A Daring Proposal

by Sandra S. Kerns

  “But I knew better. When he brought in that idiot Walker, I knew you wouldn’t marry him or anyone else. It was perfect. Your birthday would pass, the ranch would go up for sale, and I was going to be there to buy it.”

  Chaney had listened, though shame for having misjudged her father swamped her.

  “Then that bastard Sampson came back. Stupid woman you are you married him, got pregnant, and ruined everything!” He walked over to the cot and slapped her.

  Chaney’s face flew back from the force of the unexpected attack. Tears welled in her eyes as pain burned on her cheek. She wrapped her hands protectively around her middle. He could hit her, but she wouldn’t let him hurt her child.

  Jed’s child.

  Suddenly she realized what Smitty had said. He knew she was pregnant. She glanced at him and saw that evil grin again.

  “That’s right, Princess, I know about the brat you’re carrying. I knew about the bastard child you lost, too. I’ll tell you now; this one ain’t inheriting my ranch. My guess is that brat’s the only reason Sampson’s listening to me.”

  Chaney’s heart clenched in pain; pain worse than Smitty’s slap. She knew what he was going to say. The worst part of it being she feared it was true. Jed probably hated her after the dreadful things she had said to him this afternoon.

  “No man wants a woman that doesn’t know her place. He’s gonna try and save you so after that baby’s born, he can take it from you.” Smitty spit on the floor again.

  Chaney pulled back farther on the cot her fist to her mouth. The smell of the old man’s breath had been bad enough. The foul odor of the juices now on the floor made her gag.

  “If ya don’t like it, clean it up.”

  Chaney shook her head afraid she would show more than fear if she moved. Unfortunately, her kidnapper had other plans. He grabbed her by the hair and shoved an old rag at her.

  “I said clean it up!” He pulled her off the cot to her knees on the floor.

  With one hand covering her mouth, Chaney used the rag to wipe up the gooey mess the best she could. Bile rose in her throat but she forced it down. She would not let him see her that vulnerable.

  “How does it feel takin’ orders for a change?”

  Chaney resisted the urge to rub the spot on her head where he had pulled her hair. From this moment on, she swore he would not see one whit of weakness from her. She sat on the edge of the cot, her back straight and head held high.

  “I’ve taken orders all my life. Now is no different.”

  “Oh, it’s different, Princess. Now there’s no brass ring when you’re finished. No being spoiled by daddy.”

  Chaney couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “My father never spoiled me. You know how hard I’ve worked to keep this ranch going. How can you say these things, Smitty?”

  “I say ‘em cause they’re true. You and your fancy pants sister always prancin’ around like you’re better than everybody else. Well, tables have turned, little girl. Now you’re the one that’s not good enough.”

  Chaney held his hate filled gaze until he turned and walked back to the table on the other side of the cabin. She couldn’t believe he had harbored such feelings of hate all these years. His present state bordered on insanity.

  He’s off the deep end. Do you honestly think he’s going to let you live after you sign over the ranch?

  Fear crept up her spine and through her limbs. She couldn’t give him the ranch. If she did, they were all good as dead. Chaney knew she had to escape, how, she hadn’t a clue, but she would find a way. Jed and their baby’s life depended on it.

  ***

  With midnight only moments away, Jed dialed the home number of McBride’s lawyer. When a groggy voice answered, he wasted no time. “Mr. Pike this is Jed Sampson.”

  “Who?”

  “Jed Sampson, Chaney McBride’s husband?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “I need the deed to the ranch.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “The deed, to McBride’s Pride, I need it.”

  “Do you know what time it is, Mr. Sampson?”

  “Yes, I do. But I need the deed now.” Jed heard a yawn across the line while he waited for the man to answer.

  “I suggest you ask Mrs. Sampson for it then. Goodnight.”

  “Wait!” Jed shouted hoping he wouldn’t hang up that fast. “I thought you were holding it for a year.”

