An Unexpected Dilemma Bride

by Elliee Atkinson

  “It’s because of that awful Samuel.”

  “If you don’t like him, why don’t you say something to Cynthia? I know you two are close.”

  Laura was quiet for a moment. “It’s not my place.””

  They made their way around a path that led through the garden in a circular pattern, admiring the landscaping and the beauty of the park.

  “I’m glad we decided to go for a walk. It’s so nice,” Laura said. “Thank you.”

  “It’s a good day with good company,” Joshua said.

  “Oak trees are truly my favorite tree. So strong and majestic. I am so glad they grow here in Wickenburg.”

  “My ma used to say those trees represented the strength of God growing out of the ground.”

  “How interesting!” Laura smiled at him. “What is your home like? In Louisville? Do you have a house of your own?”

  ”Yeah, I do. I have a nice cottage out on the outskirts, not in the city limits. I do have neighbors and I can see their houses from my porch, but I have a lot of land, too.”

  “I am sure they love having you there. They know they have a strong, intelligent, helping hand living in their neighborhood. They probably never worry.”

  Joshua blushed at the compliment. “Thank you, Laura. That’s nice of you to say.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Unfortunately, I have a big heart, so most of the people on my side of Louisville know who I am. In addition, I was… courting a woman and it fell through, so all of our mutual friends knew what had happened. I don’t… I needed a break from that. Too many people want to ‘help’ me.

  “Louisville has a lot more going on than Wickenburg. People want to trust someone, and it ends up being me in most cases, instead of the deputies willing to help.”

  “I see.” She stared out in front of her. “I would trust you.”

  He dropped his eyes to the ground, watching where the dust puffed up every time he took a step.

  “I’ll always regret interrupting your vacation, Joshua. I am sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I… I have other reasons to stay, too.”

  “How long will you be staying?”

  “I was thinking a few weeks. Now I’ll probably stay until Uncle Adam figures out what’s happened.”

  ”I’m glad you’re helping him.” Laura’s voice was soft. “I’m glad you plan to stay until it’s figured out.

  Joshua just nodded, clasping his hands behind his back as he continued walking.

  “Oh!” Laura looked up. “I think it’s raining. Do you feel it sprinkling?”

  Joshua looked up. He’d just been thinking about the dry ground and the dust around his boots, and now a splash against his arm interrupted their happy walk. “I do. All right, let us go inside, my dear. I’m parched anyway. I’d love to have a tall glass of tea. Or a small cup of hot coffee.”

  “Did you not get your fill of the biscuits and sandwiches at the party?” Laura walked with him.

  He offered her his arm again and this time she put both hands around it as they walked back. His heartbeat sped up and he stared straight forward so that she wouldn’t notice the thrill it gave him when she touched him. He repeated in his mind over and over that it wasn’t appropriate. However, she was such a beautiful, smart, and interesting woman.

  “You are a blessing, dear. James was lucky.”

  “That’s a nice thing to say. You know how to flatter a woman.”

  “I don’t want to overstep my bounds, Laura. I want to comfort you, but I have to say that I’m not sure what to say.”

  ”I think that’s very nice. You aren’t overstepping your bounds. It’s always nice to receive compliments. Especially when you are very sad.”

  ”I want you to know that if you ever need anything… anything at all, just call on me. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

  Laura’s lips pulled back in a gentle smile. Her heart was aching for the love she had felt with James. She would guard it as long as she was able. She couldn’t give her heart to another man so soon. It wasn’t right. They turned to walk back down the street. Laura wondered if Joshua was really the noble man he seemed to be. He certainly was attractive. However, with James deceased for less than two days… it wasn’t right. It was too soon to be thinking about another man. It made it seem like she didn’t love James as much as she knew she did.

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE WAKE FOR JAMES

  THE WAKE FOR JAMES

  Joshua stood with his back to the wall, watching people milling around the large room. The Whitmans had opened their home to Laura for the wake and Cynthia had taken over, directing everything so that Laura didn’t have to lift a finger. Joshua watched her from afar while she whispered directions to her friend.

  Samuel and Cynthia made a strange couple. He’d been thinking about them since his conversation with Laura at the festival. He’d spent plenty of time observing all of them. He recognized hand gestures that were often repeated, phrases and words that each one was likely to say often and certain likes and dislikes that might have some bearing on the case in the future. For now, though, he was amazed that Samuel and Cynthia were still together.

  Joshua thought about what Laura had told him. He wondered why the Whitmans had not gotten a divorce, the first in Wickenburg. It was becoming more and more popular for couples who did not get along to dissolve their relationship. It had made some of Joshua’s friends in Louisville better people, in his opinion. He was more comfortable around them after their divorces, simply because they seemed much happier than they had been before.

  He stood in the corner, holding a glass and watching everyone around him. He tried not to make it too obvious that he was trying to watch what Samuel and Cynthia were doing at all times. It was hard to keep track of them. They were rarely together and when they were, they bickered quietly before parting.

  He wondered when Nate would be back from Bennington. Nate didn’t have to report to him. He knew that his friend was a grown man who could do whatever he wanted. Still, it annoyed Joshua that he’d taken off when he’d only just arrived and said that he would help with this strange occurrence.

