Instead, it was Thea. She’d come alone, with no Aria, and as she caught sight of Bonnie sitting on the ground, she stopped walking and gasped.
“Oh, Bonnie.” Thea rushed to the cabin and fell to her knees next to Bonnie. “I heard about... about... Steve.”
Bonnie pushed herself to a standing position, ashamed to have been found in such a state. “It’s ridiculous... It...” Bonnie shook her head, too tongue-tied to go on.
“I know.” Thea wrung her hands. “But he will get a fair trial, no?”
“That’s what Sheriff Ross says, but how do I know what to believe?”
Thea looked uncertain.
“Exactly,” Bonnie said.
Thea’s eyes were wet and watery, and the sight made Bonnie’s heart wrench. It was bad enough that she had to suffer through losing Steve. To have others pity her was something she could not bear.
“Don’t,” Bonnie said fiercely. “I am fine.”
“You do not have to put on a brave face...”
Bonnie squared her shoulders. “Except that I am brave. You do not know what I have been through, Thea. Perhaps this is merely another bump in the road.”
Her tone was harsh, and even as she said the words, Bonnie knew she would regret them. The briefest look of hurt flickered in Thea’s eyes before she looked away.
Bonnie buried her face in her palms. “I am sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“It is all right.”
Bonnie dropped her hands. “No, it is not. You have been nothing but a friend to me. It is not right for me to treat you in such a way.”
“You are angry. You have a right to be so.”
Bonnie closed her eyes and shook her head. An awful headache had begun between her eyes, and her temples throbbed.
“He did not do it,” Bonnie whispered. “I know Steve. He could not be capable of such an act.”
“Well, you can say that in court,” Thea said. “Testify on his behalf. And I’m sure any other person who knows Steve will do the same. With enough people...”
“Will that make a difference?” Bonnie looked Thea square in the face. “Really? When all the evidence points toward Steve?”
A new kind of uncertainty appeared in Thea’s face. Did she believe Steve had killed Mr. Hawkins?
Bonnie did not want to know the answer.
“I have to do something,” Bonnie moaned. “I cannot simply sit around.”
“Then do something.”
“But what?” Bonnie smacked her palm against the rough cabin wood. Her skin stung from the impact, but that didn’t quench the desire to keep hitting things.
“You found that bullet,” Thea said. “Which means the area was not well looked over.” She paused. “How did you find it? Were you searching the grass?”
“It was luck. The sunlight caught it at the right angle, I suppose.”
“Well, maybe there are more clues.”
“More bullets?” Bonnie asked dumbly. Her headache made it hard to think straight.
“Maybe something else,” Thea clarified. “Something that points toward the real killer.”
For the first time that day, a spark of hope appeared in Bonnie’s heart.
“I am going there now,” she said, grabbing her shawl and closing the door.
“I will come with you,” Thea said. “Aria is with Jenny for a while yet.”
They hurried through a quiet Whiteridge and to the back of the hotel, where the last of the morning’s dew still clung to the grass in the shade.
Crouching down, Bonnie scanned the grass while Thea looked around the shed. She strained her eyes till they hurt, and minute after minute passed by.
Nothing.
Thea emerged from the shed to help look in the grass. With each inch that they scoured, Bonnie’s heart sank deeper.
Of course, they would find nothing, she realized. The bullet had come to her through a stroke of luck. It was cocky of her to imagine she would get so lucky again.
“There’s nothing,” Bonnie gasped. She went to take a seat in the shed’s doorway, but then remembered it as the place that had ruined her and Steve’s life, and quickly stepped away from the building.
“I’m sorry,” Thea said. “Let’s go into the hotel and have some tea.”
Bonnie shook her head. “Thank you, but I cannot sit still right now.”
Thea nodded. “Wakefield is furious about this. He’s going to do everything he can to free Steve.”
Bonnie could not even manage a fake smile. Wakefield seemed like such a nice man. Steve had many friends in Whiteridge, but did it even matter? What would even a thousand wonderful friends be against the judicial system?
“I need to move. I cannot bear to sit still right now.”
Thea nodded. “Care to visit Margaret? She has gone back to her cabin.”
Bonnie hesitated, but then gave a sharp nod.
At the Hawkins’ cabin, Margaret was outside, beating a rug laid across two stumps. At the sight of Bonnie and Thea, she put the stick down and gave them a terse smile. Her eyes briefly flicked to Bonnie before looking away.
Bonnie paused. Not too long ago, she had felt sorry for Margaret. Now, she almost envied the woman’s life. Her abusive husband was gone forever. She could start over. Perhaps find a man who really valued and cared for her.
