A Ransomed Heart (14 page)

“Let me help you
, Bella,” he whispered, the smell of peppermint washing over her. “I don’t want it to be too late for you.”

She sighed and closed her eyes. It was already too late. She had made her promise long before she came to Hope, long before she met Logan.

“There’s nothing you can do,” she said defeated.

His hand left her arm and cupped her chin, lifting it so she could look at him. “Let me be the judge of that.”

His face was so full of compassion Annabelle almost blurted out the whole awful tale. Instead she focused on his mouth and his perfectly formed lips. She couldn’t help but remember the kiss he had bestowed upon her a few nights ago in this very barn. Without knowing it she leaned into him, her shoulder resting on his firm chest. She wanted him to kiss her and make her forget all her problems. She so desperately wanted him to help her feel something besides pain and frustration. Then, as if he could read her mind his mouth lowered slowly to hers.

It was a kiss of tenderness and understanding, like he was willing to help her with any problem she might have. His lips were soft and full against her own. Slowly he coaxed her into kissing him back. She leaned even farther into him, her hand slipping up over his bare shoulders and around his neck. The back of his hair was moist from hard work but it just confirmed he was a hard worker, a rugged cowboy th
rough and through. Annabelle threw caution to the wind and plunged her hands into his thick hair. He groaned and pulled her tighter against him, his kiss deepening.

He kissed her over and over again, leaving her breathless as his mouth traveled down her neck and under her ear. “Let me help you
, Bella,” he whispered again, his voice husky with emotion.

Annabelle’s
heart pinched and she closed her eyes, fighting back the tears which prickled behind her lids. Even if he could help her how would she ever tell him she agreed to marry a man she never met? Humiliation mixed with a myriad of other emotions and she pushed away from him. Her hands lingered on the smooth warm skin on his chest and then she lowered her eyes in defeat. Shaking her head as the tears fell to the hard-packed earth she gathered her skirts and fled to the house.

The morning of departure had arrived. Annabelle picked at her food unwilling to look at the sad faces around her. Mama’s
normally serene look was stricken and Kit’s quick wit had made its way out the door. Logan had barely been civil to her since their intimate encounter. She knew he was angry she had refused him, both his help and his attentions, but she couldn’t allow herself to tell him what she had done. In the early hours of the morning she was sure her heart had broken. Last night she had slept in Kit’s bed in an attempt to distance herself from a dream she would never have. Every time she closed her eyes she could feel his lips on hers and his peppermint breath tickling her skin. She had shed enough tears to fill a small lake, but inside she knew what she had to do.

Annabelle
stood to excuse herself, but before she could leave, Kit handed her a roll of clothing and a beat up felt cowboy hat. He seemed embarrassed and unsure what to say. Without looking up from his food, Logan’s voice filled the room.

“Put those on instead, just in case
something goes wrong and we need you to blend in.”

Annabelle looked at Kit but he just shrugged his
shoulders and smiled weakly at her.

“They
’re mine so they should fit better than Logan’s. Hope that is fine.” His face turned red and he quickly sat down staring at his empty plate.

Mama
caught her eye and nodded her graying head. “Better to be safe, hun.”

Swallowing
hard she turned from them and headed up the ladder to finish packing. She rolled the green silk dress up and tied it with a ribbon, it was in good shape now but she wasn’t going wear it to meet Mr. Sevier. Then with shaking hands she undid the buttons on her blue calico dress and let it slip to the floor. Next came her petticoats, but she decided to leave on her pantaloons and corset, she would feel naked without them. She folded the blue dress and underskirt and tucked them into her carpet bag. The pants felt new and different and fit her poorly; Kit may not be as big as Logan but he was huge compared to her. The shirt fit alright but the vest was hopeless and she left it untied.

Next she went to the mirror and pulled her hair together and braided it, then she pinned it up on top of her head. The hat fit over the hump perfectly and she studied her face in the mirror for a moment. It would have to do. Tying the red bandana around her neck she tried to push away the
anxiety she was feeling. Her boots were fine with the long pant legs over them and she hoped she could pull off the part.

Just before leaving she made
Kit’s bed and looked around the room. For some reason she wanted to cry. Surely she was out of tears by now. She had spent most of the night with moist eyes and she didn’t want to start again. She sat heavily on the bed and looked at the floor. What were these feelings she was having? Could she really be that attached to the insolent man who had taken her away from her life? It seemed impossible, but when her thoughts turned to the morning in the barn, it was clear she loved him. It had been hard letting go of her family and leaving for a place she had never been, it had been hard imagining herself married to man she had never met, but it might be impossible living with that same man if she was in love with another. Hot tears ran down her face and she angrily brushed them away. She had again managed to get herself into a situation she had no answer for. Drawing a deep breath she stood up and grabbed her carpet bag, pushed the hat down onto her head and then moved down the stairs.

Logan had saddled a horse for her and the men were waiting at the front door. Little
Bear and several other young men had joined them. Annabelle felt hesitant; she was leaving here and probably would never return. Dropping the bag to the ground she threw her arms around Mama’s neck and held on tight. She was leaving another mother, how would she ever bear it? The kind woman held on until Annabelle was ready to pull away. Lovingly she brushed a tear away and smiled at the girl.

“Don’t cry
, Baby, all things work out for the best.” Gently she kissed Annabelle’s forehead and then winked a blue eye at her.

Logan took her bag from her and led her to the waiting horse.
He wanted to help her up but was almost afraid to touch her. By far she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She managed without him and continued to avoid his eyes. He waved at Mama and then mounted his own horse. The men followed him anxiously and they turned their mounts in the direction they had come a couple of days before. He felt for his pistol and bandana. He could only hope things would go smoothly.

