A Chance at Love (31 page)

Jake wanted to ask her if she was sure about riding Phoebe, but he didn't. “Sure. We'll do it real slow, okay?”

“Okay.”

She put her booted foot into the step he made from his hands, and slowly lifted her until she was settled on the
mare's bare back. Phoebe took a step back and a panicked Dede grabbed her mane.

Jake spoke softly to Phoebe and the gentle mare calmed. “Are you okay?” he asked Dede.

For a person afraid of horses, walking on the ground beside a horse was very different from viewing the world atop their broad backs. “I think the magic's wearing off, so can we just go a little ways?”

Jake nodded. “Sure can. You just let me know, and I'll take you down.”

Dede nodded.

He took a quick moment to show her how to use her knees to make Becky go forward and how to make her stop. “Are you ready?”

Dede nodded. “Yes. Just a little ways. Okay?”

“Okay. I'm going to walk beside you. How's that?”

She smiled gratefully, then Dede gritted her teeth as Phoebe took her first few steps. Loreli could see the tension in her little brown arms. The horse was moving as slow as molasses but even that was too fast a pace from the look on Dede's face. She stayed on, however, and rode a quarter of the way around the pen before asking Jake to help her down.

Bebe ran to her sister's side, yelling excitedly, “You did it, De! You rode Phoebe all by yourself!”

Dede grinned. “But not a long way.”

“Loreli said the magic has to build up, remember?” Bebe said.

Dede shook her head.

Bebe had an epiphany. “Oh, De. We could ride over to Aggie's and Carrie's…. Uncle Jake, when De gets better, can we get another horse so she and I can race?”

Jake stared at this child with his sister's face, and told
her, “How about we get Dede out of the pen first before we start placing our bets, okay?”

Bebe nodded that she understood.

Jake, still filled with amazement, looked over at Loreli, who simply shook her head in reply. Miss Bebe was something else.

 

That night, as Jake and Loreli lay in bed, he told her, “You know, that magic locket hocus-pocus might actually work.”

Loreli turned over so she could see his face in the dark. “It's not hocus-pocus. The locket
is
magic.”

He slid his hand down her silken back. “It's just a locket. Admit it, you made the magic part up.”

“I did not. It had magic in it when my daddy gave it to me, and it has magic now. How else can you explain Dede riding today.”

His hand roamed over the hills of her behind, then down the backs of her thighs. “You're the magic.”

He traced sensual circles over her hips and down her legs and up her back. He bent and kissed the curve of her shoulder. “I knew you were magic, the moment I set eyes on you….”

Enjoying his touch, she whispered seductively, “Then how about I show you just how magical I can be?”

Jake smiled and husked out, “You're on….”

And by the time all the spells were cast, they were both too sated to do anything but fall asleep.

 

For the next few days, Loreli divided her time between kissing the locket and kissing Jake. During the day, Dede and Phoebe rode farther and farther. At night Loreli had
the wanton joys of riding something entirely different.

On Friday morning, Loreli awakened with a smile. She and Jake had shared a particularly stunning night of lovemaking.
A girl could get real spoiled real quick being with a man like Jake,
she told herself knowingly. In bed he was passionate, giving, and becoming more and more—skilled. Just thinking about the paces he'd put her through last night made her blood heat up again. He couldn't soothe her, though, because he was already up and off to do the morning chores. The girls wouldn't wake for another hour or so, so Loreli burrowed back beneath the covers and closed her eyes.

She'd almost drifted off when she heard Jake yell her name. She heard panic and anger in his tone. Hastily leaving the bed, she ran down the steps. “What's the matter?”

His face was tight as a drum. “The girls are gone.”

“What do you mean, the girls are gone?”

His voice was deadly. “Your friend, Trevor, has them.”

Loreli felt sick.
“What?”

He forced a piece of paper in her face and growled, “Read this!”

Her hand shaking, Loreli read:

L
oreli reread the words. She felt sickened.

“Will he really do what he says there?” Jake asked.

