Chapter Eighty Violet held her baby girl in her arms. The child was swaddled in a blanket, gazing up at her mother. Much to her relief her baby had been born kicking and screaming. Her biggest fear had been that her baby would sickly, especially since she was born so early. But the little pumpkin was fine. She was small and but once she had put the child to her breast and the baby had latched on, Violet was certain she would be all right. Lou was back in the room, cleaning up and apologizing for running out on her but all Violet could see was her child. “She’s a beauty,” Lou said, coming to stand by Violet’s bedside. “She is, isn’t she,” Violet murmured. Jane opened the door and stepped inside. “The doctor is here.” She held out her arms as if to take the baby. Violet looked at Lou, her eyes filled with panic. There was no way she would give her child to Jane. “Isn’t the doctor going to take a look at both of them?” Lou asked. Jane frowned for an instant and then nodded. “I’ll send him right up.” She looked at Violet and baby. “I’m glad you are both fine.” “Thank you,” Violet replied, holding her baby a bit tighter. She had never felt so protective of anyone in her life. Jane had tried to hurt her best friend. She would never let that woman near her baby. When the doctor came into the room, he apologized profusely for not being there for the delivery. Lou exited the room, waiting for Jane in the hallway. Once Jane was out of the room, she put her arm on Jane’s. “Where were you last night?” She felt horrible for missing Violet’s birth. She and Kid had now smoothed things over. Kid was in town at the moment, buying Glen a drink as an apology. What Lou did not understand is where Jane and Teaspoon had gotten too. It was not like Teaspoon to miss such an important event. “I’m sorry, Miss,” Jane stammered. “I’m not blaming you,” Lou said quickly. “I was just concerned.” And she wanted to know where the woman was. Was she out with her conspirators? Not that she would admit it, but maybe she would come up with a foolish lie or say something that might prove useful in the future. But all she could do was sigh at Jane’s next words. “I was a bit overwhelmed. I kept thinking about how much Mattie would want to be by Miss Violet’s bedside. So I took a walk.” “Alone?” Lou exclaimed. Jane stared at her. “We don’t know who is out there, or what their intentions are toward anyone in this house,” Lou continued quickly. “You are right,” Jane said quietly. “I just needed some time to sort out my feelings.” Lou nodded. “I’m going to get started on dinner,” Jane added. “When the doctor is through maybe you’d like to ask him to join us? As a thank you?” “I will,” Lou replied. She clasped her hands tightly, as Jane disappeared down the stairs, her mind still reeling. She decided she would go visit Mattie and Jimmy today, let them know about Violet’s baby when Teaspoon came up the stairs. “How are you?” Lou asked quietly. “I heard you and Jane,” Teaspoon told her, his voice heavy. “I wasn’t accusing her,” Lou said quickly. She knew how protective Teaspoon was of Jane. “She wasn’t alone, Lou,” Teaspoon whispered. “I was following her.” Chapter Eighty One Mattie went into the cabin. Jimmy was lying on the bed. He appeared to be asleep. She went to the bed and snuggled close to him. She wanted his arms around her. As she had hoped, Jimmy stirred and held her close. “You okay?” he murmured. He had left her alone to give her some time to think. He had stood by the door, waiting, wanting to go to her, but he also knew how hard the news had hit her. She was not ready for him to come to her. He had to wait for her to come to him. “My grandmother gave me letters my mother had written her.” “And?” “I don’t understand how she did everything.” Mattie’s eyes began to fill with tears as she recounted her mother’s tale. Dinara had left Witches Peak when her mother had been sent to jail and as Katya said; she began working as a clerk. She had described the town, her grouchy boss, and the various customers - The old man who paid his friend’s bills, the widow who bought too much, the children who pestered their parents for candy. It had been a vivid description of a town and its activities. The second to last letter had been about realizing she was pregnant. Mattie, in spite of Katya’s words, had been shocked to see her mother write that she would do anything to make sure her baby was safe. Her baby! The last letter had been about a young man she had met, Michael, her pa, and how handsome he was. “I wish there were more,” Mattie whispered. She would have loved to have learned more about her mother’s life. “You know the rest,” Jimmy told her. “Trust yourself. Your ma and pa loved you.” “I just don’t see how.” Jimmy held her face in her hands and kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re pretty damn loveable,” he teased. Mattie could not answer. How could any mother love a child that