Mail Order Baron (The Brides of Tombstone Book 3) (9 page)

“I hope you’ll come again and be able to stay longer when you do, don’t we Hope?” Julia looked at her daughter playing with wooden blocks on the floor in front of the sofa.”

Hope looked up. “Bababababa”

Molly laughed. “I will, and I will. Promise.”

Molly let herself out and walked toward the hotel. There was a slight breeze which made the heat of the day less oppressive. She enjoyed walking on the shady side streets. There wasn’t the hubbub of Main Street. There were few people and she could walk at her own pace. She was crossing Fremont Street to get on to Main Street, when she turned and saw a wild buggy came careening toward her from down the block. With a gasp, she jumped to get out of the way just in time and fell into the dirt, landing on her hands and knees.

Her heart pounded in her chest and her hands shook. She had some scrapes and her dress was torn, but she could have been killed and the driver never stopped. Never even looked back to see if he’d hit anyone, but she saw the side of his face as he passed. It was Tom. He
was
trying to kill her.

Molly took two deep breaths and walked quickly on shaky legs to the Tombstone Hotel. She let herself in to their suite and rested her back against the closed door. Ben wouldn’t be back for a while, and she was more than a little alarmed. What if a child had been in the street? What if that accident wasn’t an accident at all?

Tom Marlow flashed across her mind. Tom was driving that buggy, she could swear to it. She should tell Ben about Marlow. Today’s incident was a random accident, nothing more.
It wasn’t Tom.
Molly, do not let your imagination run away with you. Tell Ben. Remember no secrets.

She looked down at her dress and held the fabric out from her body. The skirt was torn where she’d hit the dirt on her knees. Unfortunately, the dress wasn’t the only thing torn up. Her hands were scraped and bleeding. She pulled up her skirt to see her knees and there were gashes from rocks and bruises were already forming. Still, she considered herself lucky.

Molly went out to the front desk and ordered a bath be brought to her room. Fifteen minutes later, two men arrived, one with buckets of water, the other with the tub which she had them put in the living room. They moved the table and chairs, replacing them with the tub.

After the men had finished bringing more water and she had it to the temperature she wanted, she put up the privacy screen and disrobed. Her muscles were already starting to ache. She had just stepped into the tub and was sinking into the hot water when Ben came in.

He came around the screen. “Well, this is a welcoming sight. My wife in the all together…” He stepped closer. “Are those cuts and bruises on your knees? And you’re hands, you’re bleeding. What the hell happened?” He stormed closer and knelt by the tub.

“I was nearly run over by a buggy. When I landed on the ground, I scraped the palms of my hands and my knees. See.” She raised one leg out of the water. “Ben,” she took a deep breath. “There’s something you need to know.”

“I’m listening.” He stood and scowled but said nothing more.

She put her knees back down in the water and let the warm liquid soak away her pain. “When I worked as a secretary at the bank in New York, I discovered my boss, Tom Marlow, was embezzling. I worked with the police, and he was arrested and sent to prison. I had already decided to become a bride to marry as far away from New York as I could get after he was arrested. He made threats against me and I feared for my life. That’s why when Mrs. Black at Matchmaker & Co showed me your picture and told me about you, I chose you. Because you were so far away, I didn’t think Tom would ever find me.”

“Continue,” he said quietly. He stood at the end of the tub, his arms crossed over his chest and looked down at her.

“I was notified the day before I boarded the train west that Tom had escaped from prison. I didn’t think he could ever track me here, but he did. I ran into him a week after we were married. He said he would be watching me. I thought I could handle it, although now I don’t know what I was going to do.” Her voice quivered and her mouth was dry. “And after this incident today, I’m sure it’s him. I think he’s trying to kill me.”

“Did you see the driver?”

“Just the side of his face. His hat was low on his head and he looked down. All I saw was a dark beard. But I’d swear it was him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before? This situation is what has been worrying you, isn’t it?”

She nodded and a tear slipped down her cheek. “I was afraid that you wouldn’t want me if you knew I might have a dangerous man following me here from New York. Not many people want that kind of trouble.”

“I’ve had worse. Now that I know, I can take precautions to keep you safe.” He shook his head. “Needless to say, you will not be learning to drive a buggy. I don’t want you going anywhere by yourself.”

He sounded so protective, maybe he did care for her after all. “But you can’t be with me. You’ve already said you have your businesses to look after.”

“My number one responsibility is keeping you safe. My managers are well trained, they will keep me informed of anything I need to do personally.”

“I don’t understand. Before you had to spend evenings at the business and wouldn’t be with me most of the time. Now because someone is trying to kill me, you can suddenly trust your managers? How is that possible?”

He rubbed his hand around the back of his neck and looked at the floor. “I admit I was looking for ways to keep away. But that was before you were nearly killed. Molly.” He knelt by the tub. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re my wife and will be the mother of my children.”

What is wrong with me that he would rather work than be with me?
“I don’t know if I should be flattered that you want me alive, or insulted that you wanted to stay away. In either case, I think you should continue as you were planning. You can hire someone to stay with me, attend me on my errands, and watch the suite until you return.” She raised her knees and examined the cuts on them. “I don’t want to be the cause of your businesses suddenly failing because you aren’t there taking care of them.”

“You’re being obstinate.”

She crossed her arms over her bosom and looked up at him. “I’m being practical and trying to give you freedom. That’s what you want, Ben. Your freedom. That’s why you didn’t want to be home. You want a wife, but don’t want to change your life to accommodate one.”

“Perhaps that was true, but it’s not now. I’ll stay with you if I say I will.”

