by Barbara Goss
“You brought all your things?” Dallas asked.
“Yep, all strapped to my horse.”
Dallas paced back and forth and finally asked, “What should I do with her then?”
“Leave her here. Did you get their money?”
“It’s in my saddlebag.”
“Let’s go, then. We can get a good start in Topeka—”
“We can’t go there now. She’ll tell the authorities. We’ll have to find another place to get our start.”
Trixie reached up and fondled Dallas’s cheek. “We can do that anywhere.”
Dallas threw up his arms. “All right, but I still want to teach her a lesson. I don’t hit women, so what can I do to her?”
“I could slap her around for you,” Trixie said rubbing her hands together. “Wait outside for me. I’ll work her over good.”
“I saw a stream behind the barn. I’ll water the horses, and then we can leave.” Dallas left the barn.
Emma had watched the exchange between Dallas and Trixie, and she waited with apprehension. What might Trixie do to her? The way she was tied up, she was helpless and at her mercy.
Trixie took a step closer to her. “Don’t worry. I don’t intend to harm you. I think leaving you tied up here is punishment enough. No one ever comes out to the Anderson's farm anymore since their house burned down. This place has been abandoned for five years, and you’ll die a slow death here.”
“Could you untie me, at least?”
“I want you to know that I bear you no hard feelings; I just don’t want Dallas to have you. I love him and have no wish to share him. That’s why I came here, to stop him from ravishing you. I figured he would.”
“Thank you. Will you please untie me?”
“I can’t do that.” Trixie clapped her hands a few times. “I want it to sound like I’m hitting you. If Dallas comes back in, pretend you’re knocked out.” Trixie picked up a riding crop and whipped a support pole several times. “That should do it.”
“Trixie, please, untie me. I have to relieve myself.”
“I’ll loosen your ropes if you pretend I've knocked you out.”
Emma let her head fall to her shoulders, closed her eyes, and she felt Trixie adjusting the rope behind her.
“Listen: don’t panic,” Trixie whispered. “Stay put, and I’m sure someone will rescue you. Just don’t leave the barn.”
“Are you coming?” Dallas called from the doorway. “Oh, she’s out cold. Good job.”
“Goodbye,” Trixie whispered, and she left with Dallas.
Emma listened to the horses until she could no longer hear them before she wriggled her hands free and untied her feet. She gazed around her. Now what?
~~~**~~~
“We lost them,” Logan said as he slowed his horse.
Billings stopped his horse beside Logan’s. “I’ll send out a posse, to search the whole area first thing in the morning. I’ll be tied up, but I’ll send out plenty of men.”
When the three men had reached the lane leading to Logan’s house, Billings waved and rode toward town.
Logan and Alan turned down the lane. “I hope you put the money from the sale in the safe,” Alan said.
“Dagnabbit!”
“You didn’t?”
“I was so worried about Dallas and the blackmailing, I forgot.” Logan shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m more concerned about Emma. He can have the blasted money. I want my wife back.”
Logan and Alan tied their horses and walked into the house.
“So, you do care for Emma.”
“I’m not in love with her, if that’s what you mean. I am fond of her, though, and I want her back—unharmed.”
Logan walked into the study, saw the empty box, and groaned. “He found it.”
“So what do we do now?” Alan asked. “How can we possibly find Dallas and Emma?”
“It’ll be dark in another hour—let’s search for her in the morning. We’ll backtrack to where we lost their tracks, and you can take one direction and I’ll take the other.”
“I can be here at six,” Alan said.
Chapter Eleven
Freed from her bonds and captors, Emma wondered where she should go. She stood outside the barn and looked around. She didn’t know which direction led to town or her home. It would be dark soon—did she really want to start walking and get stuck in the middle of nowhere in the dark? She went back into the barn, sat on a pile of straw, and prayed. Finally, she broke open the bale of straw and made herself a bed. Since she was still groggy from whatever it was Dallas had used to knock her out, she fell asleep quickly.
The sunshine streamed through the gaps in the barn walls into Emma’s eyes, waking her. She scrambled to her feet, left the barn, took care of personal needs, and then studied the hoof prints in front of the barn. Emma thought the horses had come from the north the previous day, so she started walking in that direction. She prayed she’d find a house where she'd be able to take refuge.
As Emma trudged along, she realized Dallas had taken her from her home in nothing more on her feet than light slippers. Her feet burned, and she worried she’d wear out the soles. She'd been walking along a dirt road and so far, no travelers had passed her. Emma felt excited when she glimpsed a calf in the field to her left as it meant there had to be a farm nearby. She walked a little faster.
Soon, she spotted more cattle grazing. She walked around a bend in the road and smiled—set on a lane off the main road was a stone house. Someone had planted flowers beside the house and along the path leading to it. It was reassuring, since men living alone seldom planted flowers. Relief flooded through her.
A woman—who looked to be in her early fifties—answered her knock on the door. Her hair was dark brown with a few strands of gray here and there. She was pretty, and Emma could tell she took good care of herself. She was wearing a simple, cotton, pale yellow frock. Colored combs held her hair on top of her head in a loose bun. Emma thought she must have been beautiful when she was young.
