Page 63 of Wagon Train Honor
Darkness covered Robert as he returned to the abandoned homesite. He’d paused to listen, to look, and to sniff the air. The hint of smoke carried on the wind couldn’t be coming from the wagon train. Moving cautiously, slowly, he rode into the wind, following the scent. The ground rose a small degree. He paused when he was able to see over the crest. Flickering yellow light betrayed a campfire. After dismounting, he eased his horse to the nearest bush and tied him there, unholstered his gun, and then slipped forward. As he neared the place, he crouched to study what lay before him.
Three men sat before a small fire in a hollow that almost hid them from view. Three horses stood nearby. The flames flared, lighting the features of the man facing Robert.
It was one of those he’d seen and been wary of at Cypress Hills. But there had been four and earlier, according to the men who delivered the horses, a fifth. Robert didn’t dare assume the fifth was with the stolen horses. His muscles twitched. Two missing men could mean a number of things. One or both might be lurking in the shadows, keeping watch.
His shoulder muscles bunched as he lay flat on the ground and waited, listening. But he was too far away to catch what they said. He removed his Stetson, put it on the ground, and then, propelling himself with his elbows and toes, he inched forward, pausing after each move to make sure his presence hadn’t been detected.
“Whyn’t we ride in and get them hosses?”
“’Cause it’d be stupid. Too many of ’em.”
“Yeah. And one a Mountie.”
Robert lay still. Maybe they’d say something to indicate where the stolen horses and the missing men were and what they planned.
One of them kicked at the burning logs, sending a shower of sparks upward.
“We could set us a trap. Let the men see us and draw ’em away. Youse ever notice how that there Mountie is always with that pretty gal?”
Murmurs of agreement came from the others.
Robert’s nerves twitched. They had no right to mention Ruby.
“So whyn’t I kidnap that little thing. Get that Mountie and many t’others to follow me.” The speaker slapped his knee and cackled with unholy glee. “The rest of ya could easy get the horses, then.”
Robert choked back a feral growl. They wouldn’t be kidnapping Ruby while he was alive to prevent it. He coiled his muscles, ready to rush into the camp. The element of surprise would give him an edge, enabling him to capture all three of them.
The snap of a branch to his right sent a shiver down his spine and had him sinking back.
Were the missing men about to make their appearance? Should he strike now before they did? Or devise another plan?
The thought of them planning to harm Ruby was enough to have him throw aside caution despite the odds—three against one or, even possibly, five against one lone Mountie.
When the skybegan to fade with the promise of dawn, Ruby jolted awake and slipped from her bed. A quick circle of the livestock didn’t reveal Robert’s horse.
“He’s not back.” Joe’s voice came from the shadows. “He won’t come back until he’s finished.”
She hurried away without responding. Finished? That could mean more than one thing. Finished with the bad men. Or finished. Forever. She tried in vain to quell the trembling that caught her entire body. Shouldn’t one or two of the men ride out to help him? Chances were he was outnumbered. What if he was overpowered?
The trembling raced through her again, accompanied by a touch of nausea as she returned to the camp. Her imagination provided a list of things that could befall him. She tried to shut the thoughts out of her head. And failed.
Everyone was up. The fire blazed. Coffee simmered. Meat sizzled. The men prepared the oxen for travel.
They surely couldn’t plan to move on before he rejoined them.
Watching. Waiting. Worrying, she drank her coffee, ate her food, and tried to follow the conversation around the fire.
Gabe’s comment caught her attention. “We’ll give him an hour, and then we must move on.”
She swallowed back her protest and choked. Drank her cooled coffee in gulps.
“He’s capable of taking care of himself,” Cecil added.
Her lip protested at how hard she bit it. They were going to ride off and leave Robert with no more thought than—no, with less thought than one of Bertie’s pets. She grabbed the soiled plates and dashed them into the hot water. She might have scrubbed them with more vigor than was required.
The others lingered over coffee as they waited, and then Gabe rose. “Time to hitch up.”
She clamped down on her teeth so hard they creaked. What was wrong with everyone that they could so blithely ride away knowing he was out there? Maybe needing help? But, knowing no one would pay heed to her protests, she kept her thoughts to herself.
