The Demure Bride (20 page)

Molly got to her feet and started to clear the table. She was going to do as she damn well pleased and Michael needed to learn right now that he couldn't control her. If she wanted to go out, she would! She'd managed on her own for a very long time before she met Michael, and she was perfectly capable of going to a movie on New Year's Eve if she wanted to!

Mary motioned with her eyes for Seamus to leave the kitchen. She knew only too well how Molly was feeling, and was positive she needed to speak to the young woman before she did something to earn Michael's wrath. If Seamus stayed in the kitchen trying to boss her around, Molly would be out the door before the evening was over. Hopefully she could calm Molly down.

"Mama, why is Michael acting all bossy with Molly?" Bridget asked. "I sure wouldn't permit my fiance to talk to me like that and tell me what I could and couldn't do!"

"Bridget, there are some things you simply don't know yet. Now, I know you find that hard to believe, but it is true," Mary said quietly.

"I just don't get it. Michael isn't normally such a butt about things."

"Your brother is not a butt," Mary scolded. "He can't help how he feels. I think you are old enough now to understand that Michael's job can be very unpleasant." Mary realized that Molly was listening, right along with Bridget. "His first year on the police force was not easy, and the first New Years he worked was brutal. He went on a call to a car accident. A drunk driver ran a red light, hit a car, killing a husband and wife and their two children. He went from that to answer a call outside a club. Three men dragged an underage girl into the alley behind the club and raped her. Michael had to notify her parents, and he came home and cried."

"Molly wasn't planning to go clubbing," Bridget said, defending her future sister-in-law.

"No, and if Michael was thinking clearly he would realize that, but he loves Molly, and he fears for her safety. Each time one of you gets your driver's license and goes driving alone the first few times, he is afraid that he will get called to an accident and find one of you involved. Michael loves deeply, and he feels responsible for keeping all of us safe."

"It's the way Pop feels when I want to go out and he says there aren't enough in the group."

"Precisely. He wants you to be safe, and he knows that there is safety in numbers. Two girls walking from the mall to the car in the parking lot are an easier target than three, four, or five. Your Papa wants to keep you safe."

"Molly, are you going to stay home tonight?" Bridget asked curiously.

Molly looked at the teen and decided to be honest. "I haven't decided yet."

* * *

Michael heard the description of the car involved in a chase and listened even more intently when the license plate was read. It
was
Molly's car! He couldn't believe she was running away from the police! He listened in growing horror as he heard how fast the car was speeding as traffic violation after violation piled up. The final thing he heard was that the driver lost control and the vehicle flipped over three times before coming to rest on the driver's side. Michael raced to the scene, positive he would find Molly injured or dead.

He got as close as he could with his car, then ran the rest of the distance, looking for any sign of the woman he loved. The paramedics were already pulling the driver from the wreckage, and from the silent way they were going about it Michael knew it was too late. He also realized the deceased driver was not his Molly! He looked around, but there was no sign of her anywhere!

"Lieutenant, who are you looking for?" one officer asked.

"The woman who owns this car," he answered. "Molly Henderson."

"There was no one else in the car, sir," the uniform answered him and Michael didn't know whether to be relieved or scared out of his mind. He tried Molly's cell phone and it immediately went to voicemail. He called his parents' house and Seamus answered. "Pop, is Molly there?" he asked, and he heard his voice crack as he silently prayed. It seemed to take forever before his father returned and told him that Molly must have sneaked out while he and Mary were playing cards with their neighbors. Michael felt numb as he closed his cell phone.
Where was Molly?

* * *

Molly didn't enjoy the movie at all. In fact, she couldn't concentrate on the highly publicized film, and it was all Michael's fault! She felt guilty for leaving the house after he told her not to, even though she was a grown woman and had every right to do as she pleased. She walked with a group of people toward the parking lot and was stunned to learn her car wasn't where she left it! She looked and looked, thinking she must have parked in a different spot, but after a while Molly came to the realization that her car was gone... stolen!