Loreli couldn't lie. “I don't know. If he's desperate enough to do this…” Her words trailed off. Her worry over the girls grew with each breath she took. “We have to find them.”

“I'll start with the sheriff. Maybe someone in town has seen them. He has to be holed up somewhere close.”

Loreli agreed. If Trevor needed the money that desperately, he'd be nearby so he could access the ransom quickly. Had he wanted her to travel to make the exchange, she assumed he would have stated that in the letter.

Jake left the room for a moment, then returned with a rifle. “I want you to stay here.”

Loreli looked at the firearm. She'd never seen him arm himself before. “I'm coming with you.”

“No, you're not. What if he comes here looking for the money?”

“Then I need to go to town and get it. I will pay him whatever he wants to get the twins back. This would never have happened had I not entered your lives. I'm truly sorry for that,” she told him honestly.

The mask had descended on his features. “Get dressed so we can go.”

Loreli hurried up the stairs.

He rode Fox. Loreli rode Phoebe. The first stop was Matt Peterson's. When he heard the news, he put down his plow, ran and got his gun, then saddled up to help with the search.

The next two stops added Art Gibson, Brass Barber, and his son, William, to their small contingent. All of the men were armed.

The town was bustling as they rode in. Their determined faces and manner made folks on their walks pause and stare curiously, but Jake and the others paid the townspeople no mind.

Sheriff Mack's lips tightened grimly as Jake related the details. “Let me see the note.”

Jake fished it out of his pocket and handed it over. The clouds in Jake's face had not lightened.

The sheriff then turned to Loreli. “Any idea where he might be?”

“If I knew sheriff, I'd already be there,” Loreli snapped, more crossly than she'd intended. She was quickly contrite. “I'm sorry. I'm just upset.”

He nodded. “I know you are. No hard feelings.” He seemed to think a moment, then said, “I'm going to wire the marshal in Lawrence, see if he has any ideas, but in the meantime, do you know if that Trevor fella struck it up with anybody while he was here?”

Loreli didn't hesitate. “Yes, Millie Tate and Rebecca Appleby.”

The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Loreli then told him about Trevor, Millie, and Rebecca on the porch after the fight, and then about Millie and the brooch.

Sheriff Mack grabbed his hat. “Let's go talk to Miss Tate. Jake, why don't you and Miss Loreli come with me. Brass, you and the others split up and take a stroll through town—see what you can hear or find out.”

Millie's shop was closed. The sheriff tried the door, then looked in through the window. “Funny. Her shop's almost never closed.”

Loreli peered through the small glass window front as well, but saw no one inside but the dress forms, fabrics, and notions.

Sheriff Mack said, “Well, let's ride out to the Appleby place and talk to Miss Rebecca. Maybe she can tell us something.”

“I have to go to the bank and see if I can make the arrangements for the money,” Loreli said.

“I'll meet you back at the house,” Jake said.

“It will just take a minute.”

“Go home, Loreli. You've done enough. The sheriff and I need to go.”

Loreli's lips tightened. “Okay, Jake. Godspeed.”

He turned and followed the sheriff back to the horses.

Watching him walk away, all she kept hearing was,
You've done enough.
The words hurt. He was correct, however. Satan was loose in paradise and it was entirely her fault. Trevor's perfidy had also impacted the budding relationship she and Jake had been building, but she didn't
have time to worry over it now. She had to get to the bank.

Cyrus Buxton looked up when she entered. “Mornin', Miss Winters.”

“Mornin', Cyrus. I need to withdraw some money.”

“You can't,” he told her in a sheepish voice.

Loreli searched his face for a moment. “What do you mean, I can't? I thought my money was here?”

“It is—well—was.”

Loreli could feel her temper rising but she remained calm. “Cyrus, what the hell are you talking about?”

The voice of Sol Diggs came from behind her. “What he's talking about is that your deposits are under investigation.”

Loreli turned. “By whom?”

