Handsome Widower’s Second Chance

by Elliee Atkinson

  She turned the horse to the left and peered back through the woods, looking for the men. She leaned forward, releasing Max from her grip and patted the horse on the side of his large neck.

  “It’s okay, boy. It’s okay. Shhh. Hush, boy. It’s okay. Breathe. Rest.” She continued to speak soothingly to the horse, looking around her with wide, panicked eyes. She couldn’t be sure the two men chasing them wouldn’t shoot them if they were seen. She let the horse slow to a walk, still hoping he knew where he was. She had no idea where she was. She had not been in this part of Wickenburg, if it was a part of the small town at all. Nate had plenty of time to take them an hour away if he wanted to. It was unlikely, she reasoned with herself. Matt was part of the same cattle running crew that Nathan often ran with. He would not have property an hour away. Even Adam’s house outside of town was not an hour away.

  “Aunt Alice. Aunt Alice, I need a drink. Where are we?” Alice looked down to see that Riley had woken up and was staring around her in confusion. “Why are we on a horse? What…”

  “Shhh,” Alice whispered. “We are taking an adventurous ride but we have to be very, very quiet.”

  Riley frowned. “I don’t want to go on an aventurs ride, Aunt Alice.”

  Alice smiled when Riley tried to say the word adventurous.

  “I want to be at home. I want to be in my bed. Where’s daddy? He wouldn’t want us going anywhere without him. Where is he?”

  Alice lost her smile and looked behind her, through the trees, worried that the men would hear the little girl. Max turned around and glared at his little sister. “You be quiet, Ry,” he hissed. “Aunt Alice is trying to get us back home and you are making her worried. Now hush! We are trying to get home but we got lost and we’re trying to get home. So be quiet. We don’t wanna be heard. Bad men might get us if we are heard.”

  Alice wished Max hadn’t said the last thing he said but it had the desired effect. Riley closed her mouth, widened her eyes, and pressed herself against Alice with all her might. She could hear the girl murmuring into her chest, “I don’t want bad men to get us, Aunt Alice. I want to be at home.”

  “We’re trying, Riley. Just stay calm and stay quiet. Okay?” Alice lowered her head to whisper to the little girl. Instead of responding out loud, Riley just nodded.

  They continued quietly through the woods. None of them said a word. At one point, Alice thought she might have seen another horse behind them but she pushed the horse on in fear that she would be seen, as well and never caught good sight of whether it was David or Scott.

  She swallowed her fear and breathed a sigh of relief when they came upon a stream.

  “We’ll follow the stream back to town.”

  “Is this Back Creek, Aunt Alice?” Max asked in a quiet voice.

  “I think it is, yes.”

  “That goes all the way through town, doesn’t it?”

  Alice nodded. “Yes, it does.”

  “Then we can go home,” Max’s voice sounded as relieved as she felt. She leaned forward and wrapped her arm around him again. He lifted one small hand and put it over her arm, comforting her. Riley gripped her again, hugging her tight, almost so that she couldn’t breathe.

  “Oh Aunt Alice, I’m so glad you are here,” Riley whispered, barely audible with her face pressed so close to Alice’s chest. “You saved us. You saved us.”

  “We aren’t in the clear yet, dear,” Alice whispered. “I won’t feel completely safe until I see your daddy.”

  Riley nodded. “Me too, Aunt Alice. I want to see daddy. I want to go home.”

  Alice pushed down her irritation that Riley kept repeating the phrase. She wanted to go home, too. She was proud of Max for being so brave. She was grateful that Matt had helped them. However, they weren’t yet safe. They still had to find their way home. She didn’t even know if they were going in the right direction to Wickenburg. What if they were heading the wrong direction and were actually going away from their home?

  She didn’t say it to the children. She didn’t want to scare them. Her heart was still pounding, her head was throbbing. Her inner thighs were on fire from rubbing against the saddle. She was ashamed that she was in her nightgown and had it hiked almost all the way up. She wished she slept in bloomers instead of the smaller underclothes she typically wore to bed. It was always hot and she liked to stay as cool as possible when she was sleeping.

