“Wake up, sleepy head.” Mary’s cheerful voice filled the air. “Time to get up.”
Angel opened her eyes, then pressed her fists to her eyes as if just waking up.
“I’ve made you some tea,” Mary continued.
“And what did you put in it?”
“Nothing. I merely did that before to help you sleep.”
I must watch what I say. Mary is as mad as Vera was. “Listen, I appreciate all your help, but I’d like to go back to the boarding house.”
“Oh, no, dear. That’s not possible.”
“Why not?” A silent scream formed in Angel’s throat. Mary meant...to kill her, and she was so weak, she couldn’t defend herself. She had to stall for time—until Evan returned.
If he returned.
“I’m sorry, Angel. I’ve always liked you, but you must go away. You see, I persuaded Evan that he must leave, and when he returns, you cannot be here. Then he will marry me. Like he was going to before you arrived.”
“Evan won’t believe I’d do that.” Goosebumps raced down her spine, and she rubbed her arms.
“Oh, yes, he will. When I tell him you went mad with grief over the baby, he’ll believe me, and so will everyone else.” Mary hummed to herself as she poured a cup of tea.
“You won’t get away with this. I know who you are, and Evan knows all about Thaddeus and Vera.”
“True, true, but”—Mary’s voice turned cold—“they’re dead now and dead people can’t talk.” She smoothed her hair back. “I have to go to town now and tell everyone how bad you’re taking the loss of the baby.”
With a happy smile, Mary turned and left the room. When Angel heard the key turn in the lock, she slipped from the bed and dragged herself over to the window. In minutes, Mary drove by in a buggy—going to town to tell everyone how Angel had gone insane.
She had to be gone before the mad woman returned.
She opened the wardrobe, pulled out one of Mary’s dresses and shrugged into it. Mary’s boots were too big, but they’d have to do. Angel turned her attention to the locked door. Several precious minutes passed as she tried to pick the lock. Finally she gave up.
Desperate, she picked up the chair by the bed and threw it at the window. The glass shattered. It took all of her willpower and strength to climb out the window. She collapsed on the ground. Feeling something sticky, she glanced down at her dress—and saw blood.
With an iron will, she ignored the spreading crimson flow, struggled to her feet and staggered toward the barn.
****
Evan pulled Buck to a halt in front of the house. He muttered a curse. He’d let Mary talk him into leaving. What she’d said at the time made sense—Angel would need time to come to terms with losing the baby. But he should’ve stayed and been there for her. He’d come so close to losing her. Hopefully, she would forgive him for leaving.
The house appeared empty. He dismounted, stepped up on the porch and banged on the door. When there was no answer, he grabbed the door knob. The door was locked. He called Mary’s name and knocked again. Still no answer.
His anxiety grew. Where were they? Maybe Angel had gotten worse, and Mary had taken her to town to the doctor. He jumped off the porch and walked around the house.
Then he saw the broken window.
A curse ripped from his lips. He studied the broken window. Glass littered the ground. Whoever had broken it had done so from the inside. He picked up the chair, stepped on it, and climbed into the room. Empty! He grabbed the door knob and turned it. When he found it locked, he cursed again. He put his shoulder to the door and thrust his weight against it, but it refused to budge. He stomped back to the window, climbed out, and studied the ground.
A trail of blood led toward the barn. As he followed it, his heart went cold. Someone had lost a lot of blood. It had to be Angel. The tracks led to an empty stall. From all appearances, someone had saddled a horse and ridden out, and someone in a buggy had followed.
He walked outside and whistled for Buck. The big gelding came at a run. Evan grabbed the pommel and swung up into the saddle. The tracks were easy to follow and led up the slope and down the ravine. He lost the trail on the rocky creek bed. He pulled Buck to a halt and studied the terrain. Keep calm, Evan, or you’ll miss something here. Then he saw the overturned rocks. The buggy had come this way.
