The Bride’s Secret_A Western Romance Story

by Elliee Atkinson

  “I never expected to find someone so young and beautiful,” Sam admitted. “I’m old. I don’t know what you see in me.”

  She looked up at his face, meeting his eyes with hers. “You are not old,” she said. “If you are old, then I am, too. It’s just a number. I’m not worried about how many years you have on me. Besides, that just means I can ask you things I don’t know and you’ll know the answer. We won’t both be flabbergasted.”

  They both laughed.

  “I must say, though, I’m getting kind of hungry. I need to eat something soon.”

  Sam nodded. “When was the last time you ate?”

  Emily thought about it. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten anything. “I… I don’t remember.”

  “You have to be joshing me. Why haven’t you eaten?”

  “Well, Max cut our money back by half.”

  “I thought he provided dinners for you.”

  “The food that is served the performers at the rodeo is taken out of their pay. That’s why some of them don’t show up. I hate to tell them, but whether you show up or not, that dining tent and anything that’s served in there is still taken out of their pay. I had to tell several new people that over the years. They would complain because their check wasn’t bigger. Once I explained it, they usually took their complaint to Max and he would kick them out of the rodeo altogether.”

  Sam blew out of his nose in frustration. “Everything I hear about this man… My anger at him grows every passing second. He seems like a terrible, terrible scoundrel.”

  “He is. That’s what I’ve been saying for years. Ryan wouldn’t listen to me and it was like after Ma moved in, he got worse.”

  “It’s not a very big trailer. You were probably squeezed in there like sardines, weren’t you?”

  “We were definitely all on top of each other all the time. There are three chairs to sit in and we always gave Ma the softest one. She’s so fragile.”

  “I think your ma is going to be just fine. I saw her earlier today and even in these last few hours, it’s like she’s a completely different person. She brushed her hair. Put on a little make-up. She looks fresh and clean.”

  Emily nodded. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that she’s pulling out of this… this depressing time she’s been going through. She’s been so sad, missing our father. She never wanted to come out in the trailer and travel with us. She just didn’t have any choice.”

  “Did your father not leave a will?”

  Emily shook her head. “Pa didn’t have anything worth leaving us. No money, no house, no nothing. Once the lawyers did their things, Ma was left with nothing and had to come on the road with us. I always felt so bad for her. She really hated it.”

  “Poor lady.”

  “But that’s all about to change,” Emily smiled. “You are about to make that change for her.”

  “She obviously wants her children to be happy and safe.”

  Emily nodded. “She really does. I love that woman.”

  Sam smiled. “Yes, I can see that. I’m happy for you.”

  “Are your parents still alive?”

  Sam shook his head. “Sadly, no. They were good people, they really tried. I got to thinking over the years that if things hadn’t been so hard for the first half of their lives, they would have been happy in the last half. But they weren’t. They died in a carriage accident when one of the wheels broke and the carriage turned edge over edge down a ravine.”

  “Oh, Sam.”

  He looked down at her. “I think I’m going to like that about you,” he said with a smile.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Like what?”

  He leaned down and put a soft kiss on her cheek, causing chills to flare up all over her body. She sucked in her breath at the sensation of his touch. He put his mouth close to her ear and whispered, “The way you always say, 'Oh Sam'. I like that. Keep doing that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  POPULATION EXPLOSION

  POPULATION EXPLOSION

  Adam went down the road that would take him back to the woods to find the men. He rode for at least fifteen minutes before he came up on the men scouring the tall grass in the clearing between Rachel’s house and the rodeo site.

  Mark spotted him and called to the other men. They all rode to where he was. He brought his horse to a stop about ten feet into the clearing.

  “She’s back in Wickenburg,” Adam said.

  Looks of relief washed over the men’s faces.

  “Where was she?” Adam heard the question at least four times. He grinned, looking at Mark.

  “She was at Rachel’s house the whole time.”

  Mark raised his eyebrows. “She walked that far?”

  “Yep. Once she got to her house, Rachel took care of her from that point on. Finally brought her back to town.”

  Mark frowned. “She had to know people were looking for her. How does she think Sam felt about that?”

  Adam let out a short laugh. “Sam is fine. He has her back in his arms, so he’s fine.”

  “Back in his arms, huh?” Mark turned his horse to leave the clearing. “You been reading something of your wife’s?”

  Adam laughed. “No. Just had that thought when I saw his face when he saw her.” He shook his head. “I wonder if I ever looked at Holly or Alice that way.”

  Mark had to laugh. “Yes, Adam. Yes. You did.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes at his friend as they rode. “And you didn’t look at Molly that way, did you?”

  “You bet I did!”

  They both laughed.

  Adam turned in the saddle to look at the man from the rodeo. He gestured to Jack to come up and ride alongside him.

  “I need you to tell your men something for me.”

  Jack nodded, looking back at his friends. “I wouldn’t say they are my men but I’ll tell them whatever you want me to tell them.”

  “We’ve had a lot of developments in our situation and you need to know about it because it’s going to change everything. For you, for them, for everyone at the rodeo.”

