The Raider (Montgomery/Taggert 9)

“I guess everything’s ready for the wedding tomorrow,” she said.

Alex nodded glumly.

Eleanor patted his hand. “Alex, it’ll be all right. Jessica really does have some brains and someday she’ll see what a good man you are. You just have to wait for her to come to her senses.”

“I don’t think I’ll live that long. Do you think she’s with the Raider?”

“I think she’s at home sulking and hoping the Raider will come to her.”

Alex slammed his fist on the table. “I don’t want her to see him. If she sees him tonight, she’ll never marry me tomorrow.”

Eleanor clasped his hand. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that. There are more things to life than…babymaking.” Her face turned red.

Alex grinned at her. “Not to a young, healthy woman like Jessica.”

“A woman who has helped me clothe, feed and house seven children for several years,” Eleanor reminded him. “You underestimate Jess.” She looked around the room. “Do you know where Nate is? He should be in bed.”

“I sent him over to see if Jess needed anything.”

“Oh no,” Eleanor breathed. “You sent Nate to Jessica? Don’t you know how much Nate adores Jessica? She sheds one tear and—” Eleanor stopped at the puzzled look on Alex’s face. “If Jess does something really stupid like decide to run away, Nate will help her. Alex,” she said, standing, “you have to go find Nathaniel and

see what’s going on.”

Alex stood rather abruptly, then remembered his disguise. “I don’t want to go out in the cold. I think it’s going to rain again. You know how wet I got last night. Can’t you send someone else? Someone healthy like Nick.”

“Nicholas is too healthy. No, Alex, you have to go. Take your father’s horse. It hasn’t been ridden in months.”

“That brute?”

“Then take Adam’s stallion, whatever, but go.”

Alex started to protest but the urgency in Eleanor’s voice spurred him on. He turned and left the house. There was, fortunately, no one in the stable to see the supposedly feeble Alexander saddle his father’s horse with lightning speed. He skirted town and rode hard, through the rain, to the Taggert house.

Nathaniel was asleep on the floor, the fire almost dead, a half-eaten apple by his hand.

“Nate, where’s Jessica?”

“Hello, Mr. Alex,” Nate said, blinking and sitting up and starting to eat his apple.

“Where’s Jessica?” Alex repeated.

“She was crying about the Raider, so I told her.”

“Told her what?”

“Told her that the Raider’s camp is on Ghost Island and he keeps his horse there.”

Alex was speechless, his mouth open.

“But I didn’t tell her you were the Raider.”

Alex sat down on a stool hard. “Who else knows?” he whispered.

Nate swallowed, then crossed his fingers behind his back. “Just me. And Sam. We followed you. I mean, I followed you. Sam just slept. I think that’s why Sam likes you so much, but, don’t worry, he can’t talk.”

“But you can, you little spy.” Alex pulled Nate to him. “I ought to raise a few welts on your backside. How long have you known?”

“Since the second raid.”