The Widower's Wife (28 page)

Jillian felt her knees weaken and saw the world around her start to blur. Nathan’s laugh was the last thing she heard before passing out.

Without wasting any time, Nathan bent down, threw her over his shoulder, and ran out into the cornfields behind the barn.

Dalton’s heart pounded faster as he raced the wagon toward the house. Just before he got to the house, he heard a gunshot. Panic seized him, and he feared the worst. He saw that the front door was wide open as he turned into the gate. He drove up to the house and pulled the wagon to an abrupt halt. Flinging himself down, he ran into the house. It was empty, but there was a broken bowl on the floor and flour scattered everywhere. Fear gripped his heart even tighter. He ran back out the door. They couldn’t have gone too far, especially not on foot.

Dalton forced himself not to panic. He wasn’t going to lose her, especially not now. He ran in the direction he thought the shot had come from. After several minutes, he heard the whinny of a horse. Crouching down low, he parted the thick brush, fearful of what he would find. To his surprise, waiting in the clearing with two horses tied to a tree was none other than Mr. Charles Richard Fitzgerald III. Dalton made a sound of disgust. The man was as low as a snake.

Quietly, Dalton snuck in closer. Chuckles had his back to him. The horses, still rustling around from gunfire, were making a lot of noise. Dalton was able to get but a few feet away from the man unnoticed. He suddenly stood up and cleared his throat loudly. Surprised, Chuckles turned quickly around.

“Let’s see if this makes you laugh, Mr. Chuckles,” Dalton said and slammed his fist into the man’s stomach, causing him to double over. Dalton then rendered a deep uppercut to the jaw, causing Chuckles to fall flat on his back with a loud thud. Dalton reached down with both hands and, standing over him, grabbed both sides of the hideous suit and lifted the man’s face within inches of his own. “I’m only going to ask you one time, and you’d better know the answer,” he barked. Chuckles’s eyes got big. Dalton continued, “Where is Nathan Shaw?”

“Down . . . down at the house. That’s where he said he would be! At the h-house or in the fields.” Chuckles began to shake as Dalton narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t much help—there were fields everywhere.

“You’d better pray he hasn’t harmed one hair on my wife’s head. I’m not finished with you.” Dropping the pitiful man back to the ground, Dalton walked over to one of the horses and took a rope that was hanging from the saddle. He quickly secured Chuckles’s arms behind his back. After untying the two horses from the tree, he chased them off before sprinting back toward the house.

Dalton stood frantic in front of his own home. He looked around for any sign of a struggle, all while praying desperately for some guidance. Finally, with no definite clue where Nathan would have gone, he decided to head in the direction that he would take if he were trying to hide from view quickly—the cornfields directly behind the barn. He hadn’t gone more than a few yards into the corn when he heard a whimpering sound. On the ground in front of him he saw something moving. He ran to it and found Digger tied up tightly inside a flour sack. The pup was glad to be set free and began to eagerly lick Dalton’s face.

“We don’t have time for that now, Digger. We got to find Jillian. Do you think you can help me?” Dalton put Digger back down on the ground and after sniffing around for a moment, the pup took off into the fields like the devil himself was on his tail. Dalton followed closely after him.

Tiring, Nathan set a limp Jillian down and leaned over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. It was not easy running between the stalks of corn, let alone running with a bundle. Jillian stirred at his feet. In a minute, he would have to fight with the stalks and with her. How had he gotten himself to this point? If only she would come to her senses! Nathan needed to find a way back around to the horses.

He heard Jillian moan and watched as she opened her eyes. At first she looked confused, and then the look of fear returned. He knelt down beside her.

“Jillian, listen to me. I know I was a fool. I promise you, that woman didn’t mean anything. None of them did.” Her eyes widened with surprise. She didn’t think he fully realized what he had just confessed. “I just want you back. Let’s go find a place to be together. I have money.” He took out his money pouch, and Jillian was sure her face registered shock. Nathan continued, “We could go anywhere, start over.”

