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  When she finally calmed down, she told them what had transpired. "I was in the store with the Watsons and Cora had gone to the bank. After a few moments I heard shouts and a lot of noise and when I rushed out of the store, I saw Cora and Mrs. Paine being taken away by robbers. The men were wearing masks so I couldn't tell who they were."

  "Are you and Alex alright?" Richard held his loved ones close, once again.

  "Yes. It's Cora and Mrs. Paine. Please you've got to help them."

  Jeremy felt as though a stone had been dropped onto his stomach. He couldn't speak for a moment. The two women he loved most in the world were missing, taken by bandits. It was common knowledge that when women fell into the hands of such evil men, there would be no telling what kind of atrocities they would be subjected to. He sat down on the lower porch steps, his legs too weak to support him. He wished Paul was here, he'd know what to do.

  Richard sensed his friend's anguish and reluctantly put his wife and son aside. "Jeremy, let's pray that Cora and your mother will be safe." Jeremy nodded and the three of them bowed their heads in prayer.

  Just as they said 'Amen' Sheriff Edward Williams and his two deputies Joseph Willington and Peter Sanders arrived on the scene. Richard quickly relayed what Annie had told him.

  "We need to make a plan so we can catch those robbers," Edward said. Annie had gone into the house and put Alex down to sleep. She then prepared sandwiches and coffee for the men as they discussed how they were going to catch the bandits and rescue the missing women.

  After serving up the food and leaving them in the sitting room, she went out to the porch, walking all the way around, hands clasped and deep in prayer.

  "Lord, please protect Mrs. Paine and Cora," she prayed over and over again.

  In the house Jeremy was shaking his head. "My mother and Cora have an ongoing conflict between them," he admitted reluctantly. "I'm afraid that my mother's attitude towards Cora could put both of them, but especially Cora in danger."

  "Hopefully the reality of their situation will make your mother hold her peace. Captives are known to bury their differences in difficult situations, so they can escape their captors."

  Edward tried to reassure the younger man, his brown eyes showing concern even as he scratched his bald head.

  "Let's hope so," Jeremy said but he was doubtful. "I know that Cora O'Malley can take care of herself. I fear for my mother though, who is older and not very strong. This could take a heavy toll on her." As they pondered where to begin they heard Annie shout out.

  "Cora, Cora," they heard her footsteps as she thundered down the porch and they scrambled to their feet.

  ~#~#~#~

  Cora rode hard. It was a strange horse but because she was good with horses she soon had him under control. She couldn't believe that she'd managed to get away in broad daylight. God was looking out for her and she continually gave thanks for His protection and safety all the way home.

  She couldn't believe just how wicked Myra Paine was. She knew Myra was hostile towards her but she hadn't expected her to be vicious as well. The bandits rode out into the hills and when they got to some caves, tossed the women like bags of potatoes, onto the ground. Cora winced as her whole body was jarred by the fall and she looked at Myra in concern.

  "Mrs. Paine, are you alright?" she asked softly and a few minutes later she was sorry she'd done that.

  "It's your fault, you whore," Myra shouted at her, face reddened with the exertion of her anger. "You are nothing but a soiled dove, a loose woman who deserves what she's getting." She turned to the bandits and called out. "I can give you a lot of money, my son will pay for my safe return." The men laughed at her. "It's true, I am the mother of Jeremy Paine, I know you have heard of him and that he can pay you good money."

  "What about your friend here," one of the bandits came over and kicked Cora's legs. She winced but put her head down.

  "This woman is one of the town's greatest whores, of no importance at all to anyone."

  The three men turned interested glances towards Cora and her heart sank. Her virtue was in danger and she knew only a miracle would save her from this situation. She bowed her head as though defeated but she was praying for safety, even for Mrs. Paine who was unaware of the danger she was also placing herself in. The woman was really foolish if she thought that by mentioning her son's name, the bandits would let her go that easily.

