by Paige Powers
"I promise that you will be okay. Just stay with me. Please, Samantha."
She squeezed his hand, and Red could tell that she was trying to comfort him from the inevitable.
"No matter what, I love you." The words came out breathlessly.
Hearing the confession made his heart melt. It was too much too late for so many reasons.
"I love you too."
When she took her last breath, he was there with her. There with the woman he loved. And to know that she loved him just as deeply made it just a tiny bit easier to deal with losing her.
He knew that he had to get out of there. Red did not want to leave her there all alone, but he knew that there was nothing else that he could do at that moment. He had to go.
One last kiss, and Red knew that he had to leave Eagle Valley for good. He had no intent on returning.
His heart was forever broken, and Red knew that there would be no way to mend it. So when he sat around for the next twenty years, hurt and anger boiling in his system hardening his heart, he was led back to Eagle Valley.
When his feet were back on Arizona soil, he could feel Samantha's presence. It had been way too long and so much water under the bridge, but the swell of anger came rushing back.
He had found out directly after Samantha's death that she had told him the truth about Lou setting him up. The only assumption that Red could make was that Lou knew that Samantha still loved him and that any time Red returned could be a threat to Lou and Samantha's relationship.
Men had egos that were delicate, especially when the love of a woman was involved. Red had returned to the place that he had made his home, only to find out from his boss that he would not get paid for the job he had been sent on. That was the nail in the coffin, and Red knew from that point on that he would never let Lou Simmons live down the fact that he had taken away the only woman that he ever loved.
As far as Red was concerned, Lou Simmons owed him a debt that he could never repay. He vowed that he would come back and collect when Lou would least expect it.
And he did just that. Just as Red was unaware that Lou had set him up, Lou was unaware that Red had abducted his daughter. Red never had any intention of harming Bianca. He simply needed her as leverage to get what he wanted. What he wanted most was for Lou to be filled with the same anger and hurt that he had lived with for so long. And he wanted his money, which would not make up for his loss, but it would cushion the pain that he still felt about losing Samantha.
The plan seemed easy at first. He came back to town, knowing that no one in particular would recognize him by this time. His name was pretty infamous, but he was also known for committing a few crimes that he actually did not commit. When he saw the home where Lou resided, the rage and anger fueled again. This man, the very man that was responsible for his own wife's death, was able to move on to live extravagantly. Red wondered how Lou lived with what he had done.
It was not his cross to bear, so Red set about his plan. He'd been in town a few days, casing the Simmons family, learning their every move. When he felt like he knew more than enough, he sprang into action, abducting Bianca. Looking at her, Red knew that she was her mother's daughter. Seeing Samantha's eyes, he knew that he could not harm the girl. He simply used a little scented oil to cause her to go into a deep sleep, mostly so that she would not look at him with her mother's eyes. He tried to treat her as best as possible. How could he harm the daughter of the woman that had stolen his heart? Bianca was totally innocent in all of this. A man's war of egos.
Lou was willing to give him the ransom much easier than he thought he would. When he did, Red knew that it was time to leave. He made one last stop to the place where he'd left his heart, and knew that once Eagle Valley was behind him, he would never be able to step foot there again.
And that was all right. He had lost way more there than he ever anticipated, and Eagle Valley was a memory that he would need to forget in order to keep living. So he simply left Bianca in the small clapboard house, alone. Red knew that she would figure out eventually that he would not return. And if she did not figure it out on time, Lou's search party would find her safe and sound and take her home.
Red set off to nowhere in particular. Men like him did not have a home base. Red preferred the wide open range and the freedom to roam, the very lifestyle that had cost him a life with the only woman that he loved.
Chapter 7
"Red Davies, come on out! U.S. Marshals. We have you surrounded!"
Guns drawn, the Marshals surrounded the clapboard house. They kept their eyes glued on the windows and the door.
"Let's end this calmly Red. No one has to get hurt." Boyd did his best to keep the situation as peaceful as negotiating the surrender of a kidnapper could be.
Fingers poised on the triggers, all three men were ready for anything. The door flew open.
"Please don't shoot. Scout! Please! It's me. Bianca. I am in here alone. Don't shoot!"
"Bianca!"
Scout edged closer, gun still drawn just in case. Bianca came tearing out of the house, and practically knocked her brother to the ground.
Boyd and Beau took a brief moment to regard what was happened, but neither man let their guard down.
"Are you all right?" Scout turned his sister around, checking her for any signs of bruising or wounds.
Tears rolled down the woman's face. "I am fine. Really. And he is gone."
Beau continued to secure the perimeter. "How do you know that for sure?"
Bianca used her sleeve to wipe away the tears. "He took the bag he always carried, and the horse and wagon is gone. In the week that I've been with him, if he left shortly, he left the wagon. I think he got the ransom and left for good."
The siblings embraced. Boyd was happy to see the love between the two.
A clap of thunder rolled, and then lightening lit up the graying sky.
"Maybe we had better take shelter," Bianca suggested.
"I don't think it's such a good idea to stay in this house. We do not know if Red is returning and who he could return with," Beau commented.