He dismounted and led Buck down the ravine making sure he didn’t lose the trail again. Any delay on his part might endanger Angel if she wasn’t already—no, he wouldn’t think of that—wouldn’t think of anything that detracted from his concentration.
A bend ahead slowed his feet, and he drew his gun. After tying Buck’s reins to a tree limb, he crept closer, keeping to the edge where the tall grass would hide him. He dropped to his knees, took his hat off, and peered around the bend.
The buggy was there, sitting askance, one wheel jammed between two huge rocks. The driver had been lucky to get this far. A second horse munched grass a few feet away. He waited a few minutes to see if anyone appeared. When he saw no one, he stood and made his way to the buggy. A quick glance told him it was Mary’s, and there was no blood anywhere. He exhaled a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding.
With a soft whistle, he walked over to the other horse. The mare lifted her head, stared at him but stood still. Dark stains smeared the saddle. He didn’t have to touch them to know that it was blood.
A cold hand grabbed his heart and squeezed it. He scanned the hard ground and saw signs that whoever had been on the horse had struggled up the slope, leaving a trail of blood. He could see that person had half climbed, half crawled up the slope. Judging from the handprints, it was a woman. Whoever had been in the buggy had followed.
Instead of following, Evan circled around—just in case someone was on the other side—and waiting. With a light step, he approached the ridge, then fell to all fours and bellied his way to the top.
What he saw turned his blood ice cold.
Angel, her face ashen, her dress covered with blood, stood at the edge of the cliff. One backward step would send her plummeting to her death. Mary stood in front of her, aiming a rifle at Angel’s heart.
His mind refused to believe what he was seeing. Not daring to call out for fear he would startle Mary into firing, he dropped to his knees and crawled forward. Maybe he could get Angel’s attention. Slowly he raised his head. He saw Angel’s gaze dart to him and saw her quick intake of breath. He shook his head, warning her to make no move.
****
When Evan appeared behind Mary, Angel almost called out to him. Her prayers had been answered. She had to keep Mary talking. “You’ll never get away with this.”
“Of course I will. You went mad when I told you that you had lost your baby. You fought with me and ran away. I followed to help you, and you fell off the ledge. So sad, so very sad.”
“But I haven’t fallen off the ledge.”
“You will—now jump.”
Angel shook her head. “No, I won’t jump. You’ll have to kill me, and then everyone will know you did it and you’ll go to jail.”
Mary took a few steps closer. “No, I won’t. You have to die. Your father was responsible for sending my husband to prison where he died. So I’ll kill you, and the score will be even. And I’ll get Evan.”
Angel saw Evan creep closer, keeping low to the ground. She blinked back tears of pain and terror. Mary again stepped forward. Her crazed expression told Angel her time was short. Evan was now about twenty feet behind Mary. I’ve got to keep her talking. “Evan won’t believe you,” she taunted, “and he doesn’t love you. He loves me.”
With a scream, Mary rushed at her. Angel planted her feet and braced herself for the attack. With all the blood she’d lost, she didn’t stand a chance unless Evan got to Mary first. Mary slammed into her, the impact hurling them both to the ground—and knocking the breath from Angel’s body. They rolled to the edge of the cliff. She tried to shove Mary away, but she didn’t have the s
trength. She felt herself falling...
Strong hands grabbed her and pulled her back from certain death. Evan grabbed Mary and flung her bodily across the rocky ledge, then turned and cradled Angel to his chest. “Oh, God, Angel, my love, I didn’t think I’d get to you in time.”
Angel couldn’t speak and couldn’t hold back the tears. She buried her face in his chest.
“No.” Mary’s scream came from behind Evan.
As he whirled to face the maddened woman, his arms tightened around Angel, and he rolled out of her path.
But Mary couldn’t stop and plunged over the cliff. Angel screamed as Mary disappeared from their sight. “Ohmigod, Evan, is she—?”
He helped her to her feet, and they walked to the edge. A hundred feet below Mary’s lifeless body sprawled on the ground like a broken doll.
