Tame a Wild Bride, a Western Romance (19 page)

She thought back to her marriage.
 
It was too bad Tom hadn’t been rich; he’d been the only man to take his time and make sure she had pleasure when they had sex.
 
Oh well, that was then, this was now.

 
Now she waited.
 
Watched and waited.
 
Finally she saw the boy go to the barn by himself.
 
No one followed him.
 
It was her chance.
 
She knew the layout of the ranch.
 
Knew where to stay to remain out of sight.
 
She walked her horse around through the trees to the north side of the barn, next to the forest.
 
She left the horse tied to one of the trees and walked to the barn.

Ben was in one of the empty stalls reading a book when Carolyn found him.

“Ben?”

He looked up.
 
Carolyn took off her hat.

“Mama?
 
Mama is that you?”
 
Ben got up and ran to his mother.
 
“Where have you been.
 
I’ve missed you, Mama.”
 
He locked his arms around her waist.

Carolyn wrapped her arms around the boy and kissed the top of his head.
 
“I had to go away for a while, but I’ve come back for
you
, Ben.
 
Come with me.”

“What about Papa and Suzie?
 
And Rosie?
 
What about Rosie?”

“I came back for you, Ben.
 
Just you.
 
I couldn’t stand being away from you, from my baby for any longer.
 
Come with me now.”

He nodded.
 

She smiled.

CHAPTER 10

Tom and Rosie lay in bed.
 
Both sweaty.
 
Both satisfied.

There was a knock at the door.

“Just a minute,” called Tom.

“Hurry, Tom, it’s important.”
 
The urgency in Mary’s voice made Tom jump out of bed and jam his legs in his pants.
 
Rosie brought the covers up to her neck.

He went to the door and threw it wide.

“What’s wrong?” he asked Mary.

“Charley from your ranch was just downstairs.
 
He said to tell you Ben is missing and to give you this.”
 
She handed him a plain envelope.
 
Written on the outside
For Tom Harris
.
 
“They found it tacked on the barn door.”

Tom ripped the envelope open.
 
Inside was a lone sheet of paper.

If you want to see your boy alive again bring $5,000 and leave it outside the abandoned mine shack two hours north of your ranch.
 
Leave it by the well on the side facing the door.

He rammed his fingers through his hair.

“Damn!
 
God, damn!” he shouted.

Rosie threw back the covers.
 
It was only Mary after all and now was not the time for modesty.
 
She grabbed her chemise from the floor and went behind the Chinese screen where the rest of her clothes were.

“Thanks, Mary,” said Tom.
 
“Would you send someone for the sheriff?”

“Already have.
 
Soon as your man told me that Ben was gone, I took the note and sent him on to get Dan.”

Rosie came out from behind the changing screen fully dressed

Mary left shutting the door behind her.

“Who would do this?
 
Tom, why would someone take Ben?”

“I don’t know.
 
I’m not a rich man.
 
I do well enough but I’m not rich.
 
You know that.”

Before she could answer, there was another knock at the door.
 
Rosie answered it this time, while Tom finished dressing.
 
There was a tall, blond man who looked like any other cowboy except he was wearing a star on his chest.
 
She guessed this was the sheriff.

“Dan, thanks for getting here so soon.”
 
Tom went over and shook his hand.

“I came immediately.”

“Rosie, this is Dan Baker, the county sheriff.”

“My pleasure, Mrs. Harris.
 
I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”

 
“So do I, sheriff.”
 
She took his hand.
 
It engulfed hers.

“What do we know?” asked Dan.

“Someone has kidnapped Ben and is holding him in exchange for five thousand dollars.”

“Five thousand dollars is a hell of a lot of money.”

“Why would someone do this?
 
I don’t have five thousand dollars.”
 
He slammed his fist into the hard wood of the wall.
 
She doubted he even felt the pain.

“No, but I do or very nearly.
 
Twenty-five dollars short of that.
 
Remember?” said Rosie.

She said it calmly.
 
No need in both of them being crazy.
 
She’d leave that emotion for Tom right now.

He looked at her, “You don’t think that I—“

“No!
 
Don’t even say it.
 
Someone is out to hurt not only you but me.
 
I would never, ever believe that you would use my feelings for Ben against me.
 
Let’s look at this logically.”

“How can you be so calm?” he demanded.