Yet there was something
which was nagging at him, something about Annabelle. He had to remind himself there was no reason for her to stay with him; he had no way to provide what she needed. Even if she had kissed him back last night, love was rarely a good enough reason in the West. She needed to go back to the life he took her from, he really had no choice.

Kit
rode again by Annabelle, but he was less anxious to talk with her. He seemed pained at her departure and even her sweet smile didn’t help his clouded looks. Annabelle watched Logan at the head of the group, his strong shoulders square in resolution. He was still angry with her, but she knew it was for the best. Tearing her eyes away she reminded herself that sometimes you don’t get what you want. Right now she needed to be thinking about Mr. Robert Sevier, her soon-to-be-husband. Surely he was kind and gentle, and surely she would grow to love him. She could not allow herself to think otherwise, it was too painful.

As they rode the sun rose up to the peak of the sky. It was warm and a slight breeze blew through the
sagebrush. Grasshoppers jumped before them and flies pestered both horse and rider. Annabelle was grateful for the hat Kit had given her, it kept her face from the sun. Her nose was threatening to peel from its last burn and she was glad it wouldn’t be in the ugly glare of the sun for several more hours. Other than a little singed skin and a different dress, she wasn’t any worse for wear than the day she had left to meet her betrothed. Hopefully he would approve of her even after her ordeal. She had no reason to suspect otherwise and she hoped by the end of the day this would all be over.

The landscape was changing
as they again crossed over the creek. Kit pointed downstream and told her if they continued to follow the river they would make it to Regency, a mere one day’s ride away. Slowly the ground became rocky and uneven.  Big boulders lined the side of a steep plateau and Annabelle looked up their sandstone sides at the blue sky. This was different than where they had camped before, a place she did not recognize at all. The badlands of Wyoming territory were a maze of dry prairies and river beds. It was nearly impossible to recognize anything because everything looked so distorted and out of place. A little like what a child would make in a mud pile. But for all its flaws Annabelle loved it and she was never sorry her parents had made the journey.

Logan made a signal and the men
tightened up their formation a bit. The walls of prairie were closing in around them and everyone could feel the tension in the air. All the men around her lifted their bandana’s up onto their faces and Annabelle followed suit. As they rounded the bend, there stood several cowboys. Their hats were low on their heads and it was hard to make out features. Annabelle felt a shiver race up her spine and she tried to make herself blend in. It helped she was in the center of the group. The waiting men had rifles slung over their shoulders and they looked like they were aching for a fight. Logan stopped their horses and waited.

The man on the far right gave him an evil glare and then spat into the dirt. He cleared his throat and spoke in a
gravelly voice.

“Where’s the girl?”

“We have her, but I want to talk to Sevier first.”

The men laughed like they were in on a joke that no one else was.

“Sevier ain’t here, but you can talk to Mr. Mousse.” Dislike for the man was blatant in the cowboy’s voice.

Annabelle wrinkled her nose at the
memory of the mousy little man, and from the corner of her eye she saw Logan roll his eyes.

Logan motioned for the men to dismount and soon they were all following the armed men for a few hundred yards. There in a hollowed bolder sat Mr. Mousse. His look had changed from the last time she had seen him. For some reason he seemed calm and unbothered by the armed men all around him. She wanted to smack his scrawny face for not doing something to help her the time before, but she would have to find another time to break his neck, possibly when she lived under the same roof with him.

Logan, Annabelle and Kit stood next to each other in front of the other men. Annabelle was doing her best to look comfortable in her new role, but she couldn’t tell if it was working. She was sure the bandana was helping but her small stature left something to be desired. Off to her right she watched as one cowboy removed his hat and ran his hand though his hair. He was staring at her and it made her uncomfortable. She didn’t know how far away she was from Mr. Sevier’s home but it almost seemed like she was safer with her captors than with her rescuers. Logan grew stiff beside her and she could feel him edge his way ever so slightly closer to her. She held her breath.

“Where is the girl?” Mr.
Mousse’s voice was whiny as ever but it had boldness to it which was not there before.

“We have her, where is the money?”
Logan’s tone was casual, like he was having a regular conversation.

“
We have it, but Robert forbade me to let you see it until we have seen that the girl is alright. He won’t stand for her being even the slightest bit harmed.”

Annabelle wanted to remove her hat and show them she was fine. It infuriated her that they would think otherwise, but she held her position waiting for a sign. Again she saw the cowboy remove his hat, his black eyes on her face, did he know she wasn’t a man? A cold
sweat beaded down her back, and she was sure she would shake right out of her boots.

“How am I to know you even have the money?”
Logan’s voice was still so calm.

“I guess you
’ll have to trust us.” The man’s voice hissed though his teeth like a snake.

In one brief instant
Logan’s hand knocked off her hat and pulled down the bandana, at the very same moment he drew his gun, jamming it into her rib cage. She winced with pain and he pulled back a bit, one big hand gripping her arm.

“She ain
’t hurt, but she is going to be unless you guys give me the money.”

Mr.
Mousse’s face drained of color and he held his breath for a moment. Then a thin smile crossed his face.

“
You wouldn’t dare.”

Logan laughed and the sound of it made her shrink away from him.

“You wanna bet? She’s nothing to me without the money. I told Sevier that if he didn’t pay I’d kill her, and I have no problem doing it right here. Then maybe your buddies can go back and tell your boss that you got his wife killed.”