Pearl

  “Why?” she demanded.

  Her haughty tone and manner caused him to bristle. “Woman, around here, I’m the teacher and you’re the pupil. I make the rules. And you follow them without question. Now sit.”

  She did as she was told, and was forced to endure in helpless rage as he bound her ankles. When he was assured that she couldn’t escape, he wrapped the second blanket around himself and lay down on the hard ground.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Goin’ to sleep, teacher. You’d better do the same. If my plan works, tomorrow should prove to be a long and interestin’ day.”

  Within minutes, the cave was filled with the sound of his snoring.

  Despite her weariness, Pearl kept a silent, watchful vigil. How could she sleep, knowing what this monster intended to do? She struggled to hold back the wave of helplessness threatening to swamp her. It was bad enough that she was hobbled like a calf at branding. But being trapped in this primitive place had magnified all her fears about Texas, until they began nibbling away at her very sanity. She imagined evil, slimy creatures and feral animals, fangs bared, lying in wait for her to let down her guard.

  Oh, Daddy, she thought, with a trace of desperation, tell me how to survive. At least long enough to warn Cal of the dangers.

  Almost at once, a feeling of calm began to take hold of her frayed nerves. For the moment, Rollie Ingram was no threat. He was sleeping as peacefully, and as noisily, as his fictional bear. She was as yet unharmed. And Cal McCabe was no fool. When he discovered what Rollie had done, he would come, not only armed, but probably with his wranglers and half the town in tow.

  That thought soothed her fears, and her eyes began to close. Determined to fight sleep, she forced her lids to open. And prayed that the oil in the lantern would last until morning light.

  Cal reined in his mount on a ridge overlooking the herd. Taking a pouch of tobacco from his pocket, he rolled a cigarette and held a match to the tip. He filled his lungs, then blew out a cloud of smoke.

  A sliver of moon and a million glittering stars hung in the midnight sky. It was a scene that always soothed him. And yet tonight he had to fight a feeling of restlessness.

  He’d volunteered to ride herd tonight, so that the others could sleep. He had a need to be busy, to keep from dwelling on all the thoughts that were swirling around in his mind.

  It wasn’t just Rollie Ingram, though he’d been agitated since their fight. It was something else. Something vague and intangible that tugged at the corners of his mind.

  Pearl. It was always Pearl who crowded his thoughts. From the first day he saw her, he’d had to fight the impossible attraction. And now he was beginning to feel things he had no right to feel about Onyx Jewel’s daughter. Onyx had trusted him to look out for the ranch and everything on it. That certainly included the prim and proper Pearl. But the things Cal had been thinking lately were about as far from proper as one could get.

  He knew that marriage was out of the question. There was no way he’d ask a lady like Pearl to be saddled with a cowboy pledged to a life in this harsh land. From the looks of her, Pearl wouldn’t last a year in Texas. And when she’d had enough of this life, she deserved to be free to walk away, with no regrets.

  Still, at the thought of Pearl, he felt as agitated as a stallion downwind of a mare in season. Damned if he didn’t want her more than he’d ever wanted anyone or anything. And that was the hell of it. He was a man who’d become accustomed to getting everything he’d ever wanted. Onyx had taught him that. And now he’d gone and lost his heart to the one thing he could never have.

  With an angry oath, he filled his lungs one last time before tossing the butt aside.

  Suddenly his head came up sharply at the sound of a horse, approaching at a run.

  Making out the silhouette of one of his top wranglers, he was about to lecture him on the danger of pushing his horse to the limit. But before he could say a word, the wrangler called out, “Trouble, Cal. Cookie told me to hightail it out here. Rollie Ingram’s setting a trap for you, as revenge for the beating you gave him.”

  “Yeah?”

  Cal started to smile, but the smile faded when the wrangler continued, “To make sure you’ll agree to fight, he’s kidnapped Miss Pearl.”

  Marshal Quent Regan stepped off the porch of Doc Prentice’s infirmary and headed toward the jail. It had been a fairly quiet night, since there were few cowboys in town. Just one shooting, and it hadn’t been over a woman or a card game, but rather over whose horse was fastest. Liquor had a way of doing that to normally peaceable ranchers. Doc had removed the bullet, and his patient was more concerned about how to face his wife after such foolishness than he was about the pain he’d endured.