“It won’t do any good for me to cry and carry on.
 
That’s exactly what I want to do, but it won’t bring Ben back.”

“You’re right I’m sorry.”
 
He hugged her to him.
 
“I’m just worried.”

“I know.
 
So am I.”

Dan interrupted, “Other than you two and me who else knew about your money?”

 
Rosie had forgotten he was in the room.
 

“No one.” said Tom.

“Not true,” said Rosie.
 
“Anyone working at the bank could have known.
 
There could have been someone who overheard me telling you I need to deposit it, though I don’t remember anyone being near.
 
We were lucky.
 
It was just as it opened that we went to the bank and there were no other customers yet.
 
For sure Sam Kent, but it could be anyone who works there.”

“There are only two tellers in addition to Sam.
 
It had to be one of those two.”

“Three,” said Rosie.

“What?
 
Why three?” asked Tom.

“I’m not ruling out Sam Kent.
 
Here,” she handed him his socks out from under the bed.

Tom pulled them on, followed by his boots.

“You can’t seriously believe Sam had anything to do with this.
 
He’s the bank president for Christ’s sake.”

“It’s unlikely, that’s true, but we can’t rule anyone out,” she insisted.

“Fine.”

The two men sat at the table.
 
Rosie stood behind Tom.

“There could be a lot of suspects but the most likely are those at the bank.
 
Sam, Joshua and Pete are the only people who work there.
 
So it would have to be one of them,” said Dan.

“Or someone they might have told,” said Rosie.

“She’s right,” said Tom.
 
“They all have family they could have told.
 
Well, all except Sam, he doesn’t have anyone that we know of.”

“How long have you known, Sam?” asked Rosie.

“Less than two years.
 
Isn’t that right, Dan?”

“Yeah, he came just after you got that telegram about Sarah,” said Dan.

“And he’s never had anyone come visit that I know of,” said Tom.

“That still doesn’t eliminate him,” insisted Rosie.
 
“After all he’s the only one we told directly.
 
He’s the one who did the deposit.”

“But who would he tell?” countered Tom.

“I don’t know.
 
None of it really matters until after we get Ben back.”
 
She started pacing the room.

“Rosie.
 
It’s everything you have.
 
I can’t ask you for your money.
 
I’ll take a mortgage on the ranch.”

“You most certainly will take the money.
 
Everything I have and need is you, Ben and Suzie.
 
You’re all that matters.”

Tom took her in his arms and kissed her.
 
“I’ll make it up to you.
 
Someday I will,” he whispered for her ears only.

“You already did.”
 
She smiled and ran her finger down his jaw to his chin.
 
“You gave me a family of my own.”

Dan cleared his throat.
 
“Sorry to interrupt but I have to agree with Mrs. Harris, er, Rosie.
 
I’m not eliminating anyone just yet.”

“You know best,” said Tom.
 
“The bank won’t open till tomorrow.
 
But I’m going to see if Sam will open it now.
 
Hell.
 
We don’t even know if he has that much cash on hand.”

“What if he doesn’t?
 
How will we get the money?
 
If anything happens to Ben….”
 
She stopped long enough to ask the questions and then paced the floor again.

Tom grabbed her by her shoulders.
 
“It won’t do any good to wear a hole in Mary’s rug.”

“What about Suzie?
  
Is she all right?
  
We need to get home now,” worried Rosie.

“Suzie wasn’t mentioned in the note or by Charley.
 
Let’s go talk to him first.
 
Then I’m sending instructions back with him.
 
Everyone is to be armed and Suzie doesn’t leave the house for any reason.
 
We’ll go back once we get the money.
 
Dan will you ride with me when I take the ransom to the drop off?

“You bet.
 
Until you leave it by the shack, me and that money are one.”

“Thanks.
 
I don’t want to leave Rosie or Suzie alone.
 
I can’t take a chance with either of them.
 
But once we get to the ranch I’ll have one of my men with them every minute I’m not.”

Rosie stopped her pacing.
 
It was the nicest thing he could have said and she was sure he didn’t realize it’s implications.
 
He cared for her.
 
As soon as they got Ben back she was going to explore this but right now Ben was the only one that mattered.

The three of them walked over to Sam Kent’s house.
 
They knocked, waited and were about to leave when the door opened.
 
Sam stood there with a towel around his neck and his undershirt on.