Page 69 of Wagon Train Honor
At least the men seemed to have forgotten any plan to kidnap her—for the moment. And he’d been saved dealing with three men at once when he’d realized the sound he’d heard was their packhorse. He’d realized then that it was wiser to be cautious and take his time.
But his task wasn’t over until he had the thieves behind bars and the horses recovered. And most of all, Ruby and her family are safe from any threat from these nasty men.
A rider approached the three men.
Robert strained to hear what was said. He caught the wordhorsesseveral times, and the rider gestured to the nearby hills. He made out a dark shadow at the side of one hill. It appeared to be large boulders. Did it hide a draw of some sort? Was this where they’d kept the stolen animals?
The four of them rode in that direction.
With no cover between his current position and the hills, he’d have to wait until the riders were out of sight to follow. They seemed in no hurry, so he leaned against a tree to bide his time.
A movement in the opposite direction caught his eye. Red jackets. More Mounties. He untied his horse and, under cover of the trees, made his way toward the approaching pair. He needed to warn them to stay out of sight.
As he rode toward them, he recognized Carson and Allard.
They reined in at his approach.
He gave them the information about the men he followed.
As they waited for their chance to ride forward undetected, Robert quizzed Carson about the wagon train travelers.
“It was something to see Ma, Louse, Hazel, and Irene married and my little sisters grown up.”
“You mean Ruby?”
“Her and Angela. Last time I saw either of them, they were in pigtails.”
Robert chuckled. “That’s what Ruby said.”
“Say, what’s this about her planning to go to Banff?”
Robert stared at Carson. “She told you that?”
“Seemed to me everyone knew. Then, they said something about her losing her sketchbook back where they’d stopped for the noon break.”
The words constricted his chest. She’d lost her sketches? All her work gone? How was that possible? “Poor Ruby. She’ll be heartbroken.”
Carson’s piercing gaze studied Robert. “Sounds like you’ve gotten to know my little sister pretty well.”
“We’re friends.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all it can be.” But wait. If she didn’t have her sketches, would she still have work to offer to The Society? Maybe she’d forget that plan and consider his offer? Exactly what had he offered?
Flowers galore and a home full of love.
His heart twisted. He couldn’t rejoice in her loss. Besides, she could always draw more pictures. “Did they look for her sketchbook?”
“Ma said she and Cecil had gone back and searched. Couldn’t find it.”
Allard interrupted their discussion. “We can ride on now.”
The three of them moved forward cautiously. They were still outnumbered. Surprise was their biggest weapon.
They edged into a narrow opening between boulders. Open grassland lay before them. Along with the missing horses and five men crouched around a fire.
The Mounties knew what to do and galloped forward, startling the men. Two grabbed for their sidearms. Carson and Robert fired shots, and the men changed their minds.
