To Capture the Sky (Choices of the Heart, book 2)

by Jennie Marsland

  “Of course I will.” Beth got up and gave Isobel a fierce hug. “Isn’t it a shame that people have to grow up?”

  * * *

  Beth reached Denver longing for a night’s rest in a stationary bed, but when she got off the train, Graham didn’t appear. Perhaps he hadn’t gotten her wire from Kansas City. She was about to hire a carriage when someone cleared his throat behind her. She turned around to find herself in Trey’s arms.

  She noticed briefly that he had on his good suit, the one he’d worn to the Wallace Flats dance, but all that mattered at that moment was the dear, familiar feel and smell of him, a light mixture of hay and animals and soap. Then she reached for his lips and his taste was there, too, and they could have been alone on the street. He took her breath away with his eagerness to close the rift between them. When the kiss ended, Trey settled her head on his shoulder and buried his face in her hair. “Beth, I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, too. Oh, it’s good to be home.” Beth held him to her for a long moment, then stepped away to look at him. “What are you doing here dressed up like this? Who’s looking after things at home?”

  Trey warmed her from the inside out with the light in his dark eyes. “Ben. When I got your wire that you’d be getting in to Denver today, I decided I couldn’t wait to see you, so I came up yesterday and knocked on your cousin’s door.”

  Beth grinned and ran her hands down the lapels of his jacket. How could she ever have thought that Walter James looked like him? “I wish I could have seen Graham’s face.”

  “It was worth the price of admission. For a minute, I thought he was going to shut the door in my face, but we’ve been getting along fine since he got over the shock.” Trey let out a long sigh as he drew her back into his arms. “God, I’ve missed you. What happened with your paintings?”

  Beth stood on tiptoe and kissed him again. “Plenty. I’ll tell you when we get to Graham’s. I’m glad you did this. I didn’t want to wait any longer to see you, either.”

  When they sat down to dinner with Graham and Julia, Beth had to hide her amusement at the change in their attitude. Trey put on the polish so well that they didn’t notice his occasional sly glances at her between forkfuls of roast chicken and buttery mashed potatoes. He seemed perfectly at home with the silver and crystal on the table. Beth knew she shouldn’t be surprised, but at the homestead it was easy to forget that he’d had friends who lived like this. Friends like Justin.

  Graham looked a little perturbed when he heard about Vance Hickstead. “It sounds as if that man deserved to be shown up, but I can’t imagine Isobel allowing such a thing to happen in the first place. Your trip could have been wasted.”

  Beth shrugged. “You know Isobel never could resist a joke. She thought she knew him better than she really did, that’s all.”

  Trey smiled at her the way he never did at anyone else. “He should have known better than to get in your way.”

  Graham responded with a restrained chuckle. “It sounds like you’ve gotten to know her pretty well already.”

  “I have. I grew up with two stubborn women in the house, so it came naturally.”

  Beth batted her eyelashes at him. “How very lucky for you. Graham, you’re going to have to bring the children out to our place for a visit. They’d love it.”

  “That’ll give me a reason to get the house set up for company,” Trey added. “I never thought much about that until Beth came along. We’d be glad to have you.”

  Graham and Julia exchanged a glance that Beth read perfectly. She could almost hear the heavy clink of their opinions of her marriage turning over.

  “We’ll do that,” Graham promised.

  The promise healed a small ache in Beth’s heart. She’d told herself when she accepted Trey’s offer of marriage that she didn’t care what they thought, but Graham and Julia were her only remaining relatives and she would rather not be at odds with them. Underneath their stuffiness, they meant well.

  The maid came in with the coffee pot, and Julia began filling cups. “So, Isobel is keeping well? It sounds as if she hasn’t changed much.”

  “Yes, she’s well. She has a lovely home and an adorable little son. She has everything she wants.”

  Julia spoke with amused tolerance. “You make that sound like a tragedy.”

