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“Evie for the love of-”
“But.” Her tone unyielding, she paused, looked up, meeting his gaze squarely then continued. “Things have to change.”
“Like?” His voice sounded dangerous, a confrontation itself.
“No more lying, cheating and-”
“That’s the way of the world sweetheart.”
His sarcasm stung. “It’s wrong.”
“I do what I need to do and I will again,” he growled with conviction.
The day after Evie married, her brother and only living relative, Henry, had taken off in search of gold. She’d never heard from him again. Ben was all she had. It took no small measure of courage to stand firm.
“I won’t stand by and watch it anymore. You’re hurting these people.”
“Well, you don’t have to.”
“You’ll stop?” Hope laced her voice.
“Of course.”
His voice, silky smooth, disturbed her. “That’s a sudden change of heart.”
“Maybe.” Ben moved close. “I only want … ” His hand reached out and played with a loose strand of her hair. “To make you happy.”
The gesture reminiscent of their early days, when simple, affectionate touches were common, made her heart ache. Evie blinked back tears. The back of his fingers left a trail of tingling nerves across her cheek. She allowed it, savoring the moment then stepped back.
“I get the feeling you don’t believe that.” His voice sounded hoarse, shaded with mockery. She shook her head, unable to speak. He’d traded on her love too many times before and her trust was frail.
“Fine, you won’t have to worry about our poor neighbors any longer because we won’t be here. It’s time we moved on.”
Anxiety made it hard to breathe. The thought of starting all over yet again was almost unbearable. “No.”
“What?”
“I’m not moving.”
“Don’t be foolish.”
“I’m not.”
His head tilted slightly to one side, he studied her. “Do you want to see me arrested?”
“For gambling?”
Ben held her gaze but didn’t say a word. The sick feeling she’d tried to ignore for so long threatened to overwhelm her. She sensed he was waiting for her to ask, to bring things out in the open.
“The sheriff suspects you of something?”
“After last night, it’s just a matter of time.”
“What did you do?” Disappointment tasted like ashes in her mouth.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”
His tone set her teeth on edge. “Of course not.”
“Good then-”
“If this is how you want to live then it’ll be without me. I want no part of it.”
“But I’m your husband.” His expression incredulous, he stared at her as if she’d grown horns.
“Yes, I know.”
“Do you know what would happen if I abandoned you? Do you really want to find out how vulnerable a woman alone is?”
“I already have.” The dreadful pressure around her chest increased. She crossed her arms over her stomach. “Last night.”
Silence stretched between them. For a long moment, the only sound came from the wind blowing through the branches of a straggly oak tree near her. Despite the warm spring day, she shivered.
“Look, Evie I … I’m sorry about that.”
Though his words felt sincere when he stepped toward her she put one hand in front of her, palm out. “Please don’t.”
“All right.” Ben stilled. “Just hear me out. We’ll start fresh. We’ll-”
“Own land as far as the eye can see and you’ll build us a grand home? I’ve heard this before.”
“It’ll be different this time.”
Evie fought the urge to cry. “Like it was supposed to be when we lost the boarding house in Montana, the saw mill in Salmon or the little farm right outside Cedar Ridge?”
“I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
“You were passed out in the barn a few hours ago.”
“What do you want me to do?” His hands clenched at his sides and his voice sounded edgy.
“Stop lying to me. Stop cheating people. And please, please stop doing whatever it is you’re doing that has the sheriff asking questions and is driving you to drink. Remember your dreams? Riding the range in the Wild West? You could make that happen. We have good land. We could have a good life here if you’d just-”
“I can’t chase those dreams here.”
“You won’t know unless you try.” Her tone fierce, Evie scowled at him.
“We have to move.”
“Don’t give up, please Ben.”
“We don’t have a choice anymore.”
“Yes, we do.” Tired and cranky, Evie snapped. “I do.”
“I sold it.”
Her vision blurred. A headache pulsed to life, pounding behind her eyes. “You did what?”
“I sold it.”
“Our home?” Her voice trembled, a whisper, barely audible. Dazed, she stared at him. “How could you do that?”
“I did what I thought was best.”
“Without even discussing it with me?”
“It had to be done and I didn’t want to argue.”
Tears clouded her vision. “You knew I wouldn’t agree.”
“Doesn’t matter, it’s done.” The note of finality in his voice made her stomach clench. “We’re moving as soon as possible.”
Her poise precarious, it took her a second to respond. In a voice soft, but clear, she forced words out. “You are. I’m not.”
“You can’t stay here.”
“Yeah, you made sure of that.” Sick at heart, she averted her face, looking away.
“Evie-”
“I guess that explains the money.” A short burst of ugly laughter escaped her. “I should be relieved it came from a lawful source, shouldn’t I?”
“Sweetheart, I just-”
The gentle coaxing tone caused tears to spill down her cheeks. “No. Excuses.” She choked out, his attempt at softness now made her want to hit him. Pride kept her upright but she couldn’t take anymore. “Just go.”
Ben stood, studying her silently for a long moment then turned and walked away. Evie stiffened when she heard him pause for a few seconds a short distance up the trail. “I do love you.”
His words sparked a heated response. As the sound of his footsteps faded, Evie kicked the basket hard, sending it flying over the rocky bank. She snatched the flannel up and threw it in the creek with a hoarse cry. Her chest heaved. Tears streamed down her face. She collapsed on the ground and wept until it hurt to breathe.
