Safe in His Arms

THIRTY-THREE





Margaret waved her hand in front of her face but could see nothing in the inky cave. She’d moved toward the back in spite of her fear that it might be inhabited by snakes or spiders. In fact, it likely was inhabited by poisonous critters, but Archie was in here with her, and she took comfort from his soft snuffles and warm body.

She shuffled a little closer to the opening, but not so near that Lewis and Vincente could see her if they came looking. At least Daniel wasn’t in danger. And God cradled her in his arms in this dark hole.

Her ankle throbbed, and she wished she could ride out of here. But not with her enemies searching for her. There was only one way out of this box canyon—the way she’d come. And to get there, she would have to cross in clear view of anyone out there. Better to stay here until she was sure they were gone.

And she had no doubt they would leave. Lewis would need to see if she’d escaped. She expected him to lie in wait along the path and send Vincente ahead to see if she turned up at the ranch.

She moved closer to the opening and listened. A coyote yipped in the distance. The distant hoot of an owl sounded. She poked her head out and stared into the darkness. It was so black, like staring into a cauldron of pitch. She had no lantern, nothing to help her find her way out of the canyon in the dark. Dawn would light her way, but it would also betray her movements to her pursuers.

She inhaled and forced herself to crouch in the opening. Inching out, she tried to make no sound. The air was still and close. Were those voices? The low murmur could be a distant conversation or it could be the wind, if there was any. Or a stream. The sound was too muted to place the source. She took a step outside, then another. Her heart pounded against her ribs and she expected a bullet or an attack at any moment. She clung close to the rocky canyon walls and edged closer to the sound.

A stone rolled away from her boot, and she froze at the clatter of its slide. When there was no change in the murmurs she heard, she resumed her trek around the canyon wall until she was close enough to realize the sound was Lewis’s voice. He must be talking to Vincente. If she moved in the opposite direction, she might escape. She started to backtrack when the voice she heard made her freeze. Daniel had come after her.

She edged nearer and came to a place where the canyon wall veered out. Twenty feet away were the dim shadows of three figures. Daniel was sitting with his hands bound in front of him. Lewis sat on a boulder and smoked. Vincente was beside them swigging from a canteen.

If only she had a weapon.

Lewis stood. “I’ve had enough of this. She doesn’t have to hear your voice. She just has to know we’re going to kill you.” He turned toward her direction. “Margaret!”

For a moment she feared he’d seen her, then she realized he was just calling out to her. She clamped her teeth to keep from answering.

“Margaret, give yourself up or I’ll shoot Daniel. You know I will. I don’t make empty promises.”

“He’ll kill me anyway!” Daniel yelled. “Stay where you are!”

Vincente kicked him. “Shut up or I’ll gag you.”

“Stuff your handkerchief in his mouth,” Lewis ordered.

Vincente moved to do as he was told. Daniel whipped his head around, but Vincente pinned him and gagged him.

Margaret’s nails bit into her palms. She had to do something, but what? These men had killed once, and they’d do it again. She had no doubt that if she hadn’t escaped, she’d be dead now. She’d nearly lost Daniel today, and she wasn’t going to stand by and let them harm him.

Lewis yanked his gun from its holster and fired it in the air. “I’m not fooling around here, Margaret. I won’t shoot him cleanly. First his foot, then the other, then his knee, then the other. I’ll make him hurt.”

Margaret’s breath came fast. She needed a diversion. There was a rock by her feet. She hefted it in her hand, feeling the weight of it and the balance. She eyed what she could see of the landscape. There was an outcropping to her left, near the cliff. She hurled it toward the target as hard as she could. The noise it made when it struck was louder than she’d expected. The men whirled at the clatter.

“There you are,” Lewis said, his back to her now. “Show yourself, and I’ll turn Daniel loose.” He motioned to Vincente to check out the noise.

Daniel was the only one facing her. His gun drawn, Vincente advanced toward the spot where the rock had fallen. The rifle was unattended by the boulder Lewis had vacated. Margaret had one chance to save Daniel. She moved as quietly as she could from her hiding spot. Daniel’s eyes widened when he saw her, and he shook his head. She put her finger to her lips. The rifle was only five feet away. She had to reach it.

One more foot, then another. Her hand was nearly on the butt of the rifle when her foot slipped on loose shale. Lewis whirled at the clatter and fired. The bullet burrowed near Margaret’s foot, and she dove for the rifle.

