Innocence and the Outlaw

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

"Are you upset about Louisa?" Leah asked as they made their way through the dark toward the ranch. She was scared to death about her family but trying to make conversation to keep her mind off of what they may find when they got to her parents home.

Chase looked over at her and she saw him raise in brow in the setting sunlight.

"I mean, I know that the two of you shared something once and this Tobias man killed her... Yancy said he tortured her for days."

"Louisa deserved her fate. And she and I did not share anything at any time. She was a whore and I paid her for her services. It is no different than going to the butcher and ordering half a cow."

"Did you honestly just say that?" Leah demanded with disbelief and Chase simply shrugged, indicating he was done with the current conversation. Leah wanted to argue with him but decided there was no point and she was just being moody and snappy because she was trying to hide her worry.

Quickly she let herself fall back a little and glanced over at Yancy who hadn't spoken since leaving Billings.

"Thank you for finding us and telling us about Tobias." she said. Yancy looked at her and smiled, though his eyes looked sad.

"No problem. We gotta look out for each other." he replied. Tig trotted by then on his way to join Chase and he clicked his tongue.

"Liar. Liar." he stated and then he looked at Leah and Yancy and waggled his eyebrows. "HeeHee!"

"Shut up, Tig! You ain't nothing but an old crazy ass." Yancy grumbled and Tig quickly moved away from them.

"What was that about?" Leah asked curiously and Yancy just shrugged and looked straight ahead.

"That man ain't right in the head." he replied simply. Leah shrugged and had to agree with him. Though it was nice really. To know that she and Chase had friends that were willing to ride with them and help them. She had never imagined that she would end up friends with two of the men who had helped to hurt Benjamin but she had. She supposed that made her a bad person but she was tired of worrying about what the rest of the world would think of her. As long as Chase loved her then no one elses opinion mattered in the least.

She just prayed that her family was okay. She wasn't at all sure what she would do if something terrible had happened to them.

***

Night had fallen before they neared the homestead and Chase pulled up quickly when he smelled the smoke.

"Chase, is that smoke?" Leah asked with fear and Chase nodded.

"You stay with Yancy here. Tig, you ride ahead with me." he stated.

"I won't be left here!" Leah argued and Chase pinned her to her saddle with a look that let her know he would not argue this point.

"You will stay here." he ordered. Chase had a feeling the sight he was going to find at her families home was one that he did NOT want Leah seeing. He looked at Yancy. "She stays here."

"Got it, chief." Yancy replied as he rode up beside Leah and grabbed her mare's reins right out of her hand. She glared at him but said nothing. Her stomach was turning and she was fairly certain that if the anticipation and nervousness was not eased soon she would vomit.

"I will come back when I know it is safe." Chase assured Leah and then he motioned for Tig and the two men rode away into the night.

The moon cast just enough light for the men to see where they were going. Chase frowned as they rode closer and he realized that the smoke he had smelled was from a small fire a short distance from the barn.