It wasn’t that way for Bonnie. There was no moving forward from the nightmare she had found herself trapped in. She was tethered to another’s life by love, chained by his fate just as much as he was.
“Hello.” Margaret’s gaze swept back to Bonnie, and this time it lingered for a moment.
“Cleaning house?” Thea asked in a forced cheery tone.
“Yes. I am leaving. I am going to Pathways. There is a job housekeeping there for me.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Thea said. “When do you go?”
“Next week.”
“And the land here?” Thea asked. “What will become of the cabin?”
“I was thinking I will rent it out to another miner. He... owned it... So I could make some extra income by renting it.”
Bonnie noted that Margaret was hesitant to even say her deceased husband’s name.
“I heard about your fiancée,” Margaret said.
“Word travels fast here,” Bonnie scoffed.
Margaret’s face pinched. “I am sorry.”
“Do you think he did it?” Bonnie asked.
Margaret wasted no time shaking her head. “No. I do not. Why would he? Mr. Huebner is a wonderful man. He stood up for me, and I’m indebted to him for that. And I don’t think he would go and kill my husband to put an end to his cruelty. That’s just too far-fetched. Too extreme. He put fear in my husband with his words. Why go further and put his own life on the line?”
“Exactly,” Bonnie said. Margaret’s agreement unexpectedly eased some of Bonnie’s pain. If nothing else, at least someone else saw things the same way she did.
Thea cleared her throat. “Would you like help with anything? Packing up for a move is an awfully big job.”
“No, thank you,” Margaret said. “I have already gotten rid of... most things.”
Again, Bonnie understood that she did not want to directly mention her deceased husband. Had she tossed out his belongings? Sold them?
Bonnie knew it was harsh, but she did not care if all of Mr. Hawkins’ belongings ended up in a creek somewhere. He had been a horrid man. Not only had he hurt Margaret, but even in his death, he had caused havoc. He’d taken away from Bonnie the only happiness she had.
“We will let you be then,” Thea said.
“Oh, no.” Margaret took a step toward them. “Do not feel you must go. I can take a break from work for a bit. Let’s walk, shall we?”
Thea glanced at Bonnie, and Bonnie nodded. Leaving the rug where it was, the three of them walked behind the cabin and to the woods there. A crystal-clear creek ran parallel to the home, and the trees had more space between them than they did on most of the mountain.
“It is beautiful back here,” Thea commented, laying her hand against an oak tree.
Margaret nodded. “This land will be the biggest thing I’ll miss about Whiteridge.... Well, that and your kindness. You both have been so good to me, and you’re not the only ones. The Mullins took me in when I had nowhere to go.” She looked at Bonnie. “And your husband... I pray for him every morning and night.”
Bonnie’s throat grew thick. “Thank you,” she whispered.
She suddenly felt awful for coveting Margaret’s newfound freedom. The woman had been through so much. Bonnie needed to celebrate the beginning of a new life with her. Also, everything was not as rosy as a first glance made it appear. There was no guarantee that life as a housekeeper in Pathways would be a happy one.
Bonnie leaned against a tree and watched the babbling creek. Part of her wanted to remain in that spot forever. Like Rip Van Winkle, she could lay down and take a nap and allow the years to sleep by.
But what about Steve? He was in a jail cell, suffering. If he was found guilty at trial, he could be executed. Or, at best, sentenced to years in prison.
Bonnie’s life was no longer just about her. Her happiness depended on the well-being of someone else. Steve needed her. She and Thea had not found any more clues at the hotel shed, but that did not mean they weren’t out there.
The killer was somewhere, perhaps on that very mountain. No matter how small it was, there was a chance of him being caught. Bonnie had to remember that, and she had to live for that.
25
25. Bonnie
Chapter twenty-five
Time seemed to stand still by the creek, and Thea and Margaret carried on a conversation that Bonnie only heard snippets of.
“...they seem like a nice family... a three-story house... can you believe that?”
“I never thought I’d see one that big around here.”
“...lots of money coming to the West... hope I’ll do a good job...”
They were talking about Margaret’s new job as a housekeeper. Bonnie knew she should participate in the conversation, but she could not find it within herself to care. Stepping to the creek, she bent down and dipped her fingers in the cool water. It tickled her skin and sent a nice shiver up her arm.
“Bonnie.”
The voice sounded miles away. Bonnie stood and turned. It was Thea who had spoken.
“I must go and pick up Aria,” Thea said.
Bonnie nodded. “I’ll walk with you.”
And then what? What came next? Did Bonnie return to her quiet cabin, to clean house and cook supper for a husband who would not be home that night?
Bonnie kept her eyes on the ground, not wanting the women to see the pain that had surfaced yet again.
