Deke drifted into a light sleep and woke as the sun peeked over the horizon. He stood and stretched. The cabin was still dark and quiet, but he knew that would change soon. He crept back to his spot at the rear of the cabin and looked through the window. Amalie was still asleep on the cot, but her abductor was beginning to stir. When the man started to rise, Deke hurried off to hide behind the outhouse, hoping the man would be out soon to use it.
He didn’t have to wait long before Silas stumbled his way to the outhouse and stepped inside. Deke moved to the side of the door and waited.
When the door opened again, Silas stepped out, stopping dead in his tracks when he heard a pistol cocking behind him.
“I don’t know who you are,” Deke growled, “but you made a big mistake when you took my wife. Now, drop your gun and raise your hands. We’re going to walk back to the cabin to release my wife; then we’re going to town to see the sheriff.”
Silas nodded and moved toward the cabin.
When they reached the weather-beaten porch, Deke said, “You open the door nice and slow and walk inside. Don’t get any ideas about trying to grab my wife as protection. I can shoot faster than you can run.”
Amalie woke when she heard voices outside and saw Silas enter the cabin with his hands in the air. When she saw Deke, she nearly cried out with relief.
“Stay where you are, Amalie, until I can get this fella tied up,” Deke ordered.
Amalie nodded. Tears of relief streamed down her face.
When Silas was properly bound, Deke made his way to the cot and untied Amalie’s hands.
She sprang to her feet and wrapped her arms around her husband. “Thank you for finding me so quickly. That man took me to force you to come here to find me so he could kill you.”
Deke slipped his arms around Amalie, returned her hug, and his heart took a small leap. She felt good and right in his arms, but he wasn’t ready to have a wife—or was he? If he wasn’t ready, why did he have the strongest desire to kiss her?
Deke took a step back and asked, “Did he hurt you at all?”
“No, he said he wouldn’t. He only wanted to kill you for bringing his brother in for trial. He said they hanged his brother, and he’s already killed the sheriff and judge involved. He frightened me. I thought you’d be killed for sure.”
“I can’t be killed that easy,” Deke assured her.
He turned to look at Silas. “What’s your name?”
“Silas Blackburn,” Silas spat back.
Deke thought for a moment and asked, “Mick Blackburn was your brother?”
“Yeah, and you, that sheriff, and judge killed him. You’re gonna pay Sperling, maybe not today, but you’ll pay.”
“Get up,” Deke shouted. “You can tell it to the judge. After what you’ve done, you’ll be lucky to end up in prison if not at the end of a rope.”
Deke and Amalie followed Silas out of the cabin. He mounted Silas’ horse, telling the complaining man that he could walk back to where Deke had left his own horse.
He told Amalie they would stop at the ranch first, and she could wait there while he took Silas into town. “If the sheriff needs to talk to you, we can go into town later. You need to go home and eat and rest first.”
Amalie smiled in agreement. She needed a bath, a warm meal, and to rest where she felt safe.
Chapter Fifteen
Three days later, the sheriff sent word that he’d like for Amalie and Deke to come to town to speak with him. Amalie was nervous, but Deke did his best to reassure her that he’d make sure she was safe.
“When we returned from Cheyenne, you said no one would dare abduct me to get the bounty Rex offered,” Amalie said, doing her best to remain strong.
“I still believe that. By now, word has gotten around that you’re my wife and not Rex’s property. People believe that bounty hunters are a bad breed and some may fill that description, but for the most part, they step in and bring in criminals outside the grasp of the law or those who have hidden themselves well enough so the law can’t find them,” Deke said taking her hand to help her remain calm.
“But Silas Blackburn found me.”
“No, he found me, and unfortunately, he thought he could use you to get to me. He wasn’t coming after the bounty.”
“That’s true,” Amalie admitted. “I must be more worried than I thought. Do you suppose the sheriff has bad news for us?”
“I doubt it,” Deke assured. “It most likely has to do with Blackburn’s abducting you and nothing to do with the bounty.”
