They headed downstairs, and before Emma knew it, she stood by the door to the garden. The music started and Beth headed down the aisle in front of her. Her heart pounded like crazy against her ribs.
Cal stood beside her. “Are you ready?” He held out his arm.
She nodded and took hold. She forced back a tear at not having her father here with her. But she hoped he was looking down from heaven and smiling. There was a time when her father hadn’t approved of Joe. But eventually he’d come to see what a good man Joe was.
After she’d left town, her father had never mentioned Joe in his letters, which did worry her some. She’d always wondered about that. But then he normally only talked about his patients and missing her. Hopefully his assessment of Joe had never changed. She wanted to believe that her father would have approved of her choice for a husband.
As soon as she stepped out the door, she saw Joe standing at the front of the aisle, looking more handsome than ever. Under his shirt and jacket he still wore a bandage over his wound, but going just by his outward appearance, he looked as fit as ever. He gave her a small smile and his eyes were filled with such love that she felt ready to burst. She just wanted to run to him and jump into his arms.
Friends and neighbors lined both sides of the aisle. Many faces she didn’t recognize and she assumed they were Joe’s friends or friends of Wade’s and Skylar’s, attending the wedding because it was a big event. Big events in Elk Valley were few and far between. Even weddings weren’t usually this lavish but Wade and Skylar always did things up right.
The music faded as she reached the front of the aisle and stood next to Joe. He took her hand and they both turned toward the preacher.
Joe leaned close. “You look more beautiful than ever.”
“Thank you. And you are the most handsome man here.”
At her compliment, his eyes lit up but then a look of worry crossed his face. “Where’s Willie?”
“I don’t know. I think she got scared and changed her mind about participating.”
He nodded but she could see the concern in his eyes. Once the preacher started speaking, her mind returned to the ceremony and everything passed like a whirlwind. They spoke the traditional vows and exchanged rings. The simple gold bands had belonged to Emma’s parents and she felt so proud that she and Joe would be wearing the symbols of their love. The preacher pronounced them husband and wife, and Joe kissed her so tenderly that she felt like swooning.
Everyone stood up and cheered then tossed rice at them as they hurried back down the aisle and into the ranch house. Joe pulled her into his arms and again kissed her tenderly. “I’ve never seen a woman so beautiful.”
“You said that already.”
“Did I?”
“Well, something pretty close.”
“Are you tired of hearing it?”
She smiled. “Never.”
“Good. Now that you’re my wife, I’m going to say it every day. I feel like I’m the luckiest man alive.”
“I’m the lucky one. I’m ecstatic to finally be yours. And to have you as mine. We’re going to have such a happy life together. I just know it. Now let me go change so we can get to the party. We’ll be expected.”
“Yes ma’am.” He stepped back, letting her out of his embrace. “I’ll go look for Willie. I hope she at least saw the ceremony.”
“I’m sure she did. Don’t worry so much.” Her words didn’t exactly match her feelings but she was trying to think positively. She blew him a kiss then hurried up the stairs. When she reached the door to her room, she realized that she should have grabbed Beth to help her out of the dress. Oh well. She’d manage on her own.
She opened the door and froze. Willie stood in the middle of the room with a gag in her mouth. It looked as if her hands were bound behind her. A man stood beside her, brandishing a pistol. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Slim? “Impossible!” Her heart skipped a beat then began to race wildly. “Montana said you were dead.”
“Yeah. I know.” Slim chuckled. “Close the door and keep quiet or things are going to get bloody in here.”
Emma hesitated until Slim pointed the pistol at Willie’s head. He wouldn’t really shoot a defenseless young woman—his own cousin—would he? Not willing to take the chance and knowing how unstable he could be, she slowly complied with his order, all the while trying to figure out what was going on. “You should be dodging fire and running across brimstone-covered roads right now, not terrorizing us. Not today. How are you even here?”
“I got lucky. And had some help. The boy apparently did a good job with the story we concocted. He can be quite convincing when he wants to be,” Slim said.