  "Please remain silent, don't make things any worse Mrs. Paine," she begged when the bandits had moved away and seemed to be holding some discussions.

  "They need to know what kind of woman you are," Myra hissed. "You really are of no consequence to anyone."

  "Don't say what you will later regret Mrs. Paine."

  Myra opened her mouth to respond, no doubt something rude, but then thought better of it. Before she turned away, Cora saw something akin to regret in her eyes, or maybe she was imagining it all.

  However, Cora was on the lookout for any chance to escape. Mrs. Paine had compromised their safety and virtue, and she knew when it got dark there would be no telling what the wicked men would do to them both.

  Her chance came sooner than she thought. One of the bandits, the one who seemed younger than the rest came over to her. He crouched beside her and began trailing rough hands over her body. She was filled with revulsion but forced herself to relax. She gave him a coy look and winked at him. With a huge grin he bent down as if to kiss her but she turned her head just in time. Myra actually looked scared now, as if just realizing what she had said about Cora. But it was too late.

  Cora whispered in the man's ears. "We can have a good time you and me," she said. "Untie me, and I will pretend to go to the caves to answer the call of nature. Then you can come and ...." She left the sentence hanging and he seemed to believe her. His eyes glowed out of the balaclava and he nodded.

  "Let me get rid of those two," he stood up.

  Cora prayed harder, sickened at what she was about to do, but knowing their virtue and very lives depended on it.

  "What's your name?" She asked him when he returned.

  "Alfie," was all he said, hoisting her to her feet. "Get up," he spoke roughly but winked at her and she knew it was all for show, to make the others think all was well. Cora almost cried out in relief when her hands were untied and the man led her behind the caves, right where the horses were. Immediately they were out of sight she swung around as if to embrace the man and hit him hard in the groin. He doubled up in pain and went down with a grunt.

  Cora knew that if she left the horses, the others would follow and catch up with her, so she released all three, jumped onto one and hit the other two on the rump. They thundered off and she fled in the opposite direction.

  "Hey," she heard the other men shouting but she did not pay attention, glad of her skills as a horsewoman.

  As she rode into Richard's compound she spotted Annie and a smile broke out on her face when she heard her friend scream with joy. The two women fell into each other's arms.

  "Are you alright Cora? Did those bad men hurt you?"

  "No," she whispered hoarsely, tired but happy to be free. Her joy was brief because she expected Jeremy to come and at least give her a hug and show his relief at her safety. His words, when he spoke, almost broke her heart.

  "What happened? Where is my mother?" Jeremy spat out and Richard frowned at his friend. "Where is my mother?"

  "Wait for the girlie to catch her breath," Edward admonished. "Give her some space." Annie led Cora to the porch seat and sat beside her.

  Jeremy paced impatiently, waiting for Cora to drink some water which Annie had rushed to bring. When she placed the cup on the floor beside the seat she looked up. "I had to run away ..." she began, only to be interrupted by Jeremy.

  "I am relieved to see you Cora, but where is my mother?"

  "Please Jeremy," Annie begged in a soft voice. "Let Cora tell us what happened."

  Cora started at the beginning, telling
them all about the rough riding and how she had managed to escape.

  "You mean you left my mother behind?"

  "Jeremy I had no choice," she held out a hand but he ignored it.

  "What do you mean you had no choice?"

  "Mrs. Paine put us both in danger and I had to find a way out," Cora saw the look of disbelief in Jeremy's eyes and she knew in that moment the man wouldn't listen to reason. She decided to tell him the truth anyway. "When we got to the caves Mrs. Paine told the bandits that I am one of the town's greatest whores." There was a gasp of indignation from Annie and Richard. Jeremy shook his head.

  "I don't believe you. I know that my mother is a snob but for you to lie about her, it is too much. I expected better from you Cora. Mama would never say something like that about another woman. She's too genteel."

  "It's the truth," her eyes filled with tears but she blinked them rapidly away. "Mrs. Paine compromised my virtue and I knew what those robbers could do to me so I had to get away."

