Even now she felt as if she were lying, because there was still a part of her that loved him. Willard may have been a bad guy, but he had been her bad guy, after all. The relationship had become really troublesome as time went by, the two of them fading from the innocent flirt that they once had to a never-ending loathing. It moved from passion to indifference and back again so quickly, it was a wonder Evelyn didn’t have whiplash.
“There was a fella in town today, Pop,” she said, sweeping the dirt from the floor out the front door and off the porch. “You might have seen him wandering around. He’s new. He wanders around town with his badge on like a kid playing dress up. It’s sweet really.”
Her father didn’t reply, still staring out of the window, watching the sun disappear.
“He’s the new ranger, he’s here to help out Sherriff Hawker.” She leaned on the broom and thought about the guy. What had he said his name was? “Officer Lonnie Steele,” she said, when it came to her. “That’s what his name is, if you happen to see him and want him to stop for a little talk.”
She had only laid eyes on him for a few moments, but it was enough for him to make an impression. He was tall, taller than her, with broad shoulders. She could tell that he was fit. If anybody tried to get away from him, he’d chase them down and tackle them to the ground with those big old shoulders of his. No chance of getting away. His hair was a little longer than she usually liked, light brown, the color of the dirt, and he still seemed to be growing into his moustache.
But those eyes. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The kind of eyes that stayed with you. So sparkly, like he had two diamonds there, instead of eyeballs.
“He’s a little naïve, I’d say, Pop,” she said, looking over at her father. “Too young to be trying to be a sheriff, to have the run of the town. If trouble comes his way, he’ll certainly do his best, but I don’t know what he’ll be like if he gets into a scrap or a shootout.” She tutted. “He’d probably try and smile his way out of it.”
He might actually succeed in doing so, he had the most dazzling smile. He probably got all the girls in town swooning over him with a smile like that. But not Evelyn. She wouldn’t be swooning over some ranger anytime soon.
She got some food ready for her and her father and started eating with him, chattering away to fill the silence that seemed to cover the entire house some days. She talked a little about what had happened at Pop’s Hardware Store that day, how sales were, how the townsfolk were doing. He still didn’t respond.
Later, she tucked him up in bed and went on the front porch to watch the night pass by. Silence had fallen over the little town, and it was a welcome change to the hustle and bustle that would return the next morning. The sky was clear as anything, stretching out like an inky black blanket, little pinpricks of light poking through it and sparkling down at her.
A breeze drifted over to her, ruffling her hair, cooling her off. After a long day at the store, this was what she needed, a little peace and quiet, a little alone time. Just her and the world.
“Evelyn?”
Evelyn started at the sound of her own name. She looked for where the voice was coming from, panic quickening her heartbeat. “What is it? Who’s there?” she hissed into the dark.
“Evelyn, it’s me, Rose.”
Evelyn followed the sound of the voice until her eyes fell on young Rose Evans. Her blonde hair was plaited down her back, her angelic little face wide-eyed with terror. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.
“What is it?” Evelyn whispered, expecting the worst.
“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Evelyn, especially so late at night—”
“Don’t fret, child,” Evelyn spat. “Tell me what’s the matter.”
Rose took a breath. “It’s the hardware store, Evelyn,” Rose said, her breath short. “Someone’s broken in.”
Evelyn felt the cold seeping through, Rose’s words burying themselves deep in her bones.
Chapter 4
She didn’t want to believe it to be true, she didn’t want to think for a single second that it could have happened, but here was Rose Evans with the facts, the mayor’s daughter in person. She likely heard it from her father and volunteered to come and see her. It was sweet really. Evelyn liked her, and Rose liked her too. It was one of the few relationships that Willard hadn’t ruined, and for that Evelyn was truly grateful.
Evelyn took a break before speaking, trying to steady herself. “Thank you Rose,” she said, stepping off the porch and marching down the path. “Thank you for coming to tell me. Get yourself home now.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Evelyn replied. “Why don’t you head home? It’s awful late.”
She broke into a run, hurrying through town to make it to her father’s shop. When she got there, a figure was already standing outside. To think she had only been thinking about the ranger a few moments ago, and there he was again.
“Evening, Miss Pierce,” he said as she arrived. “Sorry to bring you out at this hour—”
“Seemed necessary,” she said, looking at the damage. The glass on the door had been smashed in, some of the windows too. What on Earth did anyone want with the hardware store? Especially so late at night?
She didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if she’d been here. For the most part, Kecheetah was a safe town, Sheriff Hawker had made sure of that, but she’d heard of what bandits had done in other towns. If she’d have been here alone, she would have surely been kidnapped, or killed. She was lucky that it was just a smashed window. How close had she been to a total disaster? She could hardly steady herself. There wouldn’t have been anybody nearby to defend her. She wasn’t sure that anybody even would.
