“I want to go,” Miss Hope demanded just as Owen prayed she would.
“You are not my deputy yet,” Owen refused her. There were two reasons he did that. First one was that he didn’t want her to get suspicious if he immediately said yes. After all, this was an official investigation and she was a civilian with no business getting involved. Owen allowed her to help because he deemed it beneficial. That did not mean it was a must.
The second reason was that he wanted to test his theory and see if she was indeed mad at him. Although, he could not fathom why she might be. He did not do anything wrong to her. Could she be like this because he got drunk?
“I am the only one here who knows Jessamine personally,” she snapped back. Miss Hope still did not want to meet his eyes while saying that. Top that with the fact she did not even greet him coming in, she is definitely mad. Owen couldn’t help feeling hurt by the distance she created, and a little mad as well. He was doing everything in his power to not only find her friend but catch a murderer and she was judging him for drinking a few too many.
“That is true,” Owen said carefully.
“Could you please excuse us for a second,” Kit jumped in and practically dragged him to a corner. “What are you doing?” He demanded.
“I don’t want her anywhere near Brexville,” Owen replied in the same manner.
“So you are lying to her, giving her false hope?”
“Better that than her going with me to see the latest victim of Ghost.”
“You cannot know it’s him,” Kit argued back.
“I can feel it’s him.” Owen just could not understand why. He never used to kill so fast. Something must have changed. What?
Kit sighed. “Very well.” They returned to Miss Hope who looked at them expectantly.
She looked at me, he felt like smiling. Even though it was not a happy look she gave him. That look can melt ice caps.
“Deputy Gibson,” Owen called out and the other man appeared instantly.
“Yes, sir?”
“You are in charge of the Black Creek robbery investigation.”
“I will depart immediately and send word as soon as I discover anything.”
“Good man. Also, do you mind if Miss Hope accompanies you? One of the passengers on the train might be one of our missing girls, Miss Jessamine Reynolds. Miss Hope is a friend of hers, as you know, and she can look for her while you deal with the robbery.”
If any of this was news to Gibson, he did not show it. He simply nodded. “It would be a pleasure to have you with me,” he told Miss Hope and she was visibly relieved. So was Owen. His plan was working.
“Thank you. I will wait for you outside while you make necessary arrangements,” she told his deputy without sparing Owen another glance, and then she walked outside.
Gibson excused himself as well. Owen started rubbing his brow.
“I do believe you are in complete disgrace,” Kit jibed.
“It’s ridiculous,” Owen mumbled, mostly to himself.
“Are you sure you want to be doing this? If she is mad now, I can’t imagine how much worse she’ll get after learning you lied to her, as well.”
Owen did not plan on telling her. “You helped,” Owen pointed out, petulantly.
“I was only following orders.”
Owen sighed, “I don’t understand it.”
“She did see you trying to start a fight with a chair, then a house cat.”
Owen was not impressed. “You are making this stuff up.”
Kit shrugged. “Doesn’t change the fact that she saw you in a completely different light,” Kit said in all seriousness.
Owen did not think it was fair. “So what? I never said I was perfect,” he snapped.
“That’s what happens when you have two people caring for one another, they get disappointed, they fight.” Owen hated when Kit started acting all philosophical. Never mind that he was right, he got on Owen’s nerves.
“We did not fight, and there is nothing between us,” he said stubbornly. Kit looked at him, knowingly. Owen hated that his friend knew him that well.
“So what are you going to do?”
“What can I do? Maybe this is for the better. She is marrying Mr. Dalbow, after all.” Saying the other man’s name left a bad taste in his mouth.
“I didn’t mean about Miss Hope, but about the Brexville case,” Kit clarified, visibly pleased he managed to get him to say all that.
“I will go and deal with it,” Owen said simply.
“Are you sure you want to go alone?” Kit questioned his decision.
“Yes. I want to learn what happened, and who the poor girl is before Miss Hope catches wind of it.”
“Do you believe it’s Miss Jessamine Reynolds?”
“I don't know.” He feared it might be. It would fit the pattern if it was the Ghost in the first place.
“Maybe I should go to Black Creek then, keep an eye on her,” Kit offered.
Owen shook with his head. “No, I need you to stay here.”
“All right, you are the boss.”
Owen turned toward the other deputies, giving them orders what to do while he was away. That did not take long. His men were all seasoned and knew their jobs very well without him looking over their shoulders.
“Are you ready to leave?” Kit asked him afterward, and Owen stalled. Am I?
