by Nerys Leigh
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Belle said, giving Phoebe a sympathetic look. “It looks like your first case was worse than mine. All I had to do was perform in a burlesque show.”
Now that sounded interesting. “I’d love to hear that story.”
“I’d be happy to tell it to you. Including what Val had to wear.”
“You can leave out that part,” her husband said.
She smiled at him. “I very much can’t.”
Val heaved a good-natured sigh and looked at Jonah. “Glad to see you’re alive.”
“We were worried,” Belle added.
“You were worried,” Val corrected her. “I knew that once we got here everything would be fine. And look, it is.” He grinned.
Jonah rolled his eyes. “All you did was show up after we’d done all the work.”
“It’s all a matter of perspective.”
While Marshal Sanderson and his deputies rounded up the rest of Brewer’s men, Phoebe and Jonah headed back to Black Hawk, accompanied by Val and Belle. James remained at the mine to watch the action.
They took one of the wagons from the mine’s livery. No one seemed to mind.
“There’s a train to Denver in an hour so we’ll head on back,” Val said after they’d left the horses and wagon at the livery in town. “You know Archie won’t pay for a night here if he doesn’t have to.”
Belle looked at the hills around them. “And it’s loud. How do you sleep through it?”
“It stops at night,” Phoebe replied. “And I’ve kind of gotten used to it during the day. Not that I’d want to live here, though.”
“Tell Archie we’ll be back tomorrow,” Jonah said. “When we’ve bathed and eaten and slept for a long, long time.”
“Will do.” Val looked at them both, his seemingly permanent faintly amused expression vanishing. “I am glad you’re safe. Get some rest. You look like you need it.”
Belle slapped his arm with the back of her hand. “Val! You could be a bit more tactful.”
“It’s all right,” Jonah said. “I know how bad we look, and smell.”
It was Phoebe’s turn to slap her husband’s arm. “A gentleman wouldn’t mention that.”
Jonah smiled at her. “I’m sorry. You smell like a garden of blooming roses.”
She smiled back. “Thank you. You don’t.”
They all laughed, but it was Jonah’s laughter that warmed her heart most of all.
Belle touched her husband’s arm. “Would you give Phoebe and me a minute?”
“Sure.” He looked at Jonah. “Women’s talk. Let’s get to a safe distance.”
Phoebe watched the two of them walk away.
“You know, when I first married Val, I couldn’t wait to get the annulment.”
She looked back at Belle. “Oh?”
“I thought he was insufferable, and marriage was the last thing I wanted. In fact, I’d applied to be an agent to avoid it.”
That sounded familiar. “What happened?”
Belle smiled fondly at her husband. “He grew on me. By the end of the case, I realized I was in love. I could have chosen to walk away, but I knew that if I did, I’d always wonder if I’d made a mistake. And I haven’t regretted it for a single moment. Marrying Val is the best thing I’ve ever done.” She moved her gaze to Phoebe. “It’s none of my business, but you look as troubled as I felt back then.”
Were her feelings that obvious? “When my first husband left me, I swore I’d never get married again.”
“Because you didn’t want to let another man into your heart? Or because you didn’t want to risk being left again?”
For a woman almost twenty years Phoebe’s junior, Belle had a lot of wisdom.
Phoebe sighed. “I don’t know.”
She’d been terrified when taking the shot that could have meant either Jonah’s life or death, just as she’d been when she’d seen him about to be killed by the bear, and had attacked it with no thought for her own safety. The prospect of losing him scared her more than just about anything, even more than the prospect of life without her first husband had when he left.
But she didn’t want to be in love with Jonah. She’d been through it all before. She couldn’t bear children. Would he be willing to overlook that? And even if he was now, how would he feel in a few years’ time?
How could she risk her heart again?
“Well, for what it’s worth,” Belle said, “Val says that Jonah is a good, honorable man.”
Phoebe gazed at the man who, over the past few days, had repeatedly risked his own life for hers. “I know he is.”
Belle smiled at her kindly. “I just wanted to say, if you’re wondering whether you should stay married, ask yourself if you’d regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t.”
That was the question. And the more time she spent with Jonah, the more she had to admit that she might. And the more she was afraid of what he’d say if she told him so.
“I hope you and I will be friends,” Phoebe said with sincerity.
“I think we already are.” Belle glanced at the men. “Before I go, let’s pretend to laugh and make them think it’s about them. That’s always fun.”
Phoebe didn’t have to fake her laughter.
Chapter Twenty-One
Phoebe settled back into the pillows with a contented sigh. She was full, clean, wearing fresh bedclothes, and her hair no longer looked like mice were nesting in it. And most of all, she was lying on a mattress. Was there anything better?
Beside her, Jonah pressed his hand over a yawn. “I can’t remember ever being so tired in my life.”
His yawn set off one of her own. “Me neither. I don’t think I’m cut out for the wilderness.”
He turned onto his side to face her. “You did well, not just out there but on this whole case. You’re going to be a great agent.”
