by Kit Morgan
“You still should have told me.”
“Yes, I should have. I’m sorry.” He turned back to her, but she was already walking out the door. “Dorcas!” He ran after her, caught her by the arm in the street and gently turned her to face him. “Don’t do this. Don’t go.”
“What’s important to you, Elwood? Your books? Your freedom? Getting away from … her?”
He gripped her with his gaze, or at least tried “You. You’re what’s most important.”
She looked tired, and probably was, now that he thought of it. “I wish I could believe you. But I can’t. Not after what I’ve been through.”
“Dorcas, let me make this right.”
She tried to turn away. “Please let go of me.”
He held her fast. “Dorcas, you silly woman, you can’t leave.”
She looked into his eyes, her own filling with tears. “Don’t call me silly, and don’t tell me what to do. This isn’t going to work. What else haven’t you told me?”
“Oh for the love of Pete, woman, I love you!”
Dorcas put both hands against his chest, shoved him away and ran.
“Dorcas!” he called after her, then gave chase. “Come back!”
She ignored him, her pace quickening. But Elwood wasn’t giving up. He’d hurt her, he knew, but she was being stubborn and he wasn’t about to let her get away.
By the time he caught up to her she had slowed somewhat. “Dorcas.” He took her by the arm. “Please, stop this. Let me talk to you.”
“Why not leave the little lady be?”
Elwood and Dorcas both turned to see Marshal Gant leaning against the wall of the Land Office. “Marshal, now’s not the time,” Elwood said.
“Now’s the time if you want that interview with me. I have to leave town in the morning.”
Elwood stiffened. He glanced between Dorcas and the marshal, and swallowed hard. But he knew what he had to do.
“Time’s wasting, son – it’s now or never,” the marshal said.
Dorcas pulled her arm from Elwood’s grasp “Go ahead. I know how important he is to your work.”
Elwood stared at her. “Not as important as you.”
Dorcas raised her eyes to his. “Am I?” came out a whisper.
Elwood took her in his arms. “Most important thing in the world, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Important enough to still get married?”
“How can you even ask such a thing?”
“Broken hearts talk like that all the time, son,” the marshal commented. “She wouldn’t be making all this fuss if she wasn’t already in love with you.”
Elwood’s eyes went wide. “What? In … in love?”
“Tell me I’m wrong, missy,” the marshal said with a wide grin.
“You’re not wrong, marshal.” Dorcas looked at Elwood, eyes wide and moist. “Oh, why did you have to go and be so wonderful?”
“But isn’t that a good thing?” he asked, confused. He’d never understood women. But he did understand that he needed to find Rev. Hammond. The sooner they married, the better. He’d marry her right now if he could. Why wait another week?
Dorcas squirmed away and took off running again.
“Dorcas!”
“Let her go, son. You have to learn when to give a woman some space.”
“If I give her any more space she’ll wind up back in Denver.” Elwood watched his future bride hurry to the Golden Nugget. But part of him knew the marshal was right. He needed to let her go for now. She needed a chance to rest, to think.
Which made him think … “Marshal Gant, did you say she’s in love with me?”
The marshal joined him in the street. “Yes. More importantly, she did. And I suspect she will again.”
Elwood glanced at the Golden Nugget. Dorcas had already disappeared inside. “How can you be so sure?”
Marshal Gant grinned. “How much time do you have? I can tell you a few stories.”
Elwood nodded. “I’ve got as much time as you’ll give me.”
“Then let’s go, son. I’ll give you an earful.”
Chapter 12
Elwood tried to see Dorcas after his talk with Marshal Gant, but Norah said she didn’t want to be disturbed. He didn’t press it, thinking Dorcas just needed time. But their wedding was coming up and he was concerned. Around eight in the evening, he decided he had to see her.
“No,” Norah insisted, blocking the staircase. “Leave the lass be, Mr. Hunter.”
“Mr. Hunter? What happened to calling me Elwood?”
