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She saw Harrison glance at her out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head in the opposite direction and looked down the street. Several men on horseback and a small buggy were ambling down the road. When they turned the corner, the street lamps cast an amber beam of light onto the carriage, illuminating the two men sitting there. Her heart stopped, then stuttered into a frantic beat as she looked at them. “Aaron?”
Betsey turned completely around in her seat, her eyes wide as she realized it was him and Ben was with him. “Aaron!” The tears she’d been holding back flooded her eyes when he looked her way.
The buggy came to a stop and she could hear faint voices coming from the men on horseback. Harrison was saying something she couldn’t make out, the blood was rushing past her ears so fast. She didn’t wait another second and picked up her skirts, turned and jumped from the moving carriage.
She hit the cobblestone road hard, her knees aching from the impact but was up and hobbling toward the men behind them while tears blinded her. The two men in the buggy climbed to the ground and by the time she heard her name being shouted, she was sobbing.
He was slow to reach her and when he was close enough to see his face, she knew why. He’d been beaten so badly one eye was completely swollen shut and the other was bloodshot, the skin around it bruised, along with the rest of his face. The moment he grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her, her knees went so weak she crumpled to the ground and dragged him with her.
She had no idea how long they sat there or how long she cried. Aaron’s whispered words were a soft chant against her hairand sounded like the sweetest music she’d ever heard. He was there with her and she wasn’t ever letting him go.
Loud voices brought her head up. The men on horseback that had been riding in front of the buggy Aaron and Ben had been in were now alongside of Harrison’s carriage. The men from the wagon hauling the trunks were on the ground and when she saw Harrison step down from the carriage and throw a smile in her direction, her body began to shake.
“I’ll not let him take you again.” Aaron placed a kiss on her forehead, his arms tightening around her shoulder. “I promise.”
“Who are those men?” she asked.
“The sheriff and his deputies.”
The relief in hearing those words was profound. She sat up and wiped her face dry. “Is he going to get Samuel back?”
Aaron stiffened. “What do you mean, get him back?”
The tears were back in an instant. “A woman left the house with him. Harrison wouldn’t tell me where she was taking him.”
Ben walked toward the sheriff and his men before the words were completely out of her mouth. When he reached Harrison, he pulled his arm back and punched him in the face so hard, he knocked him clean off his feet. The sheriff’s men grabbed Ben as he was reaching for Harrison and the heated exchange was loud enough people were beginning to peek out their windows to see what the commotion was all about.
Aaron stood and helped her to her feet, then pulled her close and headed toward the sheriff, stopping when they reached his side. He looked at Harrison who was wiping his lip with a white handkerchief. “Where is our son?”
Harrison looked at Aaron, then turned those cold eyes to her. “Safe, just like I told the sheriff.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
The sheriff turned his attention to her and hooked his thumbs behind his suspender straps. “These two gentlemen told me you and your son were taken and held against your will. Is that true?”
She glanced at Harrison. “Yes. Sort of.” The sheriff raised one eyebrow. “It’s a long story.”
“Well,” he said, “The night is still young. How about we all head down to the jail and have a real long talk.”
Harrison looked as if he was about to protest but the sheriff wasn’t having it. He ordered him to follow or he’d arrest him on the spot without even hearing his side of the story.
It took hours to recount it all and by the time the story was told, Betsey was ready to run the streets in search for Samuel.
“Do you wish to press charges, ma’am?”
Aaron blurted out, “yes,” before she could even open her mouth.
The sheriff nodded and looked at them both. “I know you’re not from here so I’ll go ahead and tell you, your testimony will be needed at trial.”
Betsey looked at Aaron. “I don’t want to stay. I just want to get Samuel and go home.”
Aaron turned her away from the others and leaned in close to whisper, “I hope you’re not suggesting letting him walk away from this with nothing but a slap on the hand.”
“No, but how long will we be stuck here? I’m pretty sure any money Harrison owes me won’t be handed over.” She looked at Ben. “How much do the two of you have? Is it enough to live here for weeks and get us back home?”
“No, but we can worry about that later.”
She looked at Harrison. Unlike earlier, he wasn’t smiling now. He looked mad as hell, truth be known. Would he come after them if they let him walk away from this? Or would he be so grateful he’d forget they existed?
