A Ransomed Heart Read online

  The memory changed to another as he watched children come and go, dropped off by hopeless mothers, never any fathers. And soon he learned that no daddies ever come back. He vowed then and there he would never bring a child into the world, ever. It would never be worth the hurt he would cause if he never came back.

  The memories faded to black as Logan adjusted to his current surroundings. Even with the feelings those memories evoked, he still wanted to be a father. He had spent all of these years, the past three especially, telling himself he wasn’t anything like the father he knew. People are allowed to change, to become whatever they want to be, and if he were given the opportunity, he would be a wonderful father.

  Another image popped up in his brain and he felt the old anger stir inside of him. It was time for things to be set straight; it was time that right prevailed instead of wrong. Logan urged his pony back into a run. It was the time of reckoning and he was the deliverer. All the years of hurt and pain would come to an end in twelve short hours. It didn’t matter how it ended just as long as it ended. Refocusing on his goal at hand pushed all other thoughts from his mind and he silently wished his friends luck, they surely would need it.

  Chapter 16

  It was dark when Annabelle heard a knock at the door of the cabin. Mama stood from her seat near Annabelle’s bed and went through the dark kitchen and unbolted it. Annabelle couldn’t see out to the door from the bed and the voices were too low for her to hear. She strained forward in bed ignoring the twinge of pain which pricked at her leg. Logan would not have knocked, so who was here? They had waited all day in tense silence. Annabelle had slept fitfully on and off and even the tea Mama had made did little to sooth her nerves. She didn’t like Logan being away and not knowing if he was safe. Mama did her best to reassure both of them the boys were fine, but the wait was wearing on both of them.

  The talking grew louder and for a moment Annabelle wondered if she should get out of bed and go see what was happening. She had just thrown the bed sheets back when Mama and Little Bear came into the room. Mama’s face was pale but she did her best to smile. Little Bear looked tired and worried, but quickly went to look at Annabelle’s wound. Annabelle waited impatiently for someone to tell her what was going on. Finally it was too much to bear and she spoke, her voice strangely strained in her own ears.

  “Where’s Logan?”

  Mama just smiled and Little Bear ignored her, tending to the gunshot.

  “Is he hurt?” She held her breath and then her eyes widened, tears springing instantly to the surface. “Is he…” her voice choked in her throat. “Is he…?”

  Mama shook her head coming around the bed and taking Annabelle’s hand.

  “No, baby, he’s ok, but it may be a few days before he makes it back here.”

  Annabelle’s heart was dancing in her breast, something was wrong. Was he hurt somewhere unable to come home? Was he in trouble or kidnapped? Annabelle grasped Little Bears hands, pulling him away from the freshly placed dressing.

  “Little Bear, tell me what is going on, I must know.”

  She had never spoken to the man, and certainly never touched him, but she was frantic to know if Logan was ok. His big brown eyes looked at her for a moment, as if assessing her true feelings. Finally he spoke for the first time she could remember.

  “Logan went to talk to Mr. Sevier.”His voice was soft and perfect, a slight accent coloring the ends of his words.

  Horror filled Annabelle’s face. “Why?”

  “They have unfinished business.”

  “But he promised to take me there, why didn’t he come back here first? He should have taken me, I could have helped him.”

  She tried desperately to get out of bed, but Little Bear’s strong arms kept her in place.

  “Miss Casey, this is something he needed to do on his own, but he told me that in a couple of days I will take you to Mr. Sevier, and that he is sorry.”

  The tears which had threatened to fall earlier were now spilling down her face and she clutched the arms of the man holding her down.

  “Is he not coming back?”

  The room was silent, and she could feel the horrible pain stinging in her breast. He had to come home, he had to see her and talk to her. She had so much she wanted to tell him and learn from him. But most of all she wanted to tell him how much she loved him. Dropping back onto the bed she rolled onto her good side and buried her face in the pillow. Her heart hurt and she clung to the pillow hoping the pain would cease. It was almost too much to bear. She didn’t even notice that Mama and Little Bear had left, inside she felt as if she might drown in sorrow. If Logan didn’t come back to her, nothing mattered any more, nothing.

