“Fine, I’ll go to the stupid hotel. It’s not like I couldn’t take care of myself, you know.”
Her father took the bag where she’d stuffed her gown and things from her. “Neither I nor yer husband said you couldn’t take care of yourself. Did it ever cross yer stubborn mind that he sent ya there so that he wouldn’t be worried about ya so he could do the job you brought him here to do?”
She felt guilty at the thought that he was indeed doing everything she’d asked of him. He hadn’t even officially been sworn in when he took Charles Little to jail and arrested him for Ike’s murder. She couldn’t hold him accountable for the jail break as he’d been getting ready for and attending his own wedding to her. So why was she so upset with him?
Then she knew she was upset because it wasn’t the way Ike would have handled the jailbreak. Ike would have just jumped on a horse and chased after the criminal, not stopping to kiss her or make sure she was safe. Yet Alexzander had done both of those things. Shouldn’t she be happy about that?
The fact that he’d done them was proof that even after less than a day of knowing her, he valued her more than Ike had, didn’t it? So why did that upset her? She wasn’t sure, but it did, and she needed to get it under control before Alexzander returned. She didn’t want her irritation that he was different than the man she’d expected to marry to ruin what was supposed to be her wedding day and night.
Of course, she wouldn’t be having a wedding night like she had anticipated with Ike because Alexzander was a relative stranger but maybe they could get some more of those mind-blowing kisses under their belts. She wanted to get to know and become more at ease with her new husband before allowing him all his husbandly rights, and the fact he’d all but insisted said something for him. He was a true gentleman at heart despite his earlier gruff appearance.
Betsy arrived at the hotel while making these observations and she and Maude were shown to the room that Alexzander had procured for himself. Her friend was already blabbering on about how lucky Betsy was and how handsome and charming Alexzander had been. They both marveled over the wedding ring he’d placed on Betsy’s finger during the ceremony. She hadn’t expected a ring. It was a thoughtful touch just like several others he’d done in the brief time they’d known each other. She couldn’t wait for him to return so they could spend some time together getting to know each other.
Alexzander met his posse at the jail. The mayor came up to him and indicated he needed to talk. Alexzander dismounted and walked to the jail with the mayor.
“I stopped by the apothecary to check on Gene. He told me what happened. It seems that all six of Little’s deputies came to bust him out. The one who told you, his name was Smith, is the one who shot Gene. Miss Hattie says he’ll be all right; the bullet missed his heart and lung and she removed it. If he doesn’t get an infection, he should make a full recovery.”
Alexzander nodded, “Good, that’s good to know. Let’s mount up and follow the trail and see if we can catch these outlaws before they get clean away.”
Mayor Rhyan agreed, “Just remember you’re a Town Marshal; you don’t have jurisdiction past Timber Town.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. Little knows that and all he has to do is get beyond there before I can’t chase him further.”
Together the two men walked over to their horses and mounted up. Alexzander led the ten men who came to ride with him, as they followed the clear trail of the outlaw gang straight out of town. The fact that they weren’t even trying to conceal their tracks told him they were pushing to get beyond where he could legally chase them. If they made it into the hills past Timber Town, Alexzander knew he could track them but what good would that do when he couldn’t bring them in. Betsy wouldn’t be happy unless Ike’s killer stood trial and was sentenced to hang.
Alexzander kicked his horse into a gallop, the posse followed along. He had to try and catch up to Little and his gang before they reached the timber line. Since he legally wouldn’t be able to arrest them, they'd have to contact the county sheriff and wait for him to get to them. By then Little might be so far beyond their reach that it wouldn’t be feasible to catch Little and his gang and return them to jail.
They rode hard all the way to Timber Town; sure enough, the trail led straight through it. To be thorough, Alexzander had the posse search the tent village to make sure that Little and his men hadn’t pulled a bait and switch on them leading them on a false trail up the mountain. They found no sign of the men with the lumberjacks and their families. So, Alexzander pushed on through to the open expanse on the other side. Mayor Rhyan rode up beside him. “Marshal, we can’t chase them past the tree line, so what are we doing?”
