The Rancher’s Bride Surprise

by Maya Stirling

  There was a low step down into the annex space. She made her way into the room, thinking she could bring one of the tools to Micah as a surprise this morning. That way she could find an excuse to tell him the good news about the schoolhouse. She lifted up a small paintbrush and was turning to face the door again when she heard the sound of pounding footsteps. She peered out of the door and started to make her way toward it. A shadow passed across the wall outside the door and then there was a sudden movement. The door slammed shut, plunging the annex room into complete darkness.

  Rachel screamed and thrust herself forward, grasping onto the door handle. She heard the sound of metal grinding in a lock. A key turning. She twisted the door handle, but the door remained shut. Panic welled up inside her. "Hello!" she yelled. "Open the door," she demanded.

  Repeatedly, she tried to force the door open, but it would not budge. She was locked inside! She heard footsteps outside the room. Pounding footsteps on the wooden floor.

  "Mayor Grant. Is that you?" Rachel yelled. "Please open the door," she pleaded. Even as she called out, she knew she had been tricked. Knew this had been no accident. Panic turned to indignation. She tugged as hard as she could on the door handle, but it would not open. She paused a moment, listening. But there was no sound from outside. Whoever had been there, was now gone.

  Then she heard the booming sound of a door being slammed shut. It echoed for a long while and then there was an unearthly silence. The front door of the schoolhouse. Someone had locked her into the schoolhouse and had left her trapped here. No-one knew she was here. And there was no way out.

  Rachel dragged in a deep breath, determined not to scream. Not to panic. It was pitch black inside the room. She could not see a thing. Recalling where all the dusty debris in the room lay, she took a careful step to one side. In spite of her memory, she toppled over and crashed down onto a pile of wood. Dust choked her lungs, making her cough and retch and sneeze uncontrollably.

  It took her long moments to compose herself. Finally, she managed to settle herself against a steady pile of what recalled was a stack of old chairs leaning against the stone wall. The tiny room was like a tomb. And she was stuck here. She knew there was no door out of this room. Knew that, unless someone came to her rescue, she would never get out of here.

  Her heart was pounding furiously and she chided herself for being so foolish. This had been a trap set for her, and she could guess who was behind this. Calhoun, along with the corrupt mayor. Once again, Rachel cursed herself for being so stupid. Being so gullible. She'd been thinking so much of the coming day, and all the joy it would bring, and her judgment had deserted her.

  She thought about Lily, and how she would react to the news that Rachel had disappeared, and couldn't be found. Lily would be so upset. Just that thought made Rachel's eyes moisten with uncontrollable emotion.

  No-one would think to look here, Rachel told herself. So it was up to her to try and get out of here. Because if she didn't, only her God knew what evil would find its way into the lives of those she loved.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Up real early next morning, Micah ate breakfast quickly and headed out onto the rangeland. He needed the distraction of some early morning physical labor to take his mind off what had happened yesterday. And what he was going to say to Rachel when she arrived with Lily later in the morning.

  The sun was low near the horizon as Micah rode out in the direction of where he knew he'd find the herd. Arriving there, he spoke a while with the ranch hands and then found plenty to keep himself occupied. Keeping busy had always worked for him before. But, for some reason, it didn't make a lick of difference this morning. His emotions were turbulent and impossible to ignore.

  He'd tossed and turned in bed all night, thinking about that kiss. Recalling how he'd felt being alone with Rachel. Remembering the look in her eyes as she'd gazed up at him while lying on the picnic blanket. Some things could drive a man crazy, he told himself. And one of those was not getting a chance to say what he knew he'd had to said. The words had been on the tip of his tongue.

  Yesterday, he'd come whisker close to asking Rachel the most important question he'd ever ask anyone. But, the words had stuck in his throat at just the wrong moment. His mind had gone completely blank. No doubt it had something to do with looking into the eyes of the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. That was enough to empty the mind of even the most resolute man, he told himself.

  So now, he had a dilemma. Either he ask her to marry him, or risk losing her forever. Because he knew that if she turned him down, he'd have to marry someone else. For convenience only. Probably someone for whom he would not have anywhere near the same feelings.

  It had come down to this, he told himself. A moment of truth. God had been leading him to this all these days, and he felt like he'd chickened out at the last moment. He'd failed in his duty to trust the will of God, and allow himself to led to the correct action. The choice which would guarantee the happiness and security of Rachel and Lily.

