A/N: Here comes Kingdom of Fear, shuffled into place from season 12. I basically turned this one on its head so I hope you enjoy this version of another one of my favorite episodes. As always, I own nothing but my OC. Enjoy!
"You all right?" Candy sidled his horse closer and slowed his pace to match hers. Annie wrapped her arm around her chest with a wince. Maybe insisting on joining the trail drive to sell some horses less than three weeks after she'd been shot wasn't the smartest idea she'd ever had.
But she'd do it again in a heartbeat, her brother's happiness was worth taking a bullet. And Erin made him happy. "I'm fine." She forced the words through her teeth and pulled Reno to a stop. "I just need to rest a minute." Candy glanced up at the rest of the Cartwrights vanishing among the trees and stopped his own horse. "You ever plan to name that animal?"
"When I find the right name," he said evenly. "We can catch up later."
"Until Joe rides back, demanding to know if I'm all right." She scraped a hand over her face and winced again. Frankly, she wasn't sure she was. A long, hard drive, then this rush home to make it in time for ranch hand Billy's wedding a few days before Hoss' … maybe she should have stayed at the Ponderosa with Erin. If only it weren't for that nagging feeling she should go ….
"You scared us, sweetheart."
"Not like I did it on purpose." She wiped her face. "Can you hand me the canteen, please?" If she leaned over, she was afraid she'd fall off the horse. Candy reached over and collected her canteen, uncapped it, and handed it to her. Annie took a long drink and sighed, then splashed a little on her face and neck and let him slip the canteen back over her saddle horn. "I'm surprised Pa hasn't ridden back to check on me."
"He trusts you."
"And you."
"Hm." Candy relaxed in the saddle and thumbed back his hat, looked around. "You ever go this way before?"
"Only used it this time to shave off several days." The pain had receded for now, but she'd be hurting tonight. "Come on."
A gun shot rang out and the horses jerked, ears flicking wildly. She and Candy traded glances. "Only one," he mused. "Tonight's supper, maybe?" Annie bit her lip.
"Maybe." So why was she suddenly nervous? It was like something hung in the air. Another shot rang out and Candy grabbed Reno's bridle before she could even gather her reins.
"Wait here. I'll see what's going on." He jumped down and vanished into the trees. Irritation flared, but she tamped it down. It made sense for him to go, he was the sneakiest of any of them, by far, and she was nursing a bullet wound.
Besides, it was probably nothing, it may not even have anything to do with them, it could be hunters.
And maybe Lake Tahoe would be bone dry come morning.
She bit her lip again and turned the horses in a circle, the animals for some reason antsy. Reno scraped a hoof through the dead leaves on the ground and snorted softly, nostrils flaring wide. "What is it, boy?" She knew better than to lean over his neck, she'd have a hard time getting back up, but that didn't stop her from laying a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Candy crashed back through the trees at a dead run, terror oozing from every pore. "Go, now!"
"What?" He lunged for her bridle, tried to haul Reno around, and she dropped his horse's reins. "Stop it!"
"There's no time! Billy's dead, they're surrounded. Go, Annie, now!" He scrambled into his saddle and spun the gelding on his hind hooves.
"What?"
"Don't you get it?! They think there's only five of us!" His eyes were wild. "Get moving, they'll be here soon!"
"Who? What's going on?"
"Oh, God, Annie –" He lunged again, his hand snaked around the back of her neck, and his mouth closed over hers.
Lightning sizzled through her veins and her head spun. Before she could take a breath, he pulled back, the crack of flesh on flesh echoed, and Reno bolted, the Honeycomb gelding shoving against his flank. "Get help!" Dazed, she fought to gather her reins, but by the time she had and turned around in the saddle, he was high-tailing it in the opposite direction.
The sounds of pursuit thundered through the trees and she drove Reno faster, darting into another section of the forest just as two men burst into view where they'd been standing seconds before. One of them pointed at Candy and they took off.
No.
Her heart stalled, leaving her gasping for breath that burned in her lungs. It took everything in her to keep from wheeling the grulla and turning on them with a loaded rifle.
But.
Without knowing what was going on, she couldn't risk it, no matter how much she wanted to. Part of her mind worked on the problem, reasoning that if whoever it was could surround three Cartwrights and take them prisoner with only one shot, they needed serious help, help that only she was free to bring.
The rest of her screamed in muzzled rage. She glanced up at the sun and picked a course, then gave Reno his head.
She couldn't see through her tears anyway.
Ride two hours, walk one. Annie trudged along beside the grulla, one arm wrapped around her chest. She looked to the sun, dismayed to realize how much time had passed without enough progress. It was almost three days to Virginia City, three days they may not have.
Her face felt stiff from dried tears and everything hurt. How could he have just offered himself up for bait like that? They could have both ridden for help.
Reno nudged her shoulder and she reached back and placed a hand on his nose. She closed her eyes, warring with herself. Three days was too long … then three days back. Almost a week before she could bring help. If she didn't stop for the night … if she pushed Reno, asked him for everything he had … maybe she could cut off a day.
She stroked his glossy neck and swung into the saddle, then asked for a lope. They weren't stopping again until she absolutely had to.
Which turned out to be much sooner than she'd expected. How could a healing wound hurt that much? She slowed to a walk, praying it would ease. There wasn't time for this. A glance at the sun told her it would soon be growing dark, the night forcing her to slow down even more. Annie ground her teeth and kicked Reno back to a lope, every stride sending pain lancing through her middle, pain she would have to ignore.
Along with other things.
They might not have caught him, Candy was slippery as a snake in lard. He'd proven no one could keep him anywhere for long if he didn't let them do it. But even he would have his limits, and only he would know what they were.
