Handsome Widower’s Second Chance

by Elliee Atkinson

  “I don’t think he’s gonna want to stop you. We’ve already got a small posse and it’s only gonna get bigger. We’re gonna find them.”

  They reached the Doc’s office and both dismounted this time. They went in to see that the sheriff was already there with a deputy, talking to the Doc. The men looked surprised when Adam and Mark came in.

  “Mornin’,” Doc said, coming around the small desk he was standing behind and holding out his hand to Adam. “What brings you here this morning?”

  “Morning,” Adam replied, looking at the three men in surprise. “What’s going on, if I might ask?”

  Doc shook his head and swept his hand toward the open door of his office behind the small desk. “Somebody broke in last night. Took some sleeping powders I keep on hand for my patients. I got the sheriff in here to investigate. Not much progress so far.”

  Adam’s chest tightened. He now knew how they had gotten his children to leave the house without him knowing. “Sleeping powders? How… it doesn’t matter. I know who took your medicines, Doc. It was Nathan, my brother-in-law. He kidnapped my children and Alice last night.”

  “You sure about that?” Sheriff Copper turned and walked toward him, a serious look on his face. “You sure it was Nathan?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was,” Adam said. “I can’t be a hundred percent but there’s nobody else after me right now. Nathan is angry about Holly. He’s been drinking hard and isn’t thinking straight. He’s not bein’ himself right now. He’s trying to get revenge.”

  “You think he’s gonna hurt those kids?” The deputy spoke up.

  Adam shook his head. “I don’t know, Josh. I guess it’s always a possibility. Me and Mark had to stop one of his buddies from hurting Alice yesterday. Mark hit Nathan and they took off. You know Carl?”

  The sheriff and the deputy exchanged a knowing look. “Yeah, we know him.”

  “He attacked Alice. Nathan didn’t stop him. I had to.”

  “She didn’t report it.”

  “I took care of it,” Adam replied. “Took her to my place. She stayed to help me with the children. And now all three are gone and it has to be Nate who took them.”

  “Sounds logical to me,” the sheriff nodded. “All right, so looks like we’ve got the missing powders accounted for.”

  “I don’t understand how he administered the powder to my kids.”

  Doc moved back to the desk, where two small vials filled with powder sat. He picked them up and brought them back to show Adam. “These are the two he left behind. I only had four left and he took two. If he dumped them in their mouths while they were sleeping and covered their mouths with his hand till they swallowed them, they wouldn’t have been awake for long.”

  “He only took two?”

  “Yes.”

  Adam frowned. “What did he use on Alice, then?”

  No one spoke a word. Adam’s heart beat hard and he let out a shaky breath. “I’m not gonna think the worst. That’s his sister. He already lost one. He won’t bring harm to the other.”

  Doc nodded. “That’s the way to think, Adam. He might be hurting over Holly and acting like a fool but he’s not going to bring more harm to his family. It sounds like he’s blaming you for Holly’s death.”

  Just the sound of her name made Adam’s chest tighten. He denied the tears he felt rising. “He does.”

  “There was nothing you could do, Adam. You keep that in mind. You are not responsible. The last time I saw Holly here, she was healthy and looked fine. She never complained to anyone I spoke to or to me about any pain. It was not something that could have been prevented.”

  Adam closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand. You want to come with us? You might be needed. We’re going to find Nate and his crew. We’re gettin’ a posse together.”

  The Doc looked at Sheriff Copper, who nodded. “You go with them, Doc. If you need my assistance, you come to the jailhouse. We’re going back there and we’ll stay there until someone brings Nate or anyone in his crew there. If we’re needed, send someone and we’ll help however we can.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  SEARCHING FOR ALICE AND THE CHILDREN

  SEARCHING FOR ALICE AND THE CHILDREN

  Doc saddled up and followed Mark and Adam back to the Horse N Saddle. By the time they got there, the place was teeming with men who had joined the posse. They were all standing around in the saloon, waiting for Adam and Mark to return. Sam had cleared the place of anyone who did not want to join the posse and was leaving two women to watch over the place while he was gone.

