Secrets and Trust (Mail-Order Brides 3)

by Annie Boone

  It would soon be dark, and he prayed for a miracle. Please let me find her, Lord, and let me make this right. She came all the way here to start a new life with me, she trusted me to take care of her. I was so harsh with her, Lord, and I didn't listen when she tried to help. My pride has been my curse, Jesus. Make me humble.

  “Where do you want me, Judd? How can I help?” he heard a familiar voice ask. Looking up from the ground he was scrutinizing, he saw his brother.

  Judd threw his arms around Matthew, “Forgive me, forgive me,” he begged, “I never knew, I promise I never knew it hurt this much to lose the woman you love. She doesn't even know I love her! How could I be so foolish?”

  “You can still tell her yourself, big brother, I met a man who can help us on my way out of town. May I introduce you to Marshall Gunther, whose leg wasn't broken, only sprained,” and he stepped aside to reveal a man almost as tiny as Abuela.

  “Sorry to meet under these circumstances, Mr. MacIntyre, but I am an excellent tracker. Take me to where the first scraps of cloth were located. We need to be precise with the location.” He motioned for Judd to hurry on ahead.

  With Marshall Gunther taking them around and down alleys it was soon evident Annabelle's abductor had personal knowledge of these confusing twists and turns. Gunther asked what size shoe Annabelle wore and Judd offered to send a boy to Consuela to see if she knew.

  “Not necessary, an approximate size will do,” Gunther replied. “Were they about yea big?” and he held his hands apart. Judd nodded, and Gunther said, “There are fairly recent scuff marks here made by a small boot, I'd say we're on the right trail boys.”

  The last lingering rays of light faded as evening fell, and concerned townsfolk brought out lanterns, along with hot coffee and sandwiches for the searchers. The ragged bits of dress Annabelle left as clues had been ground into the dirt by countless people there for the rodeo in some spots. In others, the strong wind had tossed them about.

  There were volunteers everywhere down in the dusty streets, sifting the dirt like they were panning for gold. Only in this instance the gold we find will be Annabelle's life, Judd thought. He was tired of following Gunther around. He wanted to run up and down the streets like a mad man and shake someone until they confessed where Annabelle was.

  Matthew saw that Judd was coming undone. He knew all the signs. “Do you want to know why I left, and even more importantly, why I came back,” he said quietly, so he wouldn't distract Gunther.

  “What? Oh, sure I want to know,” Judd said, unconvincingly. “It’s just that I have some other things on my mind, Brother. Can we talk about this after we find Annabelle?”

  Matthew smiled at him crookedly. “I know, but I think it’s important you hear it now.”

  Judd nodded, so he started his story. “Well, I left because I was mad at you, angry that you finally had someone in your life you cared about. I had planned on making you suffer forever, but I just couldn't justify causing Annabelle pain. She didn’t deserve that. So I was headed wherever the road was going to take me. When it led me straight to Marshall Gunther, I felt like a small, still voice in my heart. The one I hadn't listened to since Elizabeth died was telling me to go back. I forgive you, Judd. There will always be a part of me that mourns the life I might have had with Elizabeth. I loved her.”

  Judd stood quietly listening to everything Matt was saying. He nodded slightly, and his brother continued. “And I am sure we will still argue but I don't hate you anymore. I feel better than I have in several years, and I owe part of that to Annabelle. She opened my eyes and reminded me that God forgives. Even I could find forgiveness in Him. We will find Annabelle, trust your little brother on this.”

  Simon Jones approached them as they were walking down one of the older streets in town. There were signs of neglect and one of the buildings looked abandoned. He hurried to catch up with them, finally calling for them to stop. Judd reluctantly waited, impatiently tapping his foot.

  “Hey fellas, I'm so glad I found you. A kid on Worth Street found a whole bunch of green material. I have been trying to find you forever, this place is like a maze back here. I think I can find my way out though if you want me to take you there. Maybe it'll lead us straight to your Annabelle, Mr. MacIntyre,” he finished breathlessly.

  “Quite all right,” Gunther spoke up, “I believe we'll keep looking here. There are some promising signs.”

  “Come on guys,” Jones urged, “you been following this little man around for hours. If he was such an expert he would have found her by now.”

  “What time do you have,” Judd asked Matthew, “Consuela has been sitting at Sally's Place waiting for word of Annabelle. You know how stubborn she is. I couldn't convince her to go home, but she listens to you. Maybe you should walk back with Mr. Jones.”

