Chapter 39
Hearing Peter say all those wonderful things about her might have brought her to tears in any other situation, but now was not the time to get choked up. However, upon looking at him and seeing his beaming smile, she finally accepted it. She was head over heels in love with the sheriff. Even though he could be moody and thick-headed at times and wasn’t the most suave, he made up for it in moments like these.
What was more, he and the group were doing a fantastic job of keeping Edward’s attention. She could feel the lion-headed carving at the top of her bookend beneath her dress, knowing that the time for her to use it was coming closer. His grip on her shoulder had lessened slightly now that he was distracted; even the pistol’s muzzle pressing against her face was no longer grinding like it had been.
She’d been forced to bite her bottom lip as she heard Edward continue to demean her. Hearing just how little he thought of her was not doing any favors for him in regard to getting her to warm up to him. Though she was pretty sure that ship had not only sailed at this point but had been set on fire and lost to a typhoon.
Deciding that there was no better time to prove him wrong, Melanie ignored the pain in her foot and suddenly shifted her weight back onto her bad leg. It took everything in her willpower not to scream out, changing the sound of pain to one of rage as she used her weight to push him off balance. Capitalizing on his brief loss of footing, Melanie spun around to face him. Moving her dress aside to reveal the heavy brass bookend she’d been hiding, Melanie smiled briefly before she swung it with all of her might.
She heard the distinct crunch of Edward’s nose breaking a split second before she heard his scream of pain. His hand immediately flew to his nose, blood streaming down onto the front of his dress shirt. Her heart temporarily skipped a beat as she saw him move to raise his pistol at her, but another shot rang through the air and Edward dropped the gun like his hand had been scalded.
That was all the other men had been waiting for. Darwin was the first to reach Edward, the boy launching his full body weight into a shoulder charge. He struck Edward hard enough to cause the older man to spit up blood, the two tumbling to the dirt. John and Chris were right there next to him, the three of them launching a multitude of punches and kicks into every part of Edward that they could reach. It took a couple of the other men that were with them to pull them off, and it would ultimately be Peter who had the joy of hogtying Edward. “Looks like you lost, Edward,” Peter gloated, the men around him joining him in a triumphant laugh.
“Peter, I can’t believe you came to rescue me,” Melanie blurted out, immediately feeling confused by her own comment.
“Why is that? Because you thought I didn’t care about you? Come on, Melanie, you and I both know that is the furthest thing from the truth. I care about you deeply, and I am just frustrated with myself that I allowed things to get to this point rather than being a real man and telling you how I felt,” Peter said, scolding himself.
“Even if you had, my stupid pig-headed attitude would have kept me from accepting it. I spent the last four years of my life surrounded by people that were only ever kind to me because they wanted to use me in some way. Even when you tried to show me interest, I suspected you of only wanting to get on my good side so that you could benefit in some way. I knew you couldn’t know that I was rich, but I couldn’t trust anyone in those days. You helped me feel like I could trust people again, and I will forever be grateful to you for that,” Melanie admitted, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.
“I’m glad that I could help bring down your walls,” Peter replied, his hand moving up to cup her cheek gently.
Darwin chose that moment to pop up between them, spurring the sheriff to grab the boy in a headlock and affectionately grind his fist against the top of his head. “How many times am I going to have to tell you not to pull those stupid kinds of stunts, boy? I told you that you were going to get yourself killed if you kept up with that. When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I don’t tell you this stuff for my own benefit? Do you think that I am trying to lose you too?”
“Stop treating me like you are my dad!” Darwin shouted out. “You are just mad because once again, I’m the one who has saved the day.”
“Is that so? Who was the one who shot his gun out of his hand so he couldn’t kill both Melanie and you? You better show a little gratitude,” Peter said, giving the boy another affectionate smack on his head before releasing him.
“You are just trying to take all the credit again,” Darwin pouted, the two going back and forth in front of Melanie. Now that the excitement was over, she was far more aware of the throbbing in her leg.
“I’m going to need a doctor,” she said loudly, talking over the two and forcing them to focus their attention on her. “I can’t put any weight on my left leg at all. One of you is going to need to carry me to a horse.” She didn’t sound at all pleased at the prospect, but that was mostly because there was no comfortable way for her to be carried that either wouldn’t look compromising or wouldn’t cause great pain to her injured leg.
Peter smiled sheepishly at that, doing his best to wrap his arms around her in a way that wouldn’t contribute to the pain that she was feeling right now. He carried her over to the saddle of his horse and helped her to climb onto the front of it. He leaped up behind her while the rest of his men mounted once more. They had loaded as much of Melanie’s possessions into their saddlebags as would fit, Melanie’s suitcase being handled by John.
“I think this has all been quite enough excitement for one day,” Peter said, gazing at the last few retreating glimmers of sunlight. “Chris, I want you to sling Edward over the back of your horse and take him to the jail. Make sure you put him in a cell that doesn’t look out on the town. I want him to have as miserable of a view as possible. He’ll be sitting there until I can get him in front of the judge.”
