With a deep calming breath, she threw open the door and marched into the room. All three men looked up in surprise as she came to a stop within a few inches of Cade.
"Tell me. Now."
The squeak of the rocking chair ceased. Zane and Trey didn't move, didn't speak.
Bella glared at Cade. She deserved to know; she needed to know. "What happened? Why are you calling Edward a murderer? And why did you have to get out of town?"
In unison, Zane and Trey headed to the door. "We're just going to get some fresh air," Zane said a moment before both men disappeared into the night. The door slammed shut behind them.
Cade's face was flushed, the muscle in his jaw tense. He was angry. But so was she. She wanted answers, and she wasn't going to let him rest until she got them. "Well?"
"You really don't know what happened?"
She threw up her hands. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking. All I know is that your mother died, and the next day, you were gone."
"You didn't hear anything?"
"I was young, and my father kept me shielded from anything unpleasant, so no, I didn't hear any of the details."
"She was murdered."
Bella gasped. She'd had no idea.
"By Edward Dobson."
Bella's hands flew to her mouth. That couldn't be true. "No … that's not possible …"
Cade laughed bitterly. "See, I knew you wouldn't believe me—"
He moved to turn away, but Bella grabbed his elbow. "Wait …"
He met her gaze, his eyes filled with pain and anger. "What?"
"Tell me everything," Bella said softly as she sank into the rocking chair and looked up at him.
For a long moment, Cade stared at her as if he was trying to decide if he should tell her the truth. Apparently deciding to trust her, he began. "He murdered her in cold blood. He got away with it. What more is there to tell you?"
"The details. Tell me what happened."
A log shifted in the fireplace, sending up a shower of sparks. Cade ran a hand through his hair. "Where do I start?"
"At the beginning."
"Okay," he said. "If you really want to know."
"I do."
Cade dragged a chair from the table closer to the fire. He straddled it, facing her. She noticed his fists were clenched, his body stiff.
"It was the day we buried Pa. By the time we got home, it was late in the afternoon. I went out to the barn and was brushing Dusty. Ma was in the house alone. I heard horses' hoofbeats, and when I looked out, Dobson's buggy was coming toward the house. I didn't think too much about it at the time."
"Had he come to offer condolences on your father's death?" Bella asked.
"That's what I thought," Cade answered. His gaze shifted to the flames curling around the wood in the fireplace. His face held a faraway look and his voice softened, as if he was reliving that afternoon.
Isabella leaned forward, straining to hear the rest of the story. "A while later, I put Dusty in his stall and gave him some oats. When I came around to the front of the house, Dobson was just coming out. He stared right at me and smiled. Then he got in his wagon and left."
Isabella sensed what he was about to tell her. Her insides clenched. "What happened next?"
"I went inside." In the firelight, Isabella noticed the way his eyes glistened, the pain he was suffering evident on his face. She was desperate to hear the rest of the story, but she waited quietly until he was ready to continue.
"Ma was dead." His voice was flat.
Even though Isabella had expected to hear that, the words still cut her. Cade's mother had been like a second mother to her when she was a child. Mrs. Morgan's death had hit her hard, but she'd assumed her death was from an accident, not as a result of violence.
"You think Edward killed her?" she asked.
Cade turned to face her. "I don't think it. I know it."
"How … how did she die …?"
"He raped her, and then he beat her to death."
His words sank into her, and her stomach clenched. She reached out and rested her hand on Cade's arm. "I'm so sorry," she said, her sympathy for the boy who'd witnessed such horror overwhelming her.
Cade let out a bitter laugh. "When I told the sheriff, he said Dobson was with him that afternoon. He accused me of lying and threatened to throw me in jail for killing her if I didn't get out of town. So I left."
Isabella couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was it possible Edward had actually murdered Cade's mother? And that the sheriff had covered it up?
"Cade … I can't believe--"
Cade jumped up, the chair scraping across the plank floor. "I didn't think you would."
She almost laughed. At least one old habit of his hadn't changed. He'd always interrupted her when he didn't like the way he thought her sentence might end. But she was no longer a girl, and she wouldn't put up with it now. She rose and met his gaze, her eyes steady. "Let me finish."
He glared at her. "Go ahead. Tell me how Dobson is a fine upstanding citizen and how it's not possible he could have killed her."
"I wasn't going to say that." She had thought it, though, for a moment or two. But Cade had never lied to her. Not once. And even though she hadn't seen him in years, she trusted him. Implicitly. "I was going to say that I can't believe the sheriff lied for him."
"You didn't know the sheriff was on Dobson's payroll?"
It was common knowledge that the sheriff and Edward were friends, but she'd had no idea there was more to their relationship. The question was, what was she going to do about it? "No," she said. "I didn't know."
"Funny that he died shortly after that, isn't it?" Cade added.
"Are you suggesting Edward had a hand in his death, too?"
"It was pretty convenient that his horse threw him while they were out hunting, wasn't it?"
"I … suppose it was …"
Cade tucked the chair under the table. "So now you know the truth. And whether you believe me or not, I'm not going to let you marry him."
