by Merry Farmer
“I said no to you that night, admit it.” She met Hector’s eyes, daring him to say otherwise.
“Only for as long as it took for me to convince you to say yes.”
A soft thump sounded from one of the panels against the back wall. Heat flooded Libby. It was just as Josephine had said. Those weren’t walls behind her. They were more screens, like the Japanese screen, but floor to ceiling. The office was bigger than it looked, and help was just a breath away.
“I never said yes,” Libby went on, confidence growing so fast it made her dizzy. “Did you hear me say the word ‘yes’ once, Hector? Did I ever say to you ‘I want you to touch me’ or ‘I want you to make love to me?’”
“You didn’t have to, love. Your body said it—”
“Did I ever say yes?” she demanded. “Tell me.”
Hector stopped his slow approach and threw his arms out. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to admit what you did to me,” Libby answered, surprising herself with her anger. “I want you to admit that you forced me.”
“And what good would that do?” Hector demanded. “A man has to force things once in a while to get what he wants. It’s called ambition.”
Libby froze, waiting. Nothing happened. It must not have been enough of a confession to build a case on. She had to try harder.
“I was someone else’s wife, Hector.” She raised a fist. “I was Teddy’s wife. How could you want another man’s wife?”
Hector laughed. “Easily. I wanted you. That’s all that mattered. I get what I want.”
“Then you’re worse than I thought,” she spat at him. “And what would you have done if Teddy hadn’t died? Would you have forced yourself on a married woman?”
“Of course not.” Hector snorted. “Even I have my limits. But you were supposed to turn to me when that weakling died.”
“I would never turn to you. Not in a million years. And Teddy was not a weakling. He was brave and strong and smart.”
Hector scoffed. “Smart? Really? How smart was he not to check his harness and ropes before I asked him to climb up and top that tree for me?”
Libby froze. Her heart stopped. The color drained from her face. She tried to reply, but her mouth hung open uselessly.
“Oh yes,” Hector went on. “Your smart, brave logger was a blind idiot. You think you owe your loyalty to his memory? The dolt didn’t even see me walk up to his harness with a knife. He didn’t bother to check a few clean cuts most of the way through his rope. He didn’t even ask why I wanted him to take a job I was supposed to do. If you ask me, a man like that deserves to die.”
Libby’s knees turned to jelly. She sat hard on the edge of Gunn’s desk, clutching her stomach, afraid she would be sick. “You killed Teddy?”
Hector sniffed swaying closer to her. “Of course I did. You refused to leave him for me. I couldn’t even approach you with the idea. I had to kill him in order to get to you. We were meant to be together, Libby. We—”
Before he could finish his confession, the Japanese screen clattered aside and a broad-shouldered man with a sheriff’s star pinned to his chest stepped forward. Seconds later, the false wall behind Gunn’s desk slid aside in two spots, revealing Mason and Mr. Gunn, Solomon Templesmith and—to Libby’s surprise—Bonnie.
“You murdered Teddy Sims?” Mason advanced on Hector.
The shock that marred Hector’s face was so acute that Libby thought he might choke. His knees gave out, but before he could fall, the sheriff grabbed his arm. Mr. Templesmith rushed forward to grab the other. The two men held him upright as Mason charged at him.
“You slime.” No one moved fast enough to stop Mason from crashing a fist across Hector’s face. “You murdering, raping piece of dirt.”
He swung again, but Mr. Gunn and Bonnie jumped forward fast enough to prevent the second blow from falling.
“Easy now, Mason, easy.” Mr. Gunn soothed him with unflappable calm.
“It’s all right,” Bonnie added. “We’ve got him. Trey’s got him.”
“And he confessed to a lot more than assaulting your wife,” Trey said.
“What?” Hector bellowed. “I didn’t confess to anything.”
“You said you killed Teddy to get to me,” Libby said, pushing herself to stand and step closer to him.
“I said nothing of the sort,” Hector argued.
Every bit of guilt and fear Libby had lived with for the past few weeks solidified into fury. “You just said that you tampered with Teddy’s equipment so that he would fall.”
“That…I didn’t…It was not a confession,” Hector insisted, but his eyes were wide and wild.
“It sounded like a confession to me,” Solomon said, giving Hector’s arm an extra twist.
Hector shouted. “Are you going to let a darkie manhandle me like that?”
“Yes,” Trey answered, yanking his other arm and making Hector cry out again. “Mr. Templesmith is one of the most respected gentlemen in town. Judge Pilfrey thinks very highly of him.”
“And as I recall, he does not think very highly of men who misuse women,” Gunn added.
“It’s because his sister was savaged by that prospector back in ’59,” Bonnie added.
Libby had no idea who Judge Pilfrey was or what had happened to his sister, but the simple combination of statements had Hector sagging as his legs gave out under him. “You can’t prove anything.” He was hoarse, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. “It’s your word against mine.”
