When she’d threatened Ben with going to the sheriff, he’d laughed and told her that no one would believe her innocence. In fact, all the evidence pointed to the fact that she’d been a willing accomplice to his crimes. How could she have known that when she was inviting her suitor in to visit while she worked cleaning houses, she was inviting in a thief? The so-called family heirlooms she’d hidden in her home because Ben had asked her to keep them safe for him were actually stolen property. Worse were the gifts she’d accepted from him. While she’d tried making up for it by donating all she could of her newfound wealth to charitable causes, she still felt the stain of having possessed ill-gotten goods. She’d blindly believed in Ben and everything he’d told her. Too bad it had all been a lie.
* * *
Will Lawson admired Miss Stone’s purposeful stride into the main lobby of the hotel. Pursuing her farther would only cause a scene, and with the looks they’d been getting at the door, he’d already pushed too far.
So close.
Mary Stone was the closest he’d been able to get to Ben Perry and his gang, and she refused to cooperate. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He’d gotten close once before, but he’d put his trust in the wrong person and ended up with a bullet in his gut, his badge taken away and any hope of respectability—gone.
Still, Miss Stone wasn’t what he’d expected. While she was comely enough, with hair the color of pure coal and alabaster skin that hadn’t yet been damaged by the mountains, she hardly looked the part of the sort of lady the notorious outlaw would be interested in. Reed-thin, not nearly as buxom as Perry typically preferred. And she seemed to possess a more genteel spirit than the bold women Perry cavorted with.
So, what was Perry’s game?
Miss Stone spoke to the man at the counter, not looking in Will’s direction or acknowledging him. Almost as though she didn’t want anyone to know of their encounter. Which fit in with her reticence, but why?
What was Miss Mary Stone hiding?
When she finally left, Will headed for the hotel saloon, hoping he’d see a familiar face in the crowd. Ben Perry preferred the finer things in life, which in this town meant staying at the Rafferty Hotel.
Bold as the brassiest woman of the night, Perry sauntered right up to Will as soon as he stepped through the saloon door, as though he wasn’t a wanted man in dozens of places.
Trouble was, Will didn’t have the power to arrest him. Not anymore.
“I thought they’d taken your badge, Lawson.” Perry gave a short, barking laugh. “Lawson. Still gets me. You should change your name to Law-lost-his-badge.”
Will balled his fists at his sides but forced himself to take the taunt. Yes, he’d messed up the Colorado Citizens Bank case, and, yes, he’d let Ben get away. But Will would find a way to take down Ben Perry and his gang once and for all. Even if stopping Ben didn’t get Will’s badge back, at least there’d be one less evildoer on the street.
“Did you have something to say, other than to be childish?” Will glared at the other man, wishing there was something he could do besides follow Ben around and wait for him to strike.
Sure, Will could try to turn Ben in to the local authorities, but the price on Perry’s head wasn’t enough to make it worth anyone’s while. At least not on the petty crimes they could prove.
Will’s fault.
Will should have known that someone as pretty as Daisy Bostwick wouldn’t have been interested in a man like him unless she wanted something. He just never figured that she’d be working for Ben Perry.
“Wondering what you’re still doing this side of the Divide.” The casual tone of Ben’s voice was almost menacing. “I figured you’d hightail it out of these parts now that you’ve lost everything.”
A nasty smile crossed Ben’s lips. “Your poor mama. I can’t imagine how lonesome she must be, taking in the waters at Glenwood all by herself.”
Will tightened his fists at his sides. Not a man alive would blame him for laying Ben out flat. The rumors swirling around Will’s involvement with the Colorado Citizens Bank robbery had caused Will’s mother to take ill and retreat to Glenwood Springs.
Will was innocent. But the gun used to rob the bank and kill an innocent man was Will’s distinctive weapon—the weapon used by one of the masked robbers. Because the robber’s features had been hidden and the robber was the same height as Will, many had thought the robber had been Will.
Will’s gun had gone missing from his rented rooms the day before the robbery. Will hadn’t had a chance to report it yet. He’d left early that day because Daisy had sent him a note saying she’d finally found a way to run away from Ben and needed his help. And of course, Will would help her.
It was all a lie. A lie that had Will arriving back in town just in time to make it look as if he’d been helping Ben’s gang.
Though he hadn’t been charged in the crime due to insufficient evidence, everyone thought Will had been guilty. No one believed his gun had been stolen. No one believed that Will had been set up. But someday, Will would prove that Ben had been behind the robbery. Ben had pulled the trigger, and Ben would hang for it.
“My mother is perfectly well.” Will’s jaw barely allowed the words to escape.
“Glad to hear it.” Then, as if to prove to Will exactly what kind of vermin he was, Ben turned and said, “I’ll be sure to give your regards to Daisy.”
With a wink, Ben headed out of the saloon, whistling.
Ben might believe he was untouchable. For now, Will would go on letting him presume that. Better for a man to think he had the upper hand and get cocky than to have him be on his guard.
When the marshals had raided Ben’s previous boardinghouse, they hadn’t had enough men to both give chase and search Ben’s belongings. So Will had hunted for evidence. Ben was too good to leave much in the room, but Mary’s current address written on a sheet of paper left with the letters had been enough to at least give Will an idea as to where Ben might be headed next.
