A Bride to Melt the Sheriff’s Iron Heart

by Melynda Carlyle

  He needed to do a little snooping. His senses were tingling, telling him that if left unattended, Edward would make himself a problem. The fact that Melanie would likely be involved in his plan only made Peter more anxious.

  Jealousy is an ugly thing. The words popped into his mind and made him scowl. It was his own fault for having dragged his feet. He had kissed Melanie, but when she had run away from him, he hadn’t chased after her like he should have. He should have refused to let her go until she admitted to him how she truly felt.

  Instead, this could very well be the last bit of time before Melanie disappeared into the arms of another man.

  As he slowly looked up at the sky, he felt the first few drops of rain plop down onto his hands. A few raindrops managed to catch his face, rolling down his cheeks, as if nature were providing the tears that he couldn’t seem to muster. He’d not felt the sting of a broken heart for many years, but he recognized it all the same.

  Chapter 29

  It was the worst feeling in the world to have Edward’s hand on her waist as he practically dragged her through town. He seemed to be going out of his way to parade her around, ensuring that as many people heard about their prospective engagement as possible.

  Even when she walked around town by herself, she was often inundated with questions about their upcoming engagement. It was getting increasingly embarrassing, as the people who approached her with questions seemed to know more about Edward’s plans for her than Melanie did.

  Iris alone seemed to understand that something was going on, and she had grown more and more insistent on asking Melanie about it when the two women found themselves alone. Melanie did her best to get back to her responsibilities as the schoolteacher, but Edward simply took advantage of that to come and watch her at every opportunity. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him to leave her alone for fear of what he would do to her. The memory of his most recent threats to her were still echoing in her mind.

  “You do not know it yet, but you are mine. If you try to deprive me of what is mine, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. You will never travel to a single place or spend a single second able to live without looking over your shoulder for me. For rest assured, each time you gaze back, you will find me there.”

  Even now, the words made her shiver and feel sick to her stomach. She was grateful for the arrival of lunchtime, which let her go outside for some fresh air away from everyone else. She’d ducked out so quickly that she hoped Edward would not know which way she’d gone. She was tired of him waylaying her whenever she was alone. It was shameful that she couldn’t tell him off like she wanted to. Where was the ferocity that she had shown in all of her arguments with Peter?

  Edward, for the most part, pretended to be oblivious to her distaste for him. He constantly clung to her to the point where his cologne was soaked into the fabric of some of her dresses, and she made a mental note to burn those garments at the first chance. He would patter away about all of these plans he had for when they returned home, though Melanie barely listened. She wouldn’t be going anywhere with him if she had anything to say about it. Part of her wished that Peter would raise his voice in objection, and his hesitation to do so had created doubt as to his feelings for her. That only made her feel worse.

  “So, this is where you disappeared to,” Iris said from behind her, causing Melanie to jump in fright. She hadn’t expected anyone to sneak up on her like that. “When you rushed out of the classroom, I thought that you might have taken ill. Judging by how pale your face is, I don’t think I’m entirely wrong.”

  “I’m just so tired of seeing or hearing about Edward. I feel like I can’t get a moment to myself lately because he is always there. I don’t care what he says, but I am not interested in pursuing a relationship with him,” Melanie replied gruffly. “Most men would have taken the hint by now and left me well enough alone. The problem is Mr. Moneybags is going to try and strong-arm everything into going his way just like he always does.”

  “This is serious,” Iris said softly, casting a glance around to make sure that Edward wasn’t within sight. “Have you gone and talked to the sheriff about it?”

  “I talked to him a little, but I don’t think he realizes the significance of my reservations. I trust Peter, but I also know how much of a snake Edward can be. Just like how he wormed his way into my life through my aunt, he’ll do everything to keep his fangs sunk into me. He’ll just do it out of sight of everyone else,” Melanie whispered, fear apparent in her voice.

  The bell to signal the end of lunch brought an abrupt halt to their discussion. Melanie cast Iris one last weary glance before she forced herself to smile and headed back toward the classroom. They were going over sewing that afternoon, so it was a perfect chance to have some relative peace and quiet. Edward had left during the lunch break, according to some of her students, and that helped her to relax. She almost took some pleasure in the mindless repetition, though she quickly hid her sewing when she realized she had stitched Peter’s initials into her embroidery.

  When did that happen? She could have sworn that she’d just been following a basic pattern, but her hands had done this on their own. She blushed furiously, burying her face in her hands briefly. It took everything in her power to stifle the sob of frustration that hung in her throat, her fists clenching and unclenching in agitation.

  Why do I have to be such a fool?

  Why couldn’t she have listened to her heart instead of her pride? Now she might lose the chance at both her liberty and the ability to follow her heart.

  Iris must have realized that Melanie was losing the will to continue because she ended up dismissing class early for the day. Most of the students didn’t seem to mind, racing out the door before Iris could even get the words out. Melanie laughed gently from her chair in numb disbelief, the first bit of genuine mirth she’d felt in a while. “I didn’t expect them all to run off like that.”

