by Kit Morgan
“… Adele, we both know why you’re here. Elizabeth Miller sent you because of those men in Beckham; slavers who prey upon women like you. Women who disappear, and are never seen or heard from again.” He looked her right in the eye. “How did you escape them? That is what happened, isn’t it – you weren’t rescued, you got away somehow?”
She coughed, and he wondered if she was trying to cover up a sob. “Yes,” she finally said. “I did. Barely.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” His eyes flicked to the road, and by the time he looked back at her she had turned away again. He couldn’t see her face but noted how her shoulders shook. “Miss Miller did the right thing sending you to us. We’ll make sure you find a good husband.”
She slowly turned to him. “I thought you were my husband.”
Percy pressed his lips together a moment before he spoke. “Look, I don’t know why my name is on that marriage contract.”
“And the license now,” she added.
“I married you to keep you safe. These men are not to be trifled with. For all I know they followed you here. If that’s the case, there might be more than one. We’ll have to keep a sharp eye out for the next few weeks. Once my brothers think it’s safe, we can go into town and get the marriage annulled.”
“I see. So in essence your answer – well, somebody’s answer in your name – to Mrs. Miller’s advertisement was a fake. I came out here under false pretenses.”
“It got you out here in one piece, didn’t it?”
“Yes,” she said as she stared at the road ahead. “I suppose it did.”
“I’m sorry if you’re upset. But you have to admit, this beats the alternative.”
She looked at him. “Yes … it does.” She resumed admiring the scenery.
They continued in silence for a time, for which Percy was glad. It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable talking about it with her. But that feeling in his gut was back, telling him they weren’t out of danger yet. He took in their surroundings. He’d have to keep an extra sharp eye out for anything unusual along the road.
He still couldn’t understand why he was the one sent to pick her up and not one of his brothers. Even Walton and Bart had gone on occasion. But, as he thought on it, he supposed it was about time he took part in their side-operation and do his share of the work. Then he wondered why his brothers, not to mention the rest of the extended family, hadn’t mentioned anything about his plans to strike out on his own, go farther west and see what that part of the country held for him. It’s not like it was any great secret at this point.
First, though, he’d have to deal with the woman by his side. The more he studied her, the more he noticed the dark smudges under her eyes, the slump of her shoulders, how her head would loll to one side or the other. Clearly she was doing her best not to fall asleep. “Tired?”
She snapped to attention. “I’m fine!” she blurted, startled.
Percy grinned. “We’ve got at least another hour and a half before we get there. If you feel it isn’t too indecent, you can lean against my shoulder. It’s all right with me.”
“I don’t think that would be proper …”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, we are married.”
“But not for long, Mr. Blue. I hardly think it counts.”
Percy shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
She looked at him, her expression flat. After about ten minutes, she began to lean in his direction, her eyes closed. Sure enough, her body went slack as sleep overtook her, and she fell against him.
Percy gazed at her head resting on his upper arm, and smiled.
*
“I bet he leaves her in Weatherford,” Walton said as he dismounted his horse.
Bart dismounted next to him and tied his horse to the hitching post. “I got two dollars says he’s doesn’t.”
“Two? I have three that says he does,” chimed in Benedict.
“He’ll not only show up with her,” said Nate, “but I bet he married her to boot.”
“Percy? Are you kidding?” Walton admonished. “He ain’t ready for it. He might bring her back once he figures out why she’s there and that she came from Elizabeth, but he won’t marry her.”
Hank got off his horse and handed the reins to a cowhand. “Oh, I don’t know – the boy is full of surprises.” He winked at Nate, then looked at the others. “Besides, he’s old enough to marry.”
“What makes you think he’ll marry the girl?” asked Bart. “He was sent to pick her up and bring her here. Nuptials ain’t involved.” He quickly studied the looks on Nate and Hank’s faces and narrowed his eyes. “You did send him just to pick her up, didn’t you?”
Now Walton began to grin. “You two are looking mighty satisfied about something. What did you do?”
“Us?” said Nate, feigning innocence. “What makes you think we did anything?”
“Because you said that he’d marry her to boot. We all know that’d be the last thing Percy’d do.”
“Unless he was forced,” added Benedict. “Or prompted.”
Several cowhands arrived and took the men’s horses, except for Bart’s; he still had some business to attend to on the ranch. “If he comes back here married, I don’t think I can stand it,” Bart said. “He’ll probably complain about her the whole time.”
“Do we have anyone for her?” asked Walton. “Have you or Bonnie received any word from Jack and Dell?”
Bart shook his head. “Nope. We ain’t got no applicants right now. I’m afraid this Miss Brown’s going to have to stay with us for a while ‘til we can find her someone.”
“If she isn’t wed to my little brother already,” Hank said with a smile.
Benedict put his hands on his hips and eyed him suspiciously. “You did do something! I know it! But I still bet that Percy doesn’t come back married to her!”
“Five dollars says he does,” said Nate with a smile.
“Five now, is it?” Walton replied, rubbing his chin in thought. “Upping the ante are you…”
“Let’s just say that we have more faith in Percy then the rest of you,” Hank told him.
