Laurie paced back and forth in front of the telegraph office. The message to New York had been sent almost a day prior and Laurie had nearly lost his patience waiting for recognition by the city's authorities. Tired from a lack of sleep and from pacing, he took a seat on the nearby bench and began to watch the people pass by. Many nodded as they strolled past; although not directly involved in the search, very few of the townspeople remained unaffected by the kidnapping. Parents had children in the school, shopkeepers received business from everyone at Plumfield, and Jo and the children were at church every Sunday. Laurie looked up across the street and spotted the building that stood apart from everything else in town. He had found solitude there, once in awhile, and although not always ready to admit it, Laurie did a great deal of praying whenever he felt the need warranted it. In the back of his mind, his conscience told him this was one of those times but he was not ready to resign to the thought of giving everything up and just praying. He shook his head clear and again stood to pace.
He hadn't taken three steps when Mr. Bryans stepped from his office and handed Laurie a note. The look on the man's face told him what to expect. Laurie opened the piece of folded paper and read the following:
Dear Mr. Laurence STOPWe received your notice of a missing Mrs. Josephine Bhaer. STOP
We regret to inform you that as of yet there has not been a positive identification of any of the suspected men or of Mrs. Bhaer herself. STOP
I assure, however, we will do our very best to continue searching. STOP
God Bless you and your family. STOP
Sincerely, Mr. A. Simons STOP
Laurie placed the piece of paper into his pocket and stepped off the platform, his destination straight ahead of him.
XXXXX
The sun was low in the West as Nick and Dan continued along the trail. Both were exhausted and the lack of tracks left by the group gave Nick a nervous feeling that the entire search had been in vain. "Maybe someone has found her," Dan suggested as they turned towards a small stream running down hill. "They could be at Plumfield by now and we wouldn't know it."
Nick nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe, Dan."
"Asia said there were a lot people out looking. Someone must have found them," Dan repeated. As difficult as it was to admit, Nick knew that the chance of finding them, especially with no specific indication of the rightness of their course, was very slim.
Nick sighed and looked at Dan. "I just don't want to give up."
"I know," the boy replied, "Neither do I."
Nick took another glance around the woods and swallowed hard. "We'll ride for another hour and then make camp." He paused for a few moments. "We'll head home tomorrow morning."
XXXXX
Jo could hardly keep her eyes open. The right side of her face was swollen; the bark of the tree having left large scrapes in her skin. The day had been cold and the nightclothes that she was wearing had become thin. She was close to hypothermia, she knew that much, however, any attempts at warming herself were few and far between as even Ricky had become withdrawn and now barely looked at her.
The men had decided to stop for the night and had placed Jo on the outskirts of their camp, ensuring any benefits from their fire were eliminated. She once again curled herself into a ball and began to cry. She missed her family dearly and couldn't fathom the outcome of the situation. Would she ever see them again? Her mind told her no. The circumstances held no chance. They would never just let her go. She was now the threat. She knew their shortcomings and their mannerisms. She even knew their past, a horrible one, and one they would definitely be put to trial for. Yet, her heart held within it a glimmer of hope. There was perhaps a way out and as she began to think of the joy of being at home, sleep finally came to her.
A few hours later, Jo was awoken by a slight nudge against her side. She opened her eyes to find Ricky standing over her. In his hand he held a knife and Jo gasped as he plunged forward. Instead of hurting her, however, Ricky again cut away the ropes that bound her to the tree. "They're going to kill you," he whispered.
"What?" she exclaimed and was shushed.
"I heard them talkin'. They think we're far enough away that no one is gonna notice us. So, they want to get rid of you. You're worth nothin' to 'em." Ricky paused a moment to make sure his partners were asleep. "I'm lettin' ya go. I want ya to run. This ain't gonna be like Dakota again."
"But what will they do to you?" Jo looked at him with concern.
"No matter," he chuckled. "I don't have no family 'cept for them. But you do and I'm not gonna be apart of ruinin' somethin' like that."
"Thank you, Ricky," Jo whispered to him as she stood.
