Handsome Widower’s Second Chance

by Elliee Atkinson

  A sound in the room on the other side of the door made her heart jump in her chest. Panic slid through her. She used her knees to pull the cloth down but it didn’t fully cover her eyes. She laid herself back down on the floor, hoping if the men came in the room, they wouldn’t notice she had moved.

  Her heart pounded in her chest as she listened to the racket the men were making. The words they were saying came through the thin door loud and clear. She recognized all three voices and there were two more added to them. Nathan, Carl, and David had been joined by other evil men. She tried to hold in her tears and calm her breathing. It didn’t sound like they were going to come in the room. In fact, they were arguing.

  “You aren’t gonna do that, Carl, I’m just warning you right now. If I’d known you were gonna do what you did, ripping her dress like that, I woulda been right in there.”

  “Yeah, you weren’t talkin’ like that when Mark came out there. That’s why you got punched in the face.”

  “If I see him again, he’s gonna find out what that feels like.”

  “Yeah,” Carl sounded doubtful.

  “You just stay outta that room. I’m gonna teach Adam a lesson he won’t forget. He ain’t gettin’ away with takin’ my sister. Now I’ve taken what he loves.”

  “What you plannin’ to do with them anyway, Nate? You can’t keep ‘em here forever. You ain’t gonna kill them, are ya?” One of the voices Alice didn’t recognize spoke up.

  “I guess that depends on Adam.”

  “How’s that?”

  Before Nate could answer, the fifth voice came through the door. “If you’re so mad at him for takin’ your sister, Holly, how can ya do this to your other sister? Ain’t that about the same thing? You gonna kill her, too? Does that depend on Adam, too?”

  “You got a lot of questions, there, Matt.” Nathan said in an angry voice.

  Alice wondered what they were doing that was making such a loud racket. It sounded like they were moving furniture or wrestling with each other. She recognized the sound of clinking glass and realized at least one of them was in the kitchen pouring drinks.

  “I’m just askin’, Nate. I mean, you lose one sister and now you’re threatening the other one.”

  “She wasn’t supposed to be there.”

  “So you coulda left her there. You didn’t need to bring her along, too.”

  “Don’t you worry about Alice. She’s gonna come through this just fine. She’ll realize what a snake Adam is and…”

  “You been drinkin’ way too much to think this is a good plan. You don’t know whether you’re gonna kill them kids, you got a sister in there you might kill when you just lost your other sister, your parents are probably sick with worry. You don’t know what you’re doing, do you?”

  “I said don’t you worry about it!” Nathan yelled. Alice heard a slamming noise and wondered what Nathan had done to cause it.

  “Don’t threaten me, Nate.” The man who had been speaking used a tone that sounded equally threatening, except it was obvious he was less drunk than Nathan. “I may be mixed up in this, but I’m not goin’ down for you or anybody. You get someone to kill them kids and your sister and it ain’t gonna be me.”

  “You better not be tellin’ nobody what’s going on here, Matt. You might regret that.”

  “I said,” Alice heard the sound of chair legs scraping across the floor. “Don’t threaten me.” She heard the distinct sound of a gun cocking.

  “Settle down, boys,” David said. “We gotta keep cool heads here. Can’t be fighting each other. Whether we like it or not, we’re all in this now. So we gotta think about what the next move is and go from there.”

  “You’re right,” Nate said, lowering his voice.

  “You think they are awake yet?”

  “No idea,” Nate said. “I used enough of that powder to knock them out. They won’t be awake for a while, I reckon.”

  “You didn’t give any to your sister, did you?”

  “No. I didn’t have enough to give her. I didn’t know she was going to be there. She hit her head. She might be awake.”

  Alice heard the sound of Nathan standing up. She pulled in a deep breath, trying not to breathe too loudly. If she held her breath, though, he would notice. She breathed quickly and concentrated on steadying her breath. She could just see the door under the cloth. It opened quickly and Nate filled the doorway. He stared at her for only a moment before closing it.

