ROMANCE: Holiday Romance: Her Christmas Surprise (Sweet Clean Holiday Romance) (Holiday Bride Book 1)

by Mercy Levy

  John bit down hard on his lip. “The...sooner...the better...” he said biting back his temper.

  The man grinned and hurried away to the back room. Moments later he returned with a new pair of brown boots, a pair of brown pants, a gray button-up shirt and a dark brown jacket and tan hat. “Here you go,” he said handing John the items. “You can get dressed back there in the back room.”

  “Go on,” Melanie urged John. John hesitated and then walked away. “I need a horse and buggy,” Melanie told the man in a quick voice. Digging in her purse she brought out cash money. “I will be leaving with John as soon as you get me what I need. I will also need blankets, food, and a rifle. Can you get me what I need?”

  The man looked at the money in Melanie's hand. “Mam, you're wasting your time on that filthy Paiute. But that's none of my mind. As soon as you get him out of town, everyone will sleep a little better.”

  “Why? Why is John hated so much?” Melanie demanded.

  “That Paiute intends to kill Richard Griffith. That man keeps this town alive. If Richard Griffith ever pulled ups takes and left Greenville, why, this town would wither away in a matter of days. So you listen to me and listen good. I'll get you everything you asked for and you get that Paiute out of Nevada, you hear?”

  Melanie listened to the winds cry outside. “It's going to be cold and hard, but we'll make it to Virginia City and from there take a stage coach to Sacramento.”

  “The Paiute knows the way to Virginia City,” the man told Melanie. “Let me grab my coat. Give me half and hour and I'll have the horse and buggy in the back of my store. You be ready. Word is Richard Griffith is coming into town today looking for Edward Hayes. If your Paiute friend gets in the way, Richard might cut him down and--”

  “Or John might end Richard Griffith's life. Isn't that what you're worried about?” Melanie asked.

  “You just be ready,” the man ordered Melanie and hurried away.

  A few minutes later, John appeared in his new clothes. Handsome and intelligent looking, he slowly approached Melanie. “I will pay you the money for these clothes when--”

  Melanie shook her head at John. “I'm not worried about the money. I'm worried about you. I spent all night thinking about you, John. The Lord has laid you on my heart.” Easing her way over to the wooden stove, Melanie warmed her hands. “John, I've arranged for a horse and buggy. The owner of this store is taking care of the arrangements. He wants you out of town. We have to get to Virginia City. Can you get us there in this storm?”

  John carefully approached Melanie and warmed his hands at the stove. “If we are careful and do not drive the horses too hard, we can make Virginia City by noon tomorrow. I have seen worse storms, but we must use caution in any storm.”

  Melanie looked up into John's eyes. The man was tormented. “I know you don't want to leave without avenging your sister's death. But listen to me, God will judge the guilty, John. You have to believe that. If you love your sister, leave this place and be happy for her. Live for her, John. Smile the smiles that were stolen from your sister and laugh the laughs she never got to. Please.”

  “Why are you so kind?” John asked Melanie confused. “No one has ever shown me such kindness other than Mrs. Hayes. But as I grew into an adult, the love she showed me as a child began to change. I do not know why? Instead of loving me, Mrs. Hayes began to...tolerate me.”

  Melanie took her hand away from the arm stove and gently touched John's face. “I was raised in an orphanage. My mother deserted me, too. A man and woman from New York adopted me. I was ten years old. At last, I thought...a real family wanted me. The man and woman turned out to be very mean, though. At the age of sixteen, I escaped and returned to Atlanta. John, I know how it feels to be unloved and unwanted. Maybe...that's why I married my husband so quickly instead of taking the time to really understand and know him. My husband showed me such kindness and love...a kindness and love that I so desperately needed.”

  John raised his hand and softly touched Melanie's hand. Staring into her painful eyes, an understanding whispered in his heart that he had not seen before. Maybe, he thought, it was time to let go of his anger, have the faith his Bible taught him to have, and move on with his life. Had not God placed this strange woman in his path? Surely Melanie's presence was not a coincidence. “We will take the time we need to understand our hearts and what they need. Yes?”

  Melanie smiled as a single tear dropped from her eye. “Yes,” she said, “we will take all the time in the world, John. Love is not meant to be rushed.”

