Love Inspired Historical November 2014 (65 page)

She also prayed that Jake wouldn't be too angry with her for losing Molly. Leah realized that when Jake wasn't around, she missed him more than she'd ever missed anyone in her life. She loved Jake. There was no getting around the fact.

* * *

The storm raged against the house. Jake had been out searching for Leah and Molly for over an hour. He'd returned to the house to see if they'd come back or if anyone had found them during his absence. “I'm going out again,” he announced.

“Don't be a fool, Jake,” Mr. Frontz growled from his place by the fire. He and Agnes sat side by side on the smaller of the two settees.

Cole and Ike had taken possession of the two armchairs. The reverend sat on a kitchen chair beside the fireplace, staring into the blaze, looking as miserable as the rest of them felt. His lips moved as he silently prayed.

“Charles, my family is out in that storm. I have to go find them.” He'd never used his employer's given name and wasn't sure why he had then. Restless energy spewed from him and Jake began to pace the floor.

“You don't think I know that?” Mr. Frontz ran a hand around the back of his neck. “It won't do us any good if you go looking for them and get lost yourself.”

Anguish tore through Jake's words. “I can't lose them.”

“I am so sorry, Jake. This is my fault. If I'd-a taken better care of the child...” Agnes buried her face in her husband's shoulder and wept.

Jake cleared his throat. “Not to be disrespectful, but in this matter, I disagree.”

She looked up at him. If he didn't know better, he'd have thought Agnes had aged ten years. He offered her the only comfort he had. “Agnes, this is not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. Children wander off all the time. Molly is no different than any other child. But, Lord willing, she will learn from this.”

Cole stood slowly. His green eyes looked into Jake's. “I'll go with you. I'm used to riding in this kind of weather and after dark. We'll find them and bring them back.” His young voice cracked.

Ike cleared his throat. “I'm able to ride, too, Jake.”

It touched Jake's heart that these young men were willing to ride out in the storm to recover his family. But he knew he could not allow them to endanger their lives. This was his job to do. His responsibility. He shook his head. “Thank you, but I can't allow you to do that.” Jake picked up his gloves and turned to walk out the door.

“No one is leaving this house tonight.” It was an order, not a request. Mr. Frontz moved his wife away from him and walked to the table. He picked up a chair and set it in front of the door. Steely eyes stared at Jake. “Let's all try to rest.”

The message came through loud and clear. To leave the house, he'd have to go through his boss. Jake walked back to the big chair beside the fireplace and sat down. He laid his gloves on the side table once more.

Cole slumped back down on the couch. Ike leaned his head back on the cushions and closed his eyes. The reverend continued praying.

Agnes stood. “Good night, boys.” She turned and walked up the stairs, her shoulders slumped, her head down.

The reverend stood also. “Please wake me in the morning. I'd like to go on the search party with you.”

Jake looked up at him and nodded. “Thank you, Reverend.”

He returned Jake's nod with one of his own and then followed Agnes up the stairs. At the bottom he stopped. “Jake, I believe the good Lord is taking care of Leah and Molly. Please try to trust in Him and get some rest tonight,” Rice said, and then continued up the stairs.

It was good advice. Jake knew that God was in control but he couldn't stop worrying, just as he couldn't stop breathing at will. He leaned his head back on the cushion and closed his eyes.

They'd all had a rough night the night before. The symphony of snores told him that Cole and Ike had already fallen asleep. Jake continued to keep his eyes closed. He relaxed and his mind willingly scrolled over the scenes of his life since Molly and Leah had entered it.

Molly was as much his child as she had been his brother John's. The little girl had captured his heart the moment her little hand had touched his jaw and her head rested on his shoulder. Her love of horses matched his. Teaching her how to ride on her own had become something he looked forward to. Someday, she'd be running his horse ranch, if she survived tonight.

The sobering thought tore the carefree images of Molly away. He tried to regain that sense of relaxation by focusing on Leah. Her blue eyes sparkled like no other woman's. She never said a cross word and her laughter lifted his spirits. He'd already confessed to himself that she'd stolen his heart. Jake prayed they'd get to have a life together. Once more, sobering thoughts pulled him from the feelings of calm he'd been trying to capture.

Jake listened to the sounds of three people sleeping in the room. Opening one eye just a crack, he looked at his friend Charles.

The man slumped in his chair. His arms were crossed and his chin rested on his chest. Snores whistled through his nose.

