Summary: The annual Harvest Dance turns into a harrowing experience for Little Joe. (outlaws, kidnapping, SJS,\u00a0 JAM JPM)<\/p>\n
Rating K+ (7,895 words)<\/p>\n
Harvest Dance Series<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Harvest Dance<\/a> Harvest Dance<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t even notice her until she whispers right into my ear, \u201cI can see what you\u2019re doing.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0I jump a little\u00a0in surprise and nearly snort the swallow of spiked punch through my nose.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re doing it wrong,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n As casually as I can, I turn my head and cut my eyes in her direction. The new girl. Anne Marie Wentworth. She needs to keep her nose out of my business.<\/p>\n I mutter back at her, \u201cShoo, skedaddle.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of leaving me alone, she puts her soft, cool hand over my fingers gripping the punch cup\u2019s handle. She raises the glass of\u00a0cider in her own hand and drinks it down.\u00a0\u00a0 Then, slick as a whistle, she empties the punch into the cut glass that should hold cider. \u201cSee? Much sneakier!\u201d She grins at me and moves\u00a0away from\u00a0the refreshment table and closer to the dance floor.<\/p>\n I cast my eyes around the community hall looking for my family. Usually one or both of my brothers keep a rather obnoxious eye on me which I’d like to avoid at the moment.\u00a0 Glory be! Hoss is actually dancing. He must have worked up his courage \u2018cause his partner is Ellen Sue. He\u2019s been pining after her for a couple of weeks. I crane my neck to peer through the crowd. Pa is laughing at something Doc Martin said. The Widow Hawkins is lingering close by, and Pa is working hard not to catch her eye. That leaves Adam. I see him now. Right over there, leaning against the wall\u00a0lookin’ right at\u00a0me with that sarcastic eyebrow raised. I watch him start to gather himself to move toward me. Hunh-uh. I got other plans.<\/p>\n The musicians strum the opening chords of a waltz. I swallow the last of my punch and leave the glass on the edge of the table. I rush\u00a0up and catch Anne Marie\u2019s wrist pulling her onto the dance floor.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve only known her a few weeks. She and her bluestocking sister came into town at the end of the summer from somewhere back east. They don\u2019t even live in a house; they have a suite at the International. Her sister is older than Adam and spends her days talking to the miners and immigrants. Anne Marie goes to school with me although I can\u2019t see why she bothers. She\u2019s smart and seems to know nearly as much as Miss Jones.<\/p>\n I take Anne Marie in my arms for the dance. Usually I’m inclined to hold my partners a little closer than Pa thinks is polite. But I\u2019m careful for the moment since I suspect Adam is still watching.<\/p>\n Anne Marie\u2019s eyes are almost level with mine. She\u2019s nice looking- just not my type. Firstly, she is tallish and I am shortish. I still have hopes of stretching a few more inches, but at fifteen, I am starting to think I can quit kidding myself that I’ll ever be as big as my pa. She has\u00a0wide gray eyes the color of storm clouds. The lashes and brows are dark and stand out against her pale skin. Her hair is almost the same color as mine and falls in soft feathery ringlets way down her back. She has the kind of hair that always seems to escape from the pins and combs she uses to keep it arranged.<\/p>\n Secondly, she doesn\u2019t even act like my type. I’m getting to where I get some attention from the girls at school. They laugh at my jokes and touch my arm. Sometimes they lean\u00a0into me and look up through their eyelashes. If Pa only knew how distracting all that attention can be, he\u2019d be surprised my grades aren\u2019t actually worse. But Anne Marie doesn\u2019t flirt at all. She laughs at me\u00a0like she doesn\u2019t buy my nonsense but\u00a0still enjoys the show.<\/p>\n She\u2019s a good dancer. I like to dance myself. I hate to stand around the walls or refreshment table when I can be moving and enjoying the music. At the beginning of our dance, we make a few awkward steps, but then she follows my lead completely.\u00a0\u00a0 Some girls are so hard to lead. They hold themselves all stiff like they\u2019re nervous about being touched or as if they would rather push me around the floor.<\/p>\n Dang, it\u2019s hot in here. The place is pretty full. The heat from all of these folks is making the air muggy, and it\u2019s a\u00a0bit hazy from dust and smoke. Anne Marie has little curls lying damp at her temple and against her neck.\u00a0 Anne Marie\u2019s dress is a pretty silvery gray that almost matches her eyes. It doesn\u2019t have much sleeve, and the neckline makes for an interesting display of her shoulders.\u00a0At least she isn\u2019t as buttoned up as I am.\u00a0 Even though\u00a0I abandoned my jacket almost as soon as I got here, my shirt collar and string tie are starting to feel uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe.\u201d I look up at her face then and she nods toward the edge of the crowd. \u201cIs that how folks around here usually dress for a dance?\u201d<\/p>\n As we turn with the music, I take a look at the fellow she means. He still has a heavy coat on even with the heat in here. His collar is turned up, and his hat is jammed over his eyes hiding his face. Hoo boy. I stop right there on the dance floor and take a good look around. I see more bundled up men moving purposefully through the crowd. That can\u2019t be good. Where\u2019s\u00a0a brother\u00a0when I need them?\u00a0\u00a0 No one is in sight.