A Long Way to Love: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Lorelei Brogan

  Ronan decided that he was trustworthy. After all, he was the one person in charge of the law that Ronan was fairly certain wasn’t one of Hank’s friends. The sheriff probably wasn’t either, but Ronan couldn’t risk it after the threat that Hank had given him.

  When Ronan caught up to Benjamin, he put his hand out and stopped the deputy. Benjamin’s eyes widened in surprise, and then he smiled.

  “Ronan, what are you doing here in town? You doing another job?”

  Ronan nodded quickly. “You could say something like that. I am here to ask you for a favor.”

  “What kind of a favor?” Realization seemed to dawn on Benjamin’s face.

  “Did you and the sheriff arrest a man recently?”

  “Actually, yes. Edward Willis. Why?”

  Ronan looked around, trying to make sure that no one was around. As far as he could tell, they were alone on the back street, just the two of them talking.

  “I- I need you to help me break him out of jail.”

  “What?” The deputy’s eyes went wide.

  “I know, I know, it doesn’t sound good. But Hank, I don’t know if you remember, the criminal I was after before. He’s got someone I care about.” Ronan went into detail about how Hank had escaped him a second time and how now he had Elise, the woman he had grown to care about in so many more ways than just friendship.

  When he was done, deafening silence greeted him.

  “So, what do you think?”

  “I don’t know. The sheriff is never going to agree to let Edward go. He is a bad man, and we have been after him for quite a while. Are you sure we have to hand Edward over to get Elise back?” Benjamin at least looked like he was thinking of options. Ronan felt a bit of relief that he’d chosen the right person to go to.

  “I know that we need to have Edward there. I can’t risk him hurting Elise, and with my history, he would do it. I know that he would. He’s hurt people before, and I am sure that Elise is no different to him.”

  “All right, so what is your plan? Don’t tell me you plan is to let two criminals walk free? He is probably forcing your hand in this because he is trying to make you do something you hate, commit a crime.”

  “I know, but I don’t plan on letting either of them escape. Look, you can help me. We just take Edward out for long enough to make the trade. Then, we put them both in jail. You can hide nearby and then help me catch them. The sheriff will forgive us for taking Edward when we show up with both Edward and Hank.”

  Benjamin looked tempted. “I don’t know. It is a risky move. What if something goes wrong?”

  “I don’t know Edward. All I know is that I need to get Elise back safely. Are you going to help me or not?”

  “I–” Benjamin looked undecided. Just when Ronan thought he was going to say no, he nodded quickly. “I’ll help you. But we have to keep this a secret from the sheriff. He would never believe you, and he would never risk Edward, even if it did mean endangering Elise. You have to keep this between you and me. I don’t want to lose my job, and I know that I would if the sheriff finds out.”

  “Okay, we don’t tell the sheriff. We need to meet with Hank tomorrow behind the saloon. Meet me there two hours before sunset with Edward. Then you will hide while I make the trade.”

  Benjamin nodded, a solemn look in his eyes. “I’ll be there. You can count on it.”

  Ronan certainly hoped he could count on it because getting Elise back was depending on it, and he couldn’t imagine what he was going to do if he was unsuccessful at getting Elise back.

  Chapter 36

  Elise stared up at the sky. It was almost dawn. She knew that Hank was already awake. When he’d walked over to check on her that morning, she’d pretended to be asleep, and because of it, he hadn’t checked her ropes well. She’d been working at them, slowly but surely.

  It was hard, and her hands hurt, but she wanted to get away from Hank, no matter what the cost. They were in the woods somewhere, deep in the woods from what she could tell. Hank didn’t seem to be worried about lighting fires or about being found. She wondered if Ronan had realized that she was gone when she hadn’t been there for him to walk her home.

  She’d missed walking home with him. She always felt so safe around him.

  When Elise heard the sound of voices approaching, she closed her eyes and rested her head against the tree she was tied to.

  “Did it work? I mean, it was my plan, but I never thought it would be this easy, even with Ronan. He must be more in love with the girl than I thought.” Hank’s voice reached Elise’s ears. She tensed unwillingly. They were talking about her and Ronan, but what else were they referring to? What was the plan that Hank wanted to work?

  Elise opened her eyes slightly, taking in the clothing of the second man. He was dressed like a deputy. Her heart dropped. The deputy was Hank’s friend, or maybe he was related. The two of them did look similar, and from the way they were walking and talking together, they certainly weren’t enemies like they should be.

  “He approached me yesterday, probably a short time after you spoke with him. He wants me to meet him in a clearing behind the saloon with Edward this afternoon.”

