Montana, 1892
For all intents and purposes, Elizabeth MacKenzie should’ve died on a Tuesday.
The bank was stifling despite the beginnings of a blizzard outside. As it was almost closing time, they’d already shut the windows and the brazier was burning hot in the corner. Sweat was dripping in some very unladylike places. Not that anyone in Surrender would call her a lady, but it had never mattered much what other people thought.
There was a line of customers who’d waited until the last minute to do their business for the day. Most were shop owners who knew this would be their last chance to make a deposit before the storm shut everything down. And everything would be shut down. With luck, it would only be for a couple of days. At worst, it could be a couple of weeks.
She worried about the cattle and the ranch, but she knew her foreman and the ranch hands would take good care of everything. Even if she wanted to make it back home, there was no way to do it safely. The storm had already found Surrender.
She watched the gray clouds roll toward them through the western wall of windows, the mountains no longer visible and the snow swirling in several directions. The wheeze of the wind could be heard through cracks in the windows and door. The atmosphere in the room was fraught with tension. No one spoke, and everyone was wondering how long they had to see to necessities before things got so bad they had to find shelter in town.
There were only two tellers behind the counter, Leroy Henry and Miss Adelaide Murchison. Lizzie had seen the bank manager, Samuel Peabody, peek out from his office once and then close the door. Lord knew, if work was involved Samuel was the first to disappear.
Leroy barely came up to Elizabeth’s shoulders, and his body was so round he often gave the impression that he rolled from place to place instead of using his feet to walk. Miss Adelaide was unusually tall for a woman, almost a head taller than Elizabeth, and she had a long, hawk-like nose that made it seem as if she were looking down at everyone she talked to.
Leroy was a sweet man, but he worked at half the pace of Miss Adelaide. No one had ever called Miss Adelaide sweet. She was the meanest, most contrary woman Elizabeth had ever known. She’d take slow Leroy over Miss Adelaide any day of the week.
Elizabeth tapped the toe of her boot impatiently and tried not to fidget. She’d never been very good at waiting, especially when her plans involved a romantic night with her husband in the Surrender Hotel. Between the ranch and his duties as sheriff and dealing with her father’s death, they hadn’t taken time for a honeymoon.
In many ways, Cole was still a stranger to her. And she knew she was like a stranger to him too. She was more than capable of admitting that she wasn’t like any other woman. And maybe that’s why their marriage had gotten off to an unusual start. But she had to think her uniqueness was part of the reason Cole married her.
It had been Cole’s suggestion to take two nights away from everything. And the timing with the storm had worked out beautifully. No one was going much of anywhere over the next two days, and they could spend the time devoted to each other instead of the needs of everyone else.
She and Cole had been two very independent people when they’d married. Elizabeth had never planned to marry at all, but her father’s foresight had protected her and the ranch that had belonged to her grandfather. Of course, she hadn’t realized that her father had asked Cole to marry her if he passed away. And she’d thought her father hadn’t known she’d been in love with Cole MacKenzie since she was a young girl. But he’d known.
In his own way, he’d played matchmaker to make sure she’d gotten everything she wanted and still had control of the ranch. If her father hadn’t deeded the ranch to Cole after he’d agreed to marry her, then it would’ve been taken from her. The bank would’ve put it up for sale to the highest bidder and she would’ve been left with nothing. Women couldn’t own land in this part of the country. But their husbands could. And what she’d needed was a husband to keep her life from changing.
And though she’d been in love with Cole for years, he was a good dozen years older than she was. She couldn’t help but wonder… If her father had never approached Cole about marrying her, would he have noticed her at all?
She was hoping more than anything that the two days they spent together would give them a marriage like her parents. Cole had been a good husband. He was kind and patient, but he was distant. They circled each other, never knowing what to say, so they didn’t say anything and went on about their lives.
The only time she really felt like they were speaking the same language was when they made love. They had no miscommunications there. What she needed was to know that Cole loved her, and that she was more than just a favor he was fulfilling for her father.
But her time with Cole couldn’t start until she’d finished her errand at the bank.
“Next.” Miss Adelaide’s shrill voice echoed in the building.
Drat. Elizabeth could’ve sworn she heard the person behind her sigh in relief that they weren’t getting stuck with Miss Adelaide. On the plus side, Elizabeth would get out much faster and she could be on her way to the hotel. She straightened her spine and moved toward the old bat’s window.
“Good afternoon, Miss Adelaide,” Elizabeth said sweetly.
“Elizabeth,” Adelaide said sourly. “What’s your business?”
“I need to make a withdrawal.”
“Does your husband know about this?” Her pale blue eyes narrowed menacingly.
“Yes, he does. But I’m not withdrawing from our personal account. I’m withdrawing from the ranch account.”
