The Rancher (48 page)

“Why, he’s speaking of MaryBeth dear.  You
 
are
 
friends with my daughter, are you

not?” The quiver in her voice was slight,

but it was there.

Doc Knight’s office door opened and Cole tore his gaze from Mrs. Hutchinson.

Leah Redbourne stepped out onto theboardwalk.

“It’s a girl,” she yelled. “Everyone isfine.”

Eli, the proud father, whooped loudly.  He picked up his mother-in-law and spunher around before disappearing again intothe grey painted building.

Jameson took off his hat and hit itagainst  his  thigh.   His   grin  carvedexcitement into his face.   This was thefirst of eight grandchildren to be a girl.

In two long strides, Cole’s father madeit up onto the boardwalk and grabbed hiswife around her waist, pulling her tightly

into him. Cole had watched his parent’s affectionate behavior his entire life and

had always hoped to find that kind of love with his own wife.  He squeezed Abby’s hand. They may not be married, but he planned to rectify that as soon as possible.

“Not this time,” Mrs. Hutchinson whispered. She reached into her handbag and pulled out a small, ivory handled derringer.

“Look out!” Abby screamed at his parents.

Before Cole could react, Abby had let go of his hand and had lunged forward.  She pushed against Mrs. Hutchinson’s extended arm, thwarting her shot.

The older woman moved quickly, with more precision than Cole could have expected.   She reached out and caught

Abby by the hair.

Abby grunted.   She moved her handslowly toward the pistol sticking out fromher belt.

“I wouldn’t, dear.” Mrs. Hutchinson said next to Abby’s ear, loud enough for Cole to hear.

“You’re just like her,” the older woman jutted her chin toward Cole’s mother, “stealing away what doesn’t belong to

you.  What could the likes of you possibly have to offer Jameson’s son?  A rancher,” she said the word with disdain.  “Who’s ever heard of a woman rancher?   It’s

downright immoral.  My MaryBeth is a lady fit to be a Redbourne, and she’s beautiful.” Mrs. Hutchinson pulled Abby close to her and held the derringer tightly against her chin.

“Mother!” MaryBeth’s voice almost reached hysteria. “What are you doing?” She stomped her foot in the middle of the street.  A small cloud of dust kicked up beneath her.

“Getting for you what I failed to get for myself.” She pushed the gun harder into Abby’s jaw.

Abby scowled.

Cole’s   jaw   clenched   and   he immediately regretted the action.   He opened his mouth to flex the throbbing muscles in his face.

“Norah.”

Mrs. Hutchinson snapped her head

toward Cole’s mother.

“Norah, let the girl go.” Leah put her hands up in front of her and took a step forward. “Someone’s going to get hurt.”

“
Going
 
to get hurt?  Do you have any idea what you did to me that day?” Mrs. Hutchinson moved the gun away from Abby’s face and pointed it toward Cole’s mother.

Jameson stepped in front of Leah.

Riders approached the north end oftown.  It had to be his brothers.  They hadonly been a few minutes behind him. Heclosed his eyes.
 
Please, God, let it be mybrothers.

“Look around you, Norah.  There is no way out of this unless you put down the gun and let Abby go.” Jameson attempted to reason with her.

Maverick snorted.  Cole glanced over at the sheriff’s office where his horse had been hitched.  If he could just make the few paces without being seen, his rifle

would be within easy reach.  He took a slow sideways step.

“Don’t even try it, handsome.”  Mrs. Hutchinson’s eyes were like steel and they pierced Cole when she looked at him.  She pulled harder on Abby’s hair, still clutched within her grasp.

Abby winced in pain.

Cole breathed a little easier at the

sound of multiple cocking guns.

Mrs. Hutchinson pulled Abby around with  her  to   face  three  dismounted Redbourne  brothers,   all  with  rifles pointed directly at her.  She returned the derringer to rest just below Abby’s ear.

“Such strapping young men,” she said appreciatively.  “So nice of you to join us. You’ve got until the count of three to lower your weapons.” She stood up

straighter, her voice gaining confidence.

“Do it,” Cole yelled to his brothers in a tone that left no room for argument.

Each, in turn, laid their guns at their feet.

“What’s going on here, Charcoal?” Levi asked as he begrudgingly set down his   Winchester   rifle,   his   hands straightening in from of him, palms out for the woman to see.  He slowly stood from his crouched position.

Mrs. Hutchinson laughed.

“These could have been
 
our
 
boys, Jameson. It may have been a long time ago, but we
 
were
 
betrothed.”  She paused for a moment, turning her gaze to Cole’s father.   “You loved me once, but I understand. I was a poor miner’s daughter and so it was easy for Leah to lure you

away from me with a plentiful dowry and promises of land.”

“Is that what you think?  That I married Leah for money?” Jameson stepped off the boardwalk, his head tilted.

