The Mail Order Bride's Secret Read online

  Roman gave her a smile. “Forgive me. But you look very familiar. Have we met?”

  “No.” If he knew how many faces she’d seen in her lifetime, he’d probably reach for a snort of something. “I’m positive we have not. My paper?”

  “Of course.” He pulled one from a stack. “I’m actually glad you came in. I have something for you.” He went to his desk and opened a drawer.

  She followed him and took a tintype he handed her, a photograph of her wedding to Tait. She stared at the handsome couple, and her heart swelled. How odd the way a photograph made something look quite different than it actually was. The way he held her hand and stared into her eyes made it appear she and Tait were so much in love, yet they hadn’t been. If anything, they had a remote interest in each other and maybe that had only been on her part at that.

  “Mr. Trinity came by here that morning and asked me if I’d take a wedding picture for the missus.”

  “I didn’t know he’d had it taken for me. I assumed he’d picked it up already.”

  “It’s then that he let me interview him for the paper.” Monty laughed. “I’d been after him for a while, and he’d always refused until that day. I guess I caught him just right.”

  He’d wanted it for her. She swallowed past the thick lump. She’d intended the tintype as proof to show Judge McIlroy, but now… Suddenly, she was confused about the impact it had on her and knew she’d never part with it.

  First letting her have her own money, and now the picture that she’d always treasure.

  She blinked hard and glanced up. “Thank you, Mr. Roman. I should go. I left Becky with the boys.” She chuckled. “They’ll probably have her strapped to one of those goats again and be teaching her to gallop by now.”

  “I hope not. Enjoy the tintype.” He studied her. “I know I’ll remember where I met you. Eventually.”

  Worry knotted in her stomach as she left the office. No doubt he would. She just prayed she wasn’t doing anything shameful such as the way she’d dressed and teased men sometimes.

  She stopped on the boardwalk two doors down and took the picture from her pocket, running the pad of a thumb across Tait’s handsome features. Oh, to be the kind of woman in that picture for real. Able to be a devoted wife and spend a lifetime being loved.

  But she wasn’t and never would be unless she found a way out. She swiped at her eyes with an angry jerk of her wrist and put the memento away, torn between two equally difficult paths: save her sister or betray a man who had already suffered a lifetime of betrayals. She chewed her lip.

  In the silence, she heard her conscience. She couldn’t do this. Despite his hard outward appearance, Tait was gentle. He had a strong sense of justice, of responsibility to his kin…and she was beginning to care about him a lot more than she’d bargained for. One thing she understood now: he’d had a good reason for robbing those trains.

  And it had never been about the money.

  There had to be another way to satisfy the judge. She’d look until she found it.

  She would fight to keep the life that she had begun in Hope’s Crossing. A life that involved Tait Trinity.

  Eleven

  The morning sun shone down on Tait as he dismounted at his sister’s house. The land, the clapboard home, everything stunk of death.

  Three black crows sat on the windmill, the blades spinning in the breeze. Their caws broke the silence, and a kitten streaked from the porch.

  “I want to know every single detail. Don’t leave anything out.” Tait pinned Hondo with a sharp glance. “I want to know where the horses were tied, what you saw when you rode up, what you felt. I want to know the things you didn’t see but your gut told you.”

  Hondo nodded. “I’ll try. It was around twilight on a day pretty much like this one when the boys rode up to my office with little Becky. All of them were hysterical. It took them a while to calm down enough to tell us anything. By the time me and my deputy rode out here, it was dark. Couldn’t see much in the blackness except John lying on the porch and the front door standing open.” “Whereabouts was John?” Jack asked, beating Tait to the question.

  “Right in front of the door.” Hondo planted himself on the spot. “The hair stood on my neck. I struck a match and went inside and saw Claire on the floor. My deputy lit a lamp. Blood. So much blood. My boots slipped in it, and I nearly went down.”

  “Was it all Claire’s?” Tait asked quietly, struggling for composure.

