Chapter Thirty-Five
“Don’t forget what I told you about the trapdoor.” Heath gave her a quick kiss and sprinted out into the night with Zeb.
Trembling, Rachel picked up Eden and took a few steps. Then she stopped. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t hide like a scared child while they risked their lives for her.
This was her life, her land, and the people she loved. She’d fight with everything she had to protect it and them.
We need every hand that can hold a weapon, Heath had said.
That meant her too.
She put Eden inside her crib and picked it up. She threw aside the rug over the trapdoor and carried the baby down to safety. If something happened to Rachel and she didn’t survive this onslaught Heath would know where to look for Eden. Then she went up for Jax and carried him down as a volley of bullets rent the air.
“You look over Eden. Don’t let anyone get her.” She patted the faithful dog on the head and climbed the stairs, replacing the rug over the trapdoor.
Knowing Eden was safe from flying messengers of death, she could focus on making every shot count. Sally was already hard at work and laying down a stream of dire threats.
Locating her rifle in the dark, Rachel took up a position at the window. She aimed at the men on horseback. When she ran out of ammunition, she reloaded. She didn’t know if she made a difference, but it felt good to be helping.
The outlaws kept coming over and over again. Then suddenly they rode down to the lake and stopped.
“What do you think they’re doing, Sally?”
“Don’t know.”
“How long can they keep this up?”
“ ’Til either they run out of bullets or we do I reckon.”
That possibility was very real. Rachel only had about a dozen left in the box and she figured the others were running low also.
Rachel kept her gaze on the shadowy figures. Torches suddenly lit up the darkness. She clutched her hand to her chest, her breath freezing in her throat. “They’re going to burn us out. Oh, God, they’re going to burn us alive.”
“They just think they are,” Sally bellowed. “A bullet in the right place will stop that nonsense.”
Rachel wished she could be as confident as Sally. If the woman was afraid, she sure hid it well. Rachel readied the rifle. This was a fight she didn’t intend to lose. Eden needed someone to protect her. Rachel would shoot any man who came near the house.
But the gang had other plans it seemed. They focused on the wagonload of hay. One of the men drew Heath’s and Zeb’s fire while the others threw their torches on anything that would burn. They didn’t bother the house though and that puzzled Rachel.
She watched Heath and Uncle Zeb desperately trying to put out the blazes. With her attention on that, she realized she’d lost track of where the lawless bunch had gone.
A deafening crash sounded just then as two of them broke down the door and rushed inside.
Rachel screamed as one of the men tackled her to the floor. Her rifle flew across the floor. Her breath came in gasps as she stared up into the man’s hideous scarred face.
“Well, girlie, looks like you and me are finally gonna have ourselves some fun.”
“Get off me,” she ordered coldly through clenched teeth, struggling against his steely grip.
“Naw, I ain’t ready.” His leering grin struck fear in her heart. “Gonna show you a good time first. Your man is too busy to come save you this time. We made sure of that.”
“You seem awfully confident.” She twisted and landed a solid kick that drew a grunt from the man.
“Whoo-ee! I knew you’d be a little spitfire. Just the way I like my women. You just go ahead and work up a good sweat and then you and me will get down to business.”
Flames from the bonfires lit up the dimness inside the house. Rachel could see that Sally had her hands full with the second outlaw. First Sally was on top and then the outlaw. The two rolled and wrestled and tried to outmaneuver the other.
“Ow! You gouged my eye,” the outlaw yelled.
“I’ll gouge worse than that, you good for nothing, low down polecat!” Sally yelled.
If one of them could get free she could help the other. Heath crossed her mind. She knew for a fact that if he could, he’d help her and Sally. But he had his hands full outside.
No, she couldn’t count on help. She would have to use her brains and save herself this time.
Rachel eyed her rifle. It lay just beyond reach of her fingertips. She gathered her strength and prayed for an opening.
Eden, in the room under the floor, let out a sudden yowl. The poor little thing was hungry most likely.
Scar Face raised his head and snarled, “Where’s the baby?”
“She’s safe where the likes of you can’t get her.”
He grabbed her hair and brutally yanked her head back. “Tell me where or I’ll strangle you right here.”