He held her hand, and her smile warmed his heart. No, he had to admit that it was more than that. He was losing his heart to his wife. Deke fought it—he had refused to ever love another—but he felt his heart betraying him.
Deke and Amalie sat in two wooden chairs in the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff greeted them warmly and offered them coffee.
Both of them declined.
Deke asked why the sheriff had needed to see them.
Sheriff Walden pulled two telegrams and a letter from his desk. “First, the telegrams sent to rescind the bounty or, at least, explaining that Amalie is your wife, seem to be working. Word has spread, and I highly doubt that anyone will come after her now. Second, the marshals in St. Louis arrested Rex Horrison, but when they went to arrest Caldwell, he disappeared. They’re still looking for him.”
“They arrested Rex Horrison because of what he and Mister Caldwell tried to do to me?” Amalie asked.
“Partly. They need you to be a witness at his trial, but the reason they arrested him was that when they investigated, they found that Horrison and Caldwell had made another deal concerning a young woman named Faith Rafferty.”
Amalie’s intake of breath was audible. She gripped the sides of her skirt in her fists. “Faith and I lived at the orphanage together, and we shared half a room at the hotel. She’s only seventeen. Is she safe? Was she hurt?”
“No, she’s protected,” the sheriff said, holding his hands out in front of him. “Don’t worry. The marshal learned of the auction plan before Miss Rafferty’s contract was sold.”
“Thank God,” Amalie said. “Nick would be saddened if he knew she was hurt. He cared for her but never would have approached her because of his leg. I believe she cared for him, too. What happened to her?”
The sheriff answered, “She’ll also be a witness at the trial. Between the two of you, Rex Horrison and Caldwell—if he can be found—will face years in prison. The hotel closed when Caldwell ran off, and Miss Rafferty’s staying at a boarding house in town until the trial.”
Amalie looked at Deke. “She was a friend of mine growing up, and she was friends with Nate and me for the year she worked at the hotel. She doesn’t have anyone in the world to care for her. I know what that feels like. Can we bring her back here after the trial? She’d feel safe here. I can’t imagine how scared she must be right now.”
“Of course,” Deke answered. “But I think we should tell Nate of the possibility that we might bring her home after the trial. If he has feelings for this young woman but doesn’t want to be around her, I need to be sure he won’t run off again.”
Amalie nodded her head in agreement. “I understand. If she can’t come back here, maybe we can help her find a good job somewhere safer.”
“That, we can do,” Deke promised.
“The trial is the end of next week,” the sheriff said, handing a letter to Deke. “Amalie needs to be there for the trial.”
“We’ll both be there,” Deke answered. He shook the sheriff’s hand. “Thanks for helping.”
When they left the sheriff’s office, Deke said, “I need to go to the gunsmiths for a bit. Do you want to come along?”
“No, I think I’ll go to the café for a cup of tea and think about our upcoming trip. I never expected to go back to St. Louis, and certainly not to testify against someone like Rex Horrison.”
“All right. You relax and enjoy your tea. I’ll come by t
o get you in a short while.”
~ * ~
On the ride back to the ranch, Amalie said, “I didn’t see any packages. Couldn’t you find what you needed at the gunsmiths?”
“I didn’t need anything. I went to speak to Joe, the owner. He’s my former father-in-law and Laura’s father. I told him about Laura’s threat and the dangerous game she was playing by contacting Rex Horrison to collect the bounty on your whereabouts. Horrison would have expected her either to produce you or hand you over to one of his men, and she might have been easily taken back along with you.”
Amalie’s face paled, and she bit her lip. “I can’t imagine how horrible that would have been for the both of us. Her love for you has turned into hatred for me.”
“I doubt she ever loved me in the true sense of the word. She saw me as a prize she tried to take first from her sister, then from my chosen lifestyle, and finally, from you. She has to learn she can’t do this type of thing again.”
“Speaking of your chosen lifestyle, you’ve been at the ranch ever since I arrived. Aren’t you going after any bounties? Haven’t you found one that appeals to you?”
