She had to admit the whole situation was a bit contrived now that she really stopped to think about it. Danielle wasn’t her friend and neither was Lanora. So, what better way for both women to get what they wanted than to send Abigail packing causing the whole happy family to fall like a house of cards. Danielle got the girls without any competition from Will, and Lanora got Will in her bed just as she wanted. And that’s just what they had orchestrated for Abigail to see. “I’m an idiot. Pure and simple. You’re right. I should have trusted Will more. I should have never gone to that room because I should have known it was a trick. Instead of me outsmarting those two, I played right into their hands.” Her voice rose with each word of revelation. “Damn it.”
A sleepy voice from across the room hollered out. “Shut up over there or I’ll throw the both of you out into the snow.” It was the old man and he sounded very put out at being awakened out of a dead sleep.
She thought about apologizing to him, but then decided it wasn’t worth the risk. She and Jeremy lay still in the dark until the snores returned. After a couple more minutes, Jeremy whispered close to her ear. “Will loves you, Abigail. This marriage between you two is something I never thought I’d see Will do again. He’s doing it because he loves you. He. Loves. You. I never thought I’d see him feel that way again. Not after Charlotte.”
“I think that’s what allowed Danielle to turn my head. Will never told me he was married, but Danielle pointed it out and then used it as proof Will couldn’t be trusted.”
She felt Jeremy shake his head. “No, it isn’t that he didn’t want you to know about Charlotte. It’s just that he felt so much pain and betrayal at Charlotte’s hands, he swore once he got his divorce from her, he would never look back. That’s all it was, Abigail. I swear it. He would have told you about it when he was ready.”
They lay in the waning light of the dying fire and Abigail studied the flickering images on the dark, pitched ceiling. “I think we should get some sleep. Morning is going to come early and we need to be ready for anything. I’ll put some logs on the fire.”
“I can do it,” Jeremy offered.
“No, if these men see you wandering around the cabin, they’ll shoot first and ask questions later. They can’t mistake me in a dress for an army uniform,” she teased. She could see Jeremy grinning at her in the dark.
“You’re one of a kind, Abigail Whittaker. No wonder my friend refuses to let you go,” he whispered.
“I already said I’d put the logs on the fire. You don’t have to resort to flattery. Now, turn over and go to sleep. You’re gonna be very sore tomorrow morning.”
He nodded and rolled toward the wall, covering himself with the blanket. She rose and tiptoed across the floor to the crude fireplace. As quiet as possible, she lay more logs on the fire. While she waited for the logs to catch, she stared at the ebb and flow of the hot embers as they flickered from red to yellow to orange to black and back to red again all the while replaying the last few weeks over in her mind.
She knew Will was a good man. She had watched him struggle to become a dependable, loving father to his sister’s daughters. She’d seen him go out of his way to make those little girls feel secure, happy…and loved. She knew he was an honorable man. And yet, the minute Danielle accused Will of being something less because it suited her agenda, Abigail let her own doubts and fears blind her to the truth.
She shook her head in disgust and tiptoed back across the rough pine floor to her pallet in the corner. She slipped beneath the blanket and snuggled close to Jeremy’s warmth trying not to wake him.
She lay in the dark trying to stop her mind from thinking, but sleep still wouldn’t come. Over and over and over again, she asked herself how she could have let something like this happen and what was she going to fix it?
“I fear I need a Christmas miracle.”
Chapter 27
Will left Angel Creek at first light. He and his horse were both rested, so he wasted no time in heading to Fort Benton and Abigail.
He took the mountain trail because he thought it would be shorter, but the storm had dumped a lot of snow and his horse was knee-deep in the stuff. It turned out to be slow going.
The sun finally cleared the mountain tops around noon. It felt good against the brisk north wind, but he and his horse both needed water and rest.
Will checked his surroundings and realized he wasn’t far from an old hunting cabin he and some of his soldiers used during hunting season. It wasn’t that far off the trail so he guided his horse through the deep snow that had settled in the meadow just above the cabin.
