CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Praying
Daylight trickled through the trees. Victoria had actually dozed for a short time. She could feel JR breathing beneath her. The sound—and feel—of his strong heartbeat relaxed her. She recalled how she loved to put her head on Tom's chest and listen to his heartbeat. It was one of the most comforting feelings she'd ever had—and she had missed it so much.
But where was Nick and Jarrod? It seemed like they should've been back by now. She hoped—she prayed—all was well with Heath and Margaret. And with Nick and Jarrod. Hopefully, they hadn't walked into an ambush.
"Tori?" JR asked quietly.
"Tori!" Victoria chortled. "Never been called that before!"
"You're awake then?"
"Yes. Are you okay?"
"Fine," JR answered. "Be glad to get back to your house."
"Me too." Victoria patted his shoulders. "Thank you for saving my life."
JR grunted. "You saved mine first." He sighed. "That's the first time a woman has ever saved my life."
"Maybe women are more capable than you've given us credit for," Victoria commented.
"I'd argue with you, but I know I wouldn't win." JR sighed. "I guess I need to rethink some things. I was never around many women. My mother was sickly and weak. Father brought her out West, and she always resented it. She hated it here. She depended fully on Father for everything."
"I'm sorry you had that experience," Victoria stated.
"I was an only child. Mother almost died in birthing me, so they never had another child." He sighed. "She died of typhoid fever when I was fourteen. After that, it was just Father and me. And Father was never the same. He adored my mother."
"That had to be difficult."
"When I met Susannah, I was eighteen and she was only fifteen. We married two years later." He shrugged. "She was a lot like my mother—beautiful, but fragile. She died when Margaret was born." And, although he wasn't ready to share his most personal thoughts, he'd never been with another woman. He always feared he'd somehow cause her death, so his socializing was limited to his Friday night poker games.
"So, all the women you've ever known have been delicate?"
"I suppose so."
"Margaret doesn't seem delicate to me," Victoria stated.
JR chuckled. "No. She's always been a ball of energy and health."
"She's a very sweet young woman."
"She was an easy child. Never had a temper tantrum. Never was rebellious. She was just a naturally sweet child, easy going and mild-mannered." He smiled. "I never had to speak twice to her."
"I'd have to say Jarrod was my easiest child." She shrugged. "And Nick was the most difficult."
"Seems like he inherited his mother's temper," JR stated.
"His mother's?" Victoria laughed. "Let's just say he got it naturally from both his parents."
JR moved his arm around her shoulders and they lay quietly, waiting for rescue.
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Nick tossed the blankets aside. He quickly checked Margaret for injuries but saw nothing. "Margaret!" He shook her slightly.
Margaret opened her eyes. They were wide as she looked around, assessing where she was and what was happening.
"Are you okay?" Nick asked.
"Yes," she stated. "Just tired."
"Is Heath okay?" Nick asked.
"No." Margaret slid off of Heath. Tears filled her eyes. "He lost a lot of blood. He's got a bad gash on the back of his head."
"Has he been conscious at all?" Jarrod asked.
"Yes. He was out for, I don't know, maybe eight hours or so. Then he came to, but he was in a lot of pain."
Jarrod lifted Heath's bloody wrist.
"They had him tied to that chair." She pointed behind them. "We got his hands free, and he tried to free his ankles, but he fell over."
"Who killed Sweeny and O'Connell?"
"I did," Margaret stated. She suppressed a shiver.
"You did good," Nick said. He took a moment to study her. "I assume that's the first time you've killed anyone?"
"Yes. Of course."
"You had to do it. You didn't have any choice." He gave her a smile. "You did what you had to do to save yourself and Heath. Don't try to overthink it beyond that."
Margaret nodded.
"Are you okay?" Nick asked, his head tilted. "I mean, you've been through a lot in the last day."
"Mulligan and Diego are coming back here," Margaret said.
"No, they ain't. They've been taken care of." Nick looked closely at Margaret. "You sure you're okay?"
Margaret took in a deep breath. "I'll be fine as long as Heath is okay."
"We need to get Heath to the doctor," Jarrod stated. "Soon."
"I see a buckboard over there. Let's get it out and load him on it," Nick said. "I'll take him and Margaret home, and you can ride Jingo to get the doctor."
"What about Mother and JR?"
"They'll have to be patient." Nick sighed. "I hate to leave them so long, but I agree with you. Heath needs attention immediately."
"As soon as you get Heath home, you can head out for Mother, okay?"
"Yes," Nick agreed.
He and Jarrod maneuvered the buckboard out of the barn. They attached Coco to it, then put some hay on the back of it to cushion Heath as much as possible. Then they put one of the blankets on top, carried out Heath, and then put the remaining blankets over him.
"Remember to send someone out to get Sweeny and O'Connell's horses," Jarrod stated.
"I will." Nick shrugged. "I didn't look for a brand. We'll have to figure out who they belong to."
Margaret got in beside Heath and held his hand.
Jarrod raised an eyebrow at Nick. "You should probably stick to the road instead of cutting across the field."
Nick nodded. "That's what I was thinking, too. It might take longer, but it will be a smoother ride for him."
