Randall Renegade (8 page)

He risked a quick look behind him, expecting to see Patience riding quickly down the trail. She would reach the downward path soon and be out of range. Hopefully he could hold these three up until she was safe.

But he saw nothing. In fact, there were no tracks much farther down the trail from where he’d stopped. Patience couldn’t have been hit by that bullet, could she? He would’ve noticed if she’d been shot. His heart almost stopped beating at that thought. He wanted to call out, to hear a satisfactory answer, but to do so would put her in danger.

Suddenly there was more gunfire. He swung around to face his attackers. He returned fire and knew he’d hit one of them. There was a scream and a body fell on to the snow from behind one of the trees.

That meant he only had two to deal with. The general wasn’t the one who’d taken the bullet. If he had, his men would have turned back. They had no dispute with Jim or Patience. They hadn’t wanted the boy in the camp in the first place.

More shots were fired, but Jim realized they were random, as if covering someone’s tracks.
He swung around in time to face his attacker. One of the lieutenants had circled behind him and was lining up his shot. Jim tried to fire his rifle, but he heard a shot, and then another, and the man fell facedown in the snow.

Pain seared his right shoulder, confusing him. He thought maybe he’d gotten off a shot in spite of himself, but he didn’t think so.

When he saw Patience step out from behind a tree with the .22 he’d given her from the cabin, he realized what had happened. She hadn’t gone on, as he’d ordered. She’d gotten down from her horse to help him fight.

Ducking behind trees, she ran to his side. “Jim, you’re shot!”

He loved hearing the anguish in her voice, feeling her soft hands on his face. More shots snapped him out of that dazed feeling. “Got to…return fire. Let them know we’re still fighting.”

Patience put her rifle barrel up against the tree to steady her aim and fired several shots.

Then she turned into a nurse, opening his jacket to look at the gunshot. In the meantime Jim heard the sound of a horse retreating. He caught a glimpse of a man on the horse, riding away from them.

“He’s gone,” Jim said, trying to sit up.

“Lie still. You’re bleeding. Oh, Jim, I’m so sorry! I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know. Look, it’s not bad. I can still move my hand.”

“Hush!” She took off her wool cap and used it as a pad to press on the wound and stem the bleeding. “Now I wish I’d paid more attention in my first-aid class in college.”

“I don’t think they were preparing you for—ouch—gunshot wounds.”

“Probably not, but surely some of it would’ve helped.”

“Where’s Tommy?” Jim asked in alarm, trying to sit up until pain had him slumping again.

“I hid him and told him not to move until I got back.”

“We’ve got to make sure he’s safe.”

“If you promise to lie still, I’ll go get him and bring him here. Then I’ll bandage your shoulder the best I can, and we’ll start down the trail.”

“Okay,” he agreed.

With that she picked up her rifle and hurried in the direction from where she’d come. He was fortunate she hadn’t obeyed him. He’d be dead
by now. In moments she was bending over him again, Tommy at her side.

“You okay, little guy?”

“Yes. I took care of the horse.”

“Good boy. You did better than me.”

“Where’s Jasper?” Tommy asked.

“He should be around. I left his reins dragging.” All the horses on the Randall ranch were trained to stay put when their reins were left untied.

Tommy and Patience looked about. “I see him,” Patience said. “If I get him, will you be able to mount with a little help?”

“Of course.” He tried to sound strong and slightly offended at her question.

“Are you hurt?” Tommy asked, reaching over to pat Jim’s shoulder. Unfortunately he patted the wound, which made Jim grimace.

“No, Tommy!” Patience called softly. She brought Jasper to a stop in front of Jim, then helped Jim sit up against a tree. She took her scarf off and put it inside his shirt.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m bandaging your arm with my scarf.” She wrapped the long scarf around him, binding his arm, so it wouldn’t move and cause him pain.

“Now, I want you to try to mount Jasper.”

Since the wound was in his right shoulder, he could only use his left hand to pull himself awkwardly into the saddle.

“Good for you, Jim. I wasn’t sure what we’d do if you couldn’t get up there. Now, I’m going to put you on, Tommy.” She settled the little boy in her saddle. “You think they all went away, don’t you, Jim?”

“Yeah.” He couldn’t believe how weak he was. He barely had the energy to respond.

