A Treasure Brought by Fate: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Lorelei Brogan

  James looked up to see that the stagecoach driver, as well as Keith, also had pistols. They could kill him now and no one would be the wiser.

  He should have had Merrick and Daniel follow the tracks with him, but he had been worried about missing something in their haste to follow their tracks.

  He wondered why they had been so careless with their tracks. Maybe they had figured that James wouldn’t be paying very close attention and, since they were so far from town, they had a good head start.

  Where James had made up the difference was when he had traveled all night—he was quite positive now that Keith’s group had rested at some point.

  “Do you really think I came alone? I didn’t shoot in the air for the fun of it. My deputies, as well as half the town, will be here any minute to take the lot of you to jail.”

  “That’s all the more reason to kill you. If you can’t tell them what you found, they won’t know which direction we went or if you even found us in the first place.” Keith’s face had an evil in it that James hadn’t seen for quite some time.

  He wondered how men like Keith got to that point.

  “You can kill me if you like, but they will still find you. They will follow the tracks and find my dead body, and from here on out, you don’t have much forest to keep you hidden. In the end, you’ll go to jail, one way or another. And if you go to jail for murder, you will never again see the light of day.”

  Lyla was crying as she stepped forward. “You can’t kill him. If you do, I won’t marry you. I’ll fight you every step of the way.”

  “You’ve already played all your cards, Lyla. I only needed you to step into that stagecoach. Do you think I care what you want now? You will do as I tell you.”

  Lyla stepped away from Keith and toward James. “You’ll have to kill me to kill him,” she said bravely.

  James could see that she was afraid. He could also see that she was willing to stand up to Keith, no matter what.

  James’s love for her grew. He watched her move closer, her back straight and her face determined as she protected him.

  She looked beautiful, standing there in the middle of the road, the wind blowing her hair back from her face. Her expression looked fierce, and brave as if she were ready to face anything.

  “Do you think I care if I have to shoot you? I never cared about you. It would make no difference to me if I had to remove you by force.” Keith talked to Lyla as if she were an annoyance that he could easily dispose of when he wanted.

  “Lyla, get out of the way. They aren’t going to shoot you. I won’t let you die to protect me,” James told her. He pointed his rifle at Keith.

  “You can have your men shoot me or you can do it yourself, but I’ll have you know I’m the sheriff of the town for a reason. I never miss, and I will be sure my last shot takes your life.”

  Lyla had reluctantly stepped out of the way, her eyes wide with fear and anxiousness.

  “The question here is, can you shoot me before I shoot her?” Keith turned his gun on Lyla. James’ heart pounded harder. He didn’t care if he had to die for this cause, but he wasn’t about to get Lyla killed.

  If he had to, he would die and let her go, so she would be safe.

  Suddenly, shots rang out in the air from behind him. James grinned as he realized his deputies had finally caught up.

  “Looks like it’s too late now. The numbers are evened out.”

  As if in slow motion, James saw Keith’s finger pull down on the trigger of the gun. Without thinking, James hurled himself in Lyla’s direction. His body plowed into her and they both fell to the ground.

  All around them there were yells and shots and grunts as the men scuffled. The one man on horseback had taken off, riding fast into the woods as soon as he had seen the deputies. The stagecoach driver had his hands in the air but didn’t look worried. James realized that he really might just be the driver. It was unlikely, but still, there was no way to prove otherwise.

  Once James was sure the danger was over, he rolled off of Lyla and checked her arms and shoulders, “Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?”

  Lyla looked pale and distraught, but she shook her head back and forth. “I think he missed. You saved my life. Your shoulder is bleeding.”

  James smiled. “I’m so glad I found you. My shoulder will recover.” He pulled her into an embrace and breathed in the scent of her hair. He had Lyla back.

  It felt as if he were dreaming. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he had begun to resign himself to not finding Lyla and figuring out some way to tell Joey he had failed him. But that hadn’t happened.

  She was back, safe in his arms, and they were going to get married.

  Keith was going to prison. No amount of money was going to free him.

  “Are you two okay?” Merrick asked, walking up with his pistol brandished. He reached out his free hand and helped James up from the ground. James then turned and helped Lyla to her feet.

