Bonds of Matrimony (38 page)

           
He
was on Chase again in an instant and was pulling her to her feet by the
hair.
 
He quickly readjusted his
grip and clamped his hand on her neck, just below her jawbone.
 
“My men are prepared to leave at any
moment.
 
We will be leaving
Slaughter tonight, and you will be joining us.”

           
A
gunshot rang through the night, shattering the tension and sending a jolt
through Jett Stockton.
 
Chase felt
his grip on her neck loosen, and she saw a shadow approaching behind him.
 
The echo of a shotgun chamber being
emptied and reloaded made her knees tremble.
 

           
“You’re
right about one thing, Stockton,” a voice called out.
 
“You and your men will be leaving Stockton tonight.”
 
The tone was confident and
menacing.
 
And much to Jett
Stockton’s chagrin, the voice belonged to a woman.
 
“Get your hands off of that woman.
 
And get your shit out of my place.
 
And if you do that fast enough for my liking, I’ll let you
ride out of this town with both of your balls intact.”

           
Although
her grandmother had always shaken her head at the distasteful mannerisms and
language of Chantal, she would have probably cheered loudly in support of her
that night.
 
She kept the shotgun
aimed low on the future viscount and followed him far enough to get herself and
her gun between him and Chastity.
 
As Stockton walked backwards, head still held high, she shouted after
him, “You’ve got three minutes to get the hell out.
 
And if that’s a problem, and because I’m such a sweetheart,
I’ll let you choose.
  
I can
blow off your right one…or your left.”

           
He
didn’t miss a step.
 
He only turned
and entered her saloon.

           
“Thank
you, Chantal.
 
I am indebted to
you,” Chase gasped, rubbing her sore neck.

           
“Weren’t
you looking for someone?” she reminded.

           
With
a quick nod, she hurried in the opposite direction for George
Wainwright’s.
 

           
With
the doctor in tow, she suffered a moment of panic as she had to walk past the
saloon again in order to get to Artemis.
 
But as she raced past, she laughed to see Chantal standing outside the
door casually holding her gun.
 
She
nodded at Chase cordially and slipped into her place.

***

           
Webb
had just finished breakfast with Elisabeth when a knock sounded on the front
door.
 
Elisabeth greeted the
visitor and opened the door to invite the person inside.
 
“Colton,” she called out with a question
in her tone.
 
He turned to see
Elisabeth coming down the front hallway with Evelyn Fairfax.

           
“Mrs.
Fairfax, is something wrong?” he asked immediately.
 
He could think of no other reason for the aged woman to have
made the trip to his ranch.

           
“No,
no.
 
I just needed to get some
fresh air.
 
We had a very long
night at our place, you know.
 
Elisa and Marcus welcomed their firstborn into the world at 4:49 this
morning,” she announced proudly.

           
Elisabeth
clapped her hands together in delight.
 
“Wonderful!
 
How is Elisa
doing?
 
And the baby?
 
How is the baby?
 
Did they have a little boy or girl?”

           
Evelyn
smiled warmly at Elisabeth’s giddiness.
 
“Marcus finally has himself another man in the house.
 
They’ve named him Jacob Michael, and
both he and his mother are doing very well.
 
Thanks to Chase’s excellent riding skills, she was able to
get into town and bring Dr. Burns back in time to deliver the child.”

           
She
looked into his eyes boldly and meaningfully as she added this last bit.
 

           
“You
must give them my congratulations.
 
And I will stop by in another day or two to visit.
 
I don’t want to impose so soon after
the birth.
 
I imagine Elisa is
exhausted.”

           
Evelyn
patted Elisabeth’s hand.
 
“We all
are, dear.
 
Elisa will look forward
to seeing you, I’m sure.”

           
For
an awkward moment, the three of them stood in silence.
 
Evelyn broke the tension by clearing
her throat and saying, “Forgive me, Elisabeth, but I must speak with your
cousin in private for a bit.
 
Would
you mind?”

           
“Of
course not,” Elisabeth responded, as though the request was a natural every-day
occurrence.
 
Personally, Webb had a
bad feeling about it.

           
He
led Evelyn to the dining room table and watched Elisabeth slip out of an apron
before busying herself in another room.
 
“What can I do for you, Mrs. Fairfax?”

           
“Chastity
had a bit of a fright last night.
 
It was after dark when I foolishly sent her to fetch Dr. Burns.
 
I was only thinking of Elisa and the
baby, you see.
 
As was she when she
rushed into the saloon calling out for the doctor.
 
Of course, Mr. Stockton was there and immediately confronted
her.
 
He—”

           
“Is
she okay?” he interrupted.
 
“What
did he do to her?”

           
“She’s
fine.
 
He struck her and choked her
a bit, but Chantal came to her rescue.”

           
He
cursed loudly and then apologized for his language.
 