Chapter 6
Cade stepped outside onto the porch and closed the door behind him. The moon had disappeared, the only light coming through the cabin window.
He should have told her the rest, that Dobson was using her to get to her money. He'd been tempted, but there was no way he could do that without hurting her. Hell, who wouldn't be hurt when they found out they were being taken advantage of?
Besides, the way her face paled when he told her about what Dobson had done to his mother, he wasn't sure she could handle any more.
He peered into the darkness. Where the hell were Trey and Zane? They wouldn't have left without telling him.
As if he'd conjured them up, they rounded the corner from behind the cabin. "You tell her?" Zane asked as he approached and climbed the steps to the porch.
Cade nodded. "She acts like she believes me, but I'm not really sure she does."
Turning to Zane, Trey spoke up. "Well, then, let's you and me go and find out."
"Wait a sec—" Too late. The door was closing behind Zane and Trey.
Cade knew he should follow them, but he couldn't bring himself to go inside and see the disbelief on her face. Voices floated through the door, but he couldn't make out the words.
Cade leaned against the porch railing, looking out as his mind filled with memories of Bella – Cade catching butterflies for her, Bella picking wildflowers, the two of them racing across the fields behind the ranch house. Days filled with sunshine and hope for the future.
He slammed his fist on the railing. Dobson had ruined everything.
Cade heard the door open, but he didn't turn around. Assuming it was either Trey or Zane, he asked the one question he did and didn't want to know the answer to. "Well, does she believe me?"
His heartbeat thumped when Bella answered. "Yes, she does."
He spun around as she came toward him and rested her hands on his arms.
She reached up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss on hi
s mouth. "She really does, and she wishes you'd told her what happened a long time ago."
Cade shook his head. He'd been so wrong not to tell her.
"Why now?" she asked.
"Because I found out you were going to marry Dobson."
"Did you think he'd hurt me, too?"
Cade shrugged.
"Are you keeping anything else from me?"
Dammit! He might as well tell her everything. "I also found out he wants your money."
Her brows knitted in a frown. "Why would he want my money? He has plenty of his own."
"No, he doesn't. Don't know what happened to it all, and don't care. But the note on his ranch is due on Monday. He needs your money to pay it, otherwise the bank will take it."
Isabella's hand flew to her mouth. She couldn't believe it. How could she have been fooled so easily? "How do you know?"
"I heard him tell the bank manager he'd have the money right after the wedding." Cade cupped her chin and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "So that's why if you don't marry him on Saturday, he won't marry you at all. It'll be too late."
She nibbled on her bottom lip, but didn't say anything more.
"I'm really sorry, Bella," he added. "I didn't want to tell you that part."
She tried to smile. "I'm glad you did, and I want you to promise me you won't keep any more secrets from me."
"I swear." He lowered his head and kissed her, a gentle promise that barely grazed her lips.
The sound of someone's throat clearing interrupted him. He pulled away and looked toward the doorway.
"Did you tell him your idea?" Trey asked Bella.
"Not yet." Turning to Cade, she tucked her hand beneath his arm. "Come inside. I have a plan."
"A plan for what?"
"To bring Edward to justice."
Cade couldn’t believe it. Bella, the woman he loved, really did believe him, and wanted to help him get his revenge.
The sun was barely rising in the east when the three men and Bella left the cabin and headed down the mountainside. Bella was exhausted and nervous, but the way Cade looked at her, as if she was a miracle worker, gave her the energy and strength she knew she'd need for their plan to work.
If it worked. If not, she could end up dead and Cade and his cousins could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Was she making a huge mistake? She'd only met Trey and Zane the night before, and she hadn't seen or heard from Cade in years. Was she ready to throw away her future because of a few kisses and a story that seemed unbelievable?
She was. She'd always trusted her intuition in the past, and that intuition had told her Edward wasn't the man he pretended to be. She'd tried to ignore it, and assuming Cade was telling the truth, she'd been right. That same intuition told her to trust Cade. She only hoped she wasn't wrong this time.
The scenery on the trail through the trees and down the mountain was spectacular. Although it was already late spring, the sun glistened off the snow still covering the ragged peaks of the Rockies. Hawks and eagles flew overhead, and wildflowers dotted the valleys and grasslands below.
Isabella would have enjoyed the ride if she hadn't been so frightened. Yes, she admitted to herself, she was terrified of what she was about to do. But after hours of planning and scheming, this was the only plan that had a chance of working.
"It'll be fine, Bella," Cade whispered in her ear. Since she had no horse of her own, again she was riding in front of Cade, his body pressed intimately against hers. One of his hands held the reins, the other was wrapped around her waist. He shifted slightly. Her heartbeat stuttered as his thumb grazed the underside of her breast.
His hand moved so quickly she thought she'd imagined his touch, but when she heard the sharp intake of his breath, she knew it had been real enough. Mercy, how was she going to manage being in such an intimate position until they reached town?
Somehow, she managed, and by the time Cade reined his horse to a stop in front of Mill Creek's only hotel, her nerves were ready to snap.
Trey and Zane nodded as they rode by and disappeared behind a wagon filled with sacks of grain.
