Luke shook his head. “By the time I leave, whatever reputation you had will be greatly changed. There’s not much you can do about it without telling them in detail who you really are and letting them find out about your past. You may have changed your last name and stopped mentioning us, but we will always be your family, and your past will always be a part of your life. You can’t run away from it any more than Emilia can run away from her craziness.”
“You and Ma and Pa stopped being my family the moment I left to come here. You know, it wasn’t just because I wanted a change of scenery. It was because I wanted to put as much distance as possible between me and you all. You don’t deserve the power you’ve been given in life, and I won’t stand by and help you and our parents abuse it.”
“So noble.” Luke looked at him as if he were an embarrassment. “You know, you never fit in with our family. I wouldn’t blink twice if I never saw you again, if it wasn’t for Pa being obsessed with you.”
“That’s fine, I wouldn’t blink twice, either—and I won’t, after you’re gone,” Derek retorted. For a moment, he thought he saw Luke flinch, but he knew he was probably wrong. His brother had never cared before what Derek thought, and Derek certainly didn’t expect him to start caring now.
“I’m leaving, and I suggest you do, too.” Derek started toward the door and rolled his eyes as Luke made a move to follow. “Not now, after I’m gone. Pay your debt to the man downstairs and get out of town. You aren’t going to accomplish what you came here to do.”
Luke lit one of the cigars that made Derek feel sick and stuck it between his lips, letting it hang there loosely while the smoke curled up around his face. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that, brother. For some reason, the truth usually prevails, no matter how much we want to keep it hidden.”
Unwilling to hear any more of his brother’s talk, Derek stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him. He hurried down the steps and out into the fresh air on the street, angrily clenching and unclenching his hands.
Since he had arrived in town, he had managed to keep his family a secret. Every once in a while, there would be a newspaper story talking about what possibly happened to the people behind the accident. Derek avoided talking about it and when he did discuss it, he always said what a tragedy it was.
H had even changed his last name to avoid suspicion. His brother being here and the possibility of people finding out who he really was made him feel anxious. The new life and reputation that he had worked to build in the past several years could be ruined.
He had a new life now. People knew him for who he was here in Texas, not for his family’s money or his name. He had earned a sort of wealth of his own. He had built his ranch from the ground up. People knew him as the man who helped people, who was there when they needed him.
He hated to think that he might be known for the accident on the rail lines that had taken people’s jobs, put people in the hospital, and almost taken the lives of others.
He could explain all he wanted, but in the end, he knew it would change the townspeople’s opinion of him—just as their opinion had been changed by their knowledge of the fate of Emilia’s father.
He looked up to see the sun sinking lower in the sky. He must have been in there with Luke longer than he had thought. He needed to get out to the Carsons’ ranch and talk to Emilia. She needed to know the truth. Derek was fairly certain that she would give him the benefit of the doubt. If he explained exactly what had happened, maybe she would give him a second chance.
Derek sighed. It was going to take him a good while to get to the ranch. It looked like there might be a rain storm on the horizon, and even without rain, it would take him over an hour.
It didn’t matter. He was going to go, even if he had to get soaking wet. If there was only one person in town he needed to hear the truth from him first, it was Emilia.
He pushed his hat down low onto his head and started the ride toward the Carson ranch, letting his memories travel to the past. He’d never believed that he could find someone like Emilia, someone he could care about.
In a way, he had always thought that true love was a myth. When he’d thought he cared about Janie, it hadn’t felt the way his connection with Emilia did. It was a completely different feeling.
He had known as long as he could remember that his parents didn’t really love each other. He decided around the same age that he wasn’t interested in having love, if that was the way it was. His experience with Janie had only confirmed that.
But with Emilia, it was different. He knew that he really loved her. He truly loved her. His heart swelled with emotion as he thought about her. He knew there was nothing he wouldn’t tell her or sacrifice for her. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He pushed his horse to go faster. He was going to tell Emilia he loved her. He could only hope that she would give him a chance to show her how much.
Chapter 27
Emilia peeked out the kitchen window one more time. They had all been waiting anxiously for any news about Lily. It was already late afternoon and they hadn’t heard anything.
Emilia didn’t want to worry Carolyn further, so she didn’t say anything about the empty road or lack of news.
Everyone was worried sick. The twins had avoided the house pretty much altogether. They’d kept to themselves, doing chores around the place and talking quietly in the yard. Occasionally, they looked down the road, as if willing Lily to come walking back home.