"Miss, are you all right?" Two young men stopped when they saw her crying. "Did someone hurt you?"

"My car is gone... Someone must have stolen it when I was inside watching a movie."

"Oh no!" He looked at his partner and then said, "I think we should look again and make sure before we call the police. Don't worry. David and I will stay with you so you're safe, and we'll give you a ride home if we can't find your car."

"Thank you." Molly sensed she was safe with them, and was grateful for their support, even though they were strangers. They spent more time looking and finally Molly said, "My pretty little car is gone!" She burst into tears and David and John comforted her, giving her a clean handkerchief.

"We need to call the police," John said quietly.

"I'll call my fiance," Molly said in a small voice. "He is a police officer." She took out her cell phone, and turned it on; she'd turned it off when she went inside the large theater because she didn't want it going off and disturbing others. Michael answered on the first ring.

"Molly? Where are you? Are you hurt?" She could hear the fear in his voice.

"I'm fine, but my car was stolen, Michael!" She started crying again. He asked her again where she was, and said he was on his way. She hung up and a few seconds later her cell started beeping from all the messages in her voice mail. She quickly played them while David and John waited with her for Michael to appear and heard Michael over and over again, begging her to call him. She felt less than an inch tall by the time he jumped out of his car and took her in his arms, hugging her tightly, and telling her how much he loved her.

Molly felt so safe in his arms and she knew he would make everything all right once again. Two more police cars arrived, and the officer who pulled her over the night of Michael's Christmas party got out of one of them and walked over. "Are you all right, Molly?" he asked hoarsely.

"Just shaken up," she answered.

"Did he take your car at gunpoint?"

"What?" Molly asked in confusion.

David tried to help her. "Officer, we were all attending the same feature inside, and when Molly came out and couldn't find her car, we offered to help her. She didn't see who took her car."

"He must have hotwired it, Trevor," Michael spoke up, keeping his arm around Molly's slender shoulders.

"You sure had us all worried, Molly," Trevor told her. "The Lieutenant thought you were in the car when it flipped over three times."

"What?" Molly looked at Michael in confusion.

"Your car was involved in a high speed chase, Molly. The kid who stole it lost control; he was killed... and your car was totaled. Thank God you weren't in that car."

"Lieutenant, you need to sign off the clock and take your girl on home," another officer spoke up. He was older than Michael, and could see the younger man shouldn't be going out on any more calls. "Things have slowed, and you've put in your shift. If we get swamped, we can always call you in."

"You're right, George. I feel like a limp noodle right now." The men respected him for admitting he was shaken. "Call me if you need me." The Officers left since there was nothing more they could do for Molly. Michael made his call, taking himself off the clock, and then he looked at John and David. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself; Michael O'Keefe." He offered his hand.

"I'm John Connors," John said as he shook hands.

"I'm David Winters," David offered, shaking hands, too. "We couldn't leave Molly here by herself when she was so upset."

"I appreciate that," Michael told them. "She means everything to me." He felt like crying he was so relieved. "And, I'm going to spank the everlasting daylights out of her for scaring me to death tonight!"

Chapter Fourteen

Matt Chambers was disgusted with the Sheriff and told him so. "Why in hell do we pay you a salary if all you are gonna do is sit on your fat ass and do nothing?"

"Mr. Chambers, when those two men regain consciousness... if they do... then I'll question them and go after whoever did this. Until then, I have nothing to go on. Could be the two of them got into a fight over one of the gals at the saloon..." The man raised his eyebrows questioningly, as if it was a possibility that Matt probably overlooked.

"You are a damned fool!" Matt exploded. "You're giving the ones who did this a chance to get clean away!"

"I don't have time for a wild goose chase, Mr. Chambers. Let me know when them two come around and can tell me what happened."

"You can get off your lazy ass and go check with Doc yourself! I'll be out doin' your job!" Matt angrily declared.

"You go taking the law into your hands, Mr. Chambers, and I'll be locking you up, too!" the man sputtered.