Alexzander nodded, “I understand we can’t arrest them, I just want to get a sense of which direction they're heading to, so I can relay it to the county sheriff or other lawmen about where they seem to be going.”
“If that’s all you’re going to do, would you mind if I send the men on back home? Most of them have families who are waiting for their return.”
Again, Alexzander nodded. “That’s fine. I’d prefer a couple stay with me just in case. Safety in numbers, you know. Easier to shoot a lone man than come after two or three.”
The mayor grunted an agreement, “Curly and I’ll stay with you. Curly was one of Ike’s deputies, as was Gene and a fella named Roy. Those are the only three that stayed around when Little replaced them all. Gene and Roy went to work for Bennett out at his ranch. Curly’s been working for me, kinda keeping an eye on things for me.”
They sent everyone but Curly back home and Alexzander thanked them for their help. He assured them he’d contact the sheriff and keep a close eye out for any of the men backtracking the next few days. Then he, Curly, and the mayor rode up into the tree line following the trail. In about an hour they could see the camp that the outlaws had set up.
Alexzander halted them and watched to make sure that Little and his band of outlaws were settled in for the night. Then he quietly turned himself and his men back and they rode in to Silverpines just as the moon was rising over the top of the mountains. He didn’t think he’d seen anything like that moon back home.
Mayor Rhyan dismounted at the jail with him but sent Curly on to his house. “Let Vicky know I’ll be home soon, would you, Curly?”
“Will do, boss.”
Once they were alone, the mayor looked at Alexzander. “I know it’s your wedding night and you need to get home to Betsy, but I want you to know that I’m glad you came. Ike wasn’t a saint by any stretch, but even he was better than that Charles Little. I hope you’re an honest lawman; we could use one of those.”
Alexzander frowned at the thought that Ike wasn’t honest. Did Betsy know? The mayor must have realized what he was thinking. “Betsy has no clue how crooked Ike was; he did very well at keeping her in the dark. As much as she was crushed by his death, her father and I decided not to tell her the truth about him. Now, how many deputies do you need and how do you propose getting them?”
Alexzander’s head spun at the change in direction of the conversation. “I’m going to bring back Gene and Curly and Roy if they want. Overall I’d like to get six more besides them, so we can divide up into three watches with three men each. I’ll rotate between each watch so that I get a feel for what's going on and keep an eye on every part of the town. I thought I’d start by posting the position in the paper and sending out a few telegrams to other papers as well.”
“Sounds like a good start. I’ll expect you at the town council meeting next Monday to tell us how that’s going and give us a status report on how you’re settling in on the job. As for your wife, well, we’ll pray she wakes up to what kind of a man she almost married and what kind of a man she did. Now go home and enjoy your honeymoon.”
The man slapped him on the back as he walked away. Alexander shook his head and walked his horse over to the livery before heading to the hotel to check on Betsy and tell her he let Charles Little get
away.
Eight
Betsy’s head came up as she heard the door to the hotel room open and in walked her new husband. Her heart tripped for a moment seeing him dressed in buckskins but clean-shaven. Everything about him made her intrigued. She wanted to get to know him but first, she needed to know that Ike and Doctor Hamilton’s murderer was behind bars again. “Did you catch him?”
Alexzander shook his head. “He had too big a jump on us. He was up into the high timber before we got to him. I’ve sent a telegram to the county sheriff and every town east of here. That’s all I can do except find and hire deputies and be ready if he comes back.”
Fear and anger fought in her stomach and heart. She felt herself talking before she realized what she was saying. “So, the one thing I brought you out here for is the one thing you can’t or won’t do? Why did you even come if you weren’t going to make sure Charles Little paid for killing my one true love?”
Maude gasped, “Betsy!”
She turned on her friend. “What? It’s true I brought him here to make sure Ike’s killer paid for his crime. Instead, he allows him to go free and kill our doctor. Ike would have stopped him, and he’d have hung for his crime. But Marshal Sewell can’t catch him and when he does, he can’t keep him.”