  Beth looked across the table at Trey again, saw the love written on his face. “Maybe it is, Julia. I think she married for money. What I find sad is I think that’s what she wanted, too.”

  Beth barely managed to contain her impatience through coffee and dessert, but at last she and Trey found themselves alone in their room for the night. As she finished braiding her hair, Trey came up behind her and ran his hands down her sides, watching her in the mirror as he molded her nightgown to her skin. “You’re beautiful. I can’t believe I pushed you away. I’m not making excuses. I can only say that I’m going to make it up to you.”

  Beth searched his face for doubt and found nothing but joy. The last of her own fears melted away. “You just did. But, Trey, you have to believe that being with you and our children is more important to me than anything else. You have to trust me.”

  “I know, and I do.” Trey’s hands moved up her arms, raising goose bumps. “What did you think of what I said in my letter about moving back east, to some place where I could work on a breeding farm?”

  Beth turned to face him, blinking tears from her eyes just as she had when she’d read Trey’s letter. He couldn’t have offered her anything that meant more, but his heart was in his land. And her heart was tied to his. “No. I could never let you do that, not when you’ve worked so hard to have a place that belongs to you. Besides, I work better without the distractions we’d have back east. But I love you so much for offering.”

  Trey brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. “Fine, we’ll stay where we are and fill the place with sons and daughters.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Beth moved closer. Watching Trey’s face, she started slowly undoing the buttons on his vest. “You know, I’ve always thought this suit looked good on you.”

  The spark she loved to see kindled in his eyes. “Is that so?”

  “Yes, it is.” His shirt buttons came next, then her hands made contact with his warm skin. Trey shivered and closed his eyes while Beth indulged herself in the pleasure of touching him. When she pushed his shirt back and pressed her lips to his chest, he captured her hands in his.

  “I’ve been dreaming of this. Come here.”

  He led her to the bed. Beth linked her fingers behind his neck and brought him down to her for a slow, lazy kiss, teasing him with gentle strokes of her tongue. Then she let her lips stray to the hollow of his throat, caressing him lightly. “I’ve missed the taste of you so much.”

  With a deep sigh, Trey lifted her nightgown off and pulled her close. He trapped her roaming hands between them and looked down at her, a look that left her boneless with anticipation. “You’re mine, Beth. I’m going to make sure that you never forget it.”

  Trey shed his own clothes as quickly as he’d dealt with Beth’s nightgown, sat on the bed, and drew her down with him. Beth had always expected that when this moment came she’d be a little bit afraid, but now, with Trey leaning over her, all she could think of was how much she loved him. How much she wanted him to love her.

  He was beautiful, all long lines and lean muscle, all warm shades of brown, hair and eyes and skin. She ran her fingers lightly over his back and felt him tense in response. “We belong to each other. You believe that now, don’t you, Trey?”

  He responded with a sharp, passionate kiss, delicious but all too brief. “Yes.” Then he set out to prove it, touching and tasting her until, when he finally joined his body to hers, pleasure overcame pain.

  They collapsed backwards on the bed, damp skin fused to damp skin. Beth lay limp on Trey’s chest, relishing each aftershock of bliss that rippled through her. When he’d caught his breath, he wrapped his arms around her and settled h
er against him, his front to her back. “Welcome home.”

  Beth snuggled closer and rested her hands on his. “When I talked to Maddy before I left for New York, she said we hadn’t given each other much time. Maybe not, but it feels like we’ve been together forever, doesn’t it?”

  She felt Trey’s smile against the nape of her neck. “I think each time will always feel like the first to me.” He reached down, untangled the bedcovers from their legs and pulled them up. “Now go to sleep, Beth. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

  “I know. Maybe we should spend a hundred years or so right here first.” With all the tension drained from her tired body, Beth closed her eyes and let herself drift. Wrapped in Trey’s arms, lulled by his heartbeat, she fell asleep and dreamed of home.

  * * *

  In the morning, Beth settled into the same seat on the stage that she’d had on her first trip to Wallace Flats. That had been a bright spring day, and today the gray sky threatened a downpour, but this time she wasn’t alone and frightened. As soon as they were moving, she asked about Holly.

