by Indiana Wake
“Happy now?”
James turned. His sister was standing in the doorway of his office, still wearing the dress she had worn for the wedding. Her hair was loose from its pins and hanging about her shoulders. James finished packing his bag.
“I wasn’t unhappy before.”
“Little liar,” Beth accused, still smiling, “you’ve been beaming ever since you heard that Karla was going to marry Scott.”
“Well, she’s a sweet woman. Much like another sister.” James snapped his bag closed. “She deserves happiness.”
And James couldn’t think of anyone better than the gentle giant that was Scott Hollingsworth. James had caught sight of Scott looking at his new wife before he had to leave to take care of a patient, and it was enough to make his chest tighten. If only he could have something like that for himself.
Living in Sioux Falls was making him rethink his decision of being a confirmed bachelor.
Beth giggled as she sat in the chair by the empty fire. “I don’t think Louise Hollingsworth was too impressed with it, though. Did you see her face when Karla came down the aisle in that gorgeous dress? It was as if you’d told her to suck a lemon.”
“Well, she’s not getting married to Karla, is she?” James laughed. “And she wanted Martin and Michael to have a mother to look after them. Now she’s gained a new daughter-in-law and an extra grandson.”
“She isn’t happy about it.”
“They didn’t get married to make her happy. Only each other.”
Beth was silent. James looked up as he put his bag beside his desk to see his sister watching him curiously.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Beth?”
“Are you trying to take credit for this match?”
“Why would you say that?”
“I don’t know. Something about the way you’re acting.”
James shrugged. He settled in his chair. “Well, I did bring Karla here.”
Beth laughed. “If that’s the case, I’m going to take credit for when you finally marry.”
James snorted. “As if you could find me a wife.”
“Maybe I can.” Beth’s eyes glinted. “I noticed how interested you were in that statuesque blonde woman who came to the church with that handsome lad. Colin, I think his name was.”
That had James sitting up. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
“Frederica?” He croaked. He cleared his throat, aware that Beth was smirking. “Don’t be ridiculous, Beth. We’re just good friends. And she’s a patient as well.”
“Sometimes, doctors can experience feelings for patients.”
“Have you seen me around people when I’m not being a doctor?”
“I have. Which makes it all the more amusing and very sweet.”
“Sweet?” James shuddered. “No. I’ve never described myself as sweet.”
“I would.”
“That’s because you’re my sister. And a daft one, at that.” James waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe I should bring a man out here for you. Get you married as well.”
Beth started. But then she recovered quickly, throwing her head back as she laughed again.
“Not a chance. I’m happy as I am, thank you. I haven’t got time for a husband.”
“That’s what Mother said. And then she married Father.”
“I’m not Mother.” Beth’s eyes widened and she dug into her pocket. “Oh, I forgot. I stopped by the telegram office earlier to message them, and there was one for you. It’s from Paul.”
“Paul?” James sat up. “He’s sending me messages already? Has the surgery fallen down?”
“Don’t be a fool. He’s perfectly fine.” Beth paused, her hand clasping around a folded piece of yellowing paper. “For the most part.”
“What does that mean?”
“I…” Beth hesitated. Now she was looking less certain. “I read the telegram. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I can’t do anything about it now, can I?” James frowned. It wasn’t often that he saw his sister rattled, and she clearly was rattled. “Beth? What is it? What’s happened to Paul?”
“He…he said a man came into the surgery and demanded to know where you were. He claimed that you had kidnapped someone.”
“I… what?”
“Paul tried to tell him that you weren’t there anymore, but the man didn’t believe him.” Beth bit her lip. “He got beaten up for his troubles. Don’t worry, he’s fine, but he’s a little shaken.”
James stared. This was not meant to happen. He had left the surgery with his best friend and colleague, knowing it would be in safe hands. He hadn’t accounted for his friend being attacked himself.
“He was beaten for not giving the correct answers?”
“Sounds like it.” Beth handed the telegram across the table. “Paul’s worried that this man will figure out where you’ve gone and come after you. He said to be on your guard.”
“I plan to be.” James didn’t read the telegram. He didn’t want to lower the festive mood. Not on this day. He shoved it into his pocket. “Look, let’s not waste the wedding reception in here. I’m sure it’s still going on. Let’s go and enjoy ourselves. Make the most of it.”
Beth giggled again. Her gaiety had come back now.
“You only say that because you want to dance with Frederica before someone else grabs her.”
