Lucille, A Lucky Bride (Brides for All Seasons Book 3)

by Hildie McQueen

  The sheriff pulled his gun and held it up. “There’s no way you can outrun a bullet.”

  A gunshot rang out and the sheriff’s gun flew from his hand. The sheriff pulled out his other weapon, but not before the first shot was followed by an additional barrage that hit one of the guards. The man fell from the wagon’s seat.

  Tobias, the sheriff and the other guard dismounted and scrambled for shelter. All the while, Miles laughed hysterically.

  It was hard to tell where the shots came from, so they waited. In the meantime, Tobias looked to the guard next to him. The poor man’s ashen face told Tobias that it could very well be his first gunfight. “Where are you shot?”

  “Here,” the man said, pointing at his left shoulder. “It hurts bad.”

  More gunshots stopped the conversation. Horsemen came into view, shooting in their direction the entire time.

  Although they returned fire, the three of them were easily outnumbered. Tobias didn’t have to look to know the young guard had been hit again by the slumping of his body onto the ground.

  He grit his teeth when a bullet grazed his side and shot twice at the outlaws. One fell from his horse, hitting the ground with a sickening thump.

  “Hurry up, there’s a group coming to meet them!” the prisoner shouted as he was helped onto a horse.

  The gang didn’t seem too interested in ensuring Tobias and the sheriff were dead. They only shot a couple more times before turning tail and riding away. Tobias shot off another round, satisfied when one of the retreating men grunted in pain.

  “You all right, Sheriff?” Tobias reached for the guard’s neck and felt no pulse.

  “Not sure,” Sheriff Blake groaned. “Think they got me good.”

  Tobias hurried to the sheriff. He was lying on his side, blood gushing from his abdomen. “Let me look.”

  He pushed the sheriff to his back and tore open the shirt. “We’ll have to wrap it tight and get you back to town.”

  “How do you propose to do that?”

  It was then Tobias noted the gang had scared off their horses. Including the one pulling the wagon that had taken off with it in tow. “Damn.”

  First, he’d treat the sheriff’s wound. Hopefully, one of the horses would meander back. He yanked off his jacket and stripped his shirt off next. Once he tore it into manageable strips, he placed a wad onto the wound and wrapped the rest around the sheriff’s waist. The bleeding had stopped somewhat, so he was hopeful.

  Once he completed the task, Tobias walked back to the road, keeping low in case one of the outlaws remained as a lookout.

  There was no sight of horses or the wagon. He walked a short distance in both directions scanning for a horse before giving up. It would take until sundown to get to town. Even the nearest ranch, Elias Jones’ land, was quite far.

  He returned to the sheriff. Blake looked to him with a hopeful expression. “Did you find any of the horses?”

  “No. We’ll have to walk to town. I can make some sort of contraption and drag you in it.”

  “Go by yourself, you’ll make better time. I will be here when you get back.” Either dead or alive was left unsaid. If the gunmen or weather didn’t get him, then wild animals would smell the blood and come sniffing.

  * * *

  A lone horseman rode hard and fast toward the jailhouse. He pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted. Without bothering to tether the horse, he rushed into the building. Lucille was inside speaking to the deputy when the man interrupted.

  “Deputy Brown. A farmer and his family stopped me on the way to town and said they heard a gunfight. Reckon I’d come and let the sheriff know.”

  Palmer Brown got to his feet. “Where was this? In what direction?”

  Her heart beat so hard, Lucille could barely hear the words. If the outlaws had come for the prisoner, Tobias could be dead.

  The room swayed, but she refused to give in to any type of nonsense at the moment. If anyone was injured, she had to help.

  A shrill whistle startled her and the deputy waved his arms at two men standing near the stables. “Mount up, gentlemen. The sheriff may have been ambushed. I need your help.”

  The men scrambled into the stables. Worried, Lucille followed the deputy there. “Do you think you should find more men?”

