A Mail-Order Haven

by Janelle Daniels

  Her eyes widened in understanding, and her gaze darted back in the direction of the camp. There were still five men there, and as every second passed, it was more likely they'd be discovered. "Let's go," she said.

  He nodded and took her hand, before reaching down and jerking the knife from Nick's body. He wiped the blood on the dead man's pant leg, cleaning it quickly. He didn't check to see if the man was alive. Where Juliette had stabbed him, it would've killed him almost instantly. He just hoped the act wouldn't come back to haunt Juliette.

  He handed the knife to her, and her hand shook as she tucked it back in her boot.

  As quickly as possible, he led her to where he'd left his horse, and helped her to mount before jumping behind her and taking off. He pushed his horse as hard as possible without risking the animal.

  A good distance away, the sound of shots rang through the night air, and he knew the men had found Nick's body.

  With any luck, the group would have a hard time finding their tracks in the dark, and after riding for a while longer, Devon took care to hide them even more.

  The men would see the knife wound, and if Devon and Juliette were lucky, would assume Juliette had killed the man on her own. They'd look for her on foot, which would buy them more time.

  After an hour, she slumped against him and he slowed the horse, giving the animal a break. "Do you think we lost them?"

  He hadn't heard any sound from the group in some time. "It's likely. But if they found our tracks, they'll know you had help. They'll probably go back to the house and look for us." He wanted to reassure her, to hold her and stroke her until all tension left her body, but he didn't think she wanted that.

  "What will we do?"

  "We'll go to the sheriff. Hopefully, we'll get to him before your brother arrives back at the house, and we'll set a trap. Now, rest. We have a long ride ahead."

  Juliette shivered, and even knowing it might be unwanted, he wrapped his arm around her and held her against his chest. She didn't fight it and leaned against him, letting him hold her. He'd never been more grateful than for that small gesture, and he wondered if it would be the last time he ever hold her in his arms.

  Chapter 13

  By the time they made it to Sawyer and Clara's house, Juliette was shaking, shock kicking in. Devon dismounted quickly and reached for her. "We're almost done. Just a little bit longer."

  She placed her hands on his shoulders and let him lower her. She nodded, unsure what she'd say, or sound like, if she answered out loud.

  Devon's eyes looked over her, and she could tell he was worried, but instead of saying anything, he took her hand and pulled her toward the sheriff's house. They’d ridden through the night—it was now dawn—and if the Sheriff wasn't already awake, he would be in just a moment.

  Devon banged on the door, waiting for a few seconds until knocking again. Finally, Juliette heard footsteps inside.

  The door cracked open a second before Sawyer opened it wide. "What happened?" His gaze trailed over Juliette, and she knew he took in her torn clothes, her disheveled appearance.

  He poked his head out the door, looking both directions as he ushered them inside.

  "I hope we didn't wake up Clara." Juliette knew her baby was due any day, and she didn't want this affecting her.

  Sawyer shook his head. "No. She'll sleep through anything at this point, and Willow usually stays in her room until late morning." He refocused on the situation. "Now, tell me what happened."

  Devon laid out the situation quickly, and Juliette answered all direct questions, but she wasn't focused on the conversation. She was overwhelmed, exhausted from not sleeping, and just wanted to fall over.

  Within five minutes, they had a plan. Sawyer went back into his room and finished dressing in record time. He gathered his weapons as Devon pulled her aside. "You're going to stay here while we take care of this."

  She knew they would have the others, but even with the larger group, she was worried about their safety. She felt guilty, knowing that if it wasn't for her brother, none of this would be happening. No one's life would be at risk.

  But instead of saying any of that, she nodded. He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed softly before leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead.

  Before anything else could be said, he was out the door with the sheriff, his face already empty of emotion.

  Juliette remained by the window, looking out at the world as the town came to life with morning chores. Clara and Willow woke up a while later, and Juliette filled them in on what had happened, leaving out the more gruesome details. She didn't want Clara going into labor any earlier than she was supposed to.

