Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats - Book 1) (27 page)

“Wedding, you say?” Hank asked, perplexed. If Ashton was getting married, then he probably wasn’t plotting evil. “Surely you want to wait for my uncle, then. He should be available tomorrow.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. It must take place today. Right now,” Ashton said, taking Hank by the arm and pushing him down into an overstuffed chair. “The bride is somewhat reluctant. Young and scared of her matrimonial duties, I suppose. I’m afraid if I wait any longer, she won’t be cooperative at all. You know how women can be.”

“Yes, I do,” Hank said, grinning broadly and nodding his head while wanting to black both of Ashton’s deranged-looking eyes. “I’ll just wait here, then, while you bring down the bride.”

“Perfect,” Ashton said, walking to the door. “I have a house servant who will stand as witness. I’ll fetch her as soon as my bride is ready.”

Hank nodded his head, feeling a trickle of sweat slide down his neck as Ashton closed the door. Getting to his feet, he walked to the window and looked outside. A slight movement from the tree line reminded him there were four men outside ready to rush in at his signal, although he sincerely hoped the pastor stayed back as Kade advised.

Ashton Monroe seemed completely unbalanced and dangerous. Hank had once watched a cat play with a mouse before devouring it. The cat swatted at the mouse, let it loose like it was free, and then caught it again and again before finally killing it.

He thought Ashton did an admirable job at being the cat.

Hearing loud thumping, Hank stuffed the pastor’s Bible in his coat pocket and opened the door to see Ashton, his face distorted with fury, tearing down the stairs.

“What’s the matter?” Hank asked, wondering what had happened.

“My bride seems to be playing games with me,” Ashton said, quickly putting on his pleasant lord of the manor face. “It may take a moment or two for me to find her.”

“What’s your bride’s name?” Hank asked.

Ashton glared at him.

“I can help look for her if you tell me what name to call out,” Hank offered with an indifferent shrug.

“Aundy. Aundy Erickson,” Ashton said then ran down the hall toward the back of the house.

Glancing upstairs, Hank caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Aundy peaking over the stair railing from the landing.

Stepping into the foyer, he motioned for her to hurry and she ran down the stairs without making a sound.

“Get outside and run for the trees, Garrett and Kade are there,” Hank whispered, opening the door and giving Aundy a push. “I’ll try to keep him distracted.”

Picking up her skirts, Aundy ran down the steps and started across the yard when she heard Ashton scream her name from inside the house.  Pouring on more speed, she looked ahead to see Garrett leap over a row of shrubbery, sprinting her direction.

Watching Aundy run toward Garrett, Hank turned to see Ashton racing down the hall, a rifle in his hand.

“Oh, did I see her run down the hall?” Hank asked, hurrying toward Ashton, intentionally stumbling into him, dragging them both to the floor.

“You, fool, get out of the way,” Ashton yelled, giving Hank a shove and rising to his feet. Hank yanked the rifle from his hands as he ran out the door, so Ashton pulled a revolver from a holster on his hip and aimed it at Aundy’s retreating back. “Stop or I’ll kill you right now.”

Aundy continued running. She was almost to Garrett when the pop of the gun let her know Ashton had fired the weapon. Garrett grabbed his arm and dropped to his knees with the impact of the bullet.

Sinking down beside him, Aundy looked back at Ashton in fear. Running toward them in a weaving pattern, he would soon be at her side. She knew there were others hidden behind the shrubs, but what she didn’t know is what Ashton would do if someone else threatened him.

“I give up, Ashton. I’ll marry you,” Aundy said, lurching to her feet, placing herself between Ashton and Garrett.

“Aundy, no,” Garrett said, clenching his jaw as he regained his feet. “Don’t do it.”

“Be quiet or I’ll put a bullet in your head,” Ashton said, sneering at Garrett. “I win again. First I’ll marry this troublesome piece of baggage then figure out a way to get Nash’s Folly as well.”

“Never. You won’t get your filthy hands on our land and you certainly aren’t putting them on Aundy.” Garrett took a threatening step toward Ashton, whipping his gun from the holster on his hip. Ashton grabbed Aundy and pulled her back to his chest, using her for a shield with one arm wrapped around her neck before Garrett could shoot.

Cocking his gun, Ashton held it to Aundy’s head.

“One more step and she’s dead. I’ll kill her, Garrett,” Ashton said in a strangely even tone. “I swear I will.”