She rolled over with it in her hand, but Lewis had his gun trained on Daniel. “Put it down or the next bullet is in Daniel’s head.”

The rifle was pointed at the ground. All she had to do was bring it up, cock it, and fire. But was there time before he shot Daniel? She got to her feet. “Let us go, Lewis. You can have the ranch.”

“Drop the rifle.” His voice was harsh and unyielding.

Daniel gave a slight shake of his head, the movement so subtle she didn’t think the other men saw it. She hadn’t heard Lewis cock the revolver. Before she could decide what to do, Daniel rolled off the boulder and into Lewis’s legs. A shot echoed in the canyon, but the bullet had gone wild as Lewis struggled to maintain his balance.

Vincente sprang toward the struggling men, but Margaret fired a shot at his feet. “The next one won’t miss.” She shot again on the other side of his feet, and he finally stopped and raised his hands.

Lewis toppled over in the struggle with Daniel. He started to bring the gun around toward Daniel, but Daniel grabbed it with both hands, even though his wrists were tied together. He wrenched it from Lewis’s fingers, then tossed it away.

Margaret ran forward and yanked the handkerchief from Daniel’s mouth. “Get up, Lewis.”

Her cousin staggered to his feet. His hands were clenched and he started toward her, but Daniel kicked his feet out from under him again.

Daniel held out his hands. “Untie me.”

Margaret released the ropes and handed him the rifle. Now that it was over, her legs were shaking. She sank onto a boulder and fought the tears burning her eyes.

Daniel put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, just shaken.” She stared up at him. “How are we going to get them back to the sheriff?”

“I’m going to stay here with them while you ride for town.”

She didn’t like the idea at all, but there didn’t seem to be a good choice. “There’s a cave where you can keep them penned up.”

“Look, let’s just forget about this,” Lewis said. “I’ll leave and you’ll never hear from me again.”

Her mouth gaped. “You killed my father! You tried to kill Daniel and me.”

He looked down and sank onto a boulder.

“I had hoped my mother would never know,” Vincente said.

Poor Inez. This would crush her. Vincente had not hurt her father, but he’d fallen in with Lewis’s schemes. Kidnapping, attempted murder. He would be sent to prison.

The first rays of the sunrise illuminated the canyon. “Go now,” Daniel said. “You can be in Larson in a couple of hours.”

She whistled for Archie, and he came running toward her. She wanted to kiss Daniel, to tell him how thankful she was they were both alive. But not with Lewis and Vincente looking on. “I’ll hurry.”




THOUGH SHERIFF BORLAND told her to go home, Margaret insisted on riding with him and his deputies back to the canyon. They’d released Calvin, who rode off still angry. Her ankle throbbed and her muscles ached. Her bottom ached from the hours in the saddle, and her eyes were gritty from lack of sleep. A hot bath would be most welcome when she got home. But not until she saw that Daniel was safe. She’d prayed constantly since she left him with Lewis and Vincente.

They rode through the opening into the canyon, and she strained to see Daniel’s familiar broad shoulders. There was no one in the place where she’d left them.

“The cave is there.” She pointed at the dark face of the rocky wall. She urged her horse toward the opening. She dismounted outside the cave. “Daniel?”

What if the two men had overpowered him? Foolish imagination. He had to be here. “Daniel!”

There was movement in the mouth of the cave, then Daniel poked his head out. His face was grimy and pale with fatigue, but she’d never seen a more wonderful sight. “Daniel!” The strong arms she hurtled into provided the safe haven she’d longed for all her life. “You’re all right.”

His dry lips brushed across her forehead. “No problems. We’re all a little thirsty, though.”

She left the sanctuary of his embrace and grabbed her canteen off the saddle. He drank it down while the sheriff pushed past him with his deputies in tow. It was over. The sheriff would handle it from here on out.

Daniel slung the canteen over his shoulder and opened his arms. She willingly went back into their safety. “Don’t ever scare me like that again. I can’t lose you, Margaret.”

“And here I thought you were trying to get yourself killed to get out of marrying me,” she teased.

His arms tightened around her. “I’m holding you to your promise. Let’s not wait. This experience has shown me that life is too short to waste a minute. How long will it take you to get ready? I don’t even mind if you get married in your britches.”

