Just then, the girls noticed him and came running with a black and white striped kitten between them, the other kittens forgotten and left to the mercy of Brenn.
“Pa, look! This is our new kitten.” Lisa called first.
“At first we couldn’t decide which one, but Uncle Ned taught us how to flip a coin,” Jenny added.
“We named her Whiskers, Pa! Isn’t she sweet?” Lisa cuddled her face up to the kitten and handed Whiskers to Jenny for her turn. Dalton’s heart swelled as he watched Jenny hold the soft, furry kitten up to her cheek. Jillian had done this for him—she’d brought his happy little girl back to him.
“Listen, Pa. She’s purring.” Jenny held the kitten out to him. Dalton reached out and stroked the kitten’s fur and then leaned in close to listen to its purr. Instead of a soft, rumbling sound, he heard a kitten cry out loudly. He looked over at Brenn, who was holding an unhappy black kitten up by the tail. Dalton handed Whiskers back to Jenny, along with the pail of fish and hurried over to rescue the kitten, with Lisa close behind him.
“Kitty!” Brenn cooed as Dalton gently took the unhappy kitten from his hands and handed it to Lisa. Lisa cuddled and started checking for wounds immediately.
“Brenn, you need to be nice to the kitten,” Dalton found himself saying, even though he knew Brenn probably didn’t understand a word. It was mostly for Lisa’s benefit.
Suddenly, a buckboard came flying up into the yard at full speed, and he heard Uncle Ned yell “whoa” as he pulled the horses to a sudden stop. Uncle Ned jumped down quickly and hurried over to the group. He hastily pulled Dalton away from the children, who were all staring at him in wonderment. They’d probably never seen him move so fast! At any another time Dalton might have found the thought funny. Uncle Ned handed Dalton a telegram marked “URGENT.”
“I was just getting ready ta leave town when Mrs. Pruitt came runnin’ out of the telegraph office with this note in her hand and said it was for you. Said it came this afternoon, but she couldn’t find anyone to bring it out.
“I didn’t read it, but I suspect she did, because she informed me I should fly like the wind ta get it to ya,” Uncle Ned said, breathlessly.
Dalton felt a sense of foreboding as he opened the telegram. It was from Marcus.
Dalton—
Received word Nathan left for Darlington—
Possibly arrived yesterday—
Source says he’s not in right mind—
Protect Jillian—
Prayers are with you—
Will wait for word—
Marcus.
Dalton’s face went ashen.
“What is it, boy?” Uncle Ned grabbed a hold of his arm.
“It’s Jillian. She’s in danger.” Immediately, he thought again of Digger’s absence, and an icy fear gripped him. “Uncle Ned, I’ve got to go and make sure she’s all right.” He raced for the wagon.
“Don’t worry about the children,” Uncle Ned said. “We’ll keep an eye on ’em.” As an afterthought, he called after Dalton as he raced away, “Hurry, boy!”
Nobody had to tell him that. Considering the feeling that had settled in his gut, wild dogs couldn’t stop him from hurrying. He stopped thinking and started praying.
Twenty-one
Jillian was measuring flour into a bowl when the door burst open. Expecting to see Dalton, she turned with a smile. Her breath caught in her throat, and she froze when she saw who was standing there.
“Nathan Shaw!”
He looked much the same, with the notable exception of the crook in his nose and the frightening look in his eyes. “What are you doing here? I mean . . . h-how did you know where to find me?”
Nathan didn’t say anything. He just stood there. Jillian was getting more nervous by the second, so she asked him again, more forcefully this time, “Nathan, what are you doing here?”
His face softened slightly. “Jillian, my love.” He smiled at her, but it was not the smile she remembered. “I’m here because of you.”
“Because of me?” She didn’t understand.
“Of course, because of you.” He started walking toward her. “You ran off, and I couldn’t find you for months.” He stopped and began absentmindedly running his fingers back and forth along of the edge of the kitchen table. “Is that any way to treat your betrothed?”
