Love Me Again Read online

  Nick kissed Abby on the cheek. “What’s for supper, Sissy?”

  “The last of the winter’s ham, greens, and cornbread. I also prepared a peach cobbler from our last jar of peaches. I can’t wait until we have some fresh fruit.”

  Nick licked his lips. “Sounds scrumptious.”

  Abby ladled some food onto Cord’s plate and handed it to Nick. “Will you please take this in to Cord?”

  A grin split his face as, Nick asked, “What did he do to make you angry this time?”

  With an innocent look, Abby asked, “What makes you think I’m angry?”

  Abby thought about Cord. When she carried him his lunch, he tried to apologize for his improper behavior. No matter how much he begged, she ignored him. Apparently, the man didn’t know how to treat women. Worry of his behavior had her wondering what kind of life he had lead before he was shot. Probably the same life he would return to after he recuperated. It had been a hard life. She had seen it in his eyes, heard it in his voice.

  “The only time you ask me to take his plate to him is when he has made you angry. Do you want to talk about it?”

  Abby let out a long sigh. “No, he has been in a terrible mood because he is not accustomed to the inactivity. I’m sure he’ll be in a better mood tomorrow.”

  Not convinced, Nick asked, “Are you sure I don’t need to have a talk with him?”

  “No, I don’t want you to talk to Cord Sutton.” Abby was only making Nick more curious. She needed to keep her feelings hidden better. The last thing she wanted was for him to start asking questions about Cord, especially when she did not understand her own feelings for him.

  ****

  Every night after supper Abby accompanied Nick to the barn while he fed the livestock. While Nick fed the two Belgians, Jack and Jess, then Lou, she stroked the curry comb over Pepper’s shiny, dark coat. She thought he was such an impressive animal. Lack of money kept them from owning anything but work horses. Many times Cord had asked about Pepper and Abby promised she was looking after him. She jumped when Nick took her hand.

  “What’s wrong, Sissy?”

  Peering up into Nick’s concerned face, Abby whispered, “Nothing.”

  “I know something is bothering you. Since Cord has been here, you have been distant. Has he done something to upset you? When I took his plate into him, he would not tell me what he did to upset you.”

  Abby pondered the question. Of course she couldn’t tell Nick she had feelings for Cord. He wasn’t the type of man her brother or father would want her to associate with. Only a God fearing man would suffice and she didn’t think Cord was that kind of man. If Nick knew he had asked her to bathe him, he would be livid. She didn’t want to be responsible if Nick found him another place to stay. For some strange reason, she didn’t want him to leave. Cord had her so confused she didn’t know what she really wanted.

  “I’m just tired, Nick. It’s a lot of work looking after Cord and doing all my chores.” Abby cupped her hand and touched his face. “Stop worrying about me. I am fine.”

  Not for one minute did Abby believe she convinced Nick nothing happened between her and Cord. She could tell by his expression he wanted to ask more questions.

  “If you ever want to talk Sissy, I’m here for you.”

  Carrying the lantern to light their path, Nick held it high because there was only a sliver of moon. Night sounds buzzed all around the two lone people as they walked arm and arm back to the house. Frogs croaked, crickets sung their songs, and an owl hooted from a nearby tree. Abby had always loved the peacefulness of the night.

  A twig snapped from behind them. Abby felt Nick stiffen and glanced back. She saw the silver tip of a pistol pointed at his back. A shadow of a man was all she could make out in the darkness.

  A firm deep voice whispered, “Don’t turn around. Just keep walking to the house.”

  Fear caused Abby to stumble, but Nick clutched her tighter. His soft whisper next to her ear made her jump. “Stay calm.”

  Abby wondered what the stranger wanted. The man must be up to evil or he would not need the gun. If it was food or shelter he sought, he would have asked. Never would they turn a person in need away from their home.

  The moment Nick stepped onto the porch Abby knew his mind was working frantically to think of a way to alert their father they were in danger. When he hesitated a moment before opening the door, the stranger shoved Nick hard and he almost fell taking her with him. As soon as Nick opened the door, she saw her father sitting at the table reading his Bible by lantern light as he did every night.

