by Renee Ryan
Another beam crashed to the ground, trapping a group of people that had been trying for the back door.
Will didn’t wait to see what the marshal would do. He started for them, looking for something he could use as a tool to move the burning rubble. A discarded buffalo robe lay at his feet. Though the heat was stifling, Will wrapped it around himself to offer some protection from the falling debris. As he got closer to the site, he spotted a pick leaning against one of the tables. Probably belonged to a miner with no place to stay, so he kept his gear with him.
Offering a silent prayer of thanks for the miner leaving it behind, Will grabbed the pick. He swung it through the stack of burning beams to clear a path. Above, more timbers burned, clinging precariously to the beams that held them up. He had only minutes, maybe less, to get these people out of here.
“Come on!” Will set the pick down and held out his hand. “We’ve got to get out of here, now!”
A scantily dressed woman took hold of him, and he pulled her toward the mercifully clear space that would soon be engulfed in flames.
“Head to the window, there!” Will pointed to an open window where it looked as if the marshal was helping people exit.
Will ushered four more women toward the escape, then noticed a man lying in a crumpled heap beside the bar. Hopefully, he wasn’t dead. Will checked the burning timbers. Helping the man was a risk, but he had to believe he still had a chance.
Holding the buffalo robe high above his head, Will made his way toward the bar. As he got closer, he realized that he’d risked his life for Ben.
The man he wanted to kill. Could have killed. Should have killed.
For an instant, it occurred to Will to just leave Ben there, but as the man moaned, Will realized that he had to have been led to find Ben for a purpose. All along, thoughts of vengeance had consumed him, combined with Pastor Lassiter’s words cautioning him that it was a dangerous path to follow.
Could Will let a man die when he’d been clearly led to save him?
Will knelt beside Ben. “Are you hurt?”
Ben coughed. “Got to get to my safe.”
The man was knocking on death’s door, and he was worried about the contents of his safe?
“The ceiling is about to cave in and kill us both. We’ve got to get out of here. Can you stand?”
Ben struggled to get up but quickly fell to his knees. Will put his arm around him and helped Ben stand just as the ceiling collapsed across the path Will was going to take to get them both to safety. Will looked around for an alternative exit. The back door was only a few yards away, but the path was blocked by several burning timbers. Still, if they were quick, they could dodge the timbers and get to the exit.
“Come on!”
Will tugged at the other man, looking around to be sure there weren’t any others in the building. He couldn’t see beyond the wall of fire blocking them in. Please, Lord, he prayed, get everyone out safely.
They arrived at the back door, which was blocked by a burning beam. Ben slumped to the floor as Will looked around for a tool he could use to move the beam safely. Thick smoke clogged his lungs, and Will coughed, pulling the coat more tightly around his mouth and nose. He knew enough about fires to know that if he didn’t get fresh air soon, he wouldn’t be much use to anyone, especially himself.
He spied a rifle lying haphazardly on the floor, probably abandoned by one of Ben’s men in the melee. Hoping the heat wouldn’t ignite any of the powder within, Will grabbed the rifle and used it to poke at the burning beam. The beam practically crumbled underneath the effort.
The fire was hot, too hot to have been caused by two kerosene lamps.
Will glanced up to see more flames rushing toward them. He gave another good swipe at the burning beam, then kicked at the door to open it. Air, fresh, blessed air greeted him. He tugged at Ben. “Come on!”
Will pulled Ben out of the building just as the fiery mass came crashing down. They’d both have a few singed hairs, but at least they were alive.
As Will gulped in the fresh air, he had to wonder why God would put him in a position to save the very man he’d sworn to kill. The man who deserved to die and not be allowed to victimize another human being.
“Don’t think this changes things, Lawson,” Ben gasped. The man could barely breathe, barely talk, and he was still fighting their old battle. “I own the law in all these mining towns. You should’ve let me die, because tomorrow, you’ll be facing a noose. Especially when folks realize you’re responsible for the fire. You’re only a hero if you didn’t start the thing.”
Yup, he should’ve left Ben to die.
“You and I both know that the fire couldn’t have been started by those lamps.”
Ben coughed. “New powder to use in the mines. A spark from one of the lamps must’ve hit the crate holding it.”
He grinned, the flames behind him giving him an eerie, more wicked glow. “But everyone will know you did it. And those girls…they’ll be so desperate for me to keep their names out of it that they’ll do whatever I ask.”
Another cough wracked Ben’s body. “At least I got the contents of one of my safes. Now I really need to marry one of them.”
It took everything Will had in him not to shove the other man back into the burning building.
“Will!”
Will turned to see Jasper running toward him.
“Thank God you got out of there all right. When I saw that ceiling fall in, I was sure you were done for.”
The other man clasped him in a bear hug. “You all right? The doctor’s around front, treating some of the people who were badly burned.”
“I’m fine.” Will patted his friend on the back, then stepped away. “Did everyone get out?”
“As far as we know. We were fortunate. The marshal said that your quick thinking saved a lot of lives.”
“In a fire you caused,” Ben said, his voice raspy and strained with smoke damage.
