CHAPTER 3

Jemma sat, huddled, near the small campfire as she tried to fathom a way out of her current situation. All she could think of as she had run out of Lottie's was that she just wanted to get as far away as possible from her eldest brother at that moment and that she didn't want anyone seeing the tears that she couldn't contain any longer; however, she had no idea that, in her haste to escape, she would find herself a true captive. Trying to discreetly take in her surroundings, she realized that there was nothing familiar to her about the area and, that being the case, trying to escape in the dark would be, at best, foolish, if not dangerous with no idea of exactly where she was. She didn't have time to try and formulate any more theories as the eldest of the four men approached her to demand in a brusque voice;

"Do you know who I am, little lady?"

Offering a slight nod, Jemma stated softly;

"Yes, you're Elijah Harmon and these are your sons."

Nodding his affirmation of her statement, he continued;

"Then if you remember who I am, I'm guessing that you might also remember that I hold your brothers responsible for my son, Will's, death."

Staring at him in disbelief, Jemma tried to reason;

"Mr. Harmon, that was an accident and not one that Josh or Jeremy could have prevented. Surely, you can't still hold that against them."

Crossing his arms over his chest in stubborn defiance, Elijah stated;

"Accident or no, the fact remains that, not only did two of your brothers contribute to my boy's death but your brother, Jason, kept me from being able to take my grandson, Joey, to raise. The way I see it, your family has cost me a son and a grandson."

Seeing that the man's state of mind was determinedly fixed on a track, Jemma swallowed the lump of nervousness that had found its way into her throat before asking hesitantly;

"That doesn't explain why you've seen fit to take me, Mr. Harmon."

Chuckling in amusement, Elijah offered;

"Just feel free to call me Elijah, little lady, although, Paw will do just as fine."

Her eyes widening in disbelief of what she heard, Jemma countered;

"I think that I'll stick to 'Mr. Harmon', if you don't mind, and you certainly aren't my father."

Shaking his head, Elijah offered;

"No, ma'am, you're right, I ain't your pa, but since I'm going to be your father in law, I give you leave to use it just the same."

Stunned, Jemma sat for a moment before shaking her head vehemently;

"While I thank you for your 'proposal', I'm afraid that I'll have to decline. I don't even know your sons, let alone have enough feelings for one of them to agree to spend the rest of my life with one."

Lowering himself to be on eye level with her, Elijah shook his head as he observed;

"You don't seem to understand something, little lady, you don't have no say in the matter. Your brothers cost me a son and a grandson so I'm aiming to get me a daughter in law and a whole bunch of grandkids, and since the Bolts were the ones responsible, I think it only a fair exchange that a Bolt be the one to help replace what I lost. And, it doesn't hurt anything none that you're real easy on the eyes."

Staring at him in disbelief and anger, Jemma's temper flared as she declared;

"You're the one who misunderstands, Mr. Harmon. I WILL NOT marry any of your sons and I certainly have no intention of giving you grandchildren. You would do better to just take me back to Seattle or turn me loose and I'll find my own way back."

Before she realized his intentions as he stood, Jemma felt a sharp, painful blow against the side of her face, which knocked her off balance. Taking a moment to clear her head as she brought her hand to the spot that had immediately bruised from the force of the impact, Jemma stared at the man in true fear as she absently wondered how her cheekbone had not shattered given the force the man had used. Panic began to set in as Elijah pointed accusingly;

"I don't stand no back talk from my boys, let alone a woman. Now, you're gonna do as you're told and if you want to keep that pretty face of yours looking pretty, I wouldn't rile me with any more of your sass."

Reaching to one of the saddles Elijah snatched a blanket free and tossed it to her as he advised;

"I'm not foolish enough not to know that those brothers of yours won't be on our trail looking for you, so I suggest that you get some sleep because we're going to be riding hard and fast come first light. We've got a lot of miles to put behind us before we reach those mountains, once we make that, ain't no way they can follow us."

Turning to leave her in peace, Jemma was about to breathe a sigh of relief until, as if suddenly remembering, Elijah turned back to warn;

"And don't think that you'll be sneaking off. We're going to leave you to your privacy, but me and my boys will be standing guard and you don't know where, and if we catch you, it's gonna go hard on you."

At that, he turned and left her alone to ponder her options, something she quickly realized that she didn't have too many of. Trying to think rationally, Jemma began making a mental list of the pros and cons of her situation. The definite cons were that she had no idea where she was, Elijah Harmon was most definitely a violent man, the proof of which was now evident on her cheek, and if he had his way and they made the mountain range, the chances of her being found or escaping would become non-existent. All of the cons were more than enough to find her in a dejected frame of mind; however, she had yet to consider the pros that she felt she had going for her.