  The moment Jacob saw the serious look on Nick’s face, he rose from his chair slowly. He pulled his spectacles off his nose, folded them, and tucked them in his breast pocket. Pulling Abby to stand behind him, Nick faced the stranger to find not one but three men pointing guns at them.

  His tone serious, Jacob asked, “What do you want?”

  One man stepped away from the others, so Abby assumed he was their leader since he was older than the other two. Tall, with a deep scar cut into his cheek, the man looked ominous. His clothes were filthy and much too big for him. The young men wore clean clothes, but Abby could still see dirt on their hands and faces as if they had not bathed in days. Neither could have been more than sixteen or seventeen years of age.

  With a dirty hand, the man removed the wide, brimmed hat on his head, and threw it onto the table. “Anythang you have of value.” Greasy, matted hair stood straight up on his head.

  “We have no money or valuables. If food or shelter is what you seek, we can oblige, but that is all you will get here.” Jacob’s voice was calm as if he had no fear of the strangers.

  “Billy, search the house and make sure no one else is here.”

  Abby held her breath as she listened to Billy’s boots scraping across the wood floor moving from room to room opening doors. She began to relax a little when Billy returned.

  “No, Paw, it’s just them.” A strong pang of fear surfaced when he stopped next to the table and his eyes wandered over her.

  Where was Cord? She knew he could not get far in his condition. For some reason she didn’t believe he would leave them at the mercy of the evil men.

  The father looked at Abby and smiled revealing rotten teeth. “Hey, purty lady. How about fixin’ us some’n to eat?”

  Abby’s stomach lurched and she clutched Nick’s arm. He gave her a gentle push. “Go ahead, Abby. Fix them something to eat so they can be on their way.”

  Immediately, Abby moved to the stove to light a fire in the old cook stove. It took three tries before she was able to set a match under the wood because her hands trembled violently. The only noise in the house was the banging of pots and pans as she hastily cooked a meal for the three strangers. Like Nick, she hoped the men would leave after they filled their stomachs.

  “Kale, you and Billy see if you can find any money.” Their father sat down at the table and kept his gun pointed at Nick and Jacob.

  It was hard for Abby to keep her attention on what she was doing. The sounds of the dirty, filthy young men going through their things made her angry. They knocked over items which crashed to the floor and broke. Many of the items shattered on the floor were her mother’s keepsakes. She looked at Nick and saw his fists clenching and unclenching to keep his anger in check. The moment Kale touched the family Bible, Jacob jumped to his feet.

  “Do not put your filthy hands on God’s word. Our Bible is our most valuable possession!”

  Billy walked over and hit Jacob on the back of the head with his rifle. “Sit down and shut up old man!”

  Abby screamed when Nick stood up ready to defend Jacob. But before he could get his hands on Billy, the father lunged out of his chair and grabbed Abby by the waist pulling her close.

  “If you want the lady to live, I suggest ya’ll calm down.” Abby fought the urge to struggle, worried the man would shoot Nick. He smelled of sweat and filth causing her stomach to churn.

  So much ang
er poured from Nick’s eyes, but he did as instructed and sat down. However, it didn’t matter how livid he was, he would not put her into harms way.

  The stranger released his hold on Abby, and she ran to her father’s side and wiped the blood away with her apron that trickled into his hair. Jacob patted her hand. “I’m okay, Abigail. Finish cooking their meal so they can be on their way.”

  As ordered by Jacob, Abby reluctantly returned to the stove. Time seemed to drag by as the three men sat and quietly watched her prepare their meal. Something told her they would not leave after they ate. They had something more sinister in mind. She felt there would be bloodshed before the night ended. Their only weapon was the ancient, old musket over the fire place. With it so far from their reach, they had no way to defend themselves.

  “Abigail, ain’t that a purty name. A purty name for a purty woman.”

  The stranger watched her with lustful eyes as she set the bowls of food on the table. Abby moved to the counter and began pumping water into the dish pan to wash the dishes. Her nerves on edge, she needed something to occupy her time. She could feel their eyes on her as they ate. Never once did the father put his rifle down. He ate with his left hand gulping his meal as if he had not eaten in days. Abby thought they sounded like a bunch of pigs eating at the trough. Her stomach lurched every time she glanced their way.