  Adam looked around at the dozen or more men. He recognized them all. Some he had not spoken to for some time. They all turned to him when he came in.

  “Thank you all for coming to help.” He said, lifting his hands to quiet their talking. Once they were all silent, he continued. “I don’t know how much you know or what you’ve been told, but Nathan, my brother-in-law, and his crew have taken my children and my sister-in-law, Alice. Some of you may have met Alice and might know Nate or someone in his crew. I need help finding them.”

  “I know ‘em.” One of the men spoke up. The others cleared a path so he could come to the front of the crowd and talk to Adam. “I used to run with them. They’ve got a bunch of hideouts all around the outside of Wickenburg. It might be wise to split up and search for them in each one. Fastest way to find them.”

  “How do you know they haven’t left town altogether? Surely Nate wouldn’t be stupid enough to stay in town.”

  “I don’t think he wants to keep the children or Alice. I don’t really know what he’s thinking but we’re gonna have to take the chance for now that he’s stayed in town.”

  “Have you talked to his parents yet?” Another man asked. Adam shook his head.

  “Not yet.”

  “You might wanna go warn them. They might know where he is, too. Or God willing, they will just be over there.”

  A low grumble moved through the group as the men discussed what should be done next. The same man spoke up again. “No need to get worried yet, men.” He looked back at Adam. “We’ll stay here while you go look at the Wesley's. Or should we start looking now?”

  “We’ll go over there and check.” Adam didn’t think the chances were good that Nate had taken the children and his sister back to his parents. They would surely sound the alarm. Adam would have been notified somehow by now. Unless Nate was holding them hostage, too. The thought sent a bolt of fear through him.

  “Should I come along?” Doc asked. Adam nodded.

  He looked at Mark. “Let’s go. I don’t want to take too long. We’ve taken long enough already.”

  “Don’t worry, Adam,” Mark said as the three men went back out the door. “They’re gonna be okay.”

  Adam didn’t respond. He pulled up onto Musty and had galloped off within seconds, Mark and the Doc following directly behind. The Wesley home was not far from the saloon. Without bothering to secure Musty, Adam dismounted and ran up the porch steps. He banged on the door, trying not to sound too frantic.

  When Caroline came to the door, she opened it and stared at him. “Adam! What are you doing here?”

  “I’m looking for Nate. Is he here?”

  Caroline shook her head. She peered around Adam at the Doc and Mark, who were still on their horses. “He didn’t come home last night. However, he doesn’t always come home. What’s happened? Why are you looking for him?”

  “Is Chuck at work?”

  Caroline shook her head again. “No, he wasn’t feeling well this morning and stayed home. Do you want me to get him?”

  “Please do.”

  “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “I’d rather tell you both at the same time, Caroline, if you don’t mind.”

  Caroline bit her bottom lip and held the door open so he could come inside. He scanned the room when he entered; noticing that the table he’d broken was propped up on a large rock where the broken leg had been. If Chuck mo
ved that rock, Adam knew why he wasn’t feeling well. He’d probably exhausted himself. He vowed silently to fix the table as soon as he got back to work – as soon as he had his children back safely.

  Caroline returned with Chuck behind her.

  “What’s going on, Adam?” Chuck asked. His hair was disheveled and his eyes looked puffy. Caroline had woke him up. Adam felt regret slide through him. He didn’t want to tell his parents-in-law what their son was doing.

  “I… I woke up this morning to find the children and Alice missing.”

  Caroline gasped. Her hands flew to cover her mouth and she turned wide eyes to her husband. Chuck’s expression didn’t change. He stared at Adam closely.

  “They are missing? You’ve checked the schoolhouse? Checked around your land?”

  “Of course, sir,” Adam tried to be respectful. “I have been everywhere I thought they might be but I suspect Nate came in the middle of the night and took them from my home.”

  Caroline’s face dissolved into tears of anguish. “Why would he do that?”

