“That sounds perfect, Vera. Thank you, and this breakfast looks delicious,” she answered before eating.
The older cook smiled brightly at the compliment. “You are a polite young lady, my dear. You were raised right. Please don’t change.”
Cordelia remembered being raised by a step-mother who spoke as much with the back of her hand as she did with words and a father too busy making money to care what happened to his daughter. The days her step-mother struck her with more than a hand or fist, Cordelia was restricted to her room with what her step-mother explained was simple fits of female fancy. Her father never questioned his wife and decided his daughter was too flighty for marriage to anyone in their social circles. It didn’t take long for her step-mother to convince her father that living in the country might cure her of her ails. Being sent to live with her Aunt Alberta and Uncle Morton was the best thing to happen to Cordelia in her life until she set eyes on Adam Greiner. Soon, very soon, he would be hers.
Cordelia thanked Vera for the packed lunch and walked out to the small barn behind her uncle’s large home. When she arrived in town, her uncle insisted she have her own horse and Cordelia tried to convince him she didn’t need one. She laughed at the memory of the conversation when her uncle told her not to feel she was taking advantage of him. He didn’t want her to walk around town or stroll too far away from the town proper without a way to return back quickly. He had no idea that Cordelia had her heart set on a buggy similar to one he drove to his office each morning. She didn’t want to ride the horse, to smell like a horse, or have her hair windblown, but she couldn’t do a thing about the appalling situation.
The young man her uncle employed to care for the horses and do work around the yard and house greeted her. She shuddered when she looked at the unkempt young man. Never giving a second thought to the fact that he had been working hard in the yard and stable since sunrise, she assumed he enjoyed being dirty and smelling like a barn.
“Good morning, Miss Willoughby. You look like you’re ready for a ride today. Just give me a bit to get your horse saddled.” He turned and hurried into the barn returning shortly with her horse ready for her.
He cupped his hands together and asked, “Do you need help up again, Miss?”
She shuddered thinking about him touching her. “Don’t you have the box we used last time?” Cordelia snapped.
“Of course.” He hurried back into the barn and returned with a box that he sat next to her horse.
She gripped the horse’s mane to steady herself and pulled herself up onto the box. After the second try, she managed to throw her leg over the horse’s back and settle into the saddle. After a few minutes of speaking to the horse and trying to get it to listen to her, the horse began to trot away from the barn.
The young man shook his head. “The woman needs riding lessons. Old man Willoughby was a fool to give her a horse. She needs a keeper.” He watched the horse disappear in the distance and turned back to his chores.
Cordelia felt a surge of satisfaction that the horse was doing her bidding and she began to play out her plan in her mind. Little Miss “I think I’m marrying Adam” Broadmoor was in for a big surprise, and with any luck, no one would ever see her in town again. Cordelia had enough money in her pocket for Rebecca to buy a train ticket to anywhere she desired as long as it was far away. Then Adam would marry Cordelia, and she would return home a lady richer than her step-mother ever dreamed of since Uncle Morton told her he would leave his estate to her. With a handsome man on her arm, her step-mother and father would be shocked and surprised she accomplished what they assumed she never would and if she were lucky, she and her step-mother would be alone at least once so Cordelia could show her what a solid punch felt like. Yes, Cordelia thought as she rode away from town, that would be a marvelous day.
Overhearing Miranda and Becca speaking after church the previous day had been a stroke of luck. Adam would be out checking fences all day, and Becca would be at the house hanging new curtains. Cordelia’s plan would work out perfectly with Becca at Adam’s house all alone. No one would miss her for hours and hours. She smiled as she rode toward the back of Adam’s cherry orchard. It wouldn’t look right if she rode up the drive. Coming from the back acres would sound more reasonable. She kicked the horse a bit too hard, and it took off at a gallop. She held on for dear life and finally reined in the beast just in front of Adam’s house. She called the horse names a lady shouldn’t even think much less say. She felt like screaming when Becca ran out of the house.
“My goodness Cordelia, I heard you ride up. Is anything wrong? You look upset,” Becca said and invited Cordelia to come inside.
