Thief of My Heart (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

Chapter 2

Evangeline Ruth Webb.  That was her name.   She was the 19 year old daughter of Nathanial Webb and Lillian Sanders-Webb. In fact she had just turned 19 today. Gabriel William had been their 13 year old son.   He had carved their names hastily onto crosses he'd made from tree branches tied together with hemp rope he'd found in the wagon. He'd found their names in a family Bible.  He deeply regretted not being able to bury them in more proper graves.  But  the ground had been hard and dry and he could only dig down a couple of feet.  But there had been plenty of good rocks around to make decent mounds over the bodies.  At least they wouldn't be left for animals and buzzards to feast on.  He'd left the dead bandit for that.  He knew he really should have at least covered the body with rocks but time just didn't permit it.  And with three of those bandits still out there, he wasn't taking any chances on being out in the open for very long.  So the shallow mounded graves of their victims would have to suffice.  

He had killed one of them and wounded two of them but one had gotten away clean - the one with the ring master's outfit - and he had no idea how badly the other two were hurt.  Maybe just bad enough to get them good and mad and ready to find him and get some payback. And he and the girl had been like fish in a barrel at the bottom of that valley.  Heyes' instincts had screamed at him to scoop up the girl, throw her across  the tethered mule and high tail it out of there.  And that's just what he had done.  After securing the girl to the one bare backed mule that was grazing nearby, he quickly grabbed anything that may  be of use to them.  All their belongings lay scattered on the ground.  He took a couple of blankets and inside them he bundled some food, extra clothes for the girl and some eating and cooking utensils.   In a last minute decision he grabbed a stack of books strapped together and a silk drawstring bag.  He didn't know why he had grabbed them,  well the books for purely selfish reasons he supposed, but the bag....something just told him to take it.  He secured the items to his saddle, mounted up and rode out hard and fast, leaving the dead behind.   Keeping his eyes alert for trouble,  he rode out of the valley staying close to the dense forest then crossed the small range that was on the opposite side of the valley from where he had ridden in.  It took two hours to cross that small mountain range.  If the girl had been conscious it probably would have taken three or four.  The sun was sinking fast and the animals were exhausted after that hard ride over the mountain range. She was probably going to have some sore ribs tomorrow. But at least she would be alive.  He stopped by a creek that was flowing out of the Pecos river and set up camp.  He sat by the fire now, watching the girl as she lay on a blanket on the opposite side of the fire. 

She was beginning to regain consciousness.  He had been mentally preparing himself for that moment  when it came.  He was expecting her to be hysterical, confused and maybe even a little violent.  He rose from where he sat and went to kneel beside her.   He sat back on his heels, waiting for the hysterics to start.   

                                                 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She had been awake for about half an hour.  But she hadn't let him know it.  When he wasn't staring at her she had been watching him through half closed eyes from behind her veil of hair.  Who was he?  Was he one of those mean sons of bitches that had hurt her and her family?  She couldn't recall what all of them had looked like.  But he just didn't look like a killer.  In fact, when she had first regained consciousness he'd been leaning over her.  She'd opened her eyes just enough to see his face.  It was such a beautiful face she thought for a brief second God had answered her prayer and he was an angel sent to take her to heaven. Then she realized it was dark.   Then all the memories of what had happened flooded back over her and she became afraid and knew instantly this was not heaven, nor was it hell.  So she was still alive.  Had he saved her?  He must have.  But how could she be sure.  The creepy circus man had let her know that no harm would come to her.  She was no good to him if she was soiled in any way.  So maybe this man was one of them and he was in charge of keeping her virtue in tact.   But if that were so, where were the rest of them? And where was her family? This one man couldn't possibly have killed all four of the bad men and ridden off to safety with her?  Could he?  Her survival instincts were really kicking in now and she had to come up with a plan.  The six shooter strapped to his hip hadn't escaped her attention.  And all she had to do was get him close enough and she would grab it and find out just what the hell was going on.    Yep, it was time for her to wake up for real.