  “Make sure you set everything up to look like Ronan was the one responsible for freeing Edward. We don’t want to compromise your position as deputy.”

  “I know; I know. I need to remain the deputy so that I can give you information about the town. Hasn’t it been enough, though? What more could you possibly want to know? And sooner or later, one of us is bound to get caught.”

  “Maybe, but when that happens, if it happens, will be when we quit. For now, we are going to blame Edward’s escape on Ronan. We need Edward on our team. I still can hardly believe he was caught.”

  The deputy nodded his head, looking almost sad. “So, are you going to give the girl back to him when he delivers Edward?”

  “No. I promised her to the Indians. We need her. Besides, I never mean a word I say to Ronan. He deserves everything he has coming to him, especially after what he tried to do to me. He could just leave well enough alone but is determined to put me behind bars.”

  The deputy laughed. “Well, tomorrow you will be able to do what you want with both him and the woman. You certainly were lucky he loves her. Otherwise, none of this would have worked. It’s a real shame, though. She had nothing to do with any of this.”

  “Maybe not, but she is a part of this. Whenever I have thoughts like those, I just think of the fact that my brother died because Ronan turned him in and collected a bounty on his head. If he loses Elise, that will be his fault, and that may be the best revenge yet. Now, we need to go into town and get a few things to arrange for our meeting this afternoon.”

  “What about her?” Elise knew that the deputy was asking about her. She only hoped that she still looked like she was asleep.

  “Don’t worry about her; we’ll be back by the time she wakes up. And even so, her ropes are tight. She is no expert at any of this, poor girl. Ronan dragged her out here in the wilderness with no experience.” Hank’s voice was certain. Elise remembered that they had said something similar about him. She hoped that she would prove them wrong, just as Hank had with her and Ronan.

  “It really is a shame,” the deputy continued. “You know, if you weren’t my cousin, I’d be afraid of you. Ronan has no chance. Soon, he’ll get what he deserves.” The deputy’s voice faded slightly, accompanied by the sound of his footsteps retreating.

  Elise pushed down the anger swirling in her stomach, begging her to defend Ronan. Right, now, she needed to keep up the appearance she was still asleep so that she would have the chance to escape and warn Ronan. He was walking straight into an ambush, and it was all her fault. She needed to make it to him in time and warn him.

  After the clearing filled with silence, Elise opened her eyes and set to work. With her previous efforts, her ropes were looser, but they still weren’t loose enough. It was painful to move, much less to twist and pull as Ronan had
taught her. She did it anyway, fighting tears as pain shot up into her arms.

  It took several tries, but eventually, one of her hands came loose. A big smile spread across her face. She was going to have to tell Ronan how well the technique worked. She liked to think he would be proud of her and her ability to get free when she had needed it.

  She looked around. She didn’t know where the deputy and Hank had gone, but two horses were tied a bit further into the woods. Elise wondered where Hank had gotten the horses. If she had to guess, she imagined he had stolen them.

  The sound of footsteps reached her ears. Hank was coming back alone. There was no way for her to go back to her previous spot and pretend to be tied up. Her eyes jumped to the horses. She hoped they were manageable enough to ride without much introduction. She rushed over to one, putting her hand against its neck momentarily before mounting it. Just before she swung onto the back of the horse, she let the second horse go. Maybe having to catch a horse would slow down any pursuit.

  The sound of yelling startled her and the horse.

  “Hey! Get back here! Where do you think you are going!” Hank was angry, much angrier than Elise had ever seen him. She looked back over her shoulder to see him chasing after her.

  She kicked her feet into the horse’s sides, urging it to go faster. The mare under her broke into a canter, getting Elise out of reach. Elise sighed with relief. She didn’t know where she was, and she didn’t know how to get back to Las Cruces, but she was certainly going to make an effort and do everything she could to find Ronan and warn him of the danger. If she couldn’t find Ronan, she would at least tell the sheriff what was going on and hope that he wasn’t as bad as his deputy.

  Chapter 37

  Ronan looked up at the sky and then back at the empty road. It was nearly afternoon, and he was getting anxious. It was past time for Benjamin to show up with Edward.

  Ronan was afraid of showing up late to meet up with Hank. He wanted to make sure there was no reason for Hank to hurt Elise. Ronan was aware that this entire situation was his fault. If he somehow ended up getting hurt in any way, that was fine, but if Elise were hurt, that would be something he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for.

  He paced back and forth, checking the road every few seconds, waiting for any sign of Benjamin. Eventually, he spotted him. He was walking down the road with Edward by his side. Edward had his hands tied in front of him, but he still managed not to draw that much attention to himself. If anyone saw the deputy and Edward, they would simply think that Benjamin was transferring the prisoner somewhere.

