An Unexpected Dilemma Bride_Family of Love Series_A Western Romance Story

by Elliee Atkinson

  Laura screamed through her gag and allowed angry tears to come from her eyes. She narrowed her eyes and snarled at Cynthia.

  “You did not do so well in a physical confrontation with me last time, missy,” Cynthia said. “I would not be so bold if I were you. I know you want to know why all of this is happening. You do, don’t you?” Cynthia threw back her head and laughed. “Well, you will keep wishing, dear. You will never know. I will never tell you.”

  Laura continued to scream. She pushed herself to her feet and then dropped to the floor, tripping on her long skirt. She used her position to kick at the door with her bound feet.

  “Stop! Stop that! You can’t go anywhere. And this isn’t even my wagon.” Cynthia laughed like a wild woman, making Laura fear for her life even more. Nothing was going to hold this woman back. Laura sensed that Cynthia was going to hurt her before she actually killed her.

  Laura continued to kick at the door until Cynthia jumped down from the driver’s seat and opened it. She used the whip for the horses to slap at Laura’s legs, whipping her painfully. Laura screamed and pulled her legs closer.

  Cynthia smiled at her. “Don’t kick the door anymore, Laura. It isn’t going to help you escape.” She closed the door. Laura was quiet for a moment, feeling a burning sensation on her legs where she’d been whipped. Cynthia went to the front of the wagon and reached over the edge. Laura panicked for a moment, pulling her upper body down and away from Cynthia as much as she could.

  When Cynthia pulled the gag from her mouth, she tried desperately to fill her dry mouth with moisture. She coughed. It felt like particles of the cloth had gone down her throat. Cynthia proceeded to reach in and pound Laura’s back, which was not helpful. Her throat and mouth were dry and dusty. She desperately needed a drink to moisten her mouth. Her legs burned, her head was still pounding and she could barely catch her breath. How was she going to escape this insane woman?

  “Oh stop being so dramatic, Laura. I haven’t even given you the poison yet.”

  Laura looked at Cynthia with tears in her eyes. “Cynthia, you… you are…” She coughed again. “I thought we were friends. We’ve known each other for so long. How… how could you…”

  Cynthia snorted. “Your friend? I’ve never been your friend. You are perfect in every way and had everything you wanted from the very beginning. I’ve always had to struggle.”

  “Your family has money. You never struggled.”

  Cynthia sneered at her. “Money isn’t everything. I never had the kind of love you did. I wanted love. Why shouldn’t I have that? Why do you get it all?”

  Laura frowned, struggling to sit up so that her back was against the bench seat behind her. “My life has never been perfect and neither am I.”

  “You’ve succeeded in everything you’ve tried. I haven’t. I always struggled. You never thought about me or what I was going through. You just enjoyed your life.”

  Laura didn’t know what to say. Why would she feel guilty that her life seemed to be easier than Cynthia’s? She owed her nothing.

  “You pay no mind to me and my troubles. You never did before, why would you bother to think about them now?”

  “We’ve had a lot of the same issues, Cynthia. Like not being able to have children.”

  “Your husband wasn’t dead a week before you were eyeing someone else. And he probably feels the same way. That’s your luck, isn’t it?” Cynthia said the words with such disgust, Laura was taken aback.

  “You know that’s not true, Cynthia.”

  “I see what is happening with you and Joshua Crawford. I talked to him earlier. He does not treat me the same way he treated you – and still treats you – though our problem is the same. We both have dead husbands. With you, he is compassionate and kind. With me, he stands off, wants very little to do with me. He doesn’t even try to comfort me like he does with you. Tell me, Laura, does that sound fair to you?”

  ”None of this makes sense to me, Cynthia. We have been doing things as two couples for so many years. Have you really felt like this from the very beginning? Why do you hold me responsible for the troubles in your life? Because I didn’t have enough of my own?”

  “You have no troubles.”