She imagined outsmarting two men would be simple, on a normal day. But this time, she didn't know. And it scared her, more than she would like to admit. How many men were they up against – a dozen, two, three? The numbers had to be high enough for none of them to attempt to fight back.
Unless … had Billy tried to fight, and they killed him for it? Was the sudden shock enough to stay their hands?
Annie touched her mouth, the feel of a desperate kiss burning like a brand. He'd wanted to stun her. "Candy, why?" The plea fell from her lips without conscious thought. A shiver ran down her spine. She looked back, but he wasn't riding up with a careless grin, laughing about how he'd lost the men in the woods.
Because he had no intentions of losing them.
What had he said – they thought there was only five of them, not six? He'd lead them away in a heart beat and consider it a job well done.
She looked to the sky again. Maybe an hour of daylight left; she'd have to make it count. Annie drove Reno into a dead gallop, asking for everything he had. They'd have all night to pick their way through the unfamiliar territory, right now they had to move fast.
Annie could have cried when they crested a hill and encountered a steep, rocky slope descending innocently down the other side. There had to be an easier way, but she didn't have time to fumble around in the dark. She swung down from the saddle and began to lead Reno carefully down the slope, her chest protesting the awkward angle of descent.
He was getting tired, she could feel it in his stride. Probably confused as hell, too. Any normal trip, they'd have stopped for the night hours ago, and he'd be settled on the picket line, munching grass. She wasn't exactly sure where they were, the normal route was more to the south instead of this westerly detour. They'd eventually run smack into the road they normally used, but it was still a day away.
She turned, staring past Reno's bulk into the gloom. What had happened back there in the mountains? What could have possibly put that kind of terror into Candy's eyes? Her hand rose to her mouth. Did they face men or monsters?
Reno snorted and she rubbed his face. "We'll rest at the bottom." A couple times, she slipped on loose rock and almost fell the rest of the way down, but caught herself on the mustang's saddle. "We get home, you'll have a nice long rest and all the hay you can eat," she promised the grulla.
Finally at the bottom, she mounted up and rode on, daring to pull a trot from the tired gelding. The moon gave just enough light she thought it would be safe. But they'd only gone a few miles when the pain in her chest forced her to slow down again.
There wasn't time for this! Whatever had happened, they couldn't handle it alone, or they would have right then and there. She had to reach Virginia City and bring back a posse.
But what if she was too late? How would she even know? Her connection to her twin would tell her if something happened to him, but there was no way to know about Hoss, or her father, or …. Annie swallowed hard.
She couldn't think like that, Cartwrights didn't give up, especially before the battle even started. They'd be fine, all of them. They knew she was free, and racing for help. They wouldn't do anything stupid.
Except for Joe, but that was nothing new.
Virginia City was almost straight west of here, the wide arc she'd had to take to avoid whatever was up ahead had carried her out of her way, but she was back on course now, of that she was fairly certain, but the morning would tell her for sure.
By sunrise, Reno's head hung low and he shuffled along, tired beyond measure. Heart heavy, she dismounted and started walking, the grulla trudging along in her wake. She walked all morning in an attempt to give the animal as much rest as she could afford to offer, stopping at every stream, creek, water hole, and puddle along the way. If she lost Reno, she'd never get to Virginia City.
Her heart slammed against her ribs and she fought the urge to cry. What would happen if she failed? Would she ever see any of them again, or would they just disappear into the mountains, no better than ghosts?
What had he seen that scared him so much? Annie knew she'd never stop wondering until he could give her an answer.
Erin. Oh, God, how could she have forgotten about Hoss' fiancee? What would she tell her? How could she tell her? Annie looked around wildly, hoping a cavalry patrol would materialize out of thin air and ride to the rescue, but the landscape was still.
Going by the sun, it was a little after noon, time to ride again. She swung into the saddle and asked for a lope. The mustang was still tired, but he'd never refused a command in his life. It was a slow lope, but they were moving, so it was good enough.
Lope, walk, trot, lead. The afternoon passed in agonizing slowness that sped by too fast. The sun slid towards the west, but it didn't seem like she'd gone very far at all. That night, she stopped for two hours to give Reno a chance to do more than snag a bite of grass here and there. A tiny part of her wanted to rush him along so they could keep moving, but she knew that wouldn't be fair. So she sat in the grass, her heart pounding in her chest, pain throbbing with every beat.
Was it outlaws? A gang large enough to take Cartwrights by surprise, and get them to surrender without a shot, though … any gang that big would be known, and she couldn't think of one. It could be someone new, but what target could they hope to find up in those mountains? Stages didn't run through, there weren't any mines that she'd heard of, nothing.
But if it wasn't outlaws, who was it? And what did they want? Why kill Billy? Was it someone with a grudge against her father? It had happened before, but there'd been no signs of anyone tailing them on the way home, and no one could have predicted they'd take the shortcut when they never had before. It didn't make sense, none of it.
Annie wrapped her arms around her middle, suddenly cold. It had never truly been up to her alone to save them before. Her father or brothers were just a telegram away if she'd run into something she couldn't handle. But this … she didn't even have the slightest idea what they were up against.
That's what she couldn't figure out, despite the fact she'd spent all day turning it over in her head. They could handle outlaws, self-important idiots, wild animals, pretty much anything life could throw at them. What in the world could possibly be going on that would turn Candy into a wild-eyed … desperate … she couldn't even give it a name.
Reno blew out a breath and yanked up a bunch of grass by the roots, chewing happily. She touched his velvet nose and drew in a sharp breath, then climbed to her feet and mounted up, turning his nose to the west.
