by Renee Ryan
“He’s going to jail, Mary. He’ll stand trial for the robbery in Century City as well as for starting the fire at The Pink Petticoat.”
Mary stared at him. “But he didn’t start that fire! Rose and I did.”
“Yes, and you’ll keep quiet about your involvement. Will and I have agreed to take the blame.” Jasper coughed. “Actually, Will insists on taking the entire blame himself. Father is working on getting the top lawyers in the country to take Will’s case, but in the meantime, we’re to keep quiet about what happened. Once we’ve consulted with the lawyers, then we can tell our side of the story to the authorities.”
“But that’s lying.” Mary looked at him, incredulous. “I can’t countenance such a thing. We didn’t mean to burn the place down. Surely they know it was an accident.”
A door creaked open, and Will stepped through. “Please, let me do this, Mary.”
“Will!” She couldn’t help herself. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. “I was so worried.”
As if it were a herculean effort, Will returned the gesture, holding her close to him. “You and your sister won’t survive in a jail cell. Especially not with the power Ben’s gang holds. I’ve talked with Mr. Jackson, and he believes we can find enough evidence to exonerate me, both of the fire and the robbery. But you have to be patient and do as I ask.”
His breath fanned her hair, and Mary didn’t want him to let her go. The safest Mary had felt in a long time was right here, in Will’s arms, and the thought of him going to jail for her, even temporarily, was unbearable.
“But what of Ben’s threats of a lynch mob?”
Will let her go and looked into her eyes. This man had never let her down, and as she looked at the light shining in his dark orbs, she knew she could trust him.
“The marshal is on our side. Between his men and the men Mr. Jackson hired, I’ll be perfectly safe. There’s still a chance that the jury will convict me, but we’ve already got people working to ensure I have a fair trial.”
Though she supposed Will meant to comfort her, it all seemed such an impossibility. Not with the kind of weight Ben carried in this region. He was the slickest of criminals, and he’d managed to evade being caught so many times.
“What about Ben?”
Will smiled. “He was found with a number of stolen gems in his possession when he escaped the fire. He’s got some explaining of his own to do.”
At least Ben was finally getting what was coming to him—as long as he didn’t wiggle his way out of it.
Still, at the hope shining in Will’s eyes, Mary had to trust that things would work out. After all, they’d come this far.
“Will, I have to tell you—”
“No.” His eyes took on an unfamiliar look. “I have some things I need to say first. The marshal’s men will be here any time now, and I have to go with them as soon as they arrive. I need to leave with a clean conscience.”
Go. Perhaps never to return. Those thoughts burned in Mary’s chest, even as she fought to cling to hope.
“I care for you, Mary. I’ve fought my feelings because I didn’t think it was right declaring myself to a woman when I had no honor to give her. But I’ve come to realize that honor isn’t about what others think of you, but of being right in the eyes of God. I had the chance to let Ben die, and I didn’t.”
Mary couldn’t imagine a more honorable man standing before her, even if he had allowed Ben to die. But she continued listening, giving him the chance to say what he needed to say.
“So I am declaring my love for you, Miss Mary Stone. I love you, and I hope someday to be able to give you my name. It may not be a name most people think of as being a good name, but I hope it will be good enough for you.”
Unbidden, tears streamed down her face.
“Of course it’s good enough for me. I’d be proud to carry your name and give you sons to carry on what is the noblest name I have ever known. I hadn’t dared hope to find a man I loved. I thought I owed it to my family to make up for what I’ve done by devoting my life to them. But I don’t need to serve any penance for sins the Lord has forgiven. I love you, too, Will.”
Will kissed her then, and as she melted into his arms, the sounds of the deputies coming to arrest him clanged in her ears. But Mary didn’t care. As her heart swelled with love for the man kissing her, and the peace of God settled around them, she knew that in the end, it would all work out according to God’s plan.
