“Not really. We’ve known each other for years. In fact, I almost married him before I met your father.” She sighed. “In those days, there was no room in Theodore’s life for anything but the sea. I didn’t think he’d ever come back to me. I guess mine was one of those dreams we were just talking about.”
“Are you truly happy then?” he asked gently.
“Oh, yes. I know this isn’t easy for you, Jamie, but I do love him so.”
Ox tucked her arm through his. “On the contrary, I find the thought of my mother as a blushing bride highly pleasing.” He glanced at the Captain across the room where everyone was hanging on his every word. “I just wish you’d married him sooner.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. Have you and Alexis set a date yet?”
“No.” He felt a pang as he looked down at her. She wanted so badly for him to be happy. “I’m not so sure there’s ever going to be a wedding,” he admitted.
“Maybe that’s just as well.”
“I thought you liked her,” he said in surprise.
“Oh, I do, and I’d love to have her for a daughter-in-law.”
“But?”
“But I think you’re in love with Angel.”
“You’ve never even met Angel!”
“No, but I’ve heard about her in almost every letter I’ve gotten from you in the last several years. Personally, I think you’d be well advised to look that way for a wife.”
“I don’t think she’d have me.”
“Have you asked her?”
“No, but—”
Beth Ann put her fingers against his mouth to stop his protest. “You’ll never know for sure unless you try. She’d have to be crazy or stupid to turn you down.”
“You just think that because you’re my mother,” Ox said with a slight smile as he gently pushed her hand away.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m wrong, though, does it?”
“No, I guess it doesn’t.”
“Give it some thought.” She glanced across the room. “I think it’s time I pulled my husband away from his audience. He’ll go on all night if I let him.”
Ox remained there after his mother left him. She’d given him much to ponder. Angel had been constantly on his mind for months. What was the worst that could happen if he asked her to marry him, another rejection? Surely it was worth the risk. He was still considering his mother’s words when Jessie sat down beside him.
“Ox, could I have a few minutes of your time?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“Alexis and I had a conversation earlier today that made me realize I need to take control of my life.”
“That sounds like a good plan. What can I do to help?”
Jessie gave him a blinding smile. “I was hoping you’d say that!”
Ox listened with growing astonishment as Jessie talked. He didn’t even notice Angel watching him from across the room, but Jared and Shannon did.
“Uh-oh,” Jared said to his sister in an undertone. “This looks serious. What do you suppose Jessie’s telling him?”
Shannon bit her lip. “I don’t know, but I don’t like her talking to him all alone like that.
“Jessie’s awful pretty. What if Ox falls in love with her?”
“What do you think?” Shannon said in disgust. “Ox’ll marry her instead of Angel, and we’ll never have him for a brother-in-law or Captain Collicott as a pretend grandpa.”
“We better do something.”
“Right, but what?”
Jared pursed his lips. “The flowers on her pillow and the perfume-soaked rags under the seat of his wagon and in his desk are working pretty good. They give each other goofy looks when the other one doesn’t see.”
“But it’s taking so long!” Shannon said. “Maybe if they got stuck alone together or something —”
“That’s it!” Jared cried, then blushed as several pairs of adult eyes turned his way questioningly. “I’ll tell you later,” he whispered to Shannon. “If this works, they’ll be married before the week’s out!”
Chapter 34
“Hello?” Ox looked around curiously as he entered the deserted barn. “Is anybody here?”
“Who’s there?” A muffled voice came from the back of the barn.
“It’s Ox, Jared,” he called, peering into the darkness. “Where are you?”
The sound of scuffling drew him farther inside. “Jared?” Ox walked all the way to the back of the barn but found no trace of the boy. Even as his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he could see very little in the dim interior.
Ox could hear someone calling outside. “Is that you, Alexis?” he yelled.
“Ox?”
“I’m in here,” he said, walking back to the front of the barn. “I got a note from Jared saying he needed my help down here immediately.”
“That’s odd. I got one from Shannon saying Jessica wanted to show me something. What do you suppose...ooof.” Without warning, Angel fell forward, right into Ox’s arms.
“Alexis...” he cried in alarm. “What—”
“Somebody pushed me!” she said indignantly as she struggled to get back on her feet. “Wait until I get my hands on—”
Just then, the barn door slammed shut, and total darkness surrounded them. “What in the hell?” Three strides took Ox to the door, but no amount of shaking could open it.
“Open this door!” he yelled but there was no response from outside. “I’ll kill them,” he said as he rattled the door.
“Oh, no, you won’t.”
“Look, Alexis, I know they’re your brother and sister, but this time, they’ve gone too far. They don’t deserve your protection.”
“Protection, hell. By the time I get done with them, there won’t be enough left for you to do anything with! I suppose the windows are locked too,” Angel said, moving toward the nearest one. She’d only gone a few feet when she tripped over something in her path. “What’s this?” As she reached down, her hand connected with the smooth metal of a lantern. “Ox, I found a light.”
“Small comfort,” he said. “I didn’t think to bring any matches or kerosene with me. Did you?’
