Shotgun Groom

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  April carried Nora and followed Joel and Sep into the jailhouse where a blond man was sorting through a stack of papers, some of which contained drawings of men on them. He looked up from what he was doing and laughed. “I can’t believe it. Sally said you got married, but I thought for sure she was wrong. After all that talk about how you knew better than to tie yourself down to a woman who’d only make you miserable with her unpredictable moods and need for controlling your life—”

  “I get the point, Owen” Joel interrupted, rolling his eyes. “Do you want to help April and Sep or not?”

  Owen straightened in his chair, his face turning serious. “What is it?”

  “Rick said you were familiar with the name Lou Edwards.”

  “The name rings a bell. Why?”

  “Lou Edwards was the brother of Harvey, and Harvey was married to April before his untimely demise.”

  Owen drummed his fingers on the desk and then snapped his fingers. “Now I remember! Yes, we are interested in him. He might have had a hand in the murder of Randolph Hills. This happened at the same time a large sum of Randolph’s gold went missing.”

  “Gold?” April asked.

  “Randolph kept his gold stored in a safe,” Owen replied. “Shortly before his death, someone stole the safe. It’s not hard to conclude that the two events are connected. Most likely, he found the man or men who stole his money.”

  “Did anyone find the safe?” Joel asked.

  “Nope. Not yet.” Owen motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk. “Go on and have a seat, and I’ll write down what you know about Lou. Maybe it’ll help us find him. If we do, we might find out where the safe is at. We think Harvey shot the bullet that killed Randolph because there were witnesses, but someone said they heard another gunshot but didn’t know who shot it. That could have been Lou.”

  It made sense, April thought as she sat down. Nora fussed on her lap, so Joel picked her up and held her, bouncing her in his arms to keep her quiet. Sep looked between April and Joel and sat in the other chair. Owen got his fountain pen and paper ready and proceeded to take notes as April and Sep relayed everything they knew, minus the incident where Lou tried to rape her. Some things were best left unsaid.

  After they were done, Owen said he’d take a look out at their place in the next few days. “Maybe Harvey left a clue somewhere that might help us discover what Lou might know.”

  Thanking him, April and Sep left with Joel and Nora. On the ride back home, they didn’t say much. April’s thoughts kept rolling over everything Owen said. Was it possible Harvey hid the safe somewhere on their property? Maybe even in the house? She didn’t see anything in the house that would suggest he was hiding something, so it had to be outside the house, especially since she made sure that door to the third bedroom was locked before the safe was stolen. Shivering, she held Nora closer to her and kissed her daughter’s forehead. Nora let out a contented sigh and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Joel let out a frustrated sigh and gave up on the notion of sleep. In her crib, Nora slept, as content as a little girl could get, and beside him, April slept, just as peaceful. Dawn would break soon, and through the lingering moonlight filtering through the window, Joel could see April perfectly. Her eyes were closed, her rosy lips were slightly parted, and one of her hands rested against her cheek. It was the prettiest sight he’d ever seen. And sleeping next to her for the past week was killing him.

  He’d managed the first couple of nights just because he was so exhausted that he couldn’t keep his eyes open as soon as he settled into the bed. The sorry excuse for the bed that had belonged to her father was almost impossible to get a good night’s sleep on. At least the bed April had was comfortable. But comfortable didn’t help when he was caught up on his sleep and all-too-aware that the woman sleeping in the same bed with him felt good. Too good, actually.

  She kept the covers up to her collarbone, so it wasn’t like he was tempted to look at her. Well, alright, so he was tempted to look. What man wouldn’t be? Even if he hadn’t sought out marriage, he was still intrigued by the female body. But he’d been able to keep his curiosity in check in the past.

  With April, however, this was getting to be impossible. He wanted nothing more than to peel back the covers, take her nightgown off, and take his fill of her body. He gritted his teeth and cursed his weak will. Granted, he was married to her. He wasn’t so naïve as to think they wouldn’t come together as man and wife at some point in the marriage, but he was still a bit miffed that he’d been forced into it. Not necessarily miffed at her. More miffed at Tom and Rick who felt it prudent to gang up on him while a fourteen-year-old kid pointed a gun at him.

