Indiana Goes West (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 1)

by Ruth Hartzler

  Indiana put her hands to her head. This was too much to take in all at once. “But what then?” she stammered. “What if I do marry you? What becomes of Morgan?”

  “I’ll let him go once we’re married.”

  “Do you take me for a fool, sir? What proof do I have of that?”

  Cade sniggered. “Why would I lie about that? Anyway, no matter what you think of me, I always keep my promises, and I’m prepared to make a promise to you.”

  Indiana was not thinking clearly. She thought she was about to be sick, but struggled to keep her mind clear for Morgan’s sake. “And you say he’s unharmed?”

  “Completely unharmed, for now. After we’re married, I’ll release him. There’ll be nothing he can do. And he won’t cause any fuss about me kidnapping him, as I’ll tell him that I’ll make your life a misery if he does. It’s a foolproof plan, if I do say so myself.” Cade laughed again. “And not a word to anyone.”

  They reached the door, and Cade walked out. Indiana stared after him, wondering how any one person could have so much evil in them.

  Cade had only gone a few steps when he turned around and looked at her. “And one more thing, be on your best behavior at dinner tomorrow evening, or Mr. Chase will pay the consequences.”

  Chapter 17

  Indiana had no sleep that night, lying in bed wondering where Cade could be keeping Morgan. She decided not to tell her sisters, Montana and Leah, or even her maid, Misty. Until she knew more and was able to calm her mind enough to think things through, it was better not to tell anyone. She could take no chances with Morgan’s safety. Plus, she had no doubt whatsoever that Cade was not one to make idle threats.

  Charles was clearly aware that Cade had been lying, but Indiana felt it not wise to tell Charles of Cade’s threats yet. Cade would be expecting Indiana to do so, and Indiana was worried that Cade might have someone watching Charles to see if she went to him. She would have to bide her time, as difficult as it was. Perhaps the dinner with Cade that afternoon would give her a piece of information, no matter how small.

  The day dragged on painfully slowly. When Deborah and Indiana were standing outside Cade’s rented apartment, Deborah turned to Indiana. “Indiana dear, I know how hard it is to be young and in love. Instead of being upset, look on the bright side—you’ve had a lucky escape from Mr. Chase. What an unsatisfactory man he is! I was completely fooled by him, and I even had no idea that the two men were friends. Why, Mr. Chase did not even tell me the fact. I have completely reversed my opinion of Mr. Hollway. And how kind of him to stand by a friend, even one as unscrupulous as Mr. Chase.”

  “But Mother…”

  Deborah’s expression warned Indiana not to say another word. “I should have stood by my first instincts and married you to Mr. Hollway by now. He’s a wonderful match for you.” Deborah glared at Indiana.

  I’m certainly not going to marry Cade Hollway, Indiana thought, but there will be no convincing Mother. I’ll go along with it for now, and keep my wits about me. I need to find out where Cade is keeping Morgan, and fast.

  Just as Indiana’s thoughts turned to him, Cade appeared. He greeted Deborah warmly, and then leered at Indiana, looking her up and down. She winced under his gaze. Cade showed them to the dining room, and they took their seats.

  The servants appeared and poured drinks. Just then, a tremor hit, causing one servant to trip and splash Cade. He leaped to his feet, more nimbly than Indiana imaged someone of his size could move. Indiana was afraid he was about to strike the servant, when the whole dining room shook.

  “A tremor,” Deborah exclaimed, somewhat unnecessarily, and the servants hurried from the room.

  Even Indiana, who since childhood had been used to the frequent tremors, was unnerved as this tremor was the strongest one she had ever encountered. It seemed to last for ages, and no one in the room spoke. It seemed as if every dog in the city had started howling, and their howling sounded to Indiana more like the wailing of tortured souls.

  Finally, the shaking lessened, and Cade called for a servant to send others to check to see if he had incurred any damage throughout the apartment.

  Other servants appeared and served prosciutto ham on tiny slivers of bread. Deborah and Cade were making small talk, and Indiana was listening closely for anything that would give a hint of Morgan’s whereabouts.