  Laura snorted in disgust. “You know I have had troubles. Since I thought you were my friend, you know all about them. I know you were trying to seduce my husband, Cynthia. I think it’s you that has the problems. It’s you that’s caused all the heartache. You killed my husband and then you killed your own. You are an evil, evil woman.”

  “You think I’m evil, do you?” Cynthia climbed into the wagon beside Laura and ran her hand over the bottom of Laura’s skirts, smoothing them down. “I can show you what evil really is. I can make you feel pain. Do you want that? Look. Look over there. You see that? It’s the edge of a cliff. You are going to fall over that cliff. Do you see it? It’s quite pretty.”

  Fear shot through Laura as she stared at Cynthia. The woman’s eyes were wide and staring. She slid out of the wagon. Laura scooted herself to the edge and peered around the canvas covering. Cynthia had walked to the edge of the cliff and was standing there, her arms crossed over her chest.

  ”I don’t want to hurt you, Cynthia!” she called out. “I never have. I always thought we were friends. I only wanted what was best for you. I tried to encourage you as much as I could. Please, Cynthia, think of the good times we’ve had. Please untie me and let me go. You don’t want to do this. I know you don’t. Please, Cynthia…”

  The woman spun around and glared at her. “Oh, stop it with your nonsense! I should have gotten rid of you a long time ago! You have always been a horrible friend. I have tried so hard to emulate what you and James had and Samuel just wouldn’t go along with it. I wanted what you had. Why couldn’t I have had happiness like that, too? I wanted it! I deserved to be happy!”

  Laura was overcome with emotion and began to sob. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head down to cry. “You and Samuel are not me and James. You didn’t have the same relationship, even from the beginning of your marriage.”

  “Stop it with the caterwauling!” Cynthia screamed. “You are sorry for yourself that you’ve been a pathetic creature all of your life and now you want to make me feel sorry for you. I have special plans for you. I thought about making you live in misery, locking you up in a shed or something, feeding you scraps. No one would ever find you. But you wouldn’t stay miserable for very long, would you? You and your hero Joshua, coming to save the day every time. Well, not this time, Laura. Not this time.”

  Laura shook her head, feelings of heavy guilt flooding through her. Joshua had not made any inappropriate moves toward her, but she had desired them. She was afraid that what Cynthia was saying was true. Was she to blame for James’ and Samuel’s deaths? Had her behavior really been so appalling that it had driven another woman to commit murder?

  She could almost hear Joshua yelling at her – as much as she could imagine him yelling – to stop being ridiculous. She was not responsible for anything someone else did, not Cynthia especially, someone who had clearly lost her mind. Cynthia’s grip on reality was so loose, it was bordering on being severed altogether.

  Laura cleared her mind. She had to think of a plan. She couldn’t die here. They would never find her body at the bottom of that ravine.

  She lifted her head and sighed heavily. “I am so sorry, Cynthia. I realize what I’ve done. You were right to do what you did to them. You have deserved so much better in your life. I did not mean to curse you. I suppose I didn’t even know I was doing it. Can you ever forgive me?”

  Cynthia narrowed her eyes at Laura, coming back toward the wagon. She tilted her head to the side. “What are you saying?”

  “I wish I hadn’t had such happiness. At least you could have shared in some of it with me. I never realized how miserable you were. I’m so sorry.”

  ”You realize what you’ve done? You would be willing to tell Joshua all of this and confess?�
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  Laura wondered what she would be confessing to. She had done nothing wrong. However, if she was able to get away from this woman by lying, she would do it. ”If I need to let everyone know that this was my fault, I will. I really didn’t mean to hurt you so much, Cynthia. I always thought I was being a good friend.”

  Cynthia’s eyes brimmed with tears. “You never were.”

  “I didn’t realize that. I really didn’t.” Laura wasn’t lying. Through the years, while she was enjoying her life in reality, Cynthia was completely delusional.

