An Uninvited Bride on his Doorstep by Ava Winters
Chapter Twenty-Six
Logan glanced around at the others gathered in the room. Besides himself, his brothers, and Heath and Audrey, there was Sheriff Emmett Burke, Mayor Henry Josephson, Clarence Huxtable from the bank, Cordelia, Pat O’Leary from the hotel and Wyatt Custer, the proprietor of the livery.
Nearly everyone stared at Logan, despite the fact Heath Ross had called the meeting. Clarence and Cordelia offered encouraging smiles. The others seemed wary of him. Logan nodded curtly at the seated group. The sheriff and the mayor nodded in reply while the others remained stoic.
“Friends,” Heath began. “I greatly appreciate everyone meeting on such short notice. By now, most of you are aware my daughter was kidnapped by Sterling and Jude Koch and is currently being held captive on his ranch. It is Sterling Koch’s intent to force Winona into marriage with Jude.”
“These are some serious accusations,” Wyatt said. “Do you have any proof of these claims?”
“I saw her there,” Audrey answered. “I went to Koch’s ranch to beg for my daughter back. I saw her there with Jude and Sterling. She’s being held against her will and will be forced to marry Jude—a man she does not love—in two days’ time.”
Wyatt opened his mouth to speak, then fell silent. Audrey stared at him as though daring him to question her honesty. He looked ready to do just that when Mayor Henry interjected. “I’m sure no one here would presume to question your integrity, Audrey, but it’s not so simple as to whether or not they’re guilty.”
Audrey stared at Henry, shocked. Jay started forward angrily but Gregory stopped him. “Not so simple?” Audrey cried. “My daughter is being held prisoner as the trophy bride of a man she does not love. Honestly, Henry, she’s being held prisoner. Did I even need to add the rest?”
“No,” Sheriff Burke said. “You didn’t. I’ve heard enough. Let’s get these bastards.”
“There’s no need for foul language, Emmett,” Cordelia chided. “But yes, I agree. Winona’s kidnapping must not be tolerated. We must rescue her immediately.”
Logan smiled gratefully at the two of them. Cordelia returned his smile with a warm one of her own while Emmett nodded gruffly.
“It’s not so simple,” Henry insisted. “Sterling Koch is a very powerful man. He attended the governor’s daughter’s wedding. He has connections with federal judges, congressmen …”
“You’re worried about votes,” Audrey spat. “That’s it, isn’t it? Next year’s an election year and you’re worried Sterling will influence the vote against you.”
“I’m not running for reelection, Audrey,” Henry answered tiredly. “But the point you made about him influencing the vote is valid. He has real influence, Audrey, influence beyond anything Westridge has ever seen before. If we take Winona by force, he could make a very successful case that he was trying to protect her from being forced to marry beneath her station and we assaulted him and kidnapped her.”
Audrey shivered at the mayor’s words. Ice ran through Logan’s veins as well. Audrey had told him about Sterling’s scheme to annul his marriage to Winona and it was unnervingly close to Henry’s speculation.
“That’s outrageous!” Cordelia said. “No judge will believe that!”
“Probably not,” Henry admitted. “But they’ll rule in his favor, nonetheless.”
“They won’t,” Jay chimed in. All eyes in the room riveted instantly on the youngest individual present. Jay held his head high and his voice remained firm as he spoke. “Winona will tell them our side of the story is correct. The judge won’t be able to rule against her then.”
Logan felt a swelling of pride for his brother. Though his fear for Winona was in the front of his mind, he felt a small pang of guilt. His brother had become a man and Logan had been too busy focusing on himself to see it.
“Yes, he will,” Henry said. “He absolutely will.”
“How?” Gregory said. “What, a federal judge is just going to blatantly allow Sterling to force Winona into marriage with Jude?
“You don’t understand,” Henry repeated. “People like the Kochs don’t live by the same rules we do.”
“They don’t live by the rule of law?” Audrey asked incredulously.
“They don’t,” Henry replied. “They live by an entirely different set of rules. People like Sterling can manipulate the law to mean whatever they want it to mean. All it takes is a little bit of money and knowing the right people and they can exist outside of the law in everything other than appearances.”
“So what?” Logan asked, incensed. “We just give up? Just throw our hands in the air and say, ‘Oh well, it’d be nice to save you, Winona, but Sterling’s just too rich and powerful?’”
