With fresh blood flowing down his face, Ernest waded in again and Richard’s fist connected with the side of his head, sending him staggering backward. Pain erupted in his head and he saw stars dancing before his eyes.
Richard stumbled backward a couple of steps and raised his weapon, training it on Ernest’s face. Adeline’s scream of horror rang out through the yard and Richard cut a quick glance toward the house. It was enough to freeze Richard in place for the moment Ernest needed to turn the advantage to his side.
He feinted to the right and as Richard tried to regroup and brought his weapon to bear, Ernest had already swung back to the left and delivered a devastating blow to the older man’s face. Richard’s head snapped to the right and his body followed suit, sending him crashing to the dirt.
Ernest didn’t hesitate. He was on the older man a split second after he hit the dirt. Grabbing the front of Richard’s shirt, Ernest hauled him up and delivered a wicked punch to the man’s jaw. The impact cracked like a gunshot and blood flew from Richard’s nose as it crumpled beneath Ernest’s fist. Ernest punched Richard again. And again. And again. He transformed all his emotions the last couple of days into the blackest of rages and meted it out upon Richard in a flurry of devastating punches.
“Ernest, stop. Please, stop.”
With his fist cocked back, ready to deliver another blow, he looked up to see Adeline standing before him. She was a mess, covered in dirt and mud, her hair loose and bedraggled, but she otherwise looked unhurt. He looked down at Richard with contempt. The older man’s face was a swollen bloody horror and he gasped weakly, a wet rattle sounding deep in his throat.
Ernest let go of his shirt and dropped him into the dirt as he got to his feet. He rushed to Adeline and pulled her to him, wrapping her in a tight embrace with the intent to never let her go.
“You came for me,” she whispered as she nuzzled his neck.
“Of course I did,” he replied softly. “Nothin’ was gonna keep me from you. Nothin’ will ever keep me from you. Ever.”
She pulled back and looked him in the eye, tears streaming down her cheeks. He reached out and wiped away the tears, offering her a small smile.
“I wasn’t sure you felt the same way about me that I felt about you,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“I love you, Adeline,” he said firmly. “I love you with everything in me.”
She pulled him close again and squeezed him tight, her heart swelling to the point it felt like it might burst. Ernest closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling of having her in his arms. Of not having to hide it. And of being free to express the depth of his love for her.
“Good,” she said and sniffed back her tears. “That’s good because I love you with everything in me as well, Ernest.”
They clung to each other for several long moments but as the adrenaline wore off, the pain firing through his arm brought him back to reality and he had to put her down. She looked at him, concern etched upon her face.
“You’re hurt,” she said.
“I’ll be okay.”
He called his horse to him and then pulled a length of rope from his saddlebag. Walking back to Richard, he bound the man tight. Just the sight of the man combined with the thoughts of what he put Adeline through flared the rage in him anew and he wanted to hurt him. Really hurt him. But Adeline rested her hand on his shoulder lightly and grounded him once more.
A couple of minutes later, Milton rode up with a bound and bloodied Shotgun Ford attached by a length of rope to his saddle walking glumly behind. Milton had a couple of bruises on his face and the front of his shirt sported some blood but it looked like the outlaw had gotten the worst of it.
“Looks like you got your man,” Ernest said to him.
Milton chuckled and nodded at the unconscious form of Richard Arnolds. “I guess we both did.”
Ernest looked from Richard to Adeline and took hold of her hand, the first genuine smile on his face in what felt like ages.
“I guess we all got what we wanted,” he said.
Epilogue
It was several months after the events at the farmhouse when they entered the town of Frailburg. Adeline looked around from her seat on the wagon bench, soaking in the view of her hometown, reveling in all that had changed – and all that hadn’t – in her time away.
“What do you think?” Ernest asked.
Adeline looked over at him and smiled. “That it’s good to be home.”
Back in Talon Peaks, the scandal had rocked the town to its core. Richard had been tried and convicted on charges of kidnapping and attempted murder, as well as a number of other smaller offenses. And although he plead for mercy – and had a lot of his wealthy friends plead for mercy as well – the judge wasn’t having it, saying that as a leading figure in Talon Peaks, Richard needed to be held to a higher standard.
And because he failed so spectacularly to be the leader he fancied himself to be, the judge threw the book at him, sentencing Richard to life in prison. Ironically, he was sent to live out his days in the very prison his business associate, Harold Ford had broken out of.
As for Ford, Sheriff Stephens had accompanied him to Frailburg where he was held in the town jail. Stephens worked with Frailburg’s Sheriff Pickens to bring the Wild Hog – otherwise known as Daniel Ford – into custody. By posting wanted flyers all over town and running articles in Frailburg’s two newspapers, they let it be known that unless Daniel turned himself into authorities, his brother Harold would face the hangman’s noose.
