Five

Marty took the loaded Winchester and filled her pocket with additional bullets. She plopped on her Stetson and headed out to the barn to saddle Flash. Marty had raised him from a colt; he had lived up to his name. After saddling him, she tied on saddlebags, a bedroll, and a canvas for extra warmth. In the saddlebags were a compact cook kit and a hunting knife. She had to be prepared in case it took longer than she expected to find these slippery men.

Marty led her brown stallion out of the barn, across the farmyard. Cinda and Ginny waited on the porch for her.

Cinda handed her an old flour sack. “There’s some dried meat, hardtack, and beans,” she said. “Oh, and coffee. I put in some coffee, and. . .” Cinda paused, trying to think.

“It’s all right. I’ll make do with whatever you packed. I won’t be gone long.” Her reassurance was as much for herself as for her apprehensive sister-in-law. She hoped to be back tomorrow or the next day at the latest. “I’ll be fine.” She stuffed the sack of food into her saddlebag.

Aunt Ginny stepped forward and handed her a lady’s reticule.

Marty took it cautiously. It hung between her thumb and index finger like a dead rat. What was she supposed to do with it? “I don’t think I’ll be needing this on the trail.”

“Open it,” Aunt Ginny said, her lips pulled back in a straight line.

The bag did have weight to it. Marty opened it and pulled out a neatly folded cloth with something in it. She unwrapped it. A pearl-handled derringer lay in her hand. She never would have guessed proper Virginia Crawford would be packing a gun.

“It’s a parlor gun,” Ginny offered. “In case you run into trouble.”

That’s what she had the Colt and Winchester for. . .trouble. “Thank you.” She rewrapped the gun, put it in the reticule, and in her saddlebag. Aunt Ginny wanted to do her part to help. She, too, cared for the girls. “I’ll get ’em back,” Marty said as she mounted Flash. “I won’t bring them back here. I’ll hide them. Tell Lucas, ‘Stone Face.’ He’ll know where to find us.”

“Be careful,” Cinda said earnestly. “I’ll pray for you and the girls.”

Marty nodded and rode away. She didn’t need Cinda’s prayers. Marty was more than capable of doing this on her own. And with the way she got along with God, He’d probably just get in her way.

She headed due west. They said Seattle. If that was the truth, which Marty believed it was because her sister had lived with her husband’s family there, then this would be the way they would go.

She picked up their tracks before she had even left Rawlings’ land. West, straight as an arrow. She got off Flash and studied the imprints. They obviously weren’t concerned about hiding their path. They didn’t expect anyone to be following them so quickly.

There were two sets of hoof marks, one behind the other. That meant that Davey and Dani were riding on the horses with the men; therefore, they wouldn’t be traveling very fast. Good.

It was going to be a clear night. The full moon would light the way. Marty could catch up to them after dark.

The advantages to being raised by three brothers were being an expert tracker and having survival skills. She would put them both to good use now.

At age four, when her parents died, Marty’s three older brothers didn’t know the first thing about raising a little girl. To them Marty was just another brother. She filled the role well and with pride.

Since she was too young to stay home alone, they took her along and told her to keep quiet. She stalked them like a shadow, not making a peep. It was a game to her, seeing how quiet she could be. Soon they started explaining what they were doing and how they were able to follow an unseen animal. She learned well and put her share of food on the family table.

She swung up into the saddle and took off. She slowed her pace every once in awhile to make sure the men hadn’t changed direction. The fools were so easy to follow. Tracking was a thrilling challenge for Marty, second-guessing where the prey was headed. These guys were heading west by the straightest means possible. She could follow them blindfolded.

As the sun set, the temperature dropped. She figured they couldn’t be much farther ahead. She slowed her pace.

Marty stopped completely when she heard the rush of a stream. If the men had half a brain between them, they would camp by water. She got off Flash and tethered him to a tree.

Marty moved silently through the underbrush until she had the stream in sight. She found the spot where the men had crossed. She studied upstream and down, trying to determine which way they made camp after crossing. When she heard a rustling noise upstream, she ducked behind a fallen tree. It was Wylie collecting water.

She chose a place farther downstream to wade across and made her way back upstream. Finding a good spot below their camp, she watched them. Dani and Davey were huddled together. They seemed well enough, although a little frightened. Reece gave them a blanket. Marty was glad Cinda had insisted on everyone wearing their coats to church this cool fall morning, even though they didn’t really need them. They needed them now.

The best time to rescue the girls would be after everyone was asleep. She could sneak in, wake the girls, and sneak out. In the morning, the two men wouldn’t know what happened. Even if they guessed someone had come and taken them, it wouldn’t matter because she and her nieces would be halfway home by then.

Marty returned to where she tied Flash and moved him across the stream to a prime location for her getaway. She put some dried meat and hardtack in her pocket, then rested the rifle over her shoulder.

When she returned to her lookout spot, Dani and Davey were crying. Wylie was glaring at them, speaking harshly.

Marty’s insides knotted. She wanted to go after him with both fists flying.

“Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about,” Wylie ground out in a growl, raising an opened hand above his head.

Marty lurched forward but stopped herself. Now wasn’t the right time. She had to wait. The sound of her nieces sobbing from his cruel words was unbearable. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the sound. She couldn’t. Their weeping bit into her soul. She would just charge in there and put an end to her nieces’ misery. She opened her eyes and started to stand but stopped.

“Wylie, leave them alone.” Reece stood between him and her nieces.

“I cain’t stand their whimpering,” Wylie said with fire and frustration in his eyes.

“Then go see if you can find a town. There should be one south of here. Get some more food and a couple more blankets.” Reece backed Wylie away from the girls.

Good. With Wylie gone, Marty would have only one man to mess with, if it came to that. She was relieved the nicer of the two was staying with the girls for their sake. But she had hoped for it to be the other way around. She knew she could tangle with Wylie and win. She knew his type—predictable. Reece, on the other hand, was a mystery to her. The cunning way he fought with words made him harder to figure. She wasn’t sure what to expect from him.