Convincing? Her heart sank. Montana had lied, setting them up on purpose. Emma mentally kicked herself for believing in the young man. How could he have fooled them all so well?
“I thought that boy was dead and gone,” Slim continued. “But then he up and found me in the dirt after that crazy whore whacked me a good one. Otherwise I well might have been playing tag with the devil right now.”
She noticed dried blood on the side of his head, though she couldn’t see a wound, which was probably in the back. He looked and smelled as if he hadn’t bathed since the accident. “Do you want me to look at your head?”
“I want you to stay right where you’re at.”
“That wound needs to be cleaned or you’ll get an infection, if you don’t already have one.” From the way he was sweating, he probably had a pretty high fever. If so, by now it could be bad enough to be altering his judgment. Certainly he and Montana didn’t really believe they could still get the money, did they?
“If it ain’t killed me yet, it ain’t going to.”
Emma’s fingers tangled in her dress as she tried to calm her nerves. Willie looked petrified.
Slim continued to prattle. “I was headed out of the territory and stopped to camp by a stream. By another stroke of luck, a cowpoke came along and joined me. He got to talking and apparently he had kin who were planning to attend your big shindig here. When I heard about it, I thought to myself that fate was talkin’ to me, and if I didn’t listen, I was missing a perfect chance. So I came back to get some valuables. Stuff I figured nobody would even miss for the most part. I knew no one would be on the lookout for me. Figured it’d be easy.” His gaze traveled the length of her outfit. “Nice dress. I always have been partial to white. Reminds me of my ma. She loved white. Said it let one’s purity shine through.”
Emma didn’t acknowledge the odd compliment that seemed to come out of nowhere. He definitely wasn’t thinking clearly. She even wondered if the cowpoke he’d mentioned might have been a figment of his imagination. Though he had to have heard about the wedding somehow. It didn’t sound as if he and Montana had planned this. But Montana had definitely lied to them. She was curious about Slim’s mother and what kind of home life he must have had to make him turn out like this. “Cora obviously whacked the sense right out of you.”
“I got plenty of sense. I figured everyone would be out of the house during the ceremony and I could just sneak in and take my due. Afterward, I’d sneak out among the crowd. Then I wouldn’t have to scrape and scrounge anymore. Unfortunately, this one caught me.” He smacked Willie on the arm. She kicked out at him but he sidestepped her foot. “You can’t hurt nobody in them fancy shoes.” He studied her outfit and a small smile crossed his face. “You cleaned up right nice there, cousin. No wonder Montana was always hanging around you.”
Willie did look beautiful and feminine. Emma almost didn’t recognize her in the light-yellow dress and white delicate shoes. Her blonde hair looked shiny and soft, cascading down her back in loose curls.
“We been hiding out in a broom closest until the upstairs cleared out. I thought I was going to have to hogtie her to keep her still but she finally wised up and settled down.”
Emma glanced back toward the door. She had no idea what to do now. If she were gone for too long, someone would come looking. But what wo
uld the outcome of that be? Gunfire? Someone ending up dead? So far only Cora had lost her life. Emma didn’t want any more deaths on her conscience. Certainly not on her wedding day.
“So? Now what, Slim?” she asked, staring back at him and praying that someone would rescue them soon, without getting themselves shot in the process.
“I’m a thinkin’.” A nervous look crossed his face. “Where’s Montana? He best come with me. He certainly can’t stay with all of you now.”
“No. Not after you just sold him out by telling us he lied for you.” When Slim simply glared at her, she added, “I don’t know where he is.”
He grabbed a pillowcase off the dresser. It looked stuffed full, most likely with objects he’d swiped from the house and any money that might have been left out.
“I need to get away from here unseen and with nobody following me. I could tie you both up. But unless I knock you out, you’d find some way to make noise. I can’t chance it. I think I might do better with a hostage.”
Emma couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “A hostage? Again? Are you crazy? Didn’t you learn anything the first time? You won’t be so lucky a second time. Joe will track you down like a dog.” She couldn’t go through being taken again. She just couldn’t!