He smiled wolfishly. “Me. I think some of the account numbers you gave my bank may have been in error, and since I don't want to deposit money in your account that could possibly belong to someone else, I'm waiting for further verification from your banks back East. We should have it all cleared up in, oh, a month or two.”

“You picked the wrong day to play your bluff, Diggs. I need a thousand dollars of
my
money right now,” she said coolly.

He chuckled patronizingly. “I'm sorry, Miss Winters, but the whole thing is out of my hands.”

Loreli thought about how scared the twins must be and how much she wanted to squash Diggs beneath her heel for this pitiful little stab at revenge. “Fine. Within the hour, the sheriff is going to receive a warrant for your arrest. You're going to be charged with bank fraud, personal theft, forgery and anything else I can think of while I'm on my way to the telegraph office. When I'm done, every time
you hear the word Winters, you're going to break out in hives.”

His eyes were wide.

“Better tell the Queen she may lose her house too,” Loreli snapped.

And she headed to the door.

Diggs hastened to stop her exit. “Uh, Miss Winters. Hold on a moment. I was only teasing. You can have all the money—”

“Save it, Diggs. If you didn't want to play the game, you shouldn't have dealt the cards.” She stormed off.

Sheriff Mack and the others were gone by the time Loreli made it back to his office. His young deputy was on duty. When he read the message Loreli wrote out for him to send, his eyes widened. “You're sure about this, ma'am?”

“Yes. Send it on, please.”

So he did.

Twenty minutes later, she received her answer. Arrangements had been made for the money she needed. A Pinkerton had been hired to deliver it in cash tomorrow. The Diggs matter was also under investigation. Her barrister had already begun contacting the proper banking entities. Warrants would be filed later today.

The young deputy said, “You must have some powerful friends.”

“Yes, I do,” Loreli said.

 

When Jake and the rest of the men arrived at Rebecca's she was in the yard throwing feed to the chickens. She stopped upon seeing them and walked over. “Morning, men. What brings you here?”

“When was the last time you saw Millie?” Jake asked.

“Sunday afternoon after church,” Rebecca answered coolly. “She rode out here to tell me that the Winters woman pulled a gun on her and robbed her. Has something happened?”

“Yes. Trevor Church has kidnapped the twins,” Jake said.

“What? When?”

“Sometime last night.”

“I knew that woman would bring you nothing but trouble, Jake. Didn't I say that?” Rebecca said.

“Do you have any idea where Millie might be?” Jake snapped.

“No.”

Jake turned Fox around. “Let's go, sheriff.”

The men spent the rest of the afternoon searching abandoned farmhouses and talking to anyone who might know anything, but found nothing.

At one point in the search, Jake said in frustration, “They have to be somewhere.”

“There's another place about a mile west of here. Let's try there before we head back to town,” the sheriff said.

They all agreed, but found nothing there either.

Jake rode home filled with both anger and despair. Somewhere his girls were being held against their will, probably terrified. All he could think about was getting them back safe and sound, and then killing Church. What kind of man would use children as pawns?
Men who lived in Loreli's world,
came the answer. Jake knew that Loreli loved the girls and would forfeit her own life before letting them be harmed, but how many other dangerous people would come calling at his farm because of her? Were
there other Trevors lurking about waiting to use his girls as leverage against Loreli for reasons yet to be known? Would he have to spend the next twelve months constantly on guard, and looking over his shoulder so as to keep his family safe? Jake didn't know the answers and it scared him.

Loreli returned to a silent, empty farmhouse. As the day lengthened, her worries mounted. Where was Trevor holding the twins? Were they hungry? Had he fed them? Were they well? So far there'd been no further contact from him, so she had no idea as to when and where he wanted to make the exchange. Jake hadn't returned as of yet either. She spent the day pacing and praying that he'd come home with Bebe and Dede in tow, but by five o'clock that afternoon, her prayers had yet to be answered.

 

An hour later, Jake returned and Loreli stepped out onto the porch. He was alone.

