A Husband for Charli Rae

by Elly Knight

  “Where’s Charli?” he asked. “I saw her leave the building with you.”

  “She wasn’t with me,” Norman responded. “I did see her steal my horse and ride away!”

  There was just enough light spilling out of the building to catch the shiftiness in his eyes. Ben reached out and grabbed hold of the man by the front of his shirt. “If anything happens to her, I will hold you personally responsible,” he said as fear rose within him. Something told him his wife was in danger, he just had no idea what from. “Which way did she go?” he asked, praying the man told him the truth.

  At that moment he heard the sound of hooves coming from the North. He released Norman and ran to his own horse and wagon, tethered to a nearby tree.

  “Is everything all right out here?” Sheriff Johnson asked. He’d seen Ben leave in a hurry and followed to make sure there was no problem.

  “Charli’s in danger,” Ben told him as he released his horse from the wagon and jumped on its back. “I can hear sounds from the North. I’m going after her. Get a group together if you can. He might know more but I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him,” Ben bit out as he nudged his horse into motion and rode away.

  “What do you know Norman?” Johnson asked gruffly.

  “Something upset the girl. I saw her jump on my horse and ride off,” Norman told him, repeating the words Stanley had instructed him to say.

  “Alone?” the sheriff asked.

  “It’s pretty dark out here. I’m not sure if she was alone or not.”

  Sheriff Johnson was just as suspicious as Ben but he didn’t have time to waste on further interrogation. He went back inside to gather as many men as he could find. They’d send out search parties in every direction possible.

  “Where’s your Papa?” Sheriff Johnson asked Matilda when he gathered a group together to explain the need for a search.

  “He said he had a headache and was going home,” Matilda told him with a frown. “I thought I’d be able to find a ride home with someone,” she added. She’d hoped to convince Ben to take her home, not expecting him to leave so suddenly. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Charli has gone missing and we believe she may be in danger,” the sheriff told her, not sugar-coating the message. “Your Papa not being here makes him a suspect.”

  Matilda’s face paled and she swayed a little as if she might faint. She knew her papa didn’t like the girl but surely he wouldn’t hurt her, would he?

  <<<<>>>>

  Ben was not usually a praying man but he couldn’t help but send a plea heavenward as he rode as fast as he could in the direction he’d heard a sound. If Charli was in danger, he knew he didn’t have much time. Thankfully, the moon came out from behind a cloud, illuminating the road in front of him. He could see some dust on the horizon and prayed he was heading in the right direction.

  Fear gripped his heart like never before. If something happened to Charli, he would never forgive himself. If Norman was right and she’d taken his horse and ridden off into the night, it could be she was upset with him over his conversation with Matilda.

  If something more sinister was at play here, had Matilda waylaid him deliberately? Was she part of some elaborate plan to get rid of his wife? Ben wondered if he should have waited long enough to question her. He could only hope he’d done the right thing and was heading in the right direction.

  Charli’s life could depend on it.

  <<<<>>>>

  Charli figured she had two options when it came to survival. The first was she slow Stanley down long enough for Ben to come after her and rescue her. She knew the chances that he was even aware of her disappearance yet were slim. He’d had his back to her when she left the room. By the time he realized she was gone, it could already be too late.

  The other was to somehow catch Stanley off guard. She knew if he wanted this to look like an accident, he’d have to untie her. Throwing her over the cliff fully bound could raise questions if they ever found her body. If she could convince him she was no threat at all, perhaps he would drop his guard a little while she was untied, giving her an opportunity to attack and then run. In the dark, she had the slightest hope of hiding out long enough for someone to come looking for them. Or Stanley to give up and go home.

  Charli nearly laughed out loud at how ridiculous that thought was. The man would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. He’d easily wait her out, even if she did get away from him. Either way, Charli’s best hope was to delay as long as possible and hope that Ben or the sheriff came and rescued her.

  She’d cling to slim hope over none.

  It was her only chance to survive.

  Stanley pulled his horse up in a clearing not far from the edge of the cliff. He planned to throw Charli over the cliff and then confuse the horse. Best case scenario, the horse went over the cliff, making it look like they’d both gone over together. Not so best but still plausible, the horse found its way home and it looked like Charli had been thrown from the horse over the cliff. He couldn’t dally though. Part of his plan was being home in bed asleep when Matilda came home.

  Charli moaned when he lifted her from the horse, forcing herself to go as limp as possible in his arms. She hoped that would convince the man she’d lost consciousness again. He lay her on the ground with a satisfied grin.

  In the moonlight, he could see she was pale and listless. Stanley doubted she could put up much of a fight. Charli lay as still as she could manage, not daring to even shift her head from the awkward angle it was sitting, in the hopes he would presume her passed out.

  Her ruse worked and Stanley began to cut the ropes from her body, in preparation for the next part of his plan.

