A Convenient Wife

by Carolyn Davidson

Henry nodded, his eyes wide. “He told Mrs. Jamison that he needed a statement that the marriage hadn’t been—” His mouth worked as if he could not bring himself to speak another word.

  “Consummated.” Win had no such compunction. And his anger rose as he contemplated the absolute gall of the woman. “He named me? And Ellie?” he asked.

  “Well, the Jamison woman named your wife, Doc. Said that Eleanor wanted an annulment from a man she’d married.”

  “That’s a lie,” James said firmly. “You and I both know that, Win. I doubt Ellie left on her own hook. Something’s happened. You were right on that account.” He adjusted his gun belt and settled the pistol into its holster. “I think we need to hustle over to the hotel.”

  “Should I deliver the telegram to Mrs. Jamison?” Henry asked.

  “I’ll take it,” James said.

  Henry clutched the paper to his chest, and his face reddened as he defied the lawman. “I can’t rightly let you have it, Sheriff. By law, I have to deliver it to the person it’s intended for.” Henry looked like he wished for the floor to swallow him, and Win felt a pang of pity for the man.

  “It’s all right. I appreciate you coming here,” Win said. “Why don’t you walk on over and deliver your message and we’ll be right behind you?”

  “That’ll work,” James agreed. “And don’t you be putting your hands on Tommy, Doc. We can’t have anything happening to you.”

  “If he’s hurt Ellie, he’s a dead man,” Win said, the words calm and chill. Fury cascaded through him like a river of fire, and his fists clenched at his sides. “You coming along?” he said over his shoulder as he followed Henry from the building.

  “I doubt if they want her damaged, Doc. They’re obviously planning on taking her back East with them.” Even as he spoke, James grasped Win’s arm, halting his headlong pace. “Just hold on.”

  “You hold on, James. This is my wife we’re talking about.” His strides were long, and Henry double-stepped as he scurried across the road, ahead of the two men. He pulled open the hotel door, and, ignoring Amos Carlton, hastened across to the wide, curved staircase.

  Behind him, his followers shot through the hotel lobby and up the stairs, James taking two at a time, attempting to move ahead of Win. And then they stood at the door of room 211 and watched as Henry raised a fist to pound against the wooden panel.

  “Mrs. Jamison,” he called loudly. “I got a telegram for you.”

  The door opened wide and Marie’s mouth gaped as she was confronted by the three men. With a swift shove, she attempted to close the door, but James inserted his boot neatly into the opening and leaned his considerable strength against the woman’s lesser weight.

  “Don’t you want to read your message, ma’am?” he asked in a deceptively quiet tone. “Hand it to her, Henry.”

  The paper rattled as it exchanged hands, and Marie’s face paled, her mouth pinching tightly as she viewed her visitors. “This is my room, Sheriff,” she said harshly. “You have no right to cross the threshold.”

  “Maybe not,” James said agreeably. “But then, I think we need to talk about your telegram.”

  “It’s private business.” Her chin thrust forward and her eyes glittered with anger, her disdain evident as she clutched the telegram in her fist.

  “It’s monkey business, is what it is,” James said flatly. “You’re breaking the law, ma’am.”

  “I’m protecting the rights of my son,” Marie blurted. “That man,” she stated, her index finger pointed at Win, “forced my son’s fiancée to marry him. We’ve come to right the wrong and take Eleanor back to Philadelphia with us, where we can have a real wedding, and Tommy can claim his child.”

  “You weren’t so quick to admit the baby was Tommy’s when you hauled buggy out of Whitehorn a while back,” Win said, his words a savage growl.

  “It was a mistake,” she said sharply. “One we intend to rectify immediately.”

  “I don’t think so,” James said, his words slow and distinct. “I want to know where Ellie is, Mrs. Jamison.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sheriff,” she blustered. “How would I know her whereabouts? Tommy is gone right now, trying to locate her. I understand she’s not at the doctor’s home.”

  “Damn right, she’s not.” Win’s words were a snarl. “What have you done with her?”

  Marie smiled with a show of teeth. “Maybe she’s left you,” she said spitefully.

