“Merriam, I’m not sure that your husband is involved, at least not in the way that we think he is. I think he legitimately wanted you to take those documents to be filed. Sabotaging your stagecoach and the horses had to have been done long before the package was in your hand. That makes it possible and not out of the realm of possibility that he’s not even involved with this.” It didn’t matter. I couldn’t live with a man that had these kinds of enemies coming after him all the time. It was just a matter of time before I would be in the crosshairs. Maybe he did know that these men were coming after him and had decided to use me, as a sort of bait. Either way, he could not be forgiven for putting me into danger, regardless if he loved me or not.
“I really don’t care what his true motives were. I just can’t live like this anymore. I need to find a fresh start and I think the only way to do that is by putting him where he belongs.” I never thought that I would even consider making an enemy out of him. I had seen too many times what he did to those that betrayed him. I’d heard the anguished screams in the barn in the middle of the night. He probably thought that I didn’t see or hear anything that was going on, but I was little craftier than that.
“For a Christian girl like you to be involved with somebody like that is going in the face of everything that I believe in. I’m no stranger to doing things that are outside of the law. I think that deep down I have a moral compass that I follow to this day. If you really want to make him pay for his crimes, then I would be more than happy to get you where you need to go.”
I thought that was a nice thing for him to do. He certainly didn’t have to put himself in harms way. This was not his fight and for him to do this only showed what kind of character he really had. He was the kind of man that I could see myself with. I could already feel the heat between us and I knew that eventually we would not be able to keep our hands off each other.
“Vance, I would really like that. He has gone unchecked long enough. One way or the other, we’ll get this evidence into the proper hands. Thomas probably gave me this knowing that the sheriff in this town that I’m going to is not corrupt. He will not be swayed by bribery or even coercion.” I didn’t know this for sure, but I do believe that Thomas would have made sure that all of his ducks were in a row.
“I know the area like the back of my hand. I’ve been living out here for the past couple of months. I felt compelled to stay here and I never knew why, until now. I was meant to find you and give you the life that you deserve. I’m sorry to say that I’m not the type of guy that’s going to settle down easily. If you’re willing to come with me, I can promise you that life will never be predictable. I will always make sure that I show you how much I care about you. There will never be a day that goes by that you feel neglected.
“If you can help me with this one thing, Vance, then I am all yours.” It felt nice to say that and the next thing on my agenda was to get a very quirky divorce. “I’ve always done what was right and never what was right for me. I only got involved with Colin, because my family was on hard times. I wonder what my life would’ve been like had I not had to walk down that road alone. I know to this day that my family is not happy with some of my decisions. I only made sure that they were safe and did not have to worry about where their next meal came from.”
“Well, doesn’t this beat all.” I turned to see this man with a very thick black mustache and sinister eyes staring at the both of us from behind. I heard the cocking of the shotgun and I saw my life flash before me. “Vance, I should have known that you would be the first in line to get a piece of the pie. I would say that I’m willing to share with you, but I think we both know that would be a lie.” It was obvious from the way that he was talking to Vance that they knew each other.
“Derek, I thought that was you back there, but I wasn’t sure. I would have shown myself, but I also didn’t want to share the bounty.” I was in between a rock and a hard place and the only way out of this was to try to make a run for it. I moved, but I felt his hand on the small of my back. He was rubbing it in a circle and in that way, I came to the conclusion that he was still on my side. “I’ve seen what she has in her possession and maybe we can make some sort of arrangement.” His tone of voice sounded bad and I could tell that Derek was intrigued by the proposition. He lowered the gun and placed it by his side, but he did not relinquish his hold on it.
“Vance, I don’t know if it’s right for me to hear this proposal without the rest of the guys present and accounted for.”
“Derek, I think we both know that you would sell out your mother for the right price. If you were to call in your posse, then they would surely want what’s rightfully theirs. Let’s work together, but first let me get rid of this albatross that has been hanging around my neck. Hand me that shotgun and I’ll show you how to do business.” The way that he was smirking, had me completely terrified for my own life.
Vance grabbed the weapon, turned it on me and pointed the barrel right at my chest. I tried to see something in his eyes, but they were cold and hard. There was no discerning if there was an emotional struggle going on or not. Could I have really been mistaken about who this man really was? Was I deluding myself into thinking that he was my savior, when all along he was only hedging to see who was going to come out on top?
“I’m perfectly fine with you getting your hands dirty, Vance. I’d rather not get blood on my new leather boots.” I watched, as Vance narrowed his eyes and then brought that shotgun back and smashed it into the face of Derek. It stunned and shocked him for a moment, paralyzing him for a split second, so that Vance could use the handle, as a makeshift club to beat him down.
He dropped the weapon beside him on the ground “I’m not that kind of guy anymore, Derek. It’s time I set things right and become the man that this woman deserves.”
