A Treasure Brought by Fate: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Lorelei Brogan

  Lyla was safe on the ranch with Bonnie, as far as he knew. Keith didn’t know where they lived, but that could change if he asked around town.

  When they finished the game, James stood up, picked up his rifle and headed toward the door. “Daniel, you want to show me where that camp was? I’d like to see for myself if that coward decided to follow my advice yet.”

  Daniel nodded, retrieved his own pistol, and then joined James outside. They mounted their horses and then rode in the direction of the forest on the outskirts of town.

  It didn’t take long to arrive, but when they did, the clearing was empty.

  James jumped down from his horse and inspected the small place. There were tracks from a stagecoach or a wagon, just like Daniel had mentioned earlier.

  The fire pit was still hot and some of the embers were still glowing.

  “They didn’t leave long ago,” Daniel noted, pushing a stick through the embers.

  “The question is, did they leave town, or did they just change locations?”

  “I wouldn’t know. We could try and follow the tracks for a bit,” Daniel suggested, pointing to a set of tracks leading away from the campsite.

  James nodded in agreement and the two mounted their horses and began to follow the trail.

  As they went, James felt hopeful as the tracks led away from town, but then, his heart sank just as quickly as it had risen. The tracks made a wide turn and headed into the forest on the other side of town.

  Right before they reached the trees, the tracks disappeared. James clenched his jaw in anger. These people knew they would be followed. They were playing with them, just toying with their desire to know what they were doing.

  If the tracks they had followed told James anything, it was that Keith hadn’t left town—and he certainly had another plan up his sleeve. Whatever that plan was remained to be seen, but James was fairly certain that it wouldn’t be good for him or for Lyla.

  Keith seemed like the man who would go for vengeance. And vengeance was never a good thing.

  Chapter 29

  “Can you believe this? She’s turning me down! Me! For some sheriff and a snotty-nosed bastard child.” Keith was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.

  They had moved their camp, because he knew from the sheriff’s words that if they weren’t careful, they would be kicked out of town. He had seen the deputy follow him to his camp. And he suspected that they would return to see if he had truly gone. But he was far from ready to leave.

  The conversation he’d had with Lyla and James kept replaying in his mind. How had this happened? He should have never allowed her to leave to go after the boy. That had been a mistake.

  He kicked a rock and it fell inside the flames, making a show of sparks rise up into the dark sky.

  “Maybe we should just go. She obviously changed her mind about marrying you. Maybe we shouldn’t be risking getting ourselves into trouble over something that’s already over,” the stagecoach driver put in, standing up from where he’d been sitting.

  Keith turned to glare at him. “You don’t know anything. You have no idea what this is all about. And if you want your money, you’d better keep your mouth shut.”

  The man looked as if he were ready to punch Keith, but Keith was confident his money was enough to keep the man’s rage at bay.

  “I may not know much about this situation, but I know that your previous fiancé is now engaged to the sheriff. They have deputies and the ability to put us in jail. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  “Of course, that means something. It means that we have to be careful. She has a kid. I didn’t know his name before, but now I do.”

  For the first time, Jeremy looked up from where he was sitting by the fire. “You suggesting we go after a child so you can marry a woman who wants nothing to do with you?”

  Keith tried to control his anger at Jeremy’s tone. “I’m not paying you to be insolent or to judge my decisions. I’m simply paying you to do what I ask and that’s all, do you understand?”

  Jeremy nodded but his jaw was clenched, and Keith could tell that he didn’t like the idea of involving a child.

  “Never mind, I’ll figure it out. If I need backup, only then will I involve the two of you. This is between me and Lyla.”

  “I think this is just about you, Lyla doesn’t seem to want much to do with you,” the stagecoach driver, who Keith was pretty sure was called Mark, pointed out through closed teeth.

  Keith crossed the space between them and clenched the man’s shirt in his fist. “Speak another word like that and you’ll regret it.”

  Calmly, Mark removed Keith’s hand. “I’m here for the money, but if you decide to get physical with me again, I will take my stagecoach and find decent business elsewhere.”

  Keith took a few steps back, surprised at Mark’s demeanor. He stalked away from the fire and retreated to his tent. He had a lot of planning to do and a lot to think about.

  He laid back on his blankets and stared up at the roof of the tent. He was going to find a way to get Lyla to cooperate. He didn’t care how he had to do it or what he had to do, but Lyla was going to be riding back with him to Merrill whether she liked it or not.