  “I doubt we’ll need more. By now, the outlaws got Miles and are long gone. Either that or our men got lucky and the outlaws are all dead. I knew this was a mistake.” He hurried toward the stables and she could barely keep up. “What can I do to help?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “I’ll alert Doctor Jones,” Lucille said, feeling relief at providing some sort of assistance. What she really wished to do was to accompany Evan to help.

  Not sure what else to do, she lifted her skirts and ran as fast as she could toward the clinic.

  Lucille’s chest heaved as she desperately attempted to catch her breath. When she informed Evan of what happened, he immediately sprang into action. He didn’t ask any questions, as she could provide no answers.

  The doctor snatched several things, throwing them into a satchel. He waited for the wagon to be brought by the boy he’d sent off to fetch it.

  The door burst open. Evan instructed the two men who entered to gather sheets and other items as he rushed out the door, satchel in hand.

  “Oh my gracious, this is awful.” Aurora wrung her hands and blinked back tears. “If something has happened to Tobias, his family will be devastated. So soon after their mother passed, I’m not sure they can withstand it.”

  “I feel as if we should go.” Lucille rushed out the door after Evan. He was already climbing onto the front of the wagon.

  Several men on horses, including the deputy, surrounded the wagon. The horses seemed to feel the tension in the air and never stopped moving.

  “Can I accompany you?” Lucille called out, shading her eyes from the sun.

  “No. Please remain here. The gunmen may still be out there,” the deputy replied as the wagon and horses moved forward.

  Aurora grasped her hand. They stood side-by-side as the group of men and the wagon quickly disappeared in the distance.

  “I want to cry.” Lucille sniffed. “I feel so helpless right now.”

  Aurora’s own shiny eyes met hers. “Do you think we’ll ever get used to this? Life out here in Montana is so very different.”

  A group of people had gathered in front of the hotel. Everyone learning what had just happened outside of town. Several armed men held rifles across their chests, patrolling the main street. The air sizzled with tension, which would remain until the party returned and news shared everyone was safe.

  “Evan sent word to the Hamiltons. I imagine Marcus and his father will be either joining the party or coming here. We should be prepared in case they need to stay at our house.” If Tobias was injured or worse. Aurora didn’t have to expand the thought. However, Lucille heard the implication loud and clear.

  There was nothing that could be done to help them at the moment, not while staying in town.

  “Let’s pray, please.” Lucille tugged Aurora’s hand.

  They lowered to their knees and bent their heads. Tightness in Lucille’s chest made it almost impossible to formulate a clear thought as she bent her head and silently asked God for a miracle. That the men who’d accompanied the prisoner somehow, miraculously survive and if they were injured, that they recover.

  The guards who’d arrived from Billings were so young, an entire lifetime ahead of them. How unfair that outlaws, who cared for nothing more than themselves, had the privilege of ending their lives.

  Tears slid down her cheeks and her knees protested to kneeling on the hard wood of the walkway.

  Lucille let out a sigh and prayed for Tobias. She asked the Lord to grant her an opportunity to get to know him better. If he was meant to be her husband, there was so much to say and to learn about him yet. Surely, it was not his time to die.

  A few moments later, she wobbled
on her now weak legs and hurried to help Aurora. She had stood and walked away while she continued praying.

  The air was cool against her wet face. Lucille fought to maintain hope.

  “Leave me.” The sheriff could barely talk as he’d gone in and out of consciousness twice already while Tobias fastened together a stretcher.

  Moans got his attention. One of the guards was alive. The man twitched and attempted to drag himself to the side of the path. “I’m coming, be still.” Tobias rushed to the young man’s side.

  Although he bled from gunshots, the man’s eyes were clear when meeting Tobias’. “Help me.”

  Slipping him onto his back, Tobias reached under the young man’s arms and dragged him to where Blake lay. The sheriff had passed out again.

  “I’ll have to bind your leg.” He tore more of his already shredded shirt and tied a strip around the guard’s thigh. The young man wiped at his face, his grubby hand making it dirtier. “Where’s Matthews?”

  Tobias motioned in the direction of the body. “Dead.”