was not wanted? A child that was the result of rape? Every time she looked at her, her mother must have been reminded of the night Amos attacked her. “You know about Buck, right?” Jimmy asked quietly when Mattie did not respond to his words or kisses. “Yes.” Violet had told her Buck’s tale. “His mother loved him.” Mattie nodded. Just because she knew someone else who had been conceived through rape and was loved did not mean she was loved. But all she had were loving memories. God, she was so confused. She buried her head against Jimmy’s chest. “I love you,” Jimmy told her. “It’s not the same.” Mattie knew she sounded petulant but it was not the same. Jimmy did not have to go through trauma because of her. She moved away from. That was not true. Jimmy had suffered because of her. “You’d be whole if it wasn’t for me,” Mattie said softly. “I’d be alone,” Jimmy whispered. He paused, amending his last statement. “No, that isn’t it. The truth of the matter is without you, I’d be lonely.” His voice broke with the last words. Mattie blinked back the tears, moving a hand to stroke his cheek. “And what happened wasn’t your doing,” he continued, his voice growing more resolute. “If I hadn’t existed my ma would have had an easier life. You’d have your arm,” Mattie reminded him. “Your ma left because of Amos not you!” Jimmy said firmly. “She didn’t even know about you when she left. And you read it yourself. You were her priority. You lived with her and your father. You know how they felt about you. And you didn’t set the fire. Whoever set it did me wrong, not you.” “It’s just so hard to believe that anyone could love a child conceived like that.” “I know,” Jimmy murmured. “Talk to Buck. Trust your own memories. It’s a whole lot better than imagining how people felt.” He left a trail of kisses down her neck. “I’ll try,” Mattie whispered, snuggling closer to him, finally able to respond to his kisses. Chapter Eighty Two Lou nodded her head, hoping she looked interested and supportive. But inside she was worried. She had not seen Teaspoon look this glum well, since the day the Express closed. “Who was Jane with?” she asked gently. “I would have come back Lou; you have to tell Violet that I didn’t abandon her.” Teaspoon looked even more dejected, realizing Violet had given birth and he had missed it. “You can go up and see her. She’ll understand. Besides,” she grinned, “it’s not like you would have even been in the room.” Teaspoon nodded, obviously not pacified by Lou’s words. “Jane was with?” Lou prompted. “Pierce,” Teaspoon whispered. Lou blanched. “Are you sure?” She had had her suspicions about Jane for a while now. And knowing what she knew about Mattie, well, maybe it was not really a surprise. Pierce and Mattie were both somehow related to Amos Farthington. Maybe his grandchildren, Lou mused to herself. Pierce probably wanted to be the heir. His plan was probably to finish off the real heir and dispose of the pretend one through legal means, she thought. Teaspoon wearily rubbed his eyes. “I saw them, together, whispering.” He looked at Lou. “I couldn’t make out what they were saying.” He paused, “She had to have been the one to let Pierce in the house the day Mattie went missing.” He dropped his head. “I didn’t want to believe it was her.” “But you did, didn’t you?” Lou asked gently. Teaspoon looked at her once again. “What choice did I have?” He asked heavily. “She made up that cockamamie story about Pierce sweet talking Linda. How could I believe anything as foolish as that?” “I know what it’s like to feel stupid because someone pulled the wool over your eyes.” “I should know better,” he replied wryly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Lou smiled. “I think every one of us has been in your shoes.” Teaspoon shook his head. “There ain’t no fool like an old fool.” “Stop!” Lou said sharply. She needed the old Teaspoon, the wily man who mentored them in the days of the Express. “We don’t need you to wallow in your pity. We need you to help us.” Teaspoon furrowed his brow, his interest perked at Lou’s words. “Help you for what? I thought we’d just turn Jane in.” “Teaspoon,” Lou said teasingly, “are you really going to do something as simple as that?” “You have something better in mind?” “Well, no, not yet.” Lou glanced at the house. Her mind did not work like that. She was far too straightforward to deal with this mess. She wanted everyone’s input. “I just think it’s time we had a meeting.” “Well, we haven’t had one in a while.” Lou’s heart gladdened at Teaspoon’s smile. “Now that’s the spirit,” Lou grinned. “I’ll get Jimmy, you round up the rest of the boys and we’ll meet in Violet’s room.” Teaspoon arched a brow at her. “You know where Jimmy is? I thought no one knew.” Lou felt her cheeks grow warm. “Yeah, well, we’ll get to that later.” Teaspoon laughed. “We’ll all meet in an hour in Violet’s room. I’ll send Jane to town with a list of things the