Sweet Prairie Passion (Savage Destiny) (20 page)

Givens swallowed and glanced over at Robards, who looked away quickly. Connely stepped back into the shadows, and Abbie knew then that both men must have had something to do with the news of Zeke’s past. She remembered having seen them talking together earlier, and it all made sense now. Robards would like nothing better than to get Zeke kicked off the train, and for some reason Connely also was against him. Perhaps they’d hoped to get Zeke hung. Givens stepped back even farther, fully aware that Zeke was treading a thin line between control and fury, and knowing what Cheyenne Zeke could do with a knife.

“Threaten me all you want,” he told Zeke, swallowing hard. “I’ll leave now, Zeke Monroe; but don’t think you’ve seen the last of me! There’s a heap of settlin’ to be done between us, and it’s gonna get done.”

“It will be settled when you’re
dead!
” Zeke snarled. Givens turned to walk away, but Zeke shouted his name and the man stopped in his tracks. “Where did you get your information?” Zeke asked. “Was it somebody on this train?”

Connely moved back even farther, his heart pounding, and Robards casually put an arm around LeeAnn, looking innocent and unconcerned.

“No,” Givens replied, his back to Zeke. “One of my men—he’s from Tennessee. I got to talkin’ about your worthless half-breed hide, and he got to rememberin’.
And between us we figured it out, that’s all.”

The man quickly walked away grinning to himself now at the thought of the five hundred dollars Connely had given him to bring out Zeke’s past, and at the idea he and Robards had come up with for LeeAnn Trent. Yes. He would lead Robards back East as he’d agreed earlier in the day. It was a fine idea Robards had: to drug the girl and sell her to a whorehouse. But why go to all the bother? He’d simply kill Robards once they got away and take all the man’s money—and also take little Miss LeeAnn Trent for himself. And somehow, some day, he’d find a way to get to her bratty little sister who had shoved the pie into his face. He’d break in Miss Abigail Trent till she begged for mercy.

Zeke stared into the darkness, wanting very much to throw his knife so that it landed square in Rube Givens’ back. But he wouldn’t do it with everyone present, and Givens knew that. Zeke didn’t believe it was one of Rube’s own men who’d discovered Zeke’s past, but there was no way to prove anything, and now his heart burned with the horrible sorrow of reawakened memories. As he turned to face the others, the terrible pain in his dark eyes tore at Abbie’s insides.

“We head out day after tomorrow,” he told them. “You folks decide whether you want me along or not. I’ll be north of here … at an Arapaho Indian camp till then. I’ll come back the morning we’re to leave … and you can give me your decision. I’ll understand if you want me to leave the train. Olin can get you to Fort Bridger. You’ll likely meet up with another train there or find yourselves another good guide to help Olin take you the rest of the way over the mountains. I’m … sorry.” His voice weakened. “I
never lied to you … at least I never meant to. I just … left out a part of my life that I try not to think about too much.” He vanished into the darkness. For a few moments everyone remained motionless, and Abbie heard the sound of a horse’s hooves riding off somewhere in the darkness. She knew this would be a miserable night of nightmares and painful sorrow for Cheyenne Zeke. Now she understood it all.

“I say he goes!” Connely spoke up as they all sat around the campfire the night before their departure from Fort Laramie, their argument over Cheyenne Zeke not yet settled. Abbie prayed they would let him stay with the train, for she’d rather die than go on without him.

“I can’t say as I wouldn’t have done the same thing he did,” Jason Trent shot back, “if it had been my wife and son. Good God in heaven, how can you
blame
the man!”

“The point is he’s part savage. He just can’t be fully trusted,” Connely replied.

“
I
think you’ve just got
other
reasons for getting rid of him!” Abbie blurted out. “
Personal
reasons! And so does Quentin Robards! You schemed with that Rube Givens to bring up Zeke’s past last night!”

“I did no such thing!” Connely shot back at her. “Givens found out from one of his own men! And you’d best watch that mouth, young lady. Folks might get to thinking you’re sweet on that murdering half—”

“That’s enough!” Jason Trent ordered. “You raise your voice to my daughter again and I’ll knock your teeth in! Abbie’s a good girl, and who she might or might not care for is none of your business, Connely!
It’s
my
business!”

“There, you see?” Willis Brown spoke up. “The man’s got us all on edge, knowing what he’s capable of doing. Here we are, arguing over a half-breed who’s killed eight men we know of—plus that Indian he fought with—and God only knows how many men he’s killed over his lifetime. If he stays, there will be more trouble.”