"Hurry up," he said, rising as well. "They don't sleep very hard." Jo nodded and began to head into the darkness. She wasn't twenty steps away when she heard raised voices coming from behind her. Her heart started to race and she forced her feet to run faster. Suddenly a gunshot rang out and expecting to be struck by a bullet, Jo fell forward onto the forest floor. She lay there a few moments before realizing that she was safe and that the attempt was not intended for her. She rose to her feet and prayed to God to help her find the strength to run. And she did.
XXXXX
Nick stood up from their campsite. Sleep was not coming easy this night and as Dan lay slumbering beside the fire, Nick decided to take a short walk, not wanting to awaken the boy. He found his way to the stream and swooping down, dipped his hands in the cool waters. It stung his fingertips but his heart registered a greater pain.
He looked up to the heavens, a blanket of clouds had covered the stars and the moonlight had become dim. "I don't want to leave ya, Jo," he whispered. "You know I don't. But I don't know what else to do. I'm runnin' out of time." He stared back out across the stream as a few tears fell to the ground. "I can't lose her. She's too important to me. We were gonna have life together." He looked up. " A life together!" he screamed. "Please God help me find her!" At that, the heavens opened up and the rain began to fall.
XXXXX
Jo slipped on the mud that the sudden downpour had caused beneath her feet. It chilled her to the bone and without the light of the moon, Jo found it difficult to see where she was going. But she had to run. She knew they would probably be after her and she wasn't about to give them a second chance of ruining her life.
Jo dodged a large tree, however, she hadn't caught sight of its large roots and as her foot caught one, she fell over against the trunk. Exhausted, she willed herself to get to her feet with no avail and instead hugged the tree for security. She couldn't go on. I just need a short rest, she told herself. She closed her eyes, her cheek brushing the rough bark.
In her daze, Jo didn't hear the footsteps approaching her. She had almost fallen completely unconscious, when two large hands grabbed her by the waist. With adrenaline racing through her, Jo leaped up to escape but the hands were too strong. "No!" she screamed. "Please no!" She struggled against the force, all the while sobbing for release.
A gentle voice pierced her cries. "Jo, it's okay. Jo, it's me." Nick turned her around to face him. Still unaware of the rescue, she beat her fists against his chest, attempting to pull herself away. Nick finally placed his hands on her face, trying to make her see him. "Jo, you're safe." She opened her eyes and at last took a look at her captor.
"Nick?" she whispered.
He nodded and kissed her wet forehead. "Everything's okay."
Jo gave him a weak smile before falling against him in exhaustion and everything went black.
XXXXX
Dan awoke to the sound of rain pelting down against the lean-to. He sat up noting the absence of Nick in the other bedroll. "He's crazy to go out in a rainfall like this," he mumbled to himself. Thunder crashed and Dan jumped as lightning lit up the sky. He tried to laugh off the embarrassment and was partially glad that Nick hadn't been around to see him startled by the weather. He pulled the blankets tightly around him and gazed as the droplets hit the leaves on the branches above. Dan watched until the rain became light and the storm slowly moved off into the distance. A last set of thunder and lightning had illuminated the entire camp and across from him, he noticed a figure, carrying someone in their arms.
Realization hit Dan and he leaped to his feet as Nick carried Jo into their makeshift tent. "You found her?" he whispered.
He nodded as he gently laid her down. "We need to get her warm. She's freezing." Nick began to pile blankets on top of Jo.
"I'll see if there is any dry wood around. Get the fire goin' again," Dan offered, running out into the misty shower.
Nick brushed Jo's wet hair from her face, taking notice of the bruises and swelling along side her cheek. Jo began to stir at Nick's touch and slowly opened her eyes.
"Hey there," he whispered.
"Hey," Jo managed to speak. "I'm cold."
"I know. We're gonna get you warmed up." Nick sat her up and laid her against him. "We're gonna have to get you out of these wet clothes." He sheepishly looked at Jo, asking for permission. She nodded slowly and Nick helped her remove her dressing gown.
"I want ya to count for me, Jo," Nick said before unbuttoning her nightgown.
