Christmas Surprise

by Paisley Kirkpatrick

  "Is she dead?" Madeleine asked.

  "No, she's tied up and out of sight."

  "Where did you put her?"

  Caroline cupped Jacqueline's chin. "You don't need to know." She gazed at Genevieve. "Thank you for getting them out of the room."

  "You're welcome. I'm so impressed with your calm reaction to defusing the situation. I was scared, too."

  "I think we all were."

  Caroline returned to the dining room. Lottie and Amanda cleaned up from the meal. Josef came in to the main room and stoked the fire. He tossed a couple of logs on the coals and got them going again.

  Their guests arrived right on time. The girls came out of their classroom and greeted them. Once everyone settled into their chairs, Caroline got their attention. "My father is on his way back to the post, but hasn't arrived yet. My sisters and I thought it might be fun for all of us to share some stories we remember happening around the post over the years."

  Lottie walked into the room and joined Caroline up front. "I have a story about..."

  Tam burst through the front door at the same time Luc entered through the hallway coming off the deck, both with pistols drawn. The younger girls screamed. Caroline's heart nearly stopped beating.

  Tam shoved his weapon into his waistband. "Is everything all right in here?"

  Caroline let out a deep sigh. "What do you mean coming into the lodge with your guns drawn?

  Luc put his gun into his leg sheath. "We thought there might be trouble so we were concerned." He motioned toward the kitchen. "Can I speak to you for a moment, Caroline?"

  "Excuse me everyone. I'll be right back. Don't worry, it was only a misunderstanding on Luc's part." Tam joined her and they both followed Luc into the other room.

  "Pastor Timmons said his wife was here. We thought she might have hurt you."

  "She tried, Luc, but Lottie changed her mind."

  "Where is she?" Tam asked.

  Caroline slipped her arms around Tam's neck and hugged him. "Mary Timmons is in the cellar. Stay calm until we can clear the room of guests."

  Tam pulled back and stared at her bodice. "Are you carrying a gun between um... uh..." His face turned red, but he couldn't say it.

  She let him off the hook. "Yes, I am."

  "What the hell are you thinking? Please put it someplace else."

  She frowned at his irritating tone.

  The door opened and Hank maneuvered his way into the room. She headed toward him.

  "Don't hug him," Tam yelled out.

  She stopped walking. He's really worried about the gun going off accidentally? In a perverse way, the thought pleased her.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Hank greeted their guests. "Thank you for coming tonight, but I'm afraid there won't be entertainment. I'm exhausted and need to rest. We'll see you as usual tomorrow." While their guests put their coats on and left, Hank leaned on Caroline to help him to his sofa and put his leg up. He'd overdone his activities for the day and his leg throbbed like hell.

  Danielle and Genevieve waited while his younger daughters hugged him, and then took them to bed.

  "Can I get you something to drink, Daddy?"

  He squeezed Caroline's hand. "No, but thank you. I'm so glad to see you're all in fine shape and didn't have trouble while we were gone."

  Caroline tucked the quilt around him. "Things aren't as they appear. Mrs. Timmons is bound and tucked inside the cellar."

  He sat up. "What?"

  "We were at the dining table eating supper. She came in and pulled a pistol on Amanda."

  "Oh, dear God. Is Amanda all right?"

  "Yes. Everyone was terrified that Mrs. Timmons would go crazy and pull the trigger. My little sisters were sitting between her and Amanda."

  The blood drained from Hank's face.

  Caroline filled a glass with water and handed it to him. "May I assume you took the gun away from her?"

  She patted his arm. "Wait until everyone is in here and I'll tell the story. We had quite a drama."

  Matthias brought in Mrs. Brown and Tam forced Gervais inside behind her. Jory dragged a couple of chairs away from the sitting area and shoved the two prisoners onto the seats.

  Caroline stood once everyone settled. While Matthias handed out glasses of ale, she lowered her voice and unveiled the events of the past several hours.

  Tam cleared his throat. "You slid her unconscious body down the ladder into the hole in the ground?"

  "Yes."

  Tam shook his head. "You women are amazing."