baby needs.” “Now you’re talking!” Lou told him warmly, glad to see Teaspoon’s mind whirling once again. Chapter Eighty Three Jimmy turned to see Isaiah bringing Lou to the cabin, his hand firmly wrapped around her upper arm. “You let go of me, you big ape!” Lou spat out angrily. She glared at Jimmy. “Glad you are enjoying this,” she declared upon seeing his smirk. Jimmy released Mattie. They had been standing outside the cabin and he had his arms around her, just holding her, hoping he could give her some piece of mind. She was still trying to sort through the information Katya had given her. Katya was standing beside a large pot that was above a fire. She and Isaiah appeared to do most of their cooking outside. Jimmy had learned that the couple camped for several weeks at a time, traveling and trapping, and then returned to the cabin. The cabin served as a home base. The couple lived by selling the furs they caught. “She’s our friend,” Mattie said and Jimmy was glad to see her smile, even if it was at Lou’s expense. Isaiah dropped his hand and Lou rubbed her arm. “Who are you?” she demanded, glaring at Isaiah. “Isaiah, Miss,” he replied, bowing his head slightly. “Jimmy and Mattie have been staying at our cabin.” “Their cabin?” Lou turned to look at Jimmy, her face filled with bewilderment. “Who are they?” “It’s a long story,” Jimmy told her. “Everything okay back at the house? Teaspoon isn’t getting suspicious of me being gone is he?” He paused upon remembering something. “How’d you know where I was?” “Buck told me,” Lou said, still rubbing her arm and turning periodically to glare at both Jimmy and Isaiah, who backed away after one too many angry looks. He was now at the fire with Katya. “We were waiting together while Violet was in labor. He filled me in on your plan and where you were.” “Is Violet okay?” Mattie asked quickly. “She’s fine.” Lou said, finally smiling. “She had a beautiful, healthy, little girl.” Mattie smiled back at her. “I wish I could see them,” she said wistfully. “If you are heading back, maybe I could -” “No,” Lou and Jimmy erupted simultaneously. “Give it a day at least. We need to figure some things out,” Lou added. “Then we’ll get you in to see them.” Jimmy frowned. “What things?” “Teaspoon saw Jane with Pierce.” Jimmy stared at her. “He isn’t as infatuated with her as we all thought. He knows she is responsible but he ain’t sure exactly what she is responsible for,” Lou finished. “We are gonna meet in Violet’s room to talk things out.” She gave Jimmy a hard look. “You gotta tell him about what you know, and that Mattie is alive.” Jimmy nodded; the tension he had felt at deceiving Teaspoon had dissolved at Lou’s words. “There’s something…” Lou let her words trail off. She did not know how to say the words to Mattie. Mattie frowned. “I think somehow you and Pierce are related,” Lou finished heavily. She hated saying the words. Like poor Mattie had not been through enough. Mattie glanced at Jimmy. “I think so too,” she said quietly. “We talked about it,” Jimmy added. Lou frowned. “It’ll make more sense once I tell you about Katya and Isaiah,” Jimmy continued. He turned to Mattie. “I’ll be back soon.” “I know,” Mattie whispered. She squeezed his hands. When she saw him hesitate, she added, “Go on, I’ll be fine.” She dipped her head in Katya and Isaiah’s direction. Reluctantly Jimmy let go of her fingers and went to Lou’s side, knowing she was right. No one would get near her with Isaiah around, he thought, with no small amount of relief. He waved at Katya and Isaiah who were staring at him. “Mattie will fill you,” he called back. Once they were out of sight of the cabin, Lou looked at him expectantly and Jimmy filled her in about how they met Isaiah and Katya and who they were to Mattie. Chapter Eighty Four Teaspoon knocked at Violet’s door. He heard her call out, “Come in.” Gingerly he opened the door. He could not help but smile at the sight. Buck was sitting in a chair, holding Violet’s baby but he was sound asleep. “She was fussy last night,” Violet explained. “Buck paced the hallways with her so I could get some sleep.” She looked at him and Teaspoon saw the warmth in her eyes. “Poor fella didn’t get any sleep himself.” “He’s sleeping now,” Teaspoon told her lightly. He gently pried the baby loose and held her. This was as close to a grandchild as he would get, he realized. “She’s a beauty, a real peach.” Violet beamed at him. “So what’s her name?” “I don’t know,” she replied. “I thought about Minerva, after ma, but she doesn’t look like a Minerva. Aloysius doesn’t seem fitting either,” she added wryly. Teaspoon chuckled. “You got time enough to think of a name special enough for this peach of a girl. Right, Peach?” he cooed, pleased to see the baby open her eyes and give him small smile. She had Violet’s bright blue eyes and a dusting of light blond hair on the top of her head. “Hey, she likes it.” “Peach?” Violet exclaimed. “She