  The talk, however, was all about the tremors, the weather, and politics, and Cade told Deborah stories about his ranch in Texas. Indiana was pleased to be ignored.

  The servant returned and spoke breathlessly. “Sir, it appears that the cellar has received some damage.”

  “Not now! Get out! Can’t you see I have guests? We’re in the middle of dinner!” A furious Cade followed the confused servant out of the dining room, after mumbling a hasty apology to Deborah and Indiana. “Please excuse me. I must check this damage for myself. I shouldn’t be long. Please go on with your meals.”

  Indiana, however, was thrilled to hear the word ‘cellar’. That is surely where he’s holding Morgan, she thought. Why didn’t I think of that before? It’s obvious that Cade has Morgan there, given his reaction to the servant.

  Her happiness was short lived, when she thought the matter through more carefully. What if Morgan was injured by the tremor? Or is even dead? Her eyes filled with tears.

  Cade returned just as the servants began serving the dessert, bananas covered with whipped cream, ice cream, and various chopped fruit and nuts. Indiana paid no attention to the dessert, but instead noted that Cade looked entirely smug.

  “A little damage to the walls in the cellar, but no harm has come to any person.” Cade looked pointedly at Indiana and added, “For the moment, at any rate. Now, my dear Mrs. White, let us discuss the wedding arrangements. I should like to be married as soon as possible.”

  Indiana was relieved, and not at all distressed by the talk of marriage to the horrid Cade. Not only was Morgan unharmed, but she knew where he was. Cade was clearly confident that Morgan was well guarded, but that did not change the fact that Indiana at least now knew Morgan’s whereabouts.

  Now all she had to do was rescue him.

  * * *

  Morgan was praying silently in the dark when the tremor struck. There was a sudden loud sound followed by a thud and Morgan wondered if a chunk of the roof had fallen into the cellar. Morgan braced himself against the wall, and it seemed to him for a moment that the wall was closing in on him.

  When the shaking finally stopped, Morgan heard approaching footsteps, and then a light was switched on. He blinked hard, blinded by the first light he had seen in hours. No words were spoken, but as his sight cleared, he saw light around the rest of the cellar and then it slowly disappeared up the corridor.

  Only minutes later, Morgan heard more footsteps. This time, however, it was Cade. “I’m glad to see you’re still alive, Mr. Chase. Are you unharmed?”

  “Yes.” Morgan was surprised at his own voice—it was croaky, and he could barely speak. Someone had given him water and bread twice a day, and he had a blanket, so he could not understand what had happened to his voice.

  “I’m glad then, for I need you alive to fit in with my plans. In fact, your beloved Indiana and her dear mother are dining with me at this very minute, oblivious to the fact that you’re not far from them. Deborah and I are making wedding plans for Indiana to be married to me as soon as possible.”

  Morgan suddenly found his voice. “You’re lying!”

  Cade laughed, a dry, gloating laugh. “No, I can assure you, Morgan, that I have made a deal with Indiana. I won’t kill you, if she marries me.”

  The sound of Cade’s maniacal, gloating laughter stayed with Morgan long after Cade had left the area.

  Chapter 18

  Indiana fell into an exhausted sleep. She was awoken early in the morning by an earthquake. The shaking was violent. All the hairs stood up on the back of Indiana’s neck. She knew at once that something out of the ordinary, something truly awful and worse
than a tremor, was happening.

  Indiana hurried to the top of the stairs and looked down at the room below her. Deborah, Montana, Leah, and Misty were gathered there. Leah was rubbing her eyes and yawning. The earth was still shaking violently.

  Deborah looked a little untidy, not her usual perfectly groomed self. “Girls, we have to get out of the house now! Hurry!” Her voice rose to a shriek.

  I can’t go, Indiana thought, not without Morgan. What will I do? I’ll have to go to Charles and tell him everything.

  “Indiana! Are you listening?”

  “Sorry, Mother. What did you say?”