  She had cried herself to sleep. Late the next morning she woke to the sun peeking in the window. Annabelle could hear someone in the kitchen and she eased her head off the pillow to look around the room. Logan’s chair was empty and she remembered the painful night before. It hurt too bad to think about too long and so she forced herself to listen to the world around her. There was silence outside the window other than a bird call here or there. It was like the world was waiting with her, wondering what might be going on outside their little valley.

  Finally laying was too much so she eased up and was relieved to feel very little pain in her leg. Pushing away the bed sheets she inspected it. The swelling was gone and the coloring was right. As she pushed around on her skin she felt tenderness, but only when she was really close to the actual wound. It was healing nicely and she wished Logan could see how quickly she was pulling though. She remembered his worried face and she wished he could know she was doing fine, just as she wished she knew the same about him. Knowing she could drive herself mad thinking about it, she pushed his face deep into the back of her mind and concentrated on the task at hand.

  Gingerly, she swung her feet over the side of the bed and slid down the mattress until her feet touched the wooden floor. Ever so slowly she pushed up with her arms until she was standing. The movement of the sore muscle seemed to pull a bit, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as she imagined it would be. Easing one foot in front of the other, she limped her way to the door frame and then out past the little living room and into the kitchen. Mama was busy with something at the stove, but when she heard Annabelle’s bare feet against the floor she swung around still holding her spoon.

  Annabelle smiled at her and took a few more steps to the table, then eased down into a chair. The pain was so minimal she nearly dismissed it. Pulling one chair out next to her she lifted the sore leg up and rested it there. Mama watched a bit surprised but said nothing to discourage her. Instead she turned back to the meal and continued doing whatever it was she had been doing before Annabelle arrived. Annabelle looked around the room and was thankful to be out of bed. The windows were open and a breeze blew through them bringing in the smell of the outdoors. It reminded Annabelle of Logan and she again wondered what he was doing. Mama poured them some coffee and then sat down across from Annabelle.

  “You look perked up.”

  She nodded.

  “I am worried about him, too, honey, but it won’t do us any good fretting about it.”

  Annabelle knew that but it didn’t help to soothe her much. “What is he going to do?”

  Mama swirled the cup around in her hands and then looked back up at the girl.

  “He is going to make things right, honey.”

  Annabelle didn’t know what that meant, but it worried her.

  “There is a lot more that I don’t know, huh?”

  Mama nodded her head but didn’t offer any more information. “You still plan on going back to Sevier?”

  Annabelle shook her head. She didn’t have a plan yet, but she was working on it. Just then the door swung open and Little Bear stood there, anxiousness in his eyes. Mama took one look at him and jumped to her feet.

  “It’s time,” he said, his voice tight.

  For a moment Annabelle wondered if he was referring to Logan, but then
she realized it was Singing Bird he was talking about. It was time for the baby to come. Mama looked at her with a worried expression. Annabelle waved her hands at her.

  “GO, GO, I will be just fine. Good luck.”

  Mama grabbed a bag from near the door and a wrap off the hook on the wall and hurried out the door in front of Little Bear. He looked back at Annabelle at the table and she could see the worry in his eyes.

  “She will be fine.” And she smiled at the man; he nodded his head and shut the door.

  Annabelle recognized the look he had given as the same one which had resided on Logan’s face while she was most ill. It was no secret that Little Bear loved his wife dearly; it was evident in their interactions. She knew Logan had feelings for her, but could he love her like Little Bear loves Singing Bird? The idea caused her to shake all over. He must love her; why else would he be going to see Mr. Sevier? He has gone to plead for her case.

