by Linda Ellen
“Get their guns,” he ordered his partner, and the younger man hurried to obey his command as Tobias kept his weapon at the ready, those sharp eyes scanning the three prisoners for any untoward movements.
Once the deputy had divested the three of their rifles and handguns, and had firmly instructed them to turn their backs to be bound, Pauline sat up on the floor as Tobias holstered his gun and turned his head to finally seek her out. What she saw when his eyes settled on her caused her heart to trip-hammer—immense relief seemed to pour down his shoulders as his body relaxed. It was then that she saw just how concerned, worried, and yes, even scared, her husband had been. But none of that had interfered with the performance of his duty. She couldn’t feel prouder.
He rushed to her side to help her stand, and then drew her into his arms with profound concern. “Are you all right?” he whispered against her hair.
Conscious of the eyes of the others in the room watching their every move, Pauline nodded and whispered back, “I am now,” as she returned his embrace. Then she gently stepped back, holding both of his hands, and smiled up into his face. “Thank you for rescuing us, Tobias,” she murmured softly.
“Well, it’s about time you fellows got here!” Martha good-naturedly griped as she sat up. “Just look at my walls. Holes everywhere! It will take a month of Sundays to get my classroom back in shape!”
Pauline and Tobias turned their heads toward her, but the look on her face revealed that she was only teasing.
Laughing, Pauline gave her husband’s hands a squeeze and then let go to walk around to the other side of their makeshift fort to give the woman a hand to stand up.
Tad had climbed to his feet and launched himself into his big brother’s arms as soon as they were free.
“I knew you’d come! And I knew you’d be the one to rescue us!” he gushed with his face pressed against Tobias’ belly. “I told that no good over there that you’d get him. And you did! You’re the best and the fastest around!”
Martha was struggling to get up as the children were now either crying or laughing with relief that the siege was over, and Pauline couldn’t help but fondly watch the exchange between the two brothers. Tobias’ eyes locked with hers in a shared understanding, a proud and pleased smile on his lips, and then he bent to give his little brother a quick kiss to the top of his head.
Without warning, Pauline squealed as she was abruptly grabbed from behind and something made of cold, sharpened steel was pressed against her throat.
A dreadfully familiar voice growled near her ear, “Drop your guns, both ‘a you lousy tin stars, or this here pretty little wife of yours ain’t gonna be that way for long.”
While the other deputy had been occupied with tying the hands of the man named Grove, and Tobias’ attention had lessened, Wheeler had managed to slip a knife out of its hiding place in his boot and whirl around on an unsuspecting Pauline.
Trembling, Pauline stood wide-eyed, staring at her husband across the mess of desks, children, chairs, slates, books, and two startled teachers. Slowly and carefully, Tobias’ arms released his brother and gently pushed him back a few steps. For once, Tad refrained from making a ruckus.
No one moved a muscle except for the eyes of everyone in the room as they darted between the re-armed outlaw and the resolute deputy.
It was so still and quiet in the classroom that Pauline could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall above the chalkboard.
Inwardly, she berated herself for her foolishness ten times over. This is all my fault! Oh, why did I let my guard down and come over here so close to these awful men?
“I ain’t gonna tell you again!” Wheeler’s voice boomed next to Pauline’s ear and she cringed from the pain it caused her eardrum.
Out of the corner of her eye, Pauline saw the other deputy move his head in order to seek direction from Tobias. She knew neither lawman would willingly give the upper hand back to these terrible men if they could help it. Belatedly, Pauline wondered why the other deputies and the sheriff hadn’t made their way inside yet.
Striving to avoid moving or swallowing, as the sharp point of the knife bit into the smooth flesh of her neck, Pauline kept her vision locked with the steady, blue beam of her husband’s unwavering stare.
Then, through a renewed haze of terror, she realized he seemed to be trying to convey a message to her—only through the use of his eyes.