As he dismounted he asked anxiously, “Are they here?”

“No. Did you find out anything?”

He shook his head.

Loreli sighed. Looking at him made her heart break even more. He loved those girls like he loved his life. The worry was undoubtedly eating him up inside. “Rebecca wasn't able to help?”

“No. She hasn't seen Millie since Sunday.”

“Did you go into her shop?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“We concentrated on the abandoned farms. Hoped Church was holed up in one, but searching her shop is a
good idea.” He remounted. “I'm going back to town.” Jake knew the search might be futile, but he was at his wits' end, and he needed to stay on the move. Trying to end this nightmare fueled every breath.

“I'll saddle Phoebe and meet you there,” Loreli told him.

“Stay here.”

“No, Jake. Those girls are my heart. I caused this, and if you're angry at me, I can live with that, but I can't live with them being gone this way and not helping find them, so I'm going to town too. Whether you want me there or not!”

His lip tightened beneath his mustache, but she didn't care. She hurried to the barn.

When she rode back, he was mounted on Fox and waiting. It gave her hope that maybe the barriers of mistrust and anger building between them could be breached, but he acknowledged her only by saying, “Let's ride.”

Sheriff Mack was still on duty when they walked in. He looked as tired and spent as Jake and Loreli. Sheriff studied Loreli for a moment, then said, “Miss Winters, I just got a wire from the state treasury people telling me to shut down Sol Diggs's bank. I got another one a little while ago from the Federal marshal in Topeka, telling me to place Sol under arrest.”

“So have you?”

“No, not yet, but—” He looked at her as if he didn't quite know what to ask.

“Sheriff, can we talk about all this later?” Loreli asked. “Jake and I want to take a look inside Millie's shop. Maybe we can learn something there.”

He tossed the telegrams onto his desk. “Might be a
good idea. It worries me that no one's seen her. Let's go.”

Because the sheriff had keys to the doors of all the town's businesses, they had no problem getting inside. The place was dark and quiet. The sheriff found a lamp and lit it. The three of them looked around.

“Does she live here as well?” Loreli asked.

“Yes, in the back,” the sheriff answered.

Lighting another lamp, the sheriff picked it up and led the way to the small room in the back. Millie's body lay sprawled across the bed. The pair of black stockings tied around her neck showed she'd been strangled.

The sheriff said sadly, “Guess we found her.”

He walked closer to the bed. He shook his head. “What a waste of life,” he uttered.

Loreli gasped and closed her eyes for a moment. No, she hadn't liked Millie, but no one deserved to die so violently. Had Trevor done this? The thought made her shudder.

Jake turned his eyes away from Millie's body and asked the sheriff, “Are there any other rooms here? A cellar, a crawl space? Any place where the girls could be hidden away? They're here somewhere. I can feel it.”

Loreli could feel it as well, and wondered if love accounted for such strong, eerie sensations.

“There's a small storm cellar out back,” Sheriff Mack said.

They quickly searched out the cellar. Large pieces of wood lay across the plywood and tar-paper roof. While Loreli held the lamp, Jake and the sheriff removed them and set them aside.

“Don't remember this wood being here before,” Sheriff said.

Jake pulled up the door and called down, “Bebe! Dede! You girls down there?”

Silence.

“Loreli, bring that lamp,” Jake said.

Loreli stepped to the edge of the cellar and shined the light down into the black hole. A short flight of earth-carved steps were revealed.

Jake called for the girls again, but only silence echoed.

Under Loreli's lamp Jake climbed down the steps, then took the light from Loreli so he could see the rest of the way down. Jake looked around the shadows for a moment, then his heart stopped. “I found them!”

They were lying side by side on the dirt floor in a corner. Praying they weren't dead, he hurried to them. “They're here!”

Their little bodies looked so lifeless, Jake was shaking as he knelt slowly beside them. Afraid of what he might discover, he touched Dede's cheek. It was warm. “They're alive!”

He shook their shoulders gently. “Be! De! Wake up.”