An Uninvited Bride on his Doorstep by Ava Winters
Chapter Twenty-Four
Logan scanned the street, searching for Winona. His heart beat rapidly in his chest and a cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. On either side of him rode his brothers, both wearing the same anxious look. Gregory glanced toward the west, where the sun had already begun to sink below the horizon. He looked at Logan worriedly.
When Winona left early that morning to town, Logan didn’t ask where she was going or why. He felt it was better to leave her alone as she’d asked, though it killed him to be so close to her but so far away. He expected she would arrive by dinner, early afternoon at the latest, but when the sun was halfway toward its rest and still no sign of Winona, he began to grow worried.
He hadn’t yet told Jay of his intent to follow Jay’s plan and his brother didn’t want to talk to him at first. When he mentioned Winona hadn’t returned from town yet, Jay’s attitude changed, and he immediately offered to help look for her. Gregory was more easily convinced and within five minutes of alerting his brothers, the three of them were on their way to town.
They spoke with Mr. Holt at the butcher, who told them Winona was there at opening and left for the mercantile shortly after. They went to the mercantile, where Mrs. Haversham informed them that Winona left for the general store not twenty minutes after arriving at the mercantile.
They reached the general store just as Cordelia was boarding the door. “Well, good evening, Logan!” she cried when she saw them. “It’s so nice to see you. It’s been far too long. Is Winona with you?” The brothers’ faces fell when she asked for Winona and she glanced between them, her smile fading. “Is something wrong?”
“Winona hasn’t returned to the ranch,” Logan said. “We’re trying to retrace her steps and figure out where she’s gone.”
Cordelia’s face widened with alarm. “Oh goodness! Oh, poor dear! Oh, I hope she’s okay.”
“Do you have any idea where she might have gone?” Logan asked.
“She mentioned she needed to meet with a grain farmer about purchasing feed for winter. Oh!” Her hand flew to her face. “You don’t think he did something to her, do you?”
That was precisely the thought that worried Logan but there was no point in worrying Cordelia about it. “I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said. “She probably took a walk and lost track of time. You wouldn’t happen to know where she was meeting this farmer, do you?”
Cordelia shook her head. “I assumed he was staying at the boarding house, and she was meeting him there. I didn’t ask, though. Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“That’s okay, Miss Cordelia,” Logan said. “I’m much obliged.” He led his brothers away from the store and in the direction of the boarding house.
They reached the boarding house just as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. In the waning hours of twilight, they asked Mr. O’Leary, the proprietor, if there were any grain farmers staying at the hotel. O’Leary balked at first but when he learned Winona could be in danger, he quickly agreed to help.
A moment later, the brothers stood in front of a room while Logan knocked on the door. A tired-looking middle-aged man in a nightgown answered a moment later. “Yes,” he asked irritably. He glanced between the brothers. “What is this?”
“You were supposed to meet a woman this afternoon,” Logan said. “Winona Foley?”
“Yes,” the farmer said. “I remember.”
“Did you meet with her?” Logan asked. “When did she leave? Did she say where she was going?”
“As a matter of fact, I didn’t see Mrs. Foley,” the farmer replied. “I waited for over an hour, but she never arrived. I assume you are her husband?”
Logan nodded. “So, you have no idea where she is?”
“I’m afraid not,” the farmer answered. “You can search my room if it’ll make you feel more comfortable but I’m afraid I haven’t seen hide nor hair of her.”
Logan sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “That won’t be necessary sir. Thank you for your time.” He turned and left for the exit, Gregory and Jay close behind.
“Good luck!” the farmer called after them.
Outside, the brothers stopped and discussed what to do next.
“I say we call the sheriff,” Jay said. “He’ll round up a posse and we’ll find her in no time.”
Logan shook his head. “They won’t round up a posse this time of night. Not to look for a woman who’s only been missing half a day.”
“What about the church? After you guys … after yesterday, maybe she went there to pray or …” His voice trailed off as he realized how ridiculous that thought was.