  Charli knew she had only one shot at taking him by surprise. If she didn’t time it perfectly, she was as good as dead. To complete her ruse, she lay still as he cut away at the rope, allowing her arms to flop limply when he lifted them and dropped them again. It hurt as they dropped to the ground and took all her willpower not to cry out.

  Tears filled her eyes and Charli bit the inside of her cheek in an effort to control them, praying Stanley wouldn’t notice the movement from where he was bent over her. She remained still for several seconds after he’d finished, knowing he’d be watching her closely for any signs of life.

  As he bent down to pick her up, Charli struck, lifting her leg and connecting her foot with his face as hard as she could. She cursed the dress and slippers she was wearing. The skirt hampered the force of her kick and boots would have made a much better impact. Charli heard the sickening crunch as her foot connected with his nose. She was confident she had broken it.

  Stanley gave an almighty yell as blood began to spurt from his nose. He put up his hand to stem the flow, all the while cursing the girl beneath him.

  Charli rolled over in a bid to get away, but Stanley quickly dropped his body weight on top of her, preventing an escape. “You’re going to pay for that!” he yelled at her, his voice muffled by the hand still covering his nose.

  Her breath came rapidly as Charli tried to figure out her next move. The man was heavy as he lay on top of her. She hadn’t gotten away but she had bought herself at least a few more minutes.

  “I was going to be kind and get this over with quickly but now I think I’ll have a little fun with you before I kill you,” Stanley’s voice snapped in her ear, causing shivers of terror to course through her.

  Charli focused on her breathing. She had to stay calm. While she was afraid of what he planned to do to her, she kept her focus on the fact that it bought time. Would it be enough time?

  It took several minutes for Stanley to get the bleeding under control. During that time, he kept his body weight on top of Charli, preventing her flight. Eventually he rolled her over and Charli braced herself. His hand connected hard with her cheek, causing an explosion of pain across her entire face. Charli’s whimper caused him to laugh maniacally.

  “I like the sound of that,” he said cruelly as his hand co
nnected again, this time with the other side of her face. “You’re such a naughty girl, perhaps a session with my belt will teach you the error of your ways,” he laughed as he sat up to fumble with the buckle of his belt.

  Charli saw his body jolt before she registered the sound of a gunshot and then Stanley fell on top of her. She began to scream as she pushed, trying to remove the heavy weight from on top of her.

  “It’s all right Charli, I’ve got you,” Ben shouted over her piercing screams as he effortlessly lifted the weight from on top of his wife and gathered her into his arms.

  Charli continued to scream as the weight of her ordeal settled on her. Her chest felt wet and she clawed at it, covering her hands in the blood that had steeped from Stanley Bartholomew’s chest onto her own.

  Ben held her tight and rocked her as murmured soothing words in her ear. Eventually, his words began to register and Charli’s screams turned to sobbing. “You’re safe now,” Ben kept telling his wife. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

  “Killed…Papa…cliff…dead…marry…Matilda,” were the only words Ben could make out as his sobbing wife attempting to tell him what had happened. It was enough to make him realise the horror of her ordeal.

  “Sssshhhhh…it’s all right, I’ve got you,” he told her as he continued to rock her.

  “BEN?” he heard the sheriff’s voice call over the rise.

  “DOWN HERE!” Ben called back. “It’s safe to approach.”

  “I’ve never been so relieved to hear a woman sobbing and your voice,” the sheriff said as he got closer. “When we heard the gunshot, we feared the worst and came as quickly as we could. He held his lantern high, taking in Stanley Bartholomew’s prone body, with blood stained chest. He then held the light over Charli. “Is she hurt?”

  “Charli, are you hurt?” Ben asked her. Charli’s sobs had calmed to shudders and sniffles as she watched the sheriff and the men with him taking in the crime scene.

  “He k-killed p-papa,” she answered.

  Sheriff Johnson’s mouth dropped open in shock. He had investigated the scene himself and declared it an accident. “Stanley told you that?” Johnson clarified. Charli nodded. “He wanted to buy the farm and Papa wouldn’t sell. H-he was g-going to throw me over the cliff,” she added.

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” Johnson responded. “Ben would inherit the farm if he killed you. Why not kill Ben?”

  “Because Mat-tilda is in l-love with Ben. He s-said Ben would m-marry her and h-he’d still get the f-farm,” Charli said as her entire body began to tremble.

  “I need to know if you’re hurt anywhere Charli,” Sheriff Johnson said urgently as he watched her going into shock. Charli shook her head. It had come close but other than the slaps to her face, Stanley hadn’t had time to hurt her. “She’s going into shock. Get her home and into a warm bath,” Johnson told Ben. “I’ll come by tomorrow to get a more official statement.”

