The Alaska Brides Collection Part 34

Mindful of the way sound carried, she lifted the heavy front door, hinged with worn leather, to keep it from scratching as she swung it open. Leaving it barely wide enough to slip through, Amy headed straight for the mantel. There was no reason to stay a second longer than necessary.

Amy reached her left hand for the precious raven and the sun that glowed in the bright sheen of aged wood.

The wicked laugh she'd heard twice before rumbled behind her.

Hands shoved her into the mantel.

Amy's chest slammed into her grandfather's intricate carving. She staggered sideways, caught her balance, and whirled around.

Braden still battled the long daylight hours. He had adjusted somewhat, but he'd wake up to full light and have no idea whether it was 1:00 a.m. or high noon. As a result, he'd learned to roll out of bed quickly, feeling late.

He pulled on his clothes. His belly told him it was breakfast time even if the sun wouldn't cooperate. Maybe Ma did the right thing, packing that fancy clock. Leaving the cabin, he walked down the path to Tucker's, looking for a clearing overhead that would give him a good look at the sun. He still stung from the ribbing Tucker and Ian had given him the time he'd awakened Tucker just one hour after they'd gone to bed.

Finding a likely spot, Braden studied the sky and decided it was a wee bit early. He'd go on to Ian's, gather wood for a while, and leave Tucker sleeping for another hour. As soon as he stepped into the clearing by Ian's cabin, he saw the white paper fluttering on the front door. Braden rushed forward and pulled the note free.

I have gone to get proof of what happened to my father. Do not worry about me. I will be back in time for breakfast.

Amy Braden stared at the note, fury riding him as he thought of the headstrong, impetuous woman. She might meet up with whoever wished her ill. The ache in his heart at the thought of losing Amy forever nearly drove him to his knees.

"Ian, wake up!" Braden hammered on the front door with the side of his fist, regretting that Amy's reckless behavior was going to put all of them in jeopardy.

Ian opened the door in his bare feet and long underwear.

Braden shoved the note into his hand. "You can't leave Merry. I'm going after Amy."

Meredith appeared in the door, peeking over Ian's broad shoulders.

"Get Tucker first," Ian said. "I don't want you out there alone."

Braden shook his head. "No time." He turned toward the river.

"Braden!" Ian's voice stopped him.

He turned back.

Ian reached over his head and pulled down the Winchester. He thrust it at Braden. "Wear those boots, too. They're waterproof." Ian jerked his chin at the boots that lay on the ground. Braden realized there'd been four pairs lying there last night. Now there were three.

"I don't want to leave Merry home alone. We'll go for Tucker together. He'll be after you as soon as he can get on the trail."

Braden jerked the boots on and ran for all he was worth toward the river. He glanced over his shoulder to see Ian and Meredith walking swiftly toward Tucker's cabin in their nightclothes, Ian's arm protectively wrapped around Meredith's waist.

Braden charged down the rocky beach. When the creek bank grew too steep, he'd weave into the shallow water, his feet splashing, his lungs heaving as he pushed himself. The gun hung heavy in his grip as his arms swung in time to his long-legged pace. The voice of G.o.d pushed him as surely as if the wind had hands. And the cry of the raven shouted for him to hurry, hurry, hurry.

Chapter 16.

A my looked into the shifty eyes of Barnabas Stucky.

"Well, if it isn't the pretty little lady from the boat." Stucky's clothes, new on the boat, now hung off him like filthy rags. The smell of him nearly made her retch. His hands with broken, dirt-caked nails, reached for her, and she backed away until her shoulders were pressed against the mantel.

"You've been a hard one. But you're not gettin' away this time."

The look of pure cruelty on his face spurred Amy to action. She grabbed for the knife in her ankle sheath. Stucky's hands closed on her wrist before she could reach it. He dragged her forward, shoving her into a chair so hard it knocked the wind out of her. Jerking at his belt, he pulled it free and bound her hands in front with the coa.r.s.e leather.

"Who are you?" Amy's heart hammered in her chest. Why hadn't she waited?

"My brother sent me to find you when he got this cabin. He knew you were the only one on earth who'd complain."

"Complain? Because Papa sold out?" Amy's stomach sank, knowing the truth without the man speaking another word.

