“They stopped here, but it was pretty brief. If they had given us a little more time, I would have loved to spend a night in a real bed, but they wanted to get on their way right away. Ronan shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly in charge of their schedule.”
“I know it. The important thing is that you are here now and that you’ve gotten things figured out. Let me know how I can help. I know that if I ever need a favor in the future, you’ll pay me back.”
Ronan rose from the table. “You have got that right. I should go. I am sure that Elise will be waking up soon, and I still need to figure out how to find Hank. I can’t borrow everything we need from you.”
Mitchel rose from the table and extended his hand, which Ronan shook heartily.
“Good luck, Ronan. If you’re chasing after Hank, you’ll need it.”
Ronan grimaced. He knew that Mitchel’s words were true.
Chapter 23
Ronan knocked softly on the hotel room where he’d left Elise.
“Come in,” her soft voice called.
Ronan felt a rush of relief at the sound of her voice. He had been worried that she wouldn’t be all right.
He stepped into the room cautiously. She was sitting up in the bed with one of the blankets pulled up over her legs to her waist.
Her cheeks were still chapped and sunburned bright red. She looked feverish, and her eyes were slightly glassy. But in retrospect, she looked amazing compared to how she looked when he had first left her in the hotel bed.
“What happened? I barely remember anything after we found the wagon trail.” Elise’s cheeks grew a darker shade of red if that were possible.
“I carried you. You protested plenty, but you were in and out of it. Even with the water we found on the wagon trail, we still didn’t have enough. You should never have been out there in the middle of nowhere with the sun beating down on us.”
“It’s not your fault, Ronan. We already spoke about this.”
“Yes. We did, but the fact still stands.” Ronan shook his head, sighing. “So, we are here at last. Mitchel, he’s a friend of mine, said we could stay until we get ourselves a few supplies and some cash. He is also going to lend me a small amount of money to get us on our feet and a couple of horses. I think I might have a lead on Hank Bowen. He’s the criminal I’m chasing after.”
“Slow down.” Elise giggled. “So much has changed. How long was I sleeping?”
“Not long. Just a few hours, well, and about an hour or two before we arrived, though I wouldn’t call that sleeping.”
“So, we are in Overport?”
“Yes. We are.” Ronan pulled up a simple chair that was sitting nearby. He waited while Elise thought about everything he’d just said.
“So, do you think we actually have a chance of finding this Hank person?”
“Of course. You are with the best bounty hunter in the west.” Ronan realized it felt good to make jokes again.
“How are you going to find him?” Elise sat up a little straighter. “How can I help?”
“You can help by staying safe here in the hotel and resting. I am going down to the saloon. I think that someone who worked with him is there. Hopefully, I’ll convince him to give us some information.”
Elise’s eyes widened with worry, and that made Ronan’s heart stir. Was Elise worried about him?
“Be careful.” Her soft words answered his question.
He stood and put the chair back in its place. “Don’t worry; I will be careful.”
He offered Elise one more smile before he turned and left the hotel room and then the hotel itself. He had to find a criminal and fast. Yes, he needed rest, and he needed to recover, but first, he had to make sure there was a plan in place for him and Elise. Being underprepared before was what had cost them. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.
***
Ronan stared down at his empty whiskey glass. He’d long ago dumped its contents when no one was looking.
He was still waiting to approach the man that Mitchel had been talking about. Ronan zoned his eyes in on the man that he was watching.
The man looked familiar. Ronan had spent the last two hours asking around town. Some people had spotted Hank, even though they said that Hank had done a good job of staying hidden and avoiding everyone.
Several people had also said that Ferrin, the man in front of him, worked for Hank. It was a rumor, and no one could really prove it, so Ronan was trying to come up with a way to make Ferrin think that he could prove it.
Deciding that he had put it off long enough, Ronan crossed the saloon, stopping only once he was directly in front of Ferrin.
“Can I help you?” Ferrin asked, looking up at Ronan with slightly bloodshot eyes and a slurred voice.
“Yes, I need to talk to you about Hank Bowen.”
Ferrin’s face turned pale, and his eyes widened. Ronan knew that he had the right man.
“I suggest we go outside.”
“No, you have the wrong person. I don’t know Hank Bowen, and I certainly have nothing to do with him.”