She swung up into the saddle behind her son, grasped Jasper’s reins and headed down the path for the switchback trail that would take them to the Randall ranch. “If you feel faint, let me know.”

“Right,” he said, but the word came out slurred. What was happening here? He was supposed to be saving Patience, not the other way around.

Patience gave Jim a sharp look and pulled Jasper up alongside her mount. “Jim?”

“What?”

“Don’t let go. Okay?”

“Yeah,” he said.

It only took fifteen minutes to get to the downward trail. Patience was relieved to have
reached it, but it meant that they had to go in single file. She remembered Jim telling her to lead the horses down.

She swung down from the saddle. “Tommy, I’m going to lead the horses. Can you hold on tight to the saddle?”

“Yes, Mommy.” He sounded as if it was no challenge at all.

She tied her horse’s reins to Jim’s saddle horn. She took Jasper’s reins and began the descent, keeping an anxious eye on both the riders. It was slow going. She had to stop after an hour for a breather. She also noticed Jim slumping lower and lower.

“Tommy, we’re going to rest a minute. Do you want down?”

“Yes, Mommy, I need to pee.”

“Yes, of course,” she said with a sigh. They’d come across a wide spot on the trail, so she urged him ahead of the horses where he wouldn’t get stepped on. Then she turned to Jim.

She was worried, but she didn’t want to let him off the horse because she was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get back on.

“Jim? How are you?”

He moaned, nothing more. She opened his saddlebags, looking for anything that would help
her. She found a first-aid kit. She pulled her cap off his wound and replaced it with gauze. He was being jolted by the horse’s movement, but it was the only way she had to get him down the trail.

She also found the walkie-talkie. Were they in radio range yet? Could she reach the ranch with it? They still had a long way to go, but it would help to know that someone would be waiting for them.

“I’m done, Mommy,” Tommy announced.

She put her son back into the saddle and gave him a package of beef jerky, showing him how to take out one piece at a time.

“It’s hard to bite,” Tommy complained.

“That’s why it’s named jerky. You have to jerk on it.” She gave a demonstration and then chewed as if she enjoyed it. Her son successfully followed her example.

She moved back to Jim’s side. “Jim, how are you?”

“Thirsty,” he muttered.

She felt his forehead and realized he was hot with fever. She found painkillers in the first-aid kit and gave him two pills and his canteen. He managed to get that down, which she found encouraging.

Then she tried to rouse someone with the walkie-talkie. “Hello, Randall Ranch? Can anyone hear me? Hello?”

She listened intently, but heard nothing. With a sigh, she put it back in the saddlebag. She’d try again later.

“Hello? Are you there?”

The disembodied voice scared her to death. Then she realized someone was answering her call. She grabbed the walkie-talkie and pressed the button. “Yes, we’re here. We need help. Jim’s been shot and he’s not doing very well.” She waited. Nothing. What was wrong?

She gave up again and moved toward Jasper when the voice came again. “Patience, you have to release the button when you finish talking so you can hear us.”

“Oh, thank you. Did you hear me?” She released the button.

“Yes. Where is Jim shot?” The voice was feminine.

“In the right shoulder. I’ve bandaged it as well as I can, but it’s still bleeding a little.”

“Are you on the switchback trail?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll meet you with the ambulance.”

Patience almost sobbed with relief. “Thank you.”

She put the walkie-talkie back in the saddlebag and started leading the horses down the trail again. They turned a bend and suddenly the entire valley was spread out before them. She was even able to pick out the Randall ranch. It had so many buildings it was like a small town.

It comforted her to know that someone down there was coming to help them. She looked back at Jim just in time to catch him as he slid out of the saddle. He was heavy and she staggered under his weight as she tried to get him back into the saddle.

“Jim! Jim, can you hear me?”

He moaned.

She stopped Jasper from moving. Then she managed to push Jim toward the wall of rock on the other side. She was going to have to be quick, she reminded herself. As he leaned on the rock, she slipped her foot in the stirrup and swung up behind him.

“Mommy, what are you doing?” Tommy asked.

“Trying to keep Jim in the saddle.”

“Want him to ride with me? I’ll share.”

“I think we’d better do it this way. Now all you have to do, sweetie, is hold on.”