  Trey took off his tie, undid the top button of his shirt, and tried, without much success, to arrange his long frame comfortably in the cramped space. “Maddy says Holly’s doing well. She didn’t have much to say for the first couple of weeks, but she’s starting to come out of that. The hell of it is, she misses her father. She told Maddy that when she was little he wasn’t like he is now. I’ll never understand him.”

  Beth looked out the window, feasting her eyes on the landscape of home. “Neither will I. Has Simon been leaving her alone?”

  “Yes. As far as I know, the only time he leaves his place these days is to go to the store for supplies. John says he hasn’t seen him since the day we threw him in jail.”

  “What else is new in town?”

  “I guess the most surprising thing is that Lena Carter left the day after the spring dance, and hasn’t come back.”

  “Really? That is a surprise.” And a shame, in a way. At least Lena had been relatively safe at Neil’s. From what Beth had heard, there were many worse places.

  “Yeah. She had breakfast with Nathan one morning and then got on the afternoon stage without a word to anyone.”

  Like everyone else, Beth had heard the talk about how often Lena and Nathan were seen together. Her leaving seemed a shame for him, too. “I wonder what Nathan thought of that?”

  Trey shrugged. “Not much, probably. I think he liked her. The girls he liked didn’t run from him at home.”

  It would be a waste of breath to say anything, but Beth wished Trey could ease up on Nathan. Maybe they were too different to ever be friends, but it would mean Trey had eased up on himself.

  When the stage reached Wallace Flats, the air was hot and still, waiting for the storm to break. Trey had left his wagon and team with the Reeves. John and Hannah pressed them to stay until the weather passed, but Beth wanted to be done with traveling. In the end, they decided to race the rain. Once they were out in the open country, they saw it coming from the west, a gray curtain blotting out the landscape.

  It caught them a mile from the homestead. When they reached home, they ran into the cabin breathless and dripping. Ben grinned at the sight of them. “Welcome home. I guess you brought the rain with you. I’ll help you with the team, Trey.”

  Beth climbed up to the loft and got out of her wet clothes. With a sigh of relief, she took off her corset and shift and pulled on her denims. If she had her way, it would be quite a while before she’d have to squeeze into an evening dress again.

  CHAPTER 21

  Simon Grier stood with his elbows on the store counter, eyeing the tobacco on the shelf behind it. Knowing he couldn’t afford to buy any sent a stab of irritation through him. Then, life in general irritated him these days, since the ban from Neil’s place had forced him to cut back on his drinking. His mind was sharper as a result, but so was his temper.

  Wallace Flats had more or less forgotten his existence. He supposed Holly had, too: his girl, who looked so much like her mother. She’d had no right to leave him.

  She’d had no right, and those interfering sons of bitches had no right to take her.

  He’d been doing a slow burn ever since, but Simon’s hands were tied. If he tried to get Holly back, the town would shut him out completely and he’d have to move on. His own daughter, and he had to stand by and let her defy him like that.

  Of course, that high-nosed little tramp she’d been working for before the dance was really to blame. Holly was just a kid who believed what she was told. That McShannon woman could dress and she could talk, but no real lady would leave a fancy home back east as everyone knew she had, to come out here and shack up with Trey McShannon. Oh, they’d made it legal, but there was only one name for a woman who would do such a thing. Simon should have known better than to let Holly near her in the first place. Before that, he’d had no problems with his girl running around at night with boys and giving him lip.

  As June finished up Simon’s order, the bell above the door jangled. He didn’t look, but when the new customer called out to June, he knew her voice.

  He picked up his parcels and turned around. Beth McShannon stood a few feet away at the counter, completely ignoring him. Simon brushed by her and walked out. His wagon was waiting right in front of the store. When he dropped his supplies in the back, he took a long look at the rifle lying there. No one was close by at the moment.