“Well, I was not going to allow the same thing to happen to my daughter.” Her reverie had been short-lived. She turned to MaryBeth. “Your father was a weak man, child. He didn’t understand how important it was for you to have property and a rich dowry to offer a husband. But I do. I know all too well what it costs to be

lacking. And I wasn’t about to let that happen to you.”

“Mother,   what   are   you  saying?” MaryBeth stepped out from behind the stagecoach.

“That she killed ‘im.”

A dozen heads snapped in the direction

of the weak words.

Henry Campbell sat himself uprightwith a grimace and wiped at the droolhanging from the corner of his mouth. “Itwas her that got that Johansson boy killedand she was the one done told Spencer taget rid o’ the freckled kid.  I reckon I wasnext since I helped ‘er find the rustlers’nsuch.”

Mrs. Hutchinson turned the gun on Mr. Campbell.

“Henry,” she spat, “you couldn’t justkeep your mouth shut.”

Abby pitched her elbow into Mrs. Hutchinson’s side and stomped on herfoot. The woman released her grasp on Abby’s hair, who stumbled breathlesstoward his parents.

Cole   watched   in  horror   as   theassailant’s focus and double-handed aim

returned to the spirited woman he loved. Without further thought he rushed forward. His life would mean nothing without Abby by his side.  He had to protect her...at all costs. He jumped.

The gun fired.

Pain ripped through Cole’s side.  His entire weight fell against Abby, thrusting her to the earthen street.  Screams faded into the distance as darkness consumed him.

Lord, please let him be alive.

Abby couldn’t breathe beneath Cole’sheavy, motionless form.   She pushedagainst his shoulder with her arm and,

with the help of her hip, rolled him off of her.  She sat up, allowing air to fill her

lungs.   She reached out and hooked her hands under Cole’s arms and pulled his body up until his head rested in her lap. Blood seeped heavily from the wound in his side and had begun to spread up to his chest.

This can’t be happening.

Abby gently raked the hair out of his face.   She caressed his forehead and

temple.

“Abby?” Cole croaked in a low voice.  His eyes flitted open.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and managed a smile.   “Look. I’m still here, Cole.  No running away. I’m right here.”

His eyes closed again and his head sank

deeper into her lap, he was no longer

conscious.

Within moments Raine was next to her.  He bent down and lifted his brother’s limpbody into his arms and nodded to her.  Hepushed past the group that had collectedaround them and with determined stepreached the doctor’s office in just a fewshort paces.

Levi reached down and brought her toher feet. He didn’t release her hand, butpulled her along with him to the doctor’sdoor.

Abby paused at the entryway.  Levi letgo and she turned to see Rafe binding Mrs. Hutchinson’s hands, none too gently,behind her. She didn’t envy the woman.  The hard look on Rafe’s face and tightclench  to   his  jaw   showed  barely

concealed restraint.

She lowered her head and pushed against from the doorframe. Cole had come to her rescue again.  He’d sacrificed himself for her and she realized that she

may have been wrong to believe he hadn’t

felt what she felt.  Love.

Is it possible?

She rushed to the curtain, but Jamesonstood in her way.

“The doctor is working on him, Abby. He gave strict instructions that no one wasto be let inside.”

“How is he?” she whispered.

“We won’t know for a while.”

When Jameson reached out to pull his wife into his arms, Abby darted around him and pushed her way into the room with her husband.

“Abby,” Doc Knight chided.   “You need to go outside.”

“I won’t leave him,” she said as she stepped to the side of the bed across from where the doctor was working and picked up Cole’s hand.

Don’t you leave me, Cole Redbourne.  Not now.  Not ever.

Chapter Twenty-Four

One Week Later

“It’s not your mother’s wedding dress, Abby, but you did manage to find some man to marry you.” Lily lifted one of Abby’s golden curls which sprung back into place when she let go.

“You are beautiful,” Martha added, “a true vision.”

Abby looked into the vanity mirror andsmiled at her reflection. She pinched hercheeks and was pleased with the colorthat appeared there.  It had been a longtime since she’d been this happy.

“I still feel like me.  Just with a fancy

dress.”

Cole had been adamant they not wait to be married again and so his mother had commissioned the most beautiful snow

white dress to be made for the special day.  It was amazing how money could make things happen so quickly.

Abby believed it impractical, but Leah Redbourne had insisted.

Cole’s wound was healing with no signof infection.   After Doc Knight hadremoved the bullet, he told Abby that hewas a lucky man that it had hit him whereit had. Nothing vital had been damagedand he expected Cole to make a full

recovery.  However, he emphasized the

need to make Cole take it easy.

An impossible task. Stubborn man.

A knock sounded on the door and then it

cracked a little.

“May I come in?”  Abby’s soon-to-be

mother-in-law poked her head into the

room.

Abby stood up and self-consciouslysmoothed the skirt of her dress.

“Yes, please.”