My Heart's Desire (25 page)

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"Why didn't you come sooner?" Jarret demanded, slipping on his gun belt. He pulled it tight, strapping the holster to his leg. He tossed Jolene his saddlebag. "Make yourself useful. There are some canned goods in the cupboard over there. You'll find jerky in the larder. I will pack my clothes and make a bedroll."

Jolene almost threw the saddlebag back at him. She didn't because she cared what happened to Rennie. "You have no right to speak to me that way," she said sharply. She went to the small kitchen area of Jarret's cabin while he climbed to the loft. "I came as fast as I could. It's nearly two miles, you know, and most of it through drifts as deep as my hip."

Jarret snorted at her exaggeration. "If you hadn't let her go you..." He left the rest unsaid.

"It's not like I had any say in it. She didn't come to me, did she, and ask for my help the way she did yours? If I had known what she was up to, don't you think I'd have tried to stop her? I warned her no one in Echo Falls was foolish enough to take her out to the Jump in this weather. I didn't think I had to tell her about thieves like Tom and Clarence."

"I hope you're packing my bags," he yelled down, gathering his clothes and blankets.

"I'm workin' as fast as I can. You want flour? Sugar?"

"Everything. There's an extra bag down there somewhere. Pack it. I'm setting out with two horses. I'll take my Zilly and one of Duffy's. He hasn't left town yet, has he?"

"No, but I don't know if he's going to give up one of his horses."

"He won't have any choice." He clambered down the ladder, bedroll and clothes under his arm. He dropped everything on the square kitchen table and then went for his Winchester carbine and ammunition.

"How far do you think they'll take her?" asked Jolene.

It was something Jarret was not going to dwell on. He added cartridges to the bags Jolene was packing, saying nothing.

Jolene shrank from the look on Jarret's face. Tom Brighton and Clarence Vestry weren't ambitious enough to travel far with Rennie as a millstone around their necks. Jarret had to know that. They would rob her at their earliest opportunity. Whatever else they might do had made Jarret's eyes colder than anything Jolene had faced on her way to his cabin.

Chapter 7

Rennie was tired. The air was so cold it stung her lungs and so thin each breath was an effort. Pride kept her from complaining; fear kept her from dismounting. From time to time Tom and Clarence would glance back at her and exchange a look that was enough to keep Rennie stiff and upright in her saddle. Only a few hours out of Echo Falls, Rennie was willing to admit that she had made a mistake. She hadn't the least idea what to do about it.

Not once during the trek from Denver to Echo Falls had Rennie been frightened for herself in Duffy Cedar's company. On the train and in the wild he had been patient with her, respectful but not obsequious. His eyes had never strayed over her in an insulting manner. Rennie reminded herself that she hadn't chosen Duffy as a guide, Ethan had. He had known something of the man's character and reputation before letting her go off with him. When Ethan and Michael realized they couldn't stop her from making the journey, Ethan had done what he could to make it a safe one.

It was clear to her that Jarret felt no such responsibility. When he turned her down he must have known that wasn't the end of it, yet he hadn't cared enough to make a recommendation. Duffy Cedar, after finding the drinking end of a bottle, was in no condition to accompany her further. It had been up to Rennie to find another escort and protector to Juggler's Jump.

She'd thought she had found two.

Tom Brighton and Clarence Vestry had not been overly eager once they heard her offer. That would have made Rennie wary. They'd pointed out the dangers, much as Duffy and Jarret had, and Ethan before them. They'd refused to travel with her trunks and pack mules and recommended if she was serious about going, then she had to be willing to travel with less gear and fewer comforts. Rennie was willing to do whatever they suggested to gain their services.

Now it was borne home to her that she had misjudged her companions. Jolene would have probably advised her against going, but then Jolene had been privately occupied with a customer when Rennie had sought her advice. Instead of waiting, Rennie had left her a note. It bothered her now. After all Jolene had done, she deserved more than a hastily scrawled thanks and farewell.

The tips of Rennie's fingers were cold even through her fur-lined leather gloves. Her hat tilted toward the front of her head so that a fringe of dark fur bordered her brows. Like her companions she wore a woolen scarf wrapped around her ears, nose, and throat for additional protection against the wind. They wore their guns at their sides. She carried hers in her pocket.

Her thoughts were spinning in so many different directions that she didn't hear Tom call for a halt. It was when she saw him raise his hand that she pulled up on the reins. Rennie lowered her scarf long enough to ask, "Why are we stopping here?"

"I reckon we come far enough for one night."

Rennie frowned. Tom was already dismounting. He was a lean, wiry man with a swaggering spring in his step. Trudging through the snow lessened his bounce, but not much. "I don't understand," she called after him. "We haven't been traveling long. There's still daylight left."

Clarence followed Tom's lead. He led his horse to the shelter of some limber pines and hitched the mare there. Clarence was shorter than Tom, compact and stocky. He moved slowly and stiffly but seemed to accomplish his tasks in the same time as his friend. "Not enough daylight to get to the next sheltered pass," he said. "We know where we are now. This is a good place to stop. In a half hour we could be caught in the open."

Tom removed his pack from his horse. "You can't stay in the saddle all night," he said to Rennie. "We told you it might be better to wait 'til tomorrow, but you insisted on leavin' today."

She
had
insisted. She had also thought they would travel longer before seeking shelter. "You led me to believe we could ride at night," she reminded them.

"Don't recall sayin' that," Tom said. He looked at Clarence. "You?"

