A Journey of the Heart Collection (21 page)

After two days with no water, Rand was delirious. He muttered incoherently, sometimes shouting, sometimes screaming. The nights were bad too. The warm spring days plunged into cold nights and he shuddered with the cold.

At one point he realized he was quoting the twenty-third Psalm. “ ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.' ” He was surprised he still remembered it after all these years. He'd learned it at his grandma's knee when he was eight. But this was the valley of the shadow of death, and somehow, he wasn't afraid to die. Something inside kept him from giving into the fever that racked his body.

The morning of the third day, he awoke relatively clearheaded after a rough night. His lips felt thick and his tongue filled his mouth. Today he would probably
die. But at least he could see the land he loved with clear eyes one last time. His eyes closed several times, but he forced them open. This time when he fell asleep, he didn't think he would ever awaken. But the lack of water began to take a heavy toll, and he slipped into delirium for what must be the last time. His final thought was of Sarah, and he prayed for God to watch over her.

FOUR

R
and cried out and thrashed as the cooling night woke him, shivering as the chill breeze swept over him. He vaguely remembered a dark face swimming before his eyes off and on. Someone forcing water down his parched throat. He tried to move and found his hands and feet were unbound. He looked to his right and saw that Ranger was tied to a tree nearby.

He sat up slowly, his head spinning. Beside him lay a skin plump with water. He took it and drank
greedily, then wiped his mouth. A buffalo robe covered the lower half of his body. Puzzled, he looked around. Who had cut him free? He frowned and tried to concentrate on the dark face at the edge of his memory, but nothing more would come.

Where were Ben and Labe? He looked around slowly as his head continued to clear. The sun lay low in the sky. Only an hour or so of daylight was left. He swallowed another swig of water and shook his head to clear it, then stood. He swayed, then staggered toward his horse.

His mouth watered at the sight of jerky slung over his saddle. He stuffed some into his mouth as he leaned his head against Ranger's flank. Fortified with food and water, he forced himself to swing up into the saddle. He swayed and caught at the pommel to steady himself. He had to make it. Sarah depended on it. He remembered what Ben had said about Jessica, and he had to get back to make sure Sarah was all right. And Jessica. Surely she couldn't be involved with a man like Croftner. Ben had to have said that to upset him.

He urged Ranger to a trot and clung tightly to avoid slipping out of the saddle. Within an hour he was in familiar territory. Maybe he could make Fort
Laramie before it was fully dark. But his horse was exhausted, and he was forced to walk. Rand was still weak from his ordeal, and he had to stop often to catch his breath. He stopped for the night on a bluff about five miles southwest of the fort. Barely conscious, he crawled into his bedroll and closed his eyes.

The weather had warmed to the seventies the last few days. Sarah snatched her bonnet and handed Amelia's to her. “I'm tired of being cooped up. Let's go for a stroll in the sunshine.” Amelia followed her into the bright sunshine. Puddles stood in the parade ground, and she stopped to listen to the band practicing.

Her bonnet shaded the glare from her face, and she glanced around. The men should be back from woodcutting detail soon. She noticed Amelia's perusal of her face. “What?”

“You'll have to make a decision about Isaac soon, Sarah. Are you going to marry him if he asks you?”

Sarah pressed her lips together and started off toward the sutler's store. “I don't know. I like him. He's so kind to Joel. And Joel likes him too. That's important
to me.” She kicked a rock out of her path. “Nothing is as I thought it would be when I came out here. I thought Joel and I would have a home. You and Jacob have been wonderful, but you haven't been able to really settle into married life, not with the two of us living in that tiny space with you both. I should just marry Isaac.”

“You don't love him, though.”

She cast a sidelong glance at her friend who knew her too well. “Not yet, but I hope to. I can't pine after Rand the rest of my days. He's made his decision very clear.”

“I think he regrets his decision.”

“I doubt it.” Her words died as she saw Jessica waving to them from in front of the store.

“Sarah, Amelia.” She was dressed in a cream percale gown lavished with cream lace. Her red hair hung to her shoulders and gleamed in the sunshine. “I was hoping to find you. I haven't seen much of you lately. Isaac has arranged for a detachment to escort Mother and me on a picnic. Would you like to come?”

Sarah glanced at Amelia, who looked as confused as Sarah felt. “Why? You've made no secret of how you feel about me all winter. Why the sudden change of heart?”

Jessica smiled and reached out to touch Sarah's arm. “I realized how petty I was being. You're part of Rand's past, and I'd like us to be friends. Can't we start over? The fort is too small for enmity between us.”

Sarah was silent a moment. The jibe about being part of Rand's past stung, but it was true. It was time to let go and heal as many relationships as possible. Besides, she was weary of the tiny area she was allowed. It would be grand to see some new terrain. That was the one thing she hadn't accepted about fort life yet. The restrictions. Back home she was used to going for long rides by herself, wandering in the woods, or just walking along a country road. Now she was not allowed off the fort premises without a guard of at least five soldiers. And it seemed the fort's parade ground got smaller and smaller every day.