  Quent studied the darkened buildings as he ambled through the silent town. He’d grown accustomed to working through the night and going to bed when most men were just starting their chores.

  He turned at the sound of a galloping horse. At this time of night, it always signaled trouble.

  “Marshal.” Horse and rider pulled up short beside him, spewing dust. “Rollie Ingram’s gone crazy. Stole Miss Pearl Jewel away from her schoolhouse.”

  “That no-good Ingram again.” Quent’s face turned grim. “Where’s he taken her?”

  “Up into the hills beyond the Jewel ranch. Wants to force Cal McCabe into a gunfight. Cookie sent the wranglers out to notify Cal and start a search.”

  “Then I won’t be needing a posse.” The marshal was already heading toward his office. “I’ll get my gear and join you as soon as I wake my deputy.”

  It was a good bet that Deputy Arlo Spitz’s wife would have the news all over town before the chickens were up.

  And it was a better bet, Quent thought, that Cal McCabe wouldn’t rest until Rollie Ingram was dead. He only hoped Cal was in time to shoot him before he had a chance to hurt that fine lady, Miss Pearl.

  In the thin, pale light of dawn, Cal knelt on the rocky ground and peered at the wagon tracks. Though it had cost him considerable time, he’d returned to the schoolhouse, in order to pick up Rollie’s trail.

  Now, with the help of the morning light, he could begin his quest. With a furious oath, he pulled himself into the saddle and began to follow the tracks. But as he followed them into the hills, he was puzzled. The horse and wagon had stopped abruptly. There were footprints. Small, feminine footprints. Had Pearl escaped? He leaped from the saddle and followed on foot. Larger prints, made by a man’s boots. Running. And here...He knelt. A scuffle. God in heaven. A delicate little lady like Pearl had fought that brute. He felt the bile of fury rise up to choke him. When he caught up with Rollie Ingram, he would make him pay dearly. And if he had harmed Pearl in any way, the man would pay with his life.

  He mounted and took off at a run. All his thoughts were focused on Pearl. And the half-forgotten words of his childhood prayers fell from his lips.

  Pearl’s head bobbed, waking her from a fitful doze. For one brief moment she felt disoriented. Then she remembered where she was. Fear sliced, cold and sharp, through her veins. How could she have given in to sleep? All through the night she had pulled and tugged on the ropes, until her wrists and ankles were raw and bloody. But her feeble efforts had been to no avail. She was still bound. Bound and helpless.

  Assured that Rollie Ingram was still sleeping, she glanced toward the covered entrance to the cave. A thin ribbon of morning light pierced the gloom. So soon, she thought with a feeling of dread. The night had flown by so soon.

  “Well now...” Rollie yawned, stretched, and sat up. “Ain’t this cozy? Just you and me, teacher.” He crossed the space that separated them and squatted down in front of her. “Still feelin’ high and mighty?” He cackled at his own joke. “Just look at you. Why, your pretty gown is all soiled, and your face is dirty. And I do believe that’s blood on your wrists.” He grabbed at her, twisting her bound arms painfully. “Been workin’ on those ropes, I see. Well, it won’t do you any good. You’re not gettin
’ free. Not till I do what I came here to do.” His eyes glittered with madness. “First I’m going to shoot Cal McCabe. And I hope I don’t kill him with the first shot, ’cause I don’t want him dead right away.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked in horror.

  “Didn’t I tell you?” He laughed again. “I do want McCabe dead. But first I want him to suffer.” He took hold of her hair and yanked her head back so hard, tears sprang to her eyes. That only made him laugh harder. “See, I figure the best way to do that is to force him to watch while I have a little fun with his lady. And then, when I’m done, why, McCabe can die a nice slow death. One bullet at a time. And afterward, when I’m tired of you, you can die, too. But if you ask real nice, I’ll make it fast.” He ran a finger from her throat to her heart, all the while enjoying the look of revulsion that crossed her face. “With one bullet, right here.”