<\/p>\n We’re just standing there on the dance floor looking around. It’s amazing\u00a0Anne Marie hasn\u2019t fussed or pulled at my arm even though we’re getting in the way of the other dancers.<\/p>\n Adam and his partner, Emily, swing by us. \u201cLittle brother, your feet are supposed to be moving while the music is playing.\u201d<\/p>\n I grab at his arm while I keep Anne Marie tucked close to my side.<\/p>\n \u201cLook around. Do you see those fellers still in coats and hats?\u201d<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to tell\u00a0Adam much twice. He scans the room, and I can see his jaw tighten. His eyes get a little darker and a whole lot colder. That\u2019s when my stomach gets all knotted up. I\u2019m not wrong- something\u2019s going to happen.<\/p>\n He leans into me, \u201cSee if you and Mitch can convince your friends to go outside for a breath of air.\u201d He doesn\u2019t even wait for my reaction. He tugs at Emily and moves\u00a0away so fast\u00a0she is skipping to keep up with him.<\/p>\n I start to tell Anne Marie that we should mind my brother when everything goes\u00a0bad. There\u2019s a crash over by the musicians\u2019 box. The music stops, and the gunfire starts. Although no one seems hurt, people are screaming and shouting and running for the door. Nobody gets far before it becomes clear that the exits are blocked by the men we saw who are now holding guns on everyone. I keep hold of Anne Marie while I look wildly around for my family. Okay, there they are on the other side of the room. Dang, the big open space\u00a0separating us\u00a0looks as wide as the lake.<\/p>\n The outlaws have herded everyone into groups. We\u2019re being pushed toward a crowd of folks near the refreshment table and the front door. Some of the ladies are crying, and the men are angry and restless. Lots of fellows that usually wear side arms don\u2019t have them on tonight. The ones who did wear them are being robbed of them by the outlaws. I’m mad as a hornet at these guys and scared enough to empty my stomach in front of the crowd.\u00a0Anne Marie\u2019s\u00a0fingers are like ice, but she’s calm enough.<\/p>\n One the men steps into the center of the empty dance floor. He’s wearing a gun belt and carrying a buffalo gun that he points at the crowd.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019s a big guy\u2014ugly, too. He glares around the room waving that cannon until the crowd hushes up. I expect he considers himself a born leader.<\/p>\n \u201cFriends,\u201d he shouts, \u201cYou may find the evening\u2019s entertainment a bit unconventional.\u00a0Surrender your valuables to my men and do so quietly, or I promise that someone\u2019s evening will end poorly.\u201d<\/p>\n He nods at his men, and they move through the crowd in pairs–one\u00a0man holding a sack and the other covering his partner with a pistol or rifle. The men have already taken the\u00a0jar of cash\u00a0that has been collected for widows and orphans. I watch\u00a0my father and brothers hand over their wallets and watches.<\/p>\n It seems to take a long time. When a couple of outlaws head our way, everyone just hands stuff over. I turn out my empty pockets\u2014my family can tell you I’m always broke. One of the men reaches around me and yanks a\u00a0thin chain\u00a0off Anne Marie\u2019s neck. That\u2019s when I see the outlaw I think of as Boss nod at his man who suddenly pulls hard on her arm jerking\u00a0her away from me. I jump forward, but his partner puts the muzzle of his rifle right against my chest. I hear Pa shout, \u201cJoseph!\u201d and I stay put.<\/p>\n Boss starts gesturing for his man to pull Anne Marie out of the crowd. The man shoves her roughly toward Boss.<\/p>\n \u201cLadies and gentlemen, let me explain what’s going to happen. We goin’ to leave, and you\u00a0folks\u00a0are goin’ to\u00a0allow us to ride away. I’m not in the mood for argument or resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n At that he pulls his arm back and\u00a0punches her so hard she goes to the floor. Even from my spot in the crowd, I can see he has\u00a0cut her cheek.<\/p>\n The crowd erupts with shouts of horror. I don\u2019t even know right away that I’m pushing forward and shouting, \u201cYou leave her alone!\u201d<\/p>\n As I charge up toward them, I hear Boss say, \u201cAnd we have a volunteer.\u201d<\/p>\n Then two of the outlaws have me by the arms and drag me up to the him.\u00a0Boss grabs me by the hair, and I spit in his face. That might have been a poor decision on my part because he plows his fist into my jaw and follows with a couple of punches to my gut. I’ve been in plenty of fights at school and even a few fights with my brothers, but I’ve never been hit like this. Boss is a big man, and his fist is like iron. My vision lights up with a shower of sparks, and I can\u2019t breathe. His men drop me to the floor, and I struggle to stay on my hands and knees.\u00a0Pa is\u00a0roaring\u00a0in fury and calling\u00a0my name.<\/p>\n A blast into the ceiling from the buffalo gun gets everyone\u2019s attention. \u201cShut up, all of you!\u00a0 Let me tell you what’s going to happen.\u00a0These two youngsters are going to ride along with us for a spell. If no one follows, come along dawn, we’ll send them on home.<\/p>\n Someone shouts, \u201cYou are not taking those children with you!\u201d<\/p>\n Boss shakes his head as if it is too bad that folk can\u2019t seem to understand.