Chapter Twenty-Nine
Something was dreadfully wrong. No matter what Rachel did she couldn’t quieten Eden’s screams.
And when fever set in, Rachel’s heart twisted in panic.
Surely her land must be cursed. It had taken her family and now it threatened to take Eden too. Was it possible that yellow fever was in the very soil, contaminating everything? Or could Becca be to blame?
She held the sweet body and rocked, hoping the motion might ease the babe’s pain and allow her to sleep at least for a little bit.
The door opened and Heath entered. He removed his hat, laid it on the floor, and knelt beside the rocking chair. “I heard the cries. What seems to be the matter?”
Rachel’s lip quivered. “I wish I knew. It’s bad though whatever it is. I just don’t know what to do.”
Heath gently touched her cheek and that simple act caused the tears to flow that she’d held firmly in check.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to cry. I’m just so worried. Heath, what if she has the fever? What if she dies? I don’t think I could go on.”
“She’s not going to die,” he said sternly. “Get that out of your head right now.”
“But—”
“No buts. Princess just has a cold. She’ll be fine.”
She met the strength in his gray eyes and hope filled her heart. “You’re right. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’ll fix some willow bark tea and maybe that will help her fever. I don’t see how a few drops would hurt.”
Her Indian stepmother had cautioned on giving the tea to infants and children. “Only give little bit,” she’d said.
Despite the risks, Rachel felt she had nothing to lose.
Heath held out his hands. “Let me hold her while you get it fixed.”
Transferring Eden to his arms, she put water in the teapot and added some ground willow tree bark. Her attention was on Heath and Eden. He walked the floor, crooning a soft tune. The babe slowly began to respond to him, her shrieking cries becoming painful whimpers instead. It seemed the water would never boil. When it finally did, Rachel removed the concoction from the fire to steep.
After letting it cool a bit, she dipped her finger in the tea several times and put it in Eden’s mouth while Heath held her. Rachel breathed a sigh of relief when the blue eyes drifted closed at last. Heath carried the sleeping babe into the bedroom and tucked her in her crib.
“Thank you, Heath.”
“I think she’s feeling better,” he whispered, touching Eden’s forehead. “You get some rest while you can.”
“Want some coffee?”
A crooked grin curved his lips. “You know better than to offer. I can always use some stout brew.”
He settled at the kitchen table while she put the coffee on. “Have you seen my sister?” he asked. “I figured she’d be hovering over the baby, and I was surprised when she wasn’t.”
“I haven’t seen her since we ate lunch. I was wondering where she’d gotten off to myself.” It wasn’t like Sally to miss having her hand in every pie and being underfoot with her endless array of suggestions, if not downright orders. The bossy woman did like to tell a body how the cow ate the cabbage, how often, and in what amounts.
“She’ll turn up. She probably went to the ranch for something.”
Rachel took in the tired lines in his familiar face. “I suspect you’ve been standing watch at night and then working all day.”
“You won’t hear me complain.”
Didn’t the man ever get tired of being perfect? “You can’t be and do every single thing,” she said softly. “Everyone has their limit and I think you reached yours a while back.”
His eyes pierced hers. “Does that mean you’re worried about me?”
“I’m only saying that everyone is human. It’s okay to let yourself get some sleep.”
He ran a hand wearily over his eyes. “And who will keep you safe if I don’t?”
“Let the rest of us share the burden. We’re more than willing and able.” Honestly, it irked her that he thought himself the only one capable of standing watch and taking part in the defense of her property. As if he alone stood between them and the men who sought to harm them.
“It’s my duty.”
“Heath, you’ve wondered why I won’t marry you. One reason is that I don’t want to be merely a duty or a responsibility. If I marry it’ll be because I feel I have true value and can share equally the ups and downs, highs and lows of such a relationship. I want to work side by side with my husband and know at the end of the day that I helped to make our lives richer. I need to know that I contributed something, that I made a difference. I want to matter.”
He looked stunned but the words had needed saying. He set her on a pedestal to be looked at but not seen as being vital.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize but you’re right.”
“I’m glad you see. You’ve done fit as though my opinions and wants weren’t worth listening to,” she said gently.
“That’s not the whole of it. I always wanted to make your path easier. That was always the goal.” He pulled her closer, mindful of the baby, and gave her a tender kiss. “I love you, Rachel Malloy. God help me, I love you.”
She gazed up at him in shocked silence.
