Shelter in Seattle (14 page)

“With the fire and all going on, no one is going to miss either of you for days.” He sneered in her face.

Fresh tears worked their way down Julianne’s face. Her chest felt tight. Her breathing became shallow and forced.
Let the darkness take you
, her mind shouted. She heaved to breathe. Black circles swam before her eyes, and she knew she would faint any moment.

Marcus leaned close to her ear and whispered. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten I owe you, too.” He reached a hand forward and rubbed his thumb across her swollen, cracked lips.

From deep in her center, Julianne fought the instinct to surrender. If she passed out, who knew what these depraved men would do to her? She shook her head, leaning forward, head between her knees.

Edmond flicked the remainder of the cigar out the door. “Marcus! Leave her be!”

The logger grabbed Julianne’s hair and pulled her head up. He stared into her eyes. He made as if to kiss her, pressing his mouth alongside her cheekbone. “Don’t expect your Uncle to protect you forever.” Then, he stepped away from her.

“Sorry, Boss.” His voice sounded contrite but his eyes remained cold as stone as they bore into Julianne, daring her to voice what he’d just whispered to her.

Julianne stared up at him. What did he plan to do? Had he really killed Caleb? And what about Jonathan? If Caleb was dead, where was their son?

She forced herself to look away from the man who claimed to have murdered the only man who’d ever cared for her. Julianne focused her gaze on her uncle. “I won’t go.”

“Oh, I think you will.” Edmond pulled another stump across the room. His breath mingled with hers as he sat down in front of her. He grabbed both her hands and held them tightly together.

His narrow eyes bored into hers. “Marcus, how far is it to that Indian village?”

Marcus moved to stand behind Edmond. “Bout a half days ride from here, Boss. Want me ta pay them a visit?” He twirled the knife and smiled wickedly at Julianne over her uncle’s shoulder.

Now what would he threaten her with? Julianne glanced back and forth between the two men. She finally decided that since Edmond was the boss, he would be the one to tell her what their next moved would be.

“What do you think, Julie girl? Should I send Marcus after the baby?”

They knew about Jonathan.

Her heart beat faster, and her hands grew clammy in his. Would he do such a thing? Julianne looked into her uncle’s cold gray eyes, and for the first time in her life, she knew her uncle was capable of murder. When had he become this monster?

Chapter 16

The young woman stopped at the river’s edge and pointed to the ground.

Caleb came to an abrupt stop, almost crashing into her. He shuffled Jonathan around in his arms and stared at the ground where she pointed.

According to the markings in the sand and gravel, Caleb knew instantly there had been a fight. What did that have to do with Julianne? His gaze moved to the woman.

She pointed again, “Julianne.” Her eyes entreated him to understand what her language could not tell him.

“Who are you?” He didn’t wait for her reply. He knelt and placed a hand on the prints, his gaze scanning the torn up earth. Two pair of boot tracks marred the ground.

“Morning Star.”

“Were there two men, Morning Star?” Caleb looked up at her. He prayed she would understand and tell him what happened.

Her head tilted sideways and her forehead furrowed. He held up his hand and two fingers then pointed at the footprints in the sand.

Morning Star’s forehead cleared, and she nodded quickly. She raised her hand high, signaling a tall person, and then made a circle with her arms that he assumed represented a heavier person. She moved toward him. Keeping her eyes lowered, she touched his chest.

“I sure hope you are trying to tell me they are men like me.” Caleb removed her hand from his chest and again examined the tracks. His heart lurched. One set of smaller foot prints could be detected in the sand.

Deep down he knew they were Julianne’s. He studied the direction they had gone. She’d put up quite a fight. He found deep indentions in the sand where she’d dug in her heels.

Caleb ignored Morning Star as she began speaking rapidly in her language.

“She says two men came and stole your woman.”

Caleb straightened so quickly he stumbled. He wanted to kick himself. He’d been studying the tracks, worrying about Julianne, and hadn’t paid attention to his surroundings. That was the second mistake in one day. In the wild, that was a good way to get killed.

An Indian man stood beside Morning Star.

Morning Star spoke once more to the man. She said Caleb’s name and pointed to him and then to Jonathan.

“My woman says you are friend, Caleb. I am Runs Swiftly.” He stepped forward and grasped Caleb’s forearm. After several long seconds, he dropped Caleb’s arm and crossed his over his chest.

“Does Morning Star know where they took Julianne?” Caleb did his best to mask his impatience, but his voice was hoarse with frustration.

While Morning Star talked to her husband, Caleb bent once more to study the tracks. Who had her and why? And how had these Indians become acquainted with his wife? Once more the money that was stored in the cabin came to mind. How had Julianne gotten it, and was it the reason she had been attacked? Or had she even been attacked? His mind was congested with doubts and fears.

Runs Swiftly knelt down beside him. “Morning Star says men took her that way, two moons past.” He pointed into the woods then looked at Caleb. “Caleb is a good tracker?”

Two days ago?
The words sunk into Caleb’s heart. They could be anywhere by now. The trail was cold and in truth, Caleb wasn’t sure if he could track them or not.

“I’ve never tracked man, only animals. I’m not sure…” When he’d tracked animals, there had been no urgency or danger. But, for Julianne he would try. What choice did he have but to trust this Indian and his woman?

A firm hand landed roughly on his shoulder. “Runs Swiftly is a good tracker. We will find your woman, Caleb.”

Caleb breathed a quick prayer of thanks heavenward for sending Runs Swiftly to him in his time of need. “Thank you. When do we leave?”

Runs Swiftly turned to Morning Star. He spoke fast and motioned to the baby and then back to her.

