“I’m never going to become that kind of man,” Darwin promised. “I will spend my entire life opposing men that allow themselves to sink to such a low.”
“I can only hope that years down the line you still feel the same way,” John piped up. “You will come across times that the sea of life will capture you in its tide and try to force you to follow it even if you’d been set on following a different path. You just have to do your best not to get swept away by it.”
Peter barely paid their chatter any mind, his eyes focused on using the light of the lantern he was carrying to follow the deep tracks that had started from Melanie’s home and had quickly headed out of town. He’d thought he was following the wrong trail until he caught a glimpse of one of Melanie’s dresses lying in a dusty heap on the ground. His feet dug further into his stallion’s sides, the horse’s indignant whinny accompanied by a further increase in speed. Soon he was riding well ahead of his men, their shouts fading to a dull roar behind him.
His mind kept replaying the scene of Melanie’s empty home over and over again, his jaw clenching with rage. He was angry with himself, and most importantly, infuriated with Edward that he would have the gall to pull something like this. He would have never taken a kidnapping in his jurisdiction lying down on a good day, and Edward decided he would kidnap the one woman that Peter was willing to go to the ends of the earth for. That is going to be a decision that he’ll come to regret.
“Peter, what are you going to do once you get there? You keep talking about following your plan, but you haven’t told us what you are thinking,” Chris shouted above the sound of the rushing wind. Despite how quickly he’d been riding, his companions had managed to catch up with him.
“We are going to do our best to surround him. I need four of you to ride in front of the carriage and get him to come to a halt while the rest of us come around the back and liberate Melanie from the carriage. Do not do anything that might cause him to lose control of the horses, as that could end catastrophically for everyone involved,” Peter called back, half-turned in his saddle so that he could be heard.
“So, I shouldn’t be trying to jump onto one of his horses and bring it to a stop that way?” John asked with amusement. “And here I was hoping that I could show off my skills.”
“I would rather not have to tell Iris that you died being trampled while trying to jump onto a moving horse,” Peter replied dryly. “I don’t think she’d forgive your ghost if you left her and the kids behind while trying to play the hero.”
“You are right about that. I’m sure she would pray every night for me and ask why I had to die like such a fool,” John said, his face suddenly melancholic. “I would never be able to forgive myself if I left her alone with seven kids to raise.”
“I won’t forgive myself if Edward manages to take Melanie away,” Peter said, ignoring the strange looks he got from the rest of his men as they rode side by side. “I’ve finally realized that she is one part of my life that I don’t want to live without.”
“All the more reason why we need to ride faster,” John replied, cutting off Chris before he could joke again. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 37
The first thing Melanie felt when she came to was the throbbing in the side of her face and head from where Edward had slapped her. She still felt rather dizzy, and the constant rattling and shaking was not doing much to help. Wait, rattling and shaking?
She opened her eyes slowly and found herself crammed in the back of a carriage, her items thrown haphazardly in a pile on the seat across from her.
It seemed Edward had made good on his promise, taking advantage of her unconsciousness to stow her unceremoniously in the back of the carriage and fleeing Santa Fe before they had time to raise the alarm. She had many questions, such as how long she had been knocked out. The faint traces of dusk had the sky shining a light shade of pink.
What if he manages to shake off any pursuers before the sun finishes going down? Most search parties won’t risk being out at night and waiting until the next day guarantees that he will escape before they can get to him. Was there something that she could do to help guide them in the right direction should they lose the carriage’s tracks amidst the many others that marred the road? That was when she tossed one of her old dresses out of the back of the carriage, watching the garment settle onto the dusty ground.
She could try to jump out of the carriage using her suitcase to cushion some of the impact of her fall. To do that, she would need to be able to get out first. Doing her best to ignore the feeling of her temple throbbing, she tried to gaze around the carriage’s interior. She hadn’t been restrained, and as she moved her arms and legs to test them, she was relieved to find that they immediately responded to her orders. That gave her reason to hope, at least.
From outside of the carriage, she could hear Edward swearing at the horses, urging them on faster despite the whinnies of protest. “Keep it moving, you stupid beasts! Can’t you hear the sound of the sheriff in the distance?”
Melanie’s heart began to beat faster in her chest as she suddenly heard a loud howl in the distance that sounded an awful lot like Daisy Mae. She’d heard that sound enough times to know it, and that caused relief to flood her body. She tried to stand up to make her way to the carriage door, but her first attempt saw her thrown back onto her seat hard enough to make her grunt in pain. Her hand flew to her back, rubbing gingerly at the now throbbing portion.
This time when she went to stand up, she held a heavy candlestick in her hand. Swinging with all of her might, she was relieved to hear the sound of wood splintering. Kicking at the door of the carriage until it broke off with a crunch of wood, Melanie braced herself against the sudden rush of wind that forced its way inside, tugging at the hem of her dress. Her mind flashed back to when she had first lost control of a horse.
