Chapter 9 – Triangle of Emotions, Part Deux…

Fiona heard someone rousing and her heart sank. They hadn't slept as long as she had hoped, and of course, she hadn't slept at all. She had spent the night trying to calm her nerves and quietly praying, knowing that if rescue didn't arrive, that she would never see Hope Valley again. Fiona was always an optimist, but in her current circumstance it was hard to see the bright side of the situation. She had found out last night that the other man's name was Homer, and she recognized him from the saloon. He had been in a couple of times this week. No doubt he was the one that left the note.

"Homer!" Savage called. "Time to wake up! We need to get moving!"

Fiona heard Homer stirring and she softly prayed, "Please send rescue."

###

When they spotted the cabin, the men slowed their horses and checked the area; not seeing anyone outside Bill spoke quietly. "It's hard to believe but it looks like they are still here. And I only see three horses, so hopefully there are only two of them. I'll go around the back and move their horses and watch the back door. Give me a few minutes and then call them out. I don't want to bust in, we don't know what they might do. Are we ready?"

Nathan and John both nodded as they all dismounted and Bill circled around the back. They were hoping that Fiona was alright and thought bringing them outside would be the best way of protecting her. Hold on, Fiona, Nathan thought once again as he and John hid their own horses and stood behind some trees watching the front door.

###

Lucas was having a hard time concentrating since he got the call from the saloon earlier. Apparently, Fiona was missing and presumably kidnapped. Lucas had told Gustave to close down until later in the day, hoping she would be found safe. Gustave had told him John was planning to go with Bill and Nathan to look for her. Lucas worked as long as he could, then he asked Mike to take over with Mr. Smith for a while.

Lucas walked over to the library, hoping Elizabeth was still there. He opened the door and she looked up from her typewriter. "Lucas!" she said with a smile. "I wasn't expecting to see you until later today. Not that I mind the surprise," she said coyly.

Lucas walked over to the desk and leaned down to give her a soft kiss. "I needed that," he said, smiling. Then he turned serious. "Elizabeth, Fiona is missing. It appears she was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?! Who would kidnap Fiona?" Elizabeth said anxiously as she stood.

"I don't have the details. John went with Bill and Nathan to look for her. I just thought you should know. And I had to get away from the office for a few minutes." Lucas locked eyes with Elizabeth as he placed his hand on her cheek. "Have I told you today how beautiful you are?"

"You haven't seen me today, so the answer is no. Have I told you today that I love you?" Elizabeth responded.

"Not until just now. I'm still getting used to the reality that Elizabeth Thornton loves me. And I'll never tire of hearing it. I love you, my Elizabeth," Lucas replied.

"Then I shall tell you every day. Lucas Bouchard, I love you with all my heart," Elizabeth said as she reached up and touched his bearded face.

Lucas couldn't resist leaning down to kiss the woman he adored, and felt her hand slide behind his neck. He knew he would never be able to get enough of her kisses, from now until forever.

Elizabeth was the one that pulled away this time.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight at my place. With the cooler weather I decided to make beef stew," Elizabeth said.

"I would love to have dinner with you. And beef stew is one of my favorites," Lucas said with a smile.

"I always put Jack to bed before dinner, so it will just be the two of us," Elizabeth replied.

"May I come a little early then? I would love to spend some time with him."

Him wanting to spend time with Jack made Elizabeth very happy. "Of course, you may."

"I better get back to the office. Looking forward to this evening." Lucas leaned in and kissed Elizabeth's cheek.

"See you later," Elizbeth said happily then instantly missed him as he closed the door. She sat back down and quickly realized she wouldn't be able to get any more writing done. Perhaps she should go talk to Rosemary and see if she knew anything more about Fiona. Elizabeth had no idea who would have taken her and was very concerned.

She walked outside and closed the door. "Elizabeth!" Rosemary called, headed her way in a rush.

"Rosemary. I was just coming to the dress shop. Have you heard about Fiona?"

"Yes! That is why I was coming to see you."

"Let's go back in the library. Tell me what you know," Elizabeth replied.

They walked in and had a seat. "Well, apparently some man from Fiona's past wanted revenge against her. So, he came to Hope Valley and took her," Rosemary said excitedly.

"Wow! Do we know why he wants revenge?"

"Well, Florence didn't hear the whole conversation, but it seems he blames her for his brother's death. But that's all I know. I do hope she is alright," Rosemary said, furrowing her brow.

"Me too. Hopefully they will find her soon."

###

"Homer, take this bucket and go out back and get some water from the spring. We need to get going pretty soon," Savage said as he tossed the bucket to his accomplice.

