Desperate Hearts (24 page)

Emma finished dressing and put just a little color on her cheeks. She pinned up the sides of her hair and left it long in back because Mitch liked it that way. She studied herself in a mirror that hung on the wall between the bed and the dresser. It was something Mitch had bought for her “because the most beautiful woman in town should have a mirror for dressing and pampering
herself.”

She smiled at the memory. She wasn’t so sure she was “the most beautiful woman in town,” but if he thought so, that was fine with her. Once she was with child and grew a big belly, he might change his mind, but he’d already told her she would be even more beautiful then. She wore a green ruffled dress Sarah had made for her, and she studied the tailored waistline. So far she still had a small waist. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be big with child and how happy she’d be to start a family for Mitch, to give him the home life he’d never known. She hoped that wouldn’t be much longer, and she wondered if Sarah had ever made a dress with an overblouse that would hide a pregnant belly. It would be a little embarrassing going out in public that way, but she would also be proud it was Mitch’s baby she was
carrying.

Mitch had taken a change of clothes and left a half hour ago to visit Lee Wong’s bathhouse and get a shave and haircut, leaving Randy outside to keep an eye on the house. Emma shook her head at the fact that he still thought she should be watched. The whole town had become their friends and Emma no longer feared any man in Alder. They all knew she was Mitch Brady’s wife, and that was good enough to ensure her safety. Mitch argued that plenty of newcomers came and went daily in and out of Alder, which was reason enough to still be
careful.

He would be back soon, and their bags were packed. They were going to Virginia City by stage today, which meant spending the night there before coming back to Alder. Emma looked forward to the trip. She wouldn’t have to be afraid of an attack with Mitch Brady right by her side. They intended to pick up needed personal items, and some of the tools Mitch would need to start working as a gunsmith, at least in his spare time for now. He wanted to try it out and stay in town, continuing his work as a sheriff but stopping his work as a vigilante. He no longer intended to spend weeks at a time away from home. He wanted to be right here in Alder for
her.

Life would be good. They would purchase books and tablets and other supplies for her teaching, and Mitch wanted to see about a safer place to keep her necklace, which was tucked away in her carpetbag for the trip. They would even see a lawyer about the will Mitch wanted her to have drawn up. He refused to use Carl Jackson, because he didn’t trust the man and didn’t want him to know about the necklace. In fact, he’d told no one in Alder about it, not even Randy or any of his
men.

She made ready to pin on a hat when someone tapped on the door. She unbolted it to see Randy standing there. He tipped his
hat.

“Ma’am, there’s some kind of ruckus going on at the saloon across the street and down a ways. I can hear shouting and arguing. Len and Benny are out on the trail, and Mitch isn’t back yet. I’m going over to see what the problem is, so just keep your door bolted till Mitch comes
back.”

“That’s fine, Randy.”

“Do like I say and stay inside. You know Mitch. To him you’re like a flower—blow a little wind on it and the petals come off. He’s the most god-awful protective man I ever
knew.”

Emma laughed. “Go on, Randy. There isn’t a person left in Alder I need to worry about. Mitch needs to start understanding
that.”

“If you say
so.”

Emma watched him walk across the street, then closed and bolted the door. She finished pinning on her hat, then heard another knock at the door. Sure it was either Randy or Mitch, she opened the door again, then gasped in horror when Alan Radcliffe quickly and viciously shoved the door wider, knocking her down. He closed and re-bolted the door as Emma scrambled to her feet, standing there speechless with
astonishment.

“You never thought I’d find you, did you, you little
bitch
!”

Emma made for a rifle Mitch kept in a rack on the opposite wall, but Radcliffe grasped her hair and yanked, clamping a big hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream. “That two-bit, gun-toting kid who was outside fell for the little ruckus I paid a man to start, so he’s not around to protect you, you little whore! Neither is that excuse of a lawman you’ve been sharing your bed with! It’s just you and
me
, my
sweet!”

He bent one arm up behind her back, keeping her mouth covered. “When you ran off, you shouldn’t have left behind that newspaper article giving away your destination,” he
growled.

The
article!
Emma remembered losing it. She’d been in such a hurry, she forgot to bring the newspaper with her! Alan bent her arm more, reawakening the pain in her still-tender
shoulder.

