Wild Winds Page 30

  “Old Ben there understands me just fine, don’t ya, Ben?”

  “Leave my sister out of this, Berk; she’s doesn’t know anything. She’s a real lady from the South.” Ben looked at Maggie and said, “I’m sorry about this trouble; I tried to tell Pa not to send you with money for supplies. I can’t believe you even found this place way up here.”

  Maggie picked up on what she presumed was Ben’s hint and went along with it. “He drew a map for me and I have a compass. He said you needed money for food and no one would suspect a woman of bringing it. What’s going on, Ben? Who is this horrible man? Why are you bound?”

  “The pistol, little lady, pronto.”

  Maggie heard Berk prompt her as he nudged her shoulder with the barrel of his. She frowned as her fingertips gripped the butt, withdrew the lightweight Colt, and held it out, dangling downward, to the infamous man. She faked disgust as she said to Ben, “I don’t know why your father insisted I wear that silly and dangerous weapon; I told him I didn’t know how to load or fire one. He said having it would scare off assailants. That’s what he also said about this ridiculous outfit. I told him that no one with any intelligence would think I was a man, but he insisted, so I obeyed him. I can hardly wait to be in a dress again.” She passed a haughty gaze over Berk and added, “It appears that Mr. Carver was wrong on both counts, since I now find myself at the mercy of a beastly scoundrel. I must insist you put away that gun, sir; it frightens me. As you can see, I’m no threat to you.”

  “Place your pretty butt in the chair by Ben.”

  At that icy order, Maggie straightened her shoulders and glared at him. “How dare you mention a private part of me in such a despicable manner!” she scolded. “That is no way to speak to a lady, nor is this any way to treat one! You, sir, lack manners and respect for the fairer sex and should be horsewhipped!”

  “Sit down and shut your pretty trap afore I get real mad.”

  Although Maggie sent him another feigned haughty and shocked look as he glared in return and grit his teeth, she took a seat, muttering, “You don’t have to be so rude and surly, sir, or so—”

  “I said, shut up, woman!”

  “Leave her be, Berk; she’s one of them southern belle types; she don’t understand western ways and talk.”

  “She understands English, don’t she? It’s shut up or be gagged.”

  Maggie crossed her arms over her abdomen, exhaled in disgust, and donned a petulant expression to continue biding her time while awaiting a defensive opportunity. As she did so, she furtively observed the two men as they had a revealing and dismaying talk.

  “Now, Ben, where’s that money you stole from my brother? Pete’s hoppin’ mad and wants it back pronto. He knows it was you, not Coot, who took it. Where’d you hide it? He tol’ me if I found your sorry arse and got the money back, he’d split it three ways. Course I mite keep half of it for my trouble. Tell me where it is or I’m gonna plug the little lady. Fact is, I might just plug her two ways with both of my pistols.”

  Maggie cringed as a lascivious expression danced over the villain’s face. She didn’t have to be told what he meant by the added threat as he stroked a rising bulge in his pants. She knew she would fight him tooth and nail and to the death if he tried to rape her. Her gaze jerked in Ben’s direction as he shouted at the grinning man and strained against his bonds, his chair legs scraping against the floor.

  “You touch her and I’ll kill you with my bare hands, you bastard!”

  “How you gonna do that with them all tied up? Now quit squirming and don’t cuss at me again or you’ll rile me up real bad. You don’t wanna do that ‘cause it makes my trigger finger get real itchy.”

  “Let her go, Berk, and I’ll tell you where I hid the money.”

  Maggie stared at Ben as his guilt was divulged. Was he bluffing, she mused in disappointment, or telling the truth to save their lives? It was Berk who extracted more facts for her, but after she asked for her own benefit, “How could you do something so horrible, Ben? You told us you were innocent, that you had been framed or mistakenly accused. We believed in you, but you lied to us. My heavens, you’re a real criminal.” She didn’t know if his contrite look and tone were faked or genuine. He had duped her in Yuma and was probably doing the same now. Hawk had been right about her stepbrother’s wickedness all along. Did that mean Ben was also guilty of the Reynolds’ cold-blooded slayings …

  “I’m sorry, Maggie, but I got in over my head. I—”

  “Hush up, you two! You can talk later. That ain’t what I asked. How did you pull off that double-cross afore you was captured?”

