“A little birdie told me.” At Luke’s dark look, Brown quickly added, “Will Dickson. I was asking around town and he was happy to give me the good news.”
Luke felt Faith grab hold of the backside of his belt, and step close. At the same time, Colton looked sleepily out from the wagon bed. He quickly withdrew at the sight of the man.
“Come out here, boy! Don’t you have a word of hello for me?”
Colton climbed down and stood next to Luke. His eyes were downcast and he wobbled a little. “Hello, Uncle Ward,” he whispered.
“Uncle Ward?” Luke repeated. “He’s not your pa?”
Colton shook his head, his previous cheekiness all but gone.
“I’ll take them from here, Mr. McCutcheon. No need to bother yourself any longer. My thanks again,” Ward said.
Faith’s sharp intake of breath rang out like a gunshot. She was now clinging to Luke with force, and he loathed handing her over. He said instead, “Hold up, Mr. Brown. I was mistaken thinking you were Faith’s husband. We should see what she wants to do.”
“She’s got no say,” Ward said, irritated. “She’s kin. My brother’s wife. It’s my duty to take care of her and the young’uns. Besides, Pa wants me to bring them back to the farm, where he can see to his grandbabies properly.”
Luke ignored his remark and turned to Faith. She was smack up against him now, clinging like a vine. He took a small step back. “What do you say, Faith? Do you want to go with your brother-in-law?”
Faith stared at Luke, her brain numb. For the life of her she couldn’t think of one thing to say. Ward had found her. Here he was now, her nightmare come true, smiling and waiting for her answer.
Luke stood firm, giving her courage. She shook her head.
“Guess that’s your answer, Mr. Brown. As a widow, Faith has the right to settle anywhere she wants. You have no legal hold over her.”
“That’s so. Yes, I know it. She took Samuel’s death hard. I hoped maybe now that she had time to rethink her hasty departure, she’d be thankful to come home. Sleep in her own bed. How about you, Colton? Granddaddy sure misses you.”
Colton didn’t speak.
“Faith,” Luke said. “Get the things you need, and the baby, and I’ll get you settled in the hotel.” He gave her a little nudge, jarring her out of her daze. “Go on, now. You’re tired, and so is the boy.”
Back in the wagon, Faith peeked out from behind the safety of the canvas cover. Ward stood there calm as could be, chatting with Luke. Who knew what lies he was telling? Oh, how she’d used to think he was handsome, him and his charming brother, Samuel. Two wolves in sheep’s clothing. She’d been no match for their lying, cunning ways. And their father. At the memory of Colton’s granddad she felt gooseflesh rise on her arms.
She heard pleasantries exchanged and watched Ward walk away down the now-dark, deserted street. He acted like he’d given up, like he’d just let her go on her way. She knew better.
The hotel room was beautiful; the first Faith had ever been in. Holding her sleeping baby girl, she walked around the room touching different objects and furniture. She ran her hand over the thick quilt, marveling at its downy softness. She regretted that she wouldn’t get to enjoy its warmth. She’d have to run tonight. But, how? This time she wouldn’t have a few days’ lead on Ward.
A soft knocking sounded from the connecting room. Luke had settled her into this room and then taken the other for himself and Colton. Opening the door quietly, she saw Colton sprawled out on the big bed, fast asleep. He was still completely clothed, his boots hanging off the edge.
Faith started to go in, but Luke stepped in front of her.
“I want to undress him,” she explained, looking into Luke’s strong, handsome face.
“He’ll be fine. Little tyke just laid down and fell asleep. Come here,” he said, slipping past into her room. “I have something I want to discuss.”
He reached for Dawn. Gently he took the sleeping baby and very carefully placed her in the middle of the big bed. He covered her with a blanket he took from the corner rocker. “There. I think she’ll sleep for a while.” He smiled. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Faith walked over to the big chair and sat on the edge of the cushion, still shocked that Ward had actually found her after all this time. Luke pulled up the footstool and sat down in front of her. She felt it again: the uncanny feeling that made her seem a part of him, connected somehow. Like a thread ran from his eyes to her heart. This wasn’t just excitement and daring; it was something larger, more complicated. She’d never felt anything like it.
