CHAPTER18
Aweek passed with no sign, no letters, nothing. The men returned to working at the mine, but they kept the guard outside the house. As Mary went about her chores, she forgot about the possibility of her sister’s husband being alive or even the chance that Frank might be somewhere nearby searching for her. In her heart, she really believed Frank had not lived through her attack. There was so much blood.
She concentrated on being a good wife to her men, cooking and cleaning for them. And at night receiving the pleasure they gave her. Her life was better than she’d ever dreamed and she couldn’t wait to find out if she was expecting.
Today, both men had gone to the mine. Something was going on there and they seemed worried and had left just as soon as they received a message they were needed.
Now she was working on getting supper ready before they returned later today. She was in the kitchen humming with the windows opened. One thing she enjoyed was the sweet smell of pine that drifted on the breeze.
A scurry of uneasiness trickled up her spine and she inhaled a scent she’d smelled before. One that warned her of danger.
Whirling around from the sink, she stared at her brother-in-law. He wasn’t dead.
“You missed,” he said laughing. “You can’t even stab a man like me to death. Oh yes, you ruined my arm, but you didn’t kill me. Now I’m here to get my revenge, or better yet, you come home with me and pretend to be Elizabeth.”
He pulled out his gun and aimed it at her. “Put the knife down and come with me.”
She knew she would be a dead woman if she went with him and the knife she held in her hand was her only protection. She held it between herself and Frank.
He cocked the hammer back on his gun. “You’re not getting near me with that knife. Put it down or I’m going to shoot you.”
A trickle of fear went through her as she thought of the man outside the house.
“What happened to the guard?”
“Oh, he’s taking a nice long nap. I knocked him out so there’s no getting him to help you. Now let’s go,” he said.
Somehow she had to stall him. Keep him from taking her with him or she was a dead woman.
“My husband will be home anytime now. He’ll come looking for me.”
Frank cackled and shook his head.
“You mean your two husbands. Your two husbands who took all my money in Savannah. Oh, yes, I know all about them. They are shysters who when playing cards would start to argue and fight. Then once everyone was in a fight, they took the money on the table and ran. I chased after them and they just laughed at me. Your husbands are crooks.”
Stunned, Mary stood there. She knew that something happened in Kansas City that brought them home and they had never explained how they earned their money. Could this be true?
“I don’t believe you,” she said. “Why hasn’t the law caught them?”
“Because they played cards in shanties. Places the law would just as soon shut down. Places the law couldn’t care less about. And they probably left town just as soon as they took the money.”
No, she refused to believe they were involved in this type of scheme. It just seemed wrong and her men were good.
“No, I don’t believe you,” she said again.
He laughed. “It’s true. You’re a fool for believing in them. If I’d known about a place like this years ago, I would have moved here. But then again, I don’t like to share,” he said, smiling wickedly. “Let’s go.”
She turned from him to think of a way to escape. Anything to keep from walking out the door with him.
“I can’t go with you. I have a roast cooking. And I was just about to start a pie. Sorry, your timing is terrible.”
The man’s eyes darkened and his good arm started to shake with anger. “Start walking or I’m going to shoot you.”
She paused for a moment. If he shot her, she’d probably die. Because either way, he wanted to kill her. Only he planned on doing it in his time. But then again, did she want to experience what he probably had in store for her? No, but she didn’t want to die either.
“All right,” she said, removing her apron. “Can I grab my satchel?”
“No,” he growled. “We’re leaving right now.”
With a sigh, she tried to hide the fear growing inside her. Somehow her husbands had to know she had not left of her own will. Reaching over, she turned off the oven, the stove, and then she shuffled toward the door. She loved living here. She loved the home her husbands had built for them. She didn’t want to leave.
As they neared the door, she saw the shotgun Jesse left there in case they needed it.
“Don’t even think about it,” Frank said, coming up behind her and poking her in the back with his gun. “You’re not going to grab that shotgun.”
“Might even the score,” she said.
“This time, you’re not getting away from me. I’ve traveled a long way to get my revenge. If I didn’t need you to trick the sheriff in Charleston into thinking that Elizabeth is alive, I’d kill you right now. But an accident is waiting for you in Charleston.”
Oh, how she hated this man. Of course, he needed her to play the part of his dead wife. But even that seemed strange.
“Of course, there is. What did you do with Elizabeth’s body?”
“Don’t you worry about what I did with my wife. That’s none of your business. Now get going,” he said, pushing her.
She opened the door and stepped outside. The body of the guard was lying in the yard, and she frowned wanting to go to him but knowing that wouldn’t be a good idea.
“Keep walking,” Frank said. “I have a wagon waiting to take us to the stage.”