“What if he just tries to use his money to get out of jail again?” Melanie scoffed.
“You should have a little more faith in the law,” John said cheerfully, clapping Melanie gently on her shoulder from where he sat on his horse beside her. “There isn’t a single crooked judge down here in Santa Fe. Besides, once they hear that he tried to kidnap and murder you, they will throw the book at him. We are very faith-conscious people around here, and the tenets of our faith demand that we uphold the law. He’s going to the stony lonesome, and he isn’t going to be getting out for a long time. I’d bet every last bit of my land on that.”
That helped Melanie to feel a little better, and as they began the slow ride back toward town, she found herself leaning back against Peter. The feeling of his firm chest and the smell of his cologne comforted her, though every bounce of the horse caused a fresh rush of pain through her leg. She gritted her teeth but did her best not to let out any more sounds of pain than were necessary. She didn’t want Peter to treat her like she was just some helpless damsel.
Still, she didn’t think she’d ever felt the kind of pain she felt right now. Now she knew what her old horse Winifred had gone through back when she’d taken a bad fall and broken her leg. It had been one of the hardest days of Melanie’s life to watch her father take the shotgun out to the stables and to hear that single gunshot echo.
“We’ll take you to the doctor, don’t you fear. And once he’s got you all patched up, there is something I need to talk to you and Darwin about,” Peter said vaguely, refusing to say anymore despite her questions. It seemed that whatever it was, she’d have to wait.
Chapter 40
While they sat in the doctor’s office with Melanie watching her foot get bound with bandages, Peter had been mostly silent. His mind was heavy with the weight of the confession he was about to make, and after the events of that night, he found himself somewhat choked up. He’d never been good at admitting these kinds of things, and this was one of the most harrowing.
He hadn’t moved away from Melanie’s side the entire time, his hand holding hers g
ently. He didn’t care if his palm was sweaty or if the doctor kept giving him strange looks. Melanie hadn’t yet tried to pull her hand away, and that was good enough for him.
“Melanie, I think that you are a very lucky woman. Your leg seems to merely have been popped out of place. I’ve reset it as gently as I could, and I’ve splinted it. However, you are not going to be able to stand on it for a few months, and there is going to be a dull ache until the swelling goes down. I will be sending a small bottle of laudanum home with you. I recommend two drops every eight hours as needed to deal with your pain,” the doctor said with a smile.
“Considering how hard she hit the ground when she jumped out of the carriage, I say it could have been a lot worse,” Peter said with a faint chuckle.
“What on earth were you doing jumping out of a carriage?” the doctor asked incredulously, shaking his head in wonder.
“It’s a long story,” Melanie and Peter replied together, grinning at one another.
“That sounds like a story I should very much like to hear at some point,” the doctor chuckled, grabbing Melanie a wooden cane and handing it to her. “Use this on the side of your injured leg in the meantime. It will help you put your weight on something other than your leg while you walk,” he ordered, ushering Melanie, Darwin, and Peter out of his office. “All good to go. Come back if anything else needs to be treated.”
“What did you want to talk to me about, Peter?” Melanie asked, allowing Peter to help her back up onto his horse. He rode with her back to her home, Darwin following on foot. When they got there, he finally spoke, taking a deep breath in and exhaling slowly.
“I am tired of you and Darwin constantly causing trouble for me here in this town. It seems like every time I leave one of you to your own devices, you manage to land headfirst in a whole big pile of trouble. I’m convinced after what has happened tonight that I simply can’t leave the two of you on your own anymore,” Peter said.
“You aren’t making any sense,” Darwin said, making Peter glare at him.
“That is because I am not finished,” Peter retorted. “I have been thinking about this for a long time now, and it isn’t a decision I have made lightly. However, it has become obvious to me that I can’t allow you to remain at that orphanage anymore.”
“Too bad for me that I am not allowed to leave the orphanage until I turn eighteen or I get adopted,” Darwin muttered bitterly. Daisy Mae, who had been walking with him, let out a whimper as she looked up at him. She set her paw on his leg as if to comfort him, resting her big head on his leg with her tongue lolling out.
“Hmm, yes, that would be a shame. Good thing I am planning on adopting you, huh?” Peter grinned, watching Darwin’s jaw drop in disbelief. Even Melanie looked surprised.
“What brought your sudden change of mind about that?” Melanie asked. “I know you were telling me a couple weeks ago that you didn’t feel like you were father material.”
“I may not be perfect father material, but I know that my heart is in the right place. My only issue lies in the fact that I am still hesitant about doing it alone. A boy doesn’t need just a father to raise him right. That is where I was hoping you would come in, Melanie,” Peter said bashfully, finding it suddenly hard to meet her gaze.
“Where do I come in?” Melanie asked. “You are almost making it sound like you’re asking me to be Darwin’s mom.”
