“Looking for this, ladies?” John said with a laugh.
Leah could see that a piece of paper was tied to the rock. With trembling hands, Leah untied it. “It’s the letter you left, isn’t it?” she asked, tears in her voice.
“One of them,” Kim said without much concern.
“One of them?” Leah exclaimed.
“Leah, you just have no idea how mean my husband is. Someday I’ll tell you the things he did to me at night. And, too, I knew that if I was going somewhere with you I’d end up in trouble. If you and Wes go out to deliver food, to do a good deed like that, you nearly get killed. I heard how the dogs nearly got you. And it was your fault, Leah. You collect more trouble than a piece of glass collects dust.”
“How many notes did you leave, Kim?” Leah whispered.
“Three. One in plain sight, one under the dirty dishes—I knew John would never touch a dirty dish—and one under a pillow in the bedroom.”
“But I didn’t see you,” Leah said. “How…?”
Kim stiffened her back. “As you’ve pointed out, I can be secretive. Now, Leah, this isn’t easy for me to say because I know you can be persuasive, but if you leave this cave, I’m not going with you. I’m staying right here until a real live man, one with muscles and, I hope, a gun, comes to rescue me. If you go, you’ll have to go alone.”
Leah looked around the ugly, cold little cave. “It could be days before anyone comes.”
“I’d rather spend a week in here than arrive dead in Sweetbriar four days early.”
“Me too,” Leah said, her eyes sparkling.
“You know exactly what I mean. Leah, how long can a person live without food?”
“Maybe we’re going to find out,” Leah said softly.
Dawn came and with it no sign of help. John Hammond found a perch exactly opposite their cave, across the deep ravine, and at random fired shots into it, making it impossible for the women to rest or even relax.
“Maybe we should try—,” Leah began a hundred times, but Kim gave her such quelling looks that she subsided.
When night came they were utterly exhausted. John stepped up his firing and, once, he let go a volley that hit the ledge of the cave.
“Is he trying to shoot it off?” Leah cried out.
“Here!” came a faint voice. “While he’s reloadin’, help me.”
Kim and Leah exchanged quick looks before hurrying to the mouth of the cave.
“Mac!” Leah said, dropping to her stomach to reach out to him. Between the two women they managed to pull him inside.
Mac leaned against the wall of the cave. “It’s my leg. It’s not too bad, but it’s bleedin’ a lot so if you ladies have anythin’ to wrap it with, I’d sure appreciate it.”
Both women tore their petticoats away as they fired questions at him.
“How did you find us?”
“Is Justin hurt badly?”
“Where’s Wesley?”
“How are we going to get out of here?”
“Do you have anything to eat?” This was from Kim.
“Hold on a minute,” Mac said. “Let me look at my leg. I thought so. Bullet went through. It stunned me so bad I nearly fell off that ledge.”
“Does it hurt much?” Leah asked.