Fitzpatrick: Cowboy Reluctant: Christian Historical Western (The Kavanagh Brothers Book 7)

by Kathleen Ball

  She tried to look only at Reverend Charles as he preached from the pulpit. The rough-looking men kept staring at her, and she developed a notion of trouble building. Though she sat next to Rafferty, he didn’t seem to notice. She kept her shoulders straight and her gaze locked forward. It was probably her imagination.

  She enjoyed the singing the best, surprised to discover she knew the words to a couple of the hymns. When the service was over, she walked out into the aisle. Suddenly the three men boxed her in. A gun was stuck in her ribs and it hurt. She stiffened against the pain but didn’t say a word, terrified if she drew attention to herself someone would end up getting hurt.

  She barely got a nod off to the reverend. They hurried her down the steps where another man held the reins of four horses. She should be frightened, but surely God was with her. She was scooped up and put on a horse face down while one of the men sat behind her.

  And suddenly they were off. The ground flashed by as the horses kicked up dust under their hooves. She kept her eyes closed, or she’d be sick. Were these men excellent horsemen? Or would she end up falling off and being trampled? Bouncing and jarring on the horse’s back was becoming almost too painful to bear, and a cry of despair slipped out.

  Why did they want her? Where were they taking her?

  The Kavanagh men who had arrived on their own mounts scurried to them. Quinn, Rafferty, Angus, Shea, and Fitzpatrick spurred their horses into a gallop, following the dust and dirt being disturbed by the men they were chasing.

  Theresa had been angry. Dark eyes flashing, she had grabbed Fitzpatrick’s arm and yanked him back. “Where are you going? She’s not your concern. And we were going to spend the afternoon together.”

  Fitzpatrick shook his arm trying to dislodge her hand, but she had a firm grasp and no intention of letting loose. Eventually, he placed his hand over hers and pried her fingers from his shirt. She didn’t understand the attitude of when one was in trouble all were in trouble. He had probably blown it with her, though he’d been having second thoughts anyway. His luck had never been any good in choosing women.

  He focused his thoughts on Brenna. What did these men want with her? It must be about the reward. They had seemed to know exactly what they were doing and how to work quickly, taking everyone by surprise.

  It wasn’t until late that night that they caught up with the bandits. Shea walked right into their camp. He held his hands up. “I just want to be sure the girl is doing fine. You grabbed her up pretty fast and rode really hard.”

  “We got her first, we get the money,” one of the men called out. “She ran off from her daddy and the man she’s to marry. Her daddy wants her back.” He was the tallest of the bunch and seemed to be the one in charge.

  “Give us the girl,” Shea suggested. “We can pay you more than her father.”

  The men laughed at Shea. “You got five hundred sitting around?”

  “That much for a girl? He must want her for more than just a marriage,” Shea uttered.

  The tall abductor chuckled. “The old man don’t have a choice. He sold her. It seems he likes poker better than his daughter.” Then he shook his head. “How a man could do that to his own girl is hard to imagine.”

  Standing with his other brothers, Fitzpatrick watched and listened. Had the man’s tone shifted a bit to sound more sympathetic? It was tough to tell. He studied the group of men. They were an unsavory lot, kind of dirty and disheveled. While one of the quieter ones looked somewhat familiar—like maybe he’d seen the man in passing a time or two—the rest were strangers.

  “How is her pa going to pay you if he’s broke?” reasoned Shea.

  The bandit frowned. “He said he would.”

  Fitzpatrick stepped into the camp with his hands raised. “Did he show you the money?” He looked Brenna over, relieved to note that her clothes weren’t torn.

  “What is she to all of you?” The tall man spit on the ground between them.

  “I planned to marry her,” Fitzpatrick said, keeping his voice low enough that Brenna shouldn’t be able to hear him. “Come back with us, and I’ll make sure you get your money.” He gestured to himself. “I’m good for it. You can get your reward and be on your way.”

  The four men huddled together, though the tall man didn’t take his eyes off Fitzpatrick and his brothers as they talked. Fitzpatrick could only make out a word or two, but a lot of head-shaking was going on.