  Maggie pushed aside her tormenting thoughts about her husband to listen to Ben’s response.

  “I wasn’t going to double-cross Pete and Slim. After we separated outside of Prescott, I got to thinking about the hungry way Coot eyed those sacks of loot, so I went back and hid them in another place. I was captured and sent to that hellhole in Yuma before I could join up with them and split it. If you promise to keep Maggie safe, I’ll go fetch it for you. It’ll take me about a week of fast riding, but I’ll keep my word to you.”

  “Don’t you dare leave me here alone with this … this scoundrel!” I know what you’re trying to pull, you deceitful coward! Save your sorry hide by sacrificing me to this ravenous wolf.

  “If Berk gives his word not to harm you, Maggie, he won’t. The sooner I get myself out of trouble with Pete and Slim, the better. Hellfire, Berk, Pete should know me better than to think I would back-stab him! We’ve ridden together plenty, so he should know by now I can be trusted.”

  “Pete don’t trust nobody but me and Slim. Where is it, Ben?”

  Maggie observed the bound man beside her as he silently reasoned on the hazardous situation. She surmised he had disclosed certain facts in an attempt to sway Berk’s opinion of him. He probably didn’t care about what she would think and do if or when they got out of this predicament. If he knew her at all, he would realize she was as big of a threat to his survival as Berk was! His lies had entangled her in a terrible mess and had evoked awful decisions on her part, including the betrayal of her husband. Would Hawk ever forgive her for doubting and abandoning him? Would Newl ever accept the bitter truth about his son? Would Newl’s anger and disbelief provoke problems between him and her mother? Ben had deceived and used all of them to obtain his freedom. Yet, there was one point she couldn’t understand: why had Ben remained at the cabin when he could have recovered the stolen money and been far away by now? Had he believed she could find a clever way to clear him and get rid of his threats? She focused on Ben when he finally spoke.

  “As soon as I tell you, you’ll shoot us both and go after it. I’ll give up my cut if that’s what Pete says, but I’ll be the one to recover the money and turn it over to him. We’ll all go after it. Or turn her loose and we’ll go.”

  Maggie wondered if Newl had gotten the message to Ben about Pete’s capture, as Hawk surely had the culprit in custody by now. It was fortunate for them that Berk hadn’t heard about what happened in Tombstone last week and was ignorant of his brother’s fate. She concluded that Ben was stalling for time or seeking an opening for escape. Even if someone was scheduled to arrive with supplies or to check on him, that person couldn’t get near this place to get the drop on a skilled gunslinger like Berk.

  “You’re real protective of that sister of yours, ain’t you?”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and alive. You can have my share if you’ll release her.”

  “So she can run straight to your friends for help? Nothin’ doin’.”

  “I don’t have any friends skilled or fool enough to go up against you, Pete, and Slim; and I surely wouldn’t challenge any or all of you myself.”

  “Maybe we’ll just leave her tied up here for somebody to find.”

  “She’d starve before she’s found. Turn her loose or I’m not talking.”

  “Oh, I think I can convince you to run your mouth lik
e the piles.”

  “Let her go, Berk, and I’ll give you my share of the money from the last three jobs we pulled; it’s over sixty thousand dollars, some in gold.”

  “You givin’ me the feelin’ she means more than a sister to you. Don’t tell me you done gone and got sweet on her. They got a name for that.”

  “Maggie’s my stepsister; we’re no blood kin. My pa married her ma a few years back. We weren’t raised around each other; we didn’t even meet but once, so don’t go thinking and talking dirty around her.”

  “Yep, you done gone sweet on her. What would you do with a sassy lady like her? Hitch up to her so you can poke her all you want?”

  “Shut up, you foul-tongued bastard!”

  Maggie witnessed the keen way Berk was studying her and the way he was taunting Ben. What she couldn’t surmise was how much of what her stepbrother said was accurate and sincere; he certainly looked infuriated by Berk’s words and actions. Was Ben trying to save her, or was he only trying to instigate a cunning escape?