“You know what, there is one more thing I need to do first, excuse me,” he said and started walking toward the door. It was as though some invisible force was pushing him forward.
“Do not do anything stupid,” Kit yelled after him.
* * *
Hope was feeling furious, leaving the station. And she couldn’t even explain to herself why seeing the Sheriff acting in his usual manner as though nothing happened made her mad. Then she started to get mad for being mad in the first place. It was a vicious circle. Hope came that day fully prepared to ignore what happened the other night and discovered she couldn’t. Despite her efforts to act professionally, she couldn’t stop picturing him drunk, ready to fight.
You are acting ridiculous, and that was God's honest truth.
Why was she taking this so hard? She wondered. Was it because seeing him in such state reminded her he was human, tarnishing the picture-perfect image she created of Sheriff Owen in her mind? Or was it because Mr. Dalbow was proven right when she was so confident about her ability to judge people’s characters? Probably a little bit of both, she allowed.
You have to stop with this childish behavior. Sheriff Owen was not to be trusted. So what?
She did not dare answer that question.
You need to concentrate on what is really important at the moment, Hope reminded herself, as though she could ever forget.
They finally had a proper lead regarding Jessamine and Hope barely managed to contain herself not to get her hopes up in advance. As Deputy Pharis told her, it might not be her.
It might be.
Hope couldn’t fathom what Jessamine would have been doing on a train in a nearby town. That was not what was important at the moment. Finding her safe and sound was. There would be plenty of opportunities for conversation if it was proven to be her.
Oh, please let her be all right, she prayed.
Checking the time, she frowned. Hope did not want to appear ungrateful, however, Deputy Gibson was taking his sweet time joining her.
“Miss Hope,” a man’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned. The voice did not belong to the man she wished it did. Or it did, depending on the point of view. Deputy Gibson was nowhere to be seen. Sheriff Owen was the one asking for her attention.
She looked at him questioningly, some of the fury returning by merely being in his presence.
“I do believe you forgot something inside the office,” he informed her. He did not look happy. She supposed he did not have any cause to be.
“Forgot something?” She repeated with a frown. She wracked her brain and couldn’t understand what it might be. Still,
she remained in the same place other than going back inside.
“Yes,” he replied simply.
“What?” She prompted, not liking he was so curt with her. On the other hand, that was only fair since she acted in the same manner toward him.
“How about an explanation, to begin with,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes at her. He was clearly asking for a fight and Hope was inclined to oblige.
20
“Excuse me?” Miss Hope recoiled at his demand.
“You heard me,” he replied as calmly as possible even though it was hard. “Have I offended you in some manner for you to act this way?”
At first, he was fully prepared to let this all go and let her calm down, or let whatever that was bothering her pass. After all, they had more pressing issues than to deal with this drama. However, in reality, things did not turn out the way he planned. They rarely did.
“I do not know what you are talking about and I do not appreciate your tone,” she replied, raising her chin ever so slightly.
She was clearly going to feign ignorance and that infuriated Owen. He thought that their relationship was better than that. Don’t be ridiculous, what relationship? You barely know the girl, and this was a true indicator of that. He told both voices inside his head to shut up.
“So everything is all right?” He pressed.
“Yes,” she stressed the word, which could only mean the opposite.
“If everything is all right, then why are you not looking at me in the eyes while saying that,” Owen challenged.
Let’s see you ignore that. Owen wasn’t trying to be petulant. He simply believed some things needed to be aired out and not left to rot.
There was a small pause and Owen truly believed he got her there when she rose her eyes and stared up at him so hard, so intently, he felt like taking a step back.
I know what you’re doing. And it was not working. It was good seeing those beautiful eyes even if they were a bit distant. Owen almost made a joke about it.
“Well?” Owen decided to push this until the end.
“Well, what?” She replied in the same manner and he felt like pulling his hair out. Why is she being so stubborn?
“What is the matter?” Why things changed between us? He added silently…
“As I said before, I do not know what you are talking about.”
Why is she doing this? I thought she could speak to me about anything. Owen was disappointed and infuriated by her behavior. After everything, he was getting a cold shoulder for no apparent reason.
Fine, I got drunk, so what? That was not a good enough reason to behave like this. Does she know? Came a sudden thought. Am I making her feel uncomfortable?
“I know what this is really about,” he heard himself say. “And I know why you are ignoring it.”
Her eyes instantly grew larger and that gave Owen confidence to press on, knowing he was on the right path.
In retrospect, he truly believed he lost his mind in those moments since that was the only explanation for the boldness he had. It made him speak with her in such a manner.