“What do you want, Ashton? What’s this about?” Garrett asked, holding his gun in front of him with one hand. The other dangled uselessly at his side as blood from the gunshot wound dripped along his fingers, pooling on the grass of Ashton’s neatly trimmed lawn.

“Property. I want hers,” Ashton said, speaking as though they were sitting in a drawing room drinking tea. “I wanted it ever since I moved here and Erik refused to sell it to me. Yours was my first choice, but your father made it clear he wasn’t willing to sell.”

“What’s wrong with the place you’ve got here?” Garrett asked, watching Aundy slowly move her hand beneath her apron. Trying to keep Ashton distracted, he hoped he wasn’t mistaken about what she was planning.

“Let’s just say it’s missing something,” Ashton said, glaring contemptuously at Garrett. “You’ve got something extremely valuable right under your nose but are too stupid to realize it.”

“I’m not the only one with that affliction,” Garrett mumbled, realizing the treasure Aundy had become to him. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t lose her, especially not to Ashton Monroe.

Aundy wanted to tell Garrett about Ashton thinking there was gold in the creek, but if she spoke up, it would draw Ashton’s attention to her and that was something she couldn’t do. Leaving her hand beneath her apron, she looked at Garrett and winked at him, hoping he understood her signal.

“What is it, exactly, you think we’ve got over there that you don’t have here?” Garrett asked, waiting for Aundy to make her move. Hank was creeping up behind Ashton and Kade and the other men were just waiting for a sign to step in.

“Gold, you illiterate cowpuncher,” Ashton spat out. “You’ve got a creek full of gold and aren’t even smart enough to know it.”

“Is that all?” Garrett asked, staring at Ashton with a scornful expression on his face. “You did all this because of those yellow rocks in the creek?”

“And they’re going to be all mine,” Ashton said, pointing his revolver at Garrett. “Can’t have you carrying any tales, now, can we? That so-called preacher is going to marry us then I’ll arrange it to look like Aundy’s jealous beau came to stop the wedding too late, killing her before shooting himself. You just saved me the trouble of having to break her neck and shove her down the stairs later.”

“You’re despicable,” Garrett said, taking a step toward Ashton. “Go ahead. Shoot me if you’re going to and be done with it.”

“Fine, I will,” Ashton said, placing his finger on the trigger.

“No!” Aundy screamed, startling Ashton as she jerked away from him and fired her gun.

Hank hit Ashton from behind, knocking him to the ground as Kade, Fred, and Pastor Whitting hurried into the yard.

“My leg,” Ashton screamed, holding his thigh. Aundy’s bullet found its mark. She wasn’t sure how much damage her little revolver could inflict, but from the look on Ashton’s face, she must have been close enough to make the shot really count.

“Stop your whining,” Kade said, handcuffing Ashton before Hank got off his back.

“Are you okay?” Aundy asked, gently touching Garrett’s arm, the small revolver still held in her hand.

“Yes. Ashton’s a terrible shot. I might be bleeding like a stuck pig, but it’s just a little scratch,” Garrett said, pulling Aundy against him with his good arm. “Will you forgive me for the other day?”

“Only if you’ll forgive me,” Aundy said, tears pooling in her sky blue eyes. “I love you, Garrett Nash.”

“I love you, too, Aundy,” Garrett said, giving her a quick kiss considering all the pairs of eyes watching them. “But don’t you ever scare me like that again. I thought for sure he was going to kill you.”

“I thought that a time or two myself, especially when he kept repeating it,” Aundy said, feeling her knees tremble now that she was safe. Staring at Ashton, who was now standing between Kade and Fred, Aundy shook her head. “If there’s a trial, I’d be more than happy to testify against him.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Aundy. It most likely won’t be necessary,” Kade said, tipping his head to her. “He will, of course, pay the medical expenses for everyone as well as replace any lost sheep and damaged property.”

“I’ll do no such thing,” Ashton spluttered before Fred popped him in the mouth, cutting his lip.

“Next word out of you and I’ll break that pretty little nose of yours,” Fred warned, effectively silencing Ashton. “Although where you’re going, there won’t be any ladies to notice.”

“Deputy Rawlings, I think you should know a few things,” Aundy said, pointing to Ashton. “He said he tried to kill J.B. and that’s why he had the accident. He also admitted to spooking Erik’s horses the day the wagon flipped over.”

