by Joyce Alec
Joe let out a long breath. “It’s probably best we move on, Laura. We don’t need to stay here.”
“I doubt you’ll get far with that shoulder of yours,” Annie replied quickly. “It’s been stitched, but you’re going to need a couple of days to rest and regain your strength before you head out.” She shrugged, her curiosity growing all the more. “I’ve got a house quite far out of town where no one ever comes. If you’re needing a place to hide, then you gotta tell me why you need to hide in the first place.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, as she saw Joe’s eyes flare, as though he was angry with her for pushing so hard, but she didn’t back down. Something was going on, and she had to know what it was.
“The truth is,” Laura began, drawing both Annie and Joe’s attention, “that I’m running away. Joe’s helping me. I’ve got to get away from the man I’m supposed to marry.” Her lips trembled, her eyes filling with sparkling tears. “He’s terrifying.” These last words came out as a whisper, betraying just how frightened she truly was.
Annie nodded slowly, her stomach beginning to settle its nerves. “I understand. But why are you being forced to marry someone?”
Joe shook his head, his jaw working for a moment. “Our papa doesn’t exactly care about us. Me, I can take care of myself. I got my own small piece of land in Steerhorn and a job working down at the ranch, but Laura here, she was cooking and cleaning, and basically doing whatever our papa said. When he told her she was to marry Boyd Bretton, then I knew I had to do something.”
“But why?” Annie asked, picking up her fork as her stomach, finally, began to settle itself completely. “What’s wrong with Boyd Bretton?”
Joe tipped his head. “You see this?” he asked, pointing to his eye. “And this?” The scratches on his cheek and the swelling to his forehead made her wince. “That’s Boyd Bretton’s doing. He came to make sure I hadn’t got any ideas about putting a stop to this marriage.” Shaking his head, he glanced at Laura before putting his dark eyes onto Annie. “I knew then I had to get her away from there.”
Annie shook her head, her heart wrenching in sympathy as well as a slow, mingling fear. “I understand. That must have been terrifying for you, Laura.”
“I don’t know where we’re planning on going,” Laura replied hoarsely. “We only brought a few things with us, but the bag I had must have gotten lost when we were trying to ride away from Bretton’s men.”
“Bretton’s men?” Annie queried, looking back at Joe and seeing him point to his shoulder. “One of them shot you?”
“I reckon so,” Joe replied with an effort. “He’s got plenty of ‘em, given that he’s one of the richest men in all of Steerhorn. They must have heard or seen that we were trying to get away and followed after us. I reckon we lost them around these parts, but it ain’t gonna be long until they find us.”
“Which is why we have to go,” Laura replied slowly, seeing the light in her brother’s eyes. “But what about you, Joe? You’re hurt. You were bleeding last night, and there sure was a lot of it.” She shuddered before picking up her tea cup. “What are we going to do?”
Annie pressed her lips together for a moment, thinking hard. There was no obligation for her to help them, especially when she had more than enough to worry about herself, but her sympathetic heart wouldn’t let her just turn her back on them. Seeing the terror in Laura’s eyes had sparked compassion in her, knowing full well what such a feeling was like.
“I might have an idea,” she said slowly. “I need to go to town. I need to speak to Mr. Stewart.”
“Mr. Stewart?” Joe repeated, frowning hard. “You ain’t gonna warn him that we’re here now, are you?”
Affronted, Annie glared at him and saw the guilt flash over his face for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” he continued before she could say anything. “I didn’t mean that. I’m grateful for your kindness, I really am.”
A little placated, Annie turned her attention to Laura. “Mr. Stewart owns a ranch on the other side of town. He’s offered me a place to stay, but I couldn’t accept him. He might be able to look after you and Joe for a while. Here ain’t exactly safe.”
Laura’s eyes flickered. “Because of that man shouting at you last night?” she asked gently. “You said last night he wanted to marry you so that he could have your house and your money. What will he do if he manages to get into your house one night?”