Right before he crested the rise, he heard a horse whinny down below. That meant the cabin was already occupied and before he made himself welcome, he wanted to know who he’d be dealing with first.
He rode his horse the short distance into the stand of thick pine trees around the perimeter of the meadow, dismounted, and tied his horse to a sturdy tree about a hundred yards into the wooded area. Satisfied the gelding would remain out of sight, he turned back toward the ridge overlooking the cabin.
Will trudged through the thigh-deep snow until he was almost to the rise overlooking the cabin. He squatted and removed his hat so he wouldn’t give himself away if one of the cabin occupants should look up. He also wanted to avoid detection if the occupants had posted a guard.
Crawling to the edge, he peered down over the scene, taking in the smoke coming from the cabin’s chimney. His gaze scanned the lean-to where he saw half a dozen horses eating side-by-side out of a trough when one of the horses caught his attention. It was Jeremy’s horse.
Will’s heartbeat stumbled and then kicked into a gallop. If Jeremy was in there, did that mean Abigail was in there too? It only made sense. Maybe something happened and they couldn’t make it to Angel Creek before the storm. But what?
It was almost noon. If Jeremy and Abigail were headed to Angel Creek, or back to the fort, they would have already left by now. So, what was wrong?
Will studied the horses again and his eyes lit on a specific one a second time. “Carl Ledbetter’s piebald paint. Can’t mistake that horse.” Now he had a pretty good idea what the problem was. If Carl was down there, then his idiot sons, Jack and Frank, were too. He needed to come up with a plan before he made a move.
The slam of the cabin door jerked his attention to the two men who just stepped outside. He was too far away to hear what they were saying, but it looked like they were arguing.
Alone, he couldn’t just ride down there and confront the Ledbetters. They were too unpredictable for that. He studied on a plan of strategy. These men were unpredictable, alright. They were dangerous and cunning too, but they weren’t exactly brilliant in the intelligent department. Maybe, if he could convince them he was not alone—it was the only way.
Will hurried back to his horse as fast as the deep snow would allow. He unsheathed his rifle and he put on his full military cape. Pistol on his hip, he settled his hat down tight on his head, he stepped his foot into the stirrup and sat up straight and tall in the saddle. “They don’t know I’m the captain of no one today, do they, Chico?” he said to his horse and reined him out of the woods and toward the ridge where he would make his stand. “Let’s just hope we can keep it that way.”
Five minutes later, Will reached the edge of the ridge. “Here we go, boy.” He patted the big iron-gray gelding on the neck and said a silent prayer. He crested the ridge just as the two men were gathering snow in a pot for water. “Hey there. You two men,” he yelled down at them, his rifle butt resting on his hip, the barrel skyward. He wanted to make sure they could see he was armed to the teeth.
They looked up and started to run toward the cabin, but Will aimed and fired a shot at the snow in front of them. They stopped short. “This is Captain William Bennett of the United States Army stationed at Fort Benton. I know who you are. Jack. Frank. I didn’t come for trouble, but I got a whole company of soldiers behind me and they are just itching to see a li
ttle action.”
The two men froze in motion when the shot hit the ground in front of them. A few seconds later, another man rushed out of the cabin, gun in hand. Will recognized him as Carl, the men’s father. “Drop your gun, Carl. I know who you are. I’m not here to cause trouble.” When the man didn’t immediately drop his firearm, Will raised his rifle and pointed it at the man. The gun left Carl’s hand and disappeared into the deep snow. “Like I said, I’m not here to give you trouble. Me and my men are looking for a missing officer and a woman that might be traveling with him. You see them?”
He saw the three men look at each other, but no one responded. “I probably need to warn you before you try to give me the wrong answer, I recognize Lieutenant Maxwell’s horse standing there in your corral, so don’t tell me you haven’t seen him. And if he isn’t here, then someone is going to hang for stealing a horse from the United States Army.”