  “This was a bad idea. They knew it when sendin’ us. Did it anyway.” The guard met Tobias’ gaze. “If I die, let the authorities know I suspected Captain Albert Norman set us up from the start.”

  “You’ll be fine. I just have to figure out a way to get you both to town.” Tobias attempted to move away only for the young man to grasp his arm.

  “My name is Peter Eastman. My family is from north, past Missoula. Make sure they know what happened to me. Promise me.”

  Tobias looked to the young man’s other injury. He’d been shot at least twice that he could tell. Once in the leg and in the right side.

  “I’ll be back in a moment. Let me check on the sheriff.” It would be important to him for his family to know what happened to him, to be aware of the situation. He understood how the young man felt. “I promise. But I’d rather you tell them yourself.”

  The sun was high, directly above them, signaling midday. They were due to arrive in Billings sometime in the early evening. No one from Billings would come for them if they didn’t show up. It made more sense for someone from Laurel to look for them in a couple days.

  It would be impossible to move two injured men so far while on foot. Tobias calculated it would take at least half a day to walk to town, double that if he had to drag an injured man.

  “I’m going to town. I’ll hide you both the best I can.” He leaned over the sheriff. “Can you hang in there?”

  Blake squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. “I’ll be here. Just don’t know if I’ll be breathing.” The man attempted to laugh but, instead, grimaced. “Damn shots hurt.”

  “I bet. I’m sorry, I know this will hurt.” Not waiting for a reply, he pulled the lawman to rest under low branches of a tree. He then dragged Eastman and lowered him near the lawman. The sheriff moaned with pain while the young man gritted his teeth and turned an ominous shade of green.

  “Don’t throw up here,” Tobias snapped. “There isn’t a better place to hide you.” After giving each man a sip, he placed a canteen of water that miraculously had fallen next to the sheriff. “Don’t drink too much. This has to last until tomorrow.”

  It took only a few minutes to erase the marks of dragging the man. Tobias scattered branches and leaves to make it look as if the area had not been disturbed.

  After the injured men’s location was camouflaged as best it could be, Tobias walked around behind the men. He began layering branches to form a windproof shelter.

  With every step Tobias took, his anger became stronger. If nothing else, this day proved everything he’d been thinking was right. It was no use to break your back to form a good life. What was the objective of spending days building something that could be taken in the blink of an eye?

  The young man who lay dead now never had a chance. Neither would the one who survived if he didn’t get back with help in time. Whether the outlaws or their captain were to blame, at this point, didn’t matter.

  Sheriff Blake spent every day risking his life for the town of Laurel. If he died today, he’d be replaced. Sure, people would mourn, some more than others. However, at the end of the day, everyone would move on.

  In the back of his mind, Tobias knew this way of thinking was not good. It was self-defeating. If he were to hear people speak out loud the thoughts he had, he would discount them as wasting their lives. Was that what he did?

  He turned to look over his shoulder. After almost an hour of walking, he’d made pretty good progress. Although his body protested, the idea of how scared the men he’d left behind must be pushed him to continue on.

  The sound of horses approaching sent Tobias sprinting to hide behind some low trees. Gun drawn, he waited for whoever it was to come into view. He’d brought along a second gun from the downed man. But even with that, if it was the same gang of outlaws, he’d be hard-pressed to make it out alive.

  One day, he’d consider that despite the dire circumstances, his faith remained. Tobias looked up to the sky. “If you deem it right, let me live. If not for me, for the two men back there.” After speaking, clouds seemed to gather at a faster pace than he expected. Although it would make it easier to hide with the shade provided, it would still not be enough to keep from getting killed.

  There was no choice. He’d have to shoot at the outlaws. If they made it past him, it wouldn’t take long for them to find the injured men.

  A cloud of dust behind them, two horsemen came into view. Behind them was a wagon with two men on a bench. They traveled fast, the horses racing closer. Tobias bided his time. Were the outlaws returning with the wagon he and the men had been using? If so, they came from the wrong direction.

