by Jenna Brandt
The rest of the wedding passed quickly with the vows and exchange of rings. Judy and Paul were truly in love, evidenced by the tears in their eyes, and the small hitches in their voices as they made their promises.
“Will you both turn and face your friends and family,” —the couple did as requested by the pastor— “by the power vested in me by God and the state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Pastor Gable gave Paul a big grin and added, “You may kiss your bride.”
Everyone cheered and clapped as the newly wedded couple shared their first kiss.
As Paul and Judy left the church, Levi turned to Abigail and asked, “You ready to head over to the hotel for the celebration?”
Abigail nodded. “Judy spent a significant amount of time getting everything perfect. It will be a lovely evening.”
The staff of the restaurant had set up a dance floor in the center of the room with tables surrounding it. Judy placed Abigail and Levi at the table with several people Abigail recognized from church and town including Logan Lambert, the middle Lambert brother.
He had changed little in three years and was still as handsome as ever. Though he had the same brown eyes as his brothers, his features were fairer than the rest of his family, causing his brown eyes to stand out against his alabaster skin and blond hair. Secretly, Abigail had been smitten with him while they were in school, but he had been much more interested in horses and playing at the creek than girls. But she was certain that was no longer the case from the way he looked at her now as he sat across the table.
“Good evening, Abigail,” he said with a flirtatious smile. “You look lovely tonight.”
“Thank you, Logan.” Abigail didn't want to be rude and added, “May I introduce to you, Levi Emerson. Levi, this is Logan Lambert. We attended school together.”
“We did more than go to school together,” he stated with a knowing grin. “We grew up together and spent many summers and holidays with one another. Do you remember the time we went to the waterhole? I think we were thirteen. The summer was real hot and our clothes were sticking, so a few of us stripped to our undergarments to swim.”
Logan shocked Abigail by talking about something which could be construed as improper behavior. It was the sort of information that town gossips would love to share.
Abigail wanted to clarify her involvement in the event and stated, “If I remember correctly, it was the boys that did that. The girls, including your sister and myself, didn’t take part.”
“That’s true,” Logan agreed with a shrug, “but I caught you looking at me a few times.”
A flash of red spread across Abigail’s body as her eyes dropped to the table with embarrassment. Not because it wasn’t true, but because his suspicion was valid. It was the first summer she had become interested in boys, and her feelings changed from viewing Logan as a playmate into something more.
“Mr. Lambert, I don’t know you,” Levi stated, “but I hope it’s not your intent to cause trouble tonight. I think you’re making Abigail uncomfortable.”
Logan leaned back in his chair as the grin vanished from his face. “You don’t know me, and you're an outsider in Rockwood Springs.”
Abigail’s eyes jerked up and narrowed. “Levi is an invited guest of your sister. He is wanted here, and as her brother, you should show some manners.”
Logan raised his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Whoa, Abigail. I didn’t mean to upset you or insult your… friend. Apologies on both accounts.”
Relief flooded Abigail, allowing her to relax. “I accept your apology.”
The servers arrived with plates of food and the meal passed without further incident.
Eighteen
After the newly married couple danced the first dance, the rest of the guests assembled on the floor. Levi gathered Abigail into his arms and held her close to his frame. Her delicate hand fit perfectly in his own as he gripped her around the waist.
“I didn’t realize you could dance,” she noted with admiration.
“I’m not as good as you, but I can manage.”
“Learning to dance properly was a large part of finishing school,” Abigail explained. “They even scheduled regular dances with the local boy’s preparatory school to give us practice.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“I enjoyed dancing, but not the part where it felt like a meat market and we were the sides of beef being put on display. It wasn’t just for practice; they also wanted us to find potential suitors.”
He chuckled. “I'm guessin' you didn’t like it, but I can imagine you had an impressive line of suitors waiting to dance with you.”
She pressed her lips together and lowered her lashes. “There were some, but all of them wanted a specific kind of wife, a wife I couldn’t make myself be. The only positive outcome from my father wanting to use my marriage for his advantage here in Texas was that I wasn’t married off to someone back east.”
“I'm sorry your father doesn’t see you for who you are.”
“And what is that?” Abigail inquired.
“A magnificently strong and insightful woman, equal to any man,” he leaned forward so his lips whispered against her ear, “and the most wonderful person I've ever met.”
Levi spun her around the dance floor, loving the feel of Abigail in his arms as he watched her smile, and heard her laugh with joy. He wanted nothing more than to have that view and hear that sound for the rest of his life.
After the song ended, Abigail requested a break. They stopped by the refreshment table and poured two glasses of punch before Levi guided her into the back veranda. They made their way into the garden and found themselves in a secluded corner.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight? Blue is my favorite color,” Levi admitted.
“Thank you,” Abigail said with a smile. “It's mine too.” She raised an eyebrow and added, “You look handsome in your suit and tie. I'm surprised you own such attire.”
