AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They made camp near a river. Morning Dove sat by the fire, staring into the flames. She was numb. If it was not for her heart still beating, she would think she was dead, she felt so hollowed out and empty.
They had ridden for hours and despite trying to forget the vision of Ben hanging from that tree, it was burned into her memory.
Walter sat across from her. A knot grew in her throat as it burned, her eyes filling with tears as the words, “Ben is dead because of you,” whispered inside her head. Knowing Walter would take pleasure in her anguish was the only thing that kept her from screaming at him like she wanted to.
She closed her eyes and forced the images of Ben dangling from that branch away. Instead, she recalled his smiling face as he looked at her. Every conversation she had ever had with him whispered back through her mind as she sat there and she lost herself in the memories until something thumped down by her knee.
“Clean that and get it on the fire. I’m starving.”
A dead rabbit lay beside her, its lifeless eyes wide. She stared at it until Walter yelled at her from across the campfire. “Move it, girl. It’ll take half the night for that thing to cook anyway and I’d like my belly full before I go to sleep.”
The man who had dropped it, Gus, she had heard one of them say, held out his knife to her, but snatched it away as she reached for it. “Don’t get any stupid ideas, you hear?”
He offered her the knife again. Thinking of sticking it into his gut was far from stupid. It made perfect sense to her.
She reached for it before grabbing the rabbit by the ears and standing. The walk to the river was slow, her bare feet sensitive to the rocks littering the ground. Cleaning the rabbit at least took her mind off Ben. All she could think about while cleaning that rabbit was jamming the blade into Walter’s black heart and standing there to watch as he bled out. If it was not for the other three camping with them, she would be tempted to try it.
The look the others with Walter had been giving her made her nervous. She was not fool enough to think Walter would not force himself on her eventually. She just hoped he had not offered her as payment to them for their help in getting her back. The thought caused her stomach to heave.
Cleaning and spitting the rabbit, Morning Dove sat back and watched it cook. The three men with Walter were off to the side, whispering amongst themselves. Every once in a while, they would laugh about something, and every time she looked up, one of them was staring at her.
Uneasiness settled into her bones and made her hyper-aware. A large stone lay by her knee. She shifted and dusted off her dress, and grabbed the rock when no one was looking, tucking it under the edge of her skirt.
Weariness caused her eyelids to droop. She dozed sitting up and only woke when Walter tapped her arm and handed her a piece of the rabbit to eat. She did not want it. Could barely stomach the thought of eating it but nibbled at it so he would not yell at her for wasting it and choked it down before finding a grassy spot to sleep. She felt Walter settle in behind her some time later and having him so close turned her stomach.
He reached for her, pulling her flush against him, his breath hot against the back of her neck. The feel of his hand sliding over her hip made her stiffen, but she knew he would try nothing more with the others so close by. She was thankful she had put her buckskin leggings on under her dress that morning.
Her thoughts drifted to Ben as she laid there in the stillness, and tears filled her eyes and slipped past her closed eyelids. As much as she wanted to believe the day had been nothing but a bad dream, she knew in her heart that Ben was dead.
The worst part was… it was all her fault.
Chapter Nine
It took two days before he was strong enough to push past Betsey and get out of bed. He’d dressed in his freshly-laundered clothes and searched the kitchen for the pillowcase he’d packed the day he’d been hung, but didn’t find it.
“You’re not well enough to travel, Ben.”
“And waiting until I am will take too long.”
He bypassed her and stepped into Morning Dove’s room, taking another pillowcase before going back into the kitchen. He filled it again, ignoring his shaking hands. He filled the bag and headed outside as Aaron stepped out of the barn.
“Aaron, make him stay!”
Betsey’s voice cut like glass through his head. He headed across the yard, ignoring Aaron’s hard stare. “I’m going and don’t try to stop me.”
“I wasn’t.”
He laid the pillowcase down and entered the darkened barn. Wind Chaser neighed when she saw him, and he saddled her as Betsey and Aaron argued outside.
Thoughts of Morning Dove plagued him and guilt ate away at what little sense he had left in him. Evan Reid had examined his head and sewn the gash up and ordered him to rest, but he’d not been able to do that knowing she was out there, once again held against her will by Walter.
He led Wind Chaser outside and bent down to pick up the pillowcase, ignoring how the world tilted when he straightened. He stowed his pilfered food in the saddlebags before climbing up into the saddle.
Betsey had quieted, but one look at her face told him she was furious. He ignored her and looked down at Aaron. “Point me in the right direction.”
Aaron said nothing for long moments and glanced at Betsey before turning back to look at him. “I should go with you.”
“No.” Ben shook his head. “You’re staying here to take care of your family. I don't know how long I’ll be gone, Aaron. I don’t even know how long it’ll take me to get her back once I find them.”