“Where is it, Emma! Where’s the goddamn necklace! That’s all I want! Give me the necklace and I’ll leave you to your stinking little excuse of a house and your cowboy
husband!”

How did he know about Mitch and where they lived? And how did he know Mitch wasn’t here? Alan whirled her around and backhanded her before she could cry out. She landed against the table, and she tasted blood as he jerked her up and dragged her to the bed, pushing her onto it and holding her arms down. He pressed a knee into her stomach so she could barely
breathe.

“You stupid little slut!” he growled, his dark eyes blazing. “If you had willingly come to my bed and let me have the necklace, you’d be living the life of a wealthy woman right now! I wouldn’t have gone to the prosecutor and told him you killed your own mother and stole from me! But things have changed, Emma, and I need that
necklace!”

She shook her head and spit at him. “The…vigilantes…will hang you…for
this!”

Alan pressed his knee harder. “Give me the necklace or I’ll snap every rib in your body! I’m headed for California! Give me the necklace and I’ll go and you’ll never see me
again!”

Emma cried out with pain, but it was more of a squeal because she could barely take a breath. “Why…California?” she managed to
grunt.

“I’ve lost everything, thanks to you, you little thief! If I had that necklace, I could have saved my home and what was left of my businesses! You and that damn stubborn bitch of a mother of yours ruined my
life
!”

Emma gritted her teeth. “
Gambling
…did…that.”

Alan pressed again and Emma heard a crack and nearly fainted from the pain. “Where is it!” he
demanded.

His eyes were wild. He looked truly desperate, and Emma wondered what had gone wrong back home. This seemed to be something worse than just losing money to gambling debts. It was as though he was running from something. One thing was certain, he really meant business this time, and she didn’t want to die. The necklace wasn’t worth that. The stubborn part of her said to keep defying him, but the part of her that wanted to live for Mitch made her talk. “Carpet…bag…” She moved her eyes to where her packed bag sat on the
floor.

Alan glanced at it, then eased off, but he backhanded the other side of her face to stun her into silence before going over to the bag. He tore it open and flung everything out of it, then tore at the lining to find the
necklace.

All the while Emma struggled to get up, but the pain in her left side was excruciating. Her handbag lay nearby on the bed. She tried reaching for it while Alan shoved the necklace into an inside pocket of his fancy waistcoat. He turned back then, noticing her trying to get
up.

Furious with her for all he imagined she’d done to him, he came back to the bed and wrapped his big hands around her throat, pushing her onto her back
again.

“I said I’d leave when I got the necklace,” he told her, “but I didn’t say I’d leave without
killing
you! I wouldn’t want you telling people who did this, now, would I?” He began squeezing, and Emma’s eyes grew wide with terror as he choked off her
air.

Randy! Mitch!
She managed to get hold of her drawstring handbag and reached inside it. How she was able to keep from passing out, she wasn’t sure, just as she wasn’t sure how she managed to find her little derringer and cock it. She put it against Alan’s side and pulled the
trigger.

Alan jerked, his eyes wide with shock. He let go of her and straightened, looking down at himself, then reached under his waistcoat and felt his side. When he pulled his hand out, it was covered with blood. He gawked at her then, astounded, noticing the small handgun still in her left
hand.

“You fucking little bitch!” he exclaimed. “You shot
me!”

She still couldn’t get her breath and was sure he’d crushed something in her throat so that she’d never breathe again. Alan backed away as she tried to point her gun at him again, but she’d lost too much oxygen to have any strength left. The last thing she saw before passing out was Alan Radcliffe turning and going out the
door.

Randy came out of the saloon and looked farther down the street at Mitch’s place. The door was standing open. Figuring Mitch must be there, he walked over to check and let him know about the ruckus Boot Tully had started in the Saddleback Saloon—it was something very unusual for Boot, who was known as the town drunk but never as a troublemaker. Randy frowned in puzzlement over why Boot would have suddenly started a row with Bart Hillandale, one of the biggest brawlers and braggers in Alder. While Randy tried to settle things, Boot had begun waving around twenty dollars, offering to buy
drinks.