  “I think we’re both fine,” James said with a grin. “Thanks to your quick entry, there.”

  Merrick nodded, “As soon as we heard your shots, we knew that those tracks were the right ones. We already had a pretty big suspicion about it, anyway, so it didn’t take us long to get here. Your shoulder is bleeding!”

  Lyla turned and grabbed James’ arm, inspecting it closer.

  “It’s just a surface wound. It could have been a lot worse,” James told them, brushing off their concern. “Once we have everyone all gathered up, we should make a plan for heading back together. I left my other horse on the trail, too. I need to pick him up on the way back.”

  “One of the other teams is already here and I’m sure the second is on its way. But I think that these two wouldn’t have been a match for just us.”

  “There were actually three, but one left before I could stop him,” James admitted ruefully.

  “Should we go after him? We could probably catch up.”

  James knew they likely could, but he’d heard how Joey had talked about the other men. They had been kind to him, and it probably had been Keith’s idea to kidnap Joey in the first place. “No, he’s not important; besides, I think the horses need some rest. Do you guys need any help?”

  Merrick shook his head. “No, the two of you take it easy. We have it handled.”

  James turned to Lyla after Merrick rode off. “Why did you leave? You should have told me what you planned to do. Maybe I could have followed you. We could have done this a different way.”

  Hews glad to have her back, but part of him was still disappointed that she hadn’t trusted him enough to share her plan.

  “I wanted to. I was just afraid…I was afraid it wouldn’t work, and we wouldn’t get Joey back. Is he okay? Did the man really take him to the ranch?”

  James nodded. “He did. I’m sure he’s having a fine time with my mother. You don’t have to worry about him.”

  “What happened? Tell me how he got there. Was he hurt?” Lyla didn’t look any less worried.

  “He’s perfectly fine. They dropped him off and the first thing he did was give me your note. I have to admit, I was pretty infuriated at you for a few moments there.”

  “I know.” Lyla met his eyes and he saw sadness and regret in her gaze. “I just didn’t know what else to do.”

  “You could have told me your plan. You could have included me.”

  Lyla paused and looked down at the ground. “Why did you come after me? After I betrayed you like that?”

  James grinned. “I had to scold you for running off on your own. And besides that, I wasn’t going to let you miss our wedding.”

  Lyla’s face lit up with a smile before she sobered a little. “I was worried that…”

  “That what?” James urged, lifting her chin so he was looking her in the eye.

  “I was just worried that you weren’t going to come for me because of what I did.”

  James shook his head with a little chuckle. “You obviously need to get to know
me better. There is nothing in this world that I would let come between us. I will never, ever, let you leave, unless you tell me honestly from your heart that you want to.” James pushed her hair away from her cheek. “Other than that, you are stuck with me forever.”

  Lyla giggled and took his other hand in hers. “I think it sounds pretty nice to be stuck with you forever.”

  She glanced in the direction of the woods. “How is Bonnie? She must be so worried.”

  “She is. So is Karen. They’re waiting at the cabin trying to keep Joey occupied, which I’m sure is hard to do. He was so worried about you.”

  “I know. I felt terrible sending him off by himself, but there was no other choice. I had to know he was safe.”

  James nodded. “That’s how I know you really are his mother. You love him like one.”

  Lyla smiled. “You don’t have to be related to be a parent. You are more of a father to Joey than my uncle ever could be. And I am sure my sister and her husband were great parents to him, too.”

  James looked off into the distance, an image of the boy’s parents laying in their wagon haunting him for a moment. He still wished he could have done something more. Maybe if he had just reacted a little quicker, the boy’s parents might still be alive.

  “Joey is a pretty special kid. He has a way about him that makes everyone he meets fall in love with him. I never thought that I would be interested in having children. Joey changed all of that for me. He must have gotten it from his mother.”

  Lyla laughed and blushed. “You are too kind.”

  “No,” James told her. “I’m just being honest.”

  Chapter 37

  Lyla couldn’t stop smiling. She looked over at James, who was sitting beside her talking to Daniel and Merrick about the events of the day.

  It had taken a while for the other two teams from town to catch up and help them with Keith and the stagecoach driver. Once everything had calmed down, the stagecoach driver said that he was only the driver and would be more than happy to be a witness to what Keith had done if needed, if they would just let him go afterward.