At the start of the case, his opinion of her wouldn’t have meant anything. But now, his praise had become more important to her than she could have imagined. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
His expression turned serious. “Phoebe, I…” A knock at the door interrupted him and he climbed out of bed to open it.
Marshal Sanderson stood in the hall outside. “Pardon me for disturbing you.” He nodded to Phoebe. “Ma’am.”
Jonah’s eyes fell on the Stetson in his hand. “My hat!”
“We found these in Mr. Brewer’s office,” he said, handing him the hat and pulling two watches from his pocket. “Mr. Fletcher said they were yours.”
Phoebe was pleased to see her watch again. It had been a gift from Norman for their tenth wedding anniversary. She didn’t get much from the rest of the marriage, but she liked the watch.
Although not as much as Jonah apparently liked his hat.
He took the watches and placed them onto the table, but he kept his hat, stroking it lovingly.
She refused to entertain the idea that she might be jealous of a hat.
“I just came to tell you that one of the search parties we sent to the area where Mr. Fletcher said they left Ralph Baker two weeks ago has found him,” Marshal Sanderson said, “and he’s alive. He’s a bit the worse for wear, and suffering pretty badly from exposure and hunger, but the doctor said he’ll recover.
“He confirmed that he discovered that Brewer was embezzling from the mine, taking a portion of each week’s gold ore and secretly having it refined for himself. He’s been doing it for a year, since the last audit, and he’s amassed a small fortune. I thought you’d like to know.”
A wave of relief swept over her. Ralph Baker was alive. It was more than she’d dared to hope for.
“Thanks, Marshal,” Jonah said. “We’re very glad to hear it. And thank you for bringing back my hat.”
Marshal Sanderson nodded. “Well, I’ll let you get some rest.”
He disappeared along the hallway and Jonah closed the door. “That’s good news.”
“I can’t believe he survived two weeks out the
re. Two days was bad enough.”
“No argument here.” He hung his hat on a hook by the door before returning to the bed and climbing back in beside her.
“What were you going to say?” she asked. “Before the marshal arrived.”
He studied her face for a few moments before replying. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. Let’s get some sleep.” He extinguished the lamp. “Good night.”
The improvised bolster sat between them. It had still been there from the last night they were in the bed and neither of them had moved it.
Phoebe stared at it in the darkness.
She closed her eyes.
A minute passed.
She opened them again.
It was no good. Tired as she was, she couldn’t fall asleep like this.
Grasping the bolster, she tossed it off the end of the bed and wriggled over to Jonah’s side. He silently stretched out his arm and she nestled into the space he’d created for her.
As his arm settled around her, she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
“Good night, Jonah.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
They returned to Denver the next day.
James met them at the boarding house and accompanied them to the station, carrying Phoebe’s bag for an overly generous, in Jonah’s opinion, tip.
“So how do you become a Pinkerton agent?” James asked as they walked.
“Well, first you finish school,” Jonah replied.
“I finished school.” Jonah raised an eyebrow and James looked awkward. “I mostly finished school. I learned everything I needed to. Figured it was time I learned about life instead.”
“A Pinkerton agent needs to know about a lot of things. One of those things you think you didn’t need to learn about could one day save your life.”
He considered that for a few yards. “Maybe I’ll start going to school again.”
“Good idea.” They reached the station and Jonah took Phoebe’s bag from him. “One more thing – I’m thirty-nine.”
James regarded him skeptically. “You sure? You look older to me.”
Phoebe clearly made no effort at all to stop her laughter. Not that Jonah expected her to.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a banknote. “Here, to cover that telegram you sent, and for all your help.”
James gaped at the ten dollar bill. “I… thanks!” He took the bill reverently, as if he’d never seen so much money all at once. Then he glanced around and pushed it into his pocket. “You ever come back and need any more help, come find me. How old do I have to be to apply to be a Pinkerton agent?”
Jonah got the feeling he was going to be seeing James a lot more in a few years’ time. “Come to the office in Denver when you’re eighteen. I’ll put in a good word for you.”
He grinned. “I’ll be there.”
They boarded the train and took seats in the uncomfortable passenger car. There were far fewer men than there had been on the journey there and they had the car almost to themselves.
Phoebe waved to James as they started off. “He’s going to make a good agent. Maybe you could even train him.”
To Jonah’s mild surprise, the idea didn’t scare him as it once would have. “I might just do that.”
~ ~ ~
On arriving back in Denver they went straight to the Pinkerton headquarters to give their report to Archie, and from there they set off to get their marriage annulled.
They took their time. Neither of them seemed to be in any hurry.
“Are all the cases Pinkerton agents investigate as eventful as ours?” Phoebe asked as they meandered to the courthouse.
Jonah smiled. “I’m not sure Archie would have any agents left if they were.”
“I still can’t quite believe we survived being attacked by a bear.”
“I think I’ll write my father about that. He might not believe it either, though.” Jonah also wanted to let him know how his advice had helped to save their lives. His father would like that.