  “Looks like she’s still out to me.”

  “She must have hit her head hard. You sure she’s still alive?”

  “Yeah, I could see her breathing. I could see her chest goin’ up and down.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Seems kinda strange she ain’t awake. You should go wake her up.”

  “What would be the point in that?” Carl asked. “So we can listen to her screamin’ and cryin’? No. We’ll let her stay in there and if she makes a noise, we’ll take care of her.”

  “You ain’t takin’ care of her, Carl,” Nate growled. “She ain’t even supposed to be here.”

  “You gotta…”

  “Stop! Both of ya! Drink your whiskey. We gotta decide what to do.”

  “I think we should just stay here and let ‘em panic. You know they’re gonna be searching all over Wickenburg.”

  “Yeah.”

  There was laughter in the room. Alice gritted her teeth in anger.

  “Me and Carl are gonna go scout and see what’s going on. Adam’s gotta be up by now. I wanna see him panic. I wanna see him scared. You three stay here with the kids and Alice.”

  “Why do I gotta go? I don’t wanna go.” Carl whined.

  “You’re comin’ because I don’t trust you. You would go in there and… I’m not puttin’ Alice through that. It’s Adam who needs to be punished. Not my sister.”

  “That’s not how you were talkin’ yesterday. That’s why you got punched in the face,” Carl replied. “You shoulda seen it. He said she was trash anyway and Mark just…”

  “Shut up, Carl!” Nate yelled, angrily. “You need to learn when to keep you trap shut! Come on! I know just where to look for Adam.”

  “What will you do if you find him? You gonna shoot him?”

  Alice felt a lump in her throat and refreshed fear ran through her.

  “Nah,” Nate’s response made her squeeze her eyes together to hold back the tears. “I want him to suffer. That’s too quick, too easy. He’s gotta be afraid about his kids for a while.”

  “How long you plan to keep them here?” Matt asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. He sounded surprised to Alice. “You can’t keep them forever.”

  “I’m tryin’ to teach Adam a lesson he won’t forget. Make him feel the pain I feel.”

  “You don’t think he’s in pain? He lost his wife. I think he’s in pain.”

  Alice was surprised by the voice of reason coming from the man named Matt.

  “Don’t you worry about it. This is my plan. You don’t have to be involved.”

  “Nate. If I go right now and tell the sheriff you have these kids out here, and Alice too, what do you think he’s gonna do?”

  “Well, you just stay here, Matt. You stay here and let me go have my fun and we’ll take these kids back in a couple days.”

  “Who’s gonna babysit? You think they’re gonna stay unconscious for three days? Come on, man, you gotta make a better plan than this.”

  “Just stay here!” Nate bellowed. “I’m gonna go see what’s happening in town. You’re so worried about them; you can take care of them! And if you think about going to the sheriff…” Alice could picture Nate’s threatening face in front of the other man, probably holding his gun on him. “You’ll be six feet under. You got that?”

  “I got it, Nate. Go find Adam. Do what you want with him. But leave my name out of this. When this is over, I’m leavin’ town. I didn’t sign up for this and I’m not goin’ to jail for nobody, least of all y
ou.”

  There was a great commotion in the other room, as the men shuffled around and Nate and Carl readied themselves to leave. Alice could hear the clinking of glass. She wondered briefly how much liquor the men had. A feeling of hope filled her as she heard Nate and Carl leaving. Carl was complaining loudly about having to go with Nate and Nate was loudly arguing with him. The door slammed and Alice was left with the three other men, who did not enter the room after her brother left. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe steadily, praying silently that the men would drink themselves into a stupor. It might give her an opportunity to get away somehow.

  She dared to pull herself up into a sitting position and pushed the cloth slightly up onto her forehead with her knees to peek at the children. They were still out. She wondered what powder her brother had used to knock them out and how he’d gotten it in the first place. She frowned.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  FORMING A POSSE

  FORMING A POSSE

  Adam and Mark didn’t see any sign of Nate or his men as they rode into town. Once they were on the outskirts, they slowed down their horses and scanned the passersby and the houses and shops. When they got to the Horse N Saddle Saloon, they dismounted and went inside after securing their horses.

