The next morning, Gabriel and Marcus rode out to where the bandits died to see if they could track them back to their hideout. While they were looking around to determine the path of the bandits, they heard another horse approach. Gabriel recognizes the rider as New Hope's Mountie Nathan Grant. As Constable Grant reaches them, Gabriel asks his friend, "What are you doing here?"
Nathan cockily answers, "Sgt. Oakley thought you could use the best tracker to find the handout of the dead bandits to find the missing women."
Gabriel laughs and says, "Second best tracker. You are looking at the best tracker! But, get to work second best, with all three of us tracking hopefully we can find the missing women quickly."
Marcus chuckles looking between the two men. "I can tell that you are good friends. Must be nice to work with your friend nearby." Marcus says wistfully.
"Yes, it is." Nathan answers, "When I got married a few months ago, Gabriel was able to come to New Hope to be my best man. When he finally gets up the nerve to ask Lillian to marry him, then I can find out when I can return the favor. That is if she says 'Yes'."
"Ha-ha," Gabriel laughs sarcastically. "I already have the ring, and I was going to ask her this weekend until Lillian found out that Grace and Chuck are coming back to Brookfield. They should be here within the week. Since I cannot ask either of her dads' permission, I am going to ask Grace's permission. I know Chuck asked Lillian's permission before he followed Grace to England. By the way, Grace is pregnant."
"That is wonderful news, both the baby and Grace and Chuck's return. I know Lillian is ecstatic on all counts" Nathan says.
"Definitely," Gabriel confirms. "Marcus and I are going to help get the cottage cleaned out and ready for Grace and Chuck to live in until they figure out a more permanent solution. I believe I have found their tracks. It looks like they came in from the Northwest."
The three men gallop off to the Northwest. After about an hour and a half, they find a hunting cabin that has a plume of smoke coming out of the chimney. They also find a lean-to that has appeared to house a few horses, but there are no horses there now. The three men dismount and creep to the one door of the dwelling. With Gabriel and Nathan on either side of the door, Marcus takes cover behind a tree to cover them as they breach the cabin. Gabriel knocks on the door and waits, but no one calls out or opens the door. Gabriel grabs and turns the door handle and pushes inward. When Gabriel and Nathan enter the cabin, they discover six women who are bound, gagged, and terrified.
Gabriel and Nathan worked to quickly free them. Once the women were free, Gabriel asked how many men had been here. One of the women bravely said, "There were six until yesterday. Only three were here last night. When the younger three weren't back by daylight this morning, the older brothers rode out to look for them. They oldest said they were here because some man from England wanted them to kidnap their sister. He told the others that maybe they would just get their little sister to give them her money before they got rid of her."
Gabriel steps to the door and calls to Marcus to go get the wagon and to bring Nurse Maggie with him. Marcus rides off at a gallop towards Brookfield. Nathan takes the lookout point at the window by the door while Gabriel does his best to check over the women, but several shy away from him. Getting their names from the ladies confirms that the Mounties have found all of the missing women. He tells them that the third Mountie, named Constable Drake has gone to get a wagon and a nurse. Once he returns, then they will get them to Clearwater and safety.
About an hour and a half after Marcus left, Gabriel and Nathan hear hoofbeats of three horses approaching the cabin. Gabriel joins Nathan at the window to make sure none of the three moves to the back of the cabin. Before the riders could dismount, Gabriel saw the wagon approaching with Marcus, but instead of bringing Nurse Maggie there was a petite redheaded Valkyrie in her place.
Nathan remarks, "That doesn't look like Nurse Maggie. Is it my imagination, or does she have a rifle?" Just as they see one of the riders take aim at the cabin, they hear the gunshot of the rifle and the rider that was aiming at the cabin falls from his horse. "Well, that was helpful. Now there are only two of them."
"Yes, but she will kill all of them if she has a chance, and then we can't question them. Also, she was shot in her right shoulder yesterday, so Nurse Maggie didn't even want her shooting with her left hand much less taking the recoil from the rifle into her right shoulder!"