Emilia thought about going to look for Derek to tell him that Lily was missing. But knowing how close George and Derek were, she had hopes that maybe George had already gone to get him. Emilia brushed her hands over her skirt. She needed a few moments alone to think.
“Carolyn, I’ve finished the dishes. I think I’m going to rest for a bit.” Emilia paused beside her aunt, who was sitting beside the kitchen table and looking as if she hadn’t had a worse day in a long time.
Emilia was fairly certain she hadn’t had such a terrible day in all her years as Lily’s mother.
“Go ahead, Emilia. I’ll call you if there is any news.”
Emilia nodded and retreated to the bedroom. It felt extra empty now. Even though she and Lily didn’t spend much time in their room during the day, Lily’s absence was so strong it hurt.
She flopped down on her own bed, not caring that she hadn’t made her bed that morning. She wondered if she had said the right things when she and Lily talked. She wished she could go back and convince Lily to wait. Maybe things wouldn’t be happening the way they were now.
As she rolled over to her side, the bed below her made a crinkling sound. Emilia moved the blankets to find a crumpled note. She realized that it must have gotten lost when she’d woken up and realized Lily was gone.
She flipped it over and instantly recognized Lily’s handwriting. It seemed Lily had left it to her that morning. Emilia read over it quickly, eager to see what was written.
Emilia,
I wanted someone to know the truth. I guess I lied to Ma about where I was going. I know she is going to get the sheriff and everyone out looking for me, and I wanted time to find my way. I talked to a lady at the candle shop in town. She knew my mother and told me where she used to live. I’m going to find out about my past. I just wanted you to know because you are like a sister to me, and someone should know the truth.
Please, don’t come to find me. Don’t worry about me. I know how to take care of myself. I have a good feeling about this.
Love,
Your cousin, Lily.
Emilia read the note over twice. Maybe someone else would question what they were supposed to do with this information, but Emilia didn’t. She knew exactly what she had to do. She needed to find out where Lily was going. And she had to know if she was safe.
She knew for a fact that Lily wasn’t thinking logically. If she had been, she wouldn’t have set off on her own. If she was planning to go to a whole other town, that meant she would most likely
be traveling in dangerous places all alone.
Emilia stood quickly and paced for a few moments while she came up with a plan. It had been a couple of hours since they had discovered Lily was gone. She probably had a bit of a head start. She would have to go into town first and find out what town she was going to and then decide what to do. Maybe she would get Derek to go with her, if he hadn’t already gone with George.
She hurried out of the bedroom and went back to the kitchen. Carolyn looked up at her with surprise in her eyes. “I thought you were going to rest?”
“I was, but I actually think I would like to go into town. There’s someone who might know more about where Lily has gone.” Emilia didn’t want to completely betray Lily’s trust, and she also didn’t want to get her aunt’s hopes too high.
“Really? Who? Maybe we should go together.”
“No, I’m not sure yet. It’s just a hunch… Someone I met with Lily when we were in town last may know something. I can’t just sit around and do nothing. It won’t hurt to check around. I’ll go, and you should stay here with the boys in case the sheriff finds her and brings her back here. One of us should be here when she gets home.”
Carolyn nodded but looked disappointed, “Okay, but if you find anything, make sure to come straight back. I can’t lose you both on the same day, I just can’t.”
Emilia pulled her aunt into a quick embrace. She knew she couldn’t promise anything. What if she decided to do something different when she found out more information? “You aren’t losing me. I’ll be back,” Emilia assured her.
Once she was satisfied her aunt would be all right, she hurried out to the barn. Eddy met her at the entrance, a look of excitement on his face. “Did they find her? Is George back?” He glanced behind her, searching for Lily and George.
“No, no news. I’m actually just going into town. I need to talk to someone that we saw there a few days ago. Can you and Eli get the horse ready for me?”
Emilia was hoping that they would comply without any questions. She hated the idea of riding alone on the horse for the first time, but she knew she had to… for Lily.
Eddy nodded and Emilia breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to make up more lies or avoid real answers. Her cousins not asking made that easier. It didn’t take them nearly as long as she thought it might for them to get the horse ready.
In a matter of minutes, they were helping her get mounted into the saddle, and she was giving them a last look before riding toward town alone.