  Juliette didn't think she’d be able to relax until she found out what had happened with her brother and his gang, but Clara and Willow took her mind off the situation, even made her laugh a time or two. But as the hours ticked by and Willow left for her dress appointments, her worry increased. Where were they?

  "This isn't right," Devon said, as they waited in Juliette's house. The sheriff was with him, along with Ronan, Asher, Tom, and Cameron. They’d been staking out the house the last few hours. "They should've been here by now."

  Devon ran his hands through his hair, aggravated and unnerved. Everything in him was screaming this was wrong, that he needed to get to Juliette now. But she was safe where she was, he rationalized. Sam wouldn't find her at the sheriff's house.

  Sheriff Morrison and Ronan moved closer to him. "It's possible they didn't pick up your trail for some time," Sawyer reasoned.

  "That's true, but Sam is good. Too good to spend hours wandering around. No, I'm sure he found the trail quickly. He would've known I was the one who came after her, and even though my trail ended, he would've headed back here."

  Ronan frowned. "Is it possible he picked up your trail later on?"

  "I spent a lot of time covering our tracks and starting false trails, so I don't think he would've found it. Unless he was extremely lucky."

  Just the thought, the possibility, that Sam had found the trail that led straight to the sheriff's house filled him with fear. "If anything happens to her—"

  "Nothing is going to happen to her," Ronan reassured him. "This isn't your fault. We don't hold you responsible."

  Devon whipped toward him. "I don't give a damn if you blame me or not. All I care about is Juliette's safety."

  Ronan and Sawyer looked at each other meaningfully, but Devon didn't care if they figured out what his feelings for Juliette were. "Maybe I should—"

  Asher held up a hand, and everyone immediately fell silent. The man tilted his head, as if focusing all of his energy on his ears. "They're here," he whispered.

  "Move into position," Sawyer said quickly. "And remember, don't shoot to kill."

  Devon bit back his disagreement. He wanted these men dead for what they’d done to Juliette. But Sawyer was a law-abiding sheriff, and Devon respected that.

  Several horses stopped in front of the house. "Give up the girl, Devon, or else we'll come in and shoot."

  Devon smirked humorlessly. The fools thought he was alone in here with Juliette. As if he would ever bring her back here.

  He looked over at the Sheriff, and the man nodded at him to answer. "I'm not giving her up!" Devon said.

  In response, the front and back doors were kicked in. But they had anticipated that, and men were stationed throughout the house. Shots sounded for several minutes until everything fell silent.

  One of the two men who'd come through the front door was dead, and the sheriff cursed. The second one had taken a shot in his shoulder and leg, and writhed on the floor.

  Devon walked up to the man, recognizing him from the other night, and kicked his gun out of the way before placing his boot on his uninjured shoulder to hold him down. "I have this under control. Go check on the others," Devon said to the sheriff.

  After a few minutes, the sheriff came back in. "The other two are alive, but injured."

  Devon'
s gut clenched. "Only two? There should be five in total."

  The sheriff's mouth firmed as he shook his head. "Go check the other two, see who's missing."

  Devon didn't need to check. He knew who wasn't among these men. He ran to the other room and confirmed his suspicions before returning to the sheriff. "Juliette's brother isn’t here."

  Before he could think better of it, he went to the injured man on the floor, pressing his boot into his wounded shoulder. "Where is Sam?"

  The man howled in pain, but Devon didn't alleviate the pressure. "Where is Sam? I'm not going to ask again."

  Sawyer step forward to intervene, but Ronan's hand shot out, keeping Sawyer back.

  Laughing through the pain, the man sneered. "You know where he is. He has her by now."

  Devon's eyes went wild, but before he could do anything more to the man, Ronan and Sawyer were pulling him away.

  "You can't kill him," Sawyer said. "I'd have to arrest you, and then you wouldn't be any use to Juliette."