  Jeremy gave her a hard look and then turned on his heel and went to get his horse. Cora turned and told the sheriff and his men about the bandits' hideout, where they were holding Myra Paine, and that as a precautionary measure she'd let the other horses go. The men then rode off in a hurry and Cora let fly with what she thought about Mr. Jeremy Paine.

  "Hush Cora," Annie could feel her friend's anguish. "That foolish man will soon realize his mistake and be back begging for your forgiveness."

  "Then he can keep it," Cora said harshly. She stood up and watched as the five men rode away. "I'm not going to cry for a man who would trust his mother's wickedness over what I have to tell him. It's Bart Spinks and his mother all over again and I want none of it."

  ~#~#~#~

  Chapter Eight

  As the five men rode out in search of the bandits who had kidnapped Myra they were joined by a few other men.

  "This is where the tracks end Sheriff," Peter Sanders called out. He was one of the best trackers in the county, having spent a lot of time with the Shoshone. "There are no more tracks going either way."

  "Spread out everyone," Edward motioned with his hand. He was determined to keep criminals out of Tipton and had formed a posse, determined men who always turned up whenever there was trouble. So far Tipton was a safe area but now this had happened and the men had kidnapped a helpless woman. He knew it was necessary to prove to the town folks that he was quite capable of keeping them safe. "Be on the lookout for anything, the tiniest clues can help us catch these robbers."

  But search as they did, they were unable to find any traces of the three bandits or Myra Paine. Jeremy once again wished his elder brother Paul was here. He was fearless and from the time they were children Paul had always looked out for him. He'd chosen to join the army against his mother's wishes and every few months he returned on leave.

  "Jeremy, we will find her," Richard saw the anguish on his friend's face. He was also worried because Myra wasn't used to rough handling and who knew how the bandits were treating her? "The Sheriff has promised no stone will be left unturned until we find your mother."

  "Thanks," Jeremy said in a hoarse voice. He ran a shaking hand through his hair. "I don't understand how Cora could have got away and left my mother at the mercy of those men."

  "This is not the time to begin blaming Cora," Richard cautioned, his tone causing Jeremy to quickly look up at him. "What Cora did was commendable. She is a woman and had to face rough men and besides, you heard what she said. Not that I'm placing blame anywhere, but she feared for her virtue after what your mother said about her."

  Jeremy held up his hand. "Let's not get into that again."

  But Richard was having none of it. Cora O'Malley was his responsibility and he had to look out for her. He knew Myra Paine and knew she was quite capable of saying what she did. She was the type of person who'd cut off her nose to spite her face. "You listen to me Jeremy. I know that deep down you know Cora is telling the truth. Maybe the fact that you know how vicious your mother's tongue can be, is what's causing you to try and hide your true feelings on the matter. I've lived with Cora for many months now and the one thing I know is that she is an honest person who would never make up lies just to get out of a situation. You hurt her feelings when you chose to call her a liar, and when all this is over, I hope you'll be man enough to face up to your mistakes and beg for her forgiveness. Assuming she'll want to have anything to do with you again."

  "It's just that ..."

  "Did I ask you to speak?" Richard glared at his friend. "That woman has had a very rough past and for you to add to her pain is not something I'm taking lightly. I'll help you find your mother, and then we'll see what happens from there," and with one last searing look Richard rode ahead, away from Jeremy.

  Jeremy groaned inwardly, now Richard was on the warpath. If his friend was this incensed then how much more would Annie West be, not to mention Cora? But he couldn't understand how she'd managed to get away. Shouldn't she have helped his mother escape too?

  "What if your mother's attitude forced Cora to decide to leave and find help?" His inner voice argued and he tried to quash it, but it nagged at him. He could imagine his mother arguing with Cora about which course of action to take regarding their escape. In doing so, she would likely put them more in danger. However, he still felt Cora shouldn't have left his mother at the mercy of the bandits.