  Before Deborah could reply, a tremendous explosion threw Indiana to the ground.

  Misty was the first on her feet. “Indiana!” she cried.

  The staircase had collapsed, and there was no sign of the others. Misty and Indiana made their way out of the back entrance of the house, cringing as structures fell down all around them. It took a considerable time to make their way through the rubble.

  When they finally reached the street, Indiana and Misty froze on the spot, clutching each other. People were screaming and running around. In the space of five seconds, the two young women were surrounded by a crowd running in terror.

  Misty pulled Indiana into a doorway. Indiana simply shook her head, too scared to speak. Panic surrounded her, and she was at a loss to understand what was happening. One thought, however, was foremost in her mind, to free Morgan. “Misty, find Mother and tell her I’m okay.”

  “What? You’re not making any sense.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Find Mother and tell her that Cade Hollway has imprisoned Mr. Chase.”

  “What?” Misty then let out a cry as a piece of burning wood landed on her arm.

  Indiana held Misty’s arm and looked at the small round burn spot on it. Just then a sheet of flame lighted up the building opposite them. The debris was now blocking the rays of the sun. Within seconds, the whole area was in dreadful darkness.

  “Run, Misty, run. Now!” Indiana urged her.

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll be all right. Run!”

  Indiana stepped back into the street, then immediately regretted her decision, as a panicked crowd carried her along. She tried hard to keep her footing, as she well knew that if she fell, she would likely be trampled to death.

  As far as Indiana could tell, the crowd was pressing her in the direction of Cade’s apartment, so she didn’t fight to go in another direction. Flames lit the way at intervals.

  Debris filled the air. A few times she could smell her own singed hair. Although it was early morning, everything was blacker than night, apart from the frightening sheets of flame which came at intervals, providing the only light.

  Although she was utterly beside herself with sheer terror, Indiana’s one thought was to reach Morgan. With some difficulty, and bruised by the bustling crowd, Indiana finally managed to reach Cade’s apartment.

  When Indiana reached the wall, part of it collapsed, just missing crushing her. In fact, the whole front of the house seemed to have left its foundations, and was leaning toward her.

  Without thinking, Indiana ran inside, just as one of the columns lining the porch fell and slid right at her. She jumped sideways, and then ducked as another column fell and exploded with a deafening crack. Indiana was unspeakably terrified at the sight, but it only served to spur her on to find Morgan.

  The building was on fire. Thankfully it appeared to have been deserted. Indiana looked around, wondering which direction to try. A young man ran out. Indiana caught him and shook him by the shoulders. “The cellar, where is it?”

  The youth stared straight ahead, terror in his eyes.

  Indiana shook him again. “The cellar?”

  The young man pointed behind him, then pulled away roughly and fled in a mad panic.

  Indiana was overtaken by a fit of coughing from the smoke, but hurried in the direction that the man had pointed. Her way was soon blocked by a wall of rubble. Indiana tried to remove some of the rubble, but her efforts were futile. She peered through a large crack that had opened up and saw bottles of wine lying on the ground, so figured that this must be the cellar.

  The ground above the cellar was piled so high with the mixture of debris and the burning wood that escape surely would have been impossible.

  “Morgan!” Indiana cried, but there was no answer.

  She sank down on a big rock and sobbed helplessly, while the city burned around her.

  Chapter 19

  “Indiana!”

  Was it a dream? Had someone called her name?

  Indiana looked around, but everything was gray. Everything she saw was covered with gray; not another color was to be seen. It was worse than the most frightening nightmare she had ever had.

  “Indiana.” The word came again.

  Indiana stood up. What if Morgan was alive, and buried under the rock? She frantically attacked the rock with her fingers, until the name came again, only louder.

  Swinging around, she saw an apparition behind her, leaning on the remaining column and surrounded by a halo of swirling ash.

  Morgan? Or had he died and this was his ghost?

  As Indiana stared, the apparition moved. He was alive! Indiana ran to him. “Morgan!”

  The two clung to each other tightly for what seemed an age.

  “Morgan, are you badly hurt?”