<\/p>\n \u201cY’all can choose to follow us tonight. Of course that will lead to a messy altercation in the dark that I guarantee won\u2019t bode well for your young\u2019uns. As soon as we see sign of a posse, we’ll take these two apart and let y’all pick up the pieces. If you doubt me, let me assure you that neither youth\u201d and he pauses a moment to aim a brutal kick into my ribs \u201cor beauty\u201d and yet another kick to the ribs \u201cor innocence\u201d and this kick hits me in the side of the head \u201cwill stop us from killing these kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, he stops pounding me, and I lay on the floor curled up in a ball and nearly sobbing.<\/p>\n Satisfied that he has made his point\u00a0 to everyone, he turns to his gang and says, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the men reaches down and grabs Anne Marie’s\u00a0wrist\u00a0and hauls her\u00a0up, pushing her to the door. Someone\u00a0pulls me up from the floor and off my feet. I hardly know what is going on until I feel the cold night air and understand that I am outside. One of the gang is holding a horse, and I am thrown up and into the saddle.<\/p>\n I blink to clear my eyes and\u00a0see that they have managed to grab my father\u2019s horse, Buck. I am stupidly grateful.\u00a0\u00a0They push Anne Marie up behind me. My pa is a big man, and he uses a deep saddle- big enough for a couple of skinny kids to ride double. It\u2019s crowded, but it could be worse.<\/p>\n Everyone is mounting up, but Boss shouts for someone to shorten the stirrups so I don\u2019t fall off. Anne Marie is trying to get her seat behind me.<\/p>\n She whispers urgently, \u201cI don\u2019t know how to ride this way! How do I hold on?\u201d<\/p>\n I just grab her hands and pull them snug around my waist.<\/p>\n Boss stops then and looks at us hard, \u201cChildren, not another word.\u201d<\/p>\n He gives a signal, and that crowd of horses bolts down the street and out of town.<\/p>\n XXXXXXXXXXXXX<\/p>\n Thank Heaven, Buck has a smooth gallop. All of us tease Pa that riding Buck is like sitting in a rocking chair. I have never been more thankful. My head is swimming, my sides are on fire, and if I had half a chance, I’d be bawling my head off for my pa.<\/p>\n Anne Marie and I can\u2019t do anything but hold on and ride hard and fast. At first, I’m afraid she is going to slip off, but she finds out how to hang on without bouncing against me or leaning forward too hard.<\/p>\n It seems that these guys have reconnoitered this route pretty well. They know exactly where they\u2019re going, and even in the dark there are no mishaps.<\/p>\n Finally, Boss calls for a halt to rest the horses. My breathing is becoming a challenge, but there\u2019s no way I\u2019ll let him know that. He circles his horses around to face us. I glare at him, but keep my mouth shut mainly because I can\u2019t find the breath to speak. Now that we’ve stopped, I notice how cold the night feels. Anne Marie is shivering, and she rests her head between my shoulder blades. The horses stomp and blow while the men pull long drinks from their canteens.<\/p>\n The gang acts giddy now that escape seems a sure thing. They\u2019re joking and swearing and punching each others\u2019 arms like they\u2019re my age. Boss keeps his hard eyes on us. Great, he wants to stare me down\u2014clearly he ain\u2019t played that game as recentl y as I have. Finally, he snorts at me, spits, and hollers for everyone to move out.<\/p>\n Making that stop didn\u2019t do me any good. I feel real sick to my stomach, and it’s getting harder to sit up in the saddle. We ride and ride\u2014I don\u2019t know for how long. When we stop for the second time, the moon is way up and lighting up the landscape like a Chinese lantern. It might be a pretty night, but I can\u2019t appreciate it lying across Buck\u2019s neck like I am.<\/p>\n The gang starts their usual antics when I\u00a0hear Anne Marie clearing her throat. Boss swings around. She has her hand raised like she is trying to get Miss Jones\u2019s attention at school. When he nods at her, she speaks up.<\/p>\n \u201cSir? Don\u2019t you think we have been good prisoners?\u201d The gang starts hooting and laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, darling, I think you two have been models of decorum.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a good thing that it’s too dark for him to see me roll my eyes. Decorum? Who is this guy? Professor Outlaw?<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think you can leave us right here? We’re only slowing you down,\u201d she asks.<\/p>\n Now the men go quiet. Boss seems to consider her request. I start praying that he doesn\u2019t take exception to her sass.<\/p>\n \u201cBoy, you have any idea where we are?\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t have a clue. I’ve been doing more holding on and holding up than watching landmarks. But I lie, \u201cYeah I know where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFind your way back, ya think?\u201d<\/p>\n When I nod, he decides. He slides to the ground and strides over. He grabs Anne Marie\u2019s arm and jerks her down. She goes down hard onto her backside in a heap of skirt and petticoats. He pulls me off and slams me onto my feet hard enough to make my teeth rattle so as to prop me against Buck\u2019s sweaty hide. He runs his hands so roughly along my ribs that he has me whistling in pain. Grabbing the front of my shirt, he gives me a push that lands me on the ground next to\u00a0her. This jasper so does not like me.<\/p>\n \u201cStay here. I expect you\u2019ll see the posse in the morning. Of course, if you like, you can try walking home.\u201d He turns and grabs Buck\u2019s bridle. I gotta do something; I can\u2019t let him take Pa\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave us the horse, \u201cI grunt out. \u201cWe can\u2019t manage without him.\u201d Boss doesn\u2019t look quite convinced.