The ranger was staring at her intently. She could feel his eyes all over her like he was waiting for her to break down. But she wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t cry.
“God, this is awful,” she breathed.
“We know who it was.”
She blinked. “You do? Who?”
He held up a piece of paper with a familiar looking scrawl on it. Evelyn’s blood ran cold.
Of course, she thought. Of course, he did this, who else?
“This is from Willard Lane,” he said.
“I can see that,” she said. “I’d like to read it.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“He’s just broken into my shop. He’s left a note that I assume is for me and—”
“You’re not still conspiring with Willard Lane, are you?”
“What?”
“Because if you’re still conspiring with a known fugitive, you know you will be arrested, right?”
She couldn’t believe he was asking her this. He was clearly too big for his boots already, thinking he ran the whole town just because he was helping the sheriff out. She didn’t care. But she couldn’t be arrested either. Her father needed her.
He was at home all alone right now. What would happen to him if she were taken away? He couldn’t take care of himself, not in his current state. Every day she left the house it was a risk that she would come back to find him in some sort of trouble. He was on her mind constantly. If she wasn’t there to take care of him…
She didn’t want to think about it. Just the thought made tears prick at the back of her eyes, threatening to fall in front of this ranger. She didn’t want his sympathy; she didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. But no one knew just how much pressure she was under. She was constantly weighed down by it. If she wasn’t there for her father, he would be taken away, surely. The shop would go, an entire legacy vanishing in an instant.
She looked up at the ranger who was staring at her intently. She needed him to know that she had nothing to do with Willard anymore, that she didn’t want anything to do with him. She took a deep breath and steeled herself.
“I am no longer associated with this man,” she said. “The second he skipped town I was don
e with him, he knows that. I don’t know why he would do this though.” She looked over at Lonnie who was eyeing her carefully. “What?”
“Good.”
“Excuse me?”
“You no longer have any dealings with Willard,” he said. “That’s good.”
“Glad you approve,” she grumbled. “Have you been inside?”
He nodded his head.
“Can I go in? Or are you not going to allow that either?”
“Evelyn—”
“Officer Steele,” she interrupted. He was getting far too familiar with her. There was no way she was going to let him charm her into doing whatever he wanted. No way, no how. “Can I go inside my own shop?”
He sighed. “After you.”
She walked inside and took a look around. The store appeared to be fine. He didn’t seem to have gotten any further than the front door. He must have left her the note and left.
She wondered what the note said. Knowing Willard the way she did, it was probably him asking her to come and see him in secret. She didn’t care anyway. She wasn’t interested. All this was over, it needed to be in the past.
“Nothing was taken as far as I can see,” he said from the doorway. “It will be easier to do this come morning, but I thought—”
“Well, I’ll check in the morning,” she said, walking back to stand outside with him. The moonlight was bathing them both in a silvery sort of glow. His eyes still managed to be sparkly even in this light, and she sort of hated him for it. “Anything else?”
He shook his head.
“Are you going to give me the note?”
He considered it for a moment. “No.”
She sighed heavily. “Keep the note,” she barked. “I don’t care anyway. Keep it, file it, store it as evidence, burn it, do whatever you want with it.”
Lonnie looked her up and down; it only made her burn with more anger.
Why is he just staring at me like that? Why doesn’t he say something? she thought. But Lonnie didn’t speak, he just watched her carefully. He didn’t seem sure what to do.
“Can I go now?” she asked. “It’s late and I’ve left my father alone at home.”
He blinked. “Of course,” he said. “Do you want me to—”
“No,” she interrupted. “I can get back to my house by myself. Thank you for your time.”
“My pleasure.”
She rolled her eyes and walked away, wandering through the deadly quiet town. Maybe she cared about what the note said a little bit, even if Willard was a fugitive. She couldn’t control her heart that much and, in spite of herself, she was glad to know that at least he was alive.
Evelyn couldn’t really sleep that night. After everything that had happened, she found herself lying in bed just staring at the ceiling. It was not too long before the world woke up, the birds sang, and the sun started peeking in through her window.
She got herself ready and headed out to the store, keeping her head down, ignoring anyone who might be calling at her today. She didn’t notice anybody trying. Perhaps they’d already heard about the break-in and were feeling sorry for her. She scoffed. That didn’t seem likely.
When she made it to the hardware store, she assessed the damage. She’d need to board up a couple of the windows until she could get them fixed. It would have to do for now.
