What was he thinking?
That was exactly the kind of disastrous thinking that had gotten him shot in the first place.
“Thank you,” Mary said quietly, making his insides quiver.
If she could be avoided, he would run as far away as possible. Mary was not the kind of distraction he needed. And yet, she might possibly have the information he needed to finally apprehend Ben Perry.
Chapter Eight
The smell of hay and dust hung thickly in the air, tickling Mary’s nostrils.
The rancher who came to their aid had a small spread, with a small cabin, not big enough for all of them. So they were dispatched to the barn. When it came time to retire, the men would be able to bunk with the rancher’s hired hands, and the women would have the barn to themselves. From what Will had said, the women were getting a much more comfortable place to stay than the men. Though she heard some of the girls complaining, it wasn’t nearly as bad as what she’d lived through in the past. And after being in the rain for so long, it felt so good to finally be dry that she didn’t care.
The rain had finally slowed to a gentle drizzle, and most of their party was huddled around a small fire the men had built to take the chill off.
“Why aren’t you with the others?” Will asked, appearing beside her.
She glanced at him, noting how his hair had started to curl slightly at the base of his neck as it dried. It seemed as though he grew more handsome every time she saw him. Certainly he’d grown in her regard with the evenhanded way he’d handled their detour.
And the way he looked at her... Warmth shone in his eyes, as if he actually cared. For a brief moment, it reminded her of the way her brother Joseph looked at her, only it was somehow...warmer.
“I’m not cold.” Mary watched as one of the girls fumbled with the blanket she’d been given. There hadn’t been enough for everyone, but Mary was grateful for even this small shelter.
Polly and Rachel glanced her way, then giggled before turning away. Mary tried not to groan, but enough creaked out that Will caught it.
“I’m sorry. I keep trying to be nice to you, but again, it seems like I’ve stirred up more talk.”
How had she not noticed that he had a decent side to him? If not for his connection to Ben, she could almost imagine herself feeling something for him. They might even be able to be friends.
Will left her side and went to join the others. She watched as he shook his head at whatever Polly said to him. Polly glanced her way again. Mary probably ought to rejoin her friend, but she couldn’t bear the thought of having to endure any more teasing about Will. She offered a smile, then looked around at the others. Emma Jane stood alone at the edge of the fire.
Instead of joining Polly and the others, Mary walked over to Emma Jane. “Are you getting dry?”
“Enough.” Emma Jane shrugged and looked in the direction of Jasper. “He’ll never marry me, will he?”
Given his earlier reaction to Emma Jane, probably not. “Maybe if you got to know him and he got to know you—as people, not as a woman hunting a husband...”
Mary didn’t want to elaborate, lest she give the poor girl false hope.
“I don’t have the luxury of getting to know him. Everyone likes Jasper, so I’m sure I will, too.” A dark look crossed Emma Jane’s face. “Not that it matters. He hates me.”
The group by the fire laughed, a joyful sound that drew Mary’s attention, just in time to see Jasper tug on someone’s deflated curl.
“Why can’t I be pretty like Flora?” The words came out like a half sob.
Mary hadn’t yet gotten to know Flora, so she couldn’t speak to the other girl’s character. “Surely there should be more to a person than their looks. Or, in Jasper’s case, their money. Don’t you want a husband who has qualities you respect and admire? Someone who loves you and you love back?”
Oh, what a mistake she would have made in marrying Ben. Yes, he was handsome and charming, but she couldn’t pinpoint a time when he’d done something she respected and admired. As for love, perhaps she’d been too hasty in claiming such affection for the man.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Emma Jane grumbled. “I heard the other girls talking about how you have a fiancé already, and here you are making eyes at Will. You have options. With your brother’s wealth, you don’t need to marry for money.”
How many times would she have to deny her relationship with Ben before people accepted it? And if they did, would he carry out his threat of blaming her for the theft of her aunt’s brooch?
Oh, to be able to shout out the truth so everyone here would leave her alone. She was not going to marry Ben. She was not involved with Will. Honestly! Though she’d always feared dying a spinster, it would almost be worth it if it came with the blessed silence from gossip.
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” Mary finally told her. “I would gladly trade places with you, only I would never wish my circumstances on anyone. Be grateful for Jasper’s lack of interest and your poverty.”
The irony of her situation wasn’t lost on Mary. If she’d remained poor, Ben wouldn’t be pursuing her so strongly.
“You don’t understand what it’s like to have nothing.” Emma Jane’s face contorted in pain. “My family—”
“I do understand. We’ve only been wealthy for a few months. Before that, we lived with an aunt who forced us to work on her farm in place of hired hands. We were barely fed, barely clothed, and in addition to doing chores for our aunt, I cleaned houses and did laundry for many of the ladies in our town. I worked from sunup to sundown, and for several hours after everyone went to bed for good measure. If my aunt was displeased in any way, she’d beat either me or my siblings.”
Emma Jane looked at her solemnly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Before my brother discovered the mine, no one was interested in me. Do you think Ben likes me for my charming personality or my desire to help my brother raise my siblings? No. He wants my money.”
