Jodi Thomas (32 page)

“No!” she screamed as he fought them all. She couldn’t allow them to kill Chance. He had to have help. Grabbing her knife, she unbolted the door and ran toward the men in a fury. The sound of fists hitting flesh filled the air in steady, painful beats, and the dust danced around the men as they twisted and turned in the battle.

As she reached the end of the steps, strong arms seemed to come from nowhere to grab her from behind. The knife was twisted from her hand with a mighty yank. The blade flew across the yard like a harmless toy. An Indian twice her weight slammed her against the mound of earth by the front door. His powerful forearm was shoved beneath her chin and his knee pressed against her chest.

Anna’s struggles stopped as all air rushed from her lungs and her throat closed with the pressure of his arm. When she was still for a moment, he jerked at her shoulder and rolled her onto her stomach. He almost pulled her arms from their sockets as he grabbed her wrists and bound them tightly behind her. Anna could feel the thin cord cut into her skin as the sound of someone tearing up every inch of the cabin reached her. Cringing, she heard what must have been the crib being slammed against the stone of the fireplace.

Without a word, the Indian filled his fist with her hair and yanked her up with no more care than he would show to a wild animal. When her feet twisted in her skirts, he let her fall hard against the packed earth, then he jerked her upright again and shoved her toward the fight. Anna tasted her own blood. A bruise spread pain along her cheek. Sweat and blood blended with the dirt on her face, but she wouldn’t allow herself to cry out. She would not show fear. She would not!

The Indian shoved her again as if testing her strength. Anna fell once more to the ground, her shoulder breaking her fall. The Indian grabbed her robe and jerked her to her feet. He didn’t herd her forward this time, but pulled out his hunting knife and pressed the blade against her throat.

“Stop!” Walks Tall’s voice resounded in the yard. All the Indians backed away from Chance, who stood ready to fight. His eyes were wild with rage and the taste of death. Turning, he saw Anna for the first time. His intelligent, angry blue eyes darted from her to Walks Tall.

“Do not move or I will tell my brother to kill your woman.” Walks Tall ventured closer to Chance as though testing the ground with each step.

Cocking his head slightly, Chance’s words flowed like liquid iron across the still air. “You wouldn’t kill a woman. You aren’t a coward.”

The Indian thought for a moment. “You are right. I would not. But I will hurt her if you do not allow them to tie you up. I will cut her hair away from her scalp so that none will ever grow there.”

“I’ll kill you and all your tribe if you touch her,” Chance vowed.

Walks Tall laughed. “The way you always say you will kill Storm’s Edge? You have made that oath since we were children, yet I see he roams north of here without any fear of you. I have killed ten soldiers for every one of my family who died. And you—you have done nothing.”

Two Indians grabbed Chance’s arms and bound them to a beam on the barn. Chance’s eyes were filled with hatred, but he didn’t move as he watched the Indian who held Anna.

Walks Tall moved closer to Chance. “I have no wish to kill you or your woman. You taught me much about the white people, as I taught you of Indian ways. I only want the baby. My wife grows more ill each day with fear that your child will kill mine. She has not eaten for over a moon’s full journey. I will put an end to this. The two of you can live in peace. You can have more children. You people breed like wild mustangs on our land.”

“Damn you!” Chance yelled, and kicked Walks Tall, almost knocking him down with the blow.

Walks Tall steadied himself and ran toward Chance, silencing the white man. Anger and hatred inflamed the Indian’s face. He plowed into Chance with all his force, with the same anger he’d never been able to bridle since his youth.

Horrified, Anna watched as Chance took blow after blow without a sound or a cry. He twisted and pulled against his ropes, trying to free himself to fight back, but the ropes held and Walks Tall continued to vent his anger. Blood was dripping down Chance’s arms from where he had twisted his wrists raw against the ropes. More blood sprayed from his mouth as Walks Tall doubled his fists together and swung a blow into his face.

Finally, Chance went limp, his head resting against his chest. Walks Tall jerked his head up by his hair. “Tell me where your child is or I swear I will end this game between us right now. I will let you watch while I make your woman scream for death’s darkness, then I will kill you and burn all traces of you on this land. I can live no longer with the curse of Medicine Man’s woman to haunt my family.”

