To pass the time she prayed to the Lord. First through all the verses she could remember, later on in her own words. As the morning approached she also turned towards the town and watched the road winding up and down the hills surrounding it.
Do my eyes deceive me? Sarah blinked quickly and lifted her head higher.
Two men walked down a path running parallel to the main road. It lead through the fields and a small wood just outside town. She remembered Wade mentioned the place once as a romantic meeting place for local couples.
Wade? She rubbed her eyes. Was it just her wishful thinking or was it really her husband approaching the camp. The two cloaked figures could have been anyone, but she thought she saw a glint of the deputy’s badge in the morning sun. She recognized the second man as the bandit leader.
They walked, no marched, at a quick pace, with one man in front of the other. Closer now her hopes, and fears, were confirmed. It was Wade, holding Samuel at gunpoint, using the bandit as a shield as he drew nearer. Sarah rose to her feet despite the pain from the ropes that had been biting into her wrists and ankles, cutting the circulation.
But she wasn’t the only one to notice the approaching men. The leader of the group stood up.
“Look, Danny, your ransom note actually worked.” Sarah sensed sarcasm in the man’s words.
“Well, we had nothing to lose, did we Garth? The fool there saved us a raid on the town.”
The others laughed and chills ran down Sarah’s spine. She hated how they talked, how they acted, how they mocked Wade’s bravery. He wasn’t a fool. Wade was her hero, willing to sacrifice his life for hers. And Sarah believed such actions would be rewarded by the good Lord. She clasped her hands and begged God to have mercy and protect them. She whispered the verse from the book of Psalms under her breath: Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in Lord.
Finally Wade stopped not far from the camp. He was separated from the bandits only by a few trees and rock outcroppings. Oddly enough Samuel didn’t seem too scared despite the gun pointed at his ribs.
“Release the hostage!” Wade demanded. “I’ve brought your leader back.”
A few of the outlaws chuckled and the one who threatened her earlier, likely the second in command, shouted back. “You are in no position to make demands lawman.”
Garth pulled out a long knife from his boot and in just a few long steps closed the distance between him and Sarah. He grabbed the ropes tied around her hands and placed the pointed metal against her throat.
With his sweaty body stinking of booze he shoved her forward out into the more open space. She could feel his disgusting warm breath on her neck. The other men all raised their guns, some held more than one, and pointed them at Wade.
Sarah didn’t mind the cold, sharp edge of the knife roughly pressed against her skin. It didn’t matter if she could cut herself with the slightest wrong step or movement. Her heart fretted over Wade’s safety. How could he stand alone against a whole group of ruthless outlaws?
“Release Samuel, Deputy, and the woman goes unharmed.”
“Untie the ropes around her hands and feet first.” Wade did not lower his weapon not change his tone, but Sarah caught the slightest note of fear and hesitation in his voice.
The man who stood next to Sarah pointed his gun at her head, while the man holding her pressed the knife deeper into her throat. She felt a prick and a drop of blood slide down her throat, but she didn’t dare make a sound.
“Give up Deputy,” Samuel finally spoke up. “You see Garth there is my second, and all in all if I were to catch a bullet during a standoff… Let’s just say he wouldn’t be too upset.”
She couldn’t see Garth, but a few others grinned and nodded. Sarah couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Were these men not even loyal to each other?
Sarah closed her eyes and inhaled deep and slow. Oh, how she had changed in just a few short weeks. Back in New York City if she had read about a situation like this in one of her books, she’d have be cheering for the hero to go in guns blazing and rescue the heroine. She’d expect him to win not matter how dire the odds. But now…
Wade was already a hero in her eyes just for trying to save her. There was no point in throwing his life away for no reason. She opened her eyes and stared at her husband trying to guess what Wade’s reaction was going to be.
“Give up or she dies,” Garth’s loud voice ringed in her ears.
If not for the knife on her throat Sarah would have shouted to her husband too. She would have told him to put the gun down and have faith in the Lord. Their lives were in His hands.
* * *
Wade watched Sarah like a hawk. He was ready to strike at the slightest movement of the bandit that held her, his life be damned! He was actually impressed how calm she remained despite the terrible ordeal she must have had endured. His wife was a strong woman and for that he was grateful to the Lord.
When he came up with the plan it all made sense. It was, dangerous, but simple. He would trade Samuel for his wife and the biggest risk he worried about was losing his job. But as he stared into the barrels of fifteen or so guns he suddenly wasn’t so sure of his decision. And after watching Garth take a knife to Sarah’s throat, he wondered if he had made the biggest mistake of his life. The battle was over.
He could hope and pray that the reinforcements show up any moment, but even the Sheriff wasn’t that optimistic. They were more likely to arrive later in the day, if not the day after.
At this point, he knew it was time to give up. Nice try, Wade. Nice try. Slowly, he raised his hand, showing the men that he was about to surrender. He let go of Samuel’s shirt and dropped the gun to the ground, then raised both of his now free hands.
“Wise move, Deputy.” Samuel whispered as he pulled down the hood of the cloak. “Tim, keep your pistol on the lawman, while Danny ties him up. The rest of you lower your guns.”
