As she turned, she realized the men had picked up the pace and were gaining on them. Susan was still answering her question about how she'd felt when the babies were born, so she interrupted her. "I'm going to count to three, and we're going to scream in unison, the very loudest we can scream. All right? And then we're going to run just as fast as we can toward the pasture where they keep the horses."
Susan nodded, her face white with fear. "I can do that."
Elizabeth made another turn to the right. "One...two...three!" On three both sisters screamed and broke into a run. She could hear the footsteps of the men behind them, getting closer and closer.
Susan fell, and Elizabeth grabbed her under the shoulder, helping her to her feet. As she did, she saw a gun in the hand of one of the men. They were definitely not there to protect them!
Chapter Nine
Bernard heard the scream and stopped his horse, looking over his shoulder to where the sound was coming from. Was that Elizabeth? He spurred his horse toward the sound of the scream, seeing his brother-in-law do the same out of the corner of his eye. "Do you have a gun?" he called.
"Yes! I've carried one since you told me your worries!" David was racing toward the sound, too.
They stopped when they were close enough to see the situation. Elizabeth and Susan were on the ground, and two men stood over them, pistols trained on them.
"Are you a good shot?" Bernard asked quietly. He knew he could shoot one of the guns out of the men's hands, but he needed someone to take out the other. He could possibly get both of them, most assuredly before they shot him, but not before they shot one of the sisters. He couldn't risk Elizabeth or Susan.
"Good enough. Which one do you want me to take?"
"You get the big one," Bernard said without thinking. He knew his aim, and he knew it would be no trouble for him to get the smaller man.
"No problem."
Both men took careful aim, and Bernard said, "Now!" They shot, and it sounded as if it was a single shot ringing across the Texas prairie. The big man dropped, having been hit in the gut. The smaller man let out a yowl of pain, dropping his gun.
Elizabeth rolled to her side, snatching the gun he had dropped and training it on him. The man stood cradling his hand to his chest, his eyes glazed with pain. "Susan, are you all right?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the outlaw who had dropped to his knees, clutching his hand.
"I'm fine. Just scared."
Elizabeth heard the sound of horses coming toward them, but she didn't worry. She knew it was Bernard and David. Who else would have shot the men so cleanly?
She heard the horses stop, and Bernard's voice. "I've got it, Elizabeth. You can put the gun down."
Elizabeth hadn't realized how badly her hand was shaking until she slowly lowered the gun to the grass. She sat back in the grass and buried her face in her hands. What had she been thinking to walk off without waiting to see if there was someone guarding them? She'd put her sister in danger. She was still nursing her youngest baby. What would have happened to him?
Bernard didn't look at Elizabeth, keeping his eyes trained on the outlaw still standing. "Who sent you?"
The man looked at him with wide frightened eyes, shaking his head.
"I asked who sent you?"
No answer.
"I have no problem shooting your other hand. Or your knees. Tell me who sent you! Was it Slade?"
The man's eyes grew wider, and he gave a single nod. "Kill me! Anything you do will be kinder than what he'll do if he finds out I told you he sent me!"
Bernard grinned, looking over his shoulder at David. "Go ahead and tie him up. Make sure the rope is tight over that gunshot wound." He kept the gun trained on the man while David tied him. "You follow us from Beckham?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.
The man nodded. "We got on the train you was on."
As soon as the man was secured, Bernard turned to Elizabeth. He dropped to his knees before her and pulled her to him, his arms going about her soothingly.
As soon as he touched her, Elizabeth started weeping, feeling like a child. She'd been afraid he would be too angry to even speak to her after what she'd done. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
After a moment, he got to his feet, holding his hand down to help her up. "We need to get the sheriff." He looked at David, who was holding Susan. "Do you want to go or do you want me to?"
"My good for nothing boys need to go get the sheriff. Where are they anyway?" David looked around, a look of pure fury on his face.
Elizabeth shook her head. "We never saw them. We had Maria stay with the babies while we went for a walk. They weren't out here."
Bernard's eyes met hers, the anger in them almost palpable. "When you didn't see the boys, why didn't you turn around and go back inside? You knew I didn't want you wandering around by yourself."
Tears poured down Elizabeth's cheeks. "I just wanted to walk with my sister. I didn't think there could really be any danger here. We're so far from home."
"So because you decided to ignore all my warnings for your safety, you put yourself and your sister in danger? How would you have felt if she'd been shot? Would you have stayed here to raise her children? David doesn't need to be left with young children again. It's already happened to him once!"
Elizabeth recognized the truth in his words. She'd already thought all of it herself. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to put anyone in danger."
"But you did! I know the rules I make you live with seem to be overly strict, but I won't lose you!" Bernard caught her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Do you understand? I can't lose you!"
Elizabeth nodded, her eyes wide. Never before had she seen him so angry. He'd continually done what he needed to do to keep the girls in Beckham safe, but never had he let her see him angry.