“If he hadn’t killed that Sioux,
you’d
be the one who was dead!” Hanes growled at Brown. “You can’t hang that one on Zeke! He saved your own worthless hide, you idiot!”

“I say we can’t go on without Zeke,” Kelsoe spoke up. “The man knows everything a body needs to know about this country out here and about Indians. How can we ask for better when it comes to dealing with the redskins? He talks their language. We know for a fact he’s good at treating wounds and such, and he’s been all the way to California and back—probably more than once. He’s never done any of us a stitch of harm, and if not for him we might have the Sioux on our tail, or our wagons might be sitting back there on the trail burned out, with a bunch of dead bodies around them. We have to realize Rube Givens didn’t have us in mind when he spouted off about Zeke’s past last night. He had
himself
in mind! Now that he’s run across Zeke again, he’d just as soon get the man out there on the trail alone so he can sneak up on him and do him in for the beating Zeke gave him back there at Sapling Grove. And Olin Wales has already told us the other things that happened between them. Rube
Givens
is the one who deserves hanging! At least what Zeke did back in Tennessee was for good reason. A man can’t
let a thing like that go unavenged, and it’s crazy for all of us to be sitting here
blaming
him for it.”

“I agree,” Trent replied. “And I say it’s time to take a vote. Let’s get it over with.”

Robards sighed and rose. “Personally,” he said casually, “I think Zeke is trouble, even when he doesn’t try to be.” He straightened the ruffled cuffs of his shirt. “But I don’t want to go against you good people.” Abbie almost choked on his words. “I vote that he stays, and I’m tired of all this bickering. I’m going for a walk.” He turned to LeeAnn. “Will you walk with me, my dear?”

She smiled prettily and rose, but Jason Trent glowered at his daughter.

“LeeAnn!” Abbie spoke up. The girl turned to look at her sister.

“What?” she answered irritably.

“What’s
your
vote?”

Their eyes held a moment, and LeeAnn’s smile faded. She was inwardly angry that the plot to get rid of Zeke had failed, for it would make her plans with Robards more difficult. And she wanted to hurt Abbie for her remarks about Quentin.

“I guess I am not as kindhearted as Quentin,” she replied. “Mister Zeke Monroe is a murderer—reason or no reason. He frightens me. I vote no.” She tossed her head and walked off with Robards as Abbie glared after her in the darkness. Abbie’s father sighed and turned to the others.

“All right. We have one for and one against. The rest of you who want Zeke to stay, raise your hands.”

He raised his own, along with Abbie and Jeremy. Mr. and Mrs. Hanes and their three children raised
theirs, as well as Kelsoe and his three men, and the schoolteacher and his son.

“Kids don’t count!” Willis Brown snapped.

“The hell they don’t!” Trent shot back. “They’re going through this hellish trip with us, making the same sacrifices, suffering the same problems! And they all heard about Zeke last night. They have a right to be part of our decision.”

“This is ridiculous!” Connely spoke up.

“Just cast your vote!” Trent replied. “We have fifteen that say yes. How many does that leave against?”

All four of the Browns raised their hands, as did Morris Connely and the preacher.

“That makes seven, counting my eldest daughter’s vote,” Trent said with a note of bitterness. “Zeke stays and that’s that.”

Kelsoe rose. “All of you voted me in charge of these civil matters,” he told them, lighting a pipe. “So I say it’s done, and we’ll not bring this up again. If we’re going to get to Oregon, we’ve got to stick together, cooperate, and work things out. Zeke’s a good scout, and he’ll get us there. Anybody that causes more trouble because of Zeke might find himself lagging behind or looking for a different train to hitch up to, if you all get my meaning.”

Hadley Brown sighed disgustedly and rose. “We’ll cooperate,” he replied. “We all voted, and it’s a democratic decision.”

“How about you, Connely?” Kelsoe asked warningly.

Connely stood up and waved him off. “You’re all crazy,” he mumbled. “But I’m keeping my nose out of it from now on. Just don’t come to me when Zeke ends
up doing one of you in”—his eyes shifted to Abbie—“or ends up losing control and violating one of the young ladies.”

