Chapter Twenty-Five
“Dead, huh?” Dallas winced as he checked his wounded arm.
“Buzzard food,” Ace confirmed.
Bonnie listened to Ace and Dallas talk as she stood near the river. Clyde and Finn were across the river with Chief Wohali and his two men, scouting around. Roscoe had ambushed the herd while Jack circled back and attacked her.
Jack is dead. Ace shot him clear through the back of the head. I always figured that snake would be the hardest to kill. Looks like the Good Lord put that worry to bed for me. But Roscoe is still out there… somewhere. And Lucien is with him. He’ll find more guns. He ain’t gonna quit.
“Listen here,” Dallas found a rock and sat down. “I got an idea.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Bonnie saw Ace look at her. But his eyes were different now—in a way that both scared and excited her.
He loves me. I can tell. He’s done let his heart wrap itself around me. I feel the same way about him. Sure can’t deny it. He was riding back to save me. Ain’t no man ever taken that kind of risk over me before. He’ll never hurt me. No. Ace will die for me if need be.
“What’s on your mind?” Ace asked.
“Listen, Ace, I think there’s a law that lets a woman get out of being married if her husband is real mean to her.
I might be wrong, but in my younger days, if a man beat on his woman, the law let her go free—now, you gotta have proof.
Woman might just tell the law her husband beats on her when it ain’t so, just because she’s sick of being married. ”
Bonnie saw Ace glance her way again.
“Jack took his hand to Bonnie real bad.” Dallas winced in pain as he checked his arm again.
“Fort Reno is two days’ ride from here, Wichita four.
Ain’t no sense in trying to stop at Fort Reno, though—army ain’t the law we need—but if we can get Bonnie to Wichita and let the law see her face… Well, she might get set free.”
“Herd will slow us down?—?”
“Leave the herd with the Indians,” Dallas interrupted, cutting Ace off. “We can come back for the herd. That Indian friend of yours is an honest enough fella. He’ll watch the beef for us. Besides, Roscoe is bound to find more guns. We gotta be free to ride hard.”
Bonnie listened as she bent down and splashed water over her bruised face.
Jack did beat me pretty good. No worse than Roscoe ever did, though.
Now, he’s deader than a grave worm, down in the fire where he belongs.
But Roscoe is still out there. Dallas is right.
We need to be free of the herd and get to Wichita.
But then what? What if the law don’t see it his way?
“I’ve never left a herd behind…” Ace told Dallas.
“And you never had a woman to care for, either,” Dallas pointed out, a hint of frustration in his tone. “Now, dagburnit, what would’ve happened if you hadn’t run into Jack back there on the trail?”
Ace bowed his head. “We would’ve lost her.”
“You best you last dollar we would have!” Dallas sounded downright furious now.
“Ace, listen to me! We got to get Bonnie to Wichita, and real fast-like. If we give Roscoe time to get more guns, he’s gonna come at us real bloody.
Jack was his best man, and he ain’t gonna take that death easy on the saddle. ”
“I don’t run scared?—?”
“You best run smart!” Dallas snapped. “I’m telling you, when Roscoe finds out we still got Bonnie and Jack’s dead, his head is gonna fill with blood! We can come back for the herd, Ace. We got to get Bonnie to Wichita!”
Bonnie left the river and made her way to Ace. “Dallas is right, Ace. When Roscoe finds out you killed his best man, he’s gonna come for you real hard.”
“According to Finn, I might’ve done the bastard a favor.” Ace’s hand dropped to his gun. “I don’t ride yellow, Bonnie. Never have, and never will.”
“I know that.” Bonnie lowered her voice, and it turned soft—even ladylike, which surprised her. She was used to dealing with rough saddles. Hearing a lady’s tone emerge from her lips felt strange, almost embarrassing. “Ace, do you… love me?”
Bonnie expected Ace to turn away from her. Instead, he looked straight into her eyes and said, “I do love you, Bonnie. I can’t help not to. Just the way the Lord has you on my heart, is all.”
“And I love you,” Bonnie whispered. Shaking, she reached out with both arms and took Ace’s hands. “I’m not sure when it happened, but I do love you. Please, take me to Wichita. If Dallas is right, I can be free—truly free—and the law will shield us from Roscoe.”
“Listen to her, Ace. If we can get the law on our side, we’ll have the advantage.
We can’t let him take Bonnie back to Texas,” Dallas urged.
“He’s got the law bought down there, so there ain’t a June bug’s chance in a chicken coop they’ll go against him.
Plus, I need a doctor to take a look at my arm.
Bullet went through clean, but I ain’t gonna be much use with my arm all boogered up. ”
“Please,” Bonnie begged. “Ace, we have to get to Wichita. It’s the only way.”
“Carver will just show up there?—?”
“And he’ll face the law,” Bonnie insisted.
No… That’s a lie, and Ace knows it. Roscoe ain’t gonna quit until he’s dead. Still, we got a better chance if we get to Wichita. Can’t he see that being on the trail is just too dangerous?
Bonnie heard the sound of horses. She turned and looked toward the river to see Finn and Clyde riding out from the trees.
“Chief done went back to his people!” Clyde called out.
“Ain’t no sign of Roscoe Carver, anyhow,” Finn added. “He done scattered into the wind and run his horses back south a ways.”
Bonnie was relieved to see Finn and Clyde. Somehow, I’ve come to see those two like brothers. Can’t help but feel mighty fond toward them. “How many horses did you see?” she asked.
“Just the two,” Clyde hollered as he splashed into the river.
