“Call the undertaker,” Owen used his last strength to say that.
With a little help from his deputies, Owen got on his horse, with Hope securely resting against his body in front of him. He was not ready to let her go.
Ever.
27
“There. All cleaned up. It’s not even going to leave you with a scar, my dear, I promise,” the physician reassured Hope.
“That is a shame. I think I would look good with a battle wound,” she joked and Owen laughed wholeheartedly. Suddenly, he was simply too happy, filled with joy.
It is good to be alive.
He refused to be treated before Hope. Owen needed to make sure she was completely fine, so only when Dr. Smith treated her and announced her to be well, did he allow himself to be even looked at.
As it turned out, that small and shallow cut on his arm wasn’t that small or shallow. Owen simply did not notice it at the time. In his defense, he was too busy preventing being stabbed or cut again.
“Done,” Dr. Smith told him, as he stitched him up. “The rest of your cuts are superficial so I can put a salve on them for quicker healing.”
“Thank you. Can we leave now?” Owen asked a bit impatiently. He said we because Hope was by his side. She refused to leave his side just like he stayed with her. Owen rather liked that.
Dr. Smith sighed. “You were always my worst patient.” Despite his words, he winked at Hope and she chuckled.
“I always knew I was your favorite,” Owen replied, playing along
“Yes, you can leave,” the physician answered his question.
“Thank you, doctor,” Owen said and Hope joined in.
Without further lingering, they exited Doctor Smith’s house together and Owen was not surprised his deputies waited for them outside. A substantial crowd of townspeople gathered as well. The officers started shooting in the air while cheering. They indeed had many causes for celebration.
After everybody settled down, Owen decided to give a little speech. He never liked doing that. Sometimes it was a necessity, so he could inform the people what happened. Everybody deserved to know the truth.
“People of Rippingate, you do not have to live in fear any longer. Your mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins are safe. We discovered the true identity of the murderer Ghost. It was none other than Wyatt Dalbow.” Collective gasps of shock and outrage followed, and Owen waited for a bit for them to settle before continuing.
“Yes, unfortunately, one of our own was tormenting us for two years. That is all behind us now. He is dead, by my hand.” Owen paused, letting all this news sink in, however, there was something else he wanted to say.
“Bravo! Well done!” The people started to shout at him, and Owen had to raise his hand to calm them.
“As I believe we should honor people when it’s their due, I would like to publicly praise the newest member of our town, Hope Trousdale, for all her bravery, strong will, and spirit during our investigation.”
Her eyes immediately widened in surprise as her cheeks turned slightly pink, yet she stood by his side with her head raised high. She looked lovely and Owen was very proud of her.
“I would like to give you something, a tribute if you will, as a symbol of all your assistance in capturing Ghost.”
Owen reached for his chest and did not find what he was looking for. His star was gone. He looked down as though needing a visual confirmation.
I must have lost it during my fight with Mr. Dalbow. He felt like cursing.
In a lame attempt to find it, he patted his pockets. Luckily, he knew the solution to this problem. Owen turned to Kit. “Give me your star, Kit,” he said to his deputy, putting his hand out, expectantly.
Kit took it from his shirt and handed it to Owen without uttering a word, which was certainly a first for him. Owen pinned the silver star on Hope’s dress.
“Thank you,” she said overcome with emotions.
The crowd started to cheer. Owen wanted to kiss her rather badly. He resisted the urge. This was not the time nor the place for that. He was definitely going to do it, and soon.
Really soon.
* * *
A few days passed until Hope got a chance to see Owen again. A great deal happened since she was rescued from Wyatt Dalbow’s abandoned barn. She had nightmares about that day, and probably always would.
Nevertheless, Hope refused to dwell on the past. There was so much she wished to say to Owen and didn’t know how to start.
A simple thank you for saving my life would suffice, she snapped at herself, getting irritated by her thoughts.
Hope was attending Jessamine’s funeral and it was truly heartbreaking and hard saying goodbye to her friend.
You were my true and only fried and I hope we will get a chance to meet again.
Even though she still felt guilty, there was a big solace in the notion that her killer was also dead and that he would never again be able to hurt another girl.
Hope didn’t even bother to hold back the tears as the preacher held a prayer for Jessamine’s soul.
“...in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou took: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return...”
After Owen and his men rescued her, Hope requested to see Jessamine’s parents. She finally gathered the courage to speak with them. They were shocked to see her, to put it mildly.