  He was pleased to see the way she cringed at his touch. “One of them innocent, untouched females, huh? That makes it even better.”

  He shuffled to his feet and pulled some food and a flask from one of the sacks on the floor of the cave. He ate quickly, then washed it down with whiskey.

  “I’d offer you some,” he said with a satisfied grin, “but there’s no need to waste good food on someone who hasn’t long to live. Besides, I’ve got work to do. By the time McCabe gets here, I’ll have a whole army of guns ready for him.”

  Pearl listened to the sound of his footsteps as he moved around outside. The sounds grew louder, until they seemed to come from directly above. Glancing up, she saw a rope snake down from a hole in the roof of the cave. A few minutes later, Rollie slid down the rope.

  “Got a little surprise for your hero,” he said with a grin.

  He picked up several rifles, blew out the sputtering lantern and strolled from the cave.

  For a moment, Pearl had a glimpse of the morning sunlight glinting off rocky peaks. Then the hide was dropped back into place. And she was left in darkness, except for the thin stream of light from the top of the cave.

  Cal urged his horse into the swollen waters of Poison Creek. On the opposite bank, he knelt and studied the marks of the wagon before pulling himself back into the saddle.

  The morning sunshine had given way to dark, rolling clouds. The air tasted of rain. He shivered inside his duster and worried about Pearl. How was she handling the cold? The fear? The thought of her at the mercy of Rollie Ingram tore at him, causing him to whip his mount into a run.

  He’d give Ingram credit, he thought as he urged his horse up the steep rocky side of the mountain. He’d covered his tracks well enough that the average wrangler wouldn’t be able to follow. But Ingram had left just enough signs of his passing to guarantee that someone with Cal’s reputation for tracking wouldn’t miss them. That way, he would have Cal to himself, without the backup of the wranglers who had fanned out in either direction.

  “Suits me just fine,” Cal muttered aloud.

  So he and Rollie both knew this wasteland. And both of them knew something about fighting and survival. But he had one thing even Rollie didn’t have. A fierce determination to save the woman he loved.

  Love. It hit him with the force of a blow. He loved Pearl more than life itself. If he was too late, if she died, his own life wouldn’t be worth a thing.

  Why had it taken the work of a madman to show him the truth? And what if he had come to the realization too late?

  He swore, loudly, savagely, as he guided his mount ever higher into the mountain wilderness.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Cal was grateful for the thunder rumbling off in the distance. It masked the sound of his horse’s hoofbeats.

  The path he was following had been climbing steadily for some time now. Though it was narrow, it was wide enough for a horse and cart. He couldn’t make out any tracks, but he was certain Rollie had come this way.

  Suddenly he reined in his mount and listened. Had there been a cry? Or had it just been the sound of the wind? The storm was definitely moving closer, raising a din. But he was a man who had always trusted his instincts. And right now, he could feel a prickling along his scalp. Despite the rising wind and the rumble of thunder, that had been Pearl’s voice, cut off in midcry. He was certain of it.

  The thought of Rollie Ingram’s cruel hands touching her, hurting her, had sweat trickling between his shoulder blades. With no further thought to his safety, he slid from the saddle. Cradling his rifle, he crept forward, through the gathering darkness. Aware that Rollie planned an ambush, he swung his gaze from side to side, searching for anything suspicious. All he could see was what appeared to be a sheer wall of rock on either side of a narrow path. In a break in the rock was a drop-off that plummeted hundreds of feet to a granite ledge below. There seemed to be no place for a man to hide. Let alone a woman, a horse and a cart. Unless...

  He felt a chill along his spine. Of course. These mountains held dozens of caves. He peered through the blackness to find an opening, but in the darkness, he saw only shifting shadows.

  The first shot rang out from his left, missing him by inches. He turned and fired instinctively, but a second shot, from the opposite direction, had him dropping to the ground.

  He heard a cackling laugh that could only be Rollie Ingram’s. “Got me an army, McCabe. Think you can fight an army?”

  Instead of a reply, Cal fired in the direction of the voice.

  “That was close. But you can’t fight us all, McCabe.” A second later, another shot rang out, from a third location, sending dirt flying directly beside Cal.