She knew, without a doubt, that her brothers would have set out as soon as they learned of her disappearance, and thanks to Biddie, she knew the head start that the Harmons had wasn't a large one. She had no doubt that, despite everything, there was no way that Jason would not come to find her, and she had no doubts that even if they wouldn't agree to put their differences aside for her sake and allow him to come with them, that Aaron would strike out on his own to come search for her. Jemma hoped that Aaron and Jason would put their differences aside for her sake and join forces since they were two of the best trackers in Seattle. Giving some consideration to that fact, Jemma glanced covertly about her surroundings, and noticing the small piece of quartz near her hand she closed her fingers around it before turning over to face the boulder against her back, as if she were seeking solace, or at least giving the appearance of such. As quietly as possible, she began scratching out some symbols on the smooth, flat portion that was close to her, hoping that her plan would work. Deciding that she needed to leave some type of marker that would, hopefully, gain the right attention, she removed one of her earrings and placed it just beneath the scribbling, hoping that it would not be the last time that she saw it.

To say that the ride from Seattle had been full of tension between the Bolt brothers and Aaron Stempel was, to say, at the least, an understatement. The only time that there seemed to be any relief of that tension was between Joshua and Aaron, something that Aaron couldn't help but question as he and Joshua rode slightly behind Jason and Jeremy. Deciding to satisfy his curiosity, Aaron addressed;

"Josh, can I ask you a question?"

Offering a slight nod of ascent as he scanned his side of the trail they were riding, just in case there was something on the trail that Jason or Jeremy might have missed, Joshua offered;

"Sure, Aaron, go ahead."

Motioning to their two companions riding ahead of them, just out of earshot, Aaron asked;

"You seem to be the only one, out of you three, who hasn't seemed intent on tearing my head off at the idea of me wanting to marry your sister; is that because you feel differently about it or just a delayed reaction and I can expect the fallout later?"

Continuing to scan his area with care and precision, Joshua spared Aaron a quick glance as he demanded;

"Well, let me ask YOU something, Aaron; let's say that mine is a delayed reaction, is that going to change your mind about wanting to marry Jemma?"

Joshua found himself shocked by the swiftness and force of Aaron's answer as he vowed forcefully;

"NO, IT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE MY MIND!"

Even in the darkness, Joshua could see the heated look of determination that lit Aaron's narrowed eyes as he vowed;

"I love Jemma and she loves me and there's no earthly reason why we shouldn't be married unless it's by HER choice."

Giving a slight shake of his head, Joshua observed;

"Then, Aaron, why are you worried about my opinion on it?"

His tone softening, Aaron explained;

"Because, Joshua, I know how much she loves her brothers and how close you and she are and as much as I love her and as hard as I plan on working to ensure that she's happy and well cared for, I know that, without her brothers' blessings, there would be a sadness in her heart and I don't want that for her. I want her to be completely happy and to never feel any pain for having married me."

Deciding to level with the man, Joshua stopped for a moment, causing Aaron to do the same as he explained;

"Aaron, mine isn't a delayed reaction. I didn't realize it until I saw you and she dancing with each other, but, as you well know, one of the female arts that my sister never bothered learning was how to be coy and flirtatious. Watching the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you, there was no doubt in my mind that you love her and she loves you. The look I saw on her face last night, she was happy, really and truly happy and if you're the one who makes her that happy, then so be it, you'll get no fight from me."

Motioning to his older and younger brother as he set his horse in motion again, Joshua

advised;

"But, I'm not the brother that you have to convince."

Setting his own horse in motion to catch up, Aaron searched his side of the trail as he contemplated Joshua's words and the realization that, with or without Jason Bolt's blessing, he was determined that he would be placing his ring on the third finger of Jemma Bolt's left hand just as soon as possible. His thoughts were interrupted as Jason raised his hand and ordered;

"Hold up."

Aaron and Joshua set their horses into a slight trot to bring them up next to Jason and Jeremy as Aaron demanded;

"What is it, Bolt?"

Pointing towards a small bush, Jason advised;

"Look."

Following the direction of where Jason was pointing, Aaron narrowed his eyes to make out what Jason was referring to before they widened in shock as he jumped from his horse's back to rush over to the bush to get a closer look at the familiar piece of lace. Carefully, he lifted it from the shrub before turning to the Bolts to exclaim in certainty;

"THIS IS JEMMA'S!"

Quickly, the three brothers dismounted to surround him as Jason took the lace shawl to study it before turning to Aaron;

"I'm inclined to agree, but how can you be so certain?"

