***
Isabelle was doing her best not to fall apart. She had to be strong for her daughter, but it was difficult. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her husband being shot and her maid being assaulted. Sarah had seen it too and hadn’t been able to stop crying for more than a few minutes at a time.
They were currently in the back of a closed wagon, and Sarah had finally fallen asleep. Isabelle was grateful for that. Her daughter deserved a moment of peace. It had been threedays since they were taken, and during that time, Isabelle had managed to figure out what Quincy’s plan was, or at least some of it.
Quincy was the leader of the gang and a despicable man who smelled of stale whiskey and tobacco. His men respected him, though, or they were just too afraid to go against him. Either way, they followed his commands.
Isabelle pulled on the ropes that bound her wrists together. They were tight and cutting into her flesh. The men only untied them when it was time for Sarah and Isabelle to eat or relieve themselves. At least they had removed the gags after the first night. Those had been horrible. It had felt like she was going to suffocate.
Looking over at her daughter, Isabelle wished that there was something she could do, but their fate was in the hands of Quincy and his men. She wouldn’t give up, but there was only so much she could do. She was trying to figure out a way to escape, even if she could only get Sarah away from them, but so far, there hadn’t been a single opportunity. The men were precise and always on guard.
That being said, she had learned something that gave her the tiniest bit of hope. Back at the ranch, when they attacked them, she hadn’t seen Rider, and as far as she understood, he had stolen Quincy’s horse and gotten away. The problem was that there was something valuable in his saddlebag, and he wanted it back. She hadn’t been able to figure out what it was, but that didn’t really matter.
Knowing that her son was alive was a blessing, but it sounded like Quincy was willing to kill to get back whatever it was, and that scared her. She also learned that Quincy never had any intention of abducting her or Sarah. His plan was for him and his men to have their way with them and then to kill them. After Rider took his horse, Quincy’s plan had changed. Now they were being taken to his secret hideout in hopes that he could use them to get back what was stolen from him.
So far, none of the men had touched them, not even Quincy, but Isabelle knew it was just a matter of time. That was why she was so desperate to get away. Knowing what they were planning to do with her daughter was almost more than she could take. Sarah knew too, and Isabelle could see how scared she was. Sarah was a fragile girl.
Even now, at the age of eighteen, she was still a dreamer.
Isabelle and Micah had had an arranged marriage. She had only met him once before the wedding, but she never regretted marrying him. He was a good man and a good husband. He treated her with respect and gave her more than she could ever have asked for. Although it wasn’t a fairytale marriage, she had learned to love him over the years, and she knew he loved her too.
Unlike Sarah, Isabelle wasn’t a dreamer. She didn’t need sparks and romance. She had grown up poor and in an abusive home. All she had ever wanted was a safe place to call home and a family of her own. Micah had given her that.
Isabelle hated Quincy and his men for taking him from her, and she hated them even more for what she knew they were going to do to her daughter. She couldn’t believe it, but she was actually hoping for death for herself and her daughter. It would be easier than what she was sure Quincy had planned for them.
If she could just get Sarah away, she would take whatever punishment they wanted to inflict on her, but the idea of her daughter suffering had her foaming at the mouth. Sarah deserved to have the life she always dreamed about. She deserved to have a handsome man sweep her off her feet.
Tears blurred her vision, and she shook her head, trying to get rid of them. She didn’t want Sarah to see her crying when she woke. She had to be strong for her daughter.
Chapter 10
Three days and nights of searching had turned up nothing. There were no signs of his mother or sister, and Rider was slowly losing his grip on sanity. It was all too much to deal with, and on top of that, he had to bury his father. They couldn’t put it off any longer.
Rider’s father was beloved; in fact, his whole family was, which was why so many people were willing to help with the search. Despite not having any family in town, they had a lot of friends. Rider had, however, chosen not to stay with any of them. His house was still his home, and he was old enough to take care of himself. The sheriff didn’t agree with that, but with everything going on, he hadn’t put up too much of a fight about it.
It was late afternoon, clouds were gathering in the sky, and people had started to arrive. Rider had dug the grave himself, choosing a patch of land close to the edge of the ranch. It wasn’t too far from the house, so he’d be able to visit it whenever he felt like it, but it was hidden from view, so that he didn’t have to see it if he didn’t want to.
Once everybody was there, not that Rider was keeping tabs, he led them to the little makeshift graveyard. It wasn’t a big area and was surrounded by trees and shrubs. There was enough space for a few more graves, though. If they found his mother’s and sister’s bodies, he would bury them there, next to his father. Rider groaned and shook the thought from his mind. He refused to accept the idea of them being dead. If there were no bodies, they could still be alive out there somewhere.
People gathered around the empty grave, whispering softly among themselves. Rider barely paid them any attention. His mind was still in search mode, trying to come up with new places to look for his mother and sister.
“How are you holding up?” Sheriff Stewart asked as he took his place next to Rider.
It was a dumb question.
Rider shook his head. “What do you think?”
“Honestly.” Sheriff Stewart placed a hand on his shoulder. “I think you need to eat a decent meal and get some rest.”
“First, I need to find my mother and sister,” Rider shot back, feeling frustrated. How could they expect him to rest? Did they not understand at all?
“I know what you’re going through,” Sheriff Stewart stated, as if able to read his mind. “I lost my family when I was young, too.”
Rider glanced up at Sheriff Stewart. He didn’t know this about the man. “How?”
“I was seven at the time.” The sheriff removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t remember all the details, but it was horrible. My father had died in a shootout when I was still a baby, so I only had my mother and my brother. He was a couple of years older than me. There was a sickness going around town. Both of them got it. I didn’t.”
“Oh,” Rider breathed. “I’m sorry.”