  She’d successfully distracted herself from her worry for a few minutes, giving herself a short break from the stress.

  It all came back to her when she heard her name being yelled out from behind her. She turned and saw Scott. He had found them. David was nowhere in sight. She felt a bit of relief but the sight of Scott had scared her terribly. She knew they were going to be caught. Just as Scott kicked his horse into a gallop, she slowed her horse down.

  “Max! Riley!” she said in a panic, folding her arms around them. “Run. Run!” She grabbed Max’s arm and pulled him from the horse. He landed on his feet and lifted his arms for Riley.

  “Run!” She screamed. “Run!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  ADAM ON THE RIGHT TRACK

  ADAM ON THE RIGHT TRACK

  Bud was leading the half dozen men at a fast pace down the dusty road. He looked over his shoulder and called back to Adam. Adam pushed his horse so that he was riding next to Bud.

  “We’re almost to one of the ranches where they might have taken the children and Alice,” Bud said. “I think we should come up behind it and go slowly, in case Nate and the others are there. If we scare them, they might hurt them. Sound like a good idea to you?”

  Adam nodded. “Yeah, it does.” He waved his hand to the men following behind. “We’re gonna slow down and come up from behind.” He instructed them. They all nodded and slowed their horses.

  He could see the small house in the distance. It was surrounded by a large horse pasture that looked like it hadn’t been used in many years. The house was dilapidated. The roof looked like it was ready to cave in.

  He lifted his hand in the air to motion for the men following to stop. He leaned forward on his horse. “Let’s go slowly.” He said. “I don’t want to scare them. I don’t want them to know we are even coming.”

  “You go on foot,” Bud said. “We’ll hang back. You let us know if you see anything.”

  Adam nodded and slid from the saddle. He held on to the reins and led his panting horse closer to the old ranch house. The other men stayed behind him, their horses panting and swaying. He circled the small house and noticed one of the windows had been broken. The glass was scattered on the ground in front of it, indicating it had been broken from the inside. His heart began to pound. He wanted to scream for Alice and the children but kept his mouth shut. He let go of Musty’s reins and stepped closer to the house. He pressed himself up against the side and scooted along quietly, so that if anyone was in the house, they would not see him through the broken window.

  His breath was shaky. He pictured Alice in his mind, so slender, so beautiful, so innocent. Riley’s small face came in front of his eyes and then Max, such a strong little boy, determined and stubborn. He would give them a run for their money, he was sure of that. The thought made him smile for only a moment. He reached the edge of the window and quickly peeked in. What he saw made him stop short. He stepped in front of the window and stared at the pieces of cloth and the two blankets his children had been wrapped in. Holly had made those blankets herself.

  He stepped away from the window and gestured to the men to come forward. He nodded at them and waved them toward him. Without waiting for them, he rounded the house to the front porch and jumped up onto the porch from the side. He tried to step carefully but he didn’t hear anything from inside. There were no voices talking. Moreover, there were no horses standing by. He couldn’t believe he had missed them. They must have taken Alice and the children somewhere else. However, why were they untied? They wouldn’t have gone anywhere with the men willingly. He cross
ed to the front door and pushed it open.

  He heard Mark, Bud, and the other men approaching with their horses. He went in, not willing to wait for them.

  Matt was seated at the table, one hand wrapped around a bottle of whiskey. His head was down. He lifted it when he heard Adam come in. His eyes opened wide as Adam crossed to him in three steps.

  “Where are they?” Adam growled, reaching down and grabbing Matt by the front of his shirt. He lifted the big man up till they were nose-to-nose. “Where are they??”

  Matt stumbled a bit as Adam dragged him to his feet. He let go of the whiskey bottle and it fell to the table, turning over on its side and spilling some its contents.

