Page 33 of Their Wanted Bride (Bridgewater Brides 1)

les, backhanded me, making me fall to the ground. “A palomino stallion,” he snapped. “Where is he?”

I spat at his feet, then rubbed blood away from my cut lip. “I don’t have him,” I lied.

“If you hit her again while you’re in my jurisdiction, I’ll have you in jail so fast your heads will spin,” the sheriff warned, gently helping me to my feet. “In fact, if I find out you’ve abused her at all, you’ll be hearing from me.” Giving the two bounty hunters a disgusted look, he added, “Do you see a palomino stallion?”

They glanced around, then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter,” the tall one snapped. “The bounty is only for her. Someone else can come catch the horse.”

The short one slapped manacles on my wrists and ankles, then marched me to a wagon. Picking me up, the tall one dumped me in the back, attaching a piece of chain to my wrists.

I got to my knees, meeting the sheriff’s eyes. “Tell my husbands what happened,” I ordered. “And find someone to feed my animals while I’m gone.”

He nodded as the wagon jerked into motion, knocking me off balance. I fell heavily, hitting my temple against the wood planks making up the bed. My head spun and I gritted my teeth against the pain, then huddled in a ball as best I could.

Less than an hour later, I was on a train headed back to the place I swore I’d never see again.

“I hear tell the women here take two men,” the short man said, giving me a speculative look as he licked his lips.

“Disgusting.” The tall one spat, looking directly at me. “Suffer not a whore to live. Too bad they won’t hang her for horse theft.”

“You got the bible quote wrong,” I retorted. “Your intellect leaves something to be desired. Aside from that, I’m a married woman.”

His fists clenched, but there were too many people in the car giving him sour glares for him to risk striking me again. Still, I wasn’t going to press my luck any further.

Justin and Caleb would come for me. I crossed my fingers and toes, uncaring if the bounty hunters saw, then sent a prayer to the Lord.

JUSTIN

* * *

Our horses were tired, but we hurried home as best we could. Maddy would have our hides if we pushed them too hard. Aside from that, they’d been good mounts for us during the cattle drive to the railhead, thanks to her schooling them.

I grinned at Caleb, tapping the pocket containing our accounting from the cattle broker. We’d be paid when they reached the stockyards in Laredo, and it was more than enough to keep us comfortably for another year.

Returning my smile, he said, “Ready to see our wife?”

“Bath first, then wife. We’re not going to her bed until we don’t stink.”

“Wonder if she’ll have supper waiting.”

I laughed outright, startling the horses a bit. “You know she will. She’ll be expecting us. I’m more looking for a bath and taking her straight to bed.”

We rode up to the house, and my heart fell when Maddy didn’t rush out to meet us. From the coop, her chickens squalled angrily, and the hogs set up a racket too.

Caleb frowned, dismounting. “I’ll see to the pigs.”

Once we got the animals cared for, we went inside, finding the house empty. “Where is she?” I asked. “Think we ought to check the trout stream?”

“Something’s wrong. I don’t think she’s on the ranch.”

“Do you think she took off?” I shook my head in denial. Our Maddy wouldn’t do that, but her boots were gone.

“Prince is still in the pasture,” he said, heading into our bedroom.

I let out a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have left without her horse. When he returned, I scowled at the object in his hands. It was the cloth purse holding Maddy’s nest egg. He opened it and gasped, then emptied it to the table. A roll of banknotes as big around as my fist tumbled out.

“She wouldn’t have left without this either,” he murmured.

“Let’s check the creek. Maybe she didn’t see us ride up.” Caleb nodded and followed me out.

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