by Barbara Goss
It was quiet for several seconds, then Jeremy spoke. “Can we leave the case unsolved?”
“What, and let the town continue to think you killed your wife? McCall countered.
“If it keeps Kate for learning the truth, yes.”
“No!” Kate cried, running out of the cell and into the office. “No!”
Chapter 19
Jeremy couldn’t believe his eyes when Kate ran into the room from the back of the office.
“Don’t you dare take the blame, Jeremy Walker,” she cried. “I know everything.”
Jeremy saw that Kate had been weeping. He had truly wanted to spare her from knowing the truth, and his heart went out to her.
“Thank you,” she said shyly. “Offering to hide the truth from me by taking the blame yourself is the most generous thing anyone’s ever done for me—including Griff.” She looked down at her feet. “I apologize for accusing you of murder and—oh, for everything. Please say you’ll forgive me. That’s all I ask of you.”
“Of course I forgive you,” he said, wishing he had the nerve to hold his arms out to her, but he feared she’d refuse them. “Don’t give it another thought.”
Jeremy tipped his hat and left the office. He felt Kate watching him as he mounted his horse and rode away. He scolded himself all the way home for not holding his arms out as in hindsight, he felt almost sure she’d have moved into them. It might even have brought them together again.
The next afternoon, McCall paid Jeremy a visit at the lumberyard. Jeremy greeted him and offered him a seat beside his desk.
“Walker,” he began gruffly. “I don’t know many in this town, so I’m hoping you can help me.”
“Whatever you need,” Jeremy offered. “Anything. Do you need a place to stay?”
“No, the government has provided me with all the comforts while on the job,” he said with a wink. “I need you to accompany me to Hammond’s old home, the one near your place.”
Jeremy shrugged. “Sure, no problem. When would you like to go?”
“Today. I have a feeling we might find Griff hiding out there,” he said. “Do you know of any other men we might invite to join us in case things get rough?”
“There’s my three employees: Jake Haskell, Jeb Donahue, and Abe Felton,” Jeremy replied.
“They can shoot?” McCall asked.
“Jeb and Abe can, but I’m not sure about Haskell.”
“Find out and invite them. I was thinking we could do it this afternoon. What time do you finish here?” McCall asked.
“I own the place, so I can leave anytime the government tells me to.” He returned McCall’s wink.
“Good. We’ll meet at your place in…say…an hour?” McCall asked.
Dan McCall, Jeremy, Jeb, and Abe rode toward the Hammonds’ old homestead with gun belts and ammunition. Jeremy couldn’t find Jake to ask him to join them; Geraldine had said he’d left for the day, owing to the fact that he hadn't felt well.
As they approached, Jeremy had the feeling the trip was going to be a waste of time. The house looked as abandoned as when he’d last visited with Kate.
The men alighted their mounts and stood in the road in front of the house.
“Jeb and Abe, you guys run and cover the back of the house in case he should try to escape that way," McCall ordered. "Jeremy and I will go in the front.”
Jeremy watched as Jeb and Abe ran to the back of the house, ducking when they passed a window. He and McCall walked slowly to the front door, guns drawn.
“So far, so good,” McCall whispered.
“It should be open,” Jeremy said when McCall reached for the doorknob. “Kate and I hadn’t bothered locking it after we left, seeing as how the place had already been trashed.”
“It’s locked,” McCall whispered after trying to turn the knob.”
“Huh? It can’t be,” Jeremy said.
“It is. That means someone’s been here since you last visited,” McCall said. “I’m going to break the door down; get ready for action.”
“Okay, Jeremy said, “but there’s a broken window on the side.”
“There is?” McCall muttered a mild oath. “Why didn’t you say so?”
Jeremy led him to the side window and McCall said, “I’ll go in first and you follow.”
After watching McCall disappear through the window, Jeremy crawled through and followed him through the house. The downstairs was clear, so they tiptoed up the rickety stairs as quietly as they could. When the men reached the top, McCall took a combative stance before charging into the first bedroom. He stopped so suddenly in the doorway that Jeremy ran smack into his solid back. He peered around the huge man to see what had stunned him.
“Oh, dear God,” Jeremy cried. “Is he dead?”
McCall gave a solemn nod. “He has a bullet hole through his head. Looks like he killed himself. The gun is laying in his open hand.”
Jeremy looked closer. Griff Hammond lay with his feet toward the doorway; a blood trail flowed clear across the room.
Both men bent down to examine him. “He’s been dead at least a day, maybe two,” McCall said.
“Aw, poor Kate—this will devastate her.”
“It will definitely clear your name,” McCall said, standing.
“I wish it could’ve been cleared without having to hurt Kate like this,” Jeremy lamented.
Once again, Jeremy found himself walking away from a grave. So much had happened since the last time he'd left the cemetery. He glanced briefly at his father’s grave on his way back to his horse. He stood before mounting it to watch Kate—who was donned in black—as she was being helped into a buggy by her aunt and an older man he didn’t know.
McCall had broken the news of Griff’s death to her, for he hadn’t the heart to do it. Truth be told, he felt somewhat to blame. He’d pushed Griff’s hand by calling McCall in to take over the case. Kate would blame him. He knew she would.