“Thank you for coming by,” Margaret said as they entered the front yard.
“If there’s anything you need...” Thea trailed off.
“Thank you. The same to both of you.”
Bonnie felt Margaret’s gaze on her, so she made herself look up and smile gratefully.
“Mrs. Hawkins!”
The three women turned to see a man coming up the road. He had a salt and pepper beard that grazed his chest, and he walked with a slight limp. Bonnie had seen him in town before, but she did not know his name.
“Hello, Mr. Percy,” Margaret said.
“Fine day.” He tipped his hat to the women.
“Mr. Warren Percy,” Margaret said, “this is Thea Briggs and Bonnie Potter.”
“We are acquainted,” Thea said.
Bonnie glanced sharply at Thea. Had there been a note of disdain there? It was hard to say. Thea’s face was impassive.
“Have you given any more thought to my offer?” Mr. Percy asked Margaret.
Margaret did not answer.
“It will be what’s best for you,” Mr. Percy went on. “I know you’re leaving town. That extra money will help you get a new start.”
“I am not going that far away,” Margaret answered, smiling tightly. “But thank you for your... concern, Mr. Percy.”
“Ah. Well, it’s a shame you’re not taking this more seriously. Don’t you think it’s what your husband would have wanted for you? Surely, he couldn’t have left you much other than the land?”
Margaret stiffened. “As of right now, the land is not for sale, Mr. Percy.”
A heavy moment followed, and Bonnie and Thea caught eyes. The conversation they observed seemed to be one that had been going on for a good while.
“You might change your mind,” Mr. Percy said. “You’ll get down to Pathways and see how renting this place out ain’t all you expect it to be. This land needs real care and attention. The kind only an owner who is a man can give it.”
Margaret had grown paler, and she stared back at Mr. Percy with her jaw ticking.
“Excuse me,” Thea said. “But are you looking to purchase the land, Mr. Percy?”
“And it is not for sale,” Margaret said before the man had a chance to answer.
His face turned red. He looked like he was about to say something further, but he glanced at Thea and Bonnie, then turned and walked back down the road without another word to anyone.
Margaret’s frame seemed to shrink.
“He was horrid,” Bonnie spat. Normally, she was not so quick to judge people, but she’d changed that morning. She no longer cared about being cynical. Life was a struggle, and the world was against many good people.
“Aggressive would be a nice way to put it,” Thea said. “But why be nice when it comes to him?”
“It sounds as if you have history,” Bonnie commented.
Thea rolled her eyes. “He comes into the hotel all the time, giving Wakefield trouble about not selling liquor there. And if it is not the lack of liquor bothering him, it is something else. The food. The staff. Name the matter, and he has complained thoroughly about it.”
“He wants the land,” Margaret said grimly. “He has been after it since before I even arrived here.”
“There’s plenty of land around here,” Bonnie pointed out, crossing her arms. “He doesn’t need to come after yours.”
“Yes, but this is nice land,” Margaret said. “It has all that flat area back there. And few rocks.”
Bonnie remembered the creek and the sparse trees. Compared to the rest of the mountain, the area would be easy to clear.
“I am sorry you have to deal with him,” Thea said. “Perhaps he will move away.”
Margaret shrugged. “I will be in Pathways soon, anyway.”
They said goodbye, and Thea and Bonnie walked down the road, in the opposite direction Mr. Percy had gone.
They walked in companionable silence for a bit.
“How are you faring?” Thea asked quietly.
Just the question made Bonnie feel as if her heart was being torn out of her chest. “I need to see Steve.”
“I know,” Thea whispered. “They should let you visit him.”
A tear ran down Bonnie’s face, but she did not go to wipe it away. “I am worried that seeing him in that jail cell will break me.”
Thea sighed. “Oh, Bonnie.”
“But I must go. He needs me.”
“Yes, he does.”
They walked silently for another minute before Thea spoke again. “I can go with you if you want.”
“It is a long trip for Aria,” Bonnie protested. “You already said so yourself.”
“But I would figure something out with her.”
Bonnie looked over at Thea. “You are an amazing person.”
Thea smiled sadly. “You are the same, Miss Bonnie. We are neighbors. And friends, I hope.”
“Yes, of course.”
Thea nodded. “That means I am here for you, no matter what. We have to stick together in the West. Especially us women.”
“I know,” Bonnie whispered.
Jenny’s house appeared, and Bonnie stopped walking, wanting to finish the conversation and pull herself together best she could be
fore seeing anyone else.
“I thought about going today,” she said, “and seeing if they will let me in to see him.”
Her Fearless Love_Seeing Ranch Mail Order Bride Page 14
