Isabel, An Independent Bride

by Hildie McQueen

  “Whatever it is you’re doing, stop it. You’re scaring me by being nice. Did you fall and hit your hard head while you were out riding?” She narrowed her eyes. “Because if you did, then I have to say, you need to see Dr. Jones too.”

  She rounded him and ran to the clinic. The last thing she needed was an amorous Colton Blake who would regain his able mind and hurt her feelings later. Then again, this confused Colton was just as bad. In one breath he’d called her an irresponsible child and then turned around and held her as if she was the love of his life.

  Once she found the doctor, she’d find Scarlett and discuss this most distressful matter.

  “I have to agree with Colton on this,” Scarlett said an hour later. “You could’ve been attacked. You should have come and found either Emmett or someone to go see about the young man.”

  Isabel huffed. “Of course you agree with him. He’s your friend. You’re probably the only woman in Montana who understands him.”

  They sat in Scarlett’s living room drinking tea while Emmett looked after the young man. Gladys, Emmett’s nurse, had stopped by earlier to inform them Thomas’ ankle was indeed badly injured. It was probable the boy would limp for the rest of his life. They were going to splint his injured leg and keep him there at the clinic for a few days.

  “I wonder what that boy will do once he’s healed. I get the impression he doesn’t have a home to return to. Why would someone so young be in the hire of a cruel man who threatens to hang his workers?”

  Scarlett shook her head. “There are so many sad situations here in the west. It’s a wonder decent people can sleep at night.”

  “May I speak to Isabel?” Colton stood at the doorway. His sudden presence made Isabel’s stomach pitch. Goodness, what did he want now? To put her in a jail cell until her father returned? It would not surprise her.

  Thankfully Scarlett was as good a friend to her as she was to Colton. “Isabel, is it acceptable to you that I give you some privacy?”

  Isabel nodded. “I’ll be fine. The worst he’ll do is shake me until my head falls off.”

  With a smirk, Scarlett stood and met Colton’s gaze for a long moment. She then looked to Isabel. “I’ll be in the kitchen.” With that, her friend picked up the tea tray and walked out.

  Colton neared and lowered next to her on the sofa. His large body took too much of the limited space making Isabel feel small in comparison. She glanced up at him.

  “Are you going to lecture me about my mistakes again?”

  For a long moment he didn’t say anything. It seemed as if he considered exactly what to say. Finally, his flat gaze met hers, holding it. Isabel would not fall for that ploy again. She kept hers open and didn’t lean forward.

  “No, but I will tell you about the man Thomas was with.”

  “Very well.”

  He let out a breath and rested his right hand on his leg. It would only take a very short shift with her left one to grasp it. Isabel shook her head and concentrated on what he said.

  “A postal delivery man came to town. On the way here, just a few miles back, he’d seen a man hanging from a tree. He rode directly to my office to tell me about it.”

  Isabel gasped, her eyes growing round. “Who was it?”

  “We don’t know. Frank, Tobias, Marcus, Elias, and I went out there to investigate. We questioned the outlaws, but they didn’t know anything. Not that they’d tell us anyway.”

  “Go on,” Isabel prompted.

  “I noticed the same amount of men and horses at the campsite, so I believed they were not the ones who hung the man. Now with this young man’s story, we have a name and description of who was involved.”

  Chills ran up her spine and Isabel shivered. Colton studied her and placed his large hand over hers.

  “There truly was someone hanging from a tree? That is so horribly sad.” When Isabel started to say something else, he stopped her.

  “What if the killer was following the young man? What if he was hidden behind the schoolhouse?”

  Thankfully, he didn’t act as if he were scolding her. It was more as if he voiced his own concerns.

  Isabel swallowed and took his hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t wish to cause you so much trouble. It’s just that I get so frustrated by the way you treat me. I couldn’t just leave the poor boy alone and injured.”

  Once again he surprised her and met her gaze. “What do you want me to do Isabel? I’m trying my best to keep you safe until your father returns. I don’t mean to belittle you or scold you, but sometimes you drive me crazy.”

  Isabel slipped her hand out from under his. Then before he could react. She cupped his face and kissed him. At first Colton stiffened, pulled back just a bit, but then with a deep rumble that came from his chest, he deepened the kiss. It was a dream come true, her first kiss.

  He tasted of coffee, his mouth hard and soft at the same time. When his arms surrounded her, it was like a safe harbor and everything ceased to exist. Colton’s chest was hard, warm, and ever so perfect.

  The movement of his mouth across her lips and then kissing a trail to just below her ear sent shivers all the way down to her toes. She needed to be closer to him. Isabel wrapped her arms around his neck and raked her fingers through Colton’s thick, soft waves.

  The kiss was more wonderful than anything she’d ever imagined.

  How she hoped it wouldn’t end, because she wasn’t sure her heart could withstand Colton’s negative reaction upon realizing what happened.

  Chapter 6

  When Isabel pushed him away as if scorched, Colton was relieved. If she’d not done so, he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to stop kissing her. Already if anyone had spied them, it would be the talk of the town and her father would be in his rights to demand some sort of reparation.