She looked at the shocked expression on her best friend's face to the still and guarded one on her husband's. “I thought I was coming here to marry a woman and protect a community. If you’d just wanted a bounty hunter, Miss Pike, there was no need to write to Mrs. Tandy.” He walked over to a trunk sitting at the end of the bed. “If you’ll excuse me I’ll just get a change of clothes and make my way over to the jail. Seeing as my only deputy has been shot I should be there in case I’m needed.”
He picked up a pair of denims and a shirt along with the leather vest he’d worn to the wedding. “I reckon you’ll be safe here tonight or at your home if you wish to return. Good night.”
He turned and walked out of the room at a slow steady pace. “I’ll move my stuff out to the house the town gave me tomorrow. Please let the hotel know.”
Then he was gone. Maude walked up to her and shook her gently. “Go after him, Betsy! He’s your husband!”
She looked at her friend and laughed, “Don’t you get it, Maude. I didn’t want a husband; the only husband I wanted is dead. I sent for a husband, so we could get Charles Little arrested and tried for killing Ike. Now he’s gone, and that man won’t even try to catch him.”
“What about your vows? What about that ring on your finger? Are you saying that you didn’t mean it when you stood in church and promised to love honor and obey, till death do you part?”
“What about them? He knew going into this that I wasn’t in love with him. The letter I sent told him that my love was for Ike.”
“Then how do you explain the state you were in before the wedding, Betsy? When you couldn’t get his kisses out of your head? You know what I think? I think you are afraid again. Afraid that you will love your husband. Afraid that you’ll forget all about Ike Hardin if you let yourself care about Alexzander Sewell. You sent for a mail order husband and Alexzander is right. If you just wanted to capture Ike’s killer, you would have found a way to send for a lawman or a bounty hunter. But you didn’t; you wrote to a marriage broker and asked for a husband. That’s what you got. You better wise up before you lose him because I have a whole houseful of ladies who would love for you to give him the mitten. If you toss that man back, he’ll be married before you realize what you lost. Mark my words.”
Betsy stilled. Was Maude right? She had sent for a husband, but she’d done it more to thwart Charles Little than because she wanted to be married to a stranger, hadn't she? Of course, his kisses were like nothing she’d ever experienced before, and her heart raced when she’d seen he’d cleaned up for her at their wedding. Why had she let her fear of Charles not being behind bars cause her to lash out at Alexzander?
She knew it wasn’t true that Ike would have chased Charles Little down. Ike would have had the same problem Alexzander did, but she couldn’t bring herself to admit it. Not only that, but she couldn’t allow herself to fall in love with her husband. Ike was her one true love, and if Charles hadn’t taken him from her, they’d be happily married right now. Yet, she had made vows to Alexzander today, too.
She sighed, pulled on her shawl and headed for the door. “Where are you going now?”
Betsy looked at Maude who stood with her hands on her hips. “To the jail to make things right with my husband. Isn’t that what you want me to do?”
Maude shook her head. “Don’t do it because I want you to; do it because you know it’s the right thing to do.”
“I’m going, aren’t I?”
“Let me go with you. I’m not sure your husband would appreciate you running around town alone at night while the man who wants to defile you is loose.”
Betsy nodded and waited for her best friend to get ready to go out, and together they walked toward the jail. There was a lone lantern burning in the building and Betsy knew that Alexzander was doing exactly what he said he’d do, making himself a bed for the night, in case the town needed him. Just as she’d sent for him to do.
So far, he’d done everything she’d sent for him to do. He had arrested Charles; it wasn’t really his fault the man had been broken out of jail during their wedding. He’d married her just as she’d sent for him to do and even better, he kissed like a dream. He’d done his best to fulfill his job as the town's protector and lawman since he got here, too. Even before he’d been sworn in by the mayor. She had no reason to lash out at him besides fear, fear of the unknown.
