“The privy is in the back, and the food is in the house. We won’t be here but twenty minutes, fellas and miss.” He nodded in acknowledgment of Emily. “Don’t be wastin’ any time. We got a schedule to keep.”
Caeden took hold of her arm. “I’ll escort you out back, and then we can make our way inside.” He lowered his voice and moved her away from the others. “I’m afraid if I don’t keep an eye on you, one of those . . . gentlemen will. And worse, they’ll get ideas of how to further irritate me.”
Emily suppressed a smile. Caeden seemed quite possessive of her, and he hadn’t seemed to mind that she’d slept on his shoulder. Perhaps he had more feelings for her than that of a protective brother. Maybe he had fallen in love with her just as she had with him.
Caeden didn’t like men ogling Emily. He hadn’t been joking when he’d mentioned a desire for her to have her old clothes back. At least then she had been hidden away, to some degree. All he could do was assert his possessiveness of her and show the other men Emily was off-limits.
Once they were back on their way, Caeden began to relax a little. His actions at the stage stop had made it clear he would brook no nonsense where Emily was concerned. At the table he had given one poor man his fiercest scowl just for handing Emily the salt without her requesting it. The others hadn’t missed this, and from that point on they only cast quick side glances at Emily when they thought Caeden wasn’t watching.
Even so, Caeden felt a tremendous sense of relief when they finally pulled into Utica. It was late in the day, there were thick clouds overhead, and the light was all but gone. Not only that, but there was a taste of snow in the air. It certainly wouldn’t do to try to make Yogo tonight.
“We should probably get rooms at the hotel for the night and then worry about getting you back to the claim tomorrow.” Caeden shifted rather impatiently as he awaited their bags. Glancing around, he found himself more than a little aware that Emily was a beautiful woman in a rowdy cow town where the men far outnumbered the women.
What’s wrong with me? I’m acting like . . . He didn’t want to acknowledge the thought. The truth disturbed him more than he wanted to admit. I’m acting like a jealous, possessive husband.
“I need to speak with the marshal.” Emily looked around. “It’s not all that late. Do you suppose I’ll find him at the jail?”
“I suppose so.” Caeden took their bags from the stage driver. “I’ll walk you over.”
She didn’t say a word, and he wondered if he’d done something wrong. Had he offended her by taking charge?
They passed by the well-lit hotel restaurant where Caeden had first had dinner with Emily’s father. Through the big window at the front, he could see that the place was packed. Maybe by the time they finished with the marshal and got their rooms, the place wouldn’t be quite so busy.
They hadn’t gone ten feet, however, when Bishop Arnold’s voice called out in a commanding manner, “Caeden Thibault.”
He turned, as did Emily. Caeden had little desire to deal with the man but knew it would do no good to tell him so. Then to his complete displeasure, Catherine stepped from the restaurant to join her father.
“I find your behavior in leaving without a word to be completely unacceptable,” Arnold started in. “You accompanied me here to give me your opinion on my mining interests.” It was then that Arnold seemed to take an interest in Emily. He looked her up and down, then turned back to pull his daughter forward.
“And to have you desert your fiancée without a word was most uncalled for.”
Caeden looked at Catherine momentarily, then turned to Emily, whose expression had gone blank. He knew that look. It was how she handled anything distasteful or surprising. He wanted to counter Arnold’s claim and deny his untimely announcement, but Caeden could see the worry in Catherine’s eyes and so said nothing.
“We were quite worried, weren’t we, Catherine?”
She nodded. “Very much so. But, as you can see, Father, our worry was unwarranted.” She smiled at Caeden. “We’re glad to have you back.”
Caeden tightened his grip on the bags. “I can see that.” He looked to her father. “And have you completed your transaction with Mr. Singleton?”
“I have.” He seemed to puff out his chest. “No thanks to you. Even so, I’m certain that when you inspect the place for yourself, you’ll find everything in order.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “The ore we’ve pulled out was assayed just today and found to be of the highest quality.”