Emma Jane’s flinch told Mary she was finally on the right track. “Don’t do this to Jasper. He deserves a woman who loves him and cares for him. Just as you deserve the same. Don’t do it to yourself.”
“It doesn’t matter. Jasper won’t have me anyway.” The sadness in Emma Jane’s voice told Mary that her words wouldn’t have convinced the girl otherwise.
“Someone will.” She should add in one of Frank’s platitudes about the Lord providing for their needs, but it wasn’t advice Mary would have accepted while in Aunt Ina’s home. Moreover, Mary wasn’t even sure it was true in her current circumstance.
Instead, she offered Emma Jane a smile. “I know your father won’t accept charity. But my brother needs people to help with the mine. He’s on his honeymoon right now, but Collin MacDonald is running things in the meantime. I’ll put in a good word for your father if he’d like a job.”
At least it was something practical she could do for Emma Jane’s family. And maybe give Emma Jane the hope of a future outside of marrying a man who despised her.
“Collin won’t hire him. My father once fired him for being too drunk.” Emma Jane sniffled as though she was about to start sobbing again. “You see? My life is hopeless.”
“Don’t you dare start crying again.” Mary gave her the same stern look she gave the children. “I heard my brother and Collin talking about your father once. Collin said that your father is one of the most brilliant men at following a vein. So don’t lose hope. There is always hope.”
Emma Jane’s eyes watered. “I don’t know...”
“Let’s at least try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll find another solution for your family. I refuse to give up, and neither should you.”
Will approached them. “Mrs. Haggerty brought us some food. It’s not much, but along with the leftovers from the
picnic, it’ll tide us over until morning.”
“I am hungry.” Emma Jane said. “I haven’t been able to eat all day, on account of being so nervous.”
Will’s smile made it almost impossible for Mary to breathe. “Then go eat. If it’s not enough, let me know. We’re each to have one piece of chicken, and I’m happy to give you mine.”
Didn’t Will know that men needed more food than women? Mary stared at him, and he winked. “I’ll be fine. She looks like she’d have blown away in that storm had it not been for all the people in the wagon.”
Mary turned to reassure Emma Jane, but Emma Jane had already gone. Once again leaving her alone with Will. It wasn’t so much that she worried about what people would say anymore. From the conversation she’d had with Emma Jane, they’d already said plenty.
The worry now was that the more she saw this kind side to Will Lawson, the more she wondered how she was ever going to resist him.
* * *
Will hated interrupting the girls, particularly as he listened to Mary encourage Emma Jane. It again made him wonder how Mary could have played any part in Ben’s actions. Maybe he could contact the sheriff in their old town to see what the connection was. Had Mary simply turned over a new leaf since coming here?
No. As he’d heard Mary tell Emma Jane not to lose hope, he couldn’t believe that. Such conviction was borne of many years of believing in God’s provision. She might not have mentioned Him, but Will could tell by the way she said it, she believed. If only Will could believe for himself in God’s ability. He’d like to believe God was there, but when He allowed such evil as Ben Perry to continue to walk the earth, Will had to wonder if God was active or merely present.
In his line of work, as much as Will hated to admit it, he’d arrested many a churchgoing man. Mary’s faith meant nothing in relation to her culpability for crime. Still, Mary didn’t seem the type. If only she’d talk to him.
But he’d promised to leave it alone—for now.
They watched as Emma Jane joined the others, and when the other girl was out of earshot, Mary turned to him. “You can have some of my chicken if you like. I hate the thought of you going without.”
How could a woman like Mary have associated with Ben Perry? It didn’t add up, and yet he knew he couldn’t push her for the answers he needed.
“I’ll be fine. When we came for help, Mrs. Haggerty wouldn’t let us leave without having a bowl of stew. She’s a good woman. Reminds me a lot of you.”
He shouldn’t have offered such a bold compliment, nor should he have enjoyed her blush so much.
“You shouldn’t say things like that. You don’t even know me.”
“Whose fault is that? Mary, I want to know you. You have been so kind to Emma Jane, a girl everyone else shuns, and when we were in crisis, you stepped up and did what you needed to do. So, give me a chance.”
For a moment, Mary almost looked as if she wanted to say something different. She shook her head slowly. “I want to, but I can’t. There are so many things you don’t know about me, things that would ruin everything.”
She turned to go toward the food line, but Will stopped her. “Weren’t you just telling Emma Jane to have a little faith? Where’s yours?”
Mary’s jaw tensed. “That’s different. Emma Jane hasn’t... That is, she didn’t...” Then Mary sighed. “Well, it’s just different, that’s all.”
Will’s heart sunk at her words, or lack thereof. Her guilty conscience set off all kinds of alarm bells in his head, his heart and, more importantly, in that tender place in his gut.
Mary knew something.
As much as his heart didn’t want to accept it, he even had to wonder if maybe she had been involved. He’d been loath to do it, but it was time to stop thinking only like a man and remember that he was a lawman. He may not have his badge, but he’d taken an oath, and he was going to see to his duty of keeping the world safe. Especially from men like Ben.