  “Love?” John whispered. Leaning forward, he placed his head down onto Melanie’s gentle shoulder and closed his eyes. “I have hunted for love like a warrior watching a deer in a distance that he would never be able to cross.”

  “Love is possible,” Melanie promised. “Now, we must hurry and get our supplies. We have a long journey ahead of us. But, oh, John, the journey will be very exciting.”

  For the first time in John's life, a smile touched his lips that came from a feeling if joy.

  *

  Edward Hayes watched John load blankets and food into the back of a worn down horse buggy attached to a brown and white horse that barely had strength enough to stand. When he spotted Melanie hurrying out of the back door of the General Store wrapped in a thick green blanket, he drew in a deep breath of cold air. He needed John's help. If John escaped Greenville, Edward thought to himself, any chance of bringing Richard Griffith to justice would fly out of the door into the wind. “Let's play cards,” he said and dashed out from behind a stack of empty supply boxes. “Hello, John!”

  John swirled around. When he saw Edward walking toward him, he grabbed Melanie's hand and pulled the woman behind the horse buggy. “What do you want?” he demanded of Edward.

  Melanie glanced at the rifle leaning against the far side of the horse buggy. John's hand was close enough to grab the rifle if the situation required. “I come in peace,” Edward answered John and pulled his jacket up off his pants to prove that he wasn't wearing a gun belt. “John, we both know Richard Griffith robbed the bank. He has to keep his hired guns paid but he can't do that when he gambles all his money away playing poker, now can he?”

  “I am leaving town, Edward,” John replied.

  “With a lovely woman, I see,” Edward smiled at Melanie. “Nice to see you again, mam.”

  “Leave us alone,” Melanie ordered Edward. “I'm taking John away from this horrible place. We're going to begin a new life together in Sacramento.”

  “That's fine,” Edward told Melanie, “but first I need John's help. You do want Richard Griffith brought to justice, don't you John? That skunk did kill your sister, didn't he?”

  Even though the icy winds were tearing into John's face with heartless claws, he felt his cheeks flush red with anger. “Of course I want justice brought to that man's neck.”

  “Good,” Edward grinned and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “John, I saw Richard rob the bank, and he saw me. I saw him gun down an innocent man. Now...I admit, I played the wrong cards afterward. I let Richard pay me off and send me out of town with a pocket full of money.”

  “You coward,” Melanie snapped at Edward.

  “Life of a gambler, I'm afraid,” Edward confessed as he walked closer to the horse buggy. “But even skunks like me has a conscience somewhere. The truth is...the blood of an innocent man haunts my every breath. I won't have peace until Richard Griffith hangs.”

  “What is your plan?” John asked.

  “John, no,” Melanie begged to feel the heavy snow attacking her face.

  “My plan is already in motion,” Edward explained. “Richard knows I'm back in Greenville. I sent word to him that I want more money. We're supposed to meet right here. All you have to do is get Sheriff over here and watch me play my last hand.”

  John turned and focused on Melanie. “It is possible that Edward may get Richard Griffith to confess. If the Sheriff is present, he will make an arr
est. Wheeler is an honest man.”

  Melanie wanted to beg John to run away with her; to ride away into the snow toward a warm spring and leave the horrible memories behind. But as she stared into John's eyes, she knew the man deserved peace. “One last battle, then?”

  “Yes,” John agreed. “And then we begin a life together in a new home that is clean of this ugly stain.”

  “Good,” Edward said please. “Now here's what you two need to do. Leave town. I want Richard to think you're gone. Then circle back and get the Sheriff. Richard is going to meet me at lunch. So hurry up and don't go for any romantic walks in the snow.”

  “My husband was killed because he was fighting for peace...don't die, too, John,” Melanie begged and threw her head into John's chest and began to cry. “Oh, please don't die, too...”

  Chapter 3

  Faith and Life

  John parked the horse buggy under a tall tree, unhitched the horse, and eased back into town in town with Melanie riding bareback. The storm was growing worse. He was worried. “Careful,” he said helping Melanie down off the horse.

  Melanie felt scared. “How are we going to get around to the front of the Sheriff's office without being seen?” she asked John. Standing at the back of the wooden building, she glanced up at a window lined with iron bars. The wind was throwing snow to the bars. “Lord, we need a miracle,” she whispered.

