Part 6 (1/2)

He paused again and his eyes swept the room, stopping to bear down on each of the occupants in personal challenge.

”Ya git my meanin'?” he growled.

No one moved. Laramie knew that each man understood. The prisoner was not to escape.

”Thet means thet we gotta have extry guard duty.”

He let the words hang heavy in the air, and then turned slightly to look at his son. Laramie forced himself not to flinch.

”Kid,” he said, ”thet's you.”

The young man's face purposely showed no change of emotion. He did not even nod. There was no need to agree to the a.s.signment. It was understood that he would.

”From now on, yer off the usual sentry duty. Yer full duty will be to guard thet cabin.”

The father looked at the son. Their eyes locked for a moment. The Kid had never been shown favoritism by the big man. He expected none now. Yet it didn't seem fair that he was to be given the sole responsibility for guarding the man in the south shack. Who did his father have in there, anyway? Some bank president? A wealthy rancher? Some politician? Or was it an Indian chief? And what was the game? Some huge ransom? Laramie didn't like it. Didn't like it at all. He had senseda”had knowna”that something strange was going on. He just hoped the whole camp didn't live to regret it. If they lived at all.

”Like I said,” continued his father, his dark beard and dark eyes making his scowling face appear even more menacing, ”I won't be happy iffen anything should happena”no matter who allows it.”

The meaning was clear to Laramie. He was guarding the prisoner at the risk of his own life.

”Please,” said Ariana as Sam opened the door a crack and handed her in a plate of unsavory food. ”Pleasea”can'tacan't you wait a minute? I really need toato talk.”

Sam looked about the camp. No one was in sight. Uneasily he s.h.i.+fted his weight from one foot to the other. Then he pushed the door open farther and slipped into the room.

”IaIa” Ariana looked down at her rumpled garments. ”I really do need toato freshen up,” she ventured. ”I've been in these same clothes foradays.” She had not counted the days. She truly had lost track of time.

For a moment Sam looked sympathetic, then he shrugged thin shoulders. ”Missy,” he said, ”iffen ya didn't notice, there ain't 'xactly a ladies' shop nearby.”

”But surelyasurely there is some way for me toato bathe. To wash myamy hair and myagarments,” protested Ariana. ”IaI'm filthy.”

The man shrugged again. ”I'll see what I can do,” he promised as he turned to go, but he quickly added, ”But don't ya go expectin' much. I've no notion where we gonna find anya”bathtub.”

”Thank you,” breathed Ariana as he left.

She had been living one day at a time since arriving. She spent most of her hours reading her cherished Bible. It was the only way she could survive the uncertainty and tedium. Then Sam came. Only to bring her a supply of wood and fresh water. He emptied her slop pail and brought her a plate of food. Other than Sam, she saw no one.

Her one window faced away from the camp into the woods. There was a small window on the camp sidea”but it had been covered over on the outside, so Ariana still had no idea where she was. She prayed for release. She thanked the Lord for daily safety. But she felt as though something needed to happena”soona”or she would lose her sanity. How long had it been? Six days? A week? More? She wasn't sure. But each day seemed like an eternity.

She was pus.h.i.+ng the food around on the platea”the fork had a broken tinea”when she heard someone at the door again. It was Sam who poked in his head.

”You found one,” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

He waved her words aside.

”Ain't even had time to look,” he quickly informed her. ”Jest thought of somethin' else.”

Ariana sat back down.

Sam entered the room again and his voice lowered as though he feared someone might overhear their conversation.

”Jest thought ya oughta know,” he said in a raspy whisper, ”things have changed. I won't be comin' anymore. Boss has a.s.signeda””

Terror gripped Ariana, and she stood shakily to her feet and reached out her hand to him.

”Please. Please,” she pleaded. ”Please don't let him change. IaI don't want anyonea””

”Now calm down some,” Sam said with a measure of irritation. ”It won't be all thet bad. The Kid will be takin' care of ya. Ya jestajest mind yer manners an'a””

”Who'sathe Kid?” asked Ariana, her eyes wide with fright.

”Aw, he ain't so bad. It's the boss's son.”

Ariana's mind filled with an image of the man Sam called the Boss. She hadn't seen him well. There had always been the storma”or the darkness of the cabin or cave, lit only by the light from the open fire. But she knew enough to fear him. To feel terror at the very thought of his nearness. Unconsciously she reached her left hand to rub her right wrist. Though it was improving, Ariana well remembered the searing pain. Sam's boss was some kind of madman. And nowa”she was to be guarded by his son. Her whole body began to tremble.

Sam turned back to the door. ”Jest thought ya oughta know,” he said as he exited the room and pulled the door shut behind him. Ariana heard the bar fall into place.

There was little sleep for Ariana that night. She forgot about her unkempt hair. Her rumpled clothes. She even forgot to throw more fuel into the heavy iron stove. Hour after hour she lay s.h.i.+vering in the darkness. s.h.i.+vering with terror.

She tried to pray. Tried to trust, but every time she shut her eyes she saw the dark, brooding face of the man they called the Boss. What was to happen to her now? Ariana found herself wis.h.i.+ng she had perished in the storm.

Ariana stirred from her sleep to thumping on her door. Sam must be bringing her breakfast. But then she became fully conscious and remembered Sam had said he would not be coming anymore. That she would now be cared for by the boss's son.

Ariana frantically cast her eyes about the room, looking for a place to hide. Even as she acknowledged that there was none, the door pushed open.

A tall young man ducked his head to enter. She saw his hand on his pistol as his eyes swept the room quickly. When they lit on her, he froze. She saw the confused, shocked expression that momentarily transformed his face.

Chapter Seven.

The Dilemma He stood where he was, staring at her. The food in his left hand threatened to spill from the forgotten, tilting plate. His eyes quickly scanned the room again as though he must have missed something, then came back to her.

She stared back with eyes wide and frightened. She clasped the tattered blanket in both hands, holding it up against her like a protective s.h.i.+eld. Her breath caught in her throat in a little gasp.

The sound seemed to jerk him back to reality. The gun hand lifted to push his Stetson up a little on his head. From the way his hand moved, she guessed it to be a nervous gesture on his part. Yet he looked so calm. So composed. She still had not risen to her feet but sat on the edge of the crude bunk, as though poised for flight.

He nodded silently and moved into the room.

Without a word he set the plate of food on the table. His eyes moved over the room once more. She could see a steeliness in his face and instinctively knew she would never wish to challenge this young man. She noticed the hard set of his jawa”as though something had deeply disturbed him. He looked almost angrya”yet what had she done?

He cast a glance toward her iron stove and without a word proceeded to build a fire. Then he picked up her water pail, filled the kettle and set it on the stove, then poured the remainder of the water into the empty basin.

He still had not spoken, and Ariana had not moved toward the plate of food. He did not look her way again, but left, the water pail in his hand.

Ariana heard the thunk of the wooden bar across her door. She heard the steps crunching on the new snow of the path. And then he was gonea”as quickly and as silently as he had come.

Ariana s.h.i.+vered anew. She felt all trembly inside, further frighteneda”but she knew not why.