Elias cursed at her wildly. “You’re my fiancée, you stupid bitch. You think you are married? You will be widowed before long and then you are coming with me whether you like it or not,” he said angrily, shoving her harshly. Mounting the horse, he debated dragging her with him and decided against it. He would be back for her.
Elizabeth fell hard and had the wind knocked out of her when she landed. She heard him mount the horse and his harsh words all the while trying to catch her breath as she panted on the ground, gasping. Hearing her name called repeatedly, she heard Cole’s voice clearly and noted the panic.
Pulling herself up against a tree, she raised her arm and signaled him, hoping that Elias was long gone and wouldn’t shoot her in the back as she waved Cole down. Elizabeth broke down crying as she saw Cole’s beloved face come through the clearing to her. The fear in his eyes was her undoing. She was so very happy to see him and so scared for him.
Cole felt a myriad of emotions. Betrayal, anger, fear, desperation and hope. When Beth was taking too long, he got up to look for her and found no signs of her save his glass in the grass on the far side of the church. She was nowhere to be seen.
His first thought was that she had run from him as she had done her parents. He had to shake off those thoughts as he thought about how good things had been between them and the fondness he felt growing. He adored her and was pretty sure she felt the same but didn’t want to admit it yet.
Fear settled in the pit of his stomach as he wondered if Elias Barney had somehow found them and had taken her. He had looked around and noted some tracks. He quickly followed the tracks only to find his Beth crying and gasping in the wood not far from the church.
“Beth, what happened? Shhh baby, don’t cry,” he crooned as he pulled her into his arms and held her shaking frame. “Darling, what happened?” he questioned gently.
Beth wound her arms tightly around Cole as she finally caught her breath. “Elias came for me,” she cried softly. Feeling his arms, she felt safe but her world had been shaken. “Cole, he said he would make me a widow and take me back. He kept threatening things and I couldn’t let him hurt you,” she said, giving a shaky sob.
“I’m afraid he is going to come back and try to take me again.” She buried her face in his shoulder. She was home in his arms.
Holding her tightly, Cole studied the surroundings, looking for any signs of Elias. He’d shoot the bastard on sight for making Beth cry and scaring her. “Baby, you aren’t going anywhere and you certainly won’t be widowed anytime soon,” he promised gently as he kissed her head and held her.
Several others closed around them, pulling them back to the churchyard. But for Cole and Beth, the party was over. Both wanted nothing more than to get far from Elias. Cole wanted to protect her and feared he couldn’t do so if Elias was hiding in the woods. He would have the advantage and it wouldn’t be safe for them in the clearing.
Cole accepted the company of Beth’s new friends and neighbors, Mary-Jo and her husband, so they would not be on the road to the house alone. The two wagons followed each other closely, both men held a gun nearby, ready for trouble. As they pulled up to the lone homestead, the other wagon pulled up nearby and Cole gratefully shook Mark’s hand. “Thank you for the company. You need anything- it’s yours and I will do the same for you, someday.”
Mark looked at his young, pregnant wife and could appreciate the sincerity in his neighbor’s voice. He and Mary-Jo still had a few miles to go until they returned home and he knew that if she was threatened or hurt how he would feel. He couldn’t imagine the protective feelings racing through Cole right now to get his woman home safely. “Thank you, if you need help-ask.” The men nodded and clasped hands.
Cole watched as they took off in the distance and he turned the wagon down the long drive that led to the house. He wanted to get Beth inside. She had been quiet the entire long ride and it was unusual for her. She normally liked to chat, would smile, or comment on the surroundings. This long ride, she was silent and stared ahead lost in her thoughts.
Cole hopped out of the wagon and helped Beth down, noting the grass stains on her dress she was so very proud of. He felt helpless, like he wasn’t able to protect her and it infuriated him. She looked shaken to her core and he wanted her to trust him, to know he would always protect her.
“Beth, I will always protect you,” he promised.