“Oh, do you?” Was all she said, quietly.
“Yes. You feel that something is happening between us, and you are not wrong.”
“Sheriff—” She started to shake her head as she spoke yet Owen raised his hand to stop her from going any further. He was not finished.
“I have to assure you, I would never act on such emotions considering your situation, as I know you would not, either. You are a proper, well-mannered, well-educated young lady and the last thing I want is to cause you any distress.”
She looked at him wide-eyed as he spoke and he could not stop even if he wanted to.
“However, I felt the need to speak up now as we should at least acknowledge such feelings before moving past them.” Not that he was capable of doing such a thing. Owen felt like no matter what he did, or how many years passed, Hope would always remain in his heart.
“Please, Sheriff, stop.” Despite her words, her face was saying something completely different. The look in her eyes emboldened him further. Owen knew he was right on every count. The notion Hope felt the same as he did made his heart soar.
He took a step toward her. Never in his life before did he want to kiss a lady as much as he wished to kiss Hope at that moment. Actually, this was the first time in his entire life he felt like this. The notion was so strong he had to fist his hands in order to steady himself and prevent himself from doing something foolish. Or should he say, even more foolish?
“Miss Hope, I...”
“Please, Sheriff—”
“You know what? I hate that you belong to someone else, it actually kills me inside,” Owen confessed.
* * *
Hope’s heart threatened to leave her ribcage. Her breathing became erratic and she had trouble swallowing. And that was even before Sheriff Owen said those words to her. Her ears, however, worked perfectly. Afterward? It was as though her whole body decided to come alive in the most violent manner.
I hate that you belong to someone else. She could hear him repeat that inside her head over and over again, making her gasp for air. Hope could not believe he just said that to her. She never heard anything like it in her entire life, and something was telling her she never would again.
Sheriff Owen looked so handsome, larger than life in those moments although, despite their argument, there was a certain vulnerability in those eyes as well. Shininess, as well.
“Sheriff, I—” Hope started to stammer. Her head was in shambles, her emotions a complete mess. Hope felt completely undone, exposed by his confession.
“Miss Hope, are you ready for us to go?” Deputy Gibson asked her as he appeared between them. That sobered her up a little. I need to go find Jessamine. Yet she could not stop staring at Sheriff Owen. He just bared his soul to her and he deserved some kind of response in return.
“Did I interrupt something?” Deputy Gibson added, looking between her and the Sheriff since neither one of them replied.
Hope mustered a smile. As much as it pained her, this moment came to an end, and they would have to continue some other time. Do we? The timid part of her questioned.
“Not at all, Deputy, I am ready for departure.”
If there was fleeting disappointment on Sheriff Owen’s face, he hid it well.
“Have a safe journey and keep me informed,” Sheriff Owen said to both of them, yet his gaze lingered on her.
I hate that you belong to someone else. Her cheeks were starting to redden, she was certain of it. “Of course,” Hope mumbled.
Deputy Gibson said, “Will do.”
She still could not believe what transpired between her and the Sheriff. She was so irritated getting into the office that day and with a snap of the fingers, everything changed.
“Shall we?” Deputy Gibson asked her.
She nodded, and like she was in a daze, she followed the deputy toward their horses. Hope could not even remember what she said to the Sheriff on their departure. Probably some form of farewell. She did not dare look back, even though she was certain he was looking after them, at her. Hope could feel his gaze all over her skin—it caused her goosebumps, and not in a bad way.
I hate that you belong to someone else, it actually kills me inside. Oh, my. She hated that as well. Was she feeling the same way? What was she about to reply to him? After such honesty, he deserved to receive it in return.
Was Hope about to agree with him? Was she about to tell him it was highly improper of him for sharing something like that with her, knowing she was there to be with Mr. Dalbow? Was she about to confess she felt connected to him from the moment she saw him?
Hope did not know what she was about to say because everything rang true. That was the most frightening thing she ever experienced. And she had been chased by bandits.
“Miss Hope?” Deputy Gibson was calling out to her. By the smile he was giving her, she did not hear him the first time he did that. Hope fe
lt bad. She could not allow being so lost in her daydreaming, no matter the subject.
“Hm?”
“How do you like him?”
What? Hope started to panic. “Excuse me?”
“How do you like it? The life in Rippingate.”
Hope sagged with relief. She simply heard him wrong.
“I heard you came here from the East Coast. That must be quite a change,” he said conversationally.
The Redemption 0f A Hunted Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 19