  They both went straight to the bar and waited for Sam, who was serving a drink to a couple at the other end of the counter. He looked up when they came in and nodded at them. After chatting for a minute with the couple, Sam approached them.

  “What can I get you boys? It’s early for ya, isn’t it?”

  “We’re not here to drink, Sam,” Adam replied. “We’re looking for Nate and his crew. You seen them around here anywhere?”

  “They haven’t been in here today. Not yet. I expect they will eventually. It’s every day for them. Why ya lookin’ for him?”

  “We think he took Alice and the children from my house last night.” Adam replied, bluntly.

  Sam’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What do ya mean, took them?”

  “Just what I say,” Adam shook his head. “He came in my house last night and took Alice and the children. We don’t know where he took them.”

  “That’s…” Sam’s face was turning red. Adam had never seen the bartender angry. Sam was a big Irish man with flaming red hair and a burly hair-covered chest. He seemed to grow even larger as his anger set in. “That bastard! You sure he did that? Alice and the kids ain’t at the school house?”

  “We haven’t checked there yet,” Mark admitted. “But it’s likely they won’t be there. Alice would never have taken the children without waking Adam first. And they would have had to leave much earlier than necessary. It seems most likely Nate came and got ‘em.”

  “How come you didn’t wake up? They attack you and knock you out?” Sam asked Adam.

  “I don’t know how they managed to do it without me hearing. I woke up in the middle of the night and checked on them and they were fine and asleep. Then I get up this morning and they are gone. They didn’t make their beds. Alice didn’t make coffee. They gotta be in danger. They were taken, I’m sure of it.”

  Sam nodded. “Sounds like we need to get ourselves a posse together and go find them. Right now.”

  “You gonna help us? Or you wanna stay here and keep the bar open?” Mark asked. Adam was hoping the big Irishman would come with them.

  “Oh, I’m comin’ ta help. Nate can’t get away with this. Those children need to be safe. That’s his family! His own sister! What’s wrong with that man?”

  “That’s what we’ve been wondering for a while now.”

  “He’s been drinkin’ too much. I shoulda known better than to sell those bottles of liquor.” Sam shook his head.

  “Don’t blame yourself, Sam. Let’s just get some men together and go find them.”

  “You know where to look?”

  “Not really but there’s bound to be somebody who knows where those boys stay when they ain’t drivin’ cattle.” Adam responded, looking behind him to see who was in the saloon. There were several men in the room. His eyes dropped to their cups and glasses. A few were already drinking. Others were enjoying a morning cup of coffee. He turned around and held up his hands.

  “I got a problem, friends,” he said, loudly. “My children were taken in the middle of the night and I have to go find them. Any of you men want to join me and form a posse to go get them?”

  Three of the men immediately stood up, adjusting their gun belts.

  “You got me, Adam.” One of them said. The other two nodded.

  “And me.”

  “Me, too.”

  A fourth man stood up but was unsteady on his feet. He sat back down and lifted his glass to Adam. “I’d help ya, but my horse is lame and I been drinkin’ this mornin’. If I see hide or hair of your kids, I’ll find a horse and come find ya.”

  Adam nodded at them all and gestured to the three who were willing to join them. They approached and stood around Adam and Mark while they continued to talk to Sam.

  “You might want to check with Doc Brown, Adam.” Sam said. “I’m comin’ with ya but I gotta close the bar first. Why don’t you go see if he’ll come along, in case he’s needed?”

  Chills covered Adam. If the Doc was needed, that meant one of his children or Alice had been hurt. He didn’t want that. He hoped it wasn’t true. Sam nodded at him.

  “I know you’re afraid of that thought, Adam. But it’s better to have the Doc with ya in case he’s needed than not, don’t ya think?”

