An Uninvited Bride on his Doorstep by Ava Winters
Chapter Twenty-Five
Winona kept her eyes on the floor as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. She wanted to hold her head high, to meet Jude’s eyes and show he hadn’t broken her, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him or his snake of a father.
Oh Logan, I’m so sorry.
It occurred to her she didn’t have anything to be sorry for. Not yet at least. She hadn’t yet married Jude or signed anything that stated her marriage to Logan was invalid. There was still time.
Time to do what, exactly? Jude and Sterling had an army of gunfighters behind them, not to mention connections with judges and the governor’s office. What could she possibly hope to do in the face of that kind of power? Her heart sank as the inevitability of her situation fully impressed itself on her. Sterling was right. She would marry Jude, even though she didn’t love him. She would betray Logan, even though she did love him.
The townsfolk would do what Sterling asked of them, even if they didn’t like it. All of these things would happen because there were people in this world, like the Kochs and her stepmother, who could impose their will on other people, either through influence or power, and there were people, like herself and the people of Westridge, who couldn’t. Try as hard as she might, her life was only her own if others allowed her to have it.
“Don’t be so upset, engelein,” Sterling said. “This is happy news. Soon, you will wed my son and your future will be secure. You will live a life of privilege and comfort, free from poverty and worry. Free, too, from these lingering adolescent fantasies you feel for Mr. Foley. In time, you will see the wisdom of your decision.”
Winona’s lip curled slightly in contempt. She lifted her eyes and stared at Sterling. Sterling met her gaze with the same infuriatingly affable expression he always wore. To his right, Jude grinned evilly, licking his lips as he leered at her. She ignored him and responded to Sterling.
“My feelings for Logan are not adolescent, Mr. Koch, nor are they fantasy. They are born of a love more real than you, or your son could ever understand. I will marry your son, Mr. Koch, because I love Logan and wish to protect him from you, not because I love Jude. I will never love Jude.”
Jude laughed, a sick, cackling sound, and took a step toward Winona. Sterling lifted a hand, but Jude stopped without approaching further. “Oh, Winona, you’re so flighty. Of course you love me. You just need time to see that.”
She turned her gaze toward Jude, and for a brief moment her fear and even her contempt faded. “You know, I feel sorry for you Jude. You’ll never have anything or anyone who truly belongs to you.”
Jude laughed again. “This whole town belongs to me, Winona.”
“No,” Winona replied. “It doesn’t. You can terrorize people into doing your bidding. You can threaten, and hurt, and even kill people who refuse to submit to you. You can rule this town, but it will never belong to you, and neither will I. I’ll never love you. I’ll never give myself to you. You might have my obedience, but you’ll never have my heart. People like you will never have real friends or loved ones. At best, you’ll have sycophants like my stepmother who pretend to love you because they want your wealth or your influence. You’ll never have true friends who will love you and care for you and fight for you for no reason other than that they care for you. You’ll never know what it’s like to truly belong.
Jude’s face darkened and he looked as though he would try once more to hit Winona, but he stopped when the door to the study burst open and Audrey stepped in, closely followed by a flustered-looking butler in a suit nearly as immaculate as Sterling’s.
Winona stared in shock at her stepmother. The shock quickly gave way to anger. Had Audrey come to gloat to Winona?
Jude’s and Sterling’s eyes widened in surprise as the butler apologized profusely. “Beg pardon, sir. I told Mrs. Ross you would attend to her in the parlor at your convenience, but she insisted on being seen right away.” He glanced reproachfully at Audrey. “She was quite rude to me, sir.”
“Sterling Koch,” Audrey said, ignoring the butler. “I demand you release my daughter this instant!”
Release? Was Audrey here to rescue her?
“Audrey,” Sterling replied calmly. “What a pleasant surprise. Please, have a seat.”
“Release my daughter, Sterling,” Audrey insisted.
“My father asked you to sit,” Jude chimed in.
Without looking at him, Audrey said, “If you have nothing to add to the conversation, young man, please stay out of it.”
Jude’s face reddened but Sterling lifted a hand before he could retort. “Audrey, perhaps you and I should talk.”
“I didn’t come here to talk, Sterling. I came here for my daughter.”