“Where in hell did Boot get that much money?” Randy wondered. He reached Mitch’s place and went inside, stopping cold when he saw Emma lying on the bed, her face pummeled, her derringer in her hand, and a carpetbag opened with clothes scattered
everywhere!

“Jesus, oh Jesus!” Randy groaned. He ran over to Emma, feeling her neck for a pulse. It was then he noticed the horrible purple color there. Someone had choked her nearly to death! “Emma? Emma, can you
talk?”

She made an odd choking sound. “Emma? Oh, Jesus God, Mitch is gonna string me up for this, and I deserve it!” He scooped Emma up in his arms and carried her out the door, running down the street with her toward Doc Wilson’s. “Please be there, Doc! Please be
there!”

What
the
hell
happened? Who in Alder would do this to Mitch Brady’s
wife?

People began following Randy. “Get Mitch!” he yelled to someone. “He’s at the
bathhouse!”

Randy could barely see for the tears in his eyes. If Emma Brady died, it would be his fault, and he’d rather shoot himself than see the look in Mitch’s eyes if he had to put his wife in the ground. People everywhere were shouting
now.

“Get
Mitch!”

“Somethin’ happened to Emma
Brady!”

“Looks like she might be
dead!”

Randy wondered if this could have something to do with Trudy Wiley and her bunch. Maybe one of them was still out to get Mitch and chose to hurt him by beating up his wife. No matter the reason. The fact remained that Randy had allowed himself to become distracted and take his attention away from keeping an eye on things. As soon as he delivered Emma to Doc Wilson, he intended to have a talk with Boot
Tully.

Others arrived at Doc’s ahead of Randy, and Doc Wilson was already standing ready at the door when Randy got there. Farther down the street he could see Mitch running from the bathhouse, his shirt open, no hat or vest, his hair still wet, and both of his gun belts in one hand. Doc Wilson stepped aside and told Randy to lay Emma on a cot inside. He ordered onlookers to step back and he closed the door, but he’d no sooner bent over Emma to take a look when the door burst open then and the room was filled with Mitch Brady and the fury that came with
him.

“What the hell happened!” he asked, hurrying to Emma’s
side.

Randy stepped back. “I…I don’t know. I found her this way at your
place!”

“Oh, my God, look at her throat!” Mitch shoved Doc out of the way and bent over Emma. “Emma! Emma, who did
this?”

Her eyes fluttered and she made a horrible gagging
sound.

“Jesus, Doc, she can’t breathe! She can’t
breathe!”

“Then get out of my way and let me help her!” Doc told him. He quickly took a scalpel from a tray
nearby.

“What are you
doing?”

“I’m going to cut a hole in her trachea so she can breathe. If she goes much longer like this, she’ll have brain
damage.”

“I won’t let you cut into her!” Mitch
roared.

“Do you want her to
die
?”

Mitch turned away, obvious tears in his eyes, a sight none of them had ever
seen.

“You go find out who did this, Mitch!” the doctor told him. “You do
your
job and let me do
mine
!”

Mitch ran a hand through his still-wet hair. “I can’t leave
her.”

“Then go around the other side of the cot and help me!” Doc told him, looking scared himself. “Let’s sit her up a little and help her breathe. Maybe I can avoid a
tracheotomy.”

Mitch wiped at his eyes and knelt down on the other side of the
bed.

“Randy, go get Sarah!” Doc
ordered.

Mitch looked up at
Randy.

“Jesus, I’m so sorry, Mitch. I only left for a few minutes. It’s like somebody planned this. There’s no other way he could have been there right at that
time.”

“Go get Sarah!” Doc ordered
again.

Randy hurried
out.

Emma made an odd gulping sound, and Mitch smoothed back her hair from her bloodied
face.

“I can’t stand for her to hurt, Doc.”

Both men helped her sit up more as Emma struggled to get air to her lungs. “Someone choked her so hard it nearly collapsed the trachea, but it might be open enough that she can breathe without me having to cut into
her.”

Mitch gently touched her bruised face. “Emma, nod or something. Do you think you can breathe on your
own?”

