The Runaway Bride

by Noelle Marchand

  “How will he believe we have her if she isn’t with us?” Silas asked.

  “We’ll take proof.”

  Calhoun frowned. “What kind of proof?”

  “Something she’s wearing,” Jake offered.

  “Her dress,” Owen quietly suggested with a smirk.

  “You don’t have time for that,” she said to the boss as she removed her hat. “You can take this. Papa knows it’s mine.”

  He wavered for a moment, as though unwilling to accept her direction. Suddenly snatching the hat from her hand, he bellowed, “Everyone mount up. I’ll go over assignments outside.”

  The door closed behind the last man with a bang. Lorelei knew they’d probably send Silas back in to guard her, but she didn’t plan to sit around and wait while her father’s bank was robbed. Her hand strayed to the small derringer Sean had insisted she strap to her leg. She sank onto a nearby crate and hid the gun beneath the folds of her skirt while she waited for her guard to come back in.

  “Lord, please help me get out of here,” she whispered to herself as she heard the others’ horses ride away.

  The door opened slowly, then closed with a decided slam. She glanced up. Instead of meeting Silas’s dark eyes, she was confronted with Owen’s lecherous grin. She stared back at him. She slowly rose to her feet, hiding the derringer behind her. “Where is Silas?”

  Owen leaned back against the door to watch her. “The boss wanted him to go with the gang since he knows his way around town. I guess that just leaves you and me.”

  “Unfortunately,” she murmured.

  He threw his hat on a nearby crate and began to pace measured steps toward her. “The way I figure it, we’ve got about fifteen minutes all to ourselves. What do you reckon we could do in fifteen minutes?”

  “I plan to sit right here and wait until it’s time to leave,” she said as her hand tightened around the gun.

  “That’s too bad because I’m planning on having a little bit of fun,” he said, reaching toward her.

  She jerked away from him, pulled the derringer from behind her back and pointed it straight at his heart. “Stay where you are or I’ll pull the trigger.”

  He pulled his gun with a lighting-quick speed that took her breath away. Her little derringer looked awfully harmless compared to his Colt. The amusement on his face told her just how serious he was taking her threat. “That’s a nice little pistol you have there, Miss Wilkins. Hold it out to the side so I can get a good look at it.”

  She braced herself, then squeezed the trigger. Light exploded off the end of her gun. He roared as the bullet ripped across his left shoulder. She darted past him. A sharp cry of pain rent from her lips as he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her body. The gun slipped from her hand. He shoved her against the wall. “I’ll teach you not to fool with me.”

  She gasped for breath as she struggled against him to no avail. Dear God in heaven have mercy, she thought frantically just before his filthy laugh sounded in her ear.

  * * *

  Sean rushed toward the shed as a gunshot rang out. He prayed he wasn’t too late. Lorelei’s sharp cry of pain sounded inside. He pushed through the door and saw a man pin her against the wall. Fury filled his stomach. He drew his gun.

  His finger twitched over the trigger, then stalled. He flipped the gun over to hold the barrel. The man’s putrid laughter filled the air as Sean walked up behind him. Without hesitation, he lifted the gun and crashed the handle onto the man’s head. He dropped like a boulder in a river. Sean eyed him to make sure he was really knocked out before he glanced at Lorelei. She was still staring at the man in disbelief. Slowly, her gaze lifted to his.

  Her dark blue eyes were wild and stunned. They filled with tears an instant before she launched herself into his arms. He caught her tightly to his chest. That’s when he knew why he’d been fighting so hard to win the heart of a woman so reluctant to give it. He loved her. He’d been intrigued since that moment ten years ago when she’d announced their fates were intertwined. He’d hated watching her court Lawson until he’d resigned himself to it. He’d done a pretty good job of burying his feelings over the years, but they’d always been there waiting to be unearthed. With her in his arms, he lacked the will and the desire to deny their existence any longer.

  “Just like breathing,” he murmured.

  “What?”