Jillian felt the fear in the pit of her stomach begin to grow. “Nathan, you must have heard by now, I’m already a married woman.”
Nathan narrowed his eyes and started walking slowly toward her again. Jillian slowly backed away from him until she could move no farther.
“Jillian, Jillian, what will I do with you?” he said patronizingly. “You know we were always meant to be together. You have loved me forever. On more than one occasion I overheard you confess your love for me to your friend Bethany. Why, you’ve loved me from the first day that wretched brother of yours and I became friends.” His hand went to his nose, and he stopped directly in front of her. “He broke my nose, you know. I have yet to repay him for that,” he hissed. Jillian instantly went on the defensive, her fear forgotten when he threatened Marcus.
“As I recall, you deserved that,” she said a bit too snidely. “I saw you—you and that . . . that woman—you with your hands all over her when you were going to be married to me. And you . . . you wouldn’t even give me a proper kiss, even though you had been courting me for better than six months! You disgust me!” She knew she had gone too far when she saw the anger in his eyes burn brighter.
“I regret that, Jillian, I truly do. It wasn’t because I didn’t want you. Oh, I wanted you, all right.” He picked up a strand of her hair and put it to his nose, inhaling deeply, chuckling when Jillian shuddered. “You smell just like I remember you. I wonder if you feel the same.”
Jillian’s skin began to crawl as he reached out towards her. “Nathan, don’t you touch me!” she told him firmly. She tried again to back away, but he had her pinned against the counter with his hands on either side of her. He leaned his face in close.
“You always wanted me to kiss you. All those nights that I walked you home.” He was taunting her. “I could tell that’s what you wanted.” Jillian struggled to get free of him, and his face contorted and turned ugly. “Why did you let him touch you? I saw his hands on you. You don’t even hardly know him, and you let him kiss you like that.” His breathing became harsher. “I could kill him for taking liberties with you. You belong to me, Jillian, not to him. That’s why I came to take you away with me. We can still be married.” His face softened slightly. “I saw you holding his baby.”
Jillian’s head began to spin. That was early this morning. How long had he been watching them?
“We could have our own,” Nathan continued. “I know I didn’t sound excited when you talked about children before, but I’ve been doing some thinking, and all I want is for you to be happy. You can see that, can’t you?” He smiled wickedly, and she began to panic. “I’ll show you I know how to make you happy, Jillian.” He leaned closer, as if he were going to kiss her.
“Nathan, you’re not listening to me.” Jillian pushed hard against his chest to hold him off. “I’m already married. I’m not going anywhere with you!”
He wasn’t listening to her. It was as if he was in his own world. “I’m ready to kiss you now. After all those months of waiting, I’m finally going to grant you your wish, sweet Jillian.” He leaned in closer, almost reaching her lips. Turning her head to the side to keep from screaming, Jillian caught sight of the crockery bowl filled with the flour she’d been measuring. Reaching her arm under his, she tried to grasp hold of its side. It was just beyond her fingertips. Suddenly, she felt him kiss her neck. With all her strength, she pushed hard against his chest.
“Nathan, let me go this instant! You have no right!” she yelled, panic stricken.
“I have more right that he does,” he growled.
“You’re wrong, Nathan,” she shouted at him. She leaned with all her mi
ght, reached out, and finally felt her fingers clasp the edge of the mixing bowl. She flung it up at him, hitting him hard in the head.
Stunned, Nathan stumbled back, momentarily giving Jillian enough time to break free and run out the open door. She stumbled on the porch steps and fell. Before she could get back up, Nathan had her by the arm again.
“Why are you making this so difficult?” he hissed at her between clenched teeth. “You know you belong to me. You need me!”
“I don’t belong to anyone, least of all you, Nathan Shaw!” Jillian dug her fingernails into his hand to make him release her. “And I only need Dalton! He will be here any minute, and I suggest you get out of here before he does.”
A gunshot rang out in the air, and Jillian’s eyes widened as her heart froze.
“I don’t think he’s going to make it, my dear.” Nathan laughed maniacally.
