by Carrigan Fox
And then it was gone. She inhaled sharply and gasped for breath. Air had never tasted so good. The pain in her chest suggested a possible broken rib or two. But she couldn’t afford to lie in the field worrying about that. She rolled to my stomach and pushed herself to her feet. As soon as she had moved out of reach of the nervous cow, she turned back and shook her head at the heifer.
“Bloody beast,” Chase muttered. “Why would you kick me? I was only getting my hat.”
As much as she wanted to go see the calf born, Chase knew she needed to get back to the house and send for a doctor to come make sure the cow hadn’t done more damage than she thought.
She was climbing the steps of the front porch with her arm wrapped around her ribs when Elisa came out the front door. She was holding a rug in her hand, evidently on her way to shake it out. She noticed Chase’s pain almost immediately.
“What’s happened?”
“Nothing really,” she tried to laugh and grimaced in pain. “I got kicked by one of the cows. I might have broken a rib or two.”
“We’ll need to get Dr. Burns back out here to take a look at you.”
Chase nodded. “Perhaps we should simply save us all the ride and ask him to move in,” she joked.
***
“Are you sure you’re okay to make this ride?”
Elisa looked at her companion with a tired smile. “I’m hoping the jostling on the horse will start my labor. We’ll be bringing Dr. Burns back with us. What better time to go into labor?”
Elisabeth returned her smile. “It will happen when the baby is ready.”
“As the baby’s mother, I think that I should be the one who decides when we’re ready. And we are very ready. And I’m grateful that you were able to join me on this ride into town.”
Elisabeth shrugged. “Colton warned me just this morning that we women should not be running about by ourselves. He mentioned that some dangerous men are in town looking for Chase.”
Elisa frowned. “He must have gotten word in town.”
“How is Chase doing?”
“Nervous, not that she’d ever admit it.”
The two women tied up their mounts and purchased their train tickets to Midland. They planned to ride back to the ranch in Dr. Burns’s carriage. Once they had purchased their fares, they stood on the platform in the hot sun awaiting the train.
Across the platform, two well-dressed men stood staring at them.
“Do you ever get used to being one of the few women in this ranching town?” Elisabeth asked, obviously uncomfortable.
Elisa looked over and watched one of the two men hurry across the street while the other blatantly stared in their direction. “You get used to ignoring the attention. Unless you’re wider than a horse, in which case you relish any attention you can get from a man.” She offered a small smile to comfort Elisabeth, though she secretly was quite certain that these men were with Jett Stockton. Sure enough, within minutes of entering the saloon, the second man emerged, followed by two more. All four of them strode toward the women.
A tall dark man with an oily mustache walked in front of the group and studied Elisabeth critically. He glanced for a moment at Elisa and disregarded her. He then spoke gruffly to the pretty petite woman. “Are you English?” he asked abruptly.
Elisabeth eyed him with suspicion, if not a bit of recognition. “I am.”
“What is your name?”
She swallowed thickly and offered him her hand, as though she was oblivious to his less-than-gentlemanly behavior. “Elisabeth Davies.” She answered proudly with her chin up.
“Elisabeth Davies,” Stockton repeated, as though trying to remember where he’d heard her name before. His eyes focused once more on his target. “You were betrothed to Lord Bradford, yes? Before he diddled your mum, I mean.”
The language was deliberately unfit for a lady, indicating the disdain that he held for her. To her credit, Elisabeth’s cheeks colored only slightly as she pushed her chin a bit higher into the air.
“I am she. And I thank the Lord daily for sparing me from marrying such a wretched and foul pig,” she responded defiantly, thinking to herself that Chastity Fairfax was equally fortunate.
“What business do you have with us, Mr…?” Elisa interrupted. She appreciated that Elisabeth was a proud woman, but she didn’t dare take the chance that Jett Stockton would read between the lines and recognize that they were familiar with his own betrothed.
