Capital Bride (14 page)

However harsh he sounded, she heard the love behind the words. He loved her. She knew it. She wondered if he did. She cuddled a little closer. “Yes. We’re clear.”

“Good.” He shifted so his lips claimed hers in the sweetest kiss since their wedding day.
 

“Mmm. If I wasn’t incapacitated I’d show you what that kiss does to me. However, we have other things to discuss. Did you tell the sheriff?”

“I had one of the men ride to town and tell him. Everyone is going to be looking for William.”

“Then he’ll lie low. But he’s either in Golden City or Denver. He’ll stay close and he won’t be without his comforts. He’ll be somewhere with running water and a private bath.”

“Most of the hotels have running water but not all have private baths,” said John. “I’ll tell the sheriff what you said. Checking the ones in Golden City won’t be a problem but in Denver, well that’s going to be harder. There are a lot of places to stay and not enough people to check them all.”

“Then we need to prepare ourselves. John, I need to learn to shoot.”

“No. I’ll have one of the men here with you and the girls all the time.”

“It’s not the same. I have to be alone sometimes. I have things to do and can’t expect the man to be with me all the time. The girls need to be able to play. I don’t want to take that away from them. You know this is the right thing. Just say I’m going to do it so I can kill snakes. Which will be true, no matter how you look at it. Whether a rattler or William, it’s still a snake.”

He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “Alright. I know when I’m out maneuvered. When your shoulder heals, I’ll start teaching you. But not a day before the doc says you’re good.”

“Deal.” She yawned though she tried not to. “I think I want to sleep now.”

“That’s good. The doc said you need to rest as much as possible.”

“Hmm hmm.” She moved so her head was pillowed on his chest rather than his arm. “Goodnight.”

She was fast asleep before he could return the phrase. He stayed there for a while, listening to her sleep. The soft, little snores that she would deny she made to her dying day.

He moved, replacing his chest with her pillow and got up. Now that she was better he had work to do and a man to kill.

CHAPTER 9

 
It had been a couple of weeks since she’d been shot. And a week since she’d stop wearing the sling. She worked stretching her shoulder and getting it loose. She didn’t want to lose the use of it so she moved it as much as possible. When no one was looking. Everyone seemed perfectly happy to keep her ‘safe’ and she was damn well tired of it.

She went into the kitchen after breakfast just as everyone was leaving. “Everyone out. Now. That includes you John and you Bertha.”

Bertha left. John stayed.

“Glad you’re up and around,” said John.

“I am too and I’m going to bake today. No. Don’t even open your mouth to try and stop me.”

He grinned at her. “Finally got bored did you?”

“I’ve been bored for two weeks. I just couldn’t stand it any longer. I’m sorry if I hurt people’s feelings but I’ve got to get busy.”

He hooked his fingers in his belt loops and rocked back on his heels. “I figured you’d come around soon. It didn’t hurt any that you kept the shoulder stationery while it healed but now you’ve got to move it to keep it working proper.”

“Well it’s working proper enough. Now leave if you want any pie at dinner or supper.”

He came over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before he walked out the door. “Yes ma’am.”

She wiped down the wooden counter. Then she got out the flour, salt and lard and went about making pie crusts for four pies. John had an apple tree in the yard and it was starting to produce more apples than they could use. Tomorrow, she thought, I’ll get the kids and Bertha to help me gather apples and can them. For now she took an empty bushel basket and went out and picked a basket full of the sweet fruit.

Two hours later she had four apple pies cooling on the counter and it was time to start dinner. After that she’d make four more pies for supper. It was hard work and her arm ached from rolling out the dough but it was a good kind of ache. The ache you got from being useful.

Later that night when they laid in bed in the aftermath of their lovemaking, Sarah said, “You can’t put me off any more. It’s time to teach me how to shoot a gun.”

“I know. As soon as I saw you working again in the kitchen, I knew I would have to do it. I still think it’s unnecessary but I understand your need to be able to protect yourself. Admittedly I won’t always be there.”

“Yes.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. When can we start?”

“Tomorrow after breakfast. Now don’t I get more than a peck on the cheek?”

“You already got your lovin’ for tonight. Now lay back and go to sleep.” She turned away from him, a smile on her face.”

“Oh, no you don’t. Just because we’re not going to make love doesn’t mean that you get to sleep yet. Come here.” He pulled her into his embrace.
 

She giggled and cuddled into his side. If this wasn’t love, she didn’t know what love was. This comfort with each other, being able to talk together, make love to each other, not just have sex. This was love. It had to be. Now if she could just convince him of it.

The following day John took her out behind the barn. He’d set up some cans at varying distances to shoot at.
 

“I have a present for you.” He pulled the extra gun he carried from his belt. “I had the gun smith in Denver make this special for you. It’s a modified Colt revolver. It’s lighter and smaller than the Colt I carry. It shoots .22 ammunition rather than the .45 that mine does, but that’s plenty enough power to kill a man.”

She took the gun from his hand. It still seemed heavy to her. “Let me see your gun.” The difference was amazing. She had to use two a hands to hold his gun up. Hers she could do with one hand. She handed his gun back to him.

“Okay, I want you to hold the gun up and look down the barrel until you have the sight in line with the can on the far left. When you’ve got that where you want it, I want you to pull back the hammer and cock the gun, then I want you to just squeeze the trigger. Pull it gently and steadily, so the gun remains aimed where you want it to be. Too quick on the trigger and the gun will move and you’ll miss your target.”

She did as he asked and followed his instructions to the letter.

“Honey, that’s real good, but you’ve got to keep your eyes open, too.”

“I didn’t realize I closed them.”

He chuckled. “Just as soon as you started squeezing the trigger, you closed your eyes.”