“She can’t hurt you any more,” Evan whispered in her ear. “What did she mean about you killing her husband? I didn’t know she’d had a husband. I couldn’t make any sense out of what she was saying.”
With tears streaming down her face, Angel told him everything she’d learned from Thaddeus, Vera, and Mary and of the picture she’d seen in Mary’s bedroom. “And so, it’s over. My father can rest in peace now.”
“Yes, it’s over, but I should not have listened to her and left you. I’m so sorry, my darling.”
“You didn’t know what she planned to do. It’s not your fault. I’m so sorry about the baby. If I had only listened to you, our baby would be alive right now—still growing in my belly. I should not have gambled with our baby’s life.”
“Shhhh. Don’t say that. Don’t blame yourself. You’re not to blame. If anyone is to blame, it’s Thaddeus and Vera. And Mary. They were evil people, and they paid for their sins.”
“Yes, they paid the ultimate price.”
“Now I need to get you to a doctor. We’ll have plenty of time to have another child. Just think how much fun we’ll having making those babies.”
She grinned weakly as he scooped her up in his arms. “I love you, Evan.”
“And I love you, my Lady Gambler.”
From somewhere in the trees, she heard the soft hoot of an owl. She smiled.
Epilogue
New Orleans
Gentle ripples of muddy brown Mississippi water lapped softly against the riverboat. Beams of brilliant sunlight bathed Angel and the child playing at her feet in a golden hue.
Amelia’s child.
A dark-haired, dark-eyed adorable baby girl who resembled both Amelia and Anthony. Angel sighed. Had her baby lived, it would have been almost the same age as this darling little girl.
She heard footsteps and glanced up. Her dearest friend walked toward her, her belly already full with another baby. Anthony and Evan followed as Grandpapa and Eleeza trailed behind them.
Her gaze rested on her husband, and she admired his handsome features as she did every time she saw him. The sight of him never failed to stir her blood. He and Anthony were laughing at something, and Evan’s face wore a relaxed and warm expression. But when his gaze fell on the dark-haired tot, a look of extreme sadness flashed across his features, and she knew he mourned the loss of their child.
“Ah, here you are.” Amelia leaned over and scooped her daughter up in her arms. “I hope she’s been an angel.”
“She most certainly has,” Angel answered with a grin.
Anthony took his daughter from Amelia and turned to Angel. “Evan has been entertaining us with tales of your exploits in the Black Hills.”
She quirked an eyebrow at her husband. “Is that so? Well, I advise you not to believe everything you hear.”
“Well, knowing my headstrong granddaughter,” Grandpapa interjected, “he probably understated the facts.”
“Oh, both of my menfolk have turned on me.” She placed her hand over her heart and pretended to be in pain.
Amelia sat beside her. “Witnessing that man’s murder in the saloon must have been terrible for you.”
“It was.”
Evan walked over and stood beside her chair. “And that is why I made her quit working there.”
She glanced up at him. She knew he was baiting her so she merely smiled at him. “Yes, dear, you did.”
Amelia laughed. “Then my dear friend has changed much since I last saw her.”
“And I told her no more gambling, no more wagers. Isn’t that right, dear?”
“Yes, love, but aren’t you glad I gambled on love—because I won the love of my life.” She blew a soft kiss in Evan’s direction. “But I have one more wager to make.”
Evan’s brow furrowed. “One more? I thought we’d agreed—”
She held up her hand. “I’ll bet you our child is born by Christmas.”
A look of disbelief flashed across Evan’s face before it broke into a smile. He knelt at her feet. “You mean—”
“Yes. I’m pregnant. Robert Montgomery should arrive by Yuletide.”
“And when did you discover this?”
“When we came aboard. Eleeza took one look at me and said I was with child.”
All eyes turned to the old Cajun woman who grinned at them. “Eleeza know.”
Evan pulled Angel to her feet and into his embrace. “I love you, my Lady Gambler.”
“And I love you, Evan Montgomery.”
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Gambling on Love Page 26