by Lily Graison
He’d been practicing his speech all the way back to Willow Creek. He just hoped Sarah didn’t laugh in his face and tell him he’d be the last person on earth she’d spend her life with. He’d rather her take his name willingly but he wasn’t above forcing it on her. His kidnapping plan was still in the back of his mind and he smiled as he dismounted and tied the horse’s reins to the fence in front of Morgan’s house.
“Where’s Sarah?” he asked, walking up to the house. Abigail looked to Morgan before facing him. Something in her eyes told him he didn’t want to know.
She blew out a long breath and glanced at Morgan again. “Sarah’s not here, Colt.”
Colt stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked up. “Where is she?”
Abigail seemed to deflate, her shoulders drooped and a frown covered her face. “She’s gone.” She gave him a sad smile and walked to the railing. “She left Willow Creek over two hours ago.”
Colt heard her words but didn’t quite comprehend them. He turned and looked down the street, staring at the stagecoach in confusion. She left Willow Creek? Turning to face Abigail, he asked, “How exactly did she leave? The stagecoach is still here.”
Morgan joined Abigail on the porch and she immediately took his hand. “A man by the name of William Brighton came for her. He said he was her fiancé and that he’d been searching for her.”
The news left him numb. He stared at Abigail until she looked away, uncomfortable, before she said a quiet, “I’m sorry,” and went back inside the house. He stared at the spot she’d been standing for long minutes before Morgan moved into his line of sight.
“Do you love her, Colt?”
Colt focused his eyes on his brother. “What difference does it make?” He turned and walked away, a jumble of thoughts crashing inside his head.
Morgan caught him at the gate and grabbed his arm. “It makes all the difference in the world.”
Colt laughed. “And how’s that? She’s gone, in case you didn’t hear your wife.”
“I heard her and it makes little difference whether she’s here or not. The question I asked is, do you love her?”
Did he? Colt stared at the ruined town, pictures of Sarah playing in slow motion in his head. He saw her smile, heard her laughter and her biting tongue as she yelled at him. The care she’d shown his sickly father showed him her kindness and the look in her eyes after he kissed her showed him her desire. He saw her cheeks redden as she blushed and heard the small sounds he’d pulled from her as he worshipped her body.
Everything about her took his breath. Did he love her? Yes, but what difference did it make now? She left with her pudgy marshal fiancé. She didn’t love him or she would have refused to go. She’d made her choice and he’d die before he told a soul how much her decision hurt.
* * * *
Sarah looked at William again and wondered what he’d do if she just swung her leg over the horse to straddle the saddle, turned him around, and just… left.
He’d probably chase her down and tie her to the horse, insist her ordeal had left her in an unstable frame of mind and haul her to the nearest doctor to have his theory confirmed.
She sighed and shifted in the saddle, trying to get comfortable. It wasn’t easy. Her back hurt, her right leg had gone to sleep from sitting side saddle for so long and sweat trickled down her back. She was grateful for the light blue dress Abigail had given her but the material was hot and sticking to her skin.
Seeing William in Willow Creek had shocked Sarah so much, she’d not been able to do anything but stand on Abigail’s front porch and gawk at him. He’d smiled as he walked up to the house. He’d been searching for her since the day of the bank robbery, he said, and thanks to her father, had an entire posse of men with him to see to her safe return.
She’d looked to Abigail, who chose to remain quiet, before turning back to face him. She’d been at a loss for words. Giving him a smile in greeting, she entered the house to collect her things and remembered once she was inside that she had none. Abigail joined her moments later, asked her what she would do and Sarah had been so distraught, she couldn’t answer.
Her heart told her to stay but Colt had yet to say he wanted her. She was confused and didn’t know what to do. William made the decision for her by boldly coming inside the house, thanking Abigail for seeing to her care and grabbed her hand, whisking her out the door and down the walkway to a waiting horse. He sat her sidesaddle, kissed her hand and mounted his own horse before the entire party moved out.
That was three hours ago and in all that time, her heart had been crying for her to go back. That even if Colt didn’t want her forever that he wouldn’t turn her away. Irritating man that he was at times, he would take her in just because she was there.
She glanced at William again and cleared her throat. “Was the search difficult?”
He nodded his head and shifted in the saddle. “I’m not used to sleeping on the ground. I’ve not had a decent meal in a week, either. Or a bath.”
Sarah stared straight ahead, her hands sweaty against the horse’s reins. “I’m sorry for all your discomfort.”