“I know that is what you would love me to believe, but I know better. Now, either you come outside with me, or I will take the proof that I have to the sheriff instead of offering you the deal that I have to make you.”
Ronan turned and walked out of the saloon. He was hopeful that Ferrin would call his bluff. He had no proof that Ferrin was crooked, but Ferrin didn’t know that, and hopefully, he wouldn’t discover it.
To Ronan’s relief, Ferrin stepped out of the saloon a few minutes later.
“What do you want?” he demanded angrily, almost spitting the words.
“I want to know where Hank Bowen went off to after he was here.”
“I don’t know.” Ferrin shrugged his shoulders, and the movement almost made him lose his balance. “Who even told you that I worked for him? I don’t anymore, you know. I’ve changed my life.”
“It doesn’t look like that. You are working in a saloon, and I’ve heard from several different sources that Hank Bowen had help and was in this town a few short weeks ago, maybe as little as three or four weeks.” Ronan crossed his arms over his chest. He hoped that his words would be intimidating enough to Ferrin.
Threatening someone was a delicate balance. If Ronan showed his hand too early, then Ferrin would never believe that he had the upper hand. If he waited until it was too late, Ferrin would see that he really could do very little to him without proof.
Ronan was hopeful that the fact Ferrin was slightly drunk would work to his advantage.
“Look, I have proof that you worked for Hank. I also have two witnesses who will point you out to the sheriff. So, this is what we are going to do. If you refuse to tell me everything you know, including where Hank Bowen went, I am going to go down to the sheriff right now, and the next thing you know, you’ll be in a jail cell for the rest of your life.”
Ferrin shook his head, biting his lower lip. “You can’t do that; I don’t want to go to jail.”
“Well, you will be going to jail. Do you really want to go to jail for a man who probably doesn’t even remember your name? If you say you are turning your life around, then this is the next step. If you’re afraid of Hank, you don’t need to be. I will put him behind bars. He won’t be able to bother you again.”
Ferrin looked like he was uncertain. Ronan was certain that the fact he was drunk was helping. He looked disoriented and like he was having a hard time thinking.
“Fine! Fine. I will tell you where he went. But I don’t know for sure. He might have mentioned that he was going to Drydale for a spell.” Ferrin looked guilty as soon as the words left his mouth, and Ronan knew he was telling the truth. “But now that I told you, you can’t let them put me in jail.”
“I am not promising anything. I am just not going to tell the sheriff myself. So, tell me, how long will he be in Drydale, and how long ago did he say he was going there?” Ronan had to make sure that the information was stil
l useful and relevant.
He knew where Drydale was. It was a common place to find criminals. It was a smaller town with an older sheriff who did little to investigate or keep law and order. Because there were more lawless men there, it was easier for criminals to slip through the cracks.
“He said that he had a friend or a cousin or something with a business there. He was going to lie low until some of the talk from his last job died down. Can I go back inside now? I don’t want anyone to see me talking with you, and lots of people saw me leave the saloon.”
“You can go, but know this, Ferrin. If you are lying to me or if I find out that anything you said isn’t truthful, I will be back to put you in jail myself, and you will wish that you had taken advantage of this moment to tell the truth. Do you understand me?”
Ferrin nodded his head quickly, looking paler than before.
Ronan watched as he hurried back inside the saloon. Going to Drydale was a risk, but it did take them in the right direction. It wasn’t the most direct path to California, but it was still technically on the way.
If they got the horses and a few basic supplies with the loan he was getting from Mitchel, they should be able to make it to Drydale and then maybe to another town to continue gathering supplies. Going from town to town until they reached California probably wasn’t the most solid plan, but it was a plan that they could do.
For now, they could go after Hank, and then they would have enough to buy another wagon and even more supplies, or maybe they could get away with riding horseback since it was just the two of them. If they rode horseback, there was a chance they could catch up to the wagon train since they would be able to travel much faster without the wagon.
It was a long shot, but it had the possibility of working. Ronan headed back to the hotel. He needed to discuss his findings with Elise. She was the one he was trying to help. If she agreed, he would consider it their new plan. But he wasn’t about to do anything that Elise wasn’t on board with.
***
When Ronan got back to the hotel, Mitchel was waiting for him in the dining area.
“There you are. Did you find anything that you were looking for?” Mitchel asked.
