Faith (Goldwater Creek Mail-Order Brides 1) Page 14
Cleb laughed. “Protecting the little lady, eh? We’ll see how protective you can be with a hole in your leg.” He lowered the gun slightly so that it was aimed at Jax’s thigh and cocked the hammer.
“Bang!”
The sound of the gunshot echoed in Jax’s ears and he braced himself for the lightning hot pain he knew would follow.
* * *
But no pain came. Instead, Cleb fell down, clutching his hand which was now red with blood. Lefty swung his gun around to shoot whoever had shot Cleb but before he could, Indigo kicked out his powerful hind leg. Jax heard a sickening crunch as Indigo’s hoof connected with Lefty’s elbow. Lefty groaned, collapsing to the ground.
Jax stared in amazement at Bessie Mae standing on the edge of the road, a Colt 45 in her hand.
“’Bout time someone shot him,” Bessie Mae said.
Jax jumped up to secure the guns. It didn’t look like either of the men would be shooting anyone for a long time. Bessie Mae had shot the gun right out of Cleb’s hand and by the looks of it, he wouldn’t be holding a gun any time soon. Indigo had put Lefty out of commission, likely breaking his arm judging by the way he was rolling around, clutching his arm and moaning.
Jax tensed as he heard the thunder of horse hoofs. Did Cleb and Lefty have reinforcements? Maybe Silas O’Toole?
Ryder Devlin whipped around the corner, relief flooding his gray eyes as he surveyed the scene in front of him.
“What in tarnation is going on?” His eyes stopped at Bessie Mae who was still holding the gun. “Gram?”
Bessie Mae shrugged. “Did what I had to do. Now, let’s get these two tied up until Sheriff Fuller gets here.”
“What are you all doing here, anyway?” Jax asked as Ryder pulled some rope out of his saddlebags. The two men got busy tying Cleb’s and Lefty’s legs together, even though neither one of them were in any condition to go far.
“Billy Sullivan was making a delivery when he came across Robertson lying in the road. Robertson sent him off to the safehouse to warn us that these two were up to no good.” Bessie Mae inclined her head toward the two men on the ground. “Rosie ran to get Ryder and the sheriff and I came here to head them off.”
Ryder frowned at Bessie Mae. “Gram, that could have been dangerous.”
Bessie Mae coughed, then waved her hand dismissively. “Pshaw. Never had so much fun in my life.”
“Is Robertson okay?” Faith was standing, brushing the dirt from her skirt and looking at Ryder with concern in her eyes. Jax’s heart leapt. Gratefulness washed over him—Faith was okay.
He would never let anything harm her again, he decided as he stood beside her, slipping an arm around her shoulders.
“He’ll be okay,” Ryder said, “I sent Billy over to fetch Doc Schumann for him.”
Jax frowned, looking back at the buggy. How had Faith come to be driving the buggy? “What happened to Robertson?”
“They shot him when we were on the way to the train station. They said they were coming here. Robertson was in no shape to endure a buggy ride. I was on my way to warn you when…” Faith gestured toward the broken buggy.
Warmth spread through Jax’s chest as the realization hit him. Faith had driven the buggy even though she was terrified of horses—she’d done that to warn him. To keep him from getting hurt. What a fool he’d been to send her away.
Jax put his hands on Faith’s shoulders. “Can you ever forgive me?”
Faith looked down. “Forgive you? I’m the one that came out under false pretenses. I’m the one who was going to betray you.”
Jax tilted her chin with his thumb so that she was looking at him. Her eyes, clear as the summer sky, were full of doubt and hope. “I know now that was only because you had to. Who could blame you? I would have done the same for my sisters.”
Something flickered in her eyes and he saw some of the doubt drain away. “You mean you don’t hate me for it?”
Jax shook his head. “It’s you who should hate me for accusing you without even stopping to listen to your side of the story.”
“You don’t owe me anything. You never promised a real marriage in your letters anyway, and I wouldn’t blame you if you still wanted to send me back to Boston,” Faith said. “With Cleb out of commission, you’ll be able to follow through with your plans with little opposition. You don’t need a wife for that anymore.”
Jax glanced down at Cleb. It was true, he thought. Or at least part of it was true. He’d likely be able to open the saloon without much opposition now, but he still needed a wife. Not just any wife, though. He needed Faith. Needed her to be by his side from this moment forward and he hoped that she wanted the same.
“It’s true. I haven’t been acting like a proper husband in a real marriage now, have I?” Jax got down on one knee and looked up at Faith. “But I intend to change that. Mrs. Jackson Blackburn, will you stay and be my wife? My real wife?”
Jax’s heart stopped beating as Faith blinked down at him in silence, then a smile spread across her face and she nodded. “Yes, I think I’d like that very much.”
Jax stood and took her in his arms, his lips pressing against hers, softly and then more demandingly as he pulled her tight to him. Jax’s heart opened, his mind whirled and his senses were lost in the scent of lavender and Faith’s soft body melded against his.
“Ahem.”
Jax had almost forgotten there were other people there. He broke the kiss reluctantly and turned to Ryder. “What?”