She darted out of her chair before the shoe James had snatched up off the floor in retaliation could hit her; it ended up bouncing harmlessly onto the floor.
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It was colder than Aaron Gibson had anticipated that night and he wrapped his coat around himself as he left the station. He wanted to sit in the warm around the fire with the stationmaster but that wasn’t an option right now.
If they were inside getting warm, they might miss their chance.
At the far end of the station, hiding in the shadows, Mateo Alvarez hovered by the fence. Aaron joined him and leaned back on the fence paneling.
“I’ve just spoken to Jerome. The train is expected any minute.”
“That’s what he said two hours ago,” Mateo grunted. He was stamping his feet and pacing to keep warm. The January weather had a bite to it that neither of them had expected. “And the hour before that.”
“He said there was a landslide on the line in Colorado. It took a while to get the track clear and it’s put everything back.”
The pastor scowled and carried on pacing.
“At least Marcus isn’t here.” He shivered as he looked towards the station house. “That is something right now.”
Aaron couldn’t agree more. He had been in his office, minding his own business, when Mateo had rushed in all red-faced. Once he could talk, he had told him they needed to get to the station immediately as Marcus was going to ruin lives.
Aaron had no idea what he was talking about but he wasn’t about to turn down his oldest friend; besides, he knew Marcus’s reputation and it was not a good one. As they made their way to the station, Mateo explained what he had overheard in the restaurant while Marcus was slowly getting drunk.
Five women were coming to Tucson. Five widowed women looking for husbands. Marcus had managed to dupe them into believing they were coming here for a new start in good lives. That he would help them settle down and organize for them men who would be happy to marry women who had already been married.
Aaron understood that life was hard for widows and that they struggled to survive back East. There were not enough men for them to make good marriages, but of course, sometimes, they got lucky. Family or friends would help them out or they could take in washing but their life was usually hard and desperate. Just hearing their plight tugged at his heartst
rings and made him want to punch Marcus.
He understood why they would come here. Out in the Wild West, the men outnumbered the women by ten to one. Women would be welcomed here, the men would welcome them with open arms, despite the fact that they were widows. They had a chance to find good lives with good husbands.
But Marcus had other plans. Mateo had sensed he had an ulterior motive and Aaron knew it wasn’t a big leap, Marcus always had other plans. The man loved money more than anything else. He was always up to something, some scheme to rip someone off.
Mateo, being the man that he was, couldn’t sit by; Aaron understood and knew that his friend had to do something to save the souls coming into town. Aaron was happy to help and came along to make sure his friend didn’t run into trouble. At the same time, making sure the women didn’t get stuck with Marcus James draining them dry of everything they had. He shuddered once more, only this time it wasn’t because of the cold.
Aaron squinted into the dark. The night in Tucson came down heavy and it was thick. He would be lucky if he could see the end of the platform.
“Are you sure you should be doing this, Matt?” he asked. “How do you know these women don’t mind what he’s doing?”
Mateo snorted.
“Aaron, no woman in their right mind would agree to what Marcus has got planned for them.”
“That’s a fair point.” Aaron shuddered again as a sudden gush of wind rippled his hair. “Let’s hope this goes well or we’re going to be up for a big confrontation.”
“It’s going to go well,” Mateo said defiantly. “But I won’t give in quietly if Marcus gets here.”
Aaron had no doubt that he wouldn’t let Marcus get his own way. Mateo was a placid, level-headed person but when it came to a situation where women and children were involved, he was fiercely protective. His mother had raised him to respect women and Mateo took that seriously.
“You know your problem, Mateo? Your bleeding heart is far too big.”
“Yeah, that’s my biggest flaw.” Mateo rolled his eyes and looked away. Then he straightened up and nodded towards the platform as a rumbling sounded in the distance. “There, look.”
Aaron could already see. The train was coming out of the dark, pulling slowly up along the platform. It screeched to a halt and blew out a ghostly gust of steam. Then the doors opened and people were piling out. Aaron frowned at the growing crowd. There were too many people there to see.
“How do you know what they look like?”
“All I know is they’re five women traveling together. One has a child and one is visibly pregnant.” Mateo shrugged when Aaron raised his eyebrows. “Well, Marcus said one with baggage and one ready to explode.”
Aaron had already heard about Marcus’ opinion on children. He didn’t care for them at all. Mateo had told him earlier that Marcus said he was going to get rid of the unborn baby and make the child disappear for his clients as none of them wanted children by other men. That made Aaron’s stomach churn and he had to bite back the bile that rose in his throat. He loved children and there was no way he would let a monster like Marcus get hold of those little ones.
