Page 85 of Wild Horses

Drying, she stared at the dress, her anger surfacing again at being forced to wear it. She snatched it from the bed, holding it up to inspect it. She scowled. It was a nice dress, fancy without being over embellished but very low cut across the front. She’d be lucky if her breasts didn’t fall out of it. Sighing she put it on, wishing she had a corset and proper underthings. Walking downstairs in the low cut dress would be more troubling knowing the only thing she was wearing underneath all this satin was skin.

She dried her hair best she could, finger combing the strands. When she was as presentable as she could be without a brush she sat on the bed and waited. Then waited some more. Her stomach growled. It had been hours since she’d eaten and even then it had only been dried beef and not very much of it.

The noise from downstairs told her the main room at the bottom of the stairs was still full of people. Laughter and music seemed to spill from the walls of the building and inhaling deeply, she caught the scent of cooking meat. Her stomach growled again.

She cursed under her breath then stood and went to the door. It was unlocked. She’d thought of nothing since Jack locked her in but getting out and just like that, the door opened with nothing more than a turn of the handle. Odd. Did Jack not think she’d try to leave the first chance she got? She could walk downstairs and out the front door before he knew she was even gone. No, it couldn’t be that easy.

Turning the handle, she cracked the door open to peek out into the hall, then sighed. The girl was there, leaning against the wall. Was she left to watch her? When she lifted her head to look at her, she got her answer and by the expression on the girls face, she wasn’t about to let her just walk away without letting every person in the building know it.

Like it or not, she was stuck but that didn’t mean she would be forever. With the number of men that were downstairs, there had to be at least one who would help her if they knew she was being held against her will. All she had to do was find the right man to set her free.

There shouldn’t have beenany question as to what he should do first. He’d spent the last week going over exactly what he’d do the moment he reached town but now that he was here, Jesse shifted in his saddle and looked between the railway station and Front Street. Did he run off and try to rescue his wife alone, find the sheriff and tell him what was happening or meet with the buyer and unload the herd in order to buy Alex back from Jack?

The streets were filled with wagons, horses, buggies and people. The noise was deafening with his own jumbled thoughts clamoring inside his head joining the cacophony. He looked behind him. The cattle stretched in a dusty trail a mile long. The chuck wagon sat just outside town and everyone was waiting for him to tell them what to do. The men were ready to get paid and be on their way and after all they’ve been through, he couldn’t blame them. As much as he needed to get Alex back, he needed to do right by these men. He needed to tell the sheriff what was happening and go meet the buyer, leaving Jack to be handled by a proper lawman. Lord knew he’d probably hang if he went after him alone. The urge to kill him was strong.

Decision made he headed toward the far end of the street to the sheriff’s office, weaving his way through the throng of people and wagons. He used to love the hustle and bustle of a busy city but a week back in Willow Creek was all it took to enjoy the quiet simplicity of small town life. He’d take it over this any day.

He looked at each building he passed, looking for the sheriff’s office and did a double-take when he saw a face he recognized. “Owen!” He nudged his horse into a trot, clicking his tongue to get him to move faster so he didn’t lose the kid and nearly lost him in a sea of bodies. “Owen!”

The kid stopped and looked toward the street, his eyes widening when he saw him. Jesse jumped from his horse, making his way through the crowd to get to him. He grabbed his arm when he was close enough and dragged him between two buildings. “I’m glad to see you made it.” He smiled, looking back toward the street to see if his horse was still in sight. As always, he was close by. “Have you talked to the sheriff and told him what’s been going on?”

Owen looked away and shook his head. “No. I ain’t had a chance.”

“You’ve not had a chance? Why not? You’ve been gone nearly two weeks.”

He sighed and glanced up. “I got caught, that’s why.”

“Caught by who?”

“Jack.”

A string of words not suitable for public flitted through his mind. He clenched his teeth to keep them inside and counted to ten before daring to speak. “Was Alex with him?”

“Yes.”

“Where are they?”

He blushed. The kid’s ears even turned red.

“Well?”

Owen sighed and looked away again. “He’s holed up over at The China Doll. He and the woman who own it are on friendly terms.”

“The China Doll?”

“It’s a whore house.”

“And Alex?”

He blushed again, this time a shade darker.

“Tell me.”

Owen shook his head, a muscle in his jaw flexing. “Jack makes her work the main room or she don’t eat.”

If Owen said anything after that, he didn’t hear it as a thousand and one ways to kill Jack came to mind one right after the other. He found his horse and climbed up into the saddle, maneuvering through the crowded street with murder on his mind.

It took two trips through town to find The China Doll. He was off his horse and barging through the door before taking the time to think things through properly.

---