  He glanced down at her and shook his head. He couldn’t tell her. She wouldn’t believe him anyway. It was best to keep his discovery to himself for now. He lifted her over the prone man to settle onto a crate close to the door with her in his lap. Her whole body seemed to tremble. Her arms clung tightly around his neck, which was fine with him because he wasn’t about to let her go. He pressed a kiss against her hair. “Did they hurt you?”

  She shook her head against his shoulder. “Not yet.”

  “I wish I could have slugged him.”

  She leaned back to look up at him. “Oh, Sean. It was awful. Silas knew I was pretending the whole time.”

  Sean placed a stilling finger on her lips. “Do you hear that?”

  She was quiet for a long moment as the sound of approaching horses’ hooves filled the shed. Her eyes widened. She whispered, “Someone is coming.”

  They hurriedly stood to their feet. Sean drew his gun again, then motioned to her. “Get behind me.”

  She brushed the tears from her cheek. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going to hide from these brutes.”

  “Lorelei,” he chastened in frustration.

  “This is my battle, too.” She sent him a hard look, then picked up what he recognized as her derringer off of the ground. She spread her boots apart just enough to find her stance. Pursing her lips in concentration, she trained her gun toward the door.

  They quieted in time to hear the hoofbeats come to a stop outside the shed. Someone dismounted. He tried not to let himself tense as the footsteps neared. The moment the door opened and the man stepped inside Sean commanded, “Hands in the air where I can see them!”

  Silas’s hands crept cautiously toward the ceiling with his right hand already holding a gun. The man’s gaze swept the room quickly before returning to Sean. “What’s going on here?”

  “First, throw your weapon outside nice and easy. Don’t give me a chance to shoot you because I’d sure like to,” he said calmly.

  Silas followed his directions, then lifted his hand to the ceiling again. “Is Owen dead?”

  Sean shook his head. “I haven’t checked but I’d say he’s just unconscious for now.”

  “He tried to accost me,” Lorelei interjected.

  Silas lowered his head slightly. “I’m sorry, Lorelei. I was coming back to help you.”

  Sean narrowed his gaze. “Why do that after putting her in danger in the first place?”

  “I had to in order to finish the job. You see, we’re all on the same side here.”

  Lorelei shook her head. “Oh, no, we aren’t.”

  “Yes, we are. I’m an undercover Texas Ranger.”

  “Prove it,” Sean demanded over Lorelei’s gasp.

  “I have to get the papers out of my boot.” At Sean’s nod, he leaned over and pulled off his shoe. Using a knife he pulled from his pocket, the man wedged the heel open and removed a folded piece of paper. He dropped the knife on the ground away from him, then held out the paper for Sean to take.

  Sean glanced at Lorelei. She nodded and kept her gun trained on Silas as Sean holstered his and examined the paper in his hand. He glanced up at Silas. “It looks legitimate.”

  “It is legitimate,” he said as he tucked the paper in his pocket. “I’ve been working with this gang for almost five months. I gained their trust so I could gather the evidence I needed. As soon as they get the money from the bank, I’ll be ready to arrest them. I allowed Lorelei to become involved because she would have botched the whole thing otherwise.”

  “Thanks a lot,” she said wryly.

  “I was trying to keep you safe.�
� He stomped his foot back into his shoe.

  “You left her at the mercy of one of your gang members,” Sean objected. “I don’t think that qualifies as keeping her safe.”

  Silas’s gaze was defiant. “My priority was to finish the job. She involved herself in this. If something had happened, it would have been as much her fault as mine.”

  Sean grasped him by the front of the shirt and stared down at him. “Let’s get this straight. You could have told Lorelei no in the beginning. You could have come to me, the local law enforcement, to explain your assignment. Instead, you allowed this to progress until you placed her in a position where she could have been hurt or killed. If something had happened to her, it would have been as a result of your negligence, not your duty. Do you understand?”

  Silas glared back at Sean for a long moment, then shoved himself away. “I’ve got work to do.”

  “I hope that means saving my papa’s bank from being robbed,” Lorelei said pointedly.