  "We can't go any further," Edward called a halt to the search party. "There's not much we can do since it's almost nightfall. Tomorrow at first light we'll all gather here again and resume the search."

  "Yes Sheriff," the men called out as they broke up into smaller groups and rode away separately.

  Richard was not speaking to Jeremy and with a tired sigh he rode home alone. He'd get some of his cowboys to join in the search tomorrow, but for now he was physically and emotionally drained.

  ~#~#~#~

  "Cora, I know you're angry but you need to calm down," Annie pleaded. The former was pacing the kitchen floor, her bare feet making no sound on the wooden planks. Alex was playing in his small pen, oblivious of whatever was going on around him. Annie was preparing their dinner. "The truth will eventually come out and Jeremy will have to face up to the fact that his mother is a very nasty person."

  "That's not what's making me angry," Cora said through clenched teeth. "The fact he didn't show any interest in me to find out how I was doing after escaping from those bandits is what's riled me up. Clearly I mean nothing to him, and I'm sure he wishes it was his mother who escaped and left me behind."

  "Don't say that Cora, you can't understand how he is feeling or what he's thinking."

  "It's rather obvious isn't it? He only cares about that vindictive and vicious woman who had no hesitation about telling those men I was a whore, and they should release her because her son would pay good money to get her back. I was of no importance to anyone." Cora dashed away angry tears. "Calling me a whore to bandits, what did she want them to do to me?"

  "Calm down Cora," Annie left what she was doing and led her friend to a chair. "That was a cruel thing for the woman to do, but please just forgive her. You know Myra Paine and the way she behaves. Even her own son Paul only comes home because of Jeremy, otherwise he'd spend all his life in the army. She actually disowned him to his face when he decided to enlist in the army seven years ago. Richard told me that Myra practically threw Paul's things out of the house and it was only when Jeremy threatened to follow his brother that she grudgingly allowed his things back into the house. That is the kind of woman you are dealing with."

  Cora twisted her lips. "Myra may be what she is, but what hurts is that Jeremy could think I'd lie about what his mother said." She shook her head. "I am better off the way I am Annie. I'll never subject myself to such pain and humiliation again. What I went through with Bart, his brothers and his mother is enough to last me a lifetime and there's no way I'll ever go through it again."

  "Cora ..."r />
  But she wasn't finished. "It's just as well I made up my mind to pursue life on my own, and that I have you, Richard and Alex. No one else matters to me, no one else will ever matter because I will never give another man the opportunity to take away my independence at the first chance he gets, only to have him turn around and smite me in the face. No sir."

  Annie sighed inwardly. "Cora, when all is said and done, I understand where you are coming from. Whatever your decision, Richard and I will support you every step of the way. However, you need to give up any grudge you bear against Myra and her son. Forgiveness is everything." When she tightened her lips Annie decided to keep quiet. Better to let her process whatever had happened and maybe sometime in the future, she'd come to understand that not being able to forgive would only hurt her. Annie would continue to pray for Cora to find peace, but meanwhile dinner preparations were waiting.

  ~#~#~#~

  Chapter Nine

  "Never seen a woman as nasty as a rattler," Alfie took a deep swig from his whiskey bottle. "That woman is meaner than an angry hyena," he guffawed at his own joke. At first no one paid any attention to whatever he was saying.

  The Bounty Saloon was a seedy tavern where whiskey was cheap and though the regular patrons knew it wasn't pure whiskey, they didn't care. At least they had something they could drink to help them drown their sorrows, and the pub also boasted fine wenches to provide an additional way of helping men forget what they didn't want to remember.

  "Meaner than a snake is what she is," Alfie looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business. He took another long drink, rammed the half full bottle on the counter before him and wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. "Hey Luger," he called out to the bartender. "Is your mother as mean as that Paine broad?" He wiggled a bony finger at the bartender. "Meaner than a hungry hyena. What kind of woman is like that? I'll tell you," he laughed. "Mrs. Paine."