Rosalind: A Thanksgiving Day Bride (Brides of Noelle Book 8)

by Danica Favorite

  “What happens if the railroad goes bankrupt?” Gant asked.

  Hawk thought back to what he had seen in the financial paperwork. “They have a lot of creditors, but none I can tie to any of the crimes. Given that Fink’s family is one of the more powerful and wealthy families in Denver, I’d even looked into their finances. There’s nothing to tie them to the Noelle railroad. Everything the head of the railroad, Gaylord Penworthy, has is tied up in making sure this railroad is a success.”

  “Have you told him about what’s going on?” Rosalind asked, sounding hopeful.

  Hawk tried not to groan. He’d been thwarted at every turn, trying to reach Penworthy. “I can’t get past any of his underlings. Stiles says he’s too busy to talk with the likes of me over insignificant problems. I’ve even talked to the land agent, Solomon Sharp, and Sharp has dozens of excuses why I can’t talk to Penworthy. I thought I would appeal to Sharp’s sense of avarice by explaining to him that the further devalued the railroad is, the less the land is worth, and therefore his job as a land agent for the railroad would become meaningless.”

  Gant leaned in and whispered something to Draven. Then Draven looked over at Hawk. “I’ll see what I can do about getting access to Penworthy. But you’re right. None of this makes sense. And yet, you’re definitely on the right track by figuring out who has the most to gain by delaying the railroad.”

  “It wasn’t my family,” Rosalind declared passionately. “Not only did we lose out on the bonus we needed and had to sell valuable books, but the longer it takes for the railroad to get in, the fewer opportunities we have for paying guests at our boarding house once it opens. And, if my father was paid to create a diversion to kidnap Dorcas, where is that money?”

  Rosalind looked down at her plate, then over at Hawk. “Besides, Dorcas has become a dear friend of ours. Her husband, Elwood Hunter, purchased a good many of the books we own so that we would have the funds to build the boarding house. We’ve all spent a great deal of time talking about our common interests. My father would have never participated in a plan to harm a woman like that. She’s a kindred spirit, which I sensed immediately upon meeting her, and I know my father would have done the same.”

  Gant cleared his throat and looked at Rosalind. “Do you think that perhaps he could have been involved, and then changed his mind at the last minute when he realized what a good person Dorcas was? Maybe that’s what got him killed.”

  “No!” Rosalind stood. “I can’t believe you would even suggest such a thing. He was proud of that bridge. Even if he had been part of some plan to kidnap a young lady, which he most certainly wouldn’t, he would have never destroyed something he was so proud of.”

  Gant might extol the virtues of being patient, but one of his tactics was always to push people to the breaking point. Hawk didn’t appreciate it being used on Rosalind.

  “I think we’ve sufficiently established Joe Creary’s innocence,” Hawk said. “And taking these ridiculous bunny trails does nothing to solve the crime.”

  Then Hawk turned to Rosalind. “I’ve spoken to Dorcas and showed her your father’s picture. She says that she would recognize the three men her kidnapper paid, and she does not recognize either your father or your brother as having been one of those three men.”

  Rosalind nodded. “And she says that you told her not to tell anyone.”

  The accusatory tone had returned to her voice, and something in Hawk felt broken at the idea of having let her down.

  “For her protection. We know that these three men are still on the loose. If they know that Dorcas can and will identify them, her life is in danger. Would you risk that?”

  Rosalind shook her head slowly. “What happened to her was horrible, and I can’t imagine putting her at risk of facing them again. She said there was something very sinister about them, and I know she will sleep better at night knowing they have been captured.”

  He watched the emotions play on her face as she seemed to realize that Hawk wasn’t just leaving her father out to dry, but there were many other facts to be considered. Surely she had to know his commitment to making things right for her family.

  But as he saw her expression turn to despair, he realized he’d given her no reason to see the depth of his feelings. He’d been so focused on not letting her know how he felt, but he’d failed to convey the importance of this case in his life. She didn’t realize how deeply personal the situation was, but how could he express it to her without giving away his heart?

  The closest he could ever come to loving her was bringing her father’s killer to justice. And then, he had to keep his commitment to his late wife, sacrificing himself to avenge her death. More justice. The only thing he had in his life worth living for. And dying for.

  Draven stood. “I appreciate everyone coming together here today. I’ll have Gant use his resources to see what else we can find about the railroad and anyone who might wish to cause the railroad harm. We also have a description of the three men from Dorcas, which Gant can circulate amongst his contacts for identification.”

  Hawk tried not to laugh. Dorcas’s descriptions were so vague, they could be any man. Dorcas had said she’d know the men when she saw them, but her generalized impressions of them weren’t clear enough to help narrow down the suspects. But, he supposed it was something.

  “Hawk will continue to investigate quietly without rustling feathers,” Draven continued, giving Hawk a sharp look. Even though Hawk hadn’t run into any trouble since his arrival with the railroad or since his investigation began, Draven still acted like he expected Hawk to come unhinged at any moment.

