Deputy's Dilemma (Big Rock Romance Book 3)

by Nora Nolan

  CHAPTER 5

  A aron again woke long before dawn, and this time, he was able to get up without waking Evie. He packed everything he could that they wouldn't need before leaving and let her sleep as long as he thought was practical before waking her. He looked at her beautiful face lit by the glow of the dying embers of the fire and, against his better judgment, dropped to his knees and woke her with kisses on her cheek and temple. He realized Evie had a way of making him act against his better judgment, even while sleeping.

  They were on their way quickly, and Aaron was happy with their progress. They'd been able to keep a much faster pace than he'd expected.

  As the day passed, they both nibbled on jerky again, keeping hunger at bay so they didn't feel the need to stop for lunch. They only stopped to let Big Boy graze and drink for a few minutes while they took turns relieving themselves behind clumps of bushes.

  Once back on the horse and underway again, Aaron remembered her book of poems. "We should have gotten it out when we stopped so you could read from it. Do you have any memorized?"

  Evie brightened a little bit as she turned to look at him. "I do! It was my mother's favorite one and the first poem I ever learned. Although, it's a sad one. I always thought it was how my mother felt after she married my pa. From what I can tell, Ma wasn't ever really happy after they married. I'm not exactly sure what the author meant to convey, but the first few lines seem very sad to me. It's a poem by John Keats and it goes like this:

  'I HAD a dove and the sweet dove died;

  And I have thought it died of grieving.

  O, what could it grieve for? Its feet were tied,

  With a silken thread of my own hand's weaving;

  Sweet little red feet! Why should you die?

  Why should you leave me, sweet bird! Why?

  You liv'd alone in the forest-tree,

  Why, pretty thing? Would you not live with me?

  I kiss'd you oft and gave you white peas;

  Why not live sweetly, as in the green trees?'"

  "THAT IS SAD. Did your mother say that's how she felt?"

  "No, not outright. It was just a feeling I got, that she yearned to be somewhere else—or someone else. I think she felt like a bird who wanted to fly free but couldn't. And Pa was as ignorant of how she felt as he was useless."

  "Tell me more about your mother."

  "She was beautiful. She loved to sing and do needlework. Now, she was a lady. She always tried to get me to do those domestic things, but I always wanted to go outside and pester a couple of my brothers. That was back when they were still young, just a little older than me, and hadn't turned mean yet."

  "What do you know about her family?"

  "Well, you know about her sister, my Aunt Sylvia. They were the only siblings. Their mother, my grandmother, died before I was born. My grandfather didn't approve of my father and forbade my mother from marrying him. What he didn't know was that my father had seduced my mother and that she was with child. She couldn't bring herself to tell my grandfather, so she and Pa ran away and eloped. What mother didn't realize was that my pa was no prize. She wasn't the first girl he'd gotten in trouble. But my grandfather had a lot of money and Pa thought it would be easy to get hold of some of it. He was wrong, though."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Mother wrote to Grandfather to tell him about his grandson. He wrote back to her and told her to come back home with the child and he would support them and help raise the child. But Pa wouldn't let her leave. He kept thinking he could get his hand on the money. He must have thought the more babies, the more money, because Ma ended up having six of us. Ma was in contact with Aunt Sylvia up until she died. I knew that, because she let me read the letters. Sometimes, she let me write a paragraph or so to Aunt Sylvia when she sent letters. We live in a little mountain hollow that you would never find if you didn't know it was there. It's remote. Our mail was held for us in Separation, at the store. Only Pa or my brothers ever went there. When Ma died, I wrote and sent letters to be mailed to Aunt Sylvia, but I never heard back from her. The last letter I got from Aunt Sylvia was still addressed to Ma, like she was still alive. So I figure the letters I sent about Ma dying never got to her. I don't know if Pa and my brothers threw the letters away, or if maybe Aunt Sylvia moved, or what. That last letter I got was the one that said she might be moving from Laramie to Cheyenne. Never heard any more after that. She wasn't married at the time, but I guess she could be married by now. I'd love to know."

  He was silent for a moment. "I'll help you look for her." She took his hand and held it.

