Mail Order Brides: A Bride for the Banker (Bozeman Brides Book 1) (5 page)

“Should we try to get help?” Margie asked Jackson anxiously. “We don’t even know where those men are now. I met the sheriff this morning at the service, but I don’t even know where his office is. We also need a doctor to look at Theo. He might have lost too much blood…”

“I know where they are,” Jackson said with a grim look on his face.

“Who? The doctor? The sheriff?”

“The gang members. I saw them go into the…uh, building down the street.”

“But that won’t help us if we can’t find the sheriff,” she replied frantically.

“I know where he is too. You stay with Theo and I’ll be right back.”

She watched him leave with fear in her heart. What would happen if Theo died? What if the gang somehow got wind of the fact that Theo had warned them all? They could be on their way right now, coming to the hotel or over to the Sanderson’s house and…

Her fears were overwhelming her and she knew she had to do something. After easing Theo onto the floor with a pillow behind his head, she knelt down beside him and began to pray in earnest. The fear that had begun to choke her loosened its hold and she felt the peace of God descend on her. She prayed for everyone’s safety, for Theo, for her brother, Ruth, Robert and herself. She prayed that the other people in town would not get caught up in the situation and that justice would prevail. She laid her hands on Theo, on his head, and prayed that God would heal him, that his wounds wouldn’t be life-threatening and that help would come soon.

At that moment, a loud knock sounded at the door and she gasped in surprise. It’d only been a few minutes. Who could it be?

“Miss Davis?” a voice called out. “I’m Dr. Richards. Your brother told me that you needed me. Miss Davis? Open up please.”

She jumped to her feet and raced to the door. The thought that the man on the other side of the door might not be who he said didn’t even occur to her. God had answered her prayers. She flung the door open and saw an average-sized, older man with a serious expression on his face. He had a black bag with him and gently pushed past her when he saw Theo lying prone of the floor.

“What happened?” he asked sharply, examining the gash and her work. “Who did this?

“I did,” she replied timidly, worried that her stitches would be found wanting.

“You?” he asked incredulously. “But how…?” The doctor’s eyes narrowed at her but then he turned his attention back to Theo.

“I sterilized the needle with alcohol,” she rushed to explain. “I’ve only ever stitched up one person before, but I was afraid that if I didn’t act quickly…” Her voice drifted off when she thought he wasn’t listening to her anymore.

“You stitched him up,” the doctor stated with a slight frown, finally understanding her. “Oh. Well, it’s fine. But I want to know who hit him. How did he get in this state?”

“Oh! I thought you meant…Well, I…” She wasn’t sure what to say. Clearly Theo didn’t want people to know about his brother. “He said that my brother and I were in danger, that his…ah, a gang member was threatening us and wanted him to…Well, I don’t know that much,” she finished lamely.

She watched as the doctor administered some liquids to the wound and put in a few more stitches.

After what felt like an eternity, Jackson showed up, flushed and animated. “They got them,” he stated excitedly as he entered the room. “The sheriff and his deputy found the men holed up in the, uh, building down the street and arrested them.”

“For goodness sake, Jackson. Just say brothel. I know what it is,” Margie replied in exasperation. “So the men are behind bars? What did they arrest them on?”

“Uh, well, assault and conspiracy to start, but Sheriff Malone thinks that when he does a little digging, he might find more. He said people like that are bound to have records all over the country. It’s the catching them that’s the tricky part.” He was in such a high state of excitement that he glowed. She regarded him in astonishment. For the first time in a long time, he was thinking of someone other than himself.

“And what part did you play? How did you know where to find them?” she asked quietly, suspecting the worst.

Now he hung his head a little. “Well, I sort of knew them. That is, I bumped into them earlier today and was…playing cards with them. They wanted me to meet them, but when I showed up, they were leaving and then Theo came out of the saloon, and I followed him here and…”

His face flooded with shame. Margie’s heart constricted with emotion as she realized that Jackson was having a moment of regret, something she hadn’t seen cross his features in a long time. Still, she had to understand. “You were going to help them rob the bank?” she asked gently.

“No! I didn’t know exactly what they were planning! Honest! I just agreed to meet them because I was kind of worried that if I didn’t…Well, they implied that if I didn’t I might get into some kind of trouble.”

“God had his hand on you tonight, Jackson,” she murmured as she reached out and touched his cheek. He didn’t pull away from her touch, but he frowned a bit.

“Maybe,” he said uncertainly. “How’s Theo?”

They both returned their attention to the doctor and to Theo, who seemed to be coming around.

“I don’t think it’s that serious,” the doctor stated. “With some rest and care, he should be fine. Get him into bed and let him rest.” He stood and collected his items. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I was in the middle of a delivery when I received the message to come at once. Poor Mrs. Thompson. It’s her first baby. I’ll be three doors down if you need me.”

Margie watched the man leave and then walked over and knelt over the man whom she desperately hoped would still agree to wed her, especially now when she realized how foolish she’d been.

“Wha…?” Theo mumbled as his eyelids fluttered open. “Margie?” he croaked. “Are you okay? And Ruth and Robert?”

“We’re all fine, Theo, thanks to you and Jackson.” She looked up and gave her brother a grateful smile. He flushed and looked away, but not before she saw a shy smile cross his face.

“Jackson?” he asked weakly, attempting to look around.

“He’s fine too,” she assured him. “He was the one to get the doctor and to lead the sheriff to your brother and the others, although I don’t know how he managed all that.” She looked up at her brother who gave a slight shrug.

“Lucky, I guess,” was all he said.

A slight smile touched Theo’s lips. “Told you,” he mumbled right before he closed his eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness.