  There was one thing that Keith valued above all else, that was his image. He had worked for years to build his reputation, and he wasn’t going to be able keep that reputation if everyone thought Lyla had run off with another man out west.

  No, there was no other solution than to bring his wayward bride home.

  ---*---

  The next few days were filled with plans and schemes on Keith’s part, and dark looks and judgmental comments from Jeremy and Mark.

  But Keith didn’t care. He had already decided that he was going to get his way and he didn’t care what anyone thought, and especially Mark or Jeremy.

  Finally, Keith was ready. He put on some old clothes that he hoped would make him blend in and headed into town.

  First things first, he had to find out where James and Lyla were. He began asking around town and it didn’t take long to find someone who knew.

  Apparently, the sheriff was a popular person. Not only did everyone know where he lived, but they were more than happy to share that information when they thought that Keith was a long-lost friend looking to surprise the sheriff. Yes, he did have a surprise for James. He would be very surprised when Lyla changed her mind and decided to marry Keith, after all.

  It took Keith several hours to find the ranch. It was quaint and simple, just as he’d expected.

  He took his time to get close to the house and when he did, he saw Lyla and an older woman cooking in the kitchen through the window. They seemed to be in deep conversation and didn’t notice in the slightest that someone was watching them from the edge of the woods.

  Keith noticed things lying about that told him the child lived here, too. There was a ball in the yard, and a boy’s clothing hanging on the line.

  Keith moved towards the barn; he had to be careful. If he was spotted spying around here, there would be no going back.

  He slipped around the corner of the barn and pulled back to hide. There, playing beside the barn with a big, floppy-eared hound dog, was a young boy.

  Keith watched him play. He wondered how hard it would be to get the boy away from here. He knew that his plan was unethical and cruel at best, but Lyla should not have treated him the way she had. He had warned her.

  In the end, this was her fault. She should have known better. She shouldn’t have thought that she could do whatever she wanted. The moment she had agreed to become his wife, she should have known that it was as if they were already married.

  Moving around to the back of the barn, Keith set his shoulders determinedly. This was how he was going to fix everything.

  Now, he just had to figure out how to get the boy without the dog alerting anyone. He crept around the back of the barn and picked up a board that lay against the wall. As he peeked around the corner, he saw the
boy run down the hill after the ball. Now was his chance.

  He slapped the side of the barn and stepped behind the structure, waiting. The dog had seen him. He was sure of it. The dog barked once and then came sniffing around the corner of the barn.

  Keith brought the board down with all his strength on the top of the dog’s head. It yelped once and fell to the ground, dazed and twitching.

  He felt bad for a moment. Too bad the dog had to suffer for Lyla’s bad choice, he thought. He took one of the ropes he had brought with him and wrapped it tightly around the dog’s muzzle and tied him to a tree. It would probably live.

  He tucked the other rope back into his back pocket and waited for the boy to come looking for the dog. It wasn’t long before he heard him.

  “Sam? Sam, where are you?” The boy came around the corner of the barn and saw the dog lying in the grass.

  It was easy for Keith to grab him from behind and cover his mouth as he approached the dog in puzzlement.

  ---*---

  “You kidnapped her son?” Jeremy was yelling. “What is wrong with you?”

  “I’ll have you mind your tone. You’re in the middle of the west with no funds to get back home, so as far as you’re concerned, you do what I say.” Keith glared back at Jeremy.

  “I never signed up to kidnap children.” Despite his protest, Jeremy sat down as if he were resigned.

  “Don’t worry. The boy will be fine. I’m confident his mother will come around and give me what I want. I’ll return the kid to the sheriff and everyone will be happy.”

  Mark and Jeremy didn’t seem to be convinced.

  “James! Somebody, help me! Just let me go!” the little boy yelled with sobs in between each of his pleas. “What did you do to Sam?” I want to go home!” His face was streaked with tears and he looked terrified.

  “My goodness, I knew I never wanted to have kids. I’m going to have to gag the child.” Keith walked towards the tent but was surprised when Jeremy stood in his way.

  “I may be able to look past the fact you kidnapped him and are holding him here, but you won’t be gagging him or treating him badly. I don’t care how much money you’re paying me.”

  Keith glared at Jeremy. “Then you figure out how to make him stop screaming, or I will shut his mouth myself!”