  Jack raised one eyebrow. “What is it?”

  “Max is a criminal. For years, he’s been extorting money from Ryan because he accused him of killing a man in one of the towns you stopped in.” He expected the reaction he got from Jack. The man looked stunned. He was speechless so Adam continued. “I’ve talked to Ryan and he is back with his mother and sister in Wickenburg. We’ve also got the sheriff on the job. Do you know anything about Max that could help us rein him in?”

  Jack looked like he was thinking about it. “He’s got some loyal men in the rodeo, but for the most part, everyone wanted him gone ages ago. As I said, I’m taking over the rodeo if anything happens to him.”

  “How did you manage to make that happen?”

  Jack shrugged. “I know how to make people like me. I didn’t have to do much. I don’t think Max has many friends.”

  “How can you even have friends when you belong to anything that travels all over the west coast?”

  Jack nodded. “That’s true. But even in the rodeo, most of the people there I would consider my friends. I don’t think the men he might recruit to help him are really his friends.”

  Mark pulled up on Adam’s other side. “I missed that.”

  Adam told both of them everything he had learned before he left. He told them about going to the sheriff’s office.

  “There weren’t any wanted posters for Ryan but there weren’t any for Max either. I’m thinking that stabbing murder hasn’t been solved. At first, I thought that might be why Ryan’s poster wasn’t up. But if Max did it, as I suspect he did, it couldn’t have been solved.”

  Jack shook his head. “I always thought Max was a scoundrel but I never thought he was that bad. I guess he might have treated me differently because he thought I was his friend.”

  “Maybe that will come in handy for us. We could set a trap for him. If you’re willing to coope
rate.”

  Jack nodded. “You bet I am. I have been waiting for an opportunity to unseat him from his throne for a very long time. Do you want me to go back and see what he’s up to?”

  Adam and Mark looked at each other. “Yes,” Adam said. “That would be perfect. And then, if you get a chance, you can come back and let us know.”

  Jack nodded. “Will do.” He started to turn his horse toward the rodeo site but Adam lifted one hand.

  “Wait. First tell your men what’s happened. Find out if any of them want to come with us. We’ll wait here.”

  Adam and Mark stopped their horses and waited while Jack told the others what he’d been told. Three of them wanted to go with Jack to check on Max. The other six wanted to come to Wickenburg.

  The group split off into two.

  With the rodeo men following them, Mark and Adam headed back to town, showing the men a new route that would take them directly to town should they ever find themselves in those woods again. One of them, a friend of Ryan’s named David, pulled up beside Adam.

  “You said Ryan is in Wickenburg with Emily and their mother?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “I am a friend to Ryan. To all of them, really. Name’s David Bartley. Is he okay?”

  “He seems to be. I talked with him for a while earlier, convinced him to come back with me. I told him we would take care of Max. He’s not a fighting man, is he?”

  David smiled. “He’s not. He’s one of those men who lived with a sister and a mother in close quarters for too long. He’s a sensitive man.”

  Adam nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

  “I’d like to help in any way I can. If there’s anything you need me to do, just tell me. I get stuff done, I’ll tell you. I didn’t know Max was doing that to them. It’s a good thing I didn’t. If I had, I might be the one going to jail for murder.”

  “The Whittaker's are good people, aren’t they?” Adam asked.

  David nodded. “They are.”

  The family atmosphere the rodeo people had impressed Adam, despite the man who owned it. They were like a family, just like the town of Wickenburg. An idea popped into his head. He grinned, looking at Mark. “I wonder if these fine folks would like to make Wickenburg their home. We could go to the rodeo whenever we wanted and get a lot more visitors and tourists. Imagine the kind of money we could make.”

  Mark raised his eyebrows. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say something like that about money. You don’t care about money.”

  “I don’t,” Adam admitted. “But that’s because I have it. There are plenty of people in Wickenburg who could use a boost, don’t you agree?”

  “I do.” Mark nodded. “I think that’s a great idea. We should bring it up to Jack when they get back.”

  “Just think of it. They could dispense of their trailers and live in normal houses with lots of room. They could have other jobs if they wanted to and just perform when they felt like it. Or when Jack tells them to.”

  Both men laughed.

  “I do like that idea, Mark.”

  Adam turned to David, who was riding along in silence, looking at the buildings as they passed by. “Would you like that idea, David?”

  David looked at him with a blank stare. “I didn’t hear a word you said. Sorry.”

  Adam laughed. “I’m sorry. I was telling Mark here that it would be fine if you and your rodeo stayed in town. Get permanent homes. Not live out of trailers. Not travel all the time.”

  David looked thoughtful. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind it. I’ve been traveling for a long time now. I don’t know how anyone else would feel. Some like to travel, some don’t. Some have just joined and aren’t sick of the trailer and traveling life yet. But I think you’ll find the majority of us would rather stay in one place. Living out of a trailer can be hell on earth.”

  Adam nodded. “I’m not surprised.”