  He shook his head and lifted his cup of lemonade to his lips. It was sweet and sour at the same time, an excellent combination. He vowed to keep it in his mind so he could give a compliment to whoever made it.

  “Have you seen anyone you know yet?”

  ”Gonna need you to help me out with that, Uncle. Some people, yes. But not a lot.”

  “A lot of people saw you at the fair first. They told me they remembered you.”

  Joshua nodded and looked at his uncle. “I’ve changed a lot, but I suppose they see some family resemblance or something, don’t they?”

  Adam chuckled. “Yes. You look a lot like your dad did at your age.”

  “I’m going to be here for a while, Uncle,” he mumbled. “Probably until you don’t want me here anymore.”

  “Nah. Alice and I are glad to have you. Max looks up to you a lot, and that means something to me. It would be nice if the three of us could sit down one night and talk. He respects you, maybe even more than he respects me.”

  Joshua shook his head. “Not possible. That kid loves his pa.”

  Adam grinned wide. “He does, doesn’t he? The little scamp.”

  Joshua looked around the room again. “I don’t see anyone here that looks uncomfortable in a murderous way,” he murmured.

  Adam found that funny and struggled hard not to laugh, immediately covering his mouth with his hand. He leaned over and replied in a low voice, “What does that look like? You know, murderous.”

  Joshua narrowed his eyes at his uncle. “You know what I mean.”

  Adam chuckled softly. “I do.”

  “James must have been one determined fellow to be a successful writer.”

  “He was determined,” Adam nodded. “I was not extremely close to him, but I knew much about him. He was highly spoken of by everyone.”


  “It does seem that way. Everyone I’ve talked to has said nothing but good things about him. They all seem truly shocked and upset about his death.” Joshua scanned the crowd again, taking a quick drink.

  He listened to Adam go on about what a good friend and man James had been, according to those Adam had spoken to about it. When there was a pause, he said, “What about Samuel and Cynthia?”

  “What about them?” Adam looked at Samuel, who was standing with some other men by the fireplace. He was talking animatedly, but Joshua couldn’t help noticing his face had that familiar sour look it always did. He looked like he was complaining to the group of men, but when one of them laughed, Joshua realized that was just the look that stayed on the man’s face all the time.

  He’s had a lot of practice, Joshua thought.

  “I know Samuel only as a business associate. He and Cynthia always attend events. As you can see, they have one of the largest homes in Wickenburg. He may be less than a delight, but he is a whiz at business, or so it would seem. I never had any problems with him. I don’t know Cynthia. You would have to ask Alice for more information about her. Do you think they may have had something to do with this? Do you suspect Samuel?”

  “I’ve been thinking. If he was jealous of James, there might be a reason for him to kill him.”

  “I had thought of that. But it’s hard for me to suspect my neighbors. This kind of thing doesn’t happen a whole lot. There are deaths, but there’s usually a reason. Like a bullet.”

  “I think you should look in that direction, Uncle. I think he is a good suspect.”

  “All right. I’ll talk to the sheriff about it, too. I think he needs to know everything we’re thinking. He’ll need plenty of input.”

  “You’d think he’d be a lot more upset about the loss of his friend.”

  “They’ve known each other for a long time, but there’s no way for us to know what their relationship was really like.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. There could be a lot of hidden grudges that came up along the way.”

  “Exactly.”

  Adam looked around the room. “I’ll be right back.” He walked away, Joshua’s eyes following him till he was across the room.

  “Hey, Joshua.” Joshua turned to see Nate standing next to him.

  “Where did you come from?” Joshua said with a small grin. “You’re too quiet. Shouldn’t sneak up on people who have a gun strapped to their side.”

  “No, probably not,” Nate laughed.

  Nate turned so his back was also to the wall and stood directly next to Joshua. “Not that I have anything important to tell you. It is certainly easy to see who likes who in this room.”

  Joshua knit his eyebrows together and gave Nate a curious look. “What do you mean? I haven’t seen anyone who looks even remotely suspicious in the room.”

  Nate looked at Joshua with raised eyebrows. “I’m not necessarily talking about the situation, you see. I don’t know any of these people, but I can tell who likes who and who is holding something against someone else, that kind of thing. Call it intuition.”

  “Oh? I see.” It sounded like something Joshua would find helpful. Nate seemed to be very talented at it. “I’m not familiar with any of them either. Some of them know who I am because I was here before. When I was young.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Adam is my uncle, remember? I came here a few times as a child and visited regularly until I was about 17 years old. It feels strange to know they remember me but I don’t remember them.”

  Nate nodded. “I understand. Throws you off balance. I know how that feels.”

  Joshua nodded back at him. “I talked to Adam about the Whitmans. What a strange couple they are. How unhappy they both are.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He’s going to talk to the sheriff. I guess if we want to help out, we could always make friends with Samuel and see if he’ll open up to us. Maybe do some more drinking… at the Horse N Saddle maybe? I don’t know.”

  “There’s no need to ask if I want to help. When do you want to do that?”