Then he saw them. Five women with one golden-haired child hanging around by the train. They looked lost and scared with their luggage stacked up beside them. One of them, a beautiful woman with dark brown skin and raven-black hair, was very heavily pregnant. That had to be them. Aaron nudged Mateo.
“I see them. Do you want to go to them or shall I?”
Mateo shook his head.
“We’ll both go. Be my backup?”
“No problem.”
Aaron followed Mateo across the platform. One of the women turned toward them as they approached. The steam cleared and Aaron pulled up short when he saw her face.
She was beautiful. With long blonde hair that had fallen about her shoulders, stunning blue eyes and lily-white skin. She was tall and curvy. Aaron was well over six feet tall and she almost came up to his nose. Most of the women out in Tucson were petite and barely came up to his chin. Finding a taller woman was a novelty... and one so beautiful...
Aaron barely heard Mateo speak as he addressed the blonde woman.
“Good evening, ma’am?”
“Good evening.” The woman frowned, turning her attention to Mateo. “We’re waiting for a Marcus James?”
Mateo glanced at Aaron but Aaron was too busy picking his jaw off his chest to notice.
“Actually, there’s been a change of plans, Mrs…?”
“Monroe.” She glanced at Aaron and smiled shyly before dropping her gaze. “Hayley.”
“Mrs. Monroe, I’m Pastor Alvarez, this is Aaron Gibson.” Mateo nudged Aaron sharply. “We’re here to take you to the church. You’ll be safe there.”
“Safe?” Hayley looked up in surprise. Behind her, the other women looked just as confused. “What do you mean?”
Aaron snapped out of it. Now was not the time to stare.
“We’ll explain when we get to the church. But the children’s safety is paramount to us right now.”
He indicated the little girl and the pregnant woman. The mothers gasped. Hayley looked worried.
“You think Marcus will hurt the children?”
Mateo nodded.
“We’ve heard evidence to back it up. You ladies are not safe with him.”
Hayley seemed to be the spokesperson for everyone. She glanced over her shoulder at her friends, who were all beginning to look worried. Then she turned back to the two men, her focus seemed to be on Aaron.
“Is there somewhere we can put ourselves up? Colette is exhausted and she needs sleep.”
It was then that Aaron noticed the little girl was leaning against her mother, clutching onto her hand as she did her best to stay upright. She couldn’t have been older than four and the poor thing was up so late. He nodded, glancing at Mateo.
“My sister runs a boarding house right by the church. She’s got plenty of free rooms.”
Mateo nodded and started to gather some of the bags, signaling a nearby porter to help out. Hayley looked up at Aaron and the smile she gave him had his heart stumbling over itself.
“Thank you.”
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Indiana
About the Author
Indiana Wake was born in Denver Colorado where she learned to love the outdoors and horses. At the age of eleven, her parents moved to the United Kingdom to follow her father’s career.
It was a strange and foreign new world and it took a while for her to settle down. Her mom raised horses and Indiana soon learned to ride. She would often escape on horseback imagining she was back in the Wild West. As well as horses, Indiana escaped into fiction and dreamed of all the friends she had left behind.
From an early age, she loved stories. They were always sweet and clean and more often than not, included horses, cowboys and most importantly of all a happy ever after. As she got older, she would often be found making u
p her own stories and would tell them to anyone who would listen.
As she grew up, she continued to write but marriage and a job stole some of her dreams. Then one day she was discussing with a friend at church, how hard it was to get sweet and clean fiction. Though very shy about her writing Indiana agreed to share one of her stories. That friend loved the story and suggested she publish it on Amazon Kindle. Together they worked really hard and the rest, as they say, is history.
Indiana has had multiple number one bestsellers and now makes her living from her writing. She believes she was truly blessed to be given this opportunity and thanks each and every one of her readers for making her dream come true.
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Thank you so much for reading this book. I love to write and to share my stories with you and hearing your wonderful comments gives me great pleasure. Until our next adventure keep well my friend xx
©Copyright 2019 Indiana Wake
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Indiana Wake
License Notes
This e-Book is licensed for personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold. Your continued respect for author's rights is appreciated.
This story is a work of fiction any resemblance to people is purely coincidence. All places, names, events, businesses, etc. are used in a fictional manner. All characters are from the imagination of the author.