"We have food in here and besides, I think we are about to get caught in a torrential rain storm."
The men contemplated what she suggested. Bianca was right. There was no reason to travel for the immediate moment, and all become soaked to the bone in the rain. The men stepped inside just as the skies opened up and dowsed the earth with rain.
Boyd watched as the rain soaked the earth. "Looks like we found shelter just in time."
"Thank goodness you all found me. I hope that your journey to me was a safe one."
"Yes Ma'am. It was our pleasure." Beau tipped his hat to the woman and then took it completely off of his head. Scout and Boyd followed suit.
"To whom do I owe the unending appreciation of saving my life?"
Scout held out his hand. "My sister, please meet Boyd and Beau Abbott. They are the wonderful United States Marshals that led the search efforts to find you."
"Why thank you." First she walked over to Beau, offering a curtsey, then to Boyd, offering the same. In Boyd's presence, she lingered just a second longer, holding his gaze.
"Thank you, gentlemen. I will never be able to repay you for all that you have done. I pray that the efforts to find me have not taken you too far away from your families."
"As a matter of fact, sister, the two of them are twins, which you can most likely tell. And they have moved to Arizona from South Carolina."
"Well, that is impressive. I have never been that far away from home. And the two of you doing so together is even more of a testament to the power of family. As you see, my brother and I are different, but very close."
Beau responded. "Your brother Scout has recounted the story to us, Ms. Simmons. We are just happy to be able to help, and looking forward to living here."
Bianca clasped her hands together, a tired smile coming across her face. "I can only assume how tired and hungry you all must be. I am one hundred percen
t confident that Red Davies, my captor, will not be returning. So we can stay here and wait out the storm with a cabinet full of food items."
The rain sounded like it was going to come straight through the roof. Boyd was not sure how secure their shelter was, but it would have to do. Fortunately, the horses were corralled behind them in the barn so that they would be safe from the weather. Thunder crashed, and lightening illuminated the sky. Without it, there was gray and it was too dark, although it was day time. Bianca bounced around, obviously full of anxiety. Scout tried to calm her, and reassure his sister that they were there to protect her.
"Who does this house belong to?" Boyd questioned.
"I really don't know. I assumed that it belonged to Red. He was pretty familiar with his surroundings while we were here."
"Well, I don't want to get too comfortable. We need to head back as soon as the weather lets up."
"Boyd is it?" Bianca asked politely.
"Actually Ma'am, I'm Beau."
"I'm so sorry about that. Beau, I think that you have spoken a truth. I really would like to get home as soon as possible, if you all do not mind."
"We will make that happen, sister. It is not the smartest idea to get out in this weather, especially without a covered wagon. Being out on the range with the land wide open, lightening is way too dangerous."
Thunder rumbled so hard that it shook the house.
"Apparently not," Bianca replied, and the tension and anxiety in the room broke immediately.
Bianca busied herself making coffee for everyone. Beau and Boyd never truly left their posts near the windows. As far as they were concerned, there was potential for Red Davies to return at any moment, and they wanted to be prepared.
"I don't think that he's coming back," Bianca commented.
Boyd looked over in Bianca's direction. "You can never be too sure, Miss Simmons."
Their eyes met. All of a sudden, Boyd felt giddy, dizzy with an unknown emotion. It was as if when their eyes met, his world all of a sudden went off kilter.
Bianca blushed. "Coffee?" She walked over to him, and offered him his cup personally.
"Thank you."
Bianca shrugged like it was not a big deal. "It's black. There is nothing else to offer to go with it."
"It's fine." He sipped his coffee, which was strong and black just as he needed in this moment. "Thank you very much."
Bianca stood there as if she was thinking and wanted to say something, and then walked away.
Boyd sipped his coffee, his mind newly on the woman standing in front of him. She was gorgeous. Her spirit was infectious. Her smile was genuine, although she looked to be a bit exhausted, which made a lot of sense.
He tried to turn around and focus on something else. Seeing Bianca in person was practically mind blowing. This is the woman who they had searched for, the woman that he heard about, but had not known or seen in person.
It had been storming for at least on hour, but it looked to slack off briefly before starting back steady again.
Neither Boyd nor Beau let up from their watch. As far as Boyd was concerned, there was no way that he was going to back off of his job until Bianca was home in her father's house.
The rain was coming down in sleets, to the point where visibility was not present.
Scout was not letting Bianca out of his sight, and Boyd understood. If he had a sister, he would fiercely protect her at all costs. He sympathized with Scout's fight to preserve his family.
"Ms. Simmons, I know that it is still a delicate time, but it would be best if you described for us what happened during your abduction. It would be helpful to know so that when we locate Red Davies, we can lodge the correct charges against him."
A scowl came across Scout's face. "Beau, I really don't think that this is the time to discuss such things."
Boyd did not want any issues to arise between his brother and Scout, but he agreed with Beau.
"I agree with my brother. It's best to hear your sister's account of things as long as they are fresh in her memory. The longer we wait, the more the memories start to fade or get confused."