Homer went out the back door and closed it. About halfway to the spring, Bill stepped out from behind a tree and aimed a gun at him. "Don't even try it. Drop the bucket. Hands over your head."

"I haven't done anything. This was all Savage's plan. I just came along for the ride," Homer replied as he raised his hands.

"Then we have no problem as long as you comply," Bill said as he carefully walked up and took Homer's gun out of its holster. "Over there," Bill said, motioning. Homer obeyed and Bill proceeded to tie him up to a tree and gag him.

###

Savage untied Fiona's hands. She began rubbing the feeling back into them as he sneered at her. "It won't be long now. I don't know what my brother ever saw in you. I tried to tell him you were nothing but trouble."

Fiona sat there quietly, choosing not to respond. She didn't want to make him any angrier than he already was.

"Savage! Get out here and show yourself!"

Fiona's heart leaped as she heard Nathan's voice.

Savage cursed. "I knew we should have kept moving last night." He looked at the back door, wondering where Homer was.

"Don't try the back door. You are surrounded!" John called out, making Savage wonder if they could see him.

Fiona's eyes filled with tears knowing that Nathan and John had shown up to rescue her. She saw the rage in Savage's eyes as he paced like a caged animal, trying to figure out what he was going to do now.

Savage cursed under his breath. He then looked at Fiona with hate in his eyes. "Who are they and how do they know my name? How do they know I'm here? Did you warn someone?"

Fiona kept calm and spoke softly, "Anthony, I haven't warned anyone. I did exactly as you told me to. Someone must have figured it out."

"It doesn't matter now anyway. You are my ticket out of here," he said as he reached down and grabbed her arm, jerking her to her feet.

John looked over at Nathan, "How long are we going to give them?"

"A few minutes. I am hoping they come this way and not out the back since Bill is alone," Nathan replied just as the front door opened. He and John stayed hidden and watched as Fiona came out with a man behind her holding her arm. He held a pistol to her head as they slowly walked out into the grass.

"I came out like you asked!" Savage hollered. "Now show yourselves or I'll put a bullet in her head."

John and Nathan slowly walked out of their hiding place. They walked slowly towards Fiona, but stayed a good distance from each other. "That's far enough," Savage said before they got too close.

Nathan was holding a rifle, and John had his pistol in its holster with his hand on its handle. They both noticed the bruises on Fiona's face and the fear in her eyes. They didn't want to do anything that would cause her further harm.

"Hey Anthony, remember me?" John asked, trying to diffuse the situation. "John Davis."

Savage sneered, "Davis? Haven't seen you since you moved away from Frisco."

"Been a long time, that's for sure. We certainly didn't get along too well when we were kids. But we are adults now. How about you let Ona go and we can talk this out," John said with no hope of Savage complying.

Savage laughed a wicked laugh and tightened his grip on her arm. "I have waited a long time for my revenge. Now one of you is going to go get me a horse and let us ride out of here."

Nathan was keeping his peace and letting John do the talking, hoping that perchance he was able to use his familiarity to get Savage to give up. Plus, he was concerned about Bill and Savage's accomplice.

"Come on Anthony, look at her," John continued. "I don't know how you plan to travel with a weak, fainting woman on your hands." He made eye contact with Fiona as he spoke.

Savage hesitated and looked down at Fiona. "I doubt this one has ever fainted in her life. She was strong enough to kill my brother. I'll take my chances.

John and Fiona maintained their gaze. Then he looked at Savage and spoke again, "I don't know Anthony, she looks like she could just pass out right about now…"

Suddenly Fiona dropped like a rock, startling Savage for a moment as he released her dead weight. Then he quickly raised his gun toward John.

Fiona heard a gunshot and screamed.

###

Rosemary decided to close up the dress shop for the day. She and Elizabeth were very concerned about Fiona and couldn't concentrate on anything else, so they quietly walked home together.

"Do you think they will get there in time?" Elizabeth asked as she turned towards her friend.

"Oh Elizabeth, I don't even know what to think. I just need a hug from Little Jack right now."

Elizabeth put her arm around her friend, needing her closeness.

"Let's get Jack and go to my house," Rosemary said, "and wait by the phone."

Elizabeth nodded as they opened her door. "Hello Laura, hi Jack! Look who came to see you. It's Auntie Rosemary."

Jack came running and threw himself into Rosemary's arms. She held him close and closed her eyes, wanting to take in his sweet innocence in a time of uncertainty.

Laura left and the three of them went next door, hoping for some good news very soon.