  “Wait, wait, Adam! Wait!”

  “What have you done to them? Where’s Nate? Where is my family?”

  “Adam, I’ll tell you, just wait a minute.”

  “I don’t have time to wait!” Adam yelled into the big man’s face. “Tell me where they are!”

  “I let them go!” Matt replied frantically. “I set them free and let them take my horse. Nate and Carl had already left; I don’t know where they went. David and Scott, they went after them. They took their horses and went after them. I can show you which direction they went. But I let Alice take my horse so I couldn’t follow to protect them.”

  “Why didn’t you go with them? Why did you stay here?” Adam’s rage saturated his nerves. He shook Matt back and forth. “Why did you let them go alone?”

  “There wasn’t enough room on the horse for me and the three of them! I was waiting for Nate to come back. I was hoping they would get away. I tried to help them, Adam! I really did!”

  The stench coming off of Matt finally overtook Adam and he shoved the big man backwards. By that time, the rest of the men had come in the small front room of the ranch house and they surrounded Matt.

  “Show me where they went! Show me the direction!” Adam grabbed Matt by the shirt again and yanked him toward the front door. Matt pointed with one shaking hand in the direction he’d seen Alice go.

  “They went that way! It hasn’t been long. You can probably catch up if you go fast. They probably went into the woods out there. The stream will take you back to town. Alice probably knows that. She’s a smart girl. She was… she almost escaped without my help. But I helped them, Adam. I did!”

  Adam shoved Matt back again and the big man stumbled onto a chair on the porch, abruptly sitting. “I helped them, Adam!” he repeated. He leaned forward and covered his face with his hands. “I helped them. I helped them.”

  Adam looked at the men who had followed them onto the porch. “Stay with him. If any of the others come back, tie them up and hold them here. We’ll come back for them later. He’s drunk.” He leaned closer to Matt. “If you’re lying to me, I’ll come back and kill you.”

  Matt nodded, not taking his hands from his face or lifting his head. “I know, Adam. I know.”

  Adam jumped down from the porch with Mark on his heels. “I’m coming with you,” his friend said. Adam didn’t reply. He ran to Musty and jumped on his back, kicking his heels into the horse’s flanks to get him moving. Mark was on his horse quickly and following just behind him.

  Adam raced over the terrain, looking for any sign of Alice or the children. His heart was beating so hard, he was finding it difficult to breathe. He was fully aware of the gun at his side and hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.

  Will if I have to, he thought. He wouldn’t be able to bear it if anything happened to Alice or his children. He was going to hold on to them with all of his might for the rest of his life. He didn’t care what anyone thought or what they might say. He was determined to find the woman and save her and his children.

  The two horses ran quickly toward the wooded area. Matt was right about one thing. Alice was a smart lady. She would have gone into the woods for cover and once she made it to Back Creek, she’d know how to get back home.

  Adam and Mark didn’t slow down when they went into the woods.

  “Look!” Mark said. “You can see where they were! Follow the trail, Adam!”

  Adam nodded and watched the ground and the surrounding trees for signs that the horses had gone that way.

  “Slow down, Adam,” Mark said. “Slow down. You might go in the wrong direction.”

  “Look!” Adam pointed in front of him. He could see a horse and rider in the distance. “That’s got to be one of them.”

  “It’s David!” Mark said.

  They both urged the horses on faster. David turned in his saddle and saw them coming. A look of fear crossed his face and he kicked his horse into a gallop. Adam and Mark quickly caught up to him. Mark came up next to the man and grabbed his arm, yanking him off the horse and slamming him to the ground.

  They both jumped from their horses and tackled David, who struggled and swung out at them, missing every time. Mark pulled back his fist and punched the man directly in his face, knocking his head to the side.

  “Stop!” David cried out, putting his hands over his face. “Stop! They’re up toward the creek. Go get them. I’m sure Scott didn’t find them yet.”

