A Niece for Christmas Read online

  “Yeah.” He laughed. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were coming tomorrow.”

  “I wanted to make sure you got them. No-one will ever find them up here.” The woman’s laugh bordered on maniacal.

  She was insane, which made her even more dangerous. They could die up here and no-one would ever know. Fear churned Clemmie’s stomach until she felt sick with it.

  “Tie her up to that hook on the wall, then move the little cripple well away from her. You can even untie her hands. If it wasn’t for her, Ethan would have married me, before this hag came on the scene.”

  “You can’t untie her, she’ll set the woman free.”

  “Put her in the corner, she’s a cripple and won’t be able to get over to dear Clemmie and save her.” Mary-Lou laughed again. “I’m enjoying this, Lonnie.”

  “Why did you tell them who I am?”

  “It doesn’t matter, they’re going to die here like rats in a trap. Maybe Santa Claus will rescue them.” Her shrill laugh echoing around the room chilled Clemmie to the bone.

  “No-one will find them, well not until spring roundup and they’ll be well and truly dead by then.” Mary-Lou gave a vicious smile. “I’d love to be here to see the look on dear Ethan’s face when he finds their bodies.”

  They were going to die, Clemmie was sure of it. This woman was so twisted up with hatred she wouldn’t let them live. What of Ethan? He would be devastated. Why hadn’t she told him she loved him when she had the chance?

  Keep calm, Clementine, it’s your only hope. You can’t let little Jessica die.

  “We’ll come back tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got a Christmas Eve party to attend,” Mary-Lou said. “I want to see them thirsty and hungry. I’ll be calling in every few days until they’re dead.”

  “Dammit, Mary-Lou,” Lonnie said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Why? I want to gloat. I want to see their fear, smell it,” she ranted.

  The woman was so crazy it was useless trying to reason with her to let Jessica go. If they were going to get out of here alive. It would be without help.

  The door slammed shut leaving them alone.

  “I’m frightened, Clemmie.”

  “We have to be clever. I have to think of a way to get us out of here.”

  “How? Your hands are tied up and hooked to the wall.”

  If only she could somehow free herself from the hook, she could get over to Jessica and get her to untie the ropes so they could escape. That would be another obstacle, she would have to carry her. Depending on where they were, she might be able to find a hiding place for the child and make it to the ranch on her own for help.

  Ideas spun around in her head until it ached. They wouldn’t be missed for hours. Ethan was out working and Jake and Agnes were in town.

  “Are we going to die?”

  “Of course not. I’m working on a couple of ideas.” It was a lie, her thoughts were so jumbled up with the different scenarios she couldn’t think straight.

  She had to free herself from the hook, but couldn’t see how it had been attached. She leaned forward, desperately trying to pull it in the hopes the wood might be rotted and would break away. It was as solid as a rock.

  If they could somehow get out of the cabin, they could set it on fire. Surely that would bring someone to their aid. She could carry Jessica a safe distance away and they could hide until someone came to rescue them. That would be better than trying to carry the child too far. All they had to do was hope the place would catch fire. If it did the flames would be seen for miles.

  Chapter Eight

  Jessica wasn’t tied up. Could she possibly crawl the ten feet or so separating them? She would have to stand up to release the rope from the hook, then untie it. Could the child do it?

  “Listen, sweetheart, I need you to get over to me.”

  “How?”

  “You’ll have to crawl. Lay on your stomach and pull yourself along by your arms. If you can make it over here you can untie me.”

  She didn’t tell the child she would have to stand up. They had been practicing her standing for days now. Her legs were getting stronger. She could hang on to me, pull herself up and unhook the looped rope.

  “I can’t.”

  “You can, Jessie, you can.”

  The child was slumped against the far wall. “Get yourself on the ground and roll on to your stomach then slowly drag yourself along.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “You can. You must. For me and Uncle Ethan. Imagine how he will feel when he discovers we’re gone?”

