Page 43 of Redeeming the Outlaw
“I woke up, and Brodie was yelling for Whit. Saying he couldn’t find him. I went out, and he asked if I had seen him, which I hadn’t. Brodie thought I was pregnant...”
Reverend Billings gasped and said, “Heavens, please don’t let it be true. Your mother will be heartbroken.”
“Papa, I’m not. The day they kidnapped me, Whit told them we were married so the men would leave me alone. He made sure no one touched me.” Turning back to Marshal Briggs, she took a deep breath. “Brodie thought I was pregnant, and he was saying something about Ma Richards. He didn’t finish because Big Joe and Digger dragged Whit into the camp and startedbeating him.”
“What else did Brodie say?”
“He mentioned he knew Papa and Ma were still alive. Whit told me they were supposed to be killed once they found a boy. Then Brodie said the boy was no longer at the Chapmans. Whit told me to run, so I ran to the place he had showed me.” She shuddered at the memories of the day. “Do you know why they were after the boy, Marshal?”
“Yes. The boy is about seven years old. His name is Hart, and he lives with the Chapmans. Caleb and Lydia Chapman adopted him.” The marshal leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers. “Hart was the child of Evangeline Hartman and Duke Richards. He’s Ma Richards’ grandchild.”
Esther brought her fingers to her mouth and paused, a look of realization crossing her face. “Oh. It makes sense Big Joe called her...” She quickly lowered her hand and shook her head. “Never mind.”
A frown quickly appeared on the marshal’s face as he turned to look at her. “If you know something, you need to tell me.”
“I don’t know if I should say anything.” It was apparent Sarah Brown didn’t want to be found, and Esther could still hear the squealing hogs. It was a sound which would never leave her.
“Esther, we were at the Chapmans the night you brought Whit back here. A fight broke out in the field, resulting in several Chapman ranch hands being wounded. We captured or killed several of the gang, but Brodie and Ma got away.”
“What about Libby? Was she there?”
“Libby?” The marshal shook his head. “I don’t know who Libby is.”
Esther’s delicate fingers reached up to her furrowed brow,her palm gently pressing against her forehead as she rubbed in slow circles.
“When Ma came to the camp, she brought a young woman named Libby. Maybe a little older than I am. Dark hair, almost the color of a crow. They said she was Ma’s daughter.” Esther noticed her father, and the marshal exchanged glances. “What is it?”
Reverend Billings rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you, but I don’t have a choice now. When we were in Texas, I recall a young couple who took in a little girl. She was about two. Long dark hair, with the biggest eyes you’ve ever seen. Sweet as a sugar stick. Her ma gave her up because her husband was rustling cattle from Mexico up to Colorado. It was a family business. She didn’t want her daughter involved in a thieving kind of life.”
“How do you know this, Papa?”
Her father moved closer to her, gently reaching out to grasp her hand. “Please know we only wanted to protect you, my dearest Esther.”
“Protect me from what?” Esther stared at her father, her heart pounding in her chest as she awaited his response. The reverend sighed deeply; his eyes filled with regret.
“The same woman reappeared at the church three years later. She had another daughter. A precious little girl with a cherubic face. The Lord hadn’t blessed us with children and this little girl needed a family. We thought God wanted us to protect her from the outlaw gang and raise her as our own.”
“Papa, what are you saying?”
“The second little girl was you, Esther.” He released her hand and held his face in his palms. “Your mother and I…we aren’t your birth parents.”
Esther’s jaw dropped as she took in the revelation before her. Her trembling fingers clutched at her cheeks, trying to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “This can’t be happening,” she gasped, tears stinging her eyes. Memories of her childhood flashed through her mind, now tainted because everything she had known was a lie.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Esther’s voice trembled as she looked at the person who had deceived her all this time. The weight of betrayal crushed down on her as she realized the true motives behind her kidnapping. “I’m a Richards? Now Ma Richards thinks I’m going to carry on the family line?” Shock turned to anger as she struggled to make sense of it all. “What have I done?” She jumped from the settee. “I need to get out of here. We need to move Whit. They won’t stop until they know he’s dead.”
“Esther, please.” Baxter gently pushed her back down on the settee before squatting in front of her. “Listen to me. You are safe here. Ma and Brodie Richards don’t know where you are. If they want to get to you, they are going to have to go through a lot of Hartmans to do it.”
“I second that,” Rex said. “Stay here as long as you want.”
“Esther,” her father began, his voice cracking. “I know you have questions, but I think you should return to town.”
“Questions?” Esther interrupted, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. “You kept the truth about my parentage from me, Papa. All these years, and you never thought to tell me? Now, the Richards gang is here, and they haven’t hesitated to hurt people to get what they want.”
Reverend Billings hesitated briefly, his hands tightly clasped. “It’s not always simple, my child.”
“Isn’t it?” she shot back, her eyes blazing with indignation. “Ideserved to know who I am! I deserved to know if there would be a group of lunatics coming after me.”
“Esther, please understand.” Her father took a step toward her, his expression softening. “I did what I thought was best for you.”