“Oh no,” Cordelia answered. “I need your help. I was riding on a back trail and saw Adam’s horse. When I looked for Adam, I saw him lying on the ground. He sent me for help. He was bit by a snake. We must hurry,” Cordelia explained managing to shed a few fake tears.
“No,” Becca called out. “Let me run in and get a few things.” She ran back into the house and hurried out with a cloth bundle in her arms. She handed the bundle to Cordelia and ran to the barn.
“Just let me saddle my horse,” she called to Cordelia before she disappeared into the barn. A few minutes later, she rode out of the barn and asked, “Which way?”
Cordelia handed her the bundle and said, “follow me.”
Becca didn’t give it a second thought as she followed Cordelia. She was worried about Adam. Snake bites were serious. Not sure if they could get him back to town or his parent’s ranch, she had told Winifred to set water on to boil and be ready to help when they returned.
“Where is he?” Becca asked as she rode up next to Cordelia.
She turned to face Becca, “Just out beyond his father’s ranch near the falls. Have you been there? It’s a pretty place but a lot of grass for snakes to hide in. Adam said he didn’t see or hear it.”
“Yes, I have been there, but I thought Adam was checking fences on his land this morning.” She bit her lip in confusion.
“Well, I don’t know where his land starts or his father’s ends, but he’s near the falls. Actually, just a bit further than the actual falls near the rocky cliff. You know there are caves out there, and snakes love dark places.”
Becca squinted her eyes at Cordelia. Something about her story didn’t sound right, but if Adam was hurt, she had to help.
They crossed the small stream above the small falls and rode along an area of tall pines. The cliff came into view, and Becca began to grow more suspicious.
“All right, Cordelia, where is Adam,” Becca demanded.
Cordelia reined in her horse and pulled the gun from her skirt. “I don’t know for sure, but he isn’t here. You are, and this is where you will stay. There is a small cave up ahead. You will stay there tonight, and tomorrow morning you can hike over the hill and down to the road. It’s well traveled, and someone will come along and offer you a ride. Go to Prairieville and get on a train heading west. Don’t take an eastbound train or it will bring you back to Gentle Falls. I don’t care where you go as long as it’s away from here. I have money with me that will see you to wherever you wish to go and enough for you to start over. You are smart and attractive. You won’t have any trouble. If you show up back in town or tell anyone about what happened here, I’ll kill your cousin. Do you understand me? Now, get off your horse.”
Becca slipped off the horse and stood there staring at Cordelia. “Do you really think you’ll get away with this? Adam will never believe I left.” Becca debated trying to get to her own gun hidden in the pocket of her skirt, but she was afraid that with the way Cordelia’s hand was shaking that she might shoot her.
“Of course, he will,” Cordelia smiled. “You’re going to write him a note, and I’ll be sure he receives it. It won’t take Adam long to forget all about you. You’ll find paper and a pencil in the sack along with some food. Now, I’ll tell you what to write.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Becca stoo
d next to her horse and realized that Cordelia knew next to nothing about riding. She pulled the bundle from her saddle that contained the medical supplies and slapped her horse on its rump to send it off galloping the way they’d just come.
“Why did you do that,” Cordelia demanded.
“I know you don’t know much about horses. If you try to lead him back home one of the two horses will bolt and most likely gallop off and probably throw you. Horses don’t like to be lead that way,” Becca lied again knowing Cordelia wouldn’t know one way or the other what horses do.
“Oh, thank you,” Cordelia squinted at Becca. “But why would you care about me?”
“I don’t. I worry about the horse. It’s one of Adam’s. It’ll run off a short distance and stop to graze. On your way home it’ll follow you, or you can just tie it to a tree, and it’ll wait for someone to find it.” Becca continued to lie knowing the horse was on its way home either to Adam’s or Miranda’s. Either way, someone would know she was in trouble. When they begin to look for her, Winifred would tell them she left with Cordelia. They’d find her unless she could get away on her own.
