The Lawman's Redemption (Leadville, Co. Book 2) Page 3

  How much more would she have to suffer for the foolishness of believing herself in love? For thinking that a man could love her? No one would believe she hadn’t stolen the brooch. Just like they wouldn’t have believed her the night she’d discovered the extent of Ben’s deception. He’d planned things too well and set her up to look too guilty.

  Mary pulled her hands from his grasp, shaking them to rid herself of the lingering kiss he’d placed there and to bring the blood back to the fingers he’d crushed.

  “Then I hope you know how to do dishes.” She gestured to the pot that lay nearly forgotten on the ground. “Because now that supper’s over, we’ll have plenty to wash.”

  Never mind the fact that she hated washing dishes. Ben hated doing them even more. Actually, the man hated any kind of work, so if there was any blessing to be found in the situation, this was it. Surely he couldn’t keep up this act with dishes to be faced.

  “Now, darling.” He grabbed her hand again and brought it to his lips. “You know that I would love to help, but I’ve only just got to town, and I still need to secure lodgings. I’ll return first thing in the morning, and we can talk about our wedding then.”

  She fought the urge to slap the face so close to her hand. Instead, she turned away, trying to ignore the whispers of how romantic it was.

  “Tomorrow, my love, tomorrow.” With a look that could only be described as a threat, Ben was gone.

  She should have felt relief as she watched him leave. Even more relief at noticing that Mr. Lawson had also disappeared. She gathered the dishes and brought them next door to the parsonage. But when she entered the kitchen, the murderous glance her sister Rose shot her only brought more discomfort.

  “You evil, evil sister,” Rose hissed, standing in Mary’s way. “Oh, I recognized him right away. All those trips to the mercantile and errands to town. To think you almost had me fooled.”

  Rose knew. She’d known all along. What should have brought relief to Mary’s torment only made it worse.

  “Rose, I—”

  Her sister gave her another look of sheer hate. “Don’t bother. Nothing you say can make it better. When I think of all the times I had to stay at Aunt Ina’s to look after the little ones so you could go to town on an important errand.”

  With a shake of her head, Rose continued, “All that time, you were going to see him, weren’t you?”

  Mary couldn’t deny it. Couldn’t pretend that she hadn’t done her best to find every excuse in the world to see Ben, leaving Rose to mind their younger siblings. Rose hadn’t been as good as she had been at protecting them from Aunt Ina’s wrath. But Mary hadn’t known that at the time.

  Or maybe she’d been too head over heels to notice.

  Either way, it didn’t matter. Because Mary had been wrong, terribly wrong.

  “I’m sorry,” she said simply, wishing there were other words she could say to make her sister feel better. To take away the harm she’d caused.

  But Rose wasn’t looking to feel better. She wanted blood. “You’re sorry? Sorry isn’t going to get Silas back. While you were off wooing your beau, mine got tired of waiting and married Annie Garrett. Annie Garrett! I could have been Mrs. Silas Jones, but you were too busy lying to me and catering to some dandy so you could be first.”

  Silas? Rose was mad about losing Silas to Annie? Was it wrong to be relieved that her sister wasn’t accusing her of greater sins, of which Mary was indeed guilty?

  “Rose...” She softened the look she gave her sister. “That had nothing to do with Silas marrying Annie. She was the only child of the family who owned an adjacent farm. Their fathers wanted to combine the farms and expand the holding. Silas was always going to marry Annie.”

  “It was me he loved,” Rose wailed. “He told me so by the cottonwood behind the church. Silas carved our initials in it to seal the promise of our unending love. He didn’t bring Annie there, he brought me, and he kissed me, and he said he’d love me forever.”

  Tears rolled down Rose’s face. “I was supposed to meet Silas so we could run away together. But you were late getting home from taking the eggs to town. You said you were delayed helping Mrs. Burdoch’s lame horse. Now I know it was a lie. You were meeting him. And since I missed my meeting with Silas, he married Annie instead.”

