Michael kept glancing up at the clock on the station wall. Bryce was taking a long time to get back from Charlottetown. The cranks to both cars had gone missing that morning. Michael thought it sounded like the work of mischievous little boys, but they didn’t have time to hunt them out, so Bryce had decided to take a small boat instead.
Then Nettie had shown up, asking for a ride. That certainly made for an awkward journey, escorting both a criminal and a love gone wrong, but Bryce had been up for the challenge.
Michael didn’t know how much longer the trip would take by boat as opposed to car, but it did seem that Bryce should be back by now. He was eager to head down to the cove, but the longer Bryce was gone, the more he began to worry that something had happened. He was just being paranoid, he was sure. Perhaps Bryce and Nettie had decided to talk things over and they’d found a restaurant and were having a nice meal while they worked through their problems. He hoped they would—Bryce was still being closed-mouthed about what had happened, but Michael didn’t think it could be all that bad. Just about anything could be worked out, couldn’t it?
The clock ticked on. It was now getting on to late afternoon. Aaron came in to cover the next desk shift, and Michael decided to pick up some food at the restaurant and take it over to Kathryn. They made really good soup, and he thought that would go well on her stomach. He knew that Josie and Elizabeth had planned to visit Kathryn that afternoon and finish up the wedding preparations. If they’d eaten together, the soup could go in the icebox for another time.
He’d just spoken to the waitress about his order when he heard loud voices outside. He stepped out to see a car pulling up to the station, a man he’d never seen before at the wheel. Nettie and Bryce were inside, Bryce with a large cloth pressed to his head. “Can someone get Dr. Miller?” Nettie cried out, and one of the men who had been walking down the street took off in that direction at a run.
Michael trotted across the street and spoke to Nettie through the window. “What’s the matter? What happened?”
“The MacDonalds came alongside us in their boat, knocked Bryce out, and took Jamie,” she said. “Bryce has a terrible gash on his head.”
“I’m all right,” Bryce said, sounding tired. “I’m upright and I’m talking, aren’t I?”
“Yes, but that’s only out of sheer stubbornness,” she retorted. “You need stitches, I’m sure.”
“We’ll let the doctor decide that.” Bryce moved as though he wanted to get out of the car, but then he sank back into the seat. “This nice fellow who works at the ferry brought us back here. We were adrift for quite a while.”
“They cut the sail after they took Jamie,” Nettie explained. “We made it to a small island and then were rescued by the afternoon ferry.”
Ernie and Aaron had come running, and now they gathered in closer to hear what had happened.
“So we have a confessed murderer on the loose, and suspected smugglers as well.” Ernie pressed his lips together. “We’ll have to act fast—I don’t imagine they’ll be sticking around here much longer.”
“Nettie, how large was their boat? Large enough to carry all their things? Did they look like they were leaving for good?” Michael asked.
“I don’t know,” she faltered. “Everything was happening so fast.”
“It’s all right. You had your hands full with this big lug, I’m sure.” Michael nodded toward Bryce, who made a wry face.
Dr. Miller arrived, calling out for everyone to give him room. He opened the car door and surveyed Bryce with a concerned look on his face. “Let’s get you inside,” he said. “That gash is nasty. At least it clotted up well—that was likely your saving grace.”
Ernie and Aaron each took one of Bryce’s arms and supported him as he walked into the station. Michael gave Nettie a hand as she stepped out of the car on her side.
“Thank you,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”
“I imagine it has,” Michael said. He made sure she found a chair, then he came back outside, thanked the man from the ferry—who refused any sort of compensation before driving away—then headed back over to the restaurant, where he amended his order. Instead, he asked for enough food for Bryce and Nettie, plus whatever juices or lemonade they might have. Then he paid extra to have it delivered, as it wouldn’t be ready for a few minutes and he wanted to get back to the station.
“You’re a lucky man,” Dr. Miller was saying as Michael came inside. “A person can lose a great deal of blood from a head wound.”
“He did lose a lot,” Nettie said, motioning to her dress. Michael hadn’t noticed before, but it looked like it had been drenched with blood that had since dried.
Dr. Miller eyed the dress, then turned back to Bryce. “You’re even luckier than I thought. No one loses that much blood and lives to tell about it.”
“No one but Bryce,” Aaron said, and they all chuckled.
“Speaking of my dress, if you don’t mind, I’ll change,” Nettie said, standing up and grabbing her bag from where it had been set next to the door. She went into the back room, and Michael was glad she had that option. Of course, she’d had the bag with her because she’d been leaving Bison Bay. He wondered if that was still in the offing, but Dr. Miller had just put in the first stitch, and Michael figured now wasn’t the time to be asking Bryce questions.
The restaurant delivered the food, Bryce and Nettie both ate, and the Mounties took Bryce home and got him settled. Then Michael walked Nettie back over to Kathryn’s. He smiled, thinking how natural it was to think of his cabin as being Kathryn’s. “You and Bryce seem to have worked things out,” he said.
“You might say that,” Nettie replied with a grin. “It took a thunk over the head to get him to see sense, but he’s being much more reasonable now.”
“So you’ll be staying?”
“I will.”
Michael grinned. “I’m glad. Bison Bay needs you, Nettie Smith.”
She pursed her lips. “I was offered a job teaching at the school.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant. Bryce needs you.”
“I know.” She returned his grin. “And yes, he needs me. I pretty much saved his life today, and I hope he remembers it.”
“I’m sure he will.”