She managed to nod, grasping his wrist in terror. She tried to talk, but nothing would come out. Doc Wilson gently felt her face and jawline. “I don’t feel any broken bones.” He moved his hands down her body, and Emma jerked back from pain when he touched one spot on her left side. “Lay her back and get her dress off!” Doc ordered
Mitch.

Sarah came inside then. “Oh, my God, what
happened!”

“Some bastard beat the hell out of her!” Mitch seethed. He helped the doctor remove Emma’s dress and camisole. Sarah gasped at how purple Emma’s whole midsection was, and Mitch groaned with pity and a need to kill someone. Doc felt around Emma’s ribs. “She has at least one broken rib, probably more,” he told Mitch. “From the look of this center bruise, someone either punched her a good one right in the middle, or maybe he pressed her down with a knee, something like
that.”

Mitch wilted into a chair beside the cot, putting his head in his hands. Randy came inside then and Doc covered
Emma.

“I don’t understand this,” Sarah exclaimed, her eyes wide with confusion and
horror.

“I failed her,” Mitch answered, his voice raspy with fury and regret. “I failed to keep the one extra promise I made her when we got married. I said no one would ever hurt her
again.”

Sarah tried to soothe him. “Mitch, this isn’t your
fault.”

“Isn’t it?” He looked up at her with tear-filled eyes, but along with the tears was something else, a rage worse than anything Sarah had ever seen. “It’s just like what happened with my mother! When she needed me most, I couldn’t help
her!”

“And you were a helpless little boy then! You’re a
man
now, Mitch Brady, and you sure as hell
can
help! You can go out there and find out who did
this!”

Mitch got to his feet, bending over as though in pain. “Look at her! When I left, she was happy and packing our things for Virginia City and—” He stopped, angrily wiping at his eyes. He turned to Randy. “What else happened over there? Did someone go through our
bags?”

A devastated Randy nodded. “There were clothes strewn all over the
place.”

“Shit!” Mitch threw the chair against the wall. “I know who did this! And he’s got the necklace! He’s got the necklace, and he decided to make her suffer for keeping it from
him!”

“Mitch, calm down or get out of my office!” Doc ordered him. “And don’t forget you aren’t completely well yourself yet. You could pass out if you let your anger get the better of you. Your blood will rise to your head and could cause a stroke. Your brain and the inside of your skull are still healing, so calm down and think this through! Emma will need you, but she doesn’t need a roaring grizzly bear at her side. She needs her
husband
in a calm, reassuring state. And she doesn’t need to come out of this to find out you’re
dead
!”

“Mitch, what are you talking about? Who has what necklace?” Sarah asked. “You aren’t making
sense.”

Mitch turned in circles, putting his hands to his head. “How did he get to her?” he asked himself aloud. “How did he know where we were—where we
lived?”

“Who?” Sarah
asked.

Mitch looked at Randy. “Tell me everything that led up to this! Why did you leave your
post?”

Randy swallowed. “You can beat the hell out of me and string me up, Mitch. I deserve
it.”

Mitch closed his eyes. “No, you don’t. This is no one’s fault but my own. I wasn’t as watchful as I should have been. I didn’t tell any of you that uncle of hers might come here looking for her. You had no idea or you might have been more aware. I thought I could handle it myself, because Emma didn’t want anybody to know about…all the facts behind why she came here.” He looked at Randy again. “I’ll explain later. Just tell me what distracted
you.”

Randy explained, looking ashamed and
devastated.

Mitch began buttoning his shirt and tucked it into his pants. “Boot Tully never causes trouble, and he never has money on him. That was a setup, Randy. Someone paid him to start a ruckus and get you over there…someone who’d been watching our movements. He probably saw me go to Lee Wong’s and figured I’d be there a while.” He walked over to pick up his guns from where he’d thrown them onto the floor. He began strapping them
on.

“Who, Mitch?” Randy
asked.

Mitch finished buckling his gun belts while Sarah and Doc Wilson helped soothe Emma, urging her to relax and get as much air into her lungs as possible. Mitch tied the ends of his holsters around his thighs. “His name is Alan Radcliffe,” he seethed. “Emma and I both knew he might come here looking for Emma. I figured he’d stand out in a crowd here because he’s a businessman from New York City who wouldn’t fit in out here. I should have realized strangers, even fancy ones like Radcliffe, come and go in this town every day and wouldn’t draw that much attention. He must have managed to get information out of people who didn’t realize why he was really here…enough information to figure out where Emma and I lived and how to catch Emma
alone.”