A few tears escaped when her gaze landed on the road stretching out in front of her like a sign from above. She pushed Reno to a lope, shooting straight as an arrow for Virginia City. The gelding's stride was choppy and labored, evidence of his exhaustion, but she couldn't stop. They were so close, now. In a couple hours, he'd be cooled out and bedded knee deep in sweet straw, chowing down on a pile of hay.
The miles slipped by and his strides shortened even more. She knew he was tired, they both were, but time was racing past and she had no idea what awaited them in the mountains. "Come on, boy, please. Hang on." She searched the road ahead, praying she'd meet someone willing to swap horses for a couple hours, but there was nothing but dust. The sun beat down mercilessly, reminding her of a ride across the desert. Annie pulled him up and offered him a handful of water, then another, then a third. Why wasn't there someone else heading into town today? Reno was so tired … she gave him one more drink, then mounted back up, letting him keep to a shuffling trot.
Virginia City loomed on the horizon and her heart leaped. Less than five miles to go. There still wasn't anyone around so she pressed on, her heart beating fast, every cell in her body protesting the delay.
Two miles out, she pushed him for a lope again. "Come on, please." Reno was about done in, he may never be more than a pasture pet after this, but he'd earned the right. The grulla snorted and picked up the pace. A mile away, she booted him into a dead run, desperate to get home and get him taken care of while she and Roy attempted to make heads or tails of the situation.
The grulla flew down the street, and she screamed for Roy at the top of her lungs. The door to the sheriff's office crashed open and the grizzled sheriff ran out into the street. "Roy!" She took up on the reins, and Reno faltered. Frantic, she hauled him up short, but it was like his front legs were swept out from under him. Annie sailed over his shoulder and everything went black.
"Annie? Honey, are you all right?" She knew that voice, it was Erin. What was she doing in town? Annie shifted and pain shot through her entire body, making her gasp. Her eyes flew open and the first thing she saw was her soon to be sister-in-law huddled in a chair next to … how was she in bed? Her head pounded and she pressed a hand to her eyes.
"What's going on, missy?" She peeked at Roy through her fingers and blinked a few times. It all came flying back and she sat up with a gasp. Hands reached for her, but she shook them off.
"They need help!" She lunged for his vest and he caught her hands. "Pa and the boys … Candy … they're up in the mountains!" She rushed her explanation, only leaving out the kiss, and the longer she talked, the darker his face became. To her credit, Erin didn't dissolve into tears, proving Annie had been right to take a bullet for her.
"What are we waiting on, Sheriff? My Hoss is in trouble." The woman stood, eyes flashing fire. "I'll saddle my horse." Annie swallowed hard.
"Now, wait a minute!" Roy adjusted his sleeves and heaved a sigh. "Candy said they was surrounded, and Billy was dead?"
"Yes," she whispered through numb lips. Roy brushed a finger over his mustache in thought. "Take a mighty big gang of men to make Ben and the boys back down. We're gonna need a hell of a posse, ladies."
"Send a rider to the Ponderosa. I want every hand on the place ready to ride by tonight. If they need ammo, have Sam put it on our tab. Erin, would Bear Hunter and his braves ride with us? How many men from town can we count on, Roy?" She figured they'd need at least fifty altogether, though more would always be better.
"They will if I ask, sister. We'd find no better scouts, to be sure."
"I'll send my deputies around immediately. But even if we can be ready by nightfall, it would be wiser to wait for first light."
"Don't you get it, Roy?" Annie's heart slammed painfully against her ribs. "They've already been out there for almost three days … who knows what's happened to them!" Roy laid his hand on hers.
"I know, missy. I know. We'll get a posse together, and I'll bring them back to you, I promise."
"What? No, I'm going with you." Roy spluttered and shot to his feet, slinging his hands around as he talked.
"Your pa and Doc would both kill me! You just rode nonstop for three days and came off that pony right in front of me."
"I'm not staying behind." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and shakily stood, leaning on Erin for support. Yes, it hurt, but she wasn't staying here. She swallowed hard again and took a moment to collect herself before asking the only other question that mattered right now. "Reno?"
Erin's face froze and Roy's throat worked. Annie bit her lip and sat down hard on the edge of the bed, tears pricking her eyes. Erin drew in a shaky breath and sat beside her, taking her hand gently. "He gave you everything he had, and more, sister. He's gone," she added softly, her own eyes red. "They got him up and over to the livery, but he collapsed while they were cooling him out."
Her chest tightened and she looked down at her lap, tears slipping over her nose. Erin's arms wrapped around her; a sob caught in her throat and she doubled over, gasping for breath that wouldn't come. An Irish lullaby filled the room. Her eyes misted, cloaking the room in a veil of tears as a wail of anguish broke through Erin's song, and her heart shattered. Her sister smoothed her tangled hair and kept singing, rocking Annie like she was a child.
"Missy, you don't want to remember him like that." Roy took her arm and tried to pull her back towards the sheriff's office. "The posse is forming up as we speak. I …" he faltered, then cleared his throat, his eyes suspiciously red. "I sent to the livery for a horse for you, I … I hope you don't …" he coughed.
"It's all right, Roy. But I have to say good-bye." She touched the old man's shoulder and he nodded stiffly.
"They … uh … drug him out into the corral for the time being. I had 'em put a … a blanket over him."
"Thanks." Her throat closed and she couldn't have said anything more if her life depended on it. She stumbled into the livery, avoiding the stable boy's gaze, and made her way on numb, shaky legs out the back door and froze a few feet from the blanket covered shape. Tears flowed freely and she choked on a sob.
