Elise Read online

  Julie and her parents exchanged sharp, puzzled looks, as did many of those gathered to witness the nuptials.

  "But that's not Ben," Julie said softly, completely confused by what was taking place.

  The troubled murmur passed through the congregation, but when the preacher didn't pause in his recitation, everything soon quieted down.

  Elise kept her attention on the preacher as she waited for what was to come next. It wouldn't be long now. She was sure of that. She had everything worked out perfectly.

  "Today is the day you both have waited a lifetime for," the preacher was saying.

  Today is the day, all right! Elise thought. Of that, she was certain. Actually, it seemed she had been waiting a lifetime for just this moment.

  "Today marks the end of one way of life-" Farnsworth preached.

  Elise smiled, knowing there was more truth to his words than he could ever imagine.

  "-and the beginning of a new, more fulfilling existence."

  If all went as planned, today would be the beginning of a new existence for sure, Elise mused. She wasn't certain just how fulfilling it was going to be, but any minute now, she was going to find out.

  She managed to glance out of the corner of her eye toward the tent's main entrance. There was no one there. A sense of foreboding came over her, but she pushed it away. Everything that could have gone wrong had already gone wrong. She just had to be patient a few more minutes-

  "You must love one another!" Farnsworth continued, exhorting them. "No matter what the future may bring, you must cling to each other! You must be each other's strength! You will be one in the eyes of God!" His style of preaching was loud and forceful. "Say 'Amen'!"

  "Amen!" everyone echoed in unison.

  "Let us now recite the vows which will bind you-the vows which will make you husband and wife in the eyes of God, forever and ever-Amen!"

  "Amen!" everyone echoed.

  Farnsworth looked straight at "Ben." "Repeat after me. I, Ben, take you, Elise, to be my lawful wedded wife-"

  "I, Ben, take you, Elise, to be my lawful wedded wife," the stand-in "Ben" repeated dutifully.

  Elise couldn't believe this was happening. They were actually exchanging vows! She managed a tight smile that looked to all the world to be simply a nervous one, yet her thoughts were racing. Never in all her planning had she imagined that the wedding would progress this far. It should have been over long before now! What was taking so long? Frantically, she realized there was nothing she could do about it. She was determined to see things through to the end. She couldn't quit now. She'd come too far to give up and walk away.

  "To have and to hold-"

  "To have and to hold-" "Ben" said slowly, his dark eyes upon his "bride."

  Nervous tension gripped Elise as she felt "Ben" staring at her, but she kept smiling, refusing to panic. She cast another surreptitious glance down the aisle. Where was Marshal Trent? He should have been there by now!

  As Preacher Farnsworth said the vows, "Ben" repeated each sacred promise in a calm, confident tone.

  "'Til death us do part," he said.

  "'Til death us do part," "Ben" finished solemnly.

  And then it was Elise's turn.

  Preacher Farnsworth turned to her and gave her an encouraging smile as he began, "I, Elise, take you, Ben, to be my lawful wedded husband-"

  Elise was certain she seemed the perfect example of a frightened young bride as she echoed the preacher's supposedly binding words.

  "For better or worse."

  "For better or worse."

  Each moment of the ceremony seemed to last an eternity as she echoed his urgings.

  "'Til death us do part," Farnsworth finally concluded the recitation.

  "'Til death us do part," she repeated slowly, not chancing a look at her "husband." She could just imagine what was going through his mind. He probably thought he'd gotten himself tangled up with a crazy woman, and right then, he wouldn't have been too far wrong. The situation was definitely not turning out the way she'd envisioned it would.

  "You may present her with the ring," the minister told him.

  "Ben" drew the plain golden circle from his pocket. He took her trembling hand in his and slipped it on her finger.

  Elise studiously avoided meeting her "groom's" gaze. She stared down at the wedding band on her hand and tried to keep from frowning. She couldn't believe this had happened to her-and after all her meticulous planning. She should have realized when Ben's telegram had come that her carefully laid plan was in a shambles, but by then it had been too late to call the whole thing off. She'd been too close to her goal to just walk away. She'd had to go through with it, and she had.

