Against Her Will

by Nicole Sturgill

  “Yep,” Jackson nodded in agreement.

  Tanner had never been happier. His family was happy, healthy and safe. The sun was shinning brightly overhead and the day was proving to be a good one as they walked down the fairly empty side streets of Savannah.

  Until the sound of a gun cocking behind him drew his attention. “Stop right there, Tanner Montgomery. I intend to kill you.”

  Before Tanner had time to turn or have any reaction other than complete shock and fear for his son and wife, the sound of a gunshot ricocheted through the late-morning air.

  Temperance screamed, Jackson began to cry, Big George spooked and reared, tearing himself from Tanner’s grasp and Tanner….

  Tanner’s mind took a full ten seconds to comprehend that the gunshot he had just heard was the cause of that searing pain in his side as bullet tore through flesh…

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Tanner drew his gun and dropped to one knee just as another bullet whizzed through the air where his head had been mere seconds before.

  Tanner saw the man. He was tall, very thin and quite ugly with a beak-like nose and pockmark scars. Tanner was certain he’d never seen the bastard before in his life.

  But ugly bastard was going to die. He could very easily have killed Temperance or Jackson with those bullets he’d already fired and he was preparing to fire another one.

  Tanner cocked the hammer back and squeezed the trigger. The bullet slammed into his attacker’s chest and the man fell back hard into the dirt. Tanner glanced at Temperance and Jackson to ensure that they were fine and saw them holding one another tight and staring at the fallen man with fear in their eyes.

  “Tanner…” Temperance whispered. “I know him.. I don’t know his name but that’s… he was with Yancy when they held me all those years ago…”

  Tanner growled low in his throat, ignored the crowd beginning to gather round and walked to the man who was feebly attempting to raise his gun as blood pooled beneath him and dripped from his mouth.

  “Why did you do that?” Tanner ground out. “Why’d you shoot me and get yourself killed?”

  “Yancy…” the man coughed once and blood splattered across his face as it flew from his mouth.

  Tanner put his foot on the man’s hand to stop him from raising his gun further and glared down at him. “What about Yancy?”

  Ugly bastard met his gaze and Tanner could see the anger radiating from his eyes. “Yancy was my friend.”

  Tanner chuckled coldly and cocked his gun before aiming it directly at the man’s large, sloped forehead. “You need to pick a better class of friends.”

  The gunshot echoed across the dusty storefronts and Tanner holstered his weapon as he went back to his wife and son without sparing another glance at the dead man upon the ground.

  “Daddy…” Jackson whimpered. “Did you kill him?”

  Tanner hated the fear he could hear in his son’s voice. He didn’t want the boy to be afraid of him. “Yes, I did, Jackson. He would have killed me if I hadn’t.”

  “Tanner…” Temperance stepped forward but her eyes were on his torso. “He shot you…”

  Tanner glanced down at his side. The right side of his white shirt was soaked in blood and his favorite brown vest had been ruined. The pain was bad but Tanner had had worse. He had gotten fairly immune to physical pain over the years.

  “I’ll be okay, Temp,” he promised as he laid his hand on her cheek. “It didn’t hit anything important and it went all the way through.”

  “Can we go home now?” Jackson asked as Big George slowly plodded back to them. “I’m ready to go home.”

  Tanner nodded and ruffled the boy’s hair, happy when he smiled a little. Hopefully, it was just fear of what had happened that Tanner had heard in his son’s voice and not fear of him.

  “Can your old pa go to the doc first and get patched up?” Tanner asked.

  Jackson nodded. “Yeah. You’ll get blood all over the wagon.”

  Tanner chuckled as Temperance snuggled up to his left side and Tanner kissed her hair, “You alright, sweetheart?” he asked.

  “I just want to go home, Tanner. The fair has been fun but I’m ready to get the hell out of this city.”

  “You and me both, Temp,” Tanner assured her.

  He grabbed Big George’s reins and was about to push them through the small crowd that had gathered around when he heard the sound of spurs behind him and the cocking of yet another gun. Before he could reach for his a booming voice filled the air.