He shook his head with a chuckle. “I had to get this outfit at the shop in town. I was lucky they had somethin' that would work on such short notice. The shirt and coat only had to be let out in the shoulders and sleeves.”
“On account of all your muscles?” she teased. “You do have quite a bit of them.”
“What can I say, I work with my hands a lot.”
“Oh, I’m not complaining,” Abigail stated with an enticing smile. “Just the opposite. I rather like your muscles.”
Levi moved towards Abigail and pulled her into an embrace.
“See, like that. Your muscles made that seem effortless.”
“That’s because it was,” Levi confided. “Just as this is,” he stated right before his lips touched hers in a gentle first kiss. Levi pulled back a moment and confessed, “I’ve wanted to do that for some time now.”
Breathless, she murmured as her eyelids fluttered up and down. “Well, I’m glad you finally did.”
Pulling her over to a nearby bench, Levi brought Abigail down next to him. “I’m leavin' for the cattle drive in two days.”
She nodded. “I know.”
He took her hands in his and looked at her with care. “When I get back, I want to court you.”
“I want that too, but…”
“But what?” Levi asked with apprehension.
“My father will never approve. He has plans for my marriage and he won’t be swayed otherwise.”
“But you’re a grown woman. You can do what you want. Ideally, it would be better to have your father’s approval, but he isn’t actin' in your best interest. I'm aware of the rumors about Andy Wilson. Not only is he mean, he’s downright dangerous. You can’t be forced to marry someone like that.”
Abigail stood up from the bench and turned her back on Levi. “I hear what you are saying, and it means so much that you care, but I can’t make a decision like this without thinking and praying on it.”
“Then perhaps it’s good I’m going on the cattle drive. It'll
give you the time you need.”
“I will have an answer for you when you return,” Abigail promised.
“I'll take you back into the party before people wonder where we’re at.”
“Agreed. We don’t want anyone gossiping.”
Once inside, Levi excused himself and headed for the privy. As he turned down the hall where it was located, a hand shot out from the dark and grabbed him roughly by the arm.
Levi’s own hand automatically moved to his gun under his suit coat, but a voice stopped him from pulling it.
“There’s no need for that.”
“Clyde, you should be more careful comin' up to me like that. You nearly caught a bullet for your trouble.”
“We need to talk. Let’s step outside where we can have a more private conversation.”
“What’s this all about?” Levi inquired as he followed the older bounty hunter.
“First off, I want you to know, I value you as a partner. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation; I would cut you out of the equation and get a new colleague.”
Levi stiffened under the threat, realizing Clyde was upset with him. “What are you talking about Clyde?”
“You need to stop fooling around with the Larsen girl and focus on what matters. She’s a useless distraction, and a dangerous one if her father finds out. He can make other men disappear.”
“I’m not afraid of him. I’ve dealt with far worse.”
“You’ve dealt with degenerates while hunting bounties, but you’ve never had to deal with well-connected men that can bend the law and get away with it. Mr. Larsen is even more dangerous than the criminals we hunt.”
“I’ll take your warnin' under advisement. Is there anything else?”
“Did you find the guy working for Jeffers?”
Levi shook his head. “Still workin' on it.”
“You need to figure it out before you leave. If you don’t, it’s your funeral. You won’t know who to trust while you’re out there, and when they attack, you’ll end up dead.”
He wanted to argue, but Clyde was right. If Levi went on the cattle drive not knowing, he would have a huge blind spot, leaving him vulnerable.
“I’ll get it done.”
“Good, because we’ve been working this bounty too long for you to mess it up now because you’ve got your head up a skirt rather than on the job.”
For a moment, the urge to punch Clyde in the face for talking that crassly about Abigail flared up, but knowing it would end badly, he refrained. This was his last job, and soon he would start a new life with Abigail—if she would have him.
Nineteen
With all the preparation, Abigail didn’t have time to see Levi before the cattle drive. She had heard her father and brother talking about the group leaving at first light, so she made it a point to get up to watch through her window.
The team of ten cowboys were assembled along with the cook who drove the chuck wagon led by oxen. There was also a horse wrangler to take charge of the spare horses the cowboys would need while they were on the drive.
Looking out her window at Levi, it reminded Abigail of the first time she saw him. Little did she know, he would become an important person in her life, so important she was contemplating taking him up on his offer of courtship.
As Levi mounted his horse, he glanced up towards her window and smiled. She sensed he wanted to wave, but must have thought better of it as his hands remained on the saddle. He looked every bit the quintessential cowboy with his duster coat hanging down along the edge of the horse, his leather vest underneath, and a handkerchief tied around his neck. He also wore a pair of boots with spurs. His Stetson hung low over his eyes.
Abigail was becoming increasingly captivated by Levi Emerson. Just looking at him, her heart raced. Her mind kept drifting to the kiss they shared in the garden. It was warm and tender, intense and passionate, all the things she dreamed her first kiss would be. The sort of kiss she could hold on to if she ended up without love. Though small, it gave her comfort to know she could at least think back and remember one time in her life where she truly knew a man wanted her—just her—for who she was. Could one moment be enough to sustain a lifetime?
