Page 17 of A Steadfast Heart (Wind River Mail-Order Brides #2)

“I haven’t seen you this relaxed in months, maybe ever.” Barclay took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. “You finished that cabin?”

The churchyard was full as the congregation visited after service. Drew stood off to the side as Kaitlyn talked to a few of the women. Her blue dress made her hair brighter, and her smile made his heart lighter. The gossip still left its mark, but it was fading. Nick and Ed had gone to check on the horses. The kids were behind the church with their friends.

Drew shook his head to answer his friend’s question. The cabin wasn’t done, but Kaitlyn was back. Somehow, he couldn’t help smiling.

The train whistle blew its first warning. It must be getting close to one o’clock if it was preparing to pull out.

They’d need to leave soon. He wanted to finish the cabin today so he could turn his attention to more important things, namely spending time with Kaitlyn. But she had insisted they go to church. She was right, of course. They had so much to be grateful for.

Ed’s cabin only needed a few more rows of shingles and some windowpanes to make it watertight. They could work on that after church, even finish on Monday morning before Duff arrived if they had to.

All because of Kaitlyn.

The men she’d brought had made all the difference in the project, just as her coffee and encouragement made a long night of work almost pleasant. Then there’d been breakfast. He’d stayed to help her clear the table. She’d had no more sleep than anyone else, after all.

And she’d offered to buy hay for his cattle.

He’d argued, and she’d asked if he really wanted to let their cattle starve.

He’d promised to pay her back, and she’d poked her finger into his chest. With flashing eyes, she’d asked if the ranch was her home.

How he’d wanted to say yes, but home implied love, and he sure didn’t want to bring that up in the middle of an argument. He didn’t claim to understand women, but even he knew better than that.

He’d resisted the urge to kiss her as well. He wouldn’t kiss her again until they knew where they stood. Until he knew if he could tear down the last of the fences around his heart or if he had to rebuild them higher than before.

Lord, I could sure use some help in the silver-tongue department.

Barclay laid a hand on his arm. “Who’s that?”

Drew followed his gaze. A blond man pushed through the small group of women and stopped too close to Kaitlyn, his body crowding her. Kaitlyn stepped back, and the man followed her. Her face paled. Her lips formed the word Michael .

Drew’s vision tunneled and sounds around him faded. He was too far away. He whistled. Solomon wasn’t here to answer, but his brothers would recognize the notes and be right behind him. The crowd quieted and searched for the source of the noise.

Why didn’t they help Kaitlyn?

She backed up another step, but the church building blocked any further retreat.

He sprinted across the churchyard.

Every eye followed his path.

Ed and Nick rounded the corner of the building, but too many people stood between him and his brothers.

Kaitlyn pulled against the grip her brother had on her, but he didn’t release her. Drew’s heart raced. No more. He’d promised Michael would never lay a hand on her again.

Michael clutched her arm. “It’s all right, Kaitlyn. I’m here to help you.” His voice was pitched to carry. He wanted everyone to hear.

Judging by the people’s expressions, it was working.

Several cowboys elbowed their way into the crowd. Maybe they’d help.

“Your letter said that McGraw forced this marriage.” Michael shook a piece of paper.

Kaitlyn violently shook her head.

Drew was close enough. Finally. “Get your hands off her.” He grabbed Michael’s shoulder and spun him around.

Kaitlyn stumbled free.

Michael stepped toward her, a look of concern on his face. He was a good actor.

No. That man was never going to touch his wife again. Drew swung at Michael’s jaw, but the other man moved. Drew’s punch landed on Michael’s shoulder, but it was still enough to make Michael stagger. Good. How many bruises had he left on Kaitlyn over the years?

A cowhand joined Michael but shoved Drew.

Hadn’t he seen Kaitlyn struggling to get away? “I have to get to my wife.”

The man shoved Drew back a few steps. “Hey, mister. This guy’s just defending his sister.”

