The Escape (7 page)

“My brother-in-law made this very crude bench, and I happen to think it’s beautiful.” Betty sat down, careful to balance herself in the middle as the bench had a tendency to wobble.

Garrett’s eyebrows rose. “Suit yourself.” He perched beside her and took her hand in his. “We need to make plans,” he said.

Betty pulled her hand from his grasp and clasped her hands in her lap. “I don’t understand why you continually say
we
. There is no
we
.” Betty heard her own clipped tone, and a tremor started deep in her stomach.
Be brave. Be brave. Be brave
.

“Of course, there is a
we
!” Garrett exclaimed. “I’ve followed you across the entire country to take you back! Mother is awaiting us both!”

“She’s going to be waiting a long time.”

“Betty! You can’t possibly be serious. Look around you—you’re in the middle of nowhere!” He leaned toward her and his pupils were dark and large. “Don’t tease me.”

Before she could react, he pressed his lips to hers. She gasped and shot to her feet. “How dare you!” she seethed. “How dare you touch me!”

He yanked on her arm, pulling her back to the bench. “I
do
dare touch you. We’re practically married.”

His face became a blur, and she grabbed at the cabin wall behind her to steady herself. She gasped in air, and her vision cleared.

Lou rushed out of the house. “Betty! Are you all right?”

Betty swallowed over the metallic taste in her mouth. “I’m fine.” She gave her sister an intense look. “Please leave us. I need to finish this conversation. I
will
finish this conversation.”

Lou gave Garrett a deadly glare. “I will be right inside this door. Do you understand me?”

Garrett raised both hands. “All right! All right. I understand fine. Everything’s fine. You can go do whatever-it-is you do.”

Betty nodded at Lou, and grimacing, Lou stepped back inside, leaving the front door wide open.

Garrett rubbed his legs. “Perhaps I’m going too fast. I know you weren’t expecting me here in Wyoming Territory.”

Betty opened her mouth, but he put his hand to her lips. “Don’t say anything. Just hear me out. You owe me that, don’t you? Look how far I came.”

Betty felt just dizzy enough to obey. This wasn’t going as she intended. She had planned to send him packing with a few cutting well-rehearsed sentences. Instead, she found herself struggling to remain upright and to breathe.

“If we marry, your son will inherit the entire Rochester estate. You do understand that, don’t you? It will be his birthright.” When she began to speak, he rushed on. “Edmund would want it that way. You know he would.”

Garrett held out his arm, indicating his surroundings. “Edmund would
never
want his child raised in this godforsaken land. He would want his child raised in his own home. In Boston, where he belongs.”

Betty blinked. Garrett was right on that front—Edmund
would
want his child to have every material advantage possible.

Garrett—evidently sensing he was getting somewhere—continued. “Betty, I would be good to you. I can provide you with comfort, ease, and social position. Think of the benefit to both you and your child. Think how beautiful you would look on my arm at society functions.” He smiled and there was a gleam in his eyes. “I’m not completely horrible looking, am I?”

He paused as if waiting for an answer. When Betty didn’t respond, he continued. “I have real affection for you, Betty. As does Mother. She’s getting on in years, you know. So is your grandfather. They need you in Boston. Both of them do. They are so fond of you.”

Betty’s lips trembled at the mention of her grandfather. But then she remembered his stubborn insistence that she marry Garrett, and a bit of backbone returned to her posture.

“Think of your sisters. Little Emmalyn and Mae. They were just telling me how much they missed you. How they wanted to be with you when your baby is born.” He gave her a sorrowful glance. “It would be such a shame to deny them.”

Betty did miss her younger sisters. She missed their silly giggles and their energy and their curiosity for life. She missed their Sunday afternoons together in Grandfather’s parlor—the board games they played and the poems they read. She missed hearing Mae pound out her scales on the piano and Emmalyn’s sweet voice as she sang to Mae’s sorry attempts at accompanying her.

“Be reasonable, Betty. Come back with me. We can be married within the month, and we can both forget your foolishness in coming here.”

His words slapped Betty back to her senses. “My
foolishness
?” she repeated.

“Yes, of course. We all know it was foolishness to tear off across the country. And for what? To visit your sister? We could have made arrangements for Louellen to visit you in Boston if it was so vitally important.”

Betty gaped at him.
Foolish to see my own sister?
Yet that hadn’t been her compelling reason to come as she knew only too well. Dare she admit the real reason for her journey?

Garrett shook his head with disdain. “Why would
anyone
come to this wasteland?”

Betty staggered to her feet. “Why indeed?” she snapped. “Perhaps to escape your lewd advances!”

His mouth dropped open.
“What?”
His face darkened and he stood, towering over her. “How dare you! I can stop your baby from getting anything! And the same with you! You will get nothing! No money at all! When you return, you’ll have nothing! You’ll be destitute. Do you hear me?”

“Oh, I hear you all right. And it’s you who doesn’t understand. I don’t want to return. I don’t find you attractive. And I
don’t
want to be with you. You’re conniving, arrogant, and just plain
mean
! My baby will have
nothing
to do with you!” Betty flinched, shocked at her own nerve, but she held her ground. And then, with a steel voice, she said, “I am
never
going back.”

Garrett gave her such an incredulous look that in another time or world, she might have felt pity for him. But the notion fled when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her close. “We’ll see about that!”

Just then, Lou burst through the door. “That’s enough! Let her go!” She dashed at Garrett, and he caught one of her arms with his free hand. “Let go of me!” Lou cried with rage.

A horse and rider thundered near, dust flying over the porch. Betty and Lou and Garrett all stopped short and stared at the murderous face of Cole.

