The Sheriffs of Savage Wells

by Sarah M. Eden

  “I’ve lost every member of my immediate family, Cade. I can’t lose my father too.”

  “I doubt he’s wandered far.”

  She tried to breathe. “I hope you’re right.”

  “Hold it together as best you can, love,” Cade said. “Even if you have to pretend this ain’t worrying you, we need you thinking clearly.”

  Love. Her heart warmed at the sound of that. He hadn’t called her “Chip” even once. Maybe her doubtfulness hadn’t pushed him away entirely.

  “We oughtta go on horseback,” Cade said. “Then we can split up.”

  “Jeb should have a lantern. We can use that one, plus I brought one with me. Gideon has one too.”

  They didn’t bother waking Jeb, but quickly saddled the horses themselves to use. Since Paisley had been forced to sell her beloved Butterscotch, she borrowed the Holmes’s mare. She assured Cade they wouldn’t mind.

  Paisley rocked back and forth while they waited for Gideon to arrive. The need to be moving and working and seeing to the crisis had her wound so tightly she couldn’t keep still.

  Cade set his hand on her arm and caught her gaze with his own. “I’d bet the farm he’s gone to the river.”

  “But the river’s so long.” She rubbed at her forehead. “And it’s so dark.”

  His hand slipped up her arm, coming to rest on her cheek. “We’ll find him.”

  His touch was calming in a way she wouldn’t have expected. It was as though he was giving her strength, as if his own certainty and focus was flowing directly into her. She took a deep breath and felt her pulse slow.

  Gideon came inside, his saddlebag on his shoulder. Cade’s hand dropped away immediately, and he led his and Gideon’s horses out by their leads.

  “Lead the way, Paisley,” Cade instructed.

  She led the three of them southward, toward the river. It was the best place to begin looking.

  “Gideon and Paisley, you head north along the river,” Cade said. “I’ll go south.”

  Cade was thinking more clearly than she was. Pull yourself together, Paisley. “How do we signal to you if we find him?”

  “Give me a whistle. Sound carries over water.”

  “We’ll try that, then,” Paisley said. The moon, barely peeking out from behind the clouds, shone on the water. “Otherwise, we’ll double back after three miles or so.”

  Cade nodded then set his stallion southward. Paisley and Gideon headed north.

  “Has your father done this before?” Gideon asked.

  “Not to this extent. He sometimes gets turned around, but nothing too drastic. I sometimes have to remind him where his room is, or I find him in the barn and he doesn’t know why he’s there, but he’s never gone so far away that I couldn’t find him. And he’s never wandered away at night.”

  Gideon didn’t seem surprised to hear it. Was this the natural course of things, then? Was this her first glimpse of things to come?

  “He’s growing worse, isn’t he?” She knew the answer but needed to hear it from him.

  “It seems he is.” Gideon scanned the area. “It is happening faster than I expected.”

  She swallowed against the lump in her throat. “And before I was at all ready.” She was losing her father. How could a person ever truly be “ready” for that?

  She held her lantern high as she slowly rode along the riverbank. The wind bit at her. Paisley patted her horse’s neck, wordlessly thanking the mare for braving the weather. She couldn’t have done this without her.

  “Perhaps your father was merely sneaking out for a bit of courting,” Gideon said after a minute. “Did you ever think of that?”

  “If that’s what this is, I’ll kill him.” And, yet, she almost hoped his disappearance was something as ridiculous as that.

  They rode on, each searching the banks and the clumps of bushes they passed. She spotted no footprints, no indication anyone had been that way. Nothing to point her in the right direction. Her mind spun with horrible possibilities. She needed a distraction.

  “What about you, Gideon?” she asked. “Is there anyone in town you’d enjoy courting?”

  He laughed. “Not a soul. Single women aren’t exactly thick on the ground around here.”

  “And none of them would have you, anyway,” she teased. “You’re too particular.”

  He grinned. “I may have to order one through the mail.”

  She appreciated his humor in that moment. They’d covered a mile already, and she’d seen no sign of her father. Having an excuse to smile helped her stay calm.