Jillian finally found her tongue. “Nathan, you need to stop this. You don’t know what you’re saying.” She realized he still wasn’t hearing her, but she tried once more. “I don’t love you, Nathan.” Finally, he seemed to focus on her words. “I never did. I was just young and confused,” she continued. Tears were falling now, tears of fear and pity. “I’m sorry, Nathan, but I just don’t love you.” He reached down and wiped a tear from her face.

“Please don’t cry, Jillian.” He looked tenderly at her, and she felt some hope rise within her. “I don’t want you to cry.”

“Nathan, let’s go back to the house and talk this over.” She quickly prayed that the children were still safe at Aunt Betty’s. “Everything’s going to be fine.” She thought about the large sum of money he had and could only imagine where it had come from. “Your father and your mother must be worried about you.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “I’ll have Dalton drive you back to the station so you can go home.” She said a prayer that Dalton was all right. Suddenly Nathan was angry again. He stood and pulled her up with him. He started down the long rows of corn, dragging her along behind him.

“We need to hurry. We don’t want to waste any more of our time together,” he urged.

“Nathan, please listen to me. I don’t love you. I—I love Dalton. He is my husband.” Nathan spun around to face her.

“You don’t need to pretend anymore. I’m here now. You don’t need him. You don’t need anyone but me.” He pulled her into his arms and tried to kiss her again.

Jillian screamed and struggled to get away. Unable to free herself, she started shouting angrily at him. “I hate you, Nathan Shaw! I will never go anywhere with you. I despise the very sight of you.”

Nathan raised his hand as though to strike her. She put her arms in front of her face, shut her eyes tightly, and waited to feel the impact. Instead, a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed Nathan’s arm, flinging him away from her. She distinctly heard a crack as Nathan fell hard to the ground. She dared not look.

Dalton frowned at the man sprawled up against the cornstalks. He fought to control the anger that surged through his veins. Nathan didn’t seem to be moving, so he turned to Jillian. She was standing with her arms still protecting her face. He reached over and took her into his arms to still her shaking.

“Are you all right?” he asked gently. “Did he hurt you?” She clung to him tightly and sobbed his name. He kissed her hair and her tear-stained face. With his hands on her cheeks, he turned her face to look at him. “I was so frightened for you when I heard the gunshot. I thought I’d lost you.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and softly kissed her lips.

“Nathan told me that you had been shot.” She looked at him incredulously. “He was acting out of his mind. I’d never seen him like that before. Oh, Dalton, I was so afraid!” He pulled her tighter into his arms as she began to sob again.

“Hush now. I promise, I’ll never let you out of my sight again.” As she lifted her head to look at him again, she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye.

“Dalton, look out!” she shouted. Instantly, Dalton spun around.

“She’s mine, McCullough,” Nathan said, staggering toward them. He was breathing heavily, and one arm hung limply at his side, but still he lurched forward. Before she even saw him draw his arm back, Jillian heard Dalton’s fist make contact with Nathan’s face. He fell solidly to the ground, this time out cold. She sat down on the ground, relieved it was finally over.

Dalton knelt down by Jillian. Suddenly, the puppy came flying through the stalks, landed in her lap, and began licking her face.

“Oh, Digger,” she murmured as she snuggled the puppy close to her. “I haven’t seen you since we got back. Where have you been hiding out?” Dalton laughed, and Jillian looked up at him.

“I’ll have to tell you that story later.” He stood up and helped her to her feet, putting his arm around her for support. “Right now we’d better get back to the house.”

As they walked past the last row of corn stalks, Uncle Ned and the sheriff came riding up. Uncle Ned quickly dismounted and hurried forward.

“Dalton, Jillian, are you all right?”

“We’re fine, Uncle Ned, thank you,” Dalton replied wearily.

“When I heard the gunshot, I went ta fetch the sheriff. Luckily, he was already on his way, havin’ heard about the worrisome telegram from Miss Pruitt. Of course, she’ll never admit ta reading it.” Dalton half smiled at Uncle Ned and looked over at the sheriff, pointing to the cornfields behind him.

