by Kari Trumbo
“Mable was hiding behind the counter. She claims that another man came in the shop, but no one else saw anyone new in town, and obviously she couldn’t see a thing from behind that counter. Josiah’s gun was in his holster, and it wasn’t hot. There was no way he could possibly have shot you.” She shook her head. “So, are you ever going to tell me what did happen?” Carol sat slowly and slid to the edge of the chair. She licked her lips and her eyes grew wide.
“I…don’t remember. I was helping Mable clean up the store. I remember feeling apprehensive. As if I knew something was wrong. Then I woke up here about an hour ago. I wish I could help your brother, but I can’t lie.”
“My brother? That man is to be your husband! You said you loved him! How could you do this to him? You would leave a man you love to rot just because you don’t know for sure? He would never hurt you. Search your heart, Penny Hanover. You will know that he would never hurt you.” Carol sought and found Penny’s hand and clutched it. Penny tried to pull away from the cloying woman, but her lack of strength wouldn’t allow it.
“But that’s just it, Carol. I can’t. My heart can’t search what it doesn’t know. I feel nothing at the name Josiah. I don’t even know his last name.”
Carol scowled and slid back in her chair dropping Penny’s hand as if it carried disease. “Williams. His name is Josiah Williams.” Carol stood. “And this breaks my heart. I’ve fought every day to come in here and see you. To get your help for my brother. I understand why your parents don’t believe him, and Miss Lily Donaldson as well, but you? I’ve never seen a love like yours and Josiah’s. How you could forget him? Well, it will cut him open worse than that bullet did to you.” She turned and closed the door behind her.
Penny stared at the door and puckered her brows. That woman was to be her sister, and she couldn’t remember a single conversation with her prior to the one they’d just had. Carol had asked her to search her heart. The more she thought about telling them Josiah didn’t do it, the more it felt like a lie. A lie was wrong. She wouldn’t do it. If Josiah was innocent, a judge would have to decide.
Chapter Four
Penny looked carefully across the street for oncoming carriages and held her arm close to her body as she shuffled across the dusty street. The brick jailhouse came into view and her heart clenched at the thought of a potentially innocent man sitting in its austere belly.
“Miss Hanover? Do you need assistance?” Beau Rockford rushed toward her. “You looked like you’d faint right out here in the street. Let me help you.” He offered his arm.
Penny recalled easily Beau’s often quiet demeanor, how he faded into any situation. She and Lillian had often discussed how he’d be lonely forever because he never stepped up and made himself heard. She took his arm and he helped her finish her trek across the main street of Cutter’s Creek. The town was small, but during the day buggy and horse traffic was fairly heavy. The nearest large city was over an hour’s ride away.
“I’m sorry for disturbing whatever it is you were doing, Beau.” She pulled her hand from his arm and smiled at him. “It was kind of you to come help me, though.”
“I was just helping at the train station. They needed extra hands to help with baggage. I don’t talk much, so I’m perfect for the job.” He flushed red and looked at the boardwalk, pulling his hat a little lower on his head, almost hiding his eyes from her. The act jarred something free in her memory, but only a little. Her heart raced, and she wondered if maybe she and Beau had a past that she couldn’t remember.
“I didn’t know you worked here in town.” She tried to draw him out. He seemed so kind but dreadfully shy.
“Well, like I said, it’s just the railroad and it’s temporary. Just the next day or two. Usually, I like to work with horses or cattle. Just not any jobs open as a hand right now.” He looked up the street and back at her. His dark, brooding eyes bore into her. She suddenly felt very conscious of the wrap around her arm holding it in place.
“I hope they put the man that did that away a long time for that. He deserves whatever punishment he gets.” He nodded at her arm.
“Oh…thank you.” Penny rubbed her shoulder and stepped back.