“It will all be a distant memory once we return home.” He turned to look at her and smiled. “Your father has given his consent for us to marry. He’s already started planning the wedding.” He chuckled. “Heck, we might even ride in and be married right then and there as excited as he was.”
A quiver of fear rolled down Sarah’s back. At one time, thoughts of marrying William had left her feeling secure and satisfied but now, after her adventure with Colt, she knew she’d never be happy living in Wyoming.
She glanced at William out of the corner of her eye, taking him in with a more critical eye. He wasn’t anywhere near handsome. Not like Colt was. William was rather ordinary looking, actually, and carried a bit more weight on him than he should. Colt’s nickname for William came back to her, the pudgy Marshal, and she snickered at the thought.
“What’s so funny?” William asked.
Sarah bit her tongue to keep from laughing. “Nothing.” She could see him staring at her out of the corner of her eye. When he said nothing, she turned to look at him. “Whatever it is you wish to ask, just do so.”
He looked at the other men that were scattered around them before guiding his horse closer to hers. He cleared his throat and adjusted the hat on his head. “Well, I was just wondering…” He inhaled a deep breath and his face reddened. “See, the thing is Sarah, you’ve been gone a long time and there’s been talk. Talk of what may have happened to you.” His neck was now the color of his face and he was trying hard not to look at her. “You’ve been alone with untold number of men.” He glanced down at her feet, before looking back up. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, were you violated?”
She knew this question would come up eventually, if not from him, from her father. Everyone in town that knew she’d been taken was probably wondering the exact same thing. She’d known they would. Being in the company of men who kidnapped you, it was hard not to think about it. “Does it matter?” He looked away and Sarah wondered if his head would explode. She’d never seen someone’s face such a blistering shade of red.
“I’d like to say no, but…” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Sarah, but it does. It shouldn’t but if we’re to make anything of our future, then there needs to be honesty among us. I’ll still marry you but I need to know.”
Sarah agreed that honesty played a big part of any marriage but she wasn’t sure he realized what it meant exactly. Him saying he wanted to know was different from actually knowing.
If she answered him honestly, she’d say no. She hadn’t been violated in any way. And she hadn’t. She’d given herself to Colt willingly but she knew that wasn’t what he meant. He wanted to know had she been touched. Was she still a virgin?
Memories of Colt’s touch caused her own face to heat, for her cheeks to burn in remembrance. Hearing William’s soft intake of breath, she turned to look at him. The answer
was on her face, apparently. The look in his eyes hardened, his lips thinned, pressed into an angry slash across his face. He shifted on his saddle, yanked at the collar of his shirt and hissed something under his breath.
He didn’t say a word after that, steering his horse away from her a little distance, and Sarah went back to looking at the passing scenery. Her mind wandered, thoughts of Colt nagging at her to turn the horse around again. To throw caution to the wind and take a chance.
The men on the outer edges of their little group started talking in short clipped sentences and Sarah strained to hear what was being said. She could see the agitation on their faces, saw their horses dance under them. Most were looking into the distance, some turning to look behind them, and when Sarah did the same, she saw why they were suddenly so nervous.
They weren’t alone.
On the hills behind them, a light flashed, disappeared, and flashed again. She’d seen that before and her heart started racing. She scanned the rocky outcrop in the distance, saw an answering light and nearly swallowed her own tongue. Fear skated along her spine and her thoughts were once again on Colt. He’d saved her that day but would William? Would he risk his own life for her just to save her from the Indians?
The warbling wails echoed across the desert moments later. William and the men pulled their guns before William yelled, “Go!”
Their little party raced across the valley and Sarah felt as if time was repeating itself. The Indians gave chase, their cries echoing across the space. Gunfire rang out, the horse becoming agitated and running harder as the Indian’s horses circled around them. Sarah leaned over her mounts back, flipped the reins and tried to get it to go even faster.
Long minutes later, a hand brushed across her back, startling her, and she looked to her right. A horse was pacing hers so close she feared they’d collide. Fingers were felt against the back of her dress before a strong arm wrapped around her. She screamed when she was lifted, pulled from her horse and across the legs of a man she instinctively fought.
They broke away from the others and Sarah watched as William and his men were pursued before her abductor turned his horse and started riding in the opposite direction.
Looking behind her, she gasped.
“You didn’t honestly think I’d let you get away that easy, did you, sweetheart?”
