Reach for Heaven

by Marie Higgins

  Clint’s smile touched his face again. “I think I’ve liked her since I moved to Bonner County. She was still in pigtails. I watched her grow and mature into a beautiful woman, but I didn’t have the courage to court her. It wasn’t until you arrived not too long ago when I realized how deep my feelin’s for her went. I thought it was too late to tell her how I felt because she only had eyes for you.”

  Gage grinned. “Is it not funny how things can change?”

  “It just goes to show that Violet is made for me just as Adella is made for you. God has a way of makin’ things right.”

  “That’s another thing I don’t understand, but I’m not going to waste time figuring it out.” Gage chuckled. “Heaven only knows how I fell in love with the little tornado, but nothing will change my heart now.”

  “Good for you.”

  Gage folded his arms and stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts taken by Adella, as always. She lived her life being fervent about everything she cared for, and it thrilled him that he would get to share it with her.

  He glanced at Clint, and luckily, Clint seemed to be consumed by fantasies of his own. Gage didn’t think he could wait until tomorrow to see her again and kiss her sweet lips. He had to go to her tonight, even if it meant talking to her for a few minutes and stealing more kisses. He stepped to the door, and yanked his jacket off the hook on the wall.

  “Where are you goin’?” Clint asked with a wide grin.

  “I have things to do before tomorrow,” Gage snapped before slamming the door closed. Clint’s rumble of laughter rang through the house, and Gage heard it all the way out to the barn.

  ADELLA FASTENED THE buttons on Nate’s shirt over her bosom before tucking it in the waist of her knickers. It’d been a while since she’d worn these clothes, but she couldn’t possibly climb out the window and shimmy down a tree in a dress.

  She tiptoed to the window, glancing at her sisters sleeping in the same room. Thankfully, they didn’t stir. Adella hoped their eventful day would keep them sound asleep. Carefully, she opened the shutters then lifted up the pane. The night wind teased the loose curls around her shoulders. She breathed in the air and gained more courage as she thought about her plan to see Gage.

  All right, so she admitted she just had to see him again. She just had to be in his arms tonight no matter what the consequences.

  She poked her head out the window and listened. The silence convinced her that everyone was asleep in their beds—even the farm animals—and nothing would stop her from sneaking out. She picked up Nate’s old boots and threw them into the yard, then listened again for any that stirred.

  When nothing was detected, she glanced straight ahead to the wide oak tree mere only a few feet away from the window. She rubbed her hands in nervous excitement. It had been ages since she’d jumped from a window to a tree, and even longer since she’d sneaked out of a bedroom window, but anticipation of seeing Gage strummed through her and made her continue in her pursuit.

  Cautiously, she climbed out the window and onto the ledge. She’d had a lot more courage in her younger years, and now her heart created frantic rhythms in her chest. Would she fall if she made the leap to the tree?

  She took a big breath, swung her arms and jumped, reaching for the limb that had always caught her before. Awkwardly, her hands fastened on the branch until she could pull herself up. Once she settled her feet on the tree, she sighed with relief.

  She looked at the ground. Funny, but it wasn’t as far as she remembered. Of course, she’d been much smaller back then. As she turned to climb down the tree, she touched around the limbs with her toe.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Adella gasped loudly and glanced toward Violet’s window. Her cousin leaned out; a scowl pulled her eyebrows together.

  “It’s not what you’re thinking,” Adella replied quickly.

  Violet tilted her head. “You’re wearing my brother’s clothes, and you’ve just jumped from your window to the tree. It looks like you’re running away.” She paused briefly. “Adella? Do you, by chance, have cold feet?”

  Adella rolled her eyes. “Well, of course I do, but it’s only because I climb better without shoes.”

  Violet shook her head. “I didn’t mean it that way. Are you ditching your own wedding?”

  A gasped escaped Adella’s throat. “Of course not. What in heavens would make you say that?”

  “Then why are you escaping out your window in the middle of the night?”

  Adella chuckled lightly. “Because I miss Gage.”