As the barrels moved towards the ground Samuel picked up Wade’s gun. Without asking he reached into Wade’s pocket and pulled out the key for the handcuffs. Once free the outlaw rubbed his wrists as he marched towards the rest of his men.
One by one Samuel greeted all of his men. Some he hugged and patted on the back, some he shook the hands of. Wade glanced at his wife. The large man who threatened her life still lingered near her, but at least she could breathe freely.
Sarah looked back at him with soft eyes filled with pride and love. He didn’t deserve it thought Wade. He felt ashamed that despite his efforts not only did he not save his wife, but possibly he got her into even greater danger.
“Where is my boy?” Samuel raised his voice and smiled at a young lad standing shy by a tree.
That would explain the footprints outside the cell… He hadn’t noticed the boy earlier, and he must have been waiting his turn after his father greeted all the other men. Once called the boy ran into his father’s open arms.
Danny finished tying Wade and pushed him towards the camp.
“We should just shoot them now,” Garth gave Wade a nasty look.
Wade swallowed hard. There really wasn’t much stopping the outlaws from hurting Sarah and killing him. The fear in Sarah’s eyes broke his heart. There he was, physically able and unharmed, yet he couldn’t do anything but wait and pray.
Would the Sheriff track him down? Surely by now they have discovered that the prisoner had escaped. Right… good one Wade. ‘Had escaped,’ he mocked himself. You broke him out. You brought this on yourself.
“Deputy Oakheart.” Samuel suddenly called out to him. “Please tell my not so bright second in command, why it’s not a good idea? The rest of you start packing the camp”
Wade looked Samuel in the eye and what he saw gave him hope. There was always something different about the leader, something that despite his smaller frame elevated him in the bandit ranks. Somehow he kept his thugs on a leash and held their respect. But Wade also realized it was a tight rope to walk – he couldn’t show weakness, he
couldn’t just let them go. What he mistook for a joke maybe wasn’t that far from the truth – Garth did seem like the kind of man that wouldn’t hesitate to assert his position if an opportunity presented itself.
“Robbery is one thing, but to kill an officer of the law…” Wade try to play along. “You’d all get a hefty price set on your heads.”
Garth laughed. “Your pet seems to not be aware that half of us already have a hefty price on our heads. Dead or alive.”
Sweat rolled down Wade’s neck. He needed some better arguments. And fast.
“But it’s not just about the money. Right now the Sheriff just wants you out of his town. Reinforcements are coming to pick Samuel up. But if you kill us, that makes it personal. Have you not heard how Sheriff Bradshaw got his star? How he hunted a man down through the wilderness for over a year, just because he promised to deliver justice?”
Wade actually hoped they haven’t heard. While true, he did have to embellish the story a little. The men around him listened in as they tacked up the horses. But Garth just snorted.
“You’re trying to scare us with one man? One man who didn’t even have the guts to show his face here and sent his Deputy instead?”
Wade felt his face redden and his ears burn. He clenched his fits. If only he were not tied up. He’d show Garth what just one man could do.
“Ah, you see Garth, now we’re getting somewhere.” Samuel leaned against a tree and started playing with his knife. “The Deputy wasn’t sent here by the Sheriff. He came to rescue his wife. He busted me out, buying us all some extra time.”
Garth grumbled something, obviously still not impressed nor convinced.
“Do I need to remind you what we do with debts, especially those that involve our lives.”
His second didn’t reply, just stared back, silently challenging the leader. Everyone in the camp went quiet and stopped whatever they were doing and watched. The sound of the knife tapping against Samuel’s sleeve echoed in the camp.
Wade saw the man’s fingers twitch for a moment as if he had considered reaching for his gun, but in the end he just reluctantly uttered. “We pay them as soon as we can.”
“That’s right. This woman had showed me kindness, would you not risk your life for your sisters, mothers and wives? And given that the Deputy here saved me from the noose, I say we should spare their lives. Anyone else gotta problem with that?”
The smirk was suddenly gone from Samuel’s face, as he looked around his men. Wade held his breath. He could feel the tension rising as a few of the men looked to Garth, but no one spoke up.
“Good. It’s settled then.”
Soon the group was ready to go. Samuel mounted his horse and sat his son in front of him. He turned the animal to face Sarah and tipped his hat.
“Apologies for the rope fair lady, but you understand we can’t just let you two walk back into town.” He waved at Danny, who approached with a thick piece of rock.
Wade and Sarah were sat down under a huge tree and Danny tied the rope around their arms and waist several times. The ground was cold and uncomfortable and the rope bit into Wade’s chest, but it didn’t matter because he had Sarah right beside him. Their shoulders touching she laid her head against his arm.
“May we never meet again, Deputy Oakheart!” Samuel kicked his horse straight into a gallop and the rest of the group followed.
* * *
The hill was awfully quiet, no one would ever think that a group of wanted bandits had been camped there just minutes earlier. Sarah had just finished her prayer of thanks and opened her eyes to be met with her husband’s gaze.
“What is it?” She asked with a soft voice.
“Nothing.” Wade shook his head.