  But he was annoyed, and rightly so, that she had wanted to find another man but couldn’t, and so she settled for him. What kind of compliment was that? She would have married Tom or Rick if they’d been single. Lucky him, he just happened to come along without a wife. Maybe it meant something was wrong with him because he didn’t take what he had every right to in the marital bed, but he just didn’t feel like being intimate with her.

  Now, his body had other ideas, but he wasn’t going to let a simple thing like an erection be his undoing. He knew if he caved in and acted on his urges, he’d be telling her that he was perfectly alright with being the man she settled for. Nope. Until she admitted she wanted to be with him, he wasn’t giving in. And if he went back to sleeping on her pa’s thin mattress, she’d know how weak he was, and he could only imagine how she might think of him then. What woman had respect for a spineless man?

  With a heavy sigh, he pulled back his covers and eased out of bed. The sooner he got this day started, the sooner he could forget about how aggravating it was to sleep with April. Today, they had to go to his parents’ house to celebrate Christmas. He wasn’t in the mood to be festive, but he knew he’d get nothing but grief if he didn’t go along with it. It was unbelievable that his life was being run for him by his parents and siblings even though he was an adult. Grumbling, he got dressed and left the bedroom. As he slipped on his boots, coat and hat, Sep came down the stairs.

  “Get the coffee started,” Joel told him as he put his gloves on. “We have a long day at my family’s house, and the sooner we get going, the sooner we can come back.”

  “I’ll do it after I take care of the animals,” Sep replied, barely looking in Joel’s direction.

  Joel put out his arm to stop Sep from reaching the coat tree. “I’m feeding them. It’s too cold for a kid to be out there this morning.”

  His face turning red, he narrowed his eyes at Joel and said, “I’ve done it plenty of times in cold weather.”

  “That’s because you didn’t have a man here to do it. I’m here now, and you don’t need to be out in freezing temperatures. It’s enough we’ll be taking the sleigh out to my family’s place. I won’t have you exposed to these temperatures any more than you need to be.”

  “I’m not a kid!”

  “Yes, you are.”

  Joel struggled to keep his temper in check. Sep assumed he could do things a fourteen-year-old wasn’t mature enough to handle, like carrying things that were too heavy or trying to put medicine bottles away before Joel had a chance to make sure they were properly labeled.

  “You’re not my pa!” Sep snapped and tried to shove his arm away, but Joel didn’t budge. “I’m tired of you telling me what I can and can’t do!”

  “You need someone to tell you what you can and can’t do because you’re taking on too much! You’re only fourteen. You don’t know anything.”

  “I know plenty!”

  “You think you know plenty, but trust me, kid, when you’re twenty-two, you’ll come to realize just how little you really understand right now.”

  Joel saw the punch coming before Sep’s fist made it across his jaw. He had to admit Sep was stronger than he looked. As he stared at Sep, he rubbed his jaw and opened and shut his mouth to make sure no teeth came loose. Sep stoo
d his ground, though he was visibly shaking. Joel wasn’t sure, but he thought Sep was daring him to retaliate, even though it was apparent that Sep was frightened of what that retaliation might entail.

  Straightening his shoulders, Joel pointed to the kitchen and spoke in a low, controlled tone. “Go to the kitchen and get the coffee started.”

  This time Sep didn’t argue. Joel shook his head and muttered under his breath that it was just his luck he got stuck with a kid who didn’t know his limitations. From upstairs, Nora cried. He winced. He wouldn’t be surprised if April heard the whole mess between him and Sep. Just great. He flung the door open and slammed it behind him before he headed down the porch steps. This Christmas is getting off to one terrific start. First April and now Sep. How was a man supposed to get peace around this place?