  Suddenly she was very grateful. She had become one of his people, a true occupant of Hope. These people were incredibly lucky to have such a man to care for them. There was Little Bear and his beautiful wife and their soon-to-be child. Not to mention the men in his gang, Kit and his mother, and now her. She felt the lump welling up in her throat and she choked it back with a sip of coffee. He had come to her rescue; he was her very own hero.

  Then in an instant it hit her. She knew what needed to happen. She knew how she could help everyone, save everyone she loved. Desperately she pulled herself up ignoring the pain and hobbled over to the ladder which led to the loft. One slow step after another she climbed to the top, careful not to bang her leg on the ladder or opening. Pulling a shirt and pants off the makeshift shelves, she sat on Logan’s bed and undid her dress. His smell again wafted off the bedding and she sucked in a deep breath, renewing her strength. Once her dress was off she tore a strip off her petticoat and wrapped it tightly around her leg. Hopefully it would hold the leg muscle in place enough it wouldn’t hurt as badly.

  Once she was done with that she slipped her leg into the pants and pulled them up, they were big, especially since she had lost weight from her injury, but it didn’t matter; she buttoned up one of the shirts and realized it was one of Logan’s, it would be a comfort to have something of his near her. Gathering her hair up in her hands she pulled it into a braid and tied it off at the end. She was ready and carefully she pushed herself back off the bed. The wrap did a fair job of holding the leg still and she moved a little more swiftly to the ladder and descended, again careful not to bump it. Once her feet hit the floor she moved into the room and found her boots where they had been set after her ordeal. Slipping her feet into them she quickly laced them up and then went to the kitchen.

  The first thing she did was leave a note for Mama. Next she gathered some bread, cheese, and strips of meat into a burlap bag and slung it over her shoulder. There wasn’t anything else to do but slip away as quietly as possible. She opened the front door and headed down the path to the barn. The horse she rode before was standing in her stall and Annabelle quickly picked a saddle off the rail and slipped it up on the horse’s back. She had to stand on her toes to reach and the flex of the muscle caused her some pain. Drawing a deep breath she hurried and pulled the belly strap around the animal and tightened it as best she could by putting it over her shoulder, back to the horse and standing up. Again pain shot though her leg and she quickly latched the belt and leaned against the horse for some support.

  This was going to be harder than she imagined, but it was going to be worth it. Her family would be safe and if she hurried she would be able to stop Logan from being hurt. It wasn’t until she had mounted the horse and led it up the hill towards the stream that she realized she had no idea where she needed to go. If she went to the left she would find her way home, she knew that, but if she went right she would find Mr. Sevier’s house somewhere down the line. Then she remembered what Kit had said, if she followed the river she would reach Regency. She looked over her shoulder and back at the little town of Hope. Knowing full well she had lost her mind she turned the horse towards Sage Creek. It was crazy to think about going out on her own, but she was in love, and she knew it would be madness to go another day without Logan. Annabelle did her best to relax her leg, but it didn’t help much with the jogging of the horse. As they continued on, the terrain got steep and rocky and Annabelle was doing her best to hurry along, but every missed step was like someone was pushing, then digging, then cutting into her leg. It burned with pain and she had to focus her mind on what she was doing in order to keep alert. The horse moved forward like it knew exactly where they were going, but all Annabelle could hope was that she would recognize something, and soon.

  Finally the sun began to set. She was nowhere close to where she wanted to be, and it frightened her a little bit. Then she had to remind herself she was on a mission and she needed to decide how she would proceed. Closing her eyes she listened to the sounds around her, soon she could hear the stream and felt certain she was headed in the right direction. Her leg was sore but she pushed onward as the sun crept its way out of the sky. Finally after a long day of riding she approached an area she recognized. In the scrub and juniper trees she made out the faint outline of a campfire. Near it were logs, and the grass was pressed down from the presence of men. She had found it!

