Unlawfully Wedded Bride (Love Inspired Historical)

by Noelle Marchand

  A gunshot reverberated through the still morning air. Kate started, then spun toward the sound. Stunned, it took her a moment to realize she was staring into the forest toward her family’s farm. She picked up her skirts and ran. She dashed through the trees, her bare feet creating a quick rhythm on the path she’d traveled only an hour ago.

  The edge of her petticoat caught on a fallen branch but she refused to slow down as she neared the large clearing where her father had built their farm. The curious sound of masculine voices made her pause. She cautiously moved around the side of the barn toward them. The voices grew louder. With one last step, she cleared the barn and found herself in the middle of a standoff.

  Kate froze. Her gaze traveled from the tall cowboy on her left whose gun was drawn toward the house, to the young man standing just outside her doorway. He was struggling to keep his grip on his pistol and control the haphazard pile of possessions in his arms. She narrowed her eyes as she recognized the items, then gasped as realization tumbled over her. She stepped forward. “What do you think you’re doing with my things? Put those down!”

  He jumped and turned to stare at her with panic in his gaze.

  Her eyes widened as she realized he was just a boy. She lifted her chin and her tone turned imperious. “I said, put those down. Just you wait until—”

  A wild shot flew from the boy’s gun.

  She jumped, then stared at him in surprise.

  “Get down!” The deep unyielding command from the cowboy made her obey without question. Another shot broke out, this time from her side.

  “Of all the foolish things to do…” The cowboy let out a volley of shots. The boy ran for the horse waiting in the barnyard and somehow managed to mount with his armful of goods.

  A shot from beside her sent the boy’s hat flying from his head. Kate caught her breath then pushed the man’s gun away from its target. “Don’t do that. You’ll hit him!”

  She watched as his aggravation seemed to flare along with the golden ring outlining his deep brown eyes. “Woman, don’t touch my gun.”

  She gasped at his harsh tone. “I was trying to keep you from killing a child!”

  “If I had meant to hit him, I would have.” He stood then caught her elbow to help her to her feet. “As it is, he got away with my horse.”

  “Not to mention his life,” she delivered testily.

  He frowned at her.

  She glared back.

  His frown slipped, then pulled into an amused half smile. “I wondered if you’d have a temper to match your hair.”

  She let out a confused breath, then caught an escaping lock of her rich strawberry-blond hair and vainly tried to tuck it into place. “What do you mean?”

  “Not a thing I didn’t say,” he said seriously, but his eyes held hers teasingly.

  Kate found herself momentarily distracted by him as she suddenly became aware of his strong yet dangerously handsome features. She took a small step back, feeling a telltale warmth spill across her cheeks. He eyed her for a long moment, then gave his gun a small spin before tucking it safely into the holster. He tipped his Stetson to introduce himself, “I’m Nathan Rutledge.”

  She lifted her chin. “Miss O’Brien.”

  “Rutledge,” he reminded with a nod.

  Didn’t he just say that? she wondered. “Yes, I know.”

  Unnerved by the friendly grin her statement caused, Kate glanced away. “Thank you for your help. Unfortunately he still got away with everything.”

  “Oh, he hasn’t gotten away with anything yet.”

  She glanced up to survey the determined glint in his eye. “You’re going after him.”

  “Of course I am,” he said. “Delilah’s been with me more than three years. I’m not letting some little thief get away with a horse of that stock.”

  “Delilah?” she asked, unsuccessfully denying her curiosity.

  The man nodded. “Yes. Delilah.”

  Uncomfortable with his warm gaze, she glanced down at her dress. “That’s an interesting name for a horse.”

  “One of a kind,” he admitted.

  Kate frowned.

  He stepped closer.

  Surprised, she looked up and couldn’t seem to look away. She closed her eyes against the searching, his and her own. What is going on here? This is not normal. No one should have this sort of rapport with a total stranger. I may spend most of my time alone on the farm when Sean and Ellie are in school, but I can’t be that lonely. Can I?

  “Kate,” he said, and her eyes flew open at the sound of her name. Snapped from whatever spell held her, she lifted her chin and stared at him. She hadn’t given him her Christian name. Perhaps she’d met him before and forgotten? She allowed her gaze to sweep from his dark brown eyes and past his blue checkered shirt. His dark gray pants fit loosely against his long legs, and the dark metal of his gun rested against his thigh while his low-slung gun belt stretched across his hips. Meeting his gaze, she shook her head. If she’d met him, she would have remembered.

  She opened her mouth to question him but he was already speaking. “I have to go after him. May I use your horse?”

  She managed to nod, then watched him hurry toward the barn. A few minutes later, he reappeared on her horse and went in pursuit of the thief without a backward glance. Kate watched him disappear into the distance and vainly tried to sort out what just happened.

  An hour later, back on Delilah and with the thief secured on Kate’s horse, Nathan Rutledge rode down Main Street, noting the curious stares from the citizens of Peppin, Texas. He had been on the receiving end of a town’s stares before, only they hadn’t been so friendly. But this was his new beginning—the fresh start he’d prayed for. He tipped his hat toward the young women who watched him shyly, then nodded at the older man sitting on the feed store steps.

