The Bargain Mail Order Bride

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “I slept fine,” Juliet said as she sat up.

  Eric had spent the night in the other room in the jailhouse only because she worried her brothers might try to break in and kidnap her. Sammy hadn’t been all that happy yesterday when he came back from the hotel and found out Eric wasn’t going to issue him the $25,000 bounty. She worried he might try to haul her off to another town to turn her in to another sheriff who wouldn’t wait for a judge to hear her case. She had no idea if Eric’s hesitation had anything to do with his conversation with Carl, but she wouldn’t have been surprised if it had.

  Eric opened the door to her cell, and Caroline came in. After he shut the door, Caroline sat on the cot next to her and smiled. “How are you doing?”

  “As well as can be expected,” she replied, watching Eric as he went to his desk.

  “It’s safe to eat this oatmeal,” Caroline informed her. “I’m a lot better at it than I am at making soup. And,” she handed the bowl with the spoon already in it to Juliet, “I put in extra sugar to make it sweet.”

  Juliet’s nerves eased considerably at the woman’s friendly demeanor. She had expected Caroline to be wary of her due to her arrest, but Caroline was being as nice to her as she’d always been. “Do you know why I’m in here?” she asked.

  “I don’t know the details, but I heard you were an outlaw who robbed people.” In a lower voice, she added, “That came from your brothers. Eric hasn’t said anything about it.”

  Juliet wasn’t surprised to hear that. “Well, it’s true. Except my brothers were in on it, too.” She stirred the spoon in the oatmeal. “Are you sure you want to talk to me? I don’t think it’ll be good for your reputation if someone found out.”

  “I don’t pay much attention to what others say about me. I used to, but I found out it doesn’t do any good. If people want to think the worst, they’ll find a way to do it.”

  “Yes, I suppose they will.”

  “Eric says that things aren’t always what they seem. He said that when most people thought Carl murdered Lydia, and he was right. Carl turned out to be innocent.” She smiled at her. “You don’t seem like a bad person to me. Besides, Caleb likes you, and if he likes you, then that’s good enough for me.”

  “Isn’t Caleb seven?”

  “He just turned eight, but he’s extremely smart for his age. He has a way of figuring people out better than most adults do.” She gestured to the bowl. “Do you want to try it?”

  “Oh, yes. I’m sorry.” Juliet took a spoonful of oatmeal and ate it. As Caroline had said, it was sweeter than she was used to, but Juliet thought that made it better. “It’s good.”

  Caroline’s face lit up. “I’m glad you like it. I’ve been working really hard to be good at cooking.”

  “Your hard work is paying off.” She took a couple more bites then asked, “When will you have the baby?”

  “Oh, you noticed.” Her hand went to her abdomen. “I’m only six months along. I’m due at the end of July. Caleb’s excited about being a big brother. He’ll make a wonderful one.”

  As Caroline listed all of the reasons why she was looking forward to watching Caleb be a big brother, Juliet finished the oatmeal. She didn’t know how many people would be willing to keep talking to her after finding out what her brothers had said about her.

  Eric came over to the door of her cell. “Can I talk to Juliet?”

  Caroline stopped talking and looked over at him as if she’d forgotten she was in a jailhouse. “Oh! Yes, of course.” Caroline took Juliet’s empty bowl. “I’ll bring you a sandwich for lunch.”

  Juliet thanked her and followed her to the door, but she didn’t leave the cell until Eric gestured for her to come out. “We’ll talk at the desk,” he told her.

  Juliet went over to the chair in front of the desk and sat down while Eric and Caroline said their good-byes. Juliet didn’t know what new insight she could give him. She’d already told him everything she knew. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took one of her braids and fiddled with it.

  Whatever Eric wanted to know, she would tell him the truth. She wouldn’t run from the consequences of her decisions anymore. Her only regret was knowing she’d brought Carl into this mess. If she had thought her past actions would have impacted her future husband, she might have thought twice before searching the mail-order bride ads.