“Be careful. It would be easy for them to pin it on Josiah. There have been rumors around town about the jobs he’s been taking and what he might be delivering. They think it’s the kind of gossip a woman doesn’t want to marry into, or get mixed up with.” His deep voice sent shivers up her spine. What he said rang true in her head, though she was uncertain as to why.
“You have a good day, Miss Hanover, and if you need anything at all you let me know. I’d be happy to assist you.” He tipped his hat and walked off in the direction of the small platform and shed they called the Cutter’s Creek train station.
Her thumb reached for her ring to twirl, but her glove prevented the action and the ring was now gone anyway. How long had she worn Josiah’s ring? How long had she been fooled into thinking he was a good man? Long enough to gain the habit of twirling the ring on her finger, that seemed certain. She clenched her fist and backed into the mercantile her brother owned.
“Good day, brother.” She smiled at him.
Holston looked up from his ledger. “Penelope! Good to see you out and about. What can I get for you?”
“Nothing today. The doctor said I needed to walk a bit to get my strength up and to keep the blood flowing, so here I am.” She did a little twirl in the aisle, slightly embarrassed that her dress hung off her frame from the weight she’d lost.
“It sure is good to see you up and about.” He came around the counter.
Penny cut a glance back at the door. “Holston? Did Beau and I ever…Did he ever?” She shifted on her feet and rubbed her sore shoulder.
“You and Beau?” Holston laughed. “That man has never been seen with a woman. In fact, he’s hardly seen at all. If he didn’t have an account with me, I’d think he was an apparition.”
Penny frowned. “He seemed nice enough when I met him outside, but he also seemed familiar to me. I knew who he was right away.”
“Now, that isn’t surprising. Last year, you helped his little sister in school all the time. When she was going through a hard spell, you walked her home because you were walking that way to work anyway.”
“Hmm.” Penny turned and walked to the back of the store. A fabric book lay out on a table. She opened the cover with one hand and then sat on a stool.
“Can I join you?”
Penny jumped and looked up. “Lily. You startled me. Yes, of course. Pull up a stool.”
Lillian pulled the nearest stool over. “James told me I need to make time to help you pick out dress fabric, so here I am.” She sat and they bent their heads over the book.
Penny glanced up at Lillian. “Have you picked a dress for your wedding yet?”
“No. It’s so far away, it doesn’t seem right yet. I’ve always known the dress I want. It will be ecru lace.” She pointed to a white fabric. “What do you think of this?”
“It’s pretty, but I’m not even sure why I’m looking. I don’t think I’ll be getting married now. Something made me want to look, but I don’t know what. Maybe just something familiar.”
Lillian closed the book. “Have you been over to see Josiah yet? Perhaps it would make some of your memories come back.”
“No. I’m afraid to see him. I’m afraid that he will get angry with me for not getting him out. His sister was.” Lily traced the image on the front of the fabric catalog.
“Carol? When did you see her? I thought your parents were clear about keeping her away from you.” Lilian’s eyebrows drew together.
“She stopped by after you left last week. It was okay. I don’t think she meant any harm. She just really wants to see her brother freed. I certainly would too, if I were her.”
“Still, to visit the sick bed of the woman who was shot to try to get the shooter free, I can’t believe she would do such a thing. I can’t believe the doctor would al
low it after your parents told him not to.”
Penny laid her hand on Lillian’s. “Not everyone follows rules like you, Lily. It was all right. I got the impression that we were good friends before…”
“Well, you might have been, but a lot can change in a week. Do you want to go see him? I can walk you there and stay with you if you think it will help.”
“I don’t think I’m quite ready for that. In fact, I think I’m a tired. I ran into an old friend on the way here and being out so long has left me fatigued.”
“Who did you meet on your way over?” Lillian stood and helped Penny up from the seat.
“Beau.”
Lillian laughed gently. “Well, at least you didn’t have to talk too much. I’ll get you back to your house. The doctor told me when I stopped by there to see you that you were free to go home now.”