When she greeted Emma, her voice sounded just as lovely. “Good morning. How may I help you?”
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Emma replied. “It seems I’m lost, and this is the first house I’ve seen and…well, I need help.”
The woman scanned the area behind Emma as if she were looking for someone that might be with her. Next, she studied Emma’s wrinkled and soiled dress. She seemed to have come to a conclusion, for she opened the door wider and said, “Come on in.”
Once they'd been seated in the delightfully decorated sitting room, the woman introduced herself. “I’m Rachel Bradley.”
“Thank you for inviting me in, Rachel. I’m Emma Jam…I mean, Sinclair; I’ve recently wed, and I almost gave you my maiden name.” Emma hadn't missed the surprised expression on Rachel’s face when she heard her name.
“Do you know the Sinclair family?”
Rachel regained her composure. “I’m familiar with them.”
“I’d appreciate your help in getting home,” Emma said.
“My husband, Tim, is in Dodge City, selling cattle, and he isn’t due back for a few more days. You may stay here until then, if you’d like.”
Emma hung her head in disappointment. “I had hoped…”
“I know. You must miss Logan.”
Emma’s head sprang up. She hadn’t mentioned her husband’s name. “You know Logan?”
Rachel bit her bottom lip. “I know the family. He has a sister, too.” Rachel tapped her chin. “Her name is…Prudence, I believe.”
“Yes.”
“How are Logan and Prudence?”
“Very well. Prudence is married to a man named Hugh, and they have a three-year-old named Billy. They live in Hays.”
Rachel smiled. “How wonderful. And Logan? Tell me how you met.” Rachel stood abruptly. “Oh, I’m sorry. How rude of me. I’ll put the teakettle on and you can tell me everything over a nice cup of tea. Come with me, dear.”
; Emma followed her through an immaculate dining room and into a cozy kitchen. Rachel put the teakettle on the large black cook stove, then turned to place cups and saucers on the table.
“I don’t suppose you’ve eaten—would you like a slice of peach kuchen?”
“I’d love a piece. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”
“Oh, dear! I’ll make you a ham sandwich first, then.”
Rachel left the room and came back with a ham. She sliced it and put it between two slices of homemade bread. “There you go.” She poured them each some tea, and then she sat across from her and watched her eat.
When Emma had finished eating, she said, “Thank you, Rachel. It was delicious.”
“Now, I’ll give you a slice of kuchen.”
The ham sandwich was delightful, and Emma had tried to eat gracefully, but it hadn't been easy because she’d been starving. The kuchen had finally filled the void in her stomach, and she sipped her tea contently.
“The kuchen was fantastic,” Emma said.
“Now, tell me how you met Logan.”
Emma was faced with a dilemma—what should she tell the woman? Surely not the truth. Emma crossed her fingers under the table. She’d have to lie. She hoped God would forgive her for it.
Emma gave Rachel the same story Logan had given his sister about their meeting and falling in love when Logan had gone to Springfield to breed a horse.
“How romantic,” Rachel said. “I love a romantic story.
"So, you and Logan are happily married?”
Emma took a long sip of tea while thinking up a good answer. “Yes, of course. It all happened so quickly, and we’re still adjusting to married life, but we’re doing well.”
Rachel stood and opened the kitchen windows. “It’s growing warm in here. It looks to be another warm, late spring day, and with the stove fired up, it gets hot in here quickly.” She went around the kitchen, opening several windows.
Emma enjoyed the breeze coming in from the windows near the table. The aroma of flowers permeated the air, and she could see several large flower beds in the backyard. With the flowers and birds chirping, the mood in the room turned sunny and pleasant.
“This is lovely,” Emma said. “Your flowers are breathtaking. I’d love to do something like this at our place.”
Rachel refilled their cups and sat down across from her. “My crocuses came up wonderfully this year, but my daffodils are already sagging.”
“The colorful tulips along the path leading to the house were extremely welcoming,” Emma said.
“When you start your garden, I could—well, that is, if I see you again, I could give you some tips.”
“How far am I from Hunter’s Grove?”
“About fifteen miles. We’re between Hunter’s Grove and Russell. Russell is our nearest town and where we pay our taxes. It’s quite a ride, though, so we only pick up mail and supplies a few times a month.”
Emma figured she’d been unconscious on Dallas’s horse for a good four hours.
Rachel stood, collected the dirty dishes, and put them in the sink. “Shall we sit out on the porch? I’m eager to hear how you became stranded out here in no-man’s-land.”
Emma began her tale once they'd settled on the porch, with the aroma of flowers and the sound of birds chirping in the background.
“A man, whom I’d rejected in favor of Logan, followed me to Hunter’s Grove for revenge. He partnered with a saloon woman and tried to blackmail Logan. When that didn’t work, he came to the house, kidnapped me, and took me to a barn that had belonged to a family called Anderson, where he tied me up. The saloon woman came just in time to stop the man from ravishing me. I think she wanted him all to herself, which saved me. She also loosened the ropes around my wrists. When they left, I was able to free myself.”
“They didn’t hurt you at all?”
“No. I prayed the whole time, and I know it helped.”
