Tempting Prudence: The Bride Train (2 page)

“Sure there is…” The young man’s tone rang with sincerity, almost convincing her that she’d misjudged. “And you’re gonna get to meet him.”

Unease lifted the short hairs on the back of Prudence’s neck a split second before the bearded man behind her locked a beefy arm around her neck.

A wadded handkerchief cut off her scream.

* * *

The coffin lid slammed shut.

Prudence’s shrieks came out muffled. One of the devils had gagged her, while the other two bound her wrists and ankles. They’d tossed her, struggling, into the pine box, sealed it and then sped away.

The wagon lurched and hopped, bouncing her up and down.

She writhed, twisted her wrists and kicked her bound legs, winced at every bruising jolt. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t free herself. She was at the mercy of three men who thought nothing of stealing a woman. What kind of creatures would do that? Where were they taking her? What would they do with her once they reached their destination? The likely outcome was too horrible to consider.

Prudence bit down on the cloth, grinding with her teeth. That didn’t work, either. What should she do? What
could
she do?

Pray without ceasing. That’s what her father would’ve advised.

“
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done…”
Her heart thrashed in her chest like a trapped bird beating its wings against glass. The sound reverberated in her ears, drowning out her ability to think. She couldn’t recall the rest of the prayer.
Thy will be done…will be done…will be done…”

No! This couldn’t be God’s will.

She labored to breathe as her chest grew tight and her throat closed. Nothing happened outside the Lord’s will. Her father declared this from the pulpit with absolute certainty. He’d never wavered in his beliefs, never weakened…not like her.

Maybe the Almighty was angry with her. The Lord knew she longed for a husband and children. She wouldn’t be satisfied to remain single and miserably alone, even if that was His will.
Forgive us our trespasses… Forgive me…

The wagon dropped, and her breath left her lungs as the coffin lifted into the air. As abruptly, the pine box slammed down. Her shoulder struck one side, the pain barely registering before she was flung to the other side and treated to the same punishment.

A thud, followed by creaking wood, indicated someone sat on the lid. Muted curses were followed by low laughter. How could humans be so heartless? Maybe they weren’t human. Angels had visited earth. Why not demons?

Fear slammed into her with the force of a tidal wave, dragging her under…suffocating her… Her racing heart felt nigh unto bursting.

Calm down. Take slow breaths. Don’t pant like a dog. Above all, keep your wits about you
.

She had weathered other storms—the horror and grief when her best friend had drowned, the anguish over the loss of a beau who’d died in the war, a disastrous wedding, the loss of both parents within days of each other. She could make it through this crisis if she regained her composure and used her head for something besides a hat rack.

First, assess the surroundings.

A gleam of light shone through a pencil-sized hole above her feet. In her panic, she hadn’t seen it before. So, they hadn’t planned on smothering her, but they had planned on abducting her. What had they asked? If she was one of the women who’d arrived on the train. That meant they were after one of the brides. Had they singled her out? The thought that they had been watching her made her skin crawl.

Whoever they were, whatever the reason for their bizarre behavior, they were up to no good.

If she could draw attention… She hammered the side of the coffin with her heels. Someone pounded on the lid, followed by more laughter. The noises drowned in the rattle and rumble of wheels rolling over rough ground.

“Nobody saw…got clean away…”

Prudence strained to hear the muted conversation. Got away to where? The town, such as it was, ended at the hotel. From there, the road led south. At a fork, the road veered southeast and followed the railroad tracks. Another path curved west and ended at the edge of the vast grassland. Trapped, with limited use of her senses, she had no way of knowing which direction they’d gone.

Her continued attempts to draw attention by kicking the coffin were ignored.

The wagon rolled on for what seemed like an eternity.

Perspiration poured from her skin and soaked her undergarments. She grew parched. The sun had turned the pine box into a sweltering oven and being unable to move about had made her limbs lose feeling. Her arms were the first and then her legs. Numbness spread like an insidious disease. Even her mind grew numb. Was this what it felt like to die?

Her parents spoke of their lives passing before their eyes. Prudence imagined a whirling zoetrope like one she’d seen at the fair. Hers didn’t feature colorful, exotic images. Every picture remained the same. Dull. Unremarkable. Uninteresting, like her. The decision to immigrate west and marry a virtual stranger had been the most exciting thing she’d ever done. It might turn out to be the last thing she ever did.

Her brother had scoffed at her decision to be a “railroad bride.” Enoch’s frowning face—angular, severe, so like her father’s—invaded her mind.

“You disappoint me, Sis. What do you think you’ll find in Kansas? I’ll tell you what: rioters, drunkards, outlaws and savages. Take heed. Forming alliances with disreputable men will result in a lifetime of sorrow.”

Enoch had quoted their father to make her doubt the wisdom of her plan. She knew her place in God’s order, but she couldn’t bring herself to bow to her eldest brother’s decrees. His arrogance rubbed against her pride.

Yet, he’d put his arm around her shoulder and concern had warmed his brown eyes, a feature they’d both inherited from their mother. Father’s eyes had been the clear, cold gray of a winter morning.

“You’d be better off coming with us to California…”

Much as she hated to admit it, Enoch had been right. If she’d gone with him and his family, she wouldn’t be in this fix. Better unhappy and alive than adventurous and dead.

A shudder racked her body and then another. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live. If God would save her, she would never do anything imprudent again.

“Whoa!” The driver’s call interrupted her misery. She tensed as the wagon rolled to a stop.

Whoever sat atop the coffin moved and the lid was lifted off.

Prudence blinked. A flash of blue sky, a scowling, bearded face…and then she was hauled out of the coffin, passed from one set of rough hands to the next. Her limbs hung numb and useless. She could resist no more than a rag doll.