Old as he was, she'd never thought it could happen. After all the trouble they'd faced down, she'd never thought he would die like this. Never thought he would die at all, really. Reno had always seemed larger than life, same as Cochise.
Annie knelt at his shoulder and reached for the edge of the blanket, gently drawing it back to expose his face, leaving his sweat-encrusted coat hidden. Her vision swam and she choked on her tears as she lovingly ran a finger over his black-tipped ear. "I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely.
It seemed like yesterday they'd ventured up into the mountains and tracked down the bachelor band with the fiery grulla. Adam had been the one to lasso him, she suddenly recalled, proud as could be that Pa had given him the honor.
How had it been fifteen years? How could he be gone, just like that? How could any of this be happening? She drew in a choking breath that seared her lungs and stroked his silky mane as tears dripped onto his neck. She caught herself watching for the shiver of his skin when the droplets landed and cried harder.
How had it happened? She'd rested him at every chance, offered water and grass … what had driven him over the edge? Annie knew she'd never know, nor would she stop wondering.
She reached down to her boot, carefully withdrawing her knife. With a speed born of years of practice, she wove a braid as wide as her finger in his mane, tied it off, then cut it free with trembling fingers, fumbling as she tried to tuck it into her pocket.
Once it was secure, she returned the knife to her boot and wrapped her arms around his still neck, her face buried in his mane, shoulders jerking with silent sobs.
"Annie?" Erin's voice broke the stillness and she flinched. "Bear Hunter and our men have arrived. Sheriff Coffee says we're ready if you still intend to come." Annie shifted, pressed a kiss to Reno's face, and tucked the blanket back over his head. She stood and followed Erin from the corral without a word.
No matter how much it hurt.
"We've got a three day ride, men. And ladies." Roy frowned, but he wasn't going to stop them. She was the only one who knew where they were going and if he thought Erin would meekly stay behind, well … he'd never seen her fight before. "One man's already dead, let's get moving." He turned his big bay and Annie swung into the saddle of her borrowed animal, guiding it over next to Erin.
She caught sight of Wayne Purcell, Doc Martin, Clem, and countless others they'd helped over the years. A man she didn't quite recognize scowled when Bear Hunter and his braves rode up on their ponies.
"I ain't riding with no Injuns, Sheriff."
"Now see here –"
"Stay behind if you feel that way," Annie hissed. "Any of you. Bear Hunter saved my life, and his braves are some of the best scouts I've seen."
"You think I won't?" The man yanked his bay gelding out of line and galloped away, two others following him. "You'll be lucky to keep your hair," he hollered over his shoulder. Annie snarled under her breath and turned her back to the fleeing riders.
"We're wasting light, let's get moving, Roy." She stared off into the distance, heart beating faster. What would they find up there in the mountains?
They kept riding after nightfall, a decision Roy would no doubt be hounded for once she was out of earshot, even though he wasn't going any faster than a walk. "Annie." The sheriff jerked his chin and she nudged her horse up next to his bay. "Tell me again what Candy said."
"Pa and the boys were surrounded and Billy was dead. He told me to run, to bring help, and he took off in the other direction. When the strangers broke through the trees, they chased after him," she said in a monotone. He rubbed his chin.
"It don't make no sense."
"Maybe it does." A man pushed his horse through the middle of the posse and joined them at the front. "About five years ago, I hired on a drifter. He'd been working for me about a year when I sent him to collect some money I was owed. He never came back and when I contacted Harvey, he said the man never showed up. He would have had to pass through those mountains."
"I remember that," Roy said slowly. "Didn't one of the men in the posse also go missing?"
"He was a thief, used the posse to cover his tracks while he escaped with my money." Another man rode up, and she recognized Warren from the apothecary. Roy's face was thoughtful in the light of the moon.
"Any one else hear tell of men going missing?" A couple more hands went up and his mustache twitched. "Hmph. I don't like it. I don't like it at all." He looked back over the posse and Annie didn't need a sixth sense to tell her what he was thinking.
Would they go missing, too?
The second day passed in a swirl of heat and dust that clogged her throat. Her heart pounded in her chest, aching more with every stop to rest the horses. They had to stop, she knew that, but the not knowing was killing her.
Joe was alive, she could sense that much, but what of the rest of them? Annie wanted to believe she would know if something was wrong, but did it really work like that? Sure, she'd done it before, but that was just a niggling sense that something wasn't right.
Up ahead, Bear Hunter raised a hand and turned them into the trees. She studied the ground as they rode past and realized he was following her own desperate tracks, though he wasn't paying much attention to them at the moment. Was her trail that obvious? Her throat closed and a cold chill shot down her spine.
Had the strangers seen it, too?
No, they couldn't have, they wouldn't have been out this far, not when they'd followed Candy. They couldn't know there was really six instead of five.
The brave called a halt and turned his horse. Roy jerked his chin in her direction and they rode to the front of the pack. "What is it, Bear Hunter?" Roy thumbed back his hat. The brave gazed into the trees for a moment.
"Night comes. We rest here, continue in morning. I send my braves to scout tonight." He nodded decisively. "Tomorrow, we know what we deal with."
"Spread out, men. No fires and no noise." Roy stared into the darkening forest. "I'll be a sight happier once we know what's going on."
There was very little discussion as horses were unsaddled and picketed between a stand of trees. Bear Hunter's men huddled together for a brief conversation, then the others dismounted and melted into the forest. Annie dismounted, but before she could even think about touching the cinch, Erin swooped in and took the reins to her borrowed chestnut.
