Tame a Wild Bride, a Western Romance (20 page)

“Tom, Rosie and Dan, too.
 
Goodness gracious, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Sam, I need you to open the bank and give us Rosie’s money,” said Tom with no preamble.

Sam cocked his head to one side.
 
“Tom, I can’t do that.
 
We open at nine tomorrow morning.
 
You know that.”

“It can’t wait, Sam.
 
Someone’s kidnapped Ben and is demanding five thousand dollars to return him.”

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head.
 
“Tom, I’m so sorry.
 
Of course, I’ll open the bank.
 
Let me grab my shirt.”
 
When he got back he said, “You got lucky.
 
Normally there is no way I’d have that much cash on hand but the mine payroll arrived yesterday so there’s plenty to cover this.”
 
He paused for a moment.
 
“Do you think whoever did this knew the cash would be here now?”

CHAPTER 11

She had to wait at the mining shack until they dropped off the money.
 
Then she’d leave the boy there where he could be found and hightail it out of this podunk backwater town forever.

Carolyn tied her horse far back into the trees.
 
Hobbled it with plenty to eat so it should stay happy and quiet.
 
Unfortunately, she’d had to tie up her son and gag him.
 
He wouldn’t stop crying about leaving his sister and father.
 
Now he just sat in a corner and stared at her.
 
She wished he’d look away.
 
The condemnation in his eyes was almost enough to make her regret what she was doing.
 
Almost.

She watched through a hole in the wall.
 
They were supposed to leave the money and ride away.
 
The front of the shack faced a large meadow and she’d be able to watch them go and see if they stopped or veered off the path.

Finally, she saw two horses.
 
Her heart raced and her stomach roiled.
 
Now was not the time to be sick.
 
Tom and Sheriff Dan.
 
Good that’s how it was supposed to be.
 
Tom looked around, trying to see her she knew, though he didn’t know it was her he was looking for.
 
Sheriff Dan followed the instructions to the letter.
 
Leave the money on the side of the well facing the door.
 
Then leave.

Carolyn watched until they were gone and then waited
 
and waited some more.
 
She had to be sure that they were really gone.
 

At dusk, she came out of the shack and picked up the money.
 
She left the boy tied up.
 
They would be on their way back to get the boy.
 
She had to leave now.
 
Had to be long gone by the time they got there.

She rode hard.
 
The old hay burner that Sam gave her to ride, didn’t like to gallop and would only do it for a short while and then slow to a walk again.
 
Carolyn dug in her spurs and got the horse moving.
 
She kept at it to keep the nag going.
 
She had to get out of there.

Carolyn heard the horses behind her before they saw them.
 
She could barely recognize who it was.
 
The sheriff, Dan Baker.
 
Along with Duncan McKenzie, the best tracker and an infamous bounty hunter.
 
She cursed.
 
She’d forgotten that McKenzie was friends with Tom.
 
He was hunting her not for a bounty but to help a friend.
 
Either way she was screwed.

It was too dark to be running the horse but she had no choice.
 
She whipped her mount with the reigns and spurred it to go faster.
 
Up, up the mountain, she had to go.
 

Suddenly, her mount slipped and went down on its knees.
 
Carolyn screamed as she flew over it’s head.
 

Duncan
 
came upon her first.
 
With the lantern he carried, he saw her head was at an odd angle.
 
Her neck broken.
 

“It’s Sarah Harris.
 
I thought she was dead.
 
Didn’t that low life she left here with send a telegram saying she was killed in a carriage accident?” said Duncan.

“Yes, he did.
 
So who was she in cahoots with?
 
Who knew she wasn’t really dead?
 
And why did they wait all this time?”

“Ben isn’t with her?
 
Where did she leave him?
 
Do you think she killed her own son?”

Duncan picked up her body, put it over the saddle of her horse and tied it down.
 
The horse was badly winded and had skinned knees from where it hit the ground but otherwise seemed alright.

“I don’t know what to think.
 
Let’s go back to the shack where the money was left.
 
We probably should have checked it first,” said Dan.

“We found her tracks before we got to the shack.
 
We didn’t know that Ben wasn’t with her.
 
You follow me.” said Duncan.
 
“I’ll lead her horse.”

“Go slow.
 
We don’t want any more accidents.”

“No, we don’t.
 
We need to find that boy more than anything but slow is better than never.”

They walked their horses.
 
Duncan in the lead, following the tracks back to the cabin.
 
The trip was a lot longer than before because their pace while leading the horse was so slow.
 
