Gideon's Bride

by Amelia Autin

  There was never any other choice. She saw that now. She would tell him tonight, after Caleb left, after the children were asleep. And all she could do now was pray, pray that Gideon loved her enough to forgive the deception.

  She didn’t cry. Some things went deeper than tears.

  * * *

  Caleb and Gideon rode south. Skirting a stand of scrub pine and a dry wash, they cut through a ravine as familiar to both of them as their own backyard, following it as it angled westward, then southward again. The walls of the ravine were high at first, towering over their heads, but slowly dwindled down to where they could see over the top, and eventually petered out to nothing. Gideon headed west from there, treading on the long shadows cast by the early morning sun.

  When Caleb drew up alongside him, Gideon pointed toward the mountain range looming before them and broke the silence. “Remember when we used to go climbing in those mountains?”

  “Yeah.” Caleb’s grin flashed. “I suppose you’re going to remind me of the time I broke my leg up there and you had to pack me out on the back of a horse.”

  Gideon chuckled. “As a matter of fact, I’d forgotten about that.”

  “Sure.”

  “No, really. I was thinking about something that happened just a few weeks ago. Nicki ran away right after Rennie and I were married, and ended up lost on the mountain nearest Carter’s Junction.”

  “How’d you find her?”

  “I didn’t. Rennie did.”

  “Rennie? I thought you said she wasn’t from around here.”

  “She’s not. Don’t ask me how she knew, but she and Emily somehow figured out where Nicki was heading, and went after her.” He glanced at Caleb. “Nicki had fallen down the side of a cliff, and Rennie climbed down after her. Scared stiff she’d fall herself, she did it, anyway.”

  “Sounds like she’s got a lot of grit.”

  “Yeah. She has that, all right.”

  “Is Nicki okay? She must be, or you would have said something before now.”

  “Yeah. She still doesn’t talk, but otherwise she’s fine. She and Rennie are really close now. In fact, all the kids love Rennie. She’s been a good mother to them.” Gideon’s tone was deep, reflective, and rich with satisfaction.

  “You really love Rennie, don’t you.”

  Gideon pulled up for a moment, leather creaking, and Caleb did the same. The two brothers faced each other. “I told you I did.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you quite like this, not even with Johanna.”

  Silence followed. Gideon looked out toward the mountains, morning haze still clinging to them. Finally he said, “I’m older, Cal. I know what it is to lose the most important person in my life. Maybe that’s why what I feel for Rennie is more...intense than what I felt for Jo. I don’t know.” He stopped, tightening his hands on the reins, and looked at his brother. “Don’t get me wrong. If Jo hadn’t died I would have loved her all my life, and been content with that. But she did. And now I have Rennie.”

  He searched for the words that would explain what she meant to him. “It’s like riding through mile after mile of scrub with no direction, heat and dust choking you, thirst building up until you’re so parched you start chewing on the reins. And just when you think you’ll die if you have to go one more step without water, you stumble on a mountain stream. Water—pure, sweet, life-giving water. You didn’t know it was there, but somehow you found it, and you thank God for it.” He paused for a moment. “That’s Rennie.”

  * * *

  Rennie had just finished clearing the table when she heard a car door slam. She put the last of the dishes on the counter, wiped her hands on her jeans and headed for the living room. The front door burst open and the children swarmed in, surrounding her.

  “Rennie, we missed you!” Trina’s tight hug was followed by Nicki’s quick embrace, then Andrew threw his arms around Rennie’s legs.

  “Wemmy! I mithed you!”

  “I missed you, too, sweetie. All of you.” She picked him up and squeezed him close, pressing her lips against baby-soft skin. But all too soon he wiggled out of her arms and she reluctantly let him go.

  “Can we show Aunt Emily the new kittens?” Trina pleaded, and Andrew chimed in eagerly, “Kittens!” But Rennie shook her head.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. Shadow doesn’t like it when we all crowd around, remember? Maybe another time, when they’re older.”

  Trina obviously wanted to argue the point, but Andrew was quickly distracted when he spotted their other cat, a tabby named Marmalade, who spotted him at the same time and took off running. Andrew was right behind her.

