Page 20 of A Steadfast Heart (Wind River Mail-Order Brides #2)

P lease let her be here .

Drew pulled back Solomon’s reins as he passed the first shops of Blackthorn. “Easy, boy. We’re here now.” Solomon slowed to a walk. His breath shuddered. The horse had given his all on this trip. His brothers reined their mounts in as well. All the horses needed to be walked, rubbed down, watered, and rested. He had time for none of it.

Kaitlyn needed him.

His brothers moved closer. “How are Lightning and Surrey?”

Ed rubbed Lightning’s neck. “He’s got more to give, considering the circumstances.”

Solomon sidestepped. Circumstances . What a simple word to cover Kaitlyn in the hands of a madman. She had to be terrified. Better than anyone, she knew what her brother was capable of. Had she managed to get off the train? Had Michael followed her? Where would she hide in a town she didn’t know? Find help in a town shut down for the night?

Nick urged his horse up next to Solomon. “Surrey is tired, but he can go a bit farther. We need to search the town.”

An uneasy peace settled into Drew. If Michael wanted Kaitlyn’s inheritance, he couldn’t kill her before she signed it over to him. He’d have to find a judge to witness the transaction. That gave Drew time to find her. This town, or the next, or the one after that—it didn’t matter. He’d find her.

Just stay alive, sweetheart. I’m coming .

The town was dark, empty. As would be expected at eight o’clock at night. The train should have pulled out two hours ago. Had it been dark when she arrived? Getting there, probably. Where would she go?

Nick laid a hand on his shoulder. “She’s at the sheriff’s office. She’d feel safe there.”

Ed frowned. “After Wallace locked us up for protecting her? Not likely. She’ll seek people. The hotel. Or maybe the church.” He stopped a man passing by. “Your church hold evening services?”

The man shook his head.

There went that idea. But Kaitlyn wouldn’t seek crowds. Too many people had let her down. The parsonage? Maybe. Or would she hide? “There’s too much ground to cover.”

Ed pulled his hat off and ran a hand through his hair. “Danna’s bringing help, but it’ll take a while for her to round up enough men.”

A polite way of saying that no one in town wanted to side against Quade. Help would be an hour behind them at least. Maybe more. They couldn’t wait that long. “Nick, check the sheriff’s office. Ed, the hotel. I’ll try the parsonage. But keep your eyes open. If her brother followed her, she may simply hide. We’ll meet at the hotel.”

Nick and Ed split off in different directions. Drew followed a side street that ran behind Main Street. The backs of businesses lay on his left and small houses on his right. Only a little light from the saloon and hotel reached this far. His eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom.

Something rustled, then scurried in the garbage behind what must be a restaurant, judging by the aromas. A back door opened. He swiveled in the saddle only to swallow Kaitlyn’s name before it could escape. A shopkeeper waved a hand before adding wood from broken-down crates onto a pile.

Drew turned to the houses on the other side of the street. Windows glowed from hurricane lanterns, but no sounds escaped. The wind picked up, rubbing tree limbs against the building next to him.

A twig snapped. Drew spun to gaze into the alley between the two stores beside him. There. A shadow moved.

There was someone back there.

A shoe sole scuffed against a rock. The shadow slipped closer to a huddle of blue leaning against the wall.

Blue. Kaitlyn’s dress was blue.

Every muscle stiffened, then he flung himself from Solomon, not even taking time to ground tie him. That was Kaitlyn. He knew it was. He ran down the alleyway.

The shadow slunk closer to Kaitlyn. Michael. It had to be. It grabbed Kaitlyn’s arm and yanked her to her feet. “Did you really think you could escape me?”

Drew hit Michael at a dead run. The other man stumbled away from Kaitlyn. His Kaitlyn. How he wanted to check with her, see how she was, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off the man in front of him. Drew’s hand dropped to his holster, but he didn’t draw his gun. Michael had held a gun on Kaitlyn in Calvin. Drawing his own would only escalate this, and he didn’t want Kaitlyn anywhere near a gun fight.

Michael shoved him. He took a step back and heard Kaitlyn stumble, then hit the ground. “Drew! He has a gun!” Her voice shook. Was she okay? He caught a movement from the corner of his eye too late to dodge Michael’s punch to his gut. His breath wheezed out, and pain flared.

Michael pulled a gun from his jacket pocket.

The blood froze in Drew’s veins, but his body didn’t wait for instructions. He threw his shoulder into the smaller man’s stomach and wrapped both hands around the gun. He should have drawn while he’d had the chance.

Sounds came from behind him. The scuffle of boots gaining a foothold. Kaitlyn was standing. “Down, Katie. Get down!”

“Michael, stop! It’s over.” Kaitlyn’s voice echoed through the alley.

Footsteps pounded away down Main Street’s boardwalk. Going to get the sheriff? He could only hope. Nick might still be there too. The more reinforcements, the better.