  Adam nodded. He looked at Mark. “Let’s go get the Doc. You boys, you wanna round up a few more men? Maybe somebody knows where those boys stay when they aren’t out on the trail.”

  “Yeah, we’ll get some more men together for you, Adam,” one of the men said. He cocked his head to the other two. “Come on. I know where we can find some more. We’re gonna ride out to a couple farms. We’ll meet ya back here in an hour.”

  “Thanks, Bud. I appreciate it.”

  Bud shook his head. “No thanks needed. We gotta find your kids, Adam.”

  The three of them turned and went through the swinging doors. Adam turned back to Sam. “Meetin’ back here in an hour sound all right to you?”

  “Yeah,” Sam nodded. “You go on now and bring back the Doc. And try not to worry too much. Sounds like Nate is trying to punish ya, but I know the man and I can’t see him harmin’ those kids.”

  Adam frowned and shook his head. “I know him, too. I wouldn’t have expected him to take them. I don’t know what he’s thinkin’ or where his mind is. He’s capable of anything at this point, I’m sure of it.”

  “Somethin’ screwed up in his brain.” Sam mumbled.

  Adam and Mark went out of the saloon and stopped just outside the doors.

  “We gonna walk over to Doc’s?” Mark asked. “It’s just down the street from here.”

  “I wanna check the schoolhouse, too. Let’s do that first just to get it over with. When I’m satisfied they aren’t there, we’ll get the Doc and come back to the saloon.”

  “Bud can get plenty of men to join the posse. We’ll spread all over Wickenburg and the surrounding country till we find them. Somebody is gonna find out where they’re hiding Alice and the children.”

  Adam nodded. “I hope so, Mark. I really do.”

  Mark pulled himself up onto his horse. “You gotta be confident, Adam. Worry too much and you won’t think straight either. That’s what Nate’s problem is. His mind is a fog and he won’t stop drinkin' long enough to clear it.”

  Adam mounted Musty and the two of them rode toward the schoolhouse. Mark stayed on his horse, holding onto Musty’s reins while Adam went inside.

  The children were talking noisily when he entered. He went around to the main room and settled his eyes immediately on the desk where his children typically sat. They weren’t there. He didn’t expect them to be. Miss Berry looked at him with wide eyes and hurried across from her large desk at the front of the roo
m.

  “Mr. Collins. Are you all right? Are the children all right?”

  Adam took her arm gently and pulled her away from the children. He lowered his head so that he could speak to her in a low tone only she could hear.

  “Have you seen Alice this morning?”

  Miss Berry shook her head, looking frightened. “Oh, Mr. Collins, what has happened? Was she supposed to bring them? Are they all right?”

  “No need to panic, Miss Berry. They are not in any danger that we know of. Their uncle is angry and it seems he has taken them somewhere but we don’t know where.”

  Miss Berry drew in a sharp breath. “Oh my!” She said quietly, aware that the children were staring at them in curiosity. “I do hope you find them.”

  Adam nodded. “I’m sure we will. But we needed to check here first to see if Alice had brought them in to school.”

  “She did not come this morning. I was wondering about it but when she came and got them yesterday, she said they might not be here today.”

  “We are going to find them. Don’t worry yourself and don’t say anything to the children.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t, sir. I wouldn’t.”

  “Thank you. If you do happen to see them at any point, or Alice, send your oldest student to fetch the sheriff or a deputy. All right?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Adam left without another word. Once outside, he filled Mark in on what they had already suspected, that the children weren’t there and Alice had not come in that morning. They turned their horses toward the Doc’s office.

  “We gotta tell Sheriff Copper, too,” Mark mentioned as they rode. “He might not come with us but we gotta tell him what’s going on.”

  Adam nodded. “I thought about that. I told Miss Berry to send someone to him if the children or Alice were seen. However, I don’t think they will be. I don’t know what Sheriff Copper will want to do but he isn’t stopping me from searching for Max and Riley.”