Forever by Your Side (Willamette Brides #3) - Tracie Peterson Page 0,71
them all.”
“I have none to sell,” Christine replied. Fear filled her eyes, and Connie stepped closer and put her arm around Christine’s shoulders.
“I doubt that’s true,” the soldier said. “I believe I’ll have a look around your house.”
“She said she had none to sell,” Tom said, putting himself between the women and the soldier.
“I didn’t ask you. If you’re smart, you’ll stay out of this. I have permission to be here and the right to search for artifacts.”
“By whose authority?” Connie asked before Tom could speak.
“By the authority of the US Army,” the soldier replied. “And the right of a white man to take whatever he wants from an Indian. Now, move aside.”
“I don’t think so.” Tom took a step toward the soldier, and without warning, the man drew his pistol and smashed the butt into Tom’s head.
It all happened so fast, Connie could hardly believe what he’d done. Tom fell to the ground unconscious, and Connie let out a scream as blood began to stream from his head.
This only irritated the soldier. In two steps he reached Connie and slapped her hard across the face, putting her on the ground not far from Tom.
“I can’t abide screamin’ women. Shut up.”
Connie struggled to get back on her feet, but the soldier kicked her. Thankfully her satchel took the brunt of the blow.
The soldier gave a holler and swore. “What do you have in that bag of yours, rocks?”
Connie tried to get up, but her legs were caught in the skirt of her gown. She fought frantically to free herself. At least Christine had been smart enough to go back into her house. With any luck, maybe she could slip out the back with her son and get to safety.
The soldier seemed to forget about his pain as Connie struggled to get on her feet. He looked at her in disbelief. “You’re a stubborn one, but if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay down. Otherwise, I’m gonna give you a beatin’ you won’t soon forget.”
“Then you’ll have to do it after you’ve bested me.”
Connie looked up at the new voice to see Clint pull his wagon to a halt just before their horses. She’d never been so happy to see someone.
The soldier turned and eyed Clint as he climbed down from the wagon. “Stay out of this, mister.” He flipped the pistol into the right position for shooting.
“Watch out, Clint, he has a gun,” Connie yelled.
“So do I, but I’m not going to need it to get the edge on this fool.”
In one fluid motion, Clint was on top of the soldier, who didn’t even know what hit him. His gun went flying, and he swung at Clint, managing to connect with the side of his head. It didn’t matter, though. Clint hit him back, and the cracking sound seemed to echo around them. The soldier went down and stayed there.
Clint picked up the fallen pistol. “Now he’ll have a broken jaw to deal with. Maybe that’ll keep him from molesting Indians and abusing white women.”
Tom had begun to moan, and Connie untangled herself from her skirt and rushed to his side.
“Tom? Tom, can you hear me?” She drew him up in her arms. There was blood where the gun had struck him. “Oh, Tom, please be all right.” She gently wiped his head with the hem of her skirt. The wound was bleeding something fierce. Connie pressed down on the cut, then looked up at Clint. “We need to get him to my parents’ house. My cousin Faith is a doctor and can take care of him.”
“I’ll put him in the wagon,” Clint said, frowning. “I was just out this way delivering grain. Menard’s was my last delivery. Let me unload the wagon, and I’ll be back.”
He took off, leaving the unconscious soldier there. Connie couldn’t help but worry. What if he regained consciousness? Then it dawned on her. She and Tom had been carrying a pistol with them wherever they went these days. It was in her satchel and was probably what the soldier managed to kick. She worked to hold pressure to Tom’s head while she retrieved the gun. If the soldier came to before Clint returned, she wasn’t sure what she’d do, but at least she had the means to protect herself if there was no other choice.
“Are you all right?” Christine asked as she and her husband came running. “I went to get James.”