  “It does,” he said. They followed him outside as he picked up his weapons. He stopped beside his horse. “Sheriff, you can ride along with me if you like. I’m sure I could use your help rounding up all of those outlaws.”

  Sean nodded. “I’ll deal with the one here, then Lorelei and I will follow you into town. You and I probably won’t need to do much. The whole town decided to pitch in to catch the bank robbers. We’ve probably got them outnumbered three to one.”

  Just as Sean had predicted, all of the outlaws had been bound and gagged by the time he arrived at the bank. He walked inside and was immediately met by Jeff. “It all went according to your plan.”

  “Anyone hurt?”

  “No. Not a single gun was fired.” Jeff grinned. “I wish you could have seen the look on those outlaws’ faces when they burst in with their guns waving only to find themselves surrounded by half the town’s arsenal. I doubt Judge Hendricks will ever swear in so many temporary deputies again.”

  “Where is Mr. Wilkins?”

  “He’s in his office with Doc. He was looking pretty pale when those good-for-nothings came in holding Lorelei’s hat like a medal of honor.”

  Sean headed to the back of the bank and walked into Richard’s office. The man stood from his chair as soon as he caught sight of Sean. “Lorelei. Is she—?”

  “Fine, Mr. Wilkins. She stopped for a minute outside to talk to Amy, but I can assure you that she is perfectly fine.”

  Richard sank back into his chair and let out a relieved breath. “Thank God.”

  “Deputy Bridger tells me everything went as planned.”

  Richard nodded. “They hardly got past the door.”

  “Good,” he said. “I’d better make sure those men are officially taken into custody.”

  Richard waved him away. Sean had barely taken a few steps out of Richard’s office when Silas approached him. “I’d like to transfer these men to the jail now. They shouldn’t be there long. I’ll wire headquarters immediately.”

  “Good. I’ll open the jail for you.” He was walking out the door when Lorelei stepped inside.

  No one could miss the glare she sent to the outlaws lined up against the wall. She grabbed her hat from where it sat on the counter, then walked over to Sean. “Is Papa in his office?”

  He nodded. “He’ll be glad to see you.”

  She glanced around, then, with half the town watching, she rose on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his cheek. Pausing to meet his eyes meaningfully, she whispered, “Thank you.”

  He might have returned her gesture with a bit more gusto if she hadn’t quickly stepped past him to hurry toward her father’s office. The sly knowing looks he received from the other men in the bank told him they thought he was falling hard. He smiled wryly. Lord, help him. They weren’t half-wrong.

  * * *

  Lorelei gave a parting smile to her parents as they stopped to talk to their friends. She continued through the crowd toward the gazebo where the main Founder’s Day activities would take place. It looked as if most of Peppin’s citizens had turned out for the event that would begin with a picnic and end with a dance late that evening. Usually Lorelei anticipated this day for weeks, but her mind had been so preoccupied by other things lately that she’d hardly given it a second thought.

  She spotted Ellie a few yards in front of her and wound her way through the crowd toward her. As she neared, Ellie caught her gaze with a smile. “Lorelei, I was just looking for you. Where are your parents?”

  “They stopped to talk to Doc and Mrs. Williams,” she explained, then leaned around Ellie to wave at Kate and Nathan. “Kate, how are you? Ellie told me you were feeling poorly last week.”

  “Just fine.” Kate shared a smile with Nathan, then leaned toward Lorelei to whisper, “I told the rest of the family, so I guess I should tell you, too. Nathan and I are going to have another baby.”

  Lorelei’s eyes widened. “Congratulations! That’s wonderful.”

  Nathan grinned. “It certainly is. I think it’s going to be another boy this time. We need to even things up.”

  Judge Hendricks stepped forward on the platform of the gazebo and raised his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Quiet down, folks. Quiet down.”

  Ellie nudged Lorelei and whispered, “Did you hear that Sean is getting an award for stopping the bank robbery?”