<\/p>\n I try again. \u201cThat horse belongs to Mr. Ben Cartwright, and he\u2019s gonna\u00a0be real mad if you take him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Ben Cartwright, huh? How do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone round here knows that horse,\u201d I do my best to keep my voice nonchalant and my face all innocent.<\/p>\n I\u2018m praying that he will buy this line and let us keep Buck when he takes a hard sniff and shrugs. It looks like he’s feeling generous.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep the horse, kids. You two ain\u2019t going nowhere soon anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Boss mounts his horse and starts to signal for them to all leave. I feel like we may finally be safe when\u00a0one of those yahoos start to argue with him.<\/p>\n \u201cLook. These kids are worth something. Let me have them.\u201d<\/p>\n This guy\u2019s pals hoot and tell him that he will be able to afford a woman, not a baby. Anne Marie scoots over to me as close as she can get, and I put an arm around her trembling shoulder. I sit there trying to figure out how\u00a0to push myself off the ground to defend us.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want her,\u201d he growls. \u201cBut I know those who’ll pay good money for a couple of pretty kids.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Rufe,\u201d Boss drawls out his words loud and low. Everyone else hushes up. \u201cIf we were stealing kids to sell, we might have done things different. For one thing, I wouldn\u2019t have marked them up.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufe wants to mouth off, but Boss cuts him short. \u201cYou all follow me \u2018cause I plan. My plans pay off. We don\u2019t get caught, and we don\u2019t get shot. The posse’ll come up on these two and slow down to put them back together. Hell, half of them will be so pleased just to get the kids back they\u2019ll go on home.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufe really doesn\u2019t know when to shut up \u2018cause he pushes his horse close in to challenge Boss. \u201cWell, I see it different. I see you passing up a good opportunity. Tell ya what. I\u2019ll leave with these two, and we\u2019ll call it even.\u201d<\/p>\n Time stands still. Anne Marie and I are down on the cold hard ground in the middle of these men and horses, and I sure can\u2019t see a way out.<\/p>\n Boss hasn\u2019t broken eye contact with Rufe. Their heads are so close, I\u2019m sure they can smell each other\u2019s rotten breath. In a blink, Boss backhands Rufe. I know from sad experience how hard Boss can hit. The horses sidle and dance around while Anne Marie and I clamber up trying to stay out from under their hooves.<\/p>\n Rufe\u2019s nose is bleeding, and he\u2019d like to fight, but Boss has pulled his gun.<\/p>\n \u201cListen up, bastard,\u201d Boss hisses. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t let you out of my sight for the Army payroll! You\u2019re too stupid not to get caught, and you\u2019re too ornery not to turn on us. The smartest thing I could do is to shoot you off that horse and let you rot where you fall.\u201d<\/p>\n Rufe is pretty close to becoming buzzard food, and he knows it. He drops his eyes and backs his horse up nice and slow.<\/p>\n Boss glares around at the others. Not one of them meets his eyes. He raises his arm in a signal to move and within a moment, we’re left behind choking from the dust and jostling and holding on to Buck for all we\u2019re worth.<\/p>\n XXXXXXXXXX<\/p>\n I find I am leaning hard on Anne Marie and still trying to make a little sense of things.<\/p>\n \u201cNow what?\u201d she whispers.<\/p>\n The moon is so bright it’s casting shadows. For the first time since all of this started, I\u00a0get a good look at her. Her hair is a wild tangle around her face, and she’s missing whatever was holding it in place. The left side of her face is swollen and covered in dried blood from the punch she got. I feel bad for her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’ll be all right,\u201d I tell her even though I am swaying on my feet as I speak.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d she says. \u201cI trust you, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n I can\u2019t help it. My jaw just drops. Nobody, nobody trusts me. Not my pa, my brothers, Miss Jones, Doc Martin, the list goes on. They all spend a good part of their time checking up and checking in on me. Even my best friend, Mitch, only trusts me to get him into trouble. Here I thought Anne Marie was smart.<\/p>\n All righty, then. I swallow down the lump in my throat and try to think hard. I\u2019ve got a hand on Buck\u2019s heaving flank, and I know he\u2019s spent.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s all of us just rest a few minutes,\u201d I say as decisively as I can. She helps me loosen Buck\u2019s cinch a little and loops the rein around a nearby tree branch.<\/p>\n Then we go through Pa\u2019s gear and saddlebags. He is always preaching preparation at me so let\u2019s see what he\u2019s got. The canteen looped around the horn is nearly full. Both of us take a long drink. He\u2019s packed pipe tobacco, lucifers, a neckerchief, and jerky along with an oily packet of goobers. I offer Anne Marie something to eat. She shakes her head. I\u2019m not hungry myself. Sadly, there is no rifle in the scabbard.<\/p>\n Now is a good time to look around. A couple of scraggly trees are at the edge of a little clearing of rocks, clumps of brush and grass, and churned up turf. There\u2019s no water close by. Buck\u2019s probably thirsty. Anne Marie cups her hands, and we fill them with some canteen water for him.