CHAPTER THIRTY

“Stay here and keep watch. Use the turkey call if you need to warn us of anything. I’ll go check and make sure everyone’s all right and hopefully we still have horses. I’ll send Frank and Joe to you, so don’t shoot them.”

Normally Niki would have said something sarcastic back to Deuce, insulted by his comment, but at the moment it was a good reminder and she could tell by the tone of his voice he hadn’t meant to offend her. Niki’s nerves were raw and her reflexes unforgiving. It would take very little to make her pull the trigger.

She continued to watch every approach, but saw no sign of the soldiers. As the sun dipped below the trees a new fear entered her mind. They had lost so many supplies she wondered how they could withstand the cold night without a fire or shelter. The cot used by April and Lacy had been burned along with the tent, leaving only a circle of rocks to protect the children and her grandfather from the elements. Most of the other items destroyed by the soldiers had been nonessential, but the loss still made Niki feel as if their chances of survival had been drastically diminished.

As panic set in, Frank, Joe and Deuce returned with supplies, forcing her thoughts away from the depths of despair. The men still looked strong and the sight of them helped to fight back her dismal attitude. They had all survived the day, maybe they could survive another, until help arrived. She had no doubt Bob and Cal were doing everything in their power to rally forces.

“Your grandfather, the girls and Sarah are fine, and miraculously the horses didn’t try to break away despite all the noise. I had expected at least Storm to have escaped and to have hightailed it clear back to the ranch by now.” Deuce sat on the ground next to Niki.

She let out a sigh of relief. Their situation had deteriorated substantially throughout the day, but at least everyone was still alive, they had some supplies and they still had transportation. Niki had also feared that if Storm had been spotted, he might have been shot. If any of the day’s soldiers were tower guards, they had already tried to kill Storm once and they still might be mad about being outmaneuvered by a small woman on a fearless horse.

“It’s going to be a rough night though. We’ve lost nearly everything, including some very lovely pink lace panties, and building a fire probably isn’t a good idea. As far as we know those soldiers are just out of sight over the hill, probably enjoying some mutton, so anything that gives our position away is out.”

Deuce said it so smoothly that Niki hoped and prayed Frank and Joe hadn’t caught the reference to her undergarments which had been strewn about earlier in the day, but all hope was lost when Joe’s cough turned into a roar of laughter. Frank gave up fighting to hold back and laughed until he was bent over holding his side. Niki debated whether to punch Deuce or pretend she didn’t understand what was going on. Since forming a fist and shoving it into his granite abs sounded like too much work, she ignored the men and honed in on her biggest worry of the moment.

“Is Papa still too weak to sit on his own?”

Deuce cleared his throat and nodded. When he finally looked up she could see the humor was gone and worry and sympathy was etched on his beaten and bruised face. She wanted to reach out and touch him, run her fingers over his rough beard and try to ease the tension in his expression, but she forced herself to stay focused.

“So leaving under the cover of darkness is out?”

“I doubt he can survive another move and he definitely can’t ride, besides we don’t know if the soldiers are coming back or if they’ve left for good, so no sense taking the chance. And, how far could we really get anyway dragging a travois? The terrain this high up is too rough. If they’ve come this far, they probably plan to regroup and come at us again. A big group like ours can’t outrun those men for long even on horseback. I’ve thought about splitting into smaller groups, but I doubt if anyone here would be agreeable.”

“No, I couldn’t bear to leave anyone,” Niki replied softly.

“If the soldiers do come back we’ll just try to hold out as long as we can and pray that help arrives in time. It’s our only option. Help could be on the way as we speak or may never come, but I’m sure Dad and Cal are doing everything they can to reach us.”

Joe set a blackened camp pot on the ground in front of them and handed each person a spoon. “Eat up, it’s a long time til morning.”

Niki took a spoon and dug in. The previous night’s stew was cold, but it tasted good and it was comforting to do something as normal as eating. When Frank passed the canteen she drank like a person who had been wandering the desert for days and when she was finished she stuck her spoon back in the pot and continued to shovel. When Niki realized the men had quit eating she looked up, cheeks bulging from unchewed food as her eyes met Deuce’s stunned expression.

“Sorry. I guess I now understand when people talk about stress eating,” she said as she slowly swallowed.

“No apologies necessary. You saved Joe’s butt, again, and held up well throughout the afternoon. You could have run after I shot the man chasing you on the ridge, which I was praying you would, but you didn’t. You took his weapon and came to my aid. I wish so much I could tell you it’s over, but I doubt we could be that lucky.”

