Molly squeezed her hand. “He told me how sorry he was for accusing you of anything. He’d just been so distraught over Timothy’s death, that he wanted to blame anyone or anything, so he blamed the one person who was with him just before he died.”
Tori tensed at hearing Paul’s name. It was hard to believe that he would be distraught or remorseful about anything. She remained silent while her mother continued.
“He wanted to form his own search party, but then a storm blew in, and even he realized it would be futile to try and pick up your trail. I told him where I thought Jasper might have gone, that he would have taken you to the mountains where he used to trap, but this land is so vast, it would be impossible to find you.”
Molly smiled softly. She looked at Tori, tilting her head and searching with her eyes. “What really transpired in that barn that day, Tori?”
Tori’s forehead furrowed. “I’ve told you what happened. I told you and Papa the truth from the moment they came to arrest me.” Did her mother not believe her? Had she forgotten her side of the story?
“Timothy and I were in the barn, up in the hayloft.” Tori paused and lowered her head. She wasn’t proud of what she’d done, and telling her parents had been the most humiliating thing she’d ever faced. Retelling it again wasn’t any easier.
“We . . . got carried away when Paul found us. He got angry. He called Timothy a coward, and that he was more of a man for me. I urged Timothy not to let Paul rile him, but Timothy wouldn’t listen. He shoved me aside when I tried to stop him from going down the ladder. He must have lost his footing. He fell from the loft. I rushed after him, and Paul said some nasty things to me. Timothy was alive and well when I left that barn, Mama.” Tori searched her mother’s face. Why did it seem like she didn’t believe her?
Molly shook her head in confusion. “The side of Paul you’re painting is not the nice, young man I’ve come to know at all. He’s been nothing but kind and helpful to me over the years. He’s come to the farm often, wondering if I had received any news of where you or Jasper might be. I told him that I suspected Jasper had taken you to the mountains where he used to trap. In fact, it’s thanks to him that I’m even here. He signed on as the journalist to document this expedition, and asked me if I would like to accompany him and perhaps find some way to locate you.”
The blood drained from Tori’s head. Her knees went weak, and her heart pounded in her ears.
“Paul . . . is here?” She swallowed the painful lump in her throat. Her mouth had gone completely dry. She shook her head. It couldn’t be. All these years, she’d stayed in hiding. Paul had finally found her, just like that? She’d unknowingly fallen right into his lap?
“Yes.” Her mother smiled brightly. “He arranged everything so I could come. When the newspaper received word that an expedition was heading into these mountains, he was excited to tell me the news, and suggested that this could be my chance to find my family. He arranged everything and even paid my way.”
Tori grabbed her mother’s hands, and stared into her eyes. “Mama, Paul is a dangerous man. You can’t trust him.”
Molly’s forehead scrunched in confusion. She adamantly shook her head. “He’s one of the most upstanding people I’ve ever met. I can’t believe what you’re accusing him of, Victoria. His father, as you know, owns the newspaper in town, and Paul has become a fine journalist in his own right. He’s always fair and unbiased in his articles.”
“He’s a liar, Mama. A liar, and a murderer,” Tori hissed. She glanced around. Where was Paul now? Other than a few soldiers, no one else seemed to be in camp. She tugged on her mother’s arm, and pulled her closer to her horse. “I know he’s the one who killed Timothy.”
Molly gave a short, nervous laugh. “That’s ridiculous, Victoria. Why would Paul murder his best friend?”
“Because he was jealous that Timothy was courting me. Paul didn’t like the idea that his friend had something he didn’t. He came to my cell after I was locked up, and he threatened me, Mama.”
Tori glared into her mother’s eyes, willing her to understand. She had never told her mother, her father, or anyone else of her suspicions at the time. No one would have believed it, and she had no proof. Paul had apparently swayed her mother into thinking he was doing her a favor. To her recollection, he didn’t do anything unless it served his purposes.
“Threatened you? How?” Molly shook her head in obvious confusion.
“He told me he could make the charges go away if I married him. He said that if he couldn’t have me, no one else would have me, either.”
