Escaping Into Love: A Sweet Mail Order Bride Story (The Runaway Brides of Colorado Book 1)

by Annie Boone

  “What were you doing?” Mason snapped, his blue eyes practically sending out sparks of fire with his anger.

  “Didn’t I tell you not to run off?”

  Elizabeth felt like a child who was being taunted by the school bully. Feeling her eyes fill with tears, she tried to explain.

  “You were busy talking and I saw Amy. I just wanted to say hello. I can’t believe you’re getting this upset simply because I wasn’t glued to your side.”

  Mason glanced at her, his own voice softening as he muttered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Elizabeth.”

  Reaching out a hand, he placed his on top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “I didn’t mean to speak so harshly. You know how I feel about the safety in the town and it just frightened me when you disappeared. I was so scared I guess I let my anger get the better of me.”

  Lowering her head, Elizabeth felt almost ashamed at her actions. Surely Mason was right. She shouldn’t have run away. Suddenly, she felt like she should apologize as well.

  “Elizabeth,” Mason continued. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened in my life. I just don’t want to lose you.”

  Nodding slowly, Elizabeth grappled with a host of different emotions.

  “I’m sorry, too,” she whispered under her breath.

  It felt difficult to get the words out, and she wondered if it was because she just had trouble submitting to his authority or if he truly was out of his bounds with his demands.

  Mason smiled and pulled the reins of the carriage tighter.

  “Let’s just forget about the entire event. Just be sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

  While his words had her feeling relieved, there was a sense of apprehension and dread that played heavily on Elizabeth’s mind. The warning from Sheriff Clayton continued to consume her thoughts and she could only hope he had been mistaken.

  Elizabeth wished she had never gone into town. It seemed that Mason was right. She didn’t need to be running off by herself. From now on, she intended to stay by her fiancé’s side where she wasn’t threatened by cruel suggestions from the sheriff.

  She thought about telling Mason what Clayton had said but stopped herself before the words could get out of her mouth. There was no need bringing up anything else that might upset her future husband.

  Chapter Five

  Standing outside the horse barn on Double Zero Ranch, Clayton pushed back his hat to scratch his head beneath his dark hair.

  “Come on, Sheriff, see if I’m wrong,” the ranch owner, Homer Ramey, said as he led Clayton around another fence. “I can’t find anything that might be an issue, can you? Not big enough for a horse to get out, anyway.”

  Letting Homer lead him around the perimeter of his ranch, Clayton had to silently admit that the older rancher was right. There was no chance that his animal had simply escaped. But, at the same time, it seemed that the fence hadn’t been tampered with, either.

  “Nothing was disturbed inside the barn?” Clayton asked.

  Homer shook his head.

  “Nothing I can see.”

  Unsure of what to think of the situation, Clayton decided that his best option was to go into the barn to double check for something the older man might have missed.

  “How about we go on in there and check it out, anyway.”

  Heading into the barn, Clayton kept his eyes open, looking for anything that seemed out of place.

  “As you can see, the gate was still locked when I came out this morning, so I don’t see how the horse could have possibly been let out. I tell you, Sheriff, I’m completely stumped.”

  Stepping closer to the gate, Clayton observed the area where the horses had been locked, giving them access to both the shelter of the barn and the lush pastures of grass. Allowing his eyes to travel over the structure, Clayton squinted when he looked at the gate’s latch. Running a rough thumb across it, Clayton felt the smooth texture against his skin then studied the rusty hinges.

  “Homer,” Clayton called out in a sober voice. It dawned on him that he was about to unleash a hornet’s nest of concerns on his old friend. He also worried about the certainty that gossip would soon follow his announcement. It always did.

  “Look at this.”

  Homer stepped forward and furrowed his brow together, obviously trying to understand what Clayton was indicating.

  “I don’t know what I’m looking at.”

  “This latch is new,” Clayton informed him, looking up to meet Homer’s eyes with his own. “It’s shiny, like it was installed just yesterday.”