Mary Stone might say she didn’t know anything about Ben, but the fact that Ben had kept her letters told Will that the outlaw still had some interest in her. Ben didn’t keep things for sentimental purposes.
The marshals hadn’t done much to stop Ben anyhow, so it was up to Will to fix his mistake in letting Ben get away the first time. Ben had a scheme in mind, and Mary Stone was right at the center.
If only he had the missing pages from the letters. Then he might be able to see the full extent of Mary’s involvement.
The shadows behind Mary’s eyes had spoken of a deeper fear than just meeting a stranger. He’d seen the same shadows behind Daisy’s eyes just before she’d shot him. Daisy, whom he’d thought so noble and pure. Not so.
Mary seemed like an innocent girl. But he’d been deceived once before. He wouldn’t make the same mistake he had with Daisy. If Mary was involved, he’d have no problem helping the authorities put her away in a jail cell.
Chapter Two
Mary stirred the pot of beans before dishing out a serving to the miner who stood before her in the churchyard. “Here you go. Polly’s got some cookies over there if you’d like one.”
A smile peeked out from his bushy mustache. “Thank ye kindly.”
The next miner approached, and Mary barely glanced up as she dished out another serving. “Enjoy. If you want some cookies—”
“I don’t want cookies. I want to talk to you.”
Him. Mary glanced around to be sure the rest of her family was busy with their tasks before looking at Will Lawson. “I already told you, I have nothing to say. Now, please go, before someone notices.”
“I hear you made these beans,” Will said with a twinkle in his eyes. “And I aim to enjoy them, then when folks clear out, I will talk to you.”
Not if she could help it. Mary looked down the line to s
ee a number of others waiting to be served. At least it would give her time to figure a way out of this confrontation.
“Fine. Have your fill.” Mary plopped more beans on his plate.
“You know I want more than beans from you.” He touched her hand, sending a small jolt through her body.
Oh, she knew what that jolt was. Mary looked hard into Mr. Lawson’s eyes, letting him see that she was not affected by his charm. Not one whit.
The one good thing about her time with Ben was that she’d learned a lot about the way men thought they could get a woman to do their bidding with a pleasing look and flirtatious smile. And she wasn’t falling for it. Not now. Not ever again.
Only, the steely expression Mr. Lawson gave her in return was far from flirtatious. In fact, he looked deadlier than an unexpected blizzard in winter—and just as cold.
“I can’t help you,” Mary said slowly, quietly, trying not to draw attention to the conversation. “Please, go.”
Mr. Lawson’s gaze remained firm. “I’ll be waiting when the meal’s over. Talk to me, or I’ll be speaking with Pastor Lassiter about finding assistance.”
Mr. Lawson didn’t seem the type to make idle threats. And while Mary knew that Frank Lassiter preached forgiveness, she wasn’t sure she deserved it.
She’d done so many bad things in the name of love. No, she hadn’t known the various baubles she’d sold on Ben’s behalf were stolen, but she knew the law wouldn’t see it that way. And if there was one thing she knew for certain about Frank, it was that he believed in owning up to one’s mistakes and facing the consequences. If he knew the truth, he’d make Mary turn herself in.
How could Mary risk going to jail when her only crime was believing Ben’s lies?
When her brother Joseph had discovered the silver mine, making her family wealthy, she’d tracked down every family Ben had stolen from and anonymously made restitution. They didn’t know it was Mary, of course, but surely it was enough. Everything had been returned to the victims, as best as Mary knew how.
But for people to actually know what she had done?
Her family needed her. More important, now that her family was linked to the pastor’s through Joseph’s marriage to Annabelle Lassiter, they needed Mary’s reputation to be untarnished. Who would welcome Mary into their homes, knowing what she’d done? And how much damage would it do to Frank’s ministry?
Jail and pariah-hood. That was what Mary faced if the truth came out. Yet here stood Will Lawson, thinking he could just stare his way into ruining lives.
“So, what’s it going to be?” he asked, not breaking his stare.
“Meet me after. I’ll slip out, and we can talk over by the fence.”
She’d become good at slipping away and meeting with people undetected. Well, a person. Ben. She’d vowed to be different now that she knew the truth. But here she was, sneaking around again.
Would she ever be free of her past?
“You’re holding up the line!” Ernie, one of their regulars, shouted from the back.
Mary didn’t bother hiding her relief as Mr. Lawson moved on. She continued serving the men in line, giving Ernie an extra portion for his patience. He rewarded her with a toothless grin.
“I’ll be naming my next big strike after you, Miss Mary.”
“I’m honored,” she told him, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She already had a mine named after her—by her father, who had done unspeakable things in pursuit of those riches.
At least Ernie didn’t have a family back home relying on him. Like her father, he put every dime he had into prospecting. If it wasn’t for the church feeding him on a regular basis, Mary had no idea how the poor man would survive.
She watched as Ernie took a seat among some of the other men, grimacing as she realized he’d sat right next to Mr. Lawson. Mr. Lawson caught her eye, and she turned away.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Mary Stone.” The familiar drawl jerked her attention to the man standing before her.