  ***

  On the way to his parents’ house, Joel, April, and Sep sat close together to stay warmer in the sleigh. Nora rested in April’s arms and drifted off to sleep within ten minutes. Granted, the little foot heater did some good, but with the wind blowing, it didn’t do enough. So the three huddled together, with April in the middle. And even with the bitter wind nipping at his nose and cheeks, all he could think about was being alone with April in bed. He shifted under the blanket but couldn’t get away from her. There was no doubt about it. Being near her all the time was going to be his undoing.

  He sighed in aggravation. Why did his body have to keep bugging him?

  Beside him, April rolled her eyes. “Must you keep sighing as if you’re suffering?”

  “I am suffering,” he replied, shooting her an accusing look. She was the reason for it, so why hide his irritation?

  “Well, no one’s forcing you to go out to your family’s house,” she said, completely misunderstanding his foul mood.

  Deciding that was a safe topic, he replied, “You don’t know my family. Tom will recruit the other men to haul me over there with you three. I have to go if I want them to leave me alone at—” he gulped—“our house.”

  “When are you going to stop complaining about marrying me?”

  “Who said I was complaining about that?”

  “All you ever do is sigh as if you’re going to die. Being with me is not going to kill you.”

  “That’s what you think,” he muttered.

  “What?”

  “Look, it’s Christmas. Can’t we get through this day without arguing?”

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll leave you alone if you stop sighing,” she said, her leg brushing against his in a way that she couldn’t possibly understand how much it bothered him because it felt too good. “Alright?”

  He gritted his teeth. “I’ll try.”

  She glanced at Sep who refused to look at Joel. Joel started to sigh, thought better of it, and cleared his throat. The rest of the ride passed on in silence. By the time he reached his parents’ farm, he noted all the other sleighs around the barn and the horses in the stalls. It looked like everyone was already there, and several children ran around the front yard, throwing snowballs at each other.

  Joel parked the sleigh next to Dave’s and turned to April. “Go on in. I’ll take care of the horses and carry the gifts in when I’m done.”

  “Come on, Sep,” she said.

  Joel wondered if Sep would be dumb enough to insist on taking care of the horses when it was obvious he needed to be warmed up inside the house, judging by how red his cheeks and nose were. But Sep got out and helped April and Nora down. Relieved that Sep was no longer fighting him, Joel hopped out of the sleigh. “Sep, Richard and Amanda’s boys are twelve. You’ll like playing with them.”

  “I don’t play,” Sep said with a grimace. “Playing is for little kids.”

  “Well, those little nephews of mine who are twelve are running around throwing snowballs at each other with the younger kids.” Joel pointed to the children who were laughing. “Sounds to me like they’re having fun.”

  “I don’t need to have fun,” Sep grumbled as he turned his back to Joel and walked with April to the house.

  Now that April was out of hearing distance, Joel sighed. He didn’t know who gave him a worse time: April or Sep. If it weren’t for Nora, the situation would be unbearable.

  Forcing his attention off of the cute way April walked, Joel brought the horses into the barn where they could eat. He remained in the barn for a couple of minutes. He had to go into the house and face his family. There was no way he could stay out here the whole day. Too bad Christmas wasn’t celebrated when the weather was warmer. If it weren’t for the threat of frostbite, he would’ve stayed out there until it was time to go home. Home. He remembered when that meant going back to the boarding house in town. But those days were long gone.

  Shoulders slumped, he returned to the sleigh and gathered the gifts. There was no sense in putting off the inevitable. Maybe he could get lost in the group of people crowding the house. As he trudged up the porch steps, Tom and Richard came out the front door.

  Joel paused, his foot on the next step, and debated whether he wanted to proceed or not. They were bound to give him grief. Since the stack of gifts in his arms was getting heavy, he sighed and stepped forward.

  “I can’t believe it,” Richard said. “Joel got himself married after all.”

  Tom snickered and nudged Richard in the arm. “Too bad you weren’t there. He cried.”

  Joel’s face warmed and he snapped, “I didn’t cry.”

  Richard’s eyes grew wide. “Someone’s a little touchy.”