All three men turned toward the lean-to. They couldn’t very well deny the army’s white brand on the horse’s rump in sharp contrast to the horse’s dark color.
Will saw Carl’s shoulders slump. “Alright, Captain. I ain’t gonna lie to ya none. The officer and the woman stumbled in on us late yesterday afternoon just before the storm hit. Ain’t no harm come to them. They’s inside stayin’ nice and warm. We even fed them some wild rabbit. You can come on down and join them, if you want.”
Will laughed making sure it carried down to the men below. “I’m not a stupid man, Carl. Like I said, I’ve got a company of soldiers behind me up in the meadow. You say you don’t want trouble, then I suggest you saddle their horses and send them up. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to ride in to get them—me and my troops.”
“Well, like I said, Captain Bennett, I don’t want no trouble. I’ll send ‘em out, if you promise me once you have them two you won’t send them soldiers bearin’ down on our heads.”
“You have my word.” Will breathed a sigh of relief.
“Alright.” Carl turned toward his son. “Jack, go inside and send the woman and the officer out. Frank, you go saddle their horses.”
Will could see Frank arguing with his father. The best Will could tell, he wasn’t happy about having to saddle the horses while his brother went inside. But Carl put an end to the discussion when he boxed Frank on his ears and kicked him in the butt when he finally did what his father asked and headed toward the corrals.
Will waited. Thank goodness, he didn’t have to wait long. A minute or two passed, and the cabin door opened. He saw Abigail step off the cabin steps and into the deep snow. Right behind her was Jeremy who helped Abigail through the snow, across the yard, to the corral fence.
Soon, Frank led the saddled horses to Jeremy and Abigail. Jeremy helped Abigail on her horse. Then he mounted his own horse, but something was off with Jeremy. He moved as if he was injured.
“You’ve done yourself a favor, today, Carl. Now you and your boy there, head on back inside. In a few minutes, you won’t even know we’ve been here, but if you try to double-cross me, you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
“No, sir, Captain. We just wanna go back inside and eat some food and wait for a break in the weather. You see, our cabin burned and we have to stay here until we can fix it. It might even be spring before we can move back in. This cabin’s handy, but there ain’t no place like a man’s own home for sleepin’.”
Will touched the brim of his hat in acknowledgement of the man’s sentiments, while he kept an eye on Jeremy and Abigail. They disappeared up the trail while Carl and his son went back inside and closed the door. The sight flooded Will’s nerves with a wave of relief. He wanted to ride to meet Abigail and Jeremy, but he remained on the rise just to make sure the Ledbetters stayed put.
A long twenty minutes later, Abigail and Jeremy rode into the clearing of the high meadow and Will nearly collapsed with relief. He didn’t know if Jeremy had been able to convince Abigail of the truth, but right now, all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and relish the feel of her body next to his knowing she was safe.
When he reached them, he spoke to Jeremy. “Jeremy. Glad to see you alive and well.”
Jeremy nodded to him. “Glad to be alive and well.”
Then Will turned toward Abigail and rode his horse next to hers. Without a word to her, he reached out with one arm and pulled her off her horse and settled her between his legs across his saddle. Cradled in his arms, he pulled her tight against him and buried his face in her dark hair. “Abigail, I was so afraid I’d lost you,” he whispered.
Abigail huddled against him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her face buried in his coat. He heard her muffled sobs and a spike of fear pierced his heart.
“Abigail? What’s wrong? Are you alright? Did they hurt you? If they did, I swear I’ll kill them, every single one.” His anger grew every second she cried without an answer. “Abigail?” He turned an angry look to Jeremy. “What happened, Jeremy?” He demanded answers. “How could you let Abigail come to harm? You were supposed to protect her. You said you would protect her,” he shouted at his friend.