Taking her inside the house, she watched as Cole put the stopper in the large cast iron tub. “What if he followed us home?” Beth asked guardedly as she looked at the windows, seeing the sun setting. She didn’t want him harmed.
Reassuring her, he said, “He isn’t going to kill me anytime soon and you won’t be going to Chicago with him.” Cole offered to teach her to shoot, to which she nodded.
“Beth, you have to trust me. If he comes here for you, he’s a dead man,” he said quietly with conviction. If Elias Barney came for her again, it would be the last thing he did. Giving her some privacy, he left his flask of whiskey with her, instructing her to have a sip or two to relax. Cole sat down in the large kitchen area after setting the locks on the house.
Beth soaked for quite some time in the bath Cole had prepared her. It truly felt like a luxury because when she had prepared hers, she hadn’t filled it all the way because she didn’t want to feel wasteful. With only her washing in the large tub alone when she had the house to herself, it felt like such an extravagance.
This time, she was almost neck deep in the warm water. The tub was almost overflowing. Cole had filled it quite high for her and she sunk down, a sigh escaping her as the warmth melted into her. She sipped on the whiskey, the first bit gagging her like before…but the second and third sip went much smoother. Beth felt fuzzy warmth in her belly from the strong liquid. She almost laughed at the way she practically felt her mind slipping into a state of bliss from the heat outside of her body and the heat growing in her stomach. Feeling strange, she eyed her surroundings and sipped the potent liquid again as she sunk low into the tub.
Thoughts whirling in her head, Beth thought about the last few weeks and how her life had changed. She did feel like she had done wrong by her family and needed to explain her sudden disappearance, but after the incident earlier? She did not want to step foot back into her old life.
She missed her family and wondered if they worried about her or felt relieved to get the message. Were they curious as to how she was doing? Or angry with her headstrong nature? Comparing her life then and now, then was definitely much more luxurious but the “now” suited her better. Blisters and all.
Staring at the small iron tub, she compared it to the large porcelain bath she and her sisters had use of. There were so many different things that were coming up in her mind! Cole’s smile and the light in his eyes versus the cold hard look she received from Elias. The welcome smiles from perfect strangers compared to the haughty looks she had received upon entering a drawing room. She felt more at home here and more at peace than she had ever been, and it had nothing to do with the whiskey.
It was a certain cowboy who had worked his way into her life.
Staring at the flask, she took another swig and shook at the bitter taste. Deciding against any more, she put the cap on and set it upon the wooden floor next to the tub. Grabbing the small brick of soap, she eyed it and thought of Cole. He was like the soap: a bit rough around the edges, hard, strong and functional but there was a side to him that simply melted when he was with her. Rubbing the bar, she saw the bubbles oozing from her palms and dropped it into the water as she washed her body, smoothing them over her. Beth laughed at her thoughts,
Yep, the soap and Cole were the same: everywhere on me when we touch
.
Stepping from the bath, Beth wrapped a large linen towel around her body. Her beautiful dress was hanging on a hook and would need to be cleaned to remove the dirt and stains from it. She felt tipsy and a bit unsteady on her feet, only wanting to lay down in bed and rest. “Cole?” she called, “I think I’m just going to lie down for a bit. I don’t feel so good,” she said lightly as he rounded the corner of the hallway at her voice.
Staring at the vision ahead of him, Cole nearly swallowed his tongue. Beth stood completely disheveled, wet, and the linen was clinging to her. He also happened to notice that her eyes were not really focusing on him at all and figured she had more of the whiskey than she could handle. Smiling, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped her to the bedroom they shared the night before. He groaned when she dropped the wet towel onto the floor next to the bed. Her body practically glowed in the moonlight coming through the window. Cole helped her into the bed and pulled a sheet over her as she sighed happily. “Sleep, my Beth,” he offered gently. “I’ll be here when you wake up,” he promised.
“Right here?” she questioned playfully and patted the bed next to her with an arm that looked to be made of rubber.
