“I was so scared,” she confessed, when he finally freed her mouth. She could hardly believe that he was here—alive! “I really thought he might—”
“I know, darlin’. There was no way of letting you know I was safe. Taylor had to play his part in taking me out of there. He tried to take you, too, but you saw how Rossington reacted to that idea.”
Maggie remembered that Cam Taylor had, in fact, suggested taking her, but Robert wouldn’t hear of it. She had no idea it was the deputy’s way of protecting her.
“I even left my cell at your place, and we couldn’t be sure Taylor’s wasn’t being tracked so I couldn’t call you.” Aiden grimaced. “He hid me someplace out of town where Rossington wouldn’t find me. Then he explained that he wanted to get all the evidence in place so they could arrest him this morning before he tried to ruin Lorraine’s life, too.”
“So it was all planned out?” She gawped at him.
“He’s kind of been working undercover for years,” Aiden explained. “Dyson Shearer didn’t even know. That’s what the marshal wanted to tell him yesterday when they met up. He knew Dyson was as straight as a die and would soon figure that something was off. He just didn’t want him to blow the guy’s cover before they got everything in place.”
Maggie felt her heart hammering as her brain tried to compute everything he was telling her.
“So, when he fabricated my burglary, was that part of the act, too?”
Aiden grimaced. “I’m afraid so. He knew Rossington was a con man. He was hoping to catch him falsifying an insurance claim over that.”
“But the claim was in my name. They said I didn’t have a case.” She felt herself go hot as she recalled that awful time.
“Rossington called your insurance company and inquired about making the claim himself, as the money was in his safe. They turned him down flat, of course. Once he realized he didn’t have a leg to stand on he finally gave up. Taylor was gutted!” Aiden shook his head. “The cops have got copies of messages, recorded conversations—everything they need. Taylor was going to ‘out’ him right after you two split, but then he noticed the fuckwad spending more and more time with your dad. He smelled a rat right away and started digging a bit deeper. He found out Rossington was also doing some kind of scam across Jake Parry. Seems the bastard’s got a way of charming himself into business deals he can’t uphold. He’s totally believable—and an opportunist. Seems he strikes when he knows a guy’s vulnerable. For your dad, it was when you two had just split, and he’d convinced your folks you were mentally unstable. For Jake Parry, it was when he started to become ill. With all that going on it seems Taylor dared not expose him too soon, not knowing just how many more irons he had in the fire. He felt real bad about what you had to go through, but he just wanted to get the bastard for all of it. It was the only way to get him the kind of sentence he deserved.”
“And will he get my dad’s money back now? And Jake Parry’s?”
Aiden nodded. “Every last penny, if Rossington hasn’t spent it all.”
Maggie sighed with relief. It actually looked as though the whole nightmare was finally over. She also had her parents back, which was just amazing. Looking up into Aiden’s gorgeous blue eyes, she felt her heart melt all over again. The love that poured from his face wrapped her in a cocoon of warmth and safety. She touched his cheek with the back of her fingers before combing them through his silky hair. To think she could have lost him yesterday was just intolerable. She wouldn’t have put it past Robert, though. She had seen the fury in the man’s eyes, and it had shocked her to the core.
“I don’t think Robert’s a sane man,” she whispered. “He had a gun to your head. He was planning to shoot you.”
Aiden must have seen the tears that filled her eyes, and he took her hand and kissed it gently. “He was just desperate. He knew we were on to him and he wanted to scare us off, that’s all. Taylor got suspicious when he called him and didn’t get an answer so he high-tailed it over there to find out what the fucker was up to. You gave him the perfect excuse. I wasn’t in any danger once you two arrived.”
