Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
G race paced in front of the stone fireplace, her footsteps muffled by the woven rug. Ruby squirmed in her arms, fussing against the swaddling blanket. She clutched the babe tighter, murmuring soothing words even as her own heart raced with worry.
Most of the women and children had gone to the bunkhouse, but Jess stayed here in the main cabin with her, sewing in the rocking chair while Grace fretted.
Sampson had been in no condition to leave. He’d barely been able to walk across the room, much less ride a horse. And up against her father and a camp full of hired ruffians…
She shouldn’t have let him go.
Learning about what her father had already done to the Coulters, stealing so much from them, made her furious. How dare he hurt such good people? Even if it was at McPharland’s command.
If she had a chance to reason with her father, maybe she could make him stop this madness. Make him realize how much damage he’d already done.
“Would you like me to rock her?” Jess studied Grace, her brow wrinkled.
Grace sighed and shook her head. “She’s probably picking up on my worries.”
She refocused on Ruby and bounced a little as she slowed her pacing. “It’s all right, my love. Everything will be all right.”
Ruby quieted, resting her sweet head on Grace’s shoulder.
Grace eased out a long, slow breath. She couldn’t let her tension affect Ruby so.
“Are you worried about Sampson’s injuries?” Jess’s voice held a hesitant tone. She was quieter than the other women, but that made it almost easier to be around her. It was hard to believe their fathers had worked together. That Jess had lived only a couple hours’ ride from her all those lonely years.
Grace met the woman's perceptive blue eyes. "Yes. And about what my father will do.” Should she say the rest? Maybe she could test the idea on Jess. “I wish I could talk to my father. I might be able to stop him.” Jess seemed to be considering the idea, so Grace pressed on. “I think I need to ride after them. Maybe I can end all this before someone else gets hurt.” Hurt worse than Sampson had already suffered.
Jess’s eyes widened and she lowered her sewing. "Grace, I don't think you're the reason your father is coming.” She paused, her lips rolling in. "It's no secret my father wants the Coulters’ land, and he’s ordered your father to take it for him. Papa’s greed is driving all of this."
Grace swallowed past the lump in her throat.
Jess might be right. But she couldn't shake the conviction that she was the spark that had ignited this powder keg.
And she might be the only one who could stop the explosion.
She shook her head, her choice hardening into resolve. "I understand that, Jess. But I'm sure my presence here is making things worse. If I can intercept my father, appeal to him, maybe I can stop this before it goes any further."
Grace met Jess's concerned gaze. "Will you watch over Ruby for me? I'll ride fast and catch up to them."
Jess hesitated. After a long moment, she sighed and rose from the rocking chair. "Of course I'll care for Ruby. But Grace, please be careful. Your father...he's not a reasonable man."
"I know." Grace's voice caught. "But I have to try. For Sampson…and for all of you."
Jess took the babe from her arms. “Let’s go tell the others. I have a feeling you won’t be going alone.”
Half an hour later, Grace stood in the yard and pressed a final kiss to Ruby's soft brow. "Be good for Aunt Jess and the others. Mama will be back as soon as I can."
Sampson’s family had indeed protested her plan, but they hadn’t forced her to stay. Thankfully, Miles returned around that time with Two Stones and three other braves. Two Stones told the group that his cousin had gone to gather the rest of the braves from their village and another nearby camp. They’d be here by morning.
For now, she would ride with Two Stones and his companions to catch up with Sampson and his two oldest brothers. She would never admit how much relief she felt to be traveling with Two Stones instead of by herself, especially since they would likely ride after dark.
She couldn’t delay this parting any longer. As she eased the babe back into Jess's waiting arms, tears blurred her vision, and she turned away to hide them.
She couldn’t bring herself to meet the gazes of the Coulter family who stood with Jess. They would surely try again to talk her out of going. She’d already received farewell hugs from Dinah and Patsy and Naomi and Clara and Angela and Jess and even Lillian, Sampson’s niece. So many women who’d become her family, at least in name. She’d gone from desperately lonely to overwhelmed with kin in just a few days.
Would she have to lose them all soon? She would do her very best to keep that from happening.
She swung aboard the bay mare she’d ridden that first time when Two Stones brought her to the ranch. This mission felt so much more frightening than that other.
She managed a glance at the Coulters. “Thank you, all. For everything.” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed down the emotion. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She turned her mare toward the four men waiting. Two Stones raised a hand in farewell to the Coulters, then nudged his horse forward.
She moved her horse in line with the others, the knot in her stomach tightening with each of the animal’s strides. What would she say to her father when she found him? Could she truly persuade him to call off this attack?
She had to. For Sampson. For Ruby. For…everyone.
* * *
S ampson's body throbbed with his horse’s every movement. Dinah had sent medicine for the pain, as well as a flask of tea he’d been sipping on, but he’d asked for smaller doses so he could stay alert.
The lesser amount definitely didn’t help as much, but he could stay awake. He still couldn't move without sharp pains shooting through his chest and shoulder. Not to mention the steady ache in his head.
They’d been plodding along for hours now, and he’d allowed Jericho to lead. They planned to go back to the place where Two Stones had set up camp after rescuing Sampson from the beating. From there they would search for Jedidiah’s camp on foot, without the horses making so much noise.