At this news, Garrett wanted nothing more than to beat Ashton to a pulp, but with Aundy leaning against him, he squelched his primal desire and instead glared at the man.

“You didn’t write the notes or kill the sheep. Who did your dirty work for you?” Garrett asked, as Kade tightened the handcuffs around Ashton’s wrists. When Ashton failed to answer Garrett’s question, Kade thumped the butt of his gun against his wounded leg, making him gasp in pain.

“Some drifter wanted to earn a few dollars and was more than happy to terrorize a ‘stupid woman’ as he liked to call the fair Mrs. Erickson,” Ashton said with a sneer. Fred popped him in the mouth again and Ashton spat out blood along with one of his perfectly white teeth. “He got greedy and stupid, shooting the boy. I had to take care of him after that. Sloppy work, it was. I can’t tolerate it. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any evidence of him. I keep things neat and orderly.”

Convinced Ashton had completely lost his mind, Garrett changed the subject. “Why do you think there’s gold in the creek?”

“I met an old miner before I moved here who talked about striking gold north of Pendleton. He showed me some of the nuggets he found and drew a crude map before he met a most unfortunate demise. His landmarks drew me to the creek that runs through the Erickson farm and Nash’s Folly.”

Garrett let out a derisive laugh and shook his head. “Just so you know, Ashton, that gold you were willing to murder for isn’t real. Ever hear of pyrite?”

Ashton hung his head as Kade led him down the drive to the waiting horses.

“What’s pyrite?” Aundy asked, watching the men mount the horses. Kade threw Ashton across the back of his horse on his belly then tied him on. It would be a rough ride to town, especially with the gunshot wound to his thigh.

“Fool’s gold. Looks like the real thing, but isn’t,” Garrett said, thinking that description suited Ashton particularly well.

“That seems quite fitting,” Aundy said, shaking her head.

“That it does.”

“Do you suppose we’ll ever know what devious enterprises and activities Ashton’s involved with?”

“Probably not. We’re most likely better off not knowing. I’m just glad this is over and you’re safe,” Garrett said, walking with an arm around Aundy’s shoulders toward his horse. “I think I’d better see you home, Mrs. Erickson.”

“I think that’s a very good idea,” Aundy said, stretching up to kiss Garrett’s cheek. “I’m anxious to get back to Nik. I’m really worried about him.”

“I am, too, but I have a good feeling he’s going to be just fine,” Garrett said, mounting Jester and holding out a hand to help Aundy swing up behind him. “We’ve got a lot to discuss.”

“We do?”

“Yep. We sure do, like what you’d think of sending Nik to school this fall and hiring someone else to watch the sheep. And of course, we need to talk about how soon you’ll marry me and where you want the wedding and who all you plan to invite,” Garrett said, turning to grin at Aundy who sat staring at him, dumbfounded. “You will marry me, won’t you?”

“Yes,” Aundy whispered, wrapping her arms more tightly around Garrett’s waist and squeezing. “Oh, yes, Garrett.”

Chapter Nineteen

“Ready, honey?” Nora asked as she poked her head in the door and smiled at Aundy.

“More than ready,” Aundy said, giving one last glance in the mirror before lifting her veil to cover her face.

Venturing out of the bedroom, Aundy grinned at her soon-to-be mother by marriage and strolled to the front door of Nora’s house.

Dent stood waiting to walk the bride down the aisle and gave Aundy an approving nod as she approached him.

“Don’t you look beautiful, Missy,” Dent said, kissing her cheek through the thin material of the veil.

“Thank you, Dent,” Aundy said, taking in his suit and tie. “You clean up well.”

Dent laughed and glanced down at his “fancy duds,” looking uncomfortable in them as he escorted Aundy outside. “Maybe, but I’ll be glad enough when this shindig is over to get back into my regular clothes. I can’t believe you invited that old goat Tooley to your wedding. I also can’t believe he came and actually looks and smells like he took a bath.”

Aundy grinned, glad the man had accepted her invitation. She thought part of Marvin Tooley’s problem was that he had no one to care about him. She’d taken him muffins one morning and invited him to their wedding. He grumbled at her, but not nearly as loudly as he had in the past.

“Everyone deserves to have a friend,” Aundy said. “Even that old goat.”

“If you say so,” Dent said, with a chuckle. “At least he won’t make the flowers wilt with his stench.”

