Stained Snow (22 page)

William wanted to push his horse faster. According to Daly, it had been a day since Thomas had been there. The man had been a bit confused, obviously still suffering from the blow to the head, but he didn’t have any reason to doubt that memory. Maggie had been with him for nearly that long. He didn’t want to think of what he’d done to her in that time. To their baby.

He was going to be sick.

He had to push away all those thoughts, and the panic they brought, or he would never be able to find them. He cast around for the trail again when they came out from the trees. They’d had to keep to the trail until then. There wouldn’t have been another option for Thomas and Maggie, either. Now, they could have gone in any direction. That was enough to bring back the panic. If they lost the trail now, how would he ever find her?

That question in his head nearly stopped him. He wasn’t even worried about Thomas. He only wanted to get Maggie back.

He’d have to deal with Thomas. If he didn’t, his brother would never stop. He wasn’t concerned with bringing him in anymore. That would never happen. He had to stop him, and the only way to do that would be with a bullet.

That thought should bother him more.

He couldn’t think about that right now. The important thing was getting Maggie safe. Then, he’d worry about killing his brother.

“They headed west.”

Adam’s voice dragged William from his thoughts, and he glanced in the direction the other man pointed. “How can you tell?” He only saw a mess of hoof prints, going off in different directions. He’d been taught to track by one of the younger men at the Washakie reservation. He could usually pick up a trail, but this one didn’t even make sense to him.

Adam swung down from the saddle and knelt down beside one of the tracks. “I know this horse.” He pointed to the track. “She is riding it. Not deep enough to be him.” He pointed over to the other set of tracks. “From the distance, her horse is being led.” He looked up at William then toward the other tracks going in the other directions. “Those are his tracks, too. Trying to mislead us.”

“How can you be sure? Maybe that’s the one misleading us.”

Adam shook his head. “My uncle taught me to track. I can read them like you read a book. This is the way they went.” He walked back to his horse.

“A Shoshone tracker taught me,” William said as Adam swung into the saddle. “I can’t even make sense of these ones.”

Adam pulled on the reins, turning his horse to follow the tracks. “My uncle would say there are clouds in your mind. That’s why you can’t read them.” They rode side by side for a few minutes then Adam asked, “You know my mother’s people?”

William glanced over at him. “We weren’t too far from Fort Washakie. My pa had a lot of business there.” They rode in silence for a moment then Will said, “I notice you call them your mother’s people. Why aren’t they yours?”

Something flashed in the other man’s eyes, then his face was cut from stone again, his eyes blank. “I was raised by my Pa. We didn’t stay with them after Ma was gone. They are not my people, either. None of those I come from want to claim a halfbreed.”

William opened his mouth to say something then closed it again. He wasn’t even sure what to say. Instead, he pushed his horse forward. “How far ahead do you think they are?”

Adam shook his head. “Several hours. We won’t catch up with them tonight. If we push on until dark and start early, we could gain on them. As long as he doesn’t push harder.”

“He won’t. He’ll expect me, but not so soon. He won’t be worried. He never did think much of me.”

They fell into silence again and rode for a couple miles before Adam spoke again. “We should have a plan. We can’t keep riding until we run into them.”

“I have a plan. Get Maggie safe and kill my brother. It’s the only plan I need.”

Adam shook his head. “How are you going to do that? If you go riding right in, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

“That doesn’t matter as long as she’s safe.”

“Are you that stupid? It will kill her if you give up your life for hers. I’m not going to watch her fall apart because you didn’t give a damn.”

“Then, don’t watch or help her pick up the pieces. It won’t matter. I’m not going to let him take everything away again. I’ll get her safe no matter what.”

“Stop and think. We can get her safe without you getting killed.”

“Drop it, Adam. We don’t need a plan. We need to get her out and safe. I’m counting on you for that. Nothing else matters.”

“You still being around for her does. I’m not letting you do this, Will. We need a plan. We need fresh horses. All three of us need to make it back home.”

“No, the only important thing is making sure Maggie makes it back home.” He was so afraid it was already too late. “I’m not discussing it anymore. That’s the only plan I need.”

Adam threw his hands up in the air. “You are impossible. I don’t know how she puts up with you. I don’t understand why she always chooses the ones who are going to break her.” He yanked on the reins, turning his horse.

“Where are you going?” William asked.

“I at least have a plan. I should be back before you get yourself killed.”

William watched him ride away then kicked his horse into a trot. What did it matter if he got himself killed? If Thomas took Maggie from him as well, nothing would matter.

#

William staked out his horse near some trees then turned to collect wood for a fire. One had been built here before, but not recently. It had likely been abandoned since before the first snow fell. Once he had a small fire going, he squatted in front of it and closed his eyes.

Too much time. It had been too much time since Thomas had taken Maggie. He had to fight off the panic that brought along with it. There were still tracks to follow this time. Not like when Thomas killed Anna. Now, it was only a matter of finding them. He wished he knew where Adam had gone.

It didn’t matter. He could follow the trail himself with the ground still soft from a recent rain. He saw where the two horses had gone. Where a hoof sunk into the ground in some places.

His stomach twisted, and he tried not to picture what had already happened to Maggie, what he was doing to her. The images came too easily. He saw Anna all over again, only now Maggie lay in that coffin.

William got up and stirred the logs in the fire, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. Before it got too dark to see well, he’d seen sign one of the horses had veered away from the path. Not much farther on, the tracks of both came back to the path. His heart dropped to his stomach again at the memory of what those tracks told him.

