Read Online Night Hawk by Beverly Jenkins - Free Book Online Page B

couldn’t be, either.
    Betsy quickly placed a variety of food items in a tea towel. Tying the edges tight, she passed Maggie the small bundle. “Godspeed.”
    Once again Maggie wanted to linger but knew she could not. “Thank you.” She hurried out into the night.

Chapter 6
    I an awakened to a sun-filled room. Head fuzzy with sleep, it took a few seconds for the empty bed to register and when it did, he jumped up and rushed out to the main section of the house. He found Betsy in the kitchen frying bacon. “Where’s my prisoner?”
    â€œShe isn’t in the room?”
    Ian hurried outside to the facilities. On the way, he spotted Rand pouring water into the pig’s trough. “You seen the Freeman woman?”
    Rand stopped. “No. She missing?”
    Ian pounded on the door of the facilities. Receiving no response, he gingerly opened the door and found it as empty as the bed had been. He cursed and took a slow survey of the countryside. It’d been just before dawn when he saw her last, which meant she had a good two-hour start on him. Dammit! “Any horses missing?”
    Rand went to see. Ian hurried to join him. She’d already confessed to having stolen a horse in the past. If she’d ridden off on Smoke, he’d skin her alive.
    The stallion was in his stall, however, and so were all of Rand’s animals. Ian let out a sigh of relief that only marginally tempered his stormy mood. Seeing the knowing smile on Rand’s face didn’t help matters.
    â€œWeren’t you two in the same room?” Rand asked. “How’d she get by you?”
    Ian had no idea.
    â€œAren’t you supposed to be the best in the West?”
    The emeralds glared. Rand’s grin widened. “Being on foot is going to slow her down, so that should help you out.”
    Ian agreed. Unless she’d sprouted wings, he should be able to find her easily enough.
    â€œI’ll tell Betsy you’ll be taking your breakfast with you. Go ahead and saddle up.” But Rand had one more dig. “Who’d’ve thought that little girl would outfox the famous Preacher.”
    Still chuckling, he exited the barn and left the tight-lipped Ian to his task.
    Once Smoke was readied, Ian walked around the property looking for tracks. Luckily for him, either she didn’t know how, or had been in too much of a hurry to cover her escape because it took him only a short while to discover her boot print tracks on the edge of Rand’s recently plowed fields. She was headed east. The bounty hunter in him wondered, Why east? Had she chosen that direction purposefully or was she just running?
    He began the walk back to the Tanners’ house. His offer to do a good deed for Sheriff Wells had delayed his trip home and now had him chasing across the countryside after a woman who’d had no business being placed under arrest in the first place, and that didn’t help his mood, either.
    He was mounted and eager to depart when Betsy came out and handed him some food tied up in a tea towel and a canteen of coffee. “Please, if you find her, don’t be too harsh. I’m sure she only did what she thought best.”
    â€œI’ll keep that in mind.”
    Rand offered up a parting handshake. “Come back and see us when you can.”
    Ian nodded, reined his horse around, and set out east.
    M aggie had no idea how far she’d walked since leaving the Tanners’ farm, but it was presently midday and she was pretty sure she’d put a fair amount of distance between herself and the marshal, or at least she hoped so. More than likely he hadn’t been happy to wake up and find her gone. With any luck, he’d just forget about her, but she doubted he’d choose that option. He apparently had a reputation for being very skilled at his occupation, and having her disappear the way she had sullied that. In the end, her only option was to keep moving and