Train From Marietta (33 page)

“Touch her, and I’ll stomp out your guts,” Tate said, his voice faint.

“You don’t look like you could stomp a fly!” Squirrelly bent down until his face was inches from Tate’s, and then slapped the man hard across the face. Tate struggled to keep from sliding into the black void.

“Stop it,” Eddy shouted.

“Screw you!”

Squirrelly strode over to Kate and started to lift her from the floor. She raised her foot and kicked backward, hitting him squarely on the shin. At the same time, her elbow struck a blow to his stomach.

“Bitch!” he snarled.

He dropped his hold on her, and she fell to the floor again. “Damn it, you slut! We coulda done this the easy way, but you ruined that chance. I told you that I’d screw you whether you were dead or alive, and I meant it! But first I’m gonna kill your man to teach you some manners.”

As he turned, Kate came up off the floor, fighting like a wildcat. She kicked and scratched at the man with all of the strength she had left. Her fingers dug into his skin and grasped at his hair, but it wasn’t enough. With a shove, Squirrelly drove her to the floor again and leveled the gun.

A thunderous blast filled the kitchen. The noise was so deafening that Kate’s head throbbed with pain. Reacting instinctively, her hands went out to ward off the shot. Confused, she turned her head to see Squirrelly falling on top of her.

With a scream, she shoved him away. He was too heavy to roll, so his body merely slid across hers until he lay facedown on the floor. His blood was on her arm and chest.

What happened?

“Get up, Kate. It’s over.”

Looking up, she saw Eddy standing over her, the rifle in his hand. He reached down and turned Squirrelly over onto his back. His eyes were open and staring.

Quickly Kate crawled across the room to where Tate lay, and hovered over him protectively. “You’ll have to kill me first!” she yelled.

“I’m not going to kill you.” To demonstrate his intentions, Eddy placed the rifle on the kitchen table. “I never wanted it to come to this. All I wanted was to keep them from hurting you.”

Their eyes met, and in that moment, Kate understood that Eddy was telling the truth. She lifted Tate’s head and held it in her lap. She kissed his forehead lightly. “He needs to be in bed. Help me, Eddy. Help me get him back in bed.”

“I think it would be better not to move him.”

“Then get me a pillow, some blankets, and whatever cloth you can find. I need to stop the bleeding before he bleeds to death.” For the next ten minutes, the two of them worked to stop the bleeding in Tate’s side. He moved in and out of consciousness; the only sound he made was a low moaning. Eddy worked right alongside her, fetching anything that she needed.

Eddy’s hand touched her lightly on the shoulder. “I need to go, Kate.”

“Why did you do this, Eddy? Why did you go along with your uncle?”

“There are lots of reasons, one of which is that I’m a fool.” He flashed the easy smile she had seen him use many times before. He’d dazzled rooms full of New York society with that smile.

“You’re no fool, Edwin Jacobs.”

“If only you were right, Kate.” He got up and went to the window. With his back to her, he continued. “The main reason I came was that I wanted to be able to protect you. Uncle William had given orders to kill you after your father had paid the ransom. Men like Hayden and Squirrelly are the type who kill without asking why. I couldn’t let them do that to you.”

“But why go along with it at all?” Kate asked. “Why not turn your uncle in to the police?”

Eddy turned from the window and stared at her intently. “Because Uncle would have managed to throw all the blame on me, and this was my chance to escape.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ve wanted to get away from my uncle for years. He’s a conniving bastard who would burn an orphanage to the ground if he thought he could profit from it. When he told me of his scheme, I realized it was my chance to get out from under his thumb. We’re close to Mexico. I could lose myself down there, live off what I’ve stashed away. I can be my own man.”

Listening to what Eddy was saying, Kate felt a close affinity for the man. What had happened to her wasn’t all that different from his experiences. She, too, had “escaped” from the life she had known. What she had found with Tate was a chance to start anew.

“I think I understand,” Kate said.

“I want you to know I am sincerely sorry for all you had to endure. I wish I could have …” A sound from outside startled them. Eddy listened closely for a moment before adding, “I’ve got to leave, Kate.”

“What about Susan?”