  Violet smiled. “And you’re going to meet him somewhere? The stable, perhaps?”

  “Well, no. He doesn’t know I’m coming. I thought about riding out to their cabin to see him.”

  Violet laughed, but kept it low. “Adella, I know exactly what you’re planning.” She withdrew back into her room. “Just be careful this time. Don’t forget to take Pa’s rifle,” she ended before closing the window.

  Adella rubbed her forehead. Violet knew what she was doing, and didn’t stop her. At least her cousin trusted her.

  After landing safely on the ground, she slipped into her cousin’s boots, and crept to the barn. She quickly saddled a horse, grabbed a rifle, and mounted. Before she left, she glanced back at the house to make sure nobody else had spotted her. When the house remained dark, she sighed.

  She trotted until she was a fair distance from the house then urged the horse faster. When she imagined being in Gage’s arms, urgency swept over her. As she neared the cabin Clint had built for Gage, her heart hammered out of control. His bedroom light was still on, and she hoped he couldn’t sleep, either.

  After stopping the horse, she dismounted, and ran around the side of the house toward his window. When she noticed the man in the room was not Gage, she stopped. What was Clint doing in Gage’s room? More importantly, why were Clint’s eyebrows drawn and his lips pulled into a frown as he read a piece of paper?

  Gage’s opened window beckoned her nearer, so she quietly crept closer. A twig snapped underneath her boot, and Clint’s head spun around. I’m caught!

  “Adella?” Clint moved over to the window. “What are you doin’ here?”

  She thanked the quarter moon tonight, or Clint would be able to see her heated cheeks. By the amount of embarrassment that consumed her face, she was sure she looked like a turnip. “I...I...came to talk to Gage.”

  Clint blew out a gush of air, but his expression remained worried. “Oh,” he mumbled.

  Something is wrong. The prickly sensations crawling up her spine were undeniable. She stepped closer to the window. “Clint, where’s Gage?”

  He stared at her for a few long seconds then motioned his head. “Come inside. I think you should read this letter.”

  Her heart pounded with each step into the cabin until she met Clint in the front room. When he handed her the letter, she took it with shaky hands and read.

  Clint, I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to tell you face to face, but I finally realized tonight that I’m not ready to get married. I’ve decided to return home to Virginia City. Please tell Adella that although I love her, I’m just not ready. I hope, in time, she’ll forgive me.

  Numbness spread over her body and the letter drifted from her fingers and fell to the floor. Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared right through Clint. This can’t be happening!

  “Adella.” Clint took hold of her cold hands. “I’m sorry.”

  A tear slid down her cheek. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Neither do I. Gage and I were just talkin’ earlier t’night, and he was tellin’ me how happy he was to be marryin’ you. Sure, he acted like a skittish horse in a briar patch, but that’s to be expected. I had no idea he felt that way about marriage.”

  Her knees weakened and she collapsed, but Clint caught her and kept her from falling. “Let me help you to the couch.”

  She didn’t feel a thing when she sat then he covered her legs with a bla
nket. “Let me go fetch you a cup of warm milk.” He turned and hurried into the kitchen and within minutes came out with a cup and placed it in her stiff hands.

  She slowly shook her head. “He can’t be gone. He loves me. He wants to marry me.”

  Clint sat beside her and touched her chin. “He does love you. In fact, I think he’ll still be there for the ceremony tomorrow.”

  “And what if he’s not?” Her voice choked as she turned and buried her face in his shoulder.

  “Honey, I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock, too.”

  She raised her head and met his eyes. “Why would he decide this tonight? Why couldn’t he have figured this out earlier?”

  Clint shrugged. “You’re askin’ the wrong person. I wish I knew.”

  She stared at the cup in her hands, not caring that the milk slowly cooled. Her heart crumbled, and it was on its way to dying a slow and painful death. Emptiness consumed her mind, and she hoped when she awoke, she’d discover this had all been a dream.

  “I’ll ride out and talk to your family. We’ll postpone the weddin’ until—”

  “No,” she snapped, finally finding the strength to turn her head and look at him. “I’ll not let Gage ruin my cousin’s wedding.”