She had gone to town several times with Lily and, this time, it wasn’t the horse ride that was making her nervous. She hadn’t really been into town since the townspeople had found out about her father.
She squared her shoulders and sat up a bit straighter. She wasn’t going to let it affect her. If anyone had anything to say about it or even to whisper about it, she was going to ignore them. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she planned to accomplish it. She was done letting her fears stop her from living.
Every single minute of the ride into town seemed longer than it had before. But eventually, she was riding through the main street toward the candle shop. Despite only being there once with Lily, she remembered exactly where it was. Aunt Carolyn made her own candles, but she had sent Lily and Emilia to purchase wicks at the candle shop once.
When Emilia arrived, she dismounted the horse, feeling a wave of pride as she managed to do so without falling or spooking the animal. She tied the mare to the hitching post outside the shop and then ducked inside.
It was a small building with a low ceiling, and with few windows, it kind of like a dark cave.
Different types of candles hung from the rafters in bunches. The air had a lavender scent and the underlying hint of grease, but it was a nice smell that tickled Emilia’s nose and made her want to watch a candle burn slowly on a dark night.
“Can I help you?” a woman asked in a crinkly voice. Even though Emilia couldn’t see the speaker well in the dim light, she knew it was the woman who owned the candle shop. It was hard to see details in the dark shop, but she could still make out the lady’s wrinkled face and streaked white hair.
“I’m looking for… I mean, Lily said that she came and talked to you yesterday.” Emilia wasn’t sure if the woman was the one who had told Lily about her mother or if she would share the same information with her, but it was worth a try.
If, after everything was said and done, she was certain that Lily was safe, she would go home and keep her mouth shut. She didn’t want to ruin Lily’s plans; she just wanted to make sure that her cousin would be safe. While it would be hard for her aunt to accept that Lily would be gone for a while, Emilia would be all right with it if she knew that Lily wasn’t going on the dangerous road alone.
“She did come to see me yesterday. Is she here with you?” The older woman looked around the shop a bit, as if to make sure that Lily wasn’t hiding in the shadows somewhere.
“No, no she didn’t come. Actually, she left early this morning. She said that you told her what town her mother’s family lived in and she went to find them.”
“She left alone?” The concern in the old woman’s voice made Emilia tense.
“She left her aunt a note that she was going to Bransford, but she also left me a note. She said that she was actually heading to the town that you told her about. I just want to know that she is safe.”
“She’s not.” The woman’s’ deep voice sent chills down Emilia’s back.
“What do you mean, she’s not?”
The road to Eagleton is not safe, especially for a young woman traveling alone. Are you sure she didn’t go with anyone?” The woman looked at her with big eyes, full of worry. “Oh, I wish I hadn’t told her anything. I’m so sorry.”
“What do you mean? Why is it not safe?”
“There are Indians, bandits, you name it. Even grown men have had trouble on that road. No one takes it unless they are traveling in a group, in the day time, with guns to protect them and a good sense of direction.” The old woman shook her head. “You need to get help, have someone go after her, if it’s not too late.”
Emilia hoped the older woman was exaggerating, but she had a feeling that she wasn’t.
“Okay, I will. I’m going to find Lily and I’m going to bring her back safely. Thank you for telling me.”
“I’ll tell you what I told Lily.” The words made Emilia pause in her tracks. “Sometimes, what you are looking for is right in front of you. Maybe you can help Lily realize that.”
Emilia nodded and, with another thank you, wasted no time in getting back to her horse. It took her a few moments and some deep breaths to manage mounting up into the saddle once more.
“Excuse me, do you know how to get to Eagleton?” she asked a middle-aged man who was passing by on the street.
The man gave her a surprised look and then offered some quick directions.
She turned the horse and tried to sort her thoughts. George had gone with the sheriff. The only man she knew who could help her that might not have gone along with them was Derek.
She might have to ride an extra bit to get to his ranch, but it was on the way. Maybe he would be there, and would go with her to get Lily. Two people may not be as good as the sheriff and his deputies, but it was still better than her alone.
If the old woman knew what she was talking about, Lily was in immediate danger. If Emilia waited till the sheriff came back, it might already be past dark. Then it would become even more dangerous on that road.
Turning her horse, she headed toward Derek’s ranch. The sun was falling slightly in the sky and clouds were beginning to gather. She hoped there wasn’t going to be a storm. This day was complicated enough as it was.
An Enduring Love to Heal Her: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 21
