River Lady (James River Trilogy 3)

Bud and Cal silently left the cabin.

Once Leah’s tears started, she couldn’t seem to stop them. She clung to Wesley with all her strength and cried against his bare shoulder. When her body started convulsing, he made her drink water.

“Now tell me about it,” he said patiently.

“No,” she whispered. “No.”

“Leah.” He took her chin in his hand and tipped her swollen, red face upwards. “I never believed that cock-and-bull story of yours about the sick kids and I’ve always known about Revis and your brother Abe. Right now I want you to tell me everything that’s happened.”

“I have to stay here forever,” she said, hiccupping. “They’ll hang me.”

“You’re making no sense whatever. You saw Revis kill someone today, didn’t you?”

She pulled away from him. “I helped! I held a man’s hat and collected goods. I stole!”

She waited to see the shock on his face, but there was none.

“What did this Revis do to force you to steal? What did he threaten you with?”

Again Leah’s eyes filled with tears. She had thought Wesley would believe she stole because it was her nature to do so. “He said he’d kill more people if I hesitated.”

“Bastard,” Wes said under his breath. “Anything else?”

She didn’t want to tell him the rest. Never again could she live amid decent people. “Revis wore a mask,” she whispered, “but I…I didn’t.”

“Oh,” Wes said, glad it wasn’t worse. “I’m sure they saw you were forced into it and that actually you were saving their lives.”

“No!” she screamed and jumped off the bed. “You don’t understand. Revis told the people I was his partner. He told them my name, that I was Mrs. Leah Simmons Stanford of Virginia, soon to live in Sweetbriar, Kentucky. He made me a criminal. He made me a thief. I can never leave here! If I do they’ll hang me.”

“Leah,” he said in sympathy as he walked toward her and tried to pull her into his arms.

“Get away from me! Don’t ever touch me again! You’re the clean Mr. Stanford. Nothing like this would ever happen to you. They’d take one look at the Stanford name and know you’re innocent but me, a Simmons, I’d—.”

He grabbed her shoulders. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. According to our marriage papers you’re a Stanford too. Look, Leah,” he said, calming himself. “All this isn’t as bad as you think. There are courts of law and we’ll hire the best lawyers. Bud and Cal can testify about how Abe forced you into Revis’s camp and I’ll bet someone today heard Revis order you to participate. There are ways to get out of this, even if you are accused. So stop saying you have to stay here.”

Leah was sure she’d never wanted to believe anything as much as she wanted to believe this. “Do you think so?” she whispered. “Is there a chance?”

“More than a chance. Now let me see a smile because I’m sending you out of here right now.”

“Here? You mean back to Revis’s cabin?”

Wes’s jaw hardened. “You’re not going back to that place ever again. I’m going to send you down the mountain with Bud and Cal. They’ll take you to Sweetbriar. I have friends there and if need be they’ll hide you until I can get there and straighten everything out.”

“But where will you be?”

“I have a little unfinished business yet. I owe somebody something. Now come on.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her outside. “Bud and Cal’ll take care of you and Revis won’t be able to harm you again.”

She pulled out of his grasp and squinted up at him in the sunlight. “Why aren’t you going to Sweetbriar with me?”

“I told you, I have work to do.”

Leah thought for a moment and then sat down on the ground, her arms folded.

“Just what is that supposed to mean?” He glared down at her.

“I’m not leaving here. You’re up to something and I don’t like it.”

Anger surged through Wesley’s entire body as he grabbed her shoulders and lifted her off the ground. “You think I am up to something?” He seethed into her face. “I have lain here helpless for days while you got yourself into one mess after another and you tell me you don’t trust me? Leah, for two cents I’d turn you over my knee. When are you going to realize that you can’t run the world singlehandedly? I could have gotten us out of this days ago if you’d only asked for my help. But no, Mrs. Stanford has to do everything her own way. I’ve tried, Leah, I’ve tried really hard to be nice to you. You wanted to handle all this on your own so I let you. It was my own stupidity that kept me from realizing how much real danger you were in.”