“Indeed.” He returned to the horse and did a quick check on his work on the saddle before mounting it. “I will count the minutes until my return,” he told her, inclining his head in farewell.
“Have a safe trip,” Hope replied.
“Of course.”
She watched him ride away for a bit before returning inside the house. Now what? She asked herself with a slight dose of exasperation. Hope felt utterly restless and concerned. She did not know how she would survive the next few days. Every day, not knowing why Jessamine failed to show up, or write back, caused Hope additional stress, as Mr. Dalbow put it.
I need to know what happened to her. And I need to know now.
Even if that meant she would have to go and look for her herself. There was an obvious problem with that plan, though. Where to start? She pondered. She did not know the layout of the land and she certainly did not know where the Reynolds farm was located. She would get lost in a matter of minutes.
The Sheriff said their farm was the furthest one from the town. She did not know how many hours of riding that would entail and she had to assume quite a few. And then she wanted to smack herself across the forehead.
“The Sheriff,” she exclaimed in delight, that was too extreme in this situation. The Sheriff promised he would take her to Jessamine, so she did not have to wait for Mr. Dalbow to return from his trip. Hope could go now if that was what she really wanted. And she did, with all her heart.
Rushing to the stable, she saddled Riley. Finally, a chore she could perform even with her eyes closed. Riley sensed her urgency and they practically flew toward Rippingate. Thanks to Sheriff Owen’s instructions, she had no trouble finding her way. Hope just prayed he wouldn’t be too busy to escort her to the Reynolds farm. There is no harm in asking, she reminded herself. And even if he was too busy to come with her, perhaps he could draw her a map so she could go by herself. Either way, Hope was determined to see her friend today.
Sheriff Owen was good at explaining and Hope was confident she could find her way with his expert guidance. That notion made her pause. Is it safe for me to go by myself such a long distance? Roam around in a land I am not familiar with? She was remembering those bandits and the chase she survived. Hope would not have Mrs. Pharis with her this time.
Perhaps she would not go on her own. Hope desperately wanted to know the truth. On the other hand, that was not an excuse to act foolishly or put herself in unnecessary danger. Besides, something was telling her the Sheriff would help her regardless of the amount of work he had. That almost made her blush.
Making sure Riley was taken care of, Hope went to the station. Taking a deep steadying breath, she entered the Sheriff’s office. The same stunned faces greeted her inside. They stared at her as though she had something on her face, and Hope made sure she was clean before departing Mr. Dalbow’s ranch. Regardless, there was a powerful urge inside of her to check herself in the mirror.
Sheriff Owen was nowhere to be seen, Hope took note, while her heart sank. Well, there goes that plan.
“Good day,” one of the deputies approached her since she was simply standing in the middle of the room as if utterly lost. And in a way she was.
“Good day,” Hope replied, preparing to leave.
“May I help you?” he inquired.
“I am looking for Sheriff Owen,” Hope replied.
“He’s not in yet,” he explained. “Can I be of any assistance to you?” Hope was impressed with how Sheriff Owen’s deputies were all eager to help. It was a testament to them really liking their job. Hope wavered. Could he help me?
“My name is Deputy Kit Pharis, and I am at your disposal.”
“Hope Trousdale.” She was about to decline when two things occurred to her simultaneously. This was the Kit Sheriff Owen was talking to her about. Hope owed him a thank you for the horse he lent her. And the second thing was that his last name felt rather familiar to her, Pharis.
“I met Mrs. Isabel Pharis coming to Rippingate, any relation?” Hope had to ask. Mrs. Pharis left such an impact on her it would be good to hear about her well-being until Hope visited her herself. She did promise the other woman she would.
“That is my mother,” Deputy Kit replied a bit suspiciously. “What did she do this time?” There was a slight discontent in his voice, as though he was used to making excuses or apologizing to others for her mother’s behavior.
Hope was quick to reassure him that on this account his mother was a hero. “She saved my life, actually, she saved all our lives when bandits attacked our coach,” Hope said with a smile, remembering how fierce deputy Pharis’ mother looked while shooting her gun.
Kit chuckled, instantly in a far better mood than before. “That is my mother, all right.”
“I promised I would come to see her,” Hope confessed.
“Then you must, my mother does not tolerate broken promises.” After delivering that he grew serious. “She did not mention being chased by bandits, which is typical as well,” he added with a shake of his head.
Hope regretted opening her big mouth. She did not want to cause a fight between mother and son.
“Could you show me on a map where you were when that occurred?” He started walking toward a map that hung on one of the walls but Hope hesitated.
“I’m not familiar with this area so I am sorry to admit I won’t be of much help to you.”
“That is quite all right,” he was quick to reassure her. “Do you remember anything distinct about the area that could help?”
Hope thought about it for a moment. “Once the danger was over, the coachman said we were less than two hours away from Rippingate.”