  “Tanner Montgomery, put your hands up and turn around real nice and slow. This is Sheriff Musgraves and you’re under arrest for murder.”

  ***

  Temperance heard the words but knew she had to be mistaken. Murder? Tanner hadn’t murdered anyone--at least not just now. That had been self defense!

  Slowly the family turned and faced the sheriff who was an imposing character with a thick mustache, broad chest and gleaming badge. “He didn’t murder anybody!” Temperance exclaimed with desperation. “It was self defense!”

  The crowd mumbled in agreement but the sheriff shook his head and two deputies stepped over from the boardwalks. “You’ve gotta come with us now, Tanner.”

  Temperance felt tears fall down her cheek. She couldn’t lose her husband again. She couldn’t lose him to prison or to the gallows. She was going to jump forward and beg and plead but Tanner reached out and stopped her.

  “Temp, take Jackson to the wagon, sweetheart.”

  “But Tanner… I can’t lose you,” Temperance whispered, her voice a broken whisper.

  Tanner’s blue gray eyes were red rimmed and full of more sadness than Temperance had ever seen in one person before. “Temperance, please, get him away from here. I don’t want him to see me led away.”

  Temperance nodded once and Tanner stooped low to catch her lips in a heart wrenching gentle caress that felt too much like goodbye for Temperance to stand.

  Tanner pulled away and managed to smile at a very confused Jackson. “Daddy loves you, son. You make me real proud and I want you to always be a good boy and help out your mama. Alright?”

  Jackson nodded and clung to Temperance’s skirt. “Okay, daddy.”

  Tanner met Temperance’s gaze again. “You’re gonna be just fine, okay?”

  Temperance wanted to scream and yell and curse him for lying. She wasn’t going to be okay! Not even close to it. But she knew she had to maintain a strong front for her son. So she nodded. “Okay.”

  Tanner let out a shaking breath and motioned for them to leave. Temperance steps were jerky and stiff as she led her son and Big George away from Tanner--all she could do was pray that somehow, someway things would turn out differently this time than the last he had been taken in for murder.

  ***

  Tanner was cuffed and led down the dusty road and onto main street. He kept his head high and didn’t say a word as they walked down the brick street and up the gleaming stone steps of the city jail.

  “Franks?” the sheriff addressed one of the deputies as he led Tanner to a seat at a fancy polished desk and had him sit. “Go get the doc to see to Mr. Montgomery’s wounds.”

  Tanner was confused as the deputy tipped his hat to him and then rushed away. Since when were murderers allowed to sit in the main office, given quick medical attention, addressed at sir and hat tipped to?

  This building was impressive. High, copper ceilings, polished floors, polished desks, polished shelves--hell everything in here gleamed and shone in the sunlight streaming through the floor to ceiling windows of the two-story jail. And everyone here was watching him closely with expressions that didn’t fit what he’d come to expect from those looking at a murderer.

  Tanner’s cuffs were removed and a glass of water was suddenly held in front of him by a skinny man with glasses and red suspenders. “You should drink, Mr. Montgomery.”

  Tanner took the glass and sniffed the liquid inside. “It’s just water,” Sheriff Musgraves assured him
. “Hell, we aren’t about to poison the biggest damn hero that this town has ever seen.”

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  “Hero?” Tanner echoed. He frowned, scratched his head, winced as he adjusted himself in the cushioned chair and stared at the sheriff, convinced the man had just lost his mind entirely. “Did you just call me a hero.”

  Sheriff Musgraves nodded as he sat down in his chair on the other side of the desk and smoothed out his vest over his flat stomach. “I sure did.”

  Tanner downed the glass of water in one big gulp and handed the empty glass back to the man in red suspenders who smiled happily and then quickly dashed away.

  “But you just arrested me for murder,” he reminded the sheriff.

  “I know that,” Sheriff Musgraves smiled beneath his thick black mustache and his dark eyes twinkled. “That was just for show and for your own protection.”

  “Protection?” Tanner frowned. “Protection from what?”

