Once Upon a Mail Order Bride

by Linda Broday

  A flash of orange fire spat from a figure in the shadows, and the boom from a scattergun carried on the breeze.

  Apparently drawn by the sound, Addie stepped out of the kitchen door. The light silhouetted her as she pulled her shawl closer around her. Oh dear God!

  Ridge yelled a warning but couldn’t stop the dark figure from hurling himself at her.

  A blood-curdling scream split the air. His heart thundered in his ears as he bolted toward Addie. Please, just get there in time. She shouldn’t suffer for his crimes. He ran as hard as he could, praying with every step.

  Bodie reached Addie first. The kid grabbed the dark figure, slinging him away like a sack of grain. “Get in the house, Addie!” Bodie screamed.

  “I’ll kill you this time, boy!” the attacker shouted. “You’re not worth spit anyway.”

  Dammit! Ridge was still too far away. He willed his feet to go faster. Panic and heavy breathing hurt his starved lungs. His body started to seize up from the exertion and lack of air. So engrossed was he in the scene, he stepped into what must’ve been a gopher hole and sprawled. Cursing, he rose and pain shot from his ankle all the way up his leg. Despair washed over him. Using the rifle to lean on, he limped on, keeping his eyes glued on his little family.

  Addie made it to the door and halfway inside before the attacker caught her again, yanking her back out into the night. Bodie leaped onto his back, his arms around the man’s throat until he turned Addie loose. Instead of running, she picked up a board and slammed it into the attacker’s stomach. A loud grunt told Ridge the blow had hurt.

  Bodie went flying off to the side again as the man turned his attention on Addie.

  Thirty yards. Ridge tried to take a shot but found nothing clear. He blocked his pain and mustered everything inside him toward the fight.

  Addie stood her ground and swung the board again. This time the attacker was ready and sidestepped the blow. He grabbed the weapon, snatching it from her with a mighty yell, and sent her sprawling onto the hard-packed soil.

  Twenty yards. Ridge could do nothing but watch. Dammit! He raised his rifle, but Bodie blocked his shot. Ridge lowered the weapon and kept moving instead. The kid fought bravely, not giving an inch. Even so, Bodie was quickly running out of strength.

  Fifteen yards. Ridge raised the rifle again to the same results.

  Ten.

  Five. Bodie blocked his shot again.

  Ridge sucked air into his body and launched himself onto the enemy, both going down hard. Ridge’s rifle came loose and hit the ground the same time the dark figure’s gun sailed from his hand. Ridge drew back a fist and delivered a powerful punch to the man’s jaw.

  They rolled into light from the kitchen window and he saw the man’s face clearly—Hiram.

  Hiram rose and shook his head to clear it, then went at Ridge, head-butting him in the midsection, knocking the wind out of him. Ridge could barely see as he doubled over, struggling to force air into his lungs. Hiram gave him little chance to gather his wits before he came at him hard again.

  “Give up, Steele. You’re whipped,” Hiram snarled.

  “I never give up against scum like you.” Ridge wiped his mouth. “What are people going to say about you? You can’t even whip a preacher.”

  Hiram let out a yell that they probably heard in Hope’s Crossing and ran at him. Ridge hooked an arm around Hiram’s thick neck and jabbed his face.

  Squaring off, they threw punches left and right, some connecting, some not.

  Seizing a slight advantage, Hiram raised his elbow and brought it down hard on the back of Ridge’s neck. Stars circled Ridge’s vision, and he collapsed in the dirt.

  Everything moved in slow motion, his head swimming as he tried to force his legs underneath him. From the corner of Ridge’s eye, he saw Bodie coming to help. Hiram was waiting and grabbed him, slamming a fist into the kid’s jaw. Bodie crumpled to the ground, moaning.

  No one was left to help Addie.

  Ridge’s stomach knotted, and he couldn’t breathe. He tried to summon all his strength and struggle to his feet, but before he could, Hiram blinded him with a fistful of sand. The grit felt like boulders, and he couldn’t see a blessed thing.