By now, the sun was starting to get low, and both men looked mighty tired. Riding into the night would be dangerous, especially with half of the herd to be tended. Ace, she knew, was in a bad spot.
“Ace,” Finn said before anyone else could say a word, “me and Clyde did some talking.”
“Yeah?” Ace asked.
“We want you to get Bonnie and Dallas on to Wichita. Chief said he’ll bring the rest of the herd up tomorrow. We can drive the beef on without you for a while. Wichita ain’t but four days away, anyhow, and Fort Reno’s even closer.”
“It’s Bonnie that rascal is after,” Clyde added, “not the herd.”
“Well?” Bonnie asked Ace. She looked deep into his eyes.
He’s troubled—we all are—but Finn and Clyde can manage just fine. Dallas needs a doctor. Ain’t no sense in staying here. Ace knows it, too. “Being smart ain’t the same as running yellow, Ace.”
“You’ll get your chance to fight Roscoe,” Dallas promised. “He’ll show up in Wichita. You just wait and see.”
“They’re right, Ace,” Finn agreed. “You best get Bonnie to Wichita while you can. I looked into Carver’s eyes. That fella’s soul is darker than death itself.”
“Please,” Bonnie pleaded, squeezing Ace’s hands. “When Roscoe finds out you killed Jack, he’s gonna come for you—for all of us—with murder in his eyes.”
“Not us,” Clyde shook his head. “The Chief said he’ll bring more of his warriors up and guard us all the way to Fort Reno. Mighty nice thing of him to do.”
Ace rubbed his chin, a habit Bonnie had noticed meant he was deep in thought. “He did, huh?”
“Sure did, ’cause two of his people were scalped,” Clyde answered somberly. “Feel plumb awful for him. Don’t seem like his people will ever have any peace. Just ain’t right.”
“No, it ain’t,” Finn agreed. “Told the Chief we’ll stay and fight for them. Meant it, too. He wants Roscoe dead just as bad as we do.”
“Ace?” Bonnie asked.
Ace stared into her eyes. “Mount up.”
Relief surged through Bonnie’s heart. “Dallas?”
“I can ride. You don’t worry about me.”
“Finn, Clyde, help Dallas get on his horse, would you?”
“Will do.”
Finn and Clyde took to their chore while Bonnie mounted up. Ace checked his horse, then followed suit.
“We’re staying off the trail a ways. No fire. We’ll sleep in the brush during the day. Ain’t being yellow, but I don’t like our odds if Carver finds more guns.”
“You’re not yellow,” Bonnie promised. She reached out and took Ace’s hand. “The time will come when you’re going to have to kill Roscoe, but not on this trail. All I feel here is death.”
“Yeah, same here.” Dallas nodded his head. “I’ve ridden lots of trails, but it feels different this time. Death is lurking out there in the dark, Ace. Roscoe and his guns could’ve finished us off earlier, but by the Grace of God, we’re still alive.”
Somehow, Bonnie felt like she could sense Ace’s thoughts. He knows this trail is lined with death. If we don’t get off it, they’ll be digging our graves on this trail soon or later. “Let’s ride, Ace. Please.”
“Okay.” Ace gave Finn and Clyde a hard look. “I’m leaving the herd in your care. Get to Wichita, you hear me? If you ain’t in Wichita in five days, I’m turning back to look for you.”
Finn rode up to Ace and stuck out his hand. “We’ll watch out for ourselves, Ace.”
Ace shook Finn’s hand, then waited for Clyde to ride up so he could shake his as well. “Since the war, it’s been hard for me to let anyone close. Saw too many friends die, and… just don’t want to see anything happen to you two, is all.”
“We feel the same,” Clyde told Ace. “After we get the herd to Wichita, maybe we can work together and start our own ranch, huh?”
“Yeah, me and Clyde been talking about that,” Finn said and then offered a tired smile. “Seems like the five of us get along real good.”
“I like that idea,” Dallas spoke up. “Ace, you should take ’em up on it. I think the five of us could run a real good spread.”
“Maybe so.” A thin smile touched Ace’s lips. “Well, we best get on if we wanna beat Roscoe to Wichita. You boys watch yourselves real good.”
“Sure will,” Finn promised. “And Bonnie, watch after ’em real good.”
“I will.” Bonnie guided her horse over to Finn and Clyde. “I never been the type to feel fondly for anyone cause of Roscoe. But I’ll be darned if I ain’t grown mighty fond of you two. If you mean what you say about wanting to start a spread with Ace, well, I think that’s a real fine idea.”
“Aw, Bonnie, you’ll make me blush,” Clyde said with a chuckle. “We feel fondly toward you, too.”
“And rightly so.” Finn smiled.
“Please be careful,” Bonnie begged. “Roscoe will be coming back this way.”
“We’ll be ready,” Finn promised. “Ain’t no town out this way. Not sure where that snake’ll find any more guns. The fellas we shot dead earlier looked more like trappers than seasoned guns.”
“Even so, be careful.” Bonnie reached out and grasped Finn and Clyde’s hands. “Never had brothers before, but…” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “Well, enough said.” Quickly, she tugged the reins to bring her horse around. “Let’s go, boy.”
Dear Lord, please let me see them again, Bonnie prayed desperately as her horse took off across the river. Though the crossing was shallow, the failing son made the water look deep and menacing. Please get us to Wichita alive. Please make the suffering stop.
All she could do was hold on tight and have faith that somehow, in the end, the blood would end. But with Roscoe on the prowl, she feared all that waited for them in Wichita was the shadow of death.