"Don't recall it."

Rennie sat on her horse awhile longer, then accepted she had no choice but to dismount. They had already removed their packs and saddles and were rubbing down their horses. Beneath her, the cinnamon mare was getting restless.

She felt aching and cold to the marrow of her bones. It was difficult to get her footing in the snow as she headed for the same shelter of trees as her companions. Her boots slipped easily on the crusty path marked by Tom and Clarence. She didn't ask for help with her saddle and supplies, and she wasn't offered any. Duffy had been more solicitous during their travels, assisting her with some of the heavier work. Somewhat to her regret, Tom and Clarence seemed to have believed her when she said she could care for herself. It wasn't the time to tell them differently.

Rennie worked swiftly and with purpose, pleasantly surprised to discover that she was more competent now than she had been when she started her journey. Duffy's patient teaching was serving her in good stead. When she had finished caring for Albion she went in search of kindling while Tom and Clarence cleared an area for the fire and sleeping. She noticed that when she returned the conversation between the two men ended abruptly, as if she had been the topic. Her heart hammered a bit more loudly in her chest. She dropped the kindling and began building the fire. Without being obvious she checked her pocket for the Smith and Wesson revolver. The shape and weight of it was reassuring. Using the gun was the one qualm she didn't have.

Rennie hunkered down before the fire, warming her hands without removing her gloves. Her skirts were draped around her, and she patiently attempted to dry the sodden hem until Tom asked her to make the coffee.

"I've been told mine's bitter," she said, taking the pot and grounds.

Tom grunted. "As long as it's hot."

"Hot I can do." She frowned as her comment initiated another significant glance between the two men.

Clarence took a small skillet from his pack and laid it over the fire. He dropped some bacon fat in, and when it was sizzling he added beans and pork. Each time there was a lull in the wind the aroma hung in the air.

Behind her scarf, Rennie's mouth watered. She got her tin plate and mug and served herself after the men had taken their share. She was a little surprised to see that there was still some left in the pan. Clarence had prepared more than they needed. Duffy had taught her it was better to have too little at any one meal than to waste a mouthful. One never knew what the future held.

Rennie sat on her saddle and ate slowly, enjoying the warmth of every bite. The coffee was nearly hot enough to burn her mouth but even that felt good. "Will we start again at first light?" she asked them.

Tom nodded. "That'd be best. You know, ma'am, Clarence and I have been wonderin' what brought you to Echo Falls in the first place. If you're so hell bent-pardon the expression-on reaching Juggler's Jump, then you've come a piece out of your way. Duffy Cedar might have been leadin' you on a goose chase."

"No, Mr. Cedar was a good guide." She tried to remember what she had told them. "I only hired him to help me find Jarret Sullivan. Do you know him?"

"Be pretty hard not to," said Clarence. "Echo Falls ain't that big a town."

"But I understand he only recently settled there. Mr. Cedar wasn't at all certain we'd find him."

"Sullivan travels around a lot. I figure you found him and he turned you down."

"That's right."

"Lucky for us, I guess," Tom said. "Can't imagine he'd turn down the money, though. His pockets are mostly empty from what I see."

"Really?" asked Rennie. "I wonder what he did with—" She shrugged. "It isn't important. Jolene says he plays a lot of poker." He probably lost all Jay Mac's money there.

"That's a fact," said Clarence. He sniggered. "Can't hold his cards any better than he can hold his liquor."

Tom gave a bark of laughter. "Can't hold a candle to us, can he, Clarence? Not when he can't hold a gun." Both men laughed heartily behind their scarves.

Rennie looked from one to the other, trying to make out what was so funny to them. What was clear was that neither man had much respect for Jarret Sullivan. That struck Rennie as odd. It was the one thing she thought Jarret commanded on even short acquaintance.

Tom's muffled laughter ended when he caught sight of Rennie's puzzled gaze. "Take no notice of us, ma'am. It's just a joke between friends." He nudged Clarence with his elbow. "I was wonderin' if we could talk about payment."

The hair at the back of Rennie's neck stood up. "I know I made it clear there would only be money if you took me to the Jump. I gave you money for supplies already. The rest you'll have to wait for."

"The thing of it is," said Clarence, "Tom and me aren't what you would call good at waiting. Not when it comes to the kind of money you've offered."

Rennie's hands slipped into her pockets. "You don't really think I have that sort of money on me, do you? I fully intend to write you a draft for the money when we reach our destination. You can cash it at any bank. Northeast Rail will honor it."

"I understand that," Tom said, nodding. "But it don't really change my mind. I figure it's better to have that draft now. Juggler's Jump is a long way off, and anything might happen to you. What if you couldn't write once we got there? Broke your arm or somethin'? Clarence and me would be out a thousand dollars. That tends to make a man a little nervous."

Rennie strove for calm. "I think you'll both understand how writing the draft now might make
me
nervous." Their genial laughter, meant to disarm her, had exactly the opposite effect. "I think I'll turn in," she said. She stood, picked up her saddle and bedroll and moved them away from the fire.

Observing her go, Clarence said, "You'll be cold over there."

"I'll be fine." She laid out an oilcloth to protect her blankets and clothes and placed a thick woolen blanket on top. Using her saddle as a pillow, Rennie lay down and covered herself with two thinner blankets. Duffy had told her to dress and sleep in layers of clothing and to dry anything that got wet. His advice was serving her well again. Even away from the fire, Rennie was not nearly as concerned with frostbite as she was with the possible sting of her two companions.