  "Tam's right. We should put the other two prisoners with her. If Farthington makes another surprise visit, we don't want him to know what we've been up to."

  Luc and Jory rolled the carpet to the side. Luc opened the trapdoor and Jory let the ladder down until it touched the dirt floor. He held the ladder while Luc climbed inside.

  Big Dog helped lower Mrs. Brown first and then Gervais. Gervais tried to fight them, but it did him no good. Jory climbed down and helped get the two new prisoners settled on beds and dropped a blanket over them. Jory and Luc stepped up the ladder, Luc pulled it out of the hole, and Jory closed the latch. The ladder went into a supply closet and the rug went back over the entrance to the temporary cell.

  "Now what are we going to do with them, Hank?" Matthias asked.

  "We left Mrs. Timmons bound until you all returned home, but now I'm thinking we should untie them and give them food and water. They're not going anywhere since the ladder is the only way they can get out."

  "Caroline is right. We can't let them die in our care," Hank said. "I'm not so sure about untying them, though. They're mean and could attack each other."

  Luc shrugged. "I don't see a problem."

  "I'd worry more about Lottie poisoning them. She's not fond of any of them," Caroline said.

  "Can you blame her? I'm surprised she didn't swing the frying pan harder. After all, the woman dared point a gun over the head of her babies."

  "We need to do something because I'm hungry," Big Dog said, rubbing his stomach. "I'll go sweet talk Lottie and see if we can get some grub."

  He came back in a few moments sporting a wide grin. "She heard us come in and is already fixin' supper."

  "Is she going to feed our prisoners?"

  "Don't know. This ole' Big Dog wasn't going to ask."

  Someone knocked on the door. Nobody said a word, but they all stared at Hank. Caroline started to stand, but Tam put his hand on her shoulder. "You stay put. I'll take care of whoever it is."

  He turned the lock and swung the door open to find Pastor Timmons.

  "Is my wife here? She never returned home."

  "Come on in, Jacob," Hank said. He dreaded having this talk with the pastor, but he might as well get it over with.

  "Don't reveal their location," Matthias whispered.

  Hank nodded. "Help me up so we can go into my office."

  Pastor Timmons entered the main room. "Has something happened to Mary?"

  "I'm afraid so, Jacob. Let's go into my office."

  The pastor followed Hank inside and sat across the desk from him. He leaned forward in his chair and rested his arms on the desk. "Please, tell me what's happened."

  "I'll be honest with you, Jacob, it's not good, and it's only going to get worse from here on out."

  The pastor slumped back in his chair. "Is she dead?"

  "No, but she's in serious trouble."

  "What's going on?"

  "I'm not sure if you know about the revenuers accusing me of smuggling."

  "Everybody's been wondering what's been going on. Farthington and his three henchmen visited my church more than once. He even came to my house one day and, according to my wife, cross-examined her while I was gone. I found them sitting around my dining room table drinking coffee and eating cookies."

  "For God's sake, Jacob, you didn't think his presence in your home strange?"

  "At first I did, but I believed Mary when she said he'd come to verify wha
t I'd told him at the church."

  "We know she's involved with the smuggling organization. I'm not sure how high her involvement is in the worldwide organization, but my guess is it's substantial. Her connection with Mrs. Brown puzzled me at first. It didn't make sense that Penelope would answer a mail order bride ad to marry me. So, don't feel bad for not figuring out what was going on in your home, Jacob."

  Jacob got up and stared out the window. "Are you sure she's involved with these smugglers?"

  "Yes, she's all but admitted it."

  "I'd like to see her. Where is she?"

  "I'm sorry, but it's out of my hands right now. I'm sure you'll have a chance to talk with her once everything settles down."

  "Dear God, I can't believe this is happening. She's been my world since we married. What will I do without her?"

  Hank shrugged. "I know how you're feeling, Jacob. I've struggled without Isabella every day since she died."

  Jacob returned to the chair. "Is there anything I can do to help my wife, or maybe I should be helping you instead? At this point I feel numb."