“No, I’m not saying that,” Henry said. “I’m saying we take our time with this and be smart. We gather evidence. We build a case. Clarence, you have some connections of your own. You find a good councilor at law and a judge who will be sympathetic to our case. When Winona is forced to marry Jude—”
“Not going to happen,” Logan snapped. “Let’s make that clear. Winona is not going to marry Jude Koch. We’re not here to decide if we’re going to stop Sterling, we’re here to talk about how.”
“You don’t understand,” Henry repeated softly.
His voice carried a strange mixture of exhaustion and desperation and though Logan was furious with him for arguing against rescuing Winona, he somehow managed also to feel sympathy for the old man. A lifetime in politics had broken him. Logan could understand why Henry would choose to retire rather than run for mayor again.
“There’s not just the legal side to consider,” Pat O’Leary added. “Sterling’s railroad station is nearly finished. By next season, the Grand Central Railroad will pass directly through our town. Sterling Koch is a conniving old snake but he’s going to put Westridge on the map.”
“So we’re going to sacrifice my daughter to Sterling’s violent oaf of a son as payment for his railroad?”
“That railroad is the town’s future, ma’am,” Pat retorted. “And I’ll be honest. I can think of far worse fates for Winona then being wed to the wealthiest, most powerful young man within two hundred miles.”
Logan started forward, and this time Gregory stopped him. Logan realized wryly that Gregory had positioned himself between Jay and Logan for a reason.
“You’re right, Pat,” Heath said.
Logan, his brothers and Audrey turned to stare incredulously at Heath. Cordelia looked shocked.
Heath held up a hand for silence and continued. “You’re right, Pat. That railroad is the town’s future. It’s the thing that’s going to take us from being a tiny little frontier town to being an important city like Austin or San Antonio. It’s the biggest, most important change this town will ever experience, and Sterling and Jude Koch have the power to bring that change. Is that what we really want, though?”
“Yes, Heath,” Wyatt insisted. “It is.”
“Are you sure? Look what it’s doing to us. I remember a day when what mattered to the people of this town wasn’t the size of a man’s wallet but the integrity of his spirit.”
“Fine words, Heath, but fine words don’t put food on the table.”
Clarence spoke for the first time, his rich, sonorous bass echoing across the room. “I’m the most recent arrival to Westridge represented in this room,” he said. “So, I can’t pretend to know this town as well as others present. I have, however, had the privilege of managing the finances of the majority of this town’s residents and while I can’t discuss individual financial circumstances, I can say that if we behave with some generosity to those less fortunate, the people here have more than enough to survive a fortnight of poor seasons and harsh winters. Sterling Koch can enrich this town, but this town will survive quite comfortably without his wealth.”
“Look at what we’ve become,” Heath repeated. “Pat, Sterling Koch has kidnapped my daughter. Look me in the eye and tell me you’re willing to accept that.”
There was not a trace of anger in Heath’s voice, but Pat averted his eyes anyway. When he didn’t respond for several seconds, Heath continued. “I fear very strongly that Sterling has corrupted this town nearly beyond repair. He’s taken fine, neighborly, generous people and turned them into self-centered, money-worshipping fools. That includes me. We’re all so blinded by the presence of such wealth that we refuse to see how easily Sterling manipulates us to his own ends with no regard for our own. He kidnapped my daughter. He kidnapped Logan’s wife and we’re all willing to accept that for the hope of a share of the profit.”
“With all due respect,” Wyatt said, in a tone that made it clear he thought very little, if any, respect was due, “but I find it strange you would side with the Foleys in this case. I understand wanting to rescue your daughter, but wanting to also return her to the bed of a criminal whose father nearly bankrupted you?”
Gregory leapt to his feet and this time it was Logan and Jay who stopped him from attacking Wyatt.
Heath sighed. “Friends, it’s time I told the truth about my falling out with Dale Foley.”
Logan’s heart began to beat faster. Heath Ross was really going to admit to stealing from Logan’s father. He couldn’t believe it. He felt a newfound respect for Heath. It had taken longer than it should have for Heath to do the right thing but when the time finally came, he didn’t shy away from it.
