Conner's Contrary Bride by Barbara Goss (accelerated reader books .txt) 📗

friend. He never prayed so hard as he did on the ride back to the clinic.

It was late afternoon when they approached the clinic. He knew Bertie usually cooked supper about this time, and Elsie might be in the clinic or the house, he wasn’t sure which. They dismounted and entered the clinic. Conner scooped up the supplies he needed as quietly as he could. If Bertie or Elsie didn’t hear them, they wouldn’t come out, and they’d be safe.

“I have everything I need,” Conner told the man who’d accompanied him, whose name he learned was Abe. “Let’s get back quickly with this laudanum for Mac.”

Abe waved his gun around. “Where’s the housekeeper and assistant?”

“They must have gone out,” Conner said.

“I gotta be sure.” Abe poked the nose of his gun into Conner’s side. “Call them out here.”

“Look, if they were home, they’d have come out here.”

Conner felt the gun push harder into his side.

“Call them out here.”

“Bertie… Elsie,” Conner called.

“Louder,” Abe ordered.

“Bertie! Elsie!”

Abe moved the gun from Conner’s side and aimed it at the door leading into the house. When no one came out, he walked over, opened the door, and peered inside.

“All right, let’s go,” Abe said.

Conner breathed a sigh of relief, but he wondered where Bertie and Elsie had gone.

Chapter Eleven

Elsie and Bertie trailed along behind Conner and the other man, but far enough so they could remain hidden. They often rode on the grass beside the road to silence the sound of their horses’ hooves.

Before she and Bertie had left the house, Elsie had found Conner’s gun belt. There was a gun in each holster, and she’d wrapped the belt around her hips. She hadn’t ever shot a gun before, so Bertie had loaded them for her.

Elsie worried, and her clammy hands trembled as she held the reins. She didn’t know what she and Bertie might do once they’d found their hiding place. Elsie also worried about how many men they might find inside. Storming in with the guns wouldn’t work, so she kept on riding and thinking.

Finally, the men turned off the dirt road and crossed into a wooded area, and Elsie lost sight of them when the thick foliage and trees blocked their view. She decided it was time they stop and proceed on foot.

“We need to tie the horses up and walk. I can’t see the men anymore,” she whispered to Bertie.

The two women made their way through the copse of trees until they caught sight of the men who were trotting along slowly. Elsie and Bertie ducked behind a large tree when the men dismounted, and Elsie wondered why they’d stopped when she didn’t see any buildings. Then she saw them disappear into the center of a large hill. Elsie signaled for Bertie to follow her, and they crept silently closer while trying to stay within the foliage as best they could. When they reached the spot where the men had disappeared, Elsie saw the mine opening.

“That’s their hideout,” Elsie whispered.

“All right, so now what do we do?” Bertie asked.

Elsie plopped down on the ground. “I don’t know. Do you think God might help us?”

Bertie sat down beside her. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

“Does that mean we can just storm in there and God will help us?”

Bertie shook her head. “No, I wish it did. He gave us a brain to use at times like this. He’ll protect us, but we have to do our part as well.”

It was nearly dark by then, as the sun was sinking below the horizon. Elsie shivered. “Will we have to stay here all night?”

“One of us could ride to town and bring the sheriff back here,” Bertie said.

“Since I have the guns, you can fetch the sheriff,” Elsie said. “I’ll wait for you unless I see some way to get to Conner.”

“Don’t do anything crazy,” Bertie said before turning to go back to the horses.

Chapter Twelve

The moon was bright that night and the sky clear, making it less scary for Elsie. She had to rescue Conner, but she didn’t know how to go about doing it.

She soon saw some movement. Someone had stepped out of the mine. Elsie couldn’t see his face, but she knew it was Conner. Another man stood at the mine entrance, watching Conner, who carried a bucket.

Elsie moved in the direction that Conner had gone as quietly as possible, grateful for the thick brush to hide her. She saw him stop at a well, and luckily, there were enough bushes for her to crawl closer to the well. Conner was pumping water. She knew he couldn’t leave because one of the men was watching him from about twenty feet away.

“Conner,” she whispered loudly.

Conner swung his head in her direction, still pumping water. “Elsie?” His voice came out in a whispered squeak of surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to bring you home.”

Conner didn’t look at her, but he kept pumping water. “Go home and stay safe. I can handle things. I don’t want to have to worry about your safety, too.”

“How many men are in there?” Elsie asked.

“Two and the... um...patient.”

Elsie could see that the bucket was full, and Conner would need to return to the mine. Before he turned back, he whispered, “Go home!”

“Wait!” Elsie whispered back.

Conner purposely stumbled, spilling half of the water. He turned back to the well to pump more. “What?”

She took a gun from her holster and tossed it near his feet. “I have the other one.”

In the moonlight, Elsie saw Conner’s mouth drop open. They noticed his guard lighting a cigarette, so Conner bent