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The other three were behind, but they saw what was happening and hoisted their guns.
"He killed Jesse," Matt hollered in a furious tone.
When Hawks turned and saw them he fired, killing another instantly. The third brother got off one good shot, wounding Hawks in the shoulder. But Hawks wasn't slow by any means and killed another. Only one brother survived. Matt was completely out of site now. Hawks watched for a long moment, then turned the horse toward the station and headed out again, with Katherine behind him.
"Damn fool kid, the Injuns will get him…" Hawks said as he spit the last of his tobacco out.
"Hawks, I can't believe you…I can't believe you killed them…." Katherine was near hysteria, staring at the dead bodies along the way. "And what of my brother?"
"Well believe it, and you better mind your manners girl, I might do you in too," he said and galloped away. "Your brother is no use to me. He'd only slow us down."
"And Chase…?"
"Is a dead man, as we speak." He laughed.
She hid her face in Hawks back and wept. It wasn't the strong thing to do, but it was all she could do. She had given herself to Chase in a dream, and he had brought her alive, now her fate was sealed with this treacherous man. Her brother might die too…
The shack was long out of sight. Hawks felt sure the Indians would take care of Chase and the rest of them. He had a clear path. He headed to the station in a hard gallop.
Katherine hung on for dear life. She didn't understand any of this. It made no sense to go back to the station.
But Hawks was a determined man.
And her destiny lay in the hands of a man she neither liked nor trusted.
Chapter Fifteen
The echo of wind rustled through the night air, playing its lonely song. Gusts of pure dust covered them as they began to slow. The horse was exhausted and if they didn't slow down and walk it, they might lose it for good. So Hawks dismounted and had her climb down. Fighting the elements of nature, Hawks finally made camp against a rocky ridge. He pitched camped so the wind blew at their backs. The air cooled somewhat, but it stifled each breath they took.
Hawks tied her hands with a rope and held the other end. He hadn't been gentle with her. The more she struggled to free herself the more the rope cut into her skin. She stopped struggling after a long while.
He chuckled at her futile attempts to free herself. "No use fightin' it, jest get yourself hurt, is all. No skin off my back, but I'll need you able to dig."
"Dig? For what?"
He checked his saddlebags, "Let's see what we got in here. I think I stole the Captain's horse back there in the draw where the Indians came at us. Maybe he's got provisions. Soldiers don't go nowhere without rations. He's all army. He should have some things in here for survival purposes."
After a while he pulled out some bacon, wrapped in a small cloth. "Captain thought of everything. Even found some coffee beans. Now ain't that odd he'd have all this on his horse when he knew we was starvin' in the shack. Maybe he planned on sneakin' out too for food."
"Why are we going back to the station? There's nothing there. They burnt it." She asked as he pulled her to the small fire he'd made. Then after realizing he needed both hands to cook with, he hobbled her to the horse. Her arms grew tired from having them pulled by the horse. She needed to clean herself, but there was no chance of that now.
Hawks didn't seem to notice her discomfiture. Instead he began cooking the coffee in a skillet he pulled out of the bags then proceeded to make it in the blackened pot tied to the saddlebags. "Yep that Captain, he sure is a surprise. If he'd brought this horse to the shack there wouldn't have been any need to sneak out for food. All we'd of had to have done is get to the horse. And he knew that Rivers fella was gonna try to scrounge up some grub. If that don't beat all."
"Could I wash?" she muttered. "I feel like I've turned to sand."
Hawks glanced at her and then the creek. He shook his head. "Okay. Go ahead, but make it snappy. I'll hobble you to my horse, next to the creek and you can wash up a bit, I reckon. I like a clean woman, myself."
Katherine ignored his remark.
Her legs shook as she ambled towards the water. Barely able to reach the water, she splashed it and tried to refresh herself. She saw her reflection in the water and was astonished at herself. Life had come back to Katherine through this hell and she felt like fighting for it, because it suddenly seemed so precious. But shock riveted through her when she saw the blood running down her leg. It was only a dream. Yet, she saw the proof of his taking. It didn't scare her, it made her feel proud. Discreetly, she washed herself so that Hawks knew nothing of it. The dream…had it been that real? Chase might be dead, but he'd brought her out of her depression and strangely gave her something to live for. She washed herself and it revived her some.
After cleaning herself she felt better and pulled the horse toward the camp Hawks had made.
Hawks went to the creek and got water for the coffee.
When he returned he eyed her. "Feel better?"
"A little, yes," she muttered.
