Reach for Heaven

by Marie Higgins

  He froze with his hand on the doorknob. His body stiffened as he kept his back to her. Silence stretched between them, and she waited for him to say something. He didn’t.

  Confusion filled her. Anger grew thick, threatening to suffocate her. She cleared her throat. “I thought you were dead. Why...why did you leave us like that?”

  His shoulders wilted and he finally faced her. He swept the hair from his face. Sad eyes met hers, tears spiking his lashes. “I didn’t leave you. I was kidnapped.”

  She wiped the moisture from her cheeks. “Did you even know that your wife and son were killed? That your daughters feared for their lives and had to change their name just to feel protected?”

  He shook his head and moved toward the bed, stopping before his legs touched the wooden frame. “When one of Buchanan’s men was seriously injured, he came to me and requested my help in keeping his gang member alive. I refused...so Buchanan kidnapped me. He threatened me that if I didn’t help his friend, he would harm my family.” A tear slid down his face. “I had no other choice. I helped his friend, but the man had lost too much blood and died anyway. It wasn’t until a week later that Buchanan informed me he had taken revenge on my family and they were all burned in the house fire.”

  A sob escaped her throat. “Ma and Jacob were killed, but my sisters and I escaped.”

  “I didn’t realize that until those men attacked your stagecoach. One of the men who you all thought was dead, wasn’t. He overheard your name and gave Buchanan your description. I didn’t dare hope that you were alive.” He grasped her hand. “And now that I know you are, I fear Buchanan is going to know you’re my daughter. Currently, he still believes my family is dead.”

  “Father?” Her lips trembled. “Why are you still here with him?”

  “I had nowhere else to go. I didn’t want Buchanan to know Marvin and his family lives in Bonner County because that would put them in danger.” He shrugged. “Everyone thought I was dead, and because my heart had died the day Buchanan told me he’d killed my family, I didn’t know what else to do.”

  Her eyes stung with tears, and her chest burned with the sobs she wanted to release. Hesitantly, she touched her father’s arm. Thinner than what she remembered, it made her stomach churn to see him in such a state. “If Clint is indeed coming to rescue me, I’ll make sure he takes you with us.”

  “D—do you f—forgive me?” His voice cracked.

  “For what? You didn’t know your family was alive, and we didn’t know you were, either. For seven years we’ve been in Buchanan’s control, and I for one, am tired of running from him. It’s now time to put my life back together.”

  He threw his arms around her and held her close. Sobbing, she clung to him as she buried her face in his chest. Gratefulness poured from her heart, and she realized the Lord had answered one of her prayers. She now needed to have faith that He would answer the others. Immediately, a feeling of peace settled in her chest, telling her to keep the faith and that all would turn out right.

  “I’d better leave before someone gets curious.” Her father stood and wiped the tears from his eyes. He nodded toward the tray of food. “Now eat, and pray Clint will arrive soon.”

  After her father left the room, she found enough strength to move to the tray of food, then forced herself to nibble on a piece of bread. After a couple of bites, her empty stomach growled, her head pounded, and her body shook from hunger. She began to eat faster, and soon she devoured every last bite.

  She would regain her strength and be rescued by Clint. He had to be alive. Her heart told her to believe.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Six o’clock the next morning an ear-piercing cannon blast exploded outside the house. The loud eruption shook the ground, bringing Adella instantly awake and into an upright position. She scrambled out of bed, ran to the door and pulled on the knob, but Harvey had kept it locked. A group of scurrying footsteps thudded outside her room as the men screamed frantic instructions. Although she was anxious to know what was going on, deep down she had the feeling this was her rescue.

  Unfortunately, there was no way to get out of her room to find Clint. Waiting patiently wasn’t one of her virtues.