The cowhand blocked his path, sidestepped to stay in front of him.

Fury poured through Drew, turning the edges of his vision red with rage. His fist crunched into the cowhand’s cheek. Kaitlyn. He had to find her.

Two men grabbed his arms from behind and turned him back to face the cowhand, who landed a fist into his gut. Drew wheezed. Nick and Ed pulled his captors away only to have more men join the fight.

Too many men.

Men blocked him from his brothers. Two men shoved Nick to the ground. Drew ran toward him only to be caught from behind.

Where was Kaitlyn?

A flash of blue. There. In the crowd. Barclay and Fisher were close by.

“What’s going on here?” Drew turned toward the voice. A deputy. He’d have sounded more authoritative if his voice hadn’t gone shrill. A fist hit Drew’s kidney. He faced the man who’d thrown it.

Ed grabbed Drew’s arm, his knuckles reddened. “The law will help, Drew. Danna will get this sorted. You can stop now.”

Drew exhaled, then nodded to his younger brother, who had a scrape across his cheek. Danna knew the situation. She’d protect Katie.

Quade stepped onto the boardwalk to stand beside the deputy.

Drew shook his head. What was Quade doing here?

Quade stepped forward. “Deputy. I walked out of church to find these men roughing up my hands.”

“That’s not how it happened.” Ed stepped up beside Drew. His shirt had come untucked, and it looked like he’d soon have a black eye. Drew’s own wounds stung harder in sympathy.

Drew straightened, ignoring the ache in his kidney. “Where’s Danna?” he demanded. His split lip stung as he formed the words. Had Danna warned her men about Michael? If she hadn’t, would anyone listen?

The first cowhand got into his face. “He punched me first.”

“I was trying to get to my wife. That man was threatening her.”

“That man is her brother.” The cowhand put on his hat.

It had conchas.

This was Quade’s man.

Quade, in his perfect three-piece suit, laid a hand on the deputy’s shoulder.

The very young deputy.

This was a setup.

Drew pivoted. Where was Kaitlyn? He couldn’t see her in the crowd.

He bumped into Conchas, who grabbed him. Drew struggled free, but more cowboys restrained him.

“Kaitlyn!”

“Marshal won’t look kindly on a public disturbance,” the young deputy said. “You’re all coming over to the jail until we can sort this out.”

Quade caught Drew’s eye and smiled. “Fine by me. I’m sure my men were only acting in the interests of that young woman.”

Drew turned to the crowd. “But you saw him. That man took my wife with him. I have to find her!”

The deputy came forward and took his arm. “You need to come with me.” He turned to the men around them. “You too.”

Drew’s gut ached from more than a punch. He scanned the crowd. Michael and Kaitlyn had disappeared. His heart froze in his chest. “Barclay! Find Kaitlyn! Help my wife!” The deputy grabbed him. He pulled free. “Barclay!” More arms restrained him.

Had his friend heard him?

“Barclay!”

* * *

“No!”

Kaitlyn pulled against Michael’s viselike grip. Pain exploded through her upper arm. This couldn’t be happening.

Shouts broke out to her right, and Michael looked that direction. Kaitlyn yanked her arm from his grasp and ran, shoving through the stunned crowd.

The kids. Where were the kids?

She spotted David and Tillie at the edge of a swarm of men. She barreled toward them while scanning the area for Jo. She located Drew in the midst of the melee and then Jo trying to wade into the fray. Kaitlyn’s heart leapt to her throat, nearly choking her. Jo wouldn’t think twice about joining the ruckus, and she was short enough most of the men wouldn’t see her. One misplaced punch would knock her down—or worse.

Kaitlyn shoved through the people between her and Jo and caught the little girl’s shoulder. Jo spun around from the force of Kaitlyn’s grip, but she didn’t dare loosen her hold.

She slid her hand down the girl’s arm and grabbed her hand. “You stay with me.”