  “… trouble… take her… her father’s…”

  “Where is her father?” blurted Fitzpatrick.

  “You don’t know?” The tall bandit glanced at his three friends.

  Fitzpatrick shrugged. “Is he still in New Orleans or has he traveled this way to meet you and take the girl? I found this woman in the middle of the road, beaten so badly she didn’t even know her name. We found a letter and we only assumed her name is Brenna.” Fitzpatrick put his hands down. “Are you warm enough?” He raised his voice louder.

  Brenna nodded.

  “Her name is Brenna White,” said the leader. “And Colonel White is her father. The man she was to marry owns a hotel in Louisiana. You can gamble, drink, find sweet company.” A deep, sinister chuckle emerged from his throat. “His name is William Kent. You don’t want to get on Kent’s bad side. We haven’t wired her father yet.” He glanced once again at the other three then turned back to Fitzpatrick. “We’ll ride out with you tomorrow. You best have the money, or you’ll be sorry.” He split his gaze amongst all the brothers, then warned, “You have a mighty big family. I’d hate for it to suddenly get smaller.”

  Quinn, Angus, and Rafferty sauntered into the camp. The four men who had abducted Brenna stepped between her and the brothers.

  “All we have is coffee and beans but we’re willing to share,” Quinn offered with an amiable smile.

  After another few moments of looking at each other and muttering amongst themselves, the tall man shrugged and nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll trust you unless you make us shoot you.”

  All four of them grinned.

  Fitzpatrick took his bedroll off his horse. He returned to the camp and squatted down. draping a blanket around Brenna. Her eyes seemed to be too big for her face, and she was pale. Her hands shook as she held the blanket. He started to stand, but she grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t leave me,” she pleaded.

  Chapter Four

  She hated how needy she sounded. Fitzpatrick hesitated so long she turned her head from him. He probably didn’t want to be inappropriate. His lady friend couldn’t possibly be happy that he had come after some strange woman who’d been found on a road without her memory. Turning back, she tried to smile. “I’m fine. Really, I am. I’m warm now with the blanket.”

  He paused and nodded before he regrouped with his brothers.

  His walking away left a void in her chest. It shouldn’t have, but it did. She trembled as she lay on his bedroll and thought of all she had overheard during the exchange between the Kavanagh brothers and her abductors. Her father had sold her? What an unspeakable thing to do… unless she was an awful daughter. No, even then it wasn’t justified. Her father was a gambler who lost most of the time it sounded like. That man, William Kent, he must have been bad enough for her to flee. He was willing to buy a bride? She turned and stared at the dancing flames of the campfire. Her father had sold her for a gambling debt. The words just kept running through her mind. What type of place was New Orleans where this could go on? No wonder she had left. Now, if only she could remember who she was.

  She closed her eyes and soon after that, she felt someone next to her. She stiffened and thought about screaming, but what if that made things worse? She slowly inched away. She could feel his body heat.

  “If you keep moving, you’ll end up burned,” murmured a familiar male voice in her ear.

  “Fitzpatrick? You scared me. Did you want your bedroll back?” she whispered.

  “No, I just want to keep you safe.”

  “What happened? Did you
end up with the short end of the straw?” She felt as bitter as her voice sounded. But it wasn’t the Kavanagh’s fault. They’d been nothing but kind. She released a sigh. “All right. You keep your distance and no touching. I don’t know what type of woman I was, but I plan to live my life properly with God’s help.” She hiccupped.

  The bedding rustled as he moved closer.

  “Don’t, please just don’t.”

  The movement halted suddenly, then she heard him move back and took a deep breath in relief. She could have imagined so many possibilities of who she was. She’d thought more than once that she must have lived a sinful life. Why leave otherwise? Her heart felt lighter knowing why she’d left. It would probably break her if she ever saw her father again or if she remembered. She’d have to be strong enough for whatever happened.

