Chapter Sixteen

Maggie paced back and forth in one of the two rooms her cousins' cabin held, mad at herself for believing that they'd come to her and Heath's home to make peace….and furious at them for not letting things be. The conversation with Paul was repeating itself in her mind.

"We're not going to hurt you. But you've got to understand, this is no longer about the land!" Paul stood in the room talking to her after Tyrell's friends, who had been pulled in on the job, had walked out of the cabin and had ridden away to take their positions in the various places they'd been assigned.

"Then what is it about?" Maggie snapped and glared at her cousin, unwilling to believe they'd given up on the land.

"An inheritance! An inheritance and a bit of revenge," the smile that came upon his face looked the same as a cougar ready to pounce on its prey; it made Maggie sick to her stomach. "The Barkley's are going to give us that inheritance when they hand us the six thousand dollars we asked for in a note that one of our friends is delivering to them this very much. We deserve that much!"

Maggie lashed out at her cousin, as she slammed her hand down upon the dark brown "dresser" that stood in the room. The thing was older than dirt and needed to be the thrown out. "They won't pay it! If anything, Heath and Nick will gather a posse and track you down! They'll make sure the law makes you pay for this!" She was just as sure of that as she was her own name. "Besides, even if they pay the ransom, what are you going to do? You're wanted for kidnapping as it is. The law will be forever looking for you now!" Maggie snapped before she remembered the part about revenge. Again, she felt ill, somehow knowing the revenge they planned had nothing to do with getting money from the Barkleys. "What else are you planning?"

Paul said nothing, as the turned and opened the door. However, before stepping out the room, he sent chills down her spine as he again smiled at her, chuckled and stated very coldly, "We never said the money was a ransom; we said if they wanted you to remain alive they'd pay the money." He started laughing and added, "Mexico has wonderful scenery."

"Blasted you, Paul!" Maggie, who naturally had no desire to be taken to Mexico, hit the door and, for the hundredth time tried to open it. She didn't succeed though; her cousin had locked it, and he had the key. "Oh Heath," she barely whispered the words as she fell to her knees, "I know you're coming; I just know it. Please, be careful, and tell Nick to do the same." The last thing she wanted to do was be a widow so soon after her marriage and the idea of Nick being killed because of her cousins' greed made her angry. Why did men who cared only for themselves even have to exist? While Maggie sat in the room and thought on her husband and brother in law, Paul and Tyrell were in the cabin's living room yelling at each other, as Paul had begun to doubt the course of action he and his brother had taken.

"She's right!" Paul yelled, not knowing who he was angrier at. Tyrell for coming up with the idea, or himself for even listening. "Nick and Heath are not going to bring any money and just hand it over to us! It's just like she said! If we don't flee to Mexico with the men who are coming to get Maggie, the Barkleys will hunt us down and throw us behind bars!"

Tyrell didn't want to hear the truth, for that would mean that he'd sealed his fate when he suggested pulling his friends into helping attack Maggie and Heath's place and then kidnapping her. "Let them come!" Tyrell hissed, as he doubled up his fist and shook it at Paul. "If you're right and they have no money, we'll kill them! We have enough ammunition here to outlast two armies, and our friends are in their positions keeping an eye open!"

Paul didn't know about the two army bit; however, they had built up quite the supply of ammunition. Tired of fighting Tyrell, Paul turned away from his brother and walked out the door.

~oOo~

Heath sat on his horse that stood at the base of the hill where the search party had gathered. He was surrounded by Nick and all the ranch hands that could be spared. Fred Madden and his deputy had also joined the men. Everyone in the search party listened as Nick talked. With the wind starting to blow through the air, and the black clouds that were slowly rolling in, they would have had a hard time hearing Nick only the man was still louder than nature at the moment. However, Fred didn't like what he was hearing.

"Are the two of you crazy?" Fred looked from Nick to Heath and then back to Nick. "What you're proposing could very well put you in greater danger than any of us already are. Why leave the group to go over around Junction Pond?" The men with him weren't surprised when Fred added he didn't want to put anyone in anymore danger than he had to. More than one man murmured in agreement, though Heath simply looked and let Nick speak on, as his own mind ran Nick's words, the ones his brother had spoken to him before Nick had ridden into town to get Fred and he, Heath, gathered the hands together. "The posse will keep those men busy; they won't be expecting us. If we go around Junction Pond, we'll have a higher chance of getting Maggie away from them."

"If they catch on to what we're doing, they'll block our path back. You realize this, don't you?" Heath didn't even know why he made the statement or asked the question; he just did. When it came down to it, he'd do anything he had to when it came to freeing his wife.

Nick simply grinned and answered, "Let them. I'll give them both barrels and then race you and Maggie home."

Nick leaned forward in his saddle after explaining exactly what he and Heath planned on doing. "If it will make you feel better we'll take some men, Fred. You can take the rest and ride straight ahead for six miles and then swing onto the path that will appear on your right."

"Maggie has told me a number of times that path leads straight to her cousins' place, Fred. And," Heath said with a warning tone in his voice, "don't doubt her and don't tell us to change our minds about this plan. We're freeing Maggie."

Fred was still very concerned the plan would only increase their risk and started to say as much, only to have McColl push his horse forward. In no time at all he was beside Nick and Heath, as were seven other men, while Fred was left with four if you counted his deputy. McColl held up the note that Victoria had found on the front door. "I'm with Nick and Heath. Those men don't get a cent!"

"Heaven help us all." Fred said as he agreed that he and his men would do what they could to distract anyone who might be at the cabin.