Seth (Prairie Grooms, Book Three) Read online

  “And would you have gotten up any earlier if it was your wedding night?” asked Seth with a smirk.

  “Don't answer that!” said Constance. “You'll embarrass me!”

  The men laughed. “Hardly!” said her husband.

  “And not a word out of you, either,” Penelope told August with a pointed look.

  Harrison chuckled. “Ladies, if you don't mind, I'd like to borrow your husbands for a few hours while you visit.”

  “Whatever for?” asked Constance.

  “I sent Logan and some of the other men to Oregon City to sell off about a thousand head. They left early this morning. Now I find myself shorthanded, and I'd like Seth and Ryder here to take a look around for me.”

  Seth and Ryder exchanged quick glance. “Why us?” asked Seth.

  Harrison stepped off the porch to join them. “Because, my fine fellows, from what I hear, you two are the best trackers in three territories.”

  The brothers took on an innocent air. “Who told you that?” asked Ryder.

  “Wilfred; who else?”

  Seth rolled his eyes, shook his head, and groaned. He looked at Ryder. “Wilfred overheard me telling Eloise about our… ah … former occupation.”

  Ryder’s head snapped around to Harrison. “He what?!”

  “Think nothing of it, gentlemen,” said Harrison with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Now, let's go to the barn and saddle some horses.”

  “What was that about?” asked Penelope as Belle and Sadie came onto the porch to greet them.

  “I'm not sure,” said Constance.

  Eloise looked at her sister's. “I know what they're talking about,” she said. “I'll explain later.”

  The women followed Sadie and Belle into the house to find Edith in the dining room, already pouring their tea. Harrison's comment was quickly forgotten as they settled in to chat about sewing, marriage, their new husbands, and babies. It was going to be a lovely visit, and Eloise planned on enjoying every precious minute of it.

  * * *

  “Your cousins will be arriving soon,” Sadie told the three sisters.

  “Our cousins!” gasped Penelope. “I say, but I've completely forgotten about Uncle John's offspring.”

  “Offspring?” stated Belle. “That's an odd way of putting it.”

  “She says it that way,” Constance explained, “because our cousins are… how should I say…”

  “Eccentric?” put in Eloise.

  Belle, Sadie, and Edith glanced at one another. “How eccentric are they?” asked Sadie.

  “Quite,” said Penelope. “To the point where I'm not sure who will be more shocked when they arrive. Clear Creek, or our cousins.”

  Sadie laughed and was about to comment, when she caught the sound of the front door banging open, followed by boot-clad feet running into the house. She glanced up, a panicked look on her face, as three men burst into the dining room. Edith screamed at the sudden intrusion, as Sadie jumped to her feet.

  “Well, look what we have here,” said a large man wearing an eye patch. “Don't this make for a pretty picture?”

  “Who are you?” Sadie demanded. “What do you want?”

  “I want you to shut up,” he said and grabbed the nearest woman at the table.

  “Unhand me, you ruffian!” screamed Penelope.

  A thin, scraggly-looking man pointed his gun at them. “Now, is that any way to talk to a guest in your house?”

  Sadie's eyes were riveted on the gun. “What do you want?” she asked again.

  The man with the eye patch rubbed his stubbly jaw. “That's a good question. Right now I think I want you out of the house.”

  Constance and Eloise, quiet all this time, sat with their eyes round as saucers and stared at the men. The thin man elbowed the one with the eye patch. “Hey, Spider; look what we have here,” he said as he pointed at Constance.

  “Well,” he drawled. “Now don’t that beat all? Didn't we leave you tied up in a barn?” he asked.

  “You!” Constance spat. “You're the ones who tried to kill my husband!”

  Eloise gasped. She recognized the thin man from the day before, and stood. “You have no business being here, so go away!”

  The men laughed in amusement at her demand, before they each pointed a gun at her. “I think I have an idea,” the man called Spider told his counterparts.

  They laughed again. “What do you have in mind?” the thin one asked.

  “What say we escort these ladies out to the barn?” he answered.