Now it was Annie’s turn to shudder. “I don’t know,” she replied hoarsely. “He’s my late husband’s son. I was a mail order bride, and Paul was quite a lot older than me, but he was always very kind. Simon, the man who was here last night, he’s nothing like him.” She shook her head, suddenly unable to look at either of them. “But this ain’t about me. I’ve gotta keep the two of you safe. Besides,” she continued, trying to lighten the mood, “I know that Mr. Stewart’s son is thinking about getting himself hitched, he just ain’t found the right woman. You never know, maybe he–?”
“Is he a good man?”
Laura’s question was firm and direct, cutting Annie off straight away. She paused for a moment, tipping her head just a little so that she could look at Laura a little more carefully.
“Yes,” she replied slowly. “Yes, he is a good man, but I didn’t mean you had to–”
“Do you think he’d be happy with a woman like me?” Laura asked, her eyes sharp as she leaned forward in her seat. “Would he be willing to get himself hitched to, for all intents and purposes, a mail order bride?”
A little confused, Annie shrugged. “I can’t say, Laura. I’m sorry. I can always ask him, I guess.”
Joe cleared his throat. “Why are you asking this, Laura? I thought we were just to head on out until we found somewhere safe to start over.”
Laura turned to her brother, her eyes settling gently. “Because,” she replied calmly. “Because this is the answer, Joe. I can marry someone here before Boyd Bretton ever reaches us.”
“That would mean you’d have to get hitched…tomorrow at the latest,” Joe interrupted, as a cold hand grasped Annie’s heart. “That’s impossible, Laura.”
“No, it ain’t,” Laura replied firmly. “Then you’ve only got yourself to worry about, instead of worrying about the two of us.”
Leaving them both to argue for a few minutes, Annie rose from her chair and began to tidy up the kitchen. How had she ended up in this situation? To go from abject fear to now worrying about how she’d take care of two complete strangers was quite ridiculous. Even if Laura did somehow manage to get Robert, Mr. Stewart’s son, to marry her, that would leave Annie here to look after Joe. Well, at least until he left.
“I’d be alone again,” she muttered to herself, rubbing her forehead. She let out a long breath, realizing that what she was doing just now was nothing more than a distraction. They would be gone soon, and she’d be just as alone as before.
“Annie?”
Starting, she realized Joe was speaking to her, but she hadn’t heard a thing he’d said. Turning around to face them, she saw Joe’s dark frown as he watched her, despite his battered face.
“I’m sorry for being so direct, but is there a reason you ain’t got anyone here to help you with this man? Simon, was it?”
“Yes, that’s right,” she replied slowly. “And yes, there is a reason. This whole town’s afraid of him. He’s the blacksmith around these parts, which means everyone here has got to stay on his good side.”
“Ain’t the sheriff willing to help you?”
A rueful smile tugged at her lips. “We ain’t got a sheriff.”
Something burst to life in Joe’s eyes. “No sheriff. That’s mighty interesting,” he murmured, half to himself whilst another frown caught his brow.
“I don’t see why,” Annie replied a little stiffly. “Besides, what’s going on with me shouldn’t matter much to you. You’ve got enough to worry about by taking care of Laura.”
Joe’s frown lifted slightly. “Well, you see now, that�
��s the thing. We’ve been talking and–well, I guess we’ve come up with a suggestion or two.”
“Oh?”
Annie took her seat again, watching Joe carefully. It was hard to tell what he really looked like, given just how badly his face had been damaged, but there clearly was a strong, fiery spirit within him. Joe wanted to protect his sister, and that was all that mattered.
“Here’s the thing,” Joe said, leaning on the table with one elbow. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, I ain’t much good when it comes to riding. I can’t exactly watch out for Laura in this state.” He jabbed towards his eye, his lips thinning as he did so. “That being said, I don’t reckon it’s a good idea for her to stay here for much longer.” Glancing at Laura, he hesitated for a moment before continuing, as if he weren’t quite sure that this next part was a good idea. “Laura’s fairly settled on getting herself hitched to a good man, if she can manage it. Are there men around these parts looking for a bride?”