They walked a few more yards in silence.
“Being married wasn’t so bad after all, I suppose,” he said, looking at her from the corner of his eye to gauge her reaction.
She stared at the ground ahead of her. “I suppose not.”
Her reply helped him not one bit.
On reaching the courthouse they were shown in to see the judge. Jonah still didn’t know what to do. Back when it all started, he would have been thrilled to be getting the marriage to Phoebe annulled. But now…
He glanced at her as Judge Hotchkiss explained how the annulment would work and handed them the papers to sign. What was he supposed to do? She didn’t want another husband, and he didn’t blame her after her first had hurt her so badly. And did he really want a wife? Could he be responsible for the safety day after day of a woman he loved, especially in a job as hazardous as theirs?
Was he in love with Phoebe?
What should he do?
He watched her place the document onto the desk and pick up a pen. She seemed to hesitate, and for a moment he had hope.
But then she signed her name, and he knew it had just been his imagination. She’d never wanted to marry him, so why would she want to stay married to him now?
With a pain in his heart he would never have thought possible just a week earlier, he signed his name on his own paper and pushed it across the table to the judge.
“That’s all done then,” Judge Hotchkiss said. “Once these papers are filed, your marriage will be annulled.”
Jonah turned to the woman who was no longer his wife. “Well then.”
Phoebe looked up at him, and he could swear he saw sadness in her eyes.
Was he imagining things?
Did it matter?
“Wait!” he yelled, grabbing for the papers in the judge’s hand.
“Stop!” she exclaimed at the same time, her hand colliding with his.
They both froze.
He swallowed. “I... I know you don’t want another husband, but...” He stopped, unsure what to say.
A smile sparkled in her eyes. “I may have been wrong about that one thing.”
He raised an eyebrow. “One thing?”
“Don’t push your luck.” Her smile faded. “But… you don’t mind that I can’t have children?”
Not taking his eyes from her beautiful face, Jonah took the annulment papers they’d just signed and very deliberately tore them to pieces. “There’s not one single thing I mind about you.”
Judge Hotchkiss heaved a loud sigh. “I do wish you people would decide this before you come here. I am a very busy man.”
Jonah grasped his wife’s hand and pulled her towards the door. “Sorry, Judge. We won’t trouble you again.”
The judge’s harrumph was the last thing he heard before he closed the door behind them.
Once out of the courthouse, he offered Phoebe his elbow, and she slipped her hand around it without complaint. They walked in silence for a while.
“I won’t ever leave you,” he said eventually. “You don’t ever have to worry about that.” Only a fool would leave his incredible, beautiful, wonderful wife.
“Oh, I’m not.” She smiled up at him sweetly. “Because if you ever try, I will hunt you down and shoot you.”
He burst into laughter. Being married to Phoebe was certainly going to be interesting.
And he knew he was going to love every moment.
Chapter Twenty-Three
After fetching their as yet unpacked bags from the Pinkerton building, and informing Mr. Gordon and an ecstatic Pearl of their decision to stay married, they checked into a hotel.
As Jonah said, “I don’t think my roommate would be happy about being thrown out for the night.”
They planned to look for a house to rent the next day, but Phoebe wanted some time alone with her husband, and Jonah didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.
The bathroom had hot and cold running water. She made good use o
f it.
She returned from her bath to find him lounging on the bed, his long legs stretched out in front of him and a book in his hands. It had become a familiar sight in the eight days since they’d met and married. The first night, it had set her heart thudding with nerves. It set her heart thudding now, but for entirely different reasons.
He looked up from his book and smiled, and her heart sped up even more.
“Would you like me to go outside while you get undressed?”
“I think it would be all right if you stayed. You can even help, if you like.”
He snapped his book shut and threw it onto the nightstand. “I can do that.”
She sauntered to the bed and leaned towards him.
His hand emerged from behind his back, clutching a handful of pillowcases. “I got extra. Would you like help making the bolster?”
Laughing, she took the pillowcases and tossed them aside. “Not tonight.”
Taking hold of her waist, he pulled her down onto him. “Told you,” he murmured, “a Pinkerton agent’s intelligence and manliness is a potent combination. I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist throwing yourself at me for long.”
She drew back, widening her eyes in mock indignation. “I’m throwing myself at you?”
“That’s what it looks like to me.”
“Then you’re either deluded or you need spectacles.”
A smile tugging at his lips, he rolled over to pin her beneath him. “It’s all right, I like having you throw yourself at me.”
“I’m not…” The rest of her words were swallowed in a kiss that sent heat all the way to her toes.
And they didn’t bicker again for quite some time.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Seven months later.
Phoebe came to a halt in the living room of their home. The strangest sensation came over her that she couldn’t feel her brain. Was that possible?
Jonah tossed his jacket onto the settee and drew her into his arms. “Are you all right?”
“I…” She raised her eyes to the face she loved so much. “I don’t know. I’m just… I don’t know. Am I?”
“I don’t know either.” He appeared as shocked as she felt.