Audrey laid a supportive hand on Heath’s shoulder. Heath smiled at her and began. “Friends, Dale Foley was not at fault in the disagreement we had five years ago. I was the one who stole from Dale. You all know I started my fortune with the proceeds from a major deal with the U.S. Army. What you don’t know is that the deal was initially with both Dale and me together. Dale and I were scheduled to meet with the lieutenant colonel in charge of the purchase to finalize the deal. Unbeknownst to Dale, I moved the meeting up. When I arrived, I told them Dale had withdrawn and the Ross ranch would be handling the entire contract. He changed the paperwork accordingly and Dale Foley was written completely out of the deal. When Dale protested, I paid men to act as witnesses and claim Dale had tried to write me out of the deal and I only acted out of self-preservation.”
There were a few murmurs and gasps of surprise at this admission. Cordelia’s hand flew to her mouth and a soft “Oh!” escaped her lips.
Wyatt still appeared dubious. “Dale had five years to seek satisfaction but as I recall, once the initial case was dismissed, he let it go. If what you’re saying is true, why didn’t he fight for his half of the sale? You’re no Sterling Koch, Heath. I doubt you have any judges in your pocket.”
“No,” Heath said. He hung his head and took a deep breath. “Dale let the case drop because I asked him to.”
Logan’s breath escaped in a rush. He leaned back heavily and stared wide-eyed at Heath. He’d never known this part of the story.
“It’s true,” Heath said. “I asked Dale to let go of the case because I didn’t want Winona to spend the last years of her childhood visiting her father in jail. He agreed not to put Winona through that pain.”
Logan kept staring at Heath, stunned. He understood now why Dale had never tried to get his money back. All these years he’d thought his father was a coward and a pushover and the truth was he cared more about a young woman’s happiness than his own wealth.
“Dale was a better man than I’ll ever be,” Heath continued. “And his sons are as fine as he was. It’s an honor for Winona to be married to Logan and it will be an honor to be allowed to remedy the wrong I’ve done Logan’s family by cheating his father. It will also be an honor to remedy the wrong I did Winona when I first agreed to give her hand to Jude Koch in marriage. I ask all of you now to stand with me and fight the men who’ve terrorized our town. Sterling Koch may be powerful but if we all unite against him, even he can’t stand. What do you say?”
For a moment, everyone was silent. Then Cordelia spoke. “I’m with you, Heath, and you Foley boys as well.”
“As am I,” Clarence affirmed.
“I’m in,” Emmett said. “Like I said earlier, let’s get these bastards.”
“I’m with you,” Henry said. He chuckled. “Hell, it’s not like I have anything to lose now that I’m retiring.”
Pat nodded slowly. “You’re right, Heath. Seeing the kind of wealth Koch has … Well, it makes a man positively green. But a man who would act out of envy is no man at all. I’m with you.
They turned to Wyatt. Wyatt’s face showed signs of the internal struggle raging within. Eventually, though, Wyatt took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m in.”
Logan and his brothers clapped and cheered, and Audrey and Heath smiled gratefully.
“All right,” Emmett said after a moment. “We’re going to get Winona back. The question is how?”
“We wait for her to come to us,” Audrey said.
The others turned to look at her. She outlined everything Sterling and Jude had told her at the ranch, how Sterling had bought a judge to annul Winona’s marriage to Logan, how they planned to force the reverend to marry the two of them, how they had hired a small army of gunmen to force Westridge to comply with their leadership of the town and how they had threatened to kill Logan if Winona didn’t go along with them. She told them how they planned to marry Winona and Jude at the church the next day.
“That’s when we stop them,” Audrey said. “They have a lot of armed men but if we take them by surprise, we can stop them before they have a chance to fight.”
“It’ll be no trouble putting together a posse,” Emmett said. “Especially after I tell everyone the truth about the Kochs. I’ve been keeping tabs on the boys he’s hiring. They’re hard men and there are a lot of them, but there are more of us. We’ll win if it comes to a fight.”
“It’s settled then,” Audrey said. “We’re going to rescue Winona tomorrow before she is forced to marry that animal, Jude Koch.”
“You can bet your life on it, ma’am,” Emmett assured her. “Sterling Koch will never know what hit him.”
Hearing the leaders of Westridge agree to help him brought a surge of hope to Logan. He smiled. Don’t worry, Winona. I’m coming for you.