*
Several hours later, as Will sat in a Leadville jail cell, he wasn’t so sure that turning himself in had been the best idea. Colt had been locked in the cell next to him, and he was looking for a fight.
“You know we’ll both hang, Law-lost-his-badge.”
“I’m counting on the evidence to say otherwise.” Will turned his back and laid on the uncomfortable cot.
“I heard you saved Ben from the fire.”
Will grunted, then closed his eyes. Saving Ben wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. He’d made his peace on that issue with Mary and God, the only two people whose good opinions of him mattered.
“That was pretty stupid, considering Ben’s just going to testify against you.”
He’d figured, but at least with all of Ben’s other crimes, that testimony wouldn’t matter as much. Will had put his trust in the Lord, and while he didn’t understand why events had happened the way they had, he had to trust in the Lord’s good purpose.
“Is it true Ben killed Mel?”
This question made Will sit up and look at Colt. “What’s it to you?”
“I know what she did for a living, but she was still my girl. Mel was a good woman, and as soon as I had the money, I was gonna set her up real nice.”
“By stealing from other people?”
Colt grunted. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Will jumped up and approached the other man. “You’re right. I don’t understand. Tell me why I’m sitting here in this jail when you know as well as I do that I had nothing to do with that robbery. Tell me how you ended up in possession of my father’s gun, a gun someone who wasn’t me used to kill an innocent man. And then tell me how all that adds up to giving a decent woman like Mel a better life.”
Despite knowing it was wrong to engage Colt, Will couldn’t help it. Mel shouldn’t have had to die.
“You tell me it was Ben, and I’ll give them everything they need to hang him.”
Those words should have brought Will the comfort he needed. One word, and Colt would give the authorities the testimony they needed to end Ben’s reign of terror once and for all. The trouble was, Will wasn’t sure that word was the truth.
Yes, Ben had fired, but he’d claimed it was only to scare Jasper. Ben’s men had also fired their weapons. So, whose bullet had hit Mel? Will couldn’t definitively say. He’d been too busy trying to keep Mary safe.
It hadn’t been right to let Ben die in the fire, just as it wasn’t right to give Colt the answer he sought.
All Will had to say was yes, and everything Will had come to Leadville for would be accomplished. Ben would face justice. Will’s name would be cleared. He could give Mary the honorable life he’d hoped to be able to give a woman someday. But there’d forever be a stain on his soul.
Will looked at the other man, whose face looked more worn than Will had ever remembered seeing it. His grief was real.
“She betrayed you, you know. By helping us.”
Colt nodded slowly, as if he still couldn’t believe Mel would do such a thing. “What’d you have on her?”
“Nothing. She was trying to find out what Ben had done with her sister.” If anything good could come of this conversation, maybe it would be that they’d finally find where Ben’s gang was keeping Daisy.
“I didn’t know she had a sister.” Darkness flitted across Colt’s eyes. “Why wouldn’t she have told me?”
“Because her sister’s the pretty plum Ben used to tempt me in Century City. Mel didn’t know if she could trust you.”
Colt’s face crumbled. Not in the way a pretty girl started to cry, because there were no tears. Just the utter devastation of a man who had nothing more to lose—or gain.
“I wish she’d told me.”
The calmly spoken words were unlike anything Will had ever heard from the other man. He sounded almost…human. Even the cold-blooded killer who’d struck fear into the hearts of many a lawless town had loved another, and loved her deeply.
Could Will play on that love to get the information they needed to find Daisy?
“All Mel wanted was for Daisy to be taken care of. It’s why she took up the life she did. Why she came to Leadville.”
“She’ll be taken care of just fine. Ben’s seen to that.” Colt eyed Will as though he dared him to say otherwise.
“An outlaw’s life is no life for a woman. Mel wanted better for Daisy. If you loved her, you’d grant her dying wish.”
The disgust on Colt’s face was unmistakable. “I ain’t no rat.”
“You’d put your loyalty to Ben over Mel’s dying wish?”
