Once Upon a Mail Order Bride - Linda Broday Page 0,1

corridors. Doubts jumped into her head like circus fleas on a dog—where was he taking her? But instinct and Nettie’s soft assurance urged her to trust him, and she really had little choice.

Finally, they reached a door and emerged into blinding sunlight. She threw her hands over her eyes to block the bright pain.

“Un momento. I prepared for something like this.”

She heard a rustling sound, and a second later he draped a soft, clean cloth around her head. Ahhh, blessed relief. She could’ve wept at the kindness of this man who’d thought of everything.

“There. You can open your eyes now.”

She peered through her fingers and saw she wore a black veil. Again, she tried to speak, to thank him, but nothing came.

“Hurry. When you don’t show up at the front door, those men will be onto us. They look desperate.” Though Luke’s voice held an urgent tone, the comforting hand on her back imparted trust that he knew the safest way out of this.

She had to trot to keep up with his long strides and was out of breath by the time they reached a horse and buggy waiting in the shade of a tree. He helped her in and went around to his side, strapping on a gun belt and holster.

Moments later, as they careened from the prison, shots rang out behind them.

“Get down as low as you can.” Luke drew his revolver, leaned out, and returned fire.

Hoofbeats pounded on the hard-packed road, and she could scarcely tell the sound apart from her frantic heartbeat. Each time they made a curve, the buggy came near to overturning. Addie hung on for her very life, praying to see the town of Austin coming up ahead. They should be close. If memory served, the prison had only been a mile or so out of town. But it had been so long since she’d been brought to the prison, and the years could have blurred the details in her mind.

Though she didn’t rise to look, the pursuers mounts sounded upon them, and a flurry of shots kept her head lowered. One round barely missed her, splintering the wood just above. Luke yelled for his poor horse to go faster. The ground sped past until finally the sound of the men behind began to fade.

They pulled into Austin at long last, but Luke slowed little. He wove their buggy in and around the other wagons and horses before pulling to a head-jerking stop.

“Come on.” Luke lifted her from the overworked buggy and set her down. Taking her hand, he pulled her into a mercantile. They raced through the store and went out the back.

Addie struggled to keep up, while dozens of curious pairs of eyes stared, probably wondering about the woman in the black veil. They must think she was late to a funeral. Luke paused outside to glance around. Wrinkles between his eyes deepened in thought, and he muttered something in Spanish that sounded dire.

Two men entered the other end of the alley. Even from the distance, she knew neither was her father. They must be on Ezekiel’s payroll instead.

Or… Her throat caught. Maybe one was the dead girl’s father. He could be after Addie as well, seeking revenge and his grandson.

Gunshots splintered the wood of the back door, and hard pieces of metal and wood landed around her as the men gave chase.

Luke grabbed her hand again, and they ran back onto the street, dodging passersby on the boardwalk.

She gasped for air, and her lungs burned. Her weak muscles and too-large shoes added to the struggle of keeping up. Plus, being short made for a whole lot of discomfort when the man pulling you had long legs.

“I’m sorry,” Luke panted. “Keep going. I’ve got to get you safe.”

The busy street helped a great deal in losing the two men. They wove over, around, and through tight places, running until Luke finally spied the Houston & Texas Central Railroad depot ahead with a train sitting on the tracks.

“There! We’ve got to make that train. With any luck, it’s going to Fort Worth.”

Hope sprang up inside her, and her heart leaped. Maybe this would be their escape.

White smoke billowed up around the steam engine, and the monstrous hunk of metal began to inch down the tracks, picking up speed. Oh no!

“We can make it if we run,” Luke shouted.

She gathered some breath and put wings to her feet. She sprinted along beside him, her very life depending on her ability to keep running.