A Ransomed Heart Read online

  Logan let go of her arm then, confused at what she had just said. “Why are you marrying him then?”

  “It’s none of your business.” This time she made her way past him and put Daisy in her stall. Logan stood in stunned silence. She hurried past him a second time for the pails of milk. The sooner she got in the house and up to bed the better. Just as she bent down to grab the first pail she heard his voice directly behind her:

  “Make it my business.” It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a command.

  She disregarded the pail and stood, spinning to face him. They were very close to each other; she could feel his breath on her face. The smell of sagebrush and sand washed over her but she was frustrated at his persistence.

  “You wouldn’t understand.” She tried to get past him; he could bring the milk in himself. Instead he grabbed her by her upper arms and held her fast to him.

  “Explain it to me, I just might understand.”

  Embarrassment stung at her face and she could feel the tears spring to her eyes. She couldn’t tell him, it would be horrible for him to know, or anyone to know she had chosen to go into a loveless marriage to a man she had never met. She could only shake her head.

  He shook her slightly trying to dislodge her secret. Why was he so earnest in his pursuit? He should let go of her and let her be, but something desperate in her eyes kept him locked to her.

  “Annabelle, you tell me you don’t love him, but you seem so anxious to get back to him. I want to understand, just tell me.”

  Tears fell from the corner of her eyes and trickled down her face. She clamped her mouth shut afraid she may spill the whole story and humiliate herself. Shaking her head again she looked pleadingly into his eyes. “Please don’t ask me, I can’t tell you.” It was a desperate whisper.

  Suddenly terrifying thoughts raced though his mind. What if she was in trouble? What if this whole time she was only anxious to leave for her own safety, not from him, but from Mr. Sevier or his men? The idea made his stomach churn within him and he clutched her to his body. All this time he had been thinking of himself but he should have been looking at her. Pushing her away to arms length he looked her squarely in the eye. “Annabelle, are you in trouble?”

  She shook her head but lowered her eyes. He knew she would volunteer no more information, but he had caught onto something he hadn’t before. Suddenly he felt as if he couldn’t contain himself he pulled her to him and kissed her lightly on the lips.

  Shock crossed her face, but she didn’t pull away. Comfort was what she needed right now and she was finding it in the arms of this rugged man. She closed her eyes and waited for him to kiss her again. It didn’t take long and their lips were together again. Fire shot though her body and she pressed herself helplessly against his body. Was this what it felt like? This was her first kiss, and for all she cared it could be her last. Not only did he smell good he tasted good, too. Her hands clutched the front of his shirt as she felt her knees go weak. For a few minutes all she cared about in the whole world was Logan.

  The moment of bliss ended quickly, however, when her family came into her mind. What was she doing? In a few short days she would leave here and go to the man she would spend the rest of her mortal life with. Her heart seemed to break within her chest as she pushed him away and looked at his face with tears running down her face. He was something she could never have again; she must never have him again. With that she covered her mouth and ran from the barn a sob caught in her throat.

  Logan watched her leave. He was in shock, what had he done? He should never have kissed her; there was nothing that would make what he did right. She had trusted him for a brief moment and they had connected, but he had no indication she felt anything for him. There was a reason she was marrying Sevier; it may not be love, but it was something which was important to her. Frustrated he bent and picked up one and then two tin buckets and headed for the house. It was time for her to go, and fast. If she didn’t he was in great danger of falling hopelessly in love with her.

  Chapter 10

  Breakfast was silent. Mama made no mention of the night before; she had lay in bed and heard Annabelle crying into the night. She would never believe Logan had hurt her, and she could sense a change was taking place, it was best to leave it alone. Logan and Annabelle looked everywhere but at each other, his face red with embarrassment, her eyes red from tears. Mama couldn’t help but wonder what had happened between the two the night before.