  She paced back and forth, and within minutes, someone came to her door. Keys rattled as they tried to unlock it. Her gaze fastened on the doorknob, hoping to see her rescuer, but when the door opened, her heart sank. It wasn’t Clint as she had hoped, but a tall man with raven black hair and a thick mustache and beard. His large frame nearly filled the doorway. He wore a pair of trousers with suspenders hooked to them that hung by his legs. Although he wore a shirt, it hadn’t been buttoned. His hair stuck up in places on his head, appearing as if it hadn’t been combed.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “No time for proper introductions,” he grumbled. “We must leave now.” He grabbed her arm as he pulled her out of the room.

  She stumbled on her ragged skirts. “What’s happening?”

  He didn’t answer, but Adella could tell by his angry expression, he hadn’t planned on this attack. Anticipation jumped in her chest. She was going to be rescued!

  The scent of gunpowder hung heavy in the air, filling her lungs with the smoke. She coughed and rubbed the sting out of her eyes. All around her men in their long underwear scattered like chickens. They held guns and rifles as they headed in one direction of the house, but the large man dragged Adella the opposite way.

  She panicked. “Where are we going? What’s happening?”

  “We’re under attack, and if you don’t want to get shot, you’d better shut up and stay close to me.”

  Clearly a battle had started at the ranch, and the popping of gunfire rang all around. “Who’s attacking us?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Maybe it’s the law coming to rescue me.”

  “I seriously doubt it, considering I have most of Idaho’s sheriffs on my payroll.”

  “Your payroll? Are you...Buchanan?”

  “The one and only.” He grinned, displaying his crooked, yellow and brown teeth.

  In one of the rooms on the south side of the ranch house, Buchanan led her inside and slammed the door. A musky scent thickened the air in the damp, cold storage room. He pulled her to the other side then stopped and released her. He lifted the rug hiding a trap door.

  “We’re going under.”

  She shook her head and backed away. “Oh, no, we’re not.”

  “Yes, Adella, we are. I’m going and you’re coming with me. You can do it easy or you can do the hard way—by force.”

  “I’ll just slow you down, because I won’t go willingly.”

  He roughly grabbed her by the arm and she whimpered from the pain. “You’re my guarantee that nothing bad will happen to me, sweetie, so you’re coming.”

  She struggled, but knew in her weakened condition, he would overpower her. She scanned his body and noticed only one gun in his holster. With what little strength she had, she quickly decided to put up a fight. Did she have any other choice?

  Anger consumed her. She clawed his face with her free hand, and when that didn’t work, she used her teeth to bite into his flesh. He yelped and released her hand, which gave her the freedom to claw at him again, this time she used her legs and kicked his shins.

  Buchanan cussed as he struggled to get control over her. “You’ll not win.”

  She glared at him. “I may not win, but I’ll inflict as much pain upon you as I can before you take me away.”

  He slapped her hard across the face and she jerked back, crying out. Although the pain knocked her senseless for a few awkward seconds, it intensified her anger and she continued to fight. His hand balled into a fist, and she prepared herself for the next jolt of pain. When his fist connected with her jaw, it snapped her head back and she fell in a heap on the floor. Her head swam, and she fought to stay conscious.

  He knelt beside her. “Adella, I warned you to stop. Now I’ll have to carry you.”
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  “Good!” Her mind screamed at her to fight, but as he lifted her limp form in his arms, she couldn’t raise her hands to stop him. Heavy footsteps boomed right outside the door, before the cracking of wood echoed through her throbbing head from someone kicking in the door.

  “Don’t move, Buchanan, the game’s over. You’re under arrest.” The familiar voice swam in her head as she struggled to stay conscious, but blackness filled her mind.

  Did she hear Gage’s voice speaking from heaven or hell?

  A SHARP PAIN PENETRATED through Adella’s head. She tried to open her eyes, which only intensified the pound shooting through her. As she turned her head against a pillow, an excruciating throb exploded in her jaw. She didn’t want to awaken, but she had to get her bearings. The whispering sounds around her seemed familiar. In fact, the soft bed cradling her injured body felt familiar, too. Her uncle’s faint peppermint smell and her aunt’s freshly laundered spring-flower scent lingered through the bed sheets, rousing nostalgic memories.

  I’m home!