“Once all this is settled I’ll think about calling ye Elwood again, but right now that poor girl is dealing with a broken heart and I won’t have ye …”
“Broken heart?” Elwood repeated in shock. “How could she … oh, well, I suppose she could.”
“Ye’d suppose right. It’s not like the two of ye have known each other for an age, but sometimes it happens that way. But love’s a risk no matter how ye look at it, I know. We’ve been there, Seamus and I.”
Elwood nodded sadly. Seamus had shared some of his and Norah’s story while helping build the bookshop. Seamus had come west to find his fortune, planning to send for Norah later. But Norah never received his letters, they having been intercepted by an aunt she was living with at the time, and her trust waned. How much more so Dorcas’, who’d known him for only a few days? “I guess I’ll see if she’s ready to talk in the morning.”
He left the Golden Nugget, returned to his bookshop and perused the stacks. Books were still piled everywhere, even in his living quarters – what he still hoped would be their living quarters. How was he going to fix this? What was he going to say to her in the morning? He wanted to marry her so badly it hurt. Maybe he should speak with Rev. Hammond? Only he hadn’t told the reverend – or anyone else – about the arranged marriage to Gertrude, assuming it was all behind him. There was no one to back him up – he just had to trust that Dorcas would come around.
Elwood ran his hand through his hair and groaned. He supposed that if Vernon Fink had shown up unannounced, he’d be upset. But he’d be prepared for it. In this situation, Dorcas wasn’t, and it was all his fault.
“Oh, Dorcas, I’m sorry – what an idiot I am,” he muttered to the stacks.
He began putting books onto shelves. The work helped him think, calm down and search his heart. He’d blurted out his growing feelings to her yesterday, not realizing what they were until that moment. But they were real, he knew, and was amazed he hadn’t noticed them before.
Dorcas was like a rare volume thought lost to the ages, like one of Sophocles’ plays. One hears about it, dreaming of owning a copy one day, and when found protects it in every way possible. But she wasn’t locked up in some dusty case in a library – she was here in the flesh and could be appreciated whenever he wanted. He’d care for her, protect her and see to it that she had the best of everything he could afford.
With renewed determination, Elwood filled his shelves until he could work no more, and fell into bed exhausted, not even pulling off his boots. In the morning he’d try to speak with Dorcas. But what if she wouldn’t talk to him? What then?
That last thought haunted him as he fell into a fitful sleep.
The next morning Dorcas dressed slowly. She was so tired, wishing she could just sleep the rest of the day. All this time she’d worried about Vernon … and now this? The turnabout still felt surreal, and part of her told her to just forget about it and move on. But she had nowhere to go – her family was a dead end, as they’d likely still want her to marry Vernon (a fate worse than death). Her best friend, Daphne, lived here, so running from Elwood meant running from her as well. She had no relations tucked anywhere else.
What should she do now? Speak with Elwood? No, she couldn’t yet – her heart felt too sick, too betrayed. Elwood hadn’t told her about this Gertrude – what else hadn’t he told her? What else from his past would pop up out of nowhere and slap her, literally or otherwise? How coul
d she have possibly fallen for him so …
“Oh dear me, I did fall, didn’t I?” she said to herself. She began pacing the room. “I’m in love! This is terrible! What am I going to do now?” She sat on the bed, put her face in her hands and cried, but only for a moment. She had to think this through. Her heart was hurting, a lot. So this is what heartache felt like. She’d read about it in novels … “Elwood, you … you lout!”
Was this how Gertrude felt? Somehow Dorcas doubted it, but why else had she come all this way to find him? She wasn’t just angry – he must have hurt her too.
“Dorcas?” Daphne called from the other side of the door. “Are you up?”
Dorcas went to the door and opened it. “Yes,” she grudgingly admitted.
Daphne took one look at her and sighed. “You poor thing. How long have you been crying?”
“About a minute.”
Daphne smiled. “Well, that’s not so bad. Do you want breakfast?”
“No.”