  Please Lord, I know I can’t change my past. I have no idea if I was a Christian or not. I hope I was. I will be a good Christian now. If I don’t remember what I’ve done, then does saying I’m sorry and please forgive my sins count? People can change from bad to good. I hope that’s how it works. Thank You for my many blessings. Thank You for never leaving me.

  Her eyes finally closed.

  The next morning, she woke to coffee and everyone packing up to go. She hurried and rolled up Fitzpatrick’s bed roll. Who would she ride with? Not Fitzpatrick, she was sure, for he had a sweetheart and wouldn’t want to risk that relationship.

  “There're beans to go with the coffee if you want,” Fitzpatrick told her.

  “Thank you but I haven’t felt well since I was thrown over a horse yesterday. I’m sure I’ll be feeling much better soon. Should I ride with Angus or Rafferty?”

  He practically scowled at her. “You ride with me. You only look at me and you only talk to me.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I’ve convinced these men I’m marrying you. They’ve agreed to let us have you. We’ll have to pay the reward, but that’s fine.”

  “Do you have that much money? I’m hardly worth so much.”

  “Donnell was looking into the situation. He probably has the details.” He stared into her eyes. “Only talk to me.”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  Everyone was soon set and ready to go. Fitzpatrick reached down to her from his saddle. She put her foot into the stirrup and swung up behind him.

  “Hold on tight.”

  She leaned closer and wrapped her arms around his middle. Her heart had jumped earlier when he’d told her about announcing to her captors that they were getting married. There was nothing to it, but she felt something when he was near. Was it because he made her feel safe? It seemed to be more than that. She was happy when she saw him. If only she’d had more experience, she’d know what her feelings meant.

  “You smell like campfire and leather.”

  “I would expect so.” His voice had an amused sound to it.

  She was quiet the rest of the way. She didn’t know what to say. The last thing she needed was to scare him off. Marriage to Fitzpatrick? It wasn’t real, but even if it had been, she couldn’t, not until she knew who she was inside, what type of person she was. This was the last time she’d be this close to him. She bit her lip to hold in a whimper at the thought.

  When they were a few hours into the ride back to the ranch, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, announcing approaching riders. Brenna tensed, but it turned out to be only Teagan and two ranch hands she had seen around coming to meet them.

  Once back, Fitzpatrick didn’t get the honor of helping Brenna down. Angus had stepped up and whisked her away. Disappointment rushed through him. She’d be just fine. The women probably would soon have her drinking tea with a blanket across her lap.

  He stayed in the saddle and gave Teagan a single nod. His brother returned the nod and went inside. On the way home, Teagan had agreed it was better to pay the men and have them leave.

  Teagan walked out again carrying a burlap bag. He held it up to the bandit in charge. “There is no more so don’t come back and don’t tell her father where she is. Understood?” He leveled a hard stare at the leader. Teagan could stare anyone down.

  “Understood,” said the tall man, snatching the bag. “We’re on our way to New Mexico anyway. Don’t like to be in one spot for too long. Plus we spent the expense money her father gave us.” He spit into the dusty ground. “That woman got lucky. William Kent only has one use for a woman, and it isn’t marrying her.”

  He climbed back onto his horse, and in a cloud of dust, the men rode away.

  “I’m glad we had enough money on hand,” Fitzpatrick said, his tension easing as the dust cloud dwindled in the distance.

  Teagan just nodded and gave him a friendly slap on his shoulder.

  After he’d unsaddled Poke and put him up with some extra feed, Fitzpatrick walked out of the barn to the sound of his brothers laughing. He caught Donnell’s silly grin and knew his brother’s child had been born.

  Grinning, Fitzpatrick crossed the yard and joined his brothers.

  “We will call him Bobbie. Looks a lot like his Ma. So far that is, he’s a bit lacking in the hair department,” Donnell said, looking happier than Fitzpatrick had ever seen him. Clarissa was probably thrilled too.

  Well, that was it. All they’d hear for days now would be about babies. There seemed to be someone expecting every time he turned around. He might want a son or daughter—someday, a long time from now. But for now, he smiled and nodded as half his brothers had stories to add.