  Then Draven looked over at Rosalind. “And you will continue to be patient and not pester us. We want justice for your father just as badly as you do. Perhaps even more. With these three men on the loose, no one in this town is safe. Speaking of safety, you will report every incident that happens to your family and your boarding house. One of these days, we will have enough evidence to charge someone, and they will be made an example of.”

  Then he glanced over at Jane. “You seem to have more sense to you than your sister. If she doesn’t report things, I expect you to. I’ll also be checking in with Hugh and see that he understands the importance of letting us know about every incident. This isn’t just about your family pride, but about an entire town’s safety.”

  The sisters exchanged a look, and then Jane nodded. “I understand. I spend most of my time inside the assayer’s office, with Minnie and my family. But if I hear or see anything, I’ll be sure to report it.”

  Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Draven tossed some money on the table. “This should be enough to cover everyone’s meals. Since this was part of official business, the sheriff’s office will be taking care of it. I need to get home to my wife, but I trust you’ll all have a good evening.”

  Gant followed soon after, and the ladies began clearing up the remnants of the meal. Hawk walked over to Nacho. “Thank you for being willing to report what happened to Rosalind. Your friendship means a lot to me, and I hope this doesn’t put you in an awkward position, but if you could keep me updated on that situation, I would appreciate it. It bothers me that she so easily dismisses the attacks against her family, and I wish I could do more to protect her. But I need to stay the course at the railroad camp so we can find who did this to her father. I know she thinks I don’t care, but surely you can understand the difficulty in my attempting to do so.”

  Nacho shook his head. “There’s no difficulty in caring for a woman and letting her know that. I think the greatest difficulty is not telling the woman you care about her. Love is about taking risks, and I can tell by the way the two of you look at each other, that at some point, one of you must take the risk.”

  Hawk let out a long sigh. “I can’t marry her. Do you understand now why I cannot express those things to her?”

  “Can’t, or won’t?”

  Hawk closed his eyes. Either way, the outcome was the same. “Can’t. And
I won’t see her hurt because of it.”

  Nacho looked at him like he thought Hawk was being dishonest. But this was probably the most honest Hawk had been about his feelings in a long time. There was a part of him that craved being with Rosalind so badly, he thought he would go mad. But then he would dream of Beth, and he was haunted by his failure to do right by her. How could he say he loved anyone when he’d failed the woman he loved the most?

  7

  It had taken everything Rosalind had not to jump up from the table and scream what a travesty this all was. All these pompous men, saying that she needed to be patient and trust them when it was clear they didn’t know what they were doing at all. And the fact that justice lay in the hands of a very incompetent Charles Gant only made Rosalind more nervous. Oh, she heard all about what had happened to her friend Dorcas, and how she’d barely survived Gant’s bumbling ineptitude when she’d been kidnapped. It hadn’t been Gant who saved her, but Elwood’s former fiancé and her family.

  If Rosalind’s fate and justice for her father relied solely upon the shoulders of Marshal Charles S. Gant, then they were all doomed to die.

  She glanced over at Nacho and Hawk, huddled in the corner talking. She wanted to believe that Hawk was on her side and that he was doing his best, but he’d so easily acquiesced to Draven’s plan when Hawk had earlier told her that he didn’t trust lawmen, and was bent on handling this on his own.

  And it wasn’t like he’d been forthcoming with any information for her. He’d only shared what he had tonight at Draven’s request. Would she know this much if it hadn’t been for Draven? Hawk’s messages to her had been terse, and every time she sought him out to speak with him, he treated her like she was an annoyance.

  The worst part was, as much as she wanted to hate him, she couldn’t help liking him. And she wanted him to like her, too. To have him give her the easy smiles he did to others, cast that warm gaze upon her. Ridiculous, of course. She had just chastised her sister for admiring a handsome man because the family had far more important things to think about.

  So why did her thoughts of him often veer in an inappropriately romantic direction?

  Whatever conversation Hawk was having with Nacho concluded, and Hawk glanced in her direction, an irritated expression crossing his face.

  Clearly, he didn’t return her feelings.

  But he started in her direction, and she steeled herself for what was going to be another polite brushoff.

  “I know you think I’m not doing anything to solve your father’s murder,” he said. “But you need to know that it consumes my every waking moment. This was the first meal I had all day because I got an early start at work and skipped lunch so I could come here to talk to the sheriff and try once more to appeal to any ounce of intelligence Stiles might have. I have to keep up on my work with the railroad. If I lose that job, I lose any connection to anyone who might know something about your father’s death.”

  He’d said as much to her in the past, at least regarding needing to keep his job. But he hadn’t spoken to her with such passion, and she hadn’t realized what it might cost him personally. Skipping meals so he could use the time on the case? That did sound more like he cared. But this was the first she’d heard at all about his priorities in terms of focusing on the case.

  “Why can’t you give me regular updates? Explain that to me in your notes, rather than telling me you’re handling it?”

  The look he gave her made her feel small, worse than a child. “And if the wrong person gets their hands on that note? We don’t know who to trust. We don’t even know we can trust the people delivering those notes. Why would you think I would put you at risk like that?”

  She hadn’t thought of it that way, and now she felt silly for having doubted him. Which begged the question of why she cared so much about a man who constantly made her doubt herself.

