The Mail Order Bride's Secret

by Linda Broday

  She couldn’t bear to lose any one of them. She bit down on a knuckle to silence the cry that rose up from her aching heart. She lived for the moment when they’d all be reunited. She’d changed, grown wiser in the time she’d been Tait’s wife. He’d helped her see what was truly important—that it was a person’s deeds, not money or power, that counted most.

  Just then Quitman stalked away from the sheriff’s office. He shoved some things in his saddlebags then swung up on his horse and raced from town in a cloud of dust.

  What was that about? Getting out while the coast was clear? Probably, given that the good sheriff was a low-down little weasel. Or maybe he was taking something to the railroad owner Richard Markham, wherever it was he stayed when he wasn’t causing trouble. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about Quitman for a while.

  The door to the doctor’s office opened, and an elderly man emerged, a black bag in his hand. Melanie punched her father’s shoulder to wake him up. “He’s leaving. Come on.”

  They collected their horses and set out a fair distance behind the doctor. He moved slowly, shuffling his feet and checking a gold watch. The man of medicine shared no similarities with the judge. He was of short stature and had a nicely trimmed white goatee—almost fatherly. Dr. Levi glanced around several times, perhaps worrying about being followed, and at each instance, she and Mac ducked behind their mounts.

  Dr. Levi McIlroy walked across town to a two-story clapboard house and knocked. A woman who appeared by her dress to be a housekeeper let him in.

  Melanie tied their horses out of sight and moved closer, Mac following behind. A large crepe myrtle bush laden with pink blooms beckoned as a hiding place, and Melanie pulled her father deep into the fragrant branches.

  Mac nudged her. “Wonder who lives here.”

  Before she could reply, Judge McIlroy rode up on a handsome palomino and paused for a second, his gaze scanning the area, before heading around to the back.

  “I think that answers the question. If Ava’s in there, we have to get her out. He’s not above putting a bullet in her head.”

  Minutes passed in silence as she studied the windows for movement. Finally, she could stand it no longer. “I’m going to go peek inside. You stay here and be quiet.”

  “Be careful.”

  She nodded and slipped from the large, colorful bush and ran to the house, crouching low against the side. Methodically, she began a slow turn about the house, rising up on her toes just enough to look into each window. At the back of the house, Melanie came to what appeared to be a study. The judge was inside, and she crouched low so as not to be seen. Popping up again a moment later, she saw him open a safe, grab some papers out, and shove them into a briefcase. A half-empty glass of amber liquid sat on his desk. The neat, composed high-ranking official had vanished. In his place was a disheveled, frantic rat about to be caught.

  He tossed back what was left of the contents of the glass and ran his hands through his hair.

  McIlroy appeared to be getting ready to carry out his threat to leave town before the governor’s man arrived. Her heart sank. He might get away with what he’d done, but there was nothing she could do about that. First and foremost she had to keep Ava alive.

  When she moved on to the kitchen, an idea came to her. Two men sat at a small table playing cards. Guards, she assumed. The despicable rat needed them.

  A distraction would come in handy. If Mac could somehow get in there and keep them busy, she’d find a way to search the upstairs rooms.

  After seeing nothing else of interest, she hurried back. “Mac, you have to find a way to play cards with those guards.”

  “Leave it to me.” He removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and rumpled his hair. “I’m a hobo asking for a handout, willing to play cards for food. I’ll ante up with the bottle of gin in my pocket.”

  “Perfect.” She kissed his cheek. “Hopefully the judge won’t remember you if he spots you. I’ll give you a few minutes to get inside, then I’ll climb that lattice over there to the second story.”

  The danger dried the spit in her mouth. Anything could go wrong. One thing about it, she was not leaving Ava behind again.

  “Here I go.” Mac stood up and hobbled around back like he was in pain. Melanie had to admit his acting was good. He looked exactly like an old bum.

  She counted to one hundred, and he wasn’t back, which likely meant they’d let him in. In no time, she scaled the side of the house and leaned over to peek into the upstairs window. The doctor stood in a bedroom doorway, putting something in his black bag.