  “Sounds good to us,” said the thin man as he pointed his gun at Penelope's head.

  “You'll do no such thing!” screamed Edith, shocked at her own bravado. “Leave, before my husband shoots you!”

  “Oh, you mean the fella up yonder in that there little cabin?” asked Spider.

  Edith gasped. “What have you done?”

  “Oh, don't worry none, ma’am,” he said. “We left him a nice knife wound to contend with. He'll be busy for a while.”

  “Yeah, trying not to bleed to death,” laughed the thin man.

  Edith teetered in her chair. Belle grabbed her to keep her from falling. She looked at the men, horrified, and shook her head in anger. “Mark my words, you're going to pay for this,” she hissed.

  “We’re gonna get paid, ya mean,” said the third man with a snarl.

  “Yeah, but first we need a distraction,” said Spider. “Let's get them out to the barn.”

  They forced the women away from the table at gunpoint. Belle and Sadie had to support Edith, lest she fall over in a faint. None of them knew if Jefferson was alive or dead at this point, and the thought was too much for poor Edith to bear.

  The outlaws ushered the women out of the house and into the barn, shoved them into the tack room, then shut and locked the door. “There, that oughta hold ‘em,” they heard Spider say. “Now let's get to work. Where's that worthless slime?”

  “Let us out of here!” screamed Sadie as she banged on the door.

  “Shut up in there!” Spider shouted back.

  “What are we going to do?” asked Constance.

  Sadie and Belle glanced around in the dim light of the tack room, looking for anything that might help them get the door open. If they could find something to fit through the small crack between the door and the frame, they could lift the latch and get out. “We need something long and thin,” Sadie told the others.

  “But it's so dark in here,” said Eloise.

  “Feel around, then,” said Belle. “We need to get that door unlocked.” The women went to work touching, feeling, searching for anything that would help. There was a commotion in the barn that sounded as if the outlaws were also searching for something. But judging from the noises on the other side of the door, they were just throwing things around for no reason.

  “I can't find anything!” Penelope said; her voice desperate.

  “Neither can I!” added Eloise.

  “Keep looking!” said Sadie. “There's got to be something in here we can use!”

  There was so little light to aid them; just a little sunlight that filtered in through the cracks between the boards. Eloise went down on her hands and knees near the door and began to run her hands over the barn floor, when she noticed another source of light shining through the slats. She peeked through a tiny knothole, and screamed. The outlaws had set the barn on fire.

  Sixteen

  “Round up the rest of the men!” shouted Spider over the roar of the flames. “Them women’s husbands are gonna see the smoke, and ride back here like the devil’s a chasin’ ‘em!”

  “Then we take their stock!” laughed the thin man.

  “Where’s that worthless slime, Cutty?” asked Spider, ignoring him.

  “He’s comin!” yelled another.

  Cutty rode up at a gallop, another rider beside him. They brought their horses to a skidding stop, and the man next to Cutty smacked him upside the head.

  “He give you any trouble?” a
sked Spider.

  “Nah, he’s just stubborn, that’s all. He acted like he didn’t want to leave the old man in the cabin to bleed to death.”

  Spider eyed Cutty, and then glanced toward the burning barn. “You stay here while we go round us up some cattle. When them Cookes come back, shoot em!”

  The sound of several women’s screams rent the air, coupled with their desperate cries for help. Cutty’s eyes became glued to the burning barn, his face etched with horror.

  “What’s the matter?” Spider sneered. “I thought you’d be happy to be rid of them. Ain’t that what you been wantin’?”

  Cutty sucked in a breath, his eyes darting between the outlaws and the barn. He swallowed hard, and then looked at Spider with venomous hatred.

  “Remember what I said,” Spider hissed. “As soon as their men ride into the barnyard, shoot ‘em.” With that, he spurred his horse, and off they went; the whole lot of them, all but Cutty, who now stared at the burning barn with tortured indecision.

  * * *

  “I say, but I do believe I’m going to enjoy fatherhood!” chortled Colin as he and the rest of the men rode over a small rise. They reined in their horses and studied the thousands of cattle below. The Triple C had prospered over the last few years.