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also chilly as all get out. We gather some leaves and deadfall into a heap. Anne Marie grabs a few bigger chunks of wood close at hand. I strike a lucifer and pretty soon we have a small fire going. With my luck tonight, if we were depending on me striking sparks from a rock, we’d be cold for a long time.<\/p>\n All of a sudden, I just feel done in. I don\u2019t think I can stand up much longer. She helps me to the ground and uses a clump of grass to pillow my head and shoulders. It hurts to stand, it hurts to sit, and it hurts to lie flat. Perfect. Moving\u00a0around has worn\u00a0me out. I lay back and try to gather my energy and wits for whatever has to be next. I almost think I could sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, let\u2019s fix you up,\u201d Anne Marie announces.<\/p>\n Dang it, I think I was<\/em> nearly asleep, and I jump a little in surprise.\u00a0\u00a0 She seems to do this to me a lot.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere do you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n Well, at the moment, it’s a little hard to narrow down, but\u00a0my ribs probably need the most attention. I could tell from the way that Boss poked me when he pulled me off the horse that his workout at the dance had busted something. I\u2019ve seen a few of the ranch hands with busted ribs, so I concentrate on remembering what was done to help them.<\/p>\n Anyway, I explain my thinking to Anne Marie, and between us we iron out the details. After she hauls me up to sit cross-legged, she kneels in front of me. She\u2019s ripped up a bunch of her petticoat into strips, and the pieces\u00a0are lying in a heap at her right side. Then we argue a bit about whether she can wrap my ribs over my shirt. Of course, I’ve only seen it done on a man\u2019s bare chest.\u00a0 But at the moment, in the moonlight with a girl, it seems improper to sit here without a shirt while she wraps part of her undergarment around me.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t argue too long because I don\u2019t have much energy, and she’s a lot bossier than I realized. She eases the shirt off me, and we can both see some of the bruising. There is no easy way for her to help me, so I sit in front of her with my arms draped around her neck while she winds the cloth around my ribs.<\/p>\n The problem is that this position is sort of up close and personal to her shoulders and her bosom. I can even smell a hint of lemon verbena clinging to her hair. I have to admit, I am feeling a mite . . . distracted. \u201cSteady, boy,\u201d I scold myself, \u201creally not the time.\u201d It actually helps when she tugs real tight on the cloth strips since I have to concentrate on pulling air in and out of my lungs. When she finishes binding my ribs, she helps me ease back into my shirt and vest.<\/p>\n We soak some more of the cloth in canteen water. I hold it against the wound on her face until the dried blood loosens, and we can wipe it off without scrubbing. She does the same for the marks on my face. When we finish we just rest for a while. Her back is propped up against some granite and my head is\u00a0in her lap. We watch the fire and try to figure out what to do next.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think that man will come back?\u201d Her voice is shaking. I was wondering the same thing. Old Rufe seems like the defiant sort to me.<\/p>\n \u201cNaw,\u201d I say confidently. \u201cHe\u2019ll want his share of the loot, won\u2019t he?\u201d She sniffles a little, and I can feel her nod. We sit still for a while.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish we had a weapon, just in case,\u201d I mutter.<\/p>\n She jumps\u00a0a little at\u00a0my\u00a0words\u00a0and nearly spills my head off her lap. Realizing what she’s done, she helps me sit up and get settled against the rock. Then she starts shoving her hands into the folds of her skirt. She seems real satisfied with herself when she finds a pocket. I expect her to pull out one of those housewife kits girls carry to mend their clothes. Instead, she hands over a sweet little pocket pistol.<\/p>\n \u201cA gun? You have a gun?\u201d I squeak. I turn the single shot derringer over in my hand. \u201cWhy do you have this?\u201d<\/p>\n She shrugs. \u201cMy sister and I always carry one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think your sister\u00a0might be\u00a0crazy, but I like her instincts.\u201d I try to hand the derringer back, but she won\u2019t take it. I shove it inside my vest.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long do you think before help comes? Do you think they’ll wait for morning?\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s a good question. I can\u2019t see my\u00a0family waiting hours to come after us. I also know it takes a while to get a posse organized, especially at night. And nobody likes to track at night.<\/p>\n I suggest, \u201cWe could ride back slow and try to meet them.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, from where I’m lying on the ground, Buck\u2019s saddle looks like it could be at the top of\u00a0 Sun Mountain. I sigh. Pa sure does love a tall horse. I figure we can manage if we help each other into the saddle. A few minutes later, we douse the fire, and she has her arm around me tryin\u2019 to lift me into the stirrup. This is actually not going very well.<\/p>\n Suddenly Buck snorts and nickers, and we can hear another horse answer from not far away. We freeze, and I know that we are both thinking the same thing-\u00a0Rufe has circled back to get us. I take her hand, and we move painfully into what brush I can find to conceal us. It doesn\u2019t take long for us to hear hoof beats, and then I actually see a couple of riders.<\/p>\n I let out the breath I have been holding. I’d know my brothers anywhere and to see them riding up now makes me feel a little weak and misty with relief.