Evelyn only waved it away with her hand and continued her
story.
 
“He is a ruthless man, Mr.
Webb.
 
He will not stop until he is
able to get her to England.
 
And an
animal like Mr. Stockton would as soon kill the prey than let it go.
 
I fear for my granddaughter’s
life.
 
I am not being too dramatic,
I can assure you.”

           
“You
don’t need to assure me.
 
I am
fully aware of the capabilities of Mr. Stockton.
 
And I agree with your assessment, as well.
 
I’m certain that he would just
as soon kill Chastity as return to England without her
.”
 
Perhaps it wasn’t delicate of him to
discuss this danger with the elderly woman.
 
But i
f nothing else, Evelyn Fairfax was an incredibly
strong woman.
 
One of the strongest
women he’d ever known…like her granddaughter.
 
“
So w
hat can I do to help with the situation?”

           
Her
head snapped up and she met his gaze eagerly and seriously.
 
“You can marry my granddaughter.”

           
He
leaned back in his chair, wondering if she was kidding.
 
“I’ve already tried that, Mrs.
Fairfax.
 
Chase refused.”

           
“Try
again.”

           
“I’ve
proposed twice, ma’am.
 
I received
two rejections.”
 
Webb could feel
the warmth in his cheeks and was mortified to know that he was blushing.
 
They were discussing his pride here,
and he was grossly uncomfortable admitting to this woman that her granddaughter
most definitely did not want him.

           
“You’re
going about it all wrong, Mr. Webb.
 
That is the challenge.
 
After all this time, do you truly know so little about Chastity?”
 
She paused only a moment before
continuing.
 
“She values, above all
else, her independence.
 
She wants
to be free, and she sees marriage as an unnecessary and undesirable bind.
 
Are you aware of the significance of
her horse’s name?”

           
“Artemis?”

           
She
grinned at him and shook her head in disbelief.
 
“What are they teaching you kids in school these days if not
the classics?
 
Artemis was a Greek
goddess.
 
She was the goddess of
chastity and hunt.”

           
“Fitting,”
he grunted dryly.

           
“She
was the protectress of virginity and a warrior for her own female
independence.
 
She avoided love and
men because she valued her own freedom.
 
And my granddaughter is much the same way.
 
She sees marriage as giving a man control over her and her
life.
 
She needs to know that she’s
valued.
 
She needs to be reassured
that her freedom and independence are characteristics that you respect in
her.
 
It is my belief that if you can
show her
that you value
these qualities, she will
agree to marry you.”

           
“The
most remarkable thing about Chase, Mrs. Fairfax, is her independence and free
spirit.
 
It’s the reason I fell in
love with her to begin with.
 
And
it’s the reason I often want to throttle her,” he joked.

           
“Then
perhaps you should discuss that with her.
 
Put her fears at rest.”

           
“I
will consider it, but I’m not convinced that she will change her mind.
 
She was quite adamant when I asked her
last time.”

           
“You
have nothing to lose, Mr. Webb.”

           
“Nothing
to lose?
 
Have you not noticed,
Mrs. Fairfax?
 
I am a proud man.”

           
She
grinned at me.
 
“Good.
 
Then you can better understand where my
proud granddaughter is coming from.
 
The two of you are perfect for each other.”

           
Webb
only shook his head.
 
He wondered
how Chase would feel if she knew her grandmother had made this trip…and this
request.
 
As Evelyn Fairfax was
preparing to walk out the front door, she paused and turned back to face him.
 

           
“If
all else fails, Mr. Webb, you might consider
trying
that part about
falling in love with her,” she suggested.
 
Then she added with a shrug, “Just a thought.”

           
Then
she turned and walked out of his front door.

CHAPTER 21

           
“What
are you doing awake so early this morning?” Marcus asked, planting a kiss on his
sister’s cheek and sitting beside her at the breakfast table.

           
“What
are
you
doing awake this early?” she
asked him, taking a sip of juice.

           
“I
have a ranch to run.
 
Remember?”

           
“We
were all up late with last night’s excitement, Marcus.
 
The way I see it, you will especially
need my assistance today.
 
Besides,
if we can finish chores early this morning, you might get to spend a long lunch
with your wife and beautiful son.”
 
Chase got up from the table and fixed Marcus a plate of eggs, toast, and
bacon.

           
“Did
you make breakfast this morning?” he asked, shoving half a piece of bacon into
his mouth and chewing loudly.

           
“I
think Grandmother did, but I’m not sure.”

           
“Where
is she?”

           
Chase
only shrugged my shoulders.
 
“Perhaps she went for a walk.”

           
“With
your run-in with Stockton last night, all of you should probably stay close to
the house.
 
In fact, I was thinking
about asking the ranch hands to take turns checking in on all of you
periodically.”