Taming the Wind

*** TWENTY-EIGHT

"Lieutenant, it's us," Sidley called. He stepped through the trees with Reggie and Dave. Tyler returned the gun to his holster. "You scared about ten years of life outta me, and I'm not a lieutenant anymore."

"Sorry, boss. Didn't mean to give you a scare." Sidley smiled. "We've been trailing you pretty close, and since you stopped, we thought we'd better come in this way just in case something was wrong."

"Carter just told us that Lockhart has men stationed on the other side of this ridge. Will and I are going to climb up that rock face and see if we can surprise them. I've got Carter tied to a tree over there, but I'd feel better if one of you stood guard."

"We can see to that easy enough, but are you sure you won't need our help gettin' those other men?" Sidley asked.

Keeping his voice low, Tyler replied, "The fewer of us the better. No sense in risking a lot of noise. If you stay here with

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Carter, I think William and I can get the two men. If there happen to be more, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Wil iam returned, bringing a coil of rope. "Ready?"

Tyler nodded. "Let's go."

They took off across the dry grass, crouching down just in case anyone might be of a mind to shoot them. Within a matter of minutes they were in the rocks and heading up the side of the small hill. Tyler knew the climb wouldn't be that steep or difficult, but he feared the loose rock would give them away.

He prayed that the men keeping watch wouldn't hear them.

When they neared the top, William motioned for Tyler to go one way and he'd go another. Tyler nodded and moved around to the left. He was almost to a place where he felt he might be able to see the two men when he heard the hammer cock on a pistol.

"Hold it right there, mister."

Tyler froze in place. A man stepped out from a crevice in the rock and pointed the gun at Tyler's head.

Hoping the man wouldn't know him, Tyler held up his hands. "Whoa there, friend. I mean you no harm. I'm lost. My horse and I got separated. I'm trying to find some shelter for the night."

The man looked at him for a moment. "Who are you?"

"Just an old soldier makin' my way west. Do you have a camp I might share for the night?"

This seemed to relax the man a bit. "We got a cold camp. No hot coffee or grub. Nothing in the way of hospitable."

"I'd take a cup of water at this point. I don't have a canteen with me." At least that much was true, although Tyler knew if the situation demanded it, he'd tell the man whatever lie was necessary to save Carissa.

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"I can get you water," the man said, lowering his gun. "Then you'll have to be on your way. Boss won't like you

bein' around these parts."

"Boss? Maybe I could get hired on? I'm a good worker." The man shook his head. "Ain't lookin' to hire nobody.

Now give me your gun," he said, motioning to the pistol at Tyler's side. "I don't want to be shot in the back for doin' a good deed and givin' a man a cup of water."

Tyler didn't want to give up the weapon, but he figured it might well help his cause in the long run. If the man put his guard down enough, Tyler could get the jump on him when

William showed up.

He handed the man his weapon and smiled. "Name's

Atherton." He hoped the man hadn't heard of him.

"Folks call me Sage," the man replied. "It ain't my rightful name, but that's such a mouthful most prefer Sage."

"Good to meet you, Sage. I feared I might not see another human bein'

again."

He watched as the man carefully tucked the revolver in his waistband. It wasn't the brightest move, but Tyler wasn't going to worry overmuch about it.

The hammer on his pistol had been rigged in such a way that it could pull back easily.

With any luck at all, the man would shoot himself in the groin before everything was said and done.

A gunshot suddenly rang out, and Sage seemed to forget about Tyler and took off at a run. He ducked and dodged his way through scraggly brush, and when he'd rounded a large outcropping of rock, Sage stopped so quickly Tyler very nearly ran into the back of him.

Seeing Wil iam standing ahead with a wounded man on the ground, Tyler did the only thing he could. He threw

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himself at Sage's back. He wrestled the smaller man to the ground rather easily and managed to get his hand on the grip of his revolver. Pulling the gun from Sage's waistband, Tyler quickly drew it to the man's head and demanded his cooperation.

"Unless you wanna be shot like your friend, you'll do what I tell you to."

The man nodded and went limp. Tyler steadied himself. "Throw your gun over there." He pointed across the camp and waited while Sage gave the pistol a heft. "Good. Now get on your knees."

"You ain't gonna kill us, are you, Atherton?"

"That's gonna depend on you. We're here for Carissa Lowe. We've got Carter tied up below and now we have you and your friend. We know there are only another couple of men, and Herbert Lockhart is one of them. You wanna fill us in on who's left?"

"Just the Indian. Long Knife. He's been watching Lockhart's back and keepin' track of the trail to the cabin." Sage seemed more than happy to relay anything he knew.

"And what of Mrs. Lowe?"