Logan sighed. “I hate to say it, but we have to go to her parents. I wouldn’t think Winona would ever go to them for help but maybe you’re right, Gregory. Maybe after yesterday, she thought she had nowhere else to turn.”
That thought sent a wave of guilt coursing through Logan. He vowed silently that he would never allow Winona to feel so alone again. He would be the husband she deserved from here on out.
If he could find her.
He spurred his horse in the direction of the Ross ranch, his brothers close behind. They reached the ranch just as the first stars of night began to shine.
The gate was closed, so Logan shouted for Heath to let them in. When no one responded after several calls, he drew his pistol and fired into the air. A moment later, the door opened, and Heath strode outside, carrying a shotgun.
“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded. “Why are you here?”
“I’m looking for Winona,” Logan said. “Is she here?”
“No,” Heath said, “She’s—you don’t know where she is?”
“No,” Logan said, his blood turning to ice. “I was hoping you did.”
Heath lowered the shotgun and stared at Logan. “I haven’t seen her since the dance last month.”
Logan told Heath how they’d searched all evening and been unable to find her. Heath listened, worry growing in his countenance. When Logan finished, he said, “You’d better come inside. We need to make a plan.” He pulled a key from the pocket of his nightshirt and opened the gate. The brothers dismounted and followed him inside.
Audrey met them in the parlor. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.
“Winona’s missing,” Heath said.
Audrey’s face went white as a sheet. “Missing?”
“Since this morning,” Logan confirmed. “We’ve asked all around town and no one’s seen her.”
Audrey slowly sat on the upholstered sofa in the center of the parlor. “Sterling has her,” she whispered,
“What?” Logan said. “Sterling Koch? How do you know that?”
“I planned it,” she whispered.
Logan was stunned. “You … you planned to have Sterling Koch kidnap her?”
“Audrey what are you saying?” Heath said, eyes wide with shock.
“I planned to end Winona’s marriage to Logan. I told Jude if he could get his father’s judge friend to agree, we could claim that she was coerced into marriage by the brothers and the union wasn’t valid. The plan was to convince Winona to annul the marriage and marry Jude.”
“Convince?” Logan spat. “You mean coerce. Like how you were going to say we coerced her.” Anger filled him and he raised his voice until he was nearly shouting. “You told everyone who would listen that I was going to be Winona’s ruin but in the end, you were the one who ruined her, weren’t you? Jude Koch is a madman, Audrey, and you delivered your stepdaughter right into his hands. Was it worth it? Are you proud?”
Audrey shook her head. “I wasn’t going to go through with it. I thought I was doing what was best for Winona but after seeing you two at the dance, I couldn’t do it. She was so happy! I’d never seen her so happy. More than that, she was confident, assertive, fulfilled. She was everything I’d ever hoped she would be, and I couldn’t go through with it anymore. I told Sterling the deal was off.”
Audrey maintained her poise and her voice remained even, but tears welled at the corners of her eyes. The tears convinced Logan of her sincerity but the anger still raged. Now, though, it was directed not toward her but to others. “There’s no question in my mind. Jude is behind this. Agreed?”
Audrey nodded solemnly. Logan looked at the others. They nodded as well but there was no sadness nor regret. On the contrary, their faces showed the same anger that burned within Logan, and from their expressions, Logan could tell it was just as powerful as his own. Heath was angry as well, although Logan couldn’t determine how much of that anger was reserved for the situation and how much was directed toward Audrey for her duplicity. His face also showed the same worry that filled Audrey’s.
Logan couldn’t bring himself to be angry with her. She’d behaved foolishly, thinking she acted in her daughter’s best interests. Upon discovering Winona’s best interests were served by her relationship with him, she’d changed her mind. If nothing else, it showed she acted with pure intent, though she’d done so in a reckless way. She avoided his gaze but finally turned her head and made eye contact.
Logan could see how difficult it was for her to accomplish that, and he almost felt sorry for her. “What … what are we going to do?” she asked. He noted despair in her voice but also hope. There was something affirming about that hope being directed toward a decision Logan might make.
