The Salvation 0f A Runaway Bride (Historical Western Romance)

by Cassidy Hanton

  So, now, we wait.

  In the silent darkness, he began to let his thoughts wander over the events of the last few weeks.

  How the hell did I end up here? Never in my life would I have imagined ending up where I am right now, in this shack.

  And there they were again, those hazel eyes. They were staring down at him through the darkness, the eyes that had driven this lonely rancher to believe in more than just roping and riding. His mind then wandered to her kidnapper, and rage built up inside him.

  Will I be able to control myself until Ottie gets here?

  His fingers ran up and down his pistol in the holster, his mind racing.

  I’ll do whatever is necessary to get her back. That much I know.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The morning sun rose over Santa Clara. At Aunt Ethel’s house, the tension had risen to insurmountable heights. Xavier awoke to the sounds of Dorothy and Ethel cooking breakfast, but while there was usually some lively chatter, they were silent.

  He emerged from the bedroom and greeted the ladies.

  “Well, I guess today is it, huh?” he said, as he took his place at the table.

  “Indeed,” Aunt Ethel replied, as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

  As the food hit the table, Xavier’s eyes wandered over to a sack in the corner. Inside were the bills that Abe had left.

  Xavier cleared his throat. “I’ll head straight into town to talk to Mr. Fisher. We’ll see if his money has come through.”

  Dorothy nodded silently. As breakfast was served, all that could be heard was the scrape of forks against plates, though the plates barely emptied. Ethel kept looking over at the wall, tracing the paintings of flowers with her eyes, as if she thought they would map out the way to Laura. Xavier ate quickly and as soon as his plate was cleared, stood up from the table and grabbed his hat.

  “I’ll be off then. I’ll be back this afternoon before the drop off,” he said.

  And with that, he strode out the door and headed into town.

  * * *

  It was about ten when he rode up to the hotel. The desk clerk tipped his hat to him.

  “Mr. Fisher should be in sir, haven’t seen him come down yet this morning,” the clerk said to Xavier.

  “Thank you,” Xavier replied as he headed up the stairs to Jacob’s room. When he arrived, he knocked on the door. He could hear a rustling inside, but no reply

  “Jacob? It’s Xavier. May I speak with you?” Xavier said, through the door.

  He heard more rustling, but still, no answer. Xavier slowly tried the handle, and the door unlatched. He stepped into the room.

  The room was in a state of chaos. Clothes were strewn around, the doors on the trunk and wardrobe were ajar. Jacob lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

  “Jacob, are you alright?” Xavier asked.

  “Fine. Just fine,” Jacob replied, his voice sounding far away.

  Xavier didn’t know what to do. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Jacob continued to stare at the ceiling, as if he hadn’t heard him. Xavier stepped closer to him.

  “Jacob, get up,” he said firmly.

  Jacob slowly sat up on the bed. He looked over at Xavier blankly.

  “Jacob, are you alright?”

  As if a switch flipped inside him, Jacob shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m fine. Sorry, it’s been a bit of a difficult morning.”

  Xavier patted him on the back. “I understand. This unpleasantness will all be over soon.”

  “Yes, yes, it will,” Jacob replied.

  “So, did your business partners come through for us?” Xavier asked.

  “Indeed, they should be wiring the full amount over later today,” Jacob said confidently.

  “Before sunset?” Xavier asked nervously.

  “I certainly should hope so,” Jacob replied.

  Xavier looked around the room at the chaos. “What happened here?”

  “Oh, just couldn’t find a set of my cufflinks anywhere,” Jacob replied with a chuckle.

  Xavier laughed and winked at Jacob. “Ah, well, hopefully Laura will help keep your things straight once you two are married.”

  “Indeed,” Jacob replied.

  Xavier contemplated for a moment.

  “Alright then, I’ll meet you back here at around four o’clock this afternoon and we’ll head to the drop off.” He smiled at Jacob. “If all goes well, we’ll catch that bastard and won’t lose a cent.”

  “Let us hope,” Jacob said nervously.

  “There’s not a thing that I’ll enjoy more than seeing the Sheriff throw that degenerate in prison,” Xavier said angrily. “Well, I’d best get back to the ladies, they’ll be fretting away all day.”

  With that, he tipped his hat to Jacob and headed back out the door. He paused a moment before heading back.

  That was so unlike Jacob. Or maybe I’ve just been blind to his temperament this whole time.

  With that, he set back out, toward Aunt Ethel’s house.

  * * *

  The morning sunlight cut through the wooden slats of the barn. Laura’s entire body ached as her eyes opened. Too little water, too little food, and the tight ropes around her wrists and ankles had taken their toll. She tried to straighten herself up, but she couldn’t. Instead, she just stared into the sunbeams. Behind her, she heard Harry shuffling around. He grunted to himself like a bear who had been woken out of hibernation. Soon, he was right outside the stall.

