A Bride for Logan by Barbara Goss (free children's online books TXT) 📗

live with Henry after having found true love with Tim. I couldn’t let something that precious go.”

Rachel took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes. “We’ve been happy, but I’m still haunted by having left my children behind.”

“Couldn’t you have taken them with you?”

“The only way Henry would agree to a divorce is if I left him the children.” Rachel shrugged. “I had no choice.”

Emma felt her pain. What might she have done? “Have you seen the children at all since you left?”

“No. That was another stipulation of my agreement with Henry. He forbade me to see or contact the children.”

Emma now knew why Logan had refused to talk about his mother; he didn’t understand. All he knew was that his mother had abandoned him.

“The children think you deserted them,” Emma said. “Logan refuses to even talk about you.”

Rachel teared up again. “I know.” She blew her nose and wiped her tears. “I need you to tell me all about him.”

Emma felt helpless. How could she tell her husband’s mother she knew little to nothing about him?

“Um…he likes to play poker, and he’s excited about the horses and the ranch. He recently had a successful auction.”

Rachel patted Emma’s hand. “No, I mean as a person—what’s he like?”

Emma crossed the fingers of the hand that lay beneath the folds of her skirt. “He’s kind, considerate, and a hard worker.”

Rachel smiled. “Does he get along with Prudence? They used to fight something awful when they were young.”

“Yes, they get along wonderfully.”

“I’m glad.” Rachel stood. “I’ll show you to the spare room. When Tim returns, he’ll take you home.”

Emma felt guilty about having lied to Rachel. The woman had treated her well, and she had confessed the sordid truth of her life to Emma, and in turn, Emma had lied about her and Logan.

It had been three days since she’d arrived on Rachel’s doorstep, and she’d enjoyed every moment of it. Rachel showed her all of her gardens and let her help with some of the plants and weeding. She’d let Emma help cook, and they'd enjoyed girl talk over hot cocoa at night. Emma had grown fond of Rachel, but her relationship with Logan wasn’t only her secret—it was Logan’s as well, and she didn’t dare tell another person, especially not a woman who Logan seemed not to care for at all.

In some ways, Rachel reminded Emma of her own mother. What Rachel had done was wrong, and Emma had tried to understand her actions, but she’d never been a mother or in love, so how was she to judge? That was God's job, after all, not hers.

As much as she enjoyed her stay with Rachel, she yearned for home. She even yearned for her casual relationship with Logan. He’d begun to grow on her in some ways. She guessed that what she felt for him was respect. Even when he’d thought her a saloon woman, he’d let her participate in the auction. No one thought less of a husband who'd treated his wife harshly because wives were considered property, but he'd been kind to her, even as a saloon woman.

Still, she looked forward to the annulment and her little cottage.

Chapter Twelve

When Alan arrived, Logan was already waiting for him on his horse. Without exchanging more than a nod, they started down the lane for another day of trying to find Emma. Sheriff Billings met them just before they'd reached the main road.

“I’m glad I caught you,” Billings said.

Logan moved his horse closer to Billings. “I thought you couldn’t join us in our search today.”

“I can’t. I have an important town meeting, but I have news that might help you find your wife.”

“Go on,” Logan said.

“I did some sleuthing last night at the saloon. Rumor around town is that Trixie was seeing Dallas. I talked to the women Trixie worked with and found out a few things. It seems Trixie quit her job the day Emma went missing, and no one has seen her since. One woman told me that Trixie planned to leave for Topeka with Dallas. The barman told me Trixie was asking him where she could find an abandoned building. She told him she wanted to store some things. He told her about the Anderson's barn on Creek Road, and he even drew her a map to find it.”

“Isn’t that one of the roads to Russell?”

Billings nodded. “The house burned to the ground about five or six years ago. Evidently, the barn is still standing.”

“Thank you, Sheriff.” Logan turned to Alan, “We have a long ride ahead of us.”

After the sheriff rode away, Alan said, “That doesn’t mean Emma's there. That’s just where Dallas and Trixie went.”

“It’s the best lead we have. If she wasn’t taken to that barn, she might be somewhere along the way.”

Alan scratched his head. “What do you think Trixie wanted to store there, and how does this relate to Emma?”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth checking out. We lost Dallas’s tracks in the woods near Creek Road.” Logan flicked the reins. “Let’s get started.”

Even though Logan and Alan rode the best and strongest horses, they still needed to stop frequently to rest and water them. Fortunately, the road ran close to Fossil Creek so the horses always had fresh water to drink.

Logan paced while the horses rested. He was eager to keep moving. Logan thought that if he didn’t find her soon, it would be too late. Still, he had enough sense to know he'd never find Emma if something happened to the horses.

When they finally reached the Anderson's barn, they found it deserted, so they kept riding south to Russell.

When they arrived in Russell, they were about to tie their horses and ask around town if anyone had seen a man fitting