by Anna Schmidt
Had she really been there? Had she really been there only half-dressed? It was a fantasy he’d entertained on numerous occasions. He just hadn’t thought they would be hurtling through space on a moving train when that moment came.
“Seth?”
He couldn’t really make out the person calling his name. It was a man, and therefore disappointing. At the moment, the only voice he wanted to hear was Amanda’s. He forced himself to focus and saw Jess peer down at him. He had one arm in a sling and looked worried.
“Amanda,” Seth managed to choke out.
Addie gently pushed her husband aside and smiled. “Well, look who finally decided to join us.”
“Amanda,” he repeated firmly, and tried to sit up.
“Easy there, cowboy,” Addie admonished him. “She’s resting comfortably, although she probably won’t be walking down the aisle any time soon.”
“I need to see her.” Once again, Seth tried to get up.
This time it was Jess who restrained him with one firm hand. “Listen to the doc.”
Seth glanced around and realized he was back in his room at the boardinghouse. And that might mean Amanda was across the hall. “Open the door.” When Addie did as he asked, he added, “And hers.”
Jess and Addie exchanged a look, but when Seth seemed determined to leave his bed, Addie nodded. “All right. Just calm down.”
He heard Addie cross the hall and an exchange of words between her and Amanda. When she returned, she was smiling. “You have to be two of the most stubborn people in the world when it comes to doing what’s best to heal. Go ahead, then. She’s listening.”
“A little privacy would be nice,” Seth said, glancing from Addie to Jess.
Addie burst into giggles. “Where do you think we can go that we won’t…”
“Leave,” Seth demanded, and Addie took Jess’s hand and they left the room. He waited until he heard their steps retreat before speaking.
“Amanda, can you hear me?” He pushed himself to a sitting position and waited.
“Yes.” Her voice was weak.
Seth held onto the iron post of the bed and pulled himself to his feet. Using the furnishings and the railing on the stairway as support, he stumbled across the hall. Every muscle in his body screamed to get back to bed, but he refused until he reached her room and could lean against the doorjamb while he studied her.
She was lying against several pillows, her hair fanned out around her. She was dressed in some frilly lace nightgown that covered her to her chin. She looked pale and weak, but she was beautiful—and if he had his way, soon she would be his.
She smiled. “You look terrible.”
“Thanks. I kind of hoped if you felt sorry for me, you might agree to marry me.” He kicked the door shut, covered the two steps it took to reach her, and sat on the side of the bed.
“You want me to marry you out of pity?”
He loosened the first ribbon holding her gown closed. “Whatever it takes.” The second ribbon slipped through his fingers, and he saw her breathing quicken. “So, will you?”
“I might. Of course, there would be terms.”
Opening the third ribbon gave him space to place his palm on her bare skin. “I’m listening.”
“I do not want to live some quiet life in the country, so get that idea right out of your head.”
He shrugged. “How about Chicago? Would that be lively enough for you?” He untied two more ribbons and spread her gown open as he ran one finger along her throat and the cleft between her breasts.
“How about we live here? You could run for sheriff—I hear there’s an opening.”
“Tucson’s nice. What else?”
“And,” she continued, “I want at least half a dozen children.”
He chuckled. “Then maybe we’d best get started.”
She put her lips on his ear and whispered, “Send for Judge Ellis, and let’s do this now. I won’t wait a day longer to have you make love to me as your wife.”
Her words and warm, moist breath threatened to be his undoing. He raised his face to hers. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
She nodded, cupped his face with her hands, and pulled him close for her kiss.
He shifted on the bed as he prepared to gather her in his arms and feel her whole body pressed to his. Only when she winced did he realize he had hurt her. “Sorry. I…”
To silence him, she pulled him closer, and he saw that her eyes had filled with tears. “I almost lost you,” she whispered. “What if…” Tears spilled over and trailed down her cheeks.
“Shhh,” he whispered. “We’re done with all that. It’s over. All we need to think about now is the future—our future.”
She swiped at her tears and smiled. “And yet, here you sit when it’s already been at least two minutes since I asked you to send for Judge Ellis. Oh, and we’ll need Addie and your brother as witnesses, and…”
Sam!
Seth sat up. “I haven’t seen Sam. I mean, why wouldn’t he have been there when I came to? If that kid has taken off again…”
“He must be resting. Addie told me he was pretty roughed up—broken jaw from Rudy hitting him, not to mention a bunch of cuts and bruises he suffered while on the run.”
“I need to see him. He’d best be glad he’s already banged up because his bone-headed action nearly got us both killed.”
She took hold of his hand and kissed it. “Go call for Jess. We’ll send him to get Sam and the judge, while Addie helps you put on a proper shirt and gets me ready to be a bride.”
He stared. “We’re really going to do this?”
She frowned. “Are you trying to back out now that you’re the one who—”
He grinned, planted a quick kiss on her pouting lips, and hobbled to the door. From the top of the stairs, he bellowed, “Jess? Doc? We need some help up here.”
To his satisfaction, three sets of footsteps thundered up the stairway.
“What’s happened?” Addie demanded, the first to reach the top, followed by her husband and Miss Dooley.
