by Diane Darcy
“Come on.” He led her up the street, so Mrs. Collier wouldn’t intercept them when she came their direction.
“Tell me about this brawl.” As predicted, Lucy looked less than impressed.
“Well…”
“So, you couldn’t attend church today because you needed to fight?”
Again, he wasn’t prepared to answer. What could he say? No, that wasn’t it at all. He couldn’t attend church because he was a liar. And as soon as he cleared that up, he’d quite happily be done sneaking around and probably be at her side whenever possible.
“You said you wanted to talk today?” Her tone was frosty. Telling her the truth about his name was not going to earn him any points at the moment. “I do, but not if you’re mad at me.”
She shook her head. “Fine, keep your secrets. But I’m not going to be one of them.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You don’t collect me, or drop me off at the house. You run off when others approach. Certain subjects seem to be off limits. I even asked Mrs. Collier today if you were in fact, married.”
“What?”
“She assured me that you were not. I was starting to feel like you were hiding me from someone.”
Boone turned away, then back again, filled with regret. “Lucy, it’s not like that.”
“I’m not married, nor is there another woman in my life. So, there’s no way that you are the other woman. You’re the only woman in my life. I really like you, a lot. Things are simply complicated at the moment, and if you could just calm down, perhaps we could discuss things in a more rational manner.”
She walked a few feet without speaking. “Fine, I’m calm now.”
She said so, but he could see that she was still mad. Blast it, this was not going how he pictured this conversation. “Let’s talk later.”
She stopped. “We’ll talk now.”
“Lucy —”
“Come to supper with me at Mrs. Collier’s. She’s made chicken and has assured me it’s a favorite with all of her borders.”
She was both insistent and confused. She was so adorable in that moment he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her he’d do whatever she wanted.
But obviously, he couldn’t until they cleared this up. But with her still mad? He doubted he’d get that invitation to dinner. Now was not the right time. “I can’t.”
Lucy made a scoffing noise and turned away. She started back down the street.
“Lucy, wait.”
“I will not.”
“Please.”
“No.”
She just didn’t understand what she was coming to mean to him. He wanted her in his life, not just today, but permanently. “I want to marry you!”
That stopped her.
He couldn’t believe he was saying these words to her back. It certainly wasn’t how he would have chosen to propose, but all the same, he meant it.
Perhaps, if she agreed to marry him, she’d be in the right frame of mind to hear that he was actually Boone Jackson, a liar, albeit a rich one, who could offer her the world.
Would that make his deception just a little bit sweeter?
She finally turned, and her expression was incredulous.
Was that good or bad?
“You’re joking?” Her tone was scathing.
He sighed. Not good then.
“Not only will I not marry you. Whatever this is between us? It’s over!”
Boone stood there stunned, he hadn’t even told her the truth yet, and she was breaking things off between them?
With a sound of frustration, she turned, stomped off, and left.
He watched her go and tried to make sense out of what had just happened.
She didn’t want him? All right, he got that. Perhaps things were getting a bit out of hand and their courtship wasn’t traditional by any means, but still…
How could she just be done with him? He told her they needed to talk. He’d envisioned her angry over his lies, but he hadn’t even gotten that far and she had broken things off.
Hurt speared through him, followed by anger. He turned away and walked up the street afraid she would turn and see him standing there like a dolt.
Did she really feel so little for him?
He knew of ten, no, twenty, maybe even one hundred women he could ask to marry him and they would say yes in a heartbeat.
Of course, they all knew he was rich.
Maybe if he wasn’t, if he didn’t have money, he wouldn’t have as much to recommend him as he thought.
Hurt speared through him.
But he wasn’t going to just sit around with his guts bleeding out.
If she didn’t want him, then he didn’t want her either.
So, if he didn’t care anymore, why did it hurt this bad?
Lucy was upset. She walked down the street, but she wasn’t ready to face a bunch of people at the moment. She couldn’t eat now, anyway.
She let momentum carry her downtown.
As she walked down the street she saw a man coming toward her. She recognized him, once again, as the man who had frightened her the other day. She considered crossing the street, but as that would just seem plain rude, she just kept going.
She gave the man a nod and a polite smile as they were about to pass each other.
There was a strange excitement about him as he tipped his hat at her. “Ma’am.”
And then he was gone, and she started to relax again.
She was grabbed from behind and hauled into some bushes.
Shock and fear turned to anger. She tried to scream but a hand was quickly placed over her mouth.
How dare he!
She struggled furiously but the man was just too strong.
Strong smelling too. And she gagged, completely repulsed by the man.
How could this be happening? Right in the middle of town this way? And where was Boone? He should’ve been with her. Why had she chased him away?
As she continued to fight, another man, his face bruised and battered, pulled up in a wagon. He set the brake, jumped down, and then the two men gagged her with a strip of material and tied her up.