“Why would he do this to Emma?” Sarah
asked.

Mitch straightened, pain in his eyes when he glanced at Emma again. “Because she had something he wanted, something very valuable. It’s a necklace, unlike anything you’ve ever set eyes on, believe me. When we have more time, I’ll explain what makes it so valuable.” He looked at Sarah. “I didn’t tell anyone about it because I didn’t want people knowing Emma possessed anything of value. We were going to Virginia City to find a safer place to keep it, but Radcliffe got here before we could do
that.”

“And who is Radcliffe?” Randy
asked.

Mitch felt he might explode with fury. “Her stepfather, who also happens to be her blood uncle. He murdered Emma’s mother and…” He took several deep breaths to keep from ramming his fists into a wall. He told himself not to be angry with Randy. The kid didn’t know the whole of it. “Never mind the rest,” he added. “The point is, Emma is scared to death of him and I let him get to her after promising that would never happen!” His hands balled into fists. “Somehow the sonofabitch figured out where she was and managed to slip into town like some fancy trader or something and avoided running into any of us. I don’t even know myself what he looks like. I only have Emma’s description of him—tall and dark, built a lot like me, but older. We have to find him and show him how in Montana a man
pays
for something like
this!”

“Mitch, when I found her, her derringer was in her hand and there was blood on the floor,” Randy told him. “I think maybe she managed to shoot and at least wound him. That will slow him down—maybe even leave us a blood
trail.”

Mitch’s jaw twitched with his furious need for revenge. “Then I guess she’s got a bit of vigilante blood in her, doesn’t she?” he tried to joke, but his voice broke as he spoke. He turned
away.

“Mitch, she’s going to be okay,” Doc reassured him. “None of this is life threatening. I’ll take good care of her. You go find this man and hang the
sonofabitch!”

Mitch cleared his throat before turning around. “He’ll head back to New York. That’s where he’s from. He’s got the necklace now and he’ll sell it as fast as he can. He’ll get more money for it from a museum or something like that in a big
city.”

Emma made an odd choking sound then and they all turned. Her eyes were open, and she was trying to say something. Mitch and Doc Wilson went to her side, leaning
close.

“I’m so damn sorry, Emma!” Mitch told her, touching her hair again and leaning closer to kiss her bruised cheeks. “This is all my
fault.”

She shook her head, taking a deep, raspy breath. She opened her mouth, whispering something. Mitch leaned closer and she managed one raggedly whispered word. “California.”

Mitch frowned, meeting her eyes. “California?”

Emma managed a
nod.

“Radcliffe is headed for
California?”

She nodded
again.

“Why in hell would
he—”

Emma grasped his forearm and squeezed, signaling she needed to say more. “Running,” she rasped. “He’s…in…trouble…headed…west…not
east.”

Mitch started to rise, but she squeezed his arm again, and he leaned close. “I…shot him,” she managed to say. “Felt…good.”

Mitch managed a smile. “I bet it
did.”

Emma managed a smile through tears. “Don’t…blame yourself…Mitch.”

He took her hand and kissed her palm. “I can’t help that part, but I can promise I’ll make up for this, Emma. When we’re done with him, that man won’t be alive to ever bother you
again.”

Emma took several deep, desperate breaths. “Scared…for you. You’re…not
well.”

“Don’t you worry about me,” Mitch told her, fire in his eyes. “I’m well enough for this!” He straightened. “He’s heading west. Emma says he’s in some kind of trouble, and we know he’s wounded. Let’s go! I have to go to the bathhouse and get my hat and vest. Randy, you go get our horses ready and go back to my house and get my carbine. We’ll pick up his trail from
there.”

Both men headed out the door and hurried off in two different directions. Sarah looked at Doc Wilson. “Oh, Doc, pity the man who dared to lay a hand on Emma Brady. It was bad enough what Mitch did to that man who beat me up. I can’t imagine what it will be like for a man who beat on the woman he
loves.”