“I lost track of you again after I burned down the boardinghouse. The inferno was beautiful, and very distracting. I never expected you’d marry the gunfighter. I thought I knew you. I remembered you from when I stayed in St. Joseph. You were always making lists and harping on routine. That sort of person is easy to predict. I had a watch on the nearest hotel. I figured you wouldn’t drift far from home. Strays never do. Except you’re full of surprises.”
“It’s over, Regina.” Lily reached behind her, groping for the knife she’d left on the counter. “They’ll catch you.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ve worked too hard. I’m not giving up now. I’m not giving up when I’m this close to having everything I want on a silver platter. That would just be foolish, wouldn’t it? But please, as long as we’re divulging all our deep, dark secrets, you must confess. I still don’t understand why that gunfighter helped you. He didn’t seem the rescuing type.”
“He’s a good man.”
“Oh dear. I certainly didn’t see that coming.” Regina tsked. “That’s the problem with this world, there are far too many do-gooders mucking up the works. Do-gooders are bad for business.”
Regina poked a loaf of bread. “Enough chatting. Let’s get on with this. I don’t want to miss lunch.”
Lily’s knees grew weak. She was rapidly losing ground.
“You’re certainly cleverer than all the men. How did you arrive here before Emil?” Lily tucked the knife against her back. Regina responded to flattery, her one constant. “How were you smart enough to find us before anyone else?”
“The telegraph lines. Funny thing about Western Union, they tend to hire women. There’s been quite a bit of chatter back and forth from Cimarron Springs to Beatrice.” She nudged her gun in the direction of the door. “Tell me where I can find the children. I’m growing weary of your voice.”
“This is ridiculous.” Lily turned, keeping the weapon hidden in the folds of her skirts. “How can you ransom the children without their grandfather?”
“Emil is on his way. I’m not stupid, Lily. I sent for him first. Your little trap won’t work. Ah, I see by your expression that you assumed help was coming. I thought you were more loquacious than usual. Tut tut. Let’s put a lid on that optimism and get this over with.”
“All right, all right.” Dread settled in Lily’s stomach. “The children are out back. They’re playing in the barn.”
There was no way she was leading Regina to the children, which left her with no other option.
She tightened her grip around the knife. She’d have to take her chances with Regina alone. She had to think of a plan quickly. If something happened to her, Jake would never forgive himself. She wouldn’t let him wallow in guilt.
With nothing left to lose, she’d finally accepted that she loved him, and she sensed there was a part of him that cared for her, too. A part that went deeper than playacting. She desperately wanted to survive long enough to discover if her instincts were correct.
Regina waved the gun barrel. “Come along. Your destiny awaits, Miss Winter.”
“Mrs. Elder,” Lily corrected. “If you’re going to kill me, at least get my name right.”
* * *
The door to the marshal’s office slammed open and an extremely agitated elderly man stood on the threshold. “Where are my grandchildren?”
The man was tall and fit with graying hair. He carried a cane in one hand and his leg had been splinted. He was of average height and build, with neatly trimmed sideburns that touched his chin.
Jake stood. “Emil Tyler?”
“Yes.” Emil brandished a telegram. “Apparently someone named Lily Winter has kidnapped my grandchildren. She’s asking for a ransom. I’m supposed to stay at the hotel in town and wait for the next instructions.”
“You’ve been misinformed.” Jake’s chest seized. They’d been double-crossed. Someone had beaten them to setting a trap. “Lily is not the kidnapper.”
Grasping the implications as well, Garrett came out from behind his desk. “We’d best have the whole town on alert for Vic Skaar.”
“Vic is in Frozen Oaks,” Emil said. “He’s not responsible.”
“How do you know?” Jake asked.
“I ain’t stupid. I won money off the man. Ida works over at the hotel and keeps tabs on him for me. He hasn’t left town.”
“Then who? The sheriff?”
Garrett shook his head. “From what you’ve said, Vic would never send him for this kind of job.”
“Regina,” Jake exclaimed. “We’ve been blind to everything. This is about Regina.”
He reached for his gun belt and hat.
Emil held out his arm. “How can you be certain it isn’t this Miss Winter person?”
“I know.” They’d all been duped, even Vic. The irony was impressive. “This was about Regina all along. Get everyone you can. If she’s in town already, she’ll go for the children. Which means Lily is in danger, as well.”
David burst through the door. “Someone has Lily.”
“A woman?”
“Yep,” David replied. “I was watching the house like you asked. I saw a woman go inside. I didn’t think too much about it since we weren’t looking for a woman. I heard them arguing and snuck closer. The woman pulled a gun on Lily.”
“And you left her there?” Jake snatched the man’s lapels and shook him. “Alone?”
“Hold on.” Garrett blocked his exit. “You can’t go storming in there without a plan.”
“The woman wants Lily to lead her to the Tyler children,” David said. “There was nothing I could do.”
Garrett pried Jake’s hands free from David’s coat. “Did you hear anything else?”