  How many men did Rollie have in his employ? And how had he managed to entice anyone to work for him? How could a man like Rollie Ingram pay gunfighters?

  “Drop your weapon, McCabe.” Rollie’s voice carried across the hills. “Or I’ll have my army cut you to pieces.”

  Cal realized that, just as the bullets had come from different directions, so had Rollie’s voice. He came to a sudden conclusion. The only army Rollie had was himself. And a clever arrangement of rifles.

  Despite the danger, Cal stood. “Go to hell, Ingram,” he shouted as he fired in a circle, sending bullets spraying in several different directions.

  He heard Rollie’s savage oaths as he was forced to dodge the gunfire.

  After long moments of unexpected silence, the hide was lifted, revealing the entrance to the cave.

  “Looking for us?”

  Cal spun around. Inside the cave, in the glow of a lantern, he could make out the image of Pearl, bound and gagged. Beside her was Rollie, holding a pistol to her temple. Behind them, a rope twisted and turned, and Cal realized just how Rollie had managed to slip out of the way of his bullets.

  “Drop the rifle,” Rollie commanded. “If you want the woman to live.”

  Cal did as he was told, tossing aside his weapon.

  “You don’t need to hurt her, Rollie.” Cal’s voice was pure ice. “This fight is between you and me.”

  “So it is,” Rollie shouted. “But it’s not a fight. We had our little fight, and you won. This is a game. A game of chance, McCabe. And this time, I intend to win. See, I’ve learned to never play unless I can stack the deck in my favor. Now—” he motioned with his pistol “—step into my saloon. We’re going to have us some fun.”

  Cal took several steps forward, without ever taking his eyes off Pearl. What he saw caused a terrible pain around his heart.

  Her hair had pulled loose from its neat knot, and it hung in tangles around a pale face. Her gown was dirty and bloodstained, and the sight of the blood had his jaw clenching. God in heaven, if Rollie hurt her...

  “That’s close enough!” Rollie shouted. “Now raise those hands high!”

  When Cal lifted his arms, a shot rang out. He gasped, then muttered a savage oath. His right arm dropped limply to his side, blood spurting from a gunshot wound to his shoulder. The staggering pain brought him to his knees, where he grasped the wounded arm in a vain attempt to stem the flow of blood.
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  “That’s my first ace in the hole. That’ll prevent you from pulling a hidden gun or knife on me, McCabe.” Rollie was shouting with glee. “See, I know that’s your gun hand.”

  Pearl’s gag prevented her from crying out. But she whimpered at the horrible sight of Cal’s pain, and began to sink to her knees.

  Rollie hauled her roughly to her feet. “Uh-uh, little lady. You ain’t fallin’. You’re going to stand straight and tall, so our hero can see you real good. And if you don’t, I’ll have to shoot him again. Understand?”

  She blinked the tears from her eyes and nodded, then forced her trembling legs to hold her upright.

  “That’s real good.” He glanced over at Cal with a sly smile. “See how quick our teacher is learnin’? And that’s just the beginnin’. I’m goin’ to teach her things she never dreamed of. And you know the best part of all?” He gave a shrill laugh and stepped closer, until he was standing directly over Cal. “The best part is knowin’ you’ll be watchin’. And can’t do one thing about it.”

  He raised his gun again and took aim at Cal’s leg. “Just so’s you don’t think about runnin’.”

  He fired at point-blank range. The bullet slammed into Cal’s thigh with such force it sent him backward, where he lay in a widening pool of blood.

  Rollie stepped close and caught Cal by the hair, forcing his head up. “Don’t you go fainting on me, hero. You stay awake for the entertainment I got planned.”

  Cal’s glazed eyes focused on the man standing over him, and he managed to say through clenched teeth, “I’ll stay...awake. And you’d better do...same. Because I’m going...kill you, Ingram.”

  “Looks like I’ll be the only one doin’ any killin’ today.” Smug with success, Rollie swaggered across the cave and said, “Now for the best part. The teacher and me are going to have some fun. And she knows that if she fights me even a little, I’ll be forced to shoot you again. Isn’t that right, Miss High-and-Mighty Jewel?”