Her daughter. She’d called Winona her daughter three times now. Winona couldn’t recall the last time Audrey referred to her as her daughter. She looked questioningly at her stepmother. Audrey flashed her a brief encouraging smile, then turned back to Sterling. “Sterling, for heaven’s sake, what has gotten into you? Kidnapping Winona and holding her prisoner in your home? Have you gone completely mad?”
“As I recall, Audrey, this was your idea.”
“It was my idea to have the marriage to Logan Foley annulled so she could marry Jude. I never agreed to having Winona ripped off the street like a common thief!”
Winona’s heart sank. So that was the reason. Audrey wasn’t here because she cared about Winona. She was just concerned that the Kochs would ruin her plans by not being careful.
“It was not my intent to proceed so directly,” Sterling responded. “I initially desired to have a civil conversation with Mr. Foley but after his assault on Jude at the dance last month, I felt the chance for civility had passed. I cannot brook an assault on my son.”
“And I should brook an assault on my daughter?”
There was that word again. How dare she call Winona her daughter? After everything, how could she still claim to be Winona’s mother?
“Once more, Audrey, I must remind you this was your idea.”
“Once more, Sterling, I must remind you it was my plan to annul the wedding, not to kidnap anyone!”
“Quibbling,” Sterling said, waving his hand dismissively. “You desired for Winona’s marriage to Logan Foley to end and for her marriage to Jude to proceed. I am taking decisive steps to ensure that happens.”
“You’re not the only one taking decisive steps,” Audrey retorted.
Sterling raised an eyebrow.
“Oh yes,” Audrey continued. “Logan knows you have his wife, Sterling.”
“Don’t call her his wife!” Jude shouted.
Audrey ignored him. “He knows you have her and if you think he’ll sit idly by and allow you to coerce the woman he loves into a marriage with that—” she glanced disgustedly at Jude “—that animal, then you have another thing coming.”
The woman he loves? Winona’s heart began to beat faster. She sat straighter in her chair and looked hopefully at her stepmother. Logan loved her? After the revelation she was nothing more than a prize won in a game of jackstraws, she’d decided there was no way Logan saw her as anything more than a prize, or perhaps a weapon to torture her father with. Now her stepmother, of all people, was demanding her release because Logan loved her. She felt the briefest stirring of hope as Sterling and Audrey continued to argue.
“I’m sure Mr. Foley is quite distressed,” Sterling said, his voice still maddeningly calm. “But he can hardly be after Winona as he doesn’t know where Winona is.”
“Yes, he does,” Audrey replied. “I told him.” She flashed Winona another encouraging smile then turned back to Sterling. “That’s right. Logan and his brothers came to my house, and I told them you kidnapped Winona.
“Why?” Sterling asked. His voice remained even but his brow furrowed with concern. Winona’s heart leapt. Logan knew where she was! He was coming for her! He did love her! Her excitement at the news temporarily overrode her fear for his safety.
“Why? Because he loves her, you jackass! Because I would rather my daughter belong to a man who will care for her the way she deserves and not an ape who wants her as nothing more than a trophy on his arm!”
Jude flashed Audrey a deadly smile but didn’t respond to the insult. “What else does he know?”
“He knows everything, Sterling,” Audrey replied, still ignoring Jude. “He knows you rustled his cattle and killed his ranch hands. He knows you’ve been scheming to end his marriage to Winona and force her to marry Jude.”
“Does he know your part in this?” Jude interjected.
“He does. I told him.”
“You told him?” Jude asked incredulously.
“I did. I told him I planned to assist you in ending his marriage but after I saw them dancing together I couldn’t. Winona’s become so strong and confident with Logan that I couldn’t bear to separate them anymore.” She turned back to Sterling. “I believe I also told both of you the deal was off.”
“I apologize, Audrey,” Sterling said stiffly, “if I gave you the impression you had a say in the matter. You do not. I appreciated your offer of aid, and had you kept your commitments things could have proceeded in a far more orderly fashion. That being said, this matter is my son’s concern and with or without your help, Winona will marry Jude.”
“Do you think Logan and his brothers will come alone?” Audrey protested. “They’ll come with the entire town at their backs. You’ll be putting Winona’s life at risk, not to mention your own, by forcing a firefight.”