Sarah hoped her smile looked genuine. “That sounds lovely. We'll go pack some food.”

Jessica patted her arm, then tugged her forward along the wooden walk, Amelia and Mrs. DuBois not far behind. “Don't bother. Mother has packed enough for an entire troop.”

Jessica chatted easily as they strolled to the stable. Isaac had their mounts waiting for them, already
cinched with sidesaddles. He helped Sarah up, and she smiled into his hazel eyes. Such a kind man. Why couldn't she feel more strongly about him? She'd sensed his impatience at the way she kept him at a distance. She expected a proposal from him at any time.

The women followed the detail of twelve soldiers west toward the purple mountains.

Jessica kept up her smiling chatter, and gradually Sarah relaxed. Was it too much to hope that Jessica might be like this all the time? They found a grassy area near an outcropping of rocks and spread out their blankets away from any melting snowdrifts. The air was pungent with the scent of sage, and the purple mountains in the distance reached up to kiss the blue skies.

After lunch Isaac knelt beside Sarah. “I'd like to bring down some game while we're out here.” His soft gaze searched hers, as if trying to determine if she was open to a more serious conversation.

Sarah looked away. “Of course. We'll accompany you.”

She gathered up the picnic things, then mounted with the other women. Sarah let her horse pick its way up the winding trail, breathing in the scent of sage.
She reveled in the sense of freedom from the confines of Fort Laramie.

As the men listened with rapt attention to Jessica's story about a ball in Boston, Sarah let her horse walk farther and farther away from them. Even Amelia didn't notice. At the top of the bluff, she slid off her horse and sat where she could look at the fort below her. She chuckled at Isaac's sudden agitation when he discovered she was missing.

She raised a hand and opened her mouth to call to him when her horse whinnied behind her. She stood quickly and turned to see an Indian warrior, heavily painted, galloping toward her. She froze in terror, then tried to put her foot into the stirrup to mount.

But the Indian was upon her in an instant. He leaned down and scooped her up, his horse barely pausing as he caught her.

Sarah struggled to get away, gagging at the odor of bear grease and sweat, but his arm was like a steel band around her waist. She screamed, certain she was doomed. But the crack of a rifle sounded and the Indian slumped against her, his arm loosening.

She wrenched free and fell from the horse. Stunned from the swiftness of both the attack and her rescue,
she lay on the hard ground as the Indian wheeled away, his face glazed with pain, holding a hand to his bloody shoulder.

Rooster galloped out of a stand of trees, his cavalry cap gone and spiky red hair standing on end. “What's wrong with you, gal? Don't you got no sense atall?” He slid off his horse and pulled her to her feet. “Git on that horse now!” He shoved her up into the saddle. “There's prob'ly more of them sneakin' varmints around. We gotta git to the fort.” He slapped her horse's rump, and they started down the bluff.

Isaac, Mrs. DuBois, and Amelia, with the rest of the soldiers, met them at the bottom. Isaac's face was tight with anger. But before he could say anything, they heard a whoop behind them and turned to see a group of Indians charging toward them.

“Get going!” Isaac fell back and fired at the Indians to give Rooster time to get the girls to the safety of the fort.

Amelia and Sarah kicked their horses into a mad dash for the fort as Mrs. DuBois screamed and moved faster than Sarah had ever seen. Jessica kicked her horse into a gallop, her face calm, and the rest of the soldiers brought up the rear.

A bullet whistled by Sarah's head as she clung to the horse's back. Then her horse stumbled and she catapulted into a thorny bush. Her skin was pierced in a dozen places, and she lay there too stunned to even move.

A young warrior galloped up, brandishing a knife. Before she could even think to scream, he cut her loose from the thornbush and hauled her up in front of him.

Sarah tried to struggle away, but her head was throbbing from the fall and soon darkness descended.

The next morning Rand awoke ravenous. His sunburn still throbbed, but he was stable. His store of food was all gone, and his ammunition was low, so he took his rifle and made his way down to the river. It wasn't long before he shot a jackrabbit. It was tough and stringy as he ate it hot from the spit, but it would do. At least it would give him the strength he needed to get back.

He saddled up Ranger and swung up into the saddle. In spite of the deceptive distances, he knew he'd be home soon. The fort drew nearer very quickly.
Now he could make out the individual buildings. There was the commissary and the stable. The barracks and the hospital. Was he too late to help Sarah? He urged Ranger into a gallop.

He arrived about eight o'clock. There seemed to be an uncommon amount of activity as dozens of soldiers jostled one another in their hurry to catch a mount and saddle up. Rooster, his voice shrill with emotion, called for a fresh horse.