  The hairs on the back of Jed’s neck stood at attention. Had he caught Chaney in another lie?

  “I gave it to your wife earlier this week when she came in and told me she was expecting. Congratulations, young man.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The will stipulated that if she got pregnant anytime during the year the ranch would be signed over to her free and clear. She brought in the proof and I gave her the deed.”

  Jed remained silent for a minute, mulling over the new information. “Did Chaney know about this stipulation?”

  Mr. Pike exhaled loudly, exasperation with the call and Jed’s questions came clearly across the phone line. “Not exactly. She knew getting pregnant was part of her father’s wishes. I tried to talk him out of these changes. Originally, he had willed the ranch to Chaney and a sizeable monetary amount for Belle. A short time before he died he called about changing the terms. He said something about being afraid his past mistakes would keep her from finding anyone. He was determined to make her get married. I told him he should talk to her instead of trying to force his will on her, he threatened to go to another lawyer.”

  Jed heard a sigh across the line and knew the man had probably said more than he planned or expected. It was enlightening, yes, but not what Jed asked. He waited hoping the man would answer his question soon.

  “Anyway, I was surprised, but thrilled when I heard about the marriage. Then when she called upset because she wasn’t pregnant yet a couple of weeks ago, I explained the details to her. She didn’t seem to care much when I gave her the papers the other day.”

  “Care about what? The baby?” Jed prayed he was wrong.

  “No, no. When she stopped in and told my secretary and me about the child her face lit up. It was the deed, the ranch she seemed disheartened about. Strange, considering it was all she and her father ever talked about.”

  “Strange,” Jed agreed. Martha’s footsteps in the hallway reminded Jed of his purpose. “One more question, sir. Do you know what Chaney did with the deed? It’s important, Mr. Pike.”

  “I recommended she put it in the safety deposit box her father kept at the bank. It was signed over to her when he died.”

  “Thank you. You’ve been a big help.” Jed hung up. Help? The man had made Jed’s job ten times more difficult. How was he supposed to get into a bank at midnight?

  “No help?” Martha asked, setting another cup of coffee on the desk.

  Jed feared if he drank another sip of coffee, he would float away and no one would be around to save Chaney. Still, he took a drink to please Martha, she was nervous enough.

  “No, he said he gave Chaney the deed the other day and told her to put it in her father’s safety deposit box. I can’t get to it until the bank opens.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. It wasn’t so much exhaustion, though he knew he would probably sleep for a month when this was all over. It was more frustration wearing on him.

  When he opened his eyes and looked across the desk again, Martha wasn’t there. He glanced around the room and found her looking out the window.

  “Martha?”

  She turned and looked straight at him then turned back to the window. “You said he told her to put it in the safety deposit box?”

  “Yes.”

  “When was this?”

  “Earlier this week. Why?”

  She turned back to face him. “Chaney doesn’t like being told what to do, as you well know. Oh, she respected Mr. Pike, though she didn’t care for that new assistant of his, Mr. Burton. She probably would have considered doin
g what Mr. Pike said, but she wasn’t overly fond of the bank Travis used since they refused her a loan earlier this year.”

  “Then what would she do?” Jed had a suspicion Martha had information she hadn’t realized before.

  “A couple of days ago Chaney came home with a new rose bush. She insisted on planting it herself.”

  “What does that have to do--” Jed interrupted himself when he stood abruptly. The chair flew back against the wall. Halfway to the door he realized he didn’t know where Chaney had planted the bush. He looked at Martha.

  “Outside this window,” Martha said. “Hurry.”

  Jed flew through the house, out the front door and around to the office window. Martha still stood like a beacon inside.

  With no thought for his hands, Jed wrapped his fingers around the base of the plant and pulled. In one smooth motion, the rose bush went sailing roots and all over his shoulder. Dropping to his knees, he began digging with his hands.

  Less than a minute passed when his fingers touched something cold and metallic. He closed his fingers around a long thin cylinder and said a silent prayer as he pulled it from the hole. Please let it be the deed.

