9
Rosalind shivered as she pulled her scarf over her head. It was only September, but this high in the mountains, once the sun went down, the air was bitter cold. She had been foolish, thinking she could spend the night in the boarding house, and now she understood why Hugh and Minnie had kept insisting that it would be all right if she came back to the assayer’s office in the middle of the night.
Hawk and Draven had walked around the building for at least an hour, talking about the damage, and documenting everything that had happened. It should have made her feel better to know how seriously they were taking what had happened today, but in some ways, it only made her feel worse. Whoever was doing this to them was far more dangerous than Rosalind and her family had wanted to believe.
But why? Wasn’t it enough that their father was dead, and Horatio so badly injured? Even though he was recovering, Horatio wasn’t the same man he’d been. He hadn’t been able to remember any of the details from the attacks, and sometimes, he didn’t remember much of anything at all. Dr. Deane said it was normal, considering how badly Horatio’s head had been bashed in. Any revenge against Horatio that anyone wanted to have taken had been gotten, and then some.
Hawk and Draven had wandered over to a corner of the property, where they appeared to be inspecting something. Most of what the two men had discussed were things she didn’t understand. But from the sound of things, they suspected that whoever had done this today was someone from the railroad. People her family had worked with, fed, and trusted.
She thought back to all the men she’d served food to. Had any of the men today reminded her of any of them?
She should have paid better attention. It was one of the things she did now, working at Nacho’s. She did her best to remember every face, every detail, in case something seemed familiar. In case it could help someone figure out who’d been responsible.
The men shook hands, and Draven turned back toward town. Hawk headed her way. “I’m going to spend the night here, in case they come back. Draven is going to see if he can get some of the men he trusts to come by from time to time during the day when I’m working on the railroad. In the morning, I’m going to visit Stiles to see if he will tell me anything. He also deserves to know what I found. I don’t think it will do any good. But I’m at least going to try.”
Rosalind hated the fact that Mr. Stiles should be so disinterested in the idea of finding her father’s killer. When he hired her father on, her family had sat in the Stiles’s parlor, listening to Mr. Stiles and his wife talk about how they considered the people in the railroad their family. Mrs. Stiles had even taken an interest in Jane, saying that with her beauty, she would marry well. And then the woman had laughed and warned Jane to stay away from her husband. As if Jane would ever steal someone else’s husband.
Now, the few times Rosalind had passed Mrs. Stiles on the street, Mrs. Stiles had turned away, very clearly refusing to further their acquaintance.
So much for treating people like family.
“Do you have any idea who in the railroad might be involved?” Rosalind asked. “I know it’s a large crew, but surely you’ve gotten to know many of them.”
Hawk shrugged. “Not as much as you would think. I’m the boss, which means there’s a natural fear of me. No one wants to get too close to the boss in case they say something they shouldn’t and put their job at risk. But they also don’t want to appear to be too close to the boss, because it might make their friends think that they can’t trust them with their secrets. The railroad folks can be a backstabbing lot, because many of them have come from bad places, and don’t know who to trust. The railroad knows they can hire men like that at a lower price, maximizing the profits. They take a combination of good workers, men with questionable reputations, and people who were desperate enough for money that they’ll do whatever it takes to succeed. It gets the job done, and that’s what matters.”
Rosalind hadn’t thought of it that way before, but she remembered talking to Reggie, one of the men who worked closely with Hawk, and Reggie had once told her how he’d come to work for the railroad. She’d felt sorry for Reggie, because he seemed like a nice man, and her heart had broken for him. Perhaps, when the railroad was finished, if Reggie didn’t have another option, maybe they could offer him a job. If they ever got the boarding house open. And if they could find customers. A lot of if’s, especially considering there were so many things standing against them.
Hawk smiled at her. “I don’t think you’ve heard a word I’ve said,” he said. “Don’t tell me you’re still worried about the men coming back. I just outlined my whole plan to keep your family safe.”