  The ranch hands could tell that something was bothering Micah. He knew that from the looks they gave him the entire hour he spent with them. Eventually, he took the advice of the ramrod and headed back to the ranch house. It wouldn't be long before Rachel and Lily would be arriving. She'd told him that Sophie and Nathan had offered to let her use a carriage of their own. So there was no need for Micah to go collecting Rachel and Lily, this morning. Truth was, he would have preferred doing that. It would have given him precious moments with the two people who now meant so much to him.

  The minute he rode into the yard in front of the ranch house he knew something was wrong. He saw his father, Caleb standing out front talking with all three of Micah's brothers. Micah dismounted and strode across to the four men.

  "What's wrong, pa?" Micah asked sharply.

  Caleb's features were dark, as were those of Zane, Gideon and Reese. All four men peered at Micah, plain worry written on their faces.

  "Did somebody die?" Micah asked, urgently needing an answer.

  "No. But this could be just as bad," Zane stated.

  "What are you talking about?" Micah snapped.

  "We got word that the government man is arriving in town today," Caleb announced in a grim, heavy voice.

  "What!" Micah exclaimed. "But, he ain't due for days."

  Caleb shook his head. "Seems like he's had a change of plans."

  "He can't do that," Micah roared. "There's a time limit in place before he can come here. He has to wait, surely."

  Caleb shook his head. "The government makes its own rules, Micah. You know that as well as I do."

  "I knew they were going to do something like this," Reese complained. "We shouldn't have trusted them. This whole thing should have been sorted out ages ago."

  Coming from anyone else, Micah might have taken Reese's comment as a criticism of the fact that Micah hadn't yet married. But, he knew his brother was just expressing his frustrations. Nothing personal.

  "He's going to come here and see that only three of the parts of the ranch are occupied in a way that fits the conditions," Reese stated. "He's going to declare that we have to forfeit all those except this one," he added, stamping his foot emphatically on the dusty earth. "The only one we're going to have left."

  Caleb grunted. Micah could see his father's jaw tightening. Could see the fury in his eyes. "They're the government, boys," Caleb said bitterly running his gaze around the four brothers. "They can do whatever they like, especially if it means bringing ruin to good families." He groaned and then added. "Like ours."

  "You know how many homesteaders they've ruined with this kind of behavior," Zane snapped. "Good people don't seem to have a place out in these parts." His eyes widened with emotion. "That's if you work for the government."

  "We have to stop this," Micah said.

  "We can't," Reese said. "He'll be here in few hours, and that'll be the end of it. Calhoun will get what he wants. He'll outbid us for the land, and then
we'll have him for a neighbor for the rest of our days."

  Once again, Caleb grunted. It was a visceral noise which seemed to come all the way from down near his boots.

  Micah saw his father's shoulders slump. Something had to be done. "When does he arrive?" Micah asked.

  "On the train, later this morning," Gideon said evenly. Of them all, Gideon seemed the calmest, Micah told himself. It took a whole lot to upset Gideon. His faith was that strong. It was a confidence in God that Micah frequently found inspiring. Right now though, he needed that inspiration. Maybe his brother felt something Micah couldn't.

  "Can't we stop him?" Reese suggested.

  Zane shook his head. "Interfering in a government agent doing his job carries serious trouble for anyone who tries to do anything."

  "We need to delay him," Micah stated firmly.

  "What good is that going to do?" Zane asked incredulously.

  "There's something I need to do," Micah declared. "Something I should have done yesterday."

  Gideon peered at Micah. "You talking about Rachel?"

  Micah nodded and sighed heavily. "I've been a fool, and I ain't going to apologize for it," he said. "You know how hard it has been for me to do all this courting. But, I knew what it would mean if I didn't. I've done my best. And it looks like this morning is my last chance," Micah said evenly. He ran his gaze around at his brothers and his father. "Our last chance."

  "You're going to propose to Rachel," Zane said and rested a hand on Micah's shoulder.

  "I surely am," Micah stated. "And I truly believe she'll say yes."

  Hope flared in the eyes of all of them. Caleb took a step closer. "You think there's still a chance?" he asked Micah.

  "I do, pa," Micah said. "I really love that woman. And I think she loves me."

  His brothers all smiled at each other. Truly, there was hope in the air around the Circle Cross ranch.

  Micah heard the sound of rattling wheels and turned in the direction of the ranch gate. He expected to see Rachel and Lily on Nathan's carriage. Instead, he saw one of the other carriages bringing four of the other children up to the ranch for their lesson. An uneasy sensation settled in Micah's middle. Rachel should have been here already. The fact that she hadn't arrived made something heavy sit in his gut. Worry. That was what it was.

  Then, behind the carriage, he saw something that made his worry even more intense. Sheriff Nathan Cameron was riding behind the carriage. Whatever had brought Nathan to the ranch, it probably wasn't going to be good news, Micah told himself.