She continued to fight, but they were just too strong. They placed her in the back of the wagon and threw a blanket over her.
She continued to thrash about, but she couldn’t get into a sitting position, and the wagon was high enough that no one would be able to see her.
She couldn’t believe this was happening! She was in the middle of nowhere, Montana!
She was always so careful in New York City. They had strong footmen to accompany them everywhere.
But here? There was no need. She certainly had not advertised who she was, or rather who her father was.
The fear, and the fighting were making her sweat.
Had she been recognized?
What could they possibly want? Her father’s money? Or was this simply an attack upon her person?
She stiffened and tried to hold the tears at bay, worried that she’d choke what with the way she was gagged.
She struggled again.
“Keep it up if you want me to turn around and give you a swift kick to the head.”
The man’s menacing voice had the blood in her veins freezing.
She settled immediately.
If she wanted out of this alive, she would have to keep her wits about her.
The men were laughing, talking, and generally seemed very pleased with themselves. Lucy tried to pay attention, but with the fast way they were traveling, and the bouncing around, she heard very few words.
For the most part, they seemed to be talking about Mr. Jackson. Did they work for the man? From their tone, they seemed to have it in for him. So why pick on her? She didn’t even know the man.
Twenty minutes later the wagon stopped.
Even though they’d been traveling fast, she felt some relief at that. At least they couldn’t be too far from town.
Still, dread welled up wi
thin her that she’d now be alone with these men, far from any help.
She was picked up and handed over the edge of the wagon. Carefully, it seemed to her. Like they didn’t want to hurt her.
She had to admit that brought some relief, and she was hopeful that she wasn’t simply trying so hard to read anything positive into the situation that she was mistaken.
They took her inside and ripped the blanket off of her. It took her a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkened interior of a grubby cabin. The windows were covered with dirty blankets.
Fear flooded her once more and she realized she was hopeful that there might be someone sympathetic to her plight nearby.
“Where am I?”
That question made both men laugh in a very unpleasant manner.
“Home sweet home until we get our money.”
The one man was tall, and well dressed. He was the one that she’d seen about town several times.
The other man was short, and filthy. She could smell him from several feet away.
“Am I being ransomed? I don’t understand any of this.”
Actually, she was very afraid that she did understand. She also understood that it could take a good, long while for her father to be contacted, and the money delivered.
Again, she wondered how they’d discovered her identity. Her grandmother had contacted a friend on the school board, but no one in town had mentioned her family.
Rickman was a common enough surname.
“We are going to hold you for ransom.”
Just as she’d feared, but she decided to try and brazen it out. “But, why? I’m a schoolteacher. I have no money.”
“You might not, but you’re good friends with someone who does.”
Again, the ugly laughter.
“Yeah,” the shorter man said. “Good friends.” He leered at her.
Good friends? That was an odd way to describe a father/daughter relationship. Was it possible they’d mistaken her for someone else?
And if so, who, exactly?
The two men started to dance around the dirty room, laughing like loons. They seemed to be bumbling idiots to her, but that didn’t mean they didn’t frighten her.
“I’m trying to tell you that I don’t have any money, and I don’t know anyone who does. What do you want?”
They continued to laugh until her temper started to rise. “You can’t get money if there is none to be had!”
“Don’t you worry about it, none. We’re going to get Boone to pay it.”
“Boone Newby?”
They gave her a strange look. “No,” said the taller man. “Boone Jackson.”
“I don’t know him. I do know that Mr. Newby works for him, but I can’t imagine that he would help a complete stranger.”
They were laughing at her again. “What are you talking about girl? Peter Newby, the handyman?”
She shook her head. “No, Boone Newby, the handyman.”
They stared at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing. They started to roar with it, spiking her temper once more.
She looked up at them from where she sat, tied to the chair. “What is so funny?”
“We’ve seen you all over town with Boone Jackson, the multimillionaire. So don’t try to lie to us. If he’s been telling you he’s Peter Newby, I guess that’s his concern. But we know the truth, and we know he’ll pay up.”
As Lucy looked between the two men, trying to determine if they were trying to deceive her or not, she started to feel sick.
Surely, they were mistaken? Boone was a handyman. He was fixing things at the school, at the hotel.
She remembered back to when he picked her up at the train station.
She’d been the one to approach him, not the other way around. She asked if he was Peter Newby, and he’d been… amused.
She remembered going to the Jackson house. The one with the butler. The butler had told her where to find Boone. But she’d asked for Mr. Newby and he’d sent her to the hotel.
Her temper started to flare.
Boone had lied to her!
Humiliation burned through her.
When she found him, when she got her hands on him, she was going to kill that man!