It was time. Jake sat up. He waited a moment more and then picked up his gloves. Careful not to make a sound, Jake stood and walked to the kitchen door. He took one last look back before opening the door and leaving his friends sound asleep.

Once out in the dark and cold, Jake headed to the barn. He pulled his horse out and swung into the saddle. For several moments, Jake debated which way to go. Earlier he'd searched in a state of panic; now, with a calmer head, he reasoned out where he should look.

Agnes had said she'd left the child playing on the side of the house by the apple orchard. Would Molly have gone into the trees to play? If he were four, Jake knew he wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation to climb one of the trees. He nudged his horse forward.

No stars or moon filled the sky. Darkness enveloped him like a sickness as he entered the trees. The horse snorted his uneasiness. Jake sighed. He couldn't see and knew it wasn't safe to ride the horse through the snow drifts. Even a small hole could cause the horse to stumble and break a leg, so Jake knew he couldn't chance losing his horse.

He realized he'd have to trust God to keep them safe. Jake leaned forward and patted the animal's neck. “Come on, boy, back to the barn for you.” He turned the horse around.

As the animal ambled back to the warmth of the stable, Jake prayed.
Lord, please keep my family safe. Help me to find them at first light. For the first time in a long time, I am giving You my full trust.

Chapter Seventeen

L
eah woke long before the sun came up. She felt stiff but well.

A slight shuffle sounded beside the fire. The woman stood, stirring something in a cooking pot. The little boy sat on a pelt stringing a small bow. It felt funny to think of them as the woman and the boy. Leah knew they had names, but since introductions hadn't been made, she had no idea what they were.

She scooted off the bed of furs and stood up. The borrowed dress felt comfortable as she walked to her hostess. “Good morning,” Leah said in a soft tone.

The woman smiled and indicated that she should sit down on one of the many furs about the fire.

Leah did as she was bid. She sat there for several minutes, waiting to see if the woman would talk to her. When it was obvious she wasn't going to speak, Leah said, “I'm Leah Hollister. That's Molly.” She pointed to where Molly still slept.

A nod was her answer.

Leah looked about what she now recognized as a tepee. She was amazed at the warmth of the structure. Having never been in one before, she'd assumed they'd be cold except where the fire was, but that simply wasn't true.

Molly walked over to her. The little girl crawled into Leah's lap. She rested her head on Leah's shoulder and stuck her thumb into her mouth.

The woman handed the little boy a small bowl of whatever was in the pot. He took it and began scooping it out with his fingers. She then handed a bowl to Leah.

Molly sat up and dipped her fingers into the bowl. She pulled out a blue grainy-looking substance. The little girl stared at it with a frown.

The woman grunted and motioned that they should eat.

At Leah's nod, Molly stuck her fingers in her mouth and sucked on them. Leah carefully tucked two fingers into the bowl as she'd seen the boy do and lifted the warm substance to her mouth.

It didn't hold much flavor and felt gritty in her mouth. She looked across at the woman who seemed to be watching her every move. Leah smiled across at her. “Thank you, it's good.”

Molly pushed the bowl away and settled back against Leah. The woman sat down and seemed to be pleased as she ate her own breakfast. When the boy was done he set his bowl down and picked up the bow again.

Molly pushed away from Leah and went to sit beside him. She reached for the bow but he pulled it away. The little girl looked up at him with a frown. “I just want to see it,” she said.

The boy got up and walked to the back of the tepee. He returned with her rag doll and handed it to her.

“Play with your doll, Molly,” Leah said. “As soon as it gets light, we need to be heading home.”

As if the other woman understood what Leah said, she shook her head and pointed up at the tepee hole.

Leah looked up but could see nothing. No stars, no sun, nothing. “I'm sorry, I don't understand.”

The woman set her bowl aside and motioned for Leah to follow her. She undid the tent flap and stuck her head outside, then indicated that Leah do the same.

Leah gasped. It wasn't still night as she'd thought. The sky outside was dark because of the low-hanging clouds that blocked the sun. “Oh, we need to go now. Come, Molly.”

A tan arm blocked her passage. The other woman shook her head again.

Panic threatened to overwhelm Leah. Was she being held captive? Why? It dawned on her that they were alone. There were no other tepees outside. Was the woman simply lonely? Taking a deep breath, Leah tried to explain. “You don't understand. Our men are looking for us. We have to go.”

