Charity (Brides of the Rio Grande Book 4)

by Peggy McKenzie

  Charity stood and hugged her sister. "Goodnight, and—thank you for being the best big sister a little sister could ever want." Emotions were close to the surface. "Now get on upstairs to that handsome husband of yours." She turned her sister around and gave her a slight push toward the door. Grace obliged and soon Charity was alone in the Hanovers' parlor with her thoughts.

  "Grace is right. Something is keeping Miles from being honest about his feelings. And what does he feel for me? Is it love or simply lust?"

  She stood and turned out each lamp in the room one by one. Once the room was dark, she turned toward the faint glow of the lamp in the hallway.

  "I need to get Miles' attention long enough to get the truth out of him. Now, how can I do that? If I chase him, he'll just run again. So, how can I get him to come after me instead?"

  A plan formulated in her head as she left the parlor and carried the lamp up the stairs with her to light the way. She thought about how she would implement her plan all through her bedtime toiletries, her mind was a whirl of possibilities. Finally, she lay down on her soft bed and snuggled deep into the goose down pillows.

  She stared out the curtain-draped window to where the night stars glittered in the Colorado midnight-colored sky and wished. Her sister had wished all her dreams would come true, but there was only one wish she wanted to come true and that was to win a certain lawman's heart.

  If her plan worked, then her newfound friend, Mr. Benjamin Carter, was the key to forcing Miles' hand. Jealousy was a powerful emotion. No one knew that better than she did.

  Satisfied her plan would work, she snuggled down deep and allowed her exhaustion to overtake her. Soon, conscious thoughts drifted into fanciful dreams where images of Miles tossing a slender loaf of bread wrapped in a blue and white gingham cloth to the ground and a very large red-haired bear grabbed it up, tore it to pieces, and gobbled it down. She felt very sorry for that loaf of bread.

  Miles woke the next morning still sitting at his desk where he fell asleep the night before. He and Bishop had agreed to take turns to keep an eye on their prisoner. Most of their prisoners were arrested one day and out the next. And the majority of their prisoners didn't have accomplices waiting to break them out of jail. And by all reports of the witnesses on the train, there was another masked man who jumped off the moving train and disappeared when Charity shot his buddy.

  Last night was supposed to have been Bishop's turn at watch but after he left the Hanovers, he was so keyed up he knew he wouldn't sleep so he gave Bishop the night off. Wasn't any sense in both of them being awake all night.

  He tried to rub the grit from his eyes and he needed a bath, a meal and sleep, not in that order either. Unfortunately, he had rounds to make so he wouldn't see the inside of a bathtub, or his eyelids, until later that morning.

  Just then the door opened and he expected to see Bishop. Instead, Selina walked in with her usual basket of fresh baked bread. He hated to admit he was glad to see her this morning. He was hungry as hell.

  "Good morning, Miles. I wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay. You left the Hanover party so suddenly last night, I was worried about you."

  "Something came up. Keeping the peace is a full time job, you know that," he lied through his teeth. He felt a tiny pinch of guilt lying to the woman. After all, she was caught in the middle of something she had no control over.

  "I see. Well, that's certainly good to know especially since it seemed you were disturbed about something when you left. I thought perhaps that woman had done something to upset you. It looked as if you and she were arguing when I arrived at the party. Perhaps I was mistaken." Her statement sounded more like a question and he had no intention of answering it.

  He redirected his attention to the basket full of bread. "Ummmmm, that bread looks good. I was guarding the prisoner last night," he said as if that explained everything.

  "Well, if you're sure." She unloaded a jar of homemade jam and soft creamy butter. His stomach protested and he reached for the slices she offered. "I don't know Miss Montgomery personally, but I've heard tales about her and she seems a bit crazy, if you ask me."

  Maybe it was his sleep deprivation and hunger, but her comment irritated him.

  "How about some of that bread. I'm starving." He wasn't in the mood to fend off Selina's campaign to get him to marry her. He had told the woman from the start, he was not the marrying kind. Was it his fault she didn't listen? His belly growled again.