"Count? Why?" She shifted against his chest trying to pull the wet clothing from her body.
"This one time we were way up north and the sea had completely turned to ice. One of the guys fell over board and was lost out there for hours. When we found him the captain had him count backwards, makin' sure that he could do it. He was checkin' for hypothermia. Of course, Bill couldn't count anyways and we knew he was bad off." After removing all but Jo's underclothes, Nick wrapped her tightly in blankets. "So, start countin'. From thirty to zero."
Jo sighed but complied. "30… 29…28…" Jo struggled to remember the numbers. "27… um 24…" She whimpered as she realized that she had made the mistake.
"That's enough," Nick said and wrapped his arms around her. "I hope Dan gets back here quickly. We can get a fire goin'."
"Dan is here? What is he doing here?" Jo wiggled around to look at Nick.
"He came with me. I made sure he was safe, Jo." He waited for a lecture but none came. "Jo?"
"I know you did," she yawned and began to close her eyes.
"No, no! Stay awake Jo. Don't fall asleep."
"I'm so tired."
"I know ya are. But just stay awake a little longer."
Just then Dan came around the corner, his arms loaded with wood. "There wasn't much out there. The rain really did a good job." Dan smiled as he noticed Jo. "Hey there Mrs. Jo. How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, Dan. Just a little chilled." She managed to smile at her student.
"Don't worry. We'll get this goin' real quick." Dan started laying the sticks.
"Can ya sit up?" Nick asked, removing himself from behind Jo and crawling over to their saddlebags. He pulled out a canteen and some bread. "Are ya thirsty?" He handed her the canteen and suddenly became aware of the makeshift bandages around her wrists.
"What happened?" he asked as he inched back over.
"It's from the ropes. They were tight," she mumbled as Nick removed the rags. They revealed large wounds, still fresh from being bound to the last tree.
"Dan, get me the iodine," Nick ordered, still examining the cuts. Dan handed him the bottle and some cotton bandages and he went back to working on the fire, not wanting to watch the obviously painful injury.
Nick took her hands into his lap and began to pour the dark red liquid onto her wrists. "It's gonna sting," he said, expecting Jo to yank her hands away. However, she barely flinched and simply kept her eyes closed as Nick worked. When finished, he pulled the blankets around her arms. "You okay?"
She tiredly nodded and smiled as Dan finally produced flames. "That should do it! We'll be warm in just a minute."
Nick moved around behind Jo and again enveloped her. She laid her head against his chest and sighed. "No goin' to sleep," he said as he settled them both and leaned against a tree. "You've gotta stay awake a little bit longer."
Nick felt her smile. "Uh huh," she agreed. Dan arranged himself beside them and closed his eyes, feeling relieved to finally complete their task.
"In the morning, we'll pack up and head for home."
XXXXX
The sun peaked through the canopy of leaves and gently awoke Jo. She slowly opened her eyes, at first expecting to feel the hard ground against her skin. Instead, she felt strong arms around her and the soft leather of Nick's heavy jacket. She smiled as this realization came over her and she snuggled into the warmth.
"Good mornin'," Nick whispered and kissed the top of her head. Jo looked up at him and grinned happily. "How are ya feelin'?"
"Much better," she yawned. "Is Dan still sleeping?"
"Yeah, it's early." Nick shifted underneath Jo and she let out a small gasp as her arms were twisted around. "Sorry!"
"It's okay," Jo said, controlling the pain. "They're just a little sore."
"How's your cheek?"
Jo reached up and touched the tender skin. "It aches."
"I bet it does." A silence came over them until Nick looked at Jo and gently asked, "Did they hurt you?"
Jo knew that he wasn't just talking about the scrapes and bruises that were so apparent. She shook her head. "No, not really." He stared at her questioningly. "They were drunk one night," she murmured, "But nothing happened."
Not wanting to force her, Nick was satisfied that Jo spoke honestly. "You should probably get some more sleep. I'll wake you in a couple of hours."
She yawned and settled back in. "You'll stay here?"
"I will always be here."