With his fixed stare locked on her, he allowed his eyes to flick downwards for a split second. Instantly, she understood—he was telling her to drop down. Fortifying herself, she blinked several times in answer, and waited for the opportunity that would afford Tobias the best advantage.
Intuitively, she realized this was much like when the snake was behind her back and Tobias had taken care of the threat with one shot. She knew he would do likewise with this snake, the awful man, who once again had her in his clutches.
Then, her husband’s attention switched upward to that of the man standing at her back, his arm like a band of steel holding her indecently close against his body. She wished with all her might that she could open her mouth and breathe through it and not her nose, as the outlaw’s unwashed stench was extremely unpleasant. Indeed, she felt almost on the cusp of fainting from the dreadful odor…
“Put down the knife, Wheeler. Let her go. You can’t think you’ll get away. The building is surrounded,” her husband calmly informed the cutthroat.
“No, you put the gun down, Keller, or your little wifey here gets it.”
Tobias began to slowly shake his head, just a bit, from side to side.
Pauline noticed he had straightened out his stance, and he was now facing her and the outlaw across the mess on the floor, his hands hanging loosely at his sides. His face seemed devoid of emotion. He was all business. His body completely on alert.
Instinctively, she knew the next move had to be hers.
Jesus, help us! She prayed silently. Then, she did the only thing she could think of to do—with a soft sigh, she let her knees go weak as if in a faint. This unbalanced the outlaw for the split-second Tobias needed. Although she kept her eyes open, she barely registered the speed at which his hand flew down and grabbed his gun, brought it up, and fired. The bullet whizzed by quite close to her head, and in an instant, she heard the man behind her yell as his arm, as well as his knife-wielding hand, went slack.
Unprepared for the sudden release, Pauline felt herself falling to the floor.
In seconds, armed lawmen charged inside, taking over the situation as the room once again erupted into the chaos of yelling outlaws, crying children, and lawmen shouting orders.
Then, once again, Pauline was safe and secure in her husband’s arms.
Chapter 14
T oby wrapped Pauline in his arms, holding her close to his body as he strived to repress shudder after shudder in reaction to what they had just experienced. Hers came around his waist and she held on to him just as tightly.
God in Heaven! Two close calls in twenty-four hours where I could have easily lost her! Once again, he was supremely thankful for the excellent instruction he’d had from his grandfather. As the events unfolded, due to Marshal Gibson’s voice in his head, he’d been able to focus solely on the task at hand—that of vanquishing the danger—while keeping a firm clamp on his emotions and an even keel on his nerves.
But now, the image of Pauline’s petrified stare, silently pleading for him to save her, rose up behind his closed lids and another shudder escaped his control.
In response, he felt Pauline’s arms tighten around his ribs as she whispered, “I knew you would save me, Tobias. Just like you did from the snake.”
He swallowed down any negative remarks and allowed himself to focus on the feeling of her in his arms—safe, whole, and unharmed.
Finally, his bride separated herself from his embrace just far enough to look up into his eyes, with a twinkle in hers, as she murmured, “I want to meet this grandfather of yours and thank him for his exce
ptional tutelage.”
Before he could formulate a reply, Tad, as well as Miss Martha and Miss Annabel, rushed toward them to voice their congratulations and admiration of his timely rescue. Somewhere in the distance, the whistle of the nine o’clock train sounded. Oh boy…wonder if the constable’ll want to catch that or wait for tomorrow’s train. He doubted the conductor would wait while they made alternate plans.
Toby answered the accolades with nods and smiles as he turned his head to view the unconscious outlaw, Wheeler Loomis, lying prone on the floor. Blood was evident from where Toby’s bullet had grazed his temple—exactly as he had intended. As his grandfather had taught him—never kill a man when wounding him will produce the same result. That way, he’s still alive and has another opportunity to get his soul right before going to meet his maker.
Constable Filkins and Sheriff Dave set about grasping the man’s arms on either side and unceremoniously dragged him out of the beleaguered schoolhouse, while deputies were escorting the other three criminals to the jail.