Michael tried to pull his gun free. “It’s not over until I say it is. You’ve ruined everything.” He brought his other hand up toward Drew’s face. Drew dodged his attempt to gouge his eye but didn’t manage to avoid the fingernails on his cheek.

Michael slipped his gun hand free and fired. The shot went wide.

Drew charged Michael and wrapped him in a bear hug. “Run, Kaitlyn! Find Ed and Nick!”

“She ain’t going nowhere.” Michael lifted the gun and brought the butt down onto Drew’s head.

Stars exploded behind his eyes. No! He couldn’t pass out. He tightened his grip. He couldn’t let go.

God, help me!

His fist crashed into Michael’s gut, then his face. Somehow, he didn’t feel the impact. He punched again. And again.

This beast had hurt Kaitlyn. Crash.

Bruised her. Crash.

Frightened her. Crash.

Now his knuckles stung, but he ignored them.

Michael dropped the gun. Drew grabbed it and aimed it at Michael. “This ends. Now.”

Michael froze. A door opened, letting light into the alley. Drew met Michael’s gaze. A predator’s gaze, but worse. Evil lurked in those eyes.

Kaitlyn stepped up beside Drew. Her lavender scent untied the knots in his gut. She was safe. Alive. He spared her a quick glance. The bruise on her cheek sent fury racing through him. His finger moved to the trigger. “Maybe I’ll just shoot him.”

Kaitlyn laid a cool hand on his arm. “Drew, no. Think about the kids.”

He pulled in a shuddering breath. Another. She was right. He wasn’t a murderer. And he wasn’t going to let Michael turn him into one. “Your sister is more merciful than I am.” He drew in another steadying breath. “It’s time to let this go. Kaitlyn is my wife. All we want is a peaceful life.”

“What about what I want?” Michael shouted. “Kaitlyn is set to marry my friend.”

“It’s too late for that. She’s already married to me.”

Nick entered the alley and stopped in the splash of light from the open shop door. “Drew? Kaitlyn? Are you okay? We heard a shot.”

Drew glanced toward his brother. Michael lunged forward, knocking the gun aside. He raced toward the back of the alley, heading toward Solomon, Nick and Ed on his heels.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Michael put his foot in the stirrup. When he stepped up, attempting to get into the saddle, Solomon danced sideways. The movement jostled Michael, who tried to hang on to the saddle. Solomon kicked his hind feet in the air, sending Michael flying.

There was an audible thud when he landed.

Ed got to him first, knelt to check for a pulse. Then he stood and stopped Nick from checking, shaking his head.

Drew swallowed hard, then turned Kaitlyn into his chest. If his brothers had left Michael, the man no longer had to worry about facing a jury of his peers. Instead, he stood before the ultimate judge.

Kaitlyn shuddered in his arms.

A deputy rode up beside Solomon, dismounted, and examined Michael’s body. Then he led his horse through the alley and stopped next to Nick and Ed. Their words didn’t reach Drew, and he didn’t care. His world was in his arms.

Kaitlyn’s arms tightened around his waist. “Is he…”

He rubbed his cheek across the top of her head, her hair catching in his stubble. “He’s gone. He won’t bother you ever again.”

She sobbed. “I d-didn’t w-want it t-to end this way.”

“I know, sweetheart. I know.”

Her tears wet his shirt. He rubbed her back soothingly, the warmth of her in his arms reminding him she was alive. “It’s over. At least now it’s over.”

It was over.

He’d lost Ed’s homestead, but Katie was safe. That was all the victory he needed.

* * *

Kaitlyn couldn’t stop shaking.

She buried her face in her husband’s chest, the tears seemingly unstoppable. Drew’s arms surrounded her, enveloped her. Warmth flooded her heart. He had come for her.

Drew’s arms tightened around her. Strong from hard work providing for his family. Protecting his loved ones. She leaned against him, and he let her, didn’t move away.

His hand ran down her spine, then up to her nape. His fingers dug into her hair. “Shh, now. It’s over. Everything’s over.”

A shuddering breath escaped her. Michael was dead. She had lived her entire life in fear of him, and now he was gone. It didn’t feel as wonderful as she would have guessed. She had never wanted him dead.

She forced another deep breath, and sobs quieted, though the tears still flowed.

Thank You, God, for sending Drew .

There was no place she’d rather be than in her husband’s arms. “I pushed you away, but you still came,” she murmured.

He guided her toward the main street and tilted her head so the light fell on her cheek. He ran his finger across the mark that Michael had left. “I should have got here sooner.”

She leaned back to look into his eyes. Warm, gray eyes. Loving eyes? She leaned toward him, her heart warming. Could it be?

His hand tightened on her waist in a brief caress. “I knew you’d find a way off that train. My clever, clever girl.”

His praise filled a deep pit inside her soul. A pit dug by all the times she’d been told not to discuss anything more important than the latest fashion. That men didn’t want women who thought for themselves. Maybe she’d had to travel a thousand miles to find a man with the confidence to let her be herself, but it had been worth the trip.

She ran a finger along the red marks her brother had left on Drew’s cheek. “How’d you know?”