“That is exactly what I’m asking of you,” Peter said, sliding off the saddle and gently pulling Melanie down after. He cradled her in his arms as he carried her to the rocking chair sitting on her front porch, setting her on it before kneeling before her. “I’m not good at these kinds of things. I’m pretty bad at the whole romance thing in general, honestly. I’m bad at communicating my feelings, and I tend to hide my real emotions. That being said, I’m willing to try to do better. I’m willing to try to become a better person, and I feel like the two of you will be able to help me. It would increase my odds if I had a woman, and frankly, I can’t think of a better woman to be his mother. He already likes you and respects you, and I know you care for him.”
“I don’t know. Are you sure that you would want someone like me as a wife? I’m not going to be the kind of wife who will just nod and say, ‘yes dear’ whenever you say something I don’t like,” Melanie said, crossing her arms in front of her. She looked hesitant, but Peter could see what looked like joy in her eyes, like she’d been waiting for him to ask for a long time now.
“I need someone who is going to keep me on my toes and, more importantly, keep me honest with myself,” Peter said, taking her hands gently in his. “So, will you make me the happiest man in the world and agree to be mine forever?”
He couldn’t remember ever feeling the sense of fulfillment that he felt right then. A part of him wondered if this was just a hallucination, but as he rose to his feet and pulled Melanie into his arms, her weight reminded him that this was no hallucination. “Will you be my mom, Melanie?” Darwin piped up finally, looking up at her with big eyes. “Are the two of you really going to adopt me?”
Melanie took a deep breath, looking up at Peter before returning her gaze to Darwin and finally smiling. “Of course, I will, Darwin.”
“And you’ll be my bride?” Peter asked softly, Melanie glancing at him meaningfully. “Nothing would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with the man who saved my life. Besides, when Edward had me in that carriage and I was unconscious, I kept dreaming about you coming to rescue me. You are the only man I’ve ever believed in like that. Just try not to disappoint me in the later years,” she said playfully.
Peter’s face split into a wide grin. “I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations, Miss Thompson. Or should I start calling you Mrs. Matherson so you can get used to it?”
Melanie rested her head on his chest, nuzzling him gently. “That has a nice ring to it.”
Epilogue
She sat nervously in the small room that Pastor Hamilton had offered her, waiting for Iris to get her. The butterflies in her stomach were unlike anything she had ever felt before, and she had spent the last fifteen minutes repeatedly checking her reflection in the mirror.
She looked over the beautiful emerald green dress that she wore, awe overtaking her. Her husband-to-be had gone out of his way to arrange for the dress to be sent from a cataloguer in New York that the town tailor had lent him. She would have never believed that such a beautiful shade of clothing could exist, yet there she stood.
The lapel of the dress was adorned with golden flowers that looked like they were growing straight out of her dress, and at her shoulders and on the back of her hands twinkled little emerald gemstones. She didn’t even want to ask how much the dress had cost, and she knew Peter wouldn’t tell her truthfully if she did. She would just try to accept it gratefully as a wedding present.
A knock on the door caused her to turn, and Melanie smiled with relief as she saw Iris step through the door. Her best friend was finished with her pregnancy, having given birth to their newest daughter Lily a few months previously. “I’m surprised the two of you waited to get married until after you got the adoption paperwork finalized. It must have been torture for you. If it had been John and me, we would have had our kid long before we decided to tie the knot.”
“Peter and I talked about that, and we decided that it would be better to wait until we got the go-ahead. That way, we could plan the wedding shortly afterward and let it mark the day that we truly became a family. I thought it was the sweetest thing,” Melanie said, her bottom lip trembling as she was threatened to be overwhelmed with emotion.
“And that man says he doesn’t know how to be romantic!” Iris scoffed, walking up behind Melanie and gently straightening the small tiara that held her veil in place. “He turned you into a princess right out of a fairy tale.”
“It all feels like one. I still find myself pinching my arm occasionally just to make sure I’m not imagining everything. These last couple of months hav
e felt like a dream. From watching Edward getting sent back to Kansas in a prison wagon to having those additions built onto my house. It’s all been so strange,” she admitted, her hand resting briefly on her face.
“It’s time,” Darwin said, slipping in behind Iris and practically bouncing with excitement. “Is everything alright in here? You know that you have all the guests waiting out there, right?”
“Everything is fine, Darwin. Melanie and I were just going over a few last-minute outfit touch-ups,” Iris said, offering Melanie a wink.
“You look beautiful,” Darwin said shyly, slowly walking up to her and giving her a tight hug. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you in a wedding gown.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Melanie asked with a laugh, playfully swatting Darwin. “You say that as if I was going to end up an old crone.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Darwin cackled, covering himself and drawing away from her. “I’m glad that it is you, though. You’ll be good for Peter.”
A Bride to Melt the Sheriff’s Iron Heart Page 21