Innocence and the Outlaw

Chapter Five

She should leave, go home to her family and forget about the horror of the last week. But then again, thanks to Chase, not every moment had been a horror. He had protected her from a much worse fate than she would have endured without him and Chase had just risked his life and gone against a mountain lion to save her. Could she leave him out here to die?

Seconds ticked by and turned into minutes as Leah stood with one foot in the stirrup and her hands on the reins, contemplating what she would do.

With a heavy sigh she moved away from the horse and walked to Chase. She ran her hand over his sweat covered brow and his eyes fluttered open. "You're going to have to help me get you on that horse, Chase. I can't get you back to camp by myself."

***

"What the hell happened to him?" Boss asked as Leah led the horse back into camp shortly after dawn.

She glanced at Chase who was laying on his stomach over the saddle, his arms and legs dangling. He had lost consciousness shortly after being put on the horse and Leah had led the horse on foot for hours.

"Mountain lion," she stated as she kept her eyes straight ahead and led the horse toward Chase's tent.

"What were you all doing out in the night?" Boss demanded.

Leah ignored him. She could see Petey watching every step that she took and all she wanted was to get Chase in and tend to his wounds. "I need water," she quipped her pace never slowing.

Boss signaled for two men to go fill buckets with water as he followed Leah. He hoisted Chase from the saddle and carried him into the tent, laying him down gently on the cot. He took his hat off and held it in his gloved hands.

"Do you know how to tend to wounds, miss?" he asked.

Leah stared up at the man with hatred burning red hot in her gut. She knew that this man held the blame for killing Benjamin. He had been the man to pull the trigger of that gun.

"Yes sir. I can tend to them just fine," she assured him. It wasn't a lie. Growing up her family hadn't had much money for doctors and she'd tended plenty of wounds on her brother and father that they'd acquired while out working in the fields or tending the cattle.

Boss nodded and left the tent without another word. Leah laid the supplies from the horse next to Chase and quickly went about starting a fire with the matches she pulled from his vest which he'd left on the ground beside his bedroll the night before.

By the time she had the fire roaring the men were bringing her the buckets of water. They sat them down and then quickly made their exit. Leah was grateful that she wasn't going to have an audience. The other men here made her blood run cold and her heart race with fear. They weren't Chase and she did not trust them.

Leah poured some of the water into a tin pot and sat it over the fire to get warm. She then went back to Chase and slipped off his boots. Her hands shook as she took his knife and began to cut away his pants. She was just finished up removing one leg when the tent flap opened and Petey entered.

"Well isn't this a lucky break?" he mused with a click of his tongue.

Leah felt fear rise inside of her. She cast a glance at the sack holding the gun and Petey quickly stepped between her and her only hope of defending herself. "No. No. No," he warned, placing his hand over his own gun. "Put that knife down too, little princess." he added, nodding toward her hand.

Leah laid the knife on the cot beside Chase and stood up. "Whatever it is you're wanting, sir, will simply have to wait." she stated bravely,

though inside she was trembling. "I have to see to his wounds."