Luke's Runaway Bride. Kate Bridges

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      Luke gritted his teeth. Daniel should be looking after his own son. He hadn’t even bothered to attend Maria’s funeral when Luke sent the telegram. A second telegram went unanswered, too.

      But Jenny was innocent, Luke told himself, and he’d try to be kind. “When’s the wedding?”

      “January.”

      “The dead of winter?”

      She stumbled for words. “Spring or summer would have been nice, when the blossoms are out, but…January’s fine, too.” She crossed her arms defensively. “It’s Daniel’s slowest time of year, selling property.”

      “Ah, I see….” Hell, Luke didn’t blame her for falling for Daniel. Six years older than him, Daniel had been his only friend in that difficult year when his father had died. Luke had grown up respecting Daniel, admiring his easy wit and mathematical skills, his ability to work hard and do his share of the farming chores, his popularity with girls. Later, Luke admired Daniel for getting himself educated in the railroad business. And hadn’t Daniel even lent Luke money once, so Luke could buy his ma a penny vase, the only store-bought present she’d ever received in her hardworking, miserable life?

      A voice nagged inside his brain. But wasn’t Daniel also the one who’d taunted Luke with the shame of how his father had died? How his father was hanged?

      Luke ran a hand through his unruly hair, and the sound of Jenny’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Where do you live?”

      “Wyoming Territory,” he grumbled.

      “Oh, Wyoming’s pretty.”

      He tucked his shirt into his denim pants. “You been there?”

      “Once, last month with my father. He’s setting up the new junction outside of Cheyenne.”

      “Your father works for the railroad?”

      She nodded and smiled. “Vice president of operations. He’s working tonight. One of the trains derailed south of the Springs, and he’s working to get it hitched back up. He’ll be sorry he missed you.”

      Luke didn’t care to meet her father or anyone else.

      “That’s how Father and Daniel met,” Jenny continued in her innocent tone. “I mean, when Father was buying land for the railroad. He took out a loan with Daniel.”

      Luke searched the room for his jacket and warned himself to keep quiet about Daniel’s business. But now that he knew where Daniel was tonight, that’s where he’d head. Straight to the ball. Hell, why not settle things as planned?

      Luke still had the extra rail ticket in his pocket that he’d bought for Daniel tonight. Daniel could meet Adam, make his decision. He could even catch the next day’s train home, with or without the boy. There were only two trains a week between Denver and Cheyenne, and Luke had carefully thought out each possibility before he’d left.

      “If you’ve just arrived in town, have you heard?” she asked. “There was a robbery in Daniel’s office this afternoon.”

      Luke’s gaze snapped to hers. “A robbery?” An uneasy feeling trembled through his gut. “What time was that?”

      “Four o’clock.”

      What? He took a shaky step back. “What do you mean?”

      “At four o’clock, a man robbed Daniel.”

      The hair at the back of Luke’s neck stood on end. What was going on? He’d been there at four—an hour past closing, with no sign of a robber. Surely Daniel wouldn’t… “What did the man take?”

      Warm lamplight danced across her solemn expression. “Ten thousand dollars.”

      Ten thousand dollars? A lifetime of money.

      Luke stared at her and gulped. He hadn’t taken a cent. Was Daniel trying to set him up for a fall? Dammit! Was Daniel trying to blackmail him to keep quiet about the boy?

      “Daniel said no one was harmed. He got a good look at the man, though, and gave an accurate description to the sheriff.”

      Luke staggered back, the news hitting him like a blow behind the knees. The sheriff was involved? Daniel planned on framing him? As hard as they’d physically fought in the past, Daniel had never pulled a stunt like this before. What kind of man had he become? Was he good enough to be a father to Adam? Was he even good enough to be a husband to this innocent Jenny, with her powdered hair and stick pin?

      Luke swallowed past the rock in his throat. And where the hell did that put him? He’d heard about Denver’s hanging judge. In this town, it’d be Daniel’s mighty word against his. If Luke were caught, what would happen? Would he be hanged just like his father? He felt the blood drain from his head. Anything but that. He grabbed his jacket and his breathing came in gasps. “Did he tell you anything about the man?”

      Her eyes narrowed on him. “No, he said he didn’t want to frighten me.” Her gaze skimmed down to his chest at the same time his hand shot up to conceal the bloodstain.

      She stared at his shirt, then straight at him. The sheen in her eyes changed and he saw realization dawn. Redness crept up her neck as she stumbled backward. “You’re the one—”

      “It’s not what you think. I didn’t steal any money—”

      She stared at him as if he’d crawled out of a sewer. Rage churned his veins. Inwardly, he roared. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t go to the ball for Daniel; he’d be shot or arrested. But he also couldn’t forget about the boy! Dammit! If this was Daniel’s way to shut him up, it damn well wouldn’t work.

      A crazy thought fired through his mind and tangled with the whiskey and the pain.

      Luke held her gaze, her wild eyes. Why not? Maybe she needed protecting from Daniel herself, and he’d be doing her a favor. And if Daniel was in love with her, he’d do anything to save her. Wouldn’t he? Would he tell the truth about Adam then? Would he sign the papers? Would he explain to the sheriff that he’d been mistaken about the robbery?

      No, maybe Luke was imagining the worst. Surely Daniel wouldn’t have…

      Could Luke risk it? Hanging from the gallows like his father…

      His heart drummed. Thirty-six hours. That’s all he’d need her for. He’d borrow her for thirty-six hours. He’d take the most valuable thing Daniel had and force the son of a bitch into a chase. Luke would release her after Daniel caught tomorrow’s train to Cheyenne and settled their affairs.

      Thirty-six hours.

      She stumbled backward as he stared at her with deadening calm. By the stricken look on her face, she knew she was in desperate trouble. She lunged for the gun on the desk, but she was no match for his years of fighting experience. He reached it first. Breathless, she stepped back and faced him as he leveled his weapon on her.

      He sucked in a cool, shaky breath. “You’re coming with me.”

      Chapter Two

      “What СКАЧАТЬ