kinda looks like a peach,” Buck said opening his eyes and grinning at her. “Stop, these things have a way of sticking!” Violet demanded. “And you,” she glared at Buck, “don’t encourage him in this foolishness.” “Then think of a name,” Teaspoon replied easily. “Once you do, we’ll all call her by her name. But we can’t call her baby or she, now can we?” Violet scowled at him. “Baby is worse than Peach,” Buck said, with a teasing smile. Violet rolled her eyes at him. Kid knocked and opened the door, sticking his head inside. “Lou told me that I should tell all of you that we are meeting in here. You up for that?” he asked Violet. Violet smiled, obviously pleased to be included. “I feel fine.” She furrowed her brow slightly. “What are we meeting about?” “Something I saw,” Teaspoon said heavily. He tried to keep his focus on the baby and the joy he felt from holding her, not the pain of realizing Jane had been using him. “Lou is just grabbing a bite and Jimmy is washing up,” Kid told them. “Do you need anything before they get here?” Violet shook her head. “Good,” Jimmy said, entering the room Lou right behind him, “’cause we are here.” “Where do you want to start?” Lou asked, taking a seat on the bed. Jimmy sat on the window sill and Kid leaned against the door jamb, keeping an eye peeled for Jane. “I will,” Teaspoon said quietly. He described how he had merely been going after Jane to comfort her but had lost her. He then went to the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee then suddenly Max had begun yipping. When he let the dog outside, he had begun running. Teaspoon, not wanting the pup to get lost, followed him. It was then he saw Jane with Pierce. “I couldn’t make out what they were saying but they were together a long while,” he finished. “I’m sorry,” Violet told him. Teaspoon shrugged. “I wish I could say I was pretending, letting her think she had pulled the wool over my eyes so I could catch her unawares, but that ain’t true. I was an old fool.” “It still worked for us,” Kid said quietly. “Doesn’t matter,” Jimmy said brusquely. “We now have the upper hand. She doesn’t suspect you, does she?” he asked Teaspoon. “Nope,” Teaspoon said sadly. “She still gives me the same sweet talk. But I can see now, her heart just ain’t in it.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I missed it before.” Lou glanced meaningfully at Jimmy who cleared his throat. “Well, I got some news too,” he put in. He quickly explained that Mattie was alive and that they realized that Jane had been poisoning her once he had gotten sick from the food Jane had prepared. “You lied to us,” Teaspoon exclaimed. He sighed. “Not that I blame you.” “Sorry,” Jimmy told him ruefully. “I just wanted to make sure Mattie was safe.” “I know,” Teaspoon said heavily, once again kicking himself for his folly. “I can’t believe it,” Kid sighed. “Jane is her grandmother and she tried to kill her.” “No she ain’t,” Jimmy announced. When everyone began to speak at once, he raised a hand and once the room was silent he said, “That ain’t even the half of it.” He then went on to explain who Katya was and what had happened to Dinara. “So Mattie is the real heir,” Violet said. “Is Katya nice? Is Mattie okay?” “Katya is great,” Jimmy smiled. “She and her husband, Isaiah, have been heaven sent. Mattie took to them right away. And them to her.” “So now what?” Lou asked. “We know what Jane was planning. She must have gotten Amos to change the will, or she somehow got it changed herself and then she planned on killing off the real heir and then getting Violet disinherited legally. Did she just not figure on Amos having lawyers?” she asked incredulous. “Either Pierce or Jane must have killed Steven Millard,” Buck surmised. “Why?” Violet asked. “Did he know about Mattie?” “He must have uncovered something?” Kid added. “Too bad we don’t know what he had with him. I wonder how Amos knew about Mattie?” he continued to muse. Teaspoon shook his head. There were still so many things they did not know. “When does the other lawyer arrive?” Jimmy asked. “Should be soon,” Teaspoon replied. “Maybe the other lawyer should go to Council Bluffs and take a stage here. Jane wouldn’t be expecting that,” Lou said. Teaspoon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “That’s a good idea, Lou. I’ll wire the lawyer’s office directly.” “Is Pierce Jane’s son then?” Violet asked. “I think so,” Jimmy said. “I think Pierce and Mattie are Amos’ children.” “And Pierce is angry that Mattie got everything not him.” Lou shook her head. Jimmy and she had discussed this on their trek back to the house. “I just don’t know why Amos would do that, favor one child over the other.” “Guilt,” Buck interjected. “Maybe him favoring Dinara’s child’s made Jane angry,” Teaspoon guessed. “Some favor,” Lou grumbled. “Favored her in the will,” Kid put in gently. “You think this is all Jane’s idea?” Buck asked. “Trying to kill