Smiling, Cole smoothed her hair back. “Yes ma’am, that is the only place I want to be.” His voice was husky and he barely recognized it. It was true. In Beth’s arms, in her bed was exactly where he needed to be.
Watching her eyes drift shut, a light smile on her face, he could see she would be asleep in no time flat and was glad he had given her the alcohol. She had seemed so disturbed and traumatized earlier he wasn’t sure how well she would handle it. His Beth was a trooper and made of sterner stuff. Leaning down, he kissed her brow.
“Get some sleep, wife. I will be right back,” he promised and moved to dim all the lanterns in the house and drain the tub for her. Returning quickly, he put his revolver next to the bed instead of leaving it in his holster on the chair. Undressing, he climbed into their bed and pulled her warm, sleeping figure against him, kissing her neck as she started to pull back away. “Sleep, baby. I’ve got you,” he whispered against her, feeling her melt against him peacefully.
“I will always take care of you,” he vowed and shut his own eyes, allowing his body to finally rest and the tension of the afternoon slip away. He had come close to losing her and would never let that ever happen.
Cole was on edge.
It had been several days since the church picnic and the incident with Elias. He had been with Beth every moment each day, trying to keep her occupied and her mind off of things. He didn’t want her scared in her own home and was trying to teach her to shoot daily. At some point, he would have to start back to working his ranch if they were going to prosper and he was going to be a good provider for them…and possibly a family. The thought of a baby made him all the more antsy. He would kill anyone that hurt Beth or anyone else he loved.
The past few days, he had made love to her several times with a fervor that ate at him. He knew in the back of his mind that somewhere, someway their serene days were threatened. Cole couldn’t answer how or why he knew that but he sensed that they were being watched and it ate at him. He never hid who he was or behind excuses and reasons, and strived to be upfront and straight with people he knew. Elias Barney was disturbed and set off alarms in him. He didn’t trust that the man would leave. He felt threatened. He felt Beth was threatened and he couldn’t have that.
Beth’s shooting skills were improving quickly. She had brooked no argument at learning to handle the deadly weapon and was quite pleased when they had revisited Sam to get one that fit her hand easily. His pistol made her firing dangerous. The first time she had shot it, the gun flung itself upwards and nearly popped her in the chin.
Smiling, Cole was extremely glad he had not laughed or made a smart comment at seeing her angry tirade towards the firearm as she cursed vehemently, to his surprise, and slammed it carelessly on the bench walking off for a moment alone. Glad he had put only one bullet in it for her, he was inordinately pleased with his forethought and the unexpected display. His woman had quite a tongue on her now that she was letting go and blossoming into her new life.
The new muff pistol, a small derringer, fit her hand perfectly and could be hidden on her person. Beth had grasped it eagerly and practically grinned at the way it fit her palm exactly as he had explained. She had taken to it and understood that it was for protection. The one shot she would get if she had to use it was meant to kill, so she had to be ready and sure of her aim. Cole would have preferred getting her a revolver like his, so she could fire several times if need be, however, there was not one tiny enough for her hands.
Beth had been surprised at the suggestion of the new gun, but glad at the same time. She felt like she was always watching over her shoulder, expecting trouble from Elias, but the tiny derringer gave her a confidence she had not anticipated. The pockets on her skirt were deep and she could keep it on her at all times, easily within reach if needed. Cole had been keeping her within sight for several days now and it was a bit unnerving. He was always watching, looking, listening and the stress was getting to him. She knew he had not slept well and his gun was kept near the bed. Beth felt guilty that she slept so peacefully since he had joined her each night, holding her tightly. His handsome face had rings under his warm eyes that showed his exhaustion and it ate at her.
“Why don’t you lie down for a nap before you drop?” she asked quickly, knowing he would protest. Cole could not keep on like this! Beth saw him shake his head for a moment in denial and then hesitated. She knew she had won then and was glad of it. Cole had confided this morning that he had not slept well at all the last several days and spent a majority of the night lying next to her, awake.