by Linda Broday
“What’s that?”
She glanced up into his dark eyes. “What led you to start a private bride service? You hardly seem the type for matters of the heart.”
He laughed. “Clay, Jack, and Ridge paid me a visit at the Lone Star and told me about trying to start a town. I wanted to help. They needed brides, and Josie blurted out that we knew some womenfolk who could help with that. My wife is very persistent.” Luke got serious. “Men like us live in the shadows and can’t advertise like normal people. Women, as much as the men. So, I help match them up.”
“It’s very commendable.”
They talked about the children and their circus until the waltz ended. Stoker was there to claim the next dance. Tait had wandered off to talk to Jack and Travis.
Stoker was an accomplished dancer and a perfect gentleman, not holding her too tight. “You look beautiful tonight, Miss Melanie. I hope Trinity knows what he’s got.”
She glanced up at the big man with thick silver hair that still had some dark running through it. His whole presence was comforting, almost father-like, and for some odd reason she wanted to confide in him. “Did you ever keep secrets from your wife?”
“Only once. I learned my lesson.”
“What did she do, if I may ask?”
The Legend patriarch chuckled. “She locked me out of the house and said I wouldn’t get back in until I set things straight. We were having one of the worst blue northers you’ve ever heard about, and I was freezing my tail off on the porch, so I didn’t waste any time. You should’ve heard me.”
Melanie laughed. “I think you could sweet-talk any woman you wanted and have her eating out of your hand.”
“Not so, my dear. My Hannah was a tough woman even though she only stood five feet tall. She didn’t mince her words, and she was a stickler for the truth. After that I never kept anything from her.” Stoker grew silent, staring into her eyes. “I have a feeling you didn’t ask that question lightly. If you’re keeping a secret, Miss Melanie, you’d best get it out before it destroys you.”
“I appreciate the advice.” Melanie’s gaze found Tait, and she knew she could not put this off. Not even if the price was that last night in his arms.
Twenty-one
After Stoker Legend, Melanie danced with each of the sons a second time before Tait lost patience and claimed her. “My turn. And if anyone tries to cut in, I’m shooting them.”
“My heavens, Tait! You’ve gotten to be quite a grouch.”
“I’ve just had it. I’m tired of sharing my wife.” At the first strains of music, he drew her into his arms.
Melanie sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. She was home. But for how long? “Tait, when this dance ends, let’s take a walk. I want somewhere private.”
“We can do that.” He put his cheek to hers, and they weaved in and out of the other couples, swirling around and around.
Sweat lined Melanie’s palms, and her nerves grew ragged. When the music stopped, Tait led her out into the night. They silently climbed the bluff that overlooked the town.
She pulled away, putting some distance between them. Feathery night air brushed across Melanie’s bare shoulders. Her satin dress whispered around her ankles as though unaware they’d left the dance. She glanced at Tait’s shadowed profile, struck by how much she truly and utterly loved him. Despite her resistance, without knowing it, love had somehow snuck past the high wall she’d built.
And one thing was clear.
No matter how difficult or how painful it would be or how afraid she was, she had to come clean, tell this beautiful man exactly why she’d married him, and beg his forgiveness. And if he couldn’t give it, that would be the end of their happy marriage.
Her insides felt alive with nervous jitters. She knew he wouldn’t forgive her. No man could.
The sting of her betrayal would go straight to his gut and twist like a knife. Melanie closed her tear-filled eyes, trying to find the courage. If she didn’t tell him now, her soul wouldn’t be worth saving.
She snuggled against his side, breathing him in, knowing this would be the last time. “I enjoyed tonight. You surprised me. I didn’t know outlaws could dance.”
Her words came softly, beginning what would be the end of all her dreams.
Tait brushed a tender kiss across her forehead. “We’re pretty much like regular people. We all want the same things.” He lifted a tendril of hair. “You’re quiet tonight, and you’re hiding those cute dimples.”
“Thinking of my sister. Tait, I haven’t been honest about a few things.” She moved away from his embrace and perched on a large rock, needing something solid under her.
“You don’t talk about her much. What is it you want to say? You’re troubled.” Deep shadows hid Tait’s face, cloaked his eyes that saw everything. “Can I help?”
“There’s the thing. You can. But—” She wet her dry lips. “First I need to get something off my chest.”
“I’m listening. Tell me. Whatever it is, we can work this out together.”
If only they could. Her chin quivered, and she clutched her hands. “Ava is in jail in Canadian. They…they had me too, until a judge there hatched a vile plan and used my sister as a bargaining chip.” She stared out into the darkness, afraid to glance at Tait, afraid to see him change from a tender husband to an enemy full of disdain and loathing. “We…we got scooped up in a raid and caught with fraudulent bank notes. My father escaped, vanished, and left us to face the consequences of the scheme he’d cooked up.”
“I’m sorry, but if I ever lay eyes on your father, there’ll be hell to pay. I can promise you that.”
“Hear me out, please. I had just started writing you when this all happened. The sheriff found one of the letters, which he took to Judge McIlroy. The judge said that if I came and married you…if I found the stolen money you took from the train robberies and brought it to him, he’d let Ava out. But if I failed, he’d send both of us to prison for a very long time. I made a bargain with the devil, Tait, and I wish every day that I could go back.”