Over his shoulder, she saw Albert and Lewis coming toward them. They were both moving slowly. She nodded toward them and pointed, trying to distract Bernard. She'd rather discuss this when they were alone than in front of her sister and David.
As they arrived, she could see lumps on the heads of both boys. "What happened?" she asked, hurrying toward her nephews, not surprised that Bernard was right behind her.
"We heard you come outside, and were about to follow you, when two men came at us with guns and hit us in the head. When we woke up, you were gone." Albert glared at Susan. "You were supposed to stay put!"
Susan sniffled again. "We didn't know what happened!"
"Why would you leave without us? It makes no sense!" He glared at Susan, his arms folded across his chest. "We've already lost one ma. What are you trying to do? Make us lose another?"
Susan hurried to Albert, and pulled him into her arms. He was a good head taller than her, but he folded her against him, holding her tight. "Don't do that again!" His voice was choked up as he gave the command, ruining the effect.
"I won't. I promise!"
David walked to Lewis, examining the knot on his son's head. "You up for riding into town for the sheriff?" he asked. His face was concerned, but his voice was steady.
Lewis nodded. "If Ma will ever let Albert go, we'll head out."
Susan released Albert, but immediately turned on Lewis, hugging him just as tightly. He made a face, but it was obviously just for show, because he held the tiny woman against him. "I'm glad you're safe," he said gruffly.
As Susan watched the boys go, she walked to the outlaw who was tied up in front of them. "The other one dead?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes, and looking at the men angrily.
"Yeah," David answered.
"Good." Before anyone could stop her, Susan drew back her foot and kicked the one still alive as hard as she could in the knee. "I hope you bleed to death." She grabbed Elizabeth by the hand and dragged her back toward the house. "We're going to go recover from our ordeal. You men make sure there are no outlaws in my pasture when I come outside again." She didn't wait for an answer.
<
br /> Elizabeth waited until they were out of earshot of their husbands before asking, "Have you lost your mind?"
Susan shrugged. "Years ago. You can't just stand there and let Bernard yell at you. I know he has a right to be angry, but you have to get your courage up to fight back. No point in just letting him yell. It's not fun. You have to be ready to yell back. We'll practice."
"Susan? I love you, but you really are crazy."
"You try being married with seven kids. You'd be crazy too."
Elizabeth laughed softly. "Yes, I probably would."
*****
It was hours later before the men finished dealing with the sheriff and had the outlaws off their land. When Bernard walked into the house, he didn't look at Elizabeth. He faced Susan instead. "I want to apologize for my wife's behavior. She had no right to drag you into danger the way she did. We won't be staying for supper."
Susan blinked a couple of times, as if she were trying to understand him. "You're going to let her come back tomorrow, though, aren't you?"
Bernard inclined his head. "I suppose that depends on her reaction to our discussion tonight."
"We can send supper back to the hotel with you," Susan suggested. "I don't want you to go hungry."
He shook his head. "No, we'll get room service after we've talked."
Elizabeth stood up, feeling like a small child who was being chastised. The worst part of it was, she knew she deserved anything he said to her. She had put herself and her sister in danger, and she'd been warned. Whether she had believed the danger was real or not, she'd acted inexcusably.
Susan rushed to Elizabeth, hugging her tightly. "Remember what we talked about!"
Elizabeth shook her head. "I made a mistake. I need to live with the consequences of my actions." She looked at Bernard. "Let's go."
Bernard didn't take her hand or offer his arm as he usually did, instead he simply let her precede him out to the front of the house where the courting buggy was waiting for them. He took her hand to help her into the buggy, but immediately dropped it after she was seated.
The thirty minute drive into Fort Worth passed in silence. Elizabeth thought about trying to start the inevitable discussion as they drove, but she knew it wasn't what he wanted.
As soon as the door closed behind them in the hotel room, she walked to the sitting area, taking one of the chairs. She waited for him to take the other.
Once he was seated, Bernard looked at her, his face cold and angry. For a man who had never shown her anger, she was amazed at just how long he could maintain the emotion. It took a great deal of energy to stay seething mad for as long as he had, and for some reason, she couldn't help but admire him even more for being angry for so long.
"Why?" It was only one word, but Elizabeth could see by the look on Bernard's face that her answer to that question was of utmost importance to him.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, surprised by the harshness of her husband's voice. "To be honest, I just didn't think I was in danger. I—I know it's no excuse, and I'm not trying to make excuses, but I just—I misjudged the situation, and I underestimated you. I thought you were worrying for no reason." She looked down at her hands, the tears forming in her eyes again. "I'm so sorry, and I won't ever be so stupid again."
Bernard watched her, feeling some of the anger leaving him. "I expected you to make excuses, to tell me all the reasons that what you did was all right."
She looked back up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hated that she was crying, because she didn't want him to think she was trying to manipulate his emotions. "What I did wasn't right. It was stupid, and I almost got my sister killed. She has young children who would have been without a mother. I should have made sure the boys were there before I left the house at all."