"Don't even think about it, sister. Hoss would have my hide if something happened to you, to say nothing of Pa." She called sharply in Paiute and Bear Hunter appeared within seconds. "Please, look after the horse while I see to Annie." He bowed his head and took the gelding by the reins. Erin caught her arm and tugged her over to sit under a tree. "Don't move until I come back with the canteens."
Annie opened her mouth to protest, but snapped it shut without a word. She'd never listen. Erin returned in minutes with the canteens and some jerky. They ate in silence until Erin finally looked up, her face shadowed by the coming night.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"It won't bring him back."
"It might help."
"I don't even want to think about it." Annie pulled her knees to her chest and relaxed slightly. Odd, but it helped with the pain.
"Avoiding it will only hurt worse once we return to town." Erin touched her arm and Annie bit her lip. "Before Nightwind, I had another horse and the Crow shot him out from under me. It never goes away, sister. All we can do is choose how we handle it."
"I'd rather wake up and find out this whole mess is nothing but a nightmare."
"That's not a gift we're likely to receive." Erin's face clouded. "I pray they are all safe."
"They have to be." She didn't have the first idea what she'd do if they weren't. Her stomach lurched at the thought and she pressed a hand to her middle. Maybe she shouldn't have eaten that jerky.
Roy made his way over and sat down across from them, rubbing at his lower back. "I sure wish you ladies had stayed home. I don't like this, not one bit."
"If you're worried, Sheriff, you needn't be. Ask the Crow how well I fight." Erin's voice was hard and Roy held up his hands.
"I ain't saying you can't, neither one of you. Fact is, I know you can. I'm just saying, we don't know what we're gonna find come morning."
"You think it'd be easier to be told bad news in town?" Annie spit through her teeth. "I'd rather not spend days believing everything's fine, then have my world cave in when you returned. I have to know …" What made him look like that. Roy's throat worked and he studied his hands.
"Missy, I don't wanna believe it's gonna be bad, but … dang blast it, what else could it be? Ben and the boys don't take nothing lying down." He scratched at his head. "I just can't figure why they wouldn't at least try and fight."
"Candy said they were surrounded," she said numbly. "I guess they were taken by surprise."
"That hasn't stopped 'em before."
"I don't know, Roy." She sighed and leaned carefully back against the tree. "I've gone over it and over it, but I can't make it make sense." She snatched up a handful of grass and let the blades fall to the earth. "He said something about they thought there was five, not six, but … I don't know." Roy cleared his throat and she glanced up. He took her hand.
"Maybe they was trying to protect you."
"From what?" His throat worked.
"I don't know."
She stared up at the star-filled sky long after everyone else had fallen asleep. Bear Hunter's braves hadn't returned yet, and she tried not to think about what that could mean. What had they found up on that mountain? Had someone found them? No, they were Paiute, a man would have to fall over them before they found them.
Annie rolled over carefully and shifted deeper into her bedroll. What was she going to do if something terrible had happened? She'd know … wouldn't she? Her stomach churned and her chest ached. Why hadn't she gone back? They could have handled it, whatever it was, they always had before.
Why didn't they fight back?
She still couldn't make heads or tails of it. What could have possibly stopped them? She and Candy were just down the trail with two more guns, almost as good as a squad of cavalry to hear her pa tell it. Were they afraid for her?
She turned over again and tucked her arm under her head, her gaze drawn to the glowing moon. A single tear slipped down her cheek and she brushed it away. The lock of mane in her pocket burned like a brand. She'd had Reno for so long, she didn't know what to do without him. The chestnut Roy had secured was nice, but he wasn't Ponderosa nice. A shaky breath seared her lungs and she closed her eyes.
Why did it feel like everything was changing?
"We know," Bear Hunter announced in a grim tone just after first light as he stood beside his saddled pony. "Dozens of men work like dogs." He looked around at all of them in turn. "There is a mine up that mountain, and this man, the Judge, he commands all he captures to dig for his gold."
"What?" Voice after voice echoed across the posse. Annie's head spun and she pressed a hand to her horse's shoulder to steady herself.
"Tarnation," Roy thundered and shifted in his saddle. "Are you telling me there's a bunch of men up there held prisoner?" Bear Hunter nodded once and the sheriff yanked off his hat. "You see Ben Cartwright and his boys?" Another nod, and her heart skipped a beat. She pushed off the horse and ran forward, evading Erin's protective grasp.
"Are they all right?"
"There are others who are worse."
"What do you mean? Are they hurt?" He said nothing for a minute and her head spun. "Tell me!" He glanced past her to Erin, and her sister came forward, laying a supporting hand on her arm.
"Only the one called Candy." She staggered, would have fallen if not for Erin's hold.
"How – how …" she couldn't get the words out.
"How bad?" Erin did it for her, lapsing into sharp, rapid-fire Paiute when Bear Hunter refused to answer, but the man didn't even blink. "Bear Hunter, how bad is he?"
"He was whipped. We do not know why." Her legs buckled and Annie sat down hard in the grass, air searing her lungs.
She knew. He made them chase him, and they made him pay for every minute of it. God, why? Why couldn't he have come with her? She blinked several times to clear her vision and shakily got to her feet. "How far?"
"Five or six miles further up the mountain. We found the spot where they encountered your family. There is a shallow grave back in the trees. We did not disturb it." Annie swallowed hard. How would Billy's girl handle it? She already knew he was dead, but seeing the proof would destroy her again. She scraped a hand over her face and looked around.
"Any ideas? Can we surround them?" The brave tilted his head, then conversed with his friends a moment. He finally turned back, face set.