  Laura was surprised that Cynthia believed there was a possibility she could get away with what she’d done. She hoped the woman didn’t realize that no one would believe a confession from Laura when all the evidence pointed elsewhere. The letters were still in her dressing table, though some of them were now scattered on the floor. Joshua would find them. And the journal, if it was still there…

  Cynthia turned back away from the wagon and walked toward the edge of the cliff again. Laura wished she could mentally push the woman over the edge. She watched Cynthia stand there, staring off into the distance.

  She sat patiently waiting for a short time before she scooted herself as close to the side of the wagon as she could, tilting her head so she could see around the canvas covering.

  Cynthia wrapped her arms around herself, still staring off into the distance. She was very close to the edge. It looked like she was talking to herself.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  SEARCHING FOR LAURA

  SEARCHING FOR LAURA

  Joshua and Nate waited in the living room for Cynthia to return for fifteen minutes. When she did not return, they asked Pam if anyone knew where she was.

  “I saw Cynthia leaving in a wagon about an hour ago, sir.” Pam looked confused. “She was driving your wagon away.”

  “Did you see anyone with her?” Joshua asked anxiously.

  “No sir. I thought it was curious because she took your wagon. But I didn’t see anyone with her.”

  “Why didn’t you say something? If you thought it was strange, it would have been helpful if you’d let us know.” His frustration came through loudly. Pam cringed.

  “I don’t like to get involved in things that aren’t my business. That’s one of the things Mrs. Whitman always said. We were to mind our own business and not listen to her conversations or talk to her about her life or our lives. She didn’t care, and after a while, we didn’t either.”

  “But it was my wagon,” Joshua said exasperatedly. “It was my wagon.”

  “I am sorry, sir. I should have come to find you.”

  Joshua and Nate shared a concerned look. Without another word to Pam, they both turned and left the room. “She was driving the wagon…” Joshua was saying as they passed through the door and hurried to the front door. “If she figured out that Laura was in the house, she could have taken her. She could easily hide her in the back of that wagon.”

  “I know you want to find her, Joshua. Really, she could be anywhere. Literally. And we know nothing about this place. I’ve never been here and you haven’t been for about fifteen years. We won’t be able to track her down.”

  “We might not be able to, but there are other people who can, you know.”

  “Like your uncle.”

  “Exactly.”

  “We’ll use two of the Whitman’s horses. She took my wagon. Well, my uncle’s wagon, so we’re entitled to a couple horses. Come to the stables. We’ll go to the house and get Uncle Adam. He knows Wickenburg like the back of his hand. He’ll know what to do.”

  “You think? Wouldn’t he have to be psychic?”

  Joshua grunted in amusement. “No. He just knows a lot about this area. He’s been doing things like this for years. He’s told me all kinds of stories about things that have happened here in Wickenburg. I would never have thought crime could be so rampant in a small town like this one, but I was very wrong.”

  “Cynthia may return at any moment.”

  “She might.” Joshua nodded. “But I don’t believe she will. You go ahead and get Adam. I will search the property quickly and then take a ride to the Youngblood’s house. I will search there and we will meet back here.”

  “All right.”

  Joshua watched Nate go toward the stable and went back into the house, confident that Nate would get Adam and everything would be all right. He didn’t bother going back into Samuel’s study, but passed it heading for the next room. He gave each room a quick glance before closing the door and moving on to the next one.

  He opened the door to Cynthia’s room and did a double take. Something about the room looked off to him. There was a mess in the room. Pam hadn’t cleaned it. The other rooms were all neat and tidy. This one looked like there may have been a fight. The first thing to draw his eye in Cynthia’s study was a piece of paper lying on the floor. He pushed the door open a little more and stepped inside, holding the lantern up so he could see better.

  He looked around the room, noticing that many things struck him as odd. A candle holder lying on its side, the candle tipped against the floor, the wick pressed against the hardwood floor, leaving a scorch mark. A piece of paper, sitting all by itself, looked like it might have fluttered there, dropped by frightened fingers. He didn’t want to think that Laura was in danger. However, he couldn’t help it.

