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

Dallas’s description, but Logan spotted Trixie standing in front of the hotel. “Look, there’s Trixie,” he said to Alan. “She looks as though she’s waiting for someone.”

Alan looked at where Logan was pointing. “Probably Dallas.”

“I don’t want her to see us,” Logan said. He slid off his horse and ducked behind the water trough. Alan followed his lead.

As they watched the front of the hotel, Dallas came strolling out, carrying his saddlebag. Logan recognized the two horses tied next to the one Dallas was saddling, and he pulled his gun from his holster. Alan followed suit.

While Dallas was busy putting the saddle on his horse, Logan and Alan came up behind him. Logan pointed his gun at Dallas, and Alan kept Trixie covered.

“Put your hands in the air!”

Trixie and Dallas raised their hands.

“Throw your guns down!” Logan yelled.

Dallas grimaced, but he threw his guns to the ground.

Alan kept his gun on Trixie.

Logan moved closer to Dallas. “Where’s Emma?”

“We didn’t hurt her,” Dallas said. “We left her at Anderson’s barn on Creek Road.”

Logan jabbed his gun into Dallas’s back. “We checked the barn; Emma’s not there.”

Dallas shrugged. “That’s where we left her.”

While Logan was questioning Dallas, Alan was interrogating Trixie.

“Alan, can you keep them covered while I get the sheriff?”

Trixie, who was in tears, yelled, “No! We left Emma in the barn. If she isn’t there, she must have tried to walk home. Don’t call the sheriff. We’ll give you back the money if you just let us go. We want to start a new life somewhere, please, Logan.”

Logan didn’t want to call the sheriff because then he’d be tied up in Russell for who knows how long, and all he wanted to do is to find Emma.

“Where’s the money?” Alan asked her.

“In Dallas’s saddlebag.”

Alan walked over, opened the saddlebag, and removed the money. He walked over to Logan’s horse and put the money in his saddlebag.

“Get on your horse,” Logan told Dallas.

“You too, Trixie,” Alan ordered.

When they were both on their horses, Logan said, “Now, get out of town and never come around here again.”

Dallas turned his horse, pulled a small gun from his boot, and fired several shots at Alan and Logan. He grabbed the two stolen horses and galloped quickly away.”

Logan lay on the ground and watched them ride away. He saw Trixie look back before putting her heel to the horse’s ribs to catch up with Dallas. Logan grabbed his gun and tried to sit up, but he felt dizzy. He felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder and knew he’d been hit.

Alan kneeled beside him. “Logan! Dear God, he shot you. Stay here. I’ll get some help.”

As dizzy as Logan was, his only thought was how he was going to look for Emma.

Alan and the sheriff carried Logan to the doctor’s office. He had regained consciousness and kept telling them he was fine.

“We’ll let the doctor judge that,” Alan said.

The doctor examined Logan and said, “It’s just a graze.” He winked at Logan. “I won’t even have the pleasure of removing a bullet.”

“Can you just bandage it up, Doc? I need to find my wife.”

“I’d like to keep you overnight to make sure you don’t get an infection. I want to be sure you don’t have a concussion from your fall, as well.”

“I’m fine,” Logan said between his teeth. “I can’t stay. I have to find my wife. You can’t hold me here against my will.”

“All right,” the doctor said. “Off with you, then.” He addressed Alan. “Keep your eye on him.”

Chapter Thirteen

Once more, Logan and Alan rode like lightning toward the Anderson’s barn. It was about eight miles from Russell to the barn, so they stopped at the five-mile point to rest their horses since they'd been galloping at top speed, the horses needed rest and water.

Logan paced as the horses drank from the creek.

“I think you’ve finally fallen in love, my friend,” Alan said.

“I just feel responsible for her.”

“I’m overjoyed that you’ve fallen for Emma. She’s perfect for you.”

Logan stopped pacing and faced Alan. “Do you really think I’m in love? How does one know?”

“If I can tell you’re in love, you should be able to. Look at you—you’re a wreck. Stop worrying.”

“How can you say that? We don’t know where she is.”

“We know she isn’t with Dallas. That’s promising. I’m sure she’s somehow trying to get home.”

“Suppose I am in love with Emma, and she doesn't feel the same way about me?

“She might feel the same. You won’t know until you tell her how you feel about her.”

“Alan, you make it sound so simple. First of all, I need to find her safe and sound. Then, if I tell her how I feel and she doesn’t feel the same, I’ll feel like a fool.”

“That’s how the game of love is played. It’s like poker, Logan. You have a good hand and you bet on it not knowing what your opponent has in his hand. Love is a gamble.”

“I never said I was in love with her. I might be…I don’t know what it is I feel.”

They mounted their horses and continued on their journey to find Emma.

They watered their horses again when they'd reached the Anderson’s barn Logan inspected the barn one more time. It was empty, but by the straw strewn about, he surmised she’d slept there. Where could she have gone from there?

It had rained since they’d been there last, so there were no longer any tracks to follow. Logan returned to the barnyard and scanned the area.

Alan said, “Put yourself in Emma’s place. Where would you go?”

Logan gazed in all directions. “I guess I’d go north.”

“Why north?”

“Because we came from the south