Mattie and then disinherit Violet?” “I don’t rightly know,” Teaspoon admitted. “So what do we do now?” Violet asked. “We get the other lawyer here, safe,” Teaspoon declared, bouncing the baby in his arms up and down as she had started to fuss. “And keep watch on you and Mattie.” “Sounds the same as before,” Violet grumbled. “Except this time we know who to keep you safe from,” Teaspoon told her quietly. Violet dropped her head and nodded. Chapter Eighty Five Mattie leaned over the stream and splashed the cool water on her face. She had come down here to wash up before dinner. She also wanted some time alone to mull over things. Violet had had her baby and she was stuck out here. According to Lou she had a brother. Or at least they thought she had a brother. They were trying to confirm this possibility was all Lou had said rather cryptically. She had a brother who wanted her dead, she thought with a grimace, and someone who had called herself her grandmother had tried to kill her. She sighed to herself as she stood up. Well, she had thought her life back home had been boring. This was at least not boring. Suddenly she heard shouts and began to run. That was Isaiah’s loud yell. When she arrived at the cabin, she stopped, too shocked for a moment to move. Isaiah was on the ground, blood pouring from his side. Katya was next to him, her arms around him as she rocked back in forth, her agony obvious to all. But that was not even the worst thing Mattie could see. The cabin, the small tidy cabin she had been calling home, was ablaze. She ran toward it, wanted to help Katya and Isaiah, wanting to help put out the fire, but she did not do any of those things. She felt a pair of hands grab her and then there was nothing. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “What makes you think Katya could help us?” Jimmy asked as he and Teaspoon rode companionably to the small cabin out in the woods. After the meeting had broken up, Teaspoon had asked Jimmy if he could meet Isaiah and Katya and he had agreed. It was a nice feeling to have Teaspoon back on their side. “I don’t know,” Teaspoon drawled, “but don’t it strike you as odd that these fires keep popping up in Mattie’s life?” Jimmy frowned. “Yeah,” he said slowly. He had thought about that from time to time but never really had time to focus on the issue. “First her ma and pa die in a fire and then it happens when she comes up here again,” Teaspoon said quietly. “So you think its Jane, right?” Jimmy surmised. “Setting the fires? Pierce would be too young for the first one.” Teaspoon sighed. “I reckon so. I don’t know who else it could be. Unless now it’s both of ‘em.” Jimmy recalled another conversation about a similar subject. “When Mattie was first hurt the doctor said something like Jane seeing Mattie like that being hard on her.” He wished he could remember the doctor’s exact words. “I asked her about it and she said it was because she had lost her children when they were young.” “Maybe we should ask that doctor some more questions.” Jimmy nodded his head in agreement. “I wonder how Jane even knew Mattie existed and where she lived.” Teaspoon shrugged. Suddenly Jimmy pulled his horse to a stop. “Teaspoon,” he said slowly. He could not believe what he was seeing. Ahead of him was smoke, a lot of it. It couldn’t be another one, could? Teaspoon dug his heels into his horse’s side and took off a top speed. “I’m afraid so,” he shouted at Jimmy who was now galloping right beside him. Once they reached the cabin, both men jumped off their mounts and ran to Katya’s side. “What happened?” Jimmy half shouted. Both he and Teaspoon had an arm under Isaiah’s shoulders and were pulling him away from the burning cabin. Katya hurried after them. Once they were a safe distance away, Jimmy and Teaspoon released him. “I do not know!” Katya cried, kneeling beside Isaiah once more. “Where’s Mattie?” Jimmy asked loudly, his head swing wildly from left to right. He did not see any sign of her. “Ma’am,” Teaspoon said gently, crouching beside her. “Can you remember anything?” “I’m fine, Katya,” Isaiah said, his breath labored. “Tell them what happened.” Katya nodded. “We were coming back to the house and we saw it on fire. Isaiah was looking in one direction,” she paused. “For Mattie. She wasn’t with us. She was at the creek washing up,” Isaiah finished for her. Katya nodded once more. “Then the house was on fire and Isaiah was heading back to get Mattie when he was shot.” She stopped, her eyes filling with tears. “I should have gone back. That was a distraction, wasn’t it? She’s gone?” she asked. “I don’t see her anywhere.” “I think so,” Teaspoon said softly. “What?” Jimmy exploded. Teaspoon rose quickly to his feet. “Go search for tracks by the creek,” he commanded Jimmy. He looked at Katya, “Will you be all right? I’m gonna head back to the house, send the doc this way and get everyone else out searching too?” Katya glanced at