Ben Perry. The reason her life was in such disarray.
“What are you doing here?” she said, looking around again to be sure none of her family noticed that two of tonight’s visitors, both of questionable character, knew Mary.
“Now, that’s not the way to treat a man you promised to marry.”
His voice slid down her spine, making the hairs on her arms stand on end.
“I sent you a letter ending things.” Mary looked around. A letter, she realized, that Will Lawson now had in his possession.
Fortunately, Frank was engaged with a group of men, eating and talking. Her siblings all seemed to be occupied with their respective tasks. Even Polly, her friend and possibly the only confidant she’d consider telling, was busy.
“Please, leave,” she told him in the harshest voice she could muster without drawing too much attention to herself.
Gone was the charming smile he’d used to lure her in. Something evil glittered in his eyes as he said, “I don’t think so.”
Then, in a voice so loud it would have been impossible for anyone not to hear, he said, “My darling Mary, I’ve finally found you.”
Ben looked as though he was about to try to embrace her, so Mary did the only thing a woman in her situation could do. She dumped the plate of beans square down the front of his shirt.
“You will regret that.” His voice remained low and menacing, all while he was putting on an act of the charming, debonair man she’d once fallen for.
“Dear, sweet Mary. You’re so overcome with joy that your clumsiness has come upon you again.”
People began surrounding them. Polly was first at her side. “Mary! I can’t believe it. A secret beau!”
Somehow she found herself brought around the table and next to Ben with his arm around her.
“My Mary made me promise to wait until she’d heard news from her brother. I left only briefly to find a job to support us, but when I returned, Mary was gone, and it’s taken me all this time to find her.”
Mary’s eyes narrowed at the vile man pretending to be the loving suitor. What was he up to? When she’d refused to participate in his foul plans, he’d cast all sorts of insults at her.
“Imagine my surprise at finding her here, her brother building the family a fine home down the block, the pillars of Leadville society caring for the poor.”
Of course. Ben knew they had money. What he’d stolen back in Ohio hadn’t been enough to keep him long. So now he was here, trying to get himself a rich bride.
Mary removed herself from Ben’s grasp, noticing that Mr. Lawson had wound his way to the front of the crowd that had gathered. At least now he wouldn’t be confronting her. He’d said he’d wanted to find Ben. Well, here he was.
“That was a long time ago, Ben. So much has happened since we last saw each other.” She gave him a long, hard look. “I’m afraid it wouldn’t be right to take up where we left off.”
“So, that’s how it is.” Ben gave a long, exaggerated sigh. “Now that she’s a wealthy heiress, she doesn’t want anything to do with a lowly workingman, taking what odd jobs he can to support himself.”
With a long look of sadness that she couldn’t believe the others didn’t see through as being completely fake, he continued, “Back in Ohio, Mary said that love was all we needed. But now that she’s had a taste of the good life, she can’t bear the thought of a simple rented room.”
Oh, the nerve of the man... Mary shook her head, wishing she could ask God for a way out, but knowing that since her sin was what had gotten her here in the first place, God wasn’t likely to offer his assistance.
Of course!
Mary gave him what she hoped was a look of deep regret, then turned her attention to the crowd. “While it’s true that at one point I may have had feelings for Be
n, I’ve had time to grow and reflect upon my relationship with the Lord. Given that Ben doesn’t have a relationship with Christ, it isn’t right for us to be together.”
Of all the things Ben most despised, it was anything to do with the church. In her foolishness, she’d thought that by loving Ben, she could get him to love the Lord, but in the end, it had only rent a hole in her own faith that she wasn’t sure could ever be repaired. At least that was one mistake she’d not repeat.
Ben stepped in front of her and clasped her hands with such fervor she thought they’d break. “Oh, Mary darling, then all your prayers have been answered, because I’ve been going to church.”
More lies, she was sure, but with the oohs and aahs from the gathered crowd, she wasn’t going to let him get away with it.
“Which one?” The words came out more peevish than she would have liked, but she simply couldn’t allow anyone, least of all Ben, to think they had any future.
His grip on her hands tightened, making her wince with pain. “Lots. I’ve been moving around, searching for you. But now that I’ve found you, and I see what a wonderful job this church is doing for the poor, I believe I’ll be staying.”
She knew she’d been beaten. The only way out was the truth, and by the way everyone had all fallen under Ben’s spell, Mary knew that not one of them would believe it. An accomplished thief and scoundrel, Ben knew all the tricks of worming his way into people’s hearts.
“Please,” she whispered, “don’t do this. Just go, and I promise, we’ll talk later.”
But Ben didn’t release her hands. “I could never bear to leave my beloved’s side.”
He bent, and as he kissed her hand, he whispered, “I still have your aunt’s brooch. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll be sure it’s found in your possession.”
Every hope of getting out of this situation undamaged shattered. To Ben, it was just a brooch he’d stolen. From what she’d seen in the satchel that night, one of many. But to Mary, it was one more reminder of how she’d failed her family and wreaked so much havoc on their lives.
The Lawman's Redemption (Leadville, Co. Book 2) Page 2