  “So you’re the man that Hank is going through so much trouble for,” Ronan said begrudgingly when Benjamin and Edward walked up.

  “Yes, that would be me.” Edward had the same coy attitude that Hank had possessed, and it infuriated Ronan. What did these men know that he didn’t? Hank had been so confident, and in the end, he had managed to escape. Ronan pushed the angry thoughts back and took his pistol, then motioned for Edward to come over beside him.

  “There you are; you’d better not let them get away. If they do, I could lose my job. I’ll have no choice but to tell the sheriff that this was all your idea.” Benjamin looked apologetic.

  “When I give you the signal, you come out and join us, all right? There are two of them, but also two of us. Once Elise is safe, we can get both of them and take them back to jail where they belong.”

  Benjamin nodded, glancing over at Edward, who looked like he was trying to listen. Ronan was fairly certain he’d kept his voice low enough to where Edward hadn’t heard him.

  “All right then, let’s do this. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hank were already there.” Ronan nodded in the direction of the clearing he was supposed to find.

  “I’ll see you on the other side.” Benjamin rose his hand in some sort of salute, and Ronan nodded in agreement. He still felt uneasy about this entire deal, but he was trying not to show it. This was the only way, and he knew it.

  Ronan kept his pistol trained on Edward. He was willing to shoot Edward if he needed to immobilize him. He was certain the sheriff would rather get back an immobilized Edward rather than no Edward. But Edward wasn’t fighting. He was walking quite willingly with Ronan.

  Ronan was fairly certain this was because he was aware that he was about to be freed. When they reached the clearing, Hank was already there. He was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed, an impatient look on his face.

  “It took you long enough. I was about to leave. Did you get the sheriff involved?” Hank leveled him with a stern gaze.

  “I didn’t. If I had, you would see him here. Now, where is Elise?”

  “She’s nearby. I will give her to you as soon as you send Edward over here.”

  “I’m not dumb. I am not giving you anything until you let Elise go.” Ronan scanned the clearing. Why hadn’t Hank brought Elise to the trade?

  “This isn’t how it works, Ronan. You are going to have to trust me, or I leave this clearing with any chances you have of seeing Elise ever again.”

  Ronan scowled. He didn’t like this one bit. He hated feeling so out of control and so desperate at the same time. He wanted to see Elise safe and sound. He wanted to get her back, no matter what the cost. He knew that it was messing with his head, and he hated that.

  He pushed Edward forward. “If you are double-crossing me, Hank, you will pay for it in the worst way possible.”

  “I am not double-crossing you.” Hank grinned, and Ronan felt his stomach turn. This certainly didn’t feel like it should.

  Ronan rose his hand and motioned to Benjamin. They needed to detain both Hank and Edward now. He didn’t know what was going on, but whatever it was, it was quite clear that Hank wasn’t being honest.

  Benjamin appeared from behind the trees, but to Ronan’s shock, he didn’t pull out his pistol, and he didn’t approach Edward or Hank in a menacing stance.

  “What are you doing? We need to stop them!” Ronan pulled out his pistol and pointed it in Hank’s direction.

  This time, Benjamin did pull out his pistol, but he didn’t point it in Hank or Edward’s direction. Instead, he pointed it at Ronan.

  “What are you doing?” Ronan demanded.

  “I’m sorry, Ronan, but you picked the wrong side.”

  “You’re with him?” Ronan’s eyes were suddenly opened. Benjamin had been his enemy the whole time, but he hadn’t even stopped to consider it. He had been so focused on getting Elise back, on doing what Benjamin suggested to do that he hadn’t even stopped to think about why Benjamin was willing to help him so much.

  “I am. You weren’t exactly supposed to find out. But you would have known when I didn’t come to help you.” Benjamin shook his head as if he were disappointed.

  “What is to keep me from going to the sheriff right now and telling him who you are?”

  “A couple of things. I made several arrangements, so if you are to show your face at the sheriff’s office, it is going to look like it was you and not me who let Edward out of jail.”

  “How would you even do that?” Ronan felt his hand tightening on his pistol. He’d been played for such a fool.

  “I mentioned to the sheriff that you had come around yesterday, saying that we were wrong about Edward being a criminal and demanding that he be let loose. Then when I went there to retrieve Edward, I made sure to make it appear as if there was a struggle in the sheriff’s office. See, the sheriff had an event with his family today and left me in charge.”

  “All of that is fine, but if I told the sheriff who you were working with …” Ronan trailed off, looking at Hank.