  But now-

  "I now pronounce you man and wife. Mr. Hollins, you may kiss your bride."

  "My pleasure," "Ben" said in a deep voice that held just a hint of amusement. Without further ado, he swept his "bride" into a loving embrace.

  Before Elise could even think of resisting, her "husband" gave her a possessive kiss that left her grandmother, George, and the rest of the onlookers tittering with delight. His lips moved over hers with such persuasive intent that, for just an instant, she forgot her real reason for being there. Swept away by the power of his touch, she was thoroughly caught up in the sweet heat of his mouth on hers and the strength of his arms around her. His kiss evoked an answering response in the womanly depths of her that she'd never experienced before. Her heartbeat quickened to an erratic rhythm.

  When "Ben" finally ended the exchange and put her from him, Elise found herself momentarily disoriented. She hadn't been sure what kind of reaction to expect from her stand-in groom, but his potent embrace had left her stunned. She gazed up at this man she'd just married, in his eyeglasses and bow tie, and blinked a bit dazedly. She wondered how this unassuming-looking man's kiss could have affected her so. He looked as if he'd been totally unmoved by the experience, and for some reason, that realization irked her.

  Logic reasserted itself within Elise as the preacher spoke the next words.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ben Hollins."

  Applause rippled through the gathering, along with more muffled whispers.

  "Elise?" "Ben" held out his left arm to her in a gentlemanly fashion, ready to escort her from the tent.

  Trapped by circumstances beyond her control, Elise could only play along. She took his arm and was again amazed at how powerful he felt beneath her touch. She had no time to dwell on the thought, though, for at that very moment the marshal of Durango, Jared Trent, appeared in the doorway of the tent and blocked the aisle.

  "Hold it right there, Farnsworth," the lawman dictated in stern tones.

  "What-?" the preacher blurted out, shocked by this interruption of his ceremony.

  "You're under arrest, Byron Farnsworth. I'm taking you in for robbery. We've already got the rest of your gang locked up down at the jail."

  A roar of disbelief and shock erupted from the congregation at his announcement.

  Elise offered up a quick, silent prayer of thanks that the marshal had finally gotten there. Relief flooded through her. Everything had worked out the way it was supposed to. Her suspicions about the evil preacher and his gang had been right. It was over! She'd done it! Excitement coursed through her.

  Farnsworth had been passing himself off as a man of God, but in reality, he had been a suspect in numerous robberies. He had no intention of being arrested, however, and in that moment, he snarled an ungodly oath and made a desperate move.

  "Like hell I am!" the evil preacher swore. He drew a derringer from his coat pocket and grabbed Elise by the arm, hauling her toward him.

  "Don't!" she shrieked in outrage.

  Farnsworth ignored her scream and clutched her in front of him, using her for a shield.

  "I'm not going anywhere with you, Trent!" he declared. "You're going to let me ride right out of this town, the same way I rode in-a free man!"

  "Oh, no, I
'm not." The marshal's tone was harsh, his expression just as deadly. Though Jared Trent had not been the town's lawman for long, he was very good at his job. There was no way he was going to let Farnsworth get away.

  "Let me go!" Elise continued to struggle in her effort to be free of him, but Farnsworth's hold on her was bruising. She tried to kick out at him, but the fullness of her skirts hindered her efforts. Terror threatened, for she realized how dangerous her situation was. In the space of a heartbeat, she'd gone from elation at her victory in trapping him to icy fear for her own life and the lives of those around her.

  "Shut up and hold still, bitch!" Farnsworth commanded. "I'd hate for your wedding day to end with a funeral!"

  Elise refused to submit to him. She continued her struggle, but found there was no way to free herself. She was pinned helplessly against his chest.

  She looked up and caught sight of her grandmother sitting in the front row. Claire was trembling visibly in fear and clutching at George beside her. Terror was etched in both their faces as they watched in horror what was transpiring.