  “I don’t think so,” Win said, denying her suggestion. “She had no reason to leave.” And yet, she’d spoken of it to Kate, he thought, and his heart sank.

  “What makes you think you can get an annulment?” James asked, and Win watched as the query slammed through Marie’s composure.

  “You had no right to read my private business correspondence,” she lashed, crumpling the telegram into a ball.

  “Is Tommy trying to force Ellie to sign a statement of some sort?” James asked.

  “Shouldn’t be any force involved, I would think,” Marie said firmly. “An annulment is the best for all concerned.”

  “You won’t get one.” Harsh and firm, Win’s words denied her claim.

  Marie’s eyes widened, and a triumphant smile twisted her lips. “Are you claiming you’ve consummated the marriage? Do you expect anyone to believe that? The girl’s having another man’s child.”

  Win smiled back, his own mouth curving with satisfaction. “The day I married Ellie, I claimed her child. She’s sleeping in my bed. Has been for two months.”

  Doubt colored Marie’s expression. “No decent man would…” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

  “You think I care what you believe?” Win asked, his hands itching to shake the woman’s arrogance from place. “I want to know where my wife is. And I want to know right now.”

  James cut in quickly. “Before you deny it, you’d better think again, Mrs. Jamison. You don’t want to spend the day in jail, do you?”

  Her nostrils flared, and her bosom rose as she inhaled sharply. “Don’t try to threaten me, Sheriff. I have connections you wouldn’t want to deal with.”

  “I don’t give a damn about your fancy connections, ma’am,” James said harshly. “In Whitehorn, I’m the law. And if you don’t want to spend the day cooling your heels in a cell, you’ll tell us what you’ve done with Ellie.”

  She tilted her head imperiously. “I haven’t done anything with her. She’s obviously left the doctor and gone on her way.”

  “Where’s Tommy?” James asked, scanning the room as he spoke.

  “I told you. He’s gone to look for Eleanor.”

  James studied her a moment, then shot a glance at Win. “I’ll have Amos keep an eye on things here,” he decided. “We’ll start with George Mitchum’s place.”

  “Come on, Ellie.” Tommy’s words were coaxing, and he’d put his best smile in place. “You know you love me. We’ll get married and live in a fancy house. My grandfather is intending to give me a good job. He’s made an offer, and I’m going to be the one to win the prize. I’ve got three cousins who think they’ve got it over on me,” he said harshly, “but I’ve got a head start, with a baby already on its way. All I have to do is prove I’m a family man.”

  Ellie looked around the deserted farmyard. She’d guarantee her father was within hearing, but for the moment he’d left her to Tommy’s persuasion. “You’re not a man of any sort,” she answered. “I don’t love you, Tommy. I thought I did, back a few months ago, but when you headed out of town and left me holding the bag, I discovered I didn’t even like you.”

  “My mother can make you marry me,” he blustered. “She’s got a big-city lawyer working on it right now.” He stepped up onto the porch where she’d taken her stand, unwilling that he should enter the house.

  “She can’t make me do any such thing,” Ellie told him, refusing to back away. “I’m already married to Winston Gray, and I’ve got a certificate to prove it
.”

  Tommy grinned. “Maybe so, but the lawyer is checking into an annulment, and we’ll be hearing from him today.” He reached for her hand and she snatched it from his grasp, jamming it into her apron pocket.

  “You can’t force anyone to get an annulment, Tommy.” Ellie shook her head, exasperated at his foolishness. “I don’t want to leave Win. Having my father kidnap me last night was a mistake. When the sheriff finds out about it, you’ll all be in hot water.”

  “Your pa has a right,” Tommy insisted. “He knows what’s best for you.”

  “You’re crazy, do you know that?” She turned her back on him, and his hand clamped tightly to her shoulder.

  “Don’t do that, Ellie. Don’t turn away from me. You know I love you.” A hint of desperation entered his voice, causing it to tremble.

  “That’s not true,” she said, jerking from his touch. “You don’t love me. You never did. You lied to me and made up stories about us getting married, and then walked away.” She turned her head and shot an angry look in his direction.

