Safe in His Arms

TWENTY-THREE





All day long Margaret prepared meals and endured angry glances from Golda, though she didn’t know what beef the woman had against her. The best Margaret could do was ignore the other woman and try to stay out of the way of the men.

As soon as it was dark, Margaret shook her bedding out to make sure no critters had crawled in, then spread it out again and slipped inside. She found it hard to fall asleep in spite of her exhaustion. The men laughed and played cards far into the night, and the clink of whiskey bottles and the sound of their harsh laughter woke her every time her eyelids drooped. It seemed a long time since she’d gone to bed when the men’s voices changed. They no longer merely played cards but had begun to discuss the upcoming robbery. The breeze carried their words to her ears.

She stifled a gasp when she realized what they planned. The Larson bank—the bank where her money was stored—was the next target. Her father had just deposited the money from the spring sale before he died. She had to find a way to get out of here and warn the sheriff. Otherwise, she would lose all she owned to these misfits. So would her friends. There were so many of them. How was she to escape when they watched her so closely?

Daniel had assured her that it would turn out well, but she’d seen the uncertainty in his eyes when he talked. While she didn’t know what his plan was, she suspected he didn’t care as much about saving the town bank as she did.

She gulped as she thought about everyone’s reaction to her disappearance. Daniel was missing as well. Would her friends think they had eloped? She felt sick. If they thought she had run off to marry Daniel, they might not even be looking for her. It was very likely that was exactly what they would think. Everyone had seen the way he courted her at the dance. She sucked in a deep breath. It was up to her to get herself out of this mess. If she could get away, she could warn the town and save her friends’ savings.

According to the conversation Margaret had overheard, she only had a few days to get away and get help. “Help me, Lord,” Margaret whispered. She would need his strength to do what she had to do.




MARGARET STRETCHED OUT the aching muscles in her back. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn she was lying on lumps of coal all night. Her eyes felt leaden from lack of sleep, and it wasn’t only because of the hard ground. Her heart ached at what she knew she had to do today, and moping around about it wouldn’t change the facts. She had to escape and warn the town, even if it meant leaving Daniel behind.

After their late night, the men still snored in their blankets. The camp was silent except for their occasional snorts and the horses huffing in the makeshift corral. Margaret rose and tiptoed out of the camp in the direction of the Red River. From here she could hear the sound of the water rushing over rocks and tree roots. She wished she could bathe, but there was no privacy for that.

Crouching by the river, she splashed water on her face and arms and washed away the worst of the dust. Her hair was another matter. She had no comb or brush, nothing to bring her hair to some semblance of order. Using her fingers, she worked the knots out until her hair was as smooth as she could make it. It lay down her back in a heavy curtain, and she began to part it into sections to braid it again.

“Don’t.”

She whirled at Daniel’s deep voice and almost tumbled into the river. He caught her arm and steadied her.

“I thought you were all sleeping,” she whispered.

“The rest of the men are. I thought you’d be here.” His eyes caressed her face.

She felt herself flush and stepped away. Running her fingers through her hair again, she began to braid it.

“I wish you’d leave it down. It’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen hair like that. It’s the color of red maple leaves in the autumn.” He reached out and wound a strand around a finger.

The touch of his hand in her hair made her mouth go dry. She tugged the lock away from him and braided it in with the rest. “It’s too messy to leave loose. I must look a sight.”

“A beautiful one.”

She caught his hand. “They’re all sleeping, Daniel. We could slip away and warn the town. Get the sheriff.”

“I can’t leave my brother behind. He’s the reason I’m here. Give me some time to fix this, Margaret. Two days.”

“In two days they’ll have the money from the bank.”

“Is that what you care about? The money?” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “There’s so much you don’t know.”

“Then tell me! I don’t understand anything. And yes, I do care about the money. It’s not just my money, but the money from the entire county is there.”

His hand went from her hand to cup her cheek. His eyes were earnest. “You talk of being a believer, but you can’t seem to trust anyone, not even God. You cling to your wealth as your security and carry the baggage of being unworthy, even though God loves you and has forgiven you. You should have listened a little closer to that sermon in church a couple of weeks back.” He opened his mouth as though to say more, then shook his head and turned away again. His tall form disappeared among the trees as he headed farther out from camp.

She raised her hand to stop him, then let it drop. Was he right? With horror, she realized she did cling to her status as a wealthy ranch owner for her identity. And she trusted very few people. Her eyes burned. How did she let go of all the baggage she carried?

She made herself as neat as she could without a comb or clean clothes, then walked back to the camp. The men still snored beside the smoldering coals, their breath pluming in the cold morning air.