  Soon, he finished two slices of bread smothered in jam and butter in record time. At least now, his stomach was happy. He poured himself a cup of coffee and realized Selina didn't seem in a hurry to leave. Uh oh. That can't be good. He didn't feel right about giving her the brush off when he had just gorged himself on her bread. "Do you want some coffee...or something?" he asked hoping she would say no.

  "Yes, I'd love that," she answered and took the chair in front of his desk.

  Damn it. He poured her a cup of the hot black coffee into a chipped ceramic cup and set it in front of her. He took his chair on the other side of the desk and looked through the wanted posters again. He knew his prisoner's face wasn't among them, but he needed something to make him look busy hoping she wouldn't stay long.

  She took a sip of her coffee and flinched.

  "Strong stuff, huh?" He understood that reaction to the coffee. Maybe he needed to buy a new pot for the jail.

  "I don't see how you drink that stuff." she set her cup aside and then gave him a sweet smile. "Miles, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

  Wary, he tried to guess what was on her mind and everything he could come up with made his stomach boil. "Selina, I'm not sure a jail is the place to—"

  She cut him off in mid-sentence. "There's something I would like to discuss with you. Would you like to come by my aunt's house tonight? We could talk there, and if you came by for supper, you could have a slice of Aunt Hattie’s fresh baked apple pie."

  She was trying to ply him with food again. "I don't know, Selina. I’ve got a lot going on, and—"

  "Please, Miles. You have to eat anyway. Why not eat at my house tonight?" she pleaded with him.

  It wasn’t like it would be the first time. Maybe he shouldn’t have started that with the woman. "Alright. I can come around five o'clock. I've been up all night so I need to get to bed early tonight."

  "Of course. I understand. Five o'clock it is," she stood and gave him a bright smile. He knew she was reading way too much into his acceptance. Tonight seemed like it could be a good time to let her down easy like. He had told her before he wasn't the marrying kind. Maybe he should remind her of that fact.

  Selina gathered her basket of left overs and let herself out the front door. Two seconds later, Bishop arrived for work.

  "Dang, sheriff. You look rough. Why don't you go get some sleep. I'll take over here."

  "I've got rounds to make and then I think I might take you up on that, Bishop. I'll go get his breakfast," he nodded toward the prisoner's cell, "and then I'll get a bath and head to my room for a few quick winks."

  Miles ran his fingers through his hair to tame it before he put on his hat. "I'll be back."

  He stepped out into the morning sunshine. The warmth heated his skin in the thin mountain air.

  "Good morning, sheriff." He turned to see the man Charity was with at her party last night. Who was he and why was he here anyway? As the lawman in this town, it was his duty to find out.

  "Good morning." He nodded to the man. "I've seen you around town recently. Do you have business in town?"

  "I do," the man's answer was not as informative as Miles would have liked.

  "Do you mind if I ask what that business is?"

  The man studied him openly for a moment. "Am I in trouble, sheriff?" he asked.

  "Not at all, that is unless your business in town says otherwise."

  "Well, since I haven't broken any laws, it would appear my business is just that...my business. But since you
asked nicely, I have a relative in town who needs my help."

  The man appeared honest on the surface, but his answers were vague and Miles was quickly growing to dislike the man.

  "And do you mind if I ask the name of this relative," Miles pressed for a clue to who this man was and why he was hanging around town. And Charity.

  The man smiled, but Miles' practiced eye knew it never reached his eyes. "Now, sheriff. It would be downright embarrassing to my relative if I shared their private business. Let's just say, I'm in town as long as it takes to help them out. Not a minute sooner. Does that meet with your approval? Sheriff?"

  There was something about the man's politeness that rubbed him the wrong way, but he couldn't put his finger on the problem at the moment and his irritation could have something to do with his lack of sleep. And a certain red-head under his skin.

  "Yep. I've got no complaints with you. Yet. Just as long as you stay on the right side of the law, things will stay that way."

