Page 32 of Wrangling Her Heart
“They didn’t see the person. Just the back. The man wore a black coat with a black hat.” Rex paused, his heart racing. Reverend Billings was wringing his hands anxiously. “I thought she might’ve come here.” He looked at Rex. “I was going to your house next.”
“Why our house?” Rex asked cautiously.
“I’m just grasping at straws. I thought maybe she had run off with your brother.”
Baxter jumped from his seat. “Our brother wouldn’t run off with a woman.”
“Frank tried to,” Everett said from the sofa.
“Hush.” Marmee smacked him on the back of the head.
“Watch your mouth,” Owen growled.
“Since we are here,” Rex offered, “why don’t we see if we can find her?”
“That’s probably because his brother stole her.”
Marmee stood up and grabbed her son by the ear. “Outside now. I’ll deal with you later. Polly, you go with him.” When she returned, she looked at the rest of the people sitting in the room. “Anyone else?”
The marshal stared at Rex for a moment with a steely gaze. “All right. I’ll go with you. We need to get Devin Moore. He’s the best tracker around.”
“Where are we going to start?” Rex asked.
“Let’s go outside and talk.” Briggs grabbed his hat and kissed Ingrid on the cheek. “Thanks for dinner, Ingrid. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He left, with Rex and Baxter following close behind. When they were outside, Briggs turned and looked at the two men. “We’ll look for Esther, but if she is with the gang, we can’t get close.”
“Why not?” Rex asked.
“Is there something I need to know?” Baxter chimed in.
“No,” Briggs and Rex said in unison.
“Rex and I will go get Devin. Baxter, I suggest you make sure your family is safe.”
Baxter looked at Rex. “How big of a danger is this?”
“I don’t know. Can you make sure Tillie is all right?”
“I’ll see if I can get everyone to my house. If not, there mightbe a bunch of little ones sleeping in your bed.”
Rex slapped Baxter’s back. “Good luck, brother.” Looking at Briggs, he grabbed Cactus’s reins. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Twelve
Tillie’s footsteps echoed on the cold floor of the dimly lit kitchen. Annamae and Sawyer had gone to bed, but sleep eluded her. Rex hadn’t returned, and her mind raced with worry as she gnawed on her fingernails, pacing back and forth between the table and the stove.
Where was he?
Baxter’s face was pale and serious as he arrived at the house, his hat askew from riding hard. “The marshal thinks the Richards gang took Esther Billings,” he said to everyone in the sitting room. Tillie’s heart dropped, but she refused to believe it. Annamae collapsed onto her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Sawyer turned away, unable to even look at Tillie. The weight of the news hung heavy in the air, suffocating them all.
She knew this was George’s fault, and by proxy hers.
An icy shiver ran down her spine. The walls of the Hartman homestead suddenly seemed to close in around her, trapping her. Guilt gnawed at her insides. George’s shadow loomed menacing over everything, even when he was miles away.
“You can’t sleep either?” Annamae’s soft voice came through the doorway.
Tillie stopped her pacing. “No. I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep until I know Rex is safe.”
“Baxter said Orrin Briggs is with him.”