  “Your mother figured out I was in the family way, and that was why y’all left town in such a hurry.”

  He flushed an unbecoming red and shook his head in denial, his gaze refusing to meet hers. “No, certainly not. It just worked out that way. My grandfather had a good job for my father, and we had to move to Philadelphia.”

  “And now, your grandfather has set up some sort of contest? He’s offering you a job and a nice house if you can get somebody to marry you and have a baby for you?”

  “That’s not exactly what’s happening.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “It’s just that he doesn’t believe in having people in the bank who aren’t settled. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me.”

  “Well, you’ll have to look in Philadelphia for a woman foolish enough to want you, Tommy,” she said firmly. “Because I’m not going with you.”

  From the corner of the house, just beyond the porch, George stepped into sight. “You’ll do what the Jamisons want, daughter. Or you’ll wish you’d never been born.”

  “Don’t you touch me, Pa. I’m a married woman, and you’ve got no rights over me.”

  George’s eyes narrowed, and his chin jutted forward as he climbed to the porch. His fingers curled into a fist and Ellie ducked, her arms crossing over her belly. In two swift strides, George reached her, thrusting her against the side of the house. With a loud thump, she hit the wooden siding, her head bearing the brunt of the blow, and she blinked, her senses reeling.

  “Now get on in the house, and get your things together. If Mrs. Jamison says she needs you to write down your name on a piece of paper, you’d better do it.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ellie cried, her tears of frustration vying with the pain in her head.

  “You have to say that you didn’t sleep in the doctor’s bed,” George said. “That’ll solve the whole problem.”

  “It would be a lie.” Ellie’s chin lifted as she glared at him.

  He hooted, jeering at her with a look of derision. “No man in his right mind would touch you, with you carryin’ a bastard like you are. That doctor’s got himself a fancy education. You think anybody would believe he’d ever put his hands on you?”

  “I just know I won’t sign anything,” she said stubbornly. “You can go and tell your mother I said so, Tommy.” The door slammed behind her as she went in the kitchen, and on the porch, George laid his hand on the youth’s shoulder.

  “You tell your ma I’ll take care of Ellie. She’ll sign anything I tell her to.”

  Ellie watched as Tommy rode away, and then her father turned to enter the kitchen door, and her heart sank within her breast. “I’m gettin’ you outta here before Kincaid shows up with his fancy guns and his silver badge.”

  They’d ridden from town in virtual silence, James leading the way, Win searching his mind for an answer to Ellie’s disappearance. “You think she’s out there?” Win asked. As they neared the Mitchum ranch, he began second-guessing James’s idea for setting up a search. “Maybe we should have split up, headed in opposite directions.”

  James shook his head. “It makes sense to me that someone took Ellie last night, and the logical person is her father. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it right away. I suspect I was thrown off by what Kate said, thinking that Ellie was afraid to stay and cause you trouble.”

  “Here I thought everything was going so well,” Win said. “She seemed happy with me, and… Damn, will you look up ahead, James. Is that that young fool coming this way?”

  The horse and rider were headed in their direction, and Win felt a surge of anger as he recognized Tommy, although to be absolutely honest, he’d been in a temper for the past several hours. It wasn’t a good time for the boy to appear in front of him.

  James dug in his heels and rode ahead, halting Tommy in his tracks. “Where you off to, boy?” he asked.

  Tommy eyed the two men and tugged at his horse’s reins. “Been out lookin’ for Ellie.”

  “You find her?” James asked mildly.

  Tommy’s gaze veered from the sheriff, and red splotches appeared on his cheeks. “No, I don’t know where she is. I was hopin’ she was at her pa’s ranch, but she isn’t there.”

  James frowned. “Don’t lie to me, boy. If George took her against her will, he’ll end up in jail.”

  Tommy shook his head. “You can’t do that. He’s her pa. He’s got rights.”

  “She’s my wife,” Win said, his fingers itching to grab hold of the youth and shake the stuffings out of him.

  “Not for long,” Tommy jeered, hatred flaring in his expression. “My mother has a lawyer workin’ on it right now.”