“You settled?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. Because I want some answers. Honest answers. And if we have to sit here all night to get them, then so be it. First off, why are you running from your husband’s family?” he asked, leaning forward intently.
Faith wanted to look away, to hide the truth. She was ashamed of her past. And, of all the people in the world, Luke was the last person she would want to know about it.
“Don’t you dare make something up. The truth, Faith. I want it, now.”
“After Samuel died, I wanted a different kind of life. I was tired of the farm, so I wrote to my aunt, who found me a job.”
“And that would be Penelope Flowers?” He said it with a straight face and dark eyes.
“Yes.”
“Darn it, Faith!” The baby stirred and he quickly lowered his voice. “I can’t help you if you don’t level with me.”
She looked away. Oh, how she wanted to tell him the truth. It was all tangled up inside like a sleeping ugly monster. If she ever did let it out, surely it would kill her. Moisture brimmed in her eyes, but she refused to let the tears fall.
Luke stood and pulled Faith up out of her chair. Only a small tug brought her into his arms. He was warm. He was safe. He was…comfortable. His hands were doing the most wonderful things to her back. Up and down they traveled slowly, working a miracle on her frayed nerves.
“Now,” he murmured beside her ear, the sensation sending tingles racing down her spine. “Why were you running?”
“Samuel’s father, Mr. Brown…he wants me to marry Ward.” There, she’d said it. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax.
“And…?” Luke asked. “You don’t want to marry him?”
She leaned back a little and touched the front of his shirt. His warmth stole from under the fabric into her fingertips. “No,” she whispered.
“Come on, Faith, help me out,” Luke said against her hair. “It may be hard to talk about, but I need a little more information. Coming between a family doesn’t sit well with me, or with any McCutcheon. And like it or not, that man out there is your family. He’s the uncle of your children.”
Faith didn’t offer any more information, so Luke decided to change directions. He’d try something a little less personal. “How long have you been running from Ward Brown?”
“Luke, please,” Faith begged. “I don’t want to talk about it. Just let me keep your horses for a while. When I get to Priest’s Crossing, I’ll send them back somehow. I promise. But I need to leave tonight.”
“Whoa now,” he said, leaning back so he could see into her face. “You’re not going anywhere tonight. You just get that harebrained notion out of your head this minute.”
“I’ve got to, Luke. Ward won’t give up this easily, even if he’s acting like he will. He’ll force me to go home with him.”
“He can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, Faith.” He hesitated, thinking. “Our ranch is west of here, not really on your way to Priest’s Crossing, but not that far out of your way either. Travel with us a little longer, until we get to it, and then if that’s still where you want to go, I’ll send some men on with you to help you get there safely. Or, if you’d rather, you can write to your aunt and she can come out to the ranch. Whatever you want.”
Luke stared into Faith’s coffee-colored eyes. They were alight, questionin
g. They strayed to his lips and lingered.
He must be loco, asking her to stay on. It made much more sense for her to depart before things got even more involved. Whatever troubles she had would be her own, and he could get back to business. That was the reasonable solution, the one that made sense.
She sighed and laid her head on his chest. He felt a sharp jab somewhere inside, like the first nail in his coffin.
Chapter Fourteen
The huge hotel bed wrapped itself around Faith in a warm hug. She burrowed deep in the feather mattress, with the colorful green and pink quilt tucked securely around her shoulders. Her cheek had never felt anything quite as wonderful as the soft pillowcase, which smelled faintly of soap and sunshine. She wished she could stay here for the rest of her life.
Reluctantly, she sat up and stretched, and then checked on Dawn, who’d been up every hour to eat. The babe was sleeping comfortably now, tucked into one of the drawers from the highboy dresser and placed on the floor next to the bed.