  As she approached she looked around for any evidence that Logan or Kit had been here, but there was none. She knew if she followed the stream she would find the town of Regency. Pulling her horse to a stop she slid down and stiffly landed on the ground. It was almost more than she could bear when her weight landed on her leg, and she stumbled to the nearest log. She needed to eat something and get some water before she could go on and her leg needed a rest. Her horse plodded over to the water and enjoyed the cool moisture as it washed over her snout. It had been a long ride for her, too. Annabelle retrieved some jerky and gnawed on it for a while, looking around her.

  Off to one side she could still picture herself in the tub. She remembered how worried she had been, and how upset she had been at Logan. She laughed at herself and at him, too, how they had both been so strong-headed about everything. Blushing she remembered him trying to dump her out of the tub. It would be interesting to know what he had been thinking at the time, or even if he had noticed her mostly naked there. A hot wave washed over her body and she suddenly longed to be with him again. She knew what she was going to do.

  Standing and limping to the stream she got on her knees and dipped her hands into the cool water. Bringing it repeatedly to her lips she drank and drank. It was heavenly and seemed to buoy up her spirits a little bit. If the sun had been higher in the sky she might have stayed, but she needed to hurry if she was going to get to town by morning. It had been foolish to leave, but she was far beyond being able to return to Hope now, she would have no choice but to stay in the wild tonight. She figured being on horseback would be safest. There were wild animals out here and she had no weapon to defend herself with if she was to be attacked, but her horse could outrun just about any predator.

  Using a nearby boulder, she struggled to her feet then pulled herself up in the saddle. Her thigh screamed back at her, but she really had no other option. As the horse moved off, she looked back at the camp wondering if she would ever see it again. Just as her sight scanned the area, she saw something moving behind an outcropping of rocks. Her heart leapt in her chest and she squinted her eyes to get a better view.

  There, blended into the rock, was a very large mountain lion. His green eyes watched their every move and his tail twitched back and forth, back and forth. Annabelle could see he was settled and ready to pounce; if she didn’t act quickly the large cat would be on top of them in seconds. She had seen these graceful animals in action from afar and she knew the powerful back legs would propel it skillfully on top of the horse and directly into her lap. Adrenaline coursed through her body and she jammed her heels and knees into the animal’s side, startling it with the sudden movemen
t. At the same moment the cat let out a scream of attack and the horse looked wildly in its direction. Rearing onto its hind legs, the horse threw Annabelle to the ground and then backed up over the top of her. Curling into a ball, she managed to be missed by the sharp hooves but she could hear the cat hissing somewhere nearby.

  Seconds later, she managed to get to her feet, her leg burning in pain. She whirled in the direction of her mount and came face to face with the lion. He had gone for the horse but was rebuffed by the animal’s flying hooves when his eyes fell upon a more helpless prey, Annabelle. A scream halted in her throat and she watched the animal crouch again into position to spring onto her. Stumbling backwards, she tripped and fell into a pile of jagged rocks. Pain sprang up all around her back and legs and one shoulder stung as if it was on fire, but instead of giving up she picked up one large rock and hurled it at the cat. It caught the animal mid-leap and cracked it hard across the face. Annabelle rolled to her side, away from the lion’s impact, cutting her shirt and her arms underneath, but she managed to scramble away from the predator.

  The cat howled out in pain and was thrown off balance by the rock. He crashed hard onto the same rocks Annabelle had just been on and they provided the same cuts to him as they had to her. The cat was mad now and he arched his back at her hissing and growling in his throat. Grabbing another rock she hurled it at him again but missed and it shot off a nearby rock, falling uselessly to the side. Then suddenly from behind her, the horse came running wildly in their direction, its brown eyes large and rolling around as if crazed. Annabelle watched in stunned silence as the horse reared again then came down hard on the cat. The horse’s razor-sharp hooves cut the cat’s fur and drew blood. Again the cat howled but instead of turning to fight, it hissed then did its best to flee. The horse snorted and pounded its hooves on the ground as a warning, but the cat never looked back.