“Hmmph,” she said. “I think your father must have been losing his mind in his last days. And for your poor husband to go along with it…” Adelaide shook her head with disdain, but took the paper Elizabeth slid toward her so she could start the withdrawal process. “What kind of man lets his wife have that kind of control over the finances? Certainly not one I want acting as sheriff come election time. If a man can’t control his wife, he surely can’t control the population.”
“So you’ve said before,” Elizabeth said, her face flushing hotly because Adelaide was talking loud enough for everyone left in the bank to hear.
“This is a sizeable amount of money.” Adelaide pursed her lips tightly as she studied the withdrawal form. “More than you usually take out. I don’t know what you’re planning, but you can be sure that I’ll keep him informed. I won’t allow any funny business on my watch. And you’re just the type of woman to take something right out from under your husband’s nose and do what you want with it. Your father gave you too much freedom growing up, letting you wear men’s clothes and learning to shoot and rope cattle. You’ve got too much independence and not enough sense. You’d think you were a man with the way you conduct yourself. Your mama must be rolling over in her grave to see what you’ve become.”
“I’m sure Mama is resting peacefully,” Elizabeth said between gritted teeth. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got an appointment I need to keep.”
If she didn’t get out of this bank soon, her own husband was going to have to arrest her for murder.
“You didn’t tell me what you needed the withdrawal for,” Adelaide said stiffly.
“Oh, I thought you knew already. Everyone else in town has been talking about it.” Elizabeth looked at her with pity and then instantly felt remorse. She just couldn’t sink to Adelaide’s level. “We’re ready to build the new barn. All the supplies are in at the lumber mill.”
“I guess Sheriff MacKenzie lets you run as wild and free as your father did. It’s no wonder he’s been looking for outside work to distance himself from you. Your ways will ruin a man like Cole MacKenzie.”
Adelaide’s smile was full of spite, and Elizabeth knew she was luring her into a trap. But it was an arrow that hit a little too close to the bullseye. And Adelaide knew it.
“But Cole is a smart man,” Adelaide continued. “I heard a US Marshal was in town and they’ve been talking all day. It’s only a matter of time before he pins that star to his vest and takes off to parts unknown. His skills are so renowned that the president sent his top man to recruit him. You wouldn’t want to hold him back, would you? It’s not like you’ve got a bump growing under those trousers you insist on wearing. Doesn’t seem to me like Cole MacKenzie has much of a reason to stay in Surrender at all.”
Elizabeth knew she was pale. And her hand shook slightly as she reached out to take the money. Once she’d secured it in her bag, she took a step back and decided the best course of action was to just walk away. But she couldn’t do it this time. No one ever stood up to Adelaide. The people of Surrender just let her spew vitriol and then walked away with their tails tucked between their legs.
Talking back would only lead to more trouble. The rumors would be vicious. And it wasn’t only herself she had to think about. Cole was an important man in town, and he had a great deal of responsibility. She didn’t want to hurt his reputation more than she probably had already. But she just couldn’t stand by any longer.
“Adelaide Murchison,” Elizabeth said with a slight quiver to her voice, but it was loud enough to catch everyone’s attention. “You are the most hateful, spiteful woman I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet. I remember your parents from when I was a child, and they were some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. So if you want to talk about people rolling in their graves then maybe you should look a little closer to home.”
Someone gasped from behind her, and Leroy Henry’s eyes were big and round behind his spectacles.
“You don’t know me or my husband, and you never knew the kind of man my father was, because he couldn’t stand to be in a room with you and share the same air. But know this,” she said, her voice ringing in the deafening silence. “You’ll reap your reward. You’re so busy judging and gossiping about everyone else that you’ve forgotten the sermon Reverend Graham has preached on several times. You might think that you’re ruling your little part of earth, but your judgment day is coming. And you should be afraid because you’re about the most un-Christian woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
Adelaide gasped and clutched a hand to her breast, and Elizabeth nodded righteously. She felt vindicated and remorseful at the same time. She’d never backed away from a fight in her life, but it wasn’t in her nature to be cruel. And she was sure she’d have to do penance for it later. But later seemed like a long ways off.
“I pray that you find peace somewhere in your soul and that your bitterness no longer eats you alive.” With that, Elizabeth nodded her head once to Adelaide, did the same to Leroy, and turned on her heel to walk out of the bank, avoiding the wide-eyed stares of everyone else.
She pulled on the door, and it blew open with a hard gust of wind and snow. A man dressed in a nice suit and long wool overcoat, a hat pulled low over his eyes, was trying to get inside just as she was leaving, and they shuffled awkwardly around each other. He muttered a “Beg your pardon,” and then moved to the side so she could get by.
The door closed behind her and her only thought was finding her husband. If Miss Adelaide was right, he had some explaining to do.