Niki knew it wasn’t over. All the afternoon had accomplished was to postpone the inevitable, but if help was on the way maybe the delay was worth the fight. The body count had grown and she doubted the soldiers would forget or forgive. Whatever reason brought them this far into the mountains, whether it be revenge for Colonel Nadari’s death or the belief they could lead them to the launch facility, Niki had no doubt the soldiers would be back to finish what they started.

“What do we do now?” she asked. “If they come back, we won’t be able to hold them off for long. We didn’t use much of our ammunition, but they have to know now how meager our defense is.”

“First things first¾survive the night. Since I don’t really want to snuggle up with Frank or Joe, you and I will keep watch up here. Frank and Joe will cozy up with everyone else in the rocks. Between body heat and our few blankets, hopefully we can all keep warm enough until sunrise.”

After Frank and Joe left, Deuce put a horse pad down in front of the backrest they had built when they first set up the look-out on the ridge. He sat on the pad and motioned for Niki to sit down in front of him. He squeezed her between his thighs and wrapped the small blanket around them both, pulling her tight to his chest.

They sat silently, wrapped tightly together, watching the sun finish its descent. Niki’s mind wandered back to everything she had learned about Deuce over the whole ordeal and felt she finally understood a little bit more about what had driven them apart. She couldn’t go back and support him during his tragedy the way she should have. Niki wanted to make it up to him, but feared they might not live long enough for that to happen, but she did have tonight to try and set things right between them.

“I’m so sorry. I should have been there for you when your mom died. I loved her like my own mother and looking back, I dealt with everything so poorly. I was scared and grieving, but worst of all I was a coward.”

Deuce didn’t respond for a moment and Niki was afraid he would shut her out and once again nothing would be settled. She reached up and placed her hands over his, which were clasped in front of her as he continued to hold her in a tight embrace. He shifted slightly and then spoke.

“I didn’t make things easy for anyone, especially you. If you were ever a coward you’re definitely not one anymore. I resented Dad when he quit beating himself up over mom’s death, but I think it’s time we all stop looking back and try to focus on the future—if we still have one.” He placed a light kiss on her cheek and intertwined his fingers with hers.

Niki doubted they would talk about the past anymore after tonight, but she believed they had made their peace and would finally be able to rebuild what they had lost—if they survived. She sighed and relaxed against Deuce’s chest, feeling oddly content amidst all the tragedy they had experienced and all that was sure to come.

“You know, I’ve missed you so much these past five years. I thought of you as my best friend growing up and when I lost that friendship I thought I might just die,” Niki whispered.

“I’m sorry. I was just so angry. When Dad didn’t force Mom to leave the ranch and refused to encourage her to keep trying experimental treatments, I convinced myself he’d killed her. The doctors said there was nothing they could do, but I didn’t believe them and I didn’t think Mom was strong enough to fight, so I was mad at Dad for not fighting for her. She just wanted to live out her days as normal as possible with her family in the home she loved rather than continuing to be a medical guinea pig in some damn hospital, but I just couldn’t accept that. It had always been just the three of us and as you know, Dad and I have never been real tight or any good at communicating, so the thought of losing her drove me a little crazy. I hated facing something I couldn’t control or fix.”

“I’m sure she fought as hard as she could. Your mother was strong and she loved her family so much that she wouldn’t have given up if there was any other choice.”

“I realize that now, but I guess I just wanted someone to pay for what was taken from our family, but there was no one to blame so I took it out on everyone within reach.”

Niki was glad Deuce was finally talking about what had been bottled up for so many years. She was also thankful her back rested against his chest and she didn’t have to look him in the eye when he spoke, which she imagined had made it easier on him to open up as well.

“I promise I’ll never walk away from you again in a crisis, whether you want me to or not.”

“Somehow that sounds a little more like a threat than a promise,” Deuce drawled.

Niki smiled. She couldn’t see his face, but she had a feeling he was smiling too.

“Try to get some sleep. We can’t afford to have a sniper with the shakes. I’ll wake you in a few hours and then I’ll get some rest.” Deuce wrapped his arms around her tighter and rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek brushing hers, wondering how many times he could hold her this close without taking more.

Niki doubted she would be able to fall asleep with everything running through her mind, but as she listened to the strong steady beat of his heart and felt the warmth of his body around her, she drifted off.