“Scandalous! Lucy would have my hide. I think I could be ready next weekend with some help from Lucy and her aunt Sally. I might even be willing to learn to use the sewing machine myself.”

“I might even try if it hurried things along.” His grin widened.

The sheriff and his men ushered out Vincente and Lewis in handcuffs. Lewis didn’t look at her as he shuffled past.

Vincente paused. “Tell my mother I’m sorry.”

“I will.” Margaret shouldn’t pity him, but she couldn’t help it. He’d been a friend for too long.

The men moved off with Sheriff Borland bringing up the rear. He paused and smiled. “We’ll take it from here. You two go home and get some rest. You did a good job here. There’s no other woman like you in the country, Miss Margaret. If this had happened to any other female, you and Mr. Cutler would both be dead.” He tipped his hat and went to join the rest of the men. The sheriff had brought two extra horses, and the party rode off toward town.

A crow cawed overhead as if to announce that they were alone. “It’s over.” Daniel bent his head and his lips touched hers. His lips were dry and cracked, but she clung to him and drank in the unconditional love she felt enveloping her. His arms were the sanctuary she’d always longed for.

If only Pa had lived to see her so happy. She pushed away the thought of dresses and hairstyles and lost herself in the warm lips pressing on hers. The scent of cowboy and horse filled her head and her heart.

This was love. And it had finally found her when she wasn’t looking.




IN SPITE OF her joy about her upcoming wedding, Margaret’s spirits were dampened by the pain Inez carried. The woman had agreed to stay on in spite of her sorrow over her son’s behavior, but she moved through the house with obvious anguish. The days raced by as Margaret made sure everyone in the area was invited. She had no time to figure out a dress, so she decided she would wear her mother’s, the one she’d worn to the dance.

Lucy joined her early on the morning of the big day. She had William and baby Carrie with her. “Are you excited?” She put Carrie on a blanket on the floor. William sat down with the infant too.

“I wish I’d had time to get a proper wedding dress,” Margaret said. “I’m just going to wear the green dress.”

“You look lovely in it,” Lucy said.

Inez brought in a plate of tea and cookies. She put it on the table and beckoned to Margaret. “I know what you will wear, señorita. I aired it out when Señor Daniel arrived and I saw how he looked at you. Follow me.”

Margaret lifted a brow. “All right.” She scooped up Carrie and the women followed Inez.

She led them to the attic stairs and lifted the lid of a trunk that had been pushed under the eaves. “Your mamá wore this to marry your papá.” Inez reverently lifted a white dress, softly yellowed with age, from the trunk. “She would be proud to have you wear it.”

Margaret ran her fingers over the soft fabric. “It seems like a dream somehow.” If it were a dream, she didn’t ever want to wake from it.

“Oh, it’s lovely,” Lucy breathed. “It’s perfect, Margaret. I’ll help you get ready.”

They followed Inez down to Margaret’s bedroom. Margaret put the sleeping infant on the bed. “I’ll take a bath and wash my hair.”

“I bring water.” Inez touched William’s soft hair with a wistful look as she passed.

While Margaret bathed and washed her hair, Inez pressed the dress. When her hair was dry, Margaret held up her arms as Inez slipped the dress over her head and fastened the tiny pearl buttons down the back.

“It is perfect,” Inez sighed.

“Leave your hair down,” Lucy said when Margaret started to braid it. Lucy combed it, then pulled the top back in a ribbon. “You look beautiful.”

And somehow Margaret felt beautiful. God had made her for Daniel, and they were a perfect match. She stood with her head held high and walked to the door.

Daniel met her outside the door. His jaw dropped. “How lovely you are,” he whispered. He held both her hands in his and gazed into her eyes.

The strains of “Red River Valley” drifted through the night as the ranch hands sang. “Come and sit by my side if you love me. Do not hasten to bid me adieu. But remember the Red River Valley, and the girl who has loved you so true.” The words of the song echoed on the wind.

“That song seems appropriate somehow, doesn’t it?” Daniel asked softly. “I never thought to find a woman like you, Margaret. We’ll build this ranch into an empire we can give to our children. But even more important, we’ll pass on the most important things: faith in God, hope for the future, and unconditional love.” He turned and led her toward the door and the waiting friends and family.

With her hand clasped tightly in Daniel’s, Margaret knew she was safe in his arms.