“What’s he talking about?” Jackson asked. “What did he tell you?”

Margie put her hand on Theo’s and smiled down at him. “He suggested something to me earlier today, but I was too stubborn to listen. Instead, I walked out on him and risked never seeing him again. And, it turns out that he was right.”

“About what?” Jackson persisted.

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes narrowing. “No, it’s better if he tells you. He should get the credit for it and see the look on your face. It’s only fair.”

Her brother started to scowl but then seemed to change his mind and merely shrugged instead. “I guess with those guys behind bars, it’s safe to go out again.”

A frown creased her brow. “You’re going out now?” she asked in dismay. It was nearly eleven o’clock. There were only a few reasons a young man would go out at this time, and none of them were good.

“Nah, I’m just teasing you. Besides, I’ve had enough excitement for one night.” His eyes took on that glow again and now Margie saw it for what it was. He was proud of himself for having done something good. Tears threatened to form in her own eyes, but she willed them away and instead looked at him levelly.

“You did well, tonight. I’m proud of you, proud to be your sister.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away, uncomfortable with the praise. “It was nothing,” he muttered.

“No,” she argued. “It’s the exact opposite of nothing. It was something very brave and important. You may very well have saved some people’s lives, my own included and maybe Theo’s as well, not to mention the Sandersons.”

A small grin poked out even as he flushed. “You think?”

“Yes, I do.” Without waiting for an invitation, she rose and put her arms around him. He returned the embrace awkwardly, but she could tell he was pleased with the attention. “You are destined for great things, Jackson Davis, and don’t let anyone tell you anything different, not even yourself.”

Now it looked like he might cry, but he just swallowed hard and nodded once. “Possibly.”

“For certain.” She looked at him a moment longer and saw the beginnings of the man she’d always hoped he’d be. “Now, will you help me move this big galoot into your bed?”

“Why my bed?” he asked with a trace of annoyance. “He should sleep in your bed. He’s your fiancé.”

“Yes,” she replied with a small smile. “He certainly is, but he’s still sleeping in your bed and you can take the sofa. I’m too much of a lady to be sprawled out across the living room furniture. Now, grab his arms, will you?”

Muttering the whole time, Jackson complied nonetheless. It was yet another sign that he was changing, and she silently praised God for this night – even with all the worry and trauma it caused because she had her brother back again. For that, she couldn’t be more grateful.

***

The next day dawned bright and warm. Summer days were definitely upon them, Margie thought with a smile. Summer is the best season for a wedding, and she was hoping that Theo would agree to marry within the next month or so.

The man in question was up, eating toast in Jackson’s bed and telling the younger man all about his idea. She could overhear their discussion from where she was sitting.

“It sounds dangerous,” Jackson declared, but Margie wasn’t fooled. His voice was filled with excitement, not fear.

“For sure,” Theo responded gravely. “But for a man with courage, it would be the job of a lifetime. You would be responsible for many lives and your own would be in peril constantly.”

Margie smiled secretly. Theo sure knew how to pique Jackson’s interest.

“Well, I guess I should talk to Margie about it, but I’m interested.”

“You would require some training of course,” Theo added. “That would take about a year or so, but you’ll be paid and given a place to stay in the meantime. It won’t be luxurious, but I think you can handle living a bit rough.”

In her mind’s eye, Margie imagined Jackson’s chest puffing up a bit. He was probably even standing a little taller too.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice carefully casual. “I believe I could. Um, would I be able to come visit you guys once in a while? I know I wasn’t very respectful of you or the Sandersons, but I can do better. I was mostly just angry about being tricked into coming west.”

“And now?”

There was a short silence before he answered. Margie held her breath while waiting for the answer. “I’m glad,” he said simply. “I like it out here. I feel like I can breathe.”

She released the breath she’d been holding and decided that now was the right time to go see if either of them wanted more coffee.

Jackson declined, saying that he wanted to go visit the Sheriff. The man wanted an official statement from him regarding the events of yesterday. He nodded at Theo and leaned over to kiss Margie’s cheek.

“See ya in a bit, Sis.”

She touched her cheek in awe as she watched him leave. “It’s been years since he’s shown me any affection,” she remarked quietly.

“Well, then, I’d say it’s about time. Speaking of affection, could you come a little closer?”

Snapping out of her trance, she whipped her head around and stared at him. “You can’t be serious. You’re injured, not to mention sitting in bed and you want me to…Well…”

He laughed out loud. “I’m not trying to seduce you, woman. I just wanted a small reward for my bravery last night.”

“Oh,” she replied, blinking and blushing slightly. “I suppose you deserve that. And an apology as well.”

“Never mind that. I’ll take two kisses instead and call it even.”

Smiling coyly, she approached the bed but only gave him one small kiss on the cheek. “I think that’s enough or you might get spoiled.”

He growled and grabbed her hand, pulling her so hard that she tumbled into his lap. “That’s better,” he said in a low voice before covering her mouth with his. The embrace lasted several moments before she primly pushed him away and rose, scooting out of his reach.

“That’ll be enough of that, Mr. Jefferson. If you want more, you’ll have to marry me,” she said slyly.

His face registered mild surprise, but then he grinned. “Done. Well, it will be done as soon as I can stand. Is the day after tomorrow soon enough?”

Her mouth opened in astonishment as his words registered. “Uh, well…that is…I need a dress, but…” She wasn’t sure if he was joking or not, but decided to act as though it was an honest proposal. “Since you proposed so nicely, I’ll say yes.”

He leaned his head back and let out a roar of laughter.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded, taking a step forward with her hands on her hips.