“Stockton. I am looking for a young woman who came from England on board the Mauretania and settled here in this god-forsaken town.”
“That would be me,” Elisabeth answered quickly. “Why would you be looking for me? Do you have news from my family? Has something happened to my mother?” Her voice held no concern, only a hint of curiosity. Elisa concealed her amazement at the woman’s uncanny ability to lie convincingly.
“Not you. I’m looking for Chastity Fairfax. She would have traveled with her sister, Rosalie, and her grandmother, Evelyn. Did you travel on the Mauretania from Liverpool during the first week in June?”
“I did.”
“And did you encounter these three women during your journey?”
“I did not, Mr. Stockton. I traveled with my cousin, and he and I spent a good deal of time with the other passengers on board. Were they near my age, do you suppose?” she asked sweetly.
His eyes traveled the length of Elisabeth’s body and back again, lingering lewdly on her breasts. “Probably.”
“Then I’m certain they were not on the ship. If they had been, my cousin would have happily located them and introduced us. He grew a bit tired of entertaining me, you see. He is used to being independent, rather than saddled with a dainty female.”
Stockton snorted in understanding for the poor cousin who was burdened with his boring female cousin. He then twirled one end of his mustache thoughtfully and turned toward one of his men. “Do you suppose the inspector in New York was thinking of Ms. Davies here when he directed us to Texas?” The other man only shrugged in response.
“There aren’t many young women here in Slaughter, Mr. Stockton. If three young women had gotten off the train here, it would have made the newspaper. I assure you, if someone told you these Fairfield women—”
“Fairfax,” Stockton corrected.
“If someone told you these Fairfax women came to Slaughter, Texas, they were mistaken,” Elisa explained.
“And who are you?” he demanded rudely.
“Mrs. Elisa Wainwright.” The train whistled in the distance, distracting Stockton enough that he didn’t notice Elisa’s sigh of relief. “That will be our train. We wish you luck in finding your young ladies, Mr. Stockton. In the mean time, perhaps we will see you around town; or are you planning to leave soon to continue your search?”
“I’m not planning to leave anytime soon. I still have some questions that need answered.”
“Of course,” was Elisa’s only response. As the train pulled into the station, the two women nodded politely to the four men and boarded the train.
“Do you think he believed us?” Elisabeth asked as they watched Stockton and one of his men leave the platform to return to the saloon.
“If he did, he would be leaving town no later than tomorrow.”
***
Webb blew smoke out to hover over his table and tossed his wager into the pot. He had been playing poker for nearly two hours with Stockton and one of his men. There were also two other Texans at the table, men he’d known for years. Stockton hadn’t yet asked any of them about Chase, but Webb knew it was only a matter of time.
“Rumor has it, Webb, that you had three calves born this mornin’,” a black bearded Texan named Liam asked.
“Mm-hmm. It was a busy mornin’ on the ranch.” Webb took a swig of his beer, dropped his cards, and collected his winnings. “You a rancher, Stockton?” he asked.
“God no,” Stockton laughed loudly. He had been drinking whiskey, on recommendation of Liam, since W
ebb had sat down at his table; and he might have started sooner. The alcohol was already taking effect as he began talking with more volume and less clarity. “I’m a viscount. Or I will be.”
“What does a viscount do?” Webb asked, knowing damn well that he had a title, not a profession, unless drinking, gambling, and being disinherited were professions.
“A viscount does whatever he damn well pleases,” he bragged.
“My cousins with titles have more rules than poker does. How to speak, how to eat, where to go to school, what to study, how to spend money, where to live, where to travel, who to marry, what hobbies to take up. I can’t imagine a life like that. All I have to do is wake up in the morning and keep my ranch running.”
“Which is a bloody lot of hard work. Working in the dirt with animals that smell foul and the hot sun. What man in his right mind would want to do that?”
All three Texans agreed that they would. By Stockton’s standards, however, they were probably not in their right minds.