Sarah reached up and snatched the bandana away from his face. “Colt!”
He kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth as gunfire and shouts filled the air around them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, held on, and kissed him back.
When he finally pulled away, she was panting for breath and those tears that had been threatening to fall all day filled her eyes. “You came for me?”
He smiled and held her closer. “I’ll always come for you.” He rubbed the side of her face with the back of his hand. “I love you. I’ll not ever let you go, Sarah.”
“I love you too, Colt.” The tears fell and she hugged him to her, seeing William and the others in the distance. The Indian’s had them stopped and off their horses and she smiled as she saw a few of them undressing. “Shouldn’t we help William and the others?”
Colt chuckled. “Nah. The Indian’s will help themselves to their gear and let them go. Same as they did with us.”
She leaned back to look at him. “And you know this how?”
“I met a trapper on the way out here who happens to be on a first name basis with those Indians. Seems they were about to head back to their village and would be passing through this area. Luckily for me, they let me tag along.”
Sarah grinned. “So you set it up so you could kidnap me again?”
He gave her a smug look before nudging the horse to go faster. “I’m an outlaw,” he said. “It’s what I do.”
Epilogue
They rode for a good portion of the morning, ending up behind the main house. Sarah could see it in the distance, the pasture fencing surrounding it all.
Colt led her to a creek, its banks wide. Rocks on the sandy bottom caused small waterfalls to splash into small pools and the sound it caused was so serene, she never wanted to leave.
He guided them across the creek to the other side, to a wide-open space with a bank of trees off to one side. The area was beautiful and peaceful and when Colt stopped, dismounted, and helped her off her horse, the look in his eyes told her he was up to something.
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to a shady area by the creek, leaving the horses to graze. They sat and Sarah enjoyed the quiet serenity of their surroundings. When Colt made no move to speak, she turned to look at him. “Is there a reason we’re here?”
“Yes.”
When he offered no other comment, Sarah grinned. “And what would that reason be?”
He picked up her braid and toyed with the end. “To see how you liked the view.”
She looked back across the valley, saw the house in the distance, the mountains to the left, their caps snow covered. The sun was high in the sky, the air brisk. Late blooming wildflowers dotted the horizon in a sea of green grass. The rushing of water in the creek, peaceful. “It’s beautiful here.”
“It is.”
He looked to the clearing and nodded to it with his head. “I thought about putting the house there.” He pointed to a spot in the distance. “And the barn over there.”
Sarah looked at him and that mischievous look was still in his eyes. “This is a stunning location for a house.”
He glanced at her, pulling her head closer by the braid he still held. “How big of a house do you want, Sarah?”
Her pulse leaped at his words, even more so when he kissed her.
“I’m thinking two floors with lots of rooms. A house big enough to hold all those babies every woman wants. A porch wrapping around the front for hot summer days where we can sit out there and watch the sun sink behind the mountains.” He glanced to the thicket of trees behind them and pointed. “Maybe a few benches here by the trees and I can clear out this creek bank and damn half of it up, make us a nice swimming hole.”
Sarah could barely breathe by the time he told her all his plans. He had it all planned out and why he was telling her caused nervous butterflies to dance in her stomach.
It had been a week since he’d kidnapped her from William and she’d been in contact with her father. He was unpleased with the turn of events and was making his way to Willow Creek to bring her home. She expected him any day now and dreaded the meeting. She didn’t want to return with him and spending the week with Colt and his family, she knew she’d be heartbroken if she were forced to do so.
Colt hadn’t asked her to marry him but he told her he loved her. And had proved it every night since. Her body tingled just thinking of their nights together and spending her life here with him caused bliss so profound she was loath to let it go.
He turned to her and dropped her braid. The smile on his face mischievous. “Of course, living out here by myself would be boring.”
Sarah smiled, her heart racing. “I’m sure it would be.” She waited, hoped and prayed he’d say the words she’d been waiting to hear all week.
When he leaned toward her and placed a soft kiss to her lips, she closed her eyes, savoring the taste of him.
“Marry me, Sarah.”
She laughed and launched herself into his arms, knocking him to the ground. “Yes!”
He grinned up at her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “And here I thought you’d have reservations about being married to an outlaw.”
Sarah kissed him and smiled. “Not when that outlaw is you, Colton Avery. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
“Really?” His eyes sparkled as he flipped her over onto her back, covering her body with his own. “Let’s test that theory, here in the yard of our future home.”