  After he broke away, he moseyed on into the house. One quick glance confirmed it. Brenna had tea and a blanket. The women were on the topic of babies too. He poured himself a cup of coffee and quietly went out back to sit. If only there was a way for Brenna to get her memory back.

  No sooner had he thought of her than she appeared.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  He smiled. “That would be nice. It was getting to be too much in there with the baby talk.”

  “I suspect it’s very different if you have one of your own,” she replied. “Tell me what you dream your future will be. Will children be in the picture?”

  “Sure, why not? That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” He chuckled softly, realizing he was slowly turning loose of his dream of remaining single and uncertain when that had happened. “First you have to find someone to love and who loves you back. Truthfully, I’ve had more than a few Sunday suppers, but…” He shrugged. “I don’t know what it is. There isn’t any one thing that I don’t like. It’s a feeling I get telling me she’s not the one.”

  “Marriage is supposed to be happy. Keep looking. I bet the right woman will come your way.” She sipped her coffee. “Thank you for coming after me. I was so frightened. They could have told me they didn’t intend on hurting me. I imagined some horrible stuff. I thought I was going to die, and I had one regret. I never told you how much your friendship has meant to me. I have a feeling I never had many friends. But I really don’t know. The only thing I know is my father sold me.” Her voice got quieter at the end. She glanced down at the ground, but he could still see her face turning red.

  “This is not your fault. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed about what your father did.”

  “I appreciate that.” She lifted her head and gazed at him. “What I feel is shame. I’m afraid I did something so horrible he had to sell me. Or perhaps no man wanted me for a wife. I’m uncertain how old I am, but I’m sure I’m heading toward spinsterhood.”

  “Brenna—”

  “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I looked in the mirror, and although I have bruises, I think I’m not bad looking. My red hair surprised me. I don’t think I’ve seen many redheads about. Then again I’m just guessing.” A sad smile tilted her lips upward. Then she sat straight up with a gasp. “Oh! I need to thank Teagan. I know he paid those men a hefty amount. Who is to say I’m worth it?”

  Warmth flowed over him as he regarded her steadily. “I think we’d all say you were worth it.”
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  She nodded, though her eyes looked a bit empty. “You’re part of a grand family, Fitzpatrick, and you all make me feel so safe.” She turned toward the house. “I’m going in. All the excitement has caught up with me. Goodnight.”

  Her hand trembled when she picked up her cup. She didn’t look back at him, just walked into the house.

  She was right, he considered. They were all happy to protect her and she didn’t need to single anyone out… but he wished she had. Somehow, he felt more alive when he was near her. He’d love to get ahold of her father. First, he’d…

  Vengeance isn’t mine to take, that belongs to God. The thought hit him like a lightning strike, and he quickly shifted his focus.

  Brenna sure was hard to read. Her life couldn’t have been easy. Her father didn’t sound like an upstanding man. Strange, no one had mentioned her mother, so he assumed she was dead. One thing puzzled him more than anything else. How had she gotten to the road where he had found her? So many unanswered questions… Maybe his best bet was to guard his feelings around her.

  The next morning, she was up early, eager to help Dolly with breakfast. Then she needed to talk to Teagan; he seemed in charge. Brenna hoped he’d find it in his heart to find her a job on the ranch. She couldn’t protect herself. That much had become obvious when she had been abducted right from church.

  There was much laughter and talk about babies at the breakfast table, along with a lot of teasing about who would be next. Brenna smiled and laughed but it was halfhearted, though she hoped they didn’t know that. She tried her best to avoid Fitzpatrick. He’d suffered more than his share of teasing about her.

  He’d seemed fine about his canceled Sunday supper, even mentioned that he’d had other suppers that had not brought him any desire to make a commitment. Guilt ate at her. Theresa Ballet… she was pretty, and Fitzpatrick must see something in her. Maybe something would grow between them. He didn’t need anyone interfering. A true friend would correct the wrong.