  Nate had said something was going to happen, that he had a feeling of dread. What if he was predicting Laura’s death? Joshua clenched his jaw. He had to keep that from happening. No matter what. He reached down and picked up the paper. It was a piece of paper with etchings around the edges and a light sweet scent to it. He held it up, unfolding it with his fingers.

  His eyes opened wide and the breath caught in his throat as he read the words.

  It was one of the letters from Cynthia to James. She had gotten to the point of exhaustion in her begging and was becoming angry. She wanted him to love her like he loved his wife. She went on and on about her own beauty, extolling her virtues in a nauseating way, and praising herself for her accomplishments. Her words were almost difficult to understand. They seemed to be strung together in the vaguest of manners.

  Joshua crossed to the desk and went around, seeing that the drawer had been left wide open. Several of the drawers were open, in fact. One of them was filled with strong rope, string, and cloth strips. Joshua pieced together what had happened in his mind. As he was walking back around the desk, he spotted another clue that made his skin crawl. He leaned down and held his lantern so that it shone directly onto the corner of the desk.

  He reached out and touched a spot of blood on the floor. It was still wet, though it had coagulated somewhat. He wished Doc Brown was there to tell him how long it had been since the blood was spilled there. It wouldn’t matter anyway. If it was Laura’s blood, she was injured, and Joshua felt the strong urge to run screaming her name down the road to town. His heart slammed against his chest and he looked away from the blood.

  Laura…

  His mind whirled frantically. This wasn’t very much blood. He’d seen a lot more in his time. He held up the lantern and scanned the floor, but did not see a trail of it going out the door, nor to the large window. From that, he had to assume Laura hadn’t been hurt too severely. She may have only sustained a minor injury.

  His breathing came and went quickly. For Cynthia Whitman to remove her without noise or much of a fight, Laura could not have been conscious.

  Clutching the letter in one hand, Joshua frantically searched the room before racing out to the horse waiting outside. The visiting ladies were not in the house either, of that he was certain. He hadn’t seen them leave, but they were nowhere in the house and would have no reason to stay if Cynthia was gone. He rode quickly over to the Youngblood house and did a quick search. Satisfied that he would find no evidence there, Joshua rode back to the Whitman house to wait for Nate to return with Adam.

  He found Pam and got her attention. The housekeeper was dusting the bed
rooms and making the beds. She looked bewildered.

  “Pam, I have a question for you.” He interrupted her as she dusted a small set of porcelain statues. She was on her knees, wiping the base of the biggest one when he spoke.

  She looked up and then got to her feet, nervously wiping her hands with the cloth. “What can I do for you?”

  “When you saw Mrs. Whitman earlier… in my wagon… you said no one was in the wagon, is that right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “May I ask why you didn’t say anything to anyone about it? I know you said before that it isn’t your place. However, you do know what has been going on around here. You are a fairly intelligent young woman, are you not?”

  The woman dropped her eyes. “I believe I am, sir.”

  “Samuel Whitman died only yesterday. Anything out of the ordinary should be mentioned, don’t you think?”

  “Yes. I am sorry, sir.”

  “Then I ask you again. Why did you not say anything about the lady driving away in my wagon?”

  The girl’s eyes opened wide. “I am afraid of Mrs. Whitman, sir. She is very mean. I was afraid of what would happen to me if I was to say anything. Please believe me. I would have mentioned it… I just… I don’t know what she’ll do. She’s just… not a nice person and she gets angry very easily. She’s actually very brutal. She leaves like that all the time. It’s usually not in a buggy or a wagon, but on horseback. She and Mr. Whitman… they don’t get along so well… didn’t, did they? And she likes to leave when there is trouble between them. I was hoping she just mistakenly took your wagon. But I am afraid of her, sir. I can’t help it. I don’t know if I will be able to find another job here in Wickenburg. There are not many people looking for housekeepers here.”

  Joshua nodded, understanding. “I see. So you didn’t think much of her leaving abruptly, even though it was not her wagon that she was taking.”