“That’s a dirty lie!” Jasper started for him, but Will held an arm out.
“Don’t. It’s not worth it.”
Suddenly weary, Will looked for a place to sit. He was tired of fighting. Tired of running. If he met his end at the end of a rope thanks to Ben’s lies, so be it. Will’s conscience was clear. He’d meet his Maker knowing he was innocent and knowing that instead of taking a life, he’d saved it. He trusted the instinct that said his actions honored God, and he’d like to think that, just as it said in Hebrews about faith being a man’s credit to righteousness, God would credit this to Will’s.
If there was anything to regret, it was that he couldn’t tell Mary how he felt about her. In the flames, all he could see was that he loved her. He’d tried to tell himself it was admiration and respect. Sure, those two things played a part in his feelings, because after all, a man couldn’t love a woman he didn’t admire and respect.
Jasper seemed to sense his need and led him to a crate. “Here. You can sit here. The marshal asked us to stick around. I figure we ought to oblige him, given that maybe saving his life might account for something in keeping us out of trouble.”
“That’s not why I saved him.”
“I know,” Jasper said solemnly, nodding in the direction of Ben, who remained lying on the ground. “You’re a good man, Will Lawson. And even if people want to believe the dirty lies about you, there are people who know the truth, people who are honored to call you friend.”
Will thought back to Mary and how he refused to express his feelings for her because he couldn’t give her a respectable life. If he hanged, it wouldn’t matter, because there’d be no life at all. Earlier, Jasper had chided him for not letting his friends help him. For not letting his friends make their own decisions about his character.
If Will had one more chance to see Mary, he’d give her the same opportunity. A woman deserved to know when a man admired, respected and, yes, loved her. Mayhap it would all be for naught, but Mary needed to have the choice.
Will
closed his eyes. The heat from the burning building was almost scalding. Would it feel this way to hang? Or would it be worse?
The crunch of gravel interrupted Will’s thoughts. He opened them to see the marshal standing before him.
“Marshal.”
“Lawson.”
“Ben’s over there. He needs a doctor.” Will barely had the energy to move his head.
The marshal made a motion with his arm, and Will realized a number of men were already tending to Ben.
“Ben says he has evidence that proves your involvement in the Century City robbery.”
“He thinks he does,” Will said slowly. “But a man’s got to wonder how Ben seems to know so much about a crime he didn’t commit.”
The marshal seemed to think for a moment as he gazed at the burning building. “A man does have to wonder. I’ve been following the activities of Ben’s gang for a while now.”
“When I asked for the marshal’s office to look into Ben’s activities, I was told their hands were tied.”
Marshal Whitaker shrugged. “You know we can’t talk about an ongoing investigation. And you were a suspect.”
Were. As though there might be a chance Will was in the clear.
“And now?”
“Seems to me a guilty man would have run. But I’ve been dogging your tail long enough as you’ve tracked Ben to realize that you’ve been doing your best to help us catch him.”
Will watched as a group of men carried Ben off on a makeshift stretcher. By the time the other man told his tale, most people would look at Will with more askance glances than he’d been receiving since the accusations first began. Even if he went to trial and was exonerated, there’d always be some people who thought him guilty. Either way, Will would never be able to walk around without a stain on his honor.
Especially since the marshal hadn’t said Will was off the hook.
“I’ve got Rusty Horton around front demanding your arrest. He claims he’s got definitive proof that you were involved in the bank robbery.”
Will didn’t have the heart to fight it. He pulled aside his jacket to reveal his father’s gun. “This is the gun used in the Century City Robbery. I found it on Colt this evening, and I took it. I reckon it’s my word against his, but until tonight, I haven’t seen the gun since before it was used in the bank robbery.”
The marshal paused in thought again. “I suppose, though, if the evidence burned up in that fire, I wouldn’t have anything to hold you on.”
Will thought about the gun he’d slipped into his holster. He had Jasper to back up his story, even if the law wouldn’t listen to what Mary and Rose had to say. But would it be enough?
“I have too much respect for the law to destroy evidence,” Will said.
With a loud rush, the rest of the building caved in with a burst of flame and smoke.
“It’s not too late,” the marshal said. “I believe you, but I can’t guarantee you’ll get a fair trial.”
The trouble with being convicted by the Holy Spirit to do the right thing was that it didn’t hold any guarantees of not facing human consequences. He had to do the right thing, no matter what the cost.
“I know. But I can’t live with the thought of having to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”
At least this way, Will knew he’d done everything he could to keep his integrity intact.
“I’m gonna have to take you in.” The man said the words slowly, sounding as if he regretted them deeply. But Dean Whitaker was the kind of lawman who followed the law, and as much as he believed in Will’s innocence, he had to follow the evidence.
“Would you be willing to let me turn myself in, in the morning? I’d like the chance to get my affairs in order.”
Will watched the shadows cross the marshal’s face. To let a man accused of bank robbery walk when the safest bet was to take him in was unheard of. But the marshal believed in his innocence. Plus, the first time Will had faced accusations, he’d turned himself in. At the time, he’d stupidly believed that he’d be released after he explained things. That hadn’t happened. He’d only obtained his release after they’d determined they didn’t have enough evidence to hold him. His possession of the gun changed things.