  "Good to know, sheriff. Good to know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm on my way to meet a very lovely lady for a buggy ride and I certainly don't want to keep her waiting." This time the yahoo’s grin was genuine and it irritated the hell out of him.

  He watched as the fancy dressed gentleman strolled down the street toward the livery stables whistling a tune. So he was going to take Charity out for a buggy ride, was he? Miles doubted the man's story was true. Charity wasn't exactly the carriage riding type. She preferred to wear britches and sit astride a horse. But that was before she left to go back East and she had changed a lot since then. He had to admit he couldn't be certain what she liked. But again, it was none of his business.

  The only thing that troubled him was her safety. As a lawman, he wanted to keep his citizens safe and there was still the possibility his prisoner had an accomplice lurking around somewhere. Maybe Miles should keep an eye on her. Just to make certain the crazy red-head didn't do something to jeopardize her safety or the safety of the other citizens of Creede. After all, wasn't that his job—to keep everyone safe?

  7

  Charity woke bright and early the next morning. She had accepted Mr. Carter's invitation for a buggy ride last night when she thought Miles was near enough to hear.

  Now, she wished she hadn't because all she wanted was to stroll up town and accidently, on purpose, run into her man.

  A sudden memory of sorts caused her to frown. What was with the bread and bear dream last night? "That's odd. Perhaps I had too much bubbly last night." Mr. Carter had been so attentive to her, he kept bringing her glasses of the sweet stuff. If she didn't know better, she would swear the man was trying to get her drunk.

  "A lady never drinks more than she is able to handle." Charity recited another lesson from the famous, or rather infamous, finishing school for young women. She wondered if the school administrators really knew what kinds of lessons were learned by their students? She had lived above a saloon where the soiled doves conducted their business and yet she had learned everything she knew about how to seduce a man behind the closed doors of her classmates. Unfortunately for her, Miles was a stubborn man. More stubborn than most it seemed.

  A knock on the door signaled a visitor. "Come in." she called out and stepped out of bed.

  "Good morning, Charity. Have you recovered from your welcome home party last night?" Aggie appeared at her door fully dressed, her apron already smudged with the day's meal preparations.

  "I have. It was a wonderful party, Aggie. I can't thank you and Hiram enough for hosting it. And I don't see how I can ever repay you both for your kindness and generosity toward me and my sisters." Still dressed in her night clothes, she hugged Aggie and kissed her chubby cheek.

  Aggie's arms wrapped around Charity and hugged her back. It felt so good to be loved. And she had no doubt Aggie Hanover loved her. And her sisters. "It is always a pleasure to be around you and your sisters. You are all like the daughters I…." Aggie's voice quivered her last words.

  Charity stepped back and looked at her. She could see tears shimmering in her blue eyes.

  "What is it Aggie? Why are you upset?" Charity led Aggie to her bed and sat her down on it taking her seat next to her.

  "It's nothing. Nothing at all. I'm just an emotional fuss pot this morning." Aggie assured her as she dabbed her eyes with her apron.

  "Aggie, something has upset you. Please, tell me what it is. You do so much for us girls, let me do something for you. Please." Charity urged her beloved benefactor to trust her with her problem.

  "Today is June fourteenth." Aggie offered as an explanation.

  Charity didn't understand the significance of the date so she probed a little deeper. "June fourteenth? Is that your birthday or something? Because if it is, we should have celebrated that instead of my coming home party," she offered.

  Aggie shook her head in denial. "No, it isn't my birthday. Or Hiram's or anyone else's." Aggie burst into tears and Charity was at a loss as to what to do. She wrapped her arms around Aggie and just held the woman while she sobbed quietly, dabbing her eyes from time to time with her apron.

  Finally, when the wave of emotion ebbed, Aggie raised her red-rimmed eyes. "I'm sorry. You would think after all these years, I would be able to get through this day without all the drama."

  "It's perfectly alright, Aggie. It's obvious there is something about this day that troubles you greatly. I would be honored to know what this day represents, but only if you trust me with the information."