  When he moved away a few minutes later in the direction of the stairs and didn’t return, she climbed silently through the window and took the gun from her pocket. Still not seeing anyone, she tiptoed across the hall and eased the door open just a crack. Other than a form lying in the bed, the room was empty. Melanie slipped inside and quickly closed the door.

  The dim light of the room kept her from seeing the figure clearly, but she made out an ashen face. The person appeared dead.

  Oh God, was she too late?

  A searing ache in her heart, Melanie stole to the bedside and drank in the sight of the mirror side of herself—same delicate features, same auburn hair. She smothered a cry and touched Ava’s blunt, chopped hair, no more than three inches long. Their identical looks could have been useful for their escape, except now it was out of the question.

  “Ava, wake up.” Her sister didn’t move. Melanie touched Ava’s forehead and found it feverish. She shook her. “Ava.”

  This didn’t seem right for pleurisy. Her breathing was shallow but she wasn’t struggling enough for her lungs to be bad. No, this was something else.

  “Ava, wake up.” Melanie shook her. “Wake up, we need to go.”

  “Who—?” Ava’s eyes fluttered then flew open, and she brushed Melanie’s face with weak fingertips. “Is it really you? I waited and waited.”

  “It’s me. Let’s get you out of here. Can you walk?”

  “So tired.” Ava sat up slowly, her legs hanging off the bed. She only wore a nightgown and couldn’t leave in that.

  Melanie glanced around and snatched up a wrapper off a chair. “Put this on. We have to hurry.”

  “He’ll be mad. Don’t want him…to get you.” Ava thrust her arms into the wrapper and tied it while Melanie put some shoes on her.

  “Ready?” Melanie pulled Ava to her feet and put an arm around her waist. She held the gun in the other hand. “Lean on me. Do you know a way out where we won’t be seen?”

  “Sorry.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ll find something.” Now that they were together again, Melanie wasn’t leaving without Ava.

  They moved out into the hallway, each step seeming to take an hour. Her nerves screamed at her to hurry, but Ava was doing the best she could. At one end of the hall lay the front stairs with McIlroy’s study just off of it. At the other end was what appeared to be the back stairs, and that’s where Melanie turned.

  Two more steps and they’d be there. Her heart pounded.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  Melanie swung around to see the doctor. She pointed the gun at him. “I’m taking my sister out of here. Try to stop me and I will shoot you.”

  “There’s no need for gunfire.” The doctor came closer, squinting. “I’d know you anywhere, Melanie. You’re the spitting image of Ava. Get your sister out of here. Mr. Markham and the judge plan to use her to kill you, and no one will be able to stop them.”

  “They might try.” Melanie let a smile form. She wasn’t the woman they’d sent off to lure Tait to Canadian. She was lots tougher now and much wiser.

  “I’m glad you came. She needs you.”

  Melanie relaxed and lowered the gun. He seemed warm and genuine, but she kept her guard up. Looks could often deceive.

  Dr.
Levi reached into his black bag and handed Melanie two brown bottles. “Take these. Give a dose of each to Ava twice a day. Also, when you get to the bottom of these stairs, take a door to the left and it’ll let you into the yard. It’s the fastest way out.”

  “Thank you.” Melanie put the two bottles of medicine into her pocket. “What will the judge do to you once he finds her gone?”

  “He’s my cousin, worse luck, and I think I can handle him. He may be up here any minute, so hurry,” the doctor urged. “Also, you should know that the judge has been giving Ava something to keep her knocked out. I suspect morphine.”

  So, that’s what was wrong. “Thank you for telling me, Doctor.”

  The doctor laid a hand on her shoulder. “There’s a large dog tied up out there. Stay clear.”

  “Appreciate the warning.” Melanie tightened her grip on her sister, preparing to go down the stairs.

  Ava turned around. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure, dear,” the doctor answered.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Judge McIlroy thundered.