“Lily said the children were doing chores. She said they’d be in the barn.”
Emil’s face suffused with angry color. “She’s leading them to my grandchildren? What kind of town are you running here, marshal?”
Jake forced air into his lungs. He wasn’t doing anybody any good by panicking. “Your grandchildren aren’t in the barn, they’re at school.”
“Stay here, Mr. Tyler.” Garrett ordered. “We’ll explain everything later.”
Jake and Garrett ran full out to the house, David close behind them.
Jake held his finger for silence and they crept around the back of the barn. Voices sounded from inside. Fearful of spooking Regina, Jake kicked over a crate and climbed up to peer in the window.
The two women were locked together, grappling over something. Jake caught a glimpse of steel. His stomach folded. They were fighting for possession of the gun.
Without hesitating he broke the glass with his elbow.
At the commotion, Lily turned.
A gunshot sounded.
Jake dove forward. Both Lily and Regina collapsed to the ground. Bile rose in the back of his throat. He dragged Lily away, cradling her in his arms. Blood spattered the front of her apron.
He frantically ran his hand along her stomach, searching for the wound.
“Not me.” Lily gasped. “I wasn’t hit.”
He glanced around as Garrett entered the barn. The marshal kicked the abandoned gun from Regina’s grasp and knelt at her side. Blood oozed from a wound in her abdomen.
“I’ve shot myself.” Regina moaned. “I didn’t think she’d fight back.”
“You thought wrong,” the marshal replied.
Regina grimaced. “Never underestimate a woman.”
Alerted by the gunfire, Caleb arrived a moment later. He took in the scene and approached Lily and Jake.
“She’s not hurt,” Jake assured the other man. “Regina has been hit.”
Caleb lowered himself to one knee and grimaced. “I’ve seen this sort of wound before. You’ll live.”
&
nbsp; “Are you a doctor?” Regina moaned. “I need a surgeon. A good surgeon. Not some country bumpkin with a rusty scalpel.”
“I’m a veterinarian, ma’am.”
Her head lolled to one side. “If I die in this backwater town, promise you’ll bury my body in New York. I refuse to spend eternity in Kansas.”
“You’re not going to die.”
“I don’t find your assurance the least bit comforting.”
Lily clutched Jake’s lapels. “Take me back to the house.”
He hoisted her in arms. Garrett and Caleb were well equipped to deal with Regina. He carried Lily through the back door and up the stairs, then laid her on the bed.
He moved away but she pulled him closer.
“What?”
“Don’t let go of me.” She shivered. “Not even for a minute.”
He climbed onto the bed beside her and crushed her in his embrace. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“It was Regina all along. She was using Vic as a cover.”
“I guessed as much.” He pressed his cheek against her hair. “Coming here alone was risky, even for Regina.”
“I think she simply became desperate. All her plans and schemes were falling apart one by one, and we always managed to be a step ahead of her.”
“She can’t hurt us now.”
“Will she live?”
“Caleb thinks so,” Jake replied. “Her fate is out of her hands.”
Lily absently toyed with the buttons on his coat. “How did you know to come for me?”
“Emil arrived. He’d received the telegram.”
Violent shivers tormented her body. He rubbed her back and whispered soothing words.
“You didn’t hesitate,” she said. “That’s what you were always worried about. When you saw I was in danger, you didn’t hesitate.”
“I’ve never been more focused in my life.”
She pressed their lips together in a desperate kiss. She kissed him as though she could never get enough of him, and hope soared in his heart. She must feel something for him, as well.
Lily broke away from the kiss first. “I love you, Jake Elder. I started falling in love with you when you were an outlaw, then when you were a lawman, but I finished falling in love with you as a husband. I know your job is difficult and dangerous, and I know that craving for excitement is part of who you are. I won’t try and change you, I promise.”
He pressed a finger against her lips. “Stop. I’ve already changed. I love you, too, Lily Winter. I can’t picture a future without you. Will you consider staying with me, even if Sam and Peter leave with their grandfather?”
Though he loathed shattering the moment, he had to ask. He had to know.
Her smile faded. “I love them. They will always be part of my heart, but you’re a part of my soul. We’ll face the future together, whatever future that may be.”
He kissed her then, long and deep.
“As long as you’re in my future,” he said a long while later, “I have everything I need.”
Epilogue
Lily awoke to the patter of footsteps down the stairs.
She touched Jake’s shoulder. “Wake up.”
“Already?” came the groggy reply.
Whispers and giggles sounded from outside their door.
“It’s time.” She pressed a kiss against his shoulder. “I’ll start the coffee brewing.”
Ten minutes later, they joined Sam and Peter in the parlor. Lily stifled a yawn behind one hand. The children, clad in their pajamas, rifled through the presents beneath the tree. Emil emerged from the office they’d transformed into his bedroom. He tugged his suspenders over his union suit, and wiped the sleep from his eyes.
The adults mumbled their good-mornings, still half-asleep. Lily and Jake slumped on the couch, and Emil took the chair set before the fireplace.