Chance’s lip was swollen and blood dripped out of his mouth in a steady stream. “If you hurt Anna I’ll cut your eyes out and you will walk the Forever Land blind.”

As Walks Tall doubled back to strike him again, a scream sounded from the trees. In horror, Anna watched an Indian pull Maggie into the clearing. He yelled something to the others and dragged her forward. Maggie’s arms were tight around the bundle she carried and tears were streaming down her face as she cried in fear.

The Indian pulled her before Walks Tall. He tried to lift the baby from her arms, but she fought him with all her might.

It took two of them to pull Cherish from her. Maggie screamed as Walks Tall lifted the tiny baby in the air.

Anna twisted and strained against the Indian who held her. She felt the knife’s blade cut into her flesh as he pulled her tight.

“No!” Maggie screamed. “Don’t hurt the baby. I tried to get to Selma, but they caught me.”

The flat back of a brave’s hand silenced the little girl’s cry. Her tiny body rolled across the ground until she hit the wall of the cabin. One of Walks Tall’s men went to stand next to her, grabbing her limp arm as if to ensure there would be no more interruptions from Maggie.

Anna suddenly remembered the shot she’d first heard when Chance went outside. If Carl heard it, he would be here in a few minutes. She glanced at Walks Tall as he pulled the blankets from Cherish. Carl would be of little help. He wasn’t a good enough shot to fire from the trees, and if he ran into the fight, he would receive the same beating Chance had.

“Wait,” Chance yelled as Walks Tall raised his hunting knife to pierce the child. “Undress the child.”

Walks Tall hesitated. “Why?”

Chance spit blood and struggled to speak. “Because the baby is a girl. You said you have a son. Is the mighty Walks Tall’s son so afraid of a woman that he would have his father kill the girl as a baby?”

Walks Tall was disturbed by Chance’s words. “I swore to my woman that I would end the threat.”

“What kind of a threat can a white baby girl be to the brave son of Walks Tall?” Chance watched the knife at Anna’s throat lower slightly. “You will have to kill all of us and all the braves who are with you to keep the story from spreading. Your son will be disgraced for years when he must live with the shame that his father didn’t think he could protect himself from a woman.”

Walks Tall pulled the clothes from the baby to make sure what Chance said was true. He then dropped Cherish in the dirt as if she were below his level of interest. She continued to cry, angry but alive. The Indian holding Maggie let her go and she ran to the baby. She huddled over Cherish as if the little girl could protect the child with her body.

Walks Tall straightened in pride. “No son of my blood would fear a woman.” He motioned for all the men to mount horses that had been hidden behind the trees. He was too proud to even think of being sorry for what he’d done, but he stopped as he passed Anna. “I will tell all to leave this place in peace.”

Anna wanted to spit in his face. He’d almost killed Chance and her child, and now he was walking away as though all he’d done was pay them a casual visit. He saw the hatred in her eyes and the strong set of her jaw. He swung onto his pony and although his words were for Chance, his gaze never left Anna. “You have a strong woman. She will bear you sons someday.”

In a cloud of dust he and all his braves were gone, leaving only the sound of Cherish’s whimpering and Maggie’s crying to fill the air.

Hurrying to Maggie, Anna shouted, “Get the knife and cut my hands free.”

Maggie scrambled for the knife, then cut Anna’s ropes. “I’m sorry, Anna. I tried to get to Selma’s.”

Anna hugged her. “You did the best you could. You were wonderful. I’m very proud of you. If you hadn’t gotten her away for a while, they might have killed her.”

Maggie smiled and cradled Cherish. “They didn’t hurt her any, just scared her. She’s just screaming now ‘cause she’s mad.”

“Take her inside, darling.” Anna lifted Cherish into Maggie’s arms. “I know you can take good care of her while I cut Chance loose.”

Anna kissed Maggie’s curls and ran to the barn.

He was hanging by his arms with his head down, blood dripping from his mouth and a large gash at his hairline. For a moment Anna’s heart stopped as she feared he might have died.