  “How do I do it?”

  “Sort of let yourself fall sideways, then roll on to your stomach. I know it’s hard and you’re frightened, but you are the only one who can save us. If that mad woman comes back with Lonnie tomorrow, they might decide to kill us straight away.”

  Jessica was so pale her skin looked almost transparent, her eyes were dark with fear. Suddenly she flopped sideways on to the floor.

  “Good girl. Now roll on to your stomach, then use your arms to drag yourself along. Slowly, stop and have a rest if you have to.”

  Slowly, painfully, grunting with the effort she started moving.

  “Just go a little way then rest. You don’t want to tire yourself out too much. That’s it, have a rest. Does Agnes make a nice Christmas cake?” Purposely she tried to relax the child with inconsequential chatter.

  “Yes.”

  “When I was a little girl I remember my mother used to make wonderful Christmas puddings. On Christmas Day we had a special midday meal. My father used to pour brandy over the pudding and set it alight. It was so exciting, and the pudding tasted nice, too.”

  Of her own accord Jessica dragged herself a little closer. Luckily she wore long sleeves so her arms would not be lacerated by the rough floor.

  “I’m tired and my arms hurt.”

  “I know, sweetheart, but you need to keep moving. We have to get out of here in case they change their minds and decide to come back.”

  Finally, the child made it over to her. She was exhausted, puffing and panting; otherwise she seemed fine.

  “You did it, you brave girl. Have a rest. I’ve got one more task to ask you to do. I know you’re brave and you will have to be.” The child slumped against Clemmie’s legs. “If I had a medal for bravery I’d pin it on your chest right now.”

  “A drink of water would be better.”

  Clemmie laughed. “How about a nice, juicy beef steak?”

  “Like we had at the diner?”

  “Yes. I’ve never tasted Texas beef before. I’m sure we didn’t have it in New Orleans.”

  “Did you eat French food?”

  “Yes, Creole, too. Such a mixture of people live in New Orleans.”

  It was mid-afternoon by Clemmie’s reckoning so Agnes and Jack would be back from town and realize they were missing. Once they found the wheelchair they would realize something terrible had happened.

  Ethan wouldn’t know where to start searching. Lonnie wouldn’t have left any signs. How could a man be so treacherous? Of course, he had fallen under Mary-Lou’s evil spell. She probably told him they could get married and the poor fool fell for it.

  “Now, Jessie, I need you to pull yourself up and unhook the rope, then we can get out of here.”

  “I can’t, not if you don’t hold my hand.”

  “You can. Grab on to the sides of my skirt for support and reach over. You can do it. I know you can.”

  Tears filled the child’s eyes.

  “You can do it. We’ve practiced, remember. To give Uncle Ethan a Christmas surprise and this is even more important. Pull yourself up using my skirt for support, then hang on to me with one hand and use the other one to unhook the rope. You won’t fall, and even if you did, the ground isn’t hard.”

  “I’m too scared.”

  “You have to do it. On the count of three. One, two, three.” Jessica grabbed her skirt and started pulling herself up
. After getting about half way, she flopped down.

  “See, I told you I couldn’t.”

  “You can. You have to, listen to me, sweetheart. They want to kill me, you too. We have to get out of here. Do you understand?” She hated speaking this way to a child. “It’s a matter of life and death.”

  Jessica really started crying now, great sobs wracked her body.

  “You have to stand. I can’t get you away from here hooked up to the wall.”

  “Uncle Ethan will come.”

  “He can’t if he doesn’t know where we are. Do you want that evil witch of a woman to come back?”

  “No! No! I hate her.”

  “So do I. Think how angry she’ll be when she comes back and we’re gone. If we can get out of here we can go back to the ranch and you can hang up your stocking for Santa Claus. I know he will leave you lots of beautiful presents.”

  God, please help Jessica to stand, she inwardly prayed. The child would tire quickly. A couple more attempts and the little girl’s strength would be spent.