  The pastor's question sparked an idea. "There might be something you can do. Caroline said Mary has penpals around the world. Those letters might be important in showing her motivation. Why don't you gather up what she has and bring them here? I can see the authorities get them."

  Jacob nodded. "You may be right. She spends hours writing to her friends. I asked her what she wrote about. She said my sermons and the people who live here." He rose and shook Hank's hand. "Thank you for your help. I'll try to get the box of letters to you no later than tomorrow morning."

  After the pastor left, Hank leaned back in his chair and stared at the doorway. Matthias came in and sat in the vacated chair.

  "What happened?"

  "Jacob is on his way home to gather up Mary's penpal letters. I pray he doesn't read them. If he does, he could destroy them and weaken the case against her."

  "I wish Michel would arrive soon. He's the one to take over and get them to the officials. Trouble is we don't know who to trust. If, as we fear, Renald is also involved, then the corruption among the Mounties is high up. We may have a much larger mess on our hands than we know."

  Hank shook his head. "I thought Michel would be here by now, didn't you?"

  "I did, too. I'm sure I sent my brother the right code. If he isn't here tomorrow, I'll go look for him."

  Matthias stood. "Lottie sent me in here to get you to come eat." He helped Hank to his feet and handed him his crutches. "You look exhausted. Are you hurting?"

  "Yeah, I am. I need Big Dog to get me up to my bed tonight."

  "Let's hope nothing else happens to extend our day then."

  LOTTIE MOTIONED FOR Caroline and Tam to come help her. Tam took Caroline's hand and they walked to Lottie's domain. She'd fixed up a large tray with food on it.

  "Take this to the people in the cellar. Be quick about it so we can all grab some sleep."

  "Go to bed, Lottie. Caroline and I can take care of cleaning up after the prisoners eat."

  "Thank you. Be careful around those folks." She waved as she left.

  "I'm a bit concerned about Lottie, Tam. The past couple of months are weighing heavily on her. I'm glad she has Amanda for help now."

  "Me, too, honey. She's been very kind to Jory and me." Tam picked the tray up. "Let's get this over with."

  They returned to the main room. Tam set the tray on the table by Hank's sofa while they unrolled the rug and opened the trapdoor.

  "Let us out of here, you bastard."

  "Watch your mouth, Gervais." He grabbed the ladder, and lowered it inside the hole. Caroline waited until he stepped halfway down and handed him the tray. He set it on a crate.

  Before he loosened the bindings around their hands, Tam tied their feet to the bedframes. He started with Gervais.

  "It's about damn time you give us food, MacGregor."

  "Shut your mouth, Gervais, or I swear I'll leave the tray where it is."

  Gervais' sneer made Tam nervous.

  "Eat hearty," Tam said. "This is all you'll get to eat until you're jailed." Next, he knelt in front of Mrs. Brown. She kicked at his hands. "Keep away from me you sonuvabitch. You have no right to treat us like scum."

  He grabbed both her ankles. "Kick me one more time lady and I'll hogtie you. You got it?" She glared at him, but like Gervais she didn't say another word.

  Caroline came down the ladder and stood in front of Mary. "I don't know what to say."

  Tam moved behind her. "Don't bother, honey. The lady won't hear anything you say. She's too involved with her own troubles."

  He took Caroline's hand and led her toward the ladder. "Where'd you put the pistol you had?"

  She stared him directly in the eye and didn't flinch, or speak as far as that went. The little devil. He hugged her close to his chest and felt the gun in the same place as before. He wanted to strangle her for not listening to him the first time he told her to remove it from between her breasts. He grabbed her arms and pushed her away. "Give me the damned thing."

  She stepped away. "Don't you dare raise your voice to me, Tam MacGregor."

  If they didn't have an audience, he'd pull the gun from its resting place. No way would he give Gervais ammunition to use against him for mistreatment if the jackass lived long enough to find himself in a court of law.

  "I apologize for making a simple action into a full-blown argument, Caroline. The first time I bumped against it, I was stunned you'd take a chance of blowing body parts off to say nothing about your death. Now that I can feel you didn't heed my advice, I am asking you this time. Please, hand me the gun."