She was about to walk inside when she noticed a red rose across the threshold. She’d almost trodden on it; the lack of sleep was really getting to her. Where on Earth had it come from? She picked it up and pressed it to her nose. It smelled fresh, the perfume of it a little heady.
“Did you see who left this?” she called to Mrs. Deer across the way, on her way to the general store. She shook her head in return. She saw Rose wandering through town and walked toward her. “Rose, do you know who would have left this at my door?” she asked.
Rose shrugged. “I didn’t see anybody,” she said. “An admirer, perhaps?”
Evelyn snorted. “Don’t be so ridiculous.” She looked again at the rose and felt a strange pang in her chest.
Willard, she thought to herself. A cheap way of apologizing for what he did. She looked back at the damage he had caused, damage that would cost her money she didn’t have to fix. He truly was awful.
But no matter how hard she tried to blame Willard for all the terrible things that had happened to her since he arrived in her life, she couldn’t escape the simple fact that she was the one who had let him into her life. She knew what he was like and he had proven to her time and time again that he wasn’t a good man, and yet she believed she loved him and kept him around.
If I hadn’t let myself get involved with him in the first place… she thought. If I’d listened to Pops or to Rose maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess.
There was a rose here now, sure, a feeble attempt at an apology. But he clearly got upset enough or angry enough to smash the window of the store when she hadn’t even seen him in weeks. She started to wonder if she needed to be worried for her safety, or her father’s safety for that matter. The town wouldn’t protect her; did she need to start taking steps to protect herself?
She looked at the rose again and the mess that had been left from the break-in. She shook her head.
Now isn’t the time to panic, she thought. That’s not going to help. That’s what he will want you to do. Now is the time to hold your head up high and carry on. That will show him.
She walked back to the hardware store and threw the rose on the floor, making sure that this time she stepped on it. She didn’t want his rose, and she certainly didn’t want him.
Chapter 5
“You’re not skipping out on this,” Sheriff Hawker said, pulling himself up from behind his desk. Lonnie lurched forward with the intention of helping him but was quickly brushed away. “I’m fine, I’m fine, just pass me my stick.”
Lonnie did as he was instructed, and Tommy Hawker leant on it quite heavily as he got to his feet. Lonnie could see how much it was affecting him. He couldn’t move like he used to, couldn’t chase anybody down or even really do his job. He was having to rely on Lonnie to do that, and he clearly didn’t like it.
“It’s my birthday, Lon,” Sheriff Hawker said. “And it’s a good opportunity for you to meet all the townsfolk.”
“I’ve probably met them all already—”
“This isn’t a discussion, kid,” Tommy said with a grin. “You’re comin’. And you may end up dancin’.”
“Tommy—”
“See where the night takes you.”
They headed out of the sheriff's office and into the town square. There were a lot of people already there, most of the town it looked like. There was a cookout happening over a fire nearby, drinks being served from the front deck of the Kecheetah Tavern, Albert no doubt doing a roaring trade. Everybody seemed to be having a good time.
But Lonnie was looking for somebody in particular. After what had happened with the hardware store just a day or so ago, he’d not seen a lot of Evelyn Pierce. He’d seen her walking around, of course, but he hadn’t found an excuse to go and talk to her. If she was here, he might as well try and get to know her. It couldn’t do any harm.
“Who are you lookin’ for?” Sheriff Hawker asked, hobbling along beside him. He raised an eyebrow carefully. “You got a girl you’re not telling me about, kid?”
“No, not at all.”
“Probably for the best,” he grumbled. “There are a lot of girls here who will be disappointed if they find out you’re already spoken for.”
They headed over to where a huge crowd was gathering just outside of the Kecheetah Tavern, a group of girls who were making eyes at Lonnie, a couple of older men with their wives on their arms. They greeted Sheriff Hawker warmly, wishing him a happy birthday and asking how his leg was doing after the accident.
“Oh, it’s been better,” he said. “Gotta keep moving about on it or it’ll go still, and I’ll never walk again. Have you met my new ranger? Just got here the othe
r week to help me out. This is Officer Lonnie Steele.” He turned to Lonnie. “This is Francis Myers, he runs the general store, I’m sure you’ve seen it, takes up half the town and most of my time, after all!”
He gestured to a man with dark brown hair that was combed over to one side. He had a big, bushy beard and a gut that was trying to force its way out from beneath his shirt. Lonnie offered him a smile and a handshake.
“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” he said with a smile.
“I’ve seen you around,” Francis said, returning the smile. “Keeping the place safe, hardly had any trouble since you’ve been here.” He turned to Tommy. “You’ll be out of a job before you know it!”
The Path To Tame a Wild Heart: A Historical Western Romance Novel Page 3