ELEVEN
Colt’s head felt asif someone stood above him, pounding a hammer against his skull. Usually, he only felt this terrible after drinking too many cups of whiskey. Yet, he hadn’t touched a drop since arriving in Last Chance.
A high-pitched whistling sound made his ears feel like they were going to burst. If he didn’t stop the sound soon, he’d go mad. But as he struggled to lift his hands, he realized they wouldn’t move.
Slowly, his mind began to open, and he briefly recalled seeing someone in his bedroom last night after making sure Blaze was in the house, safe. Before he could ask who was in his room, something hard struck his head.
He groaned. What had happened to him? Had someone really tried to kill him? Yet, what other reason did they have for hitting Colt over the head?
His eyelids felt like bags of sand, but he struggled to open his eyes. The sun shone through the window and onto his face, making his headache pound harder. He squinted, but it didn’t help much. Instead, he turned his head, hoping to get a look at the room where he was at. He was on a cot, and yet, the room was nicely decorated with blue curtains and a few items of furniture. The bed sat closer to the window, but there was also a dresser, a cushioned chair, and a small table and wooden chair.
I’m in a hotel room?Who would do a stupid thing like that?
He moved his arms again, and it felt as if his wrists were tied together with a rope... as well as his ankles. He cussed and tugged at his arms again, but the rope was tightly secure.
The high-pitched noise stopped, and Colt realized there was someone in the room who had been whistling a tune. He rolled on the cot, hoping to see more of the room. Standing in front of a mirror hanging on the wall was none other than his idiot cousin. Kent was dapper in his nice suit as he fixed his string tie.
Kent glanced toward Colt through the reflection. A grin of victory pulled across his mouth. “Good morning, cousin.”
Colt swore again. “What are you doing? Why did you tie me up?”
Kent turned toward Colt and arched an eyebrow. “Which question do you want me to answer first?”
The man’s smug attitude made Colt want to punch him in the face. Once he was out of these ropes, that would be the first thing he did. “Why did you tie me up?”
“Because I don’t want anything to stop my wedding in an hour. And I know you are in love with Blaze, so you will definitely try to stop the wedding.”
Colt glared at his cousin. “She doesn’t want to marry you. She told me last night. I proposed to her, and she accepted.”
Shrugging, Kent turned back to the mirror and combed his hair. “Well, if she goes to your room in the barn, she’s going to notice everything is gone.” He pointed to the space by the door where Colt’s trunk sat. “She’s going to think you up and left, which is what you’ve always done. So, she will have no other choice but to marry me.” He grinned wider. “And because I’m the first grandson getting married, our grandfather’s inheritance will go to me because I won the bet.”
Anger shot through Colt, making his head pound harder. “What are you talking about?”
“Your father bet dear old Grandfather, that you would be married first, which is why he brought you to Last Chance. If Blaze didn’t fall in love with you, there are plenty of other women in town who needs a husband.” He flipped his hand in the air. “Anyway, Grandfather didn’t think you were ever going to settle down, which is why he sent me here. He knew I’d get Blaze to marry me.”
Colt wasn’t sure who he wanted to punch first – his father or grandfather. No, Kent would get it first.
Growling, he struggled harder, trying to twist out of the rope binding his hands. “I won’t let you marry her,” he snapped. “She loves me.”
Kent blew out an irritated sigh, turned, and folded his arms over his chest. “Think about this for a moment, Colt. Which one of us will make Blaze the better husband? You know as well as I do that you aren’t husband material, but I am.”
“Blaze loves me, not you.”
“It’s not about love.” Kent shook his head. “It’s about winning our grandfather’s inheritance, and well... that’s me.” He walked toward the door, picking up his bowler hat off the table on the way. “Oh, and I won’t be back to untie you or even to feed you. Hopefully, one of the hotel maids will come to check out the room when she realizes I’m not returning.”
“You won’t win,” Colt yelled. But as his cousin walked out of the room and closed the door, Colt’s heart sank. He was all tied up, and there was less than an hour before the wedding. He had to get out. He couldn’t let Blaze marry that greedy man.
He rolled off the cot, landing on the floor in a hard thud. The beating of his head threatened to upheave his stomach, but he clenched his teeth and scooted toward the bed. There must be something in this room to help him get loose. With his arms tied behind him and his legs bound at the ankles to keep him from standing, how was he going to do anything?
Silently, he prayed for guidance. He could not let Kent win!
* * * *
SMILING WASN’T PARTof Blaze’s wedding attire. Lisa, Emma, and Dakota fawned over Blaze as they fixed her hair pretty and helped her with the baby-blue dress that she’d wear when she exchanged vows with Kent. As heartbroken as she was, she couldn’t cry. Too many tears had been wasted for a man who obviously didn’t love her as much as he loved being free.
Lisa kept giving Blaze worried glances, but after telling her aunt that she was justnervous, Blaze was tired of repeating herself. Apparently, George hadn’t told Lisa about the conversation Blaze had with him this morning because everyone was acting as if nothing had happened since they had sat around the kitchen table planning out her wedding.
After the last baby’s breath flower had been stuck in Blaze’s elegantly braided bun Emma has fashioned for her wedding, her cousin stepped back and admired her work. Lisa and her daughters gazed at Blaze with twinkles in their eyes.