  John bent down, threw his hands down into the snow, and seconds later came up holding a few rocks in his hand. “Sometimes, we must bring the bird to us by using crumbs,” he explained to Melanie.

  “What are you going to do?” Melanie asked John, fighting to hold her bonnet still against the wind.

  “Summon the Sheriff,” John answered and, one by one, began throwing the rocks in his hand through the metal bars on the window.

  “Who's out there? You pesky kids better not be throwing rocks again,” a hard, rough, voice yelled from inside the building.

  Melanie watched as Sheriff Wheeler's face appeared behind the bars. “Sheriff Wheeler,” she called out, “we need your help. Please come around back. We can't be seen.”

  Sheriff Wheeler eyes Melanie and John through the snow. “Please,” John said in a voice just loud enough to carry over the wind, “Edward has set a trap to get a confession from Richard Griffith. He saw Richard rob the bank.”

  “Don't move an inch,” Sheriff Wheeler ordered and vanished from the window.

  Melanie grabbed John's hand. “I'm scared, John. I'm scared for you. I know God brought me here to take you from this awful place. Are we doing wrong by staying?”

  John studied Melanie's cold face. He didn't see a scared woman looking back at him with loving eyes. Instead, he saw a beautiful woman with a warmth and courage powerful enough to capture any man's heart. “My sister's voice calls to me while I dream. She was a woman much like yourself...beautiful, kind, loving, strong. She would have loved you and you would have loved her. Now is the time to stand strong and pray God wins our battle instead of fearing we have disobeyed His Will.”

  “I--”

  John reached out and touched Melanie's lips. “I see the heart of my sister in your heart. I can see now that God has given me back part of my sister, in you. You will laugh for my sister and smile her stolen smiles. You will share her heart and voice. Not only for my sister but for every woman that deserved love but were hunted down before they could taste the sweet water of a gentle stream. And I will laugh and smile for every man, such as Michael, the man my sister loved, that had their love stolen from them. Together, we allow love to live.”

  Tears began to fall from Melanie's eyes. And then, before she knew what John was doing, the man leaned forward and gently kissed her trembling lips. “Don't die,” Melanie begged.

  “You are the first woman I have ever kissed,” John whispered into Melanie's ear. “You will be the only woman I will ever kiss. Today you have hunted down my heart and pierced it with your arrows.”

  “What's this all about?” Sheriff Wheeler demanded rushing toward Melanie and John with his rifle at the ready.

  “Sheriff,” John spoke calmly, “Edward needs you to wait behind the General Store. Richard Griffith is going to meet him there at lunch. You will hear Richard Griffith confess that he robbed the bank.”

  “It's the truth,” Melanie promised Sheriff Wheeler. Taking John's hand she drew in a deep breath. “That's why Edward Hayes returned to town. He said he saw Richard Griffith rob the bank and kill that innocent man. But, he let Richard Griffith pay him off. He left town with the payoff money, but his conscience kept bothering him. So he came back to bring justice against the guilty.”

  Sheriff Wheeler stood very still and considered each and every word Melanie and John spoke to him. “I saw you two riding out of town.”

  “Edward wanted it to seem that we left in order to deceive Richard,” John explained. “He ordered us to double back and summon you.”

  “Alright then,” Sheriff Wheeler said in a rough voice, “let's go catch a killer.”

  “The owner of the General Store said if Richard Griffith was killed, then Greenville would die. He said that people depend on Richard Griffith.”

  “Then let people find a new cow to get milk from,” Sheriff Wheeler told Melanie. “I'm a lawman, not a politician. Let's go, the both of you.” Sheriff Wheeler raised his rifle and pointed it at John. “I'm going to lock you both up until I get the answers I need. Now move.”

  John shook his head no. “Richard Griffith murdered my sister and the man she loved. I will hear him confess the truth today.”

  “I said move,” Sheriff Wheeler demanded.

  “Shoot me if you have to,” John answered. “I will not be placed behind bars as a coward while the man who murdered my sister is free.”

  Melanie stepped in front of John. “Shoot me first, Sheriff, because I will stand with John for the rest of my life.”

