Hannah's Hardship

by Marie Higgins

  Silently, she groaned, and her throat tightened with emotion. He loves me? But, soon, he wouldn’t, she just knew it.

  “You love this hussy?” Dillon barked out a laugh.

  Maverick fisted his hand and plowed it at his cousin, hitting him square in the nose. She gasped but didn’t try to stop him. In her opinion, the man deserved what he received. Dillon stumbled back a little more, holding his sore nose.

  “You have no right to call her that,” Maverick snapped. “Apologize. Now.”

  Dillon shook her head. “I’m not apologizing for telling the truth.” He glared at Hannah. “She’s a tramp, and she’s pregnant!”

  Maverick’s wide eyes shifted toward her. She couldn’t stand the look of blame in his eyes. The look of betrayal was in his eyes, and she couldn’t handle seeing him this way. Her heart began breaking, and the pain was unbearable.

  “Is this true?” Maverick asked in a cracked voice.

  Tears filled her eyes, and no matter how much she blinked, they wouldn’t go away. Instead, they slid down her cheeks. “Dillon Walker was the man who I thought would be my husband.” Her voice shook, and her body trembled, but she must confess all. “When I realized I was pregnant, I told Dillon, but he didn’t want the burden of having a family, so he skipped town, leaving me alone with a ruined reputation.”

  Maverick’s gaze dropped to her waist. “You are pregnant... now?”

  She nodded. “That’s why I answered Bryan’s ad. I needed to find a husband quickly because I didn’t want my child to be born without a father.”

  “Do you see?” Dillion’s voice lifted in irritation as he pointed toward Hannah. “She’s just a hussy looking for some poor fool to raise her child. She thinks I’m the father, but I don’t believe her.”

  She scowled at Dillion. “You are the father. We had been together for two months. If I’d been pregnant with another man’s child, I would have been showing by now.” She pointed to her stomach. “Do the math, genius. It takes nine months before a baby is born, and the woman starts showing by month three.”

  “Stop this insanity!” Maverick raked his fingers through his hair as he closed his eyes.

  The frustration written on his expression explained how Hannah felt. He’d been correct. This conversation was indeed, insane, and she couldn’t take it any longer.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” she said, moving past the men, “I need to lie down.” She paused, looking over her shoulder at Maverick. “I’ll be out of your grandfather’s house by morning and out of your family’s lives. You’ll not need to worry about me any longer.”

  She rushed toward the house. Tears blurred her vision, but she kept moving. No longer would she be anyone’s burden. She didn’t know what to do to provide for her and the child, but she’d find a job somewhere.

  After she made it to her bedroom and closed the door, more tears covered her face. She wasn’t sure what hurt worst – her unforeseen future, or the fact that Maverick didn’t come after her and beg to hear what really happened between her and his cousin.

  For many years, men had adored her and then tossed her aside like trash. She always held out hope to find the one man who wouldn’t judge her, but who would love her. Perhaps it was time to admit that there was no such a man out there.

  She made it to the bed and threw herself on the mattress, crying out her frustrations and about the pain of her broken heart. She loved Maverick with all her heart, and it hurt knowing that he didn’t return those deep, committed, feelings.

  Hannah wasn’t sure how much time passed, but soon her body became relaxed, and she felt that she could fall asleep. But the clicking of the door and the footsteps coming toward her bed brought her alert. Groggily, she rolled on her side to see who had entered the room, hoping to see Maverick’s forgiving face. Instead, she saw Dillon’s evil grin as he came closer and stopped at the edge of her bed.

  The man resembled the Easton brothers, from his height and handsome looks, but Dillon’s bushy beard and long hair made him look like an outlaw.

  “That was quite a performance, earlier.” His voice was low. “But then, I know you have a talent for the dramatics.”

  “Go away,” she said. “The truth is out. You’ve ruined my life again, so just move on to find the next innocent woman to ruin.”

  “Innocent?” He laughed but kept it low as though not wanting anyone in the hallway to hear him. “You have no right to call yourself innocent. We both know you’re far from that.”

