The Temptress (Montgomery/Taggert 8)

Chris closed her eyes for a moment. “How would I know? I’ve never had a baby. Doesn’t my father have some work for you to do? I thought you were going to learn some of his business so you could help him.”

“I can’t this morning. There’s a divine mare being put up for sale at Frederikson’s and I need one more look at her before I buy her.”

“But you’ve bought two horses already this week.”

He stood back and looked at her and Chris knew what he was thinking. He’d taken Del Mathison’s pregnant daughter off the man’s hands and, because of this noble deed, he expected to be given the keys to the kingdom. He did no work and Chris suspected that he never planned to, that he was quite willing to go on living there, taking all her father had worked for and contributing nothing in return. And her father couldn’t have cared less what Asher did. He was too angry at Chris to think of anything else. And Samuel kept looking at her with the saddest eyes.

“I thought maybe I’d buy this horse for you,” Asher said. “You’ll need a horse after his child is born.”

She tightened her lips. In public, the child might be theirs, but in private, it was only “his.”

“Yes, of course,” she mumbled. “Of course I’ll need a horse.” She knew she’d say anything to get rid of him. As she watched him leave, she thought that after the baby was born, she’d probably leave Washington and return East. Her baby’d have a name, and she wouldn’t have to deal with Asher every day.

She tried to bury herself in her book, but nothing could keep the tears from coming. She ran back to the house, tears pouring down her face, ran past Samuel, and up to her room where she spent yet another day crying.

• • •

The day of the wedding was overcast and looked as if it would rain. Mrs. Sunberry helped Chris to dress and there was never a more dismal dressing of a bride in history. Mrs. Sunberry kept crying, letting out little statements like, “He’s not the man your mother would have wanted for you,” and “He’s already spent twice as much as your father does in a year,” and “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

Chris had to grit her teeth each time the woman spoke. She had taken an instant dislike to Asher because he’d started giving orders the minute Chris told him about the baby.

Chris smoothed the white dress, put her chin in the air and left the room, Mrs. Sunberry sniffling behind her.

Her father was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs, and he managed to offer her his arm without so much as looking at her. His anger at her showed in every line in his face. Samuel walked behind them and he tried to put on a smiling countenance, but Chris thought he looked miserably unhappy.

It was on the tip of her tongue to scream at both of them that if they hadn’t interfered, maybe this wouldn’t be happening. If they hadn’t told Tynan he’d have to return to prison where he would be beaten and starved, maybe he’d have considered marriage.

Quick tears came to Chris’s eyes, because she didn’t believe that for one minute. It wasn’t the threat of prison that was keeping Tynan from marrying her, it was the fact that he didn’t love her.

The church was packed with people she hadn’t seen since she was a girl, and many people she’d never met before. There were some of her mother’s relatives, the Montgomerys, standing there and watching her as she slowly walked down the aisle on her father’s arm. Asher waited for her at the altar, smiling triumphantly.

“Probably thinking of the herd of thoroughbreds he’s going to buy tomorrow,” Del said under his breath to her. “Do you know why that business of his failed?”

“I don’t want to know,” she hissed at him. “He’s the man you chose.”

“As contrast. I thought you were smart enough to know that.”

“I was. Tynan wasn’t.”

“You could have—”

“Borne him twins?” she asked, glaring up at him as she reached the altar.

It was only as the preacher started the ceremony that Chris realized the full extent of what she was doing. She was promising to love, honor and cherish this man for the rest of her life. Tears welled up in her throat and closed it so that the pastor had to ask her three times for her answer. She was aware of Asher looking at her as if he meant to strike her if she didn’t give her answer soon. Behind her, she could hear the people beginning to get restless.

It was then, while she was trying to answer, that all hell broke loose. A shot was fired outside the church and, suddenly, the building was overrun with men bearing arms. Men came in the windows, through the back door, from the door behind the altar. Two men must have been hiding in the balcony and they now rose, rifles aimed and ready.

“I wouldn’t try it if I were you, mister,” said a man with a pistol pointed toward one of Chris’s Montgomery uncles who had his hand to his vest.

Everyone stood still, looking at the twenty or so men who surrounded the interior of the church. The big double doors in the back were open, three men guarding the entrance.

Chris watched with widened eyes as she heard a horse approach the back doors. The rider seemed as if he had all day.

Through the doors rode Tynan on top of a big chestnut stallion, his gun sheathed, looking for all the world as if he were out on a Sunday stroll. He halted about halfway down the aisle, then, with everyone watching in open-mouthed astonishment, with twenty guns aimed at the guests, he took the makings of a cigarette out of his pocket and began to roll one.

“I don’t guess I can let you do this, Chris,” he said softly, licking the paper to stick it around the tobacco.

Chris took a step forward, but her father was there before her.