“You need to see Amanda,” Seth instructed. “Something about getting all gussied up for the wedding. You,” he added, turning to Jess, “need to fetch Judge Ellis and my brother. And you…” He paused a second as he considered a task for Miss Dooley. “We’re gonna need some flowers, maybe some cake, if Bessie has something. Oh, and a ring.”
“A ring?”
“We’re getting married—Amanda and me.” He felt something rush through his body and realized the only word for it was joy, so he said it again. “We’re getting married.”
Jess scowled. “Kind of rushing this, aren’t you?”
“Your sister wants things this way,” Seth replied, as the feeling ebbed. “It’s what I want as well. We’ve already wasted too much time.”
“Jess?” Both men turned at the sound of Amanda’s voice. “Stop picking on Seth, and go find Judge Ellis. I’ll send Mama a telegram to let her know we’ll come back to the ranch for a real fandango to celebrate.”
Jess slammed his hat on his head and headed downstairs, muttering to himself all the way.
“He’ll come around,” Addie assured Seth.
Seth nodded and started toward Amanda’s room.
“Not so fast,” Addie said, stalling him as she checked his stitches, and then tightened the bandages. “You get yourself cleaned up and dressed. You’ll see your bride in due time.” Assuming he would do as she instructed, she turned to the stairway. “Miss Dooley, maybe we could get Ellie Baxter to help a bit? Amanda says it might lift her spirits.”
It was one more thing he loved about his bride-to-be—his wife-to-be. She had a way of thinking how she might make life better for others. She would be a wonderful mother.
He realized Addie was talking to him as she returned to Amanda’s room. “…clean shirt…comb that hair…” The door closed.
“Seth?”
He hadn’t heard his brother come up the stairs. Sam�
�s jaw was wired almost shut, so the word came out in a mumble. But it was Sam, and he was alive, and this time Seth didn’t give a hoot about whether hugging another man was right. It felt right, and that was enough for him.
Like the kid he was, Sam broke down and cried, his thin shoulders shaking as he clung to his older brother. “Hey, stop that now,” Seth said, pulling away enough so he could see Sam’s face. “I’m in need of a best man for my wedding, and I was thinking you might fill the bill.”
“You’re getting married? Does Ma know?”
“Not yet. How about I write out a message, and you wire it to her while I get cleaned up and put on a shirt?”
“Sure thing.”
Any sign of tears was gone as Sam waited for Seth to scribble a note to his parents and then took off for the telegraph office.
Seth watched him go as it hit him that the danger had passed, and they were about to start a new part of their lives. He smiled and then let out a whoop of pure jubilation.
* * *
Amanda could not stop smiling. Everything she had ever dreamed of was about to come true. And it was all neatly packaged in one person—Seth.
Over the next couple of hours, her room was alive with activity as Addie, Ellie, and Miss Dooley fussed over every detail. They filled vases with grasses and early-blooming wildflowers Ellie and Eli had gathered. Miss Dooley insisted on arranging Amanda’s hair into a chignon with tendrils of curls framing her face. Addie helped her dress in a freshly laundered gown of white with lace trim around the neckline and cuffs of its long sleeves.
“It’s almost a wedding gown,” she declared. “With fresh cases on the pillows, you’ll look like the princess you are.”
The only disappointing news came from Jess, who reported that the judge would not be available until later that evening. The wait seemed excruciating, but Addie assured her Seth was every bit as restless as she was, and then settled into the chair near Amanda’s bed to bring her up to date on what had happened since the explosion.
“Apparently, it wasn’t so bad as to damage the rear cars, so Jess and the soldiers were not injured. Nor was that woman.”
Amanda smiled at Addie’s refusal to call Mrs. Rosewood by any name at all. “Did they arrest her?”
“On the spot, and took her back to the fort, since she’ll stand trial for her part in stealing a federal payroll.”
“And Ezra Baxter?”
Addie frowned. “I’m afraid he’ll have to answer for his part in all of this, but Seth’s brother has volunteered to testify on his behalf. Ezra was forced to take part or risk losing his livelihood and his children in the bargain.”
“He’s not a bad man,” Amanda said. “Just not…”
Addie heaved a sigh of exasperation. “You find the good in everyone. That man threatened you, and if it hadn’t been for him—”
“If it hadn’t been for his need of a teacher for Ellie and Eli, where would I be? Back on the ranch? Bored to tears?”
Addie threw up her hands. “I give up. I’m going downstairs to get your supper. Try to rest. Whether you admit it or not, this has been a full day, and you want to look your best for the ceremony.”
Trying not to disturb her hair or anything about the arrangements to have her looking bridal when the judge finally arrived, Amanda pressed her head to the pillow and tried to sleep when she heard a light knock at her door.
“Come in,” she called and was surprised when Jim Matthews stepped inside the room.
“I won’t stay,” he said. “I just…Ginny heard you and Seth were…” He shrugged. “I came to wish you happiness.”
She held out her hand, inviting him to come closer. “Thank you for coming.”
“Are you all right?”
“I will be.”
They stared at each other for a long moment. Amanda looked away first. “It would not have worked,” she said softly.