"Lexi!" Gabriel calls out just as Lexi shoots Gideon and he falls from his horse. "Please don't shoot this one. We need to question him."
"Fine! But I will keep him covered until you can get him off his horse and cuffed. Am I at least allowed to hit him a couple of times, fists not bullets?" Lexi angrily demands.
"We will see." Gabriel orders the remaining brother to hand Nathan his gun and to slowly dismount his horse. After the man dismounts, Gabriel cuffs him and moves him into the cabin. He looks over to the wagon and sees Marcus and Nathan helping Lexi from the wagon. As they move together towards the cabin, Lexi stops and spits on both of the men she shot. Gabriel can see that her shoulder is bleeding again, and he asks Nathan to see about patching her up. As Gabriel puts the last brother on the ground in front of the cabin, he quietly chastises, "You were supposed to bring Nurse Maggie, not Lexi! You knew she would want to shoot them, and she needs to let that shoulder heal!"
Marcus defends, "Nurse Maggie was called to the Stewart ranch because Hank was pinned between a fence rail and a cow. Unfortunately, it caused his leg to break, but the horse and cow are fine. When she was called away, Lexi had the forethought to have Miss Walsh drive the orphanage's wagon to the infirmary with a pile of blankets. So, Smoky was already hitched and ready with Lexi sitting on the wagon seat. Before you ask, I didn't let her shoot the rifle, she put it between us when I was getting in the wagon. I think she is more stubborn than Tenacious."
"You are right about that. Which is why I didn't want her here. I should have known she would find a way." Gabriel concedes. "Well, let's get the bodies on the horses, and then get the live one on his horse before Miss Lexi makes him another dead one. I have a feeling he is the one that broke her ribs before she left for England." At the sight of storm clouds gathering in his green eyes, Gabriel tells Marcus, "You can't kill him either! I think Miss Lexi's creepy cousin is in league with them to kidnap her from what one of the women said. So, Sgt. Oakley needs to interrogate to try and find out what he knows."
"Okay, interrogation, and then I kill him!" Lexi says from behind Gabriel and Marcus. "If they are in league with my cousin, Percy, then that means he somehow found out where I was traveling and he is possibly enroute now. Gabriel, I need my gun back! I wonder if I should even be staying at the orphanage. I don't want to risk anyone there getting hurt!"
"I will sit on the porch of the orphanage every night until we find your cousin! I think you are safer staying in Brookfield at least until your shoulder heals enough for you to learn to shoot with your left hand. Besides, what about Simon?" Marcus asks.
"Before we get ahead of ourselves, how about we get these ladies to the hospital in Clearwater, the live brother to the jail, and the bodies to the morgue? Was Sgt. Oakley heading back to Clearwater when you went to get the wagon?" Gabriel addresses the two hotheads.
Lexi answers, "He rode out before Constable Drake came back. One of the Mounties in Clearwater sent a telegram that Simon's uncle overheard that Sgt. Oakley was in Brookfield interviewing Simon. So, he was planning on making a trip to Brookfield. Sgt. Oakley rode out to intersect him before he could get to Brookfield and turn him back to Clearwater."
"Well," Gabriel reasons, "How about we get everyone loaded up and head to Clearwater before it gets too late, so that we can hopefully get back to Brookfield tonight? I am supposed to have a date with Lillian tonight. We have already had to postpone it once when Mary Louise got sick last week. Miss Lexi, you might feel more comfortable riding in the back of the wagon with the other ladies instead of hurting yourself more trying to get on the bench seat." Lexi nods her agreement.
Marcus assists Lexi into the back of the wagon while Nathan and Gabriel get Gordon back on his horse. Once Gordon has mounted, Marcus comes over to hold the reigns so that Nathan and Gabriel can help the ladies into the wagon. Nathan hands Gabriel several letters that he found inside that collaborate what they were told about the cousin colluding with the brothers. After everyone is settled, the troop heads toward Clearwater.