  Asher, Cameron, and Tom came into the room, hauling the other bound outlaws in with them, and Devon thought he was going to be sick. He raced through the doors and sucked in deep gulps of air, running to the copse of trees where they'd hidden the horses.

  A moment later, Ronan and Sawyer had grabbed their own mounts, and were racing after him toward town.

  Devon just prayed they weren't too late.

  "You sure you're okay?" Clara said from the sofa, rubbing her overly large belly. "I should be doing that. Not you."

  Juliette let out a soft laugh as she took the kettle off the fire. "Willow isn't here, and I would never let you do it. You should be resting."

  "I'm worried about you. How are you, really?"

  "Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel. Being taken was scary, and I was roughed up, but I made it out okay." Her mind replayed the images of Nick's body on the ground, her knife wedged in his neck. She'd have nightmares about that moment for the rest of her life.

  What else could she have done? She'd begged them to let her go, she told him no, and still, he'd forced himself on her. She hadn't known Devon was there, and she'd needed to defend herself.

  No, she didn't regret defending herself. She just wished she hadn't killed him.

  She kept her hands busy making tea as her mind raced. "It's something I never want to think about again, but I'm all right. I'll survive." At least, she would if Devon came back in one piece. If all the men came back in one piece.

  What was taking them so long?

  They chatted as the tea steeped, and finally, Juliette poured them both a cup, just as there was a knock on the door.

  Relief filled her. That had to be Devon. She waved Clara back onto the couch, happy to answer the door. Clara gave her a grateful smile.

  Juliette's steps lightened, knowing it was all over, that Devon was here.

  She opened the door wide, happiness filling her—

  She gasped. "Sam?"

  "Hello, Jules." He didn't wait for an invitation, and pushed his way into the house, closing the door before she could escape. "You've caused me a lot of problems."

  Juliette panicked. If her brother was here, what had happened to Devon? And if he was here, she wasn't the only one in danger. But just as she hoped to draw his attention, his eyes snapped to Clara. A lascivious grin spread across his face. "And who is this luscious goddess?"

  The look on his face made her want to gag, made her sick with fury that his man, this monster, was her brother. She stepped in his view, not allowing him to look at Clara a moment longer. "This is between you and me. Leave her out of it."

  As if sensing her weakness, he cocked his head. "I don't know. Pregnant women are always so much fun." He grinned again and pushed her aside, as if he would go to Clara.

  Clara jumped from her seat and moved around the sofa to put space between them.

  "Stop it! You will not touch her."

  He looked over his shoulder at her. "And what are you going to do about it? Knife me like you did Nick? That was my downfall, really." He shook his head. "I forgot how good you were with knives. I should've known you would carry one with you." He leaned his head closer to her. "But don't worry, I won't make that mistake again."

  He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Clara. "Don't!" Juliette screamed. "Don't hurt her. It's me you want."

  "You brought this on yourself, Jules. You should've done what I said."

  Juliette nodded quickly, not daring to even glance in Clara’s direction. "You're right, I should've listened to you. I should've done what you said. I won't make that mistake again. I'm what you want, I'm right here. If you leave her alone, I'll leave with you right now without a fight." That had to be what he wanted, since they were in the middle of the town. If she struggled, people would come to her rescue.

  He contemplated her offer. "Give me your knife." He held out his hand.

  Juliette glanced at Clara, and the woman shook her head, but Juliette would do anything to keep her friend safe. Even give herself over to her brother.

  She reached in her boot, unsheathing her weapon before handing the handle to her brother.

  "Are there any more?"

  She shook her head.

  He studied her skeptically for a moment, then must have figured he could protect himself, regardless. He put his gun away, and tucked her knife in his belt. "Let's go." He nodded toward the door, for her to go first. He glanced back at Clara. "Tell the men if they come after us, she'll get a bullet in the head." He waited for Clara to nod her understanding before he was satisfied.

  As if he no longer cared about Clara, he motioned for her to leave the room, and she scurried into the bedroom.