  “Cut me loose, Berk; my hands are numb and my arms hurt. I’ll sit right here where you can watch me with a pistol in your grip.”

  To Maggie’s surprise, Berk complied with Ben’s request. She had her Spanish blade nestled in her right boot, if she could only get to it … “Sir, may I fetch a cup of water?” Maggie requested softly. “My throat is cotton dry after that long ride.”

  “Nope, you keep your sweet arse stuck to that wood.”

  “Mine’s dry, too, after all this talking. Let me get us some water.”

  “Do it, but if you try any tricks, I’ll shoot her faster than you can blink, and I’ll make you beg to die before I plug you.”

  “I won’t twitch a muscle without your say-so, Berk, so relax.”

  Maggie watched Ben approach a wooden table and fill two metal cups with clear liquid from a canteen. After he asked Berk if he wanted any water or whiskey, the gunslinger shook his head, his gaze fastened on Ben.

  “It’s gonna be this way, Ben—”

  A man’s voice shouting, “Hello in the cabin! Permission to ride into camp!” sliced into Berk’s words and brought him to alert.

  As Berk glanced toward the door as if to make certain it was bolted, Maggie had time to mask her astonishment at hearing Hawk’s voice. How had he found them, and so fast? Had he been spying on her and shadowing her, she fretted, the entire time since she left Tombstone? After all, he had accomplished that feat without her knowledge from Wilcox to Yuma weeks ago. Instantly she quelled those new doubts and scolded herself. No doubt he had reached town shortly after her departure and tracked her.

  As she had, Maggie reasoned in haste, Hawk probably assumed the paint belonged to Ben, and of course he recognized Blaze, so he would deduce only they were present. She had to do something to prevent Berk from gunning down her husband before he could reach the cabin, but what?

  Chapter

  Eighteen

  Berk ordered fast and in a low voice, “Git over here, woman! Ben, you keep still and quiet or I’ll kill her quicker than a sidewinder strikes.”

  “My boots are nailed to the floor, Berk, so control that trigger finger. I wouldn’t do anything to endanger my sister or me.”

  Maggie joined Berk at the entrance and received additional orders before his last threat chilled her very soul.

  “Git rid of him fast or he’s dead afore his boots touch the ground.”

  Maggie’s heart thudded in panic as she prayed Hawk wouldn’t say or do anything to expose their relationship. She slid aside a bolt, opened the door about a foot and a half, and positioned herself in that limited space as a second call was heard and her husband dismounted at the edge of the clearing.

  “Hello in the cabin! Can I ride into camp?”

  She felt the barrel of Berk’s revolver pressed into her back in warning as he leaned against the wall by the jamb, out of Hawk’s line of vision. A wild wind whipped hair into her face and eyes, and she lifted a hand to move it away. “What do you want, stranger?” she yelled out, hoping he’d grasp her alerting clues by what she called him and the use of her exaggerated southern accent. With her free hand, she sent him another one by holding two fingers straight and wriggling them rapidly while the others and her thumb were balled toward her palm. She knew that signal was shielded from Berk’s view by her body between them. She saw Hawk’s gaze lower from her face for a moment, then his head gave a slight nod of what she presumed was understanding. She was relieved when he made no attempt to walk toward her and the cabin. His stance beside Diablo appeared deceptively relaxed, but she knew now he was wary. He removed his Stetson as he chatted in a genial tone, then held it before the left side of his waist; she guessed so his other hand could shift closer to his pistol in case he needed to withdraw it in a hurry for self-defense.

  “There’s a storm brewing, ma’am, and I was seeking shelter before it strikes. Looks to be a long and bad one. Got any hot coffee in there? I’d be much obliged to have a cup and a roof over my head before the rain starts.”

  As the wind gusted more forcefully, Maggie had to hold her hand over the hair at her right ear to keep it from blowing into her eyes. Her left hand imprisoned the edge of the door to keep it placed there as ordered. “I’m sorry, sir, but my son has the chicken pox and he’s highly contagious, burning with fever, so you can’t come inside. There’s another cabin a few miles southeast of here. It’s best if you take shelter there.”

