"Now I remember where I saw you," I said, without even asking after his welfare. Because I didn’t care.
"Is that so?" he asked, seeming a bit more confident than he had before.
"You were at the Hotel Imperial about two weeks ago. Hanging around the empty room where our bride was staying." I grabbed him by the front of his coat and lifted him into the air. "What are you doing here? You’re no horse buyer."
LILY
* * *
"These are delicious!" I nibbled on a biscuit. It was light as air.
"Now that we’ve done it together, I’m sure you’ll be able to make perfect biscuits every time." Olivia spread jam on one of the golden discs.
"I don’t know if I could ever make biscuits this good." It melted on my tongue like a buttery snowflake.
"Of course you can. Remember not to mix it too much. Leave the lard in little pea-sized balls so it melts while baking and makes light layers. You can do it."
Olivia wrapped a few biscuits in a napkin and set it on the counter. "You can take these home with you for supper tonight."
I glanced out the window and noticed the sun was getting lower and lower on the horizon. How long did it take for a man to decide whether to buy a horse or not? I sighed. "I hadn’t planned to be away all afternoon," I said, wondering what I’d feed my husbands.
Olivia seemed to read my mind. "Help me peel some more potatoes and carrots to add to the meat I’m cooking, and we’ll have enough for all our husbands."
"That’s five hungry men," I said with a laugh.
"Well, we’d better hurry up," she replied. Being with Olivia was so easy. If I hadn’t noticed the sun getting lower, I never would have realized how long we’d been together.
She got out the vegetables and a couple of paring knives, and we set to work.
"Does it usually take this long for someone to buy a horse?" I asked.
Olivia shrugged. "I don’t know. That’s managed by Keane and Rye. Simon only got involved because the buyer knocked on our door. It was the oddest thing. We hardly ever have unexpected visitors. They take security very seriously around here."
"So I’ve noticed," I replied. "But I’m glad. It makes me feel safe."
"Yes, me, too. We are far from town or neighbors, so we have to watch out for ourselves." She cleaned a carrot and sliced it expertly into the bowl that sat between us on the table.
I was not quite so adept.
"Do you know who the man was? I think Simon mentioned he was from Butte."
"Oh, that’s right. You’re from Butte, too. I wonder if it’s someone you know. I sort of peeked at him from the kitchen. Simon purposely blocked the door with his big broad shoulders. They don’t want people gawking at their women." She finished another carrot while I continued to struggle with a particularly stubborn potato. "I didn’t get a very good look at him, but I think he said his name was Tim, maybe Timothy. Yes, that’s it. Timothy Wentworth."
I jabbed the knife into my thumb, and blood dripped out. "Oh," I cried reaching for a towel to clean it up.
"Are you all right, Lily?" Olivia jumped up from her seat and came to examine my thumb. "Good heavens, your hands are shaking. Are you one of those people who doesn’t like the sight of blood? You just turn the other way, and I’ll get some salve for this. Wait right here, I’ll be back in a minute."
As soon as she left the room, I scurried for the back door.
I had to find Keane and Rye and warn them.
Glancing from side to side, I didn’t see Cross anywhere. I knew my backside would pay the price for leaving the house alone, but I didn’t care. I had to get to my men.
Timothy, Mr. Garner’s disgusting henchman, had no scruples whatsoever. It made him an excellent assistant for the likes of Mr. Garner, but a horrible and dangerous human being. I had no idea what he was doing at Bridgewater, but it couldn’t be anything good.
I lifted my skirts and took off at a run.
KEANE
* * *
"Son of a bitch!" I grabbed the man from Rye and held him up in the air myself, the better to see his face in the waning sunlight. "You! I saw you at the stable the morning we left with Lily. You were slinking around there, too. Is that what you do? Hide in the shadows and spy on people?"
I tossed him to the ground and stood over him. "What do you think we ought to do with him, Rye?"
Rye glared down at the intruder. "What are you doing here?"
"And who is the ‘private businessman’ you work for?" I was starting to get an even worse feeling deep in my stomach.
He sneered up at us. "You Bridgewater men," he spat the words, "you think you don’t have to follow society’s rules. That you can bring your debauchery here to Montana Territory and do as you please. Fornicating and lying with women who are not your wives. This place ought to be burned down."
"That’s it," I said, drawing my gun and pointing it at him. "I’m going to shoot this motherfucker."
"Not yet." Rye dragged him to his feet. "Other than coming to call us names, what’s your business? Who do you work for?"
Though I seethed with anger, I holstered my gun. But I itched to punch this man, over and over. How dare he come out here and say our ranch ought to be burned down?
A vague memory popped into my head. Where else had I heard something similar? Lily. She’d told us her former employer belonged to a group...
"You know Lily!"
"Not as well as you do, fornicators."
My fist landed on his jaw with a resounding crack.
"Well, shit, Keane." Rye turned to me. Our prisoner was out cold. "How are we going to get any answers from him now?"
I shrugged. I hadn’t thought of that. But I regretted nothing. Bastard had it coming.
"We need to get back and check on Lily. I have a feeling this guy isn’t acting alone." Rye tossed the limp Mr. Wentworth over the saddle on his horse then mounted behind him.