Daniel was cunning but not overly intelligent and believed that if he came to the Sheriff’s office, he and his brother would be free to go. He had said as much in an interview he had given after being apprehended. He railed against the injustice of it all, telling his interviewer that he’d been lied to and entrapped by authorities.
Both men though, were wanted by federal authorities so it caused quite a stir when US Marshals arrived in Frailburg to take them both to South Carolina to stand trial for their crimes. The last Adeline had heard, both were scheduled to meet the hangman’s noose.
“At least they’ll be together,” she murmured.
Ernest looked over at her. “What was that?”
Adeline smiled as a heat rose in her cheeks. “I was just thinking that at least the Ford brothers will be together in the end.”
“I’m just glad their reign of terror is over,” Tillie said from where she was riding on the back bench in the wagon. “Now maybe we can all get on with our lives.”
“That sounds great to me,” Ernest said.
“That makes three of us,” Adeline added.
After Richard was imprisoned and the Wild Hog captured, there was nothing holding Adeline to Talon Peaks any longer. And of course, she wanted to return home. But much to her delight, Tillie agreed to come with her when Adeline promised her a good paying job at her family’s estate.
And that delight was doubled when Ernest said he wanted to sell his ranch and start fresh with her in Frailburg. To prove he was serious, Ernest had traveled to Frailburg a couple of times and had purchased a plot of land and a home there. He said almost apologetically that it wasn’t anywhere near as large or nice as she was accustomed to, but it would be a good home.
It was a comment that had struck her as odd at the time but then everything started happening fast as she prepared to return home so she had put it out of her mind and hadn’t thought of it again.
“What do you two think of my hometown so far?” Adeline asked excitedly.
Frailburg was quite a bit larger and far more cosmopolitan than Talon Peaks had been. There was a definite hustle and bustle to the town that neither Ernest nor Tillie had ever experienced before and it took them both aback a bit.
“It’s incredible,” Ernest said. “I’ve never been in a big city before. Everything just seems so – busy.”
Adeline laughed. “This isn’t a big city. Not like San Francisco or New York. But it is the largest i
n the Arizona territory. There are some rumblings about it being granted a statehood but my father says that’s probably still a bit in the future.”
“Well, it’s as hot here as it is in Talon Peaks,” Adeline laughed. “But I think I can get used to all this hustle in the city – as big as New York or not.”
Adeline guided them through town and then to the outskirts of Frailburg where her family home was located. Ernest pulled the wagon to a stop and almost immediately, a team of attendants was there, swarming over the wagon like a colony of ants on a carcass. They took the horses to be watered, brushed, and cared for and others unloaded the wagons, all of them greeting Adeline and telling her how pleased they were to have her back.
Her parents welcomed her back warmly with her father all but falling over himself in apologizing for Richard and the position – the danger – he had put her in. They were incredibly gracious to both Ernest – whom they thanked profusely for saving her – and to Tillie, whom they welcomed in as part of the family. Her mother walked with Tillie to meet Carol who still managed their house, and to show her personally to what would be her room as her father walked with her and Ernest, taking him on a tour of the grounds.
They spent the day getting settled in – her parents had agreed to let Ernest have a room in their home until the construction he’d ordered on his house had been completed. Adeline did not know what sort of construction he was having done but she was happy to have him so close at hand. If she had her way, Ernest would never be out of her sight again.
The following evening, Ernest and Adeline walked down the main thoroughfare through Frailburg. She pointed out the various shops and attractions that made her hometown unique and special to her. He commented little and all evening had seemed tense and distracted. There was something bothering Ernest and she didn’t know what it was.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He nodded. “I’m fine. This is all just a lot to take in.”
“Do you miss Talon Peaks?”
He looked over at her, a half-smile on his face. “Actually no. Surprisingly,” he said. “I’m just not used to a place this large with so much going on.”
Adeline nodded. She could understand that. It had taken her some time to get used to Talon Peaks – and she never did feel a part of that community. She just hoped Ernest would adjust better to Frailburg and come to think of it as his home as well.
Taking her hand, Ernest steered her into a small park she knew well, having spent a fair share of time there. Lanterns were hung about discreetly, softly illuminating the path that wound through the gardens. Flowering bushes pressed close on either side of the path, their fragrant aroma filling the air. Adeline enjoyed taking lunch here, among the flowers where she could read and enjoy the fragrances in peace.
