No One's Bride (Escape to the West Book 1) (18 page)

Amy moved the brush down Clementine’s flank in one final long stroke and lowered her arm. “Beautiful,” she said, admiring the horse that she couldn’t help thinking of as hers, even though she wasn’t. Yet.

Clementine turned her head to nudge Amy’s shoulder and Amy laughed. “I can’t keep brushing you forever,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “You’ll lose all your hair.”

The horse nudged her again.

“Oh, all right, just a little longer.”

“Are you spoiling that nag again?” George’s voice called from the other end of the livery.

“She’s not a nag,” Amy called back as she resumed brushing. “She’s the most beautiful horse in the world.”

Clementine bobbed her head.

“And she completely agrees with me.” She smiled, imagining George rolling his eyes.

“Just don’t neglect your other duties. I’m not paying you for nothing, girl.”

“This place is spotless and all the horses are fed. I earn my pay and you know it.”

A grunt was the only response, making Amy smile again. “Don’t listen to him, Clem, he loves you really,” she said, loud enough for George to hear.

Boots clomped outside the livery. It was late, close to six, and they didn’t usually get customers at this time. Anxiety pinched at Amy’s gut.

George is here
, she reminded herself.

Being her first day back at work after the attack, he hadn’t left her on her own all day, other than to use the outhouse. And even then he’d made her come outside so she was within shouting distance.

I’m safe here
.

She put Clementine’s brush down onto the stool and rubbed her hands off on the front of her shirt.

“Marshal?” George said. “What’s going on?”

“Amy Watts, where is she?”

Amy’s heart slammed into her throat at the familiar voice. It couldn’t be him. It couldn’t.

She shrank back into Clementine’s stall, pressing herself against the back wall, her heart pounding. Sensing her fear, Clem laid her ears back, eyes wide and feet shifting nervously.

“Who are
you
?” George demanded.

“George, is Miss Watts here?” Amy recognised Marshal Cade’s voice.

She forced herself away from the wall and crept forward, peering around the edge of the stall. From where she stood in the shadows she could see George facing the livery’s front door, arms folded across his chest and feet planted wide. The other men were out of sight, beyond the door.

“I am Franklin Courtney of New York City and you are harbouring a thief and fugitive from justice,” the man’s voice boomed.

It was the voice of Amy’s nightmares, a voice she thought she’d escaped by coming almost all the way across the country. A voice she couldn’t hear without remembering that day in his study, her anger turning to fear as he’d grabbed her, his breath hot on her neck, his hands grabbing at her skirts.

She stepped back, looking around her. They had a view of both front and back doors, but maybe she could escape through a window.

“Mr Courtney,” Marshal Cade said, “I think it best if you allow me to handle this...”

“Step aside, man,” Courtney said in the imperious tone he always used with those he felt beneath him. Which was just about everyone.

“I don’t know who you are,” George said, his voice dripping with warning, “but this is my property and you would do best to stay out of it.”

“George,” the marshal said, “an arrest warrant has been issued for Miss Watts. Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be. If you stand in my way I’ll have to take you in too, and I really don’t want to do that.”

In the process of carrying the stool to the window at her end of the building, Amy froze at the words ‘arrest warrant’.

“What could you possibly want to arrest Amy for?” George snapped. “That girl ain’t never done harm to anyone.”

“She’s a thief,” Courtney said.

Thief?
Anger flared in Amy’s chest, momentarily eclipsing her fear. He was accusing
her
of theft? She almost marched to the door to tell Courtney what she thought of him.

“I don’t believe it,” George said.

“What you believe,
Sir
, is of no relevance...”

“George,” Marshal Cade cut in, “is Miss Watts here? The warrant means I can search the property.”

Amy hurried to the window and placed the stool beneath it. She didn’t want to get George in trouble. She had to get away before they found her, although where to she didn’t know. At the thought of leaving Adam her heart wrenched so hard it caused her physical pain, but what choice did she have now?

She pushed the window open, wincing when its rusty hinges gave a harsh squeak.

The argument at the door stopped.

“She’s in there!” Courtney roared.

Amy glanced back to see him push George aside and lumber towards her. Rational thought fled. She pushed off the stool and scrambled through the window, feeling a hand grab at her shoe as she slid through the gap. Outside, she landed on the grass and leapt to her feet.

“Miss Watts!” Marshal Cade shouted.

He was running from the livery doors towards her. Without any thought as to where she would go, Amy launched herself in the opposite direction.

“Miss Watts! Stop!”

She barely heard the marshal over the blood pumping in her ears. Glancing back to see him sprinting after her, she hit something solid, rebounded backwards, and landed in the dirt of the road.

Deputy Filbert towered above her, his tall, wide form blocking out the sun and barring her way like a brick wall. She scrambled backwards on her elbows and pushed to her feet, turning to run. Marshal Cade stood in her way. He grabbed her arms. Amy pulled away, but his grip clamped tight.

“
No!
” she screamed, fighting to break free. “Let me go!”

“Miss Watts, stop!”

“I won’t,” she sobbed, pounding against his chest. “I won’t let him take me.”

Two arms wrapped around her from behind. “Amy, be still.”

At the sound of George’s voice, she stopped struggling.

“It’s all right, Lee, I’ve got her.”

The marshal looked at George, nodded and released his hold on Amy. She twisted round in George’s arms and sobbed against his chest, her words punctuated with tearful gasps. “Don’t... let them... take... me.”