“No… I’ll be darned. Here’s a packet of matches and a tinderbox.” A moment later, a match flared, piercing the darkness, as Angel fumbled with the lantern cover. A second match ignited the lantern wick, and a mellow light spilled out into the darkness of the barn.
Ox raised a brow. “Full of kerosene, too. How convenient.”
“It is, isn’t it? What do you suppose those two are up to?”
“God only knows. They obviously want us out of the way for some reason.”
“Makes your blood run cold thinking of all the possibilities, doesn’t it?”
“That it does. We’d better find a way out, and soon.”
Angel rattled the shutters on one of the windows. “Locked from the outside. I suppose they all are.”
“Probably.” Ox glanced around. “You know, there’s usually an old tool or two in a place like this. I’ll bet they never thought of that.”
“Good point. You look while I check all the doors and windows. They might have missed one.” Angel rattled every window and both doors with little effect. “They did a good job of locking us in,” she said finally.
“But they were careless,” Ox said with satisfaction. “Look what I found.”
Angel eyed the dusty wooden wheel blankly. “What are you going to do with a wagon wheel, roll it through the door?”
“Alexis, Alexis, use your imagination,” he admonished with a grin.
“It seems to be temporarily paralyzed. Why don’t you enlighten me?”
He swung his leg over a barrel and sat down with the wheel between his knees. “It may take me a while to tear it apart, but one of these spokes should make a pretty decent lever.”
“Oh, you mean to pry open the door.”
“Actually, I was thinking more of a window.” He jiggled one of the spokes wi
th his hand. “Unfortunately, this one seems to be in pretty good shape. Those spokes are stuck in really tight. I wish I had something to stick in there and wiggle it loose.”
Angel watched him struggle for a few minutes, then sighed and hiked her skirt up to her knee. “Here, use this,” she said, removing her stiletto from its sheath and handing it to him.
Ox stared at it for a moment, then glanced up at her in astonishment. “You carry a knife?”
Angel shrugged. “This country may look tame, but there are all kinds of predators out there, especially the two-legged kind. I started wearing a knife after Angel was attacked one night in her own place.”
“I remember that night well,” he said. “A couple of drunk miners waylaid her in the hallway outside her office. If they’d been sober, she and I would both have been in big trouble.”
“I know,” she said softly, as she reached up to touch the scar dimpling his cheek. “Angel told me all about it. She’s never forgotten what you did for her that night.” She dropped her hand. “And neither have I. That’s why I carry the knife.”
Ox stared at her. “How did you know about my cheek?”
“You didn’t think Angel would leave out her part in it, did you?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. “According to the story I heard, she was a regular Clara Barton. Without her nursing skills, you’d have died of blood poisoning at the very least.”
Ox inserted the point of the stiletto into the hole at the top of the wheel. “Maybe so, but her rapport with patients leaves something to be desired.”
Angel’s lips twitched. “I wonder what else is in this place,” she said, wandering back into the shadows.
“Hard to say. It looks like it’s been empty for a long time. You might want to watch out for rats.”
“Let the rats watch out for themselves.”
“I almost feel sorry for them,” he said with a chuckle.
“With friends like you...” Her voice trailed off as she opened the lid of a feed box. “What in the world? Oh, for heaven’s sake!”
Ox glanced over his shoulder. ‘What did you find, a giant rat nest?”
“Not even close.” She leaned over and pulled out a large basket. “It’s full of food. At least Jared and Shannon don’t want us to starve.”
Ox grunted as he jerked on the loosened spoke. “They must plan on keeping us here a long time,” he said as it popped out of the rim.
“I don’t think so. They know Jessie comes down here every day.” Angel reached back down into the feed box. “Besides, it looks like a picnic. Look, here’s a blanket to sit on and a bottle of wine.”
“A picnic! In a deserted barn?”
“Who knows what they were thinking? Might as well take advantage of their generosity.” She spread out the blanket. “By the time you break us out of here, we’re going to miss supper.”
“True, and I have a feeling Martha won’t save us anything.” Ox stood up and leaned the spoke against the side of the barrel. “Although, come to think of it, she just might send out the militia if we don’t show up on time.”
“Knowing that brother and sister of mine, she probably thinks we decided to go to Clancy’s for dinner. Oh, look, Ox, your favorite: fried chicken.”
Ox peered down into the basket with interest. “Is it too much to hope for some of Martha’s biscuits in there?”
“Right here.” Angel peeked into a tidy bundle done up in a napkin. “And there’s a dish of her chokecherry jelly to go with them.”
“Looks like suppertime to me.” He settled himself on the blanket and picked up the bottle of wine. “You want me to open this?”
“Be my guest. I’ll set out the food.”
“Where are the glasses?” Ox asked, popping the cork out of the bottle.
“You aren’t going to believe this,” she said, pulling two long-stem crystal glasses out of the basket. “Look what they sent.”
“Good Lord. This is beginning to look more like a seduction than a kidnapping.”
“Jared and Shannon wouldn’t think of something like that!”
“I’m not sure I’d put anything past those two,” he said, handing her a glass.