Taking the pile of lace from Jason, Aaron nodded to the piece as he explained;

"Look at that lace, it's the EXACT same lace that trimmed her dress and,"

Pushing the shawl close to Jason's nose, he asked;

"Tell me what that reminds you of."

Inhaling sharply, Jason met Aaron's look of certainty with one of his own as he confirmed;

"It smells like the woods just after it rains."

Closing his fist around the lace shawl with a grip of iron, Aaron held the piece close to his chest as he nodded;

"YES! You might not like hearing me say this, Bolt, but there isn't another girl in Seattle who wears a perfume that smells like that, and I know that for a fact."

Narrowing his eyes, Jeremy cast Aaron a look of suspicion as he demanded;

"And just how would you know THAT, Stempel?"

Glancing around Jason's shoulder, Aaron confessed;

"Because, when you three were gone to New Bedford, I gave it to Jemma for her birthday. And the reason that I know there isn't another girl who wears that perfume in Seattle is because it was something that I ordered especially for her from San Francisco."

Seeing that Jeremy's temper was rising, Joshua placed his hand on his brother's shoulder before shaking his head as he advised;

"Jeremy, not now. This is not the time or the place, the most important thing, the ONLY important thing right now is for us to find Pixie."

Jason, placing his hand on his youngest brother's other shoulder spoke;

"He's right, Jeremy, we know that we're on the right trail, now we have to hurry up and catch up to them."

Nodding his agreement, Jeremy silently turned to make his way to his horse as Aaron turned to Jason to ask;

"Jason, do you think that they intentionally took Jemma, or was she just unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Considering Aaron's question, Jason shook his head;

"Aaron, I don't know. I thought that everything with the Harmon's had been settled, but I can't help but think that Elijah may well have had a specific reason for doing this and if that's the case then I'm also inclined to think that it was no accident that he took Jemma. But, I don't want to think about that possibility."

Although he wasn't certain that he wanted the answer, because of his own fears, Aaron found himself asking;

"Why, what are you thinking?"

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Jason turned to meet Aaron's look of fear and worry with one of his own that conveyed the same feelings as he offered his theory;

"Elijah blames us Bolts for his son, Will's, death and he blames me specifically for not being able to take his grandson, Joey, from his mother and raise him. I have the feeling that the reason he took Jemma was that, in some twisted way, he thinks that, by taking her, he can replace Will and Joey."

Shocked by Jason's statement, Aaron demanded;

"What do you mean by 'replace', Jason?"

Aaron felt his heart sink as the look in Jason's eyes became sorrowful at the very thought as his voice seemed to take on a deflated tone;

"What I mean, Aaron is that, if I'm right, Elijah may well plan to force Jemma into marrying one of his sons. I'm sure that you can guess the rest of his plans."

Jason found himself shocked as Aaron's face took on a look of determined anger as he tucked the lace shawl inside of his vest before issuing;

"He can go straight to Hell with his plans! I'm not going to see Elijah Harmon, his sons, or ANYONE, for that matter, do to her what you're thinking he has planned for her. I plan on making Jemma my wife and I refuse to let the Harmons or ANYONE stand in the way of that, I've been patient and waited for her and I'll be damned if I'll lose her now and certainly not to someone like the Harmons."

Abruptly, he mounted his horse and issued;

"Let's go!"

The three brothers turned to each other in shock of his statement as Joshua reasoned;

"You heard the man, let's go."

Jemma glanced up at the sky, trying to get an idea of the time of day. She knew that it had to be late afternoon which meant that Elijah should be stopping to make camp fairly soon. Although her most fervent wish was to be back home safe and sound, after the riding that she had been forced to do, getting off of the horse she had been given to ride was coming in a close second. Elijah had woken her at daybreak and ordered her to make herself ready to ride, she had been riddled with anxiety that, either, he or one of his sons would notice her clues. However, when they had been overlooked, she breathed a reserved sigh of relief, although she was grateful the clues had gone unnoticed, there was no sense in rejoicing in her success unless her brothers and Aaron managed to find those clues, but, even the possibility that her efforts might be in vain didn't deter her from continuing her efforts by leaving small little clues when it seemed safe to do so. So far her luck had held but she knew that they were getting closer and closer to the mountains, which meant that her hopes for rescue were getting slimmer and slimmer.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Elijah ordered;

"We'll make camp here tonight, we've got a good head start so no sense in pushing harder than what we have to."

Allowing a sigh of relief to escape her lips, Jemma went to slide from the saddle, to say that she was having a difficult time riding, something she generally did wearing a split skirt and boots. Although she could give most of the men in Seattle a run for their money when it came to riding a horse, that fact didn't exactly hold true at the moment in her evening gown and dress shoes. Before she could land on the ground she found herself being grabbed around her waist and held against the middle son, Dorne as he laughed maniacally, something that reminded Jemma of what a hyena must sound like, as he issued;

"Why don't you let me help you down from there, pretty lady."