“Excellent. See, that was extremely helpful,” Kit praised her, making some marks on the map and Hope beamed, happy she managed to be of any kind of assistance.
I should go now. Since the Sheriff was not there she shouldn’t linger and keep these fine men from their jobs without cause.
“Miss Hope, I am so glad to see you,” as if summoned by her, the Sheriff appeared with a smile. Hope’s heart instantly started to pound. She had forgotten how handsome he was. Suddenly she had trouble swallowing; her mind was in shambles.
Why does this keep happening to me?
“Good day, Sheriff,” Hope succeeded in replying, feeling quite proud of herself. “I was wondering if you weren’t too busy to take me to the Reynolds ranch,” she added without preamble. She did not do that to be rude, more to remind herself why she was there in the first place. “If you are, then perhaps—”
“I was planning on giving you a visit today,” he cut her off mid-sentence. “I can take you now, I cleared my schedule and everything,” he added with a shrug as though that was no big deal. It was to her.
“Thank you, that is mighty kind of you,” Hope was genuinely touched and grateful beyond measure. She was finally to see Jessamine.
“Such a good Sheriff you are,” Deputy Pharis complimented, but his tone was a bit off.
It was clear something was going on between those two, some kind of a joke, yet Hope refrained from commenting. That was not her business. Besides, it was apparent it was nothing malicious. They were friends, that much was obvious, and friends liked to tease one another relentlessly. Hope knew that from experience.
“Shall we?” Sheriff Owen prompted her, fully ignoring his deputy.
She nodded to him before turning to Deputy Pharis. “It was nice meeting you. And thank you for the horse. That was mighty kind of you.”
Deputy Pharis looked at her with a blank expression then turned to Sheriff Owen.
“Sheriff Owen lent me your horse, Riley,” Hope added.
“Oh, did he now?” Pharis said, raising an eyebrow. “You told me he was stolen.” That was meant for the Sheriff.
Sheriff Owen chuckled, ushering her outside. “And you believed me,” were his parting words.
Deputy Kit Pharis yelled something in return. Hope could not decipher what since Sheriff Owen promptly clos
ed the door behind them.
“Did I just throw you in some kind of trouble?” Hope inquired, slightly amused by the exchange between the two men.
“Of course not,” Sheriff replied with a wave of his hand. “Kit was simply joking.”
Somehow Hope had trouble believing that. “Is Riley his favorite horse?” she asked instead.
Sheriff Owen scratched the back of his head, clearly stalling.
Hope laughed once, shocked and amused at the same time. “You are horrible,” Hope accused. There was no reprimanding in her voice, she was simply teasing him.
“Trust me, he deserved it,” he winked at her which only made her laugh harder. So they had some kind of game between them, Hope guessed, still, she did not want to get in the middle of it. It isn’t fair.
She sobered. “I will give it back, though,” she said with conviction. It was nice to have Riley around, he was such a fine horse. And he belongs to someone else.
“You will do no such thing.” All playfulness was gone from his voice and Hope could not understand why.
“I am sure Mr. Dalbow wouldn’t mind if I borrow one of his in the future,” Hope offered, trying to placate him.
“Kit doesn’t mind, either. Or would you prefer mine?”
Hope was rendered speechless for a moment.
Why is he acting in such a fashion? She had to wonder.
“I will keep Riley for now but only if Deputy Kit approves,” Hope replied carefully, because the thought of him giving something personal to her was overwhelming.
“How is life with Mr. Dalbow anyway?” Sheriff Owen asked, as if she did not say anything.
Hope looked down, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. “It is good.” In truth, it was awkward. That was to be expected. They were strangers, after all.
“Remember what I told you, be careful,” he insisted.
“And why is that? Do you not trust Mr. Dalbow?”
“You are now one of my citizens and it is my job to look after you, keep you safe,” he replied without actually answering her question. And by the look of it, he wasn’t going to. Either way, Hope suspected there was more to it than he cared to admit. Maybe he had a history with Mr. Dalbow.
Or maybe he’s simply jealous. Oh no, he can’t be that, she dismissed the thought as utter lunacy immediately.
Hope did not ask any further questions on the matter since she did not know if she was prepared to actually hear the answers. That did not mean she would take his advice lightly. She was going to be careful.
“It is as Deputy Kit said, you are a fine Sheriff.” She decided to tease him some more and it worked, he smiled.
“Have a star and everything else that proves it,” he replied in the same manner and they both laughed.
“Since it is a bit of a distance, would you care for us to ride there or take a carriage? I am good with either,” Sheriff Owen offered.
“Not the carriage. I would prefer to ride,” Hope replied honestly. She was fed up with the carriages.
“You rode today to town?” He wanted to make sure.
Hope nodded. “Of course.”