  Adam looked at Mark. “Take him back to the ranch. I’m going to get my family.”

  Mark nodded. He got off David and yanked the man to his feet. As Adam got back on his horse, he saw Mark giving David a few more punches to the face, growling at him with each hit.

  “It’s all Nate’s fault!” David whined. “He’s the one you should be mad at, not me.”

  Adam left Mark behind to drag David back to the ranch house where the rest of the men were. They would deal with him there.

  Adam kept his horse going, knowing Musty was going to tire out soon. Once his horse saw the water in Back Creek, he didn’t know if he would be able to keep the horse from going to it and stopping. He needed hydration himself and his horse had done all the running. He would stop out of sheer desperation.

  After five more minutes of solid riding, he heard the distinct sound of screaming. His heart jumped into his throat. It had to be Alice. It sounded like her.

  “Alice!” He screamed instinctively and immediately regretted it. He had alerted Scott and any other men that might be around her that he was coming. He didn’t know if she heard him but she didn’t stop screaming.

  He passed through a clump of trees and saw the stream. He turned Musty away from it and was grateful the horse didn’t immediately go to the water. The screaming was drawing closer and he was sure it was Alice.

  “I’m coming, Alice,” he murmured, choking back tears. He was angry, desperate, and fearful all at the same time. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

  He didn’t hear his children. It made his fear stronger and he wished his horse would go faster. Finally, he could see two horses in the distance. They were without riders and had wandered to the water to drink. Their tails swished back and forth as if there were no worries, no one screaming in terror behind them. He moved his eyes and saw Alice.

  She was lying on the ground with a man sitting on top of her. She was struggling with all her might, slapping out at him. He was trying to grab her arms to keep her from slapping him but she was slender and slippery, pulling out of his grasp every time he caught one. Her legs were beating against the ground underneath him as she tried to get him off of her.

  Adam pushed Musty as hard as he could to get to Alice. He didn’t see his children anywhere around them. “Max. Riley.” He whispered in desperation. “Where are you?”

  When he felt he was close enough, he jumped from his horse and ran to where the man was holding her down. He tackled Scott, sending him flying off of Alice and the two men rolled across the ground. Scott was taken by surprise and didn’t immediately know what had happened. Adam took advantage of it and got to his feet, jumping on Scott.

  “Run, Alice! Run!”

  “The kids…” Alice’s face was in shock as she watched Adam holding on to Scott.

  “Alice, run!”

&nb
sp; Adam struggled with Scott to keep him from pulling his gun from his holster.

  Alice got to her feet and pulled up her gown so that she could run faster. She ran in the direction she’d sent the kids in, trying to ignore the burning in her thighs, the pounding of her head, and the harsh ground under her bare feet. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Adam grab Scott’s gun and throw it into the creek. He jumped back on Scott, she turned her head to look where she was going and didn’t look back.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  NATHAN’S PAIN

  NATHAN’S PAIN

  Alice’s legs were shaking. She tried to run as fast as she could but she was weak and exhausted.

  “Max! Riley! Where are you!” she called through the woods. All she wanted to do was sit down, have a drink, and take a rest. She couldn’t until she knew the children were safe. She called out for them until she heard Max calling back to her.

  “Aunt Alice! Aunt Alice!” he sounded terrified.

  “Max! Max!” she called back, running in the direction of his voice. She rounded a tree and stopped short. She was in a clearing. The grass was only in splotches here and there, otherwise it was dirt.

  Max and Riley were both standing in the middle of the clearing, Nate’s big arms wrapped around them both.

  Alice stared at her brother in shock. It took a moment for her to catch her breath and when she spoke, it came out as a soft squeak.

  “Nate,” she said. “What are you doing?”

  “Here they are, Alice,” Nate said menacingly. “Come and get them.”

  Alice didn’t move. He didn’t have a gun. If he did, she didn’t see it. He wasn’t pointing one at the children. He was just holding them against him, one with each arm.