“Stop it, Will.” Abigail’s face, now inches from his, was covered in tears. “None of this is Jeremy’s fault. He did everything he could to convince me not to go, but when I insisted, he put himself in danger to protect me. I’m the one who nearly got him killed. We were ambushed, and one of them shot Jeremy. He’s wounded, Will.”
Shocked by Abigail’s admission, his heart plummeted, and he turned a worried eye to his friend. “Jeremy, are you alright? Where are you wounded? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that to you. If it wasn’t for you—” his voice broke in a whirlwind of emotions.
“I’m alright. One of the boys took a shot at us when they ambushed us. I took a bullet to my left side, but it’s just a scratch. Nothing that a hot bath and a fresh bandage won’t cure. Besides, I had a pretty good night’s sleep snuggled up with Nurse Abigail here. How was your night, Will?” Jeremy grinned at Will.
He looked down at Abigail in his arms and the wide smile on her face. “I would really like to hear more about this over-night sleepover between the two of you, but I think we should get out of here before Carl and his boys get wise to the fact that I’m riding solo today.”
Jeremy looked around and sent Will a puzzled look. “Where are the troops?”
“There aren’t any. Not a one. Yesterday, after I read your note, I rode out alone. I had just beat the storm into Angel Creek when I learned the two of you had never arrived. By then, my horse and I were beat and it was too late to set out again. I was forced to spend last night in Angel Creek.” He sent a meaningful look to Abigail still in his arms. “I spent the entire night praying for a Christmas miracle.”
To his surprise, Abigail reached up with both hands and pulled his face to hers. She whispered against his lips. “I spent last night in an old cabin, surrounded by a gang of criminals, while sharing a bed with your best friend. And yet, I too spent the entire night praying for a Christmas miracle.” He watched the woman in his arms close her eyes and lean into him. Her lips touched his with a kiss that held a message. She loved him and that was miracle enough.
“We probably should head for home before the Ledbetters figure out you came alone,” Jeremy suggested.
Will looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms, “Yes, we probably should…head for home.”
Epilogue
One year later…
Abigail sat in her rocking chair watching her family open their presents on Christmas morning. It was a sight she knew she would never grow tired of.
“What are you thinking about?” Will’s voice reached her just before his hand touched her shoulder. She looked up and was gifted with a gentle kiss.
“I was just thinking about all the changes in our lives since we first met last November in Angel Creek, and how blessed we are to have found such happiness among the many heartaches we started with.”
Will sat next to her in the new chair she had bought hi
m for Christmas. She looked at the handsome man who watched the three little girls happily playing underneath the boughs of the family’s Christmas tree.
“Yeah, we were quite a pair in the beginning, weren’t we?” His deep chuckle sent shivers of desire cascading through her body. She was a very lucky wife to have found such a man to be her husband.
“I’m just glad all our troubles are behind us.” She sighed in relief.
He sent her a knowing look. “You mean you’re glad Lanora and Danielle are behind us.”
“Yes. That was a time in our lives I hope we never see again.”
“I’m just glad my commander saw fit to allow Jeremy and several of the soldiers to escort Lanora to the custody hearing last summer in St. Louis. Between Jeremy’s testimony against Lanora attacking me and drugging me with laudanum, and Lanora’s testimony against Danielle accusing her of concocting the whole ugly scheme, the judge didn’t hesitate to give us permanent full custody of the girls.”
Abigail nodded. “It also didn’t hurt that the attorney from St. Louis determined Danielle’s letter was a forgery. She paid someone to forge her brother’s handwriting pretending to write a letter exactly like yours.”
Will frowned. “Yeah, there had been a copy of Daisy’s letter to me in David’s things. When Danielle learned their money would go to the girls, that’s when she concocted the whole scheme to take them just so she could have access to their money. I’m still surprised to learn that David and his father were so successful in several investment enterprises. They did quite well for themselves. And now that money will provide a future for the girls. They will want for nothing.”
Abigail (Angel Creek Christmas Brides Book 12) Page 19