When she touched his shoulder he jerked toward her. His chest and face were covered with bruises and blood and his left eye was almost swollen shut. “Anna,” he whispered as she leaned against him and cut the ropes binding his hands.

His arms fell around her shoulders and he pulled her against him, crushing her to him with a joy that outweighed all the pain. “Anna, you’re alive.”

Anna put her arms around him, helping to hold him up. “Yes, thanks to you, we’re all alive.”

Chance brushed one hand across her face, pushing her hair from her cheek. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing. First we’ve got to get you doctored.”

With more noise than a buffalo in full run, Carl appeared from the trees, his gun in one hand and one of his carpentry tools in the other. “I heard the shot, got dressed, and came running.”

Anna found it hard to believe that the entire confrontation had only taken minutes. It had seemed like hours, yet the sun was still not full on the horizon. “We had a visit from some Indians. Please help me get Chance into the house.”

Dropping his weapons, Carl moved to Chance’s side. “You both look like you fought a mountain lion.”

“We’re all fine,” Chance said, coughing up blood.

Carl looked at Anna and shook his head. “Bleeding inside,” he whispered as Chance coughed again.

Anna looked helpless. “What can I do?”

Carl lifted Chance and carried him the last few steps. “Get him flat on his back and don’t let him move for a while.”

Nodding, Anna hugged the children to her for a moment. “Can you take Maggie and Cherish home with you for a few hours? I’ll walk over later.”

Carl laid Chance on the bed and herded Maggie out the door. “I’ll be back. You going to be all right?”

“Yes. Just look after them.”

“That I’ll do.” Carl hurried out the door. Anna knew he wanted to get back and make sure his Selma was safe. He was so large; she sometimes forgot how young he was . . . how young they all were.

Anna washed her hands and face, then slowly began to clean the cuts on Chance’s body. She taped the cut on his hairline, but the blood stained through the cloth in minutes. He was hurt in so many places she didn’t know where to begin.

As she touched the cold cloth to Chance’s swollen lip, he opened his eyes. His deep blue gaze seemed to cover her as he watched her work.

She tried to smile as she cleaned his face. “You are covered with blood and dirt.”

“I can clean myself up. I’ve been doing it all my life.” Chance started to rise.

Anna placed her hands on his shoulders. “No. You lay still. I’ll clean you up. Carl says you may be bleeding inside and you shouldn’t move.”

“I’m only spitting blood from a cut inside my mouth,” he mumbled as he drank deep from the dipper of water.

Anna touched his ribs and felt his pain in the tightness of his flesh beneath her fingers, even though he didn’t utter a sound.

Raising his arm, Chance cupped the back of her head with his hand. Slowly he pulled her face near his own. “You’ve got a few bruises also.” He kissed her cheek. “I was so worried that they’d hurt you.”

“Would you really have killed them?”

“Without hesitation,” he whispered as he pulled her lips to his. His kiss was light and she tasted the blood of his split lip, but she felt the promise in his grip and saw the longing in his eyes. “I’d kill any man who touched my woman.”

He leaned back then and let her wash his face and chest. She wrapped his ribs where dark bruises marked his sides, and all the while she could feel his eyes on her. As she finished, she leaned back and stared at the white cloths crossing over his tan skin.

“I could use some more water,” Chance said, startling her.

“Of course.” She hurried to get him another dipper of water.

Chance covered her hands with his own as he drank. “Thanks,” he said as he leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes.

Anna studied him in the late morning shadows. He’d taken quite a beating and yet he hadn’t complained. He’d seemed more worried about her bruised cheek than all of his cuts and bruises. She admired his strength. He’d been willing to fight to the death for a child that wasn’t even his, and then he’d stopped and taken a beating rather than let them hurt her. She rubbed ointment into his wrists where the ropes had cut into his flesh, then she wrapped clean strips of cotton around each. His palm lay open, dark against the white sheets, and Anna slipped her fingers across his, noticing how much smaller her hand was. His hand was warm and the rough calluses he’d gotten from plowing tickled her palm.

Leaning closer, Anna kissed his hand in silent thanks for what he’d done for her. She slid from his side and moved to the table. Although she’d washed her hands and face, her whole body felt dirty after her falls.