When Love's Gone Country - By Merri Hiatt Page 0,33
man was talking about.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Bob said. It was true, no one had actually referred to the hot spring as a healin’ well.
The men took two steps forward as the group retreated two steps. “I ain’t gonna be so nice if I have to ask again. Where is the healin’ well?”
“We can’t tell you something we don’t know,” Alex said.
The man stared Alex in the eyes. Neither one wavered for over a minute.
Jeremy clung to Courtney. She put her arm around his shoulders. “It’s going to be okay. Just stay close.”
“Tie up the men.”
One man put down his gun in favor of rope tied around his belt. While the two other men held their positions, Bobby, Alex and Brad were hog tied.
“Who should we keep?”
“The kid. No one wants to see a kid hurt,” one man said.
“The pregnant gal. Everyone’s got a soft spot for a lady with a baby.”
“Take me,” Jacob said. “Jeremy’s too young. Purity’s already worried about the baby. I won’t fight you. And I know where the well is.”
“Jacob!” Meg could have strangled him. Not only was he putting himself in harm’s way, but he told the men he knew where the spring was. What if he couldn’t find it again?
“It’s okay, Mom. They ain’t gonna hurt me. They just want to know where the healin’ well is. I can show ‘em the well.”
“That’s what I like to see,” the man said, “a young lad who knows when he’s been beat and takes it like a man. C’mon, show us where the well is.”
Jacob followed the men.
“And don’t you be tellin’ nobody about this. I ain’t got no problem killing a kid, or a lady for that matter.”
The second the door closed, the women rushed over to untie the men.
“Jacob’s not taking them to the spring,” Bob said.
“He just said he was going to,” Meg said.
“No, he didn’t.” Jeremy said. “He said he was gonna take ‘em to the well.”
“Exactly right,” Bob said. “We’ve got to get there before they do.”
“How?”
“Jacob beat us to the gazebo by crossing through the sheep paddock and taking connecting trails. We’ll do the same thing.”
“But we don’t know where those trails are,” Meg said.
“Neither did Jacob. He kept his eyes open and paid attention. There are more of us than of him. And, if I know Jacob, he’ll find a way to stall ‘em. He knows we’ll pick up on his clue, that’s why he made such a point of saying well instead of spring.”
“Let’s get going. Do we have any weapons?” Brad asked.
“Knives in the kitchen,” Purity said as Meg and Courtney made a beeline for the room to gather anything they could use to fight the men.
When Courtney returned with a cast iron skillet, Purity couldn’t help but laugh. “You can barely lift that thing, let along hit someone with it.”
“You just watch me. Remember, I’m Wonder Woman,” Court said.
They peered out the doorway. The coast was clear, so they all followed Alex’s lead.
“Should we split up?” Bobby asked.
“Not yet. When we reach the chicken coop, then we should. I’m not sure which way Jacob will take the men. Everyone be on the lookout. If you get in trouble, either run like mad or holler like you’ve never done before.”
“They sure picked a damn good time to do this,” Court said. “There’s not another ranch hand in sight.”
“They’re all getting ready for the hoedown,” Pure said.
“That’s what I meant. Whoever these guys are, they knew the ranch hands would be absent and we’d be vulnerable.”
They reached the chicken coop without seeing another soul.
“This is really weird,” Jeremy said. “It’s like a ghost ranch or somethin’.”
“Here’s where we split. Brad and Court, head toward the orchard, then move toward the wheat field. The well will be on your right.”
They nodded and took off.
“Meg, Bobby and Jeremy, keep going down by the chicken coop. This is the same path Jacob took earlier. You’ll cross through the sheep paddock. The well should be straight ahead another hundred yards or so.”
“Got it,” Jeremy said and they headed out.
“Purity, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I really want you to stay here.”
“Alex—”
“Before you start, I have a good reason. I think Jacob is going to get away from those men. He’ll head back to the ranch hand quarters. Someone should be there when he gets there. The last thing we need is for him to walk into an empty room where he feels like no