Page 87 of Mail-Order Viscountess

Could he cause a distraction and draw them away from Kate long enough for her to escape?

She was tied to that saddle, and the horse hitched to a tree. She couldn’t just ride away. Even if he did manage to spook the horse enough for the animal to break free from its tether, if her hands were tied, a panicked horse would only put her in more danger.

Movement at the near edge of the clearing caught his attention. Two more men stomped through the trees to join the others.

His insides clenched. How had he not seen them approaching? They must have come from the left, the direction of the road to Butte. At least they hadn’t walked near enough to see him.

Seven now.

All of them armed. Rifles. Revolvers. Probably knives too.

Seven against one.

His fingers tightened on his rifle. He was a good shot—better than good, really. Years of hunting in these mountains had honed his aim until he could drop a deer at a hundred strides.

But seven men? With Kate in the middle of them?

One shot, and they’d use her as a shield. Or worse.

A gray-bearded man moved toward his horse and swung into the saddle. “Mount up. We ride,” he called to the others.

Within moments, all the men sat astride—Jake settled behind Kate. The sight of that man’s arms around her sent heat flaring through Thomas. The lecherous murdering cad.

Thomas forced the rage down. Anger wouldn’t help Kate. He needed to think clearly and not rashly.

They kicked their horses into motion, heading north through the trees.

He turned and sprinted back the way he’d come, branches catching at his coat as he crashed through the undergrowth. No time for stealth now. Speed was everything.

He couldn’t stay with them on foot. Not through this terrain, not at the pace they’d be riding. By the time he made it back to the livery, they’d have a solid head start. He might lose them.

He’d have to trust they were riding to the ranch. Once he had a horse, he could take the main road, but stay off to the side. Out of sight.

Rufus should have the horse ready by now.

His boots sprayed snow with each step as he burst from the tree line and sprinted down the back alley. Through a path between two buildings. The shortest route to the livery.

Finally that building sat ahead of him, across the main road, its wide doors still open.

He charged the final distance. “Rufus! That horse—it’s ready?”

The older man looked up from checking the cinch, his eyes rounding. “He is. What in the⁠—”

“I have to go.” Thomas grabbed the reins looped over the gelding’s neck. “My wife’s been taken. Seven men, heading toward our ranch.”

Rufus’s weathered face went pale. “You’re gonna need help. The sheriff’s gone, but we can round up some men. Give me fifteen minutes⁠—”

Thomas swung into the saddle, and the gelding shifted beneath him, sensing his urgency. “I don’t have fifteen.” He slipped his feet in the stirrups and wheeled the horse toward the door. “If you want to help, bring whoever will come. Ride to the ranch after me.”

He didn’t wait for Rufus’s reply. He had to get to Kate.

This time, he wouldn’t stop. This time, he wouldn’t let fear or doubt or the ghost of past failures slow him down.

This time, he would be worthy of the woman who made him want to stay.

CHAPTER 30

Every stride of the horse sent fresh pain lancing through Kate’s body.