Jo stomped Kaitlyn’s foot. “Let me go.”

Pain flared, but Kaitlyn didn’t release Jo’s hand. “No. You will stay with me.” Kaitlyn’s jaw tightened enough to make her neck ache. She didn’t know where Michael was. She had to get the children.

Jo tried to fold her arms over her chest, but Kaitlyn dragged her to where David and Tillie stood. She took Tillie’s hand. “David, take Jo’s other hand. We have to stay together.”

“But Pa needs us,” David said.

“Remember when your father protected Jo from Crazy Cow?”

David nodded.

“If you go over there, he’ll want to protect you, and he needs to focus on the men around him.” And on Michael. No telling what he would do next.

David’s shoulders slumped, but he nodded.

Kaitlyn looked back to the brawl. It seemed to have calmed some. She moved to get a better view.

The deputy was restraining Drew.

Ice squeezed around her heart. If the brothers were in jail, who would protect the children from Michael?

Drew’s voice rose above the fray. “Barclay! Take care of Kaitlyn!”

If only she knew where Barclay was.

She spun around, her gaze sorting through the people gathered in front of the church. No one was coming in her direction. The few who looked her way wore grim expressions, then looked away.

She scanned the people around her. She couldn’t let Michael get near the kids. There had been desperation in his eyes. No matter what he did to her, she couldn’t let him touch the children.

Please, God, I’ll do anything. Just protect this family.

“David, where’s the wagon?”

“By the general store. Remember? Pa didn’t want to park at the churchyard so we could get out quicker.”

She stopped, took a deep breath. Then another. That was right. Drew had said they could leave quicker that way, if the ladies didn’t want to talk to Kaitlyn too long. Then he’d winked at her, taking any sting out of the words.

He’d winked. Just this morning. An hour ago? Two?

Was it always going to be this way? Building a life only to have her brother crash it down?

One more deep breath. She didn’t matter. Only Drew and the children did. If she could leave the kids at the wagon, they would be safe. Michael wouldn’t recognize the children, only her.

“That’s right, David. I remember now.” She changed directions and took them toward the general store.

She took Jo’s hand, and the little girl was frightened enough to let her.

A shadow moved, stepped out from the space between two storefronts. Hands shoved her to the side. She stumbled, dropped down to one knee before regaining her balance. Tillie’s hand slipped from her grip.

Kaitlyn surged to her feet. Too late. He’d found them. She slowly turned to face her brother.

Michael pulled Tillie toward himself with one hand and waved a gun in the other.

Kaitlyn’s eyes locked on the weapon. Her heart pounded and her skin grew clammy. He’d never practiced shooting, didn’t even know to control where it pointed. She launched herself into Michael, jarring Tillie loose from his grip. “Run!” she screamed. “Find Merritt and Jack.”

The children scattered. Michael wrapped her into a bear hug. She struggled, but he shoved his gun into his pocket and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. She screamed as he spun her around and pulled her back against his chest. He slammed his hand over her mouth.

“No more of that, sister dear. Not unless you want me to find those children again. It wasn’t hard to hire men for a brawl. Rounding up a few squirming brats shouldn’t cost much either.”

Kaitlyn froze.

“That’s more like it.” His hot breath on her neck made her shudder. “Maybe I should round up one of the children anyway. Just to keep you in line.”

Kaitlyn’s breath seized. In an instant, she was back in that storage closet in St. Louis. Except this time, Tillie was beside her. The image seemed so real she wanted to scream and pound the walls. Her breath came in quick pants, but she managed to remain silent.

Michael shook her. Once. Twice. Her neck popped from the force. She jammed her teeth together to trap a cry of pain.

“Now, my dearest sister, you are coming back to St. Louis with me to get this ridiculous marriage annulled. We have an appointment with a judge who understands the limitations of the female mind.”

Ice burned a trail to her heart. He’d paid off a judge. There was no way out.