Isaiah. “Yes,” Isaiah interjected, “I’m fine. Go. Hurry.” Teaspoon nodded. He began moving toward his horse. “Go, Jimmy,” he urged, “I’ll send Buck your way. I’ll send Kid to town for some help, and we’ll get this blaze out and then poke around here, see what we can find.” He met Katya’s eyes. “The fire shouldn’t spread much and we’ll be back as fast as we can. It’s a pretty small blaze and the ground ain’t dry.” Katya forced her lips to form a smile, the strain of the day filling her eyes. “No, do not worry about us. Find Mattie.” “I’ll be back right quick,” Teaspoon said, as Jimmy ran to his horse. Chapter Eighty Six Mattie awoke and found herself staring at a boy who was about twelve years old. She tried to stand but found herself tied to a tree by one ankle. A length of rope was looped around her ankle and went back around the trunk of a large elm. Whenever she tried to pull her ankle the rope got tighter. When she held her leg still it loosened. “Good knot, huh?” the boy beamed. “You can move around but you can’t get away,” he continued, his voice full of pride. “Who the hell are you?” Mattie shouted. “You let me go, you little fiend!” “You best shut up,” the boy told her, glancing about nervously, “else Travis and Robert will gag you.” Mattie stared at him. Was he serious? “Okay, I’ll play,” she said irritably. “Who are Travis and Robert and why did you bring me out here?” “My brothers,” he explained. “And we brung you out her so we can sell you!” he continued excitedly. “What?” Mattie said disbelievingly. This had to be some kind of bad dream. She was kidnapped by a midget and he was going sell her? “I hear them,” the boy said, his eyes filled with worry. “Quit talking so loud.” He waved a hand at her, silencing her until he spoke once more. “It’s better than what Travis wanted to do. He wanted to kill you. But I told them finding a dead body would bring us nothing but trouble. This way you’ll just be missing and they can’t pin you missing on anyone. No witnesses,” he finished triumphantly. “Where are Travis and Robert?” Mattie said, still baffled by this who series of events. “My brothers are making sure it’s all clear so we can git moving,” the boy told her. “And from what I hear told, they are your brothers too.” Mattie eyes grew wide. Jane had more children with Amos? How could they not have known this? “Ain’t right for a brother to kill his sister, even if you got everything and we got nothing,” the boy continued. “I didn’t know about all of you,” Mattie said softly. “I’d never keep everything from kin,” she added, continuing the boy’s theme of family. It was clearly something he valued. “It wouldn’t be right.” “Your mama and grammy schemed and plotted and now you got it all,” the boy declared. Mattie frowned. Clearly someone, most likely Jane, had filled this boy’s head with tales about her mother and grandmother. “Amos forced himself on my mama,” Mattie explained. “No one was scheming.” “Yeah, yeah.” The boy rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Your poor grammy got old so she got her purty daughter to shake her tail at my daddy, get him interested and then took off so he’d always be thinking about her. I bet she hoped he find her and marry her. Well mama took care of that stupid plan.” Mattie’s eyes filled with tears. Jane had murdered her mother?! That had to be what that boy meant by that statement. “That’s not what happened,” she whispered. “Aw, shut up. Quit yer crying, you baby. I got ‘em from killing you; just be happy with that.” “So who are you selling me to?” Mattie asked tiredly. She willed Jimmy to find her and put an end to this madness. She pulled her leg up. Or maybe she could work her way loose, she thought. Either way, something had to happen. She could not leave her fate to these blithering idiots. “White slavers,” the boy said matter-a-factly. “You’re as purty as your mama was, or at least that’s what Robert says. You’ll fetch us a nice price and you’ll be gone. No can say we killed ya for the money.” Mattie willed herself to think properly. She needed to get out of this mess or at least stall for time. “I won’t fetch nothing,” she declared. “You all started that other fire, the one that got me and Violet, right?” “Weren’t my idea,” the boy mumbled. “Well thanks to whoever’s idea it was, I got burned.” She turned her back to him and lifted her blouse a bit then turned back. “No one will pay for someone scarred like that.” “Yer fella don’t mind,” the boy retorted. “He’s supposed to be some big shot.” “He’s special,” Mattie said softly. “Then we’ll throw his name into the pot. That’ll get some buyers.” He looked over his shoulder. “They’re coming so lay down and pretend yer still out otherwise they’ll stick that gag into yer mouth.” Mattie stared at him and when he waved a hand at her impatiently, she complied. This boy was probably the most compassionate of the brothers, not that that was saying much. What a