  She tried again to open her eyes, and the painful movement made her moan.

  “Adella? I’m right here, dear.”

  “Pa?” Adella’s voice squeaked, and she managed to open her eyes. At first, everything around her was unfocussed, but she laid blame on her extreme headache.

  “Don’t talk, my sweet Adella. You’re going to be all right now. You’re safe now.”

  Once her vision cleared, she glanced around the room. Her family stood around her; Father sitting on her bed, his brother, Uncle Marvin right by him in his roller chair, and Aunt Lillian on the other side. All of her cousins circled the end of the bed.

  Adella touched her throbbing jaw and quickly withdrew her hand from the pain. “What happened? I don’t remember much after he hit me.”

  Her father stroked her hand. “Clint and his deputy marshal friends attacked the fort and killed most of Buchanan’s men. Clint captured Buchanan himself.”

  She smiled, although her face ached from the small movement. “Pa was right.” She looked at her father. “You said Clint would rescue me.”

  Violet moved from the end of the bed to her side. “Clint didn’t rescue you. It was Gage.”

  The pain in Adella’s head pulsed stronger, igniting the beat of her wrenching heart. “That can’t be right. Gage is dead. I saw the house burn.”

  Violet smiled. “No, Adella, he’s alive. He heard your screams the night of the fire and escaped just in time.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she turned away from Violet, burying her face into the pillow. “No...no,” she sobbed.

  Her father squeezed her hand. “Adella, what’s wrong?”

  “Don’t do this to me. My heart...can’t take it.”

  “But Ella, we’re telling the truth,” Violet said in a rush.

  Adella moved her head until she met her cousin’s gaze. “Promise?”

  “Violet is right, my dear.” Her father stroked Adella’s arm. “Gage is not dead.”

  “Ella,” Violet touched Adella’s leg. “He can’t wait to see you.”

  Adella’s head pounded harder, and she hated that she had so many emotions flowing through her. Relief that Gage was alive, and happiness that her father was alive were almost too much to take right now.

  “Thank you, Lord,” she muttered as tears streamed down her face. Her heart burst with the knowledge that God had answered her prayers after all. “What happened to Buchanan and his gang?”

  “They are all in jail.” Violet beamed. “Clint is going to make sure they are all hanged for their crimes.”

  “I hope so.” She lifted her fingers and rubbed her jaw, still pounding with pain.

  “I think Adella needs to rest now,” Lillian instructed. “We can visit with her later.”

  After the family gave her a kiss on the cheek and left, Adella tried to rest as her aunt had instructed, but her mind wouldn’t. Too much had happened in the past few days...and too much was still going to happen.

  Most of the day passed, and only her aunt dropped in occasionally to check on Adella and bring her food. Later in the evening, she pulled herself out of bed and forced her stiff legs to the small vanity. She struggled with her rigid body and sat on the chair. Through the mirror, Buchanan’s handiwork captured her attention. She gently touched the bruise on her cheek and flinched. The whole left side of her face was swollen, which left a ghastly purple mark. She didn’t think it was possible, but she looked worse than she felt.

  Leaning her elbows on the tabletop, she linked her fingers and rested her tender chin on her knuckles, then sighed heavily. It was still hard to believe Gage had rescued her, and that he was alive. Memories floated through her mind—the ones she allowed this time—from when they kissed so passionately the night she was kidnapped. He’d asked her to marry him...and she accepted. Had she really made the right decision? After all, they had argued constantly since their first meeting. Would she be able to hold her tongue after they were married? Hopefully, she wouldn’t have any reason to disagree with him then.

  A couple of knocks sounded at the door, making her jump. “Are you decent, runt?” Clint cracked the door open and stuck his head inside. He grinned.

  Adella couldn’t help but smile, even if it hurt her split lip. Clint certainly brightened her day. “If I wasn’t decent, would you still come in?”

  “Sure would.” He stepped into the room. “It’s not every day I get to see you in your skivvies.”