  Billy finished his meal, and slowly ambled over to Abby still washing dishes. “That was a mighty fine meal, purty lady.”

  Abby ignored him and kept her eyes downcast. Her hands trembled as she picked up a plate and scrubbed it with the dish cloth. She felt like a mouse being tortured by a cat. They seemed to enjoy her fear. She cringed when he pulled the pins from her bun sending her hair cascading down her back. She closed her eyes tightly fighting the panic that rose up to overwhelm her. He stunk worse than his father and Abby wanted to hold her nose to keep his stench from her nostrils. It took a lot of emotion and effort to stand there without telling him he smelled like he had been sleeping with pigs.

  Red faced with fury, Nick shouted, “Get your hands off her.”

  Billy completely ignored Nick. “Look at all that red hair, Kale. Ain’t it some’n?” When he ran his fingers through her hair, she could not tolerate his closeness any longer. Abby slapped his hand away. She ran toward Nick. Before she reached him, Billy grabbed her by the waist and picked her up. Nick was livid. He yelled and charged at Billy. Kale knocked him out cold with the butt of his rifle. Abby watched Nick fall to the floor in horror. Billy hoisted Abby onto the table kicking and screaming.

  “Let me go!” Abby hit him several times with her fists causing him to yelp in pain.

  “Looks like you got yaself a hellcat, Billy.” Still holding her, he pulled her down on the table. Billy lay on top of her. Abby fought for air as his chest squeezed against her lungs. Roughly, Kale grabbed Abby’s arms and held her down. Dirty hands tore at the front of her dress until the fabric gave way. Billy tried to press his lips to Abby’s, but she kept shaking her head. She kicked and squirmed trying to stop him from kissing her.

  Abby screamed, the horror showing in her eyes, “Father, do something!” Abby wondered why her father never made a move. She turned and looked into his face as she struggled with her attackers. His eyes were closed. He was praying.

  Abby looked into the eyes of her attacker and felt pure fear. “You’re the most beautiful woman I ever seen. I can’t wait to have ya.”

  “Hurry up, Billy. I want her too!”

  “Ouch, you little wildcat!” Billy yelped out in pain as Abby jerked her hand away from Kale. She scratched his face leaving angry red welts. He raised his hand to slap her, but before he could, something stopped him. It was like a bad dream as Abby looked at his chest and saw a trickle of blood. His breathing intensified as he looked into Abby’s terrified eyes.

  Strength leaving his body, he collapsed onto Abby. She shoved him to the floor. She turned to see Cord leaning against the door, wearing only his pants, with both pistols in his hands. So distraught, she did not even hear the shot.

  The boy’s father turned to shoot Cord, but never had a chance. Easily, he dropped him where he stood. Blood poured out of a hole in the center of his forehead. Kale backed up, and grabbed Abby by the neck.

  Cord’s voice was mild with honed steel beneath. “Turn her loose.”

  Kale started dragging her toward the door, but did not get far. Abby screamed when Cord shot Kale in the center of his forehead. Still holding her, he pulled her down with him when he fell to the floor. Every second crawled by as she shoved and pushed until she freed herself of his dead body. Covered in blood, Abby began to scream hysterically.

  “Shhh, Abby. I’ve got you.” Too weak to help Abby to her feet, Cord dropped down to his knees and took her into his arms. She stopped screaming the moment Cord wrapped his arms around her. Her pitiful whimpers filled the room.

  “It’s over, Abby. They are all dead.” He held her until her heartbeat returned to normal. He pushed her at arms length. The front of her dress was torn revealing her chemise. Gently, he tucked the torn dress into the strap of her chemise. “Go check on Nick. See if he is okay.”

  Immediately, Abby struggled off the floor and wiped away her tears. Nick needed her so she pushed her anguish aside. The front of her dress was covered in warm blood. The sickly smell caused her stomach to roil.

  Previous fear forgotten, she looked toward her father. She felt like slapping him because he was still praying. The man did not do one thing to help her when she needed him. Even through all the mayhem of bullets flying in all directions, he never stopped praying.