  After Caroline left with the dishes, Eric sat across from her and leaned forward, elbows on the desk and hands clasped. “I wanted to give you a full night to think over everything that happened yesterday before I talked to you.”

  “I told you everything.” Then, thinking of Carl, she added, “Carl didn’t know what I did. I didn’t tell him anything.”

  “Why not?”

  “I didn’t want him to get in trouble if the law ever caught up with me.”

  “You expected a Wanted poster with your face on it to show up in town?”

  “No. I never thought Sammy would have a Wanted poster made on me. I knew he’d be searching for me. Since he is a marshal, he has influence, but I never expected a poster.”

  “You mention Sammy coming for you. What about Tim and Micah? Did you expect them to stay in Texas?”

  “No. I figured they would be coming, but Sammy would be leading them to find me.”

  “Why did you figure that?”

  “Sammy’s the oldest. Ever since we were little, we did whatever he wanted.”

  “Because you wanted to?”

  “No. Because we didn’t know what else to do. When our parents died, we had nothing but a pile of debt. We lost our land and home. The only things we had were the clothes on our back and our horses. He was sixteen at the time, and he promised he would take care of us. Tim was fourteen, I was thirteen, and Micah was ten. We were scared. We found an abandoned shack and stayed there while he went out and picked pockets to get money. It was enough to give us food, but we didn’t have much.

  “Then one day, he robbed a stagecoach, and for the first time, we had enough to fix up the place we were living at, and we bought more clothes. From there, getting more money became addicting, and before I knew what was happening, we were all helping him. Each of us had a role to play, and we did it well. But no matter how much we got, it wasn’t enough, and my brothers never could say no to beer and women. Meanwhile, Sammy became a marshal so he would know if anyone was catching on to what we were doing.”

  She shrugged. “It’s amazing how quickly you can quiet the voice in your head telling you that what you’re doing is wrong. All you have to do is give yourself enough reasons as to why you’re doing what’s necessary.”

  “It sounds like there were more than twelve robberies,” Eric said, his voice soft.

  “I participated in twelve of the thefts,” she said. “Most of the time, I was told to stay home. I can’t even begin to count how many men were robbed over the years.”

  “I understand.” He sat back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. “But since you knew about the thefts and never said anything about them, you’re guilty by association.”

  “I know. That’s why I didn’t tell Carl anything. A man can’t be put into prison for something he never knew.”

  “Why did you come up here to marry Carl? Why didn’t you just go to a sheriff in Texas and confess to what was happening?”

  She lowered her gaze. “I was afraid, and I didn’t want to go to jail.”

  Eric paused for a long moment then said, “I need you to be honest with me.”

  Her gaze went back to him. “I have been.”

  “I know, but I’m about to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth, even if it’s something you don’t want to admit to.”

  “I’ve told you everything I know,” she said.

  “About the crimes and your brothers, yes. But there’s one more thing I need from you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Do you love Carl?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”<
br />
  “Nothing at all with what you and your brothers did. I just want to know what Carl means to you.”

  “I’d do anything for him. That’s why I refused to tell him about my past. I never want him to suffer for anything I did.” She shifted in her chair so she could better face him. “Eric, he told me he was going to pay my bounty so I can go free, but we both know the judge isn’t going to accept that. The law is the law, and I broke it. There’s no getting out of it. All I ask is that you have the judge quietly take me to prison. Don’t tell Carl I’m leaving until I’m gone. That way he can take his gold and finally get out of this town. Getting out of here is the only thing he’s ever wanted.”

  “That sounds like you love him.”

  “I do,” she whispered and averted her gaze from his once more so he wouldn’t see the tears that sprang to her eyes.

  Eric stood up from his chair and went around the desk. “You can return to your cell.”

  Blinking away her tears, she nodded and returned to her cot.

  ***

  Three nights later as Juliet slept, someone put his hand over her mouth. At once, she woke up and saw Sammy hovering above her.

  “You let out a single sound, and I’ll knock you unconscious.” He showed her the butt of his gun to demonstrate what he’d use to knock her out with. Then he glanced over his shoulder. “Tim, give me the cloth.”