  “But Adella, it’s your weddin’ too.”

  “Not anymore. Tomorrow, you’ll arrive at the church, just as planned, and you’ll walk down the aisle with my cousin and make her your bride.”

  “But what are you goin’ to do?”

  Good question. She stared back down at her cup. She could admit defeat, go home to Lewiston and lock herself in her room until she was old and decrepit, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. Not too long ago, she wouldn’t have let any man step on her heart and crush it the way Gage had done. What kind of simpering female had she turned into?

  Full of determination, she handed Clint the cup of milk then stood. “What am I going to do, you ask?” She marched to the door, speaking over her shoulder. “Well, I’m certainly not going to sit on my backside and let this happen without a fight.”

  She flung open the door and turned to Clint, whose wide-eyed expression showed his surprise. “No, sir-ree! Adella Lancaster is not going to cower this time.”

  Clint slowly rose to his feet. “Adella? You’re worryin’ me. What are you goin’ to do?”

  “I’m going to hunt him down like the side-winding animal he is and bring him back—hogtied if necessary. Nobody breaks my heart and gets away with it. He can tell me to my face that he doesn’t love me.” She marched to her horse and quickly mounted.

  “Adella,” Clint called after her. “It’s the middle of the night and the moon isn’t very bright. How’re you gonna find him in the dark? Wait a minute, and I’ll go with you.”

  She lifted her chin. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ll find him.” She kicked her heels into the horse’s belly and rode away.

  SHE COULD HAVE BEEN a sheriff, or someone who tracked dirty-rotten crooks down.

  The thought flashed through her mind as she rode across the plains searching for Mr. Grayson. She picked up his trail easy enough; the fresh piles of horse droppings were a dead giveaway. She headed northwest toward a small body of water.

  Before starting on her journey, she dropped back by the house, still creeping around in silence, and grabbed a few leftovers to munch on. She also collected some rope, knowing she’d probably have to tie Gage and forcefully bring him home.

  Clint had warned her about the quarter moon, but she put all of her other senses to work. The flapping wings of the disturbed night birds still hovered in the sky, and the night insects had stopped their singing. Yes, she would find Gage before morning, she was sure of it.

  As she munched on an apple, her keen eyes that were now accustomed to the near darkness, scanned the plains, spotting the tumbleweeds, a few jackrabbits, but nothing that would put her in danger’s path. She looked out across the horizon and spotted a campfire in the distance. Her heart leapt into her throat. It might be Gage. If not, she’d brought her rifle. Her hand moved beside her leg to the long iron fastened to the saddle, and just in case, her pocketknife was hidden away in her boot as well.

  When she approached the sparse trees, she slowed, and then stopped. Not too far ahead, she could see the silhouettes of two men, one sitting at the base of a tree and the other crouched beside the fire as he stirred a pot. Her heart hammered. Maybe this wasn’t Gage, and if it was, who was he traveling with?

  She dismounted and tied her horse to the nearest tree, before creeping toward the fire until voices grew louder. When she recognized Gage’s voice her heart thumped crazily, but the tone in which he spoke was not pleasant. She moved closer then noticed Gage’s hands were tied behind his back.

  Prickles of fear danced over her skin. Something was certainly wrong. She kept low and listened.

  “You know, Albert,” Gage snapped, “Clint was right when he told me you were not right in your head. You’re one addled man. Definitely not the perfect fellow you led us all to believe.”

  Adella gasped, then quickly covered her mouth. Albert Owens? What was he doing here?

  Albert belched a loud laugh that rang through the night. “Count on some stupid hick sheriff to point out my flaws.”

  “You could’ve proven us all wrong, you know,” Gage replied.

  “Shut up,” Albert shouted. “I didn’t kidnap you to pass the time.”

  “Then why did you kidnap me?”

  Albert pulled the pot off the fire and set it on a nearby rock. “I have my reasons.”

  “And it has something to do with the reward money, right?”