"What else is there to know? Red Davies, that devil of a character, kidnapped my sister and held her for ransom. When he got the money, he ran off and it was the best thing that he could have done. End of story."
Boyd knew that he had to tread lightly. "Scout, we are all glad that it's over, but it is important to know what happened. What if your sister needs to see a doctor? And we need to make sure that we have a full account of what transpired. It may be difficult to hear, but we need to know so like Beau said, when we catch Red, and we will catch Red, we will be able to put him away for good."
Scout gently massaged his sister's hand. "I just really don't want to listen to what he did to hurt her." Scout's jaw was clenched when he spoke, and it was apparent that he was full of rage.
"It is all right, Scout. It would be better for me to get it off of my chest. Talking about it will make it better, and I would like to do whatever I can to make sure that Red is caught."
Bianca closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to recount everything that she could remember about the past week.
*
The second Red revealed that he had been in love with her mother, Bianca knew that the man would not harm her. She could tell by the look in his eyes when he told the stories and mentioned her mother's name, that he could not harm her. And she had a certain respect for him as well. After all, no one had ever shared any stories with her about her mother.
Now Samantha seemed more real to her. A woman in love. Torn between two men. It was the kind of tragic love story that one read about in poetry books.
So for the duration of her abduction, she held on to the fact that this man had once not only known her mother, but loved her mother. That had to count for more than the anger that he possessed for her father.
She still was not sure what exactly Red used to make her pass out all of those times, but she was just happy that he gained more trust in her. Bianca knew that if she played it smart, she would go home alive, and that was her goal the entire time.
Red did not talk much. He also did not bother her much either. The entire time, it was as if he was lost in his own thoughts. Bianca took it for what it was, and appreciated the fact that her abductor did not harm her.
Bianca explained how they traveled back and forth along the path, how they came to this clapboard house twice, and how they camped out in a place that she thought she had been familiar with.
"It was a trip that my father and I took once. I am almost certain that I passed by there before. At least I felt like it was familiar."
"So you are saying that he did not harm you?" Beau questioned.
"Except for whatever that was he used to render her unconscious," Scout added.
"Yes. I am saying that I am fine. After making camp, I actually did the fishing and we sat to eat."
Scout bolted out of his seat. "You speak of this man as if you became friends with him."
"Brother, calm down."
"I can not calm down! It is as if you have developed a sweet spot for the man. I do not understand what is going on here with you." Scout held his head in his hands.
Bianca rushed to his side, trying her best to make him understand.
"I do not have a sweet spot for him. I, more than any of you, understand the circumstances here. But I have to have the tiniest bit of respect for the only person to ever share any information about my mother with me."
Bianca was standing by now as well, and in protest, she stamped her foot on the ground.
Scout regarded what she was saying.
"You, my brother, your parents may not be together in a conventional way, but you have grown up with both of them in your life. Me on the other hand, I did not have my mother to guide me and to nurture me through what it is like to be a young woman. I only had my father."
"But you had my mother as well. She was always willing to be there for
you."
"Brother, I tell you that it was not the same. But I know you do not understand that. You do not know what it is like to always wonder what your mother's laugh sounded like, or what it would be like for her to scold you for taking too many cakes before dinner. I do not know what it is like to share secrets with my mother and confide in her about falling in love. And while your mother was there for me, it is just not the same."
The pain on Scout's face would be unforgettable. Bianca did not know how else to make him understand how she felt, so she decided to leave well enough alone.
"We had gone to a small town, and Red stopped at the telegram office. He came back the next day, and threw a huge bag in the back of the wagon. I dared not touch it. Red admitted that he asked for ransom, and I knew from that point that he would get his money because Father would rather give in to a ransom than see me unsafe. After we returned here to this house, he asked me if he could trust me to stay here if he left for a while. I told him he could, and he was off."
"So you are saying that Red did no real harm to you?" Beau asked again.
Bianca shook her head. "No. Nothing. Like I said, he told me stories about my mother, and I could tell that he was in love with her. So very in love. I knew that he would not harm me."
"That was a strong faith that he would not harm you. You did not really know for sure that he would not. After all, didn't you say that he was using something that was making you go to sleep and you did not know what it was?" Boyd wanted Bianca to see that, although it seemed that Red Davies had some sort of redeeming quality, it did not negate the fact that he had preyed upon her, kidnapped her, and held her for ransom.
"I get what you are saying, Boyd. But sometimes, when life seems that it has given you something that you can't handle, you are much stronger than you anticipated."
Boyd tried not to crack a smile. The woman was right. Not only was she beautiful and obviously possessed of a quiet strength, she was also intelligent and able to fend for herself. It made her all the more attractive.
He shifted his attention out of the window. It was the only way to handle the butterflies that were swirling in his stomach. With Bianca standing so close to him, he was not sure what it was that he was feeling. He had never been in love before, or even close to feeling love for any woman, so he was not sure what it was that was going on, but he had not missed the way she looked at him. At first, he thought that her expression was appreciation for being part of her rescue. But Beau had been part of the rescue, and Bianca was not giving his brother the same attention.