“I ain’t keeping you. One of you. Not like before. It’s only temporary until I can get clear. I never wanted to hurt no one. I just wanted the money. Besides, if folks think I’m loony enough to take one of you twice, maybe it’ll slow them down whilst they try to figure out what to do. They’ll reckon I’m desperate and not act too rash-like.”
A knock at the door startled all of them.
“Willie, are you in there?” Montana asked, his voice slightly muffled through the door.
Slim’s expression brightened and he visibly relaxed. “Open the door for him.”
Emma opened the door and let Montana inside. The man favored one leg as he entered. The injury he’d sustained could give him a permanent limp. Only time would tell one way or the other. He spotted Slim and his eyes widened. When his gaze fell on Willie, his expression softened and Emma wondered at his thoughts. Did she see regret in his eyes?
“Lock the door,” Slim told her.
Emma did so as she watched Montana’s attention shift between Willie and Slim. His hands curled into fists.
“What the heck are you doing here, Slim?” he asked. “You was supposed to be long gone. Take that gag out of Willie’s mouth and untie her.”
“She’ll scream her head off and run amok. I ain’t taking a chance. I gotta keep these two under control.”
“If you’re worried about keeping them under control, why isn’t she gagged and bound?” Montana asked.
“The doc there has more sense than to attract attention. I know her kind. Always figuring she can reason her way out of things. Gals like Willie act before they think. They’re nothin’ but a bag of trouble.”
Emma saw tears in Willie’s eyes. From fear or Slim’s words? She wasn’t certain. Or maybe Willie was just as disappointed in Montana as she was. “You told us he was dead,” she said to the young man. “How could you lie? Weren’t we good to you?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Emma. Um, Missus Jackson. When I found Slim on the road, he was so apologetic and just wanted to get away, he told me, without anyone chasing him down. He said that Cora had turned his head and he didn’t know what he was doing. He begged for my help, so I patched him up as best I could and said I’d cover for him.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at Slim. “But you weren’t supposed to come back. Ever.”
“Yeah, well, I changed my mind. Besides it’s only a brief visit. Now that you’re here, come with me. I got a bunch of stash to sell and some money. It’ll do us fine for a good, long while.”
He shook his head. “I can’t do that, Slim. And I can’t let you do that either. Not to these fine folks.”
Slim visibly stiffened. “Fine folks? They don’t care nothin’ about you. Now that they know you helped me, they’ll throw you in that jail of theirs and leave you there until you rot. I know what I’m talkin’ about, boy. You best listen to me.”
“You might be right. But it’s about time that I did what was right, despite what it might cost me.”
Slim glanced down at Montana’s hip. “You ain’t even wearing a gun. How are you gonna stop me from doing anything?”
* * * * *
Joe looked around the garden. An uncomfortable feeling had gripped him and wouldn’t let go.
Skylar walked up beside him. “Where’s Emma?”
“She went to change but she’s been gone a long time. People are starting to notice. And I can’t find Willie or Montana. I’m starting to worry.”
“Hmm. I haven’t seen them either in a while. I can ask around. Certainly someone’s seen them. In the meantime, do you want me to go upstairs and see if Emma’s having problems with her dress?”
“Yes. Would you?”
She patted his arm. “Sure.”
“Actually, I think I’ll come with you. Just looking in her eyes, even if only for a moment, and seeing her smile keeps me calm. Besides, I’m missing her.”
Skylar laughed. “You are so in love. It’s great to see.”
“Yep. She’s got me roped and tied tight. I’ll admit it. I’m completely smitten with that woman and it feels better than I ever thought it could.”
They both started inside. They skirted around the food tables and the guests who were enjoying the fare Myrah had prepared. Piano music could be heard in the background and someone was playing a fiddle.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Colton ran up to them. He grabbed Skylar’s leg. “No!”
She reached down and ruffled his hair. “I’ll be back down in a few minutes. Why don’t you go ask Myrah for a cookie?”