  “Yeah,” Jones said eagerly, “you should all come back. Have some sandwiches, too. Nourishment would do you good. Here, I got the time,” and he snapped open an old battered pocket watch.

  “What an interesting old watch. Must have belonged to your father,” Matt remarked, taking a closer look.

  “My friend Red Deer had one just like that; it even had a dent in the same place.” his voice trailed off slowly, catching Judd's eye.

  “Where did you get that watch, Mr. Jones?” Judd asked quietly. “If you give me the wrong answer I am going to beat the right one out of you, so you’d best think well before you speak.”

  “This was a gift from a friend who knows how much I like pocket watches. Maybe he bought it from your friend,” Jones said, turning to run.

  He only made it a few feet before Judd crashed into him. Just as he was about to pummel his face to a pulp, he stopped. “Hold this piece of filth. I need to see what Gunther's found,” he told Matt. Judd found the Marshall on the other side of a derelict looking general store.

  “She was brought here,” he whispered, pointing to the green cloth on the ground that hadn't been disturbed by the wind. “We can wait for help or go in on our own."

  Judd simply nodded toward the door.

  "Yep, I knew you would say that. I will go in first, stay right behind me as we enter, and then I go left while you jump to the right, do not fire your gun unless certain of who you are aiming at. Do you understand, Mr. MacIntyre?” Gunther asked.

  “Yes, I'm behind you, then I go right, I'm ready,” Judd hissed.

  Gunther shot the door lock with his Colt 45, and before the echo had faded, he was moving into the room.

  Judd immediately saw Annabelle sitting in a chair and ran to her while Gunther cornered a man stumbling around in the corner of the room. Judd attempted to lift her out of the chair several times before he understood what she was saying.

  “I am safe, sweetheart, but I am tied to the chair. You won't be able to pick me up until I'm untied. Do you have your knife? Oh! I am so happy to see you! My prayers were truly answered! Thank God for hearing and delivering!

  Judd cut her free and hugged her tightly to his broad chest. His free hand stroked her hair until he realized that the others were watching.

  "Now can we plan our wedding,” Annabelle laughed.

  Judd chuckled and looked in her eyes. "Yes, we can do that," he said.

  Chapter Eight

  Exactly one week later Annabelle was sitting on the back patio at the big house. Judd and Matthew were discussing plans for the house Matt wanted to build. The sunshine winked off the dented up pocket watch pinned to Matt's vest.

  Abuela was visiting Red Deer's grave, and Annabelle was savoring the peace of a lovely and crisp fall day. Judd told her to enjoy the mild weather while she could. Winter wasn't far away.

  She heard the dogs barking as she sipped her coffee and wondered who was headed to the big house.

  Mateo's wife Gloria came home from her sister's house on Thursday. Annabelle already adored their children and they played games together every day. Gloria was really good at charades which reminded Annabelle
of her old life before Rosalie's death, and it made her happy to remember good times. Mateo and Judd kept winning at charades, but she didn't care; there was plenty of time to beat them later.

  Annabelle heard a man's voice coming from around the side of the house, and Matt and Judd immediately placed their hands on their guns. Simon Jones was headed to prison, he confessed to his part of the grisly scheme he concocted. Samuel Hofner was going to the gallows for the murder of Red Deer. Until a little more time had passed, they were all going to be jumpy.

  “Hello, I am looking for a Mr. Judd MacIntyre,” said a voice Annabelle thought she 'd never hear again.

  She jumped up and ran to where he stood on the edge of the patio. “Papa, am I dreaming? What are you doing here?” Annabelle exclaimed, as she nervously rubbed the folds of her dress.

  “Your mother is here as well, Annabelle. And, well, we came to ask your forgiveness. No child should have to lose her sister and her parents. We realized after you left that we were gravely wrong and that we'd treated you horribly. It was bitterly lonely without you, Annabelle, and we really need to be near you. We've decided to move to Wyoming if you will have us, that is.” he asked nervously.

  Judd stepped over and held out his hand to Annabelle’s father. “You are more than welcome here, sir.”

  John Turlington, smiled and took Judd’s hand.

  “Sir, I believe I have something I need to ask you. It may be improper to have the conversation in front of the ladies, but I think we can drop the formalities considering the circumstances.”

  John cocked his head to the side with a questioning look on his face. “Out with it, then, son. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “I love your daughter very much, Mr. Turlington.” Judd glanced over at Annabelle and then back at her father. “I plan to marry her tomorrow. We would very much like your blessing. Can you please give it?”