  "Ben," too, was watching what was happening. The minute Farnsworth had grabbed Elise, he had known they were in trouble. He'd quickly assessed the situation and knew from the look in the preacher's eyes that it wasn't going to be easy for him to stop the man, unarmed as he was. Still, he realized he had to try something. He couldn't risk letting anything happen to Elise.

  "Let my wife go," he spoke up. He was still playing his role as the groom, but there was something in the tone of his voice that proclaimed authority.

  Those gathered in the tent were silent at his command, and Farnsworth glanced over at him. He was frowning slightly, surprised by the fierceness of his tone.

  "Don't even think about trying anything!" Farnsworth threatened.

  The congregation had been stunned by this unexpected display of savagery from a man they'd thought was a moral leader, and now they were even more shocked by the confrontation taking place. They could see the angry determination in "Bens" eyes and wondered what he and Marshal Trent were going to do. They seemed to be collectively holding their breaths as they watched the fearful situation unfolding before them.

  "Let her go, Farnsworth!" Marshal Trent ordered, taking a step closer.

  "Stay away from me!" the evil preacher commanded, swinging the gun from left to right in a threatening manner. "Both of you, back off!"

  But neither "Ben" nor Marshal Trent obeyed.

  The marshal remained blocking the main aisle. "You're not going anywhere, preacher. It's over. You may as well give it up."

  "I ain't giving anything up! Somebody's going to end up hurt-maybe dead-if you don't let me out of here right now!" he threatened, a rising note of hysteria in his voice.

  "Ben" had heard all he needed to hear. He'd dealt with his kind before-the desperate, the scared, the deadly. He knew what men like Farnsworth were capable of, and he knew he had to act-and act quickly-before someone really did get hurt. "Ben" was reasonably certain that Farnsworth had totally discounted him as a real threat, and that was a serious error in judgment on the outlaw's part that gave him just the edge he needed.

  "Preacher Farnsworth, I don't know what this is all about," "Ben" began, "but I'm sure it's all a mistake. Please-release my wife, and we'll talk to the marshal about it. I'm sure everything will be fine." He tried to sound conciliatory.

  The preacher tightened his hold on Elise as he glared at "Ben." "What do you think I am? A fool? Your new little wife is just the ticket I need to get out of town. She's going with me. I'm not letting her go free until I'm far away from here!"

  "Look-why don't you take me instead? I'll ride with you. Just let her go," "Ben" offered, assessing the other man's strength and agility. Whatever he tried, he was going to have to catch him unawares. He needed the element of surprise on his side.

  "No! Now back away, or I'll shoot you right where you stand!" Farnsworth threatened, pointing the derringer at him.

  "Ben" glanced toward the lawman, who was standing, revolver in hand, waiting for Farnsworth's next move. The town marshal didn't look like the kind who would overreact, but "Ben" still feared what might happen if shooting erupted in such close quarters with so many people around. He put his hands up, deciding to play the intimidated coward.

  "All right, all right-don't shoot me!" He took what appeared to be a faltering, nervous step backward and faked tripping and losing his balance. He managed to lurch awkwardly, and then he deliberately fell toward the outlaw.

  "Ben" threw himself bodily into the outlaw's gun arm, leading with his left shoulder.

  "What the hell!" Farnsworth swore, as "Ben's" unexpected tackle jarred him violently.

  The preacher tried to dodge out of his way, but at that strategic moment, Elise reacted on instinct. She elbowed him in the stomach with all her might. Farnsworth grunted in pain and was forced to let her go. Suddenly, he was desperate to hold the others off as he made an escape. He fired off a wild shot, hoping everyone would panic so he could elude the lawman in the rush and make his getaway. But no one panicked, and before he could make a run for it, Marshal Trent was there before him, his gun aimed at the middle of his chest at pointblank range.

  "I know you've got one shot left, Farnsworth, but don't even think about trying anything or you'll be meeting your maker right here today. I can turn this wedding into a funeral real quick," the marshal snarled. His fierce expression showed that he meant what he said. "Now, drop the gun."