“In the kitchen.” She hated to lie but she’d be no use to Eden if she was dead. “Under the table. What are you going to do?”
“I’ll kill you if you’re lyin’ to me.”
The man lifted himself off her and jerked her to her feet. Pulling her behind him, he made his way to the small kitchen. Rachel knew she had one chance. He’d have to release his hold on her and kneel down to look into the darkness under the table. She was too far from her rifle, but her thoughts turned to any assortment of weapons that might be available.
Sure enough, Scar Face turned loose of her to peer into the blackness.
Rachel raced around the table and lunged for a knife on the sideboard.
The man realized her intent and dove, catching her ankle in a punishing grip.
She stretched, her hand searching for the handle of the knife.
“You’re gonna regret this,” Scar Face bellowed. “I’ll kill your baby as sure as I’m standin’ here. If you want to keep it alive, you’ll do as I say.”
Anger washed over Rachel. This man would not win. It didn’t matter what she had to do or how painful it was for her, she would not let him have Eden.
At last the handle of the long butcher knife slid into her palm. She gripped it tightly and drew it to her, keeping it from Scar Face’s view. She slowly took three steps back. “Looks like you win, Billy. But be careful what you ask for.”
“You’re one crazy woman.”
He rose from his position on the floor and stood straight.
With a sudden whirling move, she slashed at his arm and chest. The knife became slick with blood, but she kept stabbing and slashing until Sally caught her arm.
“I think you won the fight, Rachel.”
The knife fell from Rachel’s fingers. “He was going to hurt Eden. I couldn’t let him do that.”
“Of course not. I’ve never seen you so mad.” Sally whistled through her teeth. “Remind me never to do anything to get on your bad side.”
“Is he dead?”
“Nope, but he might wish he was after I douse a fair amount of alcohol on his wounds.”
Eden’s screams filled the small house. Rachel raced down the steps to the secret room and picked her up from her crib. She cradled the babe to her, and the baby’s sweet scent calmed her. Jax scampered up the stairs ahead of her.
When she emerged into the kitchen she turned to Sally. “What happened to the one who had you?”
“Let’s just say I don’t think Charlie’s going anywhere.” Sally lit the lamp and light spilled on the two outlaws.
One was bleeding like a stuck pig and Charlie was sitting by the fireplace with his pants over his head. Sally had tied him up with strips of what looked like a bed sheet and then wrapped his complete body with blue, gray, and red knitting yarn. Rachel could even see the knitting needle poking out from all that mess.
Rachel laughed. “Why take his pants off?”
“It’s my observation that once you remove a man’s pants the fight goes out of him quicker’n a buzzard can smell his dinner.”
Heath and Uncle Zeb came running in. Heath didn’t stop until he was standing close enough to tenderly finger Eden’s blonde curls.
“Are you all right, Rachel?” His voice was husky.
She met his steady gray gaze. “Yes. Yes, I couldn’t be better. How about you?”
“Not a scratch on us.”
“Is it over?”
“It is. I think we won the war. Guess who came to help.”
“Who?”
“Apparently, Austin Morgan didn’t get far on his journey back to Clarendon. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that we needed help. He rounded up all the ranchers and they rode to our rescue.”
“Thank you, Jesus!”
Heath helped Rachel to a chair where she gratefully collapsed. Now that the fear and worry was over, her knees had gotten wobbly. She felt good though. She’d done what she needed to do, and God had seen her through.
By the time daylight turned the lake from near black to a brilliant blue and awakened the world, they’d managed to get the outlaws bandaged and fixed up and the house put back to rights. As much as they could anyway. They would have to buy new windows for the ones the outlaws had shot out and do a little patching and painting.
Heath had kept watch over the outlaws while Rachel and the others caught a little sleep. He grinned when he thought of what a ferocious mother lion Rachel had turned into.
He should’ve known she wouldn’t hide as he asked her to. She was far too independent. He was so very proud of her.
Rachel Malloy was a woman to reckon with.
And she’d soon be his bride.
He’d just have to remember not to boss her around, recalling that long butcher knife she’d used on Billy and what he’d looked like afterward. Not that the man hadn’t deserved it. Anyone who threatened Eden was going to pay dearly.
And if Rachel wasn’t around, Heath would be glad to fill in.