"We were never alone. Joel was always with us. Every single moment."
Mr. Potter shook his head “When one of the mothers from our community makes an accusation like the one Simon’s wife made, what do you think the other mothers are going to believe of a teacher they've only known for a few months?”
Her reputation would be shattered. Mama would be ashamed of her. She was ashamed of herself. The pride and hope she’d felt an hour ago were completely gone.
"Are you firing me?"
“It is too late to find a replacement. You will stay on through the end of the school year, but you'll leave immediately after the last day.”
How humiliating. To be treated like a child. Even if he believed her, he was treating her as if she had done something wrong.
“And a recommendation?” she whispered. “So I can find a new job for next term?”
He only shook his head.
11
Six Weeks Later - Bear Creek, Wyoming
Seb was going home.
It had been just over a year since he had last seen Emma. A little over twelve months since she had shared her disappointment over his not communicating with his parents.
He’d sent one letter home ahead of him. They’d have received it over a month ago now. He’d wanted to let his parents know he was coming. If they disowned him or turned him away, it would be no less than he deserved. But just in case his parents had a shred of love left for him, he’d sent the letter to prepare them.
It had taken him this long to get free of the mess with Tolliver. He didn't regret any of it. Well, maybe getting tangled up with Tolliver in the first place.
He planned to spend some time at home and try not to ask Fran in the first ten seconds whether Emma had found someone new and gotten married. He’d left her without a good-bye. It hadn't been ideal, but once he’d delivered her to Daniel and said a few words to the man, Daniel had put him in touch with a US marshal, who had whisked him away into a safe house that same night.
Even if he’d had a chance to say good-bye, he wouldn't have asked Emma to wait for him. It wouldn't have been fair. Emma deserved someone who hadn't made the mistakes Seb had.
But if by some chance she was still unmarried, well… He aimed to show her how trustworthy he could be now.
He reined in his horse at the top of a small plateau. It wasn't far now. Another two miles. Not long until he would look his parents in the face and find out whether they could forgive him for running away.
He still wasn’t sure whether he was going to bring up Tolliver and everything else that had transpired. Not immediately, that was for sure.
He felt peaceful, just being back in Wyoming. The Laramie Mountains in the distance were a sight that he’d grown up with. One that was the backdrop for so many fond memories of his childhood.
The morning air was crisp but promised warmth for later in the day.
He studied the landscape around him, looking for changes. Most everything looked about the same as he remembered. He was the one who’d changed. And only a few of those changes were on the outside.
A small homestead rested in a pretty little valley to the west. A house, corral, and barn. There was someone out there—a woman—hanging clothes on the line. She raised her hand to shield her eyes as she looked his way.
He tried to remember who lived out this way. Seemed like it was Cora Beth, a girl he'd known as a youngster. She’d married another boy from their class. Seb waved his hand. Today wasn't the day to stop and chat about their school days.
But something strange happened when she caught sight of him. Her arm dropped to her side. She turned and left her wash behind and darted across the yard and into her house. All within the span of a few seconds.
It wasn't his business. He should keep on heading toward home.
But something about the moment bothered him.
He took visual stock of her homesteaded. The roof over the front porch was sagging, one of the corner posts missing. Her tiny lean-to barn needed a paint job. The horse in the corral was in fine shape, but the field that should be coming up with summer wheat was empty, unplowed.
He felt a sudden tug in his gut. A need to check on her. Why would she run like that?
He rode down to the house but reined in several yards away when she shouted from the cracked window.
"I told you that if you came back I was gonna shoot you!”
Her shout surprised him. He held up his hands, dropping the reins. He’d been on the road for several days, but he didn’t think his whiskers and trail dust were that bad. "Cora Beth, it's Seb White. Are you all right?"
"Seb? Seb White ain't been home in three years."
Her voice was unsure. Maybe he was imagining it, but he thought she wanted to believe him.
He moved one hand and knocked his hat back so she could get a better look at his face. "It's me. I'm heading home right now. I saw you take off for your house and figured maybe I should check on you."
He heard a sound like a sob, and that was enough for him to lower his hands and get out of the saddle.
He put his hands up in front of himself again just in case she got any ideas. "I'm coming up to the door. I just want to check on you."
Another sob from inside.
He made it to the door without her firing at him. He knocked. She opened it, then stood back, her arms wrapped around her middle. Her face was tear-stained.
“I'll stay out here if it makes you feel better."
“You can have a cup of coffee.” She said the words with a little hiccup.
“That would be nice.” He’d been eager to get home, but now he sat at a little table between the kitchen and the neatly-made bed in the corner. He put his hands on the table to show her he wasn't going to try anything.
The furnishings were sparse and worn. Her quilt was threadbare. Almost as threadbare as her dress, which had been patched so much he couldn't figure what the original fabric had looked like.
She set the cup of coffee in front of him with shaking hands. She didn't have a cup for herself. But she did sit across from him. Almost folded into herself, crossed her arms over her chest, and seemed much smaller than she really was.
He raised one eyebrow and glanced toward the window that was still cracked. "I don't see a rifle."
