Silken Savage (29 page)

Edward was a bit more stubborn; harder to win over. At first, he went out of his way to avoid the children, frowning fiercely when he saw Sarah cuddling them. Hunter, however, was undeterred by his grandfather’s gruff manner. He took to toddling after the dour figure, following him like a wobbly little shadow. Whenever Edward would turn and glare at him, Hunter would grin, displaying his new white teeth and the dimples in his chubby baby cheeks. He was truly an irresistible little imp.

Edward did not give in gracefully, nor all at once, but in reluctant stages, and with much grumbling. However, the day arrived when he took Hunter’s little tan hand in his much larger one, and from then on, he accepted the boy’s company. It was not unusual to see him leading the toddler about, shortening his long strides to accommodate Hunter’s.

Tanya would hide a grin to hear her father’s gruff voice explaining something or other to the enthralled youngster. She was glad her parents were accepting their grandchildren at last; that they were getting to know one another. This did nothing to delete her desire to return to Panther, however. Besides, Julie was still as hateful as ever, often taking her spite out on Tanya’s children, realizing this would hurt Tanya more than anything else she could have done.

A freak February thaw surprised them all with temperatures in the mid-forties for four days running. For the first couple of days, Tanya sat watching the ice and snow slowly melt, wondering if she dared attempt what her heart was urging her to do. She knew that the snow in the mountains and on the open plains would still be deep, but perhaps not impassable. Could she possibly risk her life and that of her sons attempting an escape at this time?

As the thaw stretched through the third day, Tanya made up her mind to try, but she realized she needed help. Jeremy offered the solution when he happened to mention that he knew where Tanya’s horse was stabled.

The boy was entirely enthralled with Tanya, and the only one to whom she spoke English. Unlike Julie, Tanya was kind and genuinely interested in the twelve year old. On their walks, she taught him a little of how to recognize animal paw prints and track them. She showed him how to cover his trail and taught him to shoot her bow and arrow. Jeremy thought she was the most interesting person he’d ever met, and was her faithful student and loyal friend. He adored her, and would have done anything she asked. He proved it when Tanya enlisted his aid.

“Could you get my horse for me without anyone noticing, Jeremy?” she asked one day.

“You’re going away,” he stated solemnly, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“Yes, I must return to my husband and his people,” Tanya replied truthfully. “You understand this, don’t you? Will you help me?”

Jeremy nodded. “What do you want me to do? When are you going?”

“Tonight, if possible, after everyone else is asleep. I need you to get Wheat for me, and hide him in the woods near the house. No one must guess what I am planning.”

“Not even Missy?” he questioned.

“Not until I am gone. I don’t want Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle George to feel she has betrayed their trust just when they are starting to love one another. Missy needs their love and deserves a good home.”

“What about me?” he queried sadly.

“You, my friend, they have always loved. Besides, you are younger and can be forgiven for your mistakes more readily. Are you willing to risk it? If not, I’ll have to do it on my own.”

“I’ll help,” he assured her.

Jeremy performed above and beyond the call of duty. That evening he slipped out unnoticed and stole Tanya’s horse for her, bridle, saddle, and all. He hid Wheat in a stand of trees not far from the house. Then he scavenged food and water from the kitchen, tying the sack to Wheat’s saddle. He retrieved extra blankets from the house and loaded them onto Wheat’s back.

Late that night, Tanya tiptoed down the dark halls of the sleeping house, Mark strapped to her back in his cradleboard, Hunter in her arms. “Thank goodness Cheyenne children are taught not to cry,” she thought to herself.

Her knife at her waist, her bow and quiver across her shoulder, she followed Jeremy to where he had hid her horse.

Mounted and ready to leave, Tanya bent to shake Jeremy’s hand in solemn farewell. “Thank you, Jeremy. You are a true friend, and I shall tell Panther of your loyalty. We shall both be eternally grateful to you.”

“I’ll miss you,” he gulped.

“Perhaps we’ll meet again someday.” Then she added, “Don’t forget to cover our tracks. I need all the advantages I can get.”

“Goodbye,” he murmured.

“Goodbye, Jeremy. Please try to explain to the others that my leaving does not mean I do not love them.”

“Even Jeffrey?” Jeremy grinned cheekily.

“No, you imp!” Tanya giggled.
“Jeffrey
you can tell to go to the devil!”