  Except that he wasn’t trying to put her down or belittle her. He was wise, and she admired that wisdom. And, as much as she felt like he sometimes treated her like a child, she knew that most men wouldn’t even share the little information he had with a woman.

  Of all the men she knew, besides her brother and father, Hawk had done the most to make her feel like he saw her as having something valuable to contribute. At least sometimes.

  “But how can you expect me to sit around and do nothing?” She asked, wondering how she could make him understand that she wasn’t one to be a bystander in life. “If it was your father, would you?”

  She’d been tempted to mention his wife, and how he hadn’t rested with her death, but it didn’t seem right to bring up such a painful memory for him, or a reminder that he still felt he hadn’t completed the task.

  He didn’t answer, and she couldn’t read the expression on his face.

  “What would you do, if it was you, and you were told simply to be patient?”

  That had been the crux of his argument with Gant as far as she could tell, but Gant had wanted him to be patient, and he hadn’t. And clearly, from the daggers the two men tossed at each other all night, neither one of them was willing to forgive and forget their troubled past.

  “I can’t put your safety at risk,” he said.

  “What about your safety?”

  Hawk shrugged. “I know how to take care of myself.”

  She stared at him. “So did my father. And look where that got him.”

  For a moment, she thought he was going to give her another sharp retort. But then he shrugged. “Arguing isn’t going to get us anywhere. I thought that maybe, if I tried expressing my sincerity in obtaining justice for your father, you’d find it in your heart to be patient. If you want to help, then spend time with your friend Dorcas, see if there’s anything else she can tell you about the three men. Any detail is helpful: if he had a scar, or hand-knitted cap of unusual color, had an accent, or even if he smelled odd.”

  Sheriff Draven had mentioned these things to Dorcas already. But Rosalind had been hesitant to press her friend for details on such a traumatic incident. Still, Dorcas was the only person who could lead them to the three men.

  “I will,” Rosalind said. “But please, find a way to give me more regular updates. Surely you can call on your old friend Hugh once in a while without it being suspicious.”

  There it was again. The expression on his face that said he wanted to do anything but. Could he sense that she liked him and was afraid of encouraging her?

  Then Hawk let out a long sigh. “You would rather me spend time on social calls when I could be using that time to investigate your father’s murder?”

  How could he make her feel so foolish so easily?

  Jane joined them and put her arm around Rosalind. “We appreciate everything you’re doing for a family. I’m sorry if we sound ungrateful. You just can’t imagine how hard it is to know that someone you love is dead, and the person who did it is still walking around.”

  She hadn’t told Jane what she knew about Hawk and his wife. Hawk glanced over at Rosalind then turned his attention back to Jane. “My wife was murdered by a gang of ruthless robbers. One of them has never been caught. I can assure you I know exactly how it feels.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Jane said softly. “And I’m sorry for appearing to be insensitive to it. What happened to the rest of them? Did they go on trial?”

  Hawk shook his head. “They’re dead.”

  Jane gasped, and the intensity of his voice made even Rosalind want to shrink back.

  “I haven’t given up on my wife’s remaining killer, and I won’t give up on your father’s murderer, either.”

  He turned and walked out of the restaurant before either of them could regain their composure. Fina joined them. “I’ve heard the stories about him. He’s a dangerous man, and if I were his enemy, I would be afraid.”

  Rosalind turned to her new friend. “I can’t just sit here and let whoever did this get away with it. I have to find a way to help. But how?”

  Fina looke
d thoughtful for a moment. “I like what he said about talking to Dorcas again. We could all visit her, and then, we can observe people in the town to see if anyone meets her description. Many people pass through our restaurant, and you never know if I’ve been serving one of them. With a better description, I could be on the lookout.”

  It sounded better than passively waiting for Hawk to come to them with good news.

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Rosalind said. “I’ve been thinking about finding employment to help cover some of our family’s expenses. Hugh has very generously told us not to worry about it, but I do want to contribute. If I were to find a job in one of the shops, I might have access to some of these men.”

  Fina smiled. “Then you can come work for me. We can always use extra help at the restaurant. Nacho has been telling me to find someone to help when Julieta and Victoria aren’t available, but I haven’t felt right about any of the people who’ve come our way. Perhaps it was because the place has been reserved for you.”

  Rosalind hesitated. With the situation earlier in the restaurant, would other customers feel the same way?

  Jane nudged her. “This would be the perfect opportunity. It would get you out of the house in a safe way. And, if there is room for one more, I would also love to come work from time to time. We both dearly love Hugh and Minnie, but the space at the assayer’s office is cramped, and it would be nice to get out of the house from time to time.”

  “Of course!” Fina said, smiling. “Many hands make light work.”

  “I wouldn’t want to cause trouble for you,” Rosalind said. “That man, Sol, I’ve seen him in town before, and he’s made it quite clear how much he hates our family.”

  Fina shook her head. “He’s been stirring up trouble for months. If it’s not you, it’s someone else that he has his sights on. Don’t let him stop you from living your life. We might lose business from the likes of him, but I would say good riddance.”