“No doubt.” Caeden knew the ore taken from the mine was most likely placed there for just such purposes. Either that or Singleton had an arrangement with the assayer. If there truly was an assayer in Utica. More than likely Singleton had hired someone to play the part.
“Of course it’s too dark to go out to the claim tonight,” Arnold began, “but in the morning I would like you to inspect it for yourself. I’m quite encouraged.”
Caeden shook his head. “And where is Mr. Singleton?”
“He had to return to Great Falls. He has another investor that he plans to bring out here. The man has really been most helpful. He’s offered to help me secure a crew to work the mine. He says he has a trusted man who could act as foreman for me.”
“And how did you manage to pay for the claim?” Caeden knew it was rude to ask about such matters, but he pushed for an answer. “After all, it isn’t like the bank here would have that kind of money on hand.”
“I arranged it in Great Falls. I wired my bank in Albany for a short-term loan, and they wired approval to the bank in Great Falls.” Bishop Arnold smiled. “Singleton believes I can make back my investment in a month’s time. He plans to return at that time and see just how things are going.”
Caeden didn’t want to make matters worse by telling Arnold that Singleton was probably long gone. He was tired, and he knew Emily was exhausted. No, it would be better to have this conversation in the morning.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he began and turned to look at Emily. She wasn’t there. He frowned and looked back at Arnold.
“The young lady who was with you left a few moments ago. I presume you were simply assisting her with her bag,” Arnold said, narrowing his eyes.
Caeden could only imagine what Emily was thinking. Arnold had announced that Catherine was to be his wife. He’d never had a chance to tell Emily anything about their arrangement. Not that he had thought it would ever be necessary. Now, however, she believed he was going to marry Catherine, and any chance he had of proposing she wait for him might face serious obstacles.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to catch up with her. As you said, I have her bag.”
“I was hoping you might have dinner with us,” Arnold announced. “Our food hasn’t arrived yet. Why don’t you join us. We have a great deal to discuss, and I know Catherine has been absolutely pining for you.”
Caeden hated himself for not putting Arnold in his place and declaring the farce that he and Catherine had contrived, but he knew it would spell disaster. Catherine would suffer, and Caeden would bear the responsibility and guilt should she be forced into a loveless marriage because of him. Surely he could just explain it all to Emily. She was the understanding sort. Wasn’t she?
Emily stormed into the jail feeling ten different kinds of fool. Why should it be such a surprise that Caeden had a fiancée? Why shouldn’t he? He was wealthy and handsome and no doubt quite popular in his circles. How foolish she’d been to suppose he felt something for her.
He probably sees me—us—as a charity case. He can do his good deeds and feel better about himself.
Emily’s embarrassment quickly turned to anger. “Marshal, I’ve come to find out what you’ve done about Kirk Davies.”
The marshal looked up in surprise. “I’m glad to see you’ve recovered, Miss Carver. How’s your father doing?”
“He’s alive. He may never walk again, but he’s alive.” She fixed him with what she hoped was her most intimidating glare. “N
ow what of Kirk Davies?”
“Now, Miss Carver, you probably don’t remember since you were suffering from a concussion, but I told you that night they brought you and your pa to Utica that Davies was in my jail when your attack happened.”
She leaned down. “And I told you he was there and I bit him. I bit him hard on the thigh after he knocked me to the ground. Go find him and make him show you his left thigh. That shouldn’t be so difficult.”
“Well, truth is, I haven’t seen anything of him.”
Emily crossed her arms. “Of course not. I suppose I’ll have to track him down myself.” She turned to head for the door.
“Now, wait just a minute,” the marshal said, coming from around his small desk. “You can’t go takin’ the law into your own hands.” He grabbed hold of her arm and spun her around.
Emily pulled away from him. “Well, it appears someone must. You are most unwilling to do your job.”
He frowned. “You need to calm down, Miss Carver. I am doin’ my job. Like I told you, Kirk Davies was here in my jail when you claim the attack took place. I don’t know him very well, as he was new to this area and kept to himself, but I’m not a liar.”