Faith took a moment to sink back into the covers, relishing the memory of the night before. Luke had said that she could stay on with him and the herd, go to the ranch and then proceed from there. A giddy excitement galloped through her, relieved not to be leaving the group. Everyone had been so good to her, kind and considerate, helpful in every way.
She sat bolt upright, thinking of various incidents: Colton talking back. The men setting up a private camp for her, bringing her a tub. Lucky and Francis staying back so she could wash Dawn’s things. She had been a distraction, like Luke predicted. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d changed his mind.
Hastily she climbed from the bed and ran a brush through her hair. She splashed her face with water and brushed her teeth. She changed Dawn’s diaper, which woke the baby completely and set her howling. Done with that, Faith rushed to the connecting door and knocked.
There was no response, so she knocked a little louder. Perhaps Colton was still asleep. Opening the door, she found the room empty.
“Colton,” she called, hoping he was just playing a game of hide-and-seek. There was still no answer.
Luke, she felt certain, must be with his men somewhere. Had Ward settled for Colton and stolen the boy away while she’d slept? The pair would be so far away by now she’d never catch them. Not alone. She had to find Luke. With his help she’d be able to hunt Ward down. Faith ran back into her room, grabbed up her things and bolted out the door.
Waking early, Luke, with Colton by his side, had dressed and gone out to a nearby restaurant. He was in desperate need of some brew and promised to bring Colton back and order some real restaurant food just as soon as they took a cup of coffee up to Faith.
A white china cup teetered in its saucer, sloshing hot coffee onto Luke’s hand. He set it on the dresser, forgotten. Faith’s room was a mess, the door was ajar, and there was no sign of her or Dawn.
Luke spun on his heel and Colton had a hard time keeping up. “Where’s Ma?” the boy said.
“Don’t know. She probably just…” He couldn’t think of anything to tell the kid. His mind was too busy imagining what might have happened. “Went out.”
“What about her coffee?”
“Hush now. I’ve got some thinking to do.”
“B-but,” Colton stammered, “it’ll get cold.”
Luke stopped. Bending down to Colton’s level, he addressed him eye to eye. “To be honest, I’m a little worried. I don’t think your ma would leave the room alone. I want you to run back over to the livery and tell Mark and Roady. Be quick.”
Colton bolted off like a jackrabbit, his boot heels ringing down the stairs and then the old wooden boardwalk outside.
Faith ran down Main Street, dawn just barely breaking. Not a person was in sight. A horse tied to a post in front of the bank looked her way as she passed, but not seeing anyone else, she turned down one side street and then another, looking for the livery stable. Where was it? That was where Luke’s horses would be kept, and the wagons. The men might be there, too.
Her baby, not understanding why she was being jostled so roughly, was past hysterical. She’d cried so hard Faith briefly feared she’d been hurt. Not only must her empty tummy hurt, but also, Faith thought, she could probably sense her mother’s fear. The baby’s face was still apple red and her cheeks moist with tears. Every once in a while Faith would hear her give a little sob or hiccup.
Faith stopped for a moment to nuzzle the child’s warm, damp face. “It’s all right,” she whispered. “I’ll find them, I promise. Then you’ll have some breakfast.”
Oh, how she wanted her words to be true. With each passing minute Faith lost a little more hope. Why didn’t she see anyone? Not a single man from the ranch. She wasn’t even sure where she was anymore, or what direction she’d come.
Spotting a lone man muttering to himself and tottering down the boardwalk, she cautiously approached. “Excuse me, sir,” she said, trying to keep the anxiety from her voice.
“Huh?” His head swiveled in her direction as he tried to focus. He stumbled backward, caught his heel and fell to the ground.
Faith gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He didn’t seem to notice he’d taken a tumble and slowly climbed to his feet. He looked again at Faith.
“Could you tell me where the livery is?” she asked shakily. He smelled terrible, of stale liquor and vomit. After taking a moment to process her words, the man pointed. “That way, missy. Down the street a-ways.”
“Thank you.” She turned and stared off.