  She felt the pull on her skirt, and Jessie’s hand grabbing at her waistband. “Good girl. Reach over. Unhook the rope.”

  As the child’s legs gave way she somehow flicked the rope off the hook before they both sank to the ground.

  “You did it. You did it.” She rained kisses all over Jessie’s face. “Have a little rest and we can get out of here. We’ll burn the place to the ground and the horrible memories with it. What do you say?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s the spirit, that evil witch will come here tomorrow and there will be nothing left except a heap of smoldering ashes.”

  Clemmie rolled herself into a position that enabled Jessie to untie the knotted rope.

  “Thank you, God,” she whispered over and over. Their guardian angel had been truly watching over them this day.

  She climbed to her feet and glanced around. Lonnie had left a canteen on the table. She stumbled over and grabbed it up. Taking a swig to make sure the water was drinkable, she took it to Jessie.

  “I think we both deserve a drink after all that’s happened.”

  After a short rest and flexing her legs to get the circulation moving, after hours of standing virtually on the one spot, she decided to make a move. “You stay here and I’ll look outside to see if there are some good hiding places for us. I’ll get you and once you’re settled, I’ll come back and set fire to the cabin, then all we have to do is wait for Uncle Ethan.”

  She got to the cabin door and inched it open. No horses or wagon to be seen. She scanned the empty horizon. Nothing stirred. The area was treed in some places, grassed in others. By the numerous stumps and fallen timber, the trees had been cut down at some stage.

  A clump of bushes and trees about a hundred yards from the cabin was the only place in which to hide. It wasn’t much, but it was unlikely either Lonnie or Mary-Lou would return today.

  Imagine a woman being so callous as to kidnap another woman and a child, calmly tell them she was going to starve them to death, then take herself off to a Christmas Eve party.

  The cabin was old, although in reasonable condition, most likely on Ethan’s ranch. What if it wasn’t? She hadn’t thought of that before. Don’t put obstacles in your path.

  She hurried back to the cabin where Jessica was still slumped against the wall.

  “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll carry you over to the table so I can put you on my back. I’ll get you away from this place. I found a nice clump of trees where we can hide while we wait for Uncle Ethan.”

  She carried the child over to the table and sat her on it. “Now, I’ll bend down a little, you put your arms around my neck and I’ll piggy-back you out of here.”

  It wasn’t as easy as she had thought it would be. Finally, she got Jessica on to her back and they left the cabin.

  The hundred yards or so felt like about two thousand. Jessica was a dead weight. “I’m not much of a horse, so don’t whip me to go any faster.”

  The child laughed as she meant her to. Clemmie was on the verge of collapse as she staggered into the trees which grew quite close together. After depositing Jessica on the ground with her back propped up against a tree trunk, she sat with her for a few minutes to catch her breath.

  After having stood for so long without moving her legs, they were aching and weak. She would have been in a worse position had she not slumped against the wall from time to time and let her arms take some of her weight. At the time she felt like her arms were being wrenched out of their sockets.

  “Right, you stay here and I’ll run back and set the cabin on fire, then all we have to do is wait until someone comes to save us. She feared it wouldn’t be that easy, but a small white lie or two was necessary to stop the little girl from giving up hope. If the fire didn’t bring help, she’d have to come up with a different idea.

  Dashing back to the cabin, she grabbed up an armful of dried leaves piled near the door and took them inside. Placing them near the back wall, she took a burning log and laid it over them. Running outside again, she grabbed another armful of leaves and fed her little fire. A ragged curtain hung over the window and she ripped it down to add fuel to her spluttering fire. A bucket had kindling in it so she used those as well. If she could scoop up some of the read coals and pile them in a corner it might start a blaze there as well.

  Grabbing up a lamp from the table she made her way to the door and just before leaving the cabin, hurled it on to the stone fireplace. It shattered and the oil spurted out, causing flames to leap from the fire.