  AARON NOTICED how the late afternoon sun left a pinkish tan glow on Evie's face. He wanted to kiss her nose, but he kept from doing it.

  "Evie, we've made great time. We're only a mile or so from Derek and Molly's house. I know you're going to like them." He put his arm tighter around her, intending for it to be a reassuring gesture. "I know they're going to like you, too."

  "No! Oh, Aaron, I'm not ready to meet people! I look awful. I know I said I understood why we have to do this, but isn't there any other way? I don't know what to say."

  "Evie, I know these people, and they're the nicest people you can imagine. I have some great friends here in Big Rock, and Derek and Molly are two of them. If I bring you, I can promise you, you'll be welcome in their home."

  "What'll I say?"

  "You can start with 'Hello, it's nice to meet you.'"

  "Yes, but after that? I babble when I'm nervous."

  "You didn't babble around me."

  "You didn't make me that nervous. I'm starting to shake a little bit now. Oh, Aaron, I'm afraid I'm going to embarrass myself and you."

  "Evie, sweetie, it'll be fine. When we get there, you'll see how easy it is, and you'll feel silly you were even worried."

  "I hope you're right. I don't think you are, but I hope so."

  Aaron could hear the fear in her voice. He was afraid it was turning into panic, but he couldn't think of anything else to calm her. He tucked the reins around the saddle horn and put both arms around her waist then kissed the top of her head. She turned her head toward him, and he kissed her temple. "I'll be right there with you." It calmed her as much as anything could have.

  When they got close enough to see the house, Aaron noticed that a few other people were there. "Oh, Evie, it looks like you get to meet all my best friends. That wagon belongs to the sheriff, Jim Larkin, so I'm sure his wife Amy's here, too. That buggy belongs to Philip and Bethie Hickam, and I think that one-seater buggy belongs to the pastor, Rev. Copperfield and his wife."

  Now the panic in her voice was beyond being hidden. "So many people! No! I can't do this. No. Please let's go on into town. It's nearly dark. Maybe nobody will see us."

  "You know we can't do that. That'll just be worse if you stay at my house in secret. It can't stay secret long. Evie, take a deep breath. Think of it as a party."

  "No! I've never been to a party!" Tears were beginning to spill over.

  They reached the front of the house, and Aaron got down from the horse and tethered him to a rail. He turned and reached up to Evie, but she refused to be let down by leaning away and keeping her arms close to her. "Evie." She went limp but still didn't turn to him or reach out her arms to him. "Evie, don't be silly now. I told you it will work out fine. I'm right here with you."

  "Promise me you'll stay right with me. Right beside me. The whole time."

  "I promise, just as much as possible, I won't leave your side."

  She gave in and reached out her arms for him to lift her down.

  JUST THEN, the door opened. "Hey, Molly, you were right; you did hear something. It's Aaron, and it looks like he's got a boy with him. Aaron, come on in and bring your friend. You're just in time for supper. We've got enough to feed an army."

  They heard Molly running to the door. "Honey, I don't think that's a boy." She reached out to Evie. "Come on in, dear, you look tired and hungry. Derek, please get a couple more plates set at
the table."

  "Already done!" It was their friend, Bethie, who acted quickly to prepare the place settings and dish out some food.

  Molly issued instructions, "Aaron, please wash your hands in the kitchen while I take your friend to get cleaned up a little. We'll be right back."

  Evie looked at Aaron in desperation, but there was nothing he could do.

  "I'm Molly, dear, what's your name?"

  "Evie."

  "Well, Evie, I'm glad Aaron brought you here to see us tonight. I hope you're hungry, because there's more food than we can eat. My friend, Bethie, made two different kinds of pie for dessert." She sensed that Evie was nervous and kept talking to her as she walked her into the bathroom.

  Molly took a bar of milled soap and dropped it into the basin of water and swirled it around. Then she took a washcloth from the shelf and dipped it into the water then gently wrung it out. She turned to Evie and began washing her face for her. "Let me help you, Evie. You must be bone weary. How long have you been on that horse with Aaron?"