  “Appeared that way. She was a mess, but I don’t think they…violated her.”

  “That’s a comfort,” Tait murmured. A small one, but he’d take it.

  Hondo ran a hand over his eyes. “Claire…Claire’s dress was raised, and I saw they’d blown her knees out. I covered her up.” Hondo’s voice quivered.

  “Thank you.” Anger swirled and twisted inside Tait like a bunch of bees, trying to find something to sting.

  “Her right arm cut deep. Lord, it was a mess in here. Blood on the walls, the floor, soaked one of Becky’s dolls right through. And the smell—I’ll never forget that smell if I live to be a hundred.”

  Hondo fell silent. Tait glanced around the room. Nothing appeared to have been taken since several items were left that a thief would’ve wanted. A brand-new Winchester hung over the fireplace, and an older one rested next to the door. Everything was as neat as a pin now.

  “Who cleaned up the place?” Tait asked.

  “The Harveys, who live on the next farm over. If the children came back, they didn’t want them to see the house in that condition.” Hondo stared out the door.

  Tait scanned the room more slowly this time. What clues had the killers left behind? They always left something.

  Every hair on his neck rose, and his gut writhed like a den of snakes. He struggled to keep his voice even. “Were drawers open and things strewn about?”

  “No. The place looked just like this.” Hondo inhaled a shaky breath. “After the blood, second thing I noticed was the badge pinned to Claire’s dress. We got some blankets from the bedroom, wrapped the bodies, and hauled them to town. It was late at night when we got back.”

  The Trinity family Bible lay open on the table. Tait strode across the room to pick it up. He’d be the keeper of it now. The pages didn’t lay flat, and that seemed odd unless…maybe there were dried flowers saved as a remembrance. He turned the book in his hands and flipped it open. Light from the window glinted on the pale metal. His breath hitched painfully when he picked up the ring.

  “What is it?” Jack moved closer.

  “A woman’s wedding band.”

  Wait. It was too familiar. It looked like—

  Oh hell!

  His head swam when blood drained from it all at once. Praying it wasn’t what he thought, he held the ring to the light. Engraved on the inside was the word Forever—and the initials TT.

  A loud, bloodcurdling cry sprang from his mouth, and he dropped to his knees. Three years he’d searched for that silver band, ever since finding it missing from Lucy’s hand that horrible day. He gripped it so tight it left an impression in his palm. He could almost smell the rosewater she’d always worn.

  Oh God! He shook from head to toe.

  Jack knelt beside him. “Is that whose I think it is?”

  Tait nodded, unable to speak.

  Hondo stared openmouthed. “That Bible wasn’t there the last time I came. The killers came back.”

  “Are you sure?” Jack got to his feet.

  “Positive.” Hondo squared his shoulders. “I would’ve seen something so obvious. I’m not some drunken bumbler who doesn’t know shit from bootblack.”

  “You don’t have to get so defensive. Just trying to figure out what’s going on.” Jack placed a hand under Tait’s armpit and helped him into a chair. Then he and Hondo went out onto the porch to give Tait time to get his legs
underneath him.

  After a little while, Tait felt steady enough and wandered out to join them. “Why leave this here with Claire? What’s going on?”

  “Sick bastards!” Hondo spat. “Low-down sick bastards!”

  “The killers had to have somehow gotten wind Tait was coming. Someone wanted you to find this. Maybe we were trailed from Hope’s Crossing.” Jack leaned against the post bracing the porch and stared off into the distance. “Are you all right, Tait?”

  “Yeah.” He lied. Tait stuck the ring into his pocket, still absorbing the shock waves, his heart and mind going numb. “What are they doing? Trying to mess with my mind?”

  “Seems that way.” Jack pushed away from the post. “Could Claire have had it?”

  “No. She would’ve somehow gotten it to me. And how would she have come by it? She wasn’t around when Lucy was murdered. This is Kern Berringer’s work—or one of his kin. A message to me that no one is safe.” Tait scanned the brush. “Where the hell is Kern holed up? I’ve looked high and low for him for three solid years. Someone is protecting him.”