"She's in the cabin. She ain't hurt or nothin'. Lockhart tied her to a bed so she wouldn't be able to run away, but otherwise she's fine. He wouldn't let no one put a hand on her."

"That's good," Tyler said, narrowing his eyes. "Where is this cabin?"

"Just up a ways. You go back down on this side," he said, motioning his head toward the road. "Go along that way into the wash and up and around the bend. There's a clearing. It ain't much, but there's room on the rock where someone put up a shelter. That's where she is."

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Tyler looked to William and then back to Sage. "Who's that on the ground over there?"

"Roy. He and I been partners for a long time. Is he ... is he dead?"

"He's not dead ... not yet," William told the man. "He's shot in the hip and bleedin' out, so unless you want to end up just like him, you'll give us every detail of what awaits in that canyon."

"I'll help you, mister. Honest. I don't wanna die."

It was nearly midnight before the sheriff and his men caught up with William and Tyler. The deputies took over the care of Carter, as well as Sage, but it was too late for Roy. "We'll take him in for proper identification," the sheriff told them. "I'm pretty sure we have a poster on him. I know there's one for Carter. Maybe for that other one, too. For now, though, we'll leave 'em here and go after Mrs. Lowe. You and Tyler can wait here and keep an eye on them."

"We're going in," William told the sheriff. "Carissa is important to both Tyler and me. Reggie and Dave can wait with Carter and Sage. After all, this really isn't their fight."

"Well, if it's all the same," Sidley said, stepping up, "I plan to go with you and Tyler. I like Mrs. Lowe and wanna make sure I do what I can to help get her back safely."

"It's still a matter for the law," the sheriff said. "If there's trouble, you'd best let me and my boys deal with it."

"We'll do our best," Tyler said, mounting his horse. "But I've never been all that good at waitin'. If you don't mind, I reckon we've done enough of that."

William nodded. "I agree. Let's see this thing through."

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The men rode into the dry wash as far as they felt they could without being seen. When they dismounted and tied off their horses, Tyler was more than a little apprehensive. It was difficult to see anything very well. The moon was only about half full, and the indention of the ravine further distorted the light.

He'd dealt with similar situations in the war, and those feelings came back to haunt him now. He could imagine himself back in the middle of battle--

waiting and watching for the enemy.

They traveled the last half mile on foot, slipping in and out of the rocks much like a lizard might. When they noticed the light coming from the cabin window, the sheriff motioned them to come together.

"Looks like they're either stayin' up late waitin' for the money, or they're on to us. My boys will go around to the back and sides," the sheriff told them. "That will leave the rest of us to take the front. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

They moved out with the utmost care. To give themselves away at this point would only increase the risk to Carissa's life. Tyler prayed as they crept ever closer to the cabin.

Circling the cabin took only a moment. It was a small building, hardly big enough for one person. With no indication that anyone was aware of their lurking, the sheriff moved right up to the door. He gave a nod to William and Tyler, then kicked in the door. They rushed into the cabin, guns drawn.

Tyler could see that there was no one in the room. The crude table and chairs sat empty, save a single lamp that had been lit and placed in the center of the table. On the far side, William and the sheriff were already exploring the kitchen area where a small stove sat cold and unwelcoming.

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Then Tyler's glance went to the other side of the room where a small single bed had been positioned against the wall. At first he thought it was empty, but stepping closer, he could see that someone was shackled to the frame.

"Carissa," he whispered and knelt by the bed. "She's over here," he called over his shoulder to William and the others.

The sheriff and William crossed the room to join him. Tyler pulled back a cover and revealed Carissa's small frame. She was deathly still and he feared the worst.

"I'll go back and get the horses," Sidley told Tyler and quickly left the cabin.

"Is she breathing?" the sheriff asked.

Tyler put his hand to her lips. "Barely. Carissa?"

She made an attempt to open her eyes. A hint of a smile touched her lips and was gone. "She's alive," Tyler said. He looked to Wil iam. "Help me get her out of this shackle."

"Well, to do that you would benefit from the key," a voice called from the doorway.

Lockhart stood just inside the room with a tall Indian behind him. He held up a key and grinned. Tyler wanted to rush the man and beat him to death.

Seeing Carissa so sick and helpless brought his rage to the surface. He started to get up, but the sheriff held him fast.

"Stay here." He moved in front of Tyler and William. "Lockhart, you know why we've come. You're both under arrest."

Lockhart laughed and raised his gun. "I'd say you would be hard-pressed to arrest me at this point. Long Knife just killed your deputies. Slit their throats and never made a sound--unlike you and your men who made enough noise to warn us well in advance." He stepped to one side to let Long Knife move into the room. The Indian filled the doorway.