Now she felt terrible for not having noticed. “I’m sorry. I was woolgathering. When you were talking about the men nobody wanted to hire, I couldn’t help thinking of Reggie. I’ve spoken with him a few times, and he seems like a wonderful man. He told me that he’d been lucky to come onto the railroad and have you help him, because he’d been a deserter, and no one had wanted to hire him.”
Hawk stared at her. “Reggie told you he was a deserter?”
She could see where Hawk would be surprised that someone would divulge such dangerous information about themselves. She nodded slowly. “Yes. He’d said he’d been unable to stomach killing Indians, and so he deserted.”
Hawk nodded slowly. “That’s very interesting,” he said. “I’ve known Reggie for a lot of years, and this is the first I’d heard of him being a deserter.”
A sinking feeling hit Rosalind’s stomach. She hadn’t meant to share his secret with someone who didn’t know. “Please don’t tell me you have anything against deserters. I just assumed you already knew about it. I feel terrible for having giving away Reggie’s secret. He’s such a nice man. I hate how this has eaten at him.”
“I have nothing against deserters,” Hawk said. “I’ve hired a number of them, including Big Al, who has a similar story to the one you told about Reggie. The difference is, I know Big Al’s story, and, I’ve had it confirmed. It bothers me that Reggie would think he couldn’t trust me, but he trusted you.”
The heartbreak on Hawk’s face made Rosalind want to reach out and give him a big hug. Anything to know that it wasn’t about him. He was a good man, and she was sure Reggie recognized it. Even though she knew she probably shouldn’t because it wasn’t proper, she reached out and touched Hawk’s arm.
“Don’t be distressed,” she said. “I’m sure he thought he was doing what was best by not telling you. Perhaps he saw all the burdens you carried and didn’t want to add to them. I’m told many men still face punishment for desertion. You might be obligated to turn him in.”
Unfortunately, Hawk didn’t look like it made him feel any better.
“I don’t like being lied to,” Hawk said. “Reggie has been part of enough conversations with me that he knows I would never think less of him for being a deserter. I do think less of him keeping it from me.”
Rosalind squeezed his hand. “I know you’re a fair man. So I pray you will at least give him the opportunity to explain why he would’ve done such a thing. He’s a good man. Otherwise, you wouldn’t keep him around you.”
He smiled at her, but it was a sad smile like even though she was doing her best to make him feel better, he only felt worse. That’s why, even though people questioned Hawk and his violent ways, she knew him to be an honorable man. She just hoped they found her father’s killer quickly, so he could get back on his search for his wife’s murderer, and maybe then that would be enough peace in his life, and the demons that haunted him would finally settle.
Maybe that was selfish, wishful thinking, and maybe he could never grow to love anyone else. But because she did care about him, for his sake, she prayed that he would eventually find the path to peace. Even if Hawk never loved her, he was a man who deserved to love and be loved, and though it would kill her to watch him walk down the aisle with someone else, she would do so with a grateful heart. Her mother had once sa
id that was the key to love. Wishing the best for another person and being willing to support that, even if it wasn’t the best for you.
The thought reminded her of the great love her parents had shared, once again making her mourn the loss of the father and fearing she would never have such a love for herself. Clearly, Hawk and his wife had found the same. And maybe that was why he wasn’t so interested in a new love. Maybe that’s why he was so obsessed with finding his wife’s murderer. Even though Hawk would tell her it was stupid, if this endeavor got him killed, she wouldn’t be able to rest either if his killer were to go unpunished.
She wiped a tear away, and Hawk gently brushed her cheek. “Don’t cry for me,” he said. “I’m sure you’re right, and there’s an easy explanation. I don’t trust easily, and it hurts to know that someone I trust couldn’t trust me with his secrets. Perhaps you are also right in that he didn’t want to burden me. Don’t trouble yourself on my account. Your family has enough trouble of its own without having to pick up my worries. All will be well.”