  “One of Yancy’s associates placed a bounty on your head, Mr. Montgomery. We didn’t want to see you gunned down in our streets and figured it was best they thought you were in our custody.”

  Tanner’s blood ran cold. “You left my wife and son out there alone!” he exclaimed as jumped to his feet and his legs nearly gave out beneath him. He’d lost more blood than he’d realized and the sudden movement made his head swim. He fell back down into the chair hard.

  “Calm down. I wouldn’t have left your family in danger. They’re perfectly safe. I have two deputies keeping an eye on them and they will bring them in here shortly--through the back doors of course as soon as the coast seems clear. The man who placed the bounty on your head is the same one that you just gunned down in the street. Word will get around that he’s dead and there’s no longer a bounty for your head and things’ll get quiet again. Trust me, there’s too much that goes on underground here for anyone to worry about Yancy for long.”

  Tanner rubbed at his face. “Why in the hell would a bounty be on my head for Yancy’s death?”

  Sheriff Musgraves chuckled, “Because you finally gave that good for nothing bastard what he deserved and we all know it thanks to an informant from that alley those men attacked you in. Damn, you showed them what for too, didn’t you?” Sheriff Musgraves tapped his desk. “You gave Yancy what none of us could give him because higher ups in power didn’t want him touched by the law. You see, no one knew exactly where Yancy kept all the proof of their wrong doings and it was made clear that if the law touched him then the law would pay.” The sheriff grunted. “It never did sit quite well with me but I don’t make the rules.”

  Tanner was about to speak again a middle-aged man with a doctor’s bag came into the jail and clicked his tongue. “Come on back to one of the offices, son, and I’ll get you patched up.” Tanner had no choice but to follow--he was too damn confused to do much else anyhow.

  ***

  Temperance was in a fog as she led her son to the livery where the wagon and her friends were waiting. Jackson kept asking questions but Temperance was unable to answer any of them. She couldn’t form words or even still her mind enough to think clearly.

  Tanner was gone.

  Again.

  She had been so terrified to let herself love him, to let him into her heart and lean on him, depend on him, need him. She had done those things only because he had promised to never leave her--and now he was gone. It wasn’t his fault and she knew that much but it still didn’t change the fact that she was once again losing someone she loved.

  A prickling of unease washed over her and she glanced to the left only to realize that the same man was still in her line of vision. He was following her.

  Temperance felt her heart speed up. This man might be someone else who had worked with Yancy and felt that those responsible for his death should pay. Temperance had no idea how everyone had found out it was Tanner, unless of course those men from the alley had given him away. All Temperance knew was that she wouldn’t let this man, or any others, hurt her son.

  Temperance bent low and pretended to be retying her boot string. She pulled the knife from the sheath on her ankle and rose back to stand. The man was coming closer now and Temperance prepared herself to fight back.

  Just as the man came close enough for her two swing her blade he shook his head and met her gaze. “Don’t attack me, ma’am,” he pulled back his jacket to reveal a deputies badge which he quickly covered again. “I don’t mean y’all any harm. Would ya like to go see your husband?”

  ***

  “You have several gifts here for you. We sent out word about Yancy’s death and thank-you’s and rewards starting pouring in addressed to whoever killed him.” Tanner listened to Sheriff Musgraves and his mind whirled. Gifts? For killing someone? Damn, what kind of town was Savannah?

  “This is a box of cigars, the expensive kind--I believe they’re from someone in the congress who is happy to see Yancy gone. And then you got some money here that…” Sheriff Musgraves whistled, “Damn that’s close to ten thousand dollars all together--I believe that’s a gift from the senators--though they conveniently left out their names.”

  Tanner watched as pocket watches, more money, thank you notes, tobacco and whiskey were all taken out of a wooden box and placed on Sheriff Musgraves desk. Tanner laid his hand over his freshly sewn side and adjusted the white collar of his borrowed blue chambray shirt. “I ain’t never gotten a present for killing someone before…” he admitted.