During the first couple of hours they cried a lot, they laughed a little, talked about Jessamine, and Hope’s journey to Rippingate. Her adventures that followed, as well. Mostly, they simply sat together in silence, drawing strength and comfort from one another. She stayed with them.
Hope couldn’t bear to return to that ranch, to even collect her things. As it turned out she didn’t have to. Owen and June did that in her stead, and all her belongings were delivered to her. One more thing to be grateful for, having Owen and his sister in her life.
While mourning, Hope thought a great deal about her next course of action. She even talked, long and hard, about her future plans with Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds. They told her they would love it if she stayed yet Hope didn’t know if she should.
There was an obvious problem with that scenario. Two problems, she corrected herself. The first was Owen. She did not know how she should act around him anymore, what should she say? So much happened in the course of a couple of days that changed everything, she feared it changed them as well. That revelation of his felt like it happened a long time ago, and after everything that happened Hope felt different.
Not about him. She still felt that same affection, connection, however, her perspective about life, maybe even love, changed. Repeated brushes with death can do that to a girl.
The other problem was that she did not, not truly, feel like she belonged there in the first place. She came to Rippingate because of Jessamine, and her best friend was gone. True, she met some new lovely people during her stay.
Is that enough?
What was Hope’s purpose there? What was she to do for the rest of her life? Those were the questions she needed to know answers to before anything else. Perhaps a little traveling and soul searching could help her find her place in the world.
I cannot stay here, it’s too complicated, Hope thought, looking at Owen who stood across from her. Her heart started to ache and she ignored it.
Mrs. Reynolds buried her tear-streaked face into her husband’s chest, tightly holding on to Jessamine’s necklace that Owen retrieved for them, as workers started to lower the casket into the ground.
I love you, Jessamine, Hope prayed. I always will.
All too soon, it was over. Jessamine’s siblings joined their parents in a group embrace. Hope stood at the side. Mr. Reynolds beckoned her to join in.
Mr. Reynolds did not contact Hope’s father to tell him where she was as she feared he would. He did urge her to do that on her own. Hope was a bit on the fence on that account.
“I am so sorry for y
our loss,” Hope said to them as they embraced her as well.
“She loved you so much,” Mr. Reynolds said, tearing up. He immediately wiped them but new ones emerged to take their place. He was such a great father, Hope sometimes wished he was hers as well, even though such thoughts made her feel like a horrible person.
“We all love you,” Mrs. Reynolds added.
“And I love all of you,” Hope sobbed. “I already miss her terribly.” And Hope was certain that feeling would never go away.
“I have to tell you something,” Mr. Reynolds said after they parted. “No parent should experience such pain. Losing a child in any way is...” He choked, unable to finish his thought.
Hope knew what he meant regardless. “I understand,” she replied.
“Good,” he said approvingly.
Sadly, she couldn’t return home. She was not ready to forgive and forget the fact that they tried to sell her. And besides, what if she did return, only to be forced to marry someone regardless of everything that transpired? That was her biggest fear. That nothing would change.
On the other hand, Mr. Reynolds was right and she did not want to be cruel. She was hurt by their actions and maybe she punished them enough with her silence. Hope would send them a letter so they could know she was alive and well, despite the fact she was homeless at the moment.
The family started walking toward the carriage and glancing at Owen, Hope lingered. She needed to have her conversation with him now because there would be no later.
“I will stay for a bit longer if you don’t mind.”
Mrs. Reynolds, glancing between her and the Sheriff, nodded. “Certainly. Just don’t stay long.”
“Of course.”
Steadying herself, she turned toward him. Just breathe, she told herself as she approached him.
* * *
Just breathe, Owen warned himself as Hope started to approach him. Very discreetly, Kit moved away from him to stand with some other officers.
Owen hadn’t seen Hope since that day. The day he killed Ghost. He wanted to yet at the same time knew she needed space. After what she went through, thinking she was to die, learning her best friend was killed by the same monster, meant she probably wasn’t in the right mood to hear his professions of love. So he let her be, to rest and mourn.
“Hello,” she said with a small smile.
“Hello,” he mirrored her. “How are you feeling?” Owen still considered that to be a stupid question. Apparently, that was the best he could do.
Hope shrugged. “Torn into so many different directions,” she replied honestly.
Did her words include me?
He wished there was a way he could help her. Lift some of her pain. Remove her troubles. Unfortunately, he could do all that only if she asked him to. However, it was on him to make his intentions known, first.
