The Cactus Creek Challenge (33 page)

Rather than gloat, Ben plopped down on the corner of the desk and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked so worried she wanted to round the desk and put her arms around him.

“Where’s Jigger now?”

“He’s doing a little reconnoitering around town. In the evenings, he’s been hanging around the saloons and listening, keeping an ear out for trouble. He decided to go out a little early today since he’ll be cooped up here in the jail all night.”

“And he left you alone?”

“Who else was there?” She spread her hands. “Anyway, I figured you’d stop by as soon as school was out.” He’d done so every day of the Challenge, checking up on her even before the gold had arrived. At first it had been an irritation, then an annoyance, and yet she’d longed to see him all the same and had taken to watching the clock every afternoon. For the past week, his afternoon appearance had come with a healthy dose of relief.

“My dad really said we should swap back? And you’re all right with this?”

If Cassie was honest with herself, the notion of tossing the whole problem into Ben’s lap had a certain appeal. She’d toted the burden the best she could for the past three weeks, but she’d fought feelings of being overwhelmed every step of the way. Having someone else to help her, to come alongside … just like a partner … like a husband would, would be a welcome easing of her burden. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this, but I don’t see any other choice that won’t end badly. And with Mr. Stoltzfus showing up at the school and laying down the law, I can’t jeopardize my real job any more than we can jeopardize the gold.”

“I’m real sorry about Stoltzfus. He wouldn’t listen to my explanations at all. The kids were pretty shook up, but I think they’ll be all right. They were studying their books so hard after he left, I thought they might do themselves an injury, especially the twins, since they aren’t used to it.”

A tug of homesickness for her students swept over her. She really did belong in the schoolroom, not the jail.

“I imagine the strain on the twins to behave has been extraordinary. Mr. Stoltzfus will be back next Monday? And he expects a full exhibition?”

“That’s what he said. What are you going to do? I feel like I’m dumping you in the creek laying all this on you.”

“You? What about me? Letting things get into such a snarl here at the jail then dropping it all in your lap?”

He laughed, easing the tension between Cassie’s shoulders. “Aren’t we a pair?” His smile jolted her heart, and for the first time, she felt things could turn out all right. Working together might be the best solution.

“I’ll tell my father that we’re swapping back. Hopefully the gold will get picked up soon so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

The doorknob rattled, and persistent pounding started on the other side of the door. Ben slipped off the desk, his hand going to his sidearm. “Who’s there?”

“Sheriff Wilder!” Harder pounding. “It’s us, Sheriff. Let us in.”

“Sounds like the twins.”

Cassie eased aside one of the shutters to peek out. “It is. Are you going to let them in?”

Ben slid the bar aside and the kids tumbled into the room atop one another like puppies. “Hey, what are you two doing here? You can’t be hanging around the jail right now, you know that.” He took a quick peek at the street as he closed the door and let the slab of wood drop back into place to bar it shut.

“Sheriff, he took her.” Quincy gasped and pushed himself up from the floor. Ulysses disengaged himself from the tangle of legs and arms, nodding, his narrow chest heaving. “She’s gone.”

“Hold up there, boys. Who are you talking about? Who’s gone?” Ben put his hands on their shoulders and lined them up before him.

Ulysses rubbed the heel of his hand up his nose, his round, blue eyes flicking from Ben to Cassie and back again. “Amanda.”

Ben squatted and stared the boys hard in the eyes. “Tell me what you saw.” Steel bands tightened around his chest when they said Amanda’s name, but the twins were such tricksters, he had to make sure they weren’t joshing.

“Me ’n Quince was up a tree, the one he got stuck in the other day. We wanted to see if this time we could climb higher than the branch where he got hung up.”

“Of course you did, but what about Amanda?” He wanted to shake the story out of them, but he held back.

“She was playing on the creek bank. Floating sticks in the water and sort of humming to herself. We could see her real well from where we had climbed to. Anyways, this man jumps up out of the brush and grabs her. She was kicking and squirming, but he put his hand over her mouth and dragged her up the bank.”