“I know,” he agreed. “Look, Grover is a good man, and now that everyone knows he was working undercover for Wells Fargo, seems like he’s quite the hero.”
“I love him.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s one lucky man.” He squeezed her hand then bent and kissed her forehead. “Be happy, Amanda Porterfield. No one deserves it more.” He walked back to the door and turned.
Later, when she woke, the room was in shadow, and she realized that some time had passed. A soft knock at the door drew her attention away from the sounds of people gathering downstairs.
“Come in,” she called as she scrubbed sleep from her eyes.
Jess opened the door. “Ready to get married?”
“We’ll need some light,” she said as she surveyed the room. “Do you think there might be some candles we could use?”
Jess grinned as he approached the bed. “Sure thing, Sis, but you don’t really want to get married lying in bed, do you?”
“I…”
Before she could protest, he had thrown back the covers and gently lifted her into his arms. He carried her downstairs, where she saw a wheelchair waiting by the front door. She heard voices she recognized coming from behind the closed sliding doors of the parlor.
“That’s Mama,” she whispered.
Jess nodded as he set her in the wheelchair and wrapped a blanket around her knees. “Well, you don’t think I’d let you get hitched without her approval, do you? And since Judge Ellis couldn’t be here until now, we had the time.” He rolled the chair toward the pocket doors and knocked lightly.
Her youngest brother Trey pushed the doors open as her sister Maria and her mother stepped into the foyer carrying a bridal veil that they arranged over her hair. The room was alight with candles and a glowing fire. Among the people gathered in the parlor, she saw their housekeeper Juanita and her family. Maria’s husband, Chet, Ollie and Miss Jensen, Eli and Ellie, Jim Matthews and Ginny, and even their ranch foreman, Bunker.
And Seth.
He was dressed in a blue shirt, a bolo tie, and black trousers, his hair slicked back from his high forehead. He listened to something his brother was saying, but then he saw her, and she knew that for him, as for her, suddenly the room might have been empty. No one else mattered.
Addie and Maria led the procession as Jess rolled her slowly past the guests to where Judge Ellis waited. When they were halfway there, Seth left his place and walked to meet her. He shook hands with Jess.
“I’ve got it from here,” he said, and as he guided the wheelchair the rest of the way to the fireplace, Sam set a chair next to it for Seth to sit. When he did so, he turned to her and took her hands in his, then turned to the judge. “Ready when you are,” he said, and behind them everyone chuckled.
Amanda felt as if she were living in a dream, hearing Judge Ellis’s words but not really hearing them at all. She was only aware of Seth—the way his hands covered hers, the warmth that filled her at his touch, the way his eyes focused only on her, and the way he made her feel beautiful. Then the judge called for the ring, and she was about to say there had been no time, that a ring didn’t matter, when Sam passed Seth a small heart-shaped green velvet box—a box she recognized. It was the box where her mother had kept the thin silver band that had been her wedding ring before her father made his fortune and insisted on something far more grand.
She had always loved that simple ring, and she glanced over Seth’s shoulder to where her mother stood with her beloved family. Constance Porterfield smiled and nodded, giving this union her full blessing. And as Seth slid the ring onto her finger, she knew they were bound to one another ’til death did they part. And beyond, she thought.
“You may kiss your bride, sir,” Judge Ellis intoned.
Neither Seth nor Amanda needed permission. Their kiss was no doubt shocking to some, but Amanda wasn’t about to worry about satisfying others. This was the man she loved, the man she had desired during sleepless nights, the man she would spend her days to come living with, no doubt arguing with, and celebrating life’s wonders with. This was her husband.
For more Last Chance Cowboys,
check out The Drifter—available now!
About the Author
Award-winning author Anna Schmidt resides in Wisconsin. She delights in creating stories where her characters must wrestle with the challenges of their times. Critics have consistently praised Schmidt for her ability to seamlessly integrate actual events with her fictional characters to produce strong tales of hope and love in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Visit her at www.booksbyanna.com.
Please enjoy the following glimpse of Rosanne Bittner’s The Last Outlaw, coming September 2017:
Prologue
June, 1897
There were nine of them that day. All hard men—all on a mission. To get rich off of someone else’s money, that is—money they would steal from the City Bank in Boulder, Colorado. Their horses panted and snorted from the hard ride, and a mixture of dust and sod rolled from under the horses’ hooves.
The riders wore long canvas coats over shirts and jackets in the cool spring weather, and under it all they wore gun belts packed with cartridges. Some held one gun, some two, and everyone carried rifles on their saddles. Some were clean shaven, others were nothing but filth and beards and unwashed hair. All wore wide-brimmed hats against the bright, spring Colorado sun, and all were filled with anticipation for the ways they would spend the money they were going to take today. Women and whiskey—those were number one.
They rode up toward the foothills of the Rockies and right over farmers’ fields, avoiding the main roads. They were coming from the Santa Fe Trail in New Mexico, leaving behind their usual freighters and what was left of the stagecoach lines. Trains were their specialty, and always they were trying to avoid the Pinkertons, the relentless railroad detectives who hunted them.