  Rennie chuckled and looked at Nicki and Trina. “So, did you have a good time? Were you good for Aunt Emily?”

  Nicki nodded and Trina said, “Um-hm. And guess what? We watched a video, and we made popcorn, and we got to stay up until ten o’clock. And we were almost late for church today because Andrew didn’t want to get up.”

  Rennie glanced at Emily, standing in the doorway. “Sounds like you had your hands full.”

  Emily smiled. “It wasn’t too bad.”

  “We really appreciate it. Thank you.”

  “Any time. I hope you and Gideon enjoyed yourselves.” Her eyes held just the faintest hint of a twinkle.

  “Oh, yes. Yes, we did.”

  “What did you do, Rennie?” Trina tugged at her arm. “Did you and Daddy watch a video like us?”

  Rennie turned pink under the interested gazes of her two stepdaughters. “No, we...um...we just took a bath and went to bed early.”

  Trina made a face. “Oh, yuck. That’s no fun.”

  “Depends on your point of view, doesn’t it?” teased Emily in a quiet aside that only Rennie heard. Their eyes met, and despite the foreboding fear hanging over her, she had to smile.

  “Yes, it does,” she answered.

  “Listen, I’ve got to run.” Emily began to edge out the door. “The boys are in the car and I have things to do at home. I’ll call you later and you can tell me all about it. See you.”

  Rennie followed her out onto the porch and called after her, “Thanks again, Emily, for everything.” Emily waved, hopped into her station wagon and drove off.

  She watched until the car had disappeared from sight, all the while wondering if she’d ever see Emily again. And if she did see her, would Emily forgive her once she knew the truth? So many people were tangled up in her deception. Not just Gideon and the children, but Emily and everyone else she’d come to know and care about here.

  She went inside and looked at Gideon’s daughters. Oh, God. What would they think of her when they heard who she was? Would they hate her? Would they blame her? How could she have done this to them?

  None of her inner thoughts showed on her face when she smiled gently and said, “Guess what? Daddy and I had a visitor this morning, and guess who it was?” Of course, no one could guess, so she quickly added, “Uncle Caleb.”

  Trina caught her breath and said, “Uncle Caleb! I remember him! He looks just like Daddy, remember, Nicki?” When Nicki nodded and grinned, Trina jumped up and down and said, “Where is he? Where is he?”

  “Calm down, sweetie. He’s not here right now. Daddy and Uncle Caleb went riding, but they’ll be back soon. Why don’t you and Nicki take your things to your rooms and put them away. Then you’ll be all ready to see him when they come home.”

  “Come on, Nicki.” The two girls scooped up their knapsacks and raced down the hall.

  Rennie sagged against the wall. Forgive me, Nicki. Forgive me, Trina. I just wanted the chance to love you. I never meant to hurt you in any way. I only wanted to make it up to you. Please understand. Please.

  * * *

  “Come on, Cal. Admit you were wrong.”

  “Okay, I was wrong.” Caleb mounted and pulled his horse around. “You’re the best sheep rancher that ever lived.”

  Gideon laughed and tucked the binoculars back in his sad
dlebag. “No, I’m not, but I do know good grazing land when I see it. And I’m no sucker. Just because you could always goad me into doing what I knew I shouldn’t doesn’t mean anyone else can.” He swung into the saddle. Although he’d enjoyed this time with his brother, he was eager now to get home. “Let’s head back down.”

  “What’s your hurry?” Caleb threw him a mischievous grin. “Missing someone already?”

  “Yeah.” It wasn’t quite a growl.

  “Afraid she won’t be there when you get back?”

  “No, not really.” His voice dropped and turned serious. “But sometimes I think how easily I could have missed finding her, and it scares me. If I’d never run that ad for a wife, if she hadn’t somehow seen it out in Los Angeles and decided to come here, if I’d turned her down because she didn’t ‘look’ like a rancher’s wife—as I said, sometimes it scares me.”

  Curiosity and a niggling feeling that he was missing something made Caleb ask, “Did you say Rennie’s from Los Angeles?”