The bearded giant grabbed her hair, tore off the snood and fished out the hairpins. Gagged, she moaned in protest as her unbound hair tumbled down her back and into her face.

“That’s better,” he muttered. “Now get her loose.”

The burly man untied the binding around her ankles and released her wrists. She couldn’t feel her hands and feet and would’ve collapsed had someone not been holding her up.

“We don’t need this no more,” said the ginger-haired accomplice as he untied the gag. “You can scream all you want, nobody to hear you…except us.

Scream? She couldn’t produce a sound through her dry throat.

The wagon had come to a stop in a clearing about a stone’s throw from a small dwelling sided with unpainted clapboard that might’ve been shipped in by rail. Beside the open doorway, a red coonhound barked. The timbered area behind the house would indicate the presence of water, possibly a stream. Railroads tracks were laid near water, weren’t they?

She frantically scanned the landscape, praying she would recognize something, a landmark, anything that might help her find her way back after she managed to escape.

The sun hung low in the sky. That direction was west, and out there was nothing but a sea of tall grass, undulating like waves.

She had no idea where she might be, or which way she ought to run, or if she could run.

Feeling returned to her limbs with a vengeance, she flexed her fingers to speed the painful process. Her rubbery legs threatened to give way. She didn’t have the strength to wrench away from the bearded man’s grip; was at the mercy of three brigands whose plans seemed abundantly clear. They’d brought her to this lonely place to ravish her and would likely kill her afterwards.

The air smelled fresh, like newly mown hay. But being able to breathe freely didn’t calm the sick churning in her stomach. Weakened, unable to hold back the nausea, she leaned over and vomited on the trampled grass.

With a grimace, the skinny abductor held out the handkerchief he’d used to gag her. “You almost got my shoes.”

“Won’t make you smell any worse,” cracked the bearded man, who held her arms fast.

If he released her, she would run. Even if she fell on her face, it was better than accepting her fate.

The shorter, heavyset man ambled toward the cabin. “Arch! Git out here…we brung you a present.”

Dear God. They planned on passing her around?

A man’s figure darkened the doorway. His shoulders filled the framed-in entrance. Her heart accelerated as he emerged, half-dressed, his chest bare as a savage’s. Suspenders dangled on either side of his legs from the waistband of worn denims. He threaded his fingers through shoulder-length hair the color of a tarnished penny and stared at her with a fierce scowl.

Prudence tasted fear. The metallic essence that filled her mouth also seemed to permeate her bones and muscles, rendering her paralyzed. Four strapping males, and this last one appeared to be half-wild. How could she hope to fight, or escape? She was doomed.

The man behind her tightened his grip, keeping her upright, holding her out like a prize. “Come meet yore new bride!”

Chapter 2

What the Sam Hill had his worthless brothers done now?

Arch made the distance between the house and the sagging woman in Obadiah’s arms in less than six long strides. “Are you
crazy?
What the devil…”

Before he could formulate words to express his outrage, his eldest brother shoved the bedraggled female at him. He had to move fast in order to catch her before she folded up like a loose-jointed puppet. He got his arms around her ribcage and hauled up her up against him in an awkward embrace.

The boneless doll jerked up straight as a soldier. With a terrified screech, she went at him with her fingers curled into talons. He dodged a sweeping assault, barely missed getting his eyes gouged out, and had to snatch her wrists to stop the attack.

“Sheath your claws, gal! I ain’t gonna hurt you.”

His brothers jerked out of their startled trance and lunged at them.

“Keep away!” Arch’s bellow halted them in their tracks. By God, he’d kill the misbegotten curs for frightening this poor woman. They’d scared her so bad she’d lost her mind.

He held her by her wrists at arm’s length and danced side-to-side to evade her kicks. Growing desperate, he dragged the little wildcat up against his chest again, pinning her arms to her sides, tight enough that she couldn’t get her hands free, but not so tight he’d injure or suffocate her.

“Whoa now, don’t fight me! You’re safe. Nobody’s hurt y— Ow!”

She’d nailed his shin with the toe of her shoe. He winced and sidestepped. “Calm down.” He used a firm, but kind tone, and continued shushing her, crooning into her hair, assuring her he’d keep her safe.

Almost as fast as she’d changed into a feral cat, she went back to being a limp doll. “Please,” she begged in a pitiful, hoarse voice. “Don’t a-abuse me…” Her voice wavered and she sagged in his arms. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed silently.

Her distress fanned the flames of his anger until it was hotter than a blacksmith’s furnace.

He raised his eyes, pinning a hard look on each of his brothers. Obe stroked his long beard and didn’t flinch. Vernon Lee and T.J. looked away, acting oblivious.

“Get out of here. Now.” Arch snarled the command.

Amusement glinted in his eldest brother’s eyes. “Don’t be gettin’ your dander up, bub. We done you a favor by bringing you this woman. They’d all be gone by the time you got around to courtin’ one, and then where would you be? Without a wife, you cain’t secure your land. The way I see it, you ought to be thankin’ us.”

Obe’s decisions were frequently rash, but this crazy act made the other stunts he’d pulled look like child’s play. This time, he’d find himself at the end of a rope—and the rest of them alongside him.

Arch spoke through clenched teeth. “I’ll thank you with a load of buckshot in your backside.”

The humor in Obe’s gaze vanished and his expression flattened. “You need a lesson in respect little brother.”

“Yeah, well, we can teach him later.” Vern put his bulk in front of Obe and held him back with ham-sized hands. “We ought to leave now, so they can get acquainted.”

Arch supposed he should be grateful to Vern for playing peacemaker, although part of him longed to have it out. He wasn’t the weakling Obe thought he was.

The woman in his arms shuddered. Her loose hair concealed part of her face so it was hard to see what she looked like. A glimpse revealed ashen skin and haunted dark eyes.