Surely, they’d reach that spot soon. Dusk had already fallen, and darkness would be on them in no time. His brothers likely would have moved faster without him, but he couldn’t manage the bounce of a trot or canter. As much as he hated to admit it even to himself, that agony might have done him in.
Ahead, Jericho's horse halted, and Jonah reined in beside him. Sampson pulled up, too, biting back a groan as the effort jarred his injuries. He focused on breathing through his nose, willing the pain to subside.
His brothers had already dismounted by the time he managed to ease himself down from the saddle.
Jericho came to his side and took his reins. “Why don’t you stay here with the horses? Let yourself rest a while.” He kept his voice low, but the tone was far gentler than his usual to-the-point manner.
Shaking his head would hurt too much, so he focused on words. “I’m coming. I’m all right.”
The boldest lie he’d ever told, and Jericho knew that too. But he couldn’t admit to anything else. He had to say it to keep himself going.
Jericho studied him for a long moment, his brow furrowed. He finally nodded. "All right. You can stop anytime. Jonah and I can scout ahead."
They made their way through the shadowed trees, the snow crunching softly beneath their boots. The icy air bit at his exposed skin, but it also helped numb the relentless throbbing of his injuries.
Small mercies.
At last, Jericho raised a hand for them to stop. He touched his ear, a signal to listen.
Sampson strained to catch any sound. The pounding in his head made it hard to hear much else. Then, faintly, he caught the murmur of voices.
His pulse quickened. They were close.
Jericho motioned them forward, and they crept on, single-file and staying close to the trees. After a few more strides, Jericho halted behind a cluster of several brushy cedars. He waved for them to join him there.
As Sampson crowded close to his brothers, he peered through the branches. Light glowed about twenty strides ahead. The voices sounded louder now, but not loud enough to make out words.
Jericho spoke in the quietest of whispers. “Need to get closer, but we should come in from different sides. One’s easier to hide than three.”
Jonah pointed to the left. “I’ll circle that way and look for cover.”
Jericho glanced at Sampson, then pointed ahead on the route they’d been taking. “You should see better from there.”
Sampson squinted to make out the spot in the darkness. Another cluster of low cedars beside a taller pine. “Fine.” He could manage a whisper easier than a nod at this point.
Jericho motioned to the right. “I’ll go that way." He turned back to them both. “Look and listen, but don’t get caught. Meet back here in an hour.”
Sampson didn’t try to answer. After his brothers faded into the darkness, he focused on the spot that would be his aim. The camp was too far away for him to worry overmuch about being caught on his way there, but he should still stay close to trees.
He crept forward, measuring each step as he moved from trunk to trunk. His boots sank into the snow, slowing him. His breath puffed out in white clouds, mingling with the icy air that numbed his face and hands.
As he came closer to the cluster of cedars Jericho had pointed out, the voices from the camp grew louder. He strained to make out words, but the pulsing in his head and the distance still made it difficult.
At last he reached his goal. Letting out a slow breath, he eased himself against the pine trunk, bracing a hand on the rough bark. Black spots danced in his vision, but he blinked them away. He had to focus.
Peering through the screen of branches, he could make out the flicker of campfires. Dark shapes moved around them. The men’s voices carried better here. A bunch of them, all speaking quietly. A few tones rose louder than the rest. This would take time to distinguish the speakers.
He allowed himself to ease down to sit in the snow, resting his shoulder against the trunk so he could peer through the cedar needles as he listened.
That deep voice sounded familiar. Maybe one of the guards. The name eluded him, blocked by his haze of pain.
Then a voice he knew all too well cut through the murmurs, sending a chill down his spine.
McPharland. The big boss himself, the one even Jedidiah had to obey.
When had he come? Maybe that’s why Jedidiah had held off the attack.
Sampson leaned forward, straining to catch the words being spoken. McPharland said something about moving the blasting powder.
And then…was that Jedidiah’s voice? That calm, menacing tone.
He shifted, trying to get a better view through the cedar branches. A sharp burn stabbed his ribs so hard his lungs stopped. He forced himself to breathe through the agony, shallow and steady.
He had to keep listening too. He couldn’t miss a word.
With his eyes shut against the pain, he strained to pick out Mick’s or Jedidiah’s voices from the others. To decipher their words.
But then, a closer sound pricked his awareness.
Footsteps, crunching in the snow. And coming straight toward him.
He pressed himself back against the pine trunk. Maybe the shadows would conceal him. His heart pounded his aching ribs as the footsteps drew nearer, louder.
He held himself utterly still, not even blinking, as he made out a dark figure through the cedar needles—just a few steps away. The man paused, his head turning to scan the area.
Please, God, don't let him see me.
The man's gaze swept the shadows, and Sampson held his breath, willing himself to melt into the darkness. His heart hammered against his ribs, each beat sending a fresh wave of agony through his battered body.
Please, keep moving. Nothing to see here.
But the man took a step closer, his hand dropping to the pistol at his hip. Sampson's pulse roared in his ears, drowning out the voices from the camp. He couldn't fight, not in this condition. And he couldn't run.
The cedar branches rustled as the man pushed them aside, leaning in to peer at Sampson's hiding spot. In the faint light filtering through the trees, Sampson caught the glint of cold eyes fixed on him.
"Well now." A slow grin spread across his face. "What have we here?"