“Mama will be happy to have me back. I wonder how she is taking all of this.” Penny rubbed her shoulder.
“She has been strong for you and everyone else, but I get the feeling that she shares her true worries with your father after no one is around to see. When I dropped your ring off, she said little more than ‘thank you,’ but she gave your father a look that said she had a lot on her mind. She will be glad to have you back under her roof so she can be near you.”
Penny waved to her brother on his perch at the top of a ladder stocking shelves. The bright sun hit her face. It blinded her momentarily. As she reached out for Lillian, a scream peeled from her throat and she covered her face.
Lillian wrapped her arms around her. “Penny, what’s the matter? Can you walk? What happened?”
Holston rushed from the store and pulled the two women back into the shop.
“Penny, do you need a chair? Are you all right?” He pulled a stool from behind his counter.
Penny stepped back out of Lillian’s arms and looked around. Holston firmly sat her on the stool. Penny looked out the front window. Everyone in the street stared at where she’d stood just moments ago. Her thumb went for the missing ring on her finger and she dashed a strand of hair behind her ear instead.
“I’m sorry.” She looked from Lily to Holston. “The bright sun. It made me think of the blinding shot. For just a second, I remembered. Now, it’s gone.” She looked down to her shoes. “I’m so sorry, Lily. I know how you feel about being the center of attention,” she whispered.
“Don’t think about it for another second.” Lillian patted her hand. “Let’s get you home right away. Perhaps your memory will come back quickly if one trip into the sunlight brought back a little. Perhaps it is a thing of hope, not fear.”
“Let’s just hope I remember everything but that moment. Of all the things I could remember, that is the one thing I had hoped would never come back.”
Chapter Five
Josiah laid back on his cot and put his arm behind his head. The stench, the dark, the scratching sounds … he was tired of all of it. He’d fully expected Penelope to come and get him out of here by now. She’d seen him come in the shop that night. They’d even exchanged a few barbed comments typical of his sweet Penny’s wit. She’d definitely seen the other guy come in, too. The look of pure terror on her face had frozen him worse than he’d care to admit. He’d been wracking his brain this last whole week and a half trying to figure where he’d seen that guy before.
Cutter’s Creek hadn’t been his home for long, and he worked with a lot of people. He’d helped Penelope and her family move back to the area when Holston had inherited the mercantile maybe three years past. He often helped families move or brought heavy goods in from the train in Billings. They had a rail station here, but it only stopped once every few days and the only things ever delivered were people and the baggage they carried. Most would continue on by stage to a larger rail station and off to California gold country.
Sheriff Brentwood approached the bars of his cell. “Boy, you ever going to just admit you shot her? Judge’ll be in town in two weeks. If you don’t admit it by then, the judge’ll decide.”
“It wasn’t me, Brentwood. I told you, someone else came into the shop that night. I wouldn’t hurt my Penny. Never.” He tossed the bit of frayed fabric he’d torn from his jeans to the floor.
“I guess the judge’ll sort you out. If you weren’t guilty, you’d think she’d be down here to see you if she loved you so much.” The sheriff closed the door behind him, leaving him to his thoughts and the smell once again. Cutter’s Creek only had the one sheriff and he’d been in the position for a long time. He still had other work to do, so most of the day Josiah sat alone in his cell waiting for the door to swing.
Mable opened the door wide and shuffled into the jailhouse. She left the door hanging open, and a welcome chilly breeze blew the hair around his temples. She pulled up a chair to the bars.
“I’m so sorry you’re still in here, dear. I’ll go try to talk to Penny later today. The doctor has sent her back home now. I really thought she would have come in here to tell the sheriff the same story you and I have told.” She handed him a sandwich wrapped in plain paper.
He stuck his hand out and took the offered food. What Mable brought was much more palatable than whatever it was the sheriff tried to feed him. Of course, he was the most notorious criminal Cutter’s Creek had seen in a long time. Too bad they had the wrong man. He bit into the sandwich and relished the flavor of the meat. It would be the only taste he got of it all day.