  The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then sat up in his chair to spit a stream of brown chewing tobacco juice on the ground in Nathan’s direction. He smiled wryly. Now, that was more like what he was used to. He was ready to put that life behind him as sure as he was breathing.

  A “howdy” broke into his thoughts. He glanced down to find a man with graying hair and a belly that overlapped his belt watching him suspiciously.

  “Can I help you with something?” the man asked.

  Nathan eyed the star on the man’s chest and nodded. “I’m looking for the sheriff. Is that you?”

  The man gave a single nod. “That’s me.”

  He dismounted. Tipping his hat back, he nodded toward the person who had really been drawing all the attention. The young thief sent him scathing glares from where he sat with his hands bound and tied to the saddle horn of Kate’s horse. “I found him trying to steal from the O’Brien place this morning. He took off with my horse when I tried to stop him. He’s just a boy so I’m not sure what’s to be done about it.”

  The sheriff’s suspicious gaze went from him to the boy and back again as the man obviously tried to discern who was guilty of what crime. “Is that so? What were you doing out at the O’Brien’s in the first place?”

  “With all due respect, sir, I reckon that’s my business.” He wasn’t sure how much Kate had told the town about him, but he wasn’t about to announce his presence to strangers without even a proper first meeting with the woman.

  The sheriff’s eyes narrowed for a moment. Nathan held the man’s gaze, looking him straight in the eye without shifting or backing down. Finally, the sheriff nodded. “Let’s get him down from there and we’ll sort all this out.”

  Nathan cut the boy free, then waited for him to slide off the horse. The boy looked as if he might try to bolt but the sheriff put a hand on his shoulder and steered him toward the jail. Though his stomach tightened in dread, Nathan had no choice but to follow. The sheriff directed the boy to a chair in front of the desk, then sat across from him.

  Nathan’s gaze nonchalantly surveyed the walls of the office until he found the “wanted” posters. He was relieved
when only the grizzled faces of strangers stared back at him. Movement to his right caught his eye. He nodded at the young-looking deputy who rose from that side of the room to watch the proceedings curiously.

  “This man says you tried to steal from the O’Brien place. What do you have to say about that?” the sheriff asked.

  The boy glared at them defiantly. “I gave it all back. Let me go!”

  The sheriff sighed. “You know I can’t do that. Are your parents around here?”

  “No.”

  “Who’s taking care of you?”

  “I am.”

  The sheriff grunted. “Deputy Stone, take him in the back for now.”

  “What’s going to happen to him?” Nathan asked after the boy was led away.

  “I don’t rightly know. He isn’t from around here and it doesn’t look like he has any family.” The sheriff eyed him carefully. “You aren’t from around here, either, are you?”

  Nathan tensed but played it off with a shrug and an easy smile. “You can tell that easy?”

  “You sure don’t look familiar. In a town this small, that’s clue enough.” The sheriff narrowed his gaze. “I guess I won’t get a chance to know you much if you’re just passing through.”

  “I guess not,” he said, hearing the sheriff’s message clearly. He’d just been told to get his business done and move on. Apparently, Peppin didn’t tolerate strangers coming through and causing trouble. Nathan wasn’t looking to cause trouble and he certainly wasn’t planning to leave Peppin anytime soon. He had too much to stick around for, like that red-headed woman he’d promised to return to. When he stepped outside, Delilah’s whinny was just the distraction he needed after visiting the jail. He stepped close to the large black mare to tenderly stroke her nose.

  “You knew I’d come for you, didn’t you, girl?”

  She blew out a puff of air onto his hand. Then with a final wary glance toward the town jail, he stepped into the saddle and turned the mare toward the O’Brien place.

  Kate leaned on the kitchen table with her elbow while she placed her chin in her palm. As she turned the next page of the family Bible, she realized she’d barely skimmed the past few verses. Dissatisfied, she closed the large book and sank despondently into the chair. She had already finished the laundry. Most of their clothes were flapping in the wind outside while she waited inside for the stranger to return. If he returned.

  She was beginning to wonder if the whole thing had just been a big ruse between the pair of strangers. They were probably both thieves. Now not only had she lost a number of her family’s few valuable possessions but she’d also lost Pa’s horse. She groaned. What had made her think she could trust that man?

  The sound of horse hooves in the barnyard drew her gaze toward the kitchen doorway. Rising from her chair, she hurried to the living room window to peer out. The stranger rode into the barnyard on his large black horse with her bay trailing after it. Relief poured from her lips in a heavy sigh.

  Her relief did not change the resolve that filled her being. She was going to get some answers from this man. Her determination did not fade as she opened the door and marched toward the barn. It did not falter when she caught up to him or while she watched him loop the horses’ reins around his hands to walk them into the barn. It was only when his friendly gaze met hers that it wavered.

  “I found him, but he can’t be more than fourteen,” he said as they stepped into the relative coolness of the barn. “The sheriff isn’t sure what to do with him. He isn’t from around here and doesn’t claim to have any family.”

  Take your time, she reminded herself as he guided the horses to their stalls. She waited as he removed the saddle from her horse to place it back where it belonged. He repeated the process with the reins and bridle, then glanced up questioningly. She opened her mouth to speak but he was already asking, “Where’s the brush?”