“I’ll telegraph up to Oregon,” Gunn said without pause, heading for his office door. “It shouldn’t take too long to get in touch with someone at the Pine Arbor logging camp who can check equipment. Who knows, someone else might have suspicions as well.”
“No,” Hector panted. “No, you can’t.”
His pleas were ignored. Gunn left the room with a reassuring nod to Mason and a victorious smile for Libby.
“Hector Sterling, I hereby place you under arrest for the murder of Teddy Sims and the assault of Libby Montrose, by the authority invested in me by the town of Haskell and the Territory of Wyoming.” Trey took a pair of iron shackles out of his belt and clasped Hector’s hands together behind his back.
“No, you can’t,” Hector continued to panic.
Trey steered him out of the room.
“I’ll come with you,” Solomon offered. “You might need someone to convince this—what did Mason call him? This slime? You might need someone to convince this slime to stay quiet on the way to the jail. Though it sure is a long, cold walk down to those bars.”
By the time Trey and Solomon hoisted Hector to his feet and carted him out the door, Hector was sobbing.
“So much for him.” Bonnie sniffed and sauntered across the office in their wake. She paused when she reached the door and turned to Mason and Libby. “I’ll just leave the two of you by yourselves for a minute,” she said, then swept out of the room, closing the door behind her.
As soon as Libby and Mason were alone, Libby let out the breath she’d been holding. She felt as though she’d been holding it for weeks. It was the only thing that had kept her upright, and now she sagged as all the weight she’d been carrying left her shoulders. Mason reached out and caught her, pulling her into a tight embrace.
“It’s over,” he whispered, resting a hand on her head and holding it against his chest. “Thank God Almighty, it’s over.”
Bit by bit, her muscles unclenched, her thoughts untwisted, and the fear she’d lived with evaporated. She drew in a breath, filling her senses with the scent of Mason, her husband, the man who had done what it took to protect her and rid her life of pain. She smiled, resting her head against his shoulder. His warmth felt so perfect, so stable.
“Life starts now,” she said on a contented sigh.
“I sure hope so.” Mason closed his arms more tightly around her. “You deserve nothing but peace and happiness from here on out.”
She hugged him, letting the promise of everything
that was to come sit between them. Then she let out a breath and leaned back until she could smile up into his eyes.
“You know what surprises me more than anything else right now?”
“How pretty you look without the weight of the world on your shoulders?” Mason answered, bending down to steal a kiss.
Libby laughed, her heart feeling light. “No, the fact that so many people were willing to step forward to help me.”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“They don’t know me.” Libby shrugged. “They could easily have believed every lie Hector tried to spread, like those awful Bonneville women.”
Mason shook his head. “Every town has a few bad apples. But Haskell is mostly made up of wonderful, good people. And anyone worth their salt can see that you’re good people too.”
“I try to be.” Libby sighed and hugged Mason again. “As long as I have you, anything is possible.”
Epilogue
Christmas was still a week away, but from the lights, decorations, and festivities in The Village, anyone passing would have thought that it had come early. Even the houses still under construction had been festooned with ribbons and pine and holly. It was the three occupied houses that looked the jolliest, however, and one of those houses was the scene of the most joyful party Haskell had seen in years.
“Isn’t this lovely?” Josephine glanced around at the greenery, red bows, and silver balls that Libby and the boys had hung in the large parlor of their new house. They’d set a nativity scene on the mantel as well. “It warms my heart.”
“Mason and me and Matthew went and picked out a tree ourselves,” Petey rushed to tell Josephine.
“We did,” Mason confirmed. He marched up behind Petey and ruffled his hair.
Petey glanced up to Mason with a smile. “Mason let me help cut it, since I grew up in a logging camp and all.”
“Well, I let you cut part of it.” Mason winked at Josephine.
“And I put the baby Jesus in the manger.” Matthew beamed with pride and pointed at the mantel.
Libby watched the scene from across the room, her heart doing cartwheels. It was a blessing that Mason got along so well with her boys. Teddy would approve. And while Libby would never let Petey and Matthew forget their father, it was a relief to know there would be a man around to help raise them and to shape them into fine, upstanding men.
She placed a hand on her stomach and smiled. It was a relief to know that Mason would be there to teach and guide the next addition to their family as well.
“It sure does do me good to see you smiling when you think about that baby,” Bonnie said as she slipped up to Libby’s side.
Libby reached for Bonnie’s hand to squeeze it. “I’ve been so afraid this whole time that I could never love a child of Hector’s.”
“No one could blame you for that.” The sadness in Bonnie’s smile suggested she’d seen more than a few girls in similar situations who hadn’t been able to move past the way their babies were conceived.
“This baby has so much to look forward to,” Libby went on. “He or she is going to be born into a wonderful town full of supportive neighbors. They’ll have friends and role models all around them. I certainly believe that that will outweigh the sins of their father.”