His eyes fixed on hers with an intensity that unsettled Annie just a little. She shifted in her seat, trying to think quickly. “I reckon so. Even if Robert – that’s Mr. Stewart’s son – if he ain’t looking to wed, I’m sure there’ll be someone decent in this small town.”
Joe managed a small smile. It told Annie he wasn’t exactly pleased with his sister’s intention, but he was accepting it anyway.
“Then, if you’ll take her into town to Mr. Stewart’s ranch, I reckon that’ll keep her safe for the time being,” he said quietly. “I’d better stay here, since I don’t want to reopen anything.” He tried to lift his injured shoulder, winced, and shook his head. “Although I don’t like not being able to go with Laura, but she sure is insistent.”
Something rolled in Annie’s stomach at the thought of this strange man staying in her house, alone. Her eyes widened slightly as her pulse began to race, although whether from uncertainty, fear, or something entirely different, she couldn’t be sure.
“I’ll not hurt you, Annie.”
Her head shot up to see Joe looking back at her with a calm assurance in his eyes, and Annie found herself flushing with embarrassment. How had he known what she was thinking?
“In fact, I was thinking I could help you while I’m here,” he continued, with that same warm smile. “I don’t know why this town ain’t willing to help you with Simon, but I can’t just sit back and let that happen any longer. I ain’t got no ties to this place so how abouts I make sure he’s gone and won’t come back? There’s nothing pulling at me to get on back to Steerhorn, so I’d be more than willing to help get rid of that man for good.”
A dam burst inside her as she realized what he meant. She wouldn’t have to stay awake every night with fear coursing through her veins, worrying that Simon was going to show up. She wouldn’t have to wait him out alone. There would be someone here with her, someone alongside her, to finally push him out of her life for good.
Her throat constricted with the wave of emotion that crashed over her. There was nothing but silence for a few moments as she looked into Joe’s face and saw the willingness there. He wanted to help her, and what was more, she knew he could help her. As he’d just said, he had no ties to this place. There was no need for him to be afraid of Simon, was there? All she had to do was trust him. Trust that, even though he’d be under her roof for a few days, he wouldn’t try and take advantage of her and wouldn’t try to press his attentions on her.
Suddenly, her blood ran cold. She’d be here alone with Joe. If he tried to do something – anything – to her, then she’d have no one to turn to. For goodness sake, she didn’t even know the man. She was being ridiculous. Foolish and unwise, she’d been about to agree to something that could easily put her in more danger.
“Joe.”
Laura spoke up gently, her voice quiet and expression filled with understanding.
“Joe, give her your gun.”
Annie’s eyes jumped to Laura’s, as Joe fumbled for the gun in his waistband, handing it across the table to Annie. She took it automatically, the gun feeling cool in her hand. Looking down at it, she shuddered a little. As she set it down on the table, she remembered how Joe had shot into the darkness last night.
“Joe doesn’t carry any other weapons except that one,” Laura said. “You keep a hold of it, Annie. I can tell you’re afraid that something will happen if it’s just the two of you here by yourself, and I understand that. But if you’ve got the gun, then you’re always able to defend yourself.”
“I suppose so,” Annie admitted, looking down at the gun again and then back up to Joe. She did feel a little more confident now that she had it in her possession. On top of that, Joe was still pretty badly injured, which meant she could more easily defend herself if needed. Her stomach still twisting and turning with both confusion and anxiety, she found herself nodding.
“Does this mean I can stay?” Joe asked quietly. “You’ll let me recover here for a couple of days?”
“I guess so,” Annie replied. “I just hope I won’t regret it.” She let her eyes linger on him for a moment, seeing the flicker of a frown cross his brow, as if he was upset she thought that way about him.
“You won’t regret it,” Laura said in such a cheerful voice that it broke the tension hovering about the room. “Come on then, Annie. Why don’t we go into town and see if we can’t make this Robert take me as his bride?”
5
“Mr. Stewart?”
