“Let’s go,” William declared, eyes cold as night.
Lily startled, hearing the barked order. “Go? Why would I go anywhere? I work in this building. I live here.” Actually, she now lived at the ranch, but he needn’t be apprised of that bit of information.
“Come on. We’re leaving now.” He sounded agitated, impatient. Frightening.
While Lily briefly considered whether or not she should argue, William rushed forward, grabbed her arm, and yanked her toward the back room before she realized what had happened.
“Where are we going?” She tripped along at his side, losing her balance a few times. He tightened his grip on her arm to the point of inflicting pain, and she grimaced. He’d never been a nice man, never shown any respect for women. Some things never changed.
He unlatched the back door, poked his head outside, and then shoved her ahead of him. He closed the door and almost dragged her along the wall leading to the street.
“Keep quiet,” he warned, speaking close to her ear and yanking a piece of cloth from his jacket pocket. He turned her around, forcing the cloth between her lips and into her mouth before tying it tightly. She couldn’t breathe from fright. This wasn’t a simple trip to the hotel or to find her father. And then his intentions became clear.
William was abducting her!
All the business in Boston had been settled. She couldn’t imagine why he would kidnap her. As he dragged her along the back alley, her dress caught on a jagged chunk of metal sticking out of the ground. A piece ripped from her skirt and hooked itself to the offending object. Tears sprang to her eyes. She’d loved this dress and now it was ruined. But an idea popped into her head. If someone noticed the material and recognized it, would they guess something was amiss? Would they realize she was in danger? Would they come looking for her? A lot of ‘would theys’ to consider.
Suddenly, William stopped beside a gray gelding tied to a skinny tree a few feet from the street. He grasped Lily’s hair, his filthy hands squeezing the bun at her neck while he mounted the horse. He yanked her onto the animal, almost taking her arm out of the socket, and then settled her behind him. “Bury your head in my jacket to cover the gag. Don’t make any noise or you’ll regret it,” he growled, showing her a glimpse of the pistol tucked into his trousers before taking up the reins.
Lily sat in total disbelief. Was there any hope of someone realizing what was happening? William sounded angry and desperate. Capable of almost anything. Would he harm her? Or worse? Tears filled her eyes. Considering it prudent to comply with his request, she buried her face in his foul-smelling coat and worried she’d never see Jackson or her father again.
Chapter 33
As Lily rode astride behind William, she cringed. Her skirts kept riding up, displaying her ankles and then her calves. She couldn’t even consider what all would be in view by the time they reached their destination. Wherever that would be. She reached down and tugged on her skirts, for all the good it did. A substantial amount of leg remained in full view.
She peeked out at her surroundings. William must be taking a back way out of Milestone. Nothing looked familiar. She heard the ring of a blacksmith’s hammer on steel coming from somewhere to her left. Was that the livery? She dared to raise her head and take a good look. They were leaving the outskirts of Milestone. Judging by the sun lowering in the western sky, they were heading north.
After they’d traveled a short distance from town, William pulled up on the reins and leapt off the horse, dragging her down a second later. She stumbled on the uneven, rocky ground but caught her balance. He produced what appeared to be a bandana, similar to the one she noticed the McLennon men wearing when they left the house to work with the animals. Where would William have gotten such a thing?
“Come here.” He roughly yanked the gag from her mouth.
Lily’s eyes stung from the pain. “I need to visit the bushes for a minute,” she declared, hoping her tone of voice conveyed her conviction. She wasn’t giving him a choice. “I’m certain you understand my meaning.”
He muttered a curse and then nodded. “Hurry it up.”
Lily scurried behind a bush several feet from where William waited with the horse. While completing her business, not an easy undertaking in these long skirts, Lily’s breath caught as an idea crossed her mind. She peeked over at William who paced and muttered to himself, and wasn’t looking her way. She lifted her dress’s skirt. Thankfully, she hadn’t wasted the funds to replace her oldest, thinning and slightly frayed petticoat. She easily ripped off a substantial piece.
“What’s taking so damn long?” he called.
Her heart almost stopped, fearing he’d heard the material rip. “Just another minute, please.”
She quickly tore the material into smaller strips and then stuffed them into her pockets, blessing the seamstress who’d included such deep pockets in the dress’s design. She smoothed her hands down her skirts and returned to where William waited, praying he wouldn’t notice the slightly bulging pockets.
“Took you long enough,” he complained.
“Why are you doing this?” she ventured.
“I never wanted to sell the businesses, but your father insisted,” he scoffed. “When it came time to divvy up the funds, Harold instructed the lawyer to deduct the sum Winston stole from my portion. Harold gave him the combination to the safe, not me! But there was no telling William otherwise. And the damn lawyer sided with him.”
“It does seem—”
“It doesn’t seem anything. I was robbed, plain and simple,” William blurted. “Again my useless brother ruins something for me. He’s always to blame.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Our entire lives, Father pushed Winston and me to succeed, to compete, to make him proud. I surpassed Father’s expectations time and time again.” He tightened the cinch on the saddle while he talked. “Winston rebelled. Took to gambling and a life of crime. A family embarrassment his entire sorry life. His death didn’t surprise me. Good riddance to the coward.”