"Agreed."
We were on our way back to the stable when Cross rode up.
"I thought you were supposed to be with Lily and Olivia," Rye said.
His expression was grim. "I can’t find her," Cross said, and my heart sank. "I can’t find Lily."
"What?" I shouted.
"She cut herself—"
"Holy fuck. How hard is it to keep two women safe inside a house?"
"I’m sorry, Rye. Keane." He looked from him to me. "Truly. But we need to find her. She cut herself peeling a potato and, when Olivia went to get some salve for it, she ducked out the back door. I checked your place, and she’s not there, either."
A cold sweat washed over me, and Rye continued to swear.
Cross nodded toward our prisoner. "Something strange going on around here, huh?"
"Yes." I turned my horse and galloped back toward the stables. We had to find Lily.
The others caught up to me. Rye was unconcerned with whether or not Timothy Wentworth had a smooth ride. I’d have preferred to drag him behind the horse, but we might need him for some answers when he finally came to. Fucker.
I fought against panic. I was a trained soldier. Battle tested. And I’d never been so scared in my whole life.
13
RYE
* * *
By the time we got to the stables, word had gone out, and a large group of men were gathered. Some had already mounted, and all were armed. Grim faced, just like Keane and me.
We’d planned for this. Run drills. All the women were barricaded inside one of the cabins, a perimeter of armed men prepared to kill or be killed in their defense. It was an oath we’d all sworn, hoping the day would never come when we’d have to follow through.
That day was today. We could not fail. Dared not come up short.
I tossed our unconscious prisoner to the ground, and he landed with a satisfying thud. "Somebody tie him up and keep an eye on him. If anything happens to Lily, I’m going to kill him."
I’d never been more serious. I glared at the men who were waiting, but
not one of them objected to my plan. They’d all do the same. Cross stepped forward and hog-tied Timothy Wentworth then dragged him toward the stable.
"This man"—I nodded toward the scumbag as he traveled over the dirt on his belly like the snake he was—"is part of a group in Butte who want to destroy Bridgewater. Think it should be burned to the ground. And one of its most prominent members is Lily’s former employer."
"That man you kneed in the balls at the hotel?" Simon said to Keane.
"Yes, and I’ve got much worse in mind for when I get hold of him."
"We need to start searching right away. Has anyone seen anything out of the ordinary today?" Though not a trained soldier, I had taken on a commanding role in the search for our bride.
Everyone shook their heads. How could we all have missed it? Our opponent might be more skilled than I had at first imagined.
"It’s going to be full dark soon," Simon said. "I’ll take a group to the west. That all right with you, Rye?"
Our bride was missing. We were in command, regardless of experience or rank. We had the most at stake.
"Yes, do that, Simon. If you find anything, fire two shots into the air."
Another group headed east. Keane and I, along with a few others moved toward the cabins and barns. On a ranch like Bridgewater, there were many places to hide. If they’d left the ranch already with Lily... well, I could not allow myself to think that.
It seemed their goal was to destroy Bridgewater. But if that was the case, why did they need Lily?
LILY
* * *
"You’re the most despicable person I’ve ever met." Tied to a post on the front porch of the cabin I shared with Rye and Keane, I should have been scared and, to be honest, I was. But as I stared into the snarling face of Mr. Richard Garner, all I could think about was how being near him had always made me feel vile.
"Despicable?" He glared at me and spit on the wooden porch floor next to my feet. "You disgust me. Harlot. Fornicator. Can you deny you bed two men at once? Or does your ravenous lust require even more men than that? It’s that sort of sinful, shameful behavior that needs to be eradicated from the earth. It was vile enough when my poor wife found you pleasuring yourself under our roof, but I never imagined you’d stoop so low."
He yanked on the rope around my wrists.
For the hundredth time in the past hour, I lamented my decision to leave Olivia’s house. But, I had to warn Keane and Rye. How was I to know Mr. Garner would be lying in wait?
I’d been running and, since I was unfamiliar with Bridgewater, I was an easy target. He’d attacked from behind and thrown me to the ground, shoving a filthy rag into my mouth.
Thankfully he’d removed that once he got me tied to the porch.
I’d seen Mr. Garner angry plenty of times during my tenure as governess for his children, but he was positively deranged, muttering to himself as he pulled the ropes on my wrists tighter and tighter.
"What do you want with me, Mr. Garner?" I asked.
"Filth like you needs to be eradicated. All of this," he gestured toward the cabin and the rest of Bridgewater, "must be banished from the earth."
"You seem hungry, Mr. Garner," I said, trying any ploy to distract him. "Why don’t you untie me, and we’ll go inside. I’ll make you something to eat."
He slapped me across the face. "Shut up, whore. That’s what you’d like to do, lure me inside and tempt me with your slutty ways. The same way you lured me to your hotel room in Butte."
Black dots danced in front of my eyes. I’d never been hit with such force before, and it took a moment to compose myself. "I did no such thing. You pretended to be delivering room service and barged into my room and attacked me. You did that. Not me." Maybe I should have been more sedate and tried to cajole him into cooperating, but he was clearly irrational. And I was angry. Angrier than I’d ever been in my life.