Her father was forced to ride at full speed beside her while she attempted to leap to the horse. She’d been frozen in fear, shaking her head adamantly every time he told her to jump. “I can’t do it, Daddy! I am too scared!”
“Melanie, I know that you are afraid, but you have to do this for me. We are running out of time. You are going to ride off that cliff otherwise!” her father exclaimed, his voice sounding increasingly frantic. “If you don’t overcome your fear now, you will not get the chance again.”
Blinking through the tears that were obscuring her vision, Melanie slowly pushed her way up out of the stirrups, so she was balancing on the saddle, keeping her head low as she looked at her father’s outstretched arms. He was riding with the reins wrapped around his right arm, his eyes blazing with fanatic necessity. Taking a deep breath, she released her reins and made the jump, her body suspended in mid-air for only a moment before she felt herself being pulled back to Earth.
The sound of her father grunting as he’d caught her with one arm and hauled her onto the saddle caused her to break down and sob, her father slowing their horse and bringing him to a gentle stop before he wrapped both of his arms around her in a tight embrace. “There, there, Mel. You are safe now. I’ve got you,” he said gently, urging their horse in the direction of their home.
Melanie returned her attention to the present, peeking out the smashed-out doorway to peer up at the driver’s seat. Edward was alone, driving a carriage that seemed to be stolen, given she didn’t see his usual raven crest on it.
Ducking back inside briefly, Melanie rummaged through her bag quickly for something she could use as a weapon. She felt a surge of relief as her fingers closed around the familiar sculpted lion head bookend. He must have grabbed it in his haste to collect her things thinking she would be knocked out for far longer. His underestimating her would be his downfall.
If she were younger, she would have hesitated out of fear. This time, there was no hesitation. She didn’t want to be taken away like this, least of all by Edward. She wasn’t going to just be a damsel in distress, either. She was willing to take the jump. Holding the bookend tig
hter, Melanie stepped to the side of the carriage. Her hand rested on the side where the door had once been for a brief instant, and then Melanie was throwing herself from the moving carriage.
The ground rushed up quickly to meet her, though between her bag and a patch of softened mud she fell into, her fall was cushioned. Melanie still felt a dull pain shoot up her arm when she hit the ground. However, she could still miraculously wiggle her fingers when she finally came to a rolling stop. Sitting up and doing her best to overcome her dizziness, she heard Edward screaming in rage and the sounds of reins snapping. Judging by the glow of lanterns, Edward was doing his best to turn the carriage around.
Melanie pushed herself up onto her feet and tried to start running away from him. She could see multiple lanterns in the distance, her mood lifting immensely at the thought of Peter coming to her rescue.
She could hear Daisy Mae’s howl once more, the sound much closer. Edward’s horses whinnied and abruptly tried to stop; Melanie heard the distinct sound of the man crying out right before the carriage began to barrel back toward her. Melanie could only barely see the outline of the carriage thanks to the single lantern that remained, but she could clearly see the eyes of the horses and hear their thundering hoofbeats echoing in her ears.
“Melanie, get out of the way!” Peter’s voice rang out loud and clear through the air, causing Melanie to turn in his direction. She couldn’t stop the wide grin that spread across her face. He came. “He’s going to run you over if you don’t move!”
“Don’t be stupid, lawman. She is no good to me dead,” Edward snarled, pulling on his reins.
Melanie tried to take a step to the left, but her leg gave out beneath her. She must have twisted her ankle when she landed, the intense pain that shot up her leg driving all the breath out of her lungs. Her scream of pain echoed across the field, followed by Peter’s bellow of rage. Unable to move, she closed her eyes and covered her head with her arms. The sound of hoofbeats was all that she could hear. This is how I’m going to die, isn’t it?
Chapter 38
The light of his posse’s lanterns provided the perfect amount of visibility for Peter to see Melanie throw herself from the carriage ahead of them. Darwin was the first one who had noticed something amiss when they’d nearly been struck by pieces of wood that suddenly flew from the side of the carriage. If Peter were a betting man, he’d say Melanie had broken it off.
The scream of pain that came from her lips stopped his blood cold. He could see Edward bearing down on Melanie from the front of his carriage, a pistol gleaming in his hand. Boiling white-hot rage, the likes of which he’d never felt before, ignited in his soul. Before Peter could hesitate, he was lifting his rifle and firing a shot toward the reins, watching as the horses separated from the carriage.
Peter urged his horse onward even as he watched the carriage list up onto two wheels, Edward cursing and doing his best to scramble to the higher side as the wagon toppled over. The crunch of wood was loud, Edward screaming as he was launched from the carriage. He came to a rough landing a short way away from Melanie, wasting no time in scrambling to his feet and giving Peter a hate-filled glare.
Knowing that this was likely going to end in another hostage situation, Peter loaded another couple of rounds into his rifle and cocked it. If Edward made so much as one foolish move, he was going to kill him outright, consequences be damned. Even if he had to give up his badge and leave town, he would consider himself just. “Melanie, don’t worry. I’m coming for you!”
