You Have Stolen My Heart Oh Yeah
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The next morning, Susan was up early. She went to the barn for a bucket of water and found it empty. She looked around, then heard her brother laughing as he rode in on his horse. “Tom!”
“Morning, little sister,” Tom said with a grin. He came over and gave her a kiss before she could pull away from him. “It looks like you got a bit too cozy last night.”
She blushed at his teasing remark. “We were just talking about our trip home.”
His brow wrinkled in confusion. “Did something happen?”
Susan shook her head. “Just that I want us to be careful this time so there won’t be any more misunderstandings between us. We have to keep our distance while we’re here.”
He nodded. “I don’t mind keeping my distance from you, but I’ll miss the companionship we shared last night.” He winked. “Besides, I can’t say no to your big blue eyes or that sweet mouth of yours.”
Susan smiled back at him. “So can I come into town with you today? The stores are starting to run low.”
“I guess it’s all right. Just don’t do anything foolish while I’m gone,” he warned her. “Don’t think I won’t know if I hear someone has been snooping around in the barn.”
She shrugged and took a quick sip from her water bucket. Then she left the barn for the house. She wanted to get some breakfast before they headed out, so she hurried to the kitchen where she saw her mother already hard at work.
“Good morning, Mother.”
“And good morning, dear. How was your sleep?” Her mother stopped what she was doing and looked at her with concern.
“Fine. I didn’t even hear Tom leave this morning,” Susan said with a laugh.
Her mother chuckled. “Yes, I thought the same thing myself when I went downstairs and smelled coffee brewing. I had hoped you would stay awake until after breakfast.”
They both laughed as the front door opened. They looked up to see Tom enter the room wearing his black hat and coat along with his wide-brimmed straw cowboy hat. He carried two saddlebags over one shoulder and a long gun case under his other arm.
He walked into the kitchen and set down his bags. He pulled off his hat and placed it on the table, then unbuttoned his coat before he put it down. “Well, I’m ready.”
Her mother rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank God you’re safe! I’ve been praying every day since you left that you’d be back soon.”
Susan watched as their father and brother joined them in the kitchen and embraced Tom first. After Tom left the room to get his bags from the barn, her father asked her, “Are you coming?”
“I guess so.” She glanced at the clock on the mantle and realized they should leave in half an hour. She picked up her coffee cup, then took a sip and followed him to the dining room for breakfast.
***
By late afternoon, they rode into town. They entered through the east gate and made their way down Main Street. Susan couldn’t believe how busy the town looked. There were horses tied to each corner with wagons parked beside each one.
Many of the shops were already open; others were still setting up their displays for business, while a few were closed. A large crowd had gathered to watch a parade pass by. “Where is it going?” Susan wondered aloud as they watched men march along, dressed in colorful costumes. They wore tall red hats with feathers poking up out of the top. Each man carried a rifle over his shoulder.
A boy came running toward them waving a handkerchief. “There’s a big party going on at the fairgrounds over yonder,” the boy yelled, pointing at the north end of town. “Everyone will be there.”
“Sounds interesting,” Tom said. “Let’s go check it out.” He turned to Susan, “I hope you like barbecue.”
“Barbecue? Why do you ask me that?”
His smile grew wider. “I figured you might want to try it because I certainly plan on eating all that I can. I’ll let you order whatever you like, although I wouldn’t mind some ribs or maybe some pulled pork sandwiches.” He winked at her.
Susan blushed slightly at his teasing comment. It wasn’t unusual for him to tease her about food since she was such a picky eater. But she decided not to embarrass herself with another joke or sarcastic remark. Instead, she said, “That sounds great. Thank you.”
After leaving their horses with a local stable owner, they made their way to the fairgrounds. As they walked in, the smell of meat cooking over flames filled the air. Men dressed in bright green shirts and white pants were grilling huge pieces of meat over charcoal fires.
Others cooked vegetables and baked bread in large pots, while others roasted marshmallows over campfires. Music was playing loudly from somewhere inside the building, drawing them deeper into the crowds of people.
Tom pointed toward one of the booths selling drinks in bottles and cups. “Let’s grab some lemonade before we start exploring the rest of the fair. That way you’ll have something to drink.”
Susan smiled as she ordered a cup of ice water for herself, but Tom insisted on buying her a Coke.