“I’ll be sure to tell him.”

“Not until I’ve been missed. Cover for me as long as you can.”

“I promise. Good luck.”

“I’ll need all I can get, I’m sure. Goodbye, Jeremy.” With that, she was gone, blending into the shadows of the night.

Jeremy carefully obliterated their tracks. Awaking early the next morning, he watched carefully that no one approached Tanya’s room. At the appropriate opportunity, he stated that Tanya did not want breakfast and was busy with the boys in her room. He even took Hunter’s breakfast upstairs, saying he was going to help feed him, and play with him there. No one questioned him, as he had done it on other occasions.

At noon, Jeffrey arrived in time for lunch. It was then that Jeremy’s ploy began to fail. His explanation that Tanya did not want any lunch met with stiff opposition. Told to fetch her, he returned to say she refused to come down.

Edward’s patience snapped. He tromped upstairs to have words with his daughter, leaving a quaking Jeremy below. Never had Jeremy wished more that he could make himself invisible, but he bravely awaited the explosion he knew was coming.

Edward returned shortly, his face white and strained. “She’s gone! All her things are gone. She’s taken the boys with her.”

He turned hurt, resentful eyes on Jeremy. “You helped her, didn’t you?” For once he did not bellow, but to Jeremy this was worse.

Jeremy gulped and nodded. He got no chance to explain, as everyone began to talk at once.

Sarah began to cry, as did Melissa, and Elizabeth was hard put to soothe her. George sat silently, puffing on his pipe, a concerned frown creasing his brow. Only Julie seemed pleased by the news, a triumphant, satisfied smile on her face, which she quickly hid — but not before Jeremy had witnessed it.

Jeffrey was outraged. Immediately he grabbed Jeremy roughly by the arms, shaking the boy until his teeth rattled. “Damn you!” he shouted. “How dare you interfere! I should break your little neck! Do you know what you’ve done?”

His irate tirade drew the attention of the others. “Release the boy immediately! Release him, I say!” Sarah flew to Jeremy’s defense.

Even as she spoke, Edward was prying Jeffrey’s fingers from Jeremy’s arms. “It’s done! Let him go,” he ordered in a defeated tone.

Jeremy stood rooted to the floor, shaken and frightened, but determined to uphold Tanya’s right to leave.

Sarah knelt before him, taking his hands in hers, looking up at him with tearful eyes. Her calm, sweet voice trembling, she asked, “Why, Jeremy? Why?”

Biting his lip, Jeremy gathered his courage. “She needed to go,” he stated simply. “She told me to tell you her leaving doesn’t mean she does not love you. She just had to go.”

A sob escaped Sarah’s throat as tears streamed down her face.

Glaring up at Jeffrey, hating him more than ever, Jeremy said belligerently, “She told me to tell
you
to go to the devil!”

“Shut up, kid, unless you want me to strip the skin off your backside with my belt,” Jeffrey threatened with a growl.

“No one is going to beat anyone,” Edward stated authoritatively. “You have no right to administer punishment, at any rate, Jeffrey. That will be up to George and Elizabeth, if they so choose. That is rather beside the point at this stage, don’t you think?”

Realizing his mistake, Jeffrey regained his composure with effort. He could ill afford to estrange himself from the Martins now.

“You are right, Edward. Just now we must see to getting Tanya back. I’ll get some men together and start out as soon as possible. She’s probably headed back to the Washita in hopes of finding the tribe nearby, though we’ve had no word of where they had relocated. We only know they are no longer there. One of our troops reported back that they had found all of Major Elliot’s command dead, and there was evidence the Cheyenne had returned long enough to hold rites for their dead and left again.”

Jeffrey glowered down at Jeremy. “I don’t suppose you will tell us when she left so we know how much of a lead she has on us?”

Jeremy remained stubbornly silent.

Edward sighed. “Let the boy alone. Tanya must have left sometime last night. That much we can surmise.”

“If we go on the assumption that she left around midnight, she’s got a good fourteen hour start on us, if we can leave within an hour,” Jeffrey concluded.

“I’m coming with you,” Edward stated firmly. Jeffrey looked startled. The last thing he wanted when he caught up with Tanya was her father at hand. He had a few scores to settle with that little witch!