  “Just installed?” Homer repeated with a frown. “Well, that doesn’t make any sense because this was the same latch I bought and put up along with those hinges. I haven’t changed them since the barn was built.”

  Clayton nodded his head. It was just as he had suspected. Obviously, the hinge had been unscrewed and replaced so that the horse thief could get to the animals without leaving behind any evidence.

  “Do you mean to tell me that someone came right into my own barn and stole my horse?” Homer exclaimed, his round face growing red at the mere idea of it all.

  “They stole my horse and also had the nerve to change the hinge so I wouldn’t notice?”

  Letting out a deep sigh, Clayton agreed.

  “It sure would seem that way, Homer. Of course, we’ve been dealing with missing livestock in our area for a while, but this is the first time that the thief has come right out and left a tell-tale sign. It seems that he was trying to be sneaky but just managed to do the opposite. Rather than hiding his tracks, he left behind plenty of evidence.”

  In the background, Clayton could hear Homer fuming about the situation and how disgusted he was, but Clayton’s thoughts were elsewhere. Perhaps it was time for him to go out and pay a visit to Mason Reeve. It would certainly be interesting to see if he had any extra horses just roaming around in broad daylight.

  As soon as he left Homer’s ranch, Clayton made his way toward Reeve Ranch. He had hoped for a chance to look around the property before gaining the attention of anyone at the house but it wasn’t to be. Mason came out to greet him as soon as Clayton pulled his horse to a stop outside the large ranch house.

  “Afternoon, Mr. Reeve,” Clayton called out, trying to sound as inconspicuous as possible when he saw the man trot out onto the large porch.

  “How are you?”

  Crossing his arms against his chest, Mason leaned against one of the porch posts before speaking.

  “So far, so good. What brings you out this way, Sheriff?”

  Dismounting from his horse, Clayton tied the reins to the porch railing as he explained. “I’m just making rounds in this area. Last night, the Double Zero Ranch lost a horse. That’s the latest of several reports of missing animals just this week alone. Thought I’d better stop out here to see if things are as they should be for you all.”

  Before Mason could make a reply, the front door opened and Elizabeth Brown stepped out onto the porch. Making her way up to Mason’s side, she studied Clayton from her place yards away.

  There was something about her gaze, something that told Clayton she wasn’t quite pleased he was here. Obviously, she was unsure of what to think of his surprise arrival and most likely thought it best to keep her distance. Clayton could only hope she hadn’t told Mason about his suspicions or the fact that they had talked at the sheriff’s office that afternoon that Clayton pulled her in off the street.

  “Elizabeth,” Mason said with a snarl, never taking his gaze off Clayton as he commanded his future bride almost as one would a trained dog. “Get back inside the house.”

  Forcing himself to appear calm and casual, Clayton took a step closer to the porch and smiled.

  “Don’t send her away yet. My sister knew that I was coming out here and she’ll have my hide if I don’t take a few minutes to see how she’s doing. You know how sisters can be. Amy may seem sweet, but she can sure be feisty when I make her upset. She’ll have
my hide if she knows I came out here without giving her best and asking how Elizabeth is doing.”

  Even though Clayton knew that Elizabeth didn’t trust him, there was some part of him that oddly trusted her. He wanted her nearby when he was talking to Mason, almost as if she was a friend in the entire situation. And, in some strange way, Clayton hoped he could convince her that his suspicions about her husband were true if she was there to listen in on their conversation.

  Stepping up onto the porch, Clayton extended a hand to Elizabeth. “How are you? Does Colorado suit you so far?”

  Looking down at her feet, Elizabeth seemed suddenly overwhelmed with nerves as she extended a dainty hand for him to shake. Something had changed in her entire demeanor. Clayton couldn’t decide if she simply didn’t like him, or if time spent with her fiancé was proving less than pleasant.

  “Colorado is fine,” she replied, her voice sounding curt and a bit chilly. She crossed her arms over her chest as she went on to add, “I’m still getting used to it, I guess.”