  “Yeah. Crazy, isn’t it? I run an ad for a wife in Wyoming, and a woman in California happens to see it.”

  “That’s it!” Caleb snapped his fingers triumphantly. “Francesca Whitney!”

  “What?” Gideon’s horse danced sideways, from an involuntary jab of Gideon’s boots and an unusually slack rein. He pulled the gelding up sharply and slewed in the saddle to face his brother. “What did you say?”

  “It’s been bugging the hell out of me who Rennie reminds me of. It just now came to me. Francesca Whitney.”

  “You must be mistaken.” Gideon paled under his tan.

  Caleb shook his head. “Nope. That’s who she looks like, all right. Of course, Francesca Whitney was just a kid when I saw her, seventeen or eighteen at the most. That’s what threw me off. But Rennie could be her sister.”

  “No. It’s not possible....” Gideon grabbed Caleb’s arm. “Cal, do you know who Francesca Whitney is?”

  “Sure. She’s J. T. Whitney’s stepsister. You know who I mean. The corporate raider. I remember them because when their parents’ private jet went down in the mountains outside Tahoe, Whitney chartered every available plane to help in the search, mine included. I only saw her once, but you don’t forget something like that.”

  “Oh, God, it can’t be.” Gideon jerked on the reins, spinning the horse on its hocks.

  “Hold on now.” Caleb’s expression betrayed his bewilderment. “I didn’t say Rennie was this woman. I just said she looks like her. Hey, wait!”

  But Gideon was already spurring back the way they came, heedless of the danger. Caleb shouted after him.

  “What’s Francesca Whitney ever done to you?”

  His answer came on the wind.

  “She killed my wife!”

  Chapter 17

  Not Rennie, Lord. Don’t let it be true.

  The words pounded through Gideon’s brain in terrible counterpoint to the pounding hoofbeats as he rode at breakneck speed. He didn’t want to believe it. Rennie, his love, his life, couldn’t be Francesca Whitney, couldn’t be the woman responsible for Johanna’s death.

  But too many questions he’d ignored before came back to haunt him.

  It had always puzzled him that she’d come all the way to Wyoming to answer his ad rather than writing. What had she said? “I wanted to meet you in person, so I just took a chance.” Even more puzzling was how she happened to come across his ad in the first place. Puzzling, that is, unless she’d deliberately sought out information about him.

  No, that didn’t make sense. If Rennie was Francesca Whitney, why had she waited two years?

  Then it hit him. The accident. She’d been in a coma, then in physical therapy. She’d told him, only he’d been too blind to see. She had still been recovering; she couldn’t have come any sooner.

  Click. Like a bullet inserted into the chamber of a .45, the first piece of evidence slid into place with deadly ease.

  And why had she been so willing to marry a stranger, especially after the things he’d said to her when they met? Her reasons had seemed a little weak, but he’d been so pleased to finally find someone who met his qualifications that he’d glossed over them in his mind. But now it made sense if you added guilt to the equation, guilt over her involvement in Jo’s death.

  Click. The second bullet slid in beside the first.

  Then there was that odd, almost defiant look in her eyes when she’d told him her name that first day, as if she expected it to mean something to him. It hadn’t, of course, but she’d stood there for a moment afterward, waiting. Waiting for him to recognize her?

  Click. And a third bullet dropped into its chamber.

  And what about that stepbrother of hers. What was his name? Jess. That was it. J for Jess as in J. T. Whitney? A man whose name carried weight even here in Wyoming. What had Rennie said about him that night on the mountain? Very little actually, and only now did it occur to Gideon that she’d never mentioned his last name. But he remembered something else she’d said that night. Her mother and stepfather had died in a plane crash.

  Click. Bullet number four joined the others.

  Then doubt assailed him. It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. It had to be a series of coincidences, however unlikely. It wasn’t possible that Rennie had deceived him for so long. No one could live such a lie unless they were an unbelievably good actress, unless...

  Despite the sun’s warmth Gideon felt a cold chill run through him. What had Caleb said just that morning? “Talk about gullible. I would have seen through that story in a minute.”