  He unscrewed the top. Sticking one finger into the opening, he slid a piece of paper from it.

  “Yes,” Jed cried out when the light from the window allowed him to verify it. He held it up for Martha to see.

  Once inside the house he met Martha in the hall. “I’ve got it, but Chaney’s going to kill me for pulling up her rosebush.”

  Martha gave him a gentle smile. “I don’t think she’ll mind this time.”

  Jed would be happy to take a tongue-lashing from Chaney right now. Anything would be better than worrying about her in the hands of some insane old man. As he clenched his hand, pain shot through his palm. Looking down he saw several thorns buried in his skin.

  “Oh my goodness, you’re bleeding,” Martha exclaimed grabbing his hand in hers. She dragged him into the kitchen to the sink.

  Jed stood and let Martha minister to his thorn infested hand. It wouldn’t have done any good to try to stop her. He’d known her as long as he’d known Chaney. Both were stubborn, strong-willed women. Besides, there was nothing else to do but wait for Smitty to call back and set up a trade.

  Martha was winding gauze around his hand when the phone rang and both of them jumped at the sound. Jed snatched up the receiver. “Sampson.”

  “You got what I want?”

  “I’ve got it. Now let me talk to Chaney or it’s no deal,” Jed demanded. He heard thumps and figured Smitty was taking the phone to Chaney.

  “Jed?”

  Relief at hearing her voice, scared as it was, poured over him like a waterfall. “Chaney girl, are you all right?”

  “Yes,” she said. He realized her voice sounded more strained than scared. “I’m sorry, but if you had met me like we planned none of this would be happening.”

  “Met you? Chaney--”

  “Enough! You two always did act like a couple of barn cats,” he said to Jed. “Snipin’ or pawin’, always doin’ one or the other. Well, you’ll have to wait for that now.”

  “Where do we make the trade?” Jed asked, though his brain was still trying to figure out what Chaney had been talking about.

  “I’ll call you back and let you know.” The line went dead again.

  Jed slammed down the phone this time. Anger raged through him like one of the foothills’ famous wildfires. Not only did he have a maniac holding his wife hostage, his wife was accusing him of not meeting her when he didn’t know they were supposed to meet. What the hell is going on?

  “What now?” Martha asked.

  “He’ll call back,” Jed answered absently.

  “What’s wrong, Jed?”

  “I’m not sure. Chaney said if I had met her like we had planned, none of this would have happened.” Turning to Martha, he threw up his arms, the waving bright white of the loose gauze on his hand emphasizing his movement. “But we hadn’t planned to meet. When I left this afternoon we weren’t even speaking.”

  “I thought you two had quarreled. There wasn’t any other reason for her to lock herself in the office and not talk to anyone.”

  “Then what is she talking about?”

  “I don’t know. Was there another time you were supposed to meet this week, maybe to discuss ranch business and you didn’t make it?” Martha asked taking his hand and urging him back to the counter.

  “Martha,” he said, as she finished wrapping the bandage around his hand. “I have never stood Chaney up.”

  Yes you did.

  Jed massaged his throbbing hand to relieve that pain since he couldn’t relieve the pain the memory brought. He pushed it aside and tried to focus on the present, replaying every discussion he and Chaney had in the past two weeks.

  It wasn’t a pleasant exercise. Most of their meetings had turned into confrontations, and most hadn’t been prearranged. Other than their wedding, and the night she was shot, the only time he could remember arranging to meet Chaney was when they were young.

  “That’s it,” he said grabbing Martha by the shoulders then giving her a quick hug.

  “What?”

  “Chaney was telling me where she is,” Jed told her. He pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and the sheriff’s number out of his front one.

  “What?” Martha asked confusion clear in her voice.

  “There was only one time I missed a rendezvous with Chaney,” he told her as he punched numbers. “And she’s right. If I had met her then none of this would be happening now.”

