An Unexpected Dilemma Bride_Family of Love Series_A Western Romance Story

by Elliee Atkinson

  She put her head between the two thick, heavy drapes, pushing one aside with her hand and looked out into the sunlight. She surveyed the property below her. Her eyes focused on one of the benches in the circular garden. It looked like Samuel was sitting there, his head in his hands. Her heart leapt up into her throat. She gathered all her courage and dashed back to the door. She ran as quickly as her boots would let her back to the front door.

  She pulled her hood over her long hair so that if it began to drizzle again, she would stay somewhat dry. She held up her skirt to avoid the splashes as she ran through small puddles leftover from the rain. She could see him as she rounded one of the corners in the garden.

  She came up behind him and leaned over to look at him. “Samuel. Are you all right?”

  He didn’t respond. He didn’t move. She looked closely at him. His chest was not moving up and down. His head was down so that his chin was resting on his chest. One arm was hanging off the side of the bench.

  Laura stood back up and then circled so that she was in front of him. She leaned down again and looked at him closely. “S… Samuel?” He wasn’t going to answer her. She didn’t have to be Doc Brown to know that. His lips were blue and a bluish tint had come up around his eyes.

  Samuel was dead.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  A NEW VIEWPOINT

  A NEW VIEWPOINT

  Laura was having a hard time giving Cynthia the comfort she knew the woman needed. It had only been a short time since the death of her own husband. How could she be expected to behave in a certain way for someone else when her own mind was in a fog and her heart was broken?

  Cynthia fell to her knees when Laura told her what had happened. She wouldn’t let Cynthia go out to the garden because he was still out there.

  Cynthia was angry and then filled with sorrow and then angry again. She demanded to know who was killing off good husbands in the area. Laura knew better. Samuel had said so in the journal. He and Cynthia did not get along well. It was possible Cynthia was only acting how she thought they all wanted her to act. She was the only one there when Cynthia arrived, so she had been forced to tell her about Samuel.

  Adam Collins and the coroner were also on their way.

  Her weeping and wailing seemed over the top, but Laura knew not everyone grieved in the same fashion. Laura put her arms around her and held on to her as tightly as she could, rocking back and forth. “I know it hurts, Cynthia,” she murmured. “I know. I’m here for you. You were here for me. I will be here for you.”

  Adam came through the door and looked at the women. He knelt down in front of them, looking at Cynthia. “Doc Brown is taking a look around the scene and will want to look in the house as well. Then he will be… taken into their care. Don’t worry about anything. We’ll find out if he was poisoned like Mr. Youngblood. Do you want to talk about it? I’m here now, but if you prefer Joshua or Nate, they will be back tomorrow, so you will have time to rest before then. It is best if you try to compose yourself and remember as much about today as you can. Don’t clean the rooms he was in last.”

  “I’d like to talk to someone. I know you well, Adam. And you know me, don’t you?”

  Adam looked at her skeptically. He didn’t know her well. He didn’t even know Laura. He was only there because everyone came to him for help.

  “We argued this afternoon. He claimed that James and I had a relationship. But we didn’t!” She looked up at Laura with pleading eyes. “I promise you, Laura, we weren’t having an affair. We were friends; that’s all! And Samuel wouldn’t believe me! But I ran from the house. You can ask Pam. She’s heard us arguing a few times. She knows that I always start to cry and run from the house. That’s how I deal with it. And I think… I mean, Samuel told me that… he said that…” She looked up at Adam. “He said that he killed James. That he did it because James was my lover. Now he’s taken his own life, too! Oh, this is terrible!”

  She covered her face with her hands and sobbed loudly. She looked around her hand to Laura. “You know he loved you, Laura. You know he did. There was nothing between us, I swear it!”

  “I know, Cynthia. I believe you. Don’t cry about that. It’s over now.”