A grin touched the woman's lips. She pointed out that Leah was barefooted, in a stranger's dress and that neither she nor Molly was dressed for the snowy outdoors.

“Oh, I see.”

The woman dropped her arm and went back to the fire. She picked up the bowls and put them away.

Molly stood, clutching her doll. For the first time, Leah realized that the little girl wore the same type of dress that she was wearing.

“Come on, Molly, we need to change back into our clothes.”

The woman grunted and the boy turned his back on them. She then moved to another part of the tepee, picked up their dry clothes and carried them to Leah.

“Thank you.” Leah smiled at her and laid the clothes down. She found Molly's dress and put it within reaching distance. “Come on, sweetie. Let's get your borrowed dress off.”

“But I like this dress,” Molly protested as she walked over to Leah. She laid her baby down on the soft furs and turned to face Leah.

Leah smiled at her. “I know you do. I like mine, too, but they aren't ours.” She pulled the shift over Molly's head and then dropped her own dress into place. Who did the small dress belong to? It didn't look like a little girl lived here.

“This one's scratchy,” Molly complained, tugging at the collar. She sat down and began pulling her socks and shoes on.

Leah slipped into her dress, stockings and shoes. Molly was right in the fact that their clothes didn't feel nearly as soft as the woman's had. Her toes were already starting to cramp as she thought about how the snow had gone into her shoes the night before. Leah sighed as she pulled Molly's coat, hat and gloves on and handed her the rag doll.

She then proceeded to pull on her coat. Leah wished she'd taken the time to grab her gloves and hat but in her rush to find Molly, she'd left them behind. She looked around once more. “I guess that's it.”

The boy and the woman stood by the flap waiting. They each had on furs from head to toe. Were they going, too?

Leah took Molly's hand and walked toward them.

The woman handed her a pair of what looked like fur-lined boots. “I can't take these,” Leah protested, handing them back.

The woman pointed at Leah's shoes and frowned.

“I know. Not the best for walking in snow, are they?” Leah felt Molly release her hand.

“These are so soft, Leah,” Molly said. The little boy and Molly were sitting on the floor. He had pulled off her shoes and was putting on a pair of the boots. A big smile covered Molly's face.

Once more the boots were shoved into Leah's hands. They would be much better than walking through the cold snow in her shoes. “All right. Thank you.”

A few minutes later, they stood in the winter wonderland.

The little boy and Molly ran ahead. Leah wished the woman could talk to her. She'd love to know what it was like to travel around and live off the land.

The sun reflected off the woman's black hair, which had been braided down the back. Her high cheekbones and square jaw gave her a regal beauty. Almost-black eyes looked back at her. “You are very beautiful,” Leah said in a way to explain why she was staring.

The woman looked to where the children played.

Leah didn't take it as a snub. She knew the woman couldn't understand her. Or could she? Every time Leah or Molly had needed something the woman had responded.

They heard two horses coming before they saw them. Leah assumed it was Jake and Mr. Frontz and began calling, “Over here. We're over here.”

The Indian woman looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“It's the men looking for us,” she answered.

Molly screamed as a rider came barreling down on her. Leah's eyes grew wide as Christina Watts jumped from her horse and grabbed the little girl.

Molly kicked and screamed. Her hat fell from her head. She quickly stopped fighting and screaming when Mrs. Watts jerked her arm behind her back and grabbed her by the hair. “I'll break it, child,” she warned, giving a sharp pull to Molly's hair.

The anger of a mama bear filled Leah. “Stop!” Leah screamed, trying to run toward the children. The snow pulled at her feet, keeping her from actually running.

The little boy had run but wasn't faster than the other horseback rider. Horror filled her as Leah watched a man scoop the little boy off the ground like a hawk hunting a mouse. The child kicked and was rewarded with a blow to his head.

The Indian woman grabbed her arm. She shook her head hard and motioned that Leah should look back to where Molly and Mrs. Watts stood. Fear and anger knotted inside her. Christina Watts held a small handgun pressed against Molly's temple.

“Well, look what we got here. Miss Leah Hollister.”

Leah recognized Isaac Dalton's voice. She turned and glared at the man who had just knocked the little boy out.

He rode his horse over to Leah. “I'll say these four are just what we need to get Michael and Savannah back, wouldn't you, Christina?”

Mrs. Watts laughed. “The gods must be smiling on us today, Dalton.”