  “What can you really do?” Iris asked, shrugging her shoulders. “The kids do their best to be patient throughout the day, but we can’t pretend that most of them wouldn’t rather be doing other things. You need to tell me exactly what is going on between you and Edward so I can help. You’ve kept me in the dark long enough, and that is not fair to me as a friend.”

  Melanie could only nod silently, unable to bring herself to speak. The look on Iris’ face told her that there was little she could do to placate her anymore other than spill the beans, and it was only fair to her after having sheltered Melanie over the past few months. “Alright, we’ll talk about it when we get home. I promise you.”

  Once they’d returned home and settled down in the living room, Melanie couldn’t keep it in anymore. Tears long overdue began to pour down her cheeks, her body shaking with sobs. “Oh, Iris, what am I supposed to do? I can’t get married to Edward because I don’t love him.”

  Iris gently embraced Melanie, letting her rest her head on her shoulder as she cried. Melanie did her best to keep herself coherent as she tried to recount everything from the beginning. She shared her fears with Iris about how Edward had found her and how dangerous he could be if given the chance, and how she hated being left alone with him for fear of what he might try to do.

  “Do you think that he would raise his hand to you in one of these fits of rage?” Iris finally asked, looking at Melanie sternly. Melanie had managed to wipe away her tears and regain a bit of her poise, but she was still visibly shaken.

  “Iris, I fear so much worse from him than mere harsh words. This man could very feasibly put his hands on me to hurt me or worse. He’s a monster in the form of a man who could lash out at any moment, and I don’t want to be in his path when he does. I just don’t know how to make him leave me alone,” Melanie said, her breath quickening as she felt herself start to panic.

  “I know you might not want to hear this and won’t think it’ll be helpful, but I think that you need to go talk to Peter about this,” Iris said gently, patting Melanie’s back.
“In more ways than one, I think he might be the answer to your problem. You just need to be willing to let him help you, and to decide once and for all what you want to do in your life. Then let it be known to everyone, especially Peter and Edward.”

  Iris grabbed a handkerchief, gently running it across Melanie’s cheeks. “I promise you that Peter will help solve all of your problems if you let him. That’s the kind of hero he is.”

  A loud knock on the door caused Melanie to hastily finish wiping away her tears. She briefly feared that Edward had come for her once more, but relief washed through her when she heard the sound of Darwin’s voice on the other side of the door. “Miss Thompson! Are you home? I needed your help with some of the homework you assigned today and hoped you could take the time to go over it with me.”

  “Darwin, it’s just you,” Melanie breathed in relief, doing her best to wipe the tears away with the handkerchief before pulling open the door for him. “I would be happy to help you with it.”

  “I tried to do as much of it by myself as I could, but there are still a couple of things that I know I’m not getting,” Darwin replied, sounding obviously annoyed. She could easily believe that he’d put quite a bit of time and patience into it, which made her feel a surge of pride. Darwin had progressed so much in the time that she had been working with him, and it showed. Peter had even complimented her for as much before.

  “It is perfectly fine, Darwin. Why don’t you come sit at the table in the living room, and we can go over it together? I can make you some tea and a snack if you want. We haven’t had dinner, and I don’t think we’ll be preparing it for a while yet,” Melanie replied, watching Iris slowly push herself onto her feet and shuffle toward the kitchen. “Iris, I was going to do it.”

  “I can do it,” Iris called back, the gentle creaking of the stairs the only sign of where the pregnant woman was walking. When her footsteps faded, Melanie turned back to Darwin. “I have to thank you for showing up when you did, Darwin. I’ve been very preoccupied lately, and I am grateful for the chance to have something else to focus on.”

  “Um, you’re welcome, I suppose,” Darwin replied with uncertainty, clearly not understanding exactly what was going on. “What’s troubling you?”

  “I don’t want to burden you with it,” Melanie said dismissively, taking the small book that served as their current textbook and flipping through the pages idly. “You seem to have plenty of problems on your mind as it is.”

  “But you tell us all the time that everyone needs someone to talk to now and then. What good is your advice if you can’t take it for yourself?” Darwin asked.

  Melanie didn’t have an answer for him.

  Chapter 30

  Peter went to the orphanage to try and see Darwin, but he was told by one of the other children that Darwin had mentioned going to the Brough’s homestead to get help with something. This was the best news he had heard all day. He’d wanted an excuse to see Melanie, and now he had found it. He wanted to ask a few more questions about her, and more than that, he wanted to confess to her how he felt. Maybe that would give her a reason to stand up to Edward.

  When he arrived at the house, John was the one to answer the door. He could hear Iris singing softly in the kitchen, the smell of bubbling stew hitting his nose and coaxing out a growl from his stomach. “Peter, good to see you. I imagine you are here for Darwin? He showed up a little while ago and asked Melanie to help him build something. They are out by the back steps if you want to make your way around.”