  Laura wondered if Adam believed Samuel had taken his own life. If he read any of the journal, he might think it a possibility. As much sorrow as Laura had seen in that journal, she didn’t see Samuel actually taking his own life.

  She really felt like he had wanted to live.

  “So Samuel confessed?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “And then he took poison himself?”

  “I didn’t witness it. But that must be what has happened. I can’t think of any other way it could have been. I wouldn’t have left if I had seen him do it, Adam! I would have sent someone to get Doc Brown.”

  “It’s okay, Cynthia,” Laura said softly.

  Cynthia squeezed her eyes together, putting one fist to her forehead. “Oh this can’t be happening. I’m so glad you’re with me, Laura. Now we can support each other in our time of need. We only have each other now.”

  Laura looked down at her, trying to feel the friendship for Cynthia that she’d felt before. However, it was gone. She said nothing.

  “Why didn’t you tell me or the sheriff that he confessed to you? You know how hard we’ve been searching for answers. Laura needs closure, too,” Adam asked firmly.

  Cynthia gasped and looked at him with confusion. “I couldn’t do that! We may not have always got along, but I wasn’t going to turn in my husband. I know what he did was wrong, but… I loved him and I didn’t want anything to happen to him. I know he would have been hanged for that. I didn’t want him dead or in prison for the rest of his life.”

  Laura felt sorry for Samuel. He must truly have had a low opinion of himself to think that an affair was the end of the world. It was a hurtful thought, Laura would admit that. Nevertheless, such a thing was no reason to end someone else’s life and then your own as well.

  “When… when will Mr. Crawford be here?” Cynthia asked, lifting her head to look at Adam.

  “He should be back in the morning.”

  “I want to send Matthew to fetch him. He may be on the road on the way back for all we know. But what if he decides to stay another day? He won’t send a telegram to let you know. Please, get Matthew. I will send him to get Joshua.”

  She sounded satisfied with what she was saying and nodded once as if to agree with herself.

  Laura gave her a strange look. “Are you feeling all right, Cynthia? Maybe you should lie down. You look pale. Would you like a cup of cool lemonade?” Laura turned around. “I’ll get it for you.”

  “No, I can do that,” Alice was standing at the door, watching them. “I’ll get you some biscuits or something too, if you like. I’ll make you a pie. What do you need, dear?”

  “I’m fine with a cup of lemonade; thank you, Alice.” Laura got the impression that Cynthia was enjoying the attention she was getting. Thinking back, she remembered Cynthia taking much of the attention away from her during the wake for James. Laura looked away, afraid her old friend would recognize the look on her face and know what she was thinking.

  When she turned back to Cynthia, her friend was looking at her strangely. “Are you all right?”

  Laura frowned. “I don’t know how I could be, Cynthia. We are both widows now. We are both in pain. Life will never be the same for either of us. James and Samuel meant everything to us.”

  Cynthia’s face crumpled when Laura mentioned Samuel’s name. She lowered her head and bawled into her hands again. Laura restrained herself from rolling her eyes and sighing. She hoped that she had not been this over-emotional when she’d found out about her beloved James. She’d loved the man with all her heart, but this seemed a bit excessive to her, especially considering that Samuel and Cynthia had not had a good marriage.

  On the other hand, Adam seemed taken in by Cynthia’s show of sorrow. He was still in the bowed position, one
hand on Cynthia’s shoulder. He was looking at her with very sympathetic eyes.

  Laura stood. “It is a five-hour drive for Matthew, right? I can take my wagon. We can travel back right away or in the morning.”

  “Do you think you should be traveling alone?” Adam asked. “You’re going through this yourself. You should be resting.”

  “No, I’ve been doing enough of that. I will be fine going alone. I will get through this.”

  “If you are going, then I will go. I don’t know why you won’t just let Matthew go.” Cynthia made to stand up, but Adam held her down with his hand firmly on her shoulder. She sniffed and dabbed at her face with the handkerchief clutched in her fingers.