“Let the kids go,” Leah demanded.

“Or what?” Dalton asked, smiling down at her. He was using the little boy's back to lean on.

Molly whimpered. “Leah, she's hurting me.”

A growl emitted from the Indian woman's throat. She took a step toward Molly, only to be rewarded by Christina jerking back on the little girl's hair.

Leah hated that she was helpless. “I know, sweetheart. Just do what she tells you to. Don't fight her.”

Tears flowed down Molly's face. “I'll be good.”

Christina Watts leaned down and said, “Yes, you will, or I'll give these golden locks of yours a good yank.”

Fury almost choked Leah. “Like mother, like daughter.”

Mrs. Watts laughed. “No, I'm smarter than my darling girl. I won't get caught.”

Dalton chose that moment to bring attention to himself. “Stop pulling the child's hair, Chrissy, and get back on your horse.”

“But how am I going to get back up and hold the girl?”

He frowned. “Let the child go, Chrissy. If she runs away, I'll shoot Leah and then I'll shoot the girl. You don't want me to shoot Leah, do you, child?”

Molly shook her head. “I'll be still.”

Mrs. Watts let go of Molly's hair. She mounted her horse.

Molly stood in the snow crying.

Dalton leaned forward and looked down at Leah. “You might want to go help her up.”

“I don't think so,” Leah answered.

He dug his elbow into the little boy's back, forcing a moan. “No?” His intent clear. If she didn't help Molly he'd continue to hurt the boy.

Leah hurried as fast as she could in the deep snow. When she got to Molly, she hugged the little girl to her and whispered, “Uncle Jake is on his way. Just be a good girl and do whatever they tell you to, all right?”

Molly clung to her. “All right.”

“Stop your blubbering and hand her up.”

Leah looked up at Christina. She now pointed her gun down at them. She looked back at the Indian woman. Dalton had his gun trained on her. Leah picked Molly up. “I'm going to put you in front of Mrs. Watts. Help me out, all right?”

Molly touched Leah's cheek with her hand and nodded. Trust shone from the little girl's eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Stop with the sweet talk and get on with it,” Mrs. Watts demanded.

Leah handed Molly up.

Christina Watts scooted back in the saddle to make room for the little girl. With Molly's help, the child soon sat in front of her captor.

Resting a hand on Mrs. Watts's thigh, Leah squeezed. “Pull her hair again and when this is over, you'll answer to me.”

Something in her eyes caused Mrs. Watts to frown. “Are you saying you'll kill me?”

Cold gripped Leah's heart. She'd do anything to keep Molly safe. Murder? It went against everything she believed in. She didn't answer. She simply stepped back and let the woman draw her own conclusions.

“Time to go, ladies. Hopefully old man Slade hasn't already strung up the kids.”

Kids? He thought of Michael and Savannah as kids? Leah called after him, “What about us?”

He looked over his shoulder at her. “If you want to watch the exchange, I suggest you keep up.”

Dalton urged his horse forward at a fast pace. It was all Leah and the other woman could do to keep up. But keep up they would. Their children were in danger.

* * *

Jake didn't know how long Leah and the Indian woman had been trailing after Dalton and Mrs. Watts before he finally found them. He'd been shocked at the way Dalton called back, taunting Leah as they traveled. To her credit, Leah ignored him and focused on keeping up with Molly.

His first instinct had been to rush in, guns a-blazing, but he'd seen the weapons pointed at Molly and the little boy. Attacking too soon could mean the life of one or both of the children.

To keep out of sight of passersby, Dalton and Mrs. Watts traveled close to the river bank. It was late in the afternoon when the sun came out. Now Jake could clearly see the glint of guns close to the children's heads. Fear for Molly and anger at the way Dalton forced Leah to run after him, warred within Jake's body.

Leah looked as if she were about to collapse from exhaustion. Still, she continued to follow. Her companion glared ahead.

Jake had sensed the brave long before he saw him and his traveling companion. The two men were also following Dalton and Mrs. Watts. From the hardened coldness in the brave's eyes, Jake figured out that the kidnappers had taken the brave's loved ones.

When they arrived in Julesburg, Jake left the water's edge and headed into town. He motioned for the brave to follow. If he were a guessing man, Jake would have to say they were headed to Slade's place to exchange prisoners. Had Savannah and Michael Watts already been hanged? And if so, what would become of the women and children?