Jemma found herself gasping for air as she tried pushing at him to gain her freedom as she demanded;

"LET ME GO! I can assure you, I've been riding a horse since I could walk, I don't need your help."

Continuing to laugh, the middle Harmon son turned in Elijah's direction to observe;

"Look, Pa! Sure looks like we managed to find us a pretty little wildcat back there in Seattle."

Dorne had seriously underestimated her determination, especially given the years of instruction in how to protect herself if the need arose, something he soon regretted as she began to kick, claw and slap wildly at him, which soon found him forced to release his hold as one of her kicks managed to connect with his knee. Jemma found herself landing on her backside on the ground and, noticing the frenzied look in her adversary's eyes, she felt certain she was about to find herself the recipient of his violence. However, much to her surprise, the eldest Harmon son, Job, stepped up behind his younger brother to take his arm in a grip of iron as he spun him around to order;

"You heard what Pa said, Dorne, she ain't to be touched until she's married to one of us all proper. Now leave her be and go tend to the horses and help Stoker get some firewood."

Although Dorne glared at his brother before turning to do the same to Jemma, he turned and stalked off to do as he had been told. Turning to Jemma, Job offered his hand as he issued;

"I know that you don't want to be here, ma'am. I can't say that I much blame you for that, but the fact is that Pa has made up his mind and won't nothing do until he gets his way. If I was you, I'd just make up your mind to that fact that you ain't going back to Seattle. Now Pa told all of us not to touch you until you wed one of us proper, but I can't say that Dorne might not get out of hand, so if I were you, I'd stay away from him and try to stay by me, Stoker or Pa."

Reluctantly, she took his hand to help her us as she offered;

"Thank you."

Nodding his acknowledgment he left her alone to wonder how on earth she was going to manage to get herself out of her current situation. She found herself annoyed by the fact that her thoughts were, once more, disturbed as Elijah approached to demand bluntly;

"I'm gonna assume that since you got three older brothers, you know how to cook."

Crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly, Jemma lifted her head in determination as she challenged;

"I'm going to assume that you and your sons have managed to cook for yourselves for a considerable length of time. So, that being the case, you can continue to do so."

Narrowing his eyes to mere slits in a look of anger as he issued;

"You know, for a gal that was raised by men and lived with them your whole life,

I would think that you would know your place."

Raising one delicate eyebrow in sarcasm, she retorted;

"I do know my place, Mr. Harmon. My place is in Seattle with my three brothers and, in case you care, my fiancee."

She could see that she had achieved the reaction she was hoping for in the old man; a combination of shock, fear, concern, and worry as he demanded sharply;

"You mean to tell me that you're spoken for?"

Nodding, she confirmed;

"Yes, as a matter of fact, Mr. Harmon, I am, which means that it won't just be my brothers that will be looking for me, it will also be my fiancee as well."

Pushing his hat back on his head as he scratched at his forehead in consideration, as if this new bit of information was adding a new aspect that he had not considered to his plan, Elijah's hand quickly snaked out to grab Jemma's wrist as he snatched her closer before twisting her arm in a painful grip to demand harshly;

"Just who is it that you're promised to?"

Her eyes widening in fear at the wild look that she saw in the man's eyes, a wildness that she could tell would border on violence at any moment, she found herself unable to speak until he threatened;

"Answer me, damn you. Who are you promised to?"

Unable to withstand the pain given that her shoulder felt as if it were about to be twisted out of joint, Jemma found herself practically screaming;

"AARON STEMPEL!"

Abruptly, he released her wrist which found Jemma sinking to her knees as she cradled her, now, injured arm. Looking up, her eyes full of terror, she could see that her declaration was one that disturbed Elijah considerably, especially when he glared at her before demanding;

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Disbelief was soon accompanying her fear, something which found her tongue considerably loosened as her temper began rising as she offered a scathing reply;

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Harmon. I guess that being abducted in the dark of night and taken from my home, not to mention assaulted by you and your middle son, combined with your 'offer' that I marry one of your sons, against my will, I might add. It must have slipped my mind."