“I assure you, Audrey, appropriate steps will be taken to protect Winona from harm.”
“You’ll forgive me if I’m somewhat less than relieved by your assurances.”
Jude scoffed and stepped forward until he was inches from Audrey’s face. Audrey met his eyes, but Winona could see her stepmother tremble with fear as Jude grinned evilly. “You’re so weak,” he said. “You never had the stomach for this, Audrey. You pretend to be powerful but you’re just another little country-born farm girl who’s in way over her head. Why don’t you go hide at home and let my father and I take care of things?”
Audrey’s voice remained steady despite her fear, “Logan Foley is coming for you, Jude. Will you smile when you see him?”
“Of course I will!” Jude threw his head back and laughed. “You don’t think my father and I prepared for this? Logan coming for Winona is exactly what we’re hoping for! In fact, why don’t you take him a message? Tell him I will be marrying Winona at the church house in two days’ time. Tell him he can show up if he wants. He can hear Winona tell the reverend that she takes me to be her lawfully wedded husband. He can hear her say I do. He can watch her kiss me.”
“She will never marry you,” Audrey protested.
“Yes, she will,” Jude said in a sickening imitation of his father. “There’s nothing either of you can do about it.” His grin widened. “I can’t wait to watch you two try.”
“He won’t be coming alone,” Audrey retorted. “He’ll have the whole town at his back.”
Jude laughed again. “The town won’t help him, Audrey. They’re on our side.”
“They won’t be. Not after they learn what you two really are.”
“Of course they will, Audrey. They will for the same reason you did. They want so desperately to believe they’re important they’ll do anything to gain the favor and attention of those who actually are important. My father and I could shoot Winona in the street and the town would still support us. Nothing talks like money and power, Audrey, and my father and I have more of that than the rest of the town combined.
“They won’t stand for this!” Audrey insisted.
“Haven’t you been listening? Of course they will!”
“No, they won’t. At this very moment, my husband and the Foley brothers are preparing to tell the town everything about you. Once they hear the kind of lying snakes you two are, they’ll gladly assist the Foleys in ruining you.”
Sterling interjected. “It’s been my experience that the Foley’s are not regarded highly among the people of Westridge.”
“Not regarded highly?” Jude added. “They’re pariahs! The townsfolk won’t support them. In fact, they’ll be grateful to my father and me for finally ridding the town of its greatest embarrassment.”
“You underestimate the people of Westridge,” Audrey argued. “They’ll never allow someone like you and your father to bully them and they definitely won’t allow you to murder their own so you can kidnap his wife and force marriage upon her. They’ll fight with Logan.”
Jude waved his hand dismissively. “Even if Logan does manage to find a few supporters, my father and I are prepared. We’ve hired dozens of armed men to ride with us. Anyone who rides with Logan Foley will be crushed with him. That includes your husband.”
“You’re insane if you think you can get away with this. The law—”
“We are the law!” Jude shouted. He grinned again. “You know what? Let them come for us. The defeat they’ll suffer at our hands will be the perfect message to Westridge that my father and I are the new law in this town and anyone who wishes to survive will do as we say. Take the message to Logan, Audrey. Winona will marry me at the church house in two days. If he, or anyone else, wants to try and stop us, they do so at their own risk. Now go. Run along before my father and I lose our patience and dispose of you here.”
Audrey remained silent for a moment. Then she nodded. She turned to Winona. “Stay strong, Winona. Your husband is coming for you.” She spun on her heel and left without another word.
Jude laughed when she left, and Sterling smiled. Winona’s face remained expressionless but inside, she felt hope return to her for the first time since Sterling kidnapped her. Logan loved her. He loved her and he was coming for her.
“Don’t worry, engelein,” Sterling said when he and Jude stopped laughing. “Your uncouth barbarian of a husband stands no chance against us. You will marry Jude and live the life of power and luxury you were promised.”
Winona met Sterling’s eyes, her gaze without fear. Sterling’s smile faded under Winona’s gaze and Winona thought she detected a trace of fear in the older man’s eyes. It was gone as soon as it appeared, but Winona now knew for sure that Audrey’s news had rattled him.
Logan loved her. Logan was coming for her.
She smiled. “I’m not worried, Sterling. I’m not worried at all.”