A Headstrong Woman (17 page)

“A man treating her right,” Jonathon predicted.

“Good luck to any man who tries. I think Elijah was the nail in the coffin as they say.”

“I don’t think she’s a lost cause.”

“You think Tristan or Lane will win her over?” Anna asked speculatively.

“I can’t see Tristan being her type and I don’t think she’ll ever take Lane seriously.”

“Well, I know from the buzz around church that they aren’t the only ones interested. Right now most the men are respecting her being in mourning but I figure that won’t last too terribly long. Not out here.”

“Probably not,” Jonathon agreed.

“Do you miss your family, Mr. Stewart?” Anna watched him closely as she waited for his answer.

“I do,” he admitted.

“Why did you stay here?”

“I have my reasons. I made a promise to Elijah for one thing and for another, I don’t think I want to return at this time.”

“I just wondered,” Anna tried to shrug casually. She was relieved that he wasn’t interested in leaving.

Alexandria entered the room still looking more asleep than alert and the conversation ended. Anna returned to the stove feeling exhilarated. That was the longest conversation she’d ever had with Jonathon!

Alexandria startled awake as a hand clamped over her mouth. Before she could react she had been hauled from her bed and her arms pinned against her captor.

“Listen here, I gotta gun it won’t hurt me none to use it; ya hearin me?” the man demanded in her ear; Alexandria nodded. “Good we’re gonna take us a little ride,” the man was forcing her down the stairs and Alexandria managed to struggle free long enough to scream before his hand was back over her mouth. The man was cursing in her ear as they made the yard and she found herself thrust into another set of arms. A handkerchief was shoved into her mouth and her hands tied behind her back; she was no match for the two men combined.

“What are ya doin?” the man who now held her demanded.

“Hand her up!” the man snapped from where he sat on his horse.

“We was just suppose to scare her,” the man argued.

“She is scared and she’ll be even more scared.”

Alexandria had no more than been yanked onto the saddle in front of the man than the horse shot forward. Alexandria was aware of the second man following them, though she could see nothing; not even her captor’s face. At moment, heavy clouds obscured the moon and the night was cast under a heavy pall.

She was sure she would slip from the saddle at any moment and she wasn’t certain that she would mind. She was afraid of what this man’s intent was. She heard shots being fired behind them and suspected that some of her men were in pursuit. She could only pray that none of them would be hurt. A cry rang out from just behind them before the other man’s horse, minus his rider, sped past.

Alexandria decided she had to take her chances; she couldn’t allow this man to escape with her. She stiffened her body and immediately felt herself slip and a moment later hit the ground with bone jarring force. She rolled several feet before coming to a stop. She struggled for her breath and her feet; she knew she needed to move in the opposite direction from her captor. Her tied hands and screaming body, however, prevented her from making it to her feet before her captor returned. She felt the cold barrel of a gun press against her neck as her men rode onto the scene. The moon pulled from behind the clouds to light the tableau.

Jonathon, Rusty, and Sparky, their posture tense, sat atop their mounts.

“Come any closer and I’ll shoot her,” the man ordered. He removed her gag. “Tell them to back off.”

“I’d rather you let him shoot me than leave here with me,” she told her men.

The man cursed and pressed the gun into her chin; she winced. “I’ll shoot her; I mean it!”

“You shoot her and I promise you you’ll be so riddled with bullet holes that your own mother won’t be able to identify your remains,” Jonathon threatened.

Alexandria swallowed; the cold barrel of the gun made it painful. Alexandria could hear her heart beating as life seemed to slow. Jonathon sat tensed, his eyes filled with rage as the muscles in his jaw worked. Beside him Rusty’s eyes scanned the area missing nothing and Sparky’s hands flexed as though on the edge of his self-control.

Alexandria heard a shot ring out moments before her captor’s body lurched and blood splattered her. The man, his face half gone, collapsed against her. Alexandria screamed as she scrambled and stumbled to get away. Jonathon was at her side in a moment and Rusty and Sparky maneuvered their horses to cover them. None of them had fired the shot and they weren’t taking any chances. Until they knew if the unseen gunman was friend or foe, they intended to keep themselves between him and their boss. Jonathon quickly freed her from her ropes and peered down into her face.

“Are you okay?” he demanded.

Alexandria blinked at him. She wanted to answer him but all she could see was the man’s face, or partial lack thereof in her own; she shuddered. Jonathon wiped her face with his handkerchief before remounting and pulling her up in front of him to sit sideways. Her gown made anything else unseemly.

“Here,” he took off his coat and wrapped it around her. Alexandria sank against him, her arms and legs feeling like over cooked noodles.

Jonathon pulled his gun as he watched a man approach.

“Everybody okay?” Tristan called.

“I think so,” Rusty answered as he holstered his gun. “That was a good shot.”

“It was the only one that didn’t put Alexandria at risk as well, how is she?” he glanced to where she sat huddled against her foreman; she was shaking uncontrollably.

“I think she’s in shock but she’ll be okay,” Jonathon predicted.

“My men should be coming to the aide of your men; it was one of my men who saw them taking your cattle and came to inform me. When I heard a gunshot from this direction I decided to investigate. Why don’t you bring her to my place and we’ll get her warmed up,” Tristan suggested.

“She’d rather go home, I’m sure, but thanks for the offer,” Jonathon responded. “And thanks for the help.”

“Sure, any time,” Tristan nodded, though he looked slightly irritated.
              Jonathon turned his horse back toward the ranch and urged Raven to a fast trot. As they passed back onto Alexandria’s land, Chris and Ben rode up and surveyed their boss.

“Is she okay; what happened?” Chris demanded.

“She was yanked from her bed and taken on a wild ride,” Jonathon responded.

“Is she hurt?”

