Page 89 of Colorado Bride

“Thanks, Ben.I appreciate it.”

“That’s what brothers are for.”

Suddenly, a loud pounding sounded from the upstairs.

“Benjamin!Benjamin!Let me out of here!”Doris shouted through the locked door.

Emily looked up at the ceiling then walked to the sink and started getting the water ready for the dishes.

“You’ll have to let her out for meals, during which time you can gauge the status of her mind.Whether or not she is lost further into the past she wanted rather than the one that was.”

“I don’t envy you, Ben,” said Rory.

“I don’t envy myself.But I envy you even less.”

“Why?”asked Rory.

“I want you to go back to hanging out at the Branch so Melissa can contact you again.She’s got to be half out of her mind wondering what has happened with your job to kill Emily.”

“What should I tell her when she asks why I didn’t do the job?”

“Tell her the truth that murder isn’t your kind of business, but kidnapping for profit is something you can do.”

“Okay, but I burned all my old clothes.”

Ben laughed.

“I don’t blame you, I would have, too.If she notices, tell her you used some of the money she gave you, to make yourself more presentable.”

“Right.”

“You tell Melissa the truth about Mother that she’s lost her mind and won’t be of any help to either of you now.”

Rory narrowed his eyes.

“Doris and Melissa were in cahoots, at least to begin with.They thought they’d get me to carry out their plans and they’d get to walk away while I went to jail.I’m not that stupid.”

Ben sat, elbows on the table, hands circling his coffee cup.

“You’re not stupid at all.I’ve been watching you rustle from me for years, but you never took a lot, just what you needed to survive.I couldn’t turn you in for just trying to live.Selling a cow here and there so you can have money for food, clothing, a roof over your head, is not much.”

“I appreciate that.I’d hoped that was the reason, so I never took more than a cow or two at a time.”

“And it paid off,” said Emily.She stood at the sink doing the morning dishes while the two men sat at the table making plans.

“But what if Melissa doesn’t contact me?What if she decides to take matters into her own hands?”asked Rory.

Ben slapped the table and stood.

“We better hope she doesn’t.If you’re right about her needing to marry in a hurry, she could be desperate and a desperate Melissa is someone we don’t want to deal with.”

Melissa paced the floor of her small house in Golden.The house had three rooms, a kitchen with dining space, parlor and bedroom.There wasn’t any need for any more space.Just because she had money didn’t mean she liked to squander it.She’d learned her lesson with Richard.He’d taken her for quite a tidy sum and what made her mad was she fell for all his charms.

She hadn’t heard from Rory which was never a good sign.She had no choice but to assume Emily was still alive.This was not good.Herconditionwould not remain hidden for much longer.

She went to the trunk she kept the items for herhope chestin and dug to the bottom of the chest and felt around until she found it.Her derringer.She’d have to do the deed herself.She shoved the small gun in the pocket of her skirt.Now to figure out where to do the deed and how to get Emily to meet her.

The house for Doris was almost done.The weather had cooperated and stayed clear.Ben had ten men working on the house.Just a few more days and his mother would be able to stay there during the day and only sleep in the main house at night and then only until her companion came.

Until the companion came they were stuck with having Doris at the house, but she’d been acting normally and only doing what she was told to do.

She’d been good enough that Emily was beginning to wonder if she really needed a companion or whether she could be by herself in the little house.

Ben had built the house on the south end of the property toward Golden.That was still a good two miles from the main ranch.Far enough away that she could be seen approaching.She wouldn’t be able to sneak up on Emily again.