It was all too much. Maggie clung onto him and cried hard into his muscular chest. His scent, his warmth, his whole being surrounded her, and, for a few moments, she let him wash over her as she cried it all out. Her throat was still sore from last night, but she didn’t care. Her head thrummed with all the confusion and worry, but it didn’t matter. The important thing was that he was here with her—safe. She couldn’t ask for more than that. He held her tightly while she sobbed her heart out then he offered her his large handkerchief. Even that smelled of him, and she breathed him in like he was her last breath. She wiped her face.
“I must look a right state.” She grimaced, recalling how much she took after her mother in the puffy eyes department. Neither of them could cry elegantly. It must have been some kind of genetic thing.
“You look beautiful.” He smiled kindly at her before kissing her on the top of her head.
A soothing warmth spread from there right down to her toes, and she closed her eyes at the heady sensation. It seemed as though every part of her body had a direct reaction to every part of his. She opened her eyes again to see him looking down at her, patiently waiting while she composed herself. She beamed up at him and took a deep breath. She could face anything with him by her side.
She looked around the marquee that was full mostly of the townsfolk. Frank and Sylvia were chatting over in one corner while a lot of her regular customers milled about. It seemed that all her family and friends were here today.
“Where’s Lorraine?” Maggie suddenly realized that she hadn’t seen the bride since the sheriff had taken the groom away.
“Probably the same place as Ben,” Aiden told her with a wink.
Maggie grinned. She didn’t know Ben or Lorraine very well, but she was sure they’d make a fine couple.
“There’s Josie and Greg.” Maggie was relieved to see that Josie had a lot more color in her cheeks than earlier, as the couple spotted them and waved them over across the tent.
“Greg told me you said I was over at Springvale,” Aiden murmured in her ear as they made their way through the crowd.
Maggie looked up at him, blushing slightly at the deception.
Aiden grinned. “How about we keep on letting Josie think that?”
She nodded. In her condition, there was no point in worrying his sister unduly.
“Greg said you got back just in time for all the excitement,” Josie gushed as she hugged her brother.
Maggie guessed Josie would have hugged him even harder if she had known the truth about his absence. Josie gave Maggie a hug too. “Thanks so much for your help earlier.” She looked a little sheepish.
“I was just glad to be of some use,” Maggie assured her. It was true. After feeling so helpless yesterday, it was good to feel needed.
“We only stopped by to make sure Ben didn’t kill Rossington,” Josie confided. “We knew this was going to be hard for him.”
“What’s hard?” Ben suddenly appeared behind his sister, grinning devilishly.
Lorraine was with him, blushing profusely.
Both looked a little disheveled and lot happier than before. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why.
They all exchanged hugs, then Ben handed around drinks from a passing waiter. “Seems a shame for all this to go to waste,” he remarked.
“Yeah, a whole wedding here and no one to make the most of it,” Lorraine agreed.
Maggie felt Aiden’s arm tighten around her, warming her to the core. Just having him near made her feel ecstatic. She knew she could never love anyone more. He suddenly moved, handing his glass to his brother, just as her parents came to join them.
“They’re right,” he murmured into her ear. “It seems a pity to see it all go to waste.”
Maggie felt her whole body burn as she watched him kneel in front of her. His hair looked almost white as the sun bounced off his short,
tousled waves, and he smiled up at her, his face shining with hope.
“We’ve got all our kin here, darlin’. It won’t take a minute to run down and pick up a marriage license. The officiant’s all set up to do his bit. What do you think?” Aiden bit his lip a little nervously. “I guess what I’m trying to say here is, you know I love you, darlin’. Will you marry me, Maggie?”
Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:
The Cowboys of Cavern County: Carla’s Cowboy
Bella Settarra
Excerpt
Chapter One
It had been a rough couple of days when Carla Burchfield eventually decided to treat herself to a decent night’s sleep in a proper bed. The Melrose Motel’s dim lights beckoned her and she sighed as she found the entrance and dumped her bags on the well-worn carpet of the dusty reception.
“How long’re you staying?” The old man behind the desk looked bored and smelled of stale pipe smoke.