###

"Mr. Bouchard, as you told me earlier, it looks as if the former owner moved much too quickly," Mr. Smith said. "I believe there are a few things we can do to make this company profitable over the next several months."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Smith. I have been trying to learn all I can the last few days, but I still have a long way to go," Lucas responded. "My biggest concern is the employees. Jobs are hard to come by and I don't want to put anyone out of work."

"I understand. I think I can minimize that, or perhaps eliminate that possibility altogether. Of course, I haven't finished my assessment yet. I will need at least another day or two to get a better estimation of how to proceed. But now, I would like to break for a long lunch. Your chef at the saloon is excellent. I look forward to another of his meals."

Lucas smiled, "Gustave has quite the reputation. Enjoy your meal, sir. I have some errands to run and will see you back here in a couple of hours."

Mr. Smith nodded and left the office. Lucas picked up the phone and had Florence call the saloon. "Gustave, Mr. Smith is on his way there…yes…anything he wants, on the house. Keep the saloon closed for now."

Mike looked at Lucas and spoke, "I haven't seen anyone ride by. I wonder if they found Fiona yet."

"I'm going to walk to the sheriff's office just to check if anyone is there. I'll see you later Mike. Enjoy your lunch."

Mike waved as Lucas left, then walked out, closed the door and headed to the café.

###

John was startled by the gunshot, as his gun hadn't cleared its holster. He looked over at Nathan and saw a puff of smoke exiting the barrel of his rifle. He turned his head to see if Fiona was alright and saw Savage lying on the ground, bleeding from a gunshot wound.

Nathan had reacted quickly when he saw Fiona drop and Savage try to shoot John. He heard Fiona scream and he was scared for a second that he had hit her instead. Then he saw Savage fall and he knew his aim was true. Nathan watched as Fiona jumped to her feet running in his direction. Then she ran past him and straight into John's arms.

Nathan stared as John wrapped his arms around her, comforting her with soft words, and he felt his gut churn. All he could think of was how much he wanted to be the one that she ran to in relief.

Almost as if on cue, Bill walked out the front door of the cabin. "Is everyone alright out here?"

"Everyone except Savage. He drew on John. I had to shoot him," Nathan said as he leaned his rifle against a tree and walked over to see how bad the injury was.

"I have the other one tied up out back. The cabin is empty," Bill replied then went back into the cabin.

Nathan knelt down and checked for a pulse, looking into the open eyes of Savage as he lay there. Not finding one, Nathan reached up and closed his eyes with his hand. He then walked over to John and Fiona, wanting to make sure she was really alright.

"Fiona, Savage can't bother you anymore," Nathan said. Fiona stepped back from John, and looked at Nathan, the tearstains on her bruised face breaking his heart. "Nathan…thank you…for coming for me." She smiled and then reached her arms around his neck in an embrace. Nathan placed his arms around her waist, pulling her in to safety. He had to admit to himself it felt good to hold her and he hoped she never had to be afraid again.

John stood there observing the moment. He wasn't sure how he felt about everything that had just happened; he had wanted to be the one to kill Savage. But if Nathan hadn't shot, John might be the one lying dead on the ground right now. He would have to process his feelings of seeing Fiona in Nathan's arms later.

Bill walked around the cabin, holding the arm of Homer Sneed, whose hands were still tied behind his back and he was still gagged. Bill looked at Fiona, still in Nathan's arms and looking quite comfortable there. "Fiona, are you okay? I see he bruised up your face. Are you hurt…anywhere else?"

She took a few steps back, looked up into Nathan's blue eyes, then turned to Bill. "I am alright, Judge. He hit me a couple of times last night, but no, I am not hurt anywhere except my face. Thank you for coming to rescue me."

Bill nodded in relief at the realization that she hadn't been violated further.

Nathan looked at John and Fiona and spoke. "I'm a little confused. Fiona, how did you know to fall down like you did?"

Fiona looked at John and they both smiled. "Well, Nathan, Johnny and I had many run-ins with the Savage brothers when we were young. Growing up, Johnny tried to teach me some self-defense moves. We also practiced several scenarios over the years. One of them we called the 'fainting woman.' The scenario was eerily familiar to what happened today- if I was ever held at gunpoint, to go limp and throw the man off guard to try to get free."

"I was certainly hoping you had learned and remembered all of that stuff we practiced years ago," John replied. "It sure came in handy today. I'm glad you're okay, Ona."

"I shudder to think at how this might have ended if you hadn't come to town, Johnny. Seems like divine intervention," Fiona responded.

Nathan wasn't happy with himself when he recognized what he was feeling as he watched John and Fiona talk. Then he reminded himself that John was the one that she ran to first. Nathan thought perhaps it must have been the same way Lucas felt when Elizabeth ran and hugged him the other day.

He was falling for Fiona.