  Maybe she was being too harsh on her father. It was possible her father’s prayers had sent Cord to save them. She dropped down beside Nick and touched his face. Relief washed over her when she heard him moan.

  His eyes flickered open. “What happened?”

  “It’s okay, Nick. We are safe.”

  Blood oozed from the gash on his head. Removing her apron, Abby put pressure on the cut hoping to slow the bleeding. She could barely hear Nick’s weak whisper as his fingers lightly touched her cheek. “Did they hurt you, Abby?”

  “No, Nick. Cord killed all three.”

  Nick tried to smile but was only able to grimace in pain. “I hate I missed it.”

  Chapter Three

  Tired of waiting in bed, Cord struggled to the edge. He had no idea of the time, but the sun shone brightly through the open window. Abby had not appeared and he was getting worried. She should have brought him his breakfast hours ago. He knew someone was up because he heard furniture being moved around in the front room. Still weak from the exertions of last night, Cord eased off the bed. He braced against the wall until the blood returned to his head, fearing he would pass out. His chest hurt like hell.

  After a few moments, he inched his way through the door and checked for Abby in the kitchen. When he didn’t find her there, he opened the door to the room next to his. In the bed lay Nick sleeping soundly. At the bottom of the bed curled into a ball was Abby wearing a thick, white nightgown. She looked so innocent and sweet. Slowly making his way to the bed, Cord sat down on the edge and put his hand to her soft cheek. Abruptly, she sat up and squirmed against the footboard. Her huge, frightened eyes caused him to become concerned. He knew she was reliving the horrors of last night. “It’s okay, Abby.”

  Her hair in disarray, her face still swollen from crying, she was absolutely beautiful. He had the strongest urge to take her into his arms and comfort her. Abby had been through a terrifying ordeal last night. Cord shuddered at the thoughts of what would have happened to her if he had not been there to save her. Her own father would have sat there praying while those filthy men ravished her. What kind of father would not come to the aid of his own daughter? His instinct should have been to protect her, even if it meant losing his life.

  “Good morning.” The spell was broken when Cord looked at Nick now fully awake.

  “How’s your he
ad?”

  Placing his fingers to his temples, Nick gently massaged as if that would relieve his pain. Specks of dried blood covered the white of the bandage. “It feels like someone is hitting me over and over with their fist.” His eyes filled with appreciation, he continued, “Thank you for coming to our rescue. I fear we would not have survived if not for you. How did they not find you when they searched the house?”

  “I hid under the bed. Thankfully, the boy only glanced into the room and did not see me.” Cord let out a deep breath. “I didn’t want to kill them. I waited hoping they would leave after they ate.” In reality he felt no remorse for killing the men. The only thing weighing heavy on his conscious was he had to take their lives in front of Abby. Not accustomed to violence, she would probably be scarred for life.

  Anger showed on Nick’s face, and he shut his eyes as if the pain were more than he could bear. “They deserved to die. I don’t think I have ever seen so much evil in my life.”

  Cord thought they lived a sheltered life on their small farm. The world was full of evil. This was the first time they got to witness that evil.

  Abby stood and placed her hand on Nick’s bandage. “Don’t talk, Nick. It is causing you too much pain.” Removing the bandage from his head, Abby examined his wound. It had taken five stitches for her to close the gaping hole. “The swelling has gone down and the bleeding has stopped. I know you must be hungry. I’ll go prepare us some breakfast.” With gentle fingers, she placed the bandage back in place. “I’ll clean your wound and change your bandage after breakfast.”

  “Help me to the kitchen, Abby and I’ll sit at the table for a spell. I’m sick of staring at the same four walls all day.”

  Abby wrapped her arm around Cord’s waist and helped him to his feet. They slowly made their way to the kitchen. He leaned in to her and took a deep breath. Her hair smelled fresh as if she just washed it. Not able to take his eyes off her, he watched as she moved about the kitchen preparing breakfast.

  Last night he had admired her courage and determination. Most women would have panicked under such dangerous circumstances. He looked about the room and not a speck of blood was visible. She probably stayed up most of the night cleaning away all the evidence of the dead bodies. There was no way her father carried the bodies out of the house without help. Abby must have endured touching their dead bodies.