  The preacher was cursing obscenely as he obliged. Marshal Trent picked up his gun and marched him unceremoniously from the tent. The wedding guests looked on, amazed by all that had transpired.

  Claire was the first to recover from the shock. She jumped to her feet and ran to her granddaughter, embracing Elise and hugging her close.

  "Elise, darling! Are you all right?" Claire cried.

  "I'm fine," Elise said breathlessly as she watched the lawman lead the outlaw away.

  "Thank God! You could have been killed!"

  "But I wasn't." She started smiling now, pleased with the way everything had finally turned out. There had been a few moments there when she had honestly feared for her life, but Marshal Trent had come to her rescue just in time.

  "I am so proud of you," Claire went on, forgetting about the terror and celebrating her success. "You were right about everything! Farnsworth was an evil man-a very evil man!"

  Elise's eyes glowed with pleasure at her praise. She'd worked for weeks to bring this whole plan to fruition, and she'd done it. She looked up to watch the lawman and the phony preacher disappear through the main entrance of the tent. "And to think he got away with his deception for this long-Marshal Trent must have caught his men in action."

  "I'm so happy for you. In all the towns Farnsworth's performed his ministry, no one else had any idea that he was really the leader of a gang that was robbing the people in his own congregations. It's easy to understand how he got away with it for so long. Who would think that the man of God was really a lowdown, dirty thief?"

  "I can't wait to get to the office and write this story! I bet this will be the Star's biggest printing ever!"

  "Elise?" "Ben" spoke up somewhat tentatively from where he was standing off to the side, pretending to be a bit unsettled by all that had happened. "Are you all right?"

  Elise had forgotten about her "groom." She turned to him a bit embarrassed as everyone came hurrying forward to bombard her with questions.

  "I'm fine. What about you? That was a nasty fall you took. Did you hurt yourself?" she asked, trying to talk to him while all her friends from town surrounded her. She couldn't believe that he'd been so uncoordinated as to fall that way and make such a fool out of himself at such a dangerous moment.

  "No, not at all."

  She nodded, glad that he was all right. "Thank goodness Marshal Trent was here or you might have gotten yourself shot. Farnsworth was every bit as horrible and dangerous as I suspected he was. He meant business to
day. His warnings that he'd shoot us weren't empty threats."

  "And you lived to tell about it!" George proclaimed proudly, drawing her attention away from her new "husband."

  "Thank heaven she lived to tell about it!" Claire said emotionally. She had been horrified by the evil man's actions and by her own inability to do anything to help the situation.

  "Elise! What was this all about?" Lyle Stevens demanded, his wife Adele and daughter Julie standing beside him. "And where s the real Ben?"

  Those nearest to Elise closed in, echoing Lyle's questions. She was even further distracted from thoughts of her stand-in "Ben."

  "Ben" looked on for a moment longer, listening to all the questions and watching her with the crowd; then he quietly moved away. No one noticed him leave the tent.

  Elise responded to everyone's inquiries. The more she talked about the way they'd managed to capture the outlaw preacher, the more excited she became. For although things had started off so badly, she had exposed Preacher Farnsworth for the terrible thief that he was.

  Elise could just see the headline for the next edition of the Durango Weekly Star: PRETENDER IN THE PULPIT! FARNSWORTH A FRAUD! A CONSPIRA- TOR OF THE CLOTH! Headline after possible headline played in her mind as she explained things to her friends. She found herself wondering which one would sell the most newspapers.

  "How on earth did you figure all this out?" one amazed woman asked.

  "I was reading some newspapers from out of state several months ago and noticed a strange connection between visits by the Preacher Farnsworth and a string of robberies. At first I thought it was coincidence, but then I did some more checking, and I began to realize it was too perfect, too organized. That's when I approached Marshal Trent about setting this trap for him. I had Marshal Trent's full cooperation and support. I couldn't have done it without him."

  Everyone murmured their agreement. They all respected and admired their marshal.

  "But where's the real Ben?" Lyle Stevens asked.

  "And what happened to your Ben?" someone asked.

  Everyone looked around and realized the new groom had disappeared.