“We’re going to get on our horses, go to Koch’s ranch, and get my wife,” Logan said.
“You got that right,” Jay said.
“The Koch’s are going to learn they don’t run this town the way they think they do,” Gregory said.
Logan nodded and said, “You don’t worry. Your daughter will be safe.” It felt strange to be sympathetic to them, but it somehow felt good as well. To Jay and Gregory, he said, “Mount up.”
They turned but didn’t make it three steps before Heath said, “Boys, wait.”
Logan stopped and took a deep breath. He thought Heath was on their side. He turned around slowly, unhappy about a confrontation here delaying their trip. “What?” he asked, angrily.
“You probably haven’t noticed it, but men have been arriving in town. Hard men, men with guns. The type of men who walk down the street and people step aside. I’ve seen them with Sterling and with Jude. One or two, and a man thinks it’s normal. When you’re a rancher, you hire a few men like that sometimes. Maybe there’s a rustler threat. Maybe you want them on the roundup or when you deliver to market.”
“But there’s more than a few?” Logan asked?
Heath nodded. “Enough I’ve been uneasy about it over the last few weeks. I didn’t know why Sterling would need that many but now …” His eyes flashed and Logan saw the anger now. “If he and Jude were planning to kidnap Winona.” He cursed suddenly, his face growing red with anger. Logan watched as he took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “This needs to end.”
“What does?”
“That man, his son, how they treat people. It needs to end, and I need to make up for things.”
“What do you mean?” Logan asked.
Heath said, “I mean I need to come clean. I need to tell everyone the truth.”
“About what?” Jay asked.
Heath pointed to Logan. “About that young man’s father, one of the finest men this town’s ever had. It’s time I come clean and tell the truth about him, how he always treated me honestly and how … well, how none of what people believe about him is true.”
Logan stared in shock. “You … you …”
“Forgiveness,” Heath said, “ain’t nothing I deserve but I can’t pretend anymore like it was okay, like I had to do it. My legacy now is a daughter in the hands of a wicked man. That’s no legacy to protect at all. Maybe I can’t get forgiveness and maybe I can’t get redemption, but I can still make it right. I’m gonna go to the town and this community will know the truth about things, and they’ll know the truth about Sterling Koch.”
“You think they’ll help?” Logan asked.
“I know they will,” Heath said. “This community is filled with good people. They take sides with Sterling Koch because they think he’s good people. They don’t follow him because of his power or because of his name, at least not blindly. They think he’s a good man. They won’t take his side when they know the truth. Tomorrow, next day at latest, there will be a dozen men ready to go to the ranch to help.”
“I don’t want to wait,” Audrey said. “I’ll go there now.”
All eyes turned to her. Logan didn’t know what to say and the shock made him hesitate. Heath asked, “What do you mean? Why would you go there?”
“Heath Ross,” she said firmly, though affectionately, “you aren’t the only one of us needs to make things right. I need to make things right to. I’m going to the Kochs to find out what I can. I’m going over there to find out what’s happening with my daughter and that’s that.”
“You can’t do that, Audrey,” Heath said.
“I agree,” Logan said.
“It’s too dangerous,” Jay added. “I think Mr. Ross is right.”
“Well, Mr. Ross can go right ahead with his plan,” she replied, “and he should.” She looked at her husband and while the adamant determination remained in her expression, Logan saw tenderness in her eyes, “And it’s the right thing for him to do. He’s wrong. He’s not past redemption.” She looked at all of them, “But I’m going to the ranch too. It’s the best chance we have to get Winona back safe and sound.”
Heath looked to Logan like he wanted to protest more but he finally sighed and simply said, “I don’t like it.”
“I know you don’t,” Audrey said, “but it’s still happening like I say.”
Heath nodded unhappily and Logan didn’t protest. If her husband couldn’t convince her, he certainly wouldn’t. In addition, he thought perhaps Audrey was right. Whether or not it put the woman in danger, it might be the best way to get Winona back unharmed, and there was no question at all that both her parents had things to set right.
As did Logan.