  She launched herself into his embrace, throwing her arms around his neck for a big bear hug. “It’s so good to see you.” Then she remembered about his house, and stepped back. “Oh, Clint. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop Buchanan’s men from burning down your house.”

  He shrugged. “Don’t worry your pretty li’l head. Gage had moved into the new cabin by then, and now I’m going to be gettin’ my own ranch.”

  “Really? You’re going to start a ranch, too?”

  “Yes, with Gage’s help, in fact. My dreams are finally comin’ true.”

  She smiled. “Thank goodness Buchanan’s men didn’t know about the cabin you built for Gage.”

  His knuckles softly brushed her cheek as his gaze narrowed. “Look at you. Always a tomboy, aren’t you? Can’t seem to get rid of the bumps and bruises?”

  When she laughed, a slight pain sliced through her jaw, and she tried to ignore it. “If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy,” she joked.

  “I did. Hauled him to jail, and y’re right, you clawed his face pretty good. He’s goin’ to have some serious scars because of your fingernails.”

  “You were there at his ranch? You saw me?”

  “Yes, only seconds behind Gage when he entered the room. He went straight to you, and I had the privilege of capturin’ Buchanan myself.”

  “Where is Gage?” she asked softly.

  “He left town, sayin’ he was goin’ on a very important errand.” He shrugged. “That’s all he said.”

  She frowned. “He...he didn’t want to see me first?”

  “Oh, honey.” Clint gently ran his fingers along her cheek. “He wanted to see you badly, but Lillian turned everyone away. She said you needed to rest.”

  Adella cocked her head. “Then how did you get in?”

  He grinned. “Violet let me in.”

  She chuckled. “I never got to tell you how happy I am about you and my cousin. She’ll make you a fine wife.”

  “I believe she will.” He winked. “And I’m mighty glad you and Gage will be tyin’ the knot with us. That is...as long as you still want to have a double weddin’.”

  “I do if you do.” At least she hoped she did...

  “But of course.” He kissed her on the forehead and moved to the door. “I’d better skedaddle before Lillian discovers I’m in here and skins me alive.”

  “Before you go, will you tell me how you knew my father?”

  He pushed his fingers through his hair, leaning back against the door. �
�Being a sheriff, I had to know all I could about Buchanan and his gang. I’d heard of a man who was his personal physician. One day I happened upon a doctor in a carriage who was tryin’ to repair the wheel. He said he was on his way to make a house call. I assisted him in repairin’ the wheel, but not before the vehicle fell on him. Because I was there, the man wasn’t injured very badly. He thanked me and was on his way. After that, I ran into him from time to time, and he graciously thanked me for savin’ his hide. I had a feelin’ he worked for Buchanan, and I was mighty surprised the man never once tried to kill me. I knew then, that he was a man I could trust.” He sighed and shook his head. “I didn’t know that he was your father.”

  “Nobody did. That’s the way he wanted it.”

  “But I can tell you that Marv and Lillian are happier than hogs at chowtime to have him back in their lives.”

  “Have they written to my sisters?”

  “I don’t know, honey. I think they want you to do it.”

  “I will.” She smiled. “Clint, thank you for coming to see me.”

  He nodded. “And you get some rest. I don’t want anythin’ stoppin’ you from marryin’ Gage in one week.”

  “One week? Oh, my goodness,” she gasped.

  He held up his hands in surrender. “It’s only because I couldn’t talk Marv and Lillian into having it sooner.”

  “Then I’d better quit moping around this room and gain my strength. There’s much to be done!”

  THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Adella finally ventured outside, determined to gain her strength quickly. There was so much that needed to be done—and writing a letter to her sisters and the St. James was high on her list. Until that time, though, Adella needed to collect her thoughts so that she could jot her feelings down and explain to them how she found their father alive...and how she fell in love with a man she couldn’t stand in Lewiston.

  The afternoon was sunny, and the weather was peaceful as she walked around the house. She strolled to the garden to see what vegetables were ready to pick, recalling when she used to help her ma with their garden in Virginia City.