That wasn’t why she’d gotten teary-eyed. But it didn’t seem fair to tell him the real reason. How could she share her heart when he didn’t share her feelings? Somehow, she thought it would only add to his burdens.
“It’s not that at all,” she finally said. “I was just temporarily reminded of my father, and I was only sad for a moment.”
It was close enough to with the truth, and sharing that information with him made her regret it. His jaw stiffened, and she knew he was thinking once again about vengeance. But maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. The trouble between them was it was so easy to get off track and think about things better left alone.
“We’d best get you home,” he said. “It’s late, and if people see you out now, especially with me, it won't look good.”
He took her arm rather stiffly, devoid of that momentary tender touch he’d just given her. He cared. He didn’t want to admit it, but he cared. She supposed that should have brought some comfort to her, but what good was caring about someone when you kept pushing them away? Though it was easy to wish that maybe he’d felt something more, it was also foolish. Hawk still loved his wife, which meant there wasn’t much room left in his heart for her. She hated that as many times as she told herself that she needed to move on and stop feeling this way about Hawk, she couldn’t find a way to do so.
In a town like Noelle, they were plenty of eligible bachelors to choose from. Despite her family’s unfortunate circumstances, she received at least one marriage proposal a day at Nacho’s. But none of them had stirred her to do more than roll her eyes.
As they walked toward Hugh’s, she looked up at the strong face of the stubborn man and noticed the lines around his eyes and mouth. They’d grown deeper since she’d met him, and where he’d once been clean-shaven, he’d since grown a scraggly beard. He was driving himself to exhaustion, and even though all of this should give her plenty of reason to withdraw her heart from his, it only made her care for him more.
The rest of the night had gone smoothly for Hawk. There had been no sign of trouble, and he’d managed to get some sleep. He dumped the last of the water in his canteen over his hair and face, then ran a comb through his hair to make himself look presentable. For his meeting with Stiles, he wanted to make a positive impression upon the other man.
As he walked to the Stiles home, he could see signs of Noelle’s growth and industry. This town desperately needed the railroad. As he watched another wagon pull out of the freight office, he could see that it was overburdened, but since another one quickly followed, he knew it was because of the town’s growth. And, from the tired look in Jack Peregrine’s eyes as he waved them off, Hawk knew that while the delay of the railroad was good for the freight business, he could see the toll it was taking on the business owners. They had far too much work, too much business, and none of them seemed like they were getting enough rest.
But that seemed to be the story of everyone in the town. Noelle was growing faster than anyone could have predicted with the discovery of the silver. It seemed like every time he came to town, another building was going up, and he didn’t recognize as many faces. He turned onto the main street, smiling at the signs of life as people went about their business for the day. He could love a town like Noelle, and as he passed by the Golden Nugget saloon and hotel, the proprietor, sweeping the porch, waved to him.
At first, he’d thought that perhaps the people running the Golden Nugget would feel threatened by the Crearys opening a boarding house, giving them reason to oppose the family. But they’d assured him that they had more business than they could handle, and it would be especially convenient for their more genteel guests to have a place to stay that wasn’t above a saloon.
Hawk waved back, then crossed the street over to the hardware store. Sol Sheridan wasn’t a fan of his, but perhaps he could goad the other man into revealing possible suspects who might have a knife like what he had observed the previous night.
He hadn’t gotten more than two steps into the hardware store before Sol came out, holding a broom. “I don’t want any trouble,” Sol said. “You’d best head on out now because we don’t serve the likes of you.”
Another man came out from the back. “He hasn’t even said what he wants. A paying customer is a paying customer.” The man smiled at Hawk. “What can we do for you?”
“To him, is more like,” Sol muttered. He looked over at the other man. “Romeo, I know you mean well, but this man is bent on destroying our town. First, he convinces the railroad to build a bridge over the Cayuga River at Devil’s Point, one of the most dangerous places along the route. Had he just made the sensible decision, and gone around near Lone Creek, while it would’ve made the route longer, the railroad would be here by now. But no. Here we are, delayed because his buddy destroyed the bridge, with no railroad in sight. Do you know how much more expensive it is to ship via wagon than rail? It’s eating into my profits, and frankly, every other business owner in town is in the same position.”