  As much as he desired the beauty that had just been in his arms, Colton had no plans to settle down and marry. As it stood, he had little to offer a woman besides the fact as town sheriff he would probably die young and only leave a small pension and meager savings. In his current position, he was doomed to die alone.

  “Oh goodness,” Isabel uttered. She pressed both hands to her cheeks and took him in. Her wide eyes were bright, the blue like a perfect spring sky.

  This was the perfect time to say something soothing, but nothing came to mind. The only thing he could think of was how much he wanted to kiss her again. Not just that, but he’d give almost anything to have her in his arms. Whatever had driven her to kiss him was gone by her current look of consternation.

  “I am not sure why I did that.” Isabel frowned and then stomped her right foot. “I take it back. I do know why!”

  Whatever she’d say next couldn’t be good. Colton prepared to sooth her and tried to find the words to let her know there could never be anything between them. Not because he didn’t find her to be a beautiful woman, but because he wasn’t ready to settle down. Not just become domesticated, but the idea of answering to anyone made him physically ill. Surely she of most people would understand.

  Isabel lifted her chin and met his gaze. “You are one of those men who pretend to be immune to the call of domestication. You think of yourself as a hero who rides off into the sunset.” She leaned forward and pointed a finger at his face. “You are going to die out in the wilderness with buzzards eating out your eyes.” She stood and rushed to the door.

  Isabel hesitated just inside the doorway. “Scarlett, I’m leaving. I have to go to dinner at the Richards, so I need to get dressed.”

  Scarlett materialized from the kitchen and looked from one to the other with a knowing look. “Yes, of course.”

  With a curt nod, Colton rushed after Isabel. “You can’t walk home alone.”

  “Ha.” Isabel walked faster. “I dare you or anyone else to try and stop me.”

  Catching up to her was easy as she was a great deal smaller and her strides shorter. Colton walked beside her in silence. That she’d known exactly what he’d been thinking about hi
s future rendered him speechless. Did everyone see him that way? As a man with a hero complex who would die alone with little to show for his life? The fact that it was true, he didn’t own anything except for a few acres of land that he’d not visited in months, possibly over a year.

  His brother Owen was the same, had yet to seek out a wife and spent more of his life with cattle than other humans. What did it say about them? Maybe it was that he’d been raised by a mother who was barely able to feed and clothe them. Knowing the feeling of hunger pangs and the uncertainty of what would happen from one day to the next. The only woman in his life had been so preoccupied with finding a rich husband that her sheer desperation drove men away.

  As far as a father, she’d often told them exaggerated stories of a man who’d ridden into her life, rescued her from the precipice of an attack only to ride off into the sunset. At first the two wide-eyed boys had believed her and stayed up late at night talking about their mysterious father. They’d made up stories of different ways he would return and save them from poverty.

  However, as they grew older and their mother’s story changed each time she told it, he and Owen came to the realization that their father had been a man passing through town who’d stayed long enough to sire two children before their mother’s unrealistic expectations had driven him away.

  In the end she’d died in her sleep holding a belt she swore belonged to their father. The knight in shining armor who’d never returned.

  “Colton. I do believe the town is safe now. My father returns in a week or so. I can take care of myself for the next few days. Please see about yourself and whatever it is that takes all your time. I will ensure not to be alone and if I do require to go far, I will make sure to have someone with me.”

  Her eyes were shiny and Colton knew he should say something. Unfortunately, if he said what he felt, it was possible he’d not be able to walk away.

  In the next instant, he lost his ability to think. The need to have her in his arms was more than Colton could withstand. Not taking the time to think it through, he took her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. He hoped to convey how much he desired her, fully aware the action only made matters more confusing. Heck it was already madness to kiss her so passionately out in plain daylight. If Isabel felt any qualms, she didn’t show it. Quite the opposite, with a soft moan, she relaxed against him and gave in to the kiss. It was the stupidest thing he could’ve done.

  It was broad daylight and they were off Main Street. The fact seeped into his foggy brain and Colton released her just as suddenly as he’d taken her, his breathing fast and hard.

  Isabel’s wide eyes met his, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she looked over her shoulder to ensure they’d not been seen. Her cheeks were bright red and her lips pursed when she met his gaze with a challenge. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

  “I understand you’re a woman, an independent one at that. But, you’re wrong. Between whoever hung a man outside of town and the band of outlaws camping just a few miles away, there is plenty of danger. I can’t promise not to watch over you because I’ve already promised your father I would.”

  They continued walking in silence to her house. He was thankful because if she would’ve asked him why he kissed her, there wasn’t any explanation that he’d admit. More than anything, he’d kissed her because the desire was burning him from the inside.

  When they arrived to her home, Colton motioned to the house. “I’ll go in first and make sure there’s no one hiding. If one injured man came here, whoever was with him can be lurking about.”

  He held his hand out for the key and she reluctantly placed it on his palm.

  “Fine, but I’m not staying out here alone.”

  Her statement took him by surprise. So it seemed, she was a bit scared. He lifted both hands as if in submission. “Come on.”