“Well that explains why I missed the can.”

“That definitely could have something to do with it.”

She practiced for most of the morning and eventually got to where she could hit the target two out of five times. More practice was needed but at least now she didn’t feel totally defenseless. She put the gun in her apron pocket.

“Maybe we should get you a gun belt.”

“It would look strange over my dress. The apron works fine and then I don’t have little girls asking me what I’m doing with a gun.”

“Good point.”

“Thank you for teaching me. I feel a little safer.”

“Just remember a gun is a last resort and it won’t save you if the bad guy gets a hold of it. If you’re going to use it, shoot to kill or don’t carry it at all.”

“I’ll remember.” And she would. There was no way William would get near her or her family again.

* * *

William Grayson laid low in a Denver hotel. It wasn’t the best but good enough to have the private bath he required. And better yet, they could be bribed to keep their mouths shut if the law came looking.

He hired more men to keep the ranch under watch. He knew Sarah hadn’t died from the wound he inflicted on her. But it wasn’t his fault. It was that husband of hers. If he’d just die, everything would be as it should be. Sarah would be his wife and they could put her brat in a boarding school somewhere out of the way.

He’d take it slow with Sarah once he had her. She was going to need some convincing that he was the best husband for her. He had to have her. Now that his mother was finally gone, he could. Mother always protected her from him. He tried convincing Sarah before she left but when she flat turned him down, he knew he’d have to let her go in order to keep track of her. He was afraid she’d run and he wouldn’t know where to find her. She, unsuspecting as usual, gave him her new address. Told him to write. Ha! Write. And say what? I miss you and I’m going to have you one way or another?

They’d have to move to a new city. Couldn’t take the chance of running into ‘old’ friends, though if truth be told, he didn’t have friends. He had acquaintances and the only friend Sarah had was old lady Adams next door. It didn’t matter now. He’d sold everything. They could live anywhere. Maybe they’d travel. Yes, they could go to Paris. It would be hard for Sarah to leave him in a city where she didn’t speak the language and didn’t have any money.

Wherever they went, he’d be glad to leave this place with its squeaky iron bed and worn carpets. There was barely room for his clothes in the old wardrobe and the commode was laughable. So small, the pitcher and basin almost didn’t fit on top. A chamber pot would never have fit in the cupboard of the commode like it was supposed to. Good thing there was a toilet in the bathroom. As yes, the necessities to him were luxuries to these backward people.

Yes, he’d be very glad to get Sarah and leave the wretched West behind.

* * *

Sarah began a new routine. Every morning after breakfast she went out behind the barn to the target range John set up for her and practiced. Shooting again and again until she could hit the cans every four out of five times, consistently.

Sundays were different. After breakfast they headed to Golden City to church and when they got home she had to prepare dinner. No time for practice.

One Sunday, John invited their neighbor Nathan Ravenclaw for dinner. Nathan had lots of questions for Sarah. He wanted to know everything about Matchmaker & Company. She answered every one of them honestly. She told him Mrs. Selby checked out all her clients, both the bachelors and the brides. She had a knack for placing the right couples together.

“Nathan, are you thinking of getting a mail order bride?” asked Sarah. She couldn’t understand why he, or John for that matter, needed a mail order bride. Nathan was handsome in the extreme with black hair and eyes the color of a clear blue mountain lake as it reflects the sky on its still surface. They were mesmerizing. It seemed to her he would have his pick of women.

Of course, she thought the same thing about John, only to find out the marriageable women of his acquaintance were unwilling to take on the responsibility of a troubled child like Katy.

“I’m half Arapahoe Indian. No white woman will marry a half-breed and neither will a Arapahoe maiden. There are not a lot of options for someone like me. A mail order bride, especially one from back East won’t have the same prejudices, if she accepts. She’ll know what she’s getting in to. It won’t be easy but when I heard John had found the perfect bride, I got curious and asked John if I could talk to you.”

“You flatter me. I’m not sure John would agree that I’m the perfect bride, but you can always talk to me. Any friend of Johns’ is a friend to me.”

“I don’t flatter, Sarah. I only speak the truth. Thank you for a wonderful dinner, especially that pie. It was the best pie I’ve had in…well, I don’t think I’ve ever had any that good.”

She was inordinately pleased by his praise. “Hush now. You’ll make me blush. You flatter me again, whether you mean to or not.”

With dinner over Nathan said his goodbyes, saying he needed to get home and write Mrs. Selby. Sarah gave him her address.

“You can tell her we recommended her to you,” said Sarah.

“Thanks. I will.”

After he left Sarah told John, “The women out here are idiots. You and Nathan are prime husband material and any woman, including this woman, would be lucky to have you.”

He grabbed her about her expanding waist and brought her close. He touched his lips to hers. “You say the nicest things.” Deepening the kiss, his tongue mated with hers.
 

When he broke away they were both breathing hard. “I’d really like to take you upstairs right now.”

“The girls are playing outside and Bertha is cleaning the kitchen. I’m free for the next hour. What about you?”

He leaned his forehead against hers. “I can’t. We got in a couple of new horses that I need to work with. They’re green broke but not fit for saddle horses yet.”

“You’re missing out.”

“Don’t I know it?” He gave her a quick kiss and left her standing there in the dining room…frustrated as hell.
 

She went to the shooting range to let off steam.

* * *

William saw the two little girls playing outside. They were away from the house by a small stream. Easy pickings for someone as desperate as himself. This was his last chance and he knew it. He would either succeed or die. Sarah would come with him rather than have MaryAnn hurt. Having shot Sarah, even if by accident, would only further the belief that he could hurt MaryAnn, which, of course, he could. She was only a detriment to his ultimate goal of her mother.