“Perfect, let us go then.” Hope truly tried to ignore how his praises, however small they may be, affected her.
You are in a world of trouble, aren’t you? The answer to that question was a resonating Yes, although she tried to ignore it.
In a world of trouble...but what else is new?
13
After the quick trip to the corral to collect their horses, Hope and Sheriff Owen were finally off to the Reynolds farm. They continued to pleasantly chat along the way. Sheriff Owen had a great sense of humor that was enjoyable to Hope, so he had her laughing, almost to tears, in no time.
“Oh, please, stop,” she pleaded, holding her stomach with one hand as she held the reins with the other. Hope’s stomach actually started to ache from his latest story. “I cannot laugh anymore.”
“If I stop now you’ll miss the best part,” Sheriff Owen dangled that piece of information as though it was a carrot on a stick.
“What is the best part?” Hope heard herself ask.
“It was a man, dressed as a woman,” he delivered in all seriousness, which naturally caused another round of laughter.
“I did not see that coming,” she confessed, between the cackles.
“Nobody did,” Sheriff Owen replied in the same manner.
Apart from being good company, Sheriff Owen continued to show her the lay of the land, wanting to make sure she wouldn’t get lost if she tried to take this journey on her own. And Hope was very grateful for that.
“In the future, coming from Mr. Dalbow’s ranch directly, you will have to come through here,” the Sheriff explained while pointing.
“I understand.” She was always good at taking directions, memorizing routes. That was in the city, though, so she made sure to pay extra attention to what he was saying.
“And then just follow this road as we are doing now.”
Hope nodded.
After a while, Hope started to get tired. It had been quite some time since she had to ride this long, and her body was unaccustomed to it. Plus, there was the heat that was relentless. Those small pains and aches were easily ignored since she was finally going to see Jessamine.
Sheriff Owen noticed her fatigue. “The Reynolds farm is just around that bank,” he reassured her. “Would you care for some water?” he offered, and she accepted it. The water tasted like nectar under the blazing sun, and Hope greedily took her fill.
“Feeling better?”
“Much. Thank you,” she said, returning his bottle. She should have had enough brains to pack a bottle of her own. It was just that she never had to think about those things before. This harsh, hot land would not let her make that mistake again.
Just as promised, climbing the slope Hope spotted the farm immediately. Once she could see the cottage in the distance, Hope frowned. From her point of view, it did not look big enough to house all the family members.
She tried her best to see if she could spot Jessamine. Hope spotted Mr. Reynolds instead, working in the garden, and that made her stop completely. He still wears the same hat, but the overalls are new. Her Father would never allow such attire in his household, Hope thought to herself with mixed feelings. She was happy to see Mr. Reynolds yet timid. Seeing him made her realize something.
I cannot simply ride to their front door. Mr. Reynolds would definitely write my father to tell him where I am.
That was not to suggest Mr. Reynolds was a bad man in any way. He always treated Hope as though she was his own daughter. He would send word to Hope’s father out of concern. Especially If I tell him about Kristopher Hewitt. Or Mr. Dalbow, for that matter. Her life really was a mess at the moment. Hope couldn’t allow her father to learn where she was, at least not yet.
“Miss Hope? What is the matter? I thought you wanted to see the family?” the Sheriff asked, a bit confused by her behavior.
Hope wanted to see the entire Reynolds family more than anything and knew she couldn’t.
I can only see Jessamine. And her friend was nowhere in sight. Hope saw the youngest playing with the dog on the front lawn.
Mrs. Reynolds appeared for just a moment at the door to shout something to her husband and he said something back to her. Maybe this was a bad idea, Hope realized too late. Hope, you did not think this through.
“Miss Hope?”
“I cannot be seen,” Hope blurted out, moving her horse out of the sight of the house. Perhaps the Sheriff could go to the house in her stead and talk to Jessamine. Maybe I could write her a note? She felt like rolling her eyes. They were not schoolgirls anymore to pass notes as if they were in class. And she couldn’t use the Sheriff for such endeavors. It would be highly disrespectful toward him.
“And why is that?” He probed, following her. Hope would not blame him if he was getting a bit angry at her. The Sheriff brought her all this way for her to change her mind.
Hope sighed and dismounted, deciding to tell him everything. I owe him that much. Sheriff Owen followed suit. Here goes nothing.
“My name is Hope Odette Trousdale, and my father is Richard Clarence Trousdale, from Maryland.”
Hope was not that surprised he recognized the name. “Trousdale? As in Industries? Odette Steel?” He wanted to make sure and she nodded. That was her father’s first company, for which she was named after.
“So?” He added. Hope presumed he would be more impressed by her name. He simply looked curious and slightly confused what that had to do with anything. Unfortunately, it had everything to do with her name.
The Redemption 0f A Hunted Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 12