Jarrod mounted Jingo, and he took off at a gallop towards Stockton. Nick followed behind him at a much slower rate until they reached the turnoff. Of course, by that time, Jarrod was probably close to Stockton.
Nick looked over his shoulder. "You doin' okay?"
"I'm fine," Margaret stated. "Heath is still breathing." The tension in her voice was evident.
"We'll have him home soon, and the doctor will be right out." Nick took in a deep breath. "Try not to worry. He's a strong kid," he said as much for himself as for Margaret. Then he turned and gave her a slight smile. "And so are you."
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Victoria sat up. "I can't take this waiting any longer. I'm going to see if I can find any food or water." She eased herself off him, then covered him with the blankets.
"Better take a gun," he said.
"Still have one in my pocket," she answered with a smile. She went to the horses and foraged through the saddle bags. She found some jerky in one bag and water in a canteen. It wasn't much, but better than nothing. She also found some coffee, but it would need to be brewed.
"We're in luck," Victoria said as she returned to JR. "Jerky and water."
"Better than nothing," JR stated.
"Ha! That's what I thought." Victoria grinned. "I also found some coffee, but I'd have to make a fire, and I'd need to go out in the clearing to do that. And I figure about the time I cleared an area for a fire, found the wood, got a fire going, and figured out how to heat the water, someone would surely be here to rescue us."
"I'm happy with water."
Victoria sat next to him. "Hmmm. I didn't look for a cup, and I don't think you can drink from the canteen—not face down, you can't. Let me see what I can find." As she went back to the saddle bags to hunt for a cup, it struck her that even that would be difficult for him. She went back into the woods and found a low-hanging branch from a California Sycamore tree. She jumped up until she grabbed a leaf, then took a second one just in case.
Victoria made her way back to JR and sat next to him. She rolled the leaves to create a funnel and put one end in JR's mouth and slowly dripped water from the canteen into the other end.
After a few minutes, JR raised his hand. "Thank you, Tori! Now, how did you think to do that?"
Victoria shrugged. "When you live out here, you have to make do with what you have." She sat next to him. "Do you want some jerky?"
"No, thanks. Not yet."
Victoria leaned back against a tree. "Tell me about your wife."
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The three-mile ride from the road to the main house was the longest three miles Nick could ever remember. Margaret spoke softly to Heath, even though he likely couldn't hear her. By the time Nick pulled up in front of the house, he was exhausted.
Ciego met him. "How—"
"Get a fresh horse and put it on this buckboard, then get two other horses saddled. And get that litter from the storage room," Nick yelled and ran into the house. "I need some help!" he bellowed.
Charlie, Eugene, Fred, Sam, Silas, Isabella, Audra, and Caroline all ran to the foyer.
"Silas, go get Heath's bed ready. Put some towels over the pillow, and then get JR's bed ready. He's shot in the rear, so he'll need towels mid-bed. Audra, get some water boiling. Isabella, you and Caroline get your prayer group praying. Charlie, Sam, Eugene—go carry Heath in. The back of his head is bashed in, so be careful with him." He turned and faced Fred. "All the kidnappers are dead. Two about a mile from the main road in the woods closest to Frank Semple's ranch, and two outside of Frank Semple's barn. JR and Mother are still in the woods. We need to get a buckboard to them."
"I can go see about them," Fred stated.
"No. JR can't walk. He's a big man. You're gonna need some help lifting him." Nick considered. "I told Ciego to put the litter on the buckboard. If you can move that under him, and then move him by moving the litter, it should be a lot less painful for him. I'll go with you. We'll take Sam and Charlie with us. They can ride on horseback."
Fred nodded. "I'll ride my horse, too, if that's okay. That way, I don't have to come back here—once we get them loaded, I'll head on into town and get some deputies to help me with the bodies."
"Okay." Nick waited for the men to come back downstairs. "Eugene, you're in charge here. We're goin' after Mother and JR. Sam, Charlie—Ciego is saddling horses for you. You can catch up to us. We're gonna cut across the field to the woods."
"Okay," Sam stated.
As Nick and Fred ran out of the house, McColl jogged over.
"We found 'em. Eugene will catch you up," Nick said. "We don't need any men out searching today."
"Need me to go with you?" McColl asked.
Nick considered. "Why don't you go in my place? I'll send Eugene over to let the men know. I'd like to stay with Heath. Just go straight to the woods—about a mile this side of the road—about even with Semple's place. Should be four horses tied just out of the woods."
"We'll find 'em," McColl replied and hopped on the buckboard.
"Ciego put a litter on there to move him with."
McColl nodded, and he and Fred took off.
"Oh!" Nick yelled after them. "Make sure you pick up that saddlebag JR is using for a pillow and bring it back here."
"Will do."
Nick was exhausted. He walked into the house and made his way up the stairs. He walked into Heath's room. Heath lay face down on the bed, dried blood all through his hair, over his head and down his neck. In the center of the back of his head, congealed blood covered a spot around two inches in diameter. Margaret lay next to him, her arm around him. Nick pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of him. He took Heath's hand and held it, then closed his eyes.
God, please let Heath be okay. Please save Heath.
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