  "Thank you. All you had to do was ask nicely." Caroline slipped her hand inside her bodice and pulled the pistol out. She set the warmed metal in his hand."

  "Thank you. Was that so difficult?"

  "I'm sorry I scared you."

  He shook his head. "Promise me you'll find a better place to carry a weapon."

  "I swear I've never done it before. Mrs. Timmons dropped it when Lottie slammed the pan against her head. I didn't want my sisters to pick it up, so I put it in the first place I found available. See?" She ran her hands down the sides of her skirt. "There are no pockets."

  "You've made your point, but it still doesn't change the fact that it could have gone off accidentally." He tipped her chin and gave her a quick kiss. "I love all of you, sweetheart," he whispered in her ear.

  She smiled at him. "I promise."

  "Thank you. Please, go up top and I'll hand the pistol back to you."

  "Why?"

  "I'd like you to keep watch on the prisoners once I untie their hands so they can eat. Shoot anyone of them that makes a false move. Can you do that?"

  She glanced around at each of the prisoners. "Yes, I don't see a problem."

  "Up you go, then." He watched her step off the ladder. She reached down and took the pistol.

  Tam had reservations on whether they should be cut loose or not, but he didn't want to deny them food and water. He pulled his boot knife out and cut the scarves off Gervais and Mrs. Brown's hands. Next. he moved over to Mrs. Timmons. He slid the blade under the ridiculous length of rope Lottie had wrapped around her. He bound her feet to the leg of the bedframe and stood. Out of the corner of his eye, Tam saw Gervais move forward.

  "I won't send you a warning shot, Uncle Gervais. You know I'm a crack shot, so unless you want to die, sit still."

  Good for Caroline's spunk.

  He handed a plate to each of the prisoners. "Don't make me regret giving you Lottie's kind offer of food."

  Tam hurried up the ladder and pulled it out of the hole. He closed the door and latched it. "Help me lay the rug over the top and then move the sofa on top of it.

  "The sofa?"

  "Yes, I'll be sleeping here tonight. Grab me a couple of warm blankets, please."

  "Sure, but don't think you'll be alone."

  Tam pursed his lips as he watched her cheeks tu
rn pink. "Miss Hughes, are you making an indecent offer?"

  Caroline covered her burning cheeks with her hands. She picked up one of her father's pillows and tossed it at him. "You rogue. You know that's not what I meant."

  He walked slowly toward Caroline. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her. "I know, my love, but you look so doggone beautiful all flustered and embarrassed." Unable to help himself, he pulled her in for a kiss. His mind swirling with thoughts of her, he didn't want the kiss to ever end. He knew he couldn't let this kiss be their last. If he had anything to say about it, it would be their beginning.

  Tam pushed a curl off her cheek. "I'm in love with you, Caroline Hughes." He dropped to one knee. "Will you marry me?"

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Caroline stared into his eyes and saw his declaration of love true and strong. The kind she'd dreamed of having and feared not finding. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. "Thank you for making me the happiest woman in the world." She nodded. "Yes, I will marry you, Tam."

  He stood and pulled her back into his arms. "My heart overflows with love for you, my wife-to-be. Wow, doesn't that sound good."

  She giggled. "Caroline MacGregor does sound quite nice."

  "Grab a few blankets and I'll stoke the fire."

  They snuggled on the sofa. "Daddy likes you."

  Tam wrapped his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder. Contentment settled over her.

  "He asked me once if I'd ever consider staying here. I told him then I'd fallen in love with the place."

  "You did?"

  "Uh hmm. Your father is a shrewd man. He knew I really meant I'd fallen in love with his daughter. He gave me permission to ask you to marry me then."

  She sat up. "I can't believe he was so bold."

  "Are you sorry he did?"

  Caroline shook her head. "No, it makes announcing it easier."

  She cleared her throat. "I need to tell you something."

  "All right."

  "My behavior before you arrived was inexcusable. I thought I'd caused my mother's death. I wanted to be punished for it so acted like a brat. My poor father didn't know what to do with me so he threw up his hands and told me he wanted me married by Christmas Eve."