“Yes and no.”
Mitchel frowned, “What do you mean?”
“I found some information on Hank. I don’t know how accurate it is, but I think it might be worth following. I hope that we find him. The money I asked you for … it’s not going to get us far.”
“If anyone can catch Hank, I know it’s you.” Mitchel grinned. “He should bring a pretty good bounty. They have been looking to get their hands on him for a couple of years.”
“Thanks, Mitchel.”
“Speaking of which, here’s the money you asked for.” Mitchel slid a brown paper package over the counter to him.
Ronan took it and stuffed it into his pocket. He wasn’t about to count it out here in the dining area where someone might see. Someone might get the bright idea to lift it off of him.
“I’m sorry it’s not more, but I can’t spare too much right now.”
“That’s all right. The fact that you are letting us stay here in the hotel and that you are loaning me anything at all … that shows that you are a true friend.”
Mitchel grinned, clearly proud to have earned the title. Ronan wondered if the older man had many friends.
“I should go check on Elise, but I suspect we will be down a bit later for supper. Maybe we can all catch up, and you can meet her.”
“I see.” Mitchel raised his eyebrows.
“What do you see?” Ronan asked, feeling nervous all of a sudden.
“She’s special to you, isn’t she?”
“No. I mean, yes, she’s special because I need to keep her safe, but not in the way you are thinking.”
“Oh, I think very much in the way I am thinking. You like her. I mean, it’s obvious, you’re nearly in love with her. Man, I never thought I would see the day, not after everything that happened with Veronica.”
“Hey, that is not what is happening here. She is special to me, but it is complicated.”
“Sure, women are always complicated.” Mitchel huffed.
Ronan shook his head as he headed upstairs. He wasn’t going to let Mitchel’s teasing get to him. He wasn’t falling in love with Elise, was he? The thoughts and feelings that he’d had recently about Elise came to mind.
He was having feelings for her. That much was for sure. It was getting harder and harder to separate those feelings from his duty to keep her safe for her father.
He knocked on the hotel room, waiting for Elise’s invitation to enter before he stepped inside. For a moment, his breath hitched slightly. She was beautiful. She’d taken the time to wash out and comb her hair, pulling it back over her shoulders into a cascade of curls.
She was wearing a simple dress, something like what he had seen the young woman at the hotel wearing.
Elise’s cheeks looked a little better; in fact, she looked a lot better than before. She was still sunburned and looked tired, but the bath had done wonders for her.
“The young woman from the hotel let me borrow this while my clothes are washed,” Elise said shyly, touching the dress.
“You look lovely.”
“Thank you.” Elise looked down at the ground. “Thank you for bringing me to town. The young woman who gave me water, she told me how you came here. I’m sorry I was such a burden.”
“Elise, you have to stop thinking that way. I told you earlier, and I will tell you again, I am doing this because I want to. Yes, I am paying some of my debt to your father for the kindness he showed me, but I also care about you getting to California safely.”
Elise said nothing for several long moments, and then she looked back up at him. “Did you find anything about the criminal? What was his name?”
“Hank, and yes, I believe he is possibly in Drydale, Texas. I have already made arrangements for the proper supplies to get there. We will leave tomorrow if that’s okay with you. Mitchell is bringing us two horses.”
Elise sat down on the edge of the bed, and Ronan sat down on the chair as he carefully repeated all the details he’d found out and what going to Drydale would include.
When he was finished, Elise nodded her head. “Let’s go to Drydale. I’ve never been there, and I have no idea what we are doing, but I trust you, Ronan. Let’s just make sure we take some water with us this time. I still feel like I could drink another barrel of water. I don’t think I have ever been so thirsty.”
Ronan couldn’t hold back his own grin. He had a feeling their journey had a few more adventures for them in store, but he was looking forward to sharing them with Elise.
He thought back to Mitchel’s words. Maybe he had denied his feelings too quickly. Maybe, just maybe, he was starting to have feelings for her, and even though things had not gone well with Veronica, somehow Elise seemed different, and maybe he was ready to take a chance on her. He just wondered if she could possibly feel the same about him.
Chapter 24
“Does this look like a good place to stop for the night?” Ronan asked, pointing to a small clearing surrounded by a thin veil of trees.
A Long Way to Love: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 17
