his hand gripped her hair too tightly. She tried to say the words, but the bandana gagged in her mouth prevented any sound except a muffled gasp.
Sally leapt, grabbing David’s arm and biting him. He tried to shake Sally off, but the dog wouldn’t let go. He released her in favor of using the knife to stab Sally in the belly. Jenna screamed behind the gag. Sally gave out a yelp and went limp. David kicked the dog, rolling her into some brush and turned back to her.
“Stupid dog. Get moving.” David’s arm bled down his sleeve and hand, but not bad enough to slow him down.
He grabbed her arm, digging his fingers into her skin, bruising. With a sharp tug, he led her deeper into the woods and down a long path, away from the house, heading down along the tree line. Tears spilled down her eyes for poor, devoted Sally. She hoped someone found her soon. She hoped some of Jack’s men were out scouting the pastures and checking on the cattle and horses and would spot them.
They stayed inside the trees, but sometimes she saw the pastures clearly. Scared and resigned to her fate, she walked in front of David, praying she’d live through this and see Jack again.
“HEY, IT’S ME. Is Jenna around?”
“Hi, Jack. No, Lily came in a little while ago for lunch, but Jenna stayed out back to finish planting flowers. You want me to get her?”
Relieved to hear she was okay, he hated to interrupt while she worked in the yard. She’d been planning the project for more than a week, and he was happy to see her treating the house like her own. “No, tell her I called and we’re finished at the auction. We’re off to the courthouse, and then heading to my buddy’s ranch. I’ll call her when I’m on my way back.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“No. Is everything okay there?”
Jack’s bad feeling had stayed with him the whole trip. He couldn’t shake the uneasiness that something was wrong. It grew worse in the last hour. He didn’t want her scared every time he left. He’d just make things worse by harping on her about it.
“Everything is fine. The flowers Jenna and Lily planted are lovely. Lily is having ice cream before her mama picks her up.”
“Hi, Uncle Jack,” Lily called to him.
“Tell her I said hi.”
“I will. I’ll tell Jenna, too. Bye.”
“Bye.” Jack’s gut was working overtime. Maybe he should have had Beth go out back and check on Jenna. Before he called her back to do just that, Caleb called out for him to join him across the street at a diner for lunch. Beth said everything was fine. No need to upset Jenna by nagging her about not being safe without him there.
Chapter Thirty-Five
* * *
JENNA’S LEGS ACHED thanks to the fast pace David kept, pushing her along. Each time she slowed, he shoved her or punched her in the back. She’d fallen twice already, and with her hands bound behind her back, she couldn’t use them to break her fall. She’d torn her jeans and cut her knee badly. Limping, she tried to keep up. She’d rather have sore muscles than be punched in the back again.
They came to a halt standing just inside the tree line next to an empty pasture. The ranch stretched across the land in a long rectangle with the valley of pastureland down the center and the trees and hills on each side. That’s part of what made the landscape so beautiful, the rolling hills with trees that came down to a wide-open green valley. Jenna and David stood at the shortest distance between the two sides of the tree lines on both sides of the valley. They’d have to cross about three hundred yards of pasture to get to the other side. In some areas, several miles separated the hills and trees.
“We’re going straight across. You had better run and hope no one sees us, because if they do, you’re dead.”
Unable to speak with the gag, she nodded. Shoved from behind again, she ran across the field. She stole a glance both ways, but didn’t see any of the ranch hands. No cattle or horses grazing on this piece of land, so none of the men were out checking on them. They made it to the other tree line and into the woods without being seen. Jenna’s spirits dropped. She’d hoped someone would have seen her and David and try to help