mess. This idiot and his bright ideas. But at least he didn’t want her dead, she thought. She just had to figure out a way to stall for time, escape or get him to release her. Chapter Eighty Seven Teaspoon let out a loud sigh of relief. The fire did not require much effort to put out. He, Kid, the doctor and a deputy managed all by themselves to put it out. The deputy and Kid were now discussing the fire and the previous one that had injured Mattie. They had been keeping the law informed but since the sheriff knew Teaspoon was a former marshal he had stayed out of their business. But now Mattie was missing. They needed more help. The sheriff had gone to the house to question Jane and keep an eye on Lou and Violet. Teaspoon ambled to the doctor’s side. The doctor had just finished wrapping Isaiah’s wound. “And how are you, Ma’am?” he asked Katya. “Fine,” she replied. Teaspoon caught the doctor’s eye. “Mind if I have a word with you?” “No.” The doctor rose to his feet. “I’d like to bring you both to my office so I can keep watch over you overnight,” he told Katya and Isaiah. Katya looked at Teaspoon who gave her a tiny nod. “That will be fine,” she replied. “Soon as Mr. Teaspoon and I finish up, we’ll head back,” the doctor said. He motioned to his wagon. “If you’d like, you can start toward my wagon.” “Thank you,” Isaiah said. He struggled to his feet but managed to move in the direction of the wagon. Katya had an arm around the big man’s midsection. The doctor then turned to Teaspoon. “You wanted to ask me something?” “About Jane,” Teaspoon said. “Jimmy recalled a conversation you had with her.” The doctor looked at him expectantly. “Yes?” “You said something about losing children?” “Yes, Jane’s children died in a fire when the oldest was about thirteen, as I recall.” The doctor furrowed his brow. “Another fire?” Teaspoon exclaimed. “I was new then. I really didn’t think much of it,” he said sheepishly, “until now. Jane was living her with her two boys in the servant’s quarters. Amos built the barn over the site,” he explained. “Both boys died in the fire,” he added somberly. Both boys! Teaspoon thought, with no small amount of shock. There were two? Teaspoon awaited the doctor’s continued explanation. The man had clearly put two and two together. “So many fires,” the doctor mused aloud, “It’s not an accident is it?” Without waiting for an answer, he added, “Its arson, right?” “That’s what I’m figuring.” “Why?” “What else, money.” Teaspoon paused. “Were the bodies ever recovered?” The doctor gave him a startled look. “They are buried in the cemetery!” Teaspoon made a note to speak to the sheriff about exhuming the bodies. “But that doesn’t mean there are bodies in the grave,” the doctor concluded with a heavy sigh. “No, it don’t.” Teaspoon was pleased by the doctor’s line of thinking, if not the thought itself. “You think Jane and her boys are behind all these fires?” “I don’t know who else it could be.” “What can I do to help?” “Don’t let on what we suspect,” Teaspoon told him. “Just take good care of Isaiah and Katya. And if you get a chance, check up on Violet and her baby.” “I will,” the doctor replied. Chapter Eighty Eight Jimmy searched the banks of the creek. There were a few footprints but they had vanished. They must have crossed the creek, he decided. They meaning Mattie and whoever had her. He waded through the muddy water and climbed up the bank still searching for footprints. He frowned when he saw none. Did they cross the creek? Had he missed footprints on the other side or had they been swept away? He was so lost in his thoughts that when Buck and Max arrived, he almost walked right into them. “Find any footprints?” Buck asked quickly. Jimmy shook his head. Buck removed a sheet from the bag he was holding and held it under Max’s nose. “Find her,” he commanded. “What are you doing?” Jimmy asked. “Max is part wolf,” Buck explained. “He should be able to track Mattie’s scent. I brought one of the sheets from her bed at the house along to remind of him of her scent.” “But he ain’t trained to do this,” Jimmy replied grimly. It was a good idea but Max was still a puppy who rarely did what was expected of him. “I was hoping instinct would take over,” Buck said quietly. Both men watched as the pup sniffed around, under leaves and in a thicket. Max jumped when a rabbit leapt from the thicket. “Buck,” Jimmy said slowly as he continued to watch Max sniff the ground aimlessly. He then yapped at a small tree. “Why don’t we keep searching for tracks,” Buck interrupted. They were at a dead end, Jimmy realized. “Maybe we should start here and then keep fanning out,” Buck added. Jimmy felt a surge of annoyance at his friend’s words. Why was Buck throwing out these random suggestions? He sighed to himself. Because he knew they were at a dead end as well. Mattie was gone and they did not have a clue as to where she had been taken. Suddenly Max’s ears pricked