“Looks like you better get the missus home. I’ll help you fix the buggy.” Ryder started toward the buggy and the two of them inspected the wheel. It was unbroken. Just the pin holding it onto the side of the buggy had sheared off—easily fixed with a spare Jax kept in the buggy.
“It’s good as new,” Ryder said as they hooked Buttercup up to the front. “Why don’t you guys go back to the ranch? I told Billy to have Doc Schumann bring Robertson there. I’ll wait for the sheriff.”
Jax glanced down at Lefty and Cleb. Their legs were tied together, Cleb was unconscious and Lefty lay on his side unmoving but managing to glare up at them. “If you’re sure these two won’t give you any trouble.”
Ryder held up his gun. “I’ll be more than happy to shoot the first one that moves.”
Jax led Faith to the buggy, his arms around her shoulders. “I can’t believe you drove this thing.”
Faith shrugged. “Me, either. But somehow my fear of horses didn’t seem so important anymore when the alternative was losing you.”
Faith reached a tentative hand out toward Buttercup’s muzzle. “I might even get to like them, especially if they show as much good sense as Indigo did when he kicked Lefty.”
“You can say that again. Indigo always did have good sense,” Jax said as he helped Faith into the buggy.
Indigo let out a whinny from where he was tied behind the buggy and Faith laughed. “Sounds like he agrees.”
Jax slapped the reins and Buttercup sauntered off. Faith turned a quizzical face to Jax.
“So, after all this, there really wasn’t even a gold mine?”
Jax looked back to make sure they were far enough away from the others, then a sly grin crossed his face. He switched both the reins into his left hand, then dug into his pocket with his right and pulled out his closed fist. He grabbed Faith’s hand and slipped a small pebble into it, then curled his fist around hers for a second before letting go to pick up the reins again. “I never said there wasn’t any gold mine.”
She turned her hand over, uncurling her fingers to reveal something gold and shiny. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the sunlight glint off the small piece of gold. “Well, I’ll be.”
“There’ll be no secrets between us anymore, Faith. You have my promise,” Jax said.
“And you mine.” Faith slid close to him and sealed her words with a kiss.
Under normal conditions, Jax would have taken his time on the ride home, maybe even tried to coax a few more kisses from Faith’s so
ft lips, but he was anxious to make sure Robertson was okay. The man was more than just his driver. Robertson had been a friend of Jax’s father and he was more like family than anything else.
Maisie rushed out of the front door as they pulled up to the ranch. Her hands fluttered around her face. “Lordy be, you’re alive!”
“Yes, we’re fine.” Jax let the woman smother him in a hug before she mercifully turned her attentions on Faith.
“And you. I’m so glad you’re home!” She hugged Faith, then turned a glaring eye on Jax. “Where you belong.”
“Have you heard anything of Robertson?” Jax asked as they walked up the steps toward the front door.
“Oh, that man! He’ll be fine. Just a little bullet hole that Doc Schumann stitched right up. He’s laid up in the back bedroom. Gonna drive me crazy.”
As if knowing they were talking about him a loud groan came from the back of the ranch. “Arrgghh! Where’s my water!”
Maisie slid her eyes to Jax. “See.” Then she cupped her hands around her mouth. “You hold your horses. I’m comin’.” Then she rolled her eyes and trundled off toward the kitchen, muttering under her breath.
Faith let out a breath. “I’m glad he’s okay.”
“Me, too,” Jax said. They were still standing in the hall, his arm around Faith’s waist. He didn’t want to let her go, but realized she was probably exhausted. Maybe she should lie down? He didn’t want her to get worn out.
“You’ve had a rough day. Maybe you should go lie down?” Jax said.
Faith turned to face him. Her hand touched his cheek, tracing the side. Her eyes were deep with an emotion that touched Jax to his core. He tightened his hold on her waist. “I think you need to get off your feet. I can’t have anything happening to you. I nearly lost you for good and I can't let that happen again.”
Faith’s heart melted at the look on his face. Her fingers reached to her throat, closing on the velvety brown ribbon around her neck. She lifted it over her head, letting the key dangle in between them.
“I do think lying down might do me some good, but I don’t believe I’ll be needing this anymore.”
Jax’s face split into a wide smile and they started down the hallway, this time heading in the same direction.
Epilogue
Six days later …
Faith sat in the blue wing chair next to the fireplace, her legs curled under her. She felt safe. Happy. Though it was too warm for a fire, she imagined how cozy it would be in winter with the fire to warm her as she sat here with Jax. A smile creased her lips at the thought of the many winters they would spend at Wild Heart Ranch in front of this very fireplace.
“Thank you for replacing this cover.” Across from her, Jax held up the poetry book he’d been reading from. Mary’s poetry book. “This book has had a lot of use. Mary used to …”
His voice trailed off and Faith wondered if he’d stopped himself from talking about Mary to spare her feelings. “I don’t mind you talking about Mary. She was your wife. I know she was a big part of your life. And the baby … well, I don’t want you to forget about them.”