The band that played country music and western tunes seemed to be popular with everyone, including Tom. They strolled through the buildings admiring everything from handmade jewelry to quilts to wooden furniture. Most of the vendors sold similar items, but they did sell a few unique ones such as old coins and antique toys.
Tom held up a stuffed brown bear for her. “How about a gift for your niece?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.” She glanced at him and asked, “What do you suppose the fair is for?”
He shrugged. “I guess it has something to do with our heritage here in Kansas Territory.” He paused briefly, then continued, “But I wonder if this isn’t more of a celebration than anything else.” He handed her the bottle of lemonade and added, “We celebrate almost everything.”
“Yes, I noticed.” They both chuckled and headed to a nearby booth selling fried pies and cakes. They sat on the front porch outside the restaurant and watched the people passing by for several minutes. Tom sipped his drink and munched on one of the cakes. Susan eyed the other cake in the basket and decided that she would save one for later.
While they ate, they listened to a group of men singing songs in the street. The words of many of those being sung were unfamiliar. But after watching the men play the guitar and fiddle, she was amazed to realize most of the lyrics were familiar.
She remembered how Tom had talked about listening to the ballads and stories told by her mother and uncle and decided he must know what he was talking about.
When they finished eating and left the bakery, they stopped by the general store for supplies before making their way back to the house. Susan wanted to stop by the post office to send a letter home, but her father didn’t seem interested in waiting around for her.
She also hoped to mail a note to her mother, but she couldn’t find her address anywhere in the small town. So she wrote it on the envelope and slipped it into her purse. After leaving it with Tom, she made her way to the house, hoping her father hadn’t returned before her.
It took an hour to pack the wagon with all of their purchases. Tom insisted on taking a wagon rather than walking. “If we’re going to ride horses every day, I’ll use whatever means necessary to travel faster,” he said.
They arrived at the ranch around four o’clock, and she quickly unloaded their wagon and put away their purchase from town before helping Tom unload his saddle bags. “You’ve been gone long enough. Why don’t you get some dinner started while I clean up?” she suggested when they got back to the house.
Tom laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t hog the kitchen. You need to feed yourself some time.”
“I can cook too, you know,” she snapped. Then she sighed. “And I will, but not tonight. I haven’t eaten anything today except my lunch, which is still in my pocketbook. Besides, I thought maybe we could just relax and catch up on things. Maybe even watch some television.”
“Sounds good.” He reached out to take her hand, but then stopped himself and withdrew his arm.
She knew exactly what he meant and was relieved by it. “Well, I’ll go change first so we can eat together.” She turned and hurried upstairs.
***
By eight o’clock that evening Susan felt like she should be working or doing something productive, but there was nothing for her to do. There was no work for her to do and the only thing she could think about was her father’s reaction to her news.
Her mind kept drifting to thoughts of how her family might react to hearing she’d quit her job. She tried to tell herself she was being foolish, that they wouldn’t judge her harshly for quitting. But she also couldn’t help worrying that they might.
Maybe she had been wrong to give them any reason for suspicion in the first place. She knew her father would have disapproved of her getting involved with Tom, but she never expected him to fire her. Yet that’s exactly what happened when she told him about their plan to marry.
And now she had to decide whether or not to tell them about their trip. Should she let them know? If they found out from someone else, would that make it better or worse?
Susan pulled out her notebook again and jotted down a few notes. Her mind went over the list of questions they needed to ask the land agent. But she couldn’t concentrate enough to write anything coherent. Finally, she gave up and climbed into bed.
As soon as she closed her eyes, the nightmare began. She was running through the woods trying desperately to escape something terrible chasing her. She was so terrified that she couldn’t breathe. When the monster finally caught up with her, she realized that she wasn’t alone.
A man lay sprawled on the ground beside her, his throat torn apart by a large black dog.
“Help me!” Susan screamed in terror. “Save me! Please!”
The man tried to pull himself away from the beast, but he was too weak from blood loss to stand. As his face sank into the dirt, the dog licked at his neck and growled.
Then Susan woke up gasping for breath and shaking. Her heart pounded and she felt nauseous. She threw off the covers and ran to the bathroom where she vomited into the toilet bowl until nothing remained in her stomach.