"You'd have to get out of that chair first, and that ain't likely to happen... At least until I get you fired and we hire someone else to replace you who will actually do the job he is paid to do!" Matt turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door as hard as possible.

"Who has you riled so early this morning, Matt?" Robert Thorne asked, smiling at the older man.

"What the hell are you doing in town, son? Are you trying to get yourself killed?

"I can't stay cooped up inside like a defenseless girl, Matt. Besides, I don't want Flockton to come after Helene, or someone else I care about." Rob felt so frustrated he didn't know what to do.

"Did Helene say someone was giving her a hard time?" Matt demanded.

"No. She is fine, and her Uncle is making her stay in the shop with him. He's afraid someone will sneak in the house by way of the outside entrance and he won't hear them. Helene isn't too excited about the restriction, but Peter told her she could sit and do her knitting, or he could take a leather strap to her and then she could sit and do her knitting. She chose to behave and accept his decision like a most sensible young lady."

"I just hope Mandy is keeping her nose in the house. I've got men working around the buildings, and they've been told to keep an eye out for strangers. I still worry, though. Two of my men were beat nearly to death last night, Rob. We brought them in for Doc to help, but he don't know if they're going to make it. It's Patterson and Freely," he said, obviously upset. I made the mistake of thinking the Sheriff would actually do something about it. He wants to wait until my men come to and they tell him who did it! Hell, by then all the tracks will be gone! I'm going to take some of my boys and go looking. My bet is that the trail will lead to Flockton."

"I will come with you, Matt. I need to be of service in some way."

Matt looked at him for a few seconds and then nodded. "I'll need to go by the house and tell Mandy what we're doing and threaten her backside if she even peeks outside while I'm gone."

"I am sure she will obey you, Matt. She gave me her word," Rob stated.

She minds you better than she does me, son," Matt complained.

"I turn her over my knee when she misbehaves," Rob informed Matt.

"It works wonders, too."

Rob accompanied Matt to the Doctor's office, where a group of his hired hands were waiting for news of their friends.

"Men, the Sheriff ain't planning to do his job, so I'm going to do it for him! No one gets away with harming my men! I'm not ordering any of you to come and ride with me, but I am asking for volunteers."

Matt wasn't surprised when all the men's hands shot up without hesitation; they were a 'family' of sorts, and cared about each other. "Thanks, men. We'll leave the ranch in an hour. Bring enough gear for two or three days on the trail. I'll see to enough grub for all of us. Addison, I need someone to stay back here and in contact with Doc. I'm asking you to do it for me because you are still recovering from being thrown a couple of days ago."

"I can do it, Boss," Addison agreed.

"When those men regain consciousness, tell them we're behind them all the way. Then go and tell the Sheriff to get off his lazy ass and do something. Hopefully, by then we'll already have 'em in custody by the time he thinks about earning his pay." He reminded the men to be prompt and ready to ride in an hour, then he and Rob mounted their horses and headed for the ranch.

* * *

Amanda felt like sobbing as she and Jimmy made their way towards Robert Thorne's ranch. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like without Rob in it. She loved him so much! She was going to make sure that Sir Gregory Flockton paid with his life for attacking the man she loved! Nothing less would do! Her mind was so focused on getting to Rob before he died that she didn't notice the other riders until they were upon them. She automatically went for her gun, only to stay her hand when the man she'd known as Whitey for the last several months called her name and snapped her mind to the present. "I'm sorry, Whitey... I mean, Dave! I didn't realize it was you." He was with his brother and another Texas Ranger.

"Mandy, what are you doing out here?" Dave demanded, his tone scolding. "You know darn well the boss will tan you proper if he hears about this."

"Jimmy came to get me, Dave. Rob's been shot and he's dying."

The look on Dave's face was puzzled for one second, and then he had his gun in his hand and pointed at the stunned Jimmy. "What are you up to, Swartz?" he demanded of the other man, who had raised his hands in the air to show he wasn't going to go for his gun. "I just saw Rob in town."