  Tobias cocked his revolver. He rested it on his forearm to get a cleaner shot just as another four riders came into view behind the wagon.

  One of the men looked familiar. His light brown hair and crisp blue shirt stood out against the plaid the others wore. It was Evan Jones.

  “Here!” Tobias rushed from his hiding place. He waved his arms, bringing the party to a stop.

  Evan waited for him to climb onto the wagon. “Where are the rest?”

  Within seconds, the party headed out to find the injured men. Tobias hoped they were safe and still alive.

  Chapter Eight

  “They’re coming!” A young boy raced to the clinic waving his arms. He ran off to alert any others just as Lucille went to the doorway. The wagon and horsemen traveled fast toward her.

  “Looks like they must have injured,” Aurora said, wrapping an oversized white apron around her waist. “Let’s ensure we have the beds ready.”

  They’d been prepared for hours, yet they went through the motions. Water boiled in the hearth and bandages were set next to the two examining tables. Lucille hurried back to the door just as the wagon pulled to a stop.

  Men rushed to the back of the wagon and carefully lifted someone. She couldn’t get a clear look until they carted the young man through the doorway. It was one of the guards who’d come to escort the prisoner. His clothing was torn and he smelled of blood and sweat.

  Aurora instructed them to bring the injured young man to the bed furthest from the door as another group of men carried a moaning Sheriff Blake through the door.

  “Oh my goodness,” Lucille said, rushing to help settle Blake on the examining bed.

  Wide-eyed, she looked to the door as Evan burst in. He was already rolling his sleeves to begin the task of caring for the injured. “Cut off their clothing,” he called out followed by other curt orders as he went to wash his hands. He grabbed a tray with instruments and placed it on a table next to the guard’s bed and looked to his wife. “Help me with this.”

  “What can I do?” Lucille asked while cutting away the sheriff’s shirt.

  “Clean his wounds.”

  “I’m going to go find the horses,” Tobias announced from the doorway. “Unless you need something else.” Lucille jerked around to face Tobias. After not seeing him br
ought in, she’d been too scared to ask where he was.

  Deputy Brown gripped Tobias’ shoulder. “Like hell you are. Not with those outlaws out there. You will sit down and let someone look at your arm.”

  Now, she met the familiar scowl and smiled. “I’ll be with you shortly. Sit down.”

  Almost an hour later, she was finally able to go to Tobias. “Remove your jacket, please.”

  When he grimaced while complying, she helped slip the garment off his shoulders and noted he did not wear a shirt. His upper arm was encrusted with dried blood.

  The intimacy of the moment was not lost on her as heat filled her face. Sure she was beet red, Lucille turned to gather a clean cloth to dip in boiled water.

  “I’ll have to stitch it.” The wound was deeper than she expected and began bleeding anew after being cleaned. “It’s pretty deep, but looks like the bullet went through.”

  Tobias nodded the entire time looking toward the beds. “They gonna make it, Evan?”

  Sheriff Blake was unconscious after Evan had applied chloroform to help with his pain while he’d searched in the man’s abdomen for bullets. So far he’d recovered two.

  The guard, although semi-conscious, had not spoken or made a sound since arriving.

  “I think so,” Evan replied with caution. “Both are strong and young. Just need time for their bodies to heal.”

  The door burst open with a bang. Marcus and Jacob Hamilton, along with another man, rushed through the doorway. The Hamiltons made a beeline for Tobias. Jacob threw his arms around his startled son and then cupped his face. The older man’s gaze went from his son’s face to his wounded arm. “You hurt anywhere else?”

  Jacob’s strangled voice made Lucille tear up. She cleared her throat. “Evan says the bullet went straight through. It’s deep and needs stitching, but otherwise he’s fine.”

  “Good to hear.” Marcus moved closer to his brother and tussled his hair. “My heart was about to jump straight out of my chest.” When Marcus leaned over and kissed his brother’s brow, Lucille couldn’t help but smile. How fortunate Tobias was to have such a caring family.