“With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow,” Beau intoned.
Belle glowed.
“That’s not what I told you to say,” Benny protested.“Why can’t you ever do as you’re told?No worshipping her with your body.You worship her from afar.”
“I thought you wanted great-great-grandchildren?”Beau said.
“That’s what immaculate conception is for.We’re all one with God.”
“I’m confused,” Malika whispered to Jayce.“Isn’t Mavis Benny’s daughter?”
“Benny’s closing in on one hundred and his mind’s not what it was.He’s probably forgotten where babies come from,” Jayce whispered back.
Finally, the ceremony was over.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Benny said.
The guests broke into wild applause.
Malika teared up.Weddings were wonderful, even odd ones like this.Burning Scrub was so quaint… she could see why Adeel was drawn to the town.It reminded her of her home village, except for the dearth of desert and markets.
The reception was to be held at the saloon, a short walk from the church.The guests followed behind Beau and Belle, who rode in a buggy hauled by the sorriest and oldest excuse for a horse Malika had seen in her life.Someone had further added to its indignity by naming the poor creature Buttercup.
The reception went on for several hours, and while it was fun, and Malika got to speak to Beau Jones, Jayce managed to spoil it for her by leaving early.She wasn’t done being angry with him, but any time now, she would be leaving.She had to wait for the right moment.
Shortly before midnight, the bride and groom slipped away, and the party began to wind down.This was her chance.
She’d return to the lodge and change clothes, grab a flashlight from the drawer where she’d found it hidden, and borrow Saber from the stable.
She didn’t know where Adeel had gone, but he was nowhere to be seen.That he was missing was a cause for concern.Had he figured out what she planned to do?Had he found some way to stop her?But no.
When she arrived, the lodge was empty and silent.She ran up the stairs to her room and dug her boots out of the closet, then thrust her hand in the left boot shaft, searching for the money she’d hidden.Her hand came up empty.She searched the inside of the right boot, scrabbling frantically with her fingers.It was empty, too.
Someone had stolen her money.The someone was likely Adeel.
He thought he was so clever.
She was clever too.Like an adorable red fox.
She’d get to the ranch.She’d throw herself on Vanessa Hanson’s mercy.She’d ask to borrow money, then call Aisha and arrange for her to repay the loan.
Malika changed her clothes, grabbed her flashlight, and moved through the night to the stable.She fumbled with Saber’s saddle in the dark, but eventually, she was ready to go.She led the horse down the main street, staying close to the building so she could duck into the shadows if any lingering wedding goers happened along.
She reached the town’s boundary and the sign that proclaimed the town’s population.
A loud roar filled the air.Seconds later a helicopter, its landing lights flashing, lifted into the air.It circled the town, tilted its blades, then flew away.
She watched it disappear.Why was she only finding out now that the town had a helicopter at their disposal?She hadn’t known that helicopters were a nineteenth-century invention, but she suspected that flashlights weren’t, either.She activated the light on with her thumb as she searched for the path out of town.
There it was.
She should have worn the shoes Pearl had given her instead of these boots, because their heels were inconvenient, not practical, as Adeel had pointed out.
She inserted the toe of her boot in the stirrup.
Someone grabbed her around the waist.
Chapter Seven