  “Working on what?”

  “I’m the one who should have married her,” Tommy said stoutly. “It’s my baby she’s going to have.”

  “You should have thought of that a long time ago,” James told him. “You’re a little late on the draw, son.”

  “Way too late,” Win chimed in. “And for the life of me, I can’t figure out why you and your mother came all the way out here to get her. Aren’t there any girls in Philadelphia? You didn’t treat her right when you were keeping company with her. Why on earth do you want to cart her clear across the country now?”

  “I’m not sayin’ any more about it,” Tommy muttered. “I’m heading back to town. Mr. Briggs let me take this horse, but he said he needs it back this afternoon.”

  Win looked after him as Tommy sent his mount into a gallop. “You going to let him leave?” he asked James, exasperation roughening his voice.

  “Don’t have much choice,” James said. “He hasn’t done anything for me to nail him.” He lifted his reins and his horse set off at a trot. “We need to check out the Mitchum place, Doc. If she’s not there, we’ll put out the word and notify all the ranchers in the area to be on the lookout for her.”

  George was suspiciously welcoming, allowing them to search the house without a word of protest. “I told you she wasn’t here,” he said, his leer triumphant as James and Win exited the back door. “You’re wastin’ your time, Sheriff. The girl’s no good. Probably ran off with the first man that looked cross-eyed at her.”

  Win held his tongue, his every sense alert to Ellie’s presence. Even the room upstairs had held a faint scent he identified as hers, and it had obviously been hastily straightened, the quilt askew on the bed, the rug rumpled. “She’s been here,” he said quietly.

  “Yeah,” James agreed. “But she’s not here now.”

  “How about the barn?” Win glanced toward that huge structure.

  James stepped off the porch. “We can check it out.”

  “Where you headin’?” George asked, rounding on them as they set off toward the barn.

  “Just going to take a look out back,” James said. “You got some objection?”

  The man shook his head. “Look all you want. She’s not here.”

  And Win
felt, with sudden conviction, that the man was telling the truth. “He’s moved her,” he said. “He’s had someone take her off somewhere.”

  “Where are your hired hands?” Win asked.

  “Out on the range, most of them,” George said, waving a hand to the north, where open range held hundreds of head of cattle. “They’re roundin’ up the calves, bringing them closer in for the winter.”

  “They staying out in your line shacks?” James asked, and George grunted a reply.

  Win swallowed his query, willing to let James be the spokesman here. Was a line shack somewhere a young woman might be held against her will? The idea festered as he gave the barn a perfunctory once-over, climbing the ladder to the hayloft, even though he was dead certain Ellie would not be found there.

  James made the rounds of tack room, empty stalls, and even the bunkhouse, where empty cots and the odor of stale food told Win that the men were long gone. “You here alone?” Win asked George, who’d followed them with a smug expression on his features.

  “Just me and a couple of my men, enough to tend to chores.” His chest puffed out like a banty rooster, and his fingers slid into the back pockets of his trousers as he grinned, an evil expression that turned Win’s blood cold. That this man had Ellie in his power was almost too much for him to tolerate.

  “Come on, Win.” James tugged at his sleeve, his face seeming carved of stone from the mountains. Win obeyed, helpless in his anger, yet aware that James would not give up on their quest. “We’ll ride out, and talk later,” James muttered, checking his stirrups as he readied himself to mount his horse.

  Win followed his lead, lifting into his saddle with an easy movement, catching up the reins in his hand and turning the gelding to the east, where the road to Whitehorn stretched like a narrow ribbon past the fields and pastures of the area ranchers.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Ellie.” Tall and sinewy, Al Shrader lifted Ellie from the back of his horse and held her firmly as she attempted to catch her balance. “I have to do what your pa says. And he wants you kept out here for a while.”

  “You’ll end up in jail for this,” Ellie threatened, although even to her own ears, her voice was a tenuous thread, her weariness causing her to stumble as she wrenched from his hold. “Don’t touch me.” She shuddered as he ignored her protest and bent to lift her, carrying her into the rude line shack.