  “After what happened yesterday and the day before, I don’t think Nathan is thinking straight. I don’t think he… maybe even he doesn’t know what he’s doing. I’ve formed a posse and we’re going to find them.”

  “How would he be able to get the children and Alice to go with him?”

  “He’s not alone,” Adam answered Chuck’s question. He was only a little surprised that Chuck was taking the news so calmly. “He’s got a crew with him. The same ones who were here, I’m sure. Maybe a few more.”

  “They run cattle with him,” Chuck confirmed, nodding. He turned and walked to the desk by the kitchen door. He pulled open a drawer and reached in, lifting out a gun belt.

  “What are you doing, Charles?” Caroline demanded, her eyes wide in alarm.

  “I’m going after my son. I want to find my daughter and my grandchildren.”

  “You shouldn’t go, my love. What if he comes back here with them? You should be here if he does that.”

  Chuck shook his head. “He’s not bringing them back here, Carrie, and you know it. If he was going to do that, he already would have. He took them in the middle of the night. They are out there somewhere, probably on some old abandoned farm or ranch. I’m going to find them. I have to help.”

  “Oh, Charles!” Caroline collapsed onto the couch, covering her face with her hands. Tears were streaming from her eyes. “What has happened to our family?”

  Chuck sat down next to his wife. Adam watched as he consoled her, putting his large arm around her and speaking in a soothing tone. “Carrie, you need to calm down. You know Nate. He isn’t going to harm Alice or the children. He’s hot headed and he’s angry with Adam. He’s taking it out on the wrong people.”

  “He’s not thinking about what this is doing to everyone else!” Caroline exclaimed. “Oh, that boy! I wish I could… I just want to talk to him! Make him stop this!”

  “You’ll have to leave that up to me, Carrie.”

  “But why are you taking your gun? You can’t shoot our son, Charles!”

  Adam watched a look of fear cross Chuck’s face for a fleeting moment. Then it disappeared and a look of determination took its place. “I will not shoot Nathan, Caroline. You know that. However, as Adam said, he isn’t alone. And the men he runs with will not be as kind or as willing to talk.”

  “What if they hurt Alice? What if they hurt Max or Riley?”

  “That’s why we have to find them soon. Now I don’t have any more time to waste here, Carrie. I’m going to get my gun and join Adam and his posse and we’re going to go get our daughter and grandchildren. You stay here and try not to worry.”

  “I don’t want to stay here! I don’t want to be alone.” Caroline continued to sob. Chuck pulled her into a warm embrace.

  “I’ll stop by Irene’s and tell her you need a companion. Will that do?”

  Caroline hiccupped and tried to stop her tears. She nodded. Adam pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.

  “Take this, Caroline. We do need to go. However, I’m certain Alice and the kids are safe. I just can’t believe that Nathan would let anything happen to them.”

  “He’s trying to hurt you.” Adam thought for a moment that her eyes were accusatory, that she was blaming him for everything, the way Nathan was. “I can’t believe he could be so cruel. To take those little ones. How could he behave this way? Oh Charles, where did we go wrong?”

  “Carrie, I’ve got to go. I’m going to send Irene to sit with you. You try to calm down. I don’t have any more time to waste here. We must act before something terrible does happen.”

  If it hasn’t already, Adam thought but did not speak the words aloud. He was already scared himself. He didn’t want to scare Caroline further. He waited as Chuck quickly retrieved his gun from a cabinet by the desk. He strapped on the belt, pulled on his boots, and slid the gun in the holster after checking it for bullets.

  “All right, Adam. Let’s go get my daughter and your children.”

  He followed Adam out the door, nodding to the Doc and Mark. They waited while he saddled his horse and mounted.

  Soon, the four of them were headed back down Main Street toward the Horse N Saddle. They joined the group that was gathered there and set about making plans. Some of the men were going to head east toward several ranches Nate’s crew frequented when they weren’t driving cattle. Only two men of the dozen had run with the crew before and were familiar with their habits and hang outs.

  “I think it would be best if Adam, you went with one part of the posse and Chuck, you go with the other.”

  Adam nodded. “That sounds good, Mark.”