“You really did have me fooled there for a second, Vance. I know that you were just putting on airs, but it looked real enough to me.” He left Derek bleeding from the nose and unconscious from the attack.
“Merriam, I hope that you forgive my charade. I just needed to make him believe that I was still that same underhanded man that he knew a few years ago. My wife was the one that changed me and even after her death, I was tempted to go back to the old ways. In the end, I liked who I had become and I couldn’t in good conscience destroy people’s lives anymore.” I knew that he was fighting demons, but I thought it had something to do with his wife’s memory.
“What makes you think that he’s the end of it?”
“Derek tends to go off on his own and usually leads those that are with him on a wild goose chase. We can continue on our way from here and he won’t be any bother from this moment on.” He pulled me to him and with the adrenaline still rushing through his veins; he kissed me with a passion that was unbound. I felt completely at ease in his arms and I let him manhandle me and run his hands down over my body. He left me flustered and feeling like I was crawling out of my own skin.
We made it to the town in question and the sheriff issued a warrant poster for Colin. They found him and he was convicted. The land that he did have was given back to those that he had manipulated.
I stand here with Vance in this hotel room above the saloon. We have already stripped off our clothes and we are now looking at each other, before falling into bed with only one thing on our mind. We made those sheets burn and our cries of ecstasy was heard all weekend. We finally emerged with smiles on our faces and our hair in disarray. I had found the cowboy of my dreams and he had just given me a night to remember or maybe that was two nights or was that three. It didn’t matter. I knew that that was just a start of a beautiful relationship that had just been consummated.
“We are definitely going to have to do that again and often.” I looked up into his eyes and I saw something that told me that he felt the same way about me.
“Merriam, for a good Christian girl, you certainly can be a bad girl.” If I didn’t have the ring on my finger, I would have agreed w
ith him. We had married last night and this was our honeymoon and to say that it surpassed all expectations would’ve been an understatement. We actually rode off on one horse with the sun setting in the distance and on our way to a new future together.
THE END
Taken by the Cowboy Billionaire
Chapter one
“Brenda, you can’t be serious. They’re never going to listen to you and you’re pretty much going to be a mosquito that is going to be nothing, but a nuisance. You can’t possibly think that they’re going to let go of the purse strings. Don’t get me wrong, I commend you for wanting to do the right thing, but most people won’t see it that way. They’ll see you as another handout, pat you on the head and give you a few measly dollars, but that’s all that you’re going to be able to wrench from their grasp.” Tina had always been the voice of reason, but in this respect, I felt that she was wrong.
“I know that it’s a long shot, but I have to try. These people need to learn that money is not to be used for luxuries like new cars and houses. There is a lot of suffering in this world. Healing that starts right here at home. I may not be able to save the world, but I can start small and work my way up to something with a lot more meaning.” I practiced what I preached, staying out of the way and making sure that I lived by a modest means. I took on jobs and whatever money I made went to the small one bedroom bungalow that I had rented. Whatever was left over was turned towards buying whatever food that I would need and provisions.
“I’m glad that you came to me and getting in the front door is not going to be easy by any means. You’re going to need something that’s going to draw their attention and make them think that you are part of the pack. If you can do that, then maybe you can make them see you. To be honest, I’m a little bit flummoxed that you are even brazen enough to try something like this. If you’re caught, you’ll be thrown into jail and the key will be thrown away. Not even your many friends will be able to help you out of that kind of predicament. I know that I don’t have that kind of money to bail you out.” I knew that I was getting in over my head, but this was too important to let lie.
“This fundraiser might be important to some, but for most of us it’s a waste of time. They are trying to raise money for cancer. I understand that’s a near and dear cause, but we’ve been throwing good money after bad on a subject that has not had much success. I need to get them to throw some of that cash towards my cause of saving animals. It may not seem grandiose, but it means a lot to me.” I was wearing this slinky red dress that I had borrowed from Tina’s closet. I didn’t exactly own something like this and normally I wouldn’t be caught dead in something like this.
“I could go with you, but I think that one of us is going to be more than enough to raise a little hell. That dress is made for your body. If they are not looking at you from the moment that you step through those doors, then I don’t know what will.” I turned all the way around to get a look from every angle and I had to admit that I certainly didn’t look like somebody that was down and out. Anything that I wore was mostly jeans and plaid shirts that really accentuated the positives. “I just hope that you know what you’re doing. If you do find yourself in any trouble, then by all means call me and I’ll be there in a flesh. I’ll meet you at the back door and we can get out of there, before things get ugly.”
“I appreciate that you are always there for me, Tina, but this time I have to go this alone. I’m not leaving there, until I get the money that I’m looking for. A thousand dollar plate dinner is an extravagance by anybody’s standards. For them to fork out that kind of cash, only means that they have more money than brains. There are many causes in this world and everybody knows that each one has its merits. We all have the one that is dear to our heart and this one makes me want to do the impossible. Those billionaires don’t stand a chance. I’m going to bat my eyelashes, show some skin and get them to throw their hard earned dollars in my direction.”