  Nathan halted in the yard alongside the carriage. The children leaped out and headed straight over to the barn. Nathan dismounted and came straight for Micah. Nathan's features were dark and impassive. Bad news was coming. Micah was sure of it.

  Nathan tipped his hat to the other Buchanans, and then cupped Micah's elbow, leading him away toward the corral. He halted and peered into Micah's eyes.

  "What is it, Nathan?" Micah asked.

  "Rachel's gone missing," Nathan said.

  The air eased out of Micah's lungs and he had to steady himself. A hard lump settled in his stomach. A wave of nausea swept over him. "What do you mean?" he gasped.

  "Just what I say," Nathan continued. "We got up this morning and there was no sign of her. She wasn't in her room. I had a quick look around town, but I couldn't find her. At this time in the morning, there's nowhere for her to go." He glanced at the ranch house. "Except here."

  Micah's pulse was pounding so hard, he could hear it in his ears. A roaring, insistent noise that crowded out all thought. "And Lily?" he forced himself to ask.

  "She's at home. But she ain't happy that Rachel isn't around," Nathan sighed. "We've tried not to worry her, but that little girl has a mind of her own. She knows there's something wrong. Sophie is looking after her."

  The thought that Lily would be worrying about Rachel made Micah feel really concerned. The little girl had had enough of pain in her life. The last thing she needed was more suffering. "Where can Rachel be? Do you have any ideas?" Micah asked breathlessly.

  Nathan shook his head. "That's why I came out here. To ask you if you could think of anything." Nathan squeezed Micah's arm. "I'm worried, Micah. This isn't like Rachel. She'd never do anything to worry Lily."

  Micah nodded. "I agree. Something's not right." He swallowed, feeling a tightness in his chest. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to get his mind thinking. Tried to force himself to imagine where she could have gone.

  "She should be here, already," Micah explained. "She knows these children need her," he said. Micah paced for a few moments, searching his mind for an answer. "Someone has to have taken her," he said to Nathan. "There's no other answer. She wouldn't have abandoned Lily. That's just not something she'd ever do."

  "I agree," Nathan replied. "Those two are like peas in a pod."

  Micah nodded and peered at Nathan. "You know how much they both mean to me now, Nathan."

  Nathan smiled weakly. "I figured as much, Micah. Sophie's been telling me all about it."

  Micah frowned. Think, he told himself. Where could she have gone at this time in the morning? Clearly, this had something to do with the fact that the government man was arriving this morning. If that was the case, then there could only be one person who could be behind this.

  Micah faced Nathan. "Calhoun has done this."

  Nathan tilted his head and hooked his thumbs in his belt. "My thoughts exactly," he agreed. "But you know him. We've as much chance of finding him this morning as finding a rabbit in a hole."

  "I think I know one place he'll be, this morning," Micah said. "At the train station to welcome someone from the government."

  Nathan frowned and Micah explained to him about the change of plan and the early arrival of the land inspector. "You want we should go down there and get Calhoun? Maybe some pressure might persuade him to talk."

  Micah's first impulse was to agree with Nathan. But something told him that would be exactly what Calhoun was expecting him to do. A confrontation at the train station could delay Micah finding Rachel. And that would suit Calhoun just fine, he told himself. Because it would mean only one thing. That Micah had failed to find a bride. That he'd let his entire family down. And that Calhoun could claim his awful victory.

  Indignation flared inside Micah at the very thought of Calhoun emerging victorious. These past few months, so many sacrifices had been made. So many trials had been endured. And now, Calhoun believed he was about to win the ultimate prize? Humiliation of the entire Buchanan family?

  Micah sighed angrily. Nathan's eyes widened. It seemed he wasn't used to seeing the youngest of the Buchanan brothers like this.

  "Calhoun isn't going to talk, Nathan," Micah said. "You and I know that to be the truth. He'll lie his way all the way to damnation before he gives us an answer."

  Nathan sighed. "Calhoun has already taken plenty of steps to his own personal corner of hell."

  "That's a judgment for a higher power, Nathan," Micah said evenly. "We can only deal with the evil that's here."

  Over by the stable, there was a ruckus going on. The children who'd arrived had decided to spend some time in the stable. Maybe Lily had persuaded them that horses were more interesting than lessons. Micah glanced across at the stable. There was a whole lot of screaming going on in there. He walked over, intending to calm things down. It was the least he could do. Rachel wasn't here, so it was up to him to get some control over the students. He'd endured enough taunting at their hands before. Now, he figured he might get some respect from them since they were visitors on the ranch.