  Dear God! Where was Addie? He couldn’t let Hiram get her. Ridge finally made it to his feet, but he’d lost Hiram in the thick haze inside his head.

  * * *

  Addie watched in horror as the bounty hunter made a dive for his gun, stood, and aimed.

  Ridge can’t see him.

  Her heart tried to burst from her chest. If she didn’t warn him in the next breath, he’d die.

  She held his life in her hands, and a scream would tell him nothing.

  Get the words out to tell him what to do. She wrung her hands.

  The deadly click of the hammer sounded loud in her ears as Hiram pulled it back.

  Addie worked her tongue. Oh God, she had to form the words. Oh God! Please.

  Sweat formed on her palms and trickled down her spine. She opened her mouth, praying the warning came out. “Turn around, Ridge! Turn around! He’s behind you!”

  The words burst free, and her shout jarred Ridge to action. With a quick jerk, he slid his Colt from the holster while in motion. One squeeze of the trigger, and he shot point-blank into Hiram’s chest.

  The bounty hunter crumpled, blood soaking his shirt. Addie clapped a hand to her mouth, watching Ridge limp to the man’s revolver and kick it away, then check to see if he was alive. Relief flooded her when he closed Hiram’s open eyes.

  She threw herself at Ridge, sobbing. He pulled her close. “It’s all right. You’re safe.”

  “Hold me. I’m so c-c-cold,” she begged.

  He placed a gentle kiss on her trembling lips, the warmth of him melting the icy layers of fear. Addie dissolved into his arms, clinging to him with all she was worth, returning his kiss. For a moment, it was only the two of them in the world.

  She slid her arms around his neck and knew there was no other place on earth she wanted to be than here with him. She was an outlaw’s wife and would stay by his side through life, death, and every trial.

  Ridge broke the kiss, smiling. “You talked, Addie. Your voice is back.”

  Her first attempt to reply came out raspy and unsure. “I—I—”

  “Don’t rush. Just take your time, sweetheart.”

  She cleared her throat and tried again. “Y—You were about to die. I—I had to warn you. I just opened my mouth, and out the words came. My voice is pretty r-r-rusty, though.”

  “It’ll get better with use. I’d be dead if you hadn’t yelled.” He tightened his hold and kissed behind her ear.

  A loud groan interrupted them, and Ridge limped with Addie’s support to help Bodie up. “How bad are you hurt?” Ridge asked.

  The kid was holding his jaw. “I’m not sure yet. Hiram could sure pack a wallop, but I don’t think it’s broken. I was trying to keep him away from Addie.”

  She pressed a kiss to Bodie’s cheek. “You were amazing. Thank you.”

  “You’re talking!”

  “The words were there all along. I just had to find them. I knew it was up to me or that bounty hunter would kill Ridge.” Her eyes met her husband’s. She slid an arm around his waist, loving the solid muscle and bone and heart that made up this man—one who had protected her with so little regard for his own life.

  Ridge tightened his hold. “I knew you would. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Why don’t you go into the house while Bodie and I take care of Hiram?”

  “First, tell me why you’re limping.”

  “I sort of stepped into a hole, running to get here in time to help. I’ll be fine.”

  “I hope so. You won’t be long?”

  “No. I’ll put him where the animals can’t get him and take him into town in the morning.” He
brushed her cheek with his lips.

  The feel of his mouth on her skin sent tingles through her. “I’ll get what I need and clean both yours and Bodie’s wounds.” She hurried into the kitchen and was greeted by the cats, their backs up. Miss Kitty gave her a loud scolding, low-pitched grumbles interspersed with long, drawn-out meows. Just when the cat started to wind down, she started up again.

  “I know, I know, and I’m sorry you got left inside. But it was for your own good. You’d only have been in the way.” Addie scratched them behind their ears, then pumped water into a large metal bowl.

  Her whole body ached from being tossed around and slammed to the ground. She’d be sore for a while, with some bruises of her own, but otherwise fine. Ridge and Bodie were a different story. She gathered soap and plenty of clean bandages and sat to wait for her men.