“What do you do with your days, if not working with foul-smelling animals in the dirt and sun?” Webb asked casually, dropping two cards.
“This,” he gestured to the table.
“Women,” the other Englishman laughed.
“That would fall under the category of working with foul-smelling animals,” Stockton howled. The two men laughed obnoxiously.
Liam raised his eyebrows in Webb’s direction while guzzling the rest of his beer. The Irishman kindly picked up his friend’s line of questioning. “Women? I would have figured that a powerful viscount like you has a nice lady at home. You aren’t married?”
“Even if I was, that wouldn’t stop me from enjoying myself with whomever I please. But no, I’m not married…yet.”
“Yet?” Webb asked, not daring to look up at the son of a bitch. He was fairly certain that he was going to want to kill him within the next ten minutes.
“I’m betrothed to a feisty little mare. Rich, too. And not too hard on the eyes.” He stroked his mustache arrogantly, probably wishing he had Chase on his arm right now, parading her around like a pretty piece of jewelry.
“Must be hard leaving her behind while you travel the world,” Liam suggested.
Stockton only grunted.
“Not so hard if you don’t mind using other women,” Webb threw in.
“True, my man. True. Give me one card. The truth is, the little bitch got it in her head to take off. She was spotted in Liverpool the day before a ship left for this country. An inspector in New York told me that he saw her get off the ship with her sister and grandmother. Said that she was coming to live with her rancher brother in this hole. Nowhere, Texas,” he laughed rudely.
“Rancher with an English sister. You sure he wasn’t talking about me?”
Stockton perked up and studied Webb for the first time all night. “Thought you said your name is Webb. I’m looking for Marcus Fairfax. His sister is Chastity. Do you have a sister you picked up in New York?” he asked sarcastically.
“I have a cousin I picked up.”
“Aah. Ms. Davies. Yes, I met her on the train platform earlier today. She is quite beautiful, though a bit dim.”
Webb bit his tongue and only nodded. Making Stockton angry or defensive wouldn’t get him the information he needed. “Chastity? That’s quite a name. I’m surprised you’d want to marry a lady by the name of Chastity.”
“Trust me, my man, the name does not suit the little hussy.”
“’Little hussy?’ I thought this is the lady you’re engaged to marry,” Liam argued.
“Because she’s rich and nice to look at. Not because she’s virginal or even respectable.”
“Sounds to me like you don’t much like this lady. But you’re going through an awful lot of trouble to find her,” Webb observed, frowning as Stockton clucked his tongue arrogantly after dropping his cards. He gathered his winnings one coin at a time.
“Did I mention she’s rich?”
“Keep throwing hands like that, and you won’t need her money,” the other Englishman laughed.
“Powerful viscount like you? Why would you need her money?”
“My father disagrees with my choice of investments.”
“She the last single lady with money in England?”
Stockton glared at Webb for a moment before his eyes softened. He only sneered. “She’s the one I want.”
Chase had told him at the pond last night that no other father in England would marry his daughter off to Jett Stockton. Her own father consented only because he was certain that Stockton was the only man in England willing to marry his oldest daughter.
“Hell, Stockton, no man should go to so much trouble for a woman,” Webb spoke boldly. “It’s damn near embarrassing.”
“Not nearly as embarrassing as everyone in London knowing that your betrothed ran away to avoid marrying you. But don’t worry, I’ll get her back. And it’ll be worth the trouble.”
“If it’s money you need, cowboy, I’d be happy to loan you some. Interest free.” He knew that this was pushing it, but he needed to try to get this bastard out of Chase’s life.
He eyed the Texan suspiciously without speaking for a moment. Then he asked, “Why in the hell would you loan me money?”