  “Fine, I’m a hussy. Now, will you leave me alone? I’ll be out of here tomorrow.”

  “Actually, you’ll be out of here tonight.” He lifted his arm, and in his hand was a pistol.

  Gasping, she sat up, clutching a pillow to her chest. “Really, Dillon. I’ll leave. You don’t need to threaten me.”

  “That’s not what I’m doing.” In one quick motion, he grasped her arm, yanking her toward him. “You are going to help me get what I deserve.”

  He pulled her off the bed, and she stumbled against him. Quickly, she righted herself and stepped back, not wanting to touch him at all. “I thought that’s what you had gotten when Maverick punched you in the face.”

  Dillon rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you the funny woman?” He leaned closer, glaring at her. “You’ve managed to escape my men with Mav, which tells me that he has deep feelings for you.”

  She hitched a surprised breath. “Your men? You were behind the kidnapping?”

  He nodded. “And I’m going to make sure it’s done right this time.” He tightened his grip on her arm. “But since Mav has deep feelings for you, that assures me that Gramps will do everything he can to help pay your ransom.” He lifted his chin in confidence. “One way or another, I’ll get the money Gramps has cheated me out of all these years.”

  “Maybe you will, and maybe you won’t.” Panic filled her, unlike anything she’d known before. She needed to talk him out of this ridiculous quest.

  “Why?”

  “Because Maverick doesn’t love me anymore. Thanks to the way your rudely blurted out my... hardship, he now knows that I’m not the woman he thought. And, if he doesn’t want me as a wife any longer, your grandfather won’t lift a finger to help him pay for my ransom.”

  Keeping the sickening evil grin on his face, Dillon shook his head. “You underestimate my cousin. He has never loved a woman, so I doubt he’ll fall out of love so quickly.”

  She shrugged. “True, but since Maverick is disgusted with me for withholding my pregnancy, I still think he’s not going to care whether I’m kidnapped or not.”

  His chest shook in a silent laugh. “No, I think I know my cousin better than you do.”

  She wanted to punch this imbecile in the face. Dillon was so irritating. Why wouldn’t he believe her? Then again, he didn’t believe that the child she carried was his. “If you try to take me, I’ll scream.”

  His scowl darkened as he moved closer to her. “And if you do, I’ll kill Mav.” He paused. “In fact, as we speak, my men are pointing a gun on him now.”

  Her heartbeat quickened, and panic tightened her chest. At this point, she didn’t care what Dillon did with her, but she couldn’t allow him to hurt Maverick in any way. He might not love her, but she still loved him. No, she’d do anything to keep him alive.

  TEN

  “I... don’t believe you,” Hannah said in a shaky voice.

  “Do you want me to prove it to you? Because I will. My men have surrounded Gramps house, and they’ll shoot on my command.”

  She swallowed a lump of fear caught in her throat. “But, your grandfather has many men on his ranch, too.”

  “Don’t worry. We are not giving them any cause for alarm. They think we are harmless.”

  There was no way out. She couldn’t convince him otherwise. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. She must go with him, but at least Maverick would be safe.

  Lord, keep Maverick and Mr. Winchester safe from harm.

  “Fine,” she hissed. �
��I’ll go with you willingly, but you must promise not to hurt Maverick. He’s a good man, and he doesn’t deserve what his greedy cousin wants to punish him for.”

  Mocking a bow, Dillon motioned toward the door. “Leave with me without making a scene, and I promise not to hurt Mav.”

  She pointed a finger toward him. “Or your grandfather.”

  “Or my grandfather.” He nodded.

  She glanced around the room, knowing she didn’t have any personal items here, except for her clothes, but the housekeeper hadn’t returned them yet. So, Hannah had no other choice but to follow the lout and allow him to kidnap her. Again.

  Standing straight, she folded her arms across her chest. “Lead the way.”

  “Then let’s be on our way.” Wearing a victorious grin, he stepped to the door and opened it... and then stopped suddenly. His curse echoed through the room.