  His anger gave birth to an impulse. He didn’t have to take the loss of his daughter lying down, and he wasn’t going to. Trey McShannon could have his “wife”, but he was going to have to pay for her and bring Holly back to him. With some cash behind him, Simon could start over somewhere else. He picked up the rifle and waited for Beth to come out.

  He didn’t have to wait long. She stopped dead, with her arms full of packages, when he leveled the rifle at her. “Get in the wagon. You’re coming with me.”

  * * *

  For a moment, astonishment crowded out fear in Beth’s mind. She stiffened her back and gave Simon a cool stare. “Are you crazy? Put that thing down. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  Simon took a step forward, poked the rifle barrel into her side, and tightened his finger on the trigger. “You just think again. You do what I say and you won’t get hurt, as long as your husband does what I tell him. Make a fuss and you’ll die right here.”

  Still in shock, Beth stood her ground. “You are crazy. You know what will happen if you–”

  “Maybe, but you wouldn’t be around to see it, would you? I’m not going to tell you again. Get in the wagon.”

  Simon’s hands trembled on the rifle. Beth’s mouth went dry at the desperation on his face. She put down her packages and climbed onto the wagon seat. With the rifle still pointed at her, Simon followed. “You drive. We’re going to my place.”

  As Beth picked up the reins, June came to the door of the store. She froze when she saw the rifle and Beth’s face.

  Simon’s voice shook as he spoke to her. “You get word to her husband that he can have her back if I get my daughter and five hundred dollars by noon tomorrow. Come on, girl, let’s go.”

  He kept the rifle trained on Beth as they drove away. No one they passed dared to stop them. As they left town, Beth’s mind started functioning again. Simon couldn’t be crazy enough not to see where this had to lead.

  “We don’t have five hundred dollars. And do you expect Trey to kidnap Holly for you? This isn’t going to work, Simon.”

  Simon glanced at her, then looked away. Even now, he couldn’t look her in the eye. “You’d better hope it does. I don’t care if your husband borrows or steals the money, and if he wants you back badly enough he’ll convince Holly. A man’s got a right to his children. Maybe you’ll both think twice before you meddle in things that are none of your business again.”

  Beth decided it would be safer not to talk to him. One thing was certain – by doing this, Simon had set Holly free. He was
going to be put away for a long time.

  Keep your wits about you, Beth, and wait.

  Beth had only seen the inside of the Grier place once, the day she and Maddy had come for Holly. It was dirtier and more unkempt now. Grime clouded the windows, and the floor felt gritty underfoot. A basin of rancid-smelling dishwater sat on one end of the counter, adding to the sense of degradation that permeated the place. How could anyone live like this?

  Simon seemed sharper and meaner than he’d been when she’d seen him before. Beth hoped he was sharp enough to think of consequences as she sat on the bed in the small, dingy back room that had been Holly’s.

  She tried to imagine what was happening in town. Nathan must know what had happened by now. He’d probably go for Trey himself and take John with him. Hopefully, Holly wouldn’t have to be involved in this. She’d been through enough already.

  Simon sat on his own bunk in the main room, with his rifle beside him. He didn’t seem to want anything to do with Beth other than to keep her from leaving. She stayed where she was, waiting for Trey.

  Three hours passed before they heard a horse in the lane. Simon picked up his rifle. “Get out here.”

  When Beth obeyed, he took her arm and marched her outside. Trey was there, white-faced. Simon’s eyes darted around, looking for others coming. Trey kept his hands on his saddle horn and spoke quietly. “Beth, are you all right?”

  She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Yes, don’t worry about me.”

  Simon pointed the rifle at her. “You stay where you are.” He glared at Trey. “You’re here, so you’ve heard what I want.”

  Trey nodded. “I think I can get five hundred dollars by tomorrow. Take it easy, Simon, it’s your game.”

  Even from that distance, Beth saw the cold rage in Trey’s eyes. Simon must have seen it, too. The defiance in his voice was mixed with more than a little panic.