  “Yes, I know,” she returned quietly. Sean had tried to convince her to let the town know about her part in apprehending the criminals, but she’d been more than appalled at the idea. Actually, she’d been more than appalled at the thought of what her father might have to say if he knew the extent of her involvement. Having caught the outlaws red-handed, there was no need for her to testify. As far as she was concerned, her foray into undercover work would remain a secret until no one cared to hear about it.

  Judge Hendricks cleared his throat. “As one of the town’s founders, I would like to welcome you all to the fifth annual Founder’s Day celebration.”

  Lorelei glanced back to look for her parents, hoping they wouldn’t miss the judge’s speech as the hundreds of people around her cheered, whistled and clapped. She saw her parents edging forward at the back of the crowd. Richard smiled when she met his gaze and gave her a little wave. She turned back in time to see the judge hold up his hand to indicate he was ready to speak again. The cheers died down, so he continued.

  “We have set this day aside to come together to show our commitment to each other and this town. We come together to remind ourselves of the ideals our town was founded upon. We come together to express our thankfulness to God for seeing our town through another year and to pray that His will is accomplished in the next.

  “As we do, we remember the faith, dedication and perseverance that took us through the first fifteen years. Those same qualities will sustain us through the next one hundred and fifteen.”

  Lorelei joined in with the thunderous applause that interrupted the judge.

  “Reverend Sparks will begin the day with a prayer. After he does, I would like to invite retired Sheriff Hawkins, who served this town for fifteen years, to come up and help me with a special announcement.”

  “This is it,” Ellie whispered proudly a few minutes later.

  Lorelei smiled as the tall but slightly stoop-shouldered sheriff from her childhood stepped forward. Judge Hendricks shook the man’s hand, then turned back to the crowd. “The citizens of Peppin have long been interested in finding a way to express their appreciation to outstanding members of the community. It is my pleasure to announce that we finally figured something out.”

  Chuckles rang through the crowd as the judge continued, “From now on we will recognize citizens who show admirable courage, self-sacrifice, fortitude, so on and so forth by awarding them with the Peppin Award of Honor.

  “I’m sure all of you have heard by now, a gang of outlaws tried to rob the First Bank of Peppin a few days ago. If they had succeeded, our celebration today would not have been quite as joyful. As it w
as, members of this town came together to help defend the bank and managed to put those outlaws right where they belong—in jail. Today the town would like to recognize Sheriff Sean O’Brien for his outstanding leadership in coordinating this effort and for his service to the community.”

  Sean stepped forward as Mr. Hawkins presented him with a fancy-looking box and everyone clapped. He faced the crowd, then held up his hand as Judge Hendricks had done. He managed to keep the applause short. “I am very grateful to all of you for finding me worthy of this award. However, this award really belongs to this town and not to me. I especially think we should recognize those who were sworn in as temporary deputies to help in the effort.

  “There are about ten of you, so I didn’t want to forget anyone.” He grinned, then pulled out a piece of paper to read off their names. After everyone cheered for the temporary deputies, Sean put the piece of paper back in his pocket. “There is another person from our town we should thank. This person has chosen to remain anonymous but provided vital information necessary to the success of our efforts. I hope this person knows how much I truly appreciated their help.”

  He gave a self-deprecating smile. “Now, I think I’ve said about enough, so I’ll leave y’all to enjoy the day.”

  “He did a good job,” she whispered to Ellie.

  Ellie nodded but tilted her head toward the gazebo with a confused look on her face. She glanced back at the gazebo to see Judge Hendricks holding his hand up to keep the people from clapping just yet. “Hold on there, Sean. I thought there was something else you were planning to say.”

  Even twenty feet away she could see Sean begin to redden. He whispered something to the judge, but the man just grinned. “Don’t be shy, now. If a man has something to say, he ought to just go ahead and say it. Right, folks?”

  Several teasing remarks rang from the crowd urging Sean to speak. Lorelei smiled and exchanged a glance with Ellie. “What in the world?”

  Ellie shrugged, then cupped her hand by her lips to yell. “Speak, Sean. Speak!”

  Sean laughed. “Fine. I wasn’t planning to do this, but while I was waiting to come up here I realized the opportunity had presented itself.”