  “I’m happy to see my daughter looking so well and so content. I haven’t seen her like this in many years. This is all because of you. Of course you have my blessing!”

  ***

  The following day was bright and clear. The perfect day for a fall wedding. Annabelle was radiant in her wedding dress. She knew Judd was going to love it. Part of the happiness she felt was because of the dress she wore. Her mother had surprised her that morning by pulling out her own wedding dress from her trunk.

  She presented it to Annabelle shyly. “I hope the dress will fit. I thought you might like to get married in the dress I wore to wed your father.”

  Later, when her mother held her hand and asked her if she was nervous, she just smiled. "No, Mama. Not at all. After making the trip across the country and the trouble that happened in my first days here, nothing can make me nervous again!"

  Her mother squeezed her hand gently and placed a joyful kiss on her forehead.

  Annabelle was blissfully happy to be marrying a man who turned out to be the man of her dreams. To be able to have her parents back in her life was a remarkable gift. They had returned to loving people they had been before Rosalie's death. She had much to be thankful for.

  The only sad moment of the day was when Annabelle looked into her mother's eyes and knew they were thinking the same thing. At the same time they said, "I wish Rosalie could be here today." They put their arms around each other for a moment.

  Annabelle said a short prayer out loud. "Thank you, God, for giving us Rosalie for the time we had her. We miss her dreadfully but know she is in your safe keeping until we see her again in Heaven. Be with us all today as we start a new chapter. We will strive to serve you. Amen."

  When Gloria entered the room and blindfolded her for the buggy ride to the church, Annabelle laughed in glee. She was enjoying the experience completely, and she wouldn't forget a single moment.

  They road in near silence to the church. Annabelle was taking all the sounds in and she knew she would remember the feeling of anticipation for the rest of her life.

  The buggy stopped, and she was ready to get out and go into the church. Then she heard Abuela's voice say, "This is all for you, my Hermoso Nina." Gloria removed the blindfold.

  When she opened her eyes to a meadow full of sun and flowers she saw Judd standing there, waiting for her. He was more handsome than she had dreamed he would be in his wedding attire. She noticed her father standing to the side of the buggy waiting to walk her to her groom. Her heart was filled with happiness as she walked with her mother and father to the man she loved and was about to marry.

  She felt the tears come, and she let them. They were tears of joy because she was indeed the happiest bride in the world.

  The End

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read Secrets and Truth. I hope it gave you an enjoyable interlude to slip into the past for just a while.

  If you liked this story and want to read more like it, here’s a link with all my books:

  http://annieboone.com/books/

  If you have the time, I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave a review. Reviews are critical to the success of books published by Indie authors, like me. You can leave a review here:

  http://annieboone.com/secretsreview

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  Keep reading!

  Annie

  Other Western Romance Authors I Recommend

  I enjoy reading Western Romance books and I read often. I thought you might like to see some of my favorite authors so that you can check them out to see if they’re a fit for the kind of reading you love.

  Jenny Creek Tanner – Jenny is a country girl who writes about cowboys and heroines who tame them. She’s one of my favorites.

  http://annieboone.com/JennyCreekTanner

  Lorena Dove – Lorena is a relatively new author who is writing a different kind of Mail Order Bride story. Her heroines are immigrants in her Sweet Land of Liberty series.

  http://annieboone.com/Lorena-Dove

  Indiana Wake – Indiana is a prolific writer. She has published many books and most of them deal with difficulties faced by the heroines. Her main characters face and overcome the same issues many of us face every day. I love her honest approach.

  http://annieboone.com/IndianaWake

  Books Worth Reading in the Mail Order Bride Sub-genre

  Charlotte's Summer by Juliet James

  http://annieboone.com/julietj

  The Widow and the Widower: A Clean Historical Mail Order Bride Romance by Trinity Bellingham

  http://annieboone.com/trinityb

  Desperate Cowboy Seeks Mail Order Bride to Save Ranch by Rosie Attwood

  http://annieboone.com/rosiea

  Widow's Return - Forsaken and Fearful Mail Order Bride Carried Home by Her Faithful Frontier Farmer by Terri Grace

  http://annieboone.com/terrig

  Archer Sisters of Goldrush by Sonja Faye

  http://annieboone.com/sonjaf

  I hope you enjoy these clean and inspirational reads!