“It’s not Ben I’m protecting. But if he killed her…” Colt turned his head, and Will caught a glimpse of him wiping at his eyes.
Once again, Will wished he could tell Colt what he wanted to hear. Especially when Colt turned to him with red-rimmed eyes. “You’re not going to tell me who killed her, are you?”
Answers. Funny how regardless of which side of the law a person was on, all anyone ever wanted was answers. Not even Will had the ones Colt sought.
“I honestly don’t know. Ben and his men were all shooting, and I was too busy trying to get Mary to safety to see who shot who. All I know is that when the dust settled, Mel was dead.”
He left out the part about her saving Jasper. The last thing Jasper needed was for Colt to decide to hold him responsible. There seemed to be too many vendettas going around these days.
“He deserves to hang, you know.”
Will swallowed. All he’d been able to think about for months was Ben’s body swinging from the gallows. And now… “I suppose that’s for a judge and jury to decide.”
“You know he won’t live long enough for a trial. Folks are already outside clamoring to see Ben’s neck in a noose. I heard tell that he stole from some mighty important people.”
How could Colt discuss the case as though they were sitting in a parlor discussing town gossip over tea? Especially when Colt had been part of it all?
“I guess you’d know more about that than I would.”
Colt snorted. “I suppose you want me to be sorry for what I did. Look, I never stole from no one who couldn’t spare the loss, and I never killed a man who didn’t deserve killing.”
In some ways, Will could relate to Colt. Not so much in the stealing part, but hadn’t Will himself thought Ben worthy of killing? The good Lord had seen fit to remind Will of what was right, before Will had the chance to take the man’s life; but as Will looked upon the other man’s remorseless face, Will prayed that Colt would understand the love of God for all of His people.
“God loves you, you know.”
Colt stared at him as if he’d gone daft.
“I rightfully earned my spot in the hereafter. I’m not going to get all religious and pretend otherwise. The Lord ain’t never had a place for me in His life, and I reckon I ain’t never had room for Him in mine. It’s nothing personal.”
“I used to think the same thing,” Will said quietly. “But I learned that God loves all kinds. If He could love Paul, who persecuted the early church before becoming a follower himself, then why can’t He love sinners like us?”
Colt walked over to his bed and sat down. “I s’pose if you consider yourself a sinner, then that’s all good and well. But I didn’t choose the life I led. It chose me.”
He stared at Will as though he expected a fight. But this wasn’t Will’s battle. Given that Colt uttered the same words Mel once had, Will knew the battle was bigger than that. It was waging in Colt’s soul, and Will could only pray that, somehow, the truth of Will’s words, of God’s word, would get into Colt.
Before today, Will would have never believed Colt wasn’t a bad person. But seeing Colt’s love for Mel, combined with the self-righteousness of feeling as if he’d been acting in some warped form of justice, made Will realize that Colt was just as lost as the rest of them.
“Just remember it’s never too late. To let God in, or to tell me where I can find Daisy. She’ll have a good, honest life with us. The pastor has promised to help with that.”
“Maybe she likes the life she has.”
With that last defiant statement, Colt lay down and rolled on to his side so his back was to Will.
Will had done his best. Tried talking sense into Colt, but Colt felt too much justification in his actions. All Will could do was leave it in the Lord’s hands, and that was enough.
Turning to sit onto his own bunk, he watched as the door to the cell area opened, and Marshal Whitaker entered.
“Lawson. You’re free to go.”
He opened the cell, but Will didn’t come forward. “Am I going to be back in here in a few days when there’s more evidence against me?”
“Is there evidence against you?” The marshal cocked an eyebrow at him.
Colt’s bed rustled, and Will turned to see the other man coming to where their cells met. “None that wasn’t manufactured.”
“That’s what I thought.” Marshal Whitaker nodded and held his arm out toward the door. “A diamond necklace from the Century City bank robbery was sewn into the lining of Ben’s coat. Sheriff Rusty Horton has a few stolen items of his own to explain. Between that and some other evidence we’ve found, I think I can safely say you won’t be back in here anytime soon.”