Then she flushed and washed her mouth with water from the sink. It did little to settle her nerves and she wondered if Tom would be able to calm her down this time or if he’d run out of patience after dealing with her night terrors several times already.
She dressed quickly and walked downstairs to find Tom sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping hot chocolate and reading her note aloud: “Dear Father, Mother, and Uncle Joe. I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to inform you that I have decided to return home for a visit.
I expect to arrive back in Kansas City within two weeks and will come to see you as soon as possible. I’m sorry for disappointing you and leaving without telling you, but I had to do what I thought was best for my future. Love, Susan.”
When she finished reading, Tom looked up from his book. “What do you think of that?”
“It feels weird,” she admitted.
“Yeah, me too. I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t that.”
She nodded. “I guess I shouldn’t have written it all out, but I wanted to say everything that needed saying and leave no stone unturned.”
“You’re right.” He set down his book and picked up his cup. “But it doesn’t seem like you said much.”
She hesitated, unsure if she should tell him what she’d left out of the letter. Then she decided to just come clean. “That’s because I didn’t write it for them; I wrote it for myself.”
He nodded, looking thoughtful. “And you didn’t think your parents would want to read about our plans for traveling west?”
“No. That’s why I left that part out. They’ve done so much for me, but I feel like they always expected me to be something I’m not. Something they wanted me to be instead of who I really am.”
Tom reached across the table and laid his hand on top of hers. “They probably worry about you more than you realize. It’s natural for them to want you to do things their way, especially since they raised you. What kind of life would that be—for both of you?”
“Exactly. I think that’s one reason they’ve been so adamant about me marrying someone they chose for me. They didn’t raise me to marry a stranger, yet they won’t even consider me giving Tom a chance.” She took a deep breath. “It feels wrong to put them in such a position.”
Tom sat quietly thinking about what she’d said, then he leaned toward her, his brown eyes soft with concern. “Don’t you remember what I told you once before? Your parents love you very much.”
“Yes, I know,” she whispered. “But there are other ways of showing that love besides telling you who I’m supposed to marry.” She squeezed his fingers gently. “If I can’t tell them what’s going on in my life, how can we trust each other? How can you ever believe that I’m telling you the truth when I don’t even believe it myself?”
He studied her intently, trying to figure out what made her tick. “I know this is hard for you.”
“Very,” she agreed.
He reached into his pocket and handed her the folded newspaper clipping. “I found this in the hotel desk drawer.”
Susan unfolded the paper, her eyes widening when she saw that the headline read: MISSING IN WILDWOOD PARK! The story went on to say that three-year-old Tommy Williams and his governess were last seen at Wildwood Park on the morning of August 4th and were believed to be abducted by Indians or bandits. Both Tom and Susan recognized the picture of Susan standing beside the boy.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked, holding the paper in front of her to shield him from any glare. “I don’t want anyone to know—”
He interrupted her. “We need to get you away from here, Susan.”
“How?”
“By the time word reaches your family, we’ll be well on our way back east.”
She shook her head. “The train leaves in two hours.”
He stood up and pulled the chair close. “We may have to take another route to get to New Orleans. But that can wait until after we’ve dealt with this situation first.”
“This situation?”
He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “You need to talk with Sheriff Barnes about the kidnapping case.”
Her heart stopped beating. “Do you think he knows something?”
“Maybe.” Tom rubbed his chin. “Let’s go.”
***
When the sheriff met them in his office, Tom wasted no time getting to the point. “Sheriff, I believe my sister was kidnapped by Indians and taken to Wildwood Park.”
The sheriff nodded, his gaze moving between them. “Did you find any trace of her?”
“No, but we’re going to look again tonight.”
“Good.” He glanced at Susan. “So what happened? What makes you think your sister was abducted?”
“My father received a letter from Mrs. Williams yesterday afternoon. In the note, she says that Tom and I have gone west, but she didn’t know where we had traveled to.” Susan paused. “Mrs. Williams also said that she couldn’t keep an eye on us forever, as the sheriff mentioned earlier.
It sounded as though she was asking my mother to send word if we ever returned home. I thought maybe that’s why my parents wanted to see me off with them this morning.”
The sheriff leaned forward. “What did she look like? Did you recognize her handwriting?”
