‘‘I can’t leave,’’ Kora said. ‘‘Dan is my brother. I can’t just abandon him.’’ She twisted a leftover piece of bandage around her finger, needing to talk to someone. ‘‘I’m not sure I should go back to Win, either. I’ve been nothing but bad luck to him.’’
‘‘I’ll take good care of your brother. You get back to that man of yours. I’ve seen him many a time. He’s something. The kind of man that could make a woman real happy if he took a liking to her. Everybody around here thinks he’s hard and mean, but one winter years ago when most of the drifters had moved on, he rode up here delivering food ’cause he knew we was snowed in. I never did thank him for that, so I’d like to repay him now.’’
She moved to the back of her shack and pulled a blanket from across a small opening. ‘‘You go back to him and tell him the old woman from the settlement helped you. He’ll know who you mean. Bad luck or good don’t got nothing to do with loving-you belong with each other.’’
Kora knelt to crawl through. ‘‘Thank you,’’ she whispered. ‘‘I promise I’ll repay you.’’
‘‘I know you will. I’ll be showing up some night for dinner at that big house of yours like I was Sunday company.’’ Rae giggled again. ‘‘And I expect to be treated to the best.’’
‘‘I promise,’’ Kora whispered.
‘‘And one other thing,’’ the woman whispered. ‘‘Tell Win not to misjudge the woman. She’s deadly.’’
‘‘What woman?’’ Kora asked.
But Dan made a noise and the old woman almost shoved her through the opening without answering.
Kora ran along a path slick with rain. She wasn’t sure where to go. She only remembered that the night Winter had carried her home, they’d followed the river until they cleared the shacks, then turned north.
She almost fell into a tarp stretched across what looked like a cave opening. Several horses waited in the rain as men inside seemed to be arguing. At first she thought of asking one of them to take her home, but she wasn’t sure. Win had said he had many enemies among the residents of the Breaks.
Moving against the corner of the tarp, she tried to find shelter from the rain without being seen. She could wait here, then, when the storm passed, walk home.
Voices rose from within.
‘‘Now’s the time to move.’’ A woman’s voice startled Kora. ‘‘We could have the cattle across McQuillen’s land by daybreak.’’
‘‘It’s too risky in this weather. I wouldn’t mind the rain, but this storm is bad. A bolt of lightning could spook the whole herd and they’d scatter for miles. We’d all be dead men if we got caught rounding them up.’’
‘‘It’s too risky to wait!’’ the woman shouted above the others. ‘‘My father’s cattle are dying every day down below the caprock.’’
‘‘All right,’’ a second man, with an age-rusted voice, said. ‘‘My daughter’s right, but we have no choice. If the rain lets up a bit, be ready. But I’m not moving them in a storm.’’
‘‘Storm’s not letting up!’’ someone yelled. ‘‘It’ll pour like this till daybreak. Always does in early spring around here.’’ Metal clanged against metal. ‘‘Pass the coffeepot. We’re here till dawn.’’
‘‘We’ll give it an hour to let up,’’ the older voice ordered. ‘‘If not, we’ll wait until tomorrow night.’’ He lowered his voice slightly. ‘‘Want some coffee, darlin’?’’
‘‘Not out of one of those filthy mugs.’’ The woman’s words were almost lost in the movement.
The men made plans and drank as Kora tried not to shiver. She couldn’t wait for the rain to let up. She had to get home now. Win had to know what was planned. And if he was still too weak, she’d discuss what to do with Cheyenne and Logan.
Carefully taking one step away from the back of the tent, she walked straight into the black wall of a man’s coat.
His hands circled around her like iron as he pushed her back against the blackness surrounding the tent.
She opened her mouth to scream a moment before his fingers gagged her. He leaned close against her and whispered, ‘‘Quiet, Kora, or we’re both dead!’’
‘‘Wyatt!’’ Kora mumbled as he folded her into his slicker and pulled her away from the tent. ‘‘What are you doing here?’’
He ran, half carrying her, half dragging her for several yards.
‘‘Did Win send you?’’ Kora asked as she ran.
‘‘No,’’ Wyatt answered. ‘‘I know these men, but I’m not like them. Cattle are not worth a war.’’
‘‘But…’’
He found a horse hidden in the trees and tossed Kora roughly up. ‘‘I haven’t time to explain!’’ he shouted above the rain. ‘‘If you’re found here with me, we’re probably both goners. If they find out I’ve helped you, I won’t be seeing daylight. So be careful and ride!’’
As he said the last word, he slapped the rump of the horse, and Kora leaned close to the neck to hold on as the animal took off. Rain blinded her to the little the moonless night would have allowed her to see. She let the horse find its way as she held on.
Finally, when she was well away from the campfires, she managed to grab the reins. ‘‘North,’’ she whispered as if the horse might know his directions. ‘‘I have to go north.’’
Kora closed her eyes and buried her head in the horse’s mane. The animal kept moving, galloping across the open land as though he’d understood.
For a while, all she heard was the steady thumping of the hooves and the rain, but slowly she heard another sound.
Kora straightened as two riders came out of the night in front of her. They circled wide around her and flanked her. Fear made her shiver uncontrollably. Their horses were too powerful to belong to Andrew, and their slickers and hats made it impossible to see their faces. If they were the men Wyatt had been with, she might very well be signing her own death certificate as well as Wyatt’s.
She thought of trying to outrun them, but she was having enough trouble just holding on and they seemed seasoned horseman.
‘‘Kora!’’ Jamie shouted above the storm as her hand crossed the distance between the mounts and touched Kora’s arm. ‘‘We’ll see you home.’’
Kora glanced to the left and saw Cheyenne tip his hat slightly, spilling rain as he did. ‘‘Hold on tight!’’ he yelled. ‘‘Jamie, let’s ride.’’
‘‘Home,’’ Kora whispered, finding it hard to believe it had only been hours since she’d seen Win and not days.
Win paced the attic room. His head was swimming, his body ached, and he knew he needed to lie down, but he couldn’t stop. Kora was gone. How many times had she told him she didn’t believe anything lasted? Had she been fearing this time, predicting it, or planning it?
He walked over to her dressing area. Nothing was missing. She’d been kidnapped, he was sure of it.
Then he remembered how she’d cried out when they’d made love. Maybe she’d just been waiting for her chance to run. The snakes had given her that opportunity, and she wanted nothing of his to take with her.
Win slammed his fist against the dressing table in anger. The blow shattered the thin board and sent the perfume bottle flying. It hit the windowsill and broke, the thin blue glass still held in place by the decorative metal frame.
Win ignored the destruction he’d caused and knelt beside the window. He picked up the broken bottle and stared at it as the perfume dripped through his fingers.
Like the bottle, if Kora was gone, he was only a shell, broken inside and empty. Somehow, with her quiet gentle ways, she’d crawled into his heart, leaving it open for a pain he swore he’d never allow himself to feel again.
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