Ernest led her through the gardens, seemingly knowing exactly where he was going – which was odd. The path took a sometimes winding and circuitous route through the gardens and it was easy to get turned around and lost within the foliage. It wasn’t hard to find your way back out of course, but Ernest never took a wrong turn. It was like he’d spent time there and knew the layout well.
They rounded a small bend that led them to the clearing at the heart of the gardens and Adeline clapped her hands to her mouth. Sitting before the large fountain was a table set for two. Candles burned in silver sticks and an amazing meal was laid out for them. A woman playing a violin sat in a chair a discreet distance away from them but her beautiful tune echoed around the gardens, filling the air with her sweet melody.
“Welcome home,” Ernest said.
She looked at him with her heart swelling and tears welling in her eyes. She stood on her tip-toes and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek.
“I cannot believe you put this together for me,” she said.
“Just a way for me to tell you how much I care for you.”
Ernest took her elbow and guided her to the table, pulling out her seat for her. When she sat down, he pushed the chair back in and stood beside her for a long moment. She looked up at him and he favored her with a warm smile.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Just another way for me to tell you how much I care for you.”
She shook her head, genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”
A look of nervousness flashed across his face. But like clouds racing across the silvery face of the moon, they were there one moment and gone the next. She heard him let out a long breath as he got down onto one knee. Adeline’s heart turned a somersault in her chest as he produced a small black box and opened it to reveal the most exquisite ring she had ever seen in her life.
The light from the lanterns glinted dazzlingly off the facets in the diamond in the setting and nearly stole her breath away. Ernest looked at her with a wavering smile upon his lips.
“I’ve already spoken with your father and received his blessing,” Ernest said. “So I wanted to tell you just how much you mean to me. How important you are to me, Adeline. You have made me feel things I never imagined possible. You’ve made me imagine a future I never would have dared imagine without you. You make me a better man in every way that matters.”
Adeline’s cheeks flushed and the tears she’d been fighting so hard to keep in check broke through the dam of her will and spilled down her face.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Adeline,” Ernest continued. “And I was hoping you’d do me the honor of being my wife.”
She was out of her seat in a heartbeat, throwing her arms around him, and practically squeezed the life out of him. Ernest laughed and then she kissed him, putting every ounce of emotion she felt for him into it. And when she finally pulled back, both of them needed a moment to catch their breath.
Eventually, Ernest seemed to recover and he looked at her with a roguish smile on his face.
“I really hope that means yes,” he said.
She laughed and slapped him playfully on the arm. “Of course it means yes,” she said and then looked at him with an expression that turned serious. “I never knew what true and genuine love was before you, Ernest. You have not just awakened my soul, but you set it on fire. And I will love you forever.”
Ernest’s smile was warm and then turned sly. “Just remember who said it first.”
Adeline squealed in delight and threw her arms around him again. They embraced in the garden and danced slowly to the beautiful strains of the violinist and Adeline felt everything in that moment was utterly perfect. She never knew she could be so happy and feel so loved.
“I love you Ernest Wallace,” she murmured.
“And I love you, Adeline Baxter.”
She closed her eyes and clung to him as they danced. Adeline was truly happy and she knew she would remain so as long as she was with Ernest.
The End?
Extended Epilogue
Eager to read how Adeline and Ernest’s relationship evolved? Then enjoy this complimentary short story featuring the beloved couple!
Simply TAP HERE to read it now for FREE! or use this link: http://www.cassidyhanton.com/p4ni directly in your browser.
I guarantee you, that you won’t be disappointed ♥
But before you go, turn the page for an extra sweet treat from me…
A sweet treat from the Wild West…
Turn on to the next page to read the first chapters of For the Love of a Wounded Cowboy, a sweet and clean Western historical romance with a happily-ever-after!
For the Love of a Wounded Cowboy
About the book
He let her into his heart and she took away the demons of a lifetime…
Desperate to escape her evil father, Amelia Donnel thinks her reply to a Mail-Order Bride ad may hold the key to her salvation. But when she meets the cowboy she’s been corresponding with all this time, she comes face to face with an unpleasant surprise: he seems unable to recognize her.
Living a lonely life on his ranch, Oliver Gyles carries the burden of his deceased fath
er’s darkest secret. With no intention of getting married, he is shocked to see a beautiful lady standing at his doorstep, looking for her fiancé.
What starts as a misunderstanding, blooms into a myriad of emotions they couldn't have foreseen...
But his father’s last wish haunts Oliver and the past comes back to take Amelia away from him. Fighting his demons to save his love while there’s still time, he will soon find out what really happened the night his father died in that fire...
Prologue
The Cowboy's Stolen Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 27