She giggled, trying not to show him just how much his words meant to her. “How are your injuries?”
“Well, I’m sure my face looks colorful with blue and green bruises on it, but that won’t go away until you kiss them better. However, my ribs are still sore.” He paused, inhaling deeply. “It still hurts to breath, but I can handle it better now.”
“Do you think we should try to get away?”
He nodded and glanced toward the window. “It’s still early. I should sneak into the other room to see how many men have fallen asleep.”
Maverick sat up and pushed his fingers through his hair. He winced a few times, but then shifted to his knees and stood. She sat up slowly, grateful that the dizziness hadn’t returned.
Taking careful steps, he moved toward the door and stopped, resting his hand on the doorknob. He pressed his ear against the barrier between the two rooms. Hannah held her breath, not wanting to make any sound at all.
After a few moments, he turned the doorknob slowly and peeked into the other room. Another few seconds later, he pushed the door open wider and crept into the room. From where she still sat on the floor, she could see the bedrolls from the other men. So far, they looked as if they were sleeping.
Maverick took a couple more steps and then bent over. She couldn’t quite see what he was doing, but when he straightened, he held a rifle in one hand and the leather strap of bullets in the other. Although she wanted to sigh with relief, it was probably still too early. He was only one man with one gun. The odds were not in their favor.
As Maverick backed out of the room slowly, he pulled the door closed. Finally, she allowed the sigh to blow from her mouth. He lifted his winnings and nodded.
“At least it’s something.”
“Yes,” she said, rising to her feet. “But our best bet is to flee before they wake up.”
He moved to the window and looked outside, searching the grounds slowly. “There were only five men in that room. Three men are unaccounted for, and that worries me.”
“Do you think they are out there?” She hurried to his side, peeking out of the dirty glass.
“They have to be. Where else would they have gone to?”
She shrugged. “Unless they have families and returned home.”
He reached for her hand, clasping it tightly in his. “I hope you’re right. We cannot stay here forever.” He brought her hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “Say a prayer for us while I try and open the window.”
“Of course.”
He handed her the rifle and leather belt before turning back to the window. Silently, she prayed for guidance. The wicked men in the other room couldn’t win. She and Maverick had the Lord on their side. They must prevail. The Bible taught her that. Faith, the size of a mustard seed, could move a mountain. All she wanted was for them to escape without getting injured. Her faith was bigger than a mustard seed, so she couldn’t give up hope.
It took longer than she’d wanted for Maverick to lift the window. Every time it made a squeak, he stopped and listened for any signs of alarm from the other room. When silence greeted them, Maverick continued, going even slower.
Finally, he was able to open the window wide enough for a body to crawl through. Instead, he poked his head out and scanned the perimeter. She held her breath, waiting for his nod to proceed.
He pulled back inside and turned toward her, taking the leather belt first. He wrapped it across his shoulder and chest before he took back the rifle.
“I’m going to climb out first, and then I’ll help you out.”
“Be careful.”
By his slow movements with the occasional wince, she knew his body was still sore. But, he braved it and forced himself to keep going. His courage showed her what type of man he was. Her heart melted. He was the best of the best. She’d known many men in her life, and they were nowhere near as determined as Maverick.
Once he dropped to the ground, he kept crouched as he searched all around the area. Hannah held her breath, trying not only to listen to the men in the other room, but a shout from someone outside to warn the other of the escape.
The minutes seemed to drag, but soon Maverick stood and reached his hand toward her. She hurried to the window and clasped hands with him. She sat on the window’s ledge, and he gently pulled her back and into his arms.
She breathed easier now. However, they were outside, and so they needed to run as fast as they could to get away.
“Can you do this?” he asked in a whisper.
“Yes. Can you?”
He grinned and winked. “Just try and keep up with me, my sweet Hannah.”
Hand-in-hand, they ran toward the forest. Slowly, the pound in her head increased, but she couldn’t let that stop her. They had made it this far, and they needed to keep going. If Maverick could run with bruised ribs, then she could run with a headache.
Just as they reached the forest, a horse’s neigh echoed in the quiet morning. Immediately, Maverick stopped, released her hand, and positioned the rifle in his arms. He pointed the gun in the direction of the sound. Not far from them was a horse – without a rider.
She scoped out the land around them, looking for whoever might have been on the horse, but she couldn’t see anyone. Her heart lifted, and she glanced at Maverick. His eyes were wide with excitement, too.
“Stay right here. I’m going to fetch our ride.”
As he darted toward the horse, she brought her clasped hands to her chest. Was this a sign from God that they were going to get