"We only counted a dozen guards, so it could be done, but I think it would be better to pick them off one by one before we strike. If they discover us, they could use their prisoners as shields."
"He's right." Roy stroked his chin. "We outnumber them at least three to one, but it won't do no good if they get Ben or one of the boys with a gun to their head."
"What do you think, Sheriff?" Wayne Purcell shifted in his saddle. "I owe Ben."
"A lot of us do," someone else said. "I ain't gonna sit here and do nothing, we got the advantage and I say we use it. They can't shoot us all."
"Who would you like them to hit?" Roy asked softly, and the man looked down at his saddle. "That's what I figured." He looked around. "Bear Hunter, how do they have the men contained?" The brave frowned slightly. "Are the prisoners locked up somewhere, like in a building?"
"No. There is a shelter out in the open, a roof of blankets supported by posts." He knelt and sketched in the dirt with a stick. "Men with rifles watch them and they are chained. The only house is for the man in charge."
"What about their horses?" A man called up from the rear.
"There is a corral." He pointed to a spot behind the house. Roy stroked his chin.
"I'm thinking we should move into position after nightfall and catch 'em by surprise come morning."
"You mean wait?" Annie's voice rose. Erin touched her arm and she shrugged her hand off. "We can't."
"We ain't gonna sit here and twiddle our thumbs if that's what you're worried about, missy." Roy frowned up at the mountain. "I just got to figure out how we're gonna pull this off."
"If we lure some of them out, we could get the jump on the rest. Four or five men can't keep control of that many people." Annie worked her hands.
"This is true," Bear Hunter agreed. "But when the men do not return, the Judge will know something is wrong."
"Men like that are bullies and cowards," she spit. "If we can get a gun to his head, it's over. We show up in the middle of his private little kingdom out here with three dozen rifles, he's gonna fold like a pair of twos."
"Annie, honey, you got more brass than a spittoon, but you got to use that head Ben prides you on. I know you don't want to wait, and neither do I, but it's better this way. We'll use today to sneak in close and take up our positions come dark, it'll take us that long to get everybody in place, I think. Come first light, we'll make our move."
Annie threw off her sister's restraining hand and pushed her way out of the circle, tears pricking at her eyes.
"Sheriff's right, Annie." She didn't bother to glance over her shoulder, maintaining her perch on the boulder.
"Easy for you to say, Clem, it's not your family out there." She wrapped her arms around her middle and suppressed a shiver. How bad was it?
"No," the deputy agreed as he sat down next to her. "It's not, even though I sometimes feel like they are as many times as they've helped me out over the years." She drew in a shaky breath, but said nothing. "You heard the brave say they're all right, a few more hours aren't going to change anything."
"Candy's not."
"I know. But he's tough." Clem touched her arm. "Look at me." She turned slowly, blinking back tears, and he brushed them away gently. "He knows you're out here somewhere loaded for bear, he's not gonna give up that easily."
"I know."
"But knowing doesn't make the waiting any easier."
"No," she whispered, and he squeezed her shoulder.
"They'll be fine."
"As long as Joe doesn't come up with some stupid plan and wreck ours in the process." Clem forced a chuckle.
"Yeah, your brother has a habit of that." He stood. "Roy says we're ready to head out." Annie stood slowly and followed him back to the horses, her heart slamming against her ribs. Only tonight, and then they'd be home safe. She mounted up, her throat unbearably tight, and took up her position in the pack.
Joe, tell Pa we're coming.
They crept closer to the camp foot by foot, Roy giving directions on how they should spread out to surround the place. The final approach wouldn't be made until after night fell, but getting set now would speed things up tonight.
The posse broke up into small groups of two or three, easing off to settle in and wait. It was getting close to sundown, she guessed, when the horses perked up and focused on something off to the west. Annie stiffened and touched her pistol. "What is it?" Roy frowned and swallowed hard.
"I don't rightly know." He glanced at Bear Hunter, but the man seemed to be listening to something only he and his braves could hear. Then, the wind shifted, and they could hear the barking and howling of dogs for a brief moment before it was lost again. "What do you suppose that's about?"
"It is the camp." Bear Hunter motioned to his braves and they melted into the trees. "The Judge keeps dogs to stop men who try and escape."
"Dogs?" The hairs on the back of Annie's neck rose and she worried her bottom lip. A glance in the direction of the sounds only increased the suddenly bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Oh, no. He wouldn't dare … it would foolhardy to try … Candy would have told them she was coming … "Roy …" The sheriff turned and she met his confused gaze. "They're after Joe."
"What?" She gave him a knowing look and his throat worked. "Lord, he wouldn't."
"He thinks he can outrun 'em."
"If he did, they'll have men out searching for him, and they's likely to run across us." Roy stuffed his hat tighter on his head and huffed out a breath. "Like to turn that boy over my knee sometimes. Come on, we got to get to him first."
"What if it's not Cartwright, Sheriff?" Roy frowned at the man who'd spoken and his mustache twitched.
"It don't matter who it is, if they've escaped from that camp, they're gonna need help. Move out." The posse picked up a jog-trot and headed out.
They hadn't ridden more than a mile before the horses snorted, and a figure stumbled out of the trees on the right wing of the posse, a rifle clutched in his hands, shackles clinking with every move. "Annie!" His voice was hoarse, and he was filthy, but her heart leaped.