  “Oh good grief,” Sheriff Wheeler fussed. “Come on then, let's get a move on. It's almost lunch.”

  Sheriff Wheeler hurried away. John and Melanie followed. As they reached the front street, a gun shot rang out from behind the General Store. Sheriff Wheeler stopped, reached down to his gun belt, drew out a gun and tossed it to John. “I'm making you a temporary deputy instead of a prisoner. Let's go.”

  “Stay behind me,” John ordered Melanie.

  “I promise,” Melanie told John.

  Together, Melanie and John followed Sheriff through the storm and stopped when they saw a man standing at the back of the General Store, looking down at a body. “Hands up, Griffith,” Sheriff Wheeler yelled raising his rifle as he cautiously approached Richard Griffith.

  John slid to a stop. He looked down at the snow. Edward Hayes lay dead. “You killed Edward!” John yelled.

  Melanie looked through the snow at a large man who was about her age. The man's attire was all black, including his hat. Even though the snow was heavy and visibility weak, she could see a set of deadly, cold, viscous eyes hiding under the hat, attached to a cruel face lined with greed and poison. It was no wonder the men in Greenville was scared of Richard Griffith, she thought. But John wasn't afraid of the man. “I didn't kill this crooked card player,” Richard yelled back at John. “This man tried to rob me. I killed him in self-defense. Look, there is his gun.”

  Melanie looked down at the snow. A gun was sitting beside Edward's right hand. “Edward Hayes wasn't a wearing a gun belt when we spoke to him, Sheriff.”

  “Edward never wore a gun belt. He was horrible with guns,” John snapped at Richard. “You shot him in cold blood because he saw you rob the bank.”

  “Now those are fighting words,” Richard hissed at John. “You should have left when you had the chance. I was gonna let you go, you filthy Paiute.”

  “Get your hands in the air,” Sheriff Wheeler ordered Richard. “We'll let Judge Whitfield decide what happened here.”

  Richard grinned. “Judge Whitfield and I are close friends. I'm sure he will s
ee it my way.”

  Richard's words punched John in the gut. Feeling his energy drain from his body, he dropped the gun in his hand. “This killer will go free,” he told Sheriff Wheeler. “Judge Whitfield will accept a bribe and excuse him from the hanging rope.”

  “That's right, you pathetic excuse for a man,” Richard laughed and held his hands out to Sheriff Wheeler. “Arrest me, Sheriff.”

  Sheriff Wheeler looked into Richard's poison face. And then he looked over at John. Nodding his head, he reached out and snatched Richard's gun away and threw it down into the snow. “John, how you are bare fist fighting?”

  “What are you doing?” Richard roared.

  Sheriff Wheeler backed up a few paces from Richard, carefully keeping his rifle at the ready. “Justice will be served today. John is going to one of two things, you filthy skunk. He is either going to beat you to death with his feast of beat a confession out of you.”

  John couldn't believe his ears. Suddenly, a bolt of energy surged through his body like lightning. “Bring justice to your sister and peace to your heart,” Melanie whispered in John's ear and gently kissed him. Then she bent down and picked up his gun. “I know how to use a gun. I will protect you.”

  “When my fist brings justice, we will leave this place,” John promised.

  Richard glared at Sheriff Wheeler. “I'm not going to fight that worthless Paiute. I refuse!”

  “Don't matter to me. But you better fight because John is going to cut you down with his fist if you don't,” Sheriff Wheeler warned Richard.

  Before Richard could say another word, John charged through the snow like a vicious bear. Throwing one hard fist after the next, he tore into Richard's face with deadly claws. Richard struggled to fight back, but the man was a coward without his hired guns to protect him and even more of a coward without his own gun to do his dirty work.

  Melanie watched as John punished Richard. “Confess to murdering my sister!” John yelled throwing a hard punch into Richard's face. The punch Richard down onto the ground.

  Bloody and beaten and afraid for his life, Richard yelled out. “I...killed your sister...and I robbed the bank...” Then he saw the gun sitting in the snow next to Edward's hands. In a last ditch effort to save his life, he reached and grabbed the gun before John could stop him. “I'm going to kill you the same way I killed your sister...but I won't make you beg for your worthless life the way I made her beg!”