She leaned in closer. The heat coming off from his broad shoulders was enough to settle her nerves. She felt exhausted, but also relieved. Her ordeal was over and nothing else mattered since she had Wade by her side. She exhaled and closed her eyes for a moment. They were both safe.
“I’m sorry,” Wade said.
“Why?” Sarah lifted her head to look him in the eyes.
“I failed you.” He looked away. So courageous before, at that moment he reverted back to the shy man she had met on her first day in town. But this time she knew it was a lie, a cover that hid away the truth.
“You didn’t fail, my love. Trust me, you didn’t.”
Sarah struggled for words. How could she explain that as far as she was concerned he was the bravest man in the world? None of her books even came close.
“Wade...” she whisper and placed a soft kiss on his neck. “You are my hero.”
Finally he looked back at her, but there was still doubt in his eyes.
“To me, you are more than a hero. You were braver than anyone else I’ve known or heard about.”
His cheeks reddened. “It was all for you, my love. All for you.”
Suddenly he grew serious.
“But my bravery might have ruined our lives,” he paused and took a deep breath. “What Samuel said was right. The Sheriff didn’t send me here, I broke the law-”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Sarah cut him off. “I will love you no matter what. Your heart was in the right place and the Lord sees it. He was with us today, he watched over our lives.”
Wade leaned forward, his eyes closing slowly. Sarah’s heart raced as she waited for their lips to meet. She closed her eyes too. This wasn’t their first kiss, but it did feel different. It was as if they took their vows again, promising each other a love that will last forever no matter what the world throws at them.
The End
of
Sarah’s Journey
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Caroline’s Promise
With a deft flick of her brush, Caroline Holt painted a grim mouth on the wooden toy soldier before her. Just as she finished, the factory whistle blew, signaling the end of shift. She sighed with satisfaction as she straightened and set her brush to soak in turpentine.
She was going to miss this job. Where else could she get paid to paint? It didn’t matter that she was just decorating children’s toys. It didn’t matter that she painted the same thing over and over again, day after day. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t allowed to vary the design, not even when it looked better than the template she was supposed to follow.
It didn’t matter that she wasn’t really an artist.
You can’t be an artist, it isn’t practical, her parents used to say. You won’t be able to support yourself as a painter.
She sighed as she cleaned her brush in turpentine. She missed her parents something awful. What would they think if they could see her now? Relieved, probably. When they were alive, they’d worried constantly that she wasn’t practical enough to hold down a job. For good reason, too. Prone to daydreaming and flights of fancy, Caroline had nearly been fired twice from the assembly line before the Foreman Abel had given her a chance in this position.
Now she was one of their best workers. Because they’d let her paint. She’d worked hard to earn her place here, and she was about to give it all up.
She hoped she was making the right decision.
“Ms. Holt?”
Oh no. Not Stuart again. Caroline doubted he was genuinely interested in her. She suspected he was one of those men who were attracted to exotic-looking women. It wasn’t fair, just because her British grandfather had fallen in love while traveling East with Commodore Perry, Caroline would forever be an outsider.
One of the things she loved about Maxwell is that he’d proposed to her because of her letters, not her looks.
She pasted on a polite smile before she turned around. “Can I help you, Mr. Evans?”
“Some of us on the line are heading out to the pub for a pint and dinner. How about you join us?”
Would he never stop ask
ing? “Thank you, but I have plans.”
“You always have plans.” He frowned. His brows furrowed over deep-set eyes that always seemed focused on her bodice when he talked to her. “You should come with us, have a good time.”
“I’m sorry, but my friends are expecting me.”
“I’m making foreman real soon now.” Stuart took a step closer. “Jimmy heard that the old man’s expanding production next year, and I’m the best man to run the new line. When that happens, I’ll be looking to settle down.”
“I’m very happy for you.” Caroline tucked her now-clean brush into its case and wiped her hands on her apron. If you’ll excuse me—“
“You think you’re too good for me? Because you’re pretty for an Oriental?” He loomed over her. “A girl like you can’t afford to be choosy. Lucky for you, I’m a tolerant man.”
Lucky for me? A tolerant man? Rage surged through her. How dare he? Her parents had come to America looking for a new life, just like Stuart’s Irish family. But Stuart and his ilk never had to put up the kinds of things Caroline did. Like people being surprised that she spoke perfect English, or that she acted like the good Christian girl she was raised to be.
Through clenched teeth, she ordered, “Get away from me.”
He smirked.
Heart in her throat, Caroline retreated, bumping into the worktable behind her. She was suddenly aware of how tall Stuart was, how heavily-muscled his forearms were, how massive his fisted hands. Her breath caught in her throat. She put one hand behind her as if to steady herself on the tabletop, wrapped her fingers around the heavy mug she’d been drinking from earlier.
She glared at him. “Get out.”
“And what if I don’t want to?” He licked his lips, leaned even closer, so that they were almost nose to nose. “Maybe I ain’t done talking to you.”
Caroline swung her arm around, smashing her mug into the side of his head hard enough to make a loud thunk. He reared back, clutching his head and swearing. She sidestepped and bolted for the door.
Sarah's Journey (Valentine Mail Order Bride 4) Page 6