  After he was satisfied there was no one in the house, he came down the stairs finding Isabel standing in the doorway to the front room, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Why don’t you stay at Scarlett and Emmett’s until your father returns?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t want to impose, besides Marcus and Elias are staying there tonight. And Scarlett is too preoccupied with that and helping at the clinic right now.”

  “What about the Richards’? I’m sure if I explain they will be more than happy to have you stay until your father returns.”

  She nodded and nibbled her bottom lip. “I will consider it.”

  After dinner, Isabel didn’t argue when he walked her home or when he checked the house before she walked inside. He was annoyed she’d not brought up the need to stay the night to the Richards. He’d not done so either. It wasn’t his place to do so.

  When she walked just inside the doorway, her eyes met his for a moment. “Thank you so much. Good night.” By the wideness of her eyes, she was scared. “I should have asked to stay at the Richards. I will tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be back in an hour. Lock the door behind me.” Without explaining more, he went to find Tobias. He’d ensure his friend was settled at his place and then return to sleep on the floor in the sitting room. Once daybreak came, he’d leave and no one would be the wiser.

  The walk to Isabel’s house wasn’t far, but it took a bit longer than it should since Colton took his time. He ensured to be out of eyesight by ducking behind the jailhouse where the stables would give enough cover from curious eyes. He blew out a breath, perhaps it would be a better idea to fetch Isabel and demand she go spend the night with someone in town.

  Although he understood her need to be independent, this was not a time for it. With her father gone, she was unprotected.

  The unmistakable sound of a gunshot echoed sending Colton to take cover behind a large tree. It was hard to figure out which direction the shot came from, so he peered out from the side of the huge trunk.

  In the direction of Isabel’s house were only three buildings. The house was in the located next to the schoolhouse. Her father’s chapel was a bit further on the opposite side.

  He waited holding his breath until another shot rang out. At this point he drew his own gun and raced to the front door of the house.

  “Isabel!” Colton pounded on the front door. “Open the door.”

  He almost fell in when the door swung open and a red-faced Isabel stood in the entryway with a shotgun. “I thought I saw something or someone in the back.”

  “You shot at them?” He hurried to the back of the house to her father’s study and slowly slid from the side of a large open window to look out. There wasn’t anyone there that he could see. If someone had been there, they’d hightailed it after hearing gunshots.

  He looked to Isabel who’d placed the shotgun on the table and held her hands clasped, her wide eyes searched his face and she shrugged. “It was probably a wolf or something,” she offered weakly. “I hope I didn’t shoot someone.”

  “Me too,” he replied. “Stay here, I better go make sure.”

  “I’ll come with you. You can’t go out there alone.”

  “Or you can stand guard here. If I whistle you can start shooting.” He patted her cheek and walked through the kitchen to the back door. “Don’t shoot otherwise.”

  He didn’t wait to hear her reply. Instead, he crouched down and went out into the field.

  There wasn’t anyone nor did he see any type of evidence of horses or large animal. Isabel’s imagination had taken ahold of her and that coupled with fear had caused her to see things. Just as he turned, Colton caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

  A moose lumbered out and snorted in the air. Either the animal was injured or deaf to have remained in the area after the gunshots. When the animal eyed him, Colton remained still as a statue. Finally the moose ambled away, a much smaller one behind.

  Neither animal was injured. He guessed the mother moose had remained because its offspring was too frightened to run away. He let out a breath. Isabel would be relieved
to know she’d not hurt anyone or any thing.

  “Did you see anything?” She met him at the door. Her wide eyes skimmed over him. By the way his skin heated at her study, one would think she’d touched him.

  He nodded. “A moose and her calf. You scared the baby and it froze, so the mother stayed behind too.”

  “Oh no. Are you sure I didn’t shoot either one?” Isabel swallowed and she covered her face with both hands.

  “You didn’t. If you had, I’m sure your father would have been glad for the meat.”

  Her lips quivered as she tried to keep from smiling. “That is a horrible thing to say.”

  “Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll bunk down here and leave before the sun comes up.”

  Once again her brilliant blue eyes widened. “You’re planning to stay here? You can’t do that. Imagine the consequences if someone sees you leaving in the morning.” She shook her head. “Scandalous.”

  It was hard to keep from rolling his eyes, so he looked up at the ceiling. “I’d rather risk that than you shooting innocent people who may decide to walk behind your house at any moment.”

  “I won’t shoot. I promise. But you really shouldn’t stay here.” As if to emphasize her point, she tugged at his arm. “I’ll be fine.”

  If Isabel was stubborn, he was worse. Once he made up his mind about something, there was little anyone could do to change it. So he disengaged from her hold and went to the sitting room. “Can I have a couple blankets?”

  An hour later, he lay in front of a cheerful fire in a comfortable pallet made of four blankets on a thin mattress. It seemed the Wards were prepared for overnight guests and they ensured whoever stayed over slept comfortably.

  His eyes drooped with sleep, but Colton fought it, not wanting to fall asleep until he was sure Isabel did. The woman was much too independent for her own good. He expected at any moment she’d rush out one of the doors with an overnight bag and her shotgun.