  She took to her heels and ran. By the time she made it back to Jessica her breath was coming out in short labored pants and she collapsed on to the ground.

  “It’s on fire,” Jessie cried out and Clemmie turned her head. One of the walls was burning. She watched tongues of flame leaping higher, until suddenly the roof caught fire.

  Chapter Nine

  Four hours earlier

  Ethan entered the ranch house, hanging his hat and duster on the door hooks. All was silent. Agnes was probably still at her ladies’ meeting while Jack would be visiting a few of his friends in town.

  Where were Clemmie and Jessica? Those two were as thick as molasses in winter. The coffee pot at the side of the stove was warm. No-one had been here for a while. Maybe they were having a lie down? Clemmie had taken over Jessica’s care and her sleep was interrupted when the child had nightmares.

  His sleep had been interrupted also, not because of nightmares but thinking of his beautiful wife sleeping two doors away.

  Jessica’s room was empty. He hesitated at the connecting door, not liking to invade Clemmie’s privacy. She’s my wife and I have the right if I choose to use it. He pushed the door open and peeked in. Empty.

  They must have gone outside. He had been dead set against Jessica going outside at this time of year, although she was looking so much better now. The fresh air had put color in her cheeks, added a sparkle to her eyes.

  Not bothering with his hat or duster, he strode toward the place where they had their picnics. Clemmie had told him in confidence where it was and he had said nothing to Jessica because she thought of it as a secret place.

  It amazed him she could now bear to be near the creek. After the accident, and before Clemmie’s arrival, she had been terrified of being anywhere near running water.

  He spotted the empty wheelchair and the blanket on the ground. Fear surged through him with such force it almost brought him to his knees. Dashing to the water’s edge there was no sign of them, the sandy section undisturbed with no footprints to be seen.

  Striding back to the wheelchair his gazed ranged over the area. Wheel marks! Someone had taken them. It was the only explanation. That Harold varmint most likely. Clemmie had been frightened of him after he had threatened her. Obviously her fears had been well founded.

  On foot he tracked the marks for a short time, then they suddenly disappeared. It was not a large wagon otherwise it would have l
eft a more discernable trail. A couple of the men were nearby fixing a fence and he yelled out to them. They rushed over.

  In a few words he told them what had happened. “We’ll saddle the horses, boss,” Mike said.

  “Thanks. Take your guns. I’ll get back to the house and grab my rifle.”

  Within minutes they were mounted and ready to ride. “We’ll spread out. Three shots in the air if you find anything.”

  One of the men started toward the entrance to the ranch.

  “No. I can see some tracks. They look to be heading toward the west boundary.” Ethan’s hands were shaking, his gut churned. If he lost his two gals life wouldn’t be worth a pinch of cow dung.

  Suddenly in the distance, flames leapt into the air near the old trapper’s cabin that had stood empty for years. It wasn’t near the cabin - by the looks of things, it was the cabin. Was that where they had been taken? Locked up in there? Burned alive? The thought left him feeling like he’d been gut shot.

  He urged his horse into a gallop and the men followed him.

  “Holy hell,” Mike yelled out.

  It was the cabin all right, too fierce and contained to be a wild fire. It didn’t take long for them to see the extent of the blaze. The cabin was burning from top to bottom. No-one could have survived such an inferno.

  “Uncle Ethan, Uncle Ethan.” A voice called out from behind some trees.

  “Thank you God,” he whispered. “Thank you for keeping my gals safe.” He vaulted off his horse. One of the men grabbed the reins as the fire made the animals skittish.

  Ethan charged toward the clump of trees. Clemmie’s face was white and scratched. He scooped Jessica off her back and rained kisses all over her face. “Thank God, you’re safe.” He wrapped his other arm around his wife. “When I thought I’d lost both of you I wanted to die.”

  He kissed Clemmie on the lips, once, twice. He deepened the kiss before common decency had him pulling away.

  Clemmie quickly told him what had happened.