  “I’m hopin’ I get me a son first,” commented Ryder. “Then maybe a daughter after that.”

  “I’m happy with whatever the good Lord gives me,” said Colin. “But a boy would be nice.”

  “What about you, Seth?” asked Harrison. “What are you hoping for?”

  “Don’t look at me! I just got married!”

  The men laughed at that. “Don’t matter,” said August. “You might already be a father! Only takes one night.”

  Seth’s eyes grew wide. “I want children as much as the rest of ya, but let me get used to being married fir…” He suddenly stiffened in the saddle, before his head whipped around to his brother. “Ryder, do you smell that?”

  Ryder too, straightened, and stilled. “Smoke,” he announced as he turned Othello around. “FIRE!”

  The others spun their horses and saw a thick, black plume of smoke rising in the distance. “Good Lord! It’s coming from the ranch!” Harrison cried as he spurred his horse into a gallop. The rest of the men followed, whipping their horses into a full-out run, Othello taking the lead, as they raced back to the Triple C.

  * * *

  Eloise coughed, her tears flowing freely now. She grabbed Constance and they gripped each other with everything they had. Both of them knew they were about to die. They couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, and there was nothing to stop the smoke from pouring in through every crack and crevice, as the fire’s flames closed in. The tack room was a stall to the left of the barn’s entrance. Duncan had enclosed it so they could store their saddles and things. If it had been in the middle of the barn, the women would already be dead.

  “No!” one of them cried. “I won’t die like this!” It was Sadie, as far as Eloise could tell. She let go of Constance and threw herself against the door with what strength she had left, before she fell to the ground in a coughing fit. “Someone help us!” she screamed one last time.

  But there was no one to hear them. They were all going to die, be it from the flames or the smoke, it didn’t much matter; each knew their life was over. The last thing Eloise thought of was Seth. Her wonderful, beautiful husband who showed her how much a man could love a woman in one night, and gave her the happiest memory she’d ever had.

  There was a sudden banging, followed by a garbled shout. “Get out of there!”

  Eloise coughed, unsure if she’d heard right. Was that a man’s voice? Someone tripped over her, and fell. She guessed it was Penelope, making one last desperate attempt to open the door. Hands suddenly gripped her arms, and dragged her along the ground. But how could that be? There was no place to go, no escape from the death trap they were in.

  “Help me!” shouted someone else. Sadie perhaps?

  “Belle! Where’s Belle?” choked another.

  Eloise tried to open her eyes as she was dragged further and further, then the hands let go. She was surprised at how much better she could see, and realized she was no longer in barn, but a good thirty feet away. She took in the sight of the inferno, and then at Constance, who lay at her side, coughing. “What?” she sputtered in confusion.

  Penelope crawled through the dirt toward her. “Are you all right?” she choked out, still coughing.

  “What happened? Where … where are those men?” Eloise asked, her voice a rasp.

  “Don’t know … trying to breathe,” said Penelope.

  “Belle!” Sadie screeched. “Save Belle!”

  Eloise closed her eyes tight, and then opened them. Black smoke poured out of the barn as it went up in flames, and she saw what looked like a man hunched over something, desperately trying to pull it from the raging inferno.

  The barn started to collapse, and Sadie staggered to the man, grabbed what must be Belle’s other arm, and together, they pulled her to where the rest of them lay. Penelope rolled away to make room for Belle, then turned and looked up at their rescuer.

  His face was blackened, and much of his hair had burned away. Eloise could see that his hands were also badly burned. He stood, tears in his eyes, and his lower lip trembled something fierce. He pointed to Edith and Jefferson’s cabin, before falling to his knees.

  “Oh, good Lord!” Sadie cried. She scrambled to her feet, fell, got up again, and stumbled in the direction of the cabin.

  Eloise coughed, as did her sisters, when the mysterious man climbed to his feet and left them. She fell back against the hard ground, not knowing if he went to help Sadie or not, and suddenly thankful that little Honoria was safe in the house, asleep when they first got to the ranch.