Stalking off in the direction of his sons, Jemma couldn't help but notice just how close she was to the river, something that she noticed the Harmons had seemed intent to keep close to at the last two campsites they had made since her capture. Glancing at them covertly, she realized that their attention was not on her at the moment. Weighing her options she realized that trying to make it to the horse wasn't realistically possible, however, she was an excellent swimmer, even with the damage that Harmon had inflicted on her arm and, deciding to take her chances, she slowly rose to her feet before making certain that her captors' attention was still on each other as opposed to her, she took her skirt in both hands to lift it high enough to prevent her from tripping before sprinting towards the water. When she reached the edge, she dove in and began swimming with the current, which was moving swiftly. She knew that she was beyond the sight of the campsite before the Harmons realized what she had done, given the yelling and cursing that she heard.

Jemma thought that she had a good chance of managing an escape, even more so when she realized that she had made it quite some distance down the river, thanks in combination to her swimming and the river's current. However, what she had forgotten in her desperation to escape was that, despite how well she could swim, doing so in an evening gown and underskirts was, to say the least, impractical, and, to say the most dangerous. She soon realized that she was in real danger of drowning as her skirts began to weigh her down when, suddenly, she felt a rope wrap around outstretched arm before she felt herself being pulled close to shore. Just as she reached the shallow part of the bank she felt a hand wrap around her outstretched arm to pull her closer before she was scooped up out of the water by the youngest Harmon son, who she recognized as Stoker, the one unable to speak.

Carrying her to the group assembled, which included a seething Elijah Harmon, who was glaring fiery daggers at Jemma as he demanded;

"Now just what good did that do you? The only thing that you managed to do was to push us further than I originally meant for us to go."

Stepping forward, he motioned to his son to set her back on her feet. When he did, Elijah demanded;

"I want the truth; what you said earlier about being spoken for; were you just saying that thinking it might change my mind?"

Trying to catch her breath, Jemma shook her head as she answered;

"No, I wasn't just saying that because I was trying to change your mind."

His chest heaving with barely contained frustration, he continued his inquisition;

"The man that's claimed you, you said his name was Aaron Stempel, ain't he the one that owns that sawmill that your brothers work with?"

Swallowing hard, Jemma nodded as she offered a barely audible;

"Yes."

Suspicion filling his eyes Dorne approached his father to question;

"I don't get it, Pa. What's it matter if she's spoken for or not? Spoken for ain't married."

Turning in fury at, what he considered his son's stupidity, Elijah snatched his son by his shirt to demand;

"Don't you understand something, boy? It's not just her brother's anymore, one of em being one of the two best hunters or trackers in Seattle; it's also a man who happens to be the other best hunter and tracker in Settle and add to that, he ain't one that gives up what he considers his none too easily. There's a big difference between some brothers looking for their sister that was taken and a man looking for his woman."

Trying to help bring his father to reason, Job motioned to Jemma as he pointed out in an attempt to change his father's train of thought;

"Pa, she's soaking wet, don't you think we should try to get her some dry clothes, especially since it's getting colder?"

Studying the girl for a moment, Elijah shook his head as he issued;

"No, the only thing we could get for her anyway would be a shirt and some pants. If she got this far in that dress with all those skirts, I'd be willing to bet that she would get a lot further if she wasn't weighted down. No, let her stay in that dress, that way we ain't got to worry about her trying to swim away again, she'll just have to suffer with the wet and cold."

As she had feared when she had been caught, Elijah forced them to ride farther in an attempt to get a bigger lead and closer to the mountains. Finally, after hours of riding and well into dark, they reached the base of the mountain range when he called camp. Although the sight of the mountains would have normally found Jemma dejected, especially knowing what Elijah's plans were for her, but, thanks the hours of traveling in her wet gown as well Elijah's abuse, the last thing on her mind was the sight of the mountains. She had quickly realized that, between Elijah twisting her arm the way that he had and the incident with the rope in the river, her shoulder had been dislocated, something that found riding torturous. Adding to her already precarious state was the combination of her wet gown and the falling temperatures, factors that found Jemma severely ill by the time Elijah called for camp.

She could only assume, in her state of mind, that Job Harmon must have noticed her condition as he helped her from her horse. Noticing her pallor, he turned to his father to advise;

"Pa, there's something really wrong with her."

Jemma was vaguely aware of the old man's approach as he scrutinized her carefully before decreeing;

"She probably caught sick from that wet dress. Just start a fire and make her bed by it and she'll be fine."

After his father turned away to oversee some other task, Job quietly offered;

"Just bear with me a second and I'll get you settled."

With that, he snatched a blanket to make a pallet before helping her lie down, something that wasn't an easy task given the condition of her shoulder. Yet, despite the pain, as soon as she was lying down her vision began spinning as she dimly realized that she must be feverish. Yet, despite the surrealness that her surroundings seem to be taking on, she couldn't help but wonder if she were beginning to hear the familiar voices that she had been hoping to hear for the last couple of days, just before losing consciousness.