The dress was amazing and turning one way or the other would show more of my body than I had ever shown before. Even going out on dates, I never really went all out. Casual was my claim to fame. I think that I might have gotten some of those guys back to my one bedroom flat by putting myself out there. I wanted people to know who the real woman was and to accept me for what I brought to the table. I didn’t want to put on airs or make them think something that wasn’t true. I had no interest in pulling the rug out from underneath their feet after the fact.
“It’s a good thing that you’re using my car, because nobody would take you seriously, if you showed up in your heap. That thing should be registered, as a health scare. You have exhaust leaks and the smoke that you forcefully put into the air is atrocious.” I was all about the environment, but the one thing that I couldn’t afford was a good vehicle. Thankfully, I only used it on those occasions that were absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I would resort to taking public transportation in the form of a bus or taking the subway. I liked mingling with the locals and I imagined what their lives would be like and I put myself in their shoes.
“I think that by being an only child, I was given too much attention. I started to see that others didn’t have it that good and I did my best to make their lives better. Christmas to me was taking my toys that my parents had given me to those that were less blessed. My parents had a lot of money and they were all about luxury.” By the time that I was old enough, I left home and never looked back. I had no interest in inheriting that kind of cash. I became of age two years ago and I shocked them by giving up my fortune to charities. I only took what I needed.” I’d told Tina that story and she had shook her head with disbelief that I would actually let go of the kind of money that could keep me happy, until the day that I died.
“Don’t get me started on that subject. We all struggle from day to day to make ends meet and you had everything given to you on a silver platter. I don’t know that I would’ve been, so callous to give away all of that money. I do have to praise you for your giving nature. You came from a house that wallowed in their wealth. You could’ve become ego driven, completely devoid of human emotion and yet you turned into a woman that has the interest of the entire world on your mind. You wear your heart on your sleeve and sometimes that is going to come back and bite you on the ass.” I put on the high heels and the black wrap around my shoulders and I knew that I was ready to mingle with those that were more influential than they realized.
“I’m very grateful for your assistance, Tina. I need to make an entrance that is going to make it impossible to deny me entry. I’ve put into place a plan of attack and according to my watch, things should be coming to a head very soon.” I doubt that my mother and father would approve of my methods, but this was my life and I wasn’t going to let anybody dictate the terms. “Jamie should have everything prepared and all I have to do is show up at the right time. If I can time this right, then they won’t even ask me for identification. They’ll be too busy putting out a metaphorical fire to worry about party crashers. Besides, I’m not going to look like somebody off the street.” Just looking in the mirror, I felt different, almost privileged and deserving of the kind of accolades that would come my way.
“You don’t look like the same person. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were one of those over privileged rich kids. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that you were a trophy wife for one of the many men that have decided to take their midlife crisis in a different direction. Instead of buying a car that’s an extension of their manhood, they indulge in their sweet tooth by grabbing on to something pretty and a little bit too young for their own good. I would say that you’re going to fit in nicely.” I had been training myself. I’ve gone over all the etiquette about what spoon and what fork to use for any circumstance.
I knew how to carry myself with a regal bearing, instead of somebody that was walking hunched over like some kind of Neanderthal.
“I think that the only thing that I’m going to have to be ca
reful is about security. Everybody else will accept me, but some of those security guards can be very detail oriented. Most of them come from a line of work that involves the military. It’s the kind of discipline that’s going to be hard to maneuver behind. I can’t help the person that I am and I’m not going to allow others to tell me how to act. I don’t mind putting on a show, especially for a good cause, but this is definitely not me.” Even wearing this dress felt like it was cutting off my supply of oxygen.
“I know that you’re not gonna wanna hear this, but you tend to put your head in the noose too often. You don’t know when to quit and you don’t even know the meaning of the word no. I sometimes think that you go overboard, but it’s always for a good cause. I’m going to say a silent prayer that you make it out of their without being found out. These people take these fundraisers seriously.” I wanted to scream at her, but she really did know that this was how living a life of luxury had caused me to react.
“I don’t know why, but I feel guilty about how I was raised. I need to find some way to cleanse my soul. This is my way of helping those less fortunate with four legs. Humans are going to kill each other and there’s nothing that I can do about that. What I can do is make sure that animals are given the respect that they deserve. There is an animal hospital nearby that is begging for an influx of cash and I plan to give that to them. There will be no strings attached and they can do with the money what they see fit.” Getting those with money to pry open their pocketbooks with a crowbar was not going to be easy. I had to play this just right, or my ruse would be found out and everything that I was working for would go up in flames.
Stolen By A Highlander (Scottish Pregnancy Romance) Page 47
