Captive Heart (Cartwright Gals: A Romancing the Ponderosa Spinoff Book 2)

Chapter 9

The rest of the day drags on extremely slowly but it's finally dark. With the darkness comes a cool breeze that I'm thankful for. Ever since I woke up, my head has been pounding so badly that all I've wanted to do is keep my eyes closed tight and the heat was making it worse. On top of my head pounding, my shoulders are tight and burning.

Shane didn't let us eat again when he and the others ate their supper but he's brought over the canteen a few times. The water started to get warm but it was better than nothing. The lack of water and food isn't what bothers me the most; Candy is.

He's been really quiet and has barely shifted any and by the way he's been watching everything around us, I can tell he's thinking. Thinking about how we're going to get out of this. I don't know if he's figured anything out yet but I know for a fact that I can't run again like I did last night.

The light from the fire bounces off of Shane, Carlito, and Ryder's faces. It feels like a complete repeat of last night; Carlito and Ryder are drinking again and Shane's grouching at them. The only thing different about tonight is Candy's solid form beside me and the fact that my hands are tied behind my back and my ankles are wound tightly with another rope in front of me.

Before I know it, I hear three different steady snores drifting heavily in the air. Candy shifts beside me and bumps my arm, "You awake?"

"Yeah," I whisper back, "why?"

"Do you think you're up to trying to get away?"

"If you mean running again," I sigh, "no. My head's been pounding so badly all day that I've had a hard time keeping my eyes open."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"If I told you, what could you have done?"

"Nothing," he sighs angrily, "absolutely nothing."

"Exactly. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd just worry."

"Even though you can't run," he says after being quiet for a few moments, "we can still get out of here."

"How?" I ask, curious.

"You turn your back to face mine, I'll untie your hands and then you untie me." He explains. "While they're still asleep, I'll clobber them over head and knock them out then tie them up. Tomorrow morning we'll put them on their horses and ride to town, meeting the others along the way."

"Candy, you're forgetting something."

"What?"

"There's three of them and only one of you," I remind him, "and two of those three are bigger than you."

"I know, I'm just going to have to be quiet and fast."

"And if it backfires?"

"I won't let it backfire." The amount of determination in his voice almost scares me. We both know full well that if he does fail, Shane'll probably kill him on the spot. "Come on now, turn towards me."

I quietly turn my back towards him and feel his warm hands touch mine. Both of our hands are stiff but he manages to untie my ropes. My hands freed, I quickly rub my wrists before quietly spinning back around to untie Candy's hands. As soon as they're free, he moves down to untie his ankles while I do the same.

Getting very quietly to his feet, he starts towards the three sleeping outlaws but after taking only a few steps he turns to look at me. Backtracking those few steps, he bends down in front of me and reaches out. He wipes tears that I didn't even know were falling off my cheek. Leaning forward, he gives me a kiss and then backs up just a bit so that our faces are mere inches apart. I can feel his breath on my face as he whispers, "Don't worry, everything's going to be alright. Gabriella, I love you."

"And I love you, Candy." Touching his cheek, I close the few inches between us and kiss him one last time. "Be careful."

"I will." With smooth and silent movements, he glides over to Shane's gun belt where it lays on the ground near him. Swiping the pistol out of the holster, he moves over to Shane himself. He lifts it and is about to knock him over the back of the head when Shane suddenly moves. Candy freezes.

It feels like the whole world begins to move at half the speed as I hold my breath and watch Candy stand there. He was so sure he could keep his plan from backfiring but now it is. I want to squeeze my eyes shut tight and reopen them to find that this is all a dream but I know I can't, this is all real. Too real.

Shane doesn't just move, he wakes all the way up. In the firelight I can see his eyes open and then just stare at Candy, who's still frozen, bent with the gun in his hand. The world quickly picks back up its speed as they begin to fight, rolling in the dirt. I stay in the shadows where Candy left me, wanting to make it all stop yet knowing I can't.

Carlito and Ryder wake up thanks to the smacks and curses coming from the other two. Ryder, after a moment's hesitation and as Candy's thrown to the side, grabs the discarded pistol off the ground. Pointing it right at Candy, he cocks the hammer and puts his finger on the trigger, ready to pull it. An involuntary scream escapes my throat as my hands fly up to cover my ears and tears leak out of my tightly shut eyes. As soon as the scream's left my vocal cords, I begin to sob, knowing Candy's dead.