When they got back to town, he’d send a telegram to the sheriff in their old town to see what he could find out.
In the meantime, if he could only convince Mary to tell the truth, surely a judge would give her a lighter sentence if she’d be willing to help put Ben behind bars.
He looked at Mary, trying to be as comforting as possible. “Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“I’m sorry.” Mary truly looked regretful. “I can’t. Perhaps when Joseph and Annabelle are back from their honeymoon...”
He should have been pleased at the victory, only he didn’t have the luxury of time. “And in the meantime, who knows what Ben will do. Mary, this is more serious than your pride or your reputation.”
But his words seemed to have no impact on Mary. She gave him a wan smile before brushing off her skirts. “I suppose I should get my share of the meal. You may not be hungry, but I’m starving.”
Will would have liked to have stopped her, but when he turned in the direction of the others, he saw Polly’s watchful eye on them. She seemed determined to pair him with Mary. And every time someone’s tongue got flapping about him being Mary’s beau, Mary shut herself off to him even more.
He clenched and unclenched his fists. There had to be a way to get more information about Ben from her. Maybe he shouldn’t be so reliant on information from an attractive woman. How could he trust in Mary after being burned by Daisy?
Something was different about Mary, a small voice told him. But he brushed it aside. He had to remain unattached. Let the whole story come out, and then decide.
Jasper stepped in next to him. “You sure you’re not interested in Miss Mary Stone? She’s a looker, that’s for sure.”
Will shook his head. “Maybe if you looked past outward appearances, you might find a woman worth pursuing. I’ve already learned my lesson in that regard.”
He wanted to add that there was so much more to Mary than her looks. But that would only serve to fuel the fire. She’d joined the others and was laughing and eating as though she didn’t have a care in the world. He didn’t miss the fact that she’d joined Emma Jane and had brought out more smiles from the seemingly troubled girl.
Will had never known such kindness in Daisy.
Jasper clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve given up on that line of thinking. The women around here are only interested in my money, and if that weren’t inducement enough, they twitter about my fine looks. I suppose at some point, my father is going to insist I marry one of those silly misses, and I’ll abide by his decision.”
His old friend’s words were tinged with enough bitterness that Will wondered what had happened to him. But it wasn’t his place to ask. At least not if he wanted to leave the Daisy stone unturned. The only trouble was, another Stone was rearing its head in Will’s life, and he wasn’t sure he’d escape that one so easily.
If only she weren’t completely entwined with a case that had Will’s entire life held hostage.
Jasper cleared his throat. “I think I’m going to check out our accommodations for the night. Want to join me?”
Will looked in the direction of the women, who’d clearly finished eating. Now that they were reasonably dried out and their bellies full, they’d returned to casting longing glares at Jasper. Since the roof was still pinging with raindrops, outside was the only place Jasper would find some peace.
Foolish as it was, Will couldn’t help but glance in the direction of Mary. She and Emma Jane were engaged in a seemingly intense discussion. Whatever Mary was trying to say, Emma Jane was having nothing to do with it. Emma Jane turned and stomped off to a set of hay bales lying to the side. He returned his gaze to Mary.
Though he shouldn’t care so much about her, the disappointment streaking her face drew him.
Surely someone as compassionate as Mary, who cared about the f
eelings of a prickly girl she barely knew, could hardly have willingly gone in league with Ben Perry.
Mad Mel’s words returned to Will. She’d claimed there was no way Daisy had willingly come under the influence of Ben. Though Will had never seen any evidence of coercion, could he have been pulling her strings behind the scenes?
Again, he thought of Mary, and her desperate words about Ben. She’d claimed to want nothing to do with the man, but when Ben had announced their engagement at the church supper, she’d worn a smile.
A tight and unenthusiastic smile. Unlike the genuine expressions he’d seen from her today.
Something was not right with the situation.
But what did Ben have on her?
And could Will overcome whatever it was enough to give him the information he needed?
Chapter Nine
Most of the girls were bedding down for the night when Mary realized she hadn’t seen Emma Jane for a while. Polly patted a pile of hay near her.
“I saved you a spot. Surely you’re not going to abandon Rachel and me for Emma Jane? I mean, it’s wonderful that you’re being so nice to her and all, but your real friends still want the details on your many beaus.”
Mary groaned. There was no way she was going to escape the questions. But maybe something in her story would help Emma Jane understand that chasing after Jasper Jackson wouldn’t solve any of her problems.
And, maybe if she shared some of the details, avoiding the ones implicating her in Ben’s crimes, the other girls would finally understand that she was absolutely not interested in either Ben or Will.
Mary looked around one more time for Emma Jane. “Perhaps if we all share our stories of love gone wrong, it’ll be an encouragement not to chase after the wrong sort of man.”
“Not that again,” Polly huffed. “I’ve already done told you that all men are all alike. You just have to find the one that’s most tolerable and learn to look the other way when they get into their scrapes. It’s what my ma did, and what yours did, as well.”
The Lawman's Redemption (Leadville, Co. Book 2) Page 9