Her mother huffed. “Victoria, this is absurd. You’re talking nonsense. All these years in the wilderness must be playing tricks with your memory.” Molly pulled away from her, and took a step back.
“It’s the truth, Mama.” Tori’s voice rose, but she quickly lowered it again, glancing over her shoulder. She leaned forward, and whispered loudly. “You’re in danger by being here. We’re both in danger. We need to leave.”
The momentary panic that had engulfed her vanished. Determination swept over her, knowing what she had to do. She had to get away from this camp as quickly as possible. And so did her mother. She was no longer safe.
“Does Paul know that you found me? That you spoke to Lucas?”
“Yes, of course. I told him after I spoke to Mr. Walker several days ago. And he was more than pleased for me. Victoria, You haven’t seen him in four years. You can’t possibly judge him based on your memories. You were a young, infatuated girl who lost her beau to a terrible tragedy.”
Tori stepped up to her mother, and grabbed her by the upper arms, staring into her eyes, willing her to understand. What her mother said made sense, she had to agree, but that’s not what had happened.
“Listen to me, Mama. Paul Holden is a dangerous man. He killed Timothy. He won’t have any qualms about killing again if he doesn’t get what he wants. I’m not going to let him hurt you. Put a few things together in a pack. We are leaving before he returns to camp.”
Molly looked dumbfounded. Indecision, disbelief, and dismay passed through her eyes.
“Where do you plan to go, Victoria? Perhaps if you just talk to him, you’ll see that you’re mistaken.”
“I did not spend four years in hiding, afraid of discovery and fearing for my life, because I may have misjudged someone.” Tori’s words grew more adamant. Her heart rate increased. Heat flushed through her body, and she ground her teeth. How could her mother take Paul’s word over hers?
“Paul’s threat was plain as day. He killed his best friend to get what he wanted. He was willing to see me hang for not choosing him.”
“Then why did he come forward and clear your name?”
Tori scrunched her eyebrows together. “I don’t know. I’m sure he was surprised that I would choose hanging over marriage to him. Perhaps he believed that if he changed his story, it would bring me back, and he could devise some other scheme to get me to marry him.”
Molly backed away from her, pulling her arms out of Tori’s grasp. She acted as if Tori had lost her mind. She cast her eyes toward the fire, and shook her head slightly. Wiping her hands on her skirt, she glanced back up, a blank expression in her eyes.
“I don’t know, Tori. I don’t know what to believe.”
Tori stepped up to her mother, facing her. Her chest tightened in desperation. “I’m your daughter, Mama. I spent four years in hiding because of Paul Holden. Papa lost his life, the two of you lost your marriage, all because of him. I know I’m not mistaken.”
Her mother nodded slowly. Tori held her breath.
“Victoria,” Molly said hesitantly. “I want to believe you, I really do. But I just haven’t seen that side of him that you’re describing.”
“Because he’s very clever, Mama.” Tori expelled an exasperated breath.
“What do you think Paul is going to do to you, or me? We are in a camp full of people. Soldiers, no less.” She gave a nervous laugh.
&nbs
p; “I don’t know,” Tori answered quietly. She was not going to convince her mother, it seemed. But she wasn’t going to sit by and do nothing. She had to get away from here, and her mother was coming with her.
Where would they go? She could ride straight to the other camp. Lucas would protect her, and her mother, but then what? Lucas wouldn’t remain idle, of that she was certain. He would confront Paul, and she didn’t even want to think about the outcome of such a confrontation. If Lucas killed Paul, he might be arrested for murder. And if Paul killed Lucas . . .
“We’ll go to my old cabin, the one I lived in with Papa high up in the mountains. No one will find us there, Mama. We can hide out for weeks if necessary, until the expedition has passed through. Paul won’t have any choice but to return with them to St. Louis. What excuse would he have to stay and look for us?” Tori shot a pleading look at her mother.
That didn’t mean he might not return someday, but she’d think of what to do about that later. Lucas would also know to search for her at the cabin, but as long as he was far enough away from Paul to avoid a direct confrontation, she would have time to talk him out of doing anything rash.