  While she waited, she had a moment to herself. Addie placed her fingertips to her lips and smiled. She’d yelled, not just a tiny peep. It seemed strange to use her voice after years of silence. Her throat didn’t exactly hurt, but her voice was different—a little lower than she remembered. It sounded strange in her ears. Her smile widened. Now she could say whatever she wanted instead of having to write everything down. Dr. Mary would be astonished.

  The door opened, and Ridge limped inside, Bodie following. Both had damp hair, which told her they’d washed up outside. Deep scratches and angry skin showed above the collarless neck of Ridge’s shirt, a shirt now torn and bloody beyond anything she could repair. Her breath caught when his whiskey-colored gaze sought hers.

  Bodie had a multitude of scrapes and bruises, and though he had an eye that would be swollen shut by morning, he was grinning like a donkey eating briars. “We did it, and we’re all alive. And Addie can talk again. I’d say we did all right.”

  “You said a mouthful, son.” Ridge wiped something off her cheek.

  “Dirt?” she asked.

  “A badge of honor. Sweetheart, you fought like a wildcat.” A crooked grin curved Ridge’s mouth. “Remind me to give you a wide berth when we’re having a disagreement.”

  “Stop teasing and sit down. You’re bleeding.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He removed his shirt and tossed it aside.

  Addie didn’t know where to begin, so she washed the blood away from the older gunshot wound on his arm, happy to see that it looked in fair shape, then set to work on the new scrapes. A deep bruise and knot on the back of his neck had risen about an inch, and he flinched when she washed it.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. “It hurts.”

  “I’m trying to be careful.”

  “I know.”

  After tending to Ridge, she turned to Bodie. “You’re next.”

  “You don’t have to do anything special for me, Addie.”

  “Hush and be still.” She patted his shoulder. “You fought like a man out there.”

  By the time she finished, his grin couldn’t get any wider or his thanks any deeper. He reminded her of a pup who’d been kicked about but still wagged his tail with hope that someone might see his worth. Her heart went out to him.

  “Now, go get to sleep,” she said softly. “We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  Bodie ducked his head as though afraid to let her see how much her fussing meant. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Once the door closed behind him, Ridge, still shirtless, held out a hand. “Will you sleep in my bed tonight, Addie? I don’t think I can let you go.”

  Seventeen

  Addie put her trembling hand in Ridge’s and met his eyes. Sleep in his bed? She swallowed hard. “I don’t know how…” Her voice trailed off. The burning heat in his gaze made the rest of what she’d planned to say unimportant.

  Water dripped from the pump’s spout in the stillness of the kitchen, and Squeakers rubbed its head against her legs, but she didn’t miss the soft pleading in Ridge’s voice, see the hope in his eyes.

  “We’ll just sleep, but I’d like to hear you breathing softly next to me.” He chuckled. “I’m too stove up right now to lift as much as an eyebrow. You’re safe.”

  “I trust you, Ridge. Have from the first. I just had some things to work out inside myself before trying to become a wife that way.” Warmth settled over her when he draped a casual arm around her neck, his hand hanging down the front, his fingers almost touching her breast.

  She was conscious of his bare skin down to his waist—and a narrow strip of fine brown hair on his stomach that disappeared into his trousers.

  “I’m not afraid, Ridge.” Well, maybe the good Lord would forgive her for the little white lie. She was filled with trepidation and worry.

  Would she disappoint him, or do something wrong? This was new territory.

  The cats ran ahead of them as Addie and Ridge moved toward the stairs, turning down the lamps as they went. The felines stopped in what looked like amazement when she didn’t turn in at her little room. Loud and insistent meowing came from the doorway before Miss Kitty reluctantly followed them up to the bedroom.

  Ridge helped her turn back the covers. “I’ll leave you to get undressed.”

  “No need. If you don’t go ahead and fall onto the mattress, I’ll find you on the floor.” Addie let her hand rest on his bare back, feeling the muscle underneath. “I’ll run downstairs for my gown and undress down there.”

  “Tomorrow you can move all your things up here.” The suggestion seemed casual enough, but she saw the hope shining in his eyes as he hung his gun belt on the bedpost. “That is, if you want. There’s plenty of room.”

