanted to return to Carson City, her presence there would no longer benefit the search, since the blackguards had moved on, evidently in the general direction of the ranch.

“Bennett, what ever happened to the Confederate flag those men left behind?”

“I was angry when I found it. I threw it into the fire.”

“Good. I’m glad I’ll never have to see it.”

When she said nothing more, Jake gathered his horse’s reins. “Are you ready to head back?” At her nod, he nudged Cielos toward home, leading the cow behind him. Jess occasionally glanced aside, but Jake remained quiet and pensive for most of the journey.

“You need a lesson in how to shoot,” Jake finally said.

Shoot? Her brows drew together. “What makes you think I need a lesson in how to shoot?”

“Learning how to maneuver a gun and practicing your aim increase your chances of hitting your target,” he said wryly. Then, “I’m acquainted with most of the ranch families around here, and I don’t know of any in which the women don’t know how to shoot.”

“Perhaps I already know how—have you considered that possibility?”

“We’ll see,” he said with a subtle smile.

His response troubled her. Jake was patient and respectful, and he hadn’t once said a cross word over the troubles she had caused since her arrival. Her anger toward him had begun to dissolve, and rising in its place was something more pleasant, followed closely by pangs of dread. She stiffened—she was beginning to like the man. When Luina suddenly sped up, Jess realized the cause and relaxed the tension in her legs. The mare slowed. Jake came up alongside her.

“Do you think to instruct me with that?” She nodded at his revolver. “Or with the rifle?”

“Both, in time. But first, you need to be able to use a revolver. They’re easier to carry, whether you’re on horseback or on foot.”

“Don’t you feel the least bit threatened?”

He chuckled at that. “No, ma’am. You might shoot a man to stop some wrong, but neither I nor my men have done you any harm.” After a long silence, he spoke again. “This land is still wild, and so are all that belong to it. You’ve never lived in a place where you’ve been forced to defend your life, or the life of a neighbor or a child.” His dark eyes regarded her soberly. “You’re living there now.”

Inside, Jess felt her former chill turn to ice. “You think the men who burned my home will come after me.”

“Maybe. There are wolves about, and snakes, mountain lions, sometimes bears. But yes, if those men come after you, I want you able to defend yourself in the case that you’re alone. I’ll have the boys wear their guns from sack to slumber and keep their rifles close, though. Whoa.” He pulled up and turned to Jess. “During the days ahead, the boys and I will bring in the cattle we find within a day’s ride of the ranch. After that, we’ll go on roundup out on the range, likely until the end of spring. We’ll need to find the winter strays and separate our cattle from our neighbors’ herds, and we’ll brand the young calves and bring back mature beeves to sell.”

He was leading up to something she wasn’t going to like, she could tell. “And what about me?”

“I don’t want you here alone while I’m gone for weeks at a time. I’m taking you along.”

“And you’ve already decided—without discussing the matter with me.”

Jake searched her face. “Wilderness,” he said. “Horses. Freedom.”