  "Well, two days since we left his cabin. I guess I am tired. I didn't realize it until you mentioned it."

  "You were at the cabin together?" Molly wanted to get all the details but didn't want to sound too curious. She knew the deputy had planned to go to the cabin to meet his brother, but she had no idea how those plans could have changed this much.

  "I was there first, actually. I'd been traveling on my own for two or three weeks and came across a cabin. I could tell nobody had been there for a while, so I cleaned it up some and decided to stay there for a day or two to restock my food supply. I was going to leave it in as good a shape as I found it, I promise I was." Her eyes were wide as saucers. She was babbling.

  "Well, I'm sure you were. It's wonderful you found the cabin and were able to rest up." She finished washing her face and began rolling up Evie's shirtsleeves to wash her hands.

  "I thought so. Anyway, I'd caught a rabbit and put it on to boil. I only had two outfits, this one and another set just like it, and they were both filthy. There was a big stream right there at the cabin, and I washed both of them so all my clothes would be clean. Then I washed myself. It felt so good to be all clean again."

  "I'm sure it did, after all that!"

  "Anyway, I couldn't get dressed because all my clothes were wet, and just about when I was getting ready to sit down to eat, Aaron burst in and pointed a gun at me."

  Molly stopped. "Oh dear! He saw you—"

  "As a jaybird," Evie cut her off, finishing her sentence. "I can't blame him for the gun, though. I mean, he had no way of knowing I wasn't a thief or a killer or something."

  "Well, I guess you covered up as quickly as you could."

  "No, I grabbed my knife. My guns were across the room. I had no way of knowing he wasn't a thief or a killer or something."

  "No, I guess not."

  "Anyway, we both agreed to put down our weapons. He did finally ask me to cover up."

  "Well, that's good."

  "Yes, it worked out. Listen, the reason we're here, um, it's embarrassing to me, but you do seem as nice as Aaron said you are."

  "Aw, that's nice, Evie, tell me what I can do for you. Anything. Just ask."

  "Aaron said you and I are about the same size and you might agree to let me borrow a dress."

  "Well, of course! If they fit, I have some I'd be happy to give you; you don't need to return them."

  "Oh, I couldn't ask that of you!"

  Molly smiled her charming best. "Really, I'm happy to. You should see all the clothes I have. More than any woman needs."

  "Well, maybe I could take one or two, you know, if they fit."

  "Where are the rest of your clothes?"

  "This is all there is. Another outfit like this one. The other one's still clean, but Aaron said the townsfolk might not understand a woman wearing britches out in public. He thought it was important what people might think because of his job."

  "I see. Yes, they could get the wrong idea. What are your plans?"

  Molly poured fresh water onto the cloth to remove the soap and dirt and began wiping Molly's face and hands and arms to get the soap off.

  "We aren't sure yet. I'll probably stay with him and work until I save enough money to go to Laramie by train."

  "Well, Evie, that might not be possible, especially if he's concerned about appearances. That wouldn't seem proper."

  "Who knew being a proper lady had so many rules? My ma died when I was twelve, and I only had older brothers from then. Would you believe I haven't had a dress since then? Aaron had a hard time believing it. I've never even been away from home." She was still babbling. Molly was glad she was. This was good stuff.

  "I'll tell you what, Evie, let's go back in there and eat. I'll put on extra water to heat up and you can bathe after supper, and we'll get you all dressed up. I have underthings you can have, too."

  "Really? I don't feel comfortable taking things, but if I'm honest, I'm a little excited about dressing like a lady. I never have before. Do you think Aaron will like me in a dress?"

  Molly had no trouble answering that. She could see Evie was lovely under all these manly layers. She could also see that Evie was sweet on Aaron. "I'm certain he will. Come on. Let's go back in the kitchen and eat."

  A look of panic came back into Evie's eyes, so Molly gave her a reassuring hand and led her to the table. The men stood when Molly and Evie walked in, and Molly motioned for them all to stay seated. "Let's not stand on formalities. We've got some extra hungry people here. Evie, sit here by Aaron, and we can all get to know each other better while we eat. Reverend Copperfield has already asked the blessing, so everyone, please dig in. I'm just going to put on some more water to boil and I'll be right back."