“She’s in shock. She took a hard fall but as far as I know she isn’t seriously hurt,” Jonathon reassured them. Rusty and Sparky rode up and joined the group.

“What’s going on out there?” Jonathon nodded in the direction of gunfire.

“We caught some men rustling cattle and went in pursuit; then Tristan’s men joined us and one of them suggested that we check on our boss and we rode this way. I think his men are still in pursuit and a couple of ours. We did manage to reclaim a few head of cattle,” Ben answered.

“Tristan sure turned out to be a much needed ally tonight,” Sparky mused.

“He did, maybe I misjudged him, but I know that Elijah didn’t fully trust him.”

“That’s because he was interested Alexandria as well I would guess,” Sparky suggested.

“Tristan’s alright I suppose but when he pursues Alexandria, and he will; I wouldn’t let him anywhere near her,” Rusty cautioned as he urged his horse forward. “Let’s get this place settled back down so Jonathon can see Alex home,” Rusty suggested.

The men rode off with Rusty and Jonathon considered the man’s words. He had a feeling they had been meant for him. What he wanted to know was what
he
was supposed to do if Tristan did start coming around? He was in over his head he realized. He looked down at Alexandria and for the first time she met his gaze.

“You okay?” he queried. She shuddered but nodded. “Let’s get you home,” he urged Raven forward.

Alexandria could feel her heart gradually slowing and her breathing leveling off. Never had she experienced anything like this night. Her strength seemed spent, gone; nothing left but numbness of thought and body. Beneath her ear Jonathon’s heart beat steadily and evenly giving some semblance of order to her world. His strong muscles contrasted with her momentarily useless ones and Alexandria allowed herself a few moments of weakness as they made their way home.

They arrived at the house and were greeted by Anna and Millie as they rushed onto the porch. Jonathon swung from his saddle and reached up for Alexandria to carry her into the house. Anna cried out when she saw the blood on her sister.

“She’s okay; it’s not her blood,” Jonathon quickly assured her.

“What happened?” Anna demanded. Jonathon quickly briefed her. Millie prepared a bath and once the water was ready, Anna led her sister upstairs.

Jonathon turned to go but stopped when he spotted Lilly huddled halfway up the lower portion of the back stairs; she had tears streaming down her small face.

“Hey sweetheart, are you okay?” he asked as he reached for her. She readily allowed him to take her.

“Is Mama hurt?” she asked.

“Your mommy had a scare but she’s okay. Have you ever been scared but then found that you were okay?” he asked her.

She nodded, but her eyes remained wide. “Aunt Anna was crying too.”
              “She was scared for your mommy but she’s okay, everyone was scared but we’re all okay,” he reassured her. Lilly buried her face in his neck and clung to him for dear life.

“Can you show me which room is yours?” he requested. Lilly nodded and pointed up the stairs. Jonathon smiled as he climbed the stairs and Lilly showed him to her room.

Jonathon claimed the rocking chair that was pulled near the fireplace and softly sang her one his favorite lullabies from his own child hood. He watched as Lilly’s eyes grew heavy and felt his heart constrict. He wanted children of his own, wanted them badly and that meant letting go of Emily. For the first time since her death that seemed possible. Jonathon laid his head back and struggled for a moment with his own fears before determining to move on. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there, Lilly asleep in his arms, or when he had started crying but was startled to find he was when the door to Lilly’s room opened.

“Jonathon?” Alexandria, wrapped in her warmest dressing gown, entered the room; her hair was freshly washed and braided.

“I found Lilly huddled on the back stairway,” he related.

“Anna thought she was still in bed but I had to check on her,” Alexandria explained as she entered the room. “Are you alright?” she asked and Jonathon realized she had seen his tears. He nodded. “Was…was the baby you lost with Emily the first to be still born?” Alexandria asked gently.

“Sarah, we had agreed to name her Sarah if it was a girl,” Jonathon related. “No, we buried two others, the other pregnancies ended before there was anything to show for them.”

“I’m sorry, Jonathon,” Alexandria offered softly.

“I’ll be alright,” he assured her. “Would you turn her covers back?” he stood with Lilly.

Alexandria moved to do as he asked and stepped aside as Jonathon laid Lilly in her bed. “Thanks for taking care of her.”

“I enjoyed it. Good night, Alexandria,” he said as they faced each other in the dim light of the fireplace.

“Thanks, for everything.”

Alexandria hesitated for a moment; she was reluctant to part company.

“Would you care for some coffee after I’m finished here? I don’t know about you but I could use some.”

Jonathon nodded and moved to leave; he glanced back as Alexandria leaned over to kiss Lilly. The picture lingered in his head as he started down the stairs. Now wasn’t the time to consider his decision to move on or how much he had enjoyed Alexandria clinging to him, and there likely never would be a good time to consider it, theirs was a working relationship and that was how it needed to stay. Millie, her eyes still wide, stood waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

“It’s under control now, Millie,” Jonathon reassured her.

“Did he hurt her?”

“No, just scared her. Would you mind fixing some coffee? I think we could all use a cup.”

“I’ll get right on it,” Millie was relieved to be needed.

“I’ll help,” Anna offered and followed Millie; a small flicker of some undefined emotion played across her face before she schooled her features.

“Lexie, you have to move home,” Anna said as soon as Alexandria entered the room. Alexandria claimed the cup of coffee Millie handed her and sat down beside Jonathon.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re welcome to, but I won’t be run off my own land,” Alexandria’s voice was hard as steel.

“That man would have hurt you, Alexandria!” Anna yelled at her sister.

“So I’m supposed to go running with my tail tucked?
NO!
This is my home!” Alexandria yelled back.

“Your sister has a point, Alexandria. He would have done Lord only knows what,” Jonathon informed her grimly before continuing. “But you’re right too. This is your home.”