“You wouldn’t dare!” she protested.
“No, but my partner might.” Jillian felt dizzy. Who was he talking about?
“Oh you know him.” He was playing with her. “I ran into him in a saloon in Darlington, and when I told him who I was looking for, he jumped at the chance to help me.” Jillian still couldn’t understand who he was talking about.
“He told quite the tale about you, actually,” he continued, “how you came running over to him in the train station, flirting with him like you were interested, then acting shocked when he took you up on the offer. Said he got his nose broken over it, wanted to get back at the man that did the breaking. I figure he has done just that.” Nathan started to laugh again. “I couldn’t imagine you behaving that way, but I was glad for the help!”
Jillian felt her knees weaken and saw the world around her start to blur. Nathan’s laugh was the last thing she heard before passing out.
Without wasting any time, Nathan bent down, threw her over his shoulder, and ran out into the cornfields behind the barn.
Dalton’s heart pounded faster as he raced the wagon toward the house. Just before he got to the house, he heard a gunshot. Panic seized him, and he feared the worst. He saw that the front door was wide open as he turned into the gate. He drove up to the house and pulled the wagon to an abrupt halt. Flinging himself down, he ran into the house. It was empty, but there was a broken bowl on the floor and flour scattered everywhere. Fear gripped his heart even tighter. He ran back out the door. They couldn’t have gone too far, especially not on foot.
Dalton forced himself not to panic. He wasn’t going to lose her, especially not now. He ran in the direction he thought the shot had come from. After several minutes, he heard the whinny of a horse. Crouching down low, he parted the thick brush, fearful of what he would find. To his surprise, waiting in the clearing with two horses tied to a tree was none other than Mr. Charles Richard Fitzgerald III. Dalton made a sound of disgust. The man was as low as a snake.
Quietly, Dalton snuck in closer. Chuckles had his back to him. The horses, still rustling around from gunfire, were making a lot of noise. Dalton was able to get but a few feet away from the man unnoticed. He suddenly stood up and cleared his throat loudly. Surprised, Chuckles turned quickly around.
“Let’s see if this makes you laugh, Mr. Chuckles,” Dalton said and slammed his fist into the man’s stomach, causing him to double over. Dalton then rendered a deep uppercut to the jaw, causing Chuckles to fall flat on his back with a loud thud. Dalton reached down with both hands and, standing over him, grabbed both sides of the hideous suit and lifted the man’s face within inches of his own. “I’m only going to ask you one time, and you’d better know the answer,” he barked. Chuckles’s eyes got big. Dalton continued, “Where is Nathan Shaw?”
“Down . . . down at the house. That’s where he said he would be! At the h-house or in the fields.” Chuckles began to shake as Dalton narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t much help—there were fields everywhere.
“You’d better pray he hasn’t harmed one hair on my wife’s head. I’m not finished with you.” Dropping the pitiful man back to the ground, Dalton walked over to one of the horses and took a rope that was hanging from the saddle. He quickly secured Chuckles’s arms behind his back. After untying the two horses from the tree, he chased them off before sprinting back toward the house.
Dalton stood frantic in front of his own home. He looked around for any sign of a struggle, all while praying desperately for some guidance. Finally, with no definite clue where Nathan would have gone, he decided to head in the direction that he would take if he were trying to hide from view quickly—the cornfields directly behind the barn. He hadn’t gone more than a few yards into the corn when he heard a whimpering sound. On the ground in front of him he saw something moving. He ran to it and found Digger tied up tightly inside a flour sack. The pup was glad to be set free and began to eagerly lick Dalton’s face.
“We don’t have time for that now, Digger. We got to find Jillian. Do you think you can help me?” Dalton put Digger back down on the ground and after sniffing around for a moment, the pup took off into the fields like the devil himself was on his tail. Dalton followed closely after him.
Tiring, Nathan set a limp Jillian down and leaned over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. It was not easy running between the stalks of corn, let alone running with a bundle. Jillian stirred at his feet. In a minute, he would have to fight with the stalks and with her. How had he gotten himself to this point? If only she would come to her senses! Nathan needed to find a way back around to the horses.