He looked up the stairs. “No! Don’t go up.”
Beth and Wade stepped inside the front door and stopped beside them. “What’s going on?” Beth asked.
“We’re looking for Emma, Willie and Montana,” Skylar said. “You didn’t go with Emma to help with her dress?”
“No. She disappeared on me. Then I got distracted by the guests. I was just going to head up and look for her.”
“What’s wrong with Colton?” Wade asked, staring down at the little boy still clinging to Skylar’s leg.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t want us to go up there.” She looked down at her son. “Why not, sweetie? What’s wrong?”
Myrah joined them at the bottom of the stairs. “You best heed that boy. He don’t talk much, but when he does, it means somethin’. Some say he’s a might slow but I know better. He’s got the sight. Somethin’ must be wrong.”
“Stop that, Myrah,” Skylar scolded. “He’s not slow and he doesn’t have…well, you know how I feel about that kind of talk. So shush.”
“I know he ain’t slow. I just said that, didn’t I? And you can feel any way you want about the rest. It don’t change the truth. It’s in his blood.”
As Skylar and Myrah continued arguing, Joe looked over at Wade whose attention remained on his son. Colton did have an eerie way of knowing things. His gaze shifted to Cal as he joined them.
“What’s going on? Why are you all huddled at the bottom of the stairs?”
“Emma, Willie and Montana are missing,” Skylar said, briefly switching her attention to Cal before she turned to Wade with a concerned look. “Maybe you men should go up and check. Just in case something is wrong.” She tightened her hold on Colton.
Joe was already headed up the stairs before she even finished her sentence. Wade and Cal followed him. “Anyone got a gun?” Joe asked. If there was trouble, they were all pretty vulnerable at the moment.
Before Wade or Cal could answer, a shot rang out. Joe took off running. The sound had come from Emma’s room. His feet felt like lead and it seemed to take forever to get up the stairs and down the hall, although it was only a matter of seconds. Wade and Cal followed at his heels.
Joe broke through the door to the bedroom, not even bothering to test the lock. He froze. A man was lying on the floor and looked dead. He stepped closer. Slim? Emma and Willie, still dressed in their wedding attire, stood side by side with their arms around each other. A piece of rope lay at Willie’s feet. Montana stood on the other side of the room with a small pistol.
It took a moment before anyone spoke. Finally, Willie broke the silence. “I thought you didn’t have a gun,” she said to Montana.
“Been carrying a spare in my boot lately. For emergencies.”
Wade said something, but Joe couldn’t process the words. His emotions were running too high. “What the hell happened?” he finally bellowed, finding his voice. The relief he felt, knowing Emma and Willie were unharmed, had almost overwhelmed him. “I thought Slim was already dead.” He glared at Montana.
Emma stepped between them. “I’ll explain everything. Downstairs. Don’t forget we have guests. Let’s not ruin the day.”
“Ruin the day?” he repeated, gesturing wildly with his arm. “It’s already—”
“Shh.” She tugged on his arm, holding it and him steady. “It’s over. Don’t pull out your stitches.”
Joe rubbed his shoulder. “I’m all right.”
Willie stalked to Slim’s body and kicked him in the ribs. “You made me miss the wedding!”
Skylar, Beth and Myrah rushed into the room. “Is everyone all right? We hesitated when we heard the gunshot after you all started up,” Skylar said. “We weren’t sure whether it was safe to follow or not. A few of the guests heard too but we told them it was just celebration fire. We didn’t want anyone to panic.”
“Where’s Colton?” Wade asked.
“Marge took him. She’s looking after Josie too.” Skylar looked at the man on the floor. “Who’s that? What happened?”
Montana set the pistol down on a small table. He picked up a stuffed pillowcase and handed it to Skylar. “This belongs to you, ma’am. I’m sorry. For everything.”
Confusion filled her expression as she took the pillowcase.
Beth immediately grabbed it from her. “Let me have that. Don’t want you straining with the new baby on the way and all.”
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