When the emotional storm passed, Evie got to her feet, slow like an old woman. Her hands rubbed her temples as she tried to ease her vicious headache. She shuffled over to the creek, bending down to splash water on her hot face and her swollen eyes. As she straightened, she noticed the shirt she’d flung, tangled on a fallen log some distance downstream. She made no effort to retrieve it. The sweet connection she’d felt moments earlier had soured.
Dread stalked within as she headed back to the cabin. Her steps dragged. The steady breeze chilled her despite the bright sun. She swayed on her feet, exhausted, though it’d been a short walk to the simple log structure. Still and quiet, it seemed to reflect her loneliness.
Her gaze swept the area. As she’d expected, the pasture appeared empty. He’d left. Arms crossed, her hands rubbed over her upper arms.
Ben wasn’t coming back.
Worn, weary, she felt hollow inside.
All of a sudden, Evie heard shouting in the distance from the direction of the road. Her heart raced. She gathered her skirt up enough to run, dashed into the cabin, grabbed the rifle then peeked outside. No one had ridden in.
An ominous feeling settled in her gut. Warily, Evie stepped outside. Normal day sounds greeted her as she slowly scanned the surroundings. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Though she knew it wasn’t wise, she headed down the road.
A few hundred yards from the homestead, Evie stopped just around the first bend. Shock rooted her to the ground. Sounds evaporated, until only her heartbeat remained. Ben’s flattened hat rested in front of her boot next to a patch of new spring grass, splattered with blood.
Chapter Two (#u40d33630-51d2-5f8d-a895-c06870271aa3)
The low rumble of several horses soon became thunder on his heels. His fingers tightened on the reins. Ben twisted in the saddle, looking behind him. The number of riders who approached him at a fast pace didn’t bode well. As he straightened in the saddle, his gaze swept the area.
Flat grassland stretched for miles to his right. A thick stand of pines sat an impossible distance from the other side of the road. His only hope rested in the direction he had chosen just moments before, down the road toward Evie. Although his gut warned him to put his heels to the mare, race around the bend for home, Ben refused. He’d been a poor excuse for a man but whatever trouble was about to descend upon him, he wouldn’t endanger his wife.
Edgy, he pulled up then hunched forward to hide his actions from view. Ben fumbled, his fingers clumsy, to open the hidden pocket his friend Henry had fashioned in the saddle after they’d been robbed one too many times. He stuffed coins out of a small bag in quickly, gauging how long he had to work by ear. When the riders sounded close, he fastened the flap and tossed the last of the money into his saddle horn bag.
Ben turned to face the danger head on. He didn’t have to wait long as within minutes several men rode up, surrounding him. The stench of stale sweat and rotgut whisky filled the air. The man right in front of him with greasy blond hair and bloodshot eyes glared at him for a second then all six of them dismounted.
“Is there a problem?” Ben strove for calm.
“Yeah.” A man to his left cocked his revolver then ordered in a low, lethal tone. “Get down.”
“Why don’t we just talk for a while?”
Ben heard movement behind him and turned to face it a second too slow. Rough hands pulled him from the saddle. He hit the ground hard, pain radiating from his shoulder, side and hip.
A man stood over him, his expression fierce. “Shut up.”
“Look guys let’s-” With effort, Ben got to his feet.
“You cheated our boss.” A fist slammed into his face. His nose cracked. Blood, warm and metallic, streamed down into his mouth. He staggered back. “And cost us our jobs.”
Talbert’s men. “I can make this right. I-”
Another punch landed on his jaw, jerking his face to one side. Ben remained upright through sheer stubborn will. In rapid succession, several punches slammed into him. He tried to defend himself, landed a couple of blows, but the pummeling continued unabated. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, he soon collapsed.
With him flat on the ground, barely responsive to the most vicious kicks, their attack started tapering off. A heated exchange erupted. Disoriented, Ben struggled to focus. It took some minutes before he grasped the meaning of their words. Raw terror struck his heart. They were arguing over which of them would comfort his widow first once they finished him off.
His fingers curled, forming a fist. Ben lifted his head off the hard packed earth. Anger burned. They had gathered to one side and focused on each other, paying him no heed. His gaze found Sugar about a yard to his left. Seconds felt like hours while he crawled to his horse. He painfully pulled himself up into the saddle.
Ben clutched the reins along with a good hunk of mane and slumped forward. He pointed Sugar toward the trees and put his heels to her flanks, his only thought to get the men as far from Evie as possible. Each stride jarred and sent shards of pain through him. He heard angry shouts then the sounds of pursuit. Desperate, he urged the mare on, faster.
Blood roared in his ears, drowning all other sound, still he sensed the men were closing in. Sadness filled Ben. There was little hope of survival. He’d never get to hold Evie again or tell her he was sorry. She’d never know that he’d turned around and headed back home, that he’d wanted a second chance.
Dear God, I want a second chance.
Pain eroded the remnants of strength. Ben started to slip off one side and barely caught himself. For only a moment, the world came into sharp focus then his thoughts clouded. His grip weakened. The mare started to slow. A moment later, he lost his hold, toppling off her.
Ben rolled for some distance over rocky ground before he at last came to a stop. He ended up flat on his back, stunned. It took several seconds for him to remember how to breathe. Limbs leaden, he tried to get up but could hardly move. A shadow fell over him. He looked up to discover the blond man beside him, a smirk on his face.