  “How about we take a walk along the property lines and I’ll show you what to look for?” Clayton suggested as he turned back to Mason. “Just so we can check to see if anything looks strange?”

  Clayton watched as Mason’s brow furrowed in disgust, but he quickly nodded his head and replied.

  “I’ll show you around but we’re going to have to make this fast.”

  Trying not to reveal too much information, Clayton followed Mason and Elizabeth around a large wooden-plank fence.

  “See,” Clayton was explained. “I’ve been at several farms where there was absolutely no obvious foul play to the fence, but the locks and latches had been changed so that the ranchers wouldn’t notice that their animals had been stolen. I’m suggesting that every rancher keep up with their head count each day so that they can notice if anything is missing. Plus, I’ve been warning ranchers to stay alert and keep a gun handy. I don’t want this rustler to be killed but I believe that everyone needs to do what it takes to protect their property.”

  Mason didn’t say a word. Instead, he simply stared at Clayton, making what he felt about Clayton’s visit and advice rather obvious. When Clayton looked to Elizabeth, he could see a sort of cold apprehension across her face as well.

  “How about we look in the barn?” Clayton suggested. “Make sure that there are no latches or hinges that have been changed here? Someone might be tampering with your place and you wouldn’t have even realized it.”

  Although he gave a disgusted frown, Mason led Clayton back toward the barn.

  Stepping into the large building, Clayton took in his surroundings, secretly searching for anything that appeared suspicious.

  Stepping up next to an empty pen, Clayton ran his fingers against the hinges as he pretended he was truly looking for a problem rather than using this as his opportunity to scope out Mason’s property.

  Glancing into a corner of the barn, Clayton saw a large stack of horse feed. It was strange to see the large pile of bags considering that Mason only owned a few horses of his own.

  Realizing that it was hardly enough to convict the man, Clayton brushed the thought aside. It could easily be that Mason had simply ordered too much feed for his own horses and was storing it there in the barn.

  “Excuse me,” Elizabeth muttered, her voice sounding somewhat flat. “I have to go back to the house to check on the roast I put in the oven.”

  Looking sideways at her, Clayton nodded his permission. “Just be on the watch for anything suspicious going on around here. Make sure you let your fiancé know if you see anyone strange sneaking around on the property.”

  Watching her walk away, Clayton couldn’t help but wonder what thoughts were going through her mind. Did she realize that her husband might be the one who was rustling the livestock? She seemed so subdued that morning, so unlike the cheerful young woman who had arrived by mail carriage only days before.

  Realizing that his eyes had traveled after Elizabeth for longer than was truly proper, Clayton looked back at Mason.

  “What do you think you’re doing here?” Mason asked with a snarl. His somewhat friendly façade was completely gone as his eyes narrowed and he stared Clayton straight in the eyes.

  “Don’t you think I can see why you came out here?”

  Unsure what he meant, Clayton raised a brow and stared at the slightly-shorter man.

  “Horse thieves and cattle rustlers, huh?” Mason asked, crossing his arms against his chest. “Seems to be that there’s a fox in the hen house, but it’s not what you’re admitting. You came out here to see my bride, didn’t you? You just couldn’t keep your hungry eyes off my piece of property.”

  The accusation came as such a surprise that Clayton felt his jaw drop open and his eyes enlarge.

  “That’s it, isn’t it?” Mason continued, stepping up closer to Clayton. “You saw that I got a pretty little thing out here and you decided to come nosing around. I see the way you look at her. Well don’t get any ideas, Sheriff, because I can assure you that her soft little body is going to belong entirely to me. No one is getting to lay a finger on the hands of my future bride. No, I’ll keep that completely to myself. She’s one little cow that no cattle rustler is going to be able to grab, not even you, Sheriff.” Lifting a threatening fist, Mason ended his rant with, “And that’s a promise.”