Frank was the only one awake. “Take some breakfast to Golda. She needs to get up.”

Margaret nodded and dished up overcooked eggs from the skillet, then went to the tent where Golda had disappeared to the night before.

She scratched at the tent opening. “Miss Munster? I have some breakfast for you.”

Only silence greeted her at first. Finally, she heard, “Give me a minute, will ya?”

Golda flung back the tent opening. Her hair fanned over her shoulders and down her back like molten gold. “I don’t remember ordering breakfast.” Her hostile blue eyes raked over Margaret. “Daniel will take one look at you this morning and run the other way.”

Margaret winced, then relaxed. That’s not how Daniel had acted. “Frank told me to bring your breakfast. He said you needed to get up.”

Golda rolled her eyes but stepped back to allow Margaret entry. Margaret blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkened interior of the tent. As her vision focused, she saw clothing and possessions strewn around the tent as though a fitful child had taken everything from her closet and heaped it on the floor. There was barely room to stand without stepping on a lovely dress or two.

Golda kicked a dress out of the way and settled on an upended bucket. “I need my beauty sleep more than those disgusting eggs.”

“You’re already the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Margaret blurted out.

Golda raised an eyebrow, but a pleased smile spread over her face. Then her smile faded. “I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not stupid. You won’t get on my good side that easily. I want you out of here.” Her eyes narrowed. “I can tell you don’t fit in here. Wouldn’t you like to go home and sleep in a bed until this is over?”

Would the woman really help her? Margaret studied Golda’s cunning expression. There was likely some plan being hatched behind that beautiful face, but Margaret could easily overpower her if they got out of sight of the camp. “Well, this is the busy time of year at the ranch. It would be good to get home.”

“How about the two of us slip away, then? I’ll give you a horse and you can head for home.”

“What about Frank and the others? Won’t they be angry?”

“You’re just in the way and a distraction right now. I can handle my brother.”

Did Golda think she could attract Daniel if there was no competition? Staring into the woman’s beautiful face, Margaret thought it likely. “Let me talk to Daniel about it and make sure he’s in favor of the idea.”

“You’re one of those, then. You let your man dictate to you.”

“Daniel doesn’t dictate.” Margaret bristled at the thought.

Golda’s slim shoulders shrugged. “Looks like it to me.”

The woman was trying to goad her into something, but Margaret didn’t trust her.

While the thought of getting help was appealing, she wasn’t sure what Golda had planned. Margaret wasn’t going to rush into anything without thought. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”

“You’re a very stupid woman.” Golda’s eyes flashed, and she pushed Margaret out the doorway, then yanked the opening closed.

Margaret stood staring at the closed tent flap. Her heart beat in her chest as though it wanted to get out with the same desperation as she longed to escape the camp. She turned and bumped into a broad chest. Strong hands reached out and gripped her shoulders. She knew those hands. Staring into Daniel’s face, she felt a funny hitch in her chest as emotion swamped her.

She loved him.

The shock of that realization nearly brought her to her knees. This wasn’t attraction or her head being turned by his compliments. This was love, pure and simple. Why hadn’t she seen it sooner? Something inside her recognized the man behind those dark eyes.

Who would have thought she would have so little sense? That she—who prided herself on her common sense and straight-forward approach to life—would lose her heart to a bank robber? He’d asked her to trust him. He’d said that not everything was as it appeared. But the evidence kept piling up against him. She longed to let go of her distrust.

Trust. Such a small word, yet so hard for her.

“I was just looking for you,” he said. “I’m sorry I rushed away. I think it’s time we had a talk. I keep telling you to trust me, but I don’t give you any reason to do that. God showed me how wrong that was.”

God again. How could a bank robber talk about God the way he did? As though God was a best friend Daniel consulted all the time. It made no sense to her. His relationship with God made her envious.

A man on horseback rode into camp. Daniel glanced over his shoulder, then grabbed Margaret’s arm. “Come with me.” He steered her toward the woods at the other end of the camp.

Margaret’s pulse quickened. Maybe she would finally understand why they were here—why Daniel was friends with these men. They had almost reached the edge of the woods when Frank’s voice reached them.

“Hey, Cutler, come ’ere. Our plans just got moved up.”

Daniel grew very still. Margaret could feel the coiled tension in his arm. He released her and stepped away. “Be right there,” he called. He bent his head and whispered in her ear, “Don’t wander far. Things may call for quick action. Wait for me by the river. I’ll try to be as fast as I can.”

Margaret nodded numbly. There would never be time for them to sort out all this mess.