Molly shook her head. “Victoria, I’m not sure this is such a good idea.”
Tori raised her head to the loud clopping of hoof beats beyond the camp. Several riders stirred up dust as they approached. Her muscles tensed, and the urge to run overtook her. She shot a quick glance at her mother, who looked at her with unease.
“Don’t do anything impulsive, Victoria. Paul isn’t here to hurt you. Besides, you’re married. He can’t make any demands on you.”
Sweat beaded on Tori’s forehead. She clenched her jaw in frustration at her mother. How could she be so blind? Tori glanced around to her horse, eyeing the rifle that was secured in the saddle’s scabbard. She grabbed her mother’s hand.
“Mama, I’m not staying here,” she said forcefully. “And neither are you.”
Molly’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she pulled her hand from Tori’s grasp. “Don’t be silly, Victoria. You can’t keep running away from things. Sometimes it’s best to face your troubles head on. Then you’ll see that you’ve worried over nothing.”
Without another glance, her mother stepped around the cooking fire, and waved to the approaching riders. The group dispersed through camp, dismounting in front of various wagons and tents. One man approached, and reined his horse to a halt in front of Molly. Tori gripped her mare’s reins until her knuckles turned white. Her heart pounded furiously up into her throat.
He looked older, and sat on his horse with a haughty arrogance. His wide-brimmed hat concealed his eyes, but there was no doubt that he was staring straight at her. It was too late to run now. Her mother was right when she’d said that they were safe, at least for the moment, in the midst of this camp.
Tori squared her shoulders and raised her chin, her hand reaching for the hilt of her knife on her belt for reassurance. Paul Holden would not intimidate her.
The man dismounted, and said something to Molly that Tori didn’t hear. Then her mother turned and smiled in her direction. She motioned for Paul to follow her. Tori gritted her teeth. Her mother couldn’t see past his dazzling smile and smooth talk to recognize him for the snake he was.
“Victoria, what a great pleasure to see that you are well.” Paul stood before her, his eyes traveling up and down her body, and settling on her face. The predatory gleam he cast her way betrayed his friendly voice and the smile on his face.
He reached out his hand. Tori glared at it and made no move to shake it. Paul smirked, then shrugged.
“It’s been what? Four years? You’ve certainly given your poor mother here a lot to worry about during that time. I’m sure glad to see that this journey paid off for her.”
“Spare me the pleasantries, Paul. What do you want?” Tori sneered. “You didn’t bring my mother here out of the goodness of your heart.”
Paul laughed, as if in shock and outrage. Next to him, her mother gave a short gasp and shot Tori a disapproving glance.
“It appears that this wilderness has turned you into a savage, Victoria,” she said, casting an apologetic glance at Paul. “You seem to have lost your manners.”
“You always were a tomboy from what I remember back home.” Paul tilted his head, his stare growing more leering. “Although it was easy to see even then that you’d grow into a beautiful woman. With the proper clothing and some schooling in refinement, you’ll be the talk of St. Louis.”
It was Tori’s turn to laugh. “You’re still as arrogant as ever, Paul. I have no intention of returning to St. Louis.”
The corners of Paul’s eyes twitched. “Ah, yes. Your mother informed me that there was going to be a wilderness wedding.”
Tori clenched her jaw. Her sweaty hands tightened into fists at her side. She didn’t want to bring Lucas into this discussion. Rather than answer him, she glanced at her mother, who stood looking rather uncomfortable and unsure of herself next to the man Tori hated with every fiber of her being.
“We were discussing leaving, Mama. Can you gather what you’ll need so we can be on our way?” She gave her mother an imploring stare. The quicker they left, the better. Paul wouldn’t dare follow them, would he?
“Leaving?” Paul looked taken aback. “Don’t be ridiculous, Molly. You can’t leave this expedition. Your daughter is talking nonsense.”
“I hadn’t agreed to go with you, Victoria,” Molly said sternly. “Once we meet up with Captain Raynold’s tomorrow, we can speak to your husband, and--”
“Husband?” Paul roared. His face reddened, and he glared from Molly to her.