Maggie had tried to escape, and Thomas caught her. The fear she had gone willingly, even though he didn’t really believe it, had been there before that. A sharper one replaced it now.

He wouldn’t get there in time.

He didn’t have time to let this wave of emotion pull him under. He had to find Maggie. He’d let Anna and David down. He couldn’t let it happen again. Couldn’t let him take anyone else away. He had to pull himself together.

William started a pot of coffee just before a horse approached. Actually it sounded like more than one. He straightened and drew his gun from the holster. Probably Adam, but he wasn’t prepared to be killed out here. Not now. Not until Maggie was safe. A ragged breath caught in his throat. He had to push those thoughts out of his head and focus on what was in front of him.

The light from the fire reflected on Adam’s face and the two horses he led behind him. “Didn’t think I would find you before it got too dark.”

“What’s your plan? Why did we need more horses for it?” He paused for a moment. “Where did you get the horses?”

“We needed fresh rides. The Barnes’ ranch isn’t the only one my pa worked for. I know a lot of the ones around here. They lent me a couple mounts when I told them Maggie was in trouble.”

He could accept that. “So, the plan?”

“We need to find them first. Which means taking it slow and not riding right into an ambush.”

That wasn’t quite as acceptable. “We have to find her. He’s already had her too long. I don’t know what he’s doing to her.” He could imagine it all too well, though. “We need to find her.”

“We will. We can’t follow them now anyway.”

“I know that.” He cursed under his breath. “We leave at first light. If I know my brother, he won’t rouse nearly that early. Even if he doesn’t drink himself into a stupor tonight. We can erase some of the distance. There’s nothing I can do to get there faster, but I won’t leave her with him longer than necessary.”

“What if she’s…”

“Don’t,” William said. “Don’t even say it. We’ll find her. I’ll stop him. He won’t take someone else from me.”

“You can’t do that if you’re dead. Which makes going in slow the smarter choice.”

“I’m not going to let him kill me until she’s safe.”

Adam opened his mouth then shut it again. He turned to his horse and pulled out the pack of food George had sent with him. “We might as well eat and get some sleep. First light comes early, and we might not get another chance.”

William nodded, but he wasn’t sure how he would eat anything with this heavy weight already in his stomach. He couldn’t keep Adam’s half-finished sentence from circling in his head. What if they were too late?

He wasn’t sure he could live with that possibility.

Chapter 25

September 6, 1888

They spent another day on the trail. By the time the sun sank below the horizon again, William could tell they were gaining on them. If they got an early start again, they could probably catch up to his wife and brother by midday. As long as everything went according to plan.

William didn’t sleep that night. Not more than for a few minutes at a time. He was up, stoking the fire when the first streaks of light spread across the sky. He boiled some coffee over the fire then walked over and nudged Adam with his foot. When the man stirred, he said, “If you’re riding with me, you’d better roll out. I’m not waiting around.”

“You were serious about first light.”

“I’m not waiting.”

William went back to the fire and poured a cup of coffee, which he quickly swallowed. He moved to the horses Adam brought back the other night. He saddled one then slipped the bridle over the animal’s head. Adam kicked dirt over the fire.

He headed over to William with a cup of coffee in his hand. “We’ll leave the spare horses here,” William told the other man. “They’ll slow us down. We can come back for them once Maggie is safe.” He didn’t give voice to the other thought going through his head. If they both died out here, it wouldn’t matter anyway.

William finished cleaning up their camp while Adam saddled his horse. He didn't say anything, swinging up into his saddle and leading the way. They picked up the trail easily. He almost didn't notice when it changed.

The tracks got deeper, more defined. He slid to the ground. Frost covered the indentations of the hoof prints. He could make out every detail of the hoof. "They must have passed through here just before nightfall." Apparently those clouds in his mind Adam mentioned had been swept away. He had new focus now.

William swung back up into the saddle and continued on the trail. He loosened the pistol in his holster, wanting to be ready if they came upon his brother and Maggie.

Adam stayed silent behind him. This is how they'd ridden the day before. William didn't mind it, but knowing they were getting close, he wanted to be sure they had their next movements planned. Adam was right. They would end up dead otherwise. He pulled on the reins and waited for the other man to come up beside him.

"What is it? We’re still on the right trail. Do you see something else?"

William shook his head. "We're getting close. We need to figure out what we're gonna do when we catch up to them."

"The plan was to get Maggie out of there."

William nodded. "It is. I'd like to do it without us or her gettin' hurt. If we ride in there, that's what's gonna happen."

“You ready for that plan now? I figured I could scout ahead. See if they're still in camp."

William considered it then shook his head. He couldn't send him into danger alone. "We'll go together." He didn't move his horse. After another moment, he said, "When we do find them, get her out of there. Keep her safe. I'll take care of him."

"Will."

William stopped him. "He's my brother. I'll take care of him." He picked up the reins again. "Come on, let's get going."

He followed the tracks for about another mile down the trail before stopping his horse again. He lifted his face and took a sniff of the air until he caught the scent again. Smoke. He waved Adam up beside him. “There must be a camp ahead. We’ll ride a little farther then leave the horses. Once we can see the camp, and we know it’s them, I’ll go straight in. You go around and come in from the back. Get Maggie out of there. That’s all you need to worry about.”

“What about you? What if he takes you down?”

William shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Get her out of there.”