Sol might have been a loudmouth, causing trouble for Hawk and a lot of other people in Noelle, but at least he was honest about it.
“I want to see this town succeed just as much as you,” Hawk said. “Yes, taking the railroad over Devil’s Point was risky, but the bedrock there is solid, which makes for stronger support, and a shorter route. The Lone Creek route was tempting, and I can see why you would favor that direction. However, the ground there is unstable, and prone to flooding in the spring.”
Sol stepped into his space. “There was no flooding. I rode down there myself to inspect the ground.”
The man was trying to intimidate him, but Hawk had dealt with far scarier figures in the past. He stood his ground. “Not this year. But if you look at the water marks on the rocks, you can clearly see where it has flooded in the past. Even though the current delay is disappointing, it would be more disappointing to find that next year, you have to completely rebuild the railroad to keep it out of the flood path. I’m happy to go over the engineering reports with you if you’d like.”
Sol didn’t back down either. “Probably paid by that crooked Mayor Charlie Hardt to back his case. I know what you people are about. You’re in the mayor’s pocket, and you’d say anything to support his position. But it’s time this town had new leadership. Not just men like you who will do and say whatever the mayor tells them to.”
Clearly, he wasn’t going to win this argument. Not that he intended to win, except he had hoped to help the other man see sense. Or at least be less hateful.
“My loyalty is to the truth,” Hawk said. “I’ve never been bought or sold by another man, and I don’t intend to start now.”
“So why are you helping those Creary people when everyone knows that Joe Creary is the one who destroyed the bridge? Or are you after one of the girls to marry so you can jump in on the mayor’s ownership scheme? What a ridiculous notion, requiring a man to marry for a stake in the mine. A man can be committed
to the growth of this town without having to shackle himself to some woman. I’m a business owner with just as much at stake as anyone else, but I am not qualified to be on the board because I lack a wife. But good for you, being willing to offer yourself up as a sacrifice.” Sol shook his head slowly. “If that’s not being bought and sold, I don’t know what is.”
Hawk had heard that a man could become a part owner of the mine by demonstrating his commitment to the town’s growth and development through his marriage and settlement in the town. It seemed like a reasonable enough request, considering Charlie didn’t have to bring anyone in. But that wasn’t what Hawk was about.
“You’ve got it all wrong,” he said. “I have no intention of remarrying. And though Noelle is a pleasant enough place, I haven’t decided to settle here. My interest in the Creary family is about bringing justice and finding the truth about what really happened at the bridge that night. I know people say Joe did it, but I’ve seen the evidence, and none of it points to him.”
His words didn’t wipe the anger off of Sol’s face. “I heard you were caught trying to destroy some of the evidence.”
He wished that ridiculous accusation would hurry up and die. “I did no such thing. I did what any man interested in the truth would do. I handed the evidence over to the sheriff’s office. You can speak with Sheriff Draven for corroboration if you’d like.”
Hawk had made that same offer to everyone who’d questioned what he’d done. As far as he knew, none of them had bothered. It was easier to toss out baseless accusations than it was to actually look at the truth.
“And why would I do that? He’s in Hardt’s pocket, too. That’s what this town really needs. Someone to come in and clean things up. Get rid of the corruption and favoritism that comes from being associated with Charlie Hardt.”
Though some people would dismiss the other man’s claims as being that of an overbearing windbag, Hawk took a deeper look at him. “What motivation would the mayor have for covering up the delay of the railroad? He can’t get the silver out of the town fast enough or efficiently enough without it. He knows the businesses cannot survive without a cheaper and more efficient way of bringing goods into the town. Which also means the people can’t survive. So explain to me what his motivation would be in this situation?”
Rosalind: A Thanksgiving Day Bride (Brides of Noelle Book 8) Page 11