  “Actually, I’m here to see Melanie,” Peter replied simply, steeling his nerves as he made his way off the front steps and around the house. The sound of a hammer on wood echoed faintly, growing louder the closer he got to the backyard. The first thing he saw was Melanie sitting patiently on the back step, glancing over a few pieces of paper that were held in her hands. Occasionally, she would glance in Darwin’s direction and offer him instructions and warnings. “Melanie, can I have a word with you?”

  “I suppose so,” Melanie replied gently, scooting aside so that he could sit on the step beside her. He took a seat as gracefully as he could next to her, glancing over her shoulder at the pages. It looked like a crude drawing of a small house of some sort. “He’s been really excited ever since he came over.”

  “A tree fort?” he said in wonder. “Where did he say these pages came from?”

  “He didn’t mention anything about that. All he said was he wanted my help in making it, and that he was going to keep it secret from as many people as possible. He looked so proud that I didn’t have it in me to turn him down, but I only know basic woodworking from what my father taught me,” Melanie admitted.

  “A treehouse, eh? Maybe a fort on the ground might be better. But you mentioned your father just now. What was he like?” Peter gazed into her eyes sincerely.

  “I wouldn’t know where to begin,” she replied gently, her voice immediately filling with sadness. “It’s still kind of hard for me to talk about him.”

  “I get it,” Peter held his hand out to briefly rest on her shoulder. “It’s hard to talk about the people you cared about once they pass on. Everything suddenly reminds you of them, and the pain of the separation is what hurts the most. Because suddenly you can’t go visit them when you want to hear their voice or spend long nights by the campfire letting them tell you stories and wishing they would never end.”

  Melanie gazed up at him in surprise. “That’s almost word for word how I’m feeling.”

  “What can I say? I’ve got pretty good intuition. Besides, it helps to empathize when you know what the other person is going through and where they are coming from,” he said kindly. “I didn’t know my father personally, so that’s why I want to hear about yours.”

  “My father was a terrific man. He worked hard every day to provide for his family and instill good values in me, his only child. He taught me everything from hunting to woodwork, ensuring I had enough skills to allow me to survive on my own should I ever find myself in trouble.” Melanie sounded wistful as she spoke. “What I wouldn’t do to have him around again. He wouldn’t have tried to marry me off for money.”

  Her voice broke then, her lips quivering as fresh tears pooled in her eyes. It broke Peter’s heart to see her in such a state, and yet he still thought she looked beautiful. The tears only made the green in her eyes shine more, a tilt of her head causing the sun to reflect the color on her tears for the briefest instant before they slowly made their way down her cheeks.

  He just wanted to hug her and to tell her that everything would be okay. To let her cry against his chest and present himself as her knight in shining armor. And yet, as he gazed at her face silently, no words would come out. He simply gave her arm a light squeeze, not caring about how close he was to her right now. He wanted to be close to her in that instant, wrestling with his insecurities as she took a moment to gather herself before continuing. “I remember when I was a little girl, and my father took me on a hunting trip out of state. That was back when my family had still been together, and my mom was healthy. We trekked out into this forest that was lusher than any I’d ever seen. After spending most of my life in Kansas, I wasn’t used to seeing a whole lot of foliage. So to be surrounded by trees with every step was breathtaking.”

  “What sort of things do you remember from that trip?” Peter asked, holding out his hand for the pages she held.

  He took a brief moment instead to call out for John and ask if he could help Darwin with his fort. John’s eyes lit up, asking why they hadn’t asked him to assist sooner before he bounded down the steps past them, using the railing above them to vault over the step they occupied. He might have been in his mid-thirties, but the man could move like he was in his teens.

  “While we were up in the woods, my father showed me how he would set traps for some of the animals. He said that he liked to set food lures and then wait for them to come, specifically since he didn’t like the thought of an animal crying out in pain
from being caught in something like a spike pit or something like that. He believed all animals that you hunted should be given the dignity and mercy of a quick and painless death,” Melanie said, exhaling softly. “It is little memories like those that I miss the most about him.”

  “Your father sounds great, and I can see why you’d miss him,” Peter confided gently, bringing the conversation back to their original topic. “Some of what you said reminds me of the old sheriff. I told you about me being an outlaw, but did I tell you about what he did in the aftermath?”

  Melanie shook her head. “I don’t believe so.”

  “He took me into his home,” Peter said, the scene playing out for him in his mind as he recounted it. “He shared his guest room with me that was supposed to be his kid’s nursery one day, but the Fates had never been kind enough to deliver to his wife and him that particular blessing. I find myself wondering every day if I wasn’t brought in to try and fill the role. What did you end up doing after your father passed away?”

  “My aunt was the closest living relative I had, so everyone thought it would just be easier to leave me there while I waited to reach my adult years. It wasn’t so bad when I was still underage, but the instant I reached womanhood, my aunt started trying to find me suitors. Many of them were the kind of men who simply wanted a good-looking girl to hang on their arms, and I wasn’t going to live like that. I wanted to be more in the world than just a submissive bride who watched the kids and tended the home.” Melanie shrugged, obviously uncomfortable with talking about it. “Then they found Edward, and I haven’t been able to escape him since.”