Carey had not noticed the ring Cordia was wearing before, but he saw it now. Despite the realization that a trained killer had a gun pointed to his head, he could not help but moan in disgust. Feeling the cold steel pressed against his temple, he snapped back to attention. He began to recognize that his best option at this point was to escape and find a way to gain his vengeance later. “All right,” he said, reluctantly, “I see. Just give me my pistol, and I’ll get out of here.”
Cordia cocked the gun, an indicator that she had no intention of returning the firearm to its previous owner. Though she had mostly fired rifles, she knew exactly how to use the handgun, and even with the trepidations she had about the possibility of actually using a weapon to assault anyone, she was not afraid to use it to intimidate him.
Will pulled the gun back away from him slightly, giving him enough room to start his retreat. He was aware of the sword and kept his eye on Carey as he began to back out of the room, toward the back door.
Carey kept his hand in the air until he reached the doorknob. As he pulled the door open, he said, “This isn’t over. You’ll both regret this.” Before either of them could respond, he bolted through the door toward his waiting horse, which was tied to a tree nearby.
Will went to the door, making sure he had no other weapons and that he actually left the premises. Despite the darkness, they both saw him ride by the kitchen window and down the street, pressing his horse to go as fast as it could run.
Cordia could still feel her heart racing, but as Will approached her, she realized the pounding was not just due to the situation with Carey. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers, his arms around her, pulling her close. She had waited so long to feel his lips against hers, to feel his strong embrace. As she returned his kiss, she concentrated on every sensation; the feel of his breath against her skin, the scent of his cologne, the taste of his mouth, the way his hands caressed her. His lips began to trail down her neck, his hand cupping her face. “Will,” she said quietly as his mouth settled between her shoulder and her throat, “I’m so glad you came back to me. Thank you.”
He looked up at her, as if he was going to say something, but instead he pressed his lips against hers again, more hungrily this time, and Cordia leaned in to him, longingly. After a moment, he released her, suddenly realizing there was a possibility that Carey could return, potentially with reinforcements. “Cordia,” he began but her lips were on his again and he paused to kiss her, pulling back after a moment and trying to speak once more. “Cordia, this might not be over,” he said, as she kissed him again.
Cordia was contemplating what he said as her lips explored his. Finally, she let him go, resolving to restrain herself. “What do you mean?” she asked, staring into those eyes she had missed for so long.
He rubbed her cheek softly with his thumb as he studied her face. “He’s the head of the militia, isn’t he? I’m wondering if he would dare to call them in to action,” he explained.
Cordia contemplated the possibility. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know,” Will replied. “But if he wanted to throw me in jail for a while, it wouldn’t be too difficult. It would be our word against his. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
She nodded in agreement. “We should go,” she replied. “Get away from here for a little while until he simmers down and sobers up.”
Will nodded in agreement. “We would probably be safe at my house. It’s not in Lamar, not even in Barton County, so technically, he wouldn’t have any authority there, not that that would necessarily stop him, but he probably wouldn’t know where to find us.”
“It’s worth a try,” Cordia agreed. “Do you think I have time to pack a bag?”
“I believe so,” Will replied thoughtfully. “I’ll go get your horse saddled up. Western style though, none of that sidesaddle business. We’re riding out of here like men.”
She giggled, the thought of an adventure with Will sounding extremely appealing to her. “I’ll be right down,” she said, kissing him quickly before she bounded toward the staircase, gathering up her skirts so she could climb them even faster.
Throwing a few dresses and some essentials into a bag that would fit easily on the saddle horn, she noticed the wedding dress, still standing guard across the room. Her first impulse was to take the pair of scissors on her dresser and slash it to shreds, but she knew her mother had worked hard on that dress. The more she considered the garment, standing there staring at her, the more she began to realize there was truly only one way to ensure that Carey Adams gave her peace at last. She gave the gown one last glance as she headed back toward the stairs, wondering how she could possibly tactfully broach the topic with Will.
He was back inside when she reached the bottom step, waiting for her near the door, keeping an eye on the street, though he certainly noticed her as she approached him. She realized he was holding the coat she had left at Margaret’s. He had come over to return it and ended up saving her from Carey in the process. He smiled at her, and it was all she could do to keep from throwing herself back into his arms. Knowing that would certainly occupy their valuable time for a while, she held back, surveying the house quickly, wondering whether or not she should leave the fire and the lantern lit.
“Are you ready?” he asked, still looking out the door.
“Yes,” Cordia replied. “Just about. Do you think the fire will be all right?”
Will glanced at it and saw that it was fully contained by the fireplace. “Yes,” he responded. “Let’s put out the lantern.”
“I’ll get it,” Cordia said, dropping her bag and moving toward the kitchen. She spotted an inkwell and pen on the counter, the one her mother used for quick correspondences and lists, and realized she needed to find a way to let her parents know where she had gone. After she had taken off to Springfield with Frieda, they had reprimanded her fairly sharply, and she had promised never to leave again without letting them know where she was going. She paused for a moment and wrote a short explanation. Then, she realized, if Carey was able to find a way to gain entry into her home once, he could do it again. She placed the note in the one location she didn’t think he would ever look, and she knew her father most certainly would find it.
She put the lantern out and returned to the foyer where Will was still waiting, though a bit less patiently. “All right,” she said. He held her coat open for her to slide into.
“Let’s go,” he said, kissing her quickly before picking up her bag, taking her hand, and leading her out the door.