  “I want,” she said softly.

  “Addie, I almost lost you twice today. I’ll not let a third happen.”

  “You can’t promise that, so quit it. None of that was your fault. If I’d stayed inside, the bounty hunter wouldn’t have gotten me. I messed up. The gunshot scared me, and I was afraid he’d hit you or Bodie.”

  “I’m too tired to argue.”

  “Then don’t. Ridge, I was thinking: What if you go back and face the woman again, get her to fix the lie? She could clear you.”

  “I’ve thought long and hard about that and weighed the danger. Darling, if she was going to set the record straight, she would’ve already. I’d just open myself up to be caught. Besides, even if she did change her mind, there’s also the rancher, Tom Calder, to consider. He’d take great joy in watching me swing from a rope.” He stared deeply into her eyes, a warm hand below her jaw. “No, it’s just too dangerous. I’m safe here.”

  “I see your point. I don’t want to lose you. I’ll be right back.” She hesitated a moment before adding, “Dear.”

  The cats curled up together on a rug, apparently too tired to chase after her. She hurried down the stairs, feeling her way in the dark, her memory of the layout not failing her.

  She didn’t take long, but by the time she returned, Ridge was already fast asleep, breathing softly with nothing but the sheet covering him. Bruises were starting to turn purple on his chest and arms.

  Addie quickly braided her hair, then turned down the lamp’s wick and slid into bed. She leaned up on an elbow to press her lips to his. “Good night. I can’t wait to see our life unfold.”

  He roused and opened his eyes. “Can you talk to me for a bit? I want to hear your beautiful voice.”

  “I suppose.” She settled next to him and lay stiffly, talking about their animals, how much she loved taking care of them, and what she liked best about her life with him. Within minutes, he was snoring softly. He’d known she needed to become accustomed to the feel of the strange bed.

  Addie smiled. She’d married a smart man. Sneaky, but smart.

  She lay there beside him for a while, sleep not coming. The clock in the room seemed to measure each breath rather than the passage of time. Addie turned on her side to face Ridge, grateful she had this little time to become somewhat used to s
haring a bed with him without the pressure of lovemaking. As a teacher, she’d read about a man’s anatomy and knew the basics, and she imagined there would be pain. How would she handle that?

  Yet, she was ready to be a wife.

  Apprehensive, she slid her hand across the sheet and touched his shoulder. He didn’t move. A new boldness came over her. She inched her leg ever so slowly forward until it touched his and discovered he wore nothing beneath the sheet.

  Absolutely nothing.

  Shock raced along her body for second, mimicking her heartbeat. When her pulse steadied, she smiled and snuggled next to him, her palm resting on his broad, bare chest, trusting in her outlaw and his tender touch so gentle, she wanted him to never let her go.

  From where Addie lay, she could see the tall chest of drawers and the box on top, hiding his secret, and all her old insecurities flooded over her. There had to be a reason why he’d never told her about the picture.

  Maybe the fancy woman in the tintype was waiting to steal Ridge from her. She’d know all about men and how to please them. She’d be sure of herself and confident of her abilities. What did Addie know? Not much, but she’d fight for Ridge.

  * * *

  Ridge woke sometime before dawn and rolled over. His head pounded, and through the haze, he tried to focus on the owner of the leg lying so intimately on top of his. Who was attached to the other end? He scowled, then his heart leaped. Addie?

  For a moment, he couldn’t recall why she’d be in his bed—then it all came roaring back. The bounty hunter. Their fight to survive. Addie’s bravery.

  Dark lashes feathered against her delicate skin, his beautiful angel. He lifted a gold curl and held it to his nose, whiffing the sweet fragrance of a mountain spring. His long wait had ended. Here she was beside him, and it wasn’t a dream.

  He let a finger drift down her throat to the satiny skin peeking from her gown. She slept so quietly, her bosom rising and falling with each breath. He yearned to kiss her, but he didn’t wish to wake her. Not just yet. He wasn’t finished watching her sleep. Every detail about her interested him, from the tiny mole above her top lip to her earlobes in the shape of small, perfect shells.