Becca knew she had to do something quickly. It might be Cordelia’s plan to leave her in a cave and trust her to walk away in the morning, but the woman was troubled. She could change her mind at any time and leave Becca’s body in the cave. Knowing she had to get to her own gun, Becca resorted to what she considered a last resort. She screamed. Not just an ordinary everyday scream, Becca let loose with a scream she didn’t realize she was capable of…a blood curdling, heart-stopping, ear piercing scream. Animals scampered, birds took flight, and silence hung over them like a shroud until a startled Cordelia let loose one of her own shrieks when Becca added the word “snake” at the end of her scream.
Cordelia also let loose of the reins, and when her horse responded to her fright, she lost her balance and fell to the ground with a loud oomph. The gun she held flew off in one direction while the horse galloped in the opposite direction. Cordelia lay on the ground gasping for breath.
Becca picked up the gun, walked toward Cordelia, and asked, “All right, would you like to explain the real reason you’re doing this? I know it’s more than trying to get Adam to marry you. I don’t see any love in your eyes when you look at him. I’d like to know the truth before I shoot you.”
Cordelia gasped. “Shoot me? No, please don’t. I wasn’t going to hurt you or Winifred. I only want you to leave town. Honestly, I have a good deal of money in the pocket of my skirt. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt or starve or anything.” She began to sob, and huge tears ran down her face.
Becca rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to shoot you. I just want the truth. Get up, we’re going to walk back to Adam’s.”
“I can’t,” Cordelia whined as she sat up. “My ankle hurts. What if it’s broken?”
“I doubt that’s it’s broken, or you would be screaming. Try to put a little weight on it.” Becca told Cordelia knowing she should look at her ankle but didn’t trust her enough to get close.
“I don’t think it’s broken. My step-mother umm I mean I broke my wrist a few years ago, and it hurt far worse. Maybe it is only sprained, but how am I supposed to walk?”
“You don’t,” Becca answered. “I’ll walk back and send help.”
“No,” Cordelia pleaded looking at the sky. “It looks like it might rain. I can’t stay out here alone. What if a bear eats me?”
The sky above was a brilliant blue and sun glistened off the ring on Becca’s hand. It seemed the perfect day, but off to the West, she could see gray and black angry clouds boiling in the sky. A storm was coming, and she was caught out in the open with Cordelia.
Becca slowly shook her head. “Adam told me there are bears further up north and they rarely show up around here. You might see a timber wolf or a wolf, but no bears. If it storms, I doubt you’ll see any animals.”
“Please don’t leave me alone. I’ll try and walk.” Cordelia did her best to push herself to her feet but collapsed back onto her knees.
“I doubt you can walk in those dress boots. Why would you wear those for riding?” Becca asked trying to figure out a way to help Cordelia to her feet.
“They’re all I have,” Cordelia defended her fashion choice. “Why would I need any others?”
Becca paced back and forth thinking about their situation and her options. She should walk back and try to get help. Could she leave Cordelia alone with a storm coming? She did deserve it, but the thought didn’t sit well with Becca. If she left her, she’d have to leave a gun in case the wolfs or a wolf appeared. If she left a gun, would Cordelia shoot her as she walked away? She spun around kicking dirt up onto her dark blue skirt.
“How far is this cave you mentioned?” Becca asked while watching Cordelia try to unlace her boot. “And what are you doing?”
“I can take my boot off and walk barefoot,” Cordelia smiled at her own cleverness.
“If you take it off, it will swell worse, and you won’t make a half mile barefoot. If we can get to the cave, you can elevate it, and the swelling might get better or at least it won’t worsen.”
Cordelia waved her hand down the path in front of them, “The cave is just around the bend in the path. Look at this, I bent my hat, and the lace is dirty. This has been a dreadful day.” She plopped the lopsided hat on her head and managed to pull herself up onto one leg with the aid of a large rock beside her.
“Do you think you can hop to the cave?”
“No, I hoped you’d help me?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Wait here.” Becca hurried off toward the tree line and returned with a sturdy tree branch. “You can use this as a cane. You go first, and if you turn to swing that at me, I’ll shoot you where you stand. Understand?”
Cordelia nodded and hobbled down the path. It bent to the right and ended near a small stream. Just across the stream was a cave opening.