"No, 'cause your pa refused to sell out. Here's your plumb stupid old man sittin' on gold that'll make the Klondike Gold Rush look like a little pile of granite. Your father owned it all and didn't even know it was there. When Owen found the gold, he took the claim. This is a land for the strong, and your father was an old, weak man."

"That is a lie. My father was getting older, but he was still a strong man. The only way your brother could have hurt him is to shoot him in the back or push him off a cliff."

Barnabas was close enough that she could smell his fetid breath. His teeth, yellow and broken, were bared at her in a savage mockery of a smile. "Reckon that's what he done."

"So, your brother is a coward just like you," Amy taunted. "He would never take on a strong man face-to-face when you are too afraid to face a woman half your size." Amy thought of her knife. If she could goad him into releasing her, perhaps to prove his courage, she could win any fight they had.

Barnabas laughed and tightened the belt around her hands. "Once Owen got to the cabin, he found all your letters and the daguerreotype you sent your pa. He wanted to make sure you never found your way home."

"And he knew just the snake that would do his dirty work, didn't he?" Amy strained under the leather binding as she spat the words at her captor.

Barnabas laughed. "Owen knew I was fresh out of Yuma prison and needin' money. I wouldn't have had to come all the way here if that wagon had done you in on the streets of Seattle."

"You almost pushed me off the boat." Amy shuddered at the man's twisted smile. The full beard he'd grown, only stubble on the boat, made him look more animal than man.

Stucky's eyes, as cold and dark as an Alaskan January, narrowed. "I lost you at Skaguay. Figured you'd go all the way to Dyea and weren't payin' attention. That's the only reason it took me as long as it did. Then I came home after you went over the cliff. I never dreamed you came out o' that fall alive."

He bent down until his face was level with hers. "You're a hard one made for a hard land, ain'tcha, missy? Well, I'm a hard one myself. My brother finally let me move in with him onest you was dead. He's gonna pay me cash money to clear his rights to this holding."

Amy lunged for his throat with her bound hands. With a crude, growling laugh, Stucky blocked her, snagging the belt that held her hands. Amy kicked at him, landing a hard blow to his ankle that knocked one of his feet out from under him. He fell forward. Amy jumped from the chair. Stucky lunged at her and sank his fingers into her long braid. He jerked, slamming her back on the chair.

"You want to fight? We'll fight." Stucky grabbed Amy by the throat. His powerful grip tipped the chair backward as he stood and fumbled for a leather strap hanging over the mantel.

Amy clawed at his hand, fighting for breath. Clumsily, he bound one leg to the chair, then the other. Once she was pinned down, he wrapped a longer strap around her waist. Panting from the exertion, he moved away from her.

Completely immobilized, Amy saw the rage in Stucky's eyes and knew she had to talk fast if she wanted to live. So far, Barnabas Stucky had shown interest in only one thing. "How much is he paying you? I could pay you more."

Stucky laughed. "A hundred dollars. And don't think you can trick me. I already checked in Seattle to find out how much money you had. People have bought their way out of trouble with me before. You didn't have enough to beat Owen's offer." He laughed and curled his fingers into claws, then reached for her throat.

"One hundred dollars? While he gets my gold mine?" Amy nearly stumbled over her words. "You saved it for him. You deserve half that mine. If you helped me get it back, I would give you the whole thing."

Stucky stopped short, his hands extended. The calculating look returned to his eyes, this time layered with something other than cruelty. Greed.

"You'd never hand over this claim. I know better than that. But my brother should be payin' me more. If he's gonna be a rich man while I'm doing all the dirty work, then I deserve to be his partner." Stucky's high-pitched laughter filled the room again.

Amy heard the nervous mania that was so evident in all the stampeders. If he would just go, she might be able to get to her knife, then free herself and get away.

Oh G.o.d, forgive me. Forgive my impatience. If only I had waited.

"If Owen wants me to clear the t.i.tle to this land, he's gonna have ta pay." Stucky checked Amy's bonds, then gripped her chin and lifted her face. "I'll be back, li'l Amy. Nothin's gonna change for you, but it is for me. You're gonna make me rich."

Laughing, he turned and raced out of the cabin.

The second Barnabas vanished, Amy struggled to reach her ankle. The tie at her waist kept her from bending. Her leg wouldn't rise. Minutes ticked by as she fought the leathers; they only tightened. She had no idea how far Barnabas would have to walk to find his brother. With a near howl of frustration, she pulled her hands to her mouth and began chewing on the brown, tough leather of Stucky's belt. As the minutes turned to an hour with only a bit of headway on her bonds, she fought down panic, knowing he couldn't be gone much longer.