“That’s not necessary, Edward,” he argued. “It is going to be rough traveling, and we need to ride fast.”

Edward, having glimpsed Jeffrey’s trigger-temper, feared for the well-being of his daughter and grandsons if left to Jeffrey’s care alone, but he kept his silence.

As soon as Jeffrey left the house, an anxious look passed between Edward and his brother George.

“I don’t trust him.” George’s words echoed Edward’s thoughts. “If you want, I will go with you.”

“The high and mighty Lieutenant won’t like it,” Edward predicted. “If we follow along some distance behind, he needn’t know. I have a feeling Tanya is going to need us.”

George nodded his agreement. “Let’s get cracking then. There’s no time to waste!”

Blissfully ignorant of the plans the Martin men were forming, Jeffrey strode toward his headquarters, his thoughts vengeful.

“You’ll pay for humiliating me in this way, Tanya,” he promised silently as he went to round up his men. “I’m going to have you for my wife, if it’s the last thing I do, and rest assured, there will be no doubt that I am the boss in our household. The gloves are off now, my dear, and I shall teach you a few well-deserved lessons!”

He laughed as he pictured it in his mind. “You might even learn to like my brand of mastery, for master you I fully intend to do, my sweet!”

THE SNOW on the plains was even deeper than Tanya had expected, and she was making slow progress. A bitterly cold wind was whipping down from the mountains.

Hunter and Mark were bundled in furs and were relatively warm. It was Wheat that Tanya worried about at the moment. The snow was past the mare’s knees, and in places, up to her belly. She plowed valiantly through the drifts, trying her best for Tanya and the boys, but many were the times they had to stop when the brave little mare tired.

In three days of travel, they had covered little distance, and Tanya continually looked back over her shoulder for signs of pursuers. It was virtually impossible in snow this deep to cover all their tracks, though Tanya had at first attempted to do so, at least for a few miles out of Pueblo. The backtracking took much precious time, and as soon as she considered it safe to do so, Tanya abandoned the effort. With luck, she had bought a little time by covering the start of her trail and also by cutting across country instead of following the road toward Fort Lyon.

The thaw had discontinued the day after she’d left Pueblo and now, as she neared the Arkansas River, a snowstorm was starting in earnest. Tanya could barely see where they were headed.

When they reached the banks of the Arkansas, Tanya was dismayed to find it swollen and raging from the recent thaw. There was no way she could consider crossing here. She would have to search out a shorter, more shallow span.

Tanya’s discouraged sigh was swallowed in the wind. Here was yet another delay. Already she had spent precious time covering tracks, stopping to rest Wheat, and to feed and warm Hunter and Mark. Now this, added to the slow travel in snow and bitter winds. Everything, even nature itself, seemed to be against her desire to be reunited with Panther.

Her gaze traveled the raging river, noting the huge chunks of ice racing along in its current. As she guided Wheat alongside the bank, she realized how hazardous the crossing would be. One misstep, one block of ice, could snap the mare’s leg and pitch them all into the icy water. In her desperation to reach Panther, Tanya was courting death every step of the way, taking her children with her. The odds were overwhelmingly against her, and if she’d had the time and energy, she could have cried.

It was late afternoon, now. The sun would be setting soon, and Tanya still had not found a place to cross safely. Then her ears picked up a faint sound on the wind. Throwing back her head, she strained her ears, listening intently, her heart pounding in her chest.

Oh, God! There it was again; the sound of horses; the clink of bridles; the sounds of pursuit! Kit heard it too, and growled low in her throat. A horse whinnied and Tanya clamped a hand on Wheat’s nose to discourage her from answering the call.

Visibility was poor, but Tanya knew her pursuers need only follow her trail to find her. Her only hope was to elude them until nightfall or find a way to cross the river and lose them on the other side.

Urgency driving fatigue from her, Tanya kneed Wheat to a faster pace, pushing the weary mare to her limits. Behind her, she heard a triumphant shout, and a cold sweat popped out on her brow. Risking a quick glance behind her, Tanya caught a glimpse of a blue uniform. Her breath caught on a sob as she realized she too had been spotted.

Wheat was winded, breathing heavily now, and Tanya silently admitted to herself the futility of trying to escape capture. Slowing the mare to a walk, within minutes she was surrounded, staring rebelliously into Jeffrey’s flushed face.