  “How long do you think Papa can be out here with just his coat before he is in danger from the cold?”

  “So long as he stays dry and it doesn’t start snowing, he can last for a while.” Gideon’s eyes stayed focused ahead. “He’ll be cold and uncomfortable, but he won’t be in danger.”

  “That helps keep the worry at manageable levels.” Paisley searched the opposite bank, though she sincerely hoped Papa hadn’t crossed the river. There were no bridges this far from town. If he’d crossed, he’d either wandered very far afield or he was very, very wet.

  “There, Pais.”

  She spun her head to follow Gideon’s gaze. Papa sat not thirty feet ahead of them on the riverbank. Thank heavens! Paisley nudged the mare forward.

  She dismounted as soon as she reached him. “Papa, you—” Oh, heavens. He was soaked. “Have you been in the river?”

  “I lost my footing.” He watched the slow-moving river as he spoke. “I was watching for fish.” He coughed. “I fell in.”

  Paisley knew that tone. Papa’s mind was lost in fog.

  Gideon crouched in front of him, setting his lantern on the ground beside them. “Did you see any fish?” He tested the soundness of Papa’s legs.

  Papa coughed again. “Not a one. There are usually some in the…uh…the lake?” He seemed to know “lake” wasn’t the right word but couldn’t come up with “river.”

  “Grab the blanket off my horse, Paisley. He’s shivering.”

  She snatched it off and hurried back to wrap it around Papa’s shoulders. He coughed again. Paisley didn’t like the sound of it.

  “How long has his chest been rattling like this?” Gideon asked.

  “I first noticed it this morning,” she said.

  Gideon took one of Papa’s arms, and Paisley took the other. Papa didn’t seem entirely steady on his feet. Gideon studied Papa’s face; what he saw clearly didn’t reassure him.

  “Can he ride your horse?” Gideon asked. “I want to get him to my house as quickly as I can.”

  “That sounds worrisome.”

  Gideon shook his head, but Paisley didn’t fully believe it. “I just don’t want to take any chances.”

  Another deep, rattling cough shook Papa’s frame. With a little assistance, he was able to get into the saddle.

  “Go on ahead with him,” Paisley said to Gideon. “Tie up the horses out front and I’ll walk them to the stables when I arrive.”

  Gideon nodded. “Head up by way of the river, so you can let Cade know.”

  “I will.” Her gaze settled on Papa. His coloring was bad and that cough of his didn’t sound good at all.

  The two men rode off toward town. Paisley couldn’t seem to move from the spot. How ill was Papa? Was he in danger? She’d worried so much about his mind, she hadn’t given much thought to whether or not he was healthy in body.

  Gideon was a good doctor, as good as any she’d ever known. Better even. Her father was in good hands. She told herself that again and again.

  The wind picked up, chilling her through. There would be time enough for worrying after she was inside and warm again. She set two fingers in her mouth and let out a long, shrill whistle, then two short ones. With any luck Cade had heard that.

  She braced h
erself against the wind and walked back along the riverbank in the direction of town. Gideon would look after Papa. It would all be fine in the end. This was merely a temporary setback. He’d be better soon. The cough would clear. She wanted to believe his mind would as well.

  She rubbed her hands to fight off the cold. Mama had been much more ill when she’d passed away than Papa was now. Surely that meant there was no real cause for worry.

  The sound of horse’s hooves pulled her attention forward. Absolute, undeniable relief flooded over her. She felt calmer with Cade around. It was more than just the reassurance of a level head. He’d seen her deepest flaw and hadn’t given up on her, but had challenged her to be better. He hadn’t simply walked away.

  He also hadn’t returned to flirting and teasing and bantering with her. He’d not even come close to kissing her again. The brief moment when he’d touched her face at the stable had felt more like reaching out in empathy than in affection.

  But he’s here. That meant more to her than almost anything else could have. He was there when she needed someone.