The sound of rumbling thunder shattered the quiet and a few fat drops of rain fell around them and danced in the stream.
“Hurry,” Becca said. “The storm will be here any minute.”
Cordelia hobbled to the cave opening and turned to look at Becca. “We need to crawl inside. There’s an opening in there big enough for us to stand. I found it one day when I was lost when I first arrived in town. I finally found my way home, but not before frightening my aunt.”
Becca told Cordelia to enter first, and she quickly gathered a few pieces of wood for a fire and a bit of kindling before the rain fell in earnest. She pushed the wood ahead of her as she crawled into the cave with Cordelia’s gun still gripped firmly in her hand.
Cordelia sat against the far wall rubbing her ankle. Her blonde hair had partially fallen from its fancy twist, and the loose curls dangled over her shoulder. She gave into her emotions and let tears fall freely.
Becca found a spot closer to the cave opening and heard Cordelia’s quiet sobs. “Are you all right? Why are you crying? You tried to abduct me. If either of us should cry, it should be me.”
Cordelia did her best to stop the tears and stammered, “I messed it all up. I’m sorry, truly I am, but there was no other way. You have to leave town. I have to marry Adam. My life depends on it. I just have to marry him now.”
Becca’s mind try to comprehend what Cordelia could possibly mean when a thought struck her deep in her heart. “Why do you have to marry Adam? Have you and him? Oh Cordelia, are you with child? Is it Adam’s?”
“No, oh no, no, no. Adam has never so much as kissed my hand. I don’t think he likes me, but I thought I could persuade him until you came to town. Now, he doesn’t even look at me.”
Thunder rumbled, and lightning hit close to the outside of the cave. Becca gathered the wood she found and pulled a match from the bundle she brought with her. Cordelia gasped when the match lit the cave with some light, and then Becca lowered it to the kindling.
“You brought matches. How smart.”
“I thought if we couldn’t move Adam we might need a fire. Fortunately, he had some in his kitchen.” As the fire grew, Becca noticed a pile of wood deeper inside the cave. “It appears someone else comes here. There should be enough wood to keep us warm until the storm passes.”
“What will we do if the storm lasts past dark?” Cordelia asked sounding a bit frightened.
“We wait for morning,” Becca answered her face glowing in the firelight. “Were you telling the truth when you handed me that package? Do we have food?”
“Yes,” Cordelia answered inching closer to the fire. “Vera, my aunt’s cook packed it. There should be bread and cheese and fruit. The canteen is full of water.”
“All right, then we should be fine tonight. We have food, water, a warm, dry place. Do you have bullets for this gun?”
“Not any extra. I took it from my uncle’s study. I’ve never shot a gun.” Cordelia admitted and cringed when she heard something skitter across the cave floor.
Becca sighed, “Are you sure it’s loaded?”
Cordelia shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how to check, and I assumed it was.”
After checking the gun, Becca smiled. “The gun is loaded and so is mine. That should keep us safe if we have any unwanted visitors.”
“Bears?” The quiver in Cordelia’s voice was evident.
For a moment, Becca wanted to add to her fear and say yes that there might be bears, but she just couldn’t. “No, not bears, but as I said earlier maybe a wolf. We have the advantage because they would need to enter through the small opening and we could shoot them as they enter.”
“I can’t shoot,” Cordelia dissolved into tears. “They’ll eat us, and I’m too young and beautiful to die.”
“We’ll be all right. Now, tell me why you have to marry Adam?”
“It’s a bit of a story. My step-mother hates me. My mother died when I was young, and my father married a much younger woman. They never had children, and I was in the way. Father works long hours, and as I grew, my step-mother only allowed me to have a friend if they could help her climb in society. She was abusive, and when I was a teen, she decided I should remain at home and do chores rather than visit friends or attend parties. She convinced my father that I was unfit for marriage and no man would dare call on me since my father’s temper would send them all running. He believed her and was embarrassed by a daughter unfit for society. I became my step-mother’s prisoner. I knew her secrets, and she feared I would expose them if I left home.” Cordelia wiped her tears with the edge of her blouse and sagged against the wall.
Adam's Heart Page 14