"Joe!" She scrambled off the horse and threw her arms around his neck. She hugged him tight, then pulled back. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You can't outrun dogs! If they stumble over the posse –"
"They won't." He untangled himself from her arms and sat down hard on the ground. Clem rushed over with a full canteen and pressed it into his hands. Joe took a long drink and wiped his mouth. "They turn 'em loose and wait for 'em to come back after they finish." He touched his shirt, one she didn't recognize. "They track by smell, not sight. I got the drop on the guard and forced him to trade shirts." Annie's blood ran cold and she turned to the west, praying they were too far away to hear anything.
"Lord have mercy," someone whispered, and she thought she recognized Doc's voice. Erin shuddered and wrapped Joe up in a hug.
"They're beasts, not men, brother." Joe shivered and for some reason wouldn't meet her eyes, or Erin's. He took another drink and swallowed hard.
"There's a man back there, he's been here for three years. His wife is buried on the hill behind the Judge's house." His throat worked. "She hung herself." Furious whispers broke out and Roy shushed them.
"Why?" Joe looked down at the ground.
"To avoid a fate worse than death," he whispered, and cold chills worked up and down her spine. "God, I'm glad you weren't with us, they'd have … I saw Candy watching and told them there was only five of us. I knew he'd make sure you escaped. I can take anything but …" His hands shook and water sloshed in the canteen. "We owe him, and that's why I tried." He finally turned haunted eyes on her face and she couldn't breathe. "They whipped him that first day and his back is infected … I knew you'd bring help, but I couldn't wait any longer."
"Should we move now, Roy?" Erin's voice was sharp. Heads turned and the sheriff pressed his lips together in thought.
"We'd have more cover in the darkness, but … Doc, can we afford to wait?"
"We'll be taking a risk either way. Our advantage is they don't know we're out here." Doc nudged his horse up alongside Roy. "If Joe's trick worked, and the dogs killed the guard, they'll be thinking all their loose ends are tied up."
"Unless they find the guard," Annie hissed.
"I can ride out and tell the others we're moving now," Erin straightened. "Someone else will need to take the other side of the circle, it'll be quicker that way."
"Hey, Roy." Clem shifted in his saddle. "She's right. If they find that guard dead, there's no telling what they might do."
"We move now." Annie's voice was like liquid steel.
"But, Annie –"
"They crossed Cartwrights, and now they have to pay the price." She mounted up and snatched the chestnut around in a tight circle, her blood running hot. "Find Joe a horse and let's go." Erin leaped into the saddle and slipped into the forest.
"I'll take the other side," Dude called out and rode off.
"I'll only slow you down," her brother said hoarsely. "There's no time, get going." Annie nodded sharply and put the spurs to her horse, the posse fanning out behind her as they galloped for the ridge line. Every few strides, pain shot through her chest, but she ignored it.
The thunder of hooves accompanied their descent and the guards gathered around a long, canvas-roofed shelter looked up in shock. Annie drew her rifle and worked the lever, eyes scanning for familiar faces even though they were still too far away.
One guard looked around wildly, dropped his rifle, and ran towards her, hands up in a pleading gesture. Behind him, the prisoners swarmed the rest of the guards. Annie reined the chestnut down to a sliding stop that cut the guard off from the onrush of men. His eyes widened. "A woman?"
"A Cartwright," she corrected as the rest of the posse thundered over the ridge to complete the circle.
"Hey! Let go of them men," Roy hollered. "I'm the sheriff, let the law deal with 'em. Unless you want to join 'em, drop them guns." The prisoners exchanged glances, then turned the rifles over to members of the posse.
"Annie!" Her father's voice brought her head around sharply, and she leaped off her horse and ran.
"Pa!" His arms wrapped around her and he sighed heavily.
"Thank God." He pulled back. "Joe, did you see Joe?"
"Yes." She looked over his shoulder. "Candy?" Ben's face clouded and he turned towards a figure huddled under the shelter, Hoss at his side. Her breath caught in her throat and she ran.
"Hey, where's the Judge?" Clem shouted. She landed on her knees beside Candy just as Bear Hunter's voice rose above the sudden clamor. Hoss squeezed her arm and she swallowed hard.
"Candy?" Her throat closed when he didn't answer.
"We have him," the Paiute announced, pushing a shaky man in front of his horse at gunpoint, his braves fanned out on either side. Roy rode forward and thumbed back his hat.
"Think you're the law, do you?" He snorted in disgust. "You ain't gonna like what a real judge has to say. Tie 'em up, boys." He wheeled his horse and rode over to where she crouched on the ground, one hand on Candy's arm. "How is he?"
"Bad enough," Hoss said softly. Doc rushed over and dug into his bag.
"Someone get me some water." Wayne Purcell hopped down and handed over his canteen. "Thanks. Find me some more, will you? I think I saw a creek somewhere on the way in."
"Hoss!" Erin leaped off her horse and crashed into him with all the force she could come up with, which wasn't half enough to knock him back a step, much less knock him over. "Thank God you're safe." Annie's eyes burned as her brother hugged his soon to be wife like he'd been afraid he'd never see her again.
"I'm all right, darling," he whispered. "And so proud of you I could bust."
"You'll not be doing any such thing, Hoss Cartwright!" Erin shook her finger in his face. "I was so afraid I'd lost you."
"Not a chance, darling," he said hoarsely, then cleared his throat. "We done what we could for him, but it wasn't much." His forehead wrinkled and he wiped a grubby sleeve across his face, only smearing the dirt. "He's gonna have some bad scars, that's for dang sure." Candy moaned softly and shifted on the ground, chains clinking.
"Someone get those off," Annie whispered through clenched teeth. "Candy, Candy, you're safe, you hear me?"