up and he began to run, baying loudly. “He’s got something,” Buck shouted, as he began to run after the dog. “Must be part bloodhound,” Jimmy grinned, as he too began to run. Chapter Eighty Nine Mattie held herself still, listening to the voices. One voice was familiar. It had to be Pierce’s or whatever his real name was. He had only said a few words but Mattie had recognized his voice. The other voice was unfamiliar and his words were terrifying. He was going on and on about burning the cabin down and shooting Isaiah. “Yeah,” the voice said, “Robert couldn’t even shoot the fat bastard when he started toward us.” Mattie heard some mumbling. “She come to yet, Wil?” Robert/Pierce asked. “No.” Mattie now knew the young boy’s name to be Wil. At least he was still protecting her. Or maybe he was protecting himself. “I don’t believe ya,” the other voice, who Mattie guessed was Travis. She felt someone jerk her by the hair and much to her dismay she cried out. “I knew she was awake,” he said gleefully. Wil marched to his brother’s side and shoved him. Mattie fell back to the ground. “Let ‘er be,” Wil told his brother, his eyes blazing. “What you sweet on her?” Travis cackled. He pushed Wil so that he landed on his knees beside her. Mattie quickly sat up and drew herself away from Wil. She wrapped her arms protectively around herself. “Go on,” Travis said, his voice menacing, “don’t you wanna sample the merchandise ‘fore you sell it?” He gave Mattie a look that made her skin crawl, “Make sure it’s worth something?” Wil scrambled to his feet. “She’s our sister,” he said plaintively. “Who the hell cares?” Travis retorted. He grabbed Mattie by the blouse and pulled her up toward him. “She’s here and I ain’t had a woman in weeks.” Mattie pushed at him but he was too strong. Before she knew it he was on top of her, tearing at her clothing. “Please,” she gasped, “don’t do this.” Suddenly Travis was gone and when Mattie looked up, she saw Robert holding him by the collar. “Leave her alone,” he said tersely. “What you wanna go first?” Travis laughed. “Go ‘head. I can wait my turn.” “What we’re doing, it ain’t right,” Robert said. “It has to stop. We can just -” “Shut up!” Travis snarled. He shoved Robert backward, freeing himself from his brother’s grasp. “Mama was right when she’d say you were too soft.” Robert shook his head. He glanced at Mattie before training his eyes back on Travis. “We never had a chance,” he said and Mattie assumed he was talking to her. “All our lives we didn’t hear anything but how you stole everything from us, you and your mama. But I remember your mama, she was good to me, so was your granny.” “What are you saying? You are falling for their tricks, ain’t ya? You can’t back out of this! Not after all our planning. We are almost there.” Travis voice grew more pleading with every word that came out of his mouth. “How many people are we gonna kill for money?” Robert asked him tiredly. “Is it really worth it? Do you think we’re really going to get away with all this?” “You heard mama. You know what they took from her.” “I know what she said. I just don’t know if I believe it anymore. I spent time with them.” Robert met Mattie’s eyes. “I watched you, before,” he paused, “before the fire. You weren’t what I expected.” Mattie shook her head. “I didn’t know about you. I didn’t know about the money. I don’t even want his filthy money.” “I know,” Robert told her, “I know now.” He looked sadly at his brother. “He still doesn’t understand. He doesn’t realize that we are going to hang for what we have done.” “Shut up!” Travis half shouted. He slammed a fist into Robert’s head. “I’m sorry,” Robert said, shaking off the blow, “for everything. It’s too late for me and Travis. But not Wil. We’ve done too much, hurt too many people. But Wil hasn’t done anything.” He pushed Travis backward. “You take care of him for me, okay?” He then pulled out a gun and shot Travis in the chest. He then put the gun under his chin and fired once more. “NO!” Wil cried, running toward his brothers. All Mattie could do was stare at the two bodies in front of her utter in horror. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Buck ran faster when he heard the gunshots, as did Jimmy. Both men were neck and neck, only a few steps behind Max as they raced through the grassy plains. In a few minutes they reached a grove of cottonwoods and saw two bodies on the ground and a young boy beside them, sobbing. Mattie was next to the tree, just staring at the sight in front of her. Jimmy raced to Mattie’s side and cradled her in his arms. Buck moved the boy’s side and motioned him to stand, his gun pointed at him. “No,” Mattie cried, “don’t hurt him.” Jimmy stared at her. “What is going on here?” Mattie shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say.” She covered her face with her hands. “Please don’t hurt him. He’s my brother.” Drop me a note and let me know what you thought!