Angel’s lips quirked. “Who’s supposed to be seduced here, you or me?”
“I see what you mean,” he said after a moment. “I guess they wouldn’t think that way, would they?”
“Not yet, anyway.” She raised her glass. “Here’s to the rats. May they suffer a thousand agonies.”
“Two legged or four?”
“I feel the same about both kinds right now.”
Ox chuckled as they clinked glasses. “I’m glad I’m not in Jared’s and Shannon’s shoes.”
“They’re going to regret this night’s work,” she muttered darkly. “Here, have a piece of chicken.”
“I was coming to see you this evening anyway,” he said, selecting a drumstick. “I have news.”
“Oh?”
“Both your father and my grandfather refused to send me the money I need to pull The Flying T out of danger. It’s time for the owners of The Silver Springs Express to call in all the debts.”
“Good. We can set up meetings later this week to deliver our ultimatum,” Angel said with satisfaction. “Did Sam agree to go as our representative?”
“Sure did. After all, he has his life savings invested in this venture. He also suggested we send Joe Simkins along to make it look more official.”
“Joe Simkins? Who’s that?”
Ox paused with the drumstick halfway to his mouth. “He’s a lawyer Sam knew in South Pass City. Simkins was pretty inexperienced back then, but Sam assures me he’s improved a lot in the last year. Sam thought it would make a bigger impact if he had a lawyer along with an impressive vocabulary.”
“It couldn’t hurt, anyway. I can’t wait to see your grandfather’s and my father’s faces when they realize they haven’t been fighting each other all this time.”
“And it won’t be long now,” Ox’s smile faded as he watched Alexis in the soft glow of the lantern. It was peculiar how the subtle light played tricks with his mind. He could almost swear he was with Angel instead of Alexis. After all this time, he should be able to tell them apart, damn it.
Her fiery hair shone in the glow of the lantern. Though the style belonged to Alexis, the halo of highlights reminded him of Angel’s gloriously unrestrained curls. Ox longed to reach out and touch its silken richness. Instead, he searched her face for some sign of Alexis and found an image that filled him with frustrated longing. Here was an exquisite blending of the two women he loved; Alexis, without the frivolous nonsense that set his teeth on edge and Angel, without the hard-bitten cynicism and wariness she wrapped herself in.
Angel glanced up and caught his gaze upon her. “What’s the matter? she asked suspiciously. “Do I have jelly on my nose or something?”
“No, I was just thinking how much I’m going to miss all this.”
“Picnicking with the rats?”
Ox chuckled. “That too. Jared says the three of them will be leaving before long. Didn’t think I’d ever miss your brother and sisters, but I will.” His smile faded. “I suppose you’ll be getting married soon.”
“In the very near future,” Angel said. There was no use denying it. Alexis and Brandon would be home any day now and the whole charade would be over.
“You don’t seem very happy about it.”
“You’re not the only one who’s going to miss this. We’ve had quite an adventure, but I guess all good things have to come to an end sometime.”
“Do they?” he asked softly.
Angel stared at him. “Don’t they?”
“I hate to let you go.” His voice was a husky caress that sent warmth flooding through her entire body. “You’re the best partner I’ve ever had.”
Their gazes met and held. For a moment, they seemed suspended in time.
“Maybe...” she swallowed, “maybe Angel would buy me out. Sh...she’s been looki
ng for a business to invest in.”
Ox blinked, almost as though he’d forgotten where he was. “I can’t see Angel buying into something as tame as a stage line,” he said with a forced laugh. “It’s not exactly her style.”
“You might be surprised.”
“I might at that.” He drained the last of his wine and got to his feet with a mighty stretch. “Guess I’d better see what I can do about breaking us out of here.”
“Don’t you want a piece of pie?” She looked up at him hopefully. “It’s apple.”
“I’ll admit it’s tempting, but I’ve had about all the good food I can handle for a while.” With one last smile at her, he picked up the wagon spoke and walked to one of the windows.
As she packed away the remains of their picnic, the sound of splintering wood filled the barn. Angel wondered if it was the window shutters breaking, or her heart.
Chapter 35
“Did you hear something, Jared?” Shannon asked, wrinkling her brow in concern.
He looked up from the game they were playing and listened intently for a few seconds, then shook his head. “Not a sound. Hurry up, it’s your turn.”
Shannon turned her attention back to the cards and tried to concentrate. “There it is again,” she said after a moment. “It sounded like someone coming up the back stairs.”
“You’re letting your imagination get the best of you. Just play.”
“I heard something,” she insisted.
“So what? It’s probably just Martha. There’s no way they could—”
“We could what?” said a menacing voice as the door swung open.
Shannon screamed, and Jared’s face lost all its color as Angel stomped into the room with Ox right behind her. “I want an explanation, and I want it now!”
“An...an explanation about what?” Jared quavered, trying to look innocent.
“We’ll start with why you locked us in the barn out by the track,” Angel said.
Shannon’s eyes widened. “Someone locked you in the empty barn?”
Angel folded her arms and glared at her sister. “As if you didn’t know.”
“We were here all evening, weren’t we, Jared?”
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