“Yes, it looked similar to hers, but she used some fancy printing.” Susan tapped the side of her finger against her lips and smiled at Tom. “But the real thing that gave me pause was the name she signed it with.”
Tom stared at her with a puzzled expression. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I wrote the note too,” she admitted.
The sheriff turned to Tom. “Was the signature your sister’s?”
“Yes,” he said, then he hesitated. “And it looked exactly like the one in her journal.”
The sheriff leaned back, tapping his fingers on his desk. Then he looked at Susan, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What else can you tell me about your sister?”
“Well, as far as I knew, she never dated anyone, let alone fell in love. But there was a young man named Charles Taggert who came around quite often.” Her eyes moved past him, then she glanced back at the sheriff. “Charles is actually my half-brother.”
The sheriff sat up. “Your half-brother?”
“Yes, my parents had a child with someone else before they married.”
The sheriff frowned at the revelation. “That would explain a lot.” His voice became stern. “Tell me everything—everything.”
Susan nodded. “We grew up together, and Tom was only four years younger than me.” She hesitated, thinking of how much she wished she could talk with her sister now. “Susan always seemed to be so happy when she was around Charles. I guess he reminds her of our mother.”
The sheriff took a deep breath, obviously shaken by the news. “I’ll have a deputy search the park for signs of Tom or your sister, while we continue our investigation here. Can I count on your cooperation?”
“Absolutely.” Susan glanced at Tom to see if he was okay. They both looked relieved when the sheriff left his office and closed the door behind him.
Tom exhaled. “Now what do we do?”
She touched her hand to her chest. “First we need to pack our things. We’ll travel light and fast.”
He pulled out a small bag. “It will just be the two of us.”
She nodded, feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities.
He put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed lightly. “We’ll make this work.”
She sighed, leaning into him. “I suppose we should start right away.”
They gathered their belongings and hurried to the hotel, leaving town by late afternoon. When they reached their wagon, Tom helped her unload the supplies and baggage. He then pulled the saddlebags and bedrolls onto the ground.
After making sure the horses were secured, Susan climbed down and stood beside Tom. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I wish this wasn’t happening.”
“Me too, Tom.” She took his hands and turned toward the wagon. “Let’s get our things unloaded.”
Once they were finished, Tom helped her climb back into the wagon. As soon as she lay down, Tom followed her, wrapping an arm around her waist. The wagon rocked as it rolled along the dirt road.
By dark, Susan had grown restless, unable to fall asleep. Finally, she opened the window and stepped outside, looking up at the sky. She breathed deeply, listening to the night sounds and feeling as if she could hear the wind whispering through the trees.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the side of the wagon. “Thank you, God,” she whispered. “I hope you understand how grateful I am.”
***
Susan woke up early in the morning, startled by the sound of birds chirping and calling loudly from somewhere close by. She glanced at Tom, sleeping peacefully beside her. She stretched her arms and legs, yawning with each movement.
She glanced back at Tom to make sure he hadn’t woken up yet. With his hair spread across his face, he looked completely relaxed. How wonderful it felt to be wrapped in his embrace again after three long weeks apart!
A cool breeze blew in, sending tendrils of fog swirling into the wagon. The smell of coffee wafted through the air. She sat up and saw Tom pouring steaming water into a pot. A moment later, he brought out two cups and set them beside her on the floorboard. “Good morning, sunshine.”
She took a sip of the hot coffee. “You’re up early.”
“Yeah.” He sipped from his cup. “We’ll reach St. Louis today, so we don’t want to waste any time getting there.”
Susan smiled. “So what are you going to do with that gun?”
“I’m going to use it to protect you from the men who killed your father.”
She raised her brows, amused at how serious he sounded. “Well, you can rest easy because I’ve got myself covered.”
“How? You have no idea who these people are.”
“No,” she admitted, “but I know one thing: I’m not afraid of them anymore.” She sipped her coffee. “In fact, I think I’ll go for a short ride, just to see how well my new pistols shoot.”
He lifted a questioning eyebrow. “What about me?”
“Do you mind if I go alone?”
His eyes narrowed as he stared at her for a long minute. She watched him, wondering what his next move would be. It didn’t take a mind reader to figure out he wasn’t pleased with her decision to handle this all alone.
Finally, he said, “All right.”
“Thanks,” she replied, surprised that she’d won.