She shrugged. "It's under the bed. I don't got no bullets for it anyway."
He took a sip of coffee. "Who's been bothering you?"
Her lips pinched.
He took a different tack. "Where’s your man?" Maybe that would explain why the place was in such disrepair and why she was so scared. Had she been abandoned out here?
"He was—he passed about eighteen months ago. He was trying to fell a tree that was too big for him to handle." She swallowed hard, tears building in her eyes again.
"Hasn't anyone come around to help you?" It wasn't like the town of Bear Creek to let one of their own suffer. The community usually rallied around anyone in need. Barn raisings, collecting money, even sewing bees for families who couldn't afford new clothing. How come Cora Beth was in such dire straits?
"There was a bad drought last year," she said. "Folks around here are having a hard time." Her chin jutted upward stubbornly. "I'm not gonna take charity from folks who can scarcely afford to give it."
He hadn't realized about the drought. Like she said, he's been gone too long. Had his parents lost their crop? They ran a lot of cattle. If their crops hadn't come in, Pa might be having trouble feeding all the animals this year.
"I'm sure your family is waiting to see you. I appreciate you stopping by."
Seemed like she intended to dismiss him, but he could still hear her soft sob in his head. "I'll go just as soon as you tell me what’s got you so scared."
She sighed. Her eyes cut up to him and then back down to stare at the table. They’d known each other for a long time. She knew how stubborn he could be. He waited her out. It didn't take long.
"I don't know his name. He only came a
round once. He was on foot. I was tending the garden and didn't hear him approach until he was standing right over me." She shivered. "It was the way he looked at me. There was pure evil in his eyes. It scared me bad. I told him my man was hunting for our supper and would be back soon. He left, but not before telling me he hoped my man was a good shot. He might've been talking about hunting, but I took his meaning another way."
Seb had had enough experience with men like she was talking about. He didn't need to know this one personally to believe what she was saying. Cora Beth had always had a good head on her shoulders. If she was scared, then she had a reason to be.
"Did he come back?"
She scratched one fingernail against the tabletop. "I started keeping a better watch. Two of my chickens disappeared without a trace. No feathers, not like something had gotten into the henhouse. No squawking in the middle of the night. A week ago, I thought I saw a man skulking around in that copse of trees on the hill. He never came out of the shadows, but…”
But she felt like he’d been watching her.
“I shouted out about shooting him if he came back,” she finished.
"You can't stay here."
Her eyes flashed up at him. “I ain’t got nowhere to go.”
"You've got no ammunition. I'm willing to bet your larder is empty. And someone's been stalking you."
"This is my home. What am I supposed to do?"
He didn't know. Didn't know how to fix this for her. But he knew who would.
"Why don't you come home with me?
When she started to shake her head, he pressed on. "Just for a visit. My ma always enjoys chatting with a friend. And I’m sure Pa won’t mind if you borrow”—he put extra emphasis on the word—“some ammunition. They may even loan you a few groceries. Until you can get back on your feet.”
He knew how prideful people could be. She didn’t want charity.
But he wasn’t leaving her out here alone and scared.
* * *
“Help you, young lady?” Earl asked.
“No, I’m just browsing.” Emma let her fingers play along the bolts of fabric. The mercantile was bustling with customers today, and the press of people made it difficult for her to navigate.
“You sure?” The mercantile owner sounded skeptical.
Emma nodded. She’d only been in tiny Bear Creek for two months. The people here were still getting used to working around her limitations. But they were friendly and—mostly—helpful.
Fran and Edgar had stopped asking whether they should help Emma with the smallest tasks on the very first day she’d arrived. Home.
Home.
She was really and truly home. She felt like she belonged. Not like in Denver, where she’d started to feel like a guest in Daniel’s house. It had taken her longer to leave than she’d planned.
Caroline had hit a hard patch, and Emma had stayed to help her. She’d stayed so long and had eventually involved Daniel. Since then, her brother had fallen helplessly in love with Caroline. They’d been married the week before Emma left.
Upon Emma’s arrival back home, she’d fallen in love with her niece Eloise and new nephew Henry.
The only thing missing was Seb.
Seb, whom she prayed for daily.
Seb, who hadn’t written to her or tried to contact her.
He’d simply disappeared.
But she didn’t stop hoping he would return home.
She wasn’t alone in her hope. His entire family wanted him back, no one more than his mother, Penny.
Speaking of his family, where were Susie and Velma? The sisters had been adopted by Oscar and Sarah, Seb’s oldest brother, years ago. Velma was a precocious twelve-year-old, while Susie was nineteen and…
Emma listened for them now and picked up voices.
Susie was flirting with the shopkeeper’s son. If she focused, Emma could hear the trill of her laugh through the murmur of other customers’ voices, the jingle of something metal, and an exclamation from one of the older men sitting near the potbelly stove, where they played checkers and gossiped like old hens.
Relief settled. She didn’t know where Velma was, but Susie hadn’t abandoned her.
Emma had never been close with Susie. Susie was a bright, vivacious force of nature. Like a cyclone, she sucked up all the energy of a room. Sometimes stormed like booming thunder.