Before she could think of a reply, he dropped his hold and stepped away. “I need to see if I can find Sally.”
Sally was out by thegoat pens when she heard men arguing nearby. Her curiosity aroused, she crept through the thick brush for a look.
Peeking around a boulder, she spied four men. One was Zeb, the other three strangers.
What in the devil were they planning? She glanced around for something to use as a weapon and picked up a short piece of wood to use for a club if needed. She’d just listen and go to get Heath.
“Thacker, you ain’t upheld your end of the bargain and we’re gettin’ tired of it.” A scarred man jumped up and jabbed his finger into Zeb’s chest. “What’s the holdup?”
Zeb licked his lips. “I didn’t agree to killin’ anybody, Billy. I want no part of it.”
Who were they talking about?
Quickly putting her hands over her mouth to keep from making a sound, she sucked in a breath.
A shorter man spat a stream of chewing tobacco and jabbed Zeb in the chest with a finger. “You said you could run the Malloy girl off. Said it would be easy as skinnin’ a rabbit. Then you said taking her would fix everything.”
Giving the man a big shove, Zeb yelled, “Well, I done changed my mind, Charlie. Didn’t see the need in runnin’ Rachel off. I’ve been looking harder than any of you and it’s plain that holding her for ransom in exchange for it will get better results. Lassiter will do anything to get her back.”
Charlie squinted through one eye, standing nose to nose with Zeb. “How do we know you didn’t already find the money an’ decide to keep it for yourself?”
“That’s a bunch of hogwash,” Zeb shouted.
Charlie drew his pistol and pointed it at Zeb’s chest. “If you’re holdin’ out, thinkin’ to keep the money for yourself I’ll put a hole clear through you right now and drop you where you stand.”
“If I could find where Malloy hid it, I’d gladly give every last cent to you so I could be shed of the lot of you once and for all. The whole mess is your doin’s anyway for lettin’ him take off alone with that strongbox. Weren’t my fault he got hisself dead before he could tell us where he buried it.”
“I tell you what,” said Billy quietly. “You got until tomorrow to bring the money to us. After that, we’ll go in with guns blazing an’ wipe out everyone. Their blood will be on your hands.”
“If you think I’ll sit by and let you harm Rachel, you don’t know me very well.”
“You crazy old coot. Rachel Malloy is no kin to you. She’s not your niece. She’s not your family. She’s nothin’ to you. Nothin’ except trouble standing between us and our money.”
Sally threw caution to the wind and scrambled toward the house as fast as she could. The noise brought the men on her heels. The scar-faced Billy lunged and brought her to the ground in a bone-jarring tackle.
“Let me go.” She twisted and delivered a hard kick to Billy’s midsection. He grunted and doubled over. When she clambered to her feet, he grabbed her leg and yanked her down then sat on top of her.
“Gotcha. You’re that Lassiter woman that’s always givin’ orders. I figure Lassiter will as easily do anything to get you back as he would the Malloy girl.”
“So what?” Sally blew the hair out of her eyes. She just needed a small opening. Zeb stood apart from the others and wouldn’t meet her gaze. His goose was cooked but good and she’d tell him so in no uncertain terms the first chance she got.
Billy hauled her to her feet. Of the men, Billy scared her the most. The icy coldness in his eyes and hardness in his face said he wouldn’t mind snuffing out a life if it suited him. In fact, he’d most likely take pleasure from killing. She’d heard of men like him with no respect for anyone or anything. Yet she wasn’t about to cower and beg. It wasn’t in her nature.
“You don’t have to be so rough.” She jerked against his punishing hold but couldn’t get free. “Let me go for five minutes and I’ll make you rue the day you were born.”
“What’re you gonna do with her, Billy?” Zeb asked.
“Hide an’ watch.” Billy twisted her arms behind her back and tied them with a length of rope.
“She won’t cause any trouble. I’ll see to that.”
“Thacker, get outta my way.” Billy shoved Zeb aside and dragged Sally through the thick brush.
Despite the pain of the rope and Billy’s grip of steel, Sally kept silent, refusing to cry out. A steep narrow trail led up to a cave in the canyon wall. Reaching it, he thrust her inside.
She pulled herself to a sitting position against a wall and glanced around. The cave completely shielded her from view. Despair washed over her. It would be up to her to get out of the pickle she was in. No one would be able to find her unless they knew exactly where to look.
But she had one small advantage. These men didn’t know Sally Lassiter. They didn’t know that she would fight and claw and never give up until she was free.