“Stage isn’t running this week,” she said not certain, but hoping it was the truth.
He laughed. “You think you’re so clever. Well, I have a special stage waiting for us.”
Oh no, he’d hired someone to get them out of town. Suddenly she knew she had to run now or she would never see her husbands again. And that would never be acceptable.
The guard moaned and rolled over, trying to sit up. Frank whirled around to check on him and when he did, Mary lifted her skirts and ran. A gunshot fired behind her and the tree trunk next to her head exploded into razor splinters. She weaved in and out of the trees, trying to keep something between them at all times.
He fired another shot, again missing her. “Don’t make me shoot you.”
She ignored him and kept running. She had to get away and hopefully Jesse and Andrew would soon arrive home and find her missing and that the guard had been hurt.
Trying to stay hidden, she ran and ran not really knowing where she was going. Frank was behind her somewhere and she feared glancing back, so she continued blindly deeper into the forest. It seemed like forever, but she knew it hadn’t been that long.
And then there was the waterfall right in front of her. She’d run to a place where she was cornered. Nowhere to run now, though the sound of the falls was like a gentle rain falling from the sky.
Frank caught up to her and laughed. “You’re trapped.”
He grabbed her by the arm. “Come on, let’s go.”
Suddenly there was a roar so loud that she felt the earth shake.
Slowly she turned to see where the noise came from and saw a mountain lion standing on the ledge overlooking the falls.
Frank cursed beneath his breath. “Come on, we gotta get out of here.”
But a calmness came over Mary. She wasn’t afraid.
The big cat growled, its lip turning up in a snarl as it stared at the two of them. She was going to die right here and she no longer felt afraid. This was her last stand and she wasn’t going to back away from this place.
Frank yanked on her arm. “Let’s go before it decides that we’re lunch.”
Elizabeth had always said she loved mountain lions. That they were known for their elegance, grace, and strength. Things she always wanted to have. She always said she had the heart of a lion.
Glancing up at the big cat, she wondered why she felt so peaceful.
“No,” Mary said, knowing this was where she would take her last breath. If he was going to kill her, it would have to be here.
A slew of curses spewed from his mouth, and he clenched his hand into a fist and she knew he was going to hit her. Just like he hit Elizabeth.
A loud roar came from the animal as it jumped from the rock and rushed at them. Any second now, Mary was going to feel its claws and teeth sinking into her flesh, and she stood there staring at Frank wondering what made him so evil.
He screamed and ran, but the big cat passed by her and attacked him with fierceness, going for Frank’s neck. The man fought uselessly. The cat knocked him to the ground, pounced, and then he was silent.
Speechless, Mary stood in shock, thinking she would be next. The animal would attack and she was prepared to die.
Suddenly her men were at her side and they eased her away from the animal who was taking a bite of Frank’s flesh.
Jesse had pulled his gun out and was about to shoot the animal when Mary stopped him. There was something about the eyes of the feline that drew her.
“Don’t,” she said.
“Are you all right?” Andrew asked, putting his arm around her. She took a deep breath and knew these brave men belonged to her. The loves of her life. She loved them both so very much and couldn’t imagine her life without them.
“Yes,” she said, watching as the big cat walked to the pool and leaped in, disappearing underneath. How strange. She thought most cats didn’t like being wet. When it didn’t reappear, she rushed to the bank and searched the blue liquid. Had it drowned?
In the water, the image of her sister appeared and Mary stared in wonder. It was Elizabeth. Her sister blew her a kiss and mouthed to her to be happy. Then she waved and the image slowly dissipated into the ripples.
“Did you see that?” she asked.
“Yes,” Jesse said. “I never believed the legend, but it’s true. The waterfall is enchanted and it will show you your dead loved ones.”
Mary remembered the men telling her of the legend, but really hadn’t believed in it until now.
“That wild cat held Elizabeth’s spirit and she killed Frank. He was going to kill me. He’d already told me, and she saved me.”
The trio stood staring at the water and then glanced at the body of Frank lying on the ground with blood gushing out of his neck, his eyes open, staring, fixed in place.
“He’s dead.”
“She got revenge,” Mary said. “He killed her and she came back and took his life, saving me. Justice has been done.”
The three of them reached for one another and they stared at the falls, holding each other, and Mary felt so incredibly lucky to have these two men in her life.
Andrew released her and walked over to the water. She watched as he knelt by the waterfall and stared into the pool. The image of four people reflected in the water and he gazed at them, his bottom lip trembling. “I love you.”
Tears filled his eyes as he blew them a kiss and waved. Just like before, the image dissipated in the water and he slowly rose.
“My family,” he said, crying. “They seem happy.”