“It’s all right, girl,” he said, his voice gentle. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Marshal Cade, I demand you take Amy into custody at once.”

She stiffened at the sound of Courtney’s voice and peered around George. Her former employer was jogging towards them, his face red as he gasped for breath from the exertion of trotting the fifty yards or so up the street.

He leered at her in between pants. “Otherwise, I’ll have to take her back to New York myself.”

George turned to face him, holding Amy at his back. “If you want her,” he growled, “you’ll have to go through me.”

Courtney paled, taking a step backward. He swallowed and looked at Marshal Cade. “Marshal...”

“Mr Courtney,” Cade said, an edge to his voice, “we are capable of dealing with matters of the law here. Justice will be served.”

Courtney’s eyes darted between him and George. “Yes, well, just see that it is.”

The marshal turned to Amy. “Miss Watts, I’m sorry but I’m going to have to take you into custody. I have no choice.” To his credit, his expression said it wasn’t what he wanted to do.

She shook her head, tears rising to her eyes. “No, please, I don’t want to be locked up.”

“It’s all right, Amy,” George said. “We’ll sort this out. I promise.”

Her eyes darted around the street. A small crowd had stopped to see what was going on and more were approaching. There was no way out.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she squared her shoulders, wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, and looked up at George. “Will you tell Adam?”

“No, girl, I won’t, because I’m staying with you.” He narrowed his eyes at the deputy marshal. “But Deputy Filbert will, won’t you Fred?”

Fred Filbert looked between him and Cade. “Um...”

“Go ahead, Fred,” the marshal said.

Clearly relieved to not have to disobey either of them, the huge deputy jogged off in the direction of the post office.

Marshall Cade swept a hand in the direction of his office along the street. “Miss Watts, if you please?”

“‘If you please?’” Courtney mimicked. He stepped towards Amy, reaching for her. “I’ll take her myself...”

Amy yelped, jerking her arm from his fingers.

“Get your hands off her!” George stepped between them, raising his fist.

Courtney stumbled backwards. “Marshal, stop him!”

George advanced on Courtney, Marshal Cade not making any move to stop him.

“It’s your duty!” Courtney almost screamed, raising his hands in front of his face.

“George,” Cade said with a sigh, “leave him be. Think about Miss Watts.”

George stopped and his head lowered, his shoulders rising and falling as his fist slowly unclenched. Then he turned, walked back to Amy and put his arm around her shoulders, guiding her in the direction of the marshal’s office.

It was a long walk along most of the town’s main street from the livery to the marshal’s office and it felt to Amy like every resident of Green Hill Creek was out as they stopped to watch the little group pass. Any of the town’s population who didn’t already think she was a hussy would now think she was a criminal. So much for her hopes of making a home here.

George kept his arm around her protectively, darting frequent threatening glances at Courtney. Amy didn’t look at her former employer at all. Just his voice made her sick to her stomach; his face would give her lasting nightmares.

It felt like it took forever to reach the single storey brick building that housed the Marshal’s office and local jail and, despite the reason for her being there, Amy was relieved to get inside and away from the curious stares of the townspeople. The room they entered contained two desks, a few chairs and a table against the wall, a cupboard, and a general feeling of mild clutter.

Marshal Cade pulled two chairs away from the wall and set them in front of one of the desks. “Have a seat, Miss Watts.”

Amy sat on the edge of one of the chairs, twisting her hands together in her lap.

“George?” The marshal said, nodding towards the second chair.

“I’ll stand,” George said, taking a place behind Amy and placing his hands onto her shoulders. He turned and fixed Courtney with a warning glare.

Courtney loitered by the door, obviously afraid to come any closer. At least Amy could take a small amount of satisfaction from that.

“There’s no necessity for you to be here, Mr Courtney,” Marshal Cade said.

“This is a public building,” Courtney replied, “so I’m entitled to stay.”

The marshal huffed an irritated sigh. “Suit yourself.” He turned his attention to Amy. “Miss Watts, the warrant for your arrest states you are being charged with the theft of seventy-five dollars from your employer, Mr Franklin Courtney of New York City. I am required to detain you until the circuit judge arrives, when he may set bail if the trial is going to last longer than a day.”

Amy swallowed against her dry mouth. “When is the judge arriving?”

“Monday is when he’s due.”

Three days. She could survive three days in jail. She’d done it before, in far worse places than this.

“I have to make sure you have no weapons on you,” Marshal Cade said, “which would normally involve me patting you down, but in your case I’m happy to take your word for it. Do you have any weapons? Knives, guns or the like?”

She shook her head.

Courtney snorted. “What kind of backwoods operation...”

“Mr Courtney,” the marshal snapped, “I am a hair’s breadth from throwing you out of here. Don’t push me.” He stood and opened a door behind him. Beyond, Amy could see bars. “The federal marshal came yesterday to take the prisoner, so you have the whole place to yourself. If you have anything you’d like brought from your home, I can send someone for it. Meals are good, at least.”

He held out a hand towards her. Amy rose from the chair and allowed him to usher her through the door. In the room beyond were three barred cells, each containing two low, uncomfortable looking cots. Marshal Cade unlocked the door of the closest and stepped aside to let her past.

She walked to the door and stopped, her heart pounding. If she went in there she’d be trapped. She looked back at George behind her and he immediately stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, girl,” he said quietly. “We’ll sort this whole thing out, you have my word on that.”

Nodding against his chest, she forced herself to let go, trying to produce a smile but not quite succeeding. Turning away, she walked into the cell.