“We climbed down lickety-split, but by the time we got to the ground, he was on his horse with her up in front of him racing away.”

Ben straightened, his mind zipping faster than a summer wind through the prairie grass. Who would kidnap Amanda? And why? What could they hope to gain? Money? Jenny had purchased the bakery outright, and she wore fine clothes. Everybody in town surmised she’d come from money somewhere, but did she have enough for a ransom?

Jenny.

He’d have to tell her. Dread swelled in his gut.

Cassie grabbed the twins by the chins, raising their faces and looking deeply into their eyes. “You’re sure? Cross your heart? A man took Amanda?”

Quincy jerked his chin from her grasp, his hands going to his narrow hips. “We told you, didn’t we? We wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

Ben touched her arm. “That’s all right, Cass. Quincy, I want you to go to the bakery and fetch Mr. Gustafson. Just tell him I need him over here at the jail, and then you go to the doc’s office and tell him the same thing. Ulysses, you run to the livery and ask Mrs. Hart to come here, too. Don’t tell her about Amanda yet, just that Cassie needs her. Then saddle my horse and one for Mr. Gustafson. Both of you go quiet and try not to draw attention, all right?”

He let them out the door, then turned to the gun rack behind his desk, digging the key from his pocket and unlocking the chain that ran through the trigger guards.

“What are you going to do?” Cassie twisted her fingers together under her chin.

“Go after her.” He yanked his favorite rifle out of the rack and took a box of shells from the shelf to load the gun. “Watch the door. Carl will be here soon.”

He picked his hat up from the floor, settling it on his head and taking his duster off one of the pegs on the wall. Extra shells went into the pocket, and he shrugged into the well-worn garment.

Boots sounded on the boardwalk, and after a quick check, Cassie opened the door. Carl strode inside.

“What do you need? I can’t be away from the bakery. I have muffins ready to put in the oven.”

Ben jerked his thumb toward the gun rack. “I need your help, but I need you to stay level-headed, all right? Pick out a weapon.” Carl had a temper, and he’d become quite fond of Amanda over the past few weeks. Ben needed his friend’s help, but not if he was going to go into a rage.

“What’s going on?” Carl’s beefy arms crossed, and he planted his boots as if bracing for trouble.

“Amanda’s been taken by someone, a man, down by the creek. I want you to go with me to fetch her back.”

A quiver went through the big man, and his eyes turned to hardened steel. “When?”

“We just learned about it.” Ben cradled the rifle in the crook of his elbow and unholstered his sidearm to check its load. “Fill some saddlebags with provisions and meet me at the stable. Someone’s saddling our horses now.”

Without a word, Carl snatched a shotgun and a box of shells from the rack, turned on his heel, wrenched the bar from the door, threw it to the ground, and slammed the door behind him.

“What do you want me to do?” Cassie lifted the lid on a basket on the desk and began taking out bundles. “I brought some food for Jigger for overnight, but you’d better take it with you instead.”

Ben tossed her a pair of saddlebags. “Put the food in those. I want you and Jigger to sit on the gold. When he gets back here, neither of you stir from this building until I get back or the army picks up the shipment. I’ll stop by my folks’ place and send my dad in to help you.”

“What about you? Shouldn’t your dad go with you?”

He shook his head. “We’ll travel faster and lighter just the two of us. Dad’s leg has been bothering him, and he wouldn’t be able to ride for very long. He’ll be better off in here sitting behind a shotgun.”

“Sheriff?” Jenny’s voice sounded from the boardwalk.

Cassie flew to the door and let her in. At the sight of Ben armed to the teeth, Jenny paused. “Is something wrong?”

“Jenny, you’d best sit down.” Ben motioned to the chair Jigger usually sat in. She frowned and eased onto the seat. He squatted before her, taking her hands.

“First you need to know we’re going to get her back, all right? Carl and I will get her back.” He squeezed her hands as fear invaded her eyes.

