He moved closer and saw the back of the sheriff and in front of him, Claudette and Arielle. He assumed the others were in front of them. Quickly extinguishing his light, he allowed his eyes to become accustomed to the dark. The torches the men were carrying provided enough of a glow that he could see the outlines of the people in front of him.
“You’ve been leaving a trail!” Bronco heard the sheriff shout. The sheriff dropped his torch and went to grab Claudette with both arms. Arielle quickly picked up the torch and swung it, hitting the lawman as hard as she could. He saw the sheriff topple to the ground, then he heard a scream.
He raced ahead, his knife at the ready. The sheriff lay still on the ground, with Claudette holding her pistol over him. He could hear the footsteps of the barkeep as he took off running down the tunnel.
“How many are there?” he quickly asked.
“Two. Keith and Sam.”
“You okay?”
She nodded. “We are fine. Go. Go!”
Bronco gave her a quick hard kiss and started after the man who held his wife captive. “Keep that gun on him.”
He wanted to stay with her, but he had to catch up to the barkeep first. The women moved aside to let him pass.
He noticed a wagon against a wall with a ladder standing in the bed. There was an open hatch in the ceiling that spilled light into the tunnel.
Bronco quickly scrambled up the ladder into the bright daylight. He was between two tracks that had a train car on each. He could see Sam running down the track. Climbing out of the tunnel he took off after Sam, quickly closing the distance with his long legs. Sam must have heard him coming because he turned around and pointed a pistol at Bronco.
“You don’t want to do that, Sam.” Bronco called.
“Why couldn’t you just leave this alone. You had to go put your nose where it wasn’t needed.”
“We probably wouldn’t have found out if you hadn’t taken my wife.”
“She wasn’t supposed to come back. You were headed to the Governor’s house. And then that colored girl had to get in the way.”
“That colored girl happens to be MY wife.”
Sam turned to see Caleb towering over him. At 7 feet tall Caleb made Sam appear almost dwarfish. Bronco took advantage of the opportunity and threw his knife, hitting Sam straight in the thigh.
Sam screamed and dropped the gun trying to pull the knife out. He didn’t have a chance as Caleb tackled him to the ground.
It was over.
Bronco escorted the sheriff from the tunnel, securing him before he allowed the girls to come out into the open. Caleb kept his eye on Sam. Johnsey and Lew arrived and the politician openly wept as he gathered his daughter in his arms.
The women were sobbing and rejoicing at the same time. Arielle appeared from the hatch, followed by Claudette who was the last person out of the tunnel.
“I don’t recommend you put these men in the jail. That is how they were able to move the women.”
“I’ve sent for the Marshal and he should be here by tomorrow. They can stay in the ice house overnight.”
“Why did you do it?” Bronco asked the sheriff.
“They had my wife. I didn’t have a choice. It is the only way I can get her back.”
“Who has her?”
“The men in Kansas City. That is where this lot would be headed if it wasn’t for you.”
“I’ll put a communication out to the Kansas City office and see if they have any leads, but our work is done here.”
He turned to Claudette opening his arms to her.
“Je vous ai dit qu'ils nous trouveraient,” Claudette said giving Arielle a quick hug before being enveloped in Bronco’s embrace.
“What does that mean?” Bronco asked.
Arielle looked relieved as she stepped into Caleb’s arms, “She said, I told you they would find us.”
Epilogue
The knife went sailing through the air and landed in the wardrobe behind Archie’s desk with a thud.
“Good shot, Bronco,” Marianne called out to him. She was carrying a tray with a teapot and several cups on it.
“Don’t encourage him, Marianne. He has only been back a week and he is as incorrigible as ever.” Archie looked at Claudette and waved his finger. “And you, Miss, I thought that marriage would have tamed him. But I guess not.”
Claudette laughed. “I don’t think I want him any tamer.”
Bronco picked up her hand and curled his fingers around hers before placing a kiss on the back of her palm.
“So,” Marianne asked, pouring tea. “What are you doing next?”
“Well Bronco had mentioned retirement…”
Archie slammed his hand down on the desk. “Retirement? Absolutely not!”
“And why not, Archibald?” Bronco grinned.
“Don’t call me that. You just uncovered a huge smuggling ring. Regrettably, these are unfortunate women that are being smuggled. You can’t leave now. Kansas City wants you to go out there and finish what you started. I need you to work on the next case.”
Bronco looked at Claudette and their intertwined hands. “I’ll do it on one condition.”
“What is that?”
“My wife and partner goes with me. I love her with all my heart.”
“I do, and I will. But only if we finish the knife throwing lesson in the back yard.”
He turned and looked at Archie. “When do we leave?”
“I’ve already sent two agents out there, but granted, neither of them has any background for this type of work. They were the only ones I had available. You can leave tomorrow. And Agents Wauneka?”
“Yes,” Claudette replied.
“Good job.”
Bronco stood, assisting Claudette from the chair. He gave Marianne a quick kiss on the cheek before removing his knife from the wall and placing it back in his sheath. “Thanks for the tea. Time to go watch Claudette practice her knife throwing skills.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her through the kitchen to the outside to where the tree still lay in the grass.
Claudette stood in front of the tree, her knife in her hand. Her feet were apart. Bronco stood behind her, and wrapped his arms around hers, cupping her hand that held the knife. “I think this is how we were standing the last time we practiced you throwing.”
“I wasn’t very good.”
“No, but you’ll get better with practice.” Bronco pulled her closer to him, pinning her back against his chest.
His lips met her ear. “Have I told you today how much I love you, Mrs. Wauneka?”
“You just did. I love you too.”
Bronco pressed her hand tightly. So tightly that she dropped the knife on the ground. Lifting her chin, he kissed her lightly because that is where they left off.
I hope you have enjoyed Bronco & Claudette’s story of finding love. Want to find out what happens to all the agents in The Pinkerton Matchmaker series?
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An Agent for Lucy – Amelia Adams
An Agent for Regina – Marianne Spitzer
An Agent for Wilhelmina - Sophie Dawson
An Agent for Claudette – Christine Sterling
An Agent for Audrey - Laura Beers
An Agent for Victoria - Kate Marie Clark
An Agent for Elizabeth - Julia Ridgmont
An Agent for Cecily - Marie Higgins
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bsp; An Agent for Charity - Patricia PACJAC Carroll
An Agent for Diana - Rebecca Connelly
An Agent for Belle - Nerys Leigh
An Agent for Ada - H.L. Roberts
An Agent for Arielle - Parker J. Cole
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About Christine Sterling
Christine Sterling lives in a pre-civil war Farm House with her husband, three dogs – Morgan, Brandi and Samson, and about a dozen rescued barn cats. She has been writing since she was eight years old when her grandparents gave her a Sears & Roebuck typewriter with a hard-plastic cover for Christmas in 1977.
She spent her teen years crafting stories to include all her friends and then she discovered her true love -- romance when her beloved grandmother, Gigi, brought home a free promotional book from the Second Chance at Love Collection.
She was hooked and began to write and read every single romance book she could get her hands on. She has since authored and published many short stories, magazine articles, and the occasional novella. She has also ghost-authored and collaborated as a writing coach on many books.
She is passionate about writing, cooking, gardening, teaching others to write and publish their first book. She straddles the line between fiction and non-fiction, not only writing historical and contemporary romances, but also personal development books as well.
One of her big goals is to grow a 150lb pumpkin and feature it in the county fair.
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An Agent for Claudette (The Pinkerton Matchmaker Book 4) Page 11