  She blinked. “It’s on the shelf near the bridles. I’ll get it.”

  She moved toward the hooks, then glanced up at the shelf trying to see over its edge. Her father had been much taller than her and, as a result, everything was nearly out of her reach. It took a moment for her to spot it. “There it is.”

  “I see it,” Nathan said at the same time.

  Her hand reached it a moment before his did. She stilled as his hand covered hers. She pulled the brush down half expecting him to release it, half hoping he wouldn’t. He didn’t. She turned toward him and slowly glanced up past his blue checkered shirt to his face. His gaze solemnly slipped over her features. She swallowed. “There’s something I have to ask you.”

  His gaze met hers.

  She lifted her chin. “Who are you and why are you here?”

  He frowned and released her hand. “What do you mean, who am I?”

  “While we’re at it, how do you know my name?”

  “Why shouldn’t I know your name? I am Nathan Rutledge and you are Kate—”

  “O’Brien,” she finished. “Yes, I know that.”

  “Rutledge,” he reminded. “What?”

  “Rutledge.”

  “Why do you keep saying that?”

  “Because your name used to be—” He paused and looked at her for a second. “You mean to tell me that you, Kathleen ‘O’Brien,’ have never even heard my name before today?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean.”

  He began to speak, then shook his head and strode over to where his saddlebag rested near Delilah’s stall. “I suppose you’d better have a look at this.”

  She took the piece of paper he extended to her. She glanced up as she unfolded it. “What is this?”

  “It’s our marriage certificate,” he replied quietly.

  “What?” Her gaze held his before she stared down at the certificate. “You don’t mean—”

  “I mean,” he interrupted with quiet authority, “that you, Kate O’Brien Rutledge, are my wife.”

  Chapter Two

  “I don’t understand how you could marry me without my consent,” Kate said as she handed him a glass of water, then settled onto the dark green settee in the living room a few minutes later.

  He sat at the other end of the settee, then turned toward her. “What are you talking about? You signed the affidavit.”

  “I signed it but I never intended to send it,” she admitted.

  A confused frown marred his face. “I don’t understand.”

  She bit her lip. “Mr. Rutledge, I’m afraid my family owes you an apology.”

  “An apology?”

  She pulled in a deep breath. “Let me explain how this started.”

  She watched a myriad of emotions flit across his face as she carefully explained what her siblings had done. Shock, confusion and disappointment battled for dominance before a bemused, disbelieving smile settled upon his lips. Once she finished, his gaze strayed to the saddle bag he’d set on the low walnut table in front of them. “So your little brother and sister are the ones who wrote the letters.”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  He watched her carefully. “Were they also the ones who sent the affidavit?”

  “They must have because I certainly didn’t.”

  He nodded, then looked as though he didn’t know what else to say. An uncomfortable silence filled the living room. What was she supposed to do now? She shrugged. “You’re welcome to stay and help me sort this out when they get home.”

  “Thank you.”

  Silence again. She glanced around the room for something to do and her gaze landed on his saddle bag. Meeting his gaze, she asked, “Is there any chance I could see one of those letters?”

  “Of course,” he said, then pulled out several letters from the saddlebag and handed them to her.

  She looked at the curved letters written in a formal script. “This isn’t Ellie’s handwriting.”

  “Then whose is it?”

  “It looks like Ms. Lettie’s. She must have helped them.” The young widow would do whatever she could t
o support Kate and her family. Still, if not for seeing her familiar handwriting, Kate would never have suspected the woman of doing anything this drastic.

  She continued to read the contents of a letter and frowned. “This is something I told Ellie about Ma’s wedding dress. It was destroyed in a fire when I was eight. Nothing was left but—”

  “A small strip of the Irish lace that trimmed the hem of the dress,” he continued. “Your mother brought it with you on your journey here from Illinois and just a week before she died she sewed it into your own wedding dress. You keep it in your small wooden hope chest.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” she said quietly. “That was all—”

  “In the letter?” he asked. “Yes, it was all there.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she softly queried, “What else was written in there?”

  “Oh, just the generalities.”

  “Such as?”

  He grinned. “Such as your name, birth date and other general information.”

  Her lips curved into a slightly amused smile. “How helpful.”

  “I thought so.”

  “Right,” she breathed, looking at the letter in her hand, realizing this man whom she knew nothing about could probably recite her entire life story. “You know so much about me yet I know nothing about you.”

  “You could ask,” he said with an inviting lift of his brow.

  Curiosity begged to accept his invitation but wouldn’t it be best to let the man remain a mystery? The more she knew, the harder it would be to forget this ever happened. She planned to do that as sure as she planned to send him away. Until then, there was only one thing she really wanted to know. “Why would you even agree to something like this in the first place?”

  Nathan should have known that would be the first question she asked. “I explained the best I could in the letters but I guess you didn’t read those, did you?”

  She shook her head.

  He was quiet for a long moment as he searched for the right words. Finally, he asked, “Have you ever felt like God took your plans for the future, crumpled them up in his hands and scattered the pieces?