When she returned to the wagon, she found Tom packing their few personal possessions. She sat on the edge of the wagon and waited for him to finish. He looked at her briefly before continuing to work on the bedrolls. “Are you ready, boss lady?”
She grinned. “I guess so.” She picked up her pistol and checked it carefully to make sure the cartridges were loaded. Once satisfied, she slung it over her shoulder and pulled out one of her saddlebags, placing it between her legs. Then she grabbed the other and swung it onto her lap.
“You’ll be okay here by yourself?”
She nodded. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”
He handed her another saddlebag and pointed toward the front of the wagon. “Take care of those bags. And keep your weapons handy. Just remember, it will only be the four of us until we find whoever is behind this.”
As they started to push the wagon forward, Susan gazed up at the sky and noticed a cloud drifting slowly across the bright blue expanse. “Look at the pretty cloud.”
Tom turned and looked at her. “The sun will warm up that cloud soon enough.”
“That’s true.” She smiled as she thought of the warmth of summer days.
They stopped briefly to feed the horses, then pushed the wagon along the road, following a stream that led off toward the horizon. Susan couldn’t help thinking how beautiful nature was—not one bit like the big city where she’d lived her entire life.
All that mattered to her now were the simple pleasures she enjoyed every day: riding with Tom; being in nature instead of inside a dusty house or in some dingy apartment; watching the birds fly overhead and the squirrels play in the trees. These things filled her soul with joy, making her feel whole again, like a little girl playing with her dolls in a safe, peaceful world.
She glanced around to make sure nobody followed them and quickly ducked down to hide the rifle in the wagon wheel well. As she pulled it free and checked its action, she saw an arrow sticking out of one of her saddlebags. She reached in to pull it out. What the hell? Why would someone have shot it?
“Hey!” She held it up for Tom to see.
“Where?”
She pointed down at the ground near the wagon, where she’d seen a glint of metal earlier. She bent close to peer at the arrow, which had been shot from about five feet away, but there wasn’t much blood on the tip. “Looks like someone missed.”
“Whoever did it has good aim, though.” He took the shaft and examined it. “It’s a long bow, probably a compound bow.”
She stood up and brushed the dirt off her trousers. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter now since I can’t use it.”
“Why not? It’s yours. We could sell it for some money.”
“I’m not selling it.” She placed it back in her bag, which also contained a knife, a pistol with three bullets, and two spare shells, along with several more arrows. They’d bought these at the trading post so they wouldn’t get lost during a trail ride.
Ahead of the wagon, she spotted another horseman, this time on foot, coming fast.
“Stop!” she yelled.
Tom pulled over, causing the other man to veer to the side and run into the bushes.
Susan drew her pistol and aimed at the spot where he’d disappeared. When she heard him shouting, she knew the rider had gotten away. A moment later, Tom climbed back onto the seat and took control of the reins.
“Who was that?”
“A lone rider who just happened to stop when he saw us.”
“But why did he try to kill you?”
“Maybe because you’re a woman,” she said lightly. “You know, the old ‘kill the woman and rob the place.’ Maybe he was looking for trouble.”
“Probably. But why didn’t he attack us instead? If I was shooting at him, I would have done so before he got out of range.”
“He might have tried, but I shot first,” she answered. “Besides, I don’t think I hit him.”
They rode on another hour before finally reaching a fork in the road where they stopped and ate lunch. Tom handed her two jerky sticks and a handful of nuts to nibble on. She liked his generosity, and she knew if he were ever alone, this was what he’d do too—feed himself while he waited for someone else to join him.
While they ate, they discussed their plans of action. The most important thing was to find out who was behind this attempted murder. Tom wanted to start by questioning every ranch owner and farmer in town. He said once they had that information, they could figure out who was involved with the killings and then put a stop to it.
“What about the sheriff?”
“I told you, Sheriff Burdette’s a busybody who won’t give me any help unless I bribe him.”
“Then I’ll talk to him. You need to rest, though. Let’s take turns riding the next stretch of road.”
“Okay.” She nodded to show her agreement. “Do you want me to ride up front so I can keep an eye on you?”
“No, I’d rather ride beside you and watch your back.”
The way he said it made her blush, which brought her thoughts back to what she’d felt when she’d fired her gun. She hoped that wasn’t how he viewed her.
The End