  Ben didn’t need to be told twice. All he wanted to do was get his wife home where he could find out for himself if she was hurt in any way. He stood with Charli in his arms and handed her to the sheriff so he could mount his horse. When he was atop, Johnson handed Charli up to him. “We’ll be home soon darling,” Ben promise as he gently kicked the horse into motion.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  When they got home, Ben quickly stoked the fire to get the room warm. “Let’s get these off you,” he said. Charli’s beautiful dress was torn and covered in mud, sticks and blood. She didn’t protest when Ben completely stripped her then wrapped her in a blanket. “I’ll start heating some water for a bath,” he told her.

  Charli whimpered when Ben went to leave the room. He quickly returned. “Don’t leave me,” she whispered, her entire body trembling.

  “I’m just going to the rain barrel, I won’t be far,” he reassured as he stroked her hair back from her face. Along the way it had come undone and was hanging around her shoulders in a matted mess. “You’ll feel better after a bath,” he promised. “Bartholomew can’t hurt you now.”

  Ben wished he didn’t have to leave her but there was no other way to get water. He continued to stoke the fire as he warmed water on the top of the stove. Once he had some hot, he made her a hot cup of sweet tea to drink while he finished his preparations.

  Charli didn’t protest when Ben lifted her into the bath, nor when he went to work washing her naked body. She felt numb and somehow removed. Ben found a bar of soap and went to work washing her hair, which had collected mud and sticks while she’d been on the ground.

  Eventually, he lifted her out of the bath and dried her off, before covering her with a nightgown. “Are you hungry?” he asked her.

  Charli shook her head as her eyes began to droop. She’d never felt so tired and wrung out in her life. Her face was a little red and puffy where she’d been struck and Ben thought she might get at least one black eye out of it. He couldn’t find any other signs of injury though.

  Wrapping her in a blanket, Ben cradled her on his lap in the rocking chair and began to rock, thankful when she dropped into a semi-peaceful sleep. As tempted as he was to hold her and watch her all night, Ben knew he needed to get some sleep. The next day was not going to be easy on either of them.

  <<<<>>>>

  Ben was worried about his wife. She looked exhausted and despite many attempts, he hadn’t been able to get her to eat all day. Unsurprisingly, she’d woken several times the night before with nightmares. Each time, Ben rocked her back to sleep in the rocking chair, eventually choosing to doze there himself rather than going back to his own bed.

  Martha had come out for a visit and clucked over her for a time. She’d cooked up a storm while she was there, leaving Ben with several meals and plenty of cake to feed any visitors that stopped by.

  Sheriff Johnson had come by and Charli had to relive her entire episode with Stanley Bartholomew. Ben was relieved the man was dead as he would have found it very difficult not to go after him if he were still alive. Norman Banks had managed to skip town while everyone was out searching for Charli and was now classed as a wanted person.

  “You look like you’re going to fall asleep in your soup,” Ben said kindly as he watched his wife with concern. She hadn’t said much since Sheriff Johnson had left. “Would you like to go to bed?”

  Charli shook her head vehemently. Every time she closed her eyes, the nightmare returned.

  “Charli, you’re exhausted,” Ben pointed out.

  “I can’t…” Charli said as tears filled her eyes. “Can I….”

  Ben waited in silence as Charli wrestled with the words she wanted to say.

  “C-can I s-sleep with you t-tonight?” she whispered.

  Ben was around the table and had Charli in his arms before she could blink. “Of course you can,” he told her as he held her tight. “You know I’d like nothing more.” He cleaned up the kitchen while Charli was changing and then climbed into bed with her, pulling her close and holding her tight. “I feel like I don’t want to let you out of my sight ever again,” he confessed when she sighed and snuggled into his chest. “I was so afraid I was never going to see you again.”

  “S-same,” Charli responded with a sniffle. “I thought I was going to die without ever getting the chance to tell you I love you,” she told him.

  “What did you just say?” Ben asked, holding his breath as he waited for her answer. He was sure he must have heard her incorrectly.

  “I love you Ben. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to tell you.”

  “There’s never a bad time to hear those words Charli Rae,” Ben told her. “In fact, you can make it up to me by saying them every day for the rest of our lives. Charli giggled, a sound that was music to Ben’s ears. It gave him hope that one day they could put this behind them and live a normal happy life together.

  Charli snuggled closer to her husband, enjoying the warmth of his strong body wrapped around hers. She wondered at her own folly that she thought life would be bet
ter lived alone. Nothing could be better than the way she felt right here, safe and secure in her husband’s arms.

  EPILOGUE

  Ben’s heart thudded in his chest as they came over the rise and he saw his childhood home for the first time since he’d left the district. Leaving had been one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. This place carried with it so many positive memories.

  And one really hard one.

  When his Papa had died, Ben’s life had changed forever.

  Without enough money to keep the farm running, his mama had chosen to sell and move closer to family. At the time, Ben was devastated. Leaving Charli behind was one of the hardest things he’d ever done and he vowed to return as soon as he was able.