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, Adam!\u201d I call out, \u201cWe\u2019re over here.\u201d<\/p>\n They cover the remaining ground between us in just seconds, and they’re off their horses in a flash calling my name.<\/p>\n Hoss gets to me first. He\u2019s got an arm around my shoulders, and he pulls me gently into him. I squeeze my eyes shut and manage not to weep against his chest. He pats me on the back and eases me back down to the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle brother, don\u2019t you have all the luck,\u201d he joshes me, \u201ca moonlight ride with a pretty gal.\u201d I swipe a punch at his arm, and I can\u2019t help grinning. \u201cLet\u00a0me take a look at you.\u201d<\/p>\n Since he saw the beating I took, he knows where to start checking. Our fireside medicine seems to meet his approval. Hoss balls up his vest for a pillow and makes me lie down to rest while he builds\u00a0another fire.<\/p>\n Adam has been talking quietly to Anne Marie. He touches her cheek gently and listens attentively as she answers his questions. Adam can be a real scary hombre, but he’s smiling and showing those dimples of his, and she looks all sappy and trusting. He takes her\u00a0hand and helps her\u00a0settle down close to\u00a0the fire. Then he comes over to me and shakes his head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are a magnet for trouble, boy.\u201d He\u2019s smirking, but he gives my shoulder a squeeze as he sits down beside me. \u201cWhat\u2019s the damage, Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like a few\u00a0hurt\u00a0ribs. They done a good job binding them, though. A good size knot on his head and some general roughing up.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss peers over the fire at Anne Marie. She’s sitting with\u00a0knees drawn up to her chest, and her arms are wrapped around them. Even though she’s\u00a0wrapped in\u00a0Adam\u2019s coat, she’s shivering.<\/p>\n \u201cI sure hated watching that muggins hit you, miss. You feelin\u2019 all right?\u201d Hoss asks.\u00a0 She just nods and puts her head down on her knees.<\/p>\n I tug at Adam\u2019s sleeve. \u201cWhat took you so long?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUngrateful pup,\u201d he answers back. He takes a minute to tuck Hoss\u2019s coat around me. Like Anne Marie, I’m shivering. \u201cThey were very well-prepared outlaws. They had the doors blocked from the outside.\u00a0\u00a0 Hoss and I went out a window . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss went out a window!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep. It was something to see. I’m afraid we didn’t give Pa\u00a0the time to argue\u00a0with us, but I expect he’ll be long with the posse soon enough.The gang had scattered all the horses they found on the street and at the livery. They had even dumped\u00a0the guns they’d collected from everyone into a horse trough. Luckily, Sport and Chub had been in an alley they missed- along with our rifles still in the scabbards. We weren\u2019t that far behind you, but we didn\u2019t want to get too close. So we followed slow and marked the trail for the posse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou tracked us in the dark?\u201d Anne Marie sounds impressed.<\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u201d Hoss grins at her. \u201cA nice bright night like this and a handful of shiny bread crumbs sure helped.\u201d He reaches into his pocket and pulls out bits and pieces of the ornaments she\u2019d had stuck in her hair. Now she grins back at him. \u201cNow you two settle back and rest while we figure on what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Anne Marie doesn\u2019t wait to be told twice. She curls up on the ground next to me. I swear it looks like she’s asleep as soon as she closes her eyes. I lean back myself and relax for the first time in hours. Even though my eyes are closed, I strain to listen to my brothers\u2019 conversation. Old habits die hard.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter off to let them rest here and wait for the posse. Joe\u2019s pretty banged up, and he shouldn\u2019t ride with them busted ribs.\u201d<\/p>\n I can hear Adam agree. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be surprised if they both aren\u2019t\u00a0a little sick from\u00a0everything that’s happened.\u201d<\/p>\n It sounds like we\u2019ll be staying awhile, so I feel like I can probably sleep. Then it occurs to me to warn them.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter keep an eye out for Rufe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that, punkin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the gang. Didn\u2019t want to let us go. Said he could sell us for plenty. We were thinking he might come back.\u201d<\/p>\n I open my eyes a little. Adam looks stone-cold furious. Hoss\u2019s jaw is set and his eyes are narrow, but his voice is calm and gentle. He pats my leg, \u201cHush, don\u2019t worry about that galoot. Me and Adam will keep an eye out.\u201d<\/p>\n I mean to tell them\u00a0I have a gun too, and\u00a0I can help keep watch, but it’s too hard to stay awake and I let go of trying.<\/p>\n XXXXXXXXXXXX<\/p>\n All of a sudden, I wake up\u00a0a little confused about where I am.\u00a0There’s cold ground under me\u00a0and Hoss\u2019s coat’s around me. I\u00a0hear the pop of the fire every now and then and catch a whiff of the smoke when the breeze blows in my direction. Somehow every piece of me is complaining about what happened earlier\u2014especially those pieces in contact with the gravelly soil.\u00a0Someone’s resting . . . sleeping maybe . . . beside me. Anne Marie? Since it\u2019s not ground shaking snores, it can\u2019t be Hoss. I start to giggle but smother it down quick.