  “I’ll come with you, of course,” Mark said. “Sam? You wanna go with Chuck?”

  They divvied up the men into two groups quickly. Adam was going to the ranches to the east. As they headed out to their horses, Adam watched them all checking their guns and talking to each other about having to “finally deal with these scoundrels once and for all”. He hadn’t known Nathan was running with outlaws but from the tone of the men’s voices, they had been causing trouble for many of the townsfolk. He looked at Bud, who would be leading them to where the crew holed up on occasion.

  “Has Nathan been causing a lot of trouble in town?”

  Bud looked closely at him, running one hand over his beard before pulling himself up into the saddle. He shook his head. “Not Nathan. Not as much, anyway. He’s been drunk and tried to start a few fights but, Adam, if you want to know my opinion on it, he is the weakest one of the bunch. He’s no leader. He gets drunk and talks mean. But only when he’s with those cowpunchers. They’re a sorry bunch of men with too much time on their hands. We all feel better when they are out there running cattle. It’s the only thing they do good besides drinkin’. And they spend all their time in town drinkin’ when they ain’t runnin’ the cattle.”

  “So Nathan isn’t running this crew?” Mark asked, riding along beside Bud.

  “Nope. He ain’t got the stamina for it.” Bud glanced at Adam. “If it’d been Chuck ridin’ with us, I’d never say this stuff, Adam. But I can tell you, Nathan ain’t much of a man. He’s a follower and always does what the others tell him to do.”

  “That’s not what I thought. I’ve always seen him standing up to the others, telling them what to do.”

  Bud shrugged. “There might be one or two in that group that listen to him and follow him if he tells them to. Mostly not. Those guys are tough and all around mean as snakes, just because they have miserable lives. They want to make everyone miserable like they are.”

  “How sad.” Mark shook his head.

  Bud snorted. “Yeah. Sad.” He looked back at Adam. “You been hidin’ out with your family for nigh on ten years, Adam. It’s no wonder you don’t know about that crew of cowpunchers. They ain’t good people. Ain’t good men. We’ve been dealing with them for a long time.”

  Adam shook his head. “I didn�
��t know.”

  “Nah and that’s okay,” Bud’s voice suddenly softened. “It’s good to have a family you love and can support. You’re a lucky man, Adam. Real lucky. I mean, till a couple weeks ago. But you still got your kids and your wife’s family.”

  “Except Nate.” Mark mentioned.

  Adam shook his head. “Yeah. Except Nate.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  ALICE TAKES ACTION

  ALICE TAKES ACTION

  Alice woke up with a start, immediately wondering how long she had been out. She heard nothing from the other room. She didn’t remember lying back down. She struggled to sit up and twisted her wrists to see if she could loosen the cloth binding them together. It was tight but she could feel the cloth loosening just a bit. She lifted her knees and pushed the cloth up onto her forehead so that she could see. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust.

  She sat that way for a moment, moving from anger to fear and back to anger. Finally, she decided she had to do something. There was no way to tell what Nathan was planning or thinking. She couldn’t let the children be in any more danger. She pushed herself across the floor backward till she was pressed against the wall. She was irritated by the long nightgown she was wearing. It was making it very difficult for her to move easily. She couldn’t take it off. That would do no good at all. She wished she was wearing pants of some kind, like her riding trousers.

  Once she was against the wall, she rested her head back and pressed the back side of the cloth against the wall to try to pull it off that way. It loosened until it was on top of her head. She shook her head and it fell to the ground beside her. She lifted herself up off the floor slightly and tried to maneuver her arms so that they would go under her bottom and legs. It was such a struggle she broke into a sweat. Eventually, she was successful, pulling her arms around to the front.

  Alice smiled down at the cloth around her wrists. It was a simple knot. She put the cloth up to her mouth and untied the cloth as quickly as she could. Then she untied the one around her ankles. She didn’t want to move too quickly or make too much noise, even though there was not a stick of furniture in the room. She knew she was making sounds shuffling herself across the floor. She stood up and tip-toed across the room to the door.