“Why were you angry when Father decided to sell the businesses?” Lily detected William’s increasing anger and annoyance. Clearly, he blamed her father for his current misfortune.
“Harold had enough of business, enough of Boston. When offers came in at mere pennies on the dollar, he agreed to the sale. Despite my objections, he refused to wait for something better.” William cursed and she felt her face flaming at the profanity. “Because of your mother’s death and you disappearing, Harold cost me a lot of money. I hated him for it, hated both of you. I grabbed my share of the money and left Boston. I never wanted to lay eyes on Harold again for fear I’d kill the man.”
Lily gasped. Desperation caused men to do the unthinkable. She couldn’t trust William for a minute. “Why are you here then? Why are you doing this to me?”
“I shouldn’t have taken my cash and left. I should have deposited the funds in the bank, decided where I should go in life. Made plans and moved forward, putting my hatred behind me. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
“What happened? Why are you in this state?” With her mother’s sudden passing, Lily and her father had suffered a loss, but William had lost what mattered most to him also, his businesses and substantial financial investment in them.
“Highwaymen jumped me on the trail. Beat me. Robbed me of every dollar I’d stashed in a leather bag tied to the saddle. Thousands of dollars. I was left broke, except for a few bills and the coins in my pockets.”
Lily gasped. No wonder he’d turned to this desperate measure, hoping to exact revenge on her father through her. He was penniless! Probably a fate worse than death, to his way of thinking.
“Harold owes me. I’m holding you until he pays me the money Winston stole from the safe. It wasn’t my doing and I’m not taking the financial loss for it. Harold’s paying me what I’m due, or he’ll never see you again.” He roughly grabbed her and tied the blindfold over her eyes.
“Is th
is really necessary?” she demanded, hating the thought of blindly riding the horse with only William to rely on for her safety. What if she fell off? She could be seriously injured.
“If you try to escape, there’s less chance of you finding your bearings before I catch up with you.” He laughed, wickedly. “And I will find you. It wouldn’t be in your best interest when I do.”
Lily swallowed hard, forcing down the bile threatening to rise into her throat now that her world had been plunged into complete darkness. She feared what would happen should she be sick while riding behind him. Already agitated with her, he could do anything in retaliation. She gasped when he grabbed her hair. And then she heard the creak of leather as he climbed back into the saddle.
“Give me your hand.”
She raised her arm and held her breath, uncertain what he had in mind. He roughly grabbed her and almost yanked her arm out of the socket again when he lifted her up behind him. Lily settled herself as best she could, blindly pulling her skirts down.
Soon they were moving again, Lily riding behind him, crushed against his back. She reached into her pocket, slipped one of the strips out, and then dropped it. Best she was discovered sooner rather than later if her plan was flawed.
William shifted in the saddle, talking to himself. Lily tensed, catching a few words but unable to hear clearly from behind him. Had he discovered the material she’d dropped? They continued on and she relaxed, realizing he hadn’t detected what she’d done. Perhaps his agitation had been due to the tale he related about his brother.
She could judge by the sound of his voice that he remained facing forward and wasn’t likely to catch her. Having traveled some distance, Lily dared to drop another strip as he continued talking to himself. She couldn’t see a single thing, but her hearing hadn’t been affected. Several minutes later, she dropped another strip while he continued to rant.
Lily wavered on the horse and grabbed for something to steady herself. She clasped a handful of material which she recognized as William’s suit jacket, the dangling sleeve slapping her hand. A minute later, she dropped her last piece of material. Now, she prayed someone would notice them and question their presence on the range.
Suddenly, the horse halted and Lily was thrown against William’s back. He shoved her aside and dismounted. Lily had lost track of her bearings shortly after leaving Milestone.
“Are we here?” she whispered.
William yanked the bandana from her head. She blinked, temporarily blinded by the sudden light, even though the sun rode closer to the horizon. Lily glanced to her left, then to the right, and she almost gasped but caught herself in time. Stopping herself from smiling took every bit of self-control she could muster.
Lily knew exactly where she was!
Chapter 34
Jackson strode toward the Copper Nugget Saloon, intending to indulge in a cold beer before heading back to the Double M. He’d dropped by the clothing emporium but the front door was locked and it didn’t appear any of the women were inside. Odd, considering Lily had told him to pick her up at four o’clock. Perhaps she’d arranged a ride back to the ranch with her father.
As he approached the saloon and passed by the side alley, raised voices startled him from his thoughts. He caught the word ‘Lily’ and his heart almost stopped. What the heck? He retraced his steps and crept along the wall, hoping to avoid detection until he learned what was going on.
“Why would you take my daughter, William?” Harold Watson blurted. “She didn’t have anything to do with this.”
William? Jackson peered around the corner at the man standing beside Harold. That tattered piece of trash must be William Connors!
“Perhaps not,” Connors admitted. “But I needed to ensure you listened and followed orders for once.”
Jackson glared at Connors holding Harold at gunpoint. Neither man appeared happy with the other.