<\/p>\n Wriggling\u00a0around trying to get comfortable.\u00a0a big warm hand pats my leg, and I unglue my eyelids enough to see Hoss next to me. He\u2019s leaning against a rock peering across a fire that\u2019s burning low. It has to be near morning. The moon is getting pretty low in the sky, but I don\u2019t see any sign of dawn yet.<\/p>\n I decide to try to sleep some more when I hear just a little scraping sound–like\u00a0maybe the sound of a knee or boot toe over rock. It\u2019s the kind of sound that brings me wide awake real fast. I\u00a0smell something too-maybe like someone\u00a0that\u2019s gone too long without soap. My hearts starts to bang against my chest, and I pant a little from the fear that\u2019s running through me.<\/p>\n My eyes are opened wide now. Hoss is\u00a0staring into the dark being careful to keep his eyes away from the fire. The hand that had patted my leg is pressing firmly now. He hasn\u2019t made a sound, but I know he’s means, \u201cStay down!\u201d<\/p>\n Where\u2019s Adam? I want desperately to push up off the ground to be ready for whatever is coming.\u00a0Lying still\u00a0like this is torture. Concentrating on\u00a0the little puffs of air I\u00a0pull in and out past the pain in my ribs helps control the panicky feelings.<\/p>\n I turn my head slowly toward Anne Marie.\u00a0Her eyes are wide open,too. Hoss eases his hand off my leg. He cradles his rifle in the crook of his right arm and keeping his left hand close to the ground, he makes a few quick gestures. I nod just a little while I watch his fist. He shows me one finger, two fingers and then three fingers. Then he jerks his thumb toward the rock behind us as he kicks a boot into the fire sending up a cloud of sparks and dust. I\u00a0dig my heels into the dirt to scramble away, but I ain\u2019t going fast enough to please him. He grabs me by the shirt and practically flings me behind the boulder. I\u00a0catch hold\u00a0of Anne Marie, and she comes scrambling after me.<\/p>\n Just a minute ago, the night was quiet except for the night insects and the soft breeze. Now there\u2019s a riot of gunfire and shouting.\u00a0A haze of smoke fills my nostrils. Someone yells out in pain and falls to the ground. I swipe the water out of my eyes while I try to see who was hurt. Anne Marie is sobbing into my ear and clutching my shoulder so hard it hurts.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lull. No more gunfire. Darn it, I can\u2019t see anything. Where are my brothers?<\/p>\n I hear Adam drawl, \u201cYou might as well give up. Your partner\u2019s been hit.\u201d I could kiss old granite head.<\/p>\n Hoss yells, too. \u201cGive up, mister. It\u2019s all over.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n Then, I hear him . . . smell him too.\u00a0Dang it, I never even heard\u00a0Rufe\u00a0sneak up\u00a0behind us. He\u2019s got\u00a0a gun\u00a0jammed into my back, and he\u2019s holding a big hunk of Anne Marie\u2019s hair in his other hand.<\/p>\n \u201cNaw, it ain\u2019t over,\u201d Rufe growls, \u201cLookee here!\u201d<\/p>\n He shoves Anne Marie back into the clearing in front of the fire. He gestures with the gun for me to follow, but he doesn\u2019t wait for me to move. He throws me sprawling next to her. Before I can\u00a0do anything else, he\u00a0grabs my belt and rolls me onto my hip to face him. He traps Anne Marie between us and pins my leg to the ground with a hard knee, leaning into my thigh with all of his weight.<\/p>\n The man reeks. He\u2019s got his\u00a0 filthy arm crooked around her neck soiling her\u00a0dress and skin.\u00a0The pistol is pressed\u00a0against her temple. She\u2019s straining to breathe around the pressure on her neck, and the struggle has her skirt bunched up half over me.\u00a0 I can see his face clearly because he’s almost resting his chin in her hair.<\/p>\n \u201cLook here, boys! You just drop those guns or I\u2019ll shoot these two,\u201d\u00a0 Rufe yells.<\/p>\n Since the three of us are tangled together with him using us as shields, I don\u2019t see how my brothers are going to get a shot at him.<\/p>\n \u201cGive up, mister.\u201d How can Adam sound so calm? \u201cYou shoot those kids, and you\u2019re dead. Why not surrender now while it\u2019s only robbery?\u201d Adam’s actually giving pretty good advice. Rufe just doesn\u2019t seem the type to benefit.<\/p>\n Old Rufe is shaking with the strain of holding us down, but he ain\u2019t giving up. I\u00a0hear him cocking the pistol as he shouts, \u201cYou boys are going to watch me blow this little girl\u2019s brains out before I give up to you!\u201d<\/p>\n I believe him.<\/p>\n I\u00a0stare up at him from my position on the ground. My hands are free for what it\u2019s worth. There\u2019s no way that I can wrestle him or even punch\u00a0him. Rolled up on my right hip with my backside to the fire, I might as well be a log he\u2019s leaning against. Watching him, I notice\u00a0his face change in a way I don\u2019t like at all. For someone who’s probably made stupid decisions his life\u2019s work, he sure looks like he’s about to make a topper.<\/p>\n Because I haven\u2019t moved or spoken for so long, everybody\u2019s counted me out.\u00a0My eyes never leave Rufe\u2019s face. He hasn\u2019t glanced down at me once. His whole left side is open to me because of that arm he has around Anne Marie. It isn\u2019t much distance. He can\u2019t see me fumble around inside\u00a0my vest because of Anne Marie\u2019s skirt.<\/p>\n There’s only\u00a0one chance. He doesn\u2019t feel me lift my arm, and he doesn\u2019t notice when I press the derringer between his ribs. But I\u00a0hear him whisper to Anne Marie, \u201cSay goodbye, darlin\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n I pull the trigger.