  Nothing Mary said would convince Rose of the truth. She had been helping Mrs. Burdoch. Ironically, it had prevented her from meeting Ben—the first time they’d planned on running away together. Unlike Silas, Ben had been more patient. Who would have thought that one lame horse could wreak so much havoc?

  If Mary could kiss that horse, she would. It had saved her from making the biggest mistake of her life even worse.

  “Rose, you were there when Mrs. Burdoch brought over the pie to thank me for helping her. It’s true that I did lie to meet Ben on a number of occasions, but that wasn’t one of them. I’m sure Silas was meeting you to tell you that the wedding had been arranged, not to run away with you.”

  The sting of her sister’s hand against her cheek was wholly unexpected. It should have hurt more, but as the side of her face throbbed, it felt almost good to finally receive some of the punishment Mary deserved.

  “You know nothing of my relationship with Silas. Just as I knew nothing about your beau. And now you sit here telling me that Silas never loved me because you’re so smug about having a man track you down. I hope you remember at every happy moment of your life with him that it came at the expense of mine.”

  Rose turned and ran out of the house. Mary took a step toward her, but Polly reached out a hand to stop her.

  “Let her go. She needs time.”

  Mary turned to face her friend. “How much of that did you hear?”

  “Most of it.” Polly shrugged. “If she’d done more than slap you, I’d have stepped in. But she needed to get it out. She’s been nothing but angry and bitter since she got here. Now I know why.”

  And here Mary had thought it was about having to accept an illegitimate sister. Maybe Nugget was the least of their problems. As much as Mary thought she’d been listening to her siblings, perhaps she’d been making a lot of assumptions.

  “I had no idea.” Sure, she’d seen the flirtatious glances in church, but with everyone knowing that Silas and Annie had been promised for just about forever, Mary had assumed it to be meaningless. If only her sister had been more forthcoming, perhaps her heartbreak could have been prevented.

  Of course, Mary herself hadn’t been all that forthcoming, either. She’d never been as close to Rose as she had been to their brother Joseph. When Joseph had left to search for their father, she’d kept her own counsel about things she’d usually have talked with him about.

  “You and Rose will work things out.” Polly gestured to the pile of dishes they had yet to wash. “How about we get to work, and you can tell me all about this beau of yours?”

  Her friend gave a wicked grin, then splashed her with some water. “All this time you’ve had a secret engagement and didn’t even tell me!”

  If Mary thought that facing her angry sister was hard, this was going to be an even tougher conversation. Rose was right to hate her for her deception over Ben’s courtship. Though her sister was wrong about Mary’s part in her failed romance, she was all too correct about the damage Mary’s absences had done.

  How could she tell Polly the truth? It was something that would make Polly turn from her in disgust.

  So much to atone for. An entire lifetime wouldn’t be enough to earn absolution for her sin. Mary had already made up her mind to take on most of the burden of raising her younger siblings so that Joseph and his new wife, Annabelle, had the chance to raise their own family without the burden of their siblings. They deserved a chance at happiness. Especially Joseph, who’d worked so hard to keep the family together. Hopefully, Mary would find a
way to extricate herself from whatever mischief Ben was cooking up without causing even more damage to her family.

  But just as she put her hands in the dishwater, Mr. Lawson passed by the kitchen window, sending her a meaningful glance. He hadn’t forgotten their meeting. She watched as he strode purposefully toward Frank.

  Frank could not be told the truth, particularly now that Mary knew Ben still had Aunt Ina’s brooch. Of all he had taken, the brooch had cost Mary the most. Aunt Ina had been merciless in her accusations of Mary, Rose and their other siblings. She’d even snatched the spectacles off poor little Bess’s face, demanding to know if her brooch had been sold to pay for them. It hadn’t been Mary’s doing at all. Their Sunday school teacher, Miss Beverley, had noticed Bess’s reading troubles. When Mary confessed it was due to Bess needing spectacles they couldn’t afford, Miss Beverley had purchased them and told Mary she wished to remain anonymous. So, Mary had said she’d taken on extra work to purchase them. At the time, Mary had thought herself so smart, because saying she’d taken on extra work had given her more excuses to go meet Ben.