  “Good mornin’. Today’s the big day,” he said, with a sickly smile.

  Laura just lay there silently.

  “Oh, what? Sad to be leavin’ me?” His voice had a nauseating excitement to it.

  Because today it’s all over for him, he gets what he wants and continues on.

  He let himself into the stall and bent down. He offered a canteen of water to Laura. She gingerly reached forward and raised it to her lips, letting the cool water run down not only her throat but her face as well.

  “There’s a good girl. I need to have you nice and strong an’ well. Can’t be handing back damaged goods now,” Harry said.

  I guess I’ll accept that as some form of care.

  “So, what do I need to do?” Laura asked.

  “For now, keep sittin’ tight, I’m going to go make sure that Sheriff of yours isn’t planning something.” And with that, Harry stood up and left the stall. Moments later she heard the barn door open, and he was gone.

  Laura lay still against the floor of the stall, too weak, tired, and defeated to move.

  Abe, where are you? Why haven’t you come.

  So, this was it then. She feared that her life was now in the hands of money that her family did not have.

  Come on Laura, you have to try to do something.

  She had been studying the stall for days but had seen no way to undoing her ropes. However, this morning, the sun just happened to hit a spot where a single nail was protruding from one of the wooden planks of the stall. With great effort, she inched herself over toward it. When she was right on top of it, she raised her aching arms toward it and slowly began to rub the ropes against it.

  Please work, you have to.

  Tiny bits of rope frayed off with every pass, but the ropes were thick. She kept working back and forth, wearing them down just a tiny bit at a time. Her wrists were on fire, the raw skin protesting with every movement. She gritted her teeth and kept going.

  The shafts of light grew longer as Laura kept rubbing and rubbing. But over time, it became clear that the ropes were just too thick. Her arms were weakening with every movement. She could only keep it up for moments at a time. Exhausted, she slumped back against the wall, unable to lift her arms again. She felt hopeless, defeated.

  So, that’s it then. That’s all I can do. Now, nothing left, but to wait out my fate.

  The silent tears rolled down her face.

  * * *

  The sunlight sliced through the slats in the attic where Abe was laying
. He jerked awake suddenly, his back drenched in sweat.

  Well, I guess I was able to get a few hours of sleep.

  He looked around the cramped space. There was a small crate at the back, but it was, otherwise, empty. He stretched as best as he could and listened to the world around him. Everything was quiet. Then, in the distance, he heard faint hoofbeats. He quickly turned over and pulled his pistol out of the holster. He swung the chamber open and checked the bullets nestled inside.

  The hoofbeats thundered closer as he swung the chamber shut. He crouched at the ladder, trying to slow his breathing. The sun glinted off the tip of his revolver as he waited. Within moments, the rider was upon him.

  Come here you bastard. I’m ready for you.

  And, then, to his surprise, the rider rode right on by, the hoofbeats fading off in the direction of the town. Abe felt his tense muscles release and he dropped his head to the floor in frustration.

  Likely just a postal rider.

  He reached into his bag and pulled out a dry biscuit. As he ate, he thoughtfully spun the chamber on his pistol, trying to pass the time.

  * * *

  After the morning chores had been finished, Dorothy and Aunt Ethel sat knitting quietly. Dorothy’s hands shook with each stitch, her eyes dark with worry and lack of sleep. Aunt Ethel put her knitting down and looked at Dorothy.

  “I absolutely cannot believe all this trouble that has happened. I can’t help but feel partly responsible,” she said.

  “No, Ethel, of course you’re not responsible.” Dorothy sighed. “Though I still can’t make heads or tails out of why any of this has happened. This was just supposed to be a short visit to introduce her and Jacob.”

  “Dorothy, it’s just us here,” Aunt Ethel said with a pause. “Do you really think that Jacob Fisher is the right husband for your daughter?”

  “He’s the best choice to secure her future,” Dorothy said quietly.

  “But, really, Dorothy. You got lucky with Xavier, he’s a good man, who adores you, and had good prospects when you married. Do you see any of that in Mr. Fisher?” Aunt Ethel asked.

  Dorothy knitted quietly for a few moments.

  “No, not all of it,” she replied flatly.

  “When this is all over, when she’s had time to recover, might you at least consider some other options for her? Perhaps even let her choose her own husband?” Aunt Ethel asked gently.

  Dorothy sighed, “My feelings on Mr. Fisher aside, I don’t think that’s an option Ethel. Especially now that he’s reached out to all his business contacts to come up with the ransom money.”