  Now, he sat with the other men, talking and laughing as if nothing had happened.

  Lyla didn’t care. The stagecoach driver hadn’t done anything to her, personally, and from what she had heard from James, he and the other man had only been kind to Joey.

  “I can’t believe that they took the most obvious path,” Merrick was saying.

  “I know. If they’d taken one of the other ways, they might have actually gotten away with it,” Daniel added.

  “How’s your arm?” Merrick nodded towards James’ shoulder.

  Lyla had bandaged it as soon as they had made camp. Everyone had decided that it wouldn’t be good for the horses if they headed back straightaway.

  Thankfully, Keith had been carrying a week’s worth of food, which was plenty to make a good meal for everyone.

  James stood up suddenly beside Lyla and the conversation died down around the fire.

  “Everyone, can I get your attention for a minute please?” James announced loudly.

  Everyone sat still and watched James with admiration in their eyes.

  “I just wanted to say that your help and contribution in this hard time was more than any sheriff could ask from his town. You all should be proud that you protected a young woman from a miserable fate.”

  Lyla blushed as James talked about her. She still wasn’t used to all the stares she got from everyone.

  “I will always remember what you’ve done for me and continue to protect your town, along with my deputies, to the best of my ability.” James rose his metal mug to them in a sort of salute and then sat down on the log as the whole clearing erupted in applause and shouts of appreciation from everyone.

  Lyla touched James’ arm. “Thank you for doing this for me,” she whispered.

  She knew that she’d already thanked him, and they’d even talked some about what had happened, but somehow, she still felt as if it wasn’t enough.

  “Don’t even think about it. I know that if it had been me, and you could have, you would have done the same.”

  Lyla nodded in agreement. “I can’t wait to get home and see Joey and Bonnie again.”

  “You and me both. A plate of her hotcakes and fried pork would be perfect right about now.”

  Lyla nodded again, her lips curling into a smile.

  When she looked back to the fire, tears filled her eyes. She was here beside James once again, where she belonged. She hoped nothing would ever separate them again.

  ---*---

  The next day, they set out early in the morning, and despite the hard work the horses had undergone the day before, they moved surprisingly fast. By the time dusk was falling, they were riding into Wheatberry.

  One of the men loaned James two fresh horses and let his tired ones stay in his barn a few miles out of town.

  Before they set out to the ranch, they stopped at the doctor’s house for a look at James’s arm. After a close examination, a couple of stitches, and some cream for infection, they were finally on their way home.

  Lyla felt herself getting anxious as they drew close. Was Joey going to be angry at her for sending him home alone? Did he even understand what had happened? At long last, they pulled up to the ranch that Lyla had been sure she would never see again.

  She nearly cried when she spotted the big cabin and the little one she had been staying in. It all felt so familiar and so right. How had this place become home to her so quickly?

  She still remembered the day that James had come to talk to her at the hotel. She had been so hostile towards him. It was amazing he had forgiven her for her behavior.

  She wondered what would had happened if she had gotten back on that stagecoach and gone back home like she’d planned. She never would have gotten to know James or Joey.

  Joey and Bonnie came rushing out of the cabin before Lyla or James had a chance to get off their horses. Once Lyla was standing on the ground, Joey and Bonnie smothered her with hugs and kisses.

  “I’m so glad you’re back. For a moment there, I thought…” Bonnie shook her head. “Never mind, it’s not important. What is important is that you are here, where you belong. We aren’t going to take our eyes off of you until we are certain the danger is gone.”

  Lyla smiled and hugged the older woman back. Bonnie felt like the kind, loving mother that she’d never had.

  James tugged on Lyla’s skirt and she knelt down so he could talk to her properly. “I gave it to James.”

  “Gave him what?” Lyla was confused.

  “I gave him the letter, the one you said was for him.”

  Lyla grinned in recognition. “Of course, you did. You’re such a good boy.” She pulled him close to her for another hug. “And because you did such a good job, James was able to find me and save me. I’m so proud of you.”

  She had him back. Was this real? She felt such love in her heart that it seemed like she would burst.

  “I’ve made some delicious roast. Let’s all go inside and talk over supper. I’m sure you two have quite the story to tell.”