Taken Bride (The Secret Bride 3)

He nods, but I can see he isn’t happy.

I don’t blame him.

I’m not happy either. But the difference between him and me is that happiness can be in his future. Not mine. I simply need to get him to face that hard fact.

I have. I’ve faced my dark future head-on. I’ve seen the red in the devil’s eyes, and I’ve accepted his greeting.

11

Ember

Christopher is restless in the chapel, and I don’t blame him. I watch his eyes examine the girls and the way they’re dressed. I know he has to hate seeing I reverted to my old look as well. He also seems to be looking for an escape route, as if he’s expecting Papa Rich and Scarecrow to enter at any moment.

And that fact is a reality.

They could return.

They could hit weather of their own and decide they want to wait until winter has passed to start the journey to Wyoming. They may have also left us as a test. To see if we would indeed try to escape, regardless of how Holly feels that isn’t true.

I can see them testing me. See if I’m trustworthy now after the Hallelujah Junction incident.

“How long have you lived here with Scarecrow?” he asks Holly and Violet.

“We don’t really pay attention to days,” Violet says softly. “Seasons are easier to track.”

“Did he kidnap you too?” he asks.

“Our hands in marriage were promised by our father,” Holly says, cutting more vegetables to throw in the stew. She knows we have another mouth to feed, and we barely cook enough for ourselves as it is.

“Your father married you off to Scarecrow?” Christopher says his name as if it burns his tongue.

Violet nods. “At least my sister and I could stay together.”

“We need to get you both out of here too,” Christopher declares as if it’s as simple as that. “It’s wrong what’s been done to you.”

Neither Holly nor Violet respond but look at me for answers.

Answers I don’t have.

“We can’t just leave,” Holly finally says.

“Scarecrow would kill us if we did,” Violet adds.

“Not if we go to a safe place,” I suggest, realizing we really could all leave as one. “If the police get involved—”

“Weren’t they already involved?” Holly asks. “And yet, you are here.”

“You both don’t need to be afraid of those men,” Christopher reassures. “We’ll get us all off this mountain, and I’ll make sure that when they return… well, they won’t like what’s waiting for them.”

Holly huffs. “You have no idea what you’re up against. Scarecrow and Richard aren’t going to simply walk into a trap. They’re smart. Smarter than you give them credit for. Just because we all live off the grid doesn’t mean we are inbred, uneducated fools.”

I can see Holly is growing more and more agitated by the minute.

“I’m not saying you are,” he says gently, most likely seeing her change in demeanor the same way as me.

“He wants to help,” I tell her softly. “He only wants to help us.”

“I’m going to go out and see if I can get a signal with the satellite phone,” Christopher finally announces, not satisfied just sitting by the fire and maybe realizing there needs to be some space between him and the women.

I stand to go with him.

He puts out his hand and says, “I’ll go alone. I’ll only be a minute. No reason for you to get wet and cold.”

He doesn’t wait for me to argue but instead grabs his coat and hat hanging by the fire and heads out the front door.

Holly calls after him, “There’s a cliff to the right. It’s straight down to the canyon below. You may not be able to see well with the snow. I’d be careful not to get too close.”

“I’ll watch out,” Christopher replies as he opens the door and charges into the harsh weather.

“If Scarecrow finds out about this…,” Violet whispers as if someone can hear us.

“We’ll be gone before he does,” I say, though not with much confidence.

I’m just as scared as they must be. I’ve seen what happens when Scarecrow feels his wives have misbehaved. And sadly, it will be Violet—Wife Number Two—that will pay the price for us all.

I reach for Violet’s trembling hand. “We’ll be okay. I promise you. No matter what happens, we’ll stick together and be okay.”

Normally Violet likes my touch, but not now. Instead, she pulls her hand away sharply and shakes her head. “I’m going to get some firewood from the stables. I think we should before the snow buries us in.”

I open my mouth to offer to help but then decide she needs the fresh air and the moment alone to process everything.

Or maybe that’s what I need.

The front door opens and closes, and now it’s just me and Holly. “We don’t want to leave,” Holly announces as she stirs the stew.