Mail Order Bride and The Mix-up (A Western Romance Book)(COMPLETED)

Chapter 18

Ira's eyes fluttered open. His head hurt, but other than that he felt okay. Two eyes peered down at him. He blinked, thinking they belonged to Belle, but they were not the same shade of blue sky he was used to seeing when she looked at him.

"Sorry I hit your head," Tabitha said as he pushed himself up in bed. He rubbed the back of his head and felt a knot there the size of a small rock. It hurt when he touched it, and he quickly pulled his hand away.

Gertrude was the only other one in the room. "Tabitha's still learning to ask questions before shooting," she said.

"I didn't shoot him," Tabitha said defensively. "I hit him. There's quite a big difference, don't you think?"

Ira didn't need to listen to their squabbling; his head already hurt well enough.

"Where's Belle?" he asked.

Gertrude and Tabitha looked at each other. "She got irritated with us and left," Tabitha said.

Gertrude shot her a look. "She wasn't irritated with us, she was irritated with herself."

"She's been gone a little while now, come to think of it. I rather thought she'd be back by now," said Tabitha, who began to frown and moved to look out a window.

"How long's she been gone?" asked Ira.

"About two hours," said Tabitha absently, and Ira's blood froze in his veins. It wasn't a particularly long time, but something in the back of his head felt ill-at-ease over it.

Gertrude looked at Ira, seeking confirmation of what Tabitha had said. Gertrude bit her bottom lip, much like Belle sometimes did. "She was acting odd right before she left. I didn't give it a lot of thought at the time, but now..."

The hairs on the back of Ira's neck stood on end. A bad feeling crept over him. "Odd how?" he asked.

"I don't know exactly," Gertrude said. "It was like she wanted to tell us something but was afraid to."

"Was it to do with me?" he asked.

"I don't think so. Not precisely, anyway. I think... I think it was something to do with her first husband," Gertrude said.

Ira got out of bed. "What happened between her and her first husband anyway?" he asked, searching for his boots. He couldn't find them anywhere. His head shot up as a new idea occurred to him. "She told me that they're no longer together, but... is that true? Are they still married? She never gave me a clear answer on that."

Gertrude was already shaking her head no, though. "Her husband died before coming here... or at least that's what she told me. I suppose I have no way of knowing for certain." She looked at Tabitha now, who didn't seem to know any more than she did.

"When I met her on the trail out here," Gertrude continued, "she had a black eye and was bruised all over. I knew she was fleeing her old life, and when she told me her husband was dead I never questioned it."

"Did she say how he died?" Ira asked, and Gertrude shook her head. Tabitha shrugged.

"She doesn't like to speak of it," said Tabitha. "I don't think anyone here knows what really happened between her and her husband."

Ira finally found his boots and slipped them quickly on his feet. If he was right, Belle was still married to the scoundrel who had abused her. No wonder she'd fled from him when he'd proposed. It wasn't his lies that had frightened her, it was her own secret.

He had to find her, had to tell her that he didn't care if she was married, he loved her anyway. He would spend all of his money to help her obtain a divorce, it that's what it took.

"Where would she have gone walking?" he asked them.

"Probably out towards the forest," Gertrude said. "It's quiet there, and she likes the solitude from time to time. But are you sure you should be going anywhere right now? Velma wanted to look you over when you were awake again."

Ira assured them he was fine then had them point him in the right direction. He took off at a quick pace. He didn't know why, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was in trouble. Maybe it was just the unfinished business between them that had him so unsettled.

He found a path through a line of trees just where Gertrude had said he would, and he began to follow it. The silence of the place was soothing, and he saw at once why Belle was fond of it. The trees were thick enough to offer shade, but not so thick they blocked out the sky. He thought it was more of a grove than an actual forest though, and wondered how far it went.

"Belle?" he called out then thought better of it. What if she heard his voice and ran from him? She would have to face him sooner or later, though, and if he kept his ears open and his wits about him, he could probably hear her footfall if she were to suddenly take off.

"Belle?" he called again, and a small cry echoed out from somewhere amidst the trees. It sounded far off; he wasn't even sure it had been her. "Belle?" he asked again, louder this time. The cry that came back to him was louder as well, and that much clearer as a result.

"Ira! Help!"

Ira took off running. The voice was not far at all, he realized, only muffled somehow. It sounded as if she was calling out to him from a cave. There was relief in her voice, but it was coupled with fear. That scared him more than anything. What did she have to be afraid of?

"Where are you?" he shouted.

"Here!" she cried, and her voice sounded closer. "Look out where you're running."

Had her words come a moment later, it would have been too late. His feet skidded on the edge of the hole and his arms flailed out at his sides. He looked like a bird trying to take flight as he fought to regain his balance before he toppled in beside her. It was a heart-pounding moment for him, but it passed.

He stepped back and kneeled on the ground, peering into the darkness. "Belle?" he said. A beam of sunlight fell across the blackness and he saw her eyes peering up at him, alive but frightened.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I think I twisted my ankle," she said. "But otherwise I'm all right."

"Hang on," he told her. I'm going to get you out of there. I just need to find something to use."

"Don't leave me," she said, fresh panic filling her voice.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll never leave you."

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