Two Cowboys To Protect Her by Lacey Davis
Chapter 19
Out in the barn, Harley retreated there to give Rena some space while Clayton worked with the sheriff in town. After last night, he really needed to think about what he wanted. What had his father ever done for him? Nothing except make him meaner and tougher than a man should be.
With Rena, he had been gentler than he’d ever been with a woman. And yes, he thought of her as his wife, but he wanted to be certain before he told her he was committed to her for life. But he’d never thought about her being pregnant as he rode away.
No woman had ever treated him like Rena. She accepted his faults, and he’d done nothing but hurt her. Last night, he’d heard her crying and started to go to her, but Clayton told him to leave her alone. If he wasn't ready to commit, it'd only make it worse.
Even his best friend was furious with him.
The memory of his mother as a gentle woman who accepted her fate rode him hard. Never would he beat his wife. All his life, he’d promised himself he would be a good father. Never would he hit his child in anger. There were other ways of making a child behave and he wanted his son or daughter to respect him, admire him, and be proud of the father he was to them.
That’s all he wanted from his wife as well. Someone who adored and looked up to him, to take care of them. He would be their man for life, and he wanted to be certain.
But the thought of leaving Rena possibly pregnant was making his chest ache. How many times had his own father ridden away for days on end, only to return and make their lives miserable once again?
A noise outside the barn drew his attention. The doors to the house were locked and he would hear anyone who came up. Rena was safe while he tried to fix a shelf she adored to make her happy with him again.
He glanced out the window and saw a carriage driving away really fast. A tremor of unease trickled down his spine and he walked out of the barn and to the house.
“Rena,” he cried as he walked inside. Glancing around, it was silent.
Yanking open her bedroom door, he saw where she had bathed and cleaned up. He looked around for her satchel. It was gone. Racing back into the parlor area, he called again.
“Rena,” he cried.
Nothing.
Angry, he went into the kitchen. If she wasn’t answering him because she was upset, he was going to be furious.
Not a sign she had even been in the kitchen this morning. He checked the other rooms in the house and realized she was gone.
The memory of the carriage had fear seizing his chest.
As he walked by a table next to the door, he saw the note.
Picking it up, he read it.
“Fuck,” he yelled.
Grabbing his hat and his guns, he ran out of the house, saddled his horse, and rode like the devil was chasing him down the street. When he reached the sheriff’s office, Seth and Clayton were in a serious conversation.
“We found the body,” Seth said.
“Is Lillian in labor?”
Seth frowned. “Not that I know of. Why?”
He showed him the note. “Rena’s missing.”
Clayton jumped up. “What? How the hell did you let her get away?”
“I was in the barn. I was working on that broken shelf trying to repair it to make her not be angry any longer at me. While I was there, I heard a carriage pull away and saw it leave. She must have been inside.”
Shaking his head, Seth sighed. “If Lillian was in labor, one of the servants would have been here to get me. Plus, Will is there and he would have sent someone."
“Let’s go. We need to see if we can find that carriage,” Clayton said.
“I should have stayed in the house with her. But I was trying to give us both some distance to get over our argument last night.”
The three men ran out the door. “What about tracks?” Harley said, grasping at anything that would find his woman. And she was his woman. His wife. She was his and he’d kill the son of a bitch who took her.
“Too many wagons in town,” Seth said.
“What direction was the carriage headed?” Clayton asked.
“West. Let’s go back to the house and see if we can pick up the trail,” Harley said, needing to find something that would lead them to her.
Climbing onto their horses, they rode hard back to Rena’s home.
When they pulled up, a note hung on the door.
Bring the map by tomorrow morning or she’s a dead woman. Meet us at the Guadalupe River near the hanging tree.
Clayton was studying the tracks in the dirt. “Son of a bitch must have taken something and cleared them. I don’t see any carriage tracks.”
“We’ve got to get that map from Granny Bailey,” Harley said. “No choice.”
“How the hell are we supposed to get the map from that old woman?” Clayton asked. “You know she has it.”
“All we can do is try,” Seth said. “Let’s see what we can do.”
Harley felt like a piece of his heart was missing as they climbed back up on their horses and headed into town. Once again, he’d messed up his relationship with Rena. Now, he prayed she was safe until they could reach her.
If not, how could he live with himself? What his father had done to him was horrible, but this was ten times worse than a beating.
And he’d kill the son of a bitch who took her if he harmed her in any way.
