The Rescue 11
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Quaid Hill was furious. Never had anything or anyone frustrated him as the red headed saloon owner had. He, and the men with him, had been following her and her accomplices for close to a month now and just when his tracker assured him they were close; she had somehow managed to slip away. They had followed them as far as Turtle Crick and found out that two men and a woman had bought a lot of supplies there. But after that, nothing. They had practically disappeared.
"I thought you could follow a snowflake in a blizzard." He growled at the grizzled old tracker, Culver Pitts.
Pitts took a step back from his fury and scratched his head. "I ain't never tracked anyone and lost em. This here is the first time. I told ya; them that is with her is good."
Hill closed the distance between himself and Pitts and grabbed the old man by the collar of his leather shirt. "Are you saying you've lost them for good?"
For the first time in a long time, Pitts actually felt frightened of someone. He had thought he'd lost that fear long ago when he reached what he thought of as his old age, but Quaid Hill proved him wrong. "N… no." He stammered. "I… I'll find em again. I swear; I'll find em."
"You'd better." Hill shoved the old man backwards as hard as he could.
Seth Brody and the other men stood off to the side watching the scene play out before them, all of them with a smile on their faces. Most of the men thought it funny and chuckled as they watched Pitts scramble backwards trying to keep from falling.
But Brody had an entirely different reason for smiling about the situation. For reasons of his own, he hadn't wanted Kitty, and the men with her, to get caught. He hoped they would escape completely. But the next words from Pitts dashed that hope.
"I maybe ain't got no idee's where they's at right now." The old man groveled. "But I got me an idee where they's headed. They's a tradin' post about 30 miles northwest of here. It's the most likely place fer them to head to."
"What makes ya think that old man?" Haddock asked. "They done got supplies in Turtle Crick."
Pitts glared at the insolent tone and visage of the younger man and turned his attention back to his employer. "The weather's gonna be changin' soon. It's getting colder and it won't be long afore it snows. Ya cain't last in these mountains, ya don't have some place to shelter. As far as I know, that tradin' post is the only shelter fer a hundred miles, lessin' they build their own. And I don't think they got time to do that afore winter sets in hard."
A curious light came into Hill's eyes just then and it chilled Brody to see it. Pitts may have lost them, but apparently it was only temporary and unless something happened to change it, they would find their quarry. Brody maintained his smile, which was now fake. But inside his gut was churning.
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Two weeks had passed, since the trio of fugitives had visited Turtle Crick, and so far so good.
They had found the cabin and though it was musty and dirty, the roof and walls were mostly solid. The large stone fireplace and the small wood stove, at the center of the long room, were both in working order it seemed and the small bed in the tiny alcove off the main room was still serviceable, though in dire need of cleaning. The plain plank table was as solid as it could be but the lone chair was missing a leg.
"Well, I'll make ya a stool, Miss Kitty." Festus grinned at her. "Don't ya fret ya self about that none."
The small barn, just behind the cabin, was okay despite the door that hung by only one hinge and the roof that had a small hole in the corner. But both structures were in fairly good shape even though they'd sat empty for a couple of years. With a will, Matt and Festus took several days to go over each building, repairing anything that needed it and inspecting and repairing the roofs.
Kitty, in the meantime, spent that time cleaning the insides of both buildings and making them habitable for both man and beast. The work soothed her mind as well as her soul and took her thoughts off of what she could do nothing about and onto something she could.
Aside from their work on the cabin and barn, the men had taken turns hunting and combing the countryside around them, covering any tracks that could lead to them and making sure there were no predators close by, either animal or human. The meat they had acquired, as well as the hides and the knowledge of their safety, they knew, would help them tremendously, once the snow started flying.
By the evening of the fifth day, they were sitting inside the small two room cabin enjoying a stew and a cake that Kitty had made and looking forward to their first night inside, in close to two months. After their meal, the three friends sat around the fire relaxing and enjoying the evening. Kitty sat beside Matt, his arms around her, while Festus sat opposite them.
"That shore was some larruping vittles, Miss Kitty." Festus complimented. "I shore did like that."
"Thank you, Festus." She smiled at him. "It wasn't exactly Delmonico's best but I'm glad you liked it."
"Delmonico's never had food that good, Kitty." Matt told her. "And the cooks they had, were never as pretty either."
Kitty grinned up at him. "Thank you, Mr. Dillon. You keep that up and I may have to do something extra special for you." She whispered with a raised a brow and a provocative smirk.
Festus pretended he didn't hear but the happiness in her voice did his heart good. The last two months had tough for her and he had begun to think she'd always look frightened and pale. But the last few days, as they all worked to secure a safe place for the winter, had been good for her and, while still thin, her color had returned with her smile. He was glad for that. Her and Matthew deserved to be happy.
"Wael," Festus gave an exaggerated yawn as he got to his feet and reached for his coat. "I figger I'll go out and check on my mule and get me some shut eye. I'm thinkin' on doin' some fishin' in the morning. They's a crik not too far, looks plumb full of fish."
"Alright, Festus." Kitty told him as she pulled away from Matt and got to her feet as well. "I'll leave a lamp on for you when you get back. I'm going to clean up from supper and then I'm going to bed too."
"Aw, no, Miss Kitty." He gave a meaningful look to Matt. "I'm gonna stay in the barn tonight."
"No, Festus." Kitty protested. "There's no need to sleep in the barn. You should stay in here where it's warm."
"Naw, now, Miss Kitty." Festus shook his head. "It taint that cold out and I'm kinda used to the stable anyways. I'll be plumb fine. You all have ya selves a nice night, and I'll see ya tomorra."
Kitty started to protest further but she knew he was trying to give her and Matt a little privacy while the weather allowed it. Matt had already warned them that once winter set in they would all be crammed into the cabin for most of the day. Wisely she nodded with a simple, "Thank you, Festus." And gave him a kiss on his reddened cheek as he left the cabin, closing the door firmly behind him.
Matt looked over at her when the door closed. "You really going to clean the dishes? Now?"
Kitty tilted her head with a sly grin. "I thought I would. Why? You know of something else I can do?"
Matt chuckled as he got to his feet and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the small closet sized bedroom. "I think so."
TBC