“Amanda?” Her voice came out a tortured whisper.

He nodded. “Somebody snatched her while she was playing by the creek. Do you have any idea who would take her, or why?” The blood drained from her face, and her eyes took on a shocked, faraway look. “She’s just a little girl.”

Shaking her hands, squeezing them hard, he tried to draw her back. “Jenny, do you know who might’ve taken her?”

She blinked, focusing on his face. “Maybe her grandfather, if he found us. He threatened to take her from me. That’s why we ran away from Tennessee. To get away from him. But how could he have found us? I was so careful.”

Ben glanced up at Cassie, raising his eyebrows. Did she know about this?

She shook her head, biting her lower lip.

Jigger sauntered through the door. “Hey, why isn’t this door locked? Oh, hi, Boss. I been watching from up the street, and the jail’s getting busier than the Amarillo railroad station, folks coming and going.”

“I’m glad you’re here. You stay with Mrs. Hart and the gold until Cassie gets back. Cass, you come with me over to the livery so we can go over a few things. Jigger, Cassie will fill you in on what she knows when she gets back.” Ben felt as if he had too many irons in the fire, too much to do, and way too little information to go on, but in the back of his head, a clock was ticking, a fuse was burning. He had to get to Amanda quickly. The longer they waited, the less chance they had of finding her safe.

Crossing the street, he kept an eye out for trouble. Cassie trotted at his side. He angled toward the livery where Carl was tightening cinches and strapping on saddlebags. He tossed his own over and gathered the twins to him, squatting in the stable doorway.

“You boys did great. Now I need you to do a couple more things for me.”

They nodded, and Quincy bounced on the balls of his feet as if ready to jackrabbit off at the first word.

“I need you to scoot on out to my folks’ place, find my pa, and tell him he’s needed to stand guard at the jail. Cassie will fill him in on what she knows, but tell him it’s urgent. After you do that, I need you to get on home. You can tell your folks what happened, but ask them not to repeat it. The fewer folks who know about this the better, right?”

Their curly forelocks bounced, and they shot out the door, but Ulysses skidded to a halt a dozen or so yards away and turned back.

“Sheriff, I remembered something when I was saddling your horse.”

“What?”

“The man who took Amanda. I’ve seen him before.”

Ben’s attention focused on the boy, and his voice sharpened. “Where?”

“The day we was practicing our surveillance.” He pointed to the hay loft. “The man who took Amanda was the same one who brought the horse in all whipped up that day. Remember? Miss Bucknell and Miz Hart was facing him down, and you was hanging out of the loft with your gun out?”

He glanced at Cassie, mindful that he hadn’t mentioned that he’d even been in the barn that day. She tilted her head at him, and her eyes said they’d talk about it later.

“You’re saying Ivan Shoop snatched Amanda?”

“I don’t know his name, but it’s the same man.”

“Thanks, pard. That’s helpful information. You get out to my dad’s place now, and hustle. Time’s wasting.”

Ben took Cassie’s elbow and drew her farther into the barn. She looked up at him with her enormous green eyes, her skin so pale the freckles stood out like red pepper flakes. “When you get back to the jail, you can tell Jenny it wasn’t her father-in-law. It’s local boys. You’re going to have be extra careful. If Ivan Shoop took Amanda, it’s a surefire sign he and his brothers are up to something. Either they want to ransom the child for the gold or the kidnapping is a ploy to get us out of town and leave you and the shipment vulnerable.” Were Melvin and Alvin with their rotten oldest brother, or were they skulking around town somewhere? “Have Jigger scout around town as quiet as he can, see if he can detect which way the wind is blowing.”

She nodded, her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth. “I will.”

She looked so vulnerable, his hands came up to cup her shoulders. “I hate leaving you like this. I wouldn’t go if I didn’t have to.” “Amanda’s so little, and so afraid of strange men. I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now. I’m counting on you to get her back.” Moisture glistened on her lower lashes, tearing a hole in his gut.