“Do the women know about this?” asked Walton.
“They only know we have a girl coming in,” Nate answered. “Whatever happens between the time she gets off the train and arrives here is up to Percy.”
Bart looked between the two and grinned. “You set him up, didn’t you?”
Hank pressed his lips together and tried not to laugh.
“I knew it! I knew it! You snake!” exclaimed Bart in delight. “Whatcha do?”
“You’ll just have to wait ‘til Percy shows up to find out,” Nate said with a smile. He winked at Hank, spun on his boot heel and headed for the barn. Hank followed, leaving the rest of them to stand and wonder.
They looked at each other a moment before each of them quickly pulled out a pocket watch. “Percy and his charge should be getting here within the hour,” said Benedict.
“Well, we might as well go wash up and get ready for supper,” said Walton. “Either that boy comes home with a wife, or he don’t.”
“You’re mighty calm about it,” commented Bart.
“That’s ‘cause I didn’t wager,” Walton called over his shoulder as he strolled away.
Bart looked at Benedict. “Either you’re going to be out two dollars, or I’m gonna be five dollars richer.”
Benedict sighed and slapped him on the back. “Just as long as he brings her home safe. That’s what we’re about, isn’t it?”
Bart smiled. “That we are, pardner, that we are.”
*
“Miss Br … er, Adele?”
Adele opened her eyes slowly. She felt the wagon still moving and realized she was no longer sitting up … at least, not by herself. Her head was against Percival Blue’s arm, as was quite a bit of the rest of her. She must have leaned into him as she fell asleep.
And he’d done nothing to deter it – in fact, he’d sug
gested it. Perhaps he’d felt sorry for her, or he wanted some excuse to get her close to him. If the latter were the case, he might be no better than the men she’d escaped from back in Beckham. But if that were the case, why go through all the trouble of marrying her just to protect her?
“That’s the ranch there in the distance. I figured you didn’t want me to drive up to it with you glued to my arm.”
She pushed away from him and sat up. “Oh yes … quite right.” She patted her hair several times as if it was the most natural thing to do.
He watched her fuss out of the corner of his eye and hid a smile. She was truly flustered. “We should be back just in time for supper,” he said. “Are you hungry?”
She noted him eyeing her, stopped her sudden ministrations to her locks and stared straight ahead, folding her hands primly in her lap. “Yes.”
“Good. We’ll go to Bonnie and Bart’s house. Bonnie’s the best cook on the place.”
Adele glanced at him, then back to the road. “Oh? How many women are at your place?”
“My place? None. The rest of the ranch, quite a few.”
“That’s what I meant – the ranch.”
He smiled. “I know, but you’re tired. You can’t help it if you don’t make sense.”
“I can’t make sense of a lot of things at this point.”
He looked at her, concerned. “You will once you’ve eaten something, then hear what my brothers and the rest of the family do.”
“I thought you were all ranchers.”
“Not quite.”
They rolled into the main yard of the ranch not ten minutes later. Percy set the brake, hopped off and reached up to help Adele down. His hands were warm on her waist and for a brief second, she didn’t want him to let go. He was the only solid thing in her existence now, and she hated the thought of being tossed around by the winds of fate again. What more would she have to go through? What would she do? Where would she go? She certainly didn’t want to go back to Beckham!
As her feet touched the ground, she noticed two men walking toward them. One must be her so-called-husband’s brother – the resemblance was definitely there. The other might well be one of his brothers-in-law.
“Ah, see?” said the one she guessed was a brother-in-law. “What’d I tell you? I’m now five dollars richer.”
The other man grimaced. “Best remind Nate of the fact, or you may never see it.”
Percy turned to them and smiled. “Benedict, Bart, may I introduce Miss … ah …” He looked at her, his jaw tight. “Well, for now it’s Mrs. Adele Blue …”
The two men gaped at Percy, looked at each other, then back. “Ha!” the brother-in-law exclaimed, though Adele had no idea whether he was Bart or Benedict. She hadn’t bothered to ask him much about his family on the first half of the drive out, and she’d slept through the second half. But by the same token, he hadn’t asked her anything, other than about escaping Beckham.
“I’m Bart Dalton,” the brother-in-law said. “Welcome to the ranch, Mrs. Blue.” He looked right at Percy and grinned.
Percy stiffened. Adele watched him clamp his mouth shut and stare at the other two men.
“Did you have a safe journey?” the other man, Benedict, asked. “Nothing … happened, along the way?”
Percy was still glaring. “Adele has had a frightful experience and needs to rest. I’ll explain everything.” He turned to her, and his expression softened again. “Are you hungry? I’m sure supper’s ready.”
“We’re all eating up at Gwen and Walton’s tonight,” Benedict announced. “On account of … your wife.”
Percy’s eyes narrowed once more. “I’ll talk to you about that, too.”
Adele closed her eyes. She was tired, hungry and didn’t want to listen to Percival Blue, who obviously had no intention of staying married to her any longer than he had to. His relatives, on the other hand, seemed delighted they were married. Maybe he was her intended, but didn’t want to admit it to her. Hopefully she’d find out before she went to bed. She wanted to be able to sleep that night.
