Flower of My Heart
1894
After about an hour of being dragged by Carson, Lillian was allowed back on the horse; her strength nearly gone. The only thoughts that flowed through her mind were when was this nightmare going to end.
After Carson had Lillian resettled on his horse, he climbed back up. This time he pulled his gun from his holster and rode more slowly, casually, as if not to appear to be a threat but to look like he was out on a Sunday ride with his sweetheart. He stayed directly on his path, not veering left or right as he entered a long canyon. His eyes darted everywhere, but he could not see anyone. It would have been best if he had not gone in this direction, but he had no choice. The man he was meeting had chosen this area. Each time the place was different, but this was the first time they were meeting in Indian Territory. Carson hoped he could get this business over with and get back to San Francisco where he belonged. With the capture of Ian Montgomery's daughter, perhaps Mr. Crabtree might just let him return. He really did not like being out in this wild country, but it had taken him the better part of eight years to track down Montgomery and his daughter while still trying to collect rare goods for Mr. Crabtree's business. Patrick, Ian's brother was supposed to give controlling interest of his shipping business to Mr. Crabtree and his associates, until he later learned just what type of business they were in. Patrick Montgomery tried to stop them and wanted to warn his brother that Mr. Crabtree would soon be after his share of the business. Carson took care of him, but not before Patrick had sent a letter to his brother warning him of Mr. Crabtree's intentions and turning his share of the business over to his brother Ian.
When Mr. Crabtree had learned what Carson had done, at first he had been furious. All he wanted Carson to do was to scare the man to try to keep him in line. Perhaps by doing that, he might have persuaded Ian Montgomery to give up his share without harming anyone else. When Mr. Crabtree learned that Ian had a daughter, he managed to be in church that Sunday to hear her sing. A plan formed in his mind. If Ian would not be willing, perhaps he would for the sake of someone else's life. But that plan had not been executed because of Carson's mistake. Within days after Patrick Montgomery's body was found, Ian and his daughter had disappeared. Carson was ordered to find them, but it was as if they had vanished into thin air. Rumors surfaced that Ian and his daughter had gone to the new territory to start fresh, so Carson followed. But the territory was large and not easy to get around. If Carson were ever going to find them, he would have to search every town. Martinsville was one of the last places, and by that time, he had almost given up. He decided to stay a while. Perhaps he might find one of those "rare" items there. Over the course of two months, he found at least one. Then the one person he began to lose hope of ever finding dropped suddenly into his lap, but she was not alone. Still, that did not matter to Carson. By this time, he was more desperate than ever to see her and her father pay for his employer's humiliation. It was pure luck again that found her on the road with an old family friend and not the Chinaman who had beaten him earlier in a fight. Still, he had to keep moving. Something about that Chinaman scared him. He wasn't about to run into him again.
****
Caine was not able to return to the campsite area right away. Matthew needed great care. The Doctor was able to remove the bullet while Caine used his skills as a healer to help in aiding the process along by placing what herbs he had on the wound and brewing the man a tea. They worked together in silence. The doctor was intrigued by Caine's methods of healing and asked him a great number of questions. Both men did not want to leave the stricken man until they knew he was well on his way to recovery. By the time Caine returned to the campsite area and discovered more clues to Lillian's disappearance, another full day had passed. He arrived back that morning and began his own search for the missing woman. He could see the signs of a struggle and the direction the horse had taken off. It wasn't long before he found the spot where they stopped and discovered the torn piece of cloth from Lillian's dress. How long they had passed this way he had no way of knowing. He knew it had been at least within the past 24 to 36 hours. They had not headed in the direction of Lordsville or any other town that was close by. Instead they headed straight for Indian Territory. Perhaps Carson believed no one would follow him. But Caine knew this country well. Many times he had helped out the natives, healing their sick and even protecting them from those whom would see them harmed. He knew he would be safe within their lands. Carson and Lillian was another matter. The natives, though normally a peaceful people, would not hesitate to retaliate against anyone entering their territory without permission; if they felt those who were crossing were considered a threat.
Caine dismissed the thoughts in his mind. It did not matter. If he could somehow get to the Indians himself and explain his predicament, he could enlist their aid. Caine veered from his path and headed into the hills. He knew at this point that he would be watched.
End of Part 11
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2000.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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