“Come closer if you dare! I swear to goodness that if you do, I’ll start shooting her limbs one by one,” Edward snarled, his arm wrapping roughly around Melanie and yanking her to her feet despite her yelp of pain. Peter watched her do her best to put all her weight on one leg. She’s been injured.
“Men, don’t shoot! I repeat, do not shoot! We can’t afford for Melanie to get caught up in the crossfire!” he shouted, watching as John and Darwin both immediately backed off. It looked like the two of them were attempting to circle around Edward, but they couldn’t afford to take that risk either. The chance that Melanie could be injured severely was just too high.
“That’s the first smart thing you’ve done all night, Sheriff,” Edward sneered. “Now, let’s see if you can do another smart thing. You give me a horse, and maybe I let her go. At the very least, you can be certain I will kill her if you refuse me.”
“I have a better idea, Edward. Hand over the girl and come quietly. You’ve committed crimes, and you will answer for them,” Peter growled.
“I’m not staying trapped in this backwater town for the rest of my life. But the instant I get past state lines, I will find myself being hunted by the rest of those glorified bloodhounds. I won’t have a single moment of rest. Unless you have money equal to her fortune, we have nothing to negotiate,” he called out.
Peter saw Melanie standing with her hands crossed in front of her, holding her dress in a curious fashion. Like she was trying to hide something and not let Edward know about it. Still, he wasn’t sure what she could have that would help her against a pistol to her head. Peter hefted his rifle higher. “Don’t do anything stupid, Edward. If you kill her, then your life becomes forfeit too.”
“Then at least I will have the joy of knowing that I forever denied you the chance to have what is rightfully mine. I told you fools already that we are destined for one another. I am the only man worthy of her beauty and her fortune; I was always the only one!” Edward’s eyes were blazing manically now, his thumb moving to cock the hammer of his pistol, pressing the muzzle of his gun more roughly into the side of Melanie’s head. “Time for you to make your choice.”
“The only choice here is whether or not I shoot you between the eyes or in your hand,” Peter spat. “If I so much as see you twitch that finger, I will shoot that smug grin right off your face.”
“Don’t try to bluff me. You won’t take the risk of shooting so close to your beloved Melanie’s face,” Edward sneered, his hand moving to cup Melanie’s cheeks. “Did you kiss these lips before? It enrages me even to think that a commoner like you would dare sully the lips of the future bride of the Brighton heir. I should kill you outright, but you outnumber me like cowards. Still, I’ve outsmarted all of you!”
“Edward, you are being a fool!” Peter shouted out, but Edward merely laughed.
“All you have to do is give me a horse! It is you all who are being the fools. You have more than enough horses to spare one, and yet you hesitate? Does her life mean so little to you?” Edward asked mockingly. “Is that the extent of your love?”
“It is because I love her that I am not going to allow you to take her life. But letting her leave with you when I know that goes against what she wants is a fate far worse than death for her, and I know that. I would sooner sacrifice myself than condemn her to a life with you. That is the greatest love that I can offer her. I might not be able to do all the typical romantic things, but I’ll be there for her when the chips are down. Could a man as pathetic as you ever understand that desire?” Peter shot back, watching as tears streamed down Melanie’s face.
“Very pretty words, Sheriff. However, I’m afraid that you have nothing to back them up with. The instant any of you take a shot, I will make sure that my last act on this earth is putting a bullet through her pretty little head. Now, I am not going to repeat myself. I am going to count to ten, and by the time I do, you better be handing over the reins of one of your horses,” Edward said, flexing his trigger finger gently. “One, two, three…”
This was it. This was going to have to be the moment that he stepped in, or else there would be no more chances. “Have it your way, Edward. I will bring you a horse,” Peter scowled, slowly sliding from his saddle.
“Sheriff, no! You can’t just give him a horse; he’s going to take Melanie away,” Darwin protested. “Have you completely lost it?”
“Be quiet, Darwin. Let me handle this,” Peter snapped. “You are only going to make hi
m angrier.”
“What sort of man holds a woman hostage,” John shouted, surprising all of them. “You are the worst kind of filth, Edward Brighton. Even surrounded by your riches, you are still worthless.”
“Big words, but that is all they are. Worthless words carried on hot air,” Edward said boastfully. “The truth of the matter is you all are right where I want you to be. If this is a game of poker, then I hold all the cards!”
“You might hold all of the cards, but there is one thing that you failed to take into account,” Peter said, pointing his finger accusingly at Edward. “You might have thought you’ve won, but you’ve made one grave miscalculation,” he added, gazing at Melanie with a surprisingly fierce gaze as he spoke. “You are severely underestimating the woman you hold.”
“You think this weak little minx is going to be able to do anything? I’ve got her at gunpoint, and she is so terrified that she wouldn’t dare try to move. She might as well be a doe in my sights for how much of a chance she’s got,” Edward sneered. He was about to try to make another smart comment, but then Melanie finally decided to strike.
A Bride to Melt the Sheriff’s Iron Heart Page 20