The door flew open, and Braden charged inside, his leveled Winchester sweeping the room.

"Braden," Amy choked, losing a battle against tears.

"Are you alone?"

"Yes, there are two men, both of them gone. But they will be back. We have got to get out of here!"

"I'll be right back."

Amy wanted to scream at him not to leave. She fought down the impulse. She knew Braden well enough to know he wasn't about to abandon her.

Braden checked the bedroom Amy's father had built for her.

Amy sighed with relief when he came back out.

"No one here." He drew his knife from his belt. With a slash, he freed Amy's hands, then made quick work of the rest of her bonds.

He helped her from the chair. "We've gotta get out of here before they come back. We'll get you home. Then Ian, Tucker, and I will come and settle this." Braden tried to slide his arm around her waist, but she stepped away.

"Let me get my father's deed first. It will only take a second."

"It can wait, Amy. We've got to get clear of this place."

"He admitted that the man who lived here killed my father." A renewed spate of tears shook her body.

Braden's jaw tensed. "Make it quick."

She turned toward the mantel.

"We won't let him get away with it. I'm sorry we didn't come here sooner and find out what happened."

Amy reached for the raven and sun. "No, it is my fault. G.o.d has been telling me right along to be patient, to let Him set the time for justice. But I did not listen. And you put yourself in danger because of my stubbornness. I should have waited for help. I am so sorry." Her tears blinded her as she fumbled with the stiff wooden levers.

Braden rested one hand on her trembling shoulder. His strength helped ease her tears.

"This is the first time you've ever admitted you were wrong."

Amy glanced over her shoulder, glad for his teasing tone that steadied her. "That is because this is the first time I have been wrong."

Braden coughed, then laughed out loud. "And it's the first time you've ever said you needed help."

Amy looked up at him and opened her mouth.

Braden laid one finger on her parted lips. "Don't say it. I know. You've never needed help before, either."

Amy shrugged and felt sheepish because that's exactly what she'd been planning to say. "Let me get the deed. Then we will get away from here. He will be gone a while, I expect, but I do not want to take a chance."

Braden jerked his chin in agreement. Amy reached for the carved mantel again just as heavy footsteps sounded on the path behind the house.

"They are coming." Amy started for the front door.

Braden grabbed her by the wrist. "Too late!"

Chapter 17.

Braden raced for the back room, dragging Amy along. He swung the door open, lifting so it made almost no sound. Amy held her breath as the two men's voices grew closer.

Once in the back room, she ducked behind Braden, who swung the door shut and turned to face it. Amy sensed Braden's rigid attention to every sound outside the door. He lifted his rifle so it pointed toward the ceiling, his thumb on the hammer, his finger on the trigger.

The men were arguing as they strode down the trail.

"You'll pay up or you'll kill her yourself."

Amy heard Stucky's vicious, heartless discussion of her life and death reduced to a matter of dollars and gold dust.

"I ain't gettin' my hands dirty killin' a pretty little woman in a territory where there's only about ten of 'em," Stucky continued. "Not for a measly hundred dollars. An ole trapper disappears-n.o.body thinks too much of it. A young woman living with a solid family like the Raffertys goes missin', and questions'll be asked sure as certain."

"I'm not givin' you half this claim," Owen raged. A hard fist pounded on the outside door. "I'll up the price to two hundred dollars, but that's highway robbery. We made a deal. And no one knows you're here. No one's gonna blame you for nothing."

Owen's voice sent chills down Amy's spine. This man had killed her father. This man had hired a man to murder her. All for gold. Now he bartered for her life with less emotion than most people would show buying a bolt of cloth.

Braden watched through a crack between the saplings bound together to make the door. He took a second to look away and gave her a nod of encouragement. His eyes, sharp and intelligent, told her he'd protect her with his life. She stood behind him, her left shoulder pressed against the wall like his. The fingers of his right hand steady on his rifle, he reached behind with his left and caught her hand, lacing his fingers together with hers.

Amy had never felt more connected to another human being. Braden offered her protection, using his body to shield her. She tightened her grip on his hand as his strength drove the chill away.

"Thank you," Amy whispered. She pulled her hand free of Braden's so he'd be able to move quickly.