“There is a man out cold in the fields there with a broken arm and maybe even a broken nose. I imagine you’ll want to take him in for questioning.”

“Another one?” Uncle Ned said incredulously. “We already found a man wanderin’ down the road with his hands tied behind his back, wearin’ the most hideous lookin’ suit I ever saw.”

Jillian looked at Dalton and then back at the sheriff.

“Chuckles?” Jillian looked up at Dalton questioningly. He nodded.

“Who?” the sheriff asked.

Dalton shook his head and answered, “Sheriff, if it’s all right with you, we’d like to wait a day or two to give you our account of what happened. I’ll explain everything to you then.”

The sheriff nodded. “I’m happy to keep them at the jail until you feel up to it.”

Dalton turned to Uncle Ned. “Would you mind sending a telegram to Marcus, letting him know Jillian’s safe?”

“Sure will, Dalton. Oh, and Hank Collins came over when he heard the gunshot too and I asked him ta see ta your horses and wagon. Why don’t the both of you head back ta the house and make an early night of it? Looks to me like you both could use some rest.” he winked at Dalton. “We already got the children settled down over at our place, so I’ll drive ’em back sometime tomorrow mornin’.”

“Thank you,” Jillian said and gave him a weak smile. They started back toward to the house while the sheriff and Uncle Ned headed into the cornfield to fetch Nathan.

When they walked into the kitchen, Jillian looked around at the mess.

“I suppose I ought to clean this up.” She walked over and started picking the broken pieces of the bowl off the floor.

“I’ll help you,” Dalton offered. In no time, they had put everything to rights. When they were finished, Dalton took her hand in his, and they walked out onto the front porch to watch the sunset.

After awhile Dalton spoke. “We need to enjoy as many of these as we can before winter sets in.” He said it almost to himself, as if it were only a thought that wasn’t meant to be spoken out loud. “Jillian?”

“Yes, Dalton.”

“I was thinking about our wedding and how it wasn’t very special for you.” His handsome features looked saddened at the thought. “I’d like to say some things to you right now, if you don’t mind.” He brought her hands to his chest and held them there.

“I don’t mind,” she answered softly.

“I want to thank you for coming here, for being the wonderful woman you are. You have picked up the pieces of my broken family and put us back together. I want to thank you for the love and the laughter you have brought back to our home and for your love and concern for my . . . 
our
children. I wish I could find all the words to express the way that makes me feel.” He gently caressed her hands beneath his.

“I’m sorry if I ever said or did anything to hurt you in any way. I’ll try to make it up to you.” He released her hands, put his arms around her waist, and took a deep breath. “Jillian, I promise to love you always and be there for you when you need me. You have opened my heart and taught me how to love again. I’ll be forever grateful for that.” By now Jillian was weeping softly as his tender words touched her soul. “I had lost all hope of happiness, and you have given that hope back to me. I will love you always. You are my life.” He gently placed both of his hands on either side of her face and kissed her lips sweetly.

“Dalton.” Jillian looked deeply into his eyes for a moment before continuing. “You thank me, but it is
I
who should thank
you
. Heaven smiled on me when I found you. You are the one who wrote those tender and endearing letters to me when I was still in Providence. Your words made me fall in love with you and your children before I ever stepped foot off the train. You brought me here and gave me so many reasons to find happiness in life again. You taught me that a wounded heart is no match for a heart that gives freely. You’ve given me peace and contentment and joy beyond words.” She put her arms around his waist.

“Dalton, I promise to always cherish you and to be your closest friend. I will do whatever is in my power to give you as much joy and happiness as you have given me. I will care for and raise your children as my own and love them even more than if I had brought them into the world myself. Thank you, Dalton, for the gift of love you have shared with me. I love you.”

He pulled her close, and she laid her head against his chest. She listened to his heart beat and felt his chest softly rise and fall with his breathing. She let her own breathing fall in rhythm with his. Truly, they were now one, and Jillian vowed to remember this moment forever.