Would Charles return and try to snatch her away? Would Alexzander demand a wedding night? Well, she knew the answer to one of those now, didn’t she? He wouldn’t. She’d been so nasty he’d rather sleep in the jail than spend the night with her. If she was honest with herself, she deserved being alone on her wedding night for the way she treated him.
Alexzander stood inside the jail and looked around the main room. He hadn’t paid much attention earlier because his focus was on the men in the office and not the office itself. What he saw angered him. It was no wonder that Deputy Autry got taken unaware by the six men who came to free Little. The office was set up so that anyone at the desk wouldn’t know who was entering the building until they cleared the door. The desk should be on the other side of the room facing the door with the wall behind it to protect the lawman’s back. There was a gun rack but it was in the open, giving anyone access to the weapons and ammunition within the cabinet. He shook his head. His pretty little bride thought her precious dead fiancé could do no wrong. Yet from what he could see, the man was an idiot when it came to protecting himself and his deputies. That Little hadn’t changed the arrangment, showed how he had ruled more by fear than by smarts.
To the left of the room from the door the desk, were three cells. On the right, a door leading somewhere else. He’d inspect the cells first because he figured the other room was a place for a deputy or the marshal to sleep if they had the overnight duty. Right now, he was too angry to sleep. He’d look the office over and then he’d go walk the town, starting with the saloon. Maybe there’d be someone looking for a fight he could pound into the ground.
The cells were dirty, and the cots smelled like they hadn’t ever been aired out. He would have his work cut out for him, but he would get everything put ship shape. After all, what else did he have to do with his time? His bride wasn’t really his bride; she had made it abundantly clear that he was only here to fill in for the dead Ike Hardin and catch his killer.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t been everything he didn’t know he wanted until he’d seen her. She had fit into his arms so well when they’d kissed, and she’d surprised him with the passion with which she’d returned his kisses and absolutely blown him away when he’d pulled back at the discreet signal from her chaperone and she’d taken the initiative and pulled him back for an
even hotter second taste. At that moment he’d wished he’d never promised her time to get to know him because he wanted her to be his wife in truth.
Then Little escaped and the woman he came back to was cold and cruel. She was nothing like the shy and passionate woman he’d met earlier. No, this was a spoiled child acting out because she didn’t get what she wanted. He shook his head. If he was smart he’d find a judge tomorrow and have this farce annulled. If it cost him the job of Town Marshal, so be it. He'd just use the last of his funds, get supplies, and go explore those mountains that loomed so majestically in the distance. While he may not ever be able to get Betsy Pike out of his heart, he’d lose himself like so many mountain men before him in the Big Lonesome up on top of some mountain. As long as he had his rifle, knife, and tomahawk, a place to sleep and game to hunt he’d be fine.
Alexzander started for the back room to see how bad a shape the place he’d be sleeping was when there was a sound from the door. A shuffling of feet, followed by a light knock. He sighed; he should have known there’d be a need for the law tonight. After all, the undesirable element thought he was enjoying his wedding night and the only deputy was laid up with a bullet wound. He strode over to the door and opened it to find his wife and her little friend standing there. “What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
He stopped talking when he saw the tears shimmering in Betsy’s eyes. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and take away whatever was causing her anguish. “I’m sorry,” she said as she placed her arms around him. “I shouldn’t have said those things. I was afraid of what Charles would do now that he’s free again and I was mad that he got away and I miss Ike and I shouldn’t have said those things to you. It's not your fault.”
Cautiously he put his arms around Betsy and looked down into her eyes as the tears she held slid free and raced down her cheeks. She was crying. He hated to see any woman cry but this one sent a pain right through his heart. “I understand, and your apology is accepted. It has been an eventful day for the both of us. But you have to tell me what you want, Betsy. If you want to try and make our marriage work, I’m all for taking the time and getting to know each other. If you don’t think you can get past the loss of Ike, then just let me know and I’ll go find a judge and get our marriage annulled. Then you can forget about me.”
Mail Order Marshal Page 5