Once they were gone, shopkeepers and onlookers from nearby hesitantly began filtering in, some offering to chaperone traumatized children to their places of business while several volunteered to go and get their parents. Others ventured slowly inside the battered building, their jaws dropping in amazement at what they saw.
“What a day!” Pauline expelled with a tired sigh. “I think I’ll go home and try to relax,” she added, smiling up into Toby’s eyes with a silent invitation for him to accompany her there. As if he could let her out of his sight now!
Holding out an elbow, he smiled down into her eyes as she slid her hand around his arm and he walked her out and down the steps.
“Tell me,” she said once they were clear of the gathering of gawking townspeople.
“Tell you what?” he asked, but grinned, knowing what she wanted to know.
Exasperated, she looked up at him wide-eyed. “Everything! What you thought when Peter brought the sheriff the message…who came up with the plan…how you got inside the schoolhouse without the outlaws seeing you…oh, everything!”
He chuckled, enjoying her titillation. “All right. Well, what I thought when Peter came in with the message—I nearly tore off down the street, brandishing my pistol and yelling like a Comanche,” he paused when she emitted the expected giggle. “The sheriff jerked a knot in my tail and basically told me he’d lock me up with Hobbs if I tried anything stupid like that. So…I came up with the plan. See—” he waited while they stepped down two steps on the boardwalk. “I knew about the space under the schoolhouse and where the access door was…” he sheepishly met her eyes and added, “because when I was ten, me and Kenny Bruner got under there and planted fireworks to scare our teacher, Miss Josephine. Boy, did I get a whippin’ for that,” he laughed, shaking his head. “Well, she made me get there early every day for a month and wash the blackboards. That’s how I knew the extra key was over the door. Kenny had to chop firewood for the school every day for that month. And…” he stopped to remember her last question, “…Keith and I snuck around the back where there aren’t any windows and entered the crawlspace under the back steps. That part was easy.”
Glancing back into his wife’s lovely, brown eyes, his breath caught at her expression of downright hero-worship. The thought gave him pause. Yes, on the one hand, he wanted his bride to admire his prowess and be proud of his bravery and talents, but…on the other hand, he didn’t only want her admiration—he wanted her to be in love with him, as a woman loves a man. The thought came again that she hadn’t uttered those three words. Did she only think of him as a larger-than-life, modern-day Sir Galahad? Heck…I ain’t no hero of old. I’m a flesh and blood man in love with this woman. Doesn’t she see me like that? What’s it going to take to get her to fall in love with me? Me, not just because I saved her from danger. What will I have to do to get her to see me as Toby Keller, her flesh and blood husband? What if she never—
Suddenly, Pauline’s attention averted from his face a little to one side and she squealed, abruptly let go of his arm, and took off running—running—down the street!
Startled, he blinked several times before he followed. She was heading toward a man coming from the direction of the depot, and she was waving one arm above her head and yelling a name.
“Dwight! Dwight!”
Toby’s heart catapulted into a gallop. Dwight, Pauline’s brother? What’s he doing here?
As he watched his wife fling herself into her brother’s arms, apparently beside herself with joy to see him, Toby had a feeling deep down in his gut that this development would not bode well for his cause.
He needed more time…but it looked like that was the one commodity he had too little of.
“Great jumpin’ catfish, Pebs!” her brother burst out when she had nearly finished her narrative of what had happened since she had arrived in Brownville. “I thought this town was supposed to be peaceful and safe—sounds like the Wild West, to me!”
Admonishing herself for telling her overprotective, big brother too many details too soon, Pauline tried to smooth things over. Her intent had been to brag on her husband’s prowess with a gun, but she’d forgotten how cantankerous DJ could be when something got stuck in his craw.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds—” she began, but he cut her off.
