“I can’t find them anywhere.” Clara turned a complete circle looking all around for any sign of them.
“I’m sure they just got sidetracked. Maybe they took Blessing out to play,” Curtis suggested.
Clara felt her breath catch. “I’ve already checked on that. Blessing’s still in his pen, and he’s howling and whining like I’ve never heard before.”
“We did hear some of his complaints,” Paul said. “Never thought too much about it, though.”
Curtis put his arm around Clara. “Come on, we’ll find them. I’ll help you look.”
For the next half an hour they covered the entire ranch yard and all of the outbuildings, calling each child’s name. By now Madeline and Paul had joined the search with Paul heading down to the river and fishing pond while Madeline looked through the house. By the time they came back together on the porch, Clara was convinced that Otto and her mother had somehow taken them.
“But we would have heard a wagon coming up the road,” Madeline said, trying to calm Clara’s fears.
“Unless they parked it off at a distance and snuck up on the place,” Clara countered. “You know them. They are completely capable of such madness.”
“She’s right,” Curtis said, his expression filled with worry. “There’s really no other answer. They wouldn’t just wander off—especially without their dog.”
Paul and Madeline gave slow nods in unison. Clara thought she might very well be sick. Her stomach churned and she felt the same dizziness she had at the church on Sunday. She forced herself to breathe deep and push away thoughts of what might be happening to her children.
“I’ll hitch up the wagon,” Paul said. “Curtis and I can go into town and—”
“Not without me.” Clara hadn’t meant to interrupt her uncle, but she couldn’t remain silent on the matter. She wasn’t about to be left at the ranch. “Otto knows I’ll come to get them. If he and Mother have them, they’ll be expecting me to follow.”
“I don’t like the idea of you having to deal with him,” Curtis countered. “If he came here or had someone else come here to steal the children, who knows what else he might have planned?”
“You and Paul can come too, of course. But he won’t talk to me if you’re there. Once we get to town, I’ll go to him and find out the truth.” She looked at the trio as if seeking their approval.
“Like I said, I’ll get the wagon,” Paul declared, then stalked off toward the barn.
“Do you want me to come too?” Madeline asked.
Clara shook her head. “No. Please stay here just in case we’re wrong.”
Her aunt nodded. “None of you have had breakfast. I’ll go put together some ham and biscuits to take along. Those children are going to be hungry.” She hurried to the house.
Curtis put his arm around Clara’s shoulders. The comfort was too much, and Clara burst into tears. He pulled her against him and held her close.
“If any . . . anything has happened . . . to cause . . . them harm . . .” She couldn’t finish. To speak the words aloud might somehow give it power to happen.
“Shhh, we’ll get them back and they’ll be just fine,” Curtis promised. “You’ll see.”
Clara clung to him, knowing that if she let go, she would collapse in a heap on the ground. Her entire world was spinning out of control and all because of one man’s greed and deception.
The drive into town seemed to take forever. Paul and Curtis ate some of the ham and biscuits, but Clara refused. She knew if she ate she’d be sick. Instead, she had forced aside her tears and tried to calm her spirit in prayer, but always she saw Otto’s sneering face and heard his threats. Uncle Paul and Curtis remained silent throughout the trip into town, and for once Clara was glad for their silence. She knew they were just as worried as she was, but to hear it in their voices would have been too much.
When the town came into sight, Clara straightened and planned what she would do and say. Otto and her mother were forces to be reckoned with, but they had taken her children and had no idea what Clara was capable of doing in order to get them back. The fact was, Clara herself wasn’t at all certain. There was a part of her that wished she’d thought to ask for a gun. It seemed Otto only understood force and violence, so perhaps that was the only way to deal with him. Yet even as she thought of these things, Clara knew she would have great difficulty shooting someone.
Paul pulled the wagon to a stop just down the street from the hotel. “Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?”
Clara was already climbing down. “No. I’ll let you know if I need help. I can scream pretty loud if I need to.” She looked at Curtis. “Just knowing you’re here is enough.”
“Be careful, Clara. Your brother-in-law is a dangerous man.”
She nodded. “I know.”
With that she headed down the street and made her way into the hotel. Otto was waiting for her in the lobby. He looked up over his newspaper and smiled. She wanted to grab up the nearest object and throw it at him, but she restrained herself.
“Where are they, Otto? Where are my children?”
“They’re safe,” he said, not even trying to deny that he had taken them. He very slowly folded the newspaper. “And they will stay that way so long as you agree to my terms.”
“To marry you and give you Adolph’s journals?”
“Exactly.” He put the paper aside and rose. “I’m really a very reasonable man.”
“Where are they?”
“Close. You really needn’t worry.”
Clara turned on her heel. “I’m going to the sheriff.”
Otto grabbed her arm and yanked her back. He pulled her hard against him. “If you do, they will die.”
She froze. Was he really capable of killing his own niece and nephew? Her heart raced along with her thoughts. How could she deal with this? What was she supposed to say or do except agree to his demands?
“I knew you’d see it my way.” Otto released her. “We have no need to involve the sheriff. However, it would be to your benefit to call for the preacher. In fact, maybe we should just walk over to the church and seek him out.”