Jax's face softened. He reached across and took her hand. “I won't. I did love her. I never thought I’d be able to love anyone again, but with you, it’s different … better in some ways.” His eye took on a devilish gleam. “And maybe someday there will be another baby.”
Faith blushed and pressed her hand to her belly. Was a baby growing in there right now? Too early to tell, but the thought filled her with delight.
“How is your sister?”
“Huh? Oh!” Faith glanced down at the newly received letter from Mercy that she had been reading. “She’s fine. They’re all fine.”
“Now that Lefty is out of the picture, they should stay that way.”
A wave of thankfulness washed over Faith. Things couldn’t have turned out better for her and Jax. Sheriff Fuller had discovered items in both Lefty’s and Cleb’s saddlebags that had been stolen in one of the stagecoach robberies. They’d been arrested and it would be a long time before they saw the light of day. Neither of them were any threat to Faith’s sisters or the girls at the saloon. And with Cleb out of town, Jax and Ryder could open their own place with no competition.
“Yes, and the town has two less criminals,” Faith pointed out.
“Right. Too bad the stagecoach robberies haven’t stopped,” Jax pressed his lips together. “Clearly Cleb and Lefty weren’t doing that alone.”
“I am a little worried about Silas O’Toole. Did you ever find out what happened to him?” Faith asked.
Jax shook his head. “I don’t think you need to worry. With Lefty gone, he would have no reason to follow through with the threat on your sisters. My guess is he’s headed as far from Boston and any association with Lefty as he can get.”
“I hope so. Mercy is chomping at the bit to get into doctoring and I don’t want Silas messing things up for her. She seems very upset that Lefty has left town and the ‘opportunity’ she thought she had with him has disappeared.”
“We could help her out,” Jax suggested.
“She would never go for that. She’s too proud to just accept money. She needs to earn it. And it has to look like it was her idea.” Now that Faith had her ‘happily-ever-after’ with Jax, she wanted one for Mercy, too. She wanted it for all of her sisters, but Mercy was going to be a hard sell.
Mercy’s stubborn abrasiveness usually turned men away. That, coupled with the fact that she didn’t really care to get married and that her whole focus was on becoming a doctor pretty much guaranteed she’d stay single. Before coming to Goldwater Creek, Faith would have thought that a fine plan. But that was before Jax. Now that she knew how wonderful true love could be, she wanted to spread it around.
If only Faith could find some way for Mercy to have her career in medicine and find true love.
A knock sounded at the front door seconds before it was pushed open. Loud footsteps in the hall brought Jax to his feet.
Ryder Devlin came storming into the room, his face twisted in angst.
"Ryder what is it?” Jax asked.
Ryder waved his hand. “Sit. Damn it, where’s the whiskey.”
Jax sat and nodded toward the side table. Ryder poured himself a drink.
Concern fluttered in Faith’s belly as she watched Ryder gulp it down. He wasn’t much of a drinker, normally, and it was obvious something was dreadfully wrong. “What is it?”
“Bessie Mae. She’s real sick.” Ryder’s voice broke and he looked away.
“Oh, no!” Faith shot up from the chair. “I’ll go to her.”
“No, not that kind of sick. She’s fine right now. But the coughing … well, looks like it was more than just allergies and Doc Schumann said it doesn’t look good. She may not be around for long.”
Faith’s heart twisted. She knew how much Ryder loved Bessie Mae and Faith had become very fond of her, too. She hated to think of the feisty woman succumbing to illness.
“Oh gosh I’m sorry to hear that. Is there nothing we can do?”
Ryder shook his head. “There's something else.”
“What?” Jax asked.
“Bessie Mae is so happy that the two of you found each other. She said it warmed her heart to see how in love you were and her last wish is to see me married and as happy as you two.”
Jax’s left brow ticked up. “Married? You?”
Ryder snorted “Yeah. You know how I feel about that … but I can’t deny Bessie Mae her final wish. You know she means the world to me and if me getting married gives her peace ... Well.” He shrugged and spread his hands.
“So, who’s the lucky girl?” Jax asked.
“No one from here. There’s no one I care that much about here and anyway, Bessie doesn’t need to know it’s not a real marriage, right?” Ryder said. “I figured maybe I could send away for a mail order bride and get the same kind of arrangement that you two had … I mean before.”
“You mean a b
usiness arrangement? To act as man and wife to appease Bessie Mae?” Faith asked.
“Yep, and then after she … well, you know. After that, we can dissolve the marriage.”
Faith glanced down at the letter from Mercy. Ryder did the doctoring of most of the animals in town. He wasn’t a ‘people’ doctor, but doctoring an animal was pretty close. That might be a good start for Mercy. She’d learn a lot about medicine. Ryder was handsome and a good man … and if a spark developed like it had with her and Jax …”
“Let me get the address of the place I mailed to,” Jax said. “Lucky for you Lefty won’t be around to intercept yours.”
Jax pushed up from the chair, but Faith shot her hand out to stop him. She held the letter up with her other hand.
“There’s no need to get the address. I think I have the perfect solution.”
The End.
* * *
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An Unexpected Proposal
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Dobbs “Fancytales”
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