“I personally don’t want to hear any more such talk!” Mrs. Hanes answered, stepping forward. “I trust Cheyenne Zeke, and so do a lot of others here. And to put it bluntly, Mr. Connely, I’d feel safer if I or my daughter were to spend a
week
alone with Cheyenne Zeke, than with Preacher Graydon!” Yolanda Brown gasped in disbelief, and Preacher Graydon stiffened. “You’d best remember who’s already done the violating around here, Mr. Connely!” Mrs. Hanes finished. Abbie felt like clapping her hands, and Connely just turned and stormed to his wagon.

“I will try to forgive you for that remark, Mrs. Hanes!” the preacher said pompously.

“I couldn’t care less if you forgive me or not,” she replied coldly. “I meant what I said. If I’m not sorry for it, then there is nothing to forgive!”

“Harriet, honey, let it go,” her husband spoke up, coming up and putting his hands on her shoulders.

“All I know is I sat and watched Cheyenne Zeke save my little girl!” she replied almost brokenly. “I’ll not have these people continue to insult him and abuse him with their words and prejudice!” Her voice choked, and she turned and put her face against her husband’s chest.

“Let’s all get some sleep,” Hanes told the others. “We head out in the morning. Kelsoe, you’ll be the one to tell Zeke?”

“I’ll tell him,” Kelsoe replied.

As the group broke up, Abbie hurried to catch up to Olin Wales and tugged at his sleeve. Wales tried to
wave her away.

“I know what you’re wantin’,” he told her. “I got nothin’ to say.”

“Please!” she begged. “I just want to know a little bit about her! Please! Was she real young like me?”

Wales sighed and shook his head. “Yes, she was. But Zeke was only eighteen himself when they first hooked up; twenty when she was murdered. He says he knows now how foolish it was to fall for a white girl, but at eighteen a young man thinks he can conquer the world, especially when he’s in love. And he was crazy in love with that girl. Her pa was against it, of course, so they run off together. She was sixteen. Her pa searched for them, lookin’ to kill Zeke, but a man don’t find Zeke if Zeke don’t want to be found, so he give up and hired them eight men to do the huntin’ for him. Figured with eight against one, Zeke was sure to be found eventually.”

“But … they ended up killing her!” Abbie exclaimed.

Olin nodded. “The old man didn’t plan on that. The way Zeke tells it, they lied to the old man, said Zeke had done it himself—’cause of the savageness in his veins. I guess the old man believed them, ’cause the only one anybody was after was Zeke. But at the same time, Cheyenne Zeke was after them men. And he found them—one by one—just like he said. So he’s wanted not just for their murders, but for murderin’ his own wife and son. Rumor spread that he was just a crazy man—the Indian in him gone wild. Then he disappeared for good. He’s been out here with the Cheyenne ever since.”

Abbie blinked back her tears. “Poor Zeke,” she
said softly. “And his poor wife! It must have been so hard on her, always running and hiding.”

“I expect so. But then she loved Zeke, and I reckon she didn’t care as long as she could be with him. Zeke says she lost one baby—almost bled to death. I expect that’s why he worries over that Yolanda Brown. But then she had that boy, and they was so happy. Zeke had a son. They finally decided to head West and get the hell out of Tennessee. They almost made it. She was killed the very day Zeke went into the little town they was livin’ near to get supplies to head West. He came home and found them. I think what made it harder on him was that she was still alive. I reckon that’s a sight that will make him scream in the night for the rest of his life.”

Abbie wiped at her eyes. “
Does
he scream in the night?”

“Sometimes. I’ve heard him yell out. Sometimes he screams her name … sometimes he just yells things that don’t make sense. But he’s mostly at peace when he’s been with the Cheyenne for a while. The Indians are very spiritual people, Abbie. They’ve suffered a lot and have learned to live with the sufferin’—through prayer and sacrifice and a closeness to nature and the spirits. Zeke finds his strength down on the Arkansas with his people, especially when he goes back to his mother.”

“What is she like? How did he find her? Did he remember her? How old was he when his father took him away from her?”

“Now hold up there! I done told you everything I’m gonna tell. You want to know anything more, you ask Zeke yourself. But don’t do it now, or in the near future.
He’s gonna be in a mighty bad way when he comes back here in the mornin’, and he ain’t gonna be wantin’ to talk about nothin’ from his past.”

“I understand,” she replied. “Olin, I … I love him. You know that, don’t you?”

The man patted her head. “That’s a road that leads to nowhere,” he told her. “You won’t do nothin’ but get your heart broke, Miss Abbie. And if you push it, you’ll just hurt Zeke, too. He’s been hurt enough. He ain’t about to get into a mess like that again. Now you go on back to your wagon, say a little prayer for him … and forget him.”