<\/p>\n That little gun is louder than you would think. I had to stretch way up as high as I could — nearly under his arm. I tried to angle it away from Anne Marie toward his back. I guess I did it just right.<\/p>\n Maybe the bullet hit his heart. He jerks and slumps over on top of us. His lifeblood comes pumping and pouring out the hole in his side. It spills and splashes\u00a0over Anne Marie and seems to drench my chest and face. I struggle to push away, but neither of us can move.<\/p>\n I’m choking on his blood. Anne Marie is screaming and struggling to get his dead weight off us. My brothers run up, and finally we are free. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re clear on just what’s happened. They\u2019re both frantic to see how we\u2019re hurt. Before I know it, Adam has me clutched to his chest wiping at my face.\u00a0 Now Rufe\u2019s blood stains Adam\u2019s shirt as he holds me against him. I show my brother the little pocket pistol in my hand. He just shakes his head.\u00a0 I want to explain, but there\u2019s a ringing sound\u00a0in my ears, and everything goes completely dark.<\/p>\n XXXXXXXXXXXXX<\/p>\n What a wretched few hours this has been. I woke up with a wet cloth wiping at my face. Anne Marie had settled down into little hitching sobs. I found that most of me from head to waist was splashed with gore. My shirt and the cloth binding my ribs are soaked with it. It is stiff in my hair, and when I look at Anne Marie I can see that her left side-her arm, waist and skirt are stained. The ends of her hair are stuck together. My brothers\u2019 clothing is ruined from holding us and caring for us. There isn\u2019t near enough canteen water to clean anyone up.<\/p>\n Rufe\u2019s pal has been patched up, and he’s tied to his horse. He’s not saying much now, but he sure talked his head off earlier. Hoss told him to save it for the sheriff. Rufe\u2019s body is across his saddle. I’m trying not to look.<\/p>\n I know that my brothers think it would have been smarter to stay at the campsite and just wait for the posse. But it really didn\u2019t take much to convince them that we had to get out of there. Adam says he just didn\u2019t want to put up with a couple of hysterical kids for the rest of the night. That makes me mad. I ain\u2019t hysterical. I\u2019m just . . . cold and sorta sick. Anne Marie ain\u2019t hysterical either. She\u2019s just sad and shaky.<\/p>\n Hoss lifts me up onto Buck and puts Anne Marie behind me. That\u2019s good. We started this trip together, and we should finish it. We start moving back toward town just fast enough to call it moving.<\/p>\n It\u2019s only an hour or so after sunrise.\u00a0Looks as if\u00a0it will turn into a pretty day even though there\u2019s a swirl of ground fog around us now. We hear the posse before we see them. It ain’t\u00a0hard to imagine what we look like to them appearing out of the mist this way. Horses and men surround us abruptly. All the noise that comes with a crowd of horses and men kinda dies away when they take a good look at us.<\/p>\n Sheriff Coffee is there, naturally. He takes charge right away,shouting orders for someone to ride back to town for the doctor and a wagon. As he helps Anne Marie down, I see Hoss point to the outlaw tied to the horse and to the horse with Rufe lying belly down.<\/p>\n Some of the men are told to mount their horses and leave to find the hideout that Rufe\u2019s pal was nice enough to tell them about. A couple of others are to take the outlaw and Rufe\u2019s body and head back to town.<\/p>\n My eyes start to sting, and there\u2019s a big lump in my throat. I swipe my sleeve across my face, and before I get my arm down, my pa is at my side.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph!\u201d<\/p>\n Pa’s voice is all raspy like he\u2019s choked on too much trail dust. He needs a shave, and the suit he wore to the dance is a sight. He holds his arms up to me, and Adam helps ease me down. Before my feet touch the ground, he\u2019s got his arms wrapped around me. After a moment, he gently pushes me away far enough to look me over. As his eyes take in all the signs of violence, the color just drains from his face.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did they do to you, boy?\u201d Pa whispers, \u201cWhat did they do to all of you?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam is right beside me with his hand on my back holding me steady. \u201cIt\u2019s not his blood. Not our blood. Everything is all right. He did good. They both did good.\u201d<\/p>\n Did good? I don\u2019t see how that can be true. I\u2019ve got a man\u2019s life all over me. At the thought of everything that\u2019s happened in the last hours, I can\u2019t hold it together one more minute. Right now, right here in front of all these men, I’m crying in Pa\u2019s arms. They\u2019re all kind enough to ignore me, and my brothers\u00a0step in front of us to allow me some privacy.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, son. We\u2019ll get both of you patched up and home before you know it. A bath, clean clothes and you\u2019ll feel like a new man.\u201d Pa\u2019s determined to sound cheerful. \u201cI\u2019ll bet you\u2019re hungry. I know Hop Sing will make you a fine meal-anything you like!\u201d<\/p>\n Anything I like. I\u2019d like to be home. I\u2019d like a bath and a meal. I\u2019d like to sleep for a day or more. I\u2019d like to finish my dance with Anne Marie. I\u2019d like to be the same Little Joe I was this time yesterday. But I am happy for what I\u2019ve got right now. I guess that\u2019s good enough.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n Next in the Harvest Dance Series<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
\nRepercussions<\/a><\/p>\n