Molly glanced uneasily at Paul, then toward Tori, as if she’d suddenly come to see the truth of what Tori had been saying about Paul all along.
Although glad that Paul was finally revealing a glimpse of his true colors in front of her mother, Tori cursed under her breath. Why did her mother have to be so gullible to begin with? Why couldn’t she see this man for what he was? Right now, he looked ready to commit another murder. His body stood rigid. He yanked his hat from his head, and swiped at the sweat on his forehead.
Tori tore her eyes away from him, and turned to her horse. She adjusted the cinch on the saddle. It was time to leave. Her palms began to sweat, but she would not reveal her nervousness to this man.
“Get your things, Mama,” she called as calmly as she could muster over her shoulder.
Without warning, Paul stood beside her, and grabbed her by the arm. His fingers bit painfully into her skin. He leaned forward, and hissed in her ear. “You’re not going anywhere, Victoria. I spent four long years thinking about you, trying to figure out how to get to these godforsaken mountains and how to find you in this wilderness. You’re not about to ruin everything now.”
Tori yanked at her arm to pull free of him. She stared up into his steely gray eyes. “Let go of me,” she demanded in a low tone. “I told you four years ago I would never marry you. Murdering Timothy didn’t get you what you wanted. Framing me for murder, trying to intimidate me by forcing me to make a choice between you or the hangman’s noose didn’t get you what you wanted. Nothing you do will make me change my mind about you. You’re a sick bastard. Now take your hands off of me.”
Tori reached for the knife at her belt with her free hand, but Paul was quicker. He grabbed her wrist, then called loudly to the soldiers.
“We’ll see about that, Victoria.” He glared triumphantly when two men in uniform answered his call for help.
“This woman was trying to pull a knife on me, Sergeant,” Paul addressed one of the soldiers. “I apprehended her while she was trying to force Mrs. Williams away from this camp.”
The sergeant glanced from her to Molly, who stood idly by, her eyes wide with shock.
“Is that true, ma’am?” The soldier looked at Molly.
Tori’s mother shook her head. Her eyes widened with apprehension and a hint of fear. “I . . . she asked me to go with her, bu
t—”
“For Mrs. Williams’ protection, I suggest you arrest this woman,” Paul interrupted.
“You are insane,” Tori yelled, squirming against Paul’s hold on her. “Why would I harm my own mother?”
“You’ve lived the life of a savage too long, Victoria. Once you return to civilization, you can be rehabilitated.”
“Let go of me, you bastard,” she hissed. Her eyes filled with tears of frustration. Why was this happening? Why was Mama just standing there, doing nothing?
“Perhaps it would be best to keep you under watch, ah . . . miss. We saw you ride in with the scout, but we don’t even know who you are, and he’s not here to vouch for you.”
“I’m Molly Williams’ daughter. Tell them, Mama.”
“She’s my daughter,” her mother confirmed. “I don’t believe arresting her is necessary. She meant no harm.” Her eyes shot a pleading look at Paul, then back to the soldier.
Tori expelled a breath of relief that her mother finally sided with her. She glared at the soldiers. “Tell this madman to let go of me. I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.”
The sergeant glanced from her to Paul. “Until we reach Captain Raynolds, it might be wise to keep an eye on her, regardless. Please step inside Mrs. Williams’ tent.” He motioned to Tori, then turned to address Paul. “One of my men will stand guard to make sure she doesn’t harm anyone in this camp.”
Tori gnashed her teeth in frustration. She wanted to flee, but she couldn’t leave her mother behind. Her best course of action at the moment was to cooperate.
“Fine, I’ll stay in the tent. Let go of me,” she demanded, glaring at Paul. Hatred such as she’d never experienced heated her veins. She might be tried for murder after all, if she could only reach her knife, but Paul’s grip on her was too tight. He walked her to the tent, and released her once she stepped inside. He pulled the knife from her belt, and tossed it outside.
Teton Romance Trilogy Bundle: Includes Yellowstone Proposal (Short Story) Page 74