“Morning Star and your woman are sisters.” The Indian seemed to search his mind for the correct words. “Friends.” He stood tall and powerful like a towering spruce. “Morning Star will care for the papoose ‘til we find your woman.”

Indecision ate at Caleb’s confidence. For all he knew, this was a trap. His instincts told him to take Jonathan to Maggie’s and round up some of the men to help him, but the voice of reason whispered that he was running out of time.

Then he looked at the tear tracks on Morning Star’s face and remembered how lovingly she’d handed the baby to him back at the barn. If what she said was true, Morning Star had taken care of Jonathan for two days while she’d waited for his return.

“Lord, I need you,” he whispered, running a hand through his hair. He looked down at the babe sucking on his thumb and made his decision. He placed a kiss on Jonathan’s forehead and handed him to Morning Star.

 Morning Star enfolded Jonathan into her arms and caressed his tiny head with her cheek. She came closer to Caleb and said something he did not understand then ran into the woods before he could stop her.

Caleb started after her but Runs Swiftly placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “Morning Star is going to our village. She will send others to follow the trail.”

“I want my son back, Runs Swiftly.” Caleb had lost Julianne he didn’t plan on loosing Jonathan too.

Runs Swiftly nodded. “Morning Star will take care of your son until you bring his mother home.”

****

Julianne stumbled over a branch that protruded out of the ground. Her hands took the worst of the fall. She sat up and dusted them off on her skirt.

Her uncle stopped and looked back at her. His face turned purple with rage. “Enough of this stalling, Julie girl.”

“I tripped.” She studied her bruised and bleeding palms.

He stomped back to where she sat on the ground. His rough hands grabbed her and jerked her to her feet. His boot caught the hem of her dress and it ripped. “You’re stalling. We both know it.”

Julianne didn’t argue with him. She took a deep breath and wiped her hands on the ruined dress. “Uncle Edmond, are we lost?”

His gray gaze darted around the dense woods. “Of course I’m not lost.” He pulled her along behind him, uncaring that briars scratched her legs and tree limbs caught her cheek more than once.

The only parts of the forest she’d been in had been the path to the creek where she washed clothes and small sections where Caleb had cleared the cedar and pine to make room for their future apple orchard. They weren’t on a path now, and the trees were so close she felt she might suffocate.

Not a ray of sunshine filtered through, making it difficult to guess the time of day. The underbrush had gotten worse and sharp roots stubbed her toes. How much longer would her uncle deny being lost and stop to get his bearings?

“Can we rest, please? I’m tired.”

He continued on as if she hadn’t spoken. Try though she may, she couldn’t figure out why they were going away from the ocean. If he planned to make a return voyage, shouldn’t they be near the water’s edge, buying passage on one of the ships?

Julianne decided to use his ego against him. “Uncle Edmond, I’m not as used to the woods as you are. You’re a skilled woodsman. Can we please stop for a short break? I really am tired.” She prayed her voice sounded weak and submissive.

Edmond stopped his rapid walk and stood a little taller. “Well, I guess we could rest a few minutes. That should give Marcus time to catch up with us.”

Julianne sat down under a tree thankful her ruse had worked. Surely by now, Morning Star had told someone of her plight. Or maybe Maggie would send help. She refused to give up the idea that someone was looking for her.

If Caleb knew, Julianne was certain he would come for her. She wasn’t sure when she decided that he was alive; she simply knew she could not survive without him.

“I wonder where Marcus is at.” Edmond looked around the area in which they had stopped.

Julianne didn’t want to think about Marcus. He’d left right after a cold breakfast of hard biscuits and she hoped he never caught up with them again.

Under her lashes, Julianne watched her uncle turn in a circle. She lowered her head to hide the satisfaction she felt over their situation. They were lost.

“Uncle, how did you meet up with Marcus in the first place?” If she could get him to talk maybe she could find a chink in his armor, a weakening in the mean stance he had demonstrated towards her so far. In the last years she’d lived with him, he had treated her unkindly, but he had never shown such open animosity.

“Oh, girly. A few pointed questions here and there and a person can turn up all kinds of information.” A smile covered his face. “In looking for Sloan, your first intended, I found Marcus. And, I did it the very first day I arrived in Seattle.

“At first he was weary of me, but after a few drinks Marcus spewed forth all the hatred he felt for one Julianne Maxwell and Caleb Hansen.” He turned and faced Julianne. His gaze studied her for several minutes before he added. “A man that hates that badly can be talked into anything if the price is right.” He shrugged matter-of-factly.

Julianne wondered just what Marcus had been talked into. She closed her eyes and silently prayed that the Lord would hurry and deliver her before the evil man returned to them.

“Don’t go to sleep, Julie girl. We need to get going.” He barked the command.

“I won’t, Uncle. Can’t we stay for just a few minutes longer?” Julianne opened her eyes, pulled off her shoe, and rubbed her foot.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Edmond ease his cumbersome body underneath a tall evergreen tree. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk. “Don’t think about running away, Julie girl.”

“I won’t, Uncle. I’m too tired to run.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Her back ached between her shoulder blades, and her legs burned with fatigue.

The birds chirped happily overhead. In the cool of the trees, Edmond relaxed. Soon his soft snores reached Julianne’s ears.

She watched him for several minutes, and then eased to her feet. His snores continued uninterrupted. She moved as quietly as the leaves on the ground would allow.

When she was several feet away from him, Julianne turned to run. She prayed the Lord would forgive her for lying to her uncle. Surely her God would understand. Julianne ran right into Marcus’s firm chest. He caught her up in one strong arm.