  As she peeked past him, Maverick and Mr. Winchester stood in the hallway in front of the door, pointing rifles at Dillon. Relief flooded through her body and made her weak. She stepped back a few steps and sat on the mattress, using the bedpost to rest her shoulder against.

  “The only place you’re going,” Maverick said to his cousin, “is to jail – along with the other men the sheriff’s deputies have just arrested.”

  Closing her eyes, tears of relief poured down her face, and her chest shook with silent sobs. Thank you, Lord.

  “Dillon Walker,” another man’s strong voice filled the room, “you are under arrest.”

  She opened her eyes just in time to see a man wearing a golden star badge on his leather vest, walk up to Dillon and slap iron cuffs on his wrists. Maverick and Mr. Winchester lowered their rifles as the sheriff shoved Dillon out of the room.

  Hannah continued to stare at the scene, unfolding before her as her weary mind tried to comprehend what was happening. Maverick’s gaze moved to her as he stood just outside the room. His grandfather whispered something to Maverick before patting his shoulder and leaving. She didn’t know what to do besides have a staring contest with the man who would always hold her heart.

  Struggling to keep her tears at bay, she wiped her eyes and sat up straighter. She cleared her throat. “How did you know Dillon was going to be in my room?”

  He shrugged and strolled into the bedroom slowly. “Stormy has made so many mistakes in his life, but the biggest mistake he made was bringing on dim-witted men to help him get money from the Easton brothers and my grandfather.” He stopped near her. “His men squealed like pigs going to be slaughtered.”

  She tried not to grin from his analogy of the situation, especially to think he could be humorous at a time like this. “I hope he’s sentenced to be in jail for a while. He’s an evil man.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Hannah inhaled a shaky breath. “Thanks again for coming to my rescue. I’m sure you think of me as a helpless, pathetic woman – and I probably am, but I assure you, I’ll not be your problem any longer.”

  Sighing, Maverick squatted in front of her and took hold of her hand. “Hannah, you’re not pathetic, and you’re not helpless. If all of your beaus have been complete idiots like Stormy, it’s no wonder you don’t think highly of yourself.”

  Tears filled her eyes again, and she wondered where all of the liquid was coming from. Hadn’t she cried herself dry already? “They have all been like Dillon, but he was more charming... until I sprang the news of my pregnancy on him.”

  “You were trying to tell me that before he interrupted us, weren’t you?”

  She nodded. “I’m sure the news wouldn’t have come as such a blow to you if he hadn’t have shown up.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Maverick,” she cleared her tight throat, “when I answered Bryan’s ad in the newspaper, I had planned not to tell him about the baby. I was in hopes that he’d consummate the marriage after the wedding, and I’d make him think he was the father. Then... I met you.” She paused and wiped the tears from her eyes. “True, I thought you were going to be the man I married at first, and then when you took me away from Bryan’s house, and we got to know each other better, I realized I was falling in love with you. That’s when I knew I had to tell you the truth. With Bryan, it was different because I didn’t love him, but with you... I knew I couldn’t hold the guilt in my heart any longer.”

  He cupped her cheek as his thumb wiped away the tears. “You had tried to tell me while we were riding to grandfather’s house, too, correct?”

  She nodded.

  “You know, I had started to picture you in my life, by my side, forever. I pictured you to be the mother of my children. The boys would resemble me, and the girls would look like you.” He shrugged. “I’m not very happy that you’re pregnant with my cousin’s child, but at least I know that the baby will look enough like me so that people will believe he’s mine and my wife’s child after we are married.”

  His words filled her head, but she was sure she hadn’t heard correctly. She blinked as her mind grew blank. “What... did you say?”

  He chuckled lightly. “Hannah, I love you. I’ve not felt this way about any other woman, so I’d be a fool if I let you go. You make me happy, and that’s what I want in my life. I will get used to the child, and I’ll treat it as my own.”