Clara turned to face him. She could see the glint of self-satisfaction in his eyes. Her hands balled into fists, but she forced them to remain at her side. Just then she spied her mother coming down the hotel stairs.
“Does she know what you’ve done? Is she a part of this?”
“No. And the less you say the better off we’ll all be, so behave yourself.” He narrowed his gaze. “Or you’ll be very sorry.”
“Clara, what are you doing here?” Her mother looked at Otto. “Did you bring her here from the ranch?”
“No, Clara came on her own and just happened to find me here reading the newspaper.”
“Have you come to your senses, then?” Her mother looked at her with great expectation.
Clara knew that the only way to keep her children safe would be to agree to marry Otto. She looked at Otto, who raised his brow and waited for her to speak. Clara tried her best to steady her nerves. She relaxed her hands and drew them together.
“I came here”—Clara licked her lips and forced the words from her mouth—“to tell Otto that I will marry him.”
25
Clara could see her mother’s look of disbelief change to satisfaction. Clara had never before wanted to defy anyone as much as she wanted to at this moment, but her children’s lives were at stake.
“I’m glad you’re finally seeing reason,” her mother declared. “I will go and have my maid pack immediately.” She touched Otto’s arm. “I presume you can arrange for our tickets home?”
“Of course.” He smiled, his eyes never leaving Clara.
Once her mother was gone, Clara fixed Otto with a sober expression. “I hope you’re happy. Now bring me my children.”
“In time, Clara dear. In time. First we will marry. Let’s head over to the church right now and see if that minister is available to do the job imme
diately.”
Clara knew she had to stall for time. She was forming an idea of how this could all play out without having to actually marry Otto, but she would need the help of her aunt and uncle, as well as Curtis.
“You really know nothing about churches and ceremonies, do you? Pastor Cosgrove wouldn’t even consider marrying us in the church or anywhere else for that matter.”
“What are you saying?” Otto’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t changing your mind, are you?”
“Not at all. I’m simply telling you that a church ceremony is out of the question. Pastor Cosgrove would consider it sacrilegious, given that I was just to marry Curtis on Sunday. He would also insist that you be a man of God, and since we both know that isn’t the case, we will have to rely on a judge to marry us.”
“Is there one in this tiny town?” he asked, sounding doubtful.
“My uncle is good friends with Judge Walker. I’ll have him arrange for the judge to come to the ranch. Be there at noon.” She tried to hide the anger in her voice but knew she was unsuccessful.
“Clara, you needn’t disdain our union. You really are quite dear to me.”
“So dear that you would put my children’s lives in jeopardy? Yes, I can see just how dear I am to you.”
He reached out, but she jerked away. Instead of getting angry, however, Otto smiled. “In time you will understand that this is the best for everyone. The children will live the life of privilege they were always meant to live. The trust left them by their father will see to that, and of course you will be well cared for by me.”
“Trust? What trust?” Clara could see a look flash over Otto that suggested he regretted his words. “Are you telling me there is a trust fund for my children?”
“Yes. There is. I didn’t know about it until recently. Apparently Adolph wasn’t completely void of sensibility. There is a large trust for the children awaiting them in New York. It will see them quite comfortable for life—if it’s handled properly. I will see to that, however, so there need be no concern.”
Clara shook her head. “I understand now why you are so desperate to marry me. I should have known it would be something like this.”
“I’m quite hurt by your declaration,” Otto said, putting a hand to his chest. “I’ve already told you of my love.”
“So will the children be allowed to attend the wedding?” She knew it was a risk to ask. Otto could become suspicious.
“As I said, I will produce the children once we are officially man and wife. I have to make certain you will not change your mind.” He fingered his mustache and gave a shrug. “I’m sorry.”
Clara knew he wasn’t at all sorry. She turned and walked toward the door. If she stayed in the room one more minute, she would no doubt say things she would regret. “Be at the ranch at noon, Otto.”
“I will, and . . . Clara,”—he waited to continue until she looked back at him—“wear something pretty. I don’t want my wife looking like a ranch hand.”
She hurried outside and down the street. Ranch hand, indeed. Paul and Curtis paced beside the wagon, and both men stopped in their tracks when Clara drew near.
“What did he say? Does he have the children?” Curtis asked, hurrying to her side.
She nodded. “He has them hidden away and will only bring them to me once we are married.”
“Why, of all the low-down, conniving . . .” her uncle muttered. “I’m going to get the sheriff right now and put an end to this.”
Clara took hold of her uncle’s arm. “No. We can’t. He said he’d . . . he’d kill them if we dared to involve the law.”
“So what are we supposed to do?” Curtis asked.
“I’m going to marry him.” Her matter-of-fact statement caused both men to look at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Come on. Help me into the wagon and I’ll explain.”
“You’d better be joking,” Curtis said, handing her up to the wagon seat. “I’m not losing you to another Vesper.”
As they drove, Clara explained. “He has the children hidden somewhere, which suggests to me that he also has an accomplice. Someone must be with Hunter and Maddy to make certain they stay put.”