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Lockhart looked past the sheriff to William. "I don't know what you've done with my other men, but it's immaterial. I want my money." He paused and his expression turned purely evil. "And I want you dead. All of you. Long Knife, take their weapons."

The Indian had only moved a fraction of an inch, however, when a rifle shot rang out. Long Knife looked stunned, then dropped his knife to grab his chest. He slumped to the floor, blood spurting out from the gaping hole.

The sheriff grabbed the opportunity to pull his own weapon, and when Lockhart turned with his revolver, the sheriff fired a single bullet, hitting Lockhart between the eyes. As he fell to the floor, Sidley came to the door with his rifle leveled for action.

"We've got them, thanks to you," the sheriff said, looking at Sidley. He blew out a heavy breath and shook his head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see to my men."

"Let me help you," Sidley told him. He grabbed a lantern that sat beside the door and lit it from the lamp on the table.

Tyler turned his attention back to Carissa. Her eyes were open, and she watched him as if trying to decide if he were real. Her lips were cracked and dry, and her face was so pale he feared she'd never make the ride home.

"Carissa, don't you die on me," he admonished. "I intend to make you my wife."

William came with the key and unfastened the cuff from Carissa's wrist. Tyler immediately pulled her into his arms.

"Do you hear me, Carissa Lowe? Don't you think you can get out of marryin'

me. I won't stand for you dying now." He brushed back strands of the shortened blond hair.

"Give her some water," William said, handing him a canteen.

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Tyler held her against him and brought the water to her lips. "You need to drink this," he commanded.

Carissa took in a small bit of the water and nodded a tiny weak nod. Tyler continued to help her to drink, fearful that they were too late to do any good.

"She's not going to be able to travel tonight," William said. "I'll get a fire going and find some food."

Tyler said nothing. He was far too concerned with the woman in his arms.

He didn't care what it took or how long, but he would not let her die.

Carissa thought nothing had ever felt so good as the feel of cold water sliding down her dry, gritty throat. She wondered if she was dreaming ... only this time when she opened her eyes, Tyler was still there and the water was still just as sweet. It seemed an eternity before she could speak. She saw the worry in Tyler's eyes and wanted only to reassure him that she was strong enough to make it through.

"I ... I'm ... fine," she whispered.

Tyler looked at her strangely for a moment. "Yeah, I can see that."

She smiled and nodded. "Good."

She faded back to sleep, but not before she heard him whisper in her ear. "I love you, Carissa. I love you."

When next she woke, the aroma of food made Carissa feel something akin to nausea. She hadn't eaten in so long that her stomach was wont to cramp and churn rather than take on food. Even so, when Tyler came to sit beside her and

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spoon-fed her a gruel of grits and honey, Carissa tried her best to keep it down.

Carissa had no idea how long Tyler and William had been there. She slept off and on, never quite strong enough to fight the grip of exhaustion, but when she finally felt her senses returning and her head clear a bit, she noticed that Tyler was in desperate need of a shave. He dozed beside her bed, seated on the floor with his head resting on the mattress. Reaching out, Carissa touched his face. He immediately woke.

"You need a shave," she murmured.

He grinned. "And you need a bath."

She nodded. "I've needed one for about a month now. At least it feels that long."

"Well, it hasn't been quite that long, but it might well be by the time we get back to the ranch. How are you feeling?"

"Better," she admitted. "Guess it didn't do me much good to learn to shoot."

He laughed. "You have to have a gun in order to shoot. Not a lot of ladies carry them to the outhouse."

Her cheeks grew hot in embarrassment. "So you heard about that."

Tyler nodded. "Of course. I demanded every detail. I was going to need to know it all in order to find you."

"I remember so little these last few days. How did you find me?"

"It's a long story," he said. "And I'd much rather talk about other things."

She looked at him in curiosity. "Such as?"

"Such as you and me gettin' married. I realize that it might seem like I'm rushin' things a bit, but frankly, I'm learnin'

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from my mistakes. Seems to me when the moment presents itself, a fella ought to take advantage of it."

Carissa searched his face and found such compelling love and devotion in his expression that she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Then a thought came to her and she frowned. "You might not want to marry me when you hear what I did."

He surprised her by roaring with laughter. "Good grief, woman. You nearly got yourself killed--isn't that enough?"

"I bought your ranch," she said hesitantly. "I bought it for you ... for us."

"I know." He grinned.

"And you aren't mad at me?"

He shook his head. "You're still delirious. Go back to sleep. When you get strong enough, we'll discuss when you want to get hitched."

Carissa closed her eyes and smiled. "The sooner the better."