Their Tempting Bride by Lacey Davis
21
The next morning, Georgia ushered her men out the door. “Go to work. I’m fine. Ann and Emma will be here any minute.”
“All right, then.” Martin glanced at Daniel. “I’m busy this morning, but I should be back by lunchtime to join the ladies. You go on to town, and I’ll make certain that one of the men knows to keep an eye on things.”
Daniel sighed. “It’s just so fresh from your father’s last attempt, I’m nervous.”
“Then stay home with me and I’ll bake a cake and you can have the first piece.”
“That’s tempting,” Daniel said.
The men grinned at one another. “No, we won’t be baking a cake, we’ll be fucking. I’ve got some things in town I’ve got to take care of. One of which is visiting the sheriff’s office and telling him that if Bartlett shows up out here, he’s a dead man.”
She reached over and kissed Martin on the lips. “I promise you, I’ll be right here waiting for you when you come back at lunch. Who knows? I may have something special prepared.”
Then she turned to Daniel and kissed him. When she released his mouth, she caressed his cheek. “Be careful. Bartlett owns all the city officials. They think he’s king. Now that I’ve found my husbands, I don’t want to lose either one of you.”
Both men smiled at her and she could feel her heart almost exploding with the love she felt for them. After yesterday, she was not going to do anything to jeopardize what they had. And she was just waiting for the right moment to tell them how much they meant to her.
“Now go, so you can return to me,” she told them.
They both turned and walked off the porch to their waiting horses, waving to her as they each rode off in their directions of work. She’d get started on that cake while she waited for her friends to arrive.
Mixing batter in a bowl, she heard a knock at the door. Knowing it was her two friends, she still took a second to peek out the window that looked out to the front of the house.
Her heart flew up into her throat, pounding. Virgil Bartlett and her father were at the front door. Virgil held a gun to her father’s head.
“Open up, Georgia, I know you’re in there,” the vile man said.
“I’m not allowed too,” she said which was the truth, though she would not have opened the door to this man.
Through the window, she heard the cock of the gun. “Get your ass out here now. If not, I’m going to kill your father right here on the wooden steps.”
“Georgia, he’s holding a gun to my head,” her father said. “Don’t let him kill me.”
What did she do now? She glanced around but didn’t see the shotgun that Daniel normally kept by the door that she would have used to fire a warning shot, signaling trouble to the men.
If only one of the people in Bridgewater would see that she needed their help. Being so early, no one was prepared for such a surprise.
“If you don’t come out in the next few minutes, I will shoot your father. But if you go with me, I’ll let him live.”
Terror spiraled through her. How could she let this man kill her father? Yes, her papa had done her wrong, but how could she live with his death on her conscience. But how would her men react to him taking her?
“Virgil, I’m never going to marry you.”
“That offer is off the table. I’m making you my mistress. Maybe even share you with the highest nightly bidder since you like more than one man.”
Her knees started to shake. “My husband would never let you make me your mistress.”
“He’s dead,” Virgil said with a laugh. “You’re a widow. Now get out here or I’m going to make your mother a widow as well.”
Fear seized her chest. It couldn’t be true. Not Daniel, Oh please, God, not Daniel.
“No,” she cried. “Please, no.”
“Too late. The man should not have gone to the sheriff. You have thirty seconds to get out here or I’ll kill your father and Martin will be next.”
No, she could not let Martin die because of her. And no matter what her father had done, she still loved him. Walking to the door, she slowly unlatched it, feeling like she was going to her own hanging.
Somehow she would not let this bastard win. No matter what he had done, she would get her revenge.
When she opened the door, he pulled her outside and placed the gun to her head. “About damn time. Now let’s go.”
With a painful grip on her arm, he led her to the buggy forcing her to get in. With a glance back at her father, he grinned and shot her papa in the chest.
Georgia screamed which hopefully alerted any the Bridgewater men on their way to the ranch.
Virgil hit her on the head, knocking her out.