She knew this was getting her nowhere. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m quite tired and I’ve yet to arrange passage back to Yogo City.”
“Well, that I can be of help with,” the marshal said, sounding quite relieved. “Just follow me out back. Jake Hoover is loading up some supplies. I’m bettin’ he’d take you home.”
Jake was more than happy to have Emily’s company. Despite the lack of light, he was headed to Millie’s and knew she’d be glad to see Emily. He helped Emily mount one of his mules and repositioned a sack of flour behind her and one of sugar in front.
He secured a few other items to some of the other mules and then picked up the lantern that had afforded him light.
“If you don’t mind holdin’ on to this, we’ll be on our way.”
Emily nodded and took the lantern. Jake took hold of the lead mule’s rope and urged the animal forward. He began to tell Emily all about the happenings that had gone on in her absence. Emily didn’t much care, and she certainly didn’t feel like conversing. Her thoughts were still back on the beautiful woman engaged to Caeden.
Jake questioned her about her father, and when Emily didn’t say more than a half dozen words, he broke into a story about a time he’d been shot. Emily barely heard the words as she battled her anger and disappointment. It seemed the only men she had thought to count on were of no use to her. Not her father. Not Caeden, and certainly not the marshal of Utica.
Their progress was slow but methodic. After about four hours Jake stopped. “We can rest for several hours and then go on if you like.” Emily’s back and neck ached from the hours of stage travel and now her bareback adventure on the mule, but she was determined to reach Yogo.
“If you need to stop, that’s fine. But don’t do it on my account. I’d just as soon get home.”
He smiled. “I figured as much. We’ll rest a bit and have us a fire to warm up with and then we’ll push on.”
Emily definitely enjoyed the fire. She hadn’t realized how cold she was. At times like this she longed for her old canvas coat, but she had no idea where it had ended up after her father’s shooting.
It wasn’t long before they were back on the road and Emily finally felt some of her anger slip away. Jake seemed to sense this too and started posing questions.
“What are your plans, Miss Emily?”
She considered the matter for a moment. “Pa doesn’t want me to sell the claim, so I guess I’m going to work it. We dug up quite a bit of dirt prior to his getting shot. I’ll work with that for now.”
“I can’t imagine he expects you to be doin’ that.”
“I don’t know exactly what he expects. I tried to talk him into letting me sell the claim and all the animals. The doctor doesn’t know if Pa will ever recover his ability to walk. Pa says he will, and you know Pa. He’s just stubborn enough to prove us all wrong.”
“Well, just the same, I don’t think you should do it. It’s not safe for a woman to live out there alone.”
“I thought I’d see if Millie would let me stay with her, maybe let me trade chores for rent.”
Jake nodded. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to. You know Millie cares a great deal about you, as do I, Miss Emily. I’d like to help you out too. I’ll go hunting tomorrow before I head off to the ranch. I want to make sure you have some meat.”
“Thank you, Jake. I do appreciate what you’ve done for us over this last year. I know Pa didn’t very often pay you, but I’ll do what I can to see you’re compensated.”
“That ain’t necessary, Miss Emily. Some folks can pay and some folks can’t. I don’t want you worryin’ about it.”
After some time of traveling in the pitch-black night with nothing more than a lantern for light, Emily finally spied the lights of Millie’s boardinghouse. She could already imagine the warmth of a fire in the dining room and the comfort of a hot meal.
“Look there, Millie knew I was coming back tonight and stayed up to greet me. She’s gonna be glad to see you too, Emily.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’m glad to finally be here. I’m weary to the bone.” The long hours of travel left her unable to even think clearly. Jake helped her from the mule, and Emily took hold of his arm and gave it a squeeze. “You were a godsend, Jake. Thank you for bringing me here.”
He laughed and put his arm around her to pull her toward Millie’s front door. “’Tain’t no trouble. Besides, you know I’ve got a soft spot for the ladies.”