  Her gaze went to her other brother who was standing by Sammy. His eyes met hers, and he winced. “She can’t breathe,” he whispered to Sammy.

  “She’s fine,” Sammy snapped. “Now give it to me.” He slipped his gun into the holster and held his hand out to Tim.

  “Go easy on her,” Tim said as he gave Sammy a long strip of cloth.

  Sammy shoved part of the cloth into her mouth and then tied it around the back of her head. “There.”

  He rolled her onto her stomach so that she faced the wall of the cell. The force of the impact made air escape from her lungs.

  “Don’t be so rough,” Tim hissed.

  “She’s not getting hurt. Now, give me the rope.”

  She couldn’t see what was going on while Sammy tied her hands behind her back. Where was Eric? Had he fallen asleep in the other room? She knew her brothers were being quiet, but surely, it wasn’t so quiet that he couldn’t hear what was going on.

  When Sammy was done, he flung her over his shoulder. It was then she noticed that Eric’s cot in the other room was empty. Why had he left? She thought he was going to make sure this kind of thing wasn’t going to happen.

  Sammy was much too good at getting past locks. She should have warned Eric. But Eric had said he was going to stay with her and make sure she was safe from her brothers.

  Sammy headed for the open door of her cell, and something in her snapped. She kicked against him in effort to get away from him, but he slapped her behind so hard that tears stung her eyes.

  Tim shoved Sammy. “I told you to stop it. She’s our sister. You need to be gentle with her.”

  Sammy shoved him back. “Don’t tell me what to do. This is all her fault. She betrayed us. She owes us.”

  “Wait,” Micah said, coming out from the shadows where he’d been hovering like a timid mouse. “We’re going to take her back home with us, aren’t we?”

  “Are you kidding?” Sammy asked. “With all the trouble she’s caused? We’re taking her to the next town and getting that $25,000. It’s obvious the sheriff here has no intention of fulfilling the law around here.”

  “No!” Tim hissed and blocked Sammy before he could leave the cell. “That wasn’t what we agreed on. We voted, and Micah and I said we were going to bring her home.”

  “You and Micah don’t have a vote.” Sammy shifted her over his shoulder, and her stomach hit his shoulder in a way that made her grimace. “I’m the leader. It’s because of me we’re even here today. If I hadn’t taken measures to provide for you all after Ma and Pa died, you would have died of hunger.”

  “Well, Ma and Pa wouldn’t want you trading our sister for money, no matter how much it is,” Tim argued.

  “Ma and Pa aren’t here, are they? I’m the one who makes the decisions now.”

  “But that’s not what we agreed on,” Micah said, his voice trembling as he approached them. “You said that our voice is just as important as yours.”

  “It was when you two made sense,” Sammy replied. “Now, let me out, or I’ll be forced to do something I don’t want to do.”

  “We’re not letting you out until you hand her over to us,” Tim argued. “We all stole money. It’s not right for her to be punished while the rest of us go free.”

  “Right,” Micah agreed. “Now, we got enough money from that man we just robbed. We can get back to Texas and put this all behind us.”

  “Until we run out and need more,” Sammy snapped. “That’s what you keep forgetting. Money doesn’t stay around for long.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Tim said. “But I’m going to get honest and start working. That was the last robbery I’m doing.”

  “Me too,” Micah added. “This is getting to be too dangerous.”

  “You two go on ahead and do that,” Sammy said. “But I’m turning her in, and I’m going to be rich.”

  Sammy shoved the two men, but they pushed back. Juliet thought for sure she was going to fly off of Sammy’s shoulder as the three got into a full-blown fight, but a sudden burst of light from a lantern lit up the jailhouse and a strong voice called out for them to stop.

  Eric. It was Eric! She used the distraction to kick away from Sammy and ended up falling to the floor. Ignoring the pain in her side, she rolled away from the three men then wiggled into a position where she could see what was going on.

  Eric pointed his gun at Sammy, and Sammy also had his gun pointed at him. Tim and Micah, whose hands were up, had stepped away from Sammy.