  “Where’s your horse?” he asked as he reached her. “You’ve not been thrown, have you?” He dismounted in an instant, his hands on her arms as he studied her face.

  “No, I haven’t.” His concern soothed her further. “We found Papa. He had fallen in the river and was wet and coughing.”

  “Laws a’mighty. How bad off was he?”

  She forced herself to breathe, though her lungs protested the effort. “Gideon was as casual as ever, but there was real worry in his eyes. He took Papa back to town.”

  Cade nodded his understanding. “On your horse, I assume.”

  “Yes, so I’m walking back. It’s not as crucial that I get there quickly.”

  “Walkin’ back, my aunt Nellie.” He set a hand on her back and moved her closer to Fintan. “We’ll ride together.”

  Heavens, it was tempting. “Most horses don’t enjoy being ridden double.” She didn’t want to get her hopes up if things with Cade weren’t going to work out.

  “Fintan has done it before. And we’ll move slowly.” His arm slipped fully around her shoulders. It was likely no more than the comfort given from one friend to another. Even so, she let herself soak it in. She’d needed a measure of reassurance lately, his reassurance in particular.

  Cade mounted, then held out his hand to help her up. She settled in behind him.

  He clicked his tongue, and the horse obediently began walking. Cade guided his stallion around. They ambled back toward town.

  “Put your arms about me. No point fallin’ off and breaking all your bones.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. He was blessedly warm.

  “Not too awful for you?” he asked.

  “Awful? You’re blocking the wind,” she answered. “And you smell nice. For a sheriff, anyway.”

  She felt him chuckle.

  “Should we ask Fintan what he thinks?” Cade patted the stallion’s neck.

  “Fintan loves me,” Paisley said. “Don’t deny it.”

  Cade laid his arm across hers where they rested at his waist. His thumb rubbed a gentle circle against her hand. How quickly she could forget all of the troubles that plagued her, the hard words they’d exchanged, if only he’d hold her and take some of her worries away.

  You’d best stop this now, Paisley. You know the kind of heartache that waits down this path. You know it far too well.

  Cade had never seen Paisley so agitated. She grew irritated now and then, certainly, but she’d never fallen clear to pieces like this before. She rocked back and forth in her seat, watching Gideon listen to her pa’s breathing with one of his doctoring instruments. Cade wasn’t a man of medicine, but even he knew the raspy sound wasn’t a good sign.

  “An inflammation of the lungs,” Gideon said after a long moment. “I’d recommend keeping him here rather than making him brave the cold to return home.”

  Paisley kept rocking, her hands clasped so tight her knuckles had gone white. “How long do you think he’ll need to stay?”

  “That will depend a great deal on how he gets on tonight. If his fever doesn’t grow worse, he should be able to—”

  “He’s running a fever?” Paisley leapt to her feet.

  Cade stood as well, keeping close to her side. He wasn’t much use in a sickroom, but no one ought to be left uncomforted in such a situation.

  “A small one, Pais. Enough to know he’s ill but not enough to be worried.”

  “So help me, Gideon, if you are coddling me I’ll wring your neck.”

  There’s my Paisley.

  “No coddling,” Gideon said. “I swear it to you.”

  “Fine words coming from a politician’s son,” Paisley muttered.

  Cade shrugged. “She has a point there. Lying’s in your blood.”

  Gideon shook his head at them. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

  “Thank you,” Paisley said. She stood at her father’s bedside, looking down on him with drawn brows.

  Gideon paused, a hand on her arm. “Pais?”

  She offered a fleeting smile. “I’m holding up, I promise.”

  It was apparently enough for Gideon. Cade wasn’t so easily satisfied. Her expression was still too burdened for his peace of mind.

  “Papa didn’t know where he was.” She didn’t look away from the bed. “He couldn’t come up with the word ‘river.’ He didn’t have the presence of mind to return home after he fell in. He just sat there, shivering in the dark for who knows how long.”

  She painted a bleak picture, for sure. Very little could be done. Mr. Bell’s mind was breaking more every day, and she had to watch it happen.