  “What a bright man you are, Mr. Grayson, but then your family has a reputation of being extremely bright.” Albert reached in his pocket, withdrew his knife and whittled on a stick. “That reward money was meant for me, and it would’ve been mine if you and the sheriff hadn’t ruined my plans.” Albert walked to Gage and bent toward him. “I still have the upper hand. I’m still in control.”

  Adella held her breath as she continued to watch. What in heaven’s name was Albert thinking? Obviously, someone had knocked his brains out of his head. Anger rushed through her and she bunched her hands. Given the chance, she’d smack that man good and hard.

  Gage blew out a gush of air. “So, what are your plans? If you think Clint or the Lancasters are going to come looking for me, you’re sorely mistaken. That farewell letter you forced me to write explains it all.” He shrugged. “They think I’ve ditched my wedding.”

  Albert let out an eerie laugh, and Adella’s terror multiplied. Albert Owens was indeed, one very ill man.

  Albert plopped on the ground next to Gage. “Oh, if I know that little spitfire of yours, she’ll come looking for you. Because she’s so stubborn, your friend, Clint, will come with her.” He flicked his knife on the piece of wood. “You forget, I know Adella St. James quite well.”

  Gage let out a harsh laugh. “And I know her even better. If she thinks I have run off on my own wedding, she’ll give up on me for good.” He shook his head. “No, Albert. Don’t plan on seeing Adella anytime soon.”

  Albert scowled and reached in his holster, pulling out his revolver. He cocked it as he aimed straight at Gage’s heart. Adella gasped, then quickly covered her mouth again. Please Lord, help him!

  “If you kill me,” Gage said calmly, “how will you get your reward money?”

  Albert’s lips stretched into a wide grin. “It doesn’t matter because I know your precious sweetheart will come for you.”

  Gage slowly shook his head. “What if you’re wrong?”

  Albert let out a growl as he pushed himself to his feet and turned away, staring at the low burning fire. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. One way or another, I’ll get that reward money from Adella. She’ll pay handsomely to have her fiancé back in her life once she discovers I’ve kidnapped you.”

  “Don’t count on it. I’ve broken her heart too many times.”
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  Albert spun and kicked Gage in the stomach. Gage groaned and slumped over, and Adella’s heart stopped. When he sucked in a quick breath of air, relief swept over her.

  “Do you know how happy I am you didn’t buy that piece of land from my father?” Albert snickered. “I can’t have a man like you in town giving me competition. There’s no way I want anyone to like you more than me.”

  Shifting, Gage groaned a little as he shot Albert a scowl. “Not as happy as I am for not buying that piece of land.”

  Chuckling, Albert scratched his chin. “Do you know I was the reason my father picked someone else? He was about to offer you that land, but I talked him out of it. Thank heavens my father listened to me.”

  “So tell me, Owens...why would you talk your father out of it? By chance, were you jealous of me and my charm with the women?”

  Albert snorted a laugh. “You’re so full of yourself, Grayson. You were never competition.” He flipped his hand. “The reason I wanted you out was because I had accidentally told you something I should not have. I didn’t want it getting back to Adella, so I had my father deny your offer to buy his land.”

  Gage nodded. “Now I remember. You had mentioned about her past in Virginia City. I recall wondering how you knew, especially if it was supposed to be her deep, dark secret.”

  Adella hitched a breath. Albert knew? Impossible!

  “Yes, well...I did know about her. You see, I was one of Buchanan’s gang members before you and Slade went and arrested them all.”

  Adella slapped a hand over her mouth. Good heavens! She’d not seen this coming at all!

  “No, kidding.” Gage shook his head. “Let me guess, you were the one who helped Harvey Jensen escape jail before his trial.”

  “You’re just too smart, Grayson.”

  “Tell me then, if you were part of the Buchanan Gang, why did you need to get the reward money?”

  Albert moved closer to Gage, his face so hard with anger Adella expected to see fire shoot out of his eyes any moment now. “Buchanan paid me well for my services to him. I was his eyes and ears. With him gone, I’m not going to get paid, now am I?”