“I’ll give you the gun,” Will said slowly. “If I don’t show up tomorrow morning, my face will be on every wanted poster either side of the Divide.”
The marshal held out his hand. “You’re a good man, Will Lawson. I’ll do what I can to put in a good word for you.”
Will shook the other man’s hand, then pulled out his gun, holding it out so the marshal could take it. “Take good care of this, will you? If I come through this, I’d like to have it back as a reminder of my father.”
“He was a good man, too. Raised you right. Shame about what happened to him.”
The marshal’s words gave Will hope he hadn’t dared hope before. Since his father’s death, not one person had expressed kindness toward the situation. Perhaps others felt the same way but were too afraid, given the high sentiment running against him.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Now I’m going to turn my back, real slow, so’s I can examine the progression of the fire. When I turn around, I’ll expect you to be on your way. I’ve got some deputies due soon, and if they spot you, I’m going to have to bring you in. Understand what I’m saying?”
Will would be leaving the place a wanted man. With just enough time to say his goodbyes before he’d be put in jail to await a trial.
“Thank you.”
The marshal didn’t say anything but turned around very slowly. Jasper grabbed Will’s arm, helping him up.
“Let’s get out of here.”
The men ran, sometimes with Jasper dragging Will’s fatigued body down the street. Fortunately, they weren’t far from the Jackson mansion. Rather than going in through the front, Jasper took him around back through the servants’ entrance.
The entire place was lit up, and Will wondered if coming here was a mistake. It was likely the first place anyone would look. But he didn’t protest as Jasper guided him through the house and into a quiet room.
“You’ll be safe here,” Jasper said, pointing to a bed before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.
Will couldn’t help but collapse onto the bed. Yes, he was safe. For now. But in the morning, he’d be on his way to jail and an uncertain future.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rustling noises around Mary made her wake with a start. She looked around the elegantly appointed sitting room and realized she’d fallen asleep on the couch. Daylight streaked the room, and she saw that the tea tray had been taken away. Emma Jane and Frank had disappeared.
How had she fallen asleep at a time like this?
Mary rose and exited the room, looking for signs of life. The maid who’d attended them last night stepped into the hallway.
“You’re awake,” she said, smiling. “Mr. Jasper would like you to join him in his sitting room. Follow me.”
Mary looked around for signs of life. The entire house remained still. Quiet. Like a tomb. “What about Will? Is he here? Is he all right?”
The maid looked startled. “I can’t say, miss. Mr. Jasper returned alone last night.”
Alone. Tension knotted Mary’s stomach. He wouldn’t have left Will behind. Not unless—
No. She wouldn’t countenance such a thing. Will had to be all right, he just had to be. Now that Mary had finally realized she couldn’t continue punishing herself by denying her own happiness, she had to let Will know her true feelings. She had to tell him that she’d intentionally pushed him away and refused his kindness because she feared falling in love with him.
Of course it was too late to worry about such fears. She’d already fallen in love. And hard. What she’d had with Ben was a girlish infatuation. Now that she knew real love and the sacrifice of an honorable man, she couldn’t settle for anyone less than Will Lawson.
The doctor exited
a room, closing the door behind him. Mary stopped. “How is my sister?”
“Sleeping.” He smiled at her gently. “She’ll be fine. I gave her something to help her sleep, to allow her body to heal. You’ve all been through quite the ordeal. I hope you’ll heed my words and get some rest.”
“Of course.”
Mary continued following the maid down the hall, grateful that her sister was going to be fine but even more eager to hear Jasper’s news. Surely Will was all right.
The maid opened a door at the end of the hall. “In here, miss.”
“Thank you.” Mary smiled at the girl, who’d probably had a rough time with all the excitement. “What is your name?”
“Alice, miss.” The maid curtsied and started to turn away, but Mary stopped her.
“Thank you, Alice. Your help has been much appreciated.”
The maid colored slightly before bobbing another curtsy and walking away. Mary entered the room.
Jasper lay on a sofa, clad in pajamas and a dressing gown. He smiled as she approached. “I apologize for my improper appearance, but mother insists I be treated like an invalid. I’m perfectly fine, I can assure you.”
“Were you badly injured?”
“Nothing a few days’ rest won’t cure.” The impish Jasper grin filled his face, only now it held an air of maturity Mary hadn’t seen in him before.
Their experience had changed him. Changed them all. Which was why talking to Will was imperative.
“Where is Will?”
The grin slipped from Jasper’s face. “He’s safe. For now.”
Jasper gestured to a nearby chair. “Please, sit. I can’t think with you hovering above me.”
Being told that Will was safe didn’t make sense with the way Jasper was acting. If Will was truly safe, he’d be in the room with them.
“Thanks to the sheriff’s words against him, and the discovery of the gun, Will is now wanted by the law. Father has arranged for him to be transferred into custody later today.” Jasper’s voice cracked slightly.