  Melanie swung. Her nemesis stood on the landing at the other end of the hall. She sat Ava on the floor and raised her weapon. “I don’t want to kill you, but I will if you force my hand.”

  The doctor took a step toward them. She couldn’t trust him. She couldn’t trust anyone. “Get back, Doc!”

  The man of medicine obeyed, standing by Ava’s bedroom.

  The judge slowly came closer. “You’re just a two-bit gambler with a pretty face and no brains. You’ll never be worth a hill of beans. You can’t even complete one simple task. You couldn’t even do that much.”

  His arrogance was no shock. This whole thing had been about profiting him.

  “Levi, take that gun away from her,” McIlroy ordered his cousin.

  “No. You’re on your own, Ira,” Doc answered.

  McIlroy huffed loudly, taking three more steps.

  “Stop where you are, McIlroy, or I will blow your head off. Everything is over. The governor’s man will be here soon. All that power you craved is gone.”

  “They’ll have to snatch it from my hands.” McIlroy’s crazed eyes glittered. “I worked hard to get this job and made people respect me.”

  The man was looney. “You can’t make people give you your due. You have to earn it.”

  His steps lagged, but he kept coming, his hands hanging by his side, his face a gruesome mask.

  Filled with terror, Melanie tightened her finger on the trigger. She didn’t want to kill him. She didn’t know what it was like to take a life, but by all that was holy, she would put a bullet in him. “I’ll warn you again. Stop.”

  “You don’t have the guts,” he snarled and jerked a gun from inside his coat.

  She watched in horror as he aimed and pulled the trigger. Oh God!

  Her eyes closed, she kept expecting a loud explosion, waited to feel the fiery path of a bullet entering her body. She stiffened, her heart racing. Her life couldn’t end here. Not this way.

  But the shot sped past her head and into the wall.

  Frozen in horror, her eyes flew open. She put McIlroy dead center and squeezed the trigger of her weapon. The bullet entered his chest and ripped through muscle and bone. Surprise flitted across his face as he went down.

  Was he dead? She shook violently from head to toe. Oh God, so much blood!

  “Get your sister out of here,” the doctor ordered. “That shot’ll bring people running. I’ll take care of Ira and keep the guards up here until you get away. Take her to the mercantile and ask for Virginia. She’ll help.”

  Heavy boots pounded on the stairs at the far end. They had to hurry.

  “Thank you.” Melanie helped Ava down each step. The process was agonizingly slow, and by the time they reached the bottom, sweat lined Ava’s forehead. Melanie let her rest a minute while she listened to the noises in the house. While there were sounds and voices above, no one seemed to be moving in their direction. So far so good.

  Drawing in a deep breath Ava nodded that she was ready, and Melanie opened the door on the left. They found themselves in a secluded garden. A large furry dog sprang up, baring his sharp teeth.

  Melanie stilled her shaking and stared into the animal’s eyes. “We’re going past you now, and you’re going to be a nice dog. We won’t hurt you, but if you decide to be mean, I’ll have no choice but to shoot you. Do you understand me?”

  The dog looked confused, turning his head from side to side, but he quit growling and let his lip fall over his teeth in a less threatening pose. Melanie and Ava took one step and then another. The dog laid down, his eyes following their progress.

  “Good dog.” Melanie kept her voice gentle but watched for aggression. “That’s good.”

  They reached the gate leading from the garden where they were stopped by a man who resembled a tree in both height and breadth. He smelled like the inside of a whiskey bottle. He glanced at her and then Ava and scratched his head. “What are you doin’?”

  Taking a deep breath, Melanie hid the gun in the folds of her dress. Fire it and she’d bring everyone. She drew herself up straight and put a good dose of authority in her voice. “Getting some fresh air. What does it look like?”

  “Does the judge know about this? He didn’t tell me anything about you taking walks.” He leaned closer to peer into her face. “How come there’s two of you?”

  Movement behind him caught Melanie’s eye. Mac was stealing up behind the guard with a raised club. Just a little closer.