  Logan slipped away as soon as he was done eating; the intensity of the atmosphere nearly choked him. All he could think about was her sweet lips on his and how he had stepped way over the boundaries the night before and about how much he wished he could do it again. To make matters worse Kit had abandoned him for the morning meal, opting for a few hours of sleep after his wild night of coffee bean gambling. Logan hardly stopped to saddle his buckskin before he lit out of the barn like the animal’s tail was on fire. He needed to put some distance between him and the beautiful redhead.

  Even hours later, as he continued on his rounds, he couldn’t help but think about her and her rosy lips and sweet honey taste. He had been so certain about his plan just a couple of days ago, but that was when he was sure he would be kidnapping a grumpy old lady, not Miss Casey. Deep inside he knew he was in trouble the moment she climbed out of the overturned stage; he should have tipped his hat and wished her a good day that very moment then gotten the heck out of there. Instead he brought her here, into his home, and very nearly into his heart.

  The whole idea of it was ridiculous. He had never in his life believed in the idea of love. His own father had left him and his mother alone to fend for themselves, surely that wasn’t love. As a matter of fact his father had left nothing but hurt and devastation in his wake, hardly anything that could be called love. He had seen it over and over again, people hurt because of other people and he questioned the very idea of love. But here he stood on the brink of being in love with a woman he hardly knew. The idea of her being in trouble caused his blood to boil and he wished there was some way, any way he could help her. Hearing the bawling of a calf he pushed the frustration and the thought of Annabelle to the back of his mind and headed off to see what was the matter.

  Annabelle managed to make it through the morning without Mama asking any questions. She was grateful the wonderful woman wasn’t pushy, instead she offered a quiet sort of support without even knowing why. Finally after the dishes were done and the house tidied, Annabelle slipped off to the barn to do the morning milking. She had heard the frantic hoofbeats of Logan’s horse as he left the barn earlier this morning. There was no danger of running into him, or repeating their encounter the night before. Still she nearly fainted when Kit came striding out of the shadows.

  “Morning, Miss Annabelle,” he chimed as he came and stood next to her and Sassy the milk cow.

  “Morning, Kit,” she replied, feeling her heart dance around in her breast.

  “Guess I overslept,” he mused as he leaned against the railing, swirling his coffee cup in a lazy circle.

  The cup made a strange swishing sound; it piqued Annabelle’s curiosity. “What do you have in your cup?”

  He chuckled. “My poker winnings. We can’t play for money around these parts cuz no one has any so we play for coffee beans. I won almost a whole cup last night.”

  Annabelle smiled. “Bet your Mama loves that, unless you lose.” She gave him a teasing, suspicious eye.

  “Oh no, ma’am, I never lose.” He gave her an adorable boyish smile and winked at her.

  She giggled. He was so charming it was hard to not love everything about him. His handsome face suddenly became serious.

  “I’m sorry about Logan.” The swishing in the cup stopped. “He really is a good guy, and believe it or not, he is trying to do what’s right.”

  Annabelle’s heart started thumping again. She hoped Logan hadn’t mentioned their kiss to Kit. Her fear was for nothing because a quick smile replaced the pensive lo
ok.

  “I sure like having you here, Annabelle, you’re kind of like the sister I’ve never had.” He started the swishing again. “Shoot, between you and Logan I have the family I never figured I’d have.” He smiled to himself.

  Annabelle smiled along with him. “You and Logan are really close.” It wasn’t really a question, more an out-loud observation.

  “Yeah, he really took me under his wing, even though he’s older than me; I guess you could say we hit it off. I was just so glad he pulled through.”

  Annabelle stopped her milking, wondering what he was talking about. Just then Mama’s sweet voice rang through the air calling Kit into the house. He bellowed a reply then headed for the barn door. “See ya later, Annabelle.” He halted just for a moment. “Is it alright if I call you that?” A look of worry crossed his face.

  Annabelle smiled and nodded. “My friends call me Annie.”

  His eyes lit up like a kid getting his first silver dollar. “See ya…Annie.” Then he turned and loped out the door.