Reminding himself where they were, he stopped there. This was not the time nor the place to have conversations about deep feelings He could definitely ask her if he could see her some other time.
“I wish—” they said at the same time, and stopped, smiling at each other.
“You first,” Owen offered.
“It occurred to me that I never properly said certain words to you.”
Owen’s heart skipped a beat while he waited for her to continue.
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“Oh, you don’t have to thank me for that.”
“I know you were only doing your job.”
Owen frowned. That was not at all what he meant. He did not get to tell her that since she continued speaking. “Thanks to you, now I have a second chance. Or is it a third?” She laughed at her own joke. Then she really took him by surprise and hugged him. “Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure,” Owen replied, or at least he thought he said that. Suddenly, it was hard to think, or swallow, or do anything else apart from hugging her back.
Just as unexpectedly as she put her arms around him, she released him. “I’ll be on my way now.” There was sadness in her eyes. She masked it quickly.
Owen felt so confused with what just occurred he simply mumbled some kind of farewell in return, watching her depart with the Reynolds but not before she shared few words with Kit.
What just happened? His brain started to function again.
“So, did you tell her?” Kit asked him expectantly, returning to his company.
Owen looked at him incredulously. “We are at a graveyard.”
“Right. So, what happened?”
Owen shrugged. He wasn’t sure. “I felt like she was saying goodbye to me.”
“Why did you think that?”
Owen repeated to Kit everything that transpired between him and Hope.
“I believe you are right, my friend,” Kit said, patting him on the shoulder as though offering his support. “But I have a question for you.”
Owen waited.
Kit leaned into his face. “If you believe she is leaving, then why are you still here?” He demanded.
“You are right,” Owen replied simply and Kit smiled. “Go and get your girl back.”
* * *
Hope did not have any idea where she was going, yet she knew she couldn’t stay like this in Rippingate. Her heart felt heavy, though.
There was a reason she did not tell Owen she was leaving. Hope did not want to force his hand simply because she didn’t have a home of her own. No matter what he told her in that heated moment, or what she felt as she said goodbye to him, Hope knew she was doing the right thing.
Besides, a small part of her was afraid. What if he didn’t actually have feelings for her? What if he only thought he did but came to his senses? Learning that would devastate her.
Hope waited, next to a future train station, for her wagon to depart. The coachman was resting for a while and was readying himself to leave which meant her time in Rippingate had come to an end. Hope picked up her luggage preparing to board with a few other passengers.
An increasing galloping sound made her pause. Hope turned, only to see Owen dismounting and rushing toward her. She swallowed loudly as he approached.
“I apologize for being late,” he said as a form of greeting as though they made prior plans he almost missed. “I needed to get home first to collect something before coming here,” Owen explained.
He somehow learned I’m leaving and came to say goodbye. She felt disappointment, it couldn’t be helped.
“It’s quite all right,” she mumbled in return.
“I do have a question for you,” Owen said conversationally, eyeing her as though she did something wrong.
“What is it?”
“What are you doing?”
“Excuse me?” She was confused, to put it mildly.
“Why are you leaving? You can’t rob me of my best deputy,” he declared with a crooked smile.
Is that all I am to you? Was on the tip of her tongue. “Besides, we never got a chance to finish out talk.”
He made her put her bags down and took her hands in his. Hope’s pulse quickened.
Owen looked deep into her eyes. “I meant what I said the other day, although I regret how I said it, so please let me try again.”
“All right,” Hope replied, a bit breathless.
“I love you, Hope. I think I’ve been in love with you from the moment you came into the office and asked for my help.”
Hope teared up. She couldn’t believe her ears. He loves me!
“Perhaps, you did come here to be someone else’s Mail Order Bride, but you were always destined to be my wife,” Owen said to her, and letting go of one of her hands, pulled out a ring from his pocket.
Hope gasped.
“It was my mother’s,” he explained, looking a bit self-conscious all of a sudden. “So, what do you say. Do you want to be my wife?”
“Oh, yes,” Hope exclaimed. “I love you, too, and I want nothing more than to be your wife.”
“Really?” He asked as th
ough he needed another confirmation.
“Yes,” she replied instantly.
Owen laughed wholeheartedly, then picked her up and started twirling her around, right there in front of the passengers and coachman.
Hope laughed, too.
“Miss, are you going or not?” The coachman asked, although by his expression he already knew the answer to that question.
The Redemption 0f A Hunted Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 26