The other mourners huddled in circles talking, but Jeremy was in no mood to chat with anyone. After Kate's buggy had disappeared around the bend, Jeremy mounted his horse and headed home.
A week had passed since Griff’s funeral. A new sheriff had been sworn in and life started to return to normalcy for most of the town, but not as far as Jeremy was concerned. He still missed Kate. He felt her pain at the way she had lost her brother. He’d sent flowers, but that was about all he dared to offer.
Jeremy needed a new housekeeper, so he placed another ad in the town’s newspaper, telling the applicants to contact Horace Monroe for an interview. As per the usual procedure, Monroe interviewed and picked out the best candidates, and Jeremy made his decision afterward.
A week later, Jeremy received a message from Monroe saying he had several applicants he thought might be worthy. The interviews were set to begin at nine the following morning.
Jeremy lost Ethel just after Griff’s funeral. She'd claimed her mother had been ailing and needed her, but Jeremy thought it might have been the stress of the murder and Griff’s death that had gotten to her. He thought he might pick one of the rejects from the housekeeping applicants to fill the upstairs maid position. Keeping two floors clean would be much too difficult for Geraldine to manage for long, so to ease her load, he’d relieved her of the cooking duties and ate his meals at Rosie’s eating-house.
The clerk began to escort the selected applicants. The first candidate was a sturdy-looking woman who looked a bit familiar to Jeremy. Horace Monroe introduced her as Mrs. Bertha Hubert.
“Do I know you?” Jeremy asked.
“Well, I don’t think so,” she said. “I rather doubt we’ve ever met.”
“All right,” Jeremy said with a shrug. “What experience do you have keeping house?”
The woman spouted off about several of her previous positions and then said, “And presently, I’m keeping house for my niece who has just lost her brother to death. Neither of us have a job, so we need to seek employment.”
The woman must hav
e seen Jeremy’s mouth drop, because she added, “I’m an excellent cook.”
Jeremy knew where he’d seen her before—she was Kate's aunt Bertha, the one who’d accompanied Kate to the funeral. Until that very moment, he hadn’t considered that both of the women would be without an income once Griff had gone.
“You’re hired,” Jeremy said firmly. “When can you start?”
“Today, if you need me,” she said, wiping a stray tear from her eye. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how grateful I am.”
“No need. You’re exactly what I’m looking for, Mrs. Hubert.”
Monroe gave Jeremy a pleased look and congratulated the woman who left after receiving further instructions from Jeremy.
Once she’d left the room, Monroe said, “Now, what should I do with the other four ladies?”
“I also need an upstairs maid. Can you pick the ones you think might be right for the job so we can wind this up?” Jeremy asked, pulling out his pocket watch and gazing at it.
“I have the perfect woman,” Monroe said. He walked to the door. “I’ll be right back—George wouldn’t know which one I’m thinking of.”
When Monroe came back into the room, Jeremy stared in disbelief at the woman who’d entered. He opened his mouth to exclaim her name, but Monroe winked and put his finger to his mouth as if to hush him. Jeremy wasn’t sure what was going on, but decided to play along with it because he trusted his lawyer completely.
Monroe seated the woman, stepped back behind his desk, and sat next to Jeremy.
“This is Miss Hammond. I feel she’d be perfect for any position you might have available,” Horace said.
Jeremy could only stare. She smiled slightly at him which gave him the confidence to close his mouth and greet her with a nod and smile.
“It’s nice of you to apply,” Jeremy said. “Could you tell me—”
“Excuse me,” George said, poking his head inside the door, “I need you right away, Mr. Monroe. I have a slight emergency out here.”
“Oh, what now?” Monroe mumbled as he left the room.
“You were saying?” Kate prompted.
“Which job are you applying for?” Jeremy asked. He shrugged before adding, “It makes no difference; you have the job.”
“Thank you,” she said. “It'll be good to see Geraldine again. I heard Ethel's left your employ.”
“Yes. Her mother was ailing.”
Jeremy got up and walked around the desk, knelt down in front of Kate, and took both of her hands in his.
“Can you ever forgive me?” he asked, looking into her eyes.
Kate pulled her hands free of his grasp and rose.
Jeremy stood, too, knowing he’d overstepped and was about to be chastised.
Kate’s eyes appeared shiny with unshed tears. “I need to ask you the same question.”
“There was never anything to forgive, Kate.”
“I felt angry and hurt the day I blasted you. I didn’t mean any of what I said.”
“I’m relieved to hear that, but I was never angry. I felt your hurt—every bit of it.”
A tear rolled down Kate’s face and Jeremy reached out and caught it with his thumb. Rather than remove his hand from her face, he stroked it gently.
She smiled up at him, which gave him the go-ahead to open his arms to her, and she moved into them without a moment’s hesitation.
“Hold me tighter, Jeremy. I’ve missed you so,” she said into his chest.
He pulled her into a firmer grasp. “Not as much as I’ve missed you.”