  Morgan coughed, and then said, “I’m okay. The roof collapsed, but I managed to get out. It took me a while, and it was difficult to work hard and breathe through the smoke at the same time. I’ll be okay after a bit of a rest. More importantly, are you okay?” He held Indiana at arms’ length and looked at her.

  She nodded.

  “How did you find me?”

  That question remained unanswered for the moment, for at that time, Indiana noticed the sky filled with flames and flung herself back into Morgan’s arms.

  Morgan turned slowly to look, in dread of the scene before him. Buildings were on fire, and other buildings were falling down. He took Indiana’s hand. “Let’s head for the sea!”

  The pair hurried back to the street. The flames had faded, and Morgan and Indiana were engulfed by darkness, the like of which they had never known. It was blacker than a closed room on the darkest night.

  A sea of voices in uproar flooded toward them, children crying in terror, women wailing, and men shouting urgently to their families.

  Morgan had a tight grip around Indiana’s waist, and suddenly he pulled her into a doorway, out of the crowd. “It’s not safe to be in that crowd while we can’t see. If we get knocked over in the street, the crowd will crush us.”

  When Indiana trembled violently at his words, he hurried to reassure her. “If we can get as far away from here as possible, we should be all right.”

  “So you don’t think we should stay under shelter, away from the fires?”

  “No, I think we need to get out of here. It could get worse than this, and if so, we don’t want to be around when it does.”

  “How could it possibly get any worse than this?” Indiana asked, partly to herself. To Morgan, she said, “But the falling buildings are dangerous. Should we risk going back into the open? Are you sure we shouldn’t stay here and weather the storm?”

  Just then, the building next to them collapsed, showering Morgan and Indiana with profuse amounts of ash.

  “There’s your answer,” Morgan said as he pulled Indiana back into the street.

  Indiana looked up for the source of light, and saw a wall of flames sliding along a nearby building. “Run!” she said, pointing to the flames.

  She and Morgan ran, hand in hand, in the direction of the sea. As they ran, they saw people sheltering from the falling rocks under porches and in partly collapsed buildings. They passed people burdened down by carrying large bags of possessions.

  As Morgan and Indiana ran, as fast their exhaustion and the smoke would allow, they saw that roads, bridg
es, houses, and most buildings lay destroyed. Many were on fire.

  Every time they thought they had escaped the crowd, another group of panicking people appeared and swept them along, presumably people who had just now changed their minds about sheltering in buildings. At times the crowd proved an obstacle to them, and at other times it swept them along so fast that they struggled to keep their footing.

  The ground was still shaking, but even this was becoming normal to Morgan and Indiana, so accustomed they were to the continual vibration.

  Morgan and Indiana stood for a moment in the opening to catch their breath. Indiana looked up in terror at the giant, towering column of fire spurting high from one building. While she was distracted, a group of people burst into the street and carried them along. This time, the force of the crowd pulled Morgan and Indiana apart.

  When Indiana was finally able to detach herself from the crowd, she saw that Morgan was gone.

  Chapter 20

  Indiana was moving down the hill, her thoughts only on Morgan. It was strange, and she knew it, to be in a ruined city that was only getting worse by the minute, separated from her mother and sisters, and still her mind was screaming his name over and over. Morgan, Morgan!

  Fires were burning all around her, but they died down as she reached the level ground at the base of the hill. There were people there, on one side of the street, and Indiana stopped to take them in. There were about ten of them, one family it seemed, ranging in ages from no more than six, to an old man with soot and ash covering his pajamas. Indiana turned and looked up the hill, back toward the worse of the fires. It was strange, an eerie light from the burning orange and yellow flames.

  “Water,” a voice said, and Indiana looked back to the family on the side of the street. The old man was pointing at her, Indiana thought at first, but then she realized he was pointing past her, just a degree or too. A red-headed woman of around thirty, possibly his daughter, just as dirty from soot and barefoot to top it off turned and followed the man’s finger. Indiana assumed he was asking for a drink, until she turned and looked as well.