“So, where is Logan? Isn’t he trying to find you?”
“I’m sure he is, but I’m not sure he’d know where to look. I had no idea they’d taken me so far from Hunter’s Grove.”
“Logan’s father has connections. Surely he could—”
“No, he passed about year ago,” Emma said.
Rachel gasped. “Did he? How sad.” She stared into space for several minutes before saying, “He was a good man.”
“It seems like you knew him well.”
Rachel took a deep breath before saying, “You might say that. He was my husband.”
Now it was Emma’s turn to gasp. “Your husband? Are you…Logan’s mother?”
Rachel nodded.
Emma recalled how Logan didn't want to talk about his mother. “I’m confused, Rachel. What happened?”
“It’s a long story, but you deserve to hear it, and I’m in the mood to tell it. Especially with Henry gone, I need to tell someone.”
“I’m all ears,” Emma said.
“I met Henry in Kansas City. He was extremely romantic and he swept me off my feet. He offered me a good life, so I accepted his proposal. He’d bought land in Hunter’s Grove and was building a home there. He was a good-looking man with a substantial bank account, and that influenced my decision, I have to admit. I was fond of Henry, but I didn’t know what love was. I had just celebrated my eighteenth birthday and had never been courted before.
“Things went well for a few years. I gave birth to Prudence and then to Logan, who was named after my father. Henry’s best friend, Tim, was a frequent guest in our home. He was lively and fun while Henry was serious and seemed fonder of his horses than he was me. I needed liveliness in my life, and I gravitated toward Tim. He took me riding often, since Henry was too busy, and we fell in love. It just happened.
“We both knew it was wrong, but how could we deny our feelings? I felt torn between two worlds. Tim was the brave one. He suggested we go our separate ways. He started courting a woman, and I tried to be happy with Henry and the children, but my heart ached.”
Tears rolled down Rachel’s face. She wiped them away and continued. “Tim felt the same. One day, he found me out riding, and we…ran into each other’s arms; it was the most heart-wrenching scene. I knew—I think we both knew—that I had no choice but to leave Henry. It broke my heart to leave the children, but I couldn’t live with Henry after having found true love with Tim. I couldn’t let something that precious go.”
Rachel took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes. “We’ve been happy, but I’m still haunted by having left my children behind.”
“Couldn’t you have taken them with you?”
“The only way Henry would agree to a divorce is if I left him the children.” Rachel shrugged. “I had no choice.”
Emma felt her pain. What might she have done? “Have you seen the children at all since you left?”
“No. That was another stipulation of my agreement with Henry. He forbade me to see or contact the children.”
Emma now knew why Logan had refused to talk about his mother; he didn’t understand. All he knew was that his mother had abandoned him.
“The children think you deserted them,” Emma said. “Logan refuses to even talk about you.”
Rachel teared up again. “I know.” She blew her nose and wiped her tears. “I need you to tell me all about him.”
Emma felt helpless. How could she tell her husband’s mother she knew little to nothing about him?
“Um…he likes to play poker, and he’s excited about the horses and the ranch. He recently had a successful auction.”
Rachel patted Emma’s hand. “No, I mean as a person—what’s he like?”
Emma crossed the fingers of the hand that lay beneath the folds of her skirt. “He’s kind, considerate, and a hard worker.”
Rachel smiled. “Does he get along with Prudence? They used to fight something awful when they were young.”
“Yes, they get along wonderfully.”
“I’m glad.” Rachel st
ood. “I’ll show you to the spare room. When Tim returns, he’ll take you home.”
Emma felt guilty about having lied to Rachel. The woman had treated her well, and she had confessed the sordid truth of her life to Emma, and in turn, Emma had lied about her and Logan.
It had been three days since she’d arrived on Rachel’s doorstep, and she’d enjoyed every moment of it. Rachel showed her all of her gardens and let her help with some of the plants and weeding. She’d let Emma help cook, and they'd enjoyed girl talk over hot cocoa at night. Emma had grown fond of Rachel, but her relationship with Logan wasn’t only her secret—it was Logan’s as well, and she didn’t dare tell another person, especially not a woman who Logan seemed not to care for at all.
In some ways, Rachel reminded Emma of her own mother. What Rachel had done was wrong, and Emma had tried to understand her actions, but she’d never been a mother or in love, so how was she to judge? That was God's job, after all, not hers.
As much as she enjoyed her stay with Rachel, she yearned for home. She even yearned for her casual relationship with Logan. He’d begun to grow on her in some ways. She guessed that what she felt for him was respect. Even when he’d thought her a saloon woman, he’d let her participate in the auction. No one thought less of a husband who'd treated his wife harshly because wives were considered property, but he'd been kind to her, even as a saloon woman.
Still, she looked forward to the annulment and her little cottage.
Chapter Twelve
When Alan arrived, Logan was already waiting for him on his horse. Without exchanging more than a nod, they started down the lane for another day of trying to find Emma. Sheriff Billings met them just before they'd reached the main road.
“I’m glad I caught you,” Billings said.
Logan moved his horse closer to Billings. “I thought you couldn’t join us in our search today.”
“I can’t. I have an important town meeting, but I have news that might help you find your wife.”
