The Stolen 21
I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.
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Saturday Afternoon
Kitty ran for her life, the bullet whizzing past her head being a great motivator.
Though Griggs was overweight and hurt, she had no doubt that he would come after her, and he had a couple of advantages she didn't. He had a horse and pants. Her dress, she realized, was slowing her down.
Glancing behind her, she saw no one so far, and so stopped and reached for the bottom of her dress and pulled it up. She removed her petticoats entirely, then ripped a good foot of material from the bottom of the dress. She held onto the petticoat and material, as she wanted to leave no obvious clues as to which direction she had run, and took off again.
She had no real idea of where she was, but she had a pretty good sense of direction and she felt sure she was headed north. How far she could run before she had to stop, she didn't know, but she kept at it as long as she could.
When her legs and lungs finally gave out on her, she looked around for a place to hide. A few yards off the side of the road were some bushes. Though sparse they were about all that was available. Quickly she ran behind them and crouched down as low as she could, praying fervently it would be enough.
It was.
She had barely succeeded in concealing herself, when she heard the clatter of the wagon rumbling down the road. She had expected him to unhitch the horse and ride after her, but she realized he had been too lazy to do that. Instead he had simply turned the wagon around and drove it back.
That fact gave her an advantage. The wagon could not go places that a horse alone or a person on foot could. When the wagon had passed, and she could no longer hear it, she rose from her hiding place and ran again. This time cross country, trying hard to put distance between herself and her pursuer.
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Saturday Night
Matt had ridden and walked as far as he could, and though he did not want to, he finally came to a halt. Buck and he both were just about played out, and neither one had it in them to go another step.
Picking a spot not far from the road, Matt unsaddled Buck and wiped him down the best he could. After watering and hobbling him, he settled him self down for a few hours of sleepless rest. Lying back against his saddle, Matt stared at the stars overhead, not really seeing anything but a flash of red hair and a pair of blue eyes.
Matt hadn't felt this helpless since the Gunter brothers had taken her, when they robbed the bank. He had gotten her back that time, and he made a silent vow to the heavens that he would do the same this time.
No matter what it took, or what he had to do. He would get her back.
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Kitty sat huddled beside a tree, shivering for fear and cold. She had run till she could run no more, than she walked. But now she couldn't walk any longer. Her strength was about gone.
Though she was sure she was still going north, how far north was another question. She had no idea how far she had come or where she was. She had heard the rumble of Griggs' wagon a couple of times, but hadn't seen him and for that she was glad.
Taking the petticoat she still carried, and wrapping it around her arms, she settled down to try and get some rest. Though she doubted sleep would find her, it did. In a few minutes she was peacefully oblivious to all around her, including the man that was coming up on her on foot.
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Matt had laid there as long as he could, but his restlessness was not conducive to sleep. He mind would not shut off and he knew it wouldn't, not as long as she was out there somewhere needing him.
With a heavy sigh, Matt rose, saddled his horse grabbed his belongings and started out, the full moon above lighting his way.
Still traveling more on instinct than any clear trail, Matt picked a route south and rode. Though not the full gallop of earlier, he kept a brisk enough pace considering the terrain and light. Somewhere out there in the darkness was Kitty. Somewhere was his heart, and somehow he was going to find her.
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Dwayne Griggs was a lazy man. Used to having money, he usually hired or bought people to do his bidding. But out here on the prairie, there was no one for him to hire, and he had been forced to actually look for Kitty himself.
He had driven the wagon as far as he could, but he finally realized she had been wise to him and had gone where the wagon couldn't. He had thought to unhitch the horse and ride it, but he had no saddle and he was afraid to even attempt to ride bare back.
So finally he had parked the wagon and started walking, when he saw what look liked footprints leading north. Though totally unaccustomed to his surroundings, and out of breath before he had even gotten started, he kept going.
The woman had hurt him, hurt his pride. He swore he would make her pay for that.
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Kitty slept on, unaware of the man who was approaching. He had been picking his way carefully, when he spotted her under the lower branches of a large tree. Cautiously he walked up to find Kitty, slumped to the ground, petticoat around her arms and completely ignorant of his presence.
"I've found her," he whispered to himself.
TBC