  “We can get his attention right now.” Joshua took a step forward, but stopped when Nate grabbed his arm. He let go and tilted his head in Joshua’s direction.

  “Not now, Joshua.”

  “When is it a bad time to ask a man if he wants to drink? Especially an unhappy man like Samuel.”

  “We’re at a wake. Do you really want to do that here?”

  Joshua stepped back to where he’d been. “You’re right.”

  Nate nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. “I know.”

  Joshua shook his head and chuckled.

  He looked at Laura, scanning her long, wavy hair. A lot of it was piled on her head, but many strands fell down over her shoulders. It looked soft. He wanted to touch it. He’d only seen it once, and he knew he wouldn’t see it here, but he missed her smile.

  She was seated next to a closed coffin. He didn’t ask why it was closed. The decision was Laura’s and she had wanted it closed. She sat surrounded by wreaths, flowers, and lit candles in pretty holders. She looked forlorn and lost, her eyes roaming around the room. When someone approached her, she would try to smile, nod, and thank them for their condolences.

  “Joshua?” Nate was staring at him.

  “Yeah?”

  “I gotta say it, Joshua. I couldn’t help but notice you were looking at the widow Youngblood. I don’t think you want people seeing you look at her like that. I’m sorry, but that might look a bit flirtatious, and it’s too soon for that.”

  Joshua tried not to feel tense. He knew Nate was just trying to look out for his reputation. “Inappropriate to say the least, Nate, thanks.”

  “No problem, my friend.”

  As soon as he lifted his eyes back up and looked in Laura’s direction, he noticed that she was, in fact, looking right back at him.

  Laura moved her eyes to the person in front of her when Joshua caught her looking at him. She’d been anxious most of the day and it just seemed as though when Joshua appeared, she felt better inside. Her blood was warm in her veins. Her stomach tightened a little and felt fluttery. She had gone against her mother’s wishes and took the black veil away from her face, throwing it over the back of her hat because she wanted to see him when he came. She wanted to have a clear view of his face.

  She wasn’t about to tell anyone how she was feeling, not even Cynthia. With James gone less than a week, she knew she would be looked upon with horror had they guessed what she was feeling toward Joshua already.

  Cynthia, though she was her best friend, had a tendency to be the jealous type. Any boy she had danced with, Cynthia had to dance with right after. It never really bothered Laura in the past. However, she didn’t want Cynthia to interfere this time. She would tell others about Laura’s plight and might pursue the man herself, even with Samuel in the room.

  Samuel had endured Cynthia’s behavior for the first five years of their marriage, until he became a sour, bitter man, stuck in a marriage with a frivolous woman, unable to find the courage to divorce her. Laura was aware that a divorce would probably be best. In fact, she was somewhat surprised that one of them hadn’t killed the other after only a short time in the marriage.

  She looked over at the coffin and shuddered. How could such a thought run through her head right then, when she was seated next to the deceased body of her wonderful James?

  She looked for Samuel, but didn’t see him. She tried not to look at Joshua too many times. She dropped her eyes to her lap, where her hands were clenched together. She was ashamed of herself. Her every thought kept roaming back to him when it was not occupied by James. She felt shame that her heart was so quickly wrenched back out of her chest.

  It made her feel a bit nauseous to think that a man who could capture her attention so quickly might not ever be in her reach. He would not stay once they figured out who killed James. He would return to Louisville and forget all about
her. If anyone of their friends realized what she was feeling, she would be laughed out of town, or worse: They would shun her completely.

  Laura’s kept her eyes down, imagining how she would lose all of her friends, and Alice and Adam would be furious with her. She shook her head slightly. She didn’t want that. Nevertheless, there was no denying that she wanted Joshua to stay for as long as possible. She looked over at the coffin and a deep wave of sorrow passed over her.

  I’m sorry, my dear James, she thought. I do not mean to betray you. It’s my heart. I can’t help it.

  She stood up and quietly left the room.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  LAURA DISCOVERS A SECRET

  LAURA DISCOVERS A SECRET

  Trying to avoid the few people wandering around the house, Laura walked down the hallway on soft slippered feet. She’d asked Cynthia to have the wake at her house for a specific reason. Something was bothering her, other than the obvious. She was suspicious and angry now. Since it was determined that her husband was murdered, she had decided to participate in any way she could to find out who did it and bring them to justice.

  She knew of no one who had a problem with her husband. For the last four days, she’d been talking to and watching her friends and other people in town. She had used the fair for the same purpose as Joshua without even knowing it. She watched how people treated her and observed their behavior. For all of her efforts, she didn’t discover a thing. No one was unfriendly toward her; no one had anything bad to say about James. No one had been in the house or visited, so if the poison was administered there, sometime during the night, perhaps, it couldn’t have been a stranger. It had to be someone with knowledge of their house and routine.

  She was still a bit afraid that Joshua considered her a suspect. He had told her no, that he didn’t suspect her, but she still felt like a suspect. After all, she was James’ wife and had complete access to him. She was grateful that Joshua chose to believe her, but it did not give her complete peace. The last thing she wanted was for Joshua to think badly of her, to think her capable of taking the life of the man she loved.