  And his own response. “Nobody can tell a more believable tale than Rennie. Nobody.”

  Click went the fifth bullet. The evidence was mounting. The .45 was almost loaded.

  * * *

  Gideon rode into the barnyard like a man possessed, pulled up hard and swung down from the saddle before the gelding even stopped. He threw the reins at his startled foreman and headed for the house. For the first time in his memory he left his horse for someone else to cool down and groom. He had something more important to tend to.

  The house was cool, dim and welcoming, but Gideon was in no mood to appreciate it. He heard sounds from the kitchen—no doubt Rennie was in there. But he wasn’t ready to confront her. Not yet. Despite his suspicions, he still hoped, prayed, that there was another explanation. He loved her. If he was wrong, if he accused her unjustly, his lack of trust might destroy the very thing he needed most—Rennie’s love.

  So he made for the bedroom, not sure what he was seeking, but certain it would be there if it was anywhere.

  He hesitated in the middle of the room for a moment as memories of last night played back swiftly through his mind. Loving Rennie, being loved in return. They’d been so close, almost one in spirit as well as in flesh. Did he really want to know that it was all a lie?

  But what if she’s innocent? If I don’t prove it, I’ll never know for sure. I’ll always have that suspicion in the back of my mind, and Rennie will sense the difference. It’s not fair to her, or to myself. I have to know the truth, either way.

  In the end, the damning evidence was pathetically easy to find.

  It was in the bottom drawer on her side of the dresser, a small pile of papers tucked under a stack of folded blue jeans. He shuffled impatiently through them. Most meant nothing to him. A letter with no return address caught his eye, and after a momentary hesitation he opened it. It was from her stepbrother, but it revealed no clues and was signed simply “Jess.” Gideon tossed it aside, picked up the next item and felt his world crashing down around him.

  A Montana birth certificate. For Francesca Renee Fortier.

  His fingers trembled as he smoothed out the folded paper and read it once more. There was no mistake. Francesca. The name leapt off the page, too unusual to be a coincidence. Not on top of everything else.

  Click. The sixth bullet entered the revolver’s last chamber with the discovery of the only physical piece of evidence. The
cylinder spun, then locked into place, and the hammer was cocked. Then the gun took aim directly at his heart.

  He squeezed his eyes shut. “Rennie.” He wasn’t even aware that he’d spoken. All he knew was the ice-cold feeling of betrayal, a betrayal that went so deep he couldn’t begin to see bottom.

  Like an old man, he stood up and walked toward the kitchen, her birth certificate clenched in his hand. He pushed open the kitchen door.

  “Francesca.” He forced the damning name through frozen lips.

  Rennie dropped the pitcher she was holding and it shattered on the floor, spilling its contents and sending shards of glass flying. She swung around, her eyes wide with fear and guilt.

  Gideon’s last hope vanished, a hope he hadn’t even known was still in him until it was gone. Without realizing it, he let the swinging door go and it closed behind him.

  “It’s true, then,” he said, slowly walking toward her, glass crunching beneath his boots. “You’re Francesca Whitney.”

  No more lies, Rennie told herself, even as tremors shook her. No more lies. “How did you know?” she whispered.

  “Caleb recognized you. I didn’t want to believe it.” He opened his fist, displaying the crumpled birth certificate. “But then I found this.”

  “I was going to tell you.”

  “Were you?” The ice encasing him began to crack under the weight of his anger. “When? When you got tired of the charade?”

  “No!” She faced him bravely. “I decided this morning I couldn’t lie to you anymore.”

  “How convenient. Too bad I don’t believe you.” Though softly spoken, his tone was filled with contempt.

  “Gideon, please—”

  “Why did you do it? Why did you come here?” His face contracted in pain and he pulled her close, his hands digging into her soft flesh. “Damn it, why did you marry me?”

  “I...” Rennie tried to remember, but Gideon was holding her too tightly. She couldn’t think.

  “Was it a game? Just to see if you could do it, is that it? Just to see if you could fool us all?”

  “No!”

  “Then tell me why, damn you. Why?”