  “I can’t leave him alone.” She pushed a breath out and paced to the window. “But I have a job I can’t afford to lose or quit. And when I’m not at the restaurant, I’m doing other odd jobs around town. Even with all of that, I can’t pay anyone to sit with him all day and most nights.”

  Cade sat on the window seat, facing her. “What’re you planning to do, lock him in the house?”

  “What if he sets the place on fire?” She paced away from her father’s bedside. “I can’t guarantee he would know enough to put the fire out or unlock the door so he doesn’t—” She took another tense breath. She sat next to him, her eyes unfocused. “What am I going to do?”

  “Bring your pa to the jail during the day,” he offered. “It’s quiet there most of the time.”

  “But I work every single dinner hour. I don’t get home until ten o’clock most nights.”

  “I know it ain’t dignified, but if it’ll help you out, he can sleep in one of the cells.” It wasn’t a great solution, he knew. “Or we might scrounge up a cot somewhere and set it up in the back room.”

  She propped her elbows on her knees and leaned her face into her upturned palms. “I need a more permanent solution. And I’d like for him to be at home while he still realizes it is home.”

  “Bring him by during the day, at least while you’re sorting this out.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. Cade pulled her up close. She needed the reassurance; he enjoyed the nearness.

  “Perhaps you could find other work and stop at the restaurant all together,” he said.

  “No one else is hiring right now. Only odd jobs here and there, and I’ve accepted all of those I could find. It simply wouldn’t be enough.”

  A thought occurred to him, half-formed and undetailed, but a thought just the same. If the stage passed through more often, as he suspected it would eventually do, and the bank deliveries increased in amount and frequency, the town would do well to hire a deputy sheriff. He didn’t know how much they would pay or if it would be enough to meet her needs. Heck, he didn’t even know if she’d accept the job. She’d probably see it as charity. But he�
��d think on it, just the same.

  “I should see if I can help Gideon with anything.” She stood, forcing his arm to fall away from her shoulders.

  Everything seemed to go back to Gideon with her. And Gideon seemed forever focused on Paisley. There was no denying it any longer: Cade was growing alarmingly attached to his best friend’s sweetheart. That couldn’t end well.

  “Gideon’s a good man,” Cade acknowledged, reminding himself as much as anything.

  “He is,” she said fondly before leaving the room.

  She’d only been gone a moment, when Mr. Bell asked, in a raspy voice, “Where’s Paisley going?”

  Mr. Bell looked tired and more than a bit pale. But he’d remembered Paisley’s name. That was an encouraging sign. “She’s off to seek some comfort from her sweetheart.” He didn’t like the sound of that at all.

  “Joshua has come for a visit?”

  Joshua?

  Mr. Bell shifted about under his blankets, not fully tossing and turning, but twisting, like one who’s not comfortable but not miserable either. He finally settled. His gaze narrowed. “Who are you?”

  Mr. Bell’s mind wasn’t entirely clear it seemed.

  “I’m Cade O’Brien. I’m the sheriff in these parts and a friend to your daughter.”

  Mr. Bell mouthed Cade’s name a couple of times before his brows pulled together. He shook his head. “I’ve never heard of you.”

  “I’m new here.”

  “Does Joshua know you’re a friend of Paisley’s?” Mr. Bell asked.

  Cade pulled a chair up next to the bed. “I’ve not had a chance to meet Joshua yet. Will he disapprove of her being my friend?”

  Mr. Bell coughed. Cade poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the bedside table and helped Mr. Bell take a few sips.

  “Joshua won’t be jealous if that’s what you’re worried about.” Mr. Bell coughed again. “When he was first courting Paisley, he was a bit possessive, but he seems more secure with things now.”

  Courting?

  “But ever since they became engaged, Joshua—” Mr. Bell coughed hard and deep.

  Cade helped him take another sip of water, forcing himself not to ask any questions, though he had plenty. Was Mr. Bell confused about this Joshua fellow or had Paisley actually been engaged? Where was the man now? Where did Gideon fit in to that picture?