  “Jed, I don’t understand. You would never do anything to intentionally hurt my girl.”

  “No, but,” he held up his hand to let her know he would finish in a minute.

  "Do you know Smitty?" he asked the man. "Well, he’s got Chaney. My guess is he made the anonymous call earlier to make sure I wouldn’t come back here while he was kidnapping her.”

  “What about her other hands? This sounds a little elaborate for someone like old Smitty to pull off on his own,” the sheriff said.

  Jed thought about the way they had all reacted when he went to the bunkhouse. “No, I don’t believe anyone else is in on it, at least not anyone else at the ranch. You’re right. He probably has someone helping him, but right now, I need you to get some of your men together and entering from Dale’s side, hold up near the old cabin on the western most rise between the properties. ”

  “Okay, we can be there within half an hour.”

  After speaking to the sheriff, he dialed his uncle’s number while continuing the explanation to Martha. “I did, remember? Twelve years ago.” This time his uncle spoke interrupting Jed’s explanation to Martha.

  “Just a minute,” he said as his uncle answered the phone. “Dale, I need a favor.”

  Several minutes later, he flipped his phone closed. Jed turned back to Martha. “Dale’s coming over with Ashley. I need you to take care of her while we take care of getting Chaney back.”

  “Of course, but I don’t understand. What did happen twelve years ago?”

  Dragging a hand over his hair Jed took a deep breath. “Twelve years ago Chaney and I were involved,” he said and waited for the tongue-lashing he expected.

  “And?” Martha replied surprising him.

  From the tone of her voice, Jed realized she had known. He was starting to wonder if anyone hadn’t known about their affair when they were young. They had tried to be so discreet because of her father’s dislike for him. It seems they had been wasting their time. Trying to reconcile that realization, he continued his explanation.

  “We used to meet at her great-grandfather’s old cabin. Well, we were supposed to meet there the night I ended up leaving town, but on my way there I ran into Travis.”

  Jed really didn’t want to tell Martha what Travis had done to him. She had been the man’s employee for more than thirty years. Her crossed arms and tapping foot let him know he had little choice. />
  “He had some of his men with him and let’s just say they convinced me leaving would be the best thing to do.” Jed was proud of the way he skirted the issue until Martha spoke.

  “I assume you mean they beat you up, but I know you Jed Sampson. That would not have kept you from Chaney. What else happened?”

  Jed bowed his head unable to meet her penetrating gaze any longer. “He threatened to have me arrested.”

  “For what? By that time you’d outgrown your wild streak.”

  “Rape.” He glanced up when he heard her startled gasp. “I didn’t know it until just recently, but Chaney was pregnant and she had just turned eighteen, so--”

  “But Chaney would never have let him do that.”

  Jed shook his head. “When did anyone ever stop Travis McBride once he had his mind set? He could have had me hauled up on statutory rape charges at the very least. Travis thought I was afraid of going to prison, but that wasn’t it. I couldn’t stay and let Chaney be put through that shame.”

  “Oh, Jed,” Martha said wringing her hands in front of her. “That explains why Chaney changed so much after you left. Why her father changed so much. I take it she lost the baby in the accident?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t know about the pregnancy, Martha. I swear I would have fought Travis to the death if I had known.”

  She reached out and touched his arm. “You don’t have to tell me that. I know how much you loved her. I also know how much you still love her, despite her fighting you every step of the way.”

  “How I feel doesn’t matter,” he said, brushing off her hand and concern. “What matters is getting Chaney and our baby back safe.”

  “Baby? She’s pregnant again?”

  Jed pushed off from the counter. When would Chaney learn to stop hiding things from everyone? “Yeah, we found out when she got thrown from Sterling.”

  “But the baby’s all right this time?”

  He nodded. Determined to change the focus of the conversation he gave himself a shake to clear his mind and body of the remnants of the discussion. It was past. This was the present and he needed to get moving.