Deke shook his head. “I never intended to be a bounty hunter for the rest of my life. It started when I hunted down the man that shot Laura, and then it seemed like an easy way for me to stay away from the ranch and the memories. I missed Sarah and Nate, and their memories haunted me each time I was at the ranch. I couldn’t find Nate, so finding criminals took up my time and eased my thoughts,” Deke confided.
“But now?” Amalie asked.
“Now, Nate is home, and he says he’s staying. I still have memories of Sarah, but you’ve filled the house with new memories and made it our home. I’m giving up bounty hunting and will be ranching full-time. There is more than enough to keep Nate, the hands, and me busy.”
Amalie smiled. “That makes me happy. I think I would worry myself ill if you were out, chasing down men like Rex Horrison or Silas Blackburn.”
“You’d worry? Why? I can take care of myself.”
Amalie blushed. She paused to think of how she might answer. “Umm…if something happened to you, Nate would be devastated, and he’s my friend.”
“I see,” Deke said. “Nate would be devastated.”
Amalie nodded, but she didn’t say anything else. Deke wished she’d tell him what she truly felt because then it would be easier to tell her what he was starting to feel. What if she were waiting for him to say something first? If so, what might he say? How might he say it?
When they pulled into the ranch yard, they saw Nate walking from the corral. Deke’s dilemma would have to wait.
Deke met Nate and explained that he and Amalie had to go to St. Louis and why.
Nate’s face turned red with anger. “You’re not going without me. Faith is a sweet girl, and if I had known Horrison would go after her, I wouldn’t have left her there alone. I’m going with you. Faith needs a friend and someone to protect her.”
Deke and Amalie looked at each other. Deke raised his eyebrows. “All right. We’ll all go. The hands run the ranch while I’m hunting, so they can do it while we’re all in St. Louis.”
Nate gave a quick nod and strode back to the corral.
Amalie whispered, “Is it just my imagination, or does Nate’s limp look like it’s improving?”
“I thought the same thing the other day. I remember that when he broke his leg, the doc said he’d need a lot of exercise to strengthen the muscles, but he didn’t give it much time before he left. Maybe riding and working here on the ranch is better than whatever he did at the hotel,” Deke commented.
Amalie said, “I’m sure that helped, but it could be that coming home has its own way of healing.”
Chapter Sixteen
The train ride to St. Louis was more comfortable than many other trains Deke had traveled. The seats were padded in a blue, floral fabric and the view was better than the times he’d traveled in the horse car with his horse.
Amalie fell asleep on his shoulder, and he slipped his arm around her to keep her from falling as the train rocked back-and-forth on its way.
Nate had spent most of the trip in the lounge car playing cards or pacing up and down in their car, worried about what was happening to Faith.
When the train pulled into St. Louis, Amalie awoke. She seemed surprised to see Deke’s arm around her. She smiled as she straightened her hat and brushed out the wrinkles in her skirt.
Deke took her arm, guided her off the train with their luggage, and headed for a carriage to take them to their hotel.
Amalie said, “We don’t have to go to an expensive hotel.”
“Of course, we do,” Deke replied. “I’m not sure when we’ll get to go to a big city again, and I think we should enjoy it.”
When they entered the hotel, Deke said, “Why don’t you go into the dining room and order a cup of tea and relax? I’ll order a bath with your room and come to join you for coffee after I’ve checked us in.”
Amalie smiled when she saw Deke enter the dining room and said, “Thank you for arranging my room.”
“It was no trouble at all. I decided that with all of the worries and problems you’ve recently had that you deserved a nice trip away from home. Instead of a regular room, I got you a suite. There’s a bathing room right in your room, and when you’re done with your tea, you can go rest.”
Amalie looked surprised and said, “You didn’t need to get a suite. A simple room would have been all right. I don’t need anything fancy, but I’d love a bath and rest. It’s strange, but sitting on the train for the trip from Cheyenne was more tiring than I expected. It hadn’t seemed that long when I left St. Louis.”