  Adam shook his head. “You aren’t going anywhere. This is much too fresh for you. Your mind isn’t clear and it needs to be so that you can tell Joshua what you told me. If you say Samuel confessed, I believe you. Joshua needs to know, don’t you think?”

  “Of course!” Cynthia nodded. “I need to talk to him. I must talk to him.”

  “I will be fine on my own, Cynthia. Thank you for your concern.” Laura looked down at her friend. “He is right. You must rest. You need to clear your mind so that you can answer questions accurately.” She didn’t want Cynthia coming with her anyway.

  Cynthia sniffed and used a handkerchief to wipe her eyes and her nose. “All right, if you think I should stay.”

  “I do.”

  “I will stay then. But please bring Joshua back as fast as you can.”

  “You know I will be quick, Cynthia. I’ll go now.”

  “Mrs. Youngblood!” Adam said forcefully. She stopped and looked at him. His face was very serious. “Be careful.”

  His concern touched her. She nodded and was out the door before they could say another word. She didn’t want to be in the same room as Cynthia at that moment. She wanted to clear her mind and think. The drive to Louisville would provide a needed distraction for her, and she knew that she wanted to talk to Joshua first.

  As she rode the horses at their fastest pace without exhausting them, she realized that she had meant to get the papers from the journal and give them to Adam or Joshua. She wanted Joshua to have them, but Adam was right there, and she’d forgotten. She shook her head. If there was ever a need for those papers… and if Cynthia decided to hide Samuel’s personal business, those papers would never be found. They were needed. What if he hadn’t killed himself? What if someone had killed him, just like they had killed James?

  She really wanted to talk to Joshua, to open up to him about what she was feeling, about the case, and about him. It would be a miracle if she were able to keep a look of longing from her face when she looked up at him. When she told him the events that had just transpired, she knew he was going to be intrigued. There was something more to investigate. Laura knew that the whole case revolved around Cynthia somehow.

  From what she had read in the journal, it was possible that Samuel had killed James. Her suspicion of that fact drove her to take the journal and read it in the first place. Now that he was dead, too, and without any written indication after her husband’s death that he was guilty of the crime, Laura started to wonder if he was also a victim.

  She watched as the sky darkened. It was late afternoon. She would get to Louisville just before nightfall. That was a good thing. She didn’t want to travel by lantern. She trusted her horses, but she didn’t want to be vulnerable on the road in the middle of the night. She was afraid of bandits. She had never had to worry about it before because James had kept her safe. She’d never had to go anywhere alone and certainly not at night.

  Cynthia had said something that Laura thought was strange, but she couldn’t remember exactly what it was. It was just on the edge of her memory, something that had confused her. She ran through the scene, picturing where they had all been when they arrived, first Cynthia, then Adam and Alice, then Doc Brown and the sheriff’s men. Laura had sent messengers to everyone she could think of.

  Cynthia’s tears had been real, Laura was sure. At least some of them were. However, something just seemed off about the whole thing. She’d put on an act in front of Adam, trying to portray her marriage as a happy one. Laura knew different. The journal had told her what life was like behind closed doors at the Whitman house. It was not love and romance.

  She remembered walking with Joshua and talking about themselves. She heard his voice in her head and it felt like she was waiting on the edge of her seat to hear it again. She leaned forward and looked further down the road, staring out into the distance, at houses they passed that led to long fields and landscaping wonders. She saw animals grazing in the distance.

  When what she had been trying to remember came to her, she felt like the dumbest person on the planet.

  Cynthia had been in what looked like total shock when Laura told her what happened. She had turned to Laura and cried, “Who is poisoning our husbands? Who is this murderer?”