  “I heard all of you confess to the robberies,” Eric told Sammy. “You’re not going to get the bounty on your sister’s head. The only place you three are going to is jail.”

  “We’re not going to jail,” Sammy said. “I’m a marshal.”

  “Just because you’re a marshal, it doesn’t mean you’re above the law,” Eric replied. “Put your gun down. Slowly.”

  Sammy raised his gun higher. “I don’t think so, Sheriff.” He nodded to Tim and Micah. “Get Juliet and take her to the horses.”

  “Don’t.” Though Eric spoke to Tim and Micah, he kept his gaze on Sammy. “If you do the right thing, I can talk the judge into going easy on you. You both will still need to go to jail, but we can work out an agreement to lessen the length of your stay.”

  Tim and Micah glanced at each other, and in mutual agreement, they didn’t make a move to get Juliet.

  “What are you doing?” Sammy barked. “Doesn’t family mean anything to you?”

  “You were willing to turn Juliet in for the bounty,” Tim said. “That’s not what we agreed on when we came here. We were supposed to help her escape.”

  “Stop the thief!” someone from outside the jailhouse yelled. “Stop the thief!”

  Juliet turned her attention to the door and saw Hank stumbling into the building. He pointed to Sammy. “He stole my money while those two,” he gestured to Tim and Micah, “were talking to me at the bar.”

  Eric, still watching Sammy, asked Tim and Micah, “Is that true?”

  “Don’t answer it,” Sammy told them. “You’ve already gotten us into enough trouble as it is. The only way we’re getting out of this is by shooting the Sheriff.”

  “You’re not actually going to shoot him, are you?” Micah asked, his face growing pale.

  “I have to,” Sammy said.

  “This has gone too far,” Tim insisted. “You can’t keep on doing this.”

  “You’re darned right you can’t,” Hank said as he stormed up to Sammy.

  “I wouldn’t do that, Hank,” Eric warned.

  Ignoring Eric, Hank shoved his finger in Sammy’s fa
ce. “I want my money. You have no right to go around stealing from other people. No right at all.”

  Sammy gave Hank a swift punch in the jaw, and from there Hank swung back. Tim, in an effort to protect Hank, got involved in the fight. Meanwhile, Eric was trying to break it up. Juliet used the distraction to loosen the rope binding her wrists together. She managed to get one hand free when a gunshot rang through the air, quickly followed by another one.

  Stiffening, she looked over at the men and saw Hank fall against the bars of her cell, his back toward her. He collapsed on the floor, and she saw a pool of blood beneath him. Her gaze went to the others, and she saw Sammy bent over, cradling his bloody arm to his chest.

  Eric grabbed Sammy’s gun and gestured for him to straighten up. “We’ll get you to a doctor in a minute.” He looked at Tim and Micah and nodded to the other cell. “You two, get in there.”

  Tim and Micah, who were visibly shaken, hurried into the cell.

  Juliet, meanwhile, freed her other hand, and untied the cloth that had been around her mouth.

  Keeping his gun pointed at Sammy, Eric locked Tim and Micah into their cell. Afterwards, he glanced over at her. “Are you alright?”

  She nodded as she got to her feet. “Is he dead?” she asked, motioning to Hank.

  “I’m afraid so,” Eric said. “I’ll take care of him when I get back.” He moved Hank aside then locked up her cell.

  “We put his money with Sammy’s horse,” Tim spoke up. He swallowed then continued, “The horses are just a half mile south of town.”

  “I know. I was watching you three the whole time,” Eric replied. “The judge should be in any day now. We’ll deal with all of this then. In the meantime, Sammy needs to be bandaged up.” He waved his gun to the door and told Sammy, “I’ll get you to the doctor.”

  Sammy swore under his breath but stumbled out of the jailhouse, still cradling his arm to his chest.

  Juliet sat on her cot, not realizing she was trembling until she put her face in her hands.

  “We’re sorry, Juliet,” Tim said. “Honest, Micah and I really thought we came here to rescue you. We didn’t think Sammy was going to claim the bounty.”