Marshal Whitaker looked over at Colt. “As for you, well, I’m not sure I’ll be able to say the same.”
Colt shrugged and went back to his cot. Before Will could say anything, Mary burst into the room.
“I know they said I should wait out there, but I am not waiting another minute to see my fiancé.”
Will held out his arms, and though it was hardly the proper thing to do, he held Mary close. “I am so glad God gave me this chance.”
She smelled of lilacs and summer, even though fall was upon them and they’d soon be knee-deep in snow. Will wasn’t a man for fancy notions, but if he had to say what blessings smelled like, this was the scent he’d choose.
Marshal Whitaker cleared his throat. “Speaking of chances, I got word from Mayor Harris that they’re looking for a new sheriff in Century City. He feels real bad about siding with Rusty against you, considering it was Rusty all along.”
After giving Mary a final squeeze, he turned to look at the marshal. Just a few weeks ago, this would have been the very opportunity Will would have desired, even though he’d have never believed it possible.
“I appreciate the offer. But I need to stay in Leadville to help my fiancée and her family.”
He held out his hand to the marshal and was given a firm shake in return.
“You ever need a job, you let me know, and I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“Thanks.”
He turned his gaze back on Mary, whose eyes were shining more brightly than any silver pulled out of the hills. “I mean that, Mary. I’m here for you. And your family. Especially that rascal Daniel I keep hearing stories of.”
The loving but exasperated smile Mary rewarded him with confirmed to Will that he was making the right decision. As much as the events leading up to this point had made him question his life and his faith, they’d brought him to this place of complete and utter peace.
There was no place he’d rather be than here, now, with Mary.
Sounds of the jail around him reminded him that perhaps here wasn’t exactly right.
“Shall we?” Will held his arm out to his bride-to-be.
Arm in arm, they walked out of the jail. Will, a free man, without the stain of his pa
st or the accusations that had once followed him. And Mary, a woman of such strong faith and willingness to face her past that Will could hardly believe himself worthy of such a blessing.
Epilogue
It was a fine day for a hanging. Or at least that was what the good people of Leadville kept saying. For Mary Stone, however, there was no joy to be found in this day. As Will put his arm around her, they silently walked away from where the crowd had gathered to watch the vigilantes hang Ben. The warmth of his arm reminded Mary that she did, indeed, have something to be joyful about.
Becoming Mrs. Will Lawson, which she would be in just a few short months. The weather was getting colder, and with his mother’s health, they’d agreed to wait until spring so she could attend the wedding.
“This wasn’t justice,” Will said as he led her away from the scene. “There should have been a trial, and Ben should have been convicted by a jury of his peers.”
As if to confirm Will’s words, an icy wind hurled down the mountains, causing Mary to shiver.
“We should get you home. There’ll be snow by morning.” His gentle smile reminded her of the last snow they’d gotten and how, despite everything, it had brought them closer together.
Daniel and Nugget ran past them, but just as Mary started after them, Will pulled her closer.
“They’ll be fine. Joseph and Annabelle are up ahead, so they won’t let those two get far. Best to let them get all their running out now, before the snow hits.”
Having a man around had helped Mary’s younger brother. Though Daniel was still often far too energetic, Will was giving him a fine example of how a gentleman should act. Joseph, too, now that he and Annabelle were back from their honeymoon.
When Mary had confessed all to Joseph, he’d been angry at first, but mostly hurt that she’d tried to do so much on her own. Even her relationship with Rose was improving, now that all of Mary’s sins were in the open. Despite everything, they were still sisters, and they still needed each other.
Not perfect, of course, Mary thought wryly as she adjusted her cloak against another gust of wind. Rose had been cross with her for leaving her to tend Bess, who was home sick with a cold. But Will had been asked to come to the sheriff’s office today, and he’d wanted Mary to accompany him.
