pulled low over his forehead.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” his gruff voice ordered. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” Kate was still dazed.
“Do you want to stay here and let this animal rape you?” She looked down to see Squirrelly lying limp on the floor, his britches almost to his knees. Blood oozed from the side of his head.
The man grabbed her hand. “I said come on.” Finally Kate recognized the unmistakable gentle drawl of the cowboy from the train.
The cowboy from the train!
He looked the same as he had when they boarded the train together: same clothes, same rudeness. Her shock at seeing Squirrelly lying on the floor, however, was greater than her surprise at seeing the cowboy. “Is he dead?” Her mouth was dry, making it difficult for her to talk.
“What do you care? He was going to rape you, and probably kill you.”
“How do I know you’re not one of them?” she said defiantly, yanking her arm free from his grip.
“You’re Miss Tyler, aren’t you?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Your father contacted the Texas Rangers. They’re looking for you.”
“Are you a Texas Ranger?”
“No. Now, are you coming or not? Make up your mind. I’m not waiting around here until Hayden gets back. He’s one mean son of a bitch.”
“I’m coming.” A quick thought passed through Kate’s mind. Going off with this strange man couldn’t possibly be any worse than waiting around for Eddy and Hayden to come back. Besides, the farther she was from here, the better. She reached for her bag, flung it over her arm, and hurriedly followed him out the door.
The sun clung to the very top of the hills, its disk a deep red. The purple color of twilight filled the sky. Shadows on the ground were growing larger by the second. Soon it would be dark.
Out in back of the cabin, the cowboy stopped and looked down at her feet. “Are those the only shoes you have?”
“Here? Yes.”
“Well, come on. They’ll have to do.” He grabbed her arm again and pulled her across the yard and into the dense bushes at the back of the cabin. Kate stumbled along behind him, her heels digging into the soil.
“Hurry up, I hear the car coming.” He stopped and pushed her down behind some underbrush.
“Stay here and don’t make a sound, no matter what you hear.”
“You’re leaving me now?” Eddy and Hayden were coming back!
“You’ll be all right. I won’t be gone long,” he said gently. “Don’t move, or I won’t be able to find you when I come back.” He was gone without a sound.
Kate stared blindly into the darkness. When she heard a pair of car doors slam, she had to will herself to keep breathing. The door to the cabin creaked, and then a string of obscenities reached her ears. Hayden was in a rage.
Where is the cowboy?
“You goddamn stupid fool! You let her get away!” Hayden shouted at the unconscious man on the floor. He drew back his foot and kicked Squirrelly “I should kill this useless son of a bitch!”
Eddy stared down at Squirrelly and gritted his teeth. His pants were unbuttoned and bunched around his knees. No doubt he had intended to rape Kate, but there was no evidence that he had completed the job. How had Kate managed to fight him off and get away? Blood oozed from the wound on Squirrelly’s head. Eddy hoped that the little shit had a headache for a month. The important thing now was to find Kate. Hayden snatched a lantern from the wall, lit it, and headed for the door.
“What are you going to do?” Eddy asked.
“Find her. What else?”
“Don’t hurt her.”
“I’d like to wring her damn neck,” Hayden muttered. He spat a stream of tobacco at Squirrelly’s motionless body. “She got the jump on him while he was thinking with his pecker, or maybe somebody helped her.”
“You said nobody knew about this cabin,” Eddy accused.
“Don’t be stupid, Jacobs! Damn cabin’s been here for fifty years or more. Fella named Castle knows about
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” his gruff voice ordered. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” Kate was still dazed.
“Do you want to stay here and let this animal rape you?” She looked down to see Squirrelly lying limp on the floor, his britches almost to his knees. Blood oozed from the side of his head.
The man grabbed her hand. “I said come on.” Finally Kate recognized the unmistakable gentle drawl of the cowboy from the train.
The cowboy from the train!
He looked the same as he had when they boarded the train together: same clothes, same rudeness. Her shock at seeing Squirrelly lying on the floor, however, was greater than her surprise at seeing the cowboy. “Is he dead?” Her mouth was dry, making it difficult for her to talk.
“What do you care? He was going to rape you, and probably kill you.”
“How do I know you’re not one of them?” she said defiantly, yanking her arm free from his grip.
“You’re Miss Tyler, aren’t you?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Your father contacted the Texas Rangers. They’re looking for you.”
“Are you a Texas Ranger?”
“No. Now, are you coming or not? Make up your mind. I’m not waiting around here until Hayden gets back. He’s one mean son of a bitch.”
“I’m coming.” A quick thought passed through Kate’s mind. Going off with this strange man couldn’t possibly be any worse than waiting around for Eddy and Hayden to come back. Besides, the farther she was from here, the better. She reached for her bag, flung it over her arm, and hurriedly followed him out the door.
The sun clung to the very top of the hills, its disk a deep red. The purple color of twilight filled the sky. Shadows on the ground were growing larger by the second. Soon it would be dark.
Out in back of the cabin, the cowboy stopped and looked down at her feet. “Are those the only shoes you have?”
“Here? Yes.”
“Well, come on. They’ll have to do.” He grabbed her arm again and pulled her across the yard and into the dense bushes at the back of the cabin. Kate stumbled along behind him, her heels digging into the soil.
“Hurry up, I hear the car coming.” He stopped and pushed her down behind some underbrush.
“Stay here and don’t make a sound, no matter what you hear.”
“You’re leaving me now?” Eddy and Hayden were coming back!
“You’ll be all right. I won’t be gone long,” he said gently. “Don’t move, or I won’t be able to find you when I come back.” He was gone without a sound.
Kate stared blindly into the darkness. When she heard a pair of car doors slam, she had to will herself to keep breathing. The door to the cabin creaked, and then a string of obscenities reached her ears. Hayden was in a rage.
Where is the cowboy?
“You goddamn stupid fool! You let her get away!” Hayden shouted at the unconscious man on the floor. He drew back his foot and kicked Squirrelly “I should kill this useless son of a bitch!”
Eddy stared down at Squirrelly and gritted his teeth. His pants were unbuttoned and bunched around his knees. No doubt he had intended to rape Kate, but there was no evidence that he had completed the job. How had Kate managed to fight him off and get away? Blood oozed from the wound on Squirrelly’s head. Eddy hoped that the little shit had a headache for a month. The important thing now was to find Kate. Hayden snatched a lantern from the wall, lit it, and headed for the door.
“What are you going to do?” Eddy asked.
“Find her. What else?”
“Don’t hurt her.”
“I’d like to wring her damn neck,” Hayden muttered. He spat a stream of tobacco at Squirrelly’s motionless body. “She got the jump on him while he was thinking with his pecker, or maybe somebody helped her.”
“You said nobody knew about this cabin,” Eddy accused.
“Don’t be stupid, Jacobs! Damn cabin’s been here for fifty years or more. Fella named Castle knows about
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