She prayed Jasper could hold up under double weight. Some horses bucked when two people got on them. She gave thanks as she realized Jasper was well behaved. With a sigh, she locked her arms around Jim’s broad chest and tried to hold the reins, too. But she realized she was at Jasper’s mercy. Fortunately the horse seemed inclined to head for home.

So was she.

Chapter Six

Several hours of straining to hold up Jim’s weight had numbed Patience’s arms. At one point she heard voices. Thinking she was losing her mind, it was a relief to realize they were coming from the walkie-talkie in the saddlebag. She tried to reach it, but she almost lost Jim, so she gave up that idea.

His family was going to think she was very uncooperative, but she’d apologize later. After she got Jim down the mountain.

Tommy, who had held up remarkably well, had begun complaining again about being tired, even wanting a nap, and being hungry again. There was nothing she could do.

As they got lower, she caught sight of some riders moving toward them, but they were too far away and she couldn’t identify them as friend or foe.

In fact, she was beginning to think everyone was her foe, and she’d never recover from the agonizing ride. When she heard hoofbeats and horses neighing, she thought she was imagining things. When Jasper patiently turned a corner on the trail, she was suddenly confronted with two riders.

Jasper came to a halt and threw his head up. Patience held on for dear life, afraid the horse was going to finally give her trouble.

The first man dismounted and came toward her and she realized it was Toby Randall.

“Oh, Toby, I didn’t recognize you for a minute,” Patience said with a gasp, sagging momentarily, which caused Jim to shift.

Toby hurriedly reached for Jim, giving Patience some assistance.

“I’m sorry. He’s heavy,” Patience said.

“Well, I guess. We wondered why you didn’t answer the walkie-talkie, but I reckon I understand. You couldn’t let go of Jim.”

“Mommy wouldn’t even hold me,” Tommy added, wanting some sympathy, too.

“How about Drew and I help with Jim? That will free your mom to see about you,” Toby soothed. He turned to Patience. “We’ve got a
carrier rigged up to fit between the horses. We’ll put Jim on that.”

“But the trail’s not wide enough,” she said in concern.

“I know. We’ll show you.” He motioned to Drew, who had some long poles tied to his saddle.

Drew jumped down from his horse and walked to Patience’s side. “How’s old Jasper holding up?”

“He’s been wonderful, never complaining.”

“Yeah, he’s one of Jim’s favorites.” As he talked, his eyes were examining his brother. “Has he come to?”

“Occasionally, but he’s running a fever and still bleeding a little. I’m so sorry he got hurt. I never wanted…” She was on the verge of tears as she made her apology, but both men waved her words away.

“We know that, Patience. And you’re bringing him home. Aunt Megan will be thanking you for a long time.”

“We’ve been worried about Jim since he left,” Drew said. “I should’ve volunteered to go with him, but when he told me he was leaving I was still half-asleep. I’m not too bright
until about 10 a.m.,” he added, his cheeks turning red.

Patience smiled slightly, too exhausted to talk anymore.

“I’ll go put my horse in the lead position and put the carrier on his back. Drew’s horse will get the other end of the carrier. Then we’ll transfer Jim to it,” Toby explained.

Patience and Tommy watched the two men get ready to transport Jim.

As soon as the stretcher was ready, both men eased Jim off the horse and carried him to the stretcher, putting his feet at the front so his head would be on the high end as they went down the mountain.

Patience rubbed her arms to restore circulation. When she finally bent them, she cried out in pain.

“You okay?” Toby asked.

“My arms are a little stiff,” she explained, embarrassed.

“Mine would be, too.” Toby’s gaze moved to Tommy. “Say, Tommy, since your mom needs to rest, why don’t you ride with me for a while? We’ll beat your mom to the bottom if you ride with me.”

Her normally shy little boy took the bait and agreed at once. “I like to be first,” he declared.

Toby crossed to Tommy’s horse and held out his hands. Tommy reached for him, delighted to be out of the saddle.

“I think it’s my nap time, ’cause I almost fell off my horse.”

Toby grinned. “You can go to sleep on my shoulder if you want.”

“Okay.”

“Toby,” Patience said, “Jasper has taken the brunt of the weight. Should I transfer to the other horse?” she asked.