A Heart's Blessing - Linda Ford Page 0,44

men guffawed.

Sam man said, “Only thing youse gonna figger out is how to be quiet.”

“Lord, rain down vengeance on these men.” She spoke loudly and had the satisfaction of seeing them both glance heavenward.

“What ya goin’ do with them?” Emmet asked.

“Tie ’em up. Who knows? Might be someone who will give us money for them too.”

Delcie glanced at Ryder and raised her eyebrows just enough to inform him that she understood that to mean someone was prepared to pay these men for the children.

Emmet grabbed Delcie and forced her to a tree. She struggled to escape but he overpowered her.

Sam grabbed Ryder and pinned his arms behind him. Ryder did not go peacefully. He kicked and squirmed.

When she saw how hard he struggled, she resumed her own efforts, making Emmet grunt as he tried to contain her.

“Shoot her,” Sam said, and Emmet pulled out a knife.

“Youse knows I p’fer to cut ’em.”

Delcie shuddered as the long-bladed knife came toward her face. But she wouldn’t call out. She’d endure the knife if it meant Ryder would escape and rescue the children. “Ryder, don’t let their threats stop you. Take care of the children.”

The knife touched her neck below her ear. She bit back a gasp as the tip punctured her skin. Warm blood trickled down.

“Stop.” Ryder yelled. “I’ll cooperate.”

There were only a few decent-sized trees, so the men were forced to secure Ryder and Delcie two feet away from each other. Their hands were tied behind them, their feet bound, and ropes secured them to the trees.

She sat up as straight as she could and scowled at her captors.

“How bad is it?” Ryder asked.

“It’s nothing. You shouldn’t have stopped fighting because of me.” She wanted to sound cross, but her voice shook. Despite her words, she was grateful the knife hadn’t gone any deeper. She shuddered.

“I couldn’t let that man hurt you.”

“Nothing hurts like knowing they’ve got the children.” She wondered why they didn’t make any attempt to run to her then saw that they each had a rawhide rope around their necks that was fixed to a tree. Bile rose in her throat, burning hot with her fury. “Don’t be afraid,” she said to them. “Someone is looking for us. They won’t stop until they find us. And God sees us.”

Sam kicked her bound feet. “’Nough of that.”

The scoundrels moved away to confer. Although she strained to hear them, she couldn’t make out what they said.

Emmet nodded. Sam went to his horse, untied it, and led it away. Well, that eased the odds. Emmet sat down close to the children.

“Shut up and sit down,” he ordered them.

The children glanced toward Delcie, eyes wide and filled with tears.

If anyone had asked her before this moment if a person could feel her heart grow heavy as if weighted with lead, she would have said no. But in that moment, she learned it could. Oh, how she had failed these sweet little ones. For their own good and to avoid having them slapped again, the best thing they could do was obey the man. She nodded to them. “Do as he says.”

They meekly sat down, which did absolutely nothing to make her feel better. She ached to comfort them.

She looked to Ryder.

“Can you get your hands free?” he whispered.

She squirmed and tugged on her hands and feet, ignoring how the ropes burned her skin. But the ropes were too tight. She shook her head. “Can you?”

“Seems they know how to tie a person up.”

“No doubt they’ve had lots of practice.”

He chuckled at her dry tone.

“We can’t just sit here doing nothing.”

“We can think and pray.”

She grinned. “Praying out loud seems to frighten them.”

“As well it should. There will be no escaping God’s punishment, and hopefully not man’s either.”

They kept their voices very low, and Emmet didn’t seem to notice that they talked. His head fell forward.

“Has he fallen asleep?”

“Could be, but he’d likely waken at the least sound.”

The children huddled together, Kent’s arms around his little sister. He lifted his head to stare at Delcie. Fear and accusation filled his expression.

Delcie closed her eyes but it did nothing to stop the pain of seeing them so frightened. So vulnerable. So easily taken where they didn’t belong.

“I’m convinced Alonzo is responsible for this. Since his brother’s death he has tried to get these children. At first, he said he could better provide for them. It wasn’t until they were kidnapped that the truth came out that he wanted to sell them.” She was certain

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