  “Maybe I can make it before a downpour, which is sure to come within an hour or so. Thank you, ma’am, and I hope your son gets better soon.”

  “You’re very kind, sir, and I wish you good luck.” Maggie’s body jerked as loud thunder pealed and dazzling lightning flashed overhead, confirming Hawk’s assessment of the menacing weather. The sky was ominously dark as the storm closed in on them.

  “So long, ma’am. Thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome, sir, and you best move fast; it’s looking dangerous here.” She watched Hawk mount Diablo and rest his left hand on his hipbone near his weapon. Blaze neighed as if to say hello to the familiar man and his horse, and she mentally urged her roan not to expose their acquaintance. Thunder roared and lightning flashed again, that time closer and longer and brighter. To keep Berk from getting tense and opening fire on Hawk, she whispered, “He’s preparing to leave. He’s putting on a rain slicker. I’ll watch him and tell you when he’s gone.”

  “That was quick thinkin’, woman; you’re real smart, ain’t you?”

  “I tried to come up with a logical excuse to keep him away so you wouldn’t, I believe the word you like to use is, ‘plug’ him. There’s no reason for an innocent passerby to be shot.” She saw lust in Berk’s eyes as he looked at her. The thought of this foul-smelling creature touching her made her queasy but she tried to appear calm. It seemed best not to•offend or vex him, unless he made it necessary. “That stranger was right; it’s going to storm fiercely very soon. The sky is getting blacker by the minute and the air is heavy with moisture.” She was tense, but the weapon in her boot reassured her somewhat—if she could get to it and when Berk was off guard. The fact her husband was nearby gave her the greatest amount of courage. She had no doubt, no matter his motive for joining up with her, that Hawk Reynolds would give his best efforts to protect a woman in peril. “Is this area dangerous during bad weather?” she asked as more thunder and brilliant flickers came.

  “Don’t know. Why, pretty lady, you afraid of storms?”

  “Let’s just say, I don’t like violence of any kind. Is there a shed or lean-to out back where we can shelter our horses?”

  “Nope, they’re just fine out there.”

  “What if we bring them inside? I don’t want anything happening to that horse;. she’s special and she doesn’t belong to me.”

  “Nope, they’ll stink up the place and crowd us. Horses and cows stay out in pastures all the time durin’ storms. She’s safer in the open than tied under a tree; lightnin’ loves t
o chew on them durin’ storms.”

  A worried Maggie peered around the jamb as Blaze neighed again and pawed the ground with a foreleg. “It’s all right, girl, settle down.”

  “I think that roan of yours is just in season. She wants to get at that big black mustang real bad. She don’t seem to take to my paint, though.”

  Maggie saw Hawk vanish into the forest. She was relieved he was safe, and knew he was planning her rescue by now. “I wouldn’t know about such vulgar things. But I can understand her repulsion if that animal is anything like his master.”

  She jumped as Berk’s forefinger tapped her cheek and she half-turned to glance over her shoulder at him. She eyed his cocky grin, then gazed outside once more as he teased her. She allowed that sudden movement to widen the doorway opening and didn’t force Berk to put distance between them; in fact, the stinking villain leaned closer. She endured his action with the hope Hawk had concealed himself and used his field glasses to check out the cabin. With luck, he would sight and recognize Pete’s brother.

  “You got a sassy tongue in you, woman, and you’re real uppity.”

  “What do you expect, sir, when you speak so crudely to me? I fear you’ve given me no reason to think yoµ possess even one gentleman’s bone in your body.”

  “A loose tongue can be real dangerous in these parts. You best learn when and how to rein it in. Course I bet a pretty looker like you gets away with foolishness most of the time. Don’t she, Ben?”

  When no response came, Maggie—as did Berk—turned to look toward the spot where Ben had been standing. As did Berk, she glanced right and left for concealing obstacles and found none, then closed the door to peer behind it to discover her stepbrother was gone! Her mind spun in alarm and her heart lurched in dread of Berk’s instant revenge. Calm yourself and use your wits, Maggie! She stated the obvious with exaggerated amazement, “Where is he? There isn’t another door. The windows are shut. There’s nowhere to hide in here. He couldn’t just vanish. I don’t understand.”