Bonnie laughed, hugging Libby from the side. “And this is why you and I are friends.”
Libby smiled. Bonnie was her friend now, although Libby never would have imagined herself saying she was good friends with a woman who owned and ran the kind of establishment Bonnie did. Libby thought she understood why Bonnie had started her place, but there was still so much to learn—about her and about the entire town.
“Mrs. Montrose, I just wanted to offer my congratulations on such a fine shindig,” Cody said, approaching Libby and Bonnie. He winked at the two of them.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Libby said. “But you don’t have to call me Mrs. Montrose. I’m your sister-in-law now.”
“A man can count himself lucky to end up with not one but two fine sisters-in-law.” Cody shifted to stand by Libby’s side, glancing across the room to where Wendy stood with Travis, talking to Dr. and Mrs. Meyers.
“Thank you for saying that, Cody.” Libby patted his arm. “Miriam Long sure missed out on a good man when she refused to get off that train.”
Cody’s smile faded and he lowered his head. “Maybe. Maybe not.” He sighed and looked up at Libby. “There comes a time in a man’s life when he has to look back on some of the poor decisions he’s made and own up to them. I’ve had a lot of time to think in the past two weeks, and it seems to me that I might not have been any more ready to marry than Miss Long was.”
“Oh?” Libby blinked.
“I guess all boys grow to men at some point,” Bonnie said.
Cody sent her a bashful smile. “Maybe.”
“So are you going to send for another bride?” Libby asked. “Third time’s a charm.”
Cody winced. “Not yet. I got a little more thinking to do before I’ll be any use to any woman.” He nodded, then headed off to join the conversation with Travis and Wendy.
Mason was just finishing his conversation with Josephine. He broke away from her and came to Libby, taking her hand and kissing it. Bonnie discreetly stepped away, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’re the prettiest decoration in this entire house,” Mason said, eyes dancing with love.
Libby laughed. “After all the work we went through to put up the rest of the decorations, that’s praise indeed.”
Mason shared her laughter, pulling her into his arms and hugging her. He didn’t fully let her go when he was done, keeping an arm looped around her waist as they surveyed all of their guests.
“Last Christmas, I never would have dreamed this was what my life would be like only a year later,” Libby whispered.
“I’m sorry that the road to get here was so bumpy.” Mason kissed the top of her head.
“Me too.” Libby sighed. “But—I can’t explain it—it’s like I have had two lives.” She twisted to look up into Mason’s eyes, resting her hand on his chest. “I had a good life with Teddy. He was a good husband. But that life ended, and now this life has begun.”
“I promise I’ll make it a good life, if the good Lord will help me,” Mason whispered, resting his large hand over hers on his chest.
“I know He will.” She smiled. “Next year there will be five of us, and who knows how many the year after that.”
“You want to have more kids?” Mason’s brow lifted in hope.
“I want to have your children, Mason.”
“You know I consider this one to be mine.” He lowered his hand to her belly. “In spite of—”
“I know.” Libby cut him off with a smile. “And that’s why I love you. That and so many other reasons.”
He smiled down at her as if the sun would never go out of their lives. “I’ve loved you for far longer than I should have, Libby Montrose, and I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”
“Let’s hope it’s a long one.” Libby let out a breath and folded herself against Mason’s side. “A long life for both of us, filled with peace and cheer and togetherness.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed Libby and Mason’s unconventional story of love. But what about Cody? Has he really learned his lesson and begun to grow up at last? And is that really the last we’ll ever see of the feisty and dramatic Miriam Long? Or will she have second thoughts on her second thoughts? Find out next in Miriam: The Tempting Bride, available now!
Click here for a complete list of other works by Merry Farmer.
About the Author
I hope you have enjoyed Libby: The Heartbroken Bride. If you’d like to be the first to learn about when the new series comes out and more, please sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/RQ-KX And remember, Read it, Review it, Share it! For a complete list of works by Merry Farmer with links, please visit http://wp.me/P5ttjb-14F.
Merry Farme
r is an award-winning novelist who lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats, Butterfly and Torpedo. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized one day that she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. She then went on to earn not one but two degrees in History so that she would always have something to write about. Her books have topped the Amazon and iBooks charts and have been named finalists in the prestigious RONE and Rom Com Reader’s Crown awards.
Click here for a list of other works by Merry Farmer
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Acknowledgments
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my awesome beta-readers, Caroline Lee and Jolene Stewart, for their suggestions and advice. And a big, big thanks to my editor, Cissie Patterson, for doing an outstanding job, as always, and for leaving hilarious comments throughout the manuscript. Also, a big round of applause for my marketing and promo mistress, Sara Benedict.
And a special thank you to the Pioneer Hearts group! Do you love Western Historical Romance? Wanna come play with us? Become a member at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pioneerhearts/
Click here for a complete list of other works by Merry Farmer.