“Your sister doesn’t love me. She cares far more for the parties I take her to and the people I can introduce her to. Your father will be thrilled to have me out of the picture, I suppose. Speaking of John, be sure to warn him that his partner is a dangerous man. He’s the type who will do away with whoever gets in his way.”

“I’ve already told my father about William. He’ll know how to handle it.”

Eddy came over and stood next to her. His gaze moved from her to Tate. “Are you in love with him?” he asked.

“Yes. I am. I want to spend my life with him.”

“Then be sure to tell him that Hayden is still out there looking for you.”

“No, he’s not,” Kate said as she shook her head. “I killed him.”

“You what?!” Eddy said, a look of genuine surprise on his face.

“I’m not proud of it, but it was something that had to be done. He would have killed us if I hadn’t. This way, you won’t have to worry about him popping up to implicate you in your uncle’s scheme.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Will I ever see you again?” Kate asked.

“No.” Eddy turned to her and slowly shook his head. His eyes looked wet as he said, “Good-bye, Kate.”

“Good-bye, Eddy.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “I hope you find someone to love and you can be as happy as I am.”

The car left the ranch and was swallowed up by the vast Texas prairie.

Kate was sitting on the floor beside Tate when the pickup truck drove in and Jorge and Luke rushed into the house. They had been in the south pasture when they heard the shot.

“Señor!” Jorge exclaimed. “
Madre de Dios!
What has happened?” He looked from Kate to Squirrelly’s motionless body and back again. “Are you all right, señorita?”

“I am now, Jorge.” Kate got to her feet, the realization of what had happened now pressing down on her. Her legs trembled. She kept one hand on the doorjamb to help steady herself.

Luke was peering down at Squirrelly “He dead. Who shoot?”

Ignoring the question, Kate said, “Help me get Tate back to the bedroom.”

Luke grunted, stepped over Squirrelly’s body, and helped Jorge lift Tate from the floor. Gently they carried him down the hall. Tate never regained consciousness as they placed him in his bed. Despite what she and Eddy had done, the wound in his side had reopened. Jorge came in with a basin of water and a stack of clean cloths. He moved Tate so that Kate could rebind the cut. Finally, after they had done all that they could for him, they left him to rest.

“What we do with this one?” Jorge asked as they once again stood over Squirrelly’s body.

“Before you go to fetch the doctor, we should move him out of kitchen,” Kate answered. “I don’t want Emily to see him.”

“Sí, señorita.”

Jorge and Luke lifted Squirrelly’s lifeless body and carried it out of the kitchen, across the porch, and into the barn. When Jorge returned to the truck to go after the doctor, Kate ran out to him.

“Tell the doctor he’ll need to put in more stitches. He’ll know what to bring.” Jorge nodded solemnly, jumped into the vehicle, and sped down the lane.

For the next hour, Yelena kept Emily away from the house. Kate went to Tate’s room and sat down in the rocking chair. The long days of uncertainty and fear had finally caught up with her. As she held her head in her hands, tears ran from her closed eyes. A small sob escaped from her lips at the thought of what Tate had endured. She was thankful they were both still alive, but she still couldn’t stop crying. Suddenly Kate heard a child’s shout from outside. “Old Bob!”

She got quickly to her feet, wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands, and hurried out the door. Emily knelt on the ground beside the still dog, crying as if her heart would break.

“Old Bob!” she sobbed, her hands in his fur. “Old Bob, get up!”

Kate ran over and knelt down beside her. With all that had happened, she’d forgotten that Squirrelly had shot the brave dog. “Let me look at him, Emily. I need to know where he’s hurt.” Immediately she saw the dog was still alive, but panting shallowly Looking closely, she found that the bullet had creased the dog’s head, taking off part of his ear.

Gently scooping up the limp dog, Kate carried him toward the porch as Emily followed along behind. Yelena met them there and folded an old blanket to lay him on. After cleaning the wound and smearing it with pine tar, Kate wound a bandage around Old Bob’s head.

“Don’t cry, Emily,” Kate said comfortingly. “He’ll be all right in a few days.”

When Emily settled down beside the dog, Kate hurried back to Tate.

Her heart lurched; he was lying so still and pale. She placed her hand on his chest and felt a steady beating. Relieved, she kissed his face again and again. Taking his hand in both of hers, she hoped the doctor would arrive before he awakened. He would be in terrible pain.