For several minutes she ran, expecting to see the livery any moment. Abruptly, the street ended. There were a few shacks, a boarded-up eatery, an out-of-business boot repair, but no stable. Not a horse or person in sight. A niggle of fear prickled her skin.
Her knapsack, full of Dawn’s things, pulled heavily on her shoulder. Faith’s arms throbbed from holding the baby while running for so long. Then she heard it: someone whistling. And it was a tune she not only recognized but knew by heart. It hung eerily on the cool morning air.
“Mornin’, Faith,” Ward called out from down the street. “Where you off to so early?” His tone was friendly, calm. There was no sign of Colton.
Darting a look to each side of the street, Faith contemplated trying to run away, but that was ridiculous. Where could she go where he couldn’t find her? Besides, she had the baby to think about.
Ward was freshly shaven, his blond hair slicked back, his long curls lying along his collar. Blue eyes glittered when they looked into hers. It was like being in a bad dream and wanting to run but not being able to move.
“Why’d you run away? Pa and me were stunned when we couldn’t find you, you being pregnant and all. We can work this out if you’ll just be reasonable. ”
Ward was too close. All her senses screamed for her to run, but her feet wouldn’t listen. Forcing herself, she answered, “You know why.”
“No, I truly don’t. We all believed you and Samuel were a happy couple. He never let on that there was any trouble.”
Liar! She wanted to scream in his face that she knew all about their vicious blackmailing scheme to get her farm. She wanted to, but didn’t.
“Let me have a look at the baby,” Ward suggested, lifting the blanket back from Dawn’s face. “Boy or girl?”
“Girl,” Faith squeaked, inching around his tall body. He was intent on the baby and maybe wouldn’t notice.
“Ain’t she cute,” he said, smiling. “She’ll be a real beauty, just like her ma. What’s her name?”
Oh, why had she taken the advice of that drunken old man? Why had she chosen this deserted, good-for-nothing street? She should have known better, and maybe then Ward wouldn’t have found her. Maybe. “Dawn.”
“Dawn Brown,” her brother-in-law said. “Why, it has a real nice ring to it. I know Pa would be proud as a peacock to see her. He don’t have any girl grandbabies yet.” As if just noticing now that Colton wasn’t with her, he asked, “Where’s the boy?”
> Faith was on the opposite side of Ward now. She took one slow, careful step back. Her heart pounded in her chest.
“With the rest of the cowboys. I have to get back,” she added steadily. “They’re expecting me.”
“Come on then, I’ll walk with you.”
He’d walk with her? She knew all these niceties were just for show. Just what was he was trying to pull?
He reached for her knapsack. She jerked back.
His face turned dark and his eyes flashed in a dangerous way. “I’m warning you, Faith,” he said in almost a growl as the real Ward surfaced. “It’ll be better for everyone concerned if you just cooperate.” He snapped his fingers and held his hand open.
She hated to let him touch anything of hers, to help her in any way. But she handed him the knapsack and cursed herself silently for her weakness.
Chapter Fifteen
Luke and Roady rounded the corner and entered the livery just as the clock at the First National Bank chimed six o’clock. Chance, Uncle Pete, John, Lucky and Ike stood in a circle, discussing where they’d searched. The others were still out looking.
“Any sign of her?” Luke asked. “It’s been a half hour since I found her room empty.”
“No, boss. Sorry,” Chance answered.
Lucky looked particularly upset, apprehension making him seem older than his fifty-two years.
“The others been back?” Luke asked, trying to hide his edginess. “Where’s Colton?”
“He went out with Smokey. There was no stopping him.”
Ike had stuck his head out the doorway and now called to Luke. “Boss, come here.”
Luke hurried over, flanked by Roady and the others. From the east came Smokey, Francis, Colton and Mark. From the west strolled Ward and Faith. Her brother-in-law swaggered, toting Faith’s bag and chatting amiably.
Anger slammed into Luke first. Then embarrassment at having called out a search, scaring Colton and the men. He’d believed she’d been taken by force, but here she was with Ward, happy as could be.
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