He heard Jillian moan and watched as she opened her eyes. At first she looked confused, and then the look of fear returned. He knelt down beside her.
“Jillian, listen to me. I know I was a fool. I promise you, that woman didn’t mean anything. None of them did.” Her eyes widened with surprise. She didn’t think he fully realized what he had just confessed. “I just want you back. Let’s go find a place to be together. I have money.” He took out his money pouch, and Jillian was sure her face registered shock. Nathan continued, “We could go anywhere, start over.”
Jillian finally found her tongue. “Nathan, you need to stop this. You don’t know what you’re saying.” She realized he still wasn’t hearing her, but she tried once more. “I don’t love you, Nathan.” Finally, he seemed to focus on her words. “I never did. I was just young and confused,” she continued. Tears were falling now, tears of fear and pity. “I’m sorry, Nathan, but I just don’t love you.” He reached down and wiped a tear from her face.
“Please don’t cry, Jillian.” He looked tenderly at her, and she felt some hope rise within her. “I don’t want you to cry.”
“Nathan, let’s go back to the house and talk this over.” She quickly prayed that the children were still safe at Aunt Betty’s. “Everything’s going to be fine.” She thought about the large sum of money he had and could only imagine where it had come from. “Your father and your mother must be worried about you.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “I’ll have Dalton drive you back to the station so you can go home.” She said a prayer that Dalton was all right. Suddenly Nathan was angry again. He stood and pulled her up with him. He started down the long rows of corn, dragging her along behind him.
“We need to hurry. We don’t want to waste any more of our time together,” he urged.
“Nathan, please listen to me. I don’t love you. I—I love Dalton. He is my husband.” Nathan spun around to face her.
“You don’t need to pretend anymore. I’m here now. You don’t need him. You don’t need anyone but me.” He pulled her into his arms and tried to kiss her again.
Jillian screamed and struggled to get away. Unable to free herself, she started shouting angrily at him. “I hate you, Nathan Shaw! I will never go anywhere with you. I despise the very sight of you.”
Nathan raised his hand as though to strike her. She put her arms in front of her face, shut her eyes tightly, and waited to feel the impact. Instead, a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed Nathan’s arm, flinging him away
from her. She distinctly heard a crack as Nathan fell hard to the ground. She dared not look.
Dalton frowned at the man sprawled up against the cornstalks. He fought to control the anger that surged through his veins. Nathan didn’t seem to be moving, so he turned to Jillian. She was standing with her arms still protecting her face. He reached over and took her into his arms to still her shaking.
“Are you all right?” he asked gently. “Did he hurt you?” She clung to him tightly and sobbed his name. He kissed her hair and her tear-stained face. With his hands on her cheeks, he turned her face to look at him. “I was so frightened for you when I heard the gunshot. I thought I’d lost you.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and softly kissed her lips.
“Nathan told me that you had been shot.” She looked at him incredulously. “He was acting out of his mind. I’d never seen him like that before. Oh, Dalton, I was so afraid!” He pulled her tighter into his arms as she began to sob again.
“Hush now. I promise, I’ll never let you out of my sight again.” As she lifted her head to look at him again, she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye.
“Dalton, look out!” she shouted. Instantly, Dalton spun around.
“She’s mine, McCullough,” Nathan said, staggering toward them. He was breathing heavily, and one arm hung limply at his side, but still he lurched forward. Before she even saw him draw his arm back, Jillian heard Dalton’s fist make contact with Nathan’s face. He fell solidly to the ground, this time out cold. She sat down on the ground, relieved it was finally over.
Dalton knelt down by Jillian. Suddenly, the puppy came flying through the stalks, landed in her lap, and began licking her face.
“Oh, Digger,” she murmured as she snuggled the puppy close to her. “I haven’t seen you since we got back. Where have you been hiding out?” Dalton laughed, and Jillian looked up at him.
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