  “It seems some men are real damn happy you got rid of him and saved their careers, not to mention their marriages. Yancy knew a lot of things about a lot of people.”

  Tanner shook his head. It was sad to know that so many people involved in running the country had done business with a man like Yancy. “I’m ready to see my wife now,” he mumbled.

  The back doors opened and sunlight streamed in illuminating Temperance and Jackson as they stepped into the jail. Tanner took off toward them like a bullet from a gun and pulled them into his arms, ignoring the pain in his side and the dizziness in his head.

  None of that mattered. The only thing in the world that meant a damn thing was having his wife and his son in his arms.

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  “A hero? My daddy is a hero?” Jackson whispered with awe.

  Sheriff Musgraves nodded with a wide grin. “That’s right. Of course we can’t broadcast it for the world to hear because bad men don’t like heroes.”

  “Why did you ‘rest him if he’s a hero? Sheriffs ‘rest bad men,” Jackson stated, his little brow wrinkling up as he tried to solve the mystery.

  Temperance snuggled closer to Tanner as she sat upon his lap on a soft leather sofa. She cared not if such behavior was proper in a lawman’s office. All she knew was that she had her husband back and she was desperate to be near him and feel him holding her.

  Sheriff Musgraves nodded sadly. “I’m sorry I had to do that and scare you and your mama. There were some people that wanted to hurt your papa so I had to put on a good show and make them think he was my prisoner.”

  “So my daddy isn’t in trouble?” Jackson asked.

  “No, son, I’m not in trouble,” Tanner assured the boy.

  “Good!” Jackson grabbed a lollipop from a jar on the desk and plopped it into his mouth. “Me and mommy needs him.”

  Temperance nodded because it was true. She needed this man. If that made her weak then she was a weak woman--but life simply wouldn’t go on without Tanner.

  Temperance was amazed at the gifts that Tanner had gotten for killing a man. Amazed and shocked and…. saddened. She was saddened. All these people in power who had known what Yancy was, had clearly bought wares off the man and had done nothing to stop the monster from committing the terrors he had continuing committing until Tanner had ended his life.

  “Sheriff Musgraves, I don’t want these gifts,” Tanner stated, nodding toward the desk. “It don’t feel right for taking money for killing a man and I sure as hell don’t w
ant money from dirty hands.”

  “Well, hell, Tanner! What am I supposed to do with all of it?” Sheriff Musgraves asked, eyeing the large box of assorted gifts.

  Tanner shrugged, “You boys keep the cigars for yourselves. As far as the money goes, split that between the boarding house and the orphanage. I’m sure some drunkard in town will enjoy the whiskey and you can do whatever you please with the rest of it.”

  Sheriff Musgraves was clearly surprised. His dark eyes widened and he rubbed at his thick mustache. “Are you sure, Tanner? Maybe you should talk to your wife about it. They usually have the last say in these matters no matter what we men would rather have the world believe.”

  Tanner glanced at Temperance but she smiled and kissed his cheek. “I stand beside Tanner no matter what he chooses to do with the gifts and money. I think his ideas sounded very nice.”

  Sheriff Musgraves sighed and nodded. “I reckon I really can’t blame you folks,” he conceded.

  “Daddy doesn’t need all that,” Jackson added, waving the hand that wasn’t holding his lollipop toward the box. “I got a trophy and it’s prettier than all that.”

  The adults laughed and Sheriff Musgraves winked at the boy. “You must be one heck of a horsemen, kid. I never have gotten a trophy.”

  “I am,” Jackson replied nonchalantly.

  Sheriff Musgraves slapped his knee and wiped at his teary eye as he tried to calm his laughter. “Well, folks, I believe that brings us to our last matter of business for the day.”

  “And what’s that?” Tanner asked as Temperance watched Jackson hum and suck away on his lollipop while he kept his eyes on the hustle and bustle of the large police station.

  “Could I convince you folks to spend one more night here in Savannah? Tomorrow morning, me and a group of my men, will accompany you back to your ranch and hang around up there for a few days until we’re sure things have settled down.”