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Chapter 15
Angus sat in his favorite rocker on the porch and sipped the freshly made lemonade Mrs. Peterson provided. He’d returned, empty handed, the night before from his search for Pauline. He expected Aiden to be back from his own quest to find his fiancé any time now. He hoped he’d had better luck.
Sheriff Thompkins lazily climbed the steps of the boarding house porch and greeted Angus with a friendly smile. The jail was next to the telegraph office so when he learned that Angus received a telegraph he offered to deliver it.
Angus thanked the sheriff for his kindness as he accepted the message. It was from Maggie. He was eager to read it, but didn’t want to be rude while the sheriff was still there sharing pleasantries.
“Tell you what,” Sheriff Thompkins said with a knowing tone. “I’ll go see if I can convince Mrs. Peterson to spare another glass of lemonade while you read your wired message.”
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“I don’t know why we can’t just leave right now,” Pauline whined as she lay cuddled into Aiden’s chest on the bed. “I want to go home.”“About that,” Aiden said. “Angus…”“Did he come to fetch me for marriage?” she gasped as she sat up and faced him. “I can’t marry him, Aiden. I love you. I don’t want to marry anyone else. My parents can’t force me or…”’“Don’t you dare say you’d run away,” Aiden said firmly.“I’d never do that again,” she said earnestly. It’s just that… I love you. Even if you don’t love me back. I’d rather die a spinster than marry anyone else.”“That’s good to know,” Aiden smiled.“I’m glad you find it amusing,” she said indignantly. “I know that, when y
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“What did you do with the gunslinger?” Aiden asked as he seated himself at the dinner table next to Pauline.“As much as I hate to say this,” Eliza said as she set a bowl of boiled potatoes on the table and then gently laid her hand on Angus’ shoulder. “You three better leave tonight. Ed Stark laid claim on Pauline. I heard him arguing with Mr. Smith about it. He won’t take kindly to losing her. She’s worth a lot of money to him.”Angus smiled and patted her small hand with his large, calloused one. “I hate that we’re leaving you behind to deal with this scum. Come with us.”A slight gasp left both Eliza’s and Pauline’s lips upon hearing Angus’ invitation. Aiden looked at his friend with surprise and then at the pretty boarding house proprietress. Had he been so wrapped up in his own troubles that he didn’t notice a budding romance
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With Adam Smith dead upstairs, only Ed Stark posed a threat to come after them once they escaped. He was determined to eliminate that threat. It was bad enough he was heading home to face an onslaught by Indians, he didn’t need to deal with an angry, devious, whore trader as well. It wasn’t until Aiden saw a bullet pierce Ed Stark’s heart before he would agree to use the tunnel to escape the fire. The house was in flames by then.The tunnel was narrower and much longer than he expected. Aiden was forced to crouch in order to move through it. The deeper they went, the more stagnant the air, until it felt as if he was going to suffocate. Never a lover of tight spaces, he feared panicking from claustrophobia before they reached the end.When he was finally able to stand tall and breathe clear, fresh air again, he realized they’d come out on the edge of town, near the livery stable. The tunnel had to b
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The train was crowded. Aiden managed to arrange for a private car after they reached Houston. Until then, he did his best to make sure that Pauline was as comfortable as possible in the overpacked public car.They reached Houston late in the afternoon and eagerly de-boarded. They had a two-hour layover, so Aiden suggested they find a restaurant that wasn’t too far from the station and have a decent meal. No one objected.They didn’t have to go too far before they came across a small steak house that offered indoor and outdoor seating. They opted for the outdoor seating so that they could enjoy the fresh air just a little longer. Once they boarded the train, the windows would need to be shut in order to prevent the smoke from the engine from entering.Dinner consisted of prime rib, corn-on-the-cob, roasted pumpkin, and bread pudding. Pauline was so starved for decent food that she ate in a manner that her mother would hav
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They reached Brownsville with no mishaps. Aiden was reluctant to put Pauline through any more travel by horseback, or even buggy, until she’d been seen by a reputable doctor. His need to get to the ranch as fast as possible posed a problem. He approached Eliza and Angus with the dilemma. It was agreed that he would rent Eliza and Pauline rooms in Brownsville’s finest hotel and have a doctor sent for. He and Angus would continue on to the ranch and return for them once the renegade threat was dealt with.Although Pauline would have preferred to continue on with Aiden, she wasn’t keen on getting caught up in any more gunfire. Plus she really was suffering from the pain in her hip. Even though she didn’t like the idea of being left without a male protector, she agreed it was the best course of action.Aiden waited to hear what the doctor had to say before he and Angus rode on to his ranch. Pauline was correct with her self-diagnosis.&nb
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Maggie paced the porch while she waited for her ranch hands to return with news of the damage done to the south pasture. She hoped Aiden and Angus returned soon. She was grateful when she received the wire telling her that they found the girl and would be coming straight away. She would have felt awful pulling Aiden off the search otherwise, but it couldn’t be helped. Renegade Mexicans had paired up with a few rogue Cherokee and they were raising hell with the cattle and property. They even set fire to the west pastures near the river. Rumor had it that they intended to do the same with the south pastures. If this kept up, there’d be no grazing for whatever livestock they managed to save from being stolen or killed.The sight of two men on horseback coming up the long path from the Bar J&K entrance caught her attention. Was it Aiden and Angus or her men? She placed the edge of her hand against her forehead
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The trip from Brownsville to the Bar J&K was about a ninety-minute ride. When Micky informed Pauline that they’d reached the start of the ranch, Pauline relaxed and breathed easy. They were almost there. She was so wrapped up in reveling over the fact that they’d made it to the ranch safely that she didn’t notice how alert Micky and Maggie suddenly became. What Micky failed to mention was that they’d reached the area where, if the gang was going to ambush them, this was probably the place they’d do it.“How long before we reach the house?” Pauline asked wistfully as she pulled her horse abreast with Maggie’s. “This horse has an unusually rough gait. My hip and leg are beginning to ache.”“I noticed that rough gate, but the livery didn’t have anything else tame enough for you,” Micky offered from behind them.“You are mistaken about my riding ability,&r
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