“Can we open our presents now?” Sam pleaded.
“Please,” Peter chimed in. “We’ve been waiting for months to see what grandpa gave us.”
“Yes,” Lily said. She rolled her eyes. “Please open your presents.”
The next ten minutes passed in a flurry of paper. Gifts were opened and exclaimed over, then tossed aside in their excitement. Emil’s gifts were finally unwrapped. Sam received a lovely doll, and Peter exclaimed over a set of carved wooden soldiers.
The children presented their grandfather with handmade pictures, which he dutifully exclaimed over.
Jake reached beneath the tree and plucked a package from the chaos. He set the colorfully wrapped gift on Lily’s lap.
With a smile she carefully peeled back the paper and unwrapped the box. A shiny new coffee grinder met her delighted gaze.
Her throat tightened. “It’s beautiful.”
“I knew you were sad about the one you lost in the fire. I couldn’t replace that one, I know. I hope you like the gift.”
“That was the past, you’re my future. This is perfect. I love my gift.” She kissed him and hugged him close. “I love you.”
Lily stood and retrieved a box from the tree, and resumed her seat next to Jake. “For you.”
She held her breath, awaiting his reaction. He opened the box and stared at the watch nestled inside.
“Thank you,” he said. “This is beautiful.”
“Look inside.”
He flipped open the watch. “My penny.”
Sam and Peter crowded around him.
“I saved your penny all this time,” Peter said. “I had the watchman fix the penny into the side. You gave that to me the first day we met. It brings me happy memories, and now it can bring you happy memories.”
Lily anxiously searched his face. Tears shimmered in his eyes.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice thick. “For all the happy memories. I love my gift, and I love you both.”
After Sam and Peter returned to their own presents, Lily rested her head on Jake’s shoulder. “He was so excited, I didn’t have the heart to tell him why you kept the penny all these years. We can store the watch in my drawer if the memories are too painful.”
“The memories are good now. The sad ones have been replaced.” Jake draped his arm over his shoulder. “The gift is perfect. I will treasure this watch always.”
Emil slapped his knees and stood. “Who wants breakfast?”
The children shouted their approval and followed him into the kitchen.
Lily sighed, feeling blissfully content. “He’s adjusting well.”
Jake tugged on a lock of his hair. “And all my haircuts are free.”
She playfully elbowed him in the stomach. After the incident with Regina, the three of them had decided to raise the children as an extended family. Emil wasn’t certain his age and health made him suitable to raise them alone, and Lily and Jake were happy to include them in their family.
Given Jake’s history, she’d been determined not to fuss when a case forced him out of town. To her astonishment, he’d taken to serving as the local marshal like a duck to water. He never tapped his knee beneath the table or stared out the window. He and Marshal Garrett worked well together, and the partnership suited both families. Lily was used to living with other folks underfoot, and adding Emil to their family hadn’t changed a thing.
Having already grown accustomed to living with Jake and Lily, the children adjusted smoothly to the additional changes. There were the occasional bumps along the way, but everything always managed to sort itself out.
She’d never been happier.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Who can that be?”
Lily started to rise, but Jake stopped her.
“Wait here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
She rested her head against the back of the settee. A moment later he returned holding a large wooden crate.
The crate barked.
Lily bolted upright.
Two furry paws appeared over the lip of the box.
Sam and Peter came rushing from the kitchen.
Jake set the box on the ground. An adorable white-and-black ball of fluffy puppy leapt out.
Jake clapped his hands. “Merry Christmas. He’s one of Lily’s puppies. John and Moira were so anxious to be rid of him, they offered free delivery on Christmas morning.”
Lily crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “Jake Elder. I don’t recall agreeing to a dog.”
“You said the idea had merit.”
“That’s not an agreement.”
As the puppy barked and danced around them, the children rolled around in delight.
Emil watched their antics with an indulgent grin.
Lily managed a half grin. “Having a puppy around the house is not very practical.”
“Neither is breaking an outlaw out of jail and falling in love with him, but that didn’t stop you.”
“You’re right.” Lily let her arms drop to her sides. “He’s adorable.”
Jake grasped her around the waist and spun her. “I love you, Lily.”
She laughed. “I love you, too. My outlaw, my lawman, my husband.”
* * * * *
Don’t miss these other PRAIRIE COURTSHIP stories from Sherri Shackelford:
THE ENGAGEMENT BARGAIN
THE RANCHER’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE RIGHTFUL HEIR by Angel Moore.
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read A Family for the Holidays. Nine years ago I had a crazy idea to write a novel. While I had always been an avid reader, I knew nothing about the actual mechanics of writing a book. In an effort to learn all I could, I joined online writing chapters and I read instruction books. Early in my fledgling endeavors, I joined a critique group. For nine years, Barb, Cheryl, Deb, Donna, *lizzie and I have spent most of our Friday evenings laughing, talking, learning and teaching each other craft. We’ve become a family.
A Family for the Holidays Page 24