“I didn't come here today to apply for the upstairs maid job, but I’ll take it if you have no other position to offer me,” she whispered.
Jeremy’s heart thumped in his chest so hard he thought for sure she’d felt it because she looked up at him and then bent down on one knee.
“May I apply for the job of Mrs. Jeremy Walker?” she asked, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
Jeremy was so stunned he couldn’t answer.
“If the answer is no, I understand, and I’ll take the maid’s job just to be near you,” she said as tears rolled continuously down her cheeks.
Jeremy reached down and pulled her up by the elbows. “I’ll marry you today,” he said and hugged her to him. “I’ve never wanted anything as much in my life.”
He bent to kiss her lips but she stopped him. “No, don’t kiss me," she said.
Jeremy felt his left eyebrow lifting in puzzlement.
She stroked his face gently, and then she pressed her lips to his and kissed him lightly and quickly. “I’ve been told,” she said, “that you like it when the woman is the aggressor.”
“Actually, I love it,” he said and once again tried to catch her lips, but she put her finger to his lips and stopped him.
“Allow me, then.” She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him so hard on the lips he nearly lost his balance. Luckily, Monroe’s desk was behind him.
Jeremy wasn’t taking any chances that she’d pull away again, so he held the back of her head to keep her lips on his, as she returned the kiss with just as much passion. He pulled her so close, he feared he might break a few of her ribs, but she didn’t complain.
When the kiss finally ended, they both said, "I love you," breathlessly, and in unison.
Monroe and his clerk, George, took turns looking through the door’s keyhole. “Look, boss: they’re kissing.”
“Let me see.” Monroe pushed George aside. “I knew it! I just knew that if I invited her to the interview this would happen.”
Epilogue
Kate stooped to place a flower on Griff’s grave and one on Helen’s.
“I see you chose a plot for Griff next to Helen,” Jeremy said, rubbing her shoulders from behind her.
“Yes. She carried his baby—my niece or nephew—so I thought it fitting as I’m related to that unfortunate child. Poor Helen—she was reared in a saloon by a gambler. I wonder what chance she had to make a better life for herself.
“You’re remarkable, Mrs. Walker,” Jeremy said, helping her to stand and pulling her into his arms and giving her a bear hug that lifted her from the ground.
He set her down and kissed her.
As they walked back to the buggy, Jeremy asked, “Are you happy, sweetheart?”
“I miss my brother—the brother I knew, that is,” she said. “But I’ve never been happier in my whole life.
Jeremy smiled. “That’s just what a husband likes to hear.”
“What about you, Mr. Walker?”
To be honest, I wasn’t overjoyed when you wanted me to buy your old homestead. The place is a wreck, but I also know how much that house means to you.”
“Thank you for that,” she said, squeezing his hand.
“No thanks needed. It’s my full-time job to make you happy. Just seeing your eyes light up with joy is worth any effort on my part.”
Jeremy kissed her forehead. “What will we do with the house?”
“A use for it will come up someday, maybe it could be a retirement home for our servants, or something. We could fix it up a bit before then.”
Jeremy helped her onto the buggy seat. He felt a twinge of guilt because he hadn’t told her that was where her brother killed himself, nor had Dan. He’d decided to let her have pleasant memories of her homestead. When asked, Dan had told her Griff had been found in an abandoned house and nothing more.
Jeremy turned to her and said, “Don’t tell Aunt Bertha, but your chicken and dumplings was much tastier than hers.”
Kate laughed; it was a sound Jeremy loved to hear.
“And that’s why I love you,” Kate said.
Before moving the buggy, Jeremy kissed her tenderly. “Let’s go home,” he said.
When they reached home, they found Dan McCall sitting on their porch drinking lemonade with Aunt Bertha.
“I hope you don’t mind putting up with me for a few days,” Dan said.
Kate smiled. “You’re always welcome here,
Dan.”
“I’ve been called to Federal Court, in Fort Smith, Arkansas—our headquarters. I have no idea what they could want me for, but I thought I’d stop here on my way, and leave for there tomorrow.”
Jeremy patted Dan on the back. “Our door is always open to you. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be a happily married man right now. Should we look for a nice wife for you next?”
“No!” Dan exclaimed. “I’ll never marry. I’ve devoted my life to fighting crime. I never stay in the same place long enough,”
“Surely, someday…” Kate began.
“Never!” Dan sounded adamant. “Not me. But I’m happy I could play a part in your happiness.”
THE END
Will Dan meet someone who’ll make him eat his words: “I’ll never marry?” The answer is in Book 1 of Mail Order Misdelivery, Dan McCall’s Bride.
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Other books by Barbara Goss:
1. Forbidden Legacy
2. Captured Heart
3. Stolen Heritage
4. Dangerous Illusions
5. Silent Love
6. The Final Vow
7. The Kissing Bridge
8. Drawn from Darkness
9. Temptation by Moonlight
10. The Romantic Ruse
11. Shadow of Shame
12. Shadow of Deceit
13. Shadow of Regret
14. Shadow of Hope
15. Shadow of Love
16. Shadow of Faith
17. Shadow of Second Chances
18. Sunshine in the Rain