  Hannah released a happy sob as she threw her arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer as he knelt in front of her. “Hannah, my love,” he whispered against her hair, “will you allow me to be your husband, even if I have a cousin who is an idiot?”

  She laughed and nodded. “Of course, I want you to be my husband.” Tears flowed even faster, but these were tears of happiness. She withdrew enough to gaze lovingly into his eyes. “It’s not your fault that you’re related to him.”

  He shrugged. “I suppose it’ll just be another thing I can blame my grandfather for.”

  She caressed the side of his face. “Thank you for forgiving me and not judging me so harshly.”

  “In the Bible, didn’t Jesus tell the crowd who was stoning the woman, those without sin cast the first stone?”

  Hannah smiled. “Yes, Jesus did say something similar to those words.”

  “Well,” he leaned closer and kissed her forehead, “I’m not without sin, so who am I to cast a stone?”

  The love in her heart doubled in size for this wonderful man. “I love you, Maverick.”

  “And I love you.”

  From outside, a gunshot pierced through the night, startling both Hannah and Maverick. He jumped up and dashed to the window. She hurried behind him, grasping the back of his shirt as she peeked around him out of the window.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Someone has been shot. I can see the sheriff, and his pistol is still smoking, but I can’t see the man lying on the ground. There are too many men around him.” He pulled away from the window and took her in his arms. “I’m sure it was just one of Stormy’s men who got out of line.”

  Hannah walked with Maverick away from the window with his protective arm still around her shoulders. She loved how safe she felt with him, and she prayed she would always feel that way about her hero. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she never wanted to lose him or his love.

  “Did the sheriff’s men really capture all of Dillon’s men?”

  “They did.” He glanced down at her, smiling. “I looked them over to make sure they were the ones that kidnapped you and took a beating to me.”

  “At least we can return home now and feel safe.”

  “Home?” He arched an eyebrow. “You are referring to my place, right?”

  She nodded. “Yes, but now I have to find a way to tell Bryan.”

  “No, I won’t let you do it alone. This was my idea, so we will both tell him.”

  “Are you going to tell him about Coralie?”

  Maverick nodded. “Yes. He needs to know.”

  They stopped by the door, and he pulled her in his emb
race again. “Good night, my love. Get some rest because tomorrow morning, we’ll head back home.”

  “All right.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers, and she met the kiss halfway. There was no hesitation in the way his lips caressed hers, and her heart skipped excitedly. He would probably never forget that she was carrying another man’s child, but at least he wasn’t letting it affect the passion they shared.

  Booming footsteps rushed up the hallway, which ended the kiss. Maverick kept her in his arms as they greeted the visitor. Mr. Winchester stopped, meeting his grandson’s gaze.

  “He’s dead.”

  “Who is dead?” Maverick asked.

  “Stormy... Dillon.” He cleared his scratchy voice. “He tried to take the sheriff’s pistol away, and during the struggle, the gun went off.” Mr. Winchester took a deep breath. “Dillon was shot in the chest.”

  She tightened her arms around Maverick and lay her head on his muscular chest. She was sad that the man had to die that way, and yet, she was also relieved that Dillon would never bother her and Maverick again.

  “May he rest in peace.” Maverick nodded. “It’s sad that he couldn’t have lived a better life.”

  “Agreed.” Mr. Winchester frowned. “I thought you two should know.”

  “Thanks, Gramps. Hannah and I won’t attend the graveside service. I hope you understand.”

  “Of course, I do. Your wedding is more important right now, especially,” the older man glanced at her waist, “before the pregnancy starts showing.”

  Both Hannah and Maverick gasped at the same time. “You knew?” she asked.

  Mr. Winchester chuckled. “My wife had four daughters. My daughters each had children of their own. I know how pregnant women act.” He held up his hand. “But no explanation is necessary. I’m just very happy that my grandson has found a wonderful woman to love.”

  As he turned and walked down the hallway, Hannah breathed easier. Perhaps now her life would be blessed with good fortune, since she was marrying the perfect man.