"Are you sure about this?" Cade asked once he'd helped Isabella dismount. "We can ride out right now."
"No," she said sharply. "This is the only way to end this once and for all."
Cade sighed. "Okay." He took her arm and ushered her up the steps. into the hotel. After he'd paid for a room, Isabella went upstairs.
"You know what to do," he said to her when she came back down a few minutes later.
Isabella nodded and smiled, pretending a bravado she didn't feel. She handed him the room key, then turned and marched out of the hotel and along the wooden sidewalk to the sheriff's office.
Cade downed the remaining whiskey in his glass, the fiery liquid burning his throat. He cursed silently. He was a damn fool when it came to Bella. He'd had a plan - stop her marrying Dobson, watch Dobson's finances dry up like a creek bed in mid-summer, and enjoy seeing his destruction. Instead, he'd let Bella talk him into letting her go, all because she'd smiled at him and told him she believed him.
Right now, she was probably telling the sheriff everything, and chances were good the lawman was going to charge into the saloon any minute and arrest Cade for robbery and kidnapping.
He should get out now, ride away and never look back. California, maybe. Or up north. He'd heard there was a silver strike in Nevada. But even as the idea spun around in his mind, he knew he wouldn't leave. It was too late.
He'd come this far. He loved Bella, and if she betrayed him, he might as well spend his life in prison. It wasn't worth much without her anyway.
Throwing a coin on the bar, he got up and went back to the hotel room to wait. The hours dragged until finally, he saw her walking along the sidewalk toward the church at the edge of town. Dobson was with her, his hand wrapped possessively around her arm.
Anger and jealousy twisted Cade's gut. Bile rose in his throat, but he choked it down. Bella was smiling at Dobson, and Cade couldn't help wondering if the smile was real. Had she made a fool of him?
There was nothing he could do but wait and see.
Bella rested her hand on Edward's arm. "I'm so glad you're here, Edward. You must have ridden hard to reach Elm Creek so quickly."
He smiled down at her. "Like the wind, my dear. I'll always ride like the wind to get to you when you need me."
She stopped and turned to face him. "Edward, I …"
"What is it? Did that outlaw hurt you? You haven't told me anything about what happened."
"Later," she said. "I'll explain everything later."
"Then what is it?"
She met his gaze. Swallowing thickly, her voice was little more than a whisper when she managed to speak. "I want to change our plans."
She winced as his grip tightened on her arm for a moment before he released her and stepped back. "What do you mean, change our plans?"
"I want to get married now. Today."
"What? Oh …" She could almost hear the sigh of relief Edward was trying to hide. The thought crossed her mind that if a viper could smile, it would resemble the grin that crept across Edward's face.
"But we have the church reserved … and the preacher …" he protested.
"I don't care." Bella lifted her chin. "If you don't want to marry me—"
"Oh, but I do …" Edward glanced at the small whitewashed building set in a field of grass.
"Are you sure?" she pressed. "You don't seem very anxious."
"Of course I am … it's just …"
"It's today or not at all. I've made up my mind."
She could practically see his brain churning. "Very well, my dear. Anything for you."
Bella smiled. "Good. I hoped you'd agree. While I waited for you, I arranged for a preacher to marry us. He's at the church now, waiting for us."
"Then let's not keep him waiting," Edward said, tucking her hand beneath his arm and striding toward the church. "I'm sure this is goin
g to be a day we'll remember for the rest of our lives."
Bella cast a glance up at the hotel window as she passed. Yes, she thought, it definitely will.
Chapter 7
It was done. The vows were said.
The preacher stood at the front of the church, his face solemn. "I hope you'll both be very happy."
Bella tried to smile, but the nerves fluttering around in her stomach made it difficult to do anything but concentrate on not being sick.
Edward's hand rested on the small of her back, and he ushered her forward toward the door leading otuside. "We can head back to Silverdale first thing in the morning," Edward whispered in her ear once the preacher had moved away. "I have some urgent business to take care of. But I want to spend tonight alone with you."
The world spun, and for a few moments, she thought she might actually faint. Before they reached the door, she sucked in a steadying breath and stopped. "Before we go back to the hotel, I have to tell you what happened."
"Really, Isabella, now isn't the time."
She lifted her chin and met his gaze. "Actually, it is. You need to know everything."
Edward's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Did he … attack you … you'll be sorry if you married me under false pretenses. I expected a virgin—"
"No. I am …" She found it difficult to repeat the word. "Pure. But I want you to know the rest."
"It can wait." He grinned, leaning closer until his lips grazed her ear. "But I can't."
Isabella's knees trembled. "The man who kidnapped me was Cade Morgan."
Edward stepped back. The muscle in his jaw tensed and his face blanched. "Really," he said, his lips curling in a smile that didn’t' reach his eyes. "I thought he'd be dead long ago."
"He's very much alive," Isabella said. "And he told me some things …"
Edward's eyes narrowed. "What things?"
She took a deep breath, then blurted it out. "For one, that you murdered his mother."
Edward began to laugh, a cold sound that made Isabella's skin prickle. "He's been saying that for years."
"Is it true?"
Cade Page 4
