Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Everything happened so fast. One moment, Mr. Donahue held Hannah’s arm so tightly she was afraid it would be bruised as he sneered at Rafe. And the next, a mass of people had shoved through the door, and one particularly angry man had grabbed hold of Mr. Donahue.
Mr. Donahue dropped Hannah’s arm to push off the man who was trying to drag him from the room. She moved back toward the table with Mr. Brown, who was dabbing at his perspiring face with a handkerchief.
“Get out!” the man yelled in Mr. Donahue’s face. “We’re tired of waiting for our supper.” He tried to propel Mr. Donahue from the room, but his hand slipped and he stumbled backward instead.
Rafe took that moment to move forward. His fist connected with Mr. Donahue’s face. Hannah threw her hands over her mouth and stepped to the side as Mr. Donahue fell. Rafe stood over the man, almost as if he was daring him to get up.
“Stand back!” Jackson’s voice echoed above the crowd. He held up a tin star and pulled the pistol from his hip. “Anyone moving forward spends the night in a cell.”
It worked. Men cast furious glances at him, but none of them tried to toss anyone else out.
“This is a misunderstanding,” Mr. Donahue said, trying to lift himself up onto his elbows. Blood trickled from his nose.
“There’s no misunderstanding.” Rafe grabbed hold of Mr. Donahue’s collar and lifted him from the floor. “You kidnapped my wife from our home and attempted to force her to annul our marriage so you could marry her. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t hit you again.”
Hannah looked at Deputy Jackson, hoping he might step in. But he simply watched what was happening.
“Rafe,” Hannah said.
He looked up at her.
“All I want is to go home with you,” she said.
Rafe nodded, some of the anger blazing in his eyes subsiding. He dropped Mr. Donahue to the ground and rose, stepping back and allowing Deputy Jackson to approach with a pair of handcuffs.
Hannah held out her hand, and Rafe moved around the others to take it as Mr. Brown scurried away, likely trying to get out before anyone asked him any questions. She clasped her arms around him. “You found me.”
“I’ll always find you,” he said, pressing a hand against the back of her head to hold her close. “I promised to keep you safe.”
Hannah closed her eyes, breathing in the comforting scent of him. “I remembered.”
“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” He moved his hands to either side of her head and leaned it back to look her in the eyes.
“I’m fine, now that you’re here.” She gazed up at him, drinking in every feature of his face before lifting a hand to trace the line of his jaw. “I love you, Rafe Garland. I don’t think I realized how much until I was taken from you.”
He swallowed but he didn’t look away. “I love you, too, Hannah.” His voice was deep with emotion, and it was all Hannah wanted to hear.
“Will you say it again?” she asked.
“I love you.” And then he gathered her up in his arms in a kiss that made her forget about everything that had happened.
This was all she wanted. Rafe, and a life with him. Making the decision to place that advertisement had led to this moment, and she would give it up for nothing. No one could come between them, and heaven help the man who tried.
“Rafe,” she whispered against his lips, wanting to tell him again that she loved him. But he captured her mouth again, so swiftly and so intensely that her mind spun. She clung to him, never wanting to let go.
“I can’t go serving food in here with you two. Get on out of here.” A hoarse female voice said from nearby.
Rafe made a groaning sound against Hannah’s lips before pulling away. He kept his arms around her, which was a relief because she didn’t think she could stand otherwise.
A woman Hannah presumed was the boardinghouse cook stood next to them, arms crossed. A slight smile lightened her face for just a second before she gestured toward the door. “Go on now, or these folks will carry you out.”
Rafe wrapped an arm around Hannah’s shoulders, and together they followed Deputy Jackson and a handcuffed Mr. Donahue past the crowd and through the door.
Back to Perseverance with her husband.
Back home.