20
When Caeden had found the marshal absent from the jail, he’d gone back to the hotel, hoping Emily might be there waiting for him. When he found she wasn’t, he secured a room for himself and then went in search of her. After several hours he finally located the marshal, but the news wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“What do you mean she was here, but now she’s gone to Yogo City?” Caeden asked the marshal.
“Just what I said. She came here and asked me about Kirk Davies and then she left. Headed back with Jake Hoover.”
Caeden wondered for a moment what he should do. To follow them he’d have to rent a horse again, and that would take time. What with it being the supper hour, the liveryman was probably elsewhere eating.
“I’m glad you stopped by, however,” the marshal said, pulling a piece of paper from his desk. “This telegram came for you. I went to hunt you down and learned about you heading over to Lewistown to check on the Carvers. I was going to have it sent over with the stage in a day or so, but since you’re here, I guess you’ve saved me the trouble.”
Caeden took the telegram and read it. The news wasn’t at all what he wanted to hear. His geologist colleagues sent word that he was to make his way to Washington without delay. Apparently there was to be some sort of congressional committee meeting, and he was to give a report based on his findings. His absence would spell trouble for all of them and threaten a research project that was only just beginning. The meeting would take place a week from tomorrow. It didn’t give Caeden a whole lot of time.
“Thanks.” He stuffed the telegram into his pocket.
He started to leave, but the marshal called him back. “I hope you’ll be able to talk some sense into Emily Carver. She’s convinced that Kirk Davies shot her pa, but like I told her, Davies was in jail. I’d only just let him go shortly before she and Henry Carver were brought to Utica. He couldn’t have been the one to attack them.”
Caeden frowned. “It’s not like Emily to lie about a thing.”
“I don’t think she is lying,” the marshal countered. “I think that blow to her head caused her to think she knew the attacker. Since so much had happened with Davies prior to that, I think she just let her mind remember him.”
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance to question Davies about the situation.”
The m
arshal shrugged. “If you can find him, ask all the questions you like. I haven’t seen him around. I even went out to that old cabin he’s supposed to be holed up in, but there wasn’t any sign of him. Maybe he’s just layin’ low.”
Caeden perked up at this. “Why would he need to lie low if he’s done nothing wrong?”
Again the marshal shrugged. “I would imagine he’s heard about the Carvers and figures folks will blame him. It’s just a guess.”
“Well, my guess is that he did have something to do with the attack and doesn’t want to be too accessible for questioning.” Caeden headed once more for the door. “I will tell you this much. If you don’t find him, I have a feeling Emily will.”
That thought scared Caeden more than he could say. If Emily set out to find Davies and prove that he was responsible for the attack, she would probably get herself killed.
It turned out to be impossible to rent a horse before morning, and when Caeden returned early the next day he had to pay an outrageous price to use the liveryman’s own mount. He wasn’t in any mood to dicker with the man but made it clear he wasn’t happy. Nevertheless, with no other choices available, Caeden paid the price and headed to Yogo.
Exhausted, Caeden tried to keep his mind alert for any trouble on the road. Sleep had been nigh on impossible for him the night before. Over and over he kept seeing Emily’s face when Arnold had announced his engagement to Catherine. The matter was simple to clear up, and had she but waited, Caeden could have done just that. Instead, she’d spent the night believing he belonged to another woman.
He pushed the horse to a gallop, knowing it probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do. He might encounter bears or other problems. The bay gelding took it all in stride. He seemed familiar with the road, and the chill of the November day made him frisky. Caeden used this to his advantage and gave the horse his head. If he was able to keep up the pace, it wouldn’t take but a few hours to reach Yogo.
He arrived without incident in Yogo City just after noon. He didn’t bother to stop by Millie’s or anywhere else. He rode straightaway to the Carvers’ cabin, knowing he’d find Emily there. He had gone over and over the things he would say, but now as he neared, Caeden wasn’t at all sure that Emily would even want to hear them. And, even if she did, Caeden couldn’t be sure she’d forgive him.
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