  As she put Sassy back in her stall, she couldn’t help but feel a little more lighthearted because of her conversation with Kit. He really was fun to be around. They were very nearly the same age and she couldn’t remember the last time she got along so well with someone. Not even at school back home. The boys teased her endlessly about her unruly red hair. Her mother had tried to tell her it was because the boys really liked her, but didn’t know how to really show it. The girls in the class looked down on her and her modest clothes. She was nearly the only girl who attended school who lived on a farm. The other girls lived in town, daughters of the banker, hotel manager, and blacksmith, all had wealthy fathers. Most girls her age that lived on farms had long since stopped coming to school some were even married and having babies of their own. Leaving school had not been a hard choice when she decided to leave Destitution for Mr. Sevier.

  Thinking of her family made her heart ache. There was no way of knowing if Mr. Sevier had contacted them about her abduction. Maybe he would change his mind and force her family to leave their farm. The very idea made panic rise up in her and she contemplated jumping on the nearest horse and escaping while no one was watching. Surely Logan would appear from nowhere just because the idea of running away had merely crossed her mind, and no doubt with his handcuffs in tow. He might lock her to the stall side and leave her there. Or maybe he would back her up against the wall and give her the what for. Or maybe he might back her up against the wall and… Grabbing the milk pail up off the floor, she stomped off toward the house, trying not to think of the other way he might capture her attention, and quite possibly her heart.

  She tried not to think about Logan for the rest of the day. Once Kit had consumed enough food to feed a small family, he took off to find Logan, leaving Mama and Annabelle to their own devices. After a lunch of leftovers, Mama settled in the small sitting room to do some mending. Annabelle reluctantly retrieved her green dress and assessed its needs. They sat quietly for quite some time, until Annabelle just had to ask the question which was pressing against her mind.

  “Kit mentioned something interesting about Logan. I was wondering if you could clear it up for me.”

  One of Mama’s eyebrows raised but she waited to hear the question.

  “He said he and Logan were good friends, and he was thankful Logan pulled through. I guess I don’t understand what he meant.”

  Mama nodded and bit off her thread after tying a tight knot. “Logan was nearly dead when he stumbled upon him.”

  Annabelle couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath. Her hand sat motionless in her lap.

  “He had a terrible gunshot wound to his shoulder. It was raining and we nearly stumbled over him as he lay in the mud and muck. Kit managed to get him up on the back of our buggy horse and what seemed like an eternity later we got him home.”

  “Here?” Annabelle gasped.

  “No dear, the home we left a few years ago, but that’s beside the point. It was pretty touch and go for about two weeks. We nearly lost him a couple of times, but it was pretty clear he was fighting for his life. I have never seen a man try so hard to stay alive; of course I had never met anyone with such a healthy sense of vengeance.”

  Annabelle’s ears pricked at the word. She remembered Mama’s words of caution to Logan the first day she had arrived. He truly had something against her Mr. Sevier, but she just didn’t know what. Maybe Mama could shed some light on that matter also.

  “He must really dislike Mr. Sevier.” She feigned indifference as she went back to her stitching.

  Mama looked at her with her brilliant blue eyes. “That is a story I will let Logan tell you when he is ready, it’s not my place.”

  Annabelle knew she wasn’t going to get anymore information from Mama, so she simply nodded her head and threw all her attention back to the dress.

  Chapter 11

  Two days went by without so much as a word between Annabelle and Logan. He was gone most of the days, and Annabelle kept herself exhaustingly busy. She had mended her green dress to near perfection and then went to work on the endless mending Mama had. It quickly became apparent everyone in town helped everyone else. Annabelle found herself making meals for young mothers, and tending the children of some who were forced to leave them to hunt or work. Mama had an endless stream of people seeking medical attention and everyday advice. It helped the days pass quickly and Annabelle felt less anxious about being taken from her duty as a purchased bride. As long as she kept her distance from Logan she could keep her beating heart in its place, which was until she climbed into his bed at night.