  Jeremy clenched his jaw and pushed past Keith with a shove. After he disappeared into the tent, the crying and wailing stopped and there was only a still silence.

  Mark looked guilty, as if he didn’t know what to think or do about the situation.

  With nothing left to do, Keith wrote a note and tucked it into his pocket; he had some mail to deliver tonight.

  He imagined what Lyla’s face had looked like when she’d discovered Joey missing. She would realize everything he’d said about her was true. What kind of mother left their child unattended by the side of a barn?

  A tiny bit of guilt tickled Keith’s stomach, but he sent it away. He shouldn’t feel guilty about this. It wasn’t as if he were hurting the child. It would only be for a couple of days and he would make sure that the boy was fed and safe.

  He had seen the look in Lyla’s eyes when she had mentioned Joey. Whether or not she was cut out to be a mother, she truly loved this boy. It was careless of her to let that be known.

  Keith was sure that if they couldn’t find the boy, it would be a matter of time—and a matter of short time—until Lyla agreed to his terms.

  He could already imagine their wedding. They would do everything they had planned and then Lyla would live in his home and be the perfect wife, just like everyone expected her to. If she didn’t obey him, he would remind her that he knew where the boy was.

  For a moment, Keith wondered what it would have been like to fall in love with a girl the normal way. What would it have been like to ask said girl to marry him and be nervous about her answer?

  No, that was too difficult. He wasn’t meant to be the type of person who depended on another’s feelings or preferences. He was built and trained to get what he wanted, when he wanted it.

  What he couldn’t get easily he could always obtain with money. There was a price for everything—sometimes, that price was money, and other times, that price was something physical, as it was in Lyla’s case.

  Money hadn’t been enough of a reason for her to marry him, but her son’s safety would be.

  Keith grinned. His plan was in motion. He had everything under control. It felt good to be in control again. He shivered a bit as he remembered how he’d felt when he wasn’t in control.

  It wasn’t a good feeling, and he was determined to never feel that again. He didn’t need love, friendship, or loyalty. All of those things were for poor people who had no other options. All he needed was his wit and his riches and his reputation, and he could live comfortably and be respected by everyone.

  Keith closed his eyes and began to drift to sleep. Tomorrow, he would see just how much Lyla loved her son and her new family.

  Chapter 30

  Lyla ran toward the road when she heard the horse coming down the trail. As soon as he came into sight, James leapt from his horse and came running towards her. “What’s wrong?”

  Lyla burst into tears and fell against James as she reached him. “He’s gone. I can’t find him anywhere.”

  Lyla could see the fear leap into James’s eyes. “What do you mean, you can’t find him?”

  “I mean, I’ve looked everywhere. He was playing outside with Sam and I was watching him from the window. He disappeared around the barn and didn’t come back. When it had been about five minutes, I went to see what happened, and…” The tears overtook her once more and she sobbed for several minutes before she could talk again.

  “Sam is hurt. He was tied up. It looked like someone knocked him out with a board, and Joey is gone!”

  “Lyla, calm down. I’m sure he’s here somewhere. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

  “He’s not here. I had my eyes off of him for a few minutes at most. The dog was there, and he-he wasn’t. James, someone has taken him.”

  Lyla’s heart beat so fast in her chest she thought it might break free. Her breath came in quick, short gasps. And Lyla couldn’t stop the tears. They just kept coming.

  “I’m going to look for him, Lyla.” James’s voice was deep and calm, and somehow helped Lyla to think.

  “Okay, okay. Let’s look all over the ranch again. Maybe there are some tracks or something.”

  James nodded. “That’s better, how long ago was this?”

  Lyla bit her lip as she tried to calculate the time. “Probably an hour ago. I thought I could find him, but I can’t. I was just about to go and find you.”

  Lyla’s throat hurt from her crying and her eyes were puffy and red. “He was right.”

  “Who was right?” James looked at her with a worried gaze.

  “Keith was right. I’m a terrible mother. I didn’t watch him closely enough.”

  James’s jaw clenched. “Don’t every say that again. You are an amazing mother. I’ve seen the way you care for Joey. You love him. This sort of thing could happen to anyone. Now, let’s get started.”

  Lyla followed James with renewed hope, but soon that hope was extinguished. They’d gone over every single building and every possible hiding spot on the entire ranch more than three times. Finally, James led Lyla to the house. “You need to rest.”