“Gwen has a room all ready for you,” Bart offered. “Unless of course, you and Percy are going to stay at his place. It is, after all, your wedding night.”
“Adele will be staying in the guest room at Gwen and Walton’s,” Percy growled. “I’m sure she’ll be much more comfortable there.”
Adele rubbed her temple. “Who is Gwen?”
“Our sister,” said Benedict. “And she loves to play hostess.”
Percy looked at her. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe with them. Walton won’t let anything happen to you.”
Adele took in the men’s concerned looks and had to fight to keep from crying. They knew. They knew what she had been through, without her so much as saying a word. She nodded, having nothing else to say, and waited for one of them to show her where to go.
Percy held out his arm. “I’ll take you and see you get settled.”
She nodded again. “Thank you.”
Bart sighed then smiled at her. “I won’t be there for supper, but I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Where are you going?” Percy asked.
“Got me some horses to look at.”
“Horses?”
“Yeah, just outside of Wiggieville. Bonnie and I’ll stay the night there.”
Adele glanced around. “You’re leaving now?”
“Bonnie already left. I’ll have to hurry if I wanna catch up to her.”
“What?” Adele asked in confusion.
Percy shook his head. “Bart and Bonnie are the, ah … adventurers of the family. Their newest thing is to race each other to different places. Bonnie’s probably out on the trail somewhere waiting to ambush him.”
“Ambush him?!” Adele asked in shock.
Bart grinned. “It’s a lot more fun than it sounds.”
Adele’s eyes were wide. “I should hope so! It sounds … well … actually I’m not sure how it sounds.”
“You’ll get used to them,” Percy said as he took one of her arms and wrapped it around his. “Personally, I love going with them when they take off. It’s one of my favorite things to do.”
They began to walk, with Benedict taking the lead. “What exactly do they do?” she asked as Bart took off toward a horse tied to a hitching post.
“They just go. Each time is different.”
Adele shook her head. “Right now, that does not sound appealing.”
“Understandable after what I’m guessing you’ve been through,” said Benedict, his voice gentle. “I think it would be best that you rest for a day or two and let the other women look after you. They won’t mind, and they love having someone new around the place. Lillian will love showing you everything.”
“Who’s Lillian?” Adele asked, not bothering to hide the confusion in her voice. So many new people …
“My wife,” he said.
She glanced up at Percy. “The preacher was right – you really do have quite the community here.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “How many are there now?”
“Eighteen!” said Benedict with pride. “Not including the hands, and you make eighteen plus one!”
“You forget, she won’t be staying,” Percy pointed out.
Benedict stopped and turned to face them. “That has yet to be determined.”
Percy’s eyes widened slightly at the remark. “But … why would she?”
Benedict’s face became fixed like stone. “Because, dear Percy, you’re married to her.”
Six
Before Adele knew it, she was whisked to a ranch house the likes of which she’d never seen, nor even dreamed of. Actually, it was more like several houses branching off from a larger central dwelling – a compound, really. If she’d had a bird’s-eye view of it, she was sure it would look like a giant wheel.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Percy said. Those were the first words he’d uttered since his brother had implied she wasn’t going to be
marrying anyone else any time soon. He hardly seemed thrilled by that. Well, tough. After what she’d been through, he could suffer for the next few days and think he was shackled to her for the rest of his. Served him right for marrying her in the first place. What was he thinking, anyway?
But then, at least he’d been thinking. If men were indeed after her, wouldn’t they be less inclined to try something if she was already wed – especially to a member of a large family with a defensible compound and (presumably) a whole lot of rifles? Percy seemed to think so, as did his brothers. And Benedict had mentioned how he’d married his own wife in order to protect her and see her safely to Dalton. It had put her in mind of knights in shining armor coming to rescue their lady fair.
It was certainly a contrast to Percy, who talked about it as if she was just a burden to him. She hadn’t much chance yet to think about the magnitude of what he’d done. But he wasn’t exactly gushing with gallantry at the moment, and it sure didn’t make her feel any better.
“Gwen’s a pretty good cook.”
Percy’s non sequitur pulled her out of her musings. “I beg your pardon?”
“I said, Gwen is a pretty good cook,” Percy repeated. “I’m sure you must be famished by now. It’s been awhile since we ate.”
She looked up at him, and remembered the tender looks he’d given her over their pie and coffee at the Harvey House. “Yes, it has. I am hungry.”
He took a deep breath. “My sisters are probably going to fuss over you – especially Gwen, as this is her house. Libby and Bonnie will as well, but they’ll let Gwen handle the first wave.”
“First … wave? Just what is she going to do?”
“Oh my!” a woman’s voice called from the doorway of the ranch house. “Percy, it’s about time you got here!”
Adele turned her attention to the threshold and gasped. The most beautiful woman she had ever seen, a buxom blonde with bright blue eyes, stood there looking very annoyed. “Is that your sister?” she whispered.
“Yes, that’s Gwendolyn,” he said wearily.
Adele automatically noticed her own disheveled appearance, and brushed some of the dust from her skirt as Percy led her to the porch.