Dawn rose over the eastern ridge by the time they finally reached it.
 

Inside, tied by his hands and feet with a gag in his mouth was Ben Harris.
 
He looked up at Duncan and tears rolled out of his eyes.
 
Duncan undid the gag and cut his hands and ankles loose.
 
As soon as his ankles were free Ben threw himself into Duncan’s arms.

He held the boy until his sobbing stopped.

“Mama came to the ranch and got me.
 
And…and…,” he hiccupped.
 
“I missed her so much.
 
I went with her.
 
As soon as she got me here, she tied me up.”
 
He sobbed.
 
“When I started to cry she gagged me.
 
Why?
 
Why would my Mama do that to me?”

He held Ben away from him for a moment.
 
“You’re mama was a very bad woman, Ben.
 
But you’re okay now and she’ll never be able to hurt anyone again.”

They walked outside.
 
Duncan kept himself between Ben and the horse Sarah was tied to so Ben wouldn’t see his mother.
 
He saw her anyway and
 
Duncan watched Ben shudder before he buried his head in Duncan’s side.

“You ride with me, buddy.”
 
Duncan lifted him into the saddle.
 
“Dan, would you lead the other horse and stay behind me.”
 
He nodded toward Ben.

“Sure thing.”

They walked the horses until it was full daylight and then broke into a gallop.
 
Ben needed to be home with his parents as quickly as possible.
 

*****

Tom paced back and forth across the room while she sat with Suzie asleep on her lap.
 
Rosie refused to put her to sleep in her bed.
 
Instead held her in her arms, safe and sound.
 
It wasn’t logical, but it felt right.
 
She wanted to hold her and squeeze her just to make sure she was safe.

What was Ben going through?
 
What if the kidnapper hurt him?
 
What if they hadn’t had the money?
 
All the bad things that could have happened went through Rosie’s mind.
 
What must Tom be going through?
 
She looked up to where he stood by the window, staring out, just as he’d done every time he’d paced to the window and back to the fireplace.
 
Back and forth like it would bring Ben home quicker if he did.

This time when he paced to the window, his stance changed.
 
He came to attention and pulled back the sheer curtain further.

“They’re back.
 
They have Ben!” he shouted, waking up Suzie.
 

Rosie soothed Suzie and got up carrying her, walking as fast as she could while holding the child.

“Ben!” Tom yelled, as he ran down the porch stairs.

“Papa!”
 
Ben slipped down off Duncan’s big black horse and ran to his father, leaping into his open arms.

For what seemed the longest time, they just held each other.
 
Both crying.
 
Father and son.

Silent tears rolled down Rosie’s cheeks.
 
Now that Suzie was awake, she wanted down.
 
Rosie set her on the ground and she dashed to her father and brother.
 
Tom bent down and picked up his daughter then the three of them hugged each other.

Rosie understood.
 
She really did.
 
She was still the outsider.
 
Maybe she would always be the outsider.
 
After all they shared a bond that Rosie couldn’t, no matter how much she wanted to.

She turned to go in the house.

“Rosie.”
 
Tom’s hoarse whisper reached her ears.

“Tom.”

He held his arm out to her.
 
“Come.”

She bit back a sob and flew into his arms.
 
They were a family.

A short while later they were all inside, including Duncan and Dan.
 
They listened to Ben, who sat on his father’s lap, Tom’s arms around Ben’s body like he never intended to let him go again.
 
She’d fixed Ben some food.
 
He hadn’t eaten since before his mother took him.

“It was Mama.
 
She came and said I should go with her.
 
That she’d missed me and came back for me.”
 
He looked up at his father.
 
“I missed her so much, Papa.
 
I thought we would be back for the rest of you later.
 
I didn’t know,” he buried his face in his father’s shirt.

“It’s all right, Ben.
 
You didn’t do anything wrong.
 
Mama’s mind wasn’t right.
 
But she won’t be hurting anyone, including herself, anymore.
 
Do you understand, son?
 
You’re safe now.
 
I have you and I’m never letting you go.”
 
Tom hugged the child in his arms.
 
If it was Rosie, she’d be hugging him, too.
 

“Ben,” said Rosie.
 
“You need a bath young man.
 
It will make you feel better.
 
You can wash off all the grime from the last two days.
 
Come with me and let the men talk.
 
I’ll help you get your bath started.
 
Suzie, you come with me too.”

“I don’t want a bath,” said Ben.

“Go on, son.
 
Rosie’s right.
 
You’ll feel better.
 
Then we’ll get you some milk and cookies before bed.
 
How’s that sound?”