Webb grinned. “Because your hounding this broad who clearly doesn’t respect you makes laughing stocks of all of us. You’re making men look bad. And I’m feeling generous. Personally, I won’t ever marry. I’ll never have children. I like my solitary life too much. And I have too much money for one man.” This was a bit of a lie. He wasn’t terribly wealthy, but he had a bit of money put aside. And if it sent Stockton packing, then it was worth losing his savings.
“Nobody will look bad when I have her back in London and own her and her money.”
“Suit yourself,” he muttered.
Stockton was clearly a man with a mission. He would not leave until he had Chase or was sufficiently convinced that she wasn’t in Slaughter.
The air was thick with cigar smoke and tension after that. Webb finished the hand and left before Stockton finished picking all of his winnings up off of the table.
Perhaps he had had too much to drink himself. Perhaps if he hadn’t had that last beer, he might have seen Stockton nod at his man as Webb got up from the table. Perhaps he would have heard the Englishman following him through the dark back to the ranch.
CHAPTER 18
Chase was sitting in the shade of the front porch and using her hat to fan herself while life continued as normal around her. Marcus and his men moved at a comfortable pace around the ranch; and Elisa kept their grandmother and Reese busy in the kitchen of the house. Chase had been told that she was to relax and try to not strain her two broken ribs. Instead, she was sitting uselessly in the unbearable heat. After had Elisa told them of her run-in with Stockton and his men at the train station, even a refreshing swim at the pond wasn’t tempting.
She pushed herself to her feet and was heading to the front door when she heard the pounding of hooves approaching the house. She watched wearily to see the lone rider racing toward her. She recognized the golden curls peeking out from under the rider’s hat. Webb’s horse hadn’t even come to a stop before he dismounted. He must have seen Chase almost immediately, because he was brought up short.
“How are your ribs?” he asked.
She hadn’t seen him in a few days, and she was clenching her fists and willing herself not to leap into his arms. “A bit sore, but fine. How did you hear?”
“Elisabeth.” He looked around the property, and his gaze lingered on the barn. “Is your brother around? I came to talk to him.” He eyed the house behind her nervously.
“Of course. Is something wrong?”
He shook his head and started toward the barn. He looked like he was going to be ill.
“Webb, what’s happened?” Chase asked, suddenly nervous. When he didn’t look at her or answer her, she stepped off of the porch and followed him. He wa
s walking at a brisk pace, and she found myself nearly jogging to keep up.
“Fairfax!” he called as he approached the barn. He sounded angry.
Marcus stepped out of the barn, wiping his hands on a rag. “Everything okay, Webb?” he greeted.
He shrugged and kicked at the dry sandy ground. “Yeah, fine. Have you got a minute?”
Marcus nodded, looking at him curiously.
“I came to ask if I could marry your sister.”
“What?!” Chase exclaimed.
At the same time, Marcus asked, “Reese?”
Her immediate shock shifted to indignation and insult. “What makes you automatically assume he’s talking about Reese?”
Colton only nodded in Chase’s direction, still maintaining eye contact with her brother.
“Why?” Marcus asked, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth to hide a grin of amusement.
“More importantly,” she interrupted angrily, stepping between the two so that Colton had to look at her, “why are you asking my brother? Have I not made it abundantly clear to everyone that I am my own woman? I need permission from no man. I will do anything I please with my life.” A small nagging voice was raging reminders about how repulsive marriage would be for her. At the same time, her heart was racing, and her stomach was fluttering. He wanted to marry her. The thought of spending the rest of her life making love with Colton Webb was hardly disgusting.
“I was in town last night playing cards. I decided to sit at a table with Stockton, and we made small talk. After some promptin’, he finally admitted that he’s come for Chase. He won’t leave without her. I even offered him money to get out of town, which proved to be a huge mistake.”
“What’d he do?” Marcus asked. What had begun as a marriage proposal was sounding an awful lot like a business discussion. This would be the part when Colton admitted that he feared for her safety and realized he was in love with her. The thought of another man’s hands on her made him sick. She waited eagerly to hear his confession.