  “I still don’t feel good about him, Dorothy. There must be some other way,” Aunt Ethel said, as she continued her knitting. Before Dorothy could answer, Xavier strode through the door.

  “Any news from, Mr. Fisher?” Dorothy asked.

  “Yes, seems his business associates will be wiring him the money this afternoon,” Xavier said, but his voice was strangely distant.

  “Everything alright, Xavier?” Aunt Ethel asked.

  “Yes, fine. Jacob just seemed to be in a bit of a state when I found him. I believe this whole affair has taken quite a toll on him,” Xavier said, as he lit his pipe.

  “Not the strongest constitution on that one,” Aunt Ethel remarked. Dorothy shot her a correcting look. Xavier grunted, as he thoughtfully smoked his pipe. And they all waited as the clock ticked away, counting down to one of the biggest evenings of their lives.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon as Xavier straightened his jacket in the mirror. He took a long look at himself.

  Alright, I’m coming for you, Laura.

  He carefully began to tuck the bills that Abe had left into the pockets of his jacket.

  Just to be safe.

  He hugged Aunt Ethel and Dorothy, and then headed out the door, mounted up on his horse and rode back toward the hotel. The town was still bustling about, the evening quiet had not yet set in. He arrived on the steps of the hotel and headed inside. He tipped his hat to the desk clerk and began to head up the stairs.

  “He’s not in, sir,” the desk clerk called after him.

  Xavier turned around quickly. “Excuse me? Mr. Fisher you mean?”

  The desk clerk nodded. “Yes, sir. He headed out in a hurry about an hour ago.”

  That’s strange, we said we would meet here. Did he go ahead to the drop site?

  “Thank you, sir. Was there any indication as to where he went?” Xavier asked.

  The clerk shook his head. “No, he just breezed out of here in a whirlwind and rode off.”

  Xavier strode back down the stairs and back out onto the street. He scanned up and down for any sign of Jacob’s horse, but there was none. He hurried over to the post office, but he found the doors locked and no one was there.

  I’m sure the money has come through and he just headed on out to the drop site. I’ll join him.

  He carefully reached inside his jacket until his fingers found the bills safely tucked inside. With a sigh, he mounted up on his horse and began the ride out to the drop site.

  * * *

  Laura could hear Harry shuffling around anxiously in the barn. Her own stomach was churning. It was only hours now until the money was due. No one had come for her. She felt weak and hopeless.

  My life ends today, either way. Either at the hands of a criminal or in the arms of Jacob Fisher.

  Harry appeared over the stall door and let himself in. He placed an apple and a piece of bread in her lap. She didn’t reach for them.

  “Don’t be like that, miss. Need you in good shape when I hand ya back,” Harry grunted.

  Laura didn’t respond, she just stared back into the straw. Harry sat across from her, munching on his own apple and staring at her.

  “I don’t get it. Today you’re rid of me and you’re sittin’ here like the world is endin’. You gonna miss ol’ Harry?” he prodded. “Or is it you ain’t got faith in your fiancé to come thru for ya?”

  She glanced up at him but still didn’t respond. He chuckled. “I don’t blame ya. Those rich boys, them’s the one’s you gotta look out for. They talk a big game but ain’t all got the means to back it up. Stupid, the lot of ‘em. At least I’m an honest criminal. What ya see is what ya get.”

  “How noble of you,” Laura responded dryly.

  “It’s the truth. I’d rather be an honest criminal than a lying gentleman,” he snorted.

  “I’m sure the men, those stars on your arm represent, would disagree,” Laura said, with venom in her voice.

  Harry scoffed as he took another huge bite of his apple. “Well, I ain’t heard anything from ‘em. And soon, one way or another, I won’t be hearing much from you, miss.”

  With that, he hefted himself to his feet and left the stall. Laura stared at the outer wall of the barn. Her heart felt like it was bleeding. She kept hoping that if she stared long enough, the figure of Abe would materialize, riding up to the barn astride Bruce, there to take her away from Harry and Jacob.

  But no matter what, I swear I will not marry Jacob. Abe, do you hear me? I swear it.

  She pressed her hand against the piece of paper tucked into her chest, the final nail securing her resolve.

  * * *

  Ottie sat at the entrance to the mine. His eyes were fixed on the horizon. Nothing that happened in the jailhouse had prepared him for this. But his pistol was loaded, his men were at the ready, and there was no way that this man was going to escape them.

  One of his deputies sat next to him, his rifle trained on the horizon as he moved a big piece of tobacco back and forth between his jaw.

  “Any ideas who we might be dealing with, Sheriff?” he asked.

  “Your guess is as good as mine. Best I figure it, we’re dealing with some highway outlaws that may have run into Mr. Fisher and got a mind about them to part some of his money from him by way of Miss Laura,” Ottie said.