Carla looked around at the run-down building. It wasn’t at all welcoming, but the prospect of a real bed made it the most inviting place on earth. “I’m not actually sure. Can I just pay for tonight and take it from there?” She pushed the peak of her cap up a little, trying to assure the guy there was nothing shifty or suspicious about her. In fact, the cap was hiding her greasy, uncombed hair as much as it was attempting to disguise her.
The old guy scratched his white hair and nodded. “Sure. Twenty bucks for the room. If you want breakfast there’s a café across the street.”
Carla nodded and handed over the money. She’d noticed the café on the way here and been disappointed to find it closed. It was almost ten o’clock and the place was deserted.
“Is there anywhere to eat now?” she asked hopefully.
The man shook his head. “Nope. We don’t get many people passing through here so there’s no need.”
She could certainly see why!
She followed his directions to her room, disappointed but not really surprised. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since noon. She had a couple of candy bars in her bag and a bag of potato chips that would have to tide her over until morning. She pulled the cap from her head as soon as she was alone, causing her long dark curls to fall manically around her shoulders. She was looking forward to a good shower and the chance to wash her hair. She found the room and quickly opened the door.
The first thing that caught her eye was the bed. It was a single, and the eiderdown looked quite thread-worn and faded, but it made her heart sing. She dumped her bags, locked the door and leaped onto the bed. It was hard but not as hard as the ground she had slept on last night, or the park bench from the night before. She had spent her first night away on the train, which was more comfortable but she hadn’t dared fall asleep then.
This felt sumptuous and cozy and she immediately closed her eyes. Relief swept through her whole body and she sank into the lumpy mattress.
She must have fallen asleep as she opened her eyes a while later to find the room in total darkness. Even the dim light that had filtered in from the street when she had arrived had been switched off. She quickly fumbled around for the light switch before pulling off her clothes, and had a wash at a basin in one corner of the room. The nearest bathroom was down the hall, she’d remembered, and she threw on a nightshirt as she went to find it, being careful to lock her door as she left.
As soon as she returned to her room, she rummaged in her bag for her journal, which she wrote as she devoured the snack from her bag. Even the potato chips did little to abate the growls from her empty stomach, and she looked forward to getting a good meal in the morning. She had been so busy concentrating on getting away from Sheridan that she hadn’t bothered to stop for proper meals. She’d grabbed whatever she’d been able to at whatever station she had found herself at before hopping on another train. She figured she must have traveled far enough by now, and hoped Jerome and his gang wouldn’t think to look for her in South Dakota, let alone a little place like this. It was so out of the way and she had walked for hours since leaving the tiny train station several miles away.
She climbed into the bed and relished the feel of the covers against her tired body. The softness of the pillow and the coolness of the cotton sheets surrounded her in a decadence she had not afforded herself since that dreadful night.
Her mind whirled as she recalled the look on Jerome Pearson’s face as he’d celebrated his victory with Quinn Mason and Steve and Oliver Hutchings. They’d bragged about the horrified look on Mr. Roberts’ face when they’d pulled out their knives, and had forced him to open his safe as well as his cash till. The drug store had netted them almost forty-seven thousand dollars, and they were planning to split it four ways. Trouble was, they’d been so busy drinking to their success that none of them had been still capable of counting the money, let alone guarding it.
Carla had seen a side to her boyfriend she had never imagined, and in that first few seconds her love and adoration turned to hate and loathing. He was nothing but a common thief who enjoyed tormenting old men, threatening their lives if they didn’t hand over the money they had worked so hard to make. She had known Mr. Roberts for several years, and had comforted him at his wife’s funeral. Betty Roberts had been a good friend to her when she had first arrived in Sheridan, and she had even given her a job for a while.
Once the men had drunk themselves to sleep she had taken the opportunity to grab the money and run. That money was for Mr. Roberts and she just had to figure out a way to get it back to him without landing herself in trouble. She knew Jerome and his buddies would kill her if they caught up with her, but she had to do something. Mr. Roberts didn’t deserve this and she was determined to help him.