  Clayton resented the way that Mason talked about Elizabeth. Although Clayton and she didn’t have the best relationship in the world, he had a sense of respect for the young woman, as he did for every woman. It offended him to hear her spoken of like she was a piece of livestock.

  Clayton was overcome with the desire to punch Mason in the mouth but he worked hard to restrain himself. Clayton took in long deep breaths and let them out noiselessly, completing the routine thrice before speaking.

  “I think that it’s time for me to leave.” And, with that, he made his way out of the barn and back toward his waiting horse.

  Chapter Six

  Sitting at the dinner table, Elizabeth felt her stomach doing flops within her. It had been a long, difficult day and she found her mind wracked with uncertainty and apprehension.

  Why had the sheriff come out to the ranch that morning? Was he truly worried about Mason’s cattle being stolen, or was he there for some other reason?

  Deep in her heart, Elizabeth recognized that Clayton surely suspected her future husband of being behind the livestock disappearances. Clayton had told her that Mason was possibly involved in some kind of illegal activity. Was this what he had meant? Did the sheriff truly believe that Mason went about the other ranches to steal their cattle or horses? The entire idea was ridiculous.

  Stealing a sneak peek at her fiancé, Elizabeth watched him chew tirelessly on a piece of meat, his eyes glued to his plate while his mind was obviously somewhere else. He had hardly spoken a word throughout the meal and Elizabeth had not found it in her heart to even attempt a conversation.

  Even more upsetting than the thought of Mason being involved in illegal activity were the words she had overheard him say about her.

  Elizabeth had been standing outside the barn door when she heard Mason tear into Clayton, accusing him of coming out to make advances on Elizabeth. While she appreciated that her future husband was looking out for her safety and was obviously jealous at the idea of another man even looking at her, the words he’d used when talking about her made her sick to her stomach.

  How dare Mason call her his piece of property? He had even gone so far as to compare her to a cow. His comments had sounded cold and vulgar. His warning, the tone of his voice had made her skin crawl. He’d said no one else would touch her. At that moment, Elizabeth detested the thought of her fiancé even shaking her hand, let along getting any closer.

  If she felt this way now, then how could she ever hope to marry him? Letting out a murmured groan, Elizabeth tried to push her fears and uncertainties aside. Surely, his thoughts weren’t as raw and disgusting as his words.
Perhaps he was just trying to be extra mean to get the sheriff away from her. And after all, Elizabeth was used to the genteel South and not the west that was said to be rough and wild. She had to expect that there would be cultural differences.

  Mason was just bragging.

  Elizabeth tried to reassure herself as she poked at her green beans with her fork.

  That has to be the way that ranchers brag to each other.

  Trying to rekindle the romance that was quickly fading from her heart, Elizabeth sat up straighter and asked, “When you go out tonight to check on the animals, can I come with you?”

  Mason’s eyelids flickered but he didn’t look at her yet.

  “When I was a little girl, I used to go out on the plantation lawn at night to catch fireflies. I’d love to do the same here. I’d love to walk under the light of the bright moon and watch the little bugs light up the sky.”

  Before Elizabeth finished, Mason was already shaking his head.

  “No,” he answered firmly. “No, no. There will be no walking around the ranch at night here.”

  Elizabeth heard herself ask, “And why not?”

  “There are coyotes all over the place here. You could get bitten or worse. It’s too much trouble.”

  “You could protect me.”

  Mason let out a disgusted guffaw and finally set his eyes upon her.

  “I don’t have time to babysit when I’m out on the ranch. I have animals to take care of.”

  His words hurt Elizabeth deeply and, in that moment, she much fancied standing up to slap him right in the face.

  “Just go to bed, Elizabeth,” Mason instructed, giving her a wave of the hand to excuse her. “It’s time for you to go get some rest.”

  Elizabeth wanted to protest but, on the other hand, the idea of being away from her fiancé was much more pleasant than staying at the table to watch him fume silently. Elizabeth moved her chair backwards from the table and got up. Without greeting him good night, Elizabeth left the table and made her way to her room.