  “Maybe because you’re drunk, you louse. I could smell you a mile away.”

  The guard put out a hand and first touched her and then Ava. “You both feel real. I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but I’m taking all four of you back inside.”

  Mac raised the club with both hands and gave a mighty blow to the guard’s head. He went down with a thud.

  “Thanks, Mac. We’ve got to get out of here, but we’ll be exposed going down the drive. Plus the other guard is going to miss this one and come looking.” Her hold on Ava began to slip. Melanie got a better grip.

  Ava struggled to breathe and sagged heavily against her. “I can’t…make it.”

  “It’s just a little way to the horses.”

  “I can’t. My legs won’t work.”

  Mac got on the other side and helped hold her up. “Keeping close to the trimmed shrubbery is our best bet.”

  Melanie’s heart pounded, and she kept expecting to be stopped.

  With no one emerging from the house, they reached the horses without problem. “The doctor said Virginia at the mercantile will help us,” she told Mac. They put Ava on Melanie’s horse. Melanie walked and led her black mount, following Mac into the alley behind the mercantile.

  “Help me with Ava, then I’ll go find Virginia.” Melanie went to the right side of the animal.

  Mac lifted Ava down and sat her on a barrel. Her sister’s head sagged. Seeing her shorn hair in the bright light made Melanie’s chest ache. She hurried inside the establishment, praying desperately that this wouldn’t turn out to be a trap.

  * * *

  Jack rode out with Becky crying in his arms, clawing at him to get off the horse. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I wish I could change things.”

  His insides were raw and aching. His heart too seemed to release its own wail. He was leaving his best friend to face a torturous death alone.

  Back when they were kids, Tait had always been uncommonly stoic, even after beatings by his father. He’d always headed for Jack’s place after. On more than one occasion, he’d been in serious pain but refused to shed a tear or do much more than grimace.

  Even when Tait had stumbled into Hope’s Crossing six months ago all shot up, he’d held all his agony inside. Like an old dog, he’d curled up and licked his
wounds.

  Jack prayed that death would be quick. Maybe Tait would lunge for one of their guns and they’d just shoot him. Although the chances of that were slim.

  He rode past the frowning guard. A little further on, when he was out of sight, he cut into the brush to find Clay. Thankfully Becky had hushed her wailing, but she was still snuffling and clinging to Jack with both hands. He wanted to tell her she’d be all right, but he knew nothing would ever be all right again—not for anyone.

  Oh God, how was he going to tell Melanie? She loved Tait so much.

  Clay stepped out from their hiding place. Jack dismounted and filled him in on what had happened. Clay’s face turned deadly, and the look in his eyes was frightening, even to Jack. He swung a hard fist into a tree trunk and bloodied his knuckles, not seeming to feel it.

  “He told me not to try to save him, but I’m going back and I’m killing that bastard and everyone who gets in my way,” Jack declared.

  Clay cursed and took Becky, rocking her. “We have to be smart about this or they’ll outthink us. We need more guns, and we have to do something with Becky. Maybe you can ride into town and try to find a woman who’ll look after her until we finish. The doctor’s wife or maybe they have a reverend.”

  “As I rode out, I heard one of Kern’s men say that they would take their time torturing Tait. They’re not planning to kill him until tomorrow.”

  “That buys us a little time, but I’d hate to be in Tait’s boots right now.” Clay had a far-off stare. “It’s the beforehand trials that test us the hardest.”

  Yeah. And Kern Berringer was an expert at making a man, or woman, want to die.

  Jack thought of Lucy. He hadn’t told Tait everything. Some things a man was better off not knowing. Especially that.

  He chambered the secret he’d carry to his grave before it could take root. “It occurs to me that people like Ussary at the mercantile or the owner of the Wild Jacks Saloon might lend us a hand with Berringer. No one we’ve met seemed fond of the bastard.”

  Becky stared silently at him from Clay’s arms, her eyes huge—accusing. He had to see to her care first. A bath, clean clothes, and food. Tait would want that.