The memories of that night haunted her dreams and her mind reeled with possibilities as she drifted off to sleep again.
When she woke she actually felt much better. It was already after eight-thirty, and she smiled as she looked around the little room. It was very sparse, with just one old rattan chair in the corner and an even older chest of drawers against one wall. The carpet was worn and the paper was peeling from the walls, but to Carla it was luxury. Even the damp, musty smell that hung heavily in the air wasn’t enough to darken her mood.
She felt a lot more human once she had showered and dressed in clean clothes, and she grabbed her bags and headed out to the little café for some breakfast. The smell alone was heaven, and when she saw the size of the portion she was given her heart leaped. She devoured the huge breakfast along with two pots of tea and several slices of toast.
“You look like you haven’t eaten in a week.” The round lady behind the counter grinned.
Carla didn’t want to tell her how long it had been since she’d had a decent meal, so she just smiled and tucked in. She was quite a large girl and could probably do with losing a few pounds, she thought, but there was certainly a limit to how long a girl should go without proper food.
The two bags sat on the bench next to her, one containing the few clothes she had thrown together, and the other with the money. She had stuffed the notes into a duffel bag, hoping it would look inconspicuous, and she guarded it with her life. Until last night that had meant not having a proper sleep in case someone tried to take it from under her head, where she used it as a cushion while the strap was tightly wrapped around her wrist. That was why she had slept so soundly last night, she supposed.
“Is there a bank near here?” she asked the woman, who took her plate away.
“About half a mile away it is,” she told her with a smile. “We’ve got a post office down the road but that’s it. Folks don’t usually hang about here—they just drive right on through.”
Carla nodded. She had looked out for local amenities when she had arrived last night, but in the dark it was hard to see much at all. She paid for the meal and set off for the post office where she bought a large postal box and a black marker pen.
“You from Cavern County?” the young gir
l behind the counter asked her.
“No, I’m just passing through. If I get this ready to send, will it go in the post today?”
The girl nodded. “Post gets picked up this afternoon. If it’s anything valuable you’re sending you’ll need to fill in one of these.”
She handed Carla a form. Damn! Not only did it require her to declare the contents of the parcel, but also to give her personal details. She bit her lip thoughtfully. “How far is it to the nearest town?”
“About half a mile in that direction there’s a small place called Almondine. There’s not much there, just a few shops and stuff. The next town after that’s about a mile on, that gets you to Pelican’s Heath. It’s not much bigger but the people are real friendly there.”
Carla thanked her and took the box, hoping that one of those places was where the nearest bank would be. She went back to the motel where she had spent the night. “Please can I stay another few nights?” she asked the old man, who looked surprised to see her again.
“Sure you can. Pay up front, mind. Your room hasn’t been serviced yet so you can stay there if that suits?”
“Great.” Checking her wallet, she reckoned she could afford five nights. That should give her enough time to get some much-needed rest and the space to clear her head and figure out her next move. She smiled and took the key from him.
Once locked in the little room, which already felt like home to her, she emptied the contents of the duffel bag into the postal box and addressed it to Mr. Roberts at the Sheridan drug store. She toyed with the idea of sending it, giving false personal information on the dang form, but realized that it would leave a paper trail leading back to the post office—and her whereabouts. Damn! Of course, she would be moving on soon anyway, and had signed in the hotel register under a pseudonym but the post office was bound to have had security cameras that could easily identify her, and it wouldn’t take long for Jerome or the cops to track her down. She sighed. Maybe she could find another post office and go in disguise, again giving false information? She’d have to get somewhere a long way from here to do that, just to be on the safe side. Biting her lip, she mulled over the idea. She would give it some more thought, and figure out a way to put the plan into action later.
Maggie’s Man (The Cowboys of Cavern County Book 2) Page 18