  She wouldn’t have said that if Samuel had confessed that he killed James.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  LAURA UNCOVERS THE TRUTH

  LAURA UNCOVERS THE TRUTH

  She could see that lanterns were lit and a fire was going inside the small house. She approached it with great trepidation, hoping that she remembered his address correctly. She’d scribbled it on a scrap of paper before leaving. There were other small cottages along this street. If anyone were to come out and see her knocking on his door, it would look very strange. It already felt strange to her because she was used to being married. She was always alert about keeping a good reputation. This would look odd, she was sure. She looked up and down the street as she approached the cottage.

  She knocked so lightly, she was sure no one inside would hear it. If Joshua was inside. She hoped he was. She inhaled deeply and lifted her hand to knock again. She rapped a little harder this time. Her entire body was tense and she consciously tried to relax.

  Finally, after the third time, the door was pulled open and Joshua stood on the other side, a look of complete surprise on his face. He composed himself and ran one hand through his hair, a startled look on his face.

  “Mrs.… Mrs. Youngblood! What are you doing here? What’s happened?” He took a step backward. “Come in, come in. I know it’s a small cottage, but there’s always room for one more. Please don’t look at the mess. I have been going through some papers. While studying at the academy, I took an interest in chemicals and poisons and the like. We – that is, Nate and I – have been going through some of it.”

  Laura entered the cottage. It had stairs to the right, leading to a second story loft. She was impressed by what she saw. Only the main room had papers scattered all around the floor, as well as drawings of different objects. She didn’t pay much attention to it. It looked like he had been a very busy student.

  “Nate is upstairs. I’ll let him know you’re here. He was cleaning up.”

  Laura grabbed his arm. “Wait, Joshua. I need to tell you what happened. You need to come back to Wickenburg right away. Samuel… Samuel has died, too. Cynthia is saying that he killed James and then killed himself.”

  Joshua looked at her closely. “It doesn’t look like that’s what you believe.”

  Laura shook her head, her eyes never leaving his. “You’re right; I don’t believe it.”

  “I’m glad I had the chance to talk to my friends earlier. I got a lot of these papers from them. Help me gather them up, Laura. We’ll take them back to Wickenburg so that Doc Brown, Uncle Adam and the sheriff can understand what’s happened. It might help us determine who the real killer is in Wickenburg.”

  “Cynthia is insisting you come back as soon as possible.”

  Joshua raised his eyebrows. “Me? Why? She doesn’t know me like she knows Adam. No one knows me like they know Adam. Not in Wickenburg.”

  Laura nodded. “I know. I thought it was a little strange that she kept saying she wanted to talk to you, and only you.”

  Joshua stared stra
ight ahead for a moment, standing still. “It’s odd. But Cynthia is an odd woman. She is a narcissist. I don’t know if you know what that is.”

  Laura shook her head.

  “It’s someone who thinks only of themselves and how they can get further in the world. They will take anyone down if they think it will help propel them forward.” He walked to the bottom of the stairs and called up. “Nate! Come down here when you can! We gotta go back to Wickenburg!”

  They both heard Nate’s voice echo from upstairs. “Already? Not even a night, huh? Never a break for Joshua Crawford. Never a break…”

  They grinned at each other as he continued to mumble and they heard him grunting as he pulled on his boots.

  “I think he must have been napping,” Joshua said quietly. Laura giggled.

  “Joshua, I thought you should know that I’ve been doing some looking around at the Whitman home on my own. I thought there was a good chance one of them… I thought Samuel had done something to James. I want to talk to you about it.”

  Joshua nodded. “I figured you were, Laura. And I’m glad you are finally willing to talk to me about it.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t include you in what I learned. I should have. I hate to think that I might have been able to save Samuel.”

  “We can’t think that way. What is done is done. We must accept it and move on.”

  Laura’s face fell slightly. “Just too many tragedies, Joshua. It’s hard to handle.” She began piling up papers in a stack. He did the same and soon they had two stacks in the middle of the floor.

  “Thank you for helping me with that.” Joshua pulled a leather satchel from next to the desk in the main room. He began to shove the papers into it.