  Hondo spat into the dirt. “I’m betting it’s Richard Markham, that damned railroad owner.”

  “Wish I knew.” Jack squeezed Tait’s shoulder. “It might not’ve occurred to you, but I think we need to get back to Hope’s Crossing as quick as possible. They seem to be going after anyone close to you. Melanie and the kids might be next.”

  A hand seemed to reach into his chest and squeeze his heart. Tait nearly doubled over from the pain. The assumption wasn’t nearly as far-fetched as he wished it was.

  Hondo’s voice was quiet. “Jack’s right. There’s not much more you can do here. I’ll pack up everything and get someone to bring their things to you if I can’t come myself. I’ll also try to find a buyer for this place. When I do, I’ll let you know.”

  “I want to see where the horses were tied,” Tait insisted. “Need to look at the hoof marks, if any are still here.”

  “They’re gone. We had rain not long ago. But I made sketches of the ones I saw. They’re back at my office.” Hondo moved off the porch. “The horses stood here, right along this railing. Five of them. I wish I could tell you the color and size, but I can’t. The boys were too scared to pay close attention to that. They were running for their lives and dragging Becky with them.”

  Tait could picture the scene in his head and had to force air into his agonized lungs. If only he’d been here. He was the one the killers were after. Not his sister and not John. Or Melanie.

  “I’d give every cent of the railroad money to find the godforsaken bastards.” Tait ran a hand over the rough wooden porch railing. “What are your thoughts, given everything we know? Is this Kern Berringer?” He needed to know.

  “The railroad badge and wedding ring seem to suggest that.” Hondo scratched his head. “Who else would have the ring and know about your vendetta against the railroad? If nothing else, he knew this would draw you out in the open. You’re too protected in Hope’s Crossing. They couldn’t get to you.”

  “Exactly. My bet’s on Kern.” Jack was silent a moment. “Your gunfight with Ed Berringer happened less than a week after this carnage. Maybe his father sent him to deliver a message, and Ed messed up.”

  “Do you think he forgot his mission?” Hondo asked.

  “Hard to know with Ed. Here’s a thought. Maybe he didn’t tell Papa Berringer he was going to Hope’s Crossing. He thought he could kill Tait, it would end the vendetta, and they’d all be safe to keep killing. He might’ve wanted to be the big man, someone important, prove his worth.” Jack snorted. “No one ever said Ed was the smartest pup of the litter. Out of all those boys, Ed and Willie were the shortest on brains.”

  Tait mulled that over. It seemed to make sense. Only how did Ed know where to find him?

  “I’ve always believed Kern didn’t know where I’d holed up,” Tait said slowly. “But I think he’s always known. Ed showing up in Hope’s Crossing proves that. Kern doesn’t want me dead yet. He inflicts more pain on me when he kills those I love. Killing me is too quick. I have to end this. I can’t let everyone I care about take what should be coming to me.”

  Hondo leaned against the railing and slapped at a mosquito on his arm. “Don’t forget your brothers. Won’t they be in Kern’s crosshairs as well?”

  “They’re all out of reach. Alaska, last I heard. Hell, they could all be dead and I’d never know.” And Tait hoped they stayed far away.

  Hondo let out a low whistle. “Yep, that’s a fair distance. I’d say they’re safe.”

  Even so, there was no love lost between Tait and his brothers. Any one of them would turn him in for the reward if they ever learned about it.

  “Something’s still bothering me. The tall man with the killers—who is he?” Tait asked. “All the clan I’ve seen have been shorter than I am.”

  Jack sat down on the porch step. “I’ve never heard of the Berringers letting strangers ride with them. For one thing, they have enough family.”

  “Not if he’s a distant relative,” Tait pointed out.

  “Hell, all of this is making my brain tired!” Hondo released a string of curses. “Tait, I never heard what happened between you and Kern to cause such hatred.”

