Page 26 of Short-Straw Bride

A door slammed somewhere in the distance, and male voices poured into the house. Agitated male voices.

More curious and determined than ever, Meredith leaned her leg against the mattress and shuffled along the side of the bed, chilled air nipping at her ankles. If she could just make it as far as the doorway, she could listen in on whatever the Archers said when they congregated around the kitchen table.

Having reached the bedpost, she inhaled a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and took her first unaided step. Her foot met the hardness of the wood floor and wobbled, but she found if she stared at the ground a few inches in front of her toes, the room didn’t spin quite as much. She concentrated so hard on remaining upright, however, that she failed to hear the approaching footsteps until two pairs of boots appeared at the top edge of her vision.

An audible gasp sucked the air from the room. Meredith stilled.

“Heaven help us. You’ve ruined her.”

Meredith jerked her head upright. “Uncle Everett?”

Pain shot through her skull at the too-fast motion. She staggered sideways, unable to maintain her equilibrium as the floor seemed to undulate beneath her. Then all at once she found herself braced against the firm wall of a man’s chest. Travis. He caught her arms above the elbows and steadied her as she sagged into his safe harbor.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” he scolded in a soft voice, then promptly picked her up and delivered her back to the pillows.

“Good grief, man! Have you no shame?” Her uncle’s voice followed her across the room. “You carry on with my niece in front of my very eyes?”

Horrified by her uncle’s outburst, Meredith turned her face away from Travis as he set her down. Tension radiated through him as he released her, and when she found the nerve to look at him again, a muscle twitched at the edge of his jaw.

“She’s injured, Hayes. Or don’t you care about that?” Travis ground out. “I thought I explained her condition quite thoroughly on the way here.”

Uncle Everett stomped into the room, pulling his arms from his coat. Once he had the garment off, he stormed down the opposite side of the bed and forced it around Meredith’s shoulders, drawing it closed under her chin.

“You failed to mention that her condition included a nightdress and a place in your bed!”

Travis leaned across the bed and grabbed Uncle Everett’s wrist. “You insult her again with talk like that, and I’ll throw you off my land with a buckshot escort.”

The sound of a rifle cocking drew all eyes to the doorway. “Buckshot’s too tame, Trav. I say we each carve out a piece of his hide with a .44.” Crockett stood just inside the room, brandishing his Winchester. Jim and Neill flanked him on either side, hands hovering above their holsters.

Meredith diverted her gaze to the ceiling, wishing she could dissolve into the covers. Could her humiliation be any more complete?

Travis tossed her uncle’s wrist away from him and straightened his stance to face the man squarely, arms crossed over his chest. Uncle Everett straightened, too, though not until he’d done up three of the buttons on the coat he’d forced upon her. The two glared at each other for what seemed like an age before Uncle Everett finally looked at her and let out a hefty sigh.

“Meri. You’ve thrown everything away, girl. How could you be so foolhardy?” The disappointment in his eyes cut her to the quick.

“I had to warn them, Uncle Everett. You were away, the sheriff was gone, and the deputy just laughed off my concerns as if I didn’t know what I was talking about. I had no choice but to come.”

“You should’ve stayed at home and let the Archers take care of themselves. That’s what they’re best at.” He aimed a pointed glance at Travis before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “Ah, Meri. There’ll be a high price to pay for this bit of foolishness.” He patted her hand. “When I think of everything your aunt and I did to secure your match with Mitchell only to have you throw it all away on a crazy whim . . . Why, it breaks my heart. What would your papa say?”

“Papa would be proud that I followed my conscience.” Meredith sat forward, indignation fueling her speech. “I want no part of Roy Mitchell, Uncle. He’s the one behind the fire that destroyed the Archers’ barn. I heard him give the order myself.”

“Nonsense, girl. You misunderstood. Roy explained everything to me last evening.”

Travis lurched forward. “You told him she was here?”

“Of course. As her betrothed, he had a right to know. The poor fellow feels dreadful about everything. He kept castigating himself for not noticing your upset and clearing up the confusion immediately. He is very concerned about you, my dear.”

“He’s concerned about my land, not me,” Meredith grumbled under her breath. Uncle Everett didn’t seem to hear, but Travis raised a brow at her before turning his attention back to her uncle.

“What exactly did you tell Mitchell about Meredith?”

“At first, nothing. After all, I had no idea where she was.” He patted her hand once again, as if she were a child to be placated, then stood to address Travis, dismissing her from the conversation. “I arrived home for supper Tuesday night only to find my wife inconsolable. Cassie had told her Meredith was ill, but when Roy arrived to pay his respects, she went to fetch her anyhow. Noreen is very set on this match taking place. When she found our Meri missing . . . well . . . she flew into a tizzy.”

More likely a rage, Meredith thought as she pictured Aunt Noreen storming about the house.

“She questioned our daughter, Cassandra, until the girl admitted that Meri had gone to the old homestead. Noreen insisted that I fetch her back at first light. However, when I arrived at the place yesterday morning, I could find no evidence that she had been there. By the time I arrived home again, Noreen had scoured the house and found the note Meri left for Cassandra. Mitchell arrived soon after, and when Noreen showed him the note, he put the pieces together and explained the situation.”

“Whatever he said was a lie,” Meredith interjected. “The charred remains of the Archers’ barn prove it.”