Silently she prayed.

Chapter 30

T
IME CRAWLED BY AS KATE WAITED FOR THE DOCTOR.
Tate moaned occasionally but never regained full consciousness. Luke came silently to the door, looked in, and just as silently left. Yelena kept Emily on the back porch near Old Bob and amused her by showing her how to make a chain with a piece of yarn and a crochet hook.

Jorge returned and came immediately to Tate’s room. Kate was upset that the doctor was not with him.

“Woman have baby,” Jorge explained. “Doctor come soon.”

“Did you tell him what happened? Did you tell him Tate needs more stitches in his side?” Kate worried that the message she had sent hadn’t been properly relayed. Fear gnawed at her gut that the delay in receiving medical attention might mean Tate would die.

“I tell him all you say, señorita. He come soon.” “All right,” Kate sighed. “I guess that’s all we can do.” Jorge moved slowly toward the bed, his hat in his hands. He looked intently at the crimson stain that seeped from the white bandages on Tate’s side. “Señor bleed plenty.”

“I’ve done all I can do. We need the doctor to sew it up again.”

Jorge nodded solemnly and headed for the door. Before he left, he turned and said, “Talk in town about Hayden. Hunters saw buzzards circling in sky and found body.” Without waiting for a reply, he left.

For the next hour, Kate was alone with Tate. She felt tired, worn-out from all that had happened, and struggled to keep from falling asleep. Then, when she glanced over at him, she saw that his eyes were open. Quickly she went to kneel down beside the bed. His lips moved, but she had to put her ear close to his mouth to hear what he was saying.

“Are you all right?” he whispered.

She smiled. “I’m fine. Eddy killed Squirrelly to keep him from hurting us.” Kate bent over and kissed him softly on the brow. She cupped his rough cheeks with her palms. “Sweetheart, I know you’re hurting. Jorge went for the doctor. He’ll be here soon.”

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“Not much.”

“I’ve never wanted to kill anyone that bad. Damn rifle was too heavy, wouldn’t stay steady.”

“How did you manage to get out of the bed?”

“I knew that I had to. I could hear what those bastards were saying and that they were going to hurt you. I couldn’t let that happen.”

The image of Tate standing at the end of the hallway was burned into her thoughts. The pain must have been excruciating! “It’s all over now. Just lie still until the doctor gets here.”

“What about Emily?” Tate asked weakly.

“She’s all right. The only thing she saw was Old Bob. Squirrelly shot him when they arrived, but I think he’ll be fine. He’ll just be missing part of his ear.”

“Thank God everyone’s all right.”

Hot tears began to well in Kate’s eyes. Even as badly hurt as Tate was, his first thoughts were for the safety of those he loved. “I died a thousand times when Squirrelly kicked you. I thought he was going to take you from me.”

Tate brought Kate’s hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes on her face. “Did I dream you told me that you loved me?”

“It wasn’t a dream,” Kate said as a tear broke free and rolled down her cheek. Tate wiped it away with a finger. “You said you loved me too.”

“What about us?” he asked.

“Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to give you up.”

Before Tate could reply, the sound of a car turning into the drive drew her attention. She rushed to the window and looked out. Dr. Duval was getting out of his car and running toward the house.

“Thank God!” Kate exclaimed. “The doctor’s here!”

For the next hour, Kate assisted as the doctor restitched all of Tate’s wounds. Kate worried that he’d lost too much blood. Dr. Duval worked confidently. By the time he was applying the last bandage, Tate was asleep.

“He’ll be sore, but he’ll live,” Dr. Duval said after they’d retreated to the kitchen.

“Did you bring anything to help ease the pain?”

“I can leave morphine. I’ll write out the dosage. Make sure you don’t give him even one drop more. After a couple of days of rest, he won’t need it anymore.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“He’s not out of the woods yet.” Dr. Duval gathered up his medical bag. “He isn’t running a temperature, but if one spikes, send Jorge to fetch me. We might need to take him to the hospital in Alpine.”

After the doctor had left, Kate went back to Tate’s room. She was surprised to see that he was awake. “You should try to rest,” Kate advised. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“You’ll stay with me?” he whispered as he closed his eyes.

“A team of mules couldn’t drag me away.”