Molly shook her head and rolled her eyes. He was the strangest man. First he wants to stay away and now he won’t leave.

“The water is getting cold. I need to get out. Would you hand me a towel, please?” She rose from the water and stepped out onto the towel she’d put on the floor to protect the carpet from getting wet.

He took the second towel from the chair, opened it, and held it out.

She reached out to take it.

He pulled it away.

“Walk into the towel; I’ll wrap it around you.”

She was too tired and too irritated to play these games and jerkily walked into the towel.

He caught her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He kissed her forehead. “Let me take care of you.”

Suddenly weary from the incident and the warm bath, she sat on the edge of the bed where he’d set her.

He went to the commode, opened the second drawer, and retrieved a bottle of lotion and bandages. Ben returned to the bed, knelt in front of her, and gently applied the salve to her scrapes.

Some of them were fairly deep much to her surprise and the salve seemed to soothe the wounds.

“What is that?”

He smiled. “You don’t want to know.”

“Sure I do. What is it?”

“It’s a balm for horses.”

“I see.” She’d spoken the words slowly, but she realized that her hands and knees really did feel better. “Well, if it works on them, it should work for me.”

He was gentle with her. “Feel better?”

“Yes. They do. Thank you. Can I get dressed now?”

“I thought, rather than you dressing.” He removed his jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt. “I’d get undressed, and we’d spend some time together today. You’re tired and sore so I’ll just hold you, but I want to feel your soft skin next to mine. Remember the surprise I said I’d have for you?”

“Now that you mention it, I remember. Let me guess…you want to make love”

“Yes, but we’re not going to, and that’s not the surprise. No, the surprise is I’m taking you the new house. I want to get your opinion and input, before the finish carpentry is started. Would you like that? I will be taking my pistols with me, in case we run into this Tom Marlow, fellow.”

She propped herself up on her side with her elbow. Not the sexiest pose, but if the tent in Ben’s pants was any indication, she didn’t think he minded. “I’d like that very much. All of it, but especially the seeing the new house part.”

They didn’t make it to the house. Ben was a man of his word and just lay next to her and held her. Molly was restless. She couldn’t stop thinking about Tom Marlow and how lucky she’d been.

“Ben, make love to me. Get memory of what happened today out of my head and replace it with good memories.”

“Are you sure, Molly? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m sure. I don’t want to think about the accident, but I can’t seem to think of anything else, so make love to me. Erase the bad memory. Get him out of my mind.”

“Yes, ma’am, Mrs. King.” He pulled her close and bent his neck, his lips a breath away from hers. “Whatever you desire.” He took her lips with his in a kiss so stark, so real, she couldn’t think of anything but that kiss. Nothing but Ben filled her consciousness.

* * *

Back in the little house he rented in the shanty town for the miners, Tom chastised himself. He’d missed her. Tom had the buggy ready and waiting. When he saw her come out of the doctor’s home he had followed her to, he whipped the horses into a gallop and aimed them for her body. He bore down on her but she turned and saw him and jumped out of the way.

Oh well, there was always tomorrow and the next day, and the next. He would have his revenge. Molly McGregor, no, that wasn’t right any longer, she was Molly King, now. Why he even thought about her name bothered him. Her name didn’t matter. Molly was going to die. And soon. The sooner he could get out of this place and get to civilization the better.

* * *

The next morning, Molly woke to a slap on her bottom, her very naked bottom.

“Wake up, sleepy-head.”

“Give me back my covers.” She pulled on the blankets bunched up next to her.

“Oh, no you don’t. We’re going on a picnic today. Just the two of us. I’m having Sadie make us a lunch of her fried chicken and biscuits and whatever else she wants to put in.”

Molly sat up and brushed her hair back with her hand. “A picnic? Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you to the country, out into the desert. It’s rather pretty, if I do say so myself and the place I’m taking you is a watering hole, so there is a lot of vegetation and wildlife.”

She got out of bed and went to the commode, poured water into the basin and over a washcloth. Eyes closed she scrubbed her face with the cool cloth and was refreshed when she was done.

“Give me a bit to dress.”

“Wear your sturdiest shoes and a skirt that can get dirty or torn and you won’t care too much. The terrain is rough and even though we won’t do much walking, you need to be prepared.”

“All right. I’ll be right back.”

Molly went to her old bedroom and searched the closet for a serviceable skirt. She found one of brown bombazine and wore a pink blouse with it. Next were socks and her half boots which she buttoned with a button hook.

Ben liked her hair down and since it was just the two of them today she pulled her hair back at the sides and secured it with pearl combs. The rest of her locks fell in waves almost to her waist.

She walked back into their suite and found Ben sitting on the sofa reading the day’s newspaper.

“Well, will this do?” She grabbed her skirt and twirled.

He stood and came over to her, taking her hands in his. “You look lovely. Shall we?”

They walked to the kitchen to pick up their picnic.

Sadie had a huge basket waiting on the table.

“I packed you lots of vittles, so you won’t get hungry. You two just go and enjoy yourselves today. It’s time you enjoyed something besides work, Mr. Ben.”

Ben nodded. “I agree.”

He picked up the basket and went out the back door. The stables were just across the alley from the kitchen.

“Got the buggy ready, Robby?”

“Yes, sir, Mr. King. Ready and waiting.”

“Help Mrs. King in, please.”

“Sure thing.” He walked over to the surrey, held out his hand, and helped Molly into it.

Ben put the picnic basket in the back before climbing in next to Molly.

“Shall we Mrs. King?”

“Yes, Mr. King. I think we shall.”

He snapped the reins on the horses and headed out toward the desert.