Read Online Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karen Witemeyer
Ads: Link
of the rocking chair, allowing her eyes to slide closed once again.
A low growl resonated near her feet, culminating in a sharp bark.
Meredithâs eyes flew open, and she bolted upright. âDid you hear something, Sadie?â she whispered. Meredith freed her arms from the quilt and reached for the old shotgun sheâd found in the den.
Sadie lurched to her feet, her posture stiff, her ears pricked. Meredith rose, as well. Clutching the shotgun across her middle with trembling hands, she squinted into the night, trying desperately to make out the form of someone moving about where he didnât belong. But the barn was nothing more than a dark, hazy form against a landscape of black and gray.
Then a shadow separated itself from the others. And divided into two . . . no . . . three smaller silhouettes. Meredithâs heart dropped to her stomach. Her pulse thrumming erratically, she inched her way to the porch railing. Had Travis and the others returned to check on things, or had Royâs men somehow reached the barn undetected?
While she debated with herself over what to do, a breeze ruffled the loose strands of hair around her faceâa breeze that carried a familiar, cloying scent.
Kerosene!
Meredith darted off the covered porch and lifted the shotgun to her shoulder. Pointing the double barrels into the air, she braced herself for the recoil and pulled the trigger. The blast shattered the silence, its alarm echoing in the stillness.
That should bring the Archers down around their ears!
Meredith lowered the weapon, satisfaction filling her as the man-sized shadows around the barn began to scramble. Then an answering gunshot cracked. Meredith yelped as a bullet kicked up dust a foot in front of her. She darted back into the darkness of the covered porch and hunkered down behind the rocker sheâd been dozing in moments earlier. Sadie followed, protectively flanking her right side.
âGood girl.â Meredith grabbed the dogâs neck and pulled her down behind the chair, too.
No longer concerned with stealth, Royâs men scurried around the barn with new urgency until one of them finally struck a match.
That tiny spark ignited a bonfire of dread in Meredithâs chest. For it didnât stay tiny for long. It ignited a torch. Then a second. And a third.
Sadie barked despite Meredithâs efforts to shush her. The mule in the paddock brayed and kicked against the fence with sharp thuds that carried all the way to the house. Meredith closed her eyes and prayed until the sound of hoofbeats descending upon the barn interrupted her pleas.
Travis!
A pair of horsemen emerged from the woods near the front of the barn, rifles drawn. Gunfire erupted and male shouts punctuated the air. Was one of the riders Travis? And where were the other brothers? Were they on the far side of the barn, hidden from view? How many of Royâs men were over there? Meredith peered between the spindles of the chairback, her grip on Sadie tightening until the dog finally squirmed away. If only she could see what was happening!
Soon the other two brothers rode in, and the torches were discarded in the fray as guns and horses became more important. For a few minutes, Meredith believed the barn would be spared, but when Royâs men gained their mounts and scattered into the woods, and Travis and his brothers gave chase, the smell of smoke wafted back toward the house. A stronger odor than could be explained by a few smoldering torches lying in the dirt.
Meredith came out from behind the chair and cautiously made her way down the porch steps. With one barrel of her shotgun still loaded, she shouldered the weapon and stole across the yard. She scanned from the barn to the corral to the trees, checking for any man-sized movement. Just as she determined that all was clear, Sadie rushed past her, ducked under the lowest rail of the corral fence, and set to barking at the barn
A low growl resonated near her feet, culminating in a sharp bark.
Meredithâs eyes flew open, and she bolted upright. âDid you hear something, Sadie?â she whispered. Meredith freed her arms from the quilt and reached for the old shotgun sheâd found in the den.
Sadie lurched to her feet, her posture stiff, her ears pricked. Meredith rose, as well. Clutching the shotgun across her middle with trembling hands, she squinted into the night, trying desperately to make out the form of someone moving about where he didnât belong. But the barn was nothing more than a dark, hazy form against a landscape of black and gray.
Then a shadow separated itself from the others. And divided into two . . . no . . . three smaller silhouettes. Meredithâs heart dropped to her stomach. Her pulse thrumming erratically, she inched her way to the porch railing. Had Travis and the others returned to check on things, or had Royâs men somehow reached the barn undetected?
While she debated with herself over what to do, a breeze ruffled the loose strands of hair around her faceâa breeze that carried a familiar, cloying scent.
Kerosene!
Meredith darted off the covered porch and lifted the shotgun to her shoulder. Pointing the double barrels into the air, she braced herself for the recoil and pulled the trigger. The blast shattered the silence, its alarm echoing in the stillness.
That should bring the Archers down around their ears!
Meredith lowered the weapon, satisfaction filling her as the man-sized shadows around the barn began to scramble. Then an answering gunshot cracked. Meredith yelped as a bullet kicked up dust a foot in front of her. She darted back into the darkness of the covered porch and hunkered down behind the rocker sheâd been dozing in moments earlier. Sadie followed, protectively flanking her right side.
âGood girl.â Meredith grabbed the dogâs neck and pulled her down behind the chair, too.
No longer concerned with stealth, Royâs men scurried around the barn with new urgency until one of them finally struck a match.
That tiny spark ignited a bonfire of dread in Meredithâs chest. For it didnât stay tiny for long. It ignited a torch. Then a second. And a third.
Sadie barked despite Meredithâs efforts to shush her. The mule in the paddock brayed and kicked against the fence with sharp thuds that carried all the way to the house. Meredith closed her eyes and prayed until the sound of hoofbeats descending upon the barn interrupted her pleas.
Travis!
A pair of horsemen emerged from the woods near the front of the barn, rifles drawn. Gunfire erupted and male shouts punctuated the air. Was one of the riders Travis? And where were the other brothers? Were they on the far side of the barn, hidden from view? How many of Royâs men were over there? Meredith peered between the spindles of the chairback, her grip on Sadie tightening until the dog finally squirmed away. If only she could see what was happening!
Soon the other two brothers rode in, and the torches were discarded in the fray as guns and horses became more important. For a few minutes, Meredith believed the barn would be spared, but when Royâs men gained their mounts and scattered into the woods, and Travis and his brothers gave chase, the smell of smoke wafted back toward the house. A stronger odor than could be explained by a few smoldering torches lying in the dirt.
Meredith came out from behind the chair and cautiously made her way down the porch steps. With one barrel of her shotgun still loaded, she shouldered the weapon and stole across the yard. She scanned from the barn to the corral to the trees, checking for any man-sized movement. Just as she determined that all was clear, Sadie rushed past her, ducked under the lowest rail of the corral fence, and set to barking at the barn
Similar Books