  “Someone needs to put these gifts under the tree,” Joel growled, making a move to pass them.

  Tom jumped in front of the door and held his arms out. “I’ll help.”

  “No thank you. You’ve done more than enough to help out,” Joel said, refusing to let Tom grab the gifts. “Get out of my way or I’m calling for Dave or…” He almost said Rick, but Rick had been part of his forced marriage so he couldn’t be trusted.

  “Or who, Joel?” Tom asked, mirth in his eyes. “You’ll call out for Ma to make us go away like you did when we were younger?”

  “No!” Joel shifted the gifts to help distribute the weight. “Look, do you want me to dump all of these out here? Your wives won’t be happy if their gifts are ruined.”

  “The only person you buy gifts for is Ma,” Richard began, “and she thinks anything you give her, no matter how poorly thought out, is the best gift she’s ever received.”

  Tom laughed. Using a high-pitched voice, he said, “Oh Joel! How thoughtful of you to give me this pocket knife. It’s just what I wanted.”

  Joel huffed. “I can’t believe you, Tom. A pocket knife is practical. She can use it on many things.”

  “It’s only practical if you’re a man. What is a woman going to do with a pocket knife?”

  Joel shrugged. “I don’t know. Ma can do the same stuff that Pa does.”

  “Your problem is that you don’t understand women.”

  “You got that right. I’ll never know why Jessica married you.”

  Just as Tom was ready to protest, their mother shooed him aside. She pushed by him, ran over to Joel, and cupped Joel’s face in her hands. “My baby boy is all grown up. It seems just like yesterday I gave birth to you, and now you’re a married man. Where did the time go?”

  Since her back was to them, Tom and Richard pressed their hands to their hearts and mouthed the words “my baby boy”. Joel resisted the urge to grit his teeth. He hated big brothers! They were nothing but trouble.

  “April is such a lovely young woman,” their mother continued. “Tom told me that you married her because she reminds you of me. It’s so nice of you to say that you wanted someone as sweet as your mother to be your wife.”

  Joel glared at Tom and Richard who bent their heads together and chuckled softly into their hands.

  Their mother kissed Joel’s cheek. “Just think of it. My baby boy is all grown up and has his own family now. Why, April could be bringing out two children
next Christmas instead of one!”

  Joel blanched. “Isn’t it enough that Mary’s going to give you another grandchild in February?” It was ridiculous that the woman couldn’t be satisfied with eleven grandchildren and one on the way. Actually, since he married April, she technically had twelve grandchildren already. Then in February, she’d have thirteen. Inspired, he said, “Unless, of course, Mary doesn’t have a boy. You could probably use another grandson, especially since Tom couldn’t seem to do the job.”

  His ploy worked. Tom stopped snickering and crossed his arms in defiance. “I’ll have you know I’m very happy with my four daughters.”

  “I suppose that’s the only way you don’t feel like a woman when you ride in that pink buggy your wife bought right after you got married,” Joel replied.

  “There’s nothing wrong with the color pink,” Tom argued. “The girls love it.”

  Their mother groaned. “Must you boys fuss? Seriously, you’re all grown up with families of your own, and you’re acting like you were still children. Now, it’s time for you to be an example and be nice.”

  “Well said, Ma,” Richard agreed.

  “That’s my boy,” their mother replied, going over to Richard. “You had enough sense not to get caught in their squabbles. Now, come on in so we can set those gifts down, Joel.”

  “Here. I’ll get the door for you, Ma,” Richard said, giving Joel and Tom a smug look.

  “Thank you, Richard,” she replied and headed into the house.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Tom shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

  “You’re telling me,” Joel told Tom.

  “Your problem is that I’ve always been smart enough to get on her good side,” Richard teased. “Why do you think she’d let me sneak in a cookie before supper?”

  “You got what before supper?” Tom asked.

  With an amused smile, Richard went into the house.

  “You know, if he didn’t come in handy whenever we needed to build something, I’d kick him clear back to New York,” Tom said.