32
“We’re on the right track.” Sadie pointed to a bright blue bead.
A whoosh of relief sent Justin forward. Dawn had come at last. He clenched his hands tight over the reins. Despite his fear for Angie, knowing they were headed in the right direction shoved back the worst of his panic. He moved on, leading his horse, his jaw tight, his heart pounding, with nothing but resolve to find her and never let her out of his sight again.
The woman was smart enough to leave a trail in the middle of what would be terrifying to anyone—man, woman, or child. Pride in her swelled his chest at the same time it humbled him. He was never going to question her courage again. And if she had a few things to learn about ranch life, she was more than capable of learning them.
And while she was learning, he just might manage to learn a few things about running other people’s lives and about judging someone’s toughness. He had plenty to work on for himself before he’d ever again find fault with someone else.
Except maybe Cole.
Even that might be wrong since Cole recognized Justin was in love before Justin did. But if Justin all of a sudden started treating Cole with respect and kindness, it might confuse his big brother beyond repair.
As brave as Angie was, when Justin found the men who’d taken her, he intended to put a stop to the trouble surrounding the Cimarron Ranch.
This treachery was going to end.
Angie didn’t abandon silence altogether, but she hurried and if that meant an occasional snapped twig, so be it.
When she knew she had to be close to Alonzo, she slowed and watched where she stepped more carefully. She found Alonzo, the worthless coward, crouched behind a tree, watching the trail, preparing to shoot brave, decent, innocent men like the lowest kind of dry-gulcher.
A step at a time, hefting her rock in her hand, she approached. She fought to keep her breath from speeding up to match her heartbeat. She kept her fear under control. A glance now and then at the trail showed no sign of the other outlaws.
She wasn’t good at attacking anyone, having had absolutely no practice. A tree was between her and Alonzo. She closed in on him. Near enough now to swing the rock if she used the full length of the rope, but the tree blocked him. By the time she reached the tree, she had to judge how long she could let out the rope.
Letting it out about two feet, she swallowed hard. To think she was so close to such a dangerous man . . . She heard a hoof on the trail, still a distance away. The Bodens. They’d be rounding the corner soon, and her captors would open fire. She had to keep Alonzo out of the fight.
Raising the rock, she fought for calm, taking several deep breaths. Then, with her jaw clenched, she made her move and swung with all her might. Alonzo must have heard or seen something, because he turned toward her just as the rock smashed him right in the face. With a sharp cry he fell over backward. Scared that he’d still be able to fire his weapon, Angie swung the rope a second time. The rock struck him in the head with a sickening thud.
As Alonzo lay there writhing in pain, Angie fumbled for his gun. She got ahold of it, pointed it into the air, and fired to warn the Bodens. She then rushed off in the direction Justin would come.
Would they stay and fight or run? She’d actually prefer they run, but she didn’t want them to leave her behind.
To make sure they didn’t, she sucked in another deep breath and yelled.
“It’s an ambush! Get down!”
Angie, alive and well. And judging from the direction of the gunfire, she was armed. Firing warning shots—he hoped they were warning shots. Justin was swamped with the most horrible urge to cry. It shocked him so much, he came to his senses. Men didn’t cry.
The Bodens vanished, Justin a second behind the others to make sure everyone got away. Sadie, Cole, and Heath disappeared into the woods on the south side of the trail. Justin judged where Angie was shouting from and ran for the north side.
“Angie, I’m here!”
Her feet pounded closer. She made no attempt to be silent, though she didn’t shout but ran.
Justin ran for her as fast as she ran for him. He finally saw her, bruised, her cheek swollen, more beautiful than anyone he’d ever seen. They ran into each other’s arms just as a gun fired. Justin threw himself sideways and twisted to land under Angie, then rolled to tuck her beneath him.
Judging by its location, it had to be from one of her kidnappers.
Another gun went off, then another, the rain of lead shredding the trees over their heads.
“Alonzo’s down.”
Justin looked at her and saw the satisfaction on her face, heard it in her voice. “You shot him?”
She gasped, and her eyes went wide. “Of course not.”
Since there’d been a shot fired, and he noticed Angie held a gun in her left hand, that was the only conclusion his mind went to.
Then she raised her right hand, which clutched a large rock with a rope tied around it. “I hit him in the head with this stone, then took his gun and fired it to warn you. Arizona Watts and your cowhand, Windy, took the south side of the trail. That’s them firing now. Alonzo took the north side, this side, and I snuck up on him and knocked him cold.” A nervous giggle escaped her lips.
The gunfire stopped. “Let’s go.” Justin rose and pulled her to her feet. “Cole, Sadie, and Heath went into the forest to the south. They’ll be after those varmints. I want to help grab ’em.”
While it was urgent they get moving, Justin lifted her right off her feet and kissed her passionately, almost desperately. “I’ve been out of my mind all night worrying about you.” He tenderly touched a spot on her face that she could feel was bruised. “Are you all right?”
“Nothing that won’t heal in a couple days’ time.” She caught his hand and held it tight. “Let’s go catch the rest of these crooks.”
“Yep, right now. Then we can go home.” Justin’s eyes gleamed with pleasure.
They rushed back in the direction Angie had come from to get uphill of the danger. They found Alonzo unconscious. Justin made quick work of tying him up.
“I want him here when the fight’s over, not waking up and slipping away from us.”
Angie nodded. “I’d have done it, but I didn’t want to give up my rope.”
They hurried on. A minute later, more gunfire erupted, though it wasn’t aimed at them this time.
Justin drew his gun and cocked it. “That’s my family, in a gunfight with Watts and Windy.”
They’d been running alongside the trail, but now they rushed straight for it. There was no broken path so it was nearly impossible to move side by side, but Angie could tell Justin was leading in such a way as to tuck her body behind his.
Hadn’t she just knocked an armed outlaw cold with nothing but a rock and a rope? On the other hand, she felt her heart flutter to think such a strong man was protecting her with his own life.
They reached the edge of the woods. Rather than step out into the open, Justin turned and raced along just inside the forest edge.
“Stay low.” They crouched together behind a big pine with branches that went all the way to the ground, providing decent cover. “The way it sounds, one of the outlaws isn’t too far into the woods. I’ll watch for movement and take a shot if I get one.”
“How can you be sure that’s not where Cole, Sadie, and Heath are?” Angie asked.
“I’ll recognize their guns,” Justin replied. “I’d try to get behind these low-down coyotes, slip across the trail, and come at them that way, but I don’t want to be where I could get shot by one of my own family. They’d feel mighty bad if they accidentally shot me.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “So would I. I plan to spend a lot of years married to you.”
“Don’t forget I’ve got my rock. I can help.”
“If I can know for sure who I’m aiming at, I’ll take a shot, but then they’ll divide their attention and bullets will come flying this way.” His brow furrowed with worry. “You stay here. Keep this tree between you and those varmints.”
Nodding, Angie said, “I’ll hide right here behind this tree trunk, Justin. I’ll be all right. I’ve got my rock. You go—do what you need to do.”
Before leaving, he turned to her with a grin and added, “You know, you’re gonna make about the finest ranch wife a frontier rancher has ever known.”
“And don’t you forget it,” she said, smiling back at him. “Now go!”