  Too weak to get up and still unable to breathe well, Eloise still managed to catch the sound of hoof beats thunder into the barn yard.

  “Eloise! Constance!” She heard the shouts, but couldn’t answer. The next thing she knew, Seth was holding her. “Darlin’! What happened?”

  She looked into his eyes, and what tears she had left, fell.

  “Ryder!” Harrison shouted. “You’ve got the fastest horse! Get Doc Drake. NOW!”

  Eloise saw Ryder lay Constance back down, and run for Othello. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t comprehend what had happened, and just wanted Seth to hold her, to never, ever, let her go. She clutched at his arms, and wept harder.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart, you’re safe now, I’m not gonna let anything else happen to ya,” he said and crushed her against him.

  “Sadie!” Harrison called, his voice desperate. “Where are you?”

  Eloise pushed Seth away as best she could, and pointed at Jefferson’s cabin. It was all she could manage before everything went black.

  * * *

  “Hey, darlin’ …” a gentle voice spoke. “C’mon now, open those pretty eyes of yours and give me a look. You can do it … that’s it, c’mon. There’s my girl … so beautiful …”

  Eloise opened her eyes to see Seth hovering over her.

  “I love you,” he said.

  She swallowed, unable to speak, and tried to lift a hand to him.

  “No, darlin’; stay still. Don’t move. I’ll get you some water.”

  He left her, and she realized she was on a bed in a familiar room. Comprehension dawned as he returned, water glass in hand. She was in Duncan’s old bedroom, her old bedroom. Which meant …

  She turned her head, and caught a glimpse of Constance on another bed, Ryder in a chair beside her. She prayed Penelope occupied the other.

  “Here, darlin’; take a sip of this,” said Seth as he put a hand behind her shoulder and helped her to sit up. He held the glass to her lips, and she shook as she drank. The water was cool, and felt good against her dry throat. She started to drink more greedily, and Seth yanked the glass away. “No; a little at a time. Don’t gulp it, sweetie.”

  She stare
d at him, her mind a deep fog, as water dripped down her chin. “Penelope …” she croaked. “Belle …”

  “They’re safe. Now lie back down.” He gently laid her against the pillows, and then pulled a quilt over her. “Rest now, darlin’. I’ll be right here.” He placed a hand on her stomach, to confirm it, and she let her eyes drift closed once more.

  * * *

  Hours later she heard men’s voices, and slowly opened her eyes. This time, Doc Drake hovered over her, his head bowed, his eyes closed in concentration. Was he praying?

  “How ‘bout it, Doc? How is she?” Her eyes wandered, and found Seth standing next to him.

  “She’ll be fine, like the rest of them. It’s Belle I’m worried about. I’m going back in to check on her.”

  “Fine, I’ll take over from here.”

  Eloise closed her eyes again and listened to Doc Drake’s retreating steps as he left the room. “Belle …” she whispered.

  “Now don’t fret, darlin’. Doc Drake will take good care of her. You just lie there and rest. I’m right here …”

  But Eloise couldn’t rest. Something tugged at her, something important, but she couldn’t remember what it was. Then suddenly …

  “Jefferson!”

  “Shhhh, he’s fine. He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’ll pull through. Now keep still or I’m gonna have to do something drastic, like kiss ya.”

  She stared up at him with a weak smile. “I love you …” she whispered. She began to cough, and he pulled her up to a sitting position, and held her.

  “Hush, now,” he soothed as he gently patted her back. “You’re gonna be all right. You’re all gonna be all right, understand?”

  Her coughing stilled, she looked at him and nodded.

  “What a way to start off our marriage,” he chuckled, “making me run to your rescue like that.”

  “Rescue …” she breathed. “He rescued us.”

  “What? What are you talking about? Who rescued you?”

  “Didn’t Sadie tell you?”

  “Sadie’s in worse shape than you are. Poor thing is still asleep; hasn’t woken up once since we brought you all into the house so Doc Drake could tend ya.”