An Unsinkable Love

chapter 42


Bree froze. Her heart pounded, her breath coming in gasps as the men struggled against each other on the floor, their limbs entangled. Eldon rolled away, the gun still in his hand, and struggled to his feet.

"God, no! Malcolm?" she moaned, throwing herself on her knees beside him. His vivid blue eyes stared up in shock.

"I'm fine, Bree. I'm not hurt," he said in an amazed tone.

They turned to Eldon. He frowned, looking down as he surveyed the scarlet stain spreading across his white shirt.

The gun slipped from his hand and bounced on the floor.

Eldon raised his head and glared at them, his expressing a mixture of confusion and fury. Then he crumpled and fell face first on the floorboards.

Bree helped Malcolm to his feet and they embraced. He held her so tightly she could barely breathe.

"I was so frightened when the gun went off and he got up." Sobs bubbled up and she sagged with relief in his arms.

"You can't have been any more frightened than when I saw you standing there with a gun at your head." She felt him shiver as he pulled her closer.

Bree gazed up at him. "Who was he? The man on the stairs. I know him from somewhere."

"The man at the station who accused Eldon of murder.

Apparently he's been following us. If not for him, I never would have known where you were. I think he saved both our lives."

258

An Unsinkable Love

by Terri Benson

Arm in arm, they went down the stairs. Their hope that Fred had only been injured was dashed by the impossible angle of his neck. Even if the shot to his chest hadn't killed him, the broken neck had.

Malcolm slipped his arms around her again and pulled her tight. "I want you here always, Bree. Forever."

She smiled up at him. "It might be rather unpractical, but I'm game if you are. I think, though, right now I'd very much like to go home."

He laughed and bent down to kiss her deeply. He wheeled around at the sound of breaking glass from upstairs. He motioned for her to stay, but she pelted up the stairs right behind him. Eldon's body no longer lay on the floor and the pistol was gone. The one window in the room, in the gable opposite the big doors downstairs, was shattered. Malcolm leaned out, but quickly ducked down with a curse as a bullet whizzed by and buried itself in the ceiling.

Bree grabbed his arm and hauled him away from the window.

Malcolm hugged her. "It's all right. He's running away as fast as he can. There's a lean-to below the window.

Apparently he jumped or lowered himself down to it and then to the ground."

"Then he's still out there. With a gun. Oh, Malcolm," Bree cried.

"Let's go back to The Dell. We can deal with him better from there."

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259

An Unsinkable Love

by Terri Benson