Cole leapt from his horse and charged up the stairs.

With a shocked look, Garrett quickly unloosed both Lou and Betty.

“I’m going for Jude!” Lou cried, fleeing down the steps and running to the barn.

Cole faced Garrett, his face full of threat. “You touch ‘em again, and you’re a goner. You hear me?”

Garrett’s eye twitched, and he pulled at the hem of his jacket. “And who are you to be telling me what to do?”

“Cole Bronson. And this here is my fiancé,” he said, pointing to Betty.

Betty sucked air and stared at Cole, her pulse racing.

“Your
what
?” Garrett raged.

“My fiancé. Now, get out o’ here.” Cole’s hands were fisted, and he took another step, stopping with his face up in Garrett’s. Garrett stumbled back.

“Betty is
my
fiancé, and I’ll be back,” Garrett blubbered.

With that, he tripped down the steps toward the barn.

“Try comin’ back and see what happens!” Cole’s voice was tight.

Jude and Lou emerged from the barn door. Jude stormed over to Garrett and grabbed his arm, yanking him back into the barn.

Cole’s gaze flew to Betty. “That piece of slime is your
fiancé
?”

“No! He’s my husband’s brother. He thinks he owns me!” Betty rushed to explain. “I can’t stomach the man!”

She took a faltering step toward Cole. “He’s horrid. He’s the reason I left Boston.” She was breathing so heavily that her chest heaved beneath her dress.

Cole’s shoulders lowered, and he studied Betty as if trying to absorb her revelation. His eyes were hard on hers, and the muscles at his jaw twitched.

Betty reached out to touch him, but seeing the grim look on his face, her hand fell to her side.

From the corner of her eye, Betty saw movement and turned to see Garrett stumbling down the road, carrying his bag. Jude and Lou were behind him, watching, and the righteous rage on both their faces was a sight to behold.

Betty’s eyes followed Garrett. The thought of him walking all the miles into town made a chortle twist up Betty’s throat. It wasn’t funny, not really—it was sad. Pathetic. But the strangled laughter kept coming, and Betty realized, aghast, that she must be in some state of shock.

“You’re laughing?” Cole questioned her.

She pressed her hands to her mouth and felt the tears start. Before she knew it, she was sobbing, her shoulders shaking and her nose running. Relief that Garrett was gone roared through her until she could barely stand. She was ready to turn and run into the house when Cole pulled her to his chest. He put his strong arms around her and dropped his chin to her head.

“It’s okay, now, Betty. He’s gone. He’s gone.” His voice was soft.

Betty burrowed into his shoulder, unable to stop either the shaking or the tears.

Cole kissed the top of her head. “Hush, now,” he murmured. “He’s gone. It’s over.”

Betty pressed her face into him and felt his strength sink into her.

Cole chuckled. “You done put up a fight, though, didn’t ya?”

Betty sniffed and drew back from his chest. “I did.”

“I’m proud of ya.”

She looked up into his eyes and saw tenderness there. And real affection.
What is happening? Does he care for me? At least a little?
Her breath rushed out in a sigh, and she fell into his arms once again. Only this time, she put her arms around him and held on tight. His arms encircled her, and the mere touch of his hands sent a warming shiver through her.

They stood like that, pressed together, for a long moment. A feeling of happiness and rightness soared through Betty. And then her baby kicked. Cole flinched and let her go.

Betty froze, her eyes on Cole. He stared back.

From the henhouse, a chicken squawked, and flies buzzed close.

Betty steeled herself. Would he reject her again? She saw the pain in his eyes, and her heart flooded with sorrow at what they’d both suffered.

“It’s all right,” she whispered. “It’s all right. I understand.”

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and hurried down the porch steps. Her hair flew out behind her as she ran across the dusty yard toward the barn. She ran around it out to a lonely maple tree where she leaned heavily against the rough bark of the trunk, panting.

Cole had followed and came to a stop before her.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m a fool.”

She shook her head. “No, you’re not. I said I understand, and I do. I lost a husband. I know how it hurts.”

Cole dropped his gaze. “My wife died giving birth.” He rubbed his boot over the scraggly grass at his feet. “I lost the baby, too.”

He gazed at her, tears in his eyes. “It was a boy.”

Betty touched his arm. “I’m sorry. Truly sorry.”

“They’re both dead.” He looked away, out across the fields, squinting into the sunlight.

She remained silent, again feeling both his pain and hers.

“But you’re alive,” Cole spoke.

“As are you,” Betty said.

He smiled then, bittersweet but hopeful.

“Back there, you called me your fiancé,” she whispered.

“You noticed that, did ya?”

She grinned. “I noticed.”

“It came right on out of my mouth,” Cole said. “I never even thought afore sayin’ it.”

“But you said it to save me from Garrett.”

“Ah, you was savin’ yourself.” Cole took her hand in his. “But I was mighty pleased to help.”

Betty looked into his deep brown eyes and saw an openness there, a new vulnerability mixed with trust.

“Betty,” Cole said her name. “Would you be my fiancé? For real, this time?”

The baby kicked again and Betty laughed for the pure joy of it—and for the joy of this man standing before her.

“I came all the way across the country for you,” she said. “So I’m thinking my answer has always been yes.”

Cole shook his head and chuckled. “You’re a sassy one,” he said. “Like I told you afore.”

“Maybe I am,” Betty said. “Maybe I am.”

Cupping her chin, he searched her upturned face. Then he leaned close, and she felt his warm breath on her skin. His lips came down on hers, and she shivered at the sweet intensity of his kiss. Her emotions whirled and her senses reeled, and she knew to the bottom of her heart that she had come home.