Chapter 13
Boone was at the mining office, determined to throw himself into work, and forget all about Lucy Rickman.
He could find another girl in a heartbeat.
Even as he thought it, he knew he was lying to himself. Lucy was meant for him, and they would figure this out somehow.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t be mad at the moment.
There was a knock at the door. And Boone was glad of the distraction. “Come in.”
It was David Judkins. One of the miners, who was showing himself to be a hard worker.
“David, come in.”
“I just had a kid drop this off, and tell me to give it to you.”
It was a folded piece of paper, and Boone opened it. He scanned the contents quickly, and then glanced up at David. “Is this a joke?”
David looked startled. “What do you mean?”
Boone scanned the note once more. We have your girl. Bring us ten thousand dollars or you will never see her again.
“Who brought you this note?”
David shook his head. “I don’t know. A boy of about ten years old or so.”
A feeling of disbelief rose within him, and he still wasn’t convinced it wasn’t a joke. But he knew wealthy friends of his had been taking precautions in recent years, he just hadn’t taken it seriously.
Even if he had, would he have thought to hire protection for a woman he was courting?
He headed out of the office.
Joke or not, he had to find Lucy. Now!
Within ten minutes he was jumping off of his horse in front of the boardinghouse. When he knocked on the door, Mrs. Collier answered and looked thrilled to see him. “Mr. Jackson! How nice of you to stop by!”
“Is Lucy here?”
Mrs. Collier’s brows rose. “No, she didn’t come to dinner.”
And she wouldn’t be at the school on a Sunday.
“If you see her, keep her here.”
“I will, but what is this about?”
He debated on what to tell the woman, and finally decided not to upset her when this could simply be a joke. “I’m not sure. Just let Lucy know that I’m looking for her.”
“I will.” The woman sounded confused, and Boone simply turned and left.
He went to find the sheriff, and found out from his deputy he was at the mayor’s house. He headed over there.
When he arrived, he was quickly invited in, and showed the two men the note he’d received.
“Could this be serious?” The sheriff was the first to ask.
“Why would someone ask you for money for Miss Rickman? Why wouldn’t they ask her father?”
“Maybe her father doesn’t have any money.”
“He does. Miss Rickman is an heiress, after all.”
Boone stared blankly at the mayor. “What are you talking about?”
“Her family has a lot of money.”
Boone was so surprised by this information, that he couldn’t quite believe it. “Why does she teach school then?”
The mayor shrugged. “Who knows?”
Boone was starting to feel panicked. Did someone take her, knowing about her family?
It was ironic that he’d been hiding his own wealth this entire time only to find there was no need.
Had she been doing the same? Or did she know who he was all along, and was playing him for a fool?
Questions for another time.
The sheriff moved toward the door. “Let’s get some people together and see if we can find her. Call your friends, get some of your workers. And I don’t know, maybe call your banker?”
Boone nodded.
All that mattered at the moment, was getting Lucy back.
“Should you really be drinking at a time like this?” Lu
cy demanded. “I should think you would want a clear head in such a situation.”
The man that she’d christened as Shorty in her head, turned away with the noise of frustration. “What I want is a pain-free head! My head is killing me! I can’t think for all the noise you’re making!”
Lucy quieted for a moment, and then she took a breath. “I just think —”
“Aaaaahhhh!” Shorty screamed out loud, startling her. “We know what you think! You keep telling us what you think!”
Well, really. She hesitated again, and tried not to say anything more, but couldn’t help herself. “It’s just that—”
The taller man sprang out of his chair to loom over her, and she could smell his nervous sweat.
“You can’t kill her now.”
Now? Was he implying that they could later?
Lucy’s heart thundered, and she was sweating too. She was proud of herself for not cringing away from the man, and even lifted her chin.
She met the man’s gaze, refusing to show fear. He would only like it, and perhaps continue to scare her all the more.
The second man, sitting at the table and the only other chair, fanned himself with an old newspaper. “Don’t hit her. If she goes back bruised, it may give them that much more incentive to follow us.”
So, they weren’t going to kill her?
When Boone received the ransom note, would he even care that she’d been captured? After their last conversation, he might think good riddance.
She considered threatening them with her father. Would that help or hurt her situation?
The man continued to stand in front of her, clenching his fists, and making a funny noise.
“Really, sir. If you would just —”
In an abrupt movement, he strode away. “Why can’t you just shut up? Why do you have to keep nattering on? Good Lord, woman! Enough! Enough! Enough!”
Lucy straightened her shoulders and looked away. All right, perhaps she needed to stop. But to be fair, she may have given the man a lecture or two because as far as she could see, these two needed advice more than anyone she’d ever met before.
One thing she knew for sure. She needed to get away from them before the men’s drinking overrode their convictions not to hurt her.
“Gentlemen?”