  "Of course I trust you. I just don't want to burden anyone with something that happened years ago."

  "Oh, Aggie. You could never burden anyone. You are the most kind and generous person on this earth. I often wonder why you never had children because you would have been a wonderful mother." Charity hoped her compliment would boost the woman's spirit. Instead, she burst out into another round of sobs.

  "Oh, dear. Have I said something wrong? What is it, Aggie? Please tell me." Charity hugged the woman close again. A noise at the door pulled her gaze to Hiram's sad face. He was standing in the door way and it was obvious he heard Aggie's sobs.

  He stepped inside the room quietly and sat on the other side of his wife. Aggie felt the dip of the bed and turned a surprise tear-stained face toward her husband.

  "Oh, Hiram. I'm so sorry. I tried so hard to keep my emotions in check in hopes we could get through this day without so much as a sad thought, but as you can see..." her words drifted off and she lay her head on her husband's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and they sat in silence lost in grief that Charity knew nothing about.

  She felt like she was intruding on something very private between a husband and wife. She stood to leave them when Aggie reached for her hand to stop her. "Perhaps someday I, we, will be able to tell you about the significance of this day, Charity. But at the moment, I find that I am still unable to talk about it with anyone except my husband."

  "Come sweetheart. I knew this day would be hard for you so I took the liberty of taking the day off. I have instructed Sarah to make us a generous picnic lunch and Big Angus will bring the carriage around at our request. Let's have a beautiful day in the mountain sunshine amidst the beautiful scenery that surrounds us. Remember? Just like we did before—" Hiram stopped short and tears pooled in Aggies eyes again, but this time she smiled through them.

  "I'd like that, Hiram. I would truly like that." She leaned in and kissed her husband. "Charity, I apologize for our early morning intrusion and I promise that someday, I will share with you and your sisters my story. Our story." She tickled Hiram on the chin. "But now, we will leave you to your morning toiletries. Sarah has breakfast waiting whenever you are ready."

  Charity stood when Aggie and Hiram stood. "Thank you." It was all she could manage to think of in response to what had just happened.

  Hiram's right arms wrapped around his wife's ample waist while his other hand held hers. He escorted her out of Charity's room, all of his love and tenderness evident in his
touch.

  She watched them leave her room and close the door behind them leaving Charity to wonder about what could be so heartbreaking that it still had such an effect on the couple after all this time. "All this time?" She had no idea what had happened or when it happened, but whatever it was, it must have broken their hearts so badly, they still grieved.

  She thought of Hiram and Aggie's love for each other as she prepared herself for the day. Staring at her reflection in her vanity mirror, she wondered what it would be like to have that kind of unconditional love? She had never had it. At least, not until she came to Creede.

  Thoughts of a certain lawman that held her heart in the palm of his hands drifted into the mix. She wanted that kind of love and commitment too, and she wanted it from no one other than the handsome sheriff with the cool gray eyes.

  "Well, if the man is in the dark about his feelings for me, I shall use every trick I learned from my newly acquired education to help the man see the light."

  Miles finished his morning rounds just as the man who called himself Ben Carter trotted by in his rented carriage. He was headed down Main Street toward the Hanover home. So the story he told Miles during this morning's impromptu interrogation was true. Charity had agreed to accompany him on a carriage ride.

  It was none of his business who she kept company with. But what was his business was to keep everyone safe.

  He stuck his head inside the jail to let Bishop know he needed to talk to Hiram Hanover. Deputy Bishop sat at his desk playing solitude with a worn out deck of playing cards. "Lock this door, Bishop. I don't want you to be caught off guard in case his buddy comes calling."

  "Yep. Not a problem." Bishop assured him.

  Miles closed the door and waited until he heard the bolt slide into place. Satisfied Bishop was behind a locked door, Miles headed straight for the Hanover-O'Brien Law Office.

  Five minutes later, he opened the front door and was greeted immediately by Liam O'Brien, Hiram's law partner.