While Emma didn’t mind fading into the background.
Which suited her just fine, at least until the store cleared out a bit.
She made her way past the bolts of fabric and the dry goods and loitered near the window display.
She couldn’t help reaching out… yes. It was still there. Fran had commented on the fine lace shawl several Sunday mornings ago. The mercantile wasn’t open on Sundays, but the window display had drawn Fran’s attention as the family wagon had carried them out of town. Emma had been drawn to the shawl on her next trip to town.
The lace was almost as soft as a kitten’s fur.
A floorboard squeaked, and one footstep was all the warning Emma had before Velma’s arm brushed her elbow.
“Are you gonna buy that?”
Emma dropped her hand from the shawl. “It’s not very practical, is it?” The lace would catch easily on a cabinet knob or a wicker basket. It was far too fancy for life on a ranch.
“And it’s expensive,” Velma whispered.
That too. Emma could purchase it. But if she did, everyone would want to know where she’d gotten the money.
And she wasn’t ready for everyone to know her secret yet.
“Not today,” she said to the girl. She was ready to go home after several hours dictating with Phillip. Her friend had traveled to Wyoming for the week so that Emma could write the next book that her publisher demanded. Susie and Velma had accompanied her to town. Now Emma was worn out and ready to go home.
She said as much to Velma, and the younger sister managed to pry her flirtatious older sister from the shopkeeper’s soon.
On the boardwalk, Susie paused. Then gasped.
“What is it?” Emma’s heart clanged against her ribs. She was more on edge since the night she and Seb had been attacked. Daniel had told her that the criminal who’d sent thugs after Seb wasn’t going to be an issue anymore, but she couldn’t help being startled.
“I think it’s… Seb!”
Susie’s sudden cry made Emma’s ear ring. And then Susie’s word registered.
“It’s him,” Velma said from Emma’s side. “He’s coming this way.”
“But who’s that with him?” Susie said under her breath.
“What?” Emma’s pulse raced. She was having trouble following the conversation.
“He’s with a woman. Someone I don’t recognize,” Susie murmured.
And then there was no more time for questions, because Emma heard boots striking the boardwalk.
“Seb!” Velma’s excitement was evident in her voice. Emma felt motion as if the younger girl had thrown herself at her uncle.
He laughed, the sound as comforting and familiar as the fire in the hearth.
Emma realized she hadn’t heard the sound once in those few days they’d been together in Denver. She’d missed it.
“Look at you. You’ve grown about a foot since I saw you last. Hello, Susie.”
Susie moved, and Emma guessed she was hugging him.
She knew she was blushing by the burning heat in her face. “Hello, Seb.”
“Emma.” His voice revealed nothing. Was he happy to see her? Did she make him uneasy?
She’d told him in Denver that she was coming back to the homestead. Was he surprised?
She wished he would give her some clue. And who was with him?
A skirt swished in the awkward silence that fell.
Emma felt heat in her earlobes.
“Y’all remember Cora Beth? She and I went to school together.”
“But what’s she doing with y—?”
Velma’s impertinent question
cut off in a yelp. Knowing the sisters as she did, she guessed Susie’d pinched her little sister. Emma wouldn’t put it past her.
Emma couldn’t be sure, but the awareness at the back of her neck usually meant someone was staring at her. Was it Seb? Or his…? Or Cora Beth?
Emma almost wished Velma had finished her question. Then she’d know who Cora Beth was to him. Was she a friend? Or something more?
She hadn’t been prepared for this. Every time she’d imagined Seb returning to the homestead, he’d been alone. Sometimes happy to see her. Sometimes still hard and distant, as he’d been in Denver.
But always alone.
She didn’t know what to think. She couldn’t seem to gather her thoughts into any semblance of order.
“Y’all heading home?” Seb asked.
“Yes,” Susie said. Then slyly added, “As long as Emma’s done sparkin’ with her beau.”
“Susie!”
The ornery young woman knew well enough that when Emma spent time with Phillip, it was work. But she persisted in teasing that there was something more going on.
“As a matter of fact, we are returning to the homestead,” Emma said to Seb.
Jonas had built the original cabin on the homestead years ago when the boys had been young. When each brother had come of age, they’d filed for their own property on adjoining land and as they’d married, some of them had built their own homes nearby. Now the homestead was a compound. Oscar, Edgar, Matty, and Davy, along with their respective families, each had a home on the family property.
“Mind if we ride alongside? Our horses are tied off by the hotel.”
“Your ma and pa are going to be so happy to see you!” Velma bounced on her toes, the motion moving the boardwalk boards beneath Emma’s feet.
“Huh.” Seb made a sound that could’ve been agreement or disagreement. She wished she could see his face. She wanted to know what he was feeling, coming home after all this time. Of course, maybe it wasn’t her business.
“Oh, I bet Grandma Penny is going to cook a big meal tonight to celebrate,” Velma said. “I know! Wait for me, just for a minute. I’m gonna run over to the clinic and tell Maxwell ’n Hattie.”
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