“Josiah, your father says you have a couple deliveries waiting for you. You don’t want them to sit there waiting too long.”
“Yes, ma’am. I understand. I can’t do much rotting in here. Maybe Pa could deliver them. This time to Rocks Peak?” He took a bite out of his sandwich. If he didn’t get out of there soon, he’d never keep the contacts he’d made over the last year. These next few months were the most important he’d ever see. This was mighty poor timing. The next few months could ensure a happy life with Penny…or it could ruin him. Being locked up, it looked more like ruin. He crumpled the paper in his fist.
“Please. Try to explain to Pa how important this is. If I don’t do this, I won’t be trusted again.”
Mable stood and approached the bars. She lowered her voice where he had to strain to hear it. “He is an old man, Josiah, and not well. I don’t think he’ll agree to do it.” She looked down at his prone form. “I still think you should tell Penny. The more secrets you keep…the worse it will be. The night she was shot, she kept looking at her watch and saying how you were late. I knew where you were, but I couldn’t say a blame thing because you asked me not to. I don’t like being in that position.”
“You sure you don’t know who it was who busted in on us that night? If you could name someone, they could check it out and I might get out of here.”
“You can avoid talking about it all you want, but I suggest you do some thinking while you have the time, Josiah. I can’t keep your secrets forever.” She turned from him and moved the chair back to the wall where it had been.
“You will ask Pa, though, right?”
“Josiah, you’re the only kin I have left. You know I’d move the heavens for you if I could.”
“I don’t need the heavens moved. Just one very important delivery.”
Mable harrumphed and closed the door behind her.
~~~
Penny tossed her book across the bed. She’d never been sedentary and these last few days of careful living had left her ready to pull her hair out. She’d read Pride and Prejudice the first day and, though it was a novel, it left her feeling heavy. Secrets or even kept information, which were the same thing to her. She stood and pulled back the curtain, looking for something to distract her.
Lily stood and crossed the room to join her at the window. “Do you think it would do you some good to visit the shop? You might remember something.”
“You mean like Josiah pulling his gun out and aiming it at me? I know you, Lillian. You are a terrible liar. You want me to remember what happ
ened that night so that they will convict Josiah. Why are you so certain it was him when I was there and I’m not?”
Lillian pulled Penny down on a chaise and held her hand. “Have you ever considered that maybe you don’t remember anything because your mind is afraid to admit that your heart was wrong? Perhaps you can’t remember because it is easier than facing the fact that the man you loved tried to kill you.” She played with the frill on her sleeve to avoid looking Penny in the eye.
“Or maybe my mind can’t remember what happened that night because reliving it would be terrifying. Have you ever thought of that?”
“Then why can’t you remember Josiah at all? This isn’t just about that night. You don’t remember him at all, nor his family.”
“What about the gun? Carol said it was still in his holster and cold. He couldn’t have shot me if it was cold.”
“It was a cool evening that night and his gun wasn’t even checked until you were taken to the doctor. It would have been cool by then anyway.”
“How do you know all of this? Is the sheriff talking to everyone?” Penny yanked her hand from Lillian’s grasp and turned away. She almost needed a fight to give her something to do. How women with servants could laze around a house all day was beyond comprehension.
“The sheriff didn’t have to talk. I heard the shot. Remember, I live right across the street in the upstairs room of David’s aunt’s house. I came running as soon as I heard the shot… It was perhaps not the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Did you see anyone? Both Josiah and Mable claim another man came into the shop and…” Penny gulped down the words. “Shot me.”
Lillian looked at the rug on the floor and moved the toe of her shoe down a row. “No. I grabbed my wrap and ran down the stairs, then right over to the sweet shop. I saw Josiah holster his gun as I came in. He was kneeling over you. I screamed just as everyone within hearing of the shot ran in to see what had happened.”