Silence dragged between them, and she finally glanced up at him. His jaw was clenched, his face made of stone, his quicksilver eyes flashing with hurt.
“Please say something,” she whispered, gripping her hands.
“You were going to give me up. You made me think you truly cared. For me. For the kids. But you were only after my money. No wonder you kept asking about it.” His spat the words like hard projectiles. Melanie winced, recoiling as though he’d struck her. His voice raised several octaves. “How could you? We made love. You acted like a wife.” He took a step back, his face a dark mask of pain. “Do you even have a conscience?”
Melanie winced at his yells. “That’s what makes this so difficult. My plan had been to come here, get the money right away, and leave. Only—” She paused. Tears rolled down her face, and she couldn’t stop them.
“Only I had it hidden too well?” He stalked to the rim of the bluff and stared down at the town below.
“No.” Melanie bit down on her bottom lip to stop it from quivering, her voice dropping to an anguished whisper. “Only I came to care deeply about you and the children. I opened my heart for the first time.” A cry sprang from her. She wanted to tell him that she loved him and that she wanted to spend the rest of her life by his side. That she didn’t want his money, only to free her sister any way she could. But he wouldn’t believe any of those things. Not now.
Once trust was lost, everything else was gone. She’d ruined the best thing she’d ever found.
He suddenly whirled, his eyes dark, frightening, hurt oozing from their depths. “What else?” he barked. “I know there’s more. This judge doesn’t just want the stolen money, does he?”
Melanie squeezed her eyes tight against his blinding fury. Another flood of tears broke free. “He…he wants you too. B
ut I decided weeks ago that the money will have to be enough for McIlroy.”
“Why?” He snorted and threw his arms up in the air. “Why not make this complete? Why not put the damn noose on me yourself? Christ, I told you my darkest secrets!”
Yes, he had, at great cost to himself. A part of her wanted to shrivel up and die.
“Please!” She jerked to her feet. “Understand that I didn’t want to do this. But Ava sobbed, begging me to save her. She’s terrified. McIlroy sentenced her, me too, to twenty years of hard labor. Ava was always weak. She’ll die. She may already be laying cold. McIlroy sent me a box filled with her hair and a tooth while you were gone to Flat Rock. He threatened to send a finger or an ear next. I’ve been searching for the money, and that’s what I was doing in your soddy too. Hoping to find it.”
Melanie twisted her hands, her stomach in knots. “Please try to understand. I didn’t have a choice.”
But if possible, his anger grew hotter. Flames shot from his eyes. “If you’d found the money, then what? Trick me into taking you to Canadian so they could grab me? How many tricks do you have up your sleeve, Melanie? How could you have made love to me all these nights while you were busy plotting?” Hurt and devastation dug craters in his face. “My God, how? You told me you cared for me.”
“I do care. This is tearing me up inside.” She reached for him, but he stepped back.
Tait snorted. “If you’d told me from the first, maybe we would’ve had a chance.”
Yes, if only. She wished she could smooth the lines from his face, offer some bit of comfort. She let her hand drop. “I felt like your wife. I wanted to be your wife. I still do.” Her voice broke. “As soon as I got to know you, I realized I couldn’t go through with the scheme. I’ve been trying to find a way out of the deal I made ever since.”
“I trusted you! I thought you were everything I’d been waiting for. I was a blind fool.”
She opened her mouth to apologize, but he never gave her a chance to speak.
Tait’s eyes blazed. He held up a finger. “Don’t. Just don’t. I’m leaving before I say the words that are blistering my tongue. Find your own way down. You’re a resourceful gambler. Lady, this is one hand you’ve lost. I’m done.”
His bootheels crunched on the rocky ground, then deafening silence enveloped her. She put her head in her hands. If a heart could truly break, hers did.
Her world had ended. Everything she’d wanted was gone. A few words had changed her life forever.
And there was no way to get it back.
The moonlight shone on her wedding band. Memories of the day Tait had slipped it on her finger flooded back. He’d been so handsome in that red vest and black coat. After a while spent getting to know his heart and what drove him, she’d thought she hit the jackpot.
But it had only been a bit of fool’s gold sparkling from the chips on the table.
The minutes ticked by until she finally dried her eyes with the hem of her dress. She’d pack tonight and leave on the morning stage. But what about tonight? Where would she sleep? She still had a little of the money Tait had given her. Maybe she’d take another room.
Then another thought hit her. The children. What would she tell them? Or would Tait even let her say goodbye?
She keened in the dark, picked up the hem of her satin dress, and began to feel her way down the pitch-black path. A few steps from the bottom, a rider galloped from the town.
Tait.
Where was he going? What about the children? In his immense hurt, he must’ve forgotten them. She hurried. If she could just hold Becky one more time and tell the twins she had to go away for a while, that would be enough.
She slipped and had to grab the low brush to keep from falling. The tears blurred her vision. This was what dying probably felt like, but she wasn’t that lucky. She had to keep living and face what she’d done. No matter what else happened to her in life, she’d never care for anyone else like she did for Tait.