"Annie done brought a posse," Hoss added. "You done good, little sis." He smiled, but it faded almost immediately. "Candy said you didn't want to leave, but you did the right thing. With that bullet wound, and …" his face colored, "other … things …"
"I heard," she said shortly and cringed as Doc carefully began to wash Candy's back. Their foreman flinched, but didn't wake, muttering weakly under his breath. Her heart squeezed painfully. Why hadn't he come with her?
"Don't blame yourself, Annie. He heard Joe say there was five of us, and he knew they'd be looking –"
"Why didn't he say there were only four?" She hissed, bitterness creeping into her tone. Hoss swallowed.
"I think he wanted to, but the way they was looking at him after they asked makes me think they knew there was at least one more of us out there. And then after Candy made noise in the bushes, it was out of our hands."
"He wouldn't have done that."
"He wanted them to focus on him, hoping they wouldn't notice your tracks. If they seen him, they ain't gonna be too focused on the ground, are they?"
"But …" Annie bit her lip and stared down at Candy. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she could hear the truth in his words. "He'll be all right, won't he, Doc?"
"I think so. Get him home and cleaned up, fill him full of water and some of Hop Sing's good cooking, and he should be better in a week or so. Is there a wagon around here, Hoss? He shouldn't ride like this."
"Yeah, there's a wagon."
"Good." Candy shifted again and Doc touched his shoulder. "Easy, son." He blinked, and his eyes locked onto her face, widening in panic.
"Annie!" He struggled to sit up with a moan. "Get out, run …" He sagged back to the ground, panting with the effort. "God, please, make her leave."
"It's all right, Candy." Hoss squeezed his arm gently. "They can't hurt her now."
"Hoss?"
"She brought a whole dang posse, how do you like that? They came tearing up like a war party of Paiutes and scared the living daylights out of the Judge and his men." Candy relaxed and a tiny smile pulled at his mouth.
"Knew she would …" he mumbled, and slipped back into the fever. Annie blinked back tears and wiped her face on her sleeve. Hoss patted her back. Erin frowned.
"Just what is wrong with a war party?" Hoss chuckled and pulled her against him.
"Nothing, darling. Nothing at all."
"Yes, sir, for a while there, I was afraid we'd never see home again," Joe commented as they rode into the yard, Doc driving the wagon behind them, the hands spread out to the rear. Annie glanced back, finding Erin's face where she sat next to Candy. Her sister smiled in reassurance and she relaxed, dismounting from Nightwind carefully.
He was a good horse, one of the best she'd ever ridden, but he was no Reno. Her chest ached, but it wasn't from the bullet wound. For a few days, she could put it out of her mind, but now that they were home, where every inch of ground bore memories, the agony of loss was overwhelming.
Joe hopped down from the Honeycomb gelding and gestured to her borrowed horse he was leading. "Sam, rub this horse down and take him back to the livery, and bring Reno back while you're at it."
An awkward silence descended and her brother frowned. The hands wouldn't meet his gaze, all of them darting worried looks her way. She drew in a shaky breath and steeled herself to say it. "Reno …" Her voice broke and she pressed her hand to her mouth, leaning heavily against Nightwind's flank. "He's gone," she breathed, and the tears spilled over.
"Oh, no." Ben jumped down and engulfed her in a hug. "I'm sorry, baby." His hand smoothed her hair and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Shh." He rubbed her back. "God broke the mold when he made that pony. Boys, get Candy settled in the house, we'll be there in a little while. Shh. It's never easy to lose a horse, but there will come a time when it doesn't hurt like it used to, when you can remember him with smiles instead of tears."
"I know, Pa."
"But it doesn't help now," he whispered. "Does it?" She shook her head and he kept rubbing her back. "That pony gave everything he had to get you clear of danger, and I'll forever be grateful he did. If it can be done, I'll send the boys to town and … we'll see if we can bury him on the Ponderosa." She choked on a sob. "Go on and let it out." Her tears soaked his shirt to the skin, but all he did was rub her back and whisper soothing words until they finally dried.
It took two days for Candy's fever to break. Annie was sitting next to his bed when he woke up, finally lucid. He blinked a few times and stretched, sucking in a sharp breath when it pulled at the healing wounds on his back. "Lay still." Her voice brought his head around and he stared at her like he'd never seen her before.
"You made it."
"Why did you do that?" Fear sharpened her voice. "They might have killed you!"
"As long as it wasn't you, I didn't much care." His throat worked. "Um … about that … uh … I shouldn't have done it, and I apologize." It seemed like he couldn't get the words out fast enough. Her heart cracked and she swallowed hard. "I had to get you out of there and I couldn't think of ... I'm sorry. I promise I don't make a habit of kissing my friends." He grabbed her hand. "I didn't mean anything improper, I swear."
"I know."
"It'll never happen again." The crack widened, and a tiny piece broke off, tumbling into the pit of her stomach. She wanted to tell him she wouldn't mind, but he'd be horrified if he knew the direction her thoughts had turned. He'd probably ride out as soon as his back was healed enough to allow him to sit a saddle and she'd lose him forever.
That possibility silenced her, and she gave him a watery smile. "It's all right." He looked so relieved she feared he'd been imagining getting thrown out on his ear over it. As if they'd ever do that. But he'd grown up in a different world, and she could only imagine what he'd seen over the years.
"Annie?" The hesitancy in his voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Please tell me it was the fever."
"What about?" He swallowed.
"Reno." She drew in a breath and shook her head, unable to answer, and his face fell. "Lord, sweetheart … what happened?" His hand found hers and she soaked in the comforting touch.
"He gave out," she whispered.
"It's my fault."
"No. I don't blame anyone for it." Except herself.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart."
"Me, too," she whispered. "Me, too."