Sam went to his horse. “Well, don’t just sit there—we need to find Greta.”
Adam stood and walked to his horse. “I don’t know where else to look.”
“We need to go back to town and talk to people. Someone must know of a vacant property where Miles could’ve taken her.”
Adam settled into his saddle and turned his horse toward town. “I guess that’s the best we can do, but it’ll take us too long. What if Miles hurts her?”
“Just pray all the way to town.” His father urged his horse forward, and Adam did the same.
They galloped down the road leading to town like they were heading for a fire. When they turned a corner in the road, Adam and Sam pointed and said in unison, “There she is!”
Chapter Nineteen
Adam and Sam reined in their horses.
Greta turned, spotted Adam, and ran to him. She reached him as he slid off the saddle.
Adam grabbed her and held her tightly. “Thank God, thank God,” he said, squeezing her against him.
He gazed into her face. “Did he hurt you?”
Greta shook her head. “No, he was gentle with me.”
“I’m still going to kill the lily-livered pond scum.”
“No,” Greta said. “No more violence. Let’s just go home.”
Rhea and Bethany ran out of Adam and Greta’s house to greet them; there were hugs all around. Rhea wanted to know what had gone on, so Adam, Greta, Sam, Bethany, and Rhea sat on the porch while Greta gave them her account of the story. When she was done, Adam and Sam told them about how they’d found nothing in the vacant house the deputy had told them about.
Rhea shook her head. “I wonder what happened between Martha and Miles.”
Greta shrugged. “I hope they talked and worked things out. That was Martha’s next plan—to have a good talk with Miles. Maybe they’ll end up together after all, and we can all be happy.”
Adam frowned. “I can’t let him get away with having kidnapped you, no matter how kindly he treated you. I have to call him out.”
While Rhea, Sam, and Greta tried to talk Adam out of a shoot-out with Miles, two riders galloped up the lane to the house. Sam and Adam stood with their palms on their gun grips.
The men approached the porch. Adam relaxed when he recognized Harley, the deputy. With him was a tall, thin man who also wore a badge.
“Adam Sutherland?” the tall one asked. When Adam nodded, the man said, “I’m Sheriff Andrews, and you’re under arrest.” The sheriff climbed the steps and stood before Adam.
“Arrest?” Adam asked. “What for?”
The sheriff pointed his gun at Adam and disarmed him, while Harley tied Adam’s hands behind his back.
“The murder of Miles Tanner.”
Rhea fell backward into her rocking chair. Sam tended to her while Greta frowned at the sheriff.
With her hands on her hips, Greta said, “He did no such thing.”
Sam said, “He was with me the whole time and didn’t kill anyone.”
The sheriff led Adam down the porch steps. “Adam Sutherland reported to my deputy that Miles Tanner had kidnapped his wife, and he was looking for him. Then, we find Tanner in the woods, dead. He’s the only one with a grudge against Tanner.”
The deputy spoke up: “I wanted to call the sheriff today when Adam told me his wife had been kidnapped, but he insisted on finding Tanner himself.”
The sheriff forced Adam onto his horse before leading him away.
Greta cried, while Sam still tried to revive Rhea. Bethany, frightened by all that had happened, clutched tightly to her mother’s skirt, and she cried, too.
Rhea came to, and Greta slowly pulled herself together.
“It’s all right, Bethany, Father will be home soon. It’s all a big mistake.”
“It has to be,” Sam said. “He was with me all day.”
Greta stood up and pulled Bethany along with her. “Something just dawned on me. Let me get Bethany settled, tuck her in, and we’ll talk.”
By the time Greta had returned to the porch, Sam and Rhea had ordered a tea tray and had begun to pour. It had grown dark, but they had lit several lanterns.
Sam handed a cup of tea to Greta. “What dawned on you? Tell us, please.”
“Yes,” Rhea said. “I’ve been praying it’s something we can use to free Adam.”
Greta took the cup and sipped it gingerly. “Something Martha said to me has me wondering.”
“What is it? Tell us,” Rhea said.
“She said she needed to have a serious talk with Miles, and she guaranteed he’d never bother me again. How could she possibly do that?”
Sam nearly dropped his cup into the saucer. “Do you think she killed him?”
Greta shrugged. “She would have been the last one to see or talk to him. Adam was sent to the wrong house—he couldn’t have killed him.”
Sam scratched his head. “But how do we find this Martha? How do we get her to admit she’s the one who killed him?”
Greta shrugged again. “I don’t know, but we have to try. We can’t let poor Adam stay in jail any longer than necessary.”
Sam put his arm around Greta. “I told him that you were increasing.”
Greta put her hands to her face. “Oh, no. I wanted to tell him.”
“Sorry, but he wanted to barge into that house and shoot up a storm. I warned him to take it easy for your sake.”
Greta patted Sam’s hand on her shoulder. “That was a good reason. It’s all right. Now, let’s figure out how to get Adam free.”
Rhea stood and picked up the tea tray. “I think we should all turn in and put our heads together in the morning.”
“I can’t go to bed without