“I love him,” she sobbed into the night. “Oh God, I love him so much.”
When she hurried into the town, the twins came running, tears streaming down their faces. Joe was carrying poor Becky by a leg and arm, and the little girl was wailing.
“What’s wrong?” Melanie rescued Becky from her brother.
Jesse wiped his tears. “Uncle Tait left us, and we thought you had too.”
“We thought nobody wanted us.” Joe dragged an arm across his nose.
Melanie’s heart broke all over again. It must be the kind of night to make everyone feel unwanted. “Oh honey, that’s not true. Your uncle and I had some things to discuss, that’s all.”
“Where did he go?” Joe asked. “It’s too dark, and we’re scared.”
“Me scared,” Becky cried.
“I don’t know where he went, honey. But I’m here and I’m not leaving you. We’re going to make our beds in the sitting room and all sleep together tonight. How’s that?”
“Can we have a light on?” Jesse moved close, touching her dress, to reassure himself she was there.
“Of course. I think that’s a wonderful idea.” She didn’t know how she could tell them that their uncle might not return—and that she was to blame.
But where did that leave her?
She refused to think about riding out like she’d planned. Yet she couldn’t stay. McIlroy would send men after her again, and more dangerous ones this time. Taking the children with her was also out of the question. Anger rose. Tait shouldn’t have left the kids. He could do whatever he chose to her, but not to these orphans whose world remained so terribly shaky.
On the way to the hotel, she thought over her options. She’d stay a few more days. Maybe Tait would return once he’d cooled off. Her heart broke for him as she stared into the darkness, wishing he had a friend to talk to—someone to put an arm around him.
The mournful cry of a lone coyote sounded from beyond the town entrance. Melanie shivered, the new dress Tait had bought her no protection against the sudden chill.
Twenty-two
Tait galloped across the hard-packed ground, his heart raw and aching. He’d allowed himself to believe that Melanie was one of the forever kind, the woman who would help him learn to love again.
Yet she’d betrayed him, taken his trust and threw it back in his face. He winced.
All for thirty pieces of silver.
Well, there was quite a bit more than that, but the idea was the same. Money had been the motivator for a betrayal of the worst kind.
“Fool!” he yelled into the night. “You’re a stupid fool.”
Maybe the story about her sister was true. Or maybe not. He really couldn’t let himself believe her. Although, to her credit, she’d seemed in genuine pain and no one had forced her to come clean about the deal with the judge. She could’ve kept quiet, kept looking for his stash, and he’d never have known. That sudden realization jarred him.
So why had Melanie told him?
Could her claim that she had come to care for him be true? What if her twin sister was in jail? Their worthless father sure wouldn’t lift a finger to help if she were, that much he knew. Something like that would’ve pushed Melanie into a corner. And when someone’s back was against the wall, it made them willing to do most anything. He knew what that was like. He’d been there far too often.
Still, if she’d come to him at the first, he might’ve helped her.
Who was he kidding? No, he’d have reacted as he just had and sent her on her way.
Tait slowed his roan to a walk. As he rode through the night, he pondered the whole situation, and his burning, righteous anger began to deflate like a pricked balloon. He climbed to the rim of the box canyon and stared down at the dark shapes milling around below, listened to the lowing of the cattle.
The animals were peaceful and content. He envied them
.
Kern Berringer was somewhere nearby, but Tait didn’t care. A bullet might be a godsend right now. Dying almost seemed better than living with this misery gnawing at him.
After letting the cattle’s gentle sounds soothe his soul, he rode on and dismounted at a little stream, sat down beside it to think.
There in the thin light of a fingernail moon, he mulled everything over. He’d go back, of course—for the kids. But Melanie? Despite seeing her struggle, could he truly salvage anything from their mockery of a marriage? With the night air whispering around him, the home he was building for her seemed like a bad joke.
Secrets had a way of stealing faith. He wouldn’t be able to trust her again. How could a marriage survive that?
At an impasse, Tait lay down on a patch of wild buffalo grass, too weary and heartsick to think.
* * *
Melanie pulled the covers off the beds, and she and the kids all slept together on the sitting-room floor. The children seemed less scared once they’d settled in, but the twins woke up several times in the night, checking to see if she was still there. Her heart broke for them.
Poor darlings. They’d lost everyone they knew. Tait should’ve known what leaving would do to them.
She lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling, her heart an aching wound. She’d gambled and lost the biggest hand of her life. Even if Tait was able to tamp down his anger long enough to listen, what could she say that would really change anything?
Slowly there in the dark, her heartbeat loud in her ears, a vague plan took shape. With luck, and maybe some help from the Legends, she might somehow be able to broker Ava’s release and get Tait a pardon for his crimes. Then she’d disappear.
Hope of redemption soared, and she pulled Becky’s small form against her, covering the restless young sleepers with the warm quilts.
They dozed until rays of soft sunlight peeked through the windows. Becky stirred and rubbed her eyes. “Mellie?”
“Yes, honey.”
“I sleep.”
“Yes, you did.” Melanie kissed her soft cheek. How had she ever thought children too much trouble and something to avoid at all costs? She’d certainly changed her opinion.