“I think you’re feeling the stress of the upcoming trial. After lunch, we’ll go see the marshal.”
“You may be right,” Amalie admitted. “I do need to stop thinking about the trial. I admit I’m worried. Were you able to get an adjoining room? I’d feel safer if you were close.”
Deke reached over, took her hand, and said, “I didn’t get the suite for you alone. I got it for both of us…if you would allow me to share your room and the rest of your life as a proper husband.”
Amalie blushed. She couldn’t contain her happiness. “I would love nothing more than to share my life with you as your wife. Of course, we can share a room.”
Deke grinned at her and asked, “Are you ready to go upstairs, Missus Sperling?”
“Yes, I am, Mister Sperling.”
~ * ~
When Deke and Amalie entered the marshal’s office, Nate and Faith were waiting in the outer room. Faith flew from her chair to embrace Amalie. “I’m so happy to see you. I can’t believe what nearly happened to the two of us. When Nate came to the boarding house to tell me that you were in town, I cried. I’ve missed you. Is it true what Nate said?”
Amalie twisted her lip and said, “I don’t think Nate lies, but what exactly did he say?”
“That I can go home with you after the trial. That I won’t have to be alone any longer. That we can all be a family since you and I are already sisters—or as close as two orphan girls can be.”
Amalie laughed. “Yes, what Nate said is true. You may come home with us if you wish, and we’ll be a family.”
“I do want to go with you to get away from here and the memories,” Faith gushed as she hugged Amalie harder.
Faith stepped back to see Deke smile at her. She approached him and said, “You must be the famous bounty hunter, Deke Sperling. The one that married Amalie.”
Deke raised his hands as if surrendering and answered, “I’m Deke Sperling, but I’m retiring from bounty hunting, and I don’t believe I’m famous.”
“Oh, but you are,” Faith insisted. “I just read the newest book about you. It’s all about you tracking down the infamous Burrie Gang singlehandedly and bringing all six members to justice. The final chapter hints at your saving your wife from an evil man, and it mentions the Rex Horrison trial. I can�
�t wait for the next book.”
A wave of emotions flooded Deke’s mind. The young woman’s obvious excitement at meeting him was embarrassing, and anger and frustration coursed through him, knowing that the book had embellished the truth.
“Please, Miss Faith, I’m not the man they write about. There was one man left in the Burrie Gang when I captured him. I did save Amalie, but I have no idea how anyone knew about it.
“I need that book you’re reading. I think it’s time to contact the publishing company. This needs to stop,” Deke insisted, resisting the urge to buy every copy in the mercantile and destroy them.
Before Faith could respond, the marshal stepped out of his office, introduced himself, and explained what Amalie and Faith could expect at the trial in the morning.
~ * ~
After the trial, Deke and Nate spirited the ladies out of town on the afternoon train rather than wait an additional day or two. Both were obviously upset over the threats Rex Horrison had shouted after receiving a twenty-year sentence in the territorial prison for buying contracts to force women to work in his saloon.
The judge ordered Rex’s saloon be sold and the proceeds divided between the four young women who were forced to work for him after he’d bought their contracts from various sources. He also ordered an investigation into the sales of the contracts and their former employers.
For his part, Caldwell—who had been captured and returned to town just a day earlier—broke down in sobs while testifying that he knew nothing about what Rex had in mind. He also said that selling contracts was a common practice. The judge didn’t think Caldwell was that ignorant, and he sentenced him to five years.
~ * ~
Excited at her first train ride, Faith chatted incessantly with Nate until she saw something out the window that caught her interest.
Exhaustion from the stress of testifying had overtaken Amalie, and she snuggled against Deke’s shoulder to sleep. Deke was all too happy to hold his wife close as the train ate up the miles on the way home.
The stage ride from Cheyenne was less exciting, and Faith asked if the roads were always that dusty. She seemed pleased when the stage stopped, and Deke announced that they were home.
A Bride for Deke Page 8