  “I crippled him.” Vivid images of that day raced across Tait’s memory. “I clubbed him across the knee with a rifle during a fight and shattered the bone. I was protecting a young widow he’d taken a shine to and holding her against her will.”

  Little had Tait known then how many deaths his actions would lead to.

  “That would do it, all right.” Hondo quietly got a box and started rounding up the kittens.

  “If I’m not mistaken, the fight happened before Lucy.” Jack wearily rubbed his eyes.

  “Yep. I was a young pup, barely dry behind the ears. Kern was almost twice my age and itching to show me who was boss.” Tait put the family Bible in his saddlebag. “He went to work for Richard Markham III, owner of the railroad, shortly after that. We went separate ways, and I lost touch until I married Lucy.”

  Then the devil had reared his ugly head and unleashed terror like he’d never seen.

  Hondo caught the mama cat, set her into the box with her kittens, and closed the lid after making sure they could get air. The men mounted up without further conversation.

  Tait spared a mournful glance back at the house as he galloped away. He prayed that Claire would forgive him for bringing death down on her. Then his thoughts turned to Melanie.

  Kern was not getting to her or the children. Tait would make sure of it.

  Twelve

  The next morning, Tait telegraphed Clay before they left Flat Rock, warning him to keep an eye out for strangers. With Hondo’s drawings of the horses’ hooves safe in his pocket, he and Jack saddled up. After making a quick stop by the cemetery on their way out of town, they rode hell bent for Hope’s Crossing. Darkness had settled in by the time they arrived, and Tait was relieved to see two men stationed at the town’s entrance in the canyon.

  “You boys look a mite tired,” Skeet Malloy, the town blacksmith, said. “Everything’s quiet here.”

  Tait rested his forearm on the pommel. “That’s good. I guess Clay has replacements arranged.”

  Dallas Hawk grinned. “Yep. Just like old times. Say, what kind of trouble is coming?”

  “Kern Berringer and his bunch.”

  Malloy let out a whistle. “Heard about them. We’ll be on our toes.”

  Melanie and the kids must’ve been watching out the hotel window because Tait had barely begun to unsaddle his horse when Joe and Jesse ran up, skidding to a stop.

  The twins talked his ears off, catching him up on their circus and their trap-making. Melanie held Becky and watched everything with a smile on her face. Tait didn’t miss the hitch in her breath and recalled the kisses he’d pressed
to her lips and how they’d molded to his.

  All of a sudden he didn’t know what to say to this woman he’d sent for sight unseen. He kept his focus on the children and getting his horse brushed and fed.

  Finally, the twins slowed down and Joe’s face turned solemn. “Did you see our old house?”

  “Yes, I did. We’ll talk about that in a minute.” Tait finished his chore and followed Jack into the barn, leading his blue roan.

  Nora and her children arrived out of breath to greet Jack. The women discussed their day while they waited for Tait and Jack, and the little ones played together. Tait caught part of the ladies’ conversation and their worry that trouble was coming. Evidently Clay had told them enough to put them on guard.

  Becky came running when Tait left the barn. He scooped her up and gave her a hug. “I’ve missed you, girl.”

  “Home.” She pointed to the hotel and then patted his cheeks. “My wuncle.”

  He turned to Melanie. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, Mrs. Trinity.”

  Her cheeks pinked. “I’m glad you’re back. The children missed you.” She took his elbow, and the twins fell into step with them. “Are you hungry?”

  “Tired, dirty, and starving. We rode those horses hard trying to get here.”

  “What’s happening, Tait? Clay only told me to not venture too far from the hotel.”

  “Wait until we’re alone and I’ll explain.” He made a beeline to the café, thankful it was still open even though only one other couple were there eating.

  While he ate, he told the twins that he’d seen their kittens and the sheriff had taken them and their mother into town.

  “I’m glad the bad men didn’t kill them too.” Joe frowned and took a drink of milk.

  Jesse propped his elbow on the table. “I’ll bet Tilda was hungry looking after her kittens all alone.”