Page 34 of Their Wanted Bride (Bridgewater Brides 1)

As we left the house, a rider tore down our lane, his horse lathered and blowing hard. When he got closer, I recognized him and lifted a hand in greeting. “Sheriff Baker,” I called. “What brings you out this way?”

Caleb frowned, but shook the sheriff’s hand politely after he dismounted.

“Two bounty hunters came for your Maddy yesterday,” he said, his voice gruff. “They had a warrant for her arrest on charges of horse theft and an extradition order.”

“Damnation! You know she’s no thief.”

Caleb’s face twisted and darkened. “What the hell were you thinking, letting them take our wife?”

Looking suddenly tired, Sheriff Baker shook his head. “I didn’t have a choice. The warrant was legitimate. I sent the telegram checking it out myself.”

My knees buckled and I wished I had something to hang on to. “We’ll follow and get her back.”

“You can catch the early train tomorrow and be only a few days behind her,” Sheriff Baker replied. “You should also bring your marriage certificate, and any other documentation you can find. Andrew and Robert told me the fellow who’s accusing her wanted her for his wife. If she’s already married, he might give up this fool plan.”

When we nodded, he mounted his tired horse. “Best of luck to you both. We’ll be keeping you and Maddy in our prayers.”

He rode away and we went inside, staring down at the money laying on the table. I untied the string holding the bundle together and blinked.

“There has to be over five hundred dollars,” I breathed.

Caleb grunted. “I feel like an idiot. She had all this money sitting here, and I was complaining about buying food.”

“That’s a whole lot of stud fees, but at ten dollars a head, I can see it. Wonder how much she had to start.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Caleb took the money from me and replaced it. “It’s hers, and she’ll tell us if she wants to.”

“The bank won’t open until after the morning train leaves. We have to use some of it for—”

“No. We promised she could keep her savings for things she wanted. Not for us.”

I arched a brow. This wouldn’t be a problem if we’d already been paid for our cows. “I’m thinking Maddy would want us to get her out of this mess. Don’t you?”

A few lines of tension faded from his face and he nodded. “You have the right of it,” he finally said. “We’ll replace it once we have her back.”

“Let’s get packed. We have a long road ahead of us.”

12

CALEB

* * *

After a sleepless night, we rode out to meet the train, leaving our horses with Andrew and Robert. Ann wrung her hands, tears sparkling in her blue eyes.

They weren’t the only ones to see us off. All of Bridgewater came to pay their respects. Emma, wife to Whitmore Kane and Ian Monroe, brought us a large basket filled with food for the trip. Connor MacDonald and Dashiell McPherson’s wife Rebecca gave us another. Several families pressed money on us, refusing to take no for an answer.

Ian shook his head and pressed a twenty-dollar bill into my hand. “Accept it. You may need it for her defense.”

Andrew handed me an envelope as well. “There’s enough for you to catch the express in Omaha. You’ll get there faster.”

“Right,” Robert added. “We’ll take care of your place until you bring her home.”

There was nothing for it but to accept their generosity. Emotion clogged my throat and I nodded. Justin managed to thank everyone before we boarded the train. He’d always been the better of us at finding the right words to say.

Andrew had been right about the express in Omaha. We arrived before Maddy and got a room at a boardinghouse.

“I want to see this fellow Nathan,” Justin muttered.

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