  He turned his attention back to Juliette. She was relieved her friend had gotten away. All she needed to do now was draw her brother out.

  "Now, listen to me. Sister or no, if you try anything more out there—" he nodded toward the door "—I'll shoot you. I won't even hesitate, and more than that, I won't get caught. Do we understand each other?"

  Juliette lowered her eyes and nodded.

  "Do we understand each other?" he asked again.

  "Yes." She murmured softly.

  "Good. Now, get moving—"

  Clara stepped out of the bedroom doorway, a rifle trained on Sam. "Don't move!"

  Juliette's brother whipped around to face the woman, his face relaying his shock before anger took its place. "Now, you're going to die." His hand whipped to his weapon, but before he reached it, a blast filled the cabin as Clara fired.

  Her brother fell to the ground, gurgling, and Juliette automatically kicked the gun out of his hand. When he was no longer a threat, she knelt next to him.

  The front door flew open, and Sawyer, Ronan, and Devon rushed into the room. Sawyer went to his wife and took her in his arms, before prying the gun out of her hands.

  Juliette was frozen, staring into her brother's eyes.

  Although her brother couldn't speak, he turned his eyes away from her, as if he didn't want her to be the last thing he saw. And when the last breath rattled from his lungs, he didn't move again.

  A shudder wracked through Juliette, as she stared at the last member of her family. She didn't love her brother, but she had when they were younger, and all of this seemed like such a waste.

  Devon pulled her to her feet, wrapped his arms around her, and held her against him. "You're okay."

  Sadness and regret warred within her. She nodded her head, and took a shaky breath. "I am." She glanced over at her brother's body. "He could've been someone so much better, so much kinder. He was that way as a child."

  He ran a hand up and down her back, and she found the action soothing.

  "Sometimes we don't know why things happen, why people turn out a certain way. But I'm sorry."

  "I'm sorry, too. I never would have wished him dead, but knowing he's gone fills me with peace. He can't come after me anymore, he can't try to hurt me. Does that make me an awful person?" She looked solemnl
y into his eyes.

  "You're the best person I know," he said seriously, and, as he continued to hold her gaze, her heart fluttered.

  Devon broke eye contact and glanced at the sheriff. "Do you need help with this?"

  Sawyer glanced at his wife, before looking at the body on the floor. Before he could speak, Ronan stepped forward. "I'll take care of it."

  Juliette turned toward her brother one last time before nodding. "Thank you, Ronan."

  "Of course. You rest. You’ve a rough go of it." He looked to Devon. "Take care of her."

  Devon wrapped an arm around Juliette. "I will," he said, before ushering her out of the house.

  She moved where he directed her, finally climbing on his horse before he mounted behind her. "Where are we going?"

  He pulled her tight against him and set the horse in motion. "Where do you want to go?"

  She closed her eyes, exhaustion filling her. "Home."

  "Then, that's where we'll go," he whispered in her hair. "Go ahead and lean against me. Rest, if you can."

  She nodded, not thinking she would be able to, but a short while later, Devon nudged her. "We're home."

  She blinked slowly a few times, before her eyes widened. She really had fallen asleep. She sat up, feeling a bit more clearheaded than before.

  When Devon was sure she was steady on the horse, he dismounted and then reached for her, pulling her down to him. He gently set her away, and Juliette missed the feel of him.

  He shuffled his feet. "I think we should talk. If you're up for it."

  He looked so uncertain, and then Juliette realized why. A lot had happened, and there were things that needed to be discussed.

  She nodded and was already twisting her fingers as they walked to the house. This conversation would change everything, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

  Juliette stepped in the house. "Sylvia?" she called. "Are you here?"

  "We sent her away earlier when we got here. We wanted her to be safe."

  "Oh. Good."

  "Besides, this conversation needs privacy." They moved into the sitting room, but instead of taking a seat, Devon paced. "First, I just want to apologize. I should've protected you better. I should have never let them take you."