Why would you take my daughter?
The meaning of the words penetrated Jackson’s mind, and his blood ran cold. Connors had kidnapped Lily! That’s why she hadn’t been at the store when he dropped by to drive her back to the ranch. Where had the bastard taken her?
Jackson burst around the corner. “Where’s Lily?” he demanded, cursing himself for not carrying a firearm.
Connors swung around, pointing his pistol at Jackson. “Well, I’ll bet you’re the fiancé I’ve heard about. Going to marry Lily, are you?” He laughed, maniacally. “We’ll see about that.”
“Harm one hair on her head—”
“You’re welcome to her if Harold hands over the money he owes me!” Connors shouted.
“I don’t owe you one penny,” Harold argued.
Jackson met his future father-in-law’s eyes and shook his head. Connors sounded plenty riled up, and who knew what he’d do if his demands weren’t met. “I want Lily returned, then we’ll sit down like gentlemen and discuss this difference of opinion.”
“Lily is my leverage. Once I receive what I’m due, I’ll tell you exactly where you can find your precious fiancée. But not until.” Connors waved the pistol about while he spoke without any regard to the potential for disaster should the gun go off accidentally.
Jackson stood his ground. “How do we know you haven’t harmed her already,” he called Connors’s bluff.
“Because I told you so,” he retaliated.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Harold interjected. “What exactly do you think I owe you?”
“The money Winston absconded with from the company safe. The funds you allowed my brother to steal from us by giving him the damn combination!” Connors shouted.
“The lawyer agreed that I wasn’t responsible. That you’d taken control of the day-to-day business. That you should have realized there were funds missing and why.” Harold argued the settlement of assets.
Jackson had learned what occurred in Boston from Sawyer Manning. And Harold himself had filled in any missing bits. “The matter was settled in Boston weeks ago!” he declared. “So why has everything that happened then become an issue again?”
“Because he’s lost it all,” Harold scoffed. “Instead of depositing his funds in a bank, he high-tailed it out of town and then was robbed blind by thieves on the trail.”
Jackson glared at Connors. “Is that true?”
Connors nodded. “It’s all Harold’s fault. If he hadn’t insisted we sell—”
“Can we please get past that?” Harold shook his head. “I wanted out of the partnership. You didn’t have the funds to buy my half and you had no way of recouping the losses from Winston. We sold the businesses. End of story.”
Connors shook his head emphatically. “My life’s work went into those businesses. You sold them for pennies on the dollar. I won’t accept that I’ve nothing to show for the blood and sweat I contributed to that enterprise! I refuse to!”
Harold took a step toward his former partner. “William, there’s no way—”
“Get my money! Get it now!” Connors pointed the pistol at Harold.
Harold raised his hands in surrender. “All of my funds are in the First National Bank. The Milestone branch will reopen in a few days, but I have no way of accessing the money today.”
Jackson hoped Connors hadn’t learned that Harold was in fact the new bank manager and could access funds whenever he pleased. The ploy might buy them some precious time, allowing them to discover Lily’s whereabouts and rescue her.
The alternative wasn’t worth considering.
* * *
Lily tugged on the ropes that were cutting into her tender skin while holding her securely tied to the wooden chair. When they’d dismounted and William removed the blindfold, she’d immediately recognized the old shack on the Double M Ranch. The shack she’d investigated several weeks ago with Jackson during their tour of the ranch.
William must have stumbled upon it on his way to Milestone. Did her captor even realize it was situated on Double M land? Lily had felt so lucky to have left Bo
ston when she did, escaping from William and any possibility of a marriage to him. But had her luck run out? Would anyone ever find her? Would she live to see her wedding to Jackson? Would anyone suspect she was being held prisoner in this remote shack by a very angry and dangerous man? How ironic the place the McLennons used to save the life of a traveler caught in a nasty storm, could be the reason for her demise. She shivered at the possibility.
William had departed for who knows where shortly after tying her up. She should have insisted he start a fire to take off the chill. If someone had spotted smoke rising from the chimney of the normally deserted shack, one of the ranch hands might have come to investigate. Surely, any source of smoke would be checked for fear of a wildfire. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner.
Her only hope, as she saw it, was someone discovering the torn pieces of her petticoat. Would they lead someone to the shack? What if the wind carried them off, destroying the trail of clues she’d left? She couldn’t believe her future, perhaps her very life, depended on ragged strips of a petticoat. She laughed despite the gag in her mouth. She should suggest Amanda design her petticoats with a section that could be easily ripped out in case the wearer required rescuing from a deranged kidnapper.
A few tears trickled down her cheeks. She needed these occasional humorous thoughts to see her through this; she couldn’t help being frightened. Truth be told, she’d never been so scared in her entire life. At this point, she’d even welcome the company of a mouse; they’d seen several when they first entered the deserted old shack. But the little creatures were frightened off when William and she took over their home. Clearly, Lily was losing your mind. She hated mice and here she was hoping for their companionship.
Canceled-Order Bride (Sons Of A Gun Book 1) Page 23
