Page 54 of Short-Straw Bride

She exhaled a heavy breath. “Thank heavens.”

“But there sure ’nough be trouble of some kind, ’cause Mr. Travis, he done tol’ me to fetch you right quick.”

Meredith slipped her arms into the sleeves of her cloak and worked the fasteners. There was no question—she would return at once. Travis needed her. “Do you have any idea what the trouble is?”

“No, Miss Meri. But it might have somethin’ to do with their visitor.”

A visitor? Meredith jerked her attention from her buttons to the grim line of Moses’s mouth.

“I noticed a strange horse in the corral when I come in from the barn. It weren’t wearing the Archer brand.”

Meredith’s pulse picked up speed again. Had one of Roy’s men come to make more threats? For the first time, she realized how Travis must feel when things began spiraling out of his control. The horrible helplessness that swamped her at the thought of her family being in trouble while she was too far away to help made her ill.

“I need my horse.” She rushed past Moses only to see Josiah leading Ginger toward her.

Moses came up behind her and lifted her into the saddle. Meredith thanked him and kicked Ginger into a gallop. This time the wind in her hair brought no feeling of freedom, only a growing urgency as she raced home.

24

When Meredith rode into the yard, she scanned the barn and outbuildings for any hint of what the trouble could be, but nothing seemed out of place. None of the men were in evidence, either, which sent a frisson of alarm skittering down her back. Meredith reined Ginger to a halt in front of the house and jumped to the ground, ignoring the twinge of pain that shot up her weak leg. She tossed the lead line around the porch railing and pounded up the steps.

“Travis?” His name echoed through the house as she threw the door wide.

The sound of muffled voices drifted to her through the parlor wall. Meredith hurried the short distance to the entrance and nearly collided with her husband as his form filled the doorway. He looked blessedly hearty, if a bit haggard. She laid her palms upon his chest, needing the solid feel of him to reassure her that he was indeed unharmed.

“You’re all right?” The breathless whisper escaped before her mind could stop it. The man probably thought her a nitwit. Of course he was all right. He was standing right in front of her, for goodness’ sake.

Yet something that flashed in his eyes dissolved her chagrin. He claimed her hands in his larger ones and gave them a gentle squeeze before a wail from somewhere behind him broke the spell.

“What on earth . . . ?” Meredith tilted her head to see around her husband’s shoulder. A familiar set of blond curls peeked at her over the back of the settee. “Cassie?”

Her cousin pushed away from a beleaguered-looking Jim, whose wet shirtfront attested to the length of time he’d offered himself as a human handkerchief, and twisted to peer at Meredith.

“Oh, Meri. Thank the Lord you’re home.” Her reddened eyes and blotchy complexion spurred Meredith to her side. Cassie had been known to shed a strategic tear or two when trying to get her way, but Meredith had never seen her so distraught.

Squeezing onto the settee between her cousin and the sofa arm, Meredith grasped Cassandra’s hands. “What happened?”

Cassie’s face crumpled. “Papa’s done something awful, Meri. Truly awf-f-fullll.” The last word ended on another wail as Cassie threw herself into Meredith’s arms.

Wrapping her cousin in a tight embrace, Meredith glanced around the room at her brothers-in-law, questioning them with her eyes.

They all wore the same bewildered expression, offering no help whatsoever.

“We haven’t been able to get much out of her,” Travis said softly, his hands gripping the wooden trim on the back of the settee near her shoulder. “She insisted on waiting for you.”

“Well, I’m here now.” Meredith spoke more to Cassie than Travis. She patted her cousin’s back a final time, then gently clasped her arms and sat her up straight. “Whatever Uncle Everett has done, we will deal with it.” Meredith reached a hand to Cassie’s hair and began rearranging the disheveled curls. “Now, let’s get you presentable so you’ll feel better. You really are quite a wreck.” She smiled fondly at her cousin to take the sting from her words. Yet the delicate prick to Cassandra’s vanity sparked the exact reaction Meredith intended.

Her cousin immediately set about putting her appearance to rights, wiping the tear tracks from her cheeks, smoothing her skirts, and straightening her posture. The quick self-conscious glance she directed toward Jim as he rose from the settee didn’t go unnoticed, either. Cassie wouldn’t be falling apart again—not in front of the men, anyway.

“I never thought Papa would steal from his own flesh and blood.” Cassie gave a little sniff. “It’s not like him at all, you know. But when Mama insisted it was the only way to save the business, he gave in.” Cassandra placed her hand atop Meredith’s, her earnest face pleading for understanding. “You must forgive him, Meri. His financial troubles are much more dire than I imagined. I’m sure he felt this was the only way.”

“Cass, you’re making my head spin.” Meredith’s forehead crinkled as she tried to make sense of the convoluted story. “What, exactly, has he done?”

“Before I tell you, promise me that you won’t hold it against me. I want no part of this scheme. I said as much to Papa, but Mama slapped my face for talking back and said I’d do what was right for the family, that I’d been pampered long enough, and it was time for me to do my duty.”

“Aunt Noreen actually struck you?” The shock of it pushed Meredith back against the arm of the sofa. Her aunt had always doted on Cassandra. Meredith couldn’t even remember the woman speaking to her daughter in a harsh tone.

“Yes.” Cassie’s chin wobbled, but she fought to keep the tears at bay. “That’s when I knew that I couldn’t cajole Papa out of the idea. There was too much at stake. My only chance to escape was to beg you to take me in.”