Since it was late spring and Nora’s yard was full of beautiful flowers bursting with vibrant blooms, Aundy and Garrett decided to get married at Nash’s Folly. Although they both would have preferred a small ceremony, as Aundy peeked around the corner of the house, it looked like half of Umatilla County was there to watch them exchange vows.

The only dark spot in Aundy’s day was the fact that her sister had not been able to come. Sending Ilsa a telegram as soon as she and Garrett set a date for the wedding, Aundy was thoroughly disappointed when Ilsa sent one back saying their aunt wouldn’t let her leave just yet.

Knowing there was nothing she could do beyond going to Chicago and stealing her sister away, Aundy resigned herself to not having any of her family at the wedding.

At least she was wearing her mother’s wedding gown. Brushing her hand along the beautiful silk of the skirt, Aundy hoped to one day have a daughter who would want to wear the gown at her own wedding. Although she and Ilsa had altered it to make the style more current and fit her tall figure, the gown was exquisite.

Carrying a bouquet of forget-me-nots, Aundy placed her hand on Dent’s arm and nodded to him that she was ready.

Walking around the corner of the house and down the aisle between the makeshift rows of benches, Aundy only had eyes for the tall, handsome man with the teasing smile waiting for her next to Pastor Whitting. Garrett looked quite dashing in a new gray suit that highlighted the silver of his eyes.

Still in awe of the fact that Garrett loved her completely and unconditionally, Aundy felt overwhelmed with blessings. Knowing her need to be free and independent, she looked forward to building a future with the gentle, caring man who would give her the space she required to learn and grow while surrounding her with his love and security.

Gazing at him with all the love she felt in her heart, her knees began to wobble so she tightened her grip on Dent’s arm.

Asking Nora and J.B. to stand up with them, Aundy smiled at the couple then winked at Nik where he sat in the front row with her men. The boy made a near miraculous recovery from his wound. Doc said it was because he was young, strong and stubborn. Aundy thought it was because God had been watching closely over one very special shepherd boy.

Trying not to laugh as she glanced down, Aundy shouldn’t have been surprised to see Nik brought along Butter. The lamb wore a blue bow around his neck and rested contentedly at the boy’s feet. Two Border Collie puppies snuggled against the lamb, sleeping in the afternoon sunshine.

As soon as Nik was able to get out of bed, Garrett arrived with two puppies giving one to Aundy and the other to the boy. Nik took his responsibilities of training the puppies to grow up to be good sheep herders very seriously. For now, though, the puppies, like the lamb, were well-loved pets.

Garrett winked at Aundy as he took her hand, trying to convince himself he wasn’t dreaming. Aundy looked lovely as she floated down the aisle in some fashionable white confection. He wondered when she’d had time to make the gown. Maybe it was something she’d brought along with her in one of her trunks crammed full of clothes.

Wherever it came from, the style accented her curves and made heat climb up his neck at the thought of helping her remove that dress later, back at their home.

Breathing in her rosy scent, he liked the idea of having a home and a future with the lovely, lively, strong-willed girl. Garrett patted her hand where it rested lightly on his arm, excited to begin their forever together.

The pastor smiled at them both as he began the ceremony. Although Aundy had gone through the experience once before with Erik, she realized how different, how much more meaningful and blessed it was when the one you were marrying already held your heart.

Staring at Garrett through the lace of her veil, Aundy drank in the sight and smell of him. From the top of his dark hair to the tips of his polished boots, he was the embodiment of every single dream she’d ever had for a husband.

Reciting their vows, Aundy held out her hand as Garrett slid the ring on her finger through the slit in her glove then she slid a gold band onto his.

When Pastor Whitting announced Garrett could kiss his bride, he folded back her veil then locked his silvery gaze to hers. It was hard for him to believe that just a few short weeks ago, he thought he’d lost Aundy forever, and now she was his bride. His beloved, cherished bride.

Lowering his lips to hers, he kissed her more thoroughly than many would have deemed proper, making Aundy blush furiously and his mother smack his arm.

Grinning broadly, he wrapped his hand around Aundy’s waist as they turned to face those gathered to help them celebrate their nuptials. Leaning close to her ear, his breath on her neck stirred tendrils of her hair, making her shiver in anticipation of what was to come. “You ought to know, Mrs. Nash, that I’m just getting started with those kisses.”

Shooting him a smile over her shoulder, the look in her eyes made Garrett’s blood heat as it zinged through his veins. “I’m counting on it.”

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