  AARON FELT COMPELLED to offer a little explanation. No one had said very much while Molly and Evie had been out of the room, except for mostly small talk about riding for a while and being hungry. They were curious but figured Aaron would explain when they were all together in the same room again. "Everyone, this is Evie, a friend of mine. Our paths crossed because she's been traveling for two or three weeks by herself and ended up seeking refuge from the storm in my family's cabin."

  THE SPOTLIGHT on Evie made her panic a little again. She was especially anxious as she witnessed everyone's reactions.

  The pastor frowned. "My dear, you were alone in the cabin with Aaron?"

  "Yes, sir, we've been together for about four days now."

  Realization hit Mrs. Copperfield. Her mouth opened to an 'oh' formation and she put her hand to the side of her face. Reverend Copperfield's frown lines deepened.

  Derek and Philip both looked down, trying not to look nearly as amused as they were. Sheriff Jim, Aaron's best friend, eyed Aaron with a clear question in his eye and an even clearer twinkle. "Would you like to elaborate, Aaron?"

  Aaron eyed him back. "Not particularly, Jim."

  Evie's eyes got wide again. "Oh, I already told Molly all about it." Aaron closed his eyes, knowing where this was going. Philip saw him do it and leaned almost imperceptibly closer to hear what Evie would say. "I'd been camping on the trail for nearly three weeks and came across this cabin. Nobody was there and the door was open, so I didn't think anyone would mind if I stayed there a night or two. I really was tired. Sleeping under the stars for three weeks gets old, especially in the rain, and I knew a big storm was coming."

  Evie continued. "Course, I had no way of knowing the owner was on his way to the cabin. I mean, if I'd known that, I never would have stopped in the first place."

  "No, of course not," Derek agreed, managing not to grin.

  Evie babbled, her words coming faster, "Well I got cleaned up and got all my clothes washed, and was about to sit down to eat a rabbit I'd caught, when the door burst open and this guy…" she motioned to Aaron, "…had a gun pointed right at me. And me in my birthday suit!"

  Evie had trouble breathing as she witnessed reactions again.

  Mrs. Copper
field gasped loudly. The reverend leaned forward, looking back and forth between Evie and Aaron.

  Aaron felt the need to defend himself. "All I knew was that someone was in my cabin. I had no idea who it was."

  Evie continued. "Oh, he's right! I can't fault him for pulling a gun on me, I'd have done the same thing. I grabbed my knife for the same reason. I had no idea who he was. But we talked it out reasonably and put away our weapons. He tried to get me to put on clothes, but mine were wet. He let me borrow his shirt, though, and I wore that for two days."

  Mrs. Copperfield asked, "Just the shirt? What else did you wear, dear?"

  Evie looked at her oddly. "Boots."

  The reverend spoke up. "I find this highly improper, Aaron. You've compromised this helpless woman."

  "Helpless woman? Reverend, she can shoot and hunt and fish better than you can."

  "Nonetheless, with her virtue dishonored, you must step up."

  "Her virtue is intact. We didn't sleep together."

  Without thinking, Evie jumped in again. "Well, that's not exactly true, Aaron. We did sleep in the same cot in the cabin, and in the same bedroll when we camped last night."

  Mrs. Copperfield's eyes grew wide with shock and disbelief. Philip's shoulders were shaking with the effort not to laugh out loud. Derek couldn't meet anyone's eyes for fear of the same thing. Jim was smiling broadly, not even trying to hide his amusement. Amy and Bethie were kicking their husbands under the table, trying to get them to control themselves.

  Aaron looked at Evie. "He's talking about relations, Evie. He thinks we had relations that belong in a marriage."

  "Oh, no." She looked at the reverend. "That didn't happen. I'm not really sure exactly what that is, but that didn't happen. No, nothing like that. Except for kissing, that is. But you don't need to be married to kiss, do you? Because that did happen."

  Even Amy and Bethie smiled at that, both embarrassed that they did, and they cast their eyes downward.