They reached the house, and Michael carried Nettie’s bag to her bedroom while she explained what had happened to Bryce. Kathryn, who had regained all her natural color after her illness, went pale again as she listened, then pulled Nettie in for a tight hug.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re all right,” she said into her friend’s hair. “You both could have died.”
“We could have, but we chose not to, and I think that was a good choice.” Nettie pulled back and gave Kathryn a wide smile. “We should mark the date on the calendar and celebrate it every year as ‘We Didn’t Die Day.’”
Kathryn gasped. “Every year? You’re staying?”
Nettie grinned. “I’m staying. And we’re getting married. In fact, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a double wedding with you and Michael tomorrow, if the doctor thinks Bryce is strong enough to be up and around.”
“If I know Bryce, he will be,” Michael said. “He hasn’t been in Bison Bay long, but I can tell you, he’s shown his mettle over and over again.”
Kathryn gave Nettie another tight hug, and Michael chuckled. A happy ending for all four of the Mounties, then.
A moment later, Nettie excused herself. “I’m absolutely exhausted,” she said as she told them goodnight. “I’ve done a lot today.”
“Sleep well,” Kathryn told her.
As soon as Nettie was out of earshot, Kathryn turned back to Michael, concern on her face. “How bad is Bryce? Do you really think he’ll be all right by morning? And tell me more about the escape.”
Michael sighed and led Kathryn over to the fireplace, where they each sat in a rocking chair across from one another. “The doctor said he shouldn’t have survived. He lost a lot of blood, and it’s going to take a while for his body to regenerate. However, he was sitting up and talking, and he looks for all the world like he’s going to be just fine.”
“What a miracle.” Kathryn pressed her hand to her stomach. “And this is normal in the life of a Mountie?”
“Actually, no.” Michael laughed. “I’ve handled more petty theft cases than I have murders and escaped criminals. If we were in a bigger town, sure, but not out here.”
“Good, because I don’t know if I could handle it if this was normal.” She looked up and met his eyes. “So, what’s the plan for getting Jamie back? If you want to delay the wedding, I understand. This has to come first.”
He was glad she understood the seriousness of the situation, but even more glad that he didn’t have to take her up on her suggestion. “I talked it over with Ernie, and he says he thinks we should take action tomorrow night. The wedding can go on as planned tomorrow morning.”
Kathryn smiled, and it lit up her eyes. “Oh, I’m so happy to hear that. I didn’t want to delay it again, not after all this time.”
He laughed. “All this time?”
“You know what I mean. It feels like a long time, even if it hasn’t really been.”
“I do know what you mean.” He reached out and took her hand. “We’ll get married in the morning, and then around dusk, we’ll head down to the cove where we saw the flashing lights. We suspect that the MacDonalds have a hideout down there.”
She nodded. “And you’ll be careful?”
“As careful as we possibly can be. There are risks, of course.”
“Like getting clunked over the head.”
“Yes, like getting clunked over the head. But I’ll try not to let that happen.” He rubbed her hand. “I love you, Kathryn, and I’ll come back to you as soon as I can. Hopefully, we can get this all wrapped up in a matter of hours, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
She nodded. “I know. Nothing is guaranteed.” She paused, and then she smiled. “And I love you too.”
“Sure glad of it.”
He stood, then bent down and kissed her. Just a few more hours, and she would be his wife. He tried to focus on that and not on the very real fact that just a few more hours after that, he’d be heading out on a potentially dangerous assignment. He’d take it one thing at a time.
***
When Michael got back to Bryce’s cabin, he stuck his head into the room to check on the patient. Bryce was awake, looking around from under his bandage.
“You’re supposed to be asleep,” Michael scolded him. He nodded over at the nurse Dr. Miller had brought in to keep an eye on things overnight. “She’ll get mad at you if you don’t.”
The nurse, who was older and looked somewhat austere, didn’t argue with him.
“I know. Just a lot on my mind.”
“Nettie says the two of you want to have a double wedding with us in the morning.”
Bryce grinned. “Yeah, we thought that sounded like fun. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Mind? Of course not. You should have married her a long time ago.”
“I agree.” Bryce grinned again, but then he became solemn. “Dr. Miller cleared me for the wedding, as long as the nurse keeps an eye on me overnight, but I’m not cleared to go back to work for a few days. I don’t want to sit here on the sidelines while the rest of you pick up my slack.”
“Slack? You have a gash in your forehead. I don’t consider you to be slacking in any way.”
“I know. It’s just frustrating. Jamie was in my custody—I should help retrieve him.”
Michael could easily understand Bryce’s frustration, but it wasn’t logical, and they all needed to keep cool heads. “If you’ll stay here and man the station, that makes three of us who can go looking for Jamie, and that’s a big help.”
Bryce didn’t answer for a long moment. “All right,” he said at last. “I’ll support you from here. If I’m well enough to get married, I’m well enough to sit at a desk. Just wish I was well enough to ride and shoot.”
“In time, you will be.” Michael knew his words sounded trite, but there really wasn’t anything he could say to fix the situation. Only time would allow Bryce to heal and regain his strength.
Michael shoved a few supplies into his bag, making sure to include clean socks. If there was one thing he hated, it was wearing damp socks, and being down on the coastline, his feet were sure to get wet. He finished gathering what he wanted to take with him and set his bag by the front door. He had no idea how long they’d be out there, but he did know one thing—they’d either come back with the MacDonald clan in custody, or they’d have a good idea where they’d gone and a plan to hunt them down. Anything less just wasn’t acceptable.
Then he turned his attention to his uniform, brushing it and polishing the buttons. He wanted to look his very best on his wedding day.