  Logan was running out of things to do away from home. Every morning he rode out of the yard, he saw the rundown condition of his own fences and barnyard. Finally he determined he would need to stick around and get some things done. His plan had backfired. He hoped being away from Annabelle would help stifle the feelings he was developing for her. Instead it made him anxious every morning and evening when he might catch a glimpse of her, or spend a few minutes at a meal in her presence. Maybe a day full of the feisty redhead would make him more excited for the day she would be out of his life for good.

  Four days after their first day back in Hope, Logan pulled himself out of bed long before the sun rose. Kit was still snoring in the hay along with his full cup of coffee beans. Logan almost wished he would have gone with his friend the night before. Kit never won when Logan played and Logan wondered how nice it would be to have a hot cup of coffee waiting for him now. He pushed the idea out of his head not wanting to venture into the house and chance meeting a sweet Bella, all soft and warm from a good night’s sleep in his bed. No, instead he stripped his shirt off and tossed it onto the hay, counting on the chilly summer morning to wake him up.

  The trip down the ladder from the hay loft was a cool one but he quickly warmed as he started mucking out the stalls. He was nearly finished when the object of his desire wandered into the barn, barefoot with her hair hanging long down her back. She stopped in the open doorway when she saw him, her hair shining like a fire around her, making her look like a honey-kissed angel floating into his life. He didn’t say anything to her, not even offering a brief hello; instead he bent his back and continued on with his work.

  Annabelle had hoped for a quiet morning with the cows. Mama had been more than happy Annabelle had taken over this particular morning chore. Annabelle didn’t mind at all, it had always been her favorite way to start the day. This morning she woke before the sun and laid in bed thinking about the last few days she would have in the little town of Hope. She was surprised to find herself disappointed her time was slipping away. Even the thoughts of her family’s predicament didn’t pinch as sharply as it had before; something she reminded herself was simply not acceptable. She had made a promise she fully intended to keep. Finally, she couldn’t handle being idle any longer and she had hurried to the barn to finish her task before Logan and Kit made their way to the house for breakfast. Instead the p
erson she wanted to avoid was disturbingly close mucking out a stall.

  She had last milked Sassy the night before so she pulled Misty to the milking stall and tied off her lead rope. Her heart was pumping so loudly in her chest she was sure Logan and every animal in the barn could hear it. Settling down on the milking stool she gently rubbed the cow’s soft, warm flank. She chewed her cud and snorted, propping her heavy body against the stall wall she let Annabelle start her milking. Trying to ignore Logan she rested her head on the sweet animal and closed her eyes. The milk made a tinkling noise at it squirted into the bucket. The rhythmic sound matched the patter of her heart; unknowingly the patter increased until Misty moved uncomfortably under the rapid milking.

  Annabelle eased up, muttering an apology to the cow. She leaned back and looked around the animal and saw Logan working in a stall near her. The morning sun was streaming in though the barn door and slivers of light made their way between the barn wall slats. She could see his bare torso glistening in the sunlight and she swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. His muscles rippled under the tanned flesh and she watched him heft a bale of hay into the stall, spreading it out with his pitchfork. She had continued milking the teats long after they were dry and Misty was fed up with her lack of attention. Stomping one hoof on the dirt floor she swished her tail, smacking Annabelle directly in the face.

  Annabelle found herself apologizing to the bovine a second time and she quickly moved the milk pail out of the way then pulled Misty’s lead rope from the hook and walked her back to her stall. Sassy lived up to her name that morning. The moment Annabelle opened the stall door the cow bolted to the back of the stall and stood with her head to the wall. Annabelle tried to squeeze past the huge body and grab her halter but the cow swung her head away and turned her rump, pinning Annabelle to the stall wall. She tried to avoid the cow’s big feet and she could hardly breathe when the stubborn creature leaned into her. She was stuck.