“I knew you.” He smiled. “Didn’t know for sure you’d manage it this soon, but that didn’t matter. If you weren’t here, I’d have checked the next town, and the next, all the way to St. Louis if I had to.”

She grinned impishly. “Think Solomon could carry you that far?”

“I know he would. He wanted you back near as much as I did. Did you think I didn’t notice the treats you slipped him?”

Kaitlyn’s cheeks warmed. “I needed someone to help me hide my mistakes in the kitchen.” She froze as her comment echoed in her mind. Mistake. She pulled away from him slightly. He hadn’t heard what she’d said back in Calvin. He wouldn’t be here if he had.

The deputy moved toward them. “The sheriff will want to take statements from both of you in his office.”

Drew pulled Kaitlyn close. “We’ll be there shortly. As soon as my wife catches her breath.”

My wife. Would he still call her that if he knew?

The deputy swept her with a glance. Somehow, she knew he hadn’t missed her tears or the bruise on her cheek, even in the low light from the surrounding buildings. “Quicker is better though. Less time to dread it that way.”

Drew nodded.

Less time to dread it. There was wisdom in that statement. She gathered the shreds of her courage that remained after escaping her brother and faced her husband. “I have to tell you something.” Her cheeks burned, and her gaze dropped to the ground.

“Okay.”

“I, um, said some things to the deputy back in Calvin. Things I, well, things I didn’t mean.”

He tugged her back into his embrace. “Shh, Kaitlyn. I know.”

She shook her head. He couldn’t know. She had to tell him. “I was trying to?—”

He stepped back just enough that he could lift her chin with his finger. His gaze met hers steadily. “Protect me and the kids. Kaitlyn, I know.”

His emphasis on the last two words arrowed into her heart. His eyes remained warm and loving. He did know, and there was no anger anywhere in his expression. More tears found their way down her cheeks, but her smile stretched wide. She melted against him, finding her home in his embrace. He knew, and he’d come after her anyway.

“If I’m completely honest, I have to say I believed it at first. I had to calm down before I could realize that I knew you better than that. Knew you would do whatever it took to keep the kids safe. To keep the ranch safe. Even say the one thing guaranteed to make me turn away from you toward them.”

The ranch. Her smile fell, and she stepped back from him. Chills traveled over her skin. Oh, Lord, the ranch. “If you and Ed and Nick came after me…”

He nodded, his eyes serious. “We won’t be able to finish the cabin. Quade won. But Kaitlyn, I have you. I won too.”

“I’m so sorry, Drew.” Her voice trembled and her throat grew tight.

“I’m not. When we walked out of that jail, the choice was the homestead or you. I didn’t have to think about that, not even for a split second. There is always more land. There is only one you.”

He pulled her closer again, and his warmth seeped into the cold places in her heart. He rubbed his cheek against her hair. “I love you, Kaitlyn. I told myself to wait until the cabin was finished, till I could give you my full attention and convince you how I felt. But the truth is, I was scared. Scared of opening my heart again.”

She pulled back a bit and saw a flicker of uncertainty in his expression. She laid a hand against his cheek, fingering the marks he’d gotten fighting for her. “I was scared too. Scared I wouldn’t be enough for you. For the kids.”

“How could you not be enough? You’re everything, Kaitlyn. My everything.”

He rubbed a tear away with his thumb, his calloused hand rough against her cheek. She turned her face into the caress as warmth flooded her soul. Protection. Acceptance. Love. Understanding. It was all there in his gaze, his touch. “Oh, Drew, I love you so much!”

He kissed her forehead. Her cheek. The tip of her nose. She rose on tiptoe as he lowered his head to hers, his lips firm against hers. She felt commitment in that kiss. Homecoming.

He raised his head enough to whisper, “I want this to be a real marriage. A marriage with love at its center.”

A smile spread across her face, and her eyes brightened with joy. “I want that too. So much.”

Later, much later, she snuggled next to him in a hotel bed, her cheek resting on his chest, her mind drifting over the eventful day.

She’d never thought she’d feel grateful for brothers, but Nick and Ed were nothing like Michael. She might not know Isaac as well, but she knew enough to know he wasn’t either. When Ed had hugged her to welcome her to the family, he’d whispered, “I’ve never seen my brother so happy. The cabin doesn’t matter. Don’t you give it another thought.”

Except how was she supposed to do that? It was supposed to be his home, and he was her family now. There had to be a way. Maybe they could try to prove up a different piece of land. She bit her lip. Or…

“Drew, what happens to the land if we can’t prove it up?”

Drew blinked awake from the pillow next to hers. “Hmm—what?” His voice was still rough from sleep.

She sat up, tugging the blankets around her shoulders. “It goes up for sale, right?”

Drew nodded.

Her grip tightened on the blankets. “The bank will be open, and my money is there. What if we buy the land before anyone else can?”

Drew looked thoughtful for a moment, then he smiled. “The land office is in Calvin.”

“Then I guess we’d best get moving, Mr. McGraw.”