“Not as bad as it sounds! For crying out loud, Pauline! You could have been killed—not once, but twice!” he threw an accusatory glance toward Tobias. “Not to mention another young woman getting sliced up right out there on Main Street,” he jerked a thumb in the general direction, “cowboys breaking up the saloon, and who-knows-who is getting off those riverboats each and every day and coming into the town to cause trouble. I’d say I’ve come just in the nick of time—before something bad really does happen to you. Mother will be frantic when she finds out what all has been going on here,” he griped. “What was Mrs. Fetterman thinking to send you here? Lawmen shooting up the schoolhouse with women and children inside—”
“Now, wait just a minute,” Tobias began, lifting a finger in objection.
“It’s not how you’re making it sound!” Pauline expelled at the same moment, flapping her hands in frustration as she tried to protest.
The three of them had been sitting in the parlor of the boarding house, drinking coffee and chatting as the new arrival had regaled them with the tale of the police, back in Louisville, tracking down and capturing the infamous Harold Barrow.
Pauline had been so happy to see a member of her family, she had run down the street and thrown herself straight into her brother’s arms. He had caught her, and laughing, had swung her around with glee. Their reunion had been sweet—until she’d had the bright idea to share a little about her husband’s expertise. Dwight’s reaction, however, was decidedly not what she had imagined.
To her astonishment, her brother now turned on Tobias in anger, even going so far as to point his finger in her stunned husband’s face. “My sister only married you by proxy, Deputy Keller, to get out of a bad situation. It was to be temporary, and from the agreement, the annulment papers should already be written and just awaiting signatures. Therefore, you have no dog in this fight,” he added with a downright sneer.
“Dwight Jerome Christensen!” Pauline gasped. “You have no right to speak to Tobias that way! Why, he’s been nothing but sweet to me…he has saved my life—twice! I’ve told you that. Now, I want you to apologize to him right this min—”
“Don’t worry about it, Pauline,” Tobias interrupted, holding up one hand and shaking his head. “Your brother’s right. In a way, I did endanger your life—once by taking you up to L—” he cut the word off and started again, “up to the lookout, and since I helped you get the job at the school, in a way, it’s my fault that you were caught in the middle this morning. I’m not sure how Loomis found out you were my wife. Snooping around, I guess,” he gave a small shrug. It pained her to see his remorseful expression. In her opinion,
he had nothing to be remorseful about!
She reached out to touch his arm. “Tobias, that’s not your fault.”
“No, he’s right, and I’m glad he’s a big enough man to admit it,” her hot-headed brother insisted.
“Dwight, please,” Pauline jerked her head toward her brother, her own ire quickly heating up.
“Don’t Dwight, please, me, young lady,” he replied, shaking a finger in her face as if he were her father, even using the tone and phrases their father had employed when they were in trouble. The thought occurred that DJ was taking his position as the eldest sibling and the only male in the family a little bit too far. She was a grown woman, after all.
Forcing herself to take a slow, deep breath to calm her angst, she tried again. “DJ, listen to me. Nothing bad happened. I’ve been well-looked after from the moment I stepped off the train. There is no need for such theatrics.”
Her brother cocked an eyebrow at her. “Pauline, our mother tasked me with the responsibility of coming to fetch you and bring you back home once that vermin, Barrow, was apprehended, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. I didn’t announce my plans in advance, as I’d thought to surprise you. I’m glad I made that decision, as I caught you and this proxy husband of yours unawares.” Pauline cringed at the accusations in her brother’s voice. “Now, it’s my understanding that the train only comes once a day to this hick town,” he paused when Tobias emitted a tiny noise of insult and she felt her own affront rise, “so, have your bags packed and ready to leave on the nine o’clock train tomorrow morning. Is that understood?”
Having heard all she could stand, Pauline jumped to her feet and slammed both palms onto the table.
“Enough! Dwight Jerome, you may be my elder brother—by a mere two years, I might add—but I’m a grown woman and I will not be dictated to in such a manner!”
Tobias chose that moment to stand as well. Replacing his hat on his head, he fixed his gaze on her as she lowered herself back into her chair and lifted shocked eyes to stare up at him. Where was he going? They hadn’t decided anything yet! Wasn’t he even going to help her convince her brother?