He sighed. "Yes, you should have." He shook his head. "I wasn't ready for you to admit you'd done anything wrong. Everything I'd planned to say is just gone." He reached out and took her hand. "I want your word that you'll never do anything like that again. You'll be more careful. When we get home, there will still be dangers."
She nodded. "I know there will. I'll listen to what you say." She'd always listened to him as she would an employee who had her best interests in mind, but then she'd make her own decisions. She didn't have the right to do that any longer. "Will you forgive me?"
He used the hand he was holding to pull her toward him and onto his lap, holding her close. "I don't know what I would have done if you'd been hurt, Elizabeth. I've loved you for so long that it would have destroyed me to lose you. Please don't ever scare me like that again." His face was buried in her neck, and he drank in her scent.
Elizabeth pulled back, looking at him with surprise. "You love me? Really?"
He gave a half laugh, looking up at her. "How have you not seen it on my face every day for the past eight years?"
Elizabeth pouted. "Only eight years? I've loved you since the moment I set eyes on you."
He pulled her down for a quick kiss. "I was so broken when we first met, it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. I blamed myself for Michael's death."
"If the situation had been reversed, what would you have done?" she asked logically.
"I'd have gotten between him and the bullets, of course. But he had a family!"
She nodded. "He did. But he knew that when he made his choice. I'm sorry for his wife that he's gone, but happy for me that he made the sacrifice. Who's to say one life is more valuable than another?"
Bernard looked at her for a moment, before folding his arms around her and holding her close. "I can't argue with that."
"Why don't we make a deal? I won't argue with you about whether or not I need to be protected, and you don't argue with me about whether or not you were worth saving."
"You are a wise women, Elizabeth Tandy."
She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. "I do love the sound of my new name on your lips."
Epilogue
Elizabeth stood up slowly from behind her desk, a hand to her back. The baby had been weighing heavy on her for weeks. The midwife had said she would deliver any day, but she was starting to think that she'd be pregnant forever.
Bernard walked in then, coming over to wrap his arms around her. "I'm sorry you're so uncomfortable, my love."
"I always thought each child was supposed to come sooner than the others? With Benjamin, they said, 'The first child is always late.' Then the same with little Katie. And then with Anna. Now, with this one, I'm already two weeks late. I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore!"
"I know you are." He looked down at the letters scattered over her desk. "Looks like it's time for another edition of the Grooms' Gazette.
"It is. I've been working on getting everything ready. Who would have thought we'd still be doing this paper twelve years later when we started it?" She was happy to take the change of subject and let herself be distracted from her discomfort.
"Once you're done compiling everything, I'll take it over to the printer." There had been no more attempts on her life since they'd returned home from Fort Worth seven years before, but he still guarded her as if she were a bank vault filled with precious gems. Because she was to him.
He treasured each laugh from her and the children. His life was very different than he'd imagined it would be seventeen years ago when he'd come to work for her after the death of his partner. He had healed with her at his side. Never again would he worry that Michael had made the wrong decision by giving up his life for him. He knew he was doing what he was meant to do. Living a life full of love and acceptance. What more could a man ask for?
More From Kirsten Osbourne
Brides of Beckham Series
Mail Order Mayhem
Mail Order Mama
Mail Order Madness
Mail Order Mix Up
Mail Order Mistake
Mail Order Maternity
Mail Order Match Maker
Mail Order Motherhood
; Mail Order Meddler
Mail Order Misfit
Mail Order Minx
Mail Order Misfortune
Mail Order Melody
Dallas Billionaires Series
Steven
Justin
Cody
Stand Alone Books
Dream Lover
Making Me Believe
All For Emma
Making Deals
Lies
Suitors of Seattle
Rose
Lily
Amaryllis
Daisy
Jasmine
Hyacinth
Violet
Iris
Edna Petunia
Orlan Orphans
The Matron
Contemporaries
Married in Montana (At The Altar Book 1)
Meddling in Manhattan (At the Altar Book 2)
Regencies
Loving Lily
Courting Constance
The Dalton Brides
An Epilogue
The Rancher's Mail Order Bride
The Cowboy's Mail Order Bride (by Kit Morgan)
The Drifter's Mail Order Bride (by Cassie Hayes)
Hank’s Rescued Bride (Cassie Hayes)
Benedict’s Bargain Bride
Percy’s Unexpected Bride (Kit Morgan)
Writing as Morganna Mayfair
Thrice Blessed Trilogy
Conquered
Adored
Stenwick Siblings Trilogy
The Earl's Design of Love
The Duke's True Love
The Prince's Charmed Love
Daniel’s Desire
By
Callie Hutton
Dedication
To my niece, Rosemarie, whose name I borrowed for this story.
Chapter One
March 1865
Camp Morton, Indianapolis
Wild Western Women Ride Again: Western Historical Romance Boxed Set Page 7