  If she could take it back, she wouldn’t have lied about those spectacles.

  But wishing didn’t solve the problem of having to meet Mr. Lawson. Mary glanced over at Polly, who was hard at work doing her share of cleanup. She’d never lied to Polly and didn’t want to start now. When Ben had left town, Mary had promised herself to never lie again.

  How was she supposed to keep her promise and keep her secrets?

  “You’ve barely touched the dishes.” Polly caught her gaze, then looked down meaningfully at the pile. “You’re worse than useless now that your beau is back in town. Combine that with your disagreement with Rose, and I’d just as soon do all the work myself for all the help you’re being.”

  Mary swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

  This was the point at which she should have confessed, but her throat tightened.

  “Don’t be. We all have our days. Go get some air and I’ll finish up in here. You’ve done my share of the chores a time or two.”

  The weight should have fallen off Mary’s shoulders, but it only seemed heavier. Polly was being a true friend. And Mary had nothing to offer her in return. At least not while the troubles with Ben hung over her.

  Chapter Three

  Mary joined Mr. Lawson and Frank in the yard. Ordinarily, Mary would never dream of interrupting one of Frank’s conversations, but this was no ordinary discussion.

  “Mary!” Frank smiled warmly at her. The gesture only made her feel worse.

  “Good evening.” Mary tried to think of a reason for having interrupted the men, but her mind went blank. It was as though all of her excuses had been worn out with Ben.

  “Mr. Lawson was just telling me how welcome you made him feel at tonight’s dinner.”

  She glanced over at Mr. Lawson, who smiled innocently. Oh, he wasn’t innocent at all. He was a conniving, manipulative snake who—

  Was making her miss the rest of what Frank said about their conversation.

  “I’m glad he told me, Mary. You know how I feel about you girls wandering the streets of Leadville alone. There are too many unsavory elements, and I’m extremely grateful Mr. Lawson came to your assistance. Had someone of less exemplary character been present, you might not have fared so well.”

  Mary closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and looking at Frank. “Trust me, I learned my lesson, and I am very grateful for Mr. Lawson.”

  Mr. Lawson gave a small smile. “Please. It’s Will. I was more than happy to render assistance.”

  Unfortunately, Frank smiled back. “Of course. We don’t stand much on ceremony in these parts, do we, Mary?”

  Her only option was to give a polite nod. Referring to Will as Mr. Lawson had been the means of keeping him at a distance. Now even that was being taken from her.

  Why was everything in her newly safe world being turned upside down?

  Frank twisted his head toward some men entering via the back gate, giving Mary enough time to catch Will’s smirk. Could a human being be any more insufferable?

  “If you’ll excuse me—” Frank turned his attention back to them “—I need to take care of this.”

  He didn’t wait for a response but immediately went over to the men at the gate. Though Mary was used to the pastor’s business, she turned to Will to give an apology for the abruptness.

  Will seemed to sense what she was about to say and held up a hand. “I understand perfectly. He’s a good man, your pastor.”

  Some of the tension fell off Mary’s shoulders. “He is. He’s done a lot for our family.”

  “Once he finds out the kind of man Ben is, he’ll never consent to your marriage.”

  Mary swallowed. On one hand, she was counting on it. On the other hand, she had no idea how to let Frank know without letting her own secrets be known.

  “You seem like a nice girl. You have a good family. A pastor who is loving and kind. I’m sure whatever you are mixed up in with Ben, if you come clean now, they will support you through it.”