“Unless he tied them up,” Curtis said, frowning.
Clara didn’t like to dwell on all of the possibilities of what Otto may or may not have done to her children. “Even so, Otto must have help with them. He wouldn’t risk us following him and finding them, so I doubt he’s the one responsible for seeing that they are fed and can use the facilities. Otto said that until we are married, he won’t retrieve them. So my thought is that we convince him we are married . . . without really being married.”
“And how are you going to do that?” her uncle asked.
“Well, that’s where you come in, Uncle Paul. I wondered if your friend Judge Walker might be willing to participate in a little playacting. I told Otto to be at the ranch at noon. That gives us about four hours to arrange my plan.”
“And what is your plan?” Curtis asked, looking even more worried.
“Well, since Judge Walker is retired and no longer has any authority to marry people, I thought he could pretend to marry us. That way, we would go through the ceremony, but there would be nothing legal about it. We would simply convince Otto that the marriage had taken place so that he would bring me the children.”
“And what if he doesn’t?” Curtis asked.
She met his gaze and saw the deep concern in his expression. “He must. If he doesn’t produce them immediately after the wedding, I’ll tell him that I won’t leave the ranch.”
Paul had been driving the team in relative silence, but finally he spoke up. “I think it might work, Curtis. I’m sure Judge Walker will help us out. His place is on the way home, and we can just swing in there and fill him in on the details.”
“What about the sheriff?” Curtis asked. “He ought to know about this too, since he wasn’t able to meet with us earlier and has no idea of what’s happening. If we can have him at the ranch as well, we can turn Otto over to him with the journals, and hopefully that will be the last you’ll need to see of him.”
“That is a good idea. Then if your brother-in-law tries to make trouble,” Paul added, “we’ll have the extra help of the law.”
“How do we get word to the sheriff? I had threatened to go to him, but Otto warned me against it. I’m afraid of what he’ll do to the children if he finds out the sheriff is involved.”
“Well, it is difficult but not impossible. Judge Walker has a couple of hired hands, and we could get one of them to ride back into town and see the sheriff. Otto won’t know who they are, and if he sees them strolling into the sheriff’s office, he wouldn’t have reason to think it strange.”
“I suppose it’s worth a try.”
When they reached the turnoff for the judge’s property, Clara’s nerves were stretched taut. She had prayed for direction—for a way to dupe Otto and not risk her children’s lives—and in a few moments they would know whether or not they could put her idea into play. After that it would take waiting until after the ceremony to see if Otto would uphold his end of the bargain.
He must. Lord, I cannot bear the thought of losing Hunter and Maddy. Please give us your justice and mercy in this matter. Justice for Otto and mercy for my children.
Paul brought the wagon to a stop and set the brake. Without a word Curtis climbed down from the wagon, then reached up to help Clara. Once she was on the ground, she could see that Curtis was in pain.
“You’ve overdone,” she said softly.
“I’ve only done what was necessary.” He rubbed his thigh. “It’s not all that bad. My back is stiff and sore and my leg aches, but nothing hurts as much as my heart for our kids.”
Our kids. It touched her deeply to know he already felt the children belonged to him as well. She reached up and touched his cheek. “I know. It’s only one of the many reasons I love you. You love my children as your own. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
He pressed her hand to his cheek. “We’re going to see this through. I promise you, I’ll get Hunter and Maddy back to you if it’s the last thing I do.” She nodded, knowing that he spoke from the heart.
Paul led the way and knocked loudly on the front door. In less than a minute, an elderly woman opened the door.
“Well, Sarah Walker, aren’t you looking pretty today?” Paul declared.
“Oh, go on with you, Paul. You always have been a charmer. What can I do for you?” She looked around him to where Clara stood with Curtis. “I see you brought us company.”
“Is the judge in? We need to speak to him. It’s rather urgent.”
“He is,” Mrs. Walker said, stepping back. “Won’t you all join us? We were just sitting down to breakfast. We take our time with such things these days. Have you eaten?”
“We had a bite on our way into town. We had to leave the ranch rather abruptly this morning. I’ll explain it all when we see the judge.”
She led them through the small foyer past the front room and on into the dining room, where Judge Walker sat reading a newspaper. He lowered the paper and put it aside at the sight of his visitors.
“Well, I must say this is a surprise. To what do we owe this visit?” he asked, then motioned to his wife. “Bring some more coffee and cups, Sarah. And some plates.”
“I already planned to do just that.” She smiled and gave Clara a wink. “He doesn’t realize I’ve been hostess to this house for forty years.”
Clara forced herself to smile and give a nod. She was far too worried about the children to waste time with coffee or a meal. Curtis squeezed her hand as if understanding. She felt strengthened by his nearness.
“Sit down and tell me why you all look so grave.” The judge waited for them to take a place at the table.
Paul spoke up first. “We have a bad situation on our hands.” He gave a brief account of Clara’s past and of her brother-in-law’s participation in espionage and aiding the enemy. Sarah served coffee and put plates of food in front of them. When she’d finally taken her seat, Paul continued to explain about the children and Otto’s demand that Clara marry him.
A Love Transformed Page 25