Knocking on the ranch house front door, Annie waited a little impatiently for it to open. Beside her, Laura was dancing back and forth from one foot to the other, clearly nervous about whom she was to meet.
Finally, the door opened, but it wasn’t Mr. Stewart standing there. Rather, it was his son, Robert. Annie flushed to the roots of her hair, as he lifted one eyebrow at her, his lips a little thin. Clearly, he wasn’t exactly pleased with being interrupted.
“Mrs. Hartford, ain’t it?”
“Annie, please,” she said hastily. “Is your papa here, Robert? I need to talk to him.”
To her surprise, Robert didn’t immediately answer. His dark green eyes had widened and were now fixed on Laura’s face. His square jaw, which had been tense only a moment or two before, was now relaxed as he began to smile.
“This is my friend, Laura,” Annie said a little sheepishly. “The truth is, Robert, we’re looking for a place for her to stay. She could stay with me, but we can’t take that risk.”
Again, there were a few moments of silence. Annie looked from one to the next, seeing how they both were staring at each other as though they were seeing a long-lost friend for the first time in years.
Robert cleared his throat and dropped his gaze, finally dragging it around to Annie. “Why’s that?”
Laura spoke up before Annie could say a single word. “My papa is trying to get me to marry Boyd Bretton,” she said hoarsely. “He’s not the kind of man I want to marry, see? He’s…violent.”
Robert’s jaw clenched suddenly. “You’re running away?”
“Sure am,” Laura replied with a slight lift of her chin. “I ain’t about to hitch myself to a man like that. I got to have a good man to call my husband, and Boyd Bretton ain’t that.”
“And he’ll be on his way to this town very soon, if he’s not here already,” Annie finished, putting one hand on Robert’s arm for a moment, so as to draw his attention. “Can Laura stay here? She’s got to keep herself hidden for a time, and your papa said to me yesterday that–”
“Sure, she can.”
Robert’s voice was warm and friendly, the ice gone from his eyes and the frustration vanishing from his expression.
“Do you have anything else with you?” he asked, pushing the door open and gesturing for Laura to step inside. “There’s just my pa and me living in this place, but we got a room up the stairs you can stay in. It’s private and no one will bother you.”
Laura smiled up at him, her eyes warm. “You’re awful kind, Mr. Stewart.”
“Robert,” he said, one hand now on the small of her back as he led her inside. “It sure is nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Laura.”
Annie swallowed hard as the door shut behind them both, leaving her standing out on the porch. Laura didn’t need her anymore, and from the looks of it, Robert was going to do everything Laura had hoped. She’d be wed by the day’s end, if Annie was any judge. At least that was one way to make sure Boyd Bretton couldn’t get ahold of her any longer.
Frowning slightly, Laura turned on her heel and made her way down the porch steps and back towards her horse. Setting the horse’s nose back towards town, she let her mind drift for a moment. If Boyd Bretton knew that Laura was married, then surely there wasn’t anything else for Joe to worry about. He could head on back to town and carry on with his life, couldn’t he? Then why did he seem so reluctant to go on back home? Was it because his father and Boyd Bretton could make life difficult for him, since he’d been the one to help Laura escape?
Her frown deepened as she remembered what Laura had said when she and Joe had been discussing things earlier. She’d told Joe that if she went and got herself hitched, or, at the very least, stayed at Mr. Stewart’s ranch, then Joe would only have to worry about himself. What did that mean? Had Joe been involved in something more with Boyd Bretton? Was this why he wasn’t in a hurry to get himself back home to Steerhorn?
Her stomach knotted as she thought about heading on back home, back to where Joe would be waiting for her. She had his gun still, which meant that he couldn’t exactly do anything to hurt her, and her own bedroom door had a lock on it, too. There was something about him that dogged at her mind, something that wouldn’t let her push him out of her thoughts. Something that was making her begin to wonder if this wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d first thought. How exactly was he planning to help her “get rid” of Simon? He couldn’t just go out and shoot him.