  Easy for him to say. He had no idea what she’d done. Moreover, if he knew the kind of man Ben was, he would know that whatever she had done wasn’t anything a person admitted to. So, that left the question of who Will Lawson was and why he was so interested in Ben Perry.

  “What’s it to you? You said you came here looking for Ben. Well, you found him. So, go about whatever business it is that you have with him, and leave me out of it.”

  Will looked at her with an intensity that made her want to hide like the little ones did when some of the rougher miners came to call on the pastor.

  “Ben Perry is a bad man.”

  She wished Will could have told her that a year ago. Of course she probably wouldn’t have listened. Ben had preyed on her every vanity. Her every desire to be admired by a handsome gentleman.

  “Why do you care what a supposedly bad man is doing with me?”

  * * *

  Will shouldn’t care. In one respect, Mary was right. It was none of his business if she married Ben or not. And yet, he couldn’t stand idly by as Ben ruined another life.

  “You lied to me about severing your connection with him.”

  Mary flinched at his words. “I did not. Ben’s visit here tonight surprised me just as much as it did you.”

  Actually, Will had noticed that. He’d also noticed how Mary bristled at Ben’s attention and how she’d tried to remove herself from his grasp. But something wasn’t right with the situation. With Mary’s reticence.

  “Then why did you announce your engagement?”

  “Ben announced our engagement.” Mary’s eyes flashed as she emphasized Ben’s name. Will had to admit, Mary had really pretty eyes. Green with flecks of gold, so deep a man could spend hours mining them and still— What was he doing mooning over her? Hadn’t he learned his lesson?

  “Why did you go along with it? Why not tell everyone that you’d broken things off with him?”

  “Didn’t you hear me try to explain that it was over?” Mary’s voice was littered with the angst of unshed tears. “But I—” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll figure something out.”

  Will took a step closer. “I’ll help you,” he said softly. “Let me help you.”

  “If he is such a bad man, why would you involve yourself? Are you the law, with the power to do something about him being a bad man?”

  “No.” Will’s gut churned. It was still hard to face the fact that he had no legal authority. But if he could gather enough evidence, he could take it to the authorities, and they could finally put Ben where he belonged.

  “Then why?”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do.” In so many ways, but most of them were things he couldn’t make
Mary understand. Ways he wasn’t sure he understood himself. Ultimately, his gun had been the cause of an innocent man’s death. Whether Will pulled the trigger or not, he bore some responsibility.

  It was easier remembering that layer of guilt, and how he needed to bring closure to Eldon Wormer’s family, than it was to look into the eyes of a woman as sweet and innocent as Mary.

  Surely she was innocent.

  But how was he ever to trust his instincts where women were concerned when he’d been so easily conned by Daisy? Her eyes had appeared innocent as well, and look where that had gotten him. Gut-shot and badgeless.

  “In my case,” Mary said, giving him a tiny smile, “the right thing to do is walk away. I didn’t ask for your help. I don’t want your help. And I don’t know anything about Ben that can be helpful to you.”

  Her head turned, and Will realized that the pastor was making his way back to them. They wouldn’t be able to talk freely soon.

  “You didn’t ask for my help earlier today, either, but I probably saved your life.”

  As she turned to speak to the pastor, Will thought he might have heard her say “Perhaps you shouldn’t have bothered,” but he couldn’t be certain.

  The one thing he was certain of, however, was that, based on the information he had about Ben’s activities in the area, no matter what level of involvement Mary had with them, she was in for a world of trouble.

  How else could he get her to talk? And would it be the truth? He wasn’t sure he was capable of telling the truth from a lie any longer, especially when it came to a pretty woman.

  Will returned to the Rafferty Hotel, noting that Ben wasn’t in the saloon or in any of the public areas. He attempted to make discreet inquiries about the man, but no one seemed willing to talk.

  When Will finally retired to his room, it was with a heavy heart. Locating Ben had been the easy part. Finding evidence against him—well, that might be as difficult as counting all the silver in this fine country.