  The men rode out onto the main road. Adam looked back at the men following them, to see what they thought of his little town. They were all looking around. They were impressed. He could see that. He looked around himself, trying to see the town with new eyes. It was impossible to do so, since he had so many memories, they all jumbled up in his mind.

  He led the men to the hotel, where they all dismounted, lining their horses up along the side of the road.

  Adam opened the door of the hotel, the bell tinkling above his head to signify he entered. The door closed just enough for the bell to tinkle again when Mark came through. To keep that from repeating, Adam held the door open for the rest of the men to come through.

  “Ryan!” They all greeted their friend with smiles and hand shaking.

  Ryan stood up with a smile, going toward his friends. “Hello! You all are a sight for sore eyes.”

  David laughed. “We performed yesterday.”

  Ryan shook his head, laughing with him. “I know. Can you believe it’s been that long?”

  Adam looked around the room, noticing Emily was not there. He was about to ask where she went when he realized Sam wasn’t there either. “Sam take Emily somewhere for safe-keeping?”

  Ryan looked at him, nodding. “They went to the church.”

  “The church?” Mark asked. “They getting married without inviting the rest of us?”

  The group laughed. Adam watched as David went to where Mrs. Whittaker was and bent at the waist. He held out his hand and she placed only her fingers in his. He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. Whatever he was saying to her made her smile warmly. David smiled back, stood up straight and turned to the side. Adam got the impression he didn’t want to turn his back on the older woman.

  “No,” Ryan said in a stern voice. “She better not do that. She will have to answer to me. No one is going to walk my sister down any aisle but me.”

  “And she wouldn’t forget her mother,” David said, giving Mrs. Whittaker a teasing look. Caroline giggled and blushed, making her pale face stand out more than ever.

  “Oh no, she wouldn’t do that,” Ryan went through the crowd of friends, talking to each one about what they wanted to do with their future.

  “Adam mentioned that we could make this our permanent home,” David said. He turned his eyes back to Caroline. “What do you think of that plan?”

  He knew the answer before he asked the question. Caroline looked delighted. She looked at Adam, pure joy on her drawn face. “Oh, would that be possible? I know the townspeople like to have celebrations. Wouldn’t that put a damper on your party plans?”

  Adam and Mark both laughed. “No. We will just build a new place for our parties!” Adam answered her while laughing.

  “That’s right!” Mark looked through the window to the street outside, his mind wandering around town, looking for spots for the new party place.

  “I know where it could be,” David said. “How about that clearing we just left? I bet that would make a great place to have events and picnics and parties.”

  Mark and Adam nodded. “A good idea, David,” Mark said. “I’m going to mention that to Sam. I’m sure he’d like to participate. We have a lot of hard workers here that will participate.” He looked at David. “How many people are part of your rodeo, anyway?”

  “Oh, I’d say there’s at least 150 of us.”

  Adam’s eyes opened wide. He looked at Mark. “Population explosion. We’re gonna have to build a bigger town.”

  Mark laughed. “That won’t be a problem. We’ve got plenty of land to spread out on.”

  “I’m gonna enjoy this.”

  Ryan looked at Adam. “Did you tell him what we need to do?”

  “Tell who?” Adam asked, looking at Ryan in confusion.

  “Mark. Jack.”

  Adam nodded. “I did. I wanted to talk to Sam. Where did he go with Emily, do you know?”

  “He took her to the church. Why?”

  “Well, Jack says he is a good friend of Max’s, or so Max thinks. He’s go
ne to talk to him. He’s going to try to coax him to come into town. Once he does, we will catch him unaware. We’ll take him down to the sheriff’s office and let Jim deal with him.”

  “Thanks for that, by the way,” Jim replied smiling.

  Adam looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “It’s your job.”

  “Is it?” Jim said. “I think I’m in the wrong profession. I have to deal with criminals and outlaws all the time.”

  Ryan tried to speak through his laughter. “You should have known that when you took the job.”

  Jim shook his head, trying to look serious. “Nobody told me.”

  Everyone in the room laughed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  A TERRIBLE LOSS

  A TERRIBLE LOSS

  Jack and the three men rode slowly up to the rodeo site, looking around. It was deserted. He figured since the rodeo had been canceled for the day because of Emily’s disappearance, everyone had gone into town to do something fun. Max wouldn’t be one of them.

  “Where do you think everyone is?” He heard Pete asking from behind him.

  “They’re probably in town. No show today. That’s where they usually go.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Pete said, nodding.

  He turned toward the trailer park and spotted a group of men on horseback headed his way. Max was leading them. He lifted his hand. Max looked at him in a way he didn’t expect. He looked suspicious and angry.

  Jack put on his best “friend” face. He rode up to the group.

  “Hello. What’s going on here? A meeting I wasn’t told about?”

  Max shook his head. “We’re running into some trouble in this little town, Jack. We gotta leave.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Jack put on a confused face.

  “Those people in town. They’re corrupting some of our friends, trying to get them to leave the rodeo.”

  “No. We don’t want that,” Jack said, shaking his head solemnly. “What’s your plan?”