But that did me little good against a crazed man who had me tied up.
He stepped off the porch, and I wondered if he was simply going to leave me there like that.
No, he had much more devious plans. He returned with a can, unscrewed the top, and started pouring the contents all around me.
The pungent odor hit me. Kerosene.
"I’m going to burn you at the stake and this whole ranch with it." He sneered with satisfaction. "Gone. All of it."
Good lord. My knees buckled and, if I hadn’t been tied to the post, I’d have collapsed.
Oh, where were Rye and Keane?
Had Timothy injured them? Lured them far away so they couldn’t get back to me?
Or worse?
I gazed out into the area surrounding the cabin. Where could they be?
They’d promised to always protect me, but surely no one could have foreseen this.
All my bravado vanished. Replaced with sheer, unadulterated terror.
RYE
* * *
There’d been no signal from either of the groups searching east and west. Something told me we’d find her much closer to home. I was not one for superstition or premonitions, but something in my heart called out to Lily, and I’d swear she answered.
Keane and I tied up our horses, as did the others, then worked our way through the trees to our cabin.
When we got close enough to catch a glimpse of our home, I had to stop myself from crying out. Next to me, Keane swore then immediately silenced himself.
Lily, our sweet Lily, was tied to the porch of our cabin. And that man she used to work for walked around her, sprinkling something around her feet.
Fucking hell. Did he intend to set her on fire? What the fuck was wrong with him?
Once he emptied the can, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He was too far away for me to see what it was.
But, the next instant he struck it across the post near Lily’s head, the flame at the tip visible from a distance. A match!
Keane reached for his gun. I put my hand on his arm to stop him. "If you shoot him and he falls, that match will start a fire before we can get there to save Lily," I hissed.
"You go and get him talking, stall him. I’ll take care of the rest." His gaze held mine for a long moment. Of all the things we’d been through in our lives together, nothing was more significant than the next few moments.
We didn’t dare shoot into the air to call the others back to help. It would alert the lunatic who had our Lily captive that we were nearby.
Keane took off through the woods. I’d have liked to give him a few minutes to get into position, but we didn’t have any time to spare. I strode into the clearing in front of our cabin.
"You there," I called. "What do you think you’re doing?"
"Rye!" Lily cried out. Her voice was strained, and every cell in my body yearned to rush to her, but until the threat to her was neutralized, it was too dangerous. I kept my gaze on the flame on the end of the match.
It was only a matter of seconds before the flame would reach his fingertips, and he’d throw it for sure then.
I stared as it burned.
"I’m going to set this Jezebel on fire. Burn away her sin and the sin of everyone here." He held the match close to her face. So close I feared her hair would catch fire.
Lily blew it out.
I nearly laughed. Good girl.
"Bitch." He slapped her across the face then struck another match, holding it out in my direction. "See this? This will be the end of all of you. Fire purifies."
A shot rang out.
The match extinguished.
Before Lily’s captor could strike another, I dove for him and took him to the ground, pummeling his face with my fists.
"Rye! Stop!" Lily’s voice reached me through the red haze of my fury, and I paused to look at her. Keane leapt onto the porch and worked at the ropes on her wrists. The other Bridgewater men surrounded us, and I left her former employer for them to deal with as a I ran to Lily.
LILY
* * *
My
whole body quaked, and I collapsed into the arms of Rye and Keane. "Tighter," I cried. "I can’t feel you."
"Hush, kitten. We’ve got you." Keane’s deep voice rumbled over me like a warm blanket.
In a rush, I was inside, crushed between my two men who were peppering me with questions.
"Are you hurt?"
"What did he do to you?"
"Here, put this on your jaw." Rye pressed a wet towel to my cheek.
"I wanted to kill him when he hit you," Rye said. "I’m sorry we didn’t protect you from him."
"I should have shot him instead of the fucking match," Keane lamented.
"No," I managed to say. "He’ll get worse than that now." Based on the wails of pain floating in from outside, I had no doubt Mr. Garner wished he’d been shot instead, too.
I blinked. "Keane, how did you make that shot?"
"I knew I had to do it to save you, sweet Lily."
"B-but are you trained for that sort of thing?" I stared at him, amazed. I’d never fired a gun, but I knew a shot like that required incredible skill.
"No, darlin’. I’m not. Never even tried it before. Never needed to." He gazed down at me, his eyes full of love. "Whatever you need, whatever it takes to keep you safe. That’s what we’ll do."
"You did it, Keane," Rye said.
"We did it together," Keane answered. "Lily blew out the match to give us more time. You distracted him, and I made a miracle shot. We worked together. All of us."
"My family." I held them both close. My heart overflowed.
14
LILY
* * *
"Lily, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Keane leaned over me, dabbing at my forehead with a wet cloth.
"Don’t wake her," Rye whispered, adjusting the pillows beneath my head.
"I’m awake," I said.
Rye swatted at Keane. "I told you to be quiet."
Their Blushing Bride (Bridgewater Brides) Page 10