Levi had asked her if she would be with him even if her father objected. The question had plagued her since he posed the query. Could she go against her father for the chance to be with Levi? Would she be willing to walk away from her family if they didn’t accept her choice to pursue a chance at love?
As she watched Levi take off with the rest of the cowboys driving the herd to the western pastures, she wondered what she would do when he returned.
Twenty
The first day of the cattle drive had gone well with the cowboys herding the cows towards the canyon’s edge. The herd had remained calm through the night and there had been no incidents, allowing the cowboys to sleep in shifts.
As the sun took its place in the sky, the second day loomed before them with possibilities of challenges. The gap between the canyon walls was narrow and the cattle could only move through four wide, making the process long considering they were managing three thousand head.
“You ready to drive this herd through the pass?” Phillip Moore inquired.
“Ready to get done what needs to be,” Levi stated.
“Glad to hear it,” Billy Dalton said as he rode up next to them. “Discussed it with Elmer, and the both of you are going through ahead with me and Frank. The rest of the men will work with Elmer to bring up the rear and round up any strays.”
“Sounds good boss. I like to be in the lead group,” Phillip reminded him.
Billy Dalton nodded. “I know. It’s why I put you with us.”
Phillip Moore took off towards the right side of the herd to get into position. Levi went to the left and pushed the cows through, moving alongside them. The stretch in the canyon was about a quarter a mile long and took a solid hour to get the first part of the herd through.
As they came out on the other side, the herd naturally wanted to spread out. The cowboys knew it was best to keep them close together so none of them wandered off as more emerged from the canyon trail.
A loud crack of gunfire filled the air and Levi’s attention moved towards the south where the noise originated. In the distance, he saw a group of five men riding towards them with guns drawn. As they got closer, Levi recognized the man in front as Morris Jeffers from his wanted posters.
Knowing he needed to take cover, Levi spun his horse backwards towards the canyon wall as he drew his own guns out from their holsters.
The cattle rustlers continued to fire towards the cowboys, but Billy and Frank jumped off their horses and took cover just in time.
As soon as they were close enough to make every bullet count, Levi fired back at the group of thieves, starting on the outside men and working inward. He hit the first man in the shoulder, the impact of the bullet causing him to lose his balance and fall off his horse.
Suddenly, Phillip Moore turned around and was firing at Levi, catching him off-guard. Levi was forced to jump off his horse and dive behind some nearby rocks to take shelter.
Levi had underestimated the young cowhand. Levi’s dismissal of Phillip as a prospect for the traitor had proved folly. Phillip had played him good, pretending to be the bumbling love-struck fool, yet the whole time plotting against his fellow workers.
“Phillip, what are you doing?” Levi shouted over the noise of the gunfire.
“I’m tired of not getting what I want. Tilly Mae won’t marry me without a ring and house. I need the money to secure our future.”
“But this isn’t the way to earn it,” Levi objected. “You will never get away with it now that we're aware.”
“I will if we don’t leave survivors,” Phillip shouted as he fired at Levi once more, missing and hitting the rocks instead.
“All of you need to surrender now. If you do, we’ll simply tie you up and take what we want from the herd,” Morris Jeffers of
fered.
“We won’t be doing that,” Billy Dalton declared. “Mr. Larsen pays us well to take care of his herd, and that’s exactly what we will do.”
A firefight broke out between all the men. Levi used the last of his bullets, then quickly reloaded.
“We can cut you in on part of the profits, and still make it look like you did your job,” Morris enticed. “We can end this with no further bloodshed.”
“I think you heard our answer,” Billy shouted, but it was a mistake. One thief located Billy and fired, resulting in him being hit in the chest.
Levi watched in horror as Billy slumped to the ground, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Instead, he fired in rapid succession towards the group, wounding another two men while Frank hit a third one. The damage must have been significant enough to cause them to decide not to stick around. They turned around and headed back in the direction from where they came.
“Get back here you cowards,” Morris Jeffers shouted out after them, and when they didn’t return to the fight, he fired at them. His bullet must have hit at least one because one of the four men tumbled from his horse.
Levi moved towards Morris and Phillip while their attention was focused on the men who were deserting. He shouted at the cattle rustlers with his guns leveled at them, “Drop your weapons now, Morris Jeffers. I'm takin' you into custody to turn you in at the Abilene jail. You're wanted for over a dozen counts of cattle rustlin'.”
Morris yelled back from behind his horse, “You ain’t takin' me alive, boy, so if you plan on collectin’ that bounty on my head, you’re goin’ to have to do it with me dead.”
“The rest of your men have fled. I don’t think you really want to die, so make the right decision and lay down your guns,” Levi suggested.
Rapid gunfire was Morris’ answer as he jumped back up on his horse and took off with Phillip following behind.
Levi fired several shots but none of them hit their mark. He started to jump on his horse to pursue them, but groans coming from Billy stopped him.