Daphne took her arm and steered her to the bed. “Sit down. I want to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to hear it, Daph. I just want to be left alone.”
“Dorcas, you have to speak with him. At least give him a chance to explain.”
“No, not now …”
“Dorcas,” Daphne stood. “We’ve been friends for a long time. Since when do you give up so easily?”
Dorcas looked at her and blinked a few times. “Give up?”
“Yes, you’re acting like this is over. It’s not over.”
Dorcas thought a moment. Daphne was right – she wasn’t the type to give in to a problem and let it conquer her. But it had never involved a broken heart before. And she wasn’t even married to the man – she’d only known him for a week! Oh, why did love have to be so complicated and painful?
“Dorcas?” Daphne said. “Promise me you’ll speak to Elwood.”
“Fine. I’ll talk to him, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Maybe so, but you’ll feel better if you do. I promise.”
Dorcas looked at her, tried to smile, but couldn’t manage it. “I’m not promising anything else except that I’ll talk to him. I can’t, Daph.”
“I understand, but you also can’t move forward unless you hear Elwood out. He listened to you when you told him about Vernon.”
“Vernon didn’t show up in town with his family, threatening to hang me higher than Haman.”
“What if Vernon does show up?”
Dorcas paled. She hadn’t thought of that recently, but it was still possible. What would she do? Would Elwood still protect her? He wouldn’t give up like she was thinking of, she was sure of that. “Oh, Daphne, I’m such a fool.”
Daphne hugged her. “More precisely, you’re in love. It happens, sometimes faster than we expect. You’ve wanted to fall in love for a long time. This Elwood, from what Felicity and Chase Hammond tell me, is a good man. Why do you think I’d hate to see you throw all this away?”
Dorcas closed her eyes and nodded. Her head was swimming, her chest hurt and she was hungry. “Breakfast first.”
“You want food – that’s an excellent sign that you’re on the mend.”
“From what?”
“Heartache. It tends to ruin the appetite. You have every right to be angry after what happened yesterday. But stay calm and speak to Elwood. He’s probably still in shock over this Gertrude creature showing up.”
“Is she gone?”
Daphne glanced at the door. “I think so. Walker and I haven’t seen any strangers in town. I can ask Sheriff Draven. Maybe he can ride out and see if they’re camped somewhere nearby.”
“Would you? I’d hate to think that that nasty woman is lurking somewhere. Is her name familiar to you?”
“Gertrude? No, I don’t know any Gertrudes.”
“I think her last name is Van Housen.”
“Van Housen … oh goodness, yes, I’ve heard of them. There were Van Housens in Denver, rich ones, and they had relatives in Boston. Isn’t that where Elwood’s from?”
Dorcas’ eyes popped wide open. “Those Van Housens!”
“Yes, if my guess is right.”
Dorcas blinked and forced her mouth shut. Had Elwood rejected a match with a relative of one of the richest families in Denver? And reportedly the relatives in Boston were richer still. Why would he do that? Well, the woman did appear to have the personality of a banshee, but that couldn’t be the only reason …
… although she had rejected a marriage to a member of one of Denver’s richer families, purely because of his horrid nature. Maybe she really was his Vernon Fink.
“Why don’t you get dressed?” Daphne suggested. “I’ll go downstairs, get us some coffee and see what Norah has for breakfast. Would you like to eat up here?”
Dorcas nodded. The shock of finally realizing who this Gertrude was had left her speechless. Most men would jump at the chance to marry into the Van Housen fortunes. So why hadn’t Elwood? Was it just her personality? She couldn’t be sure until she spoke with him.
She ate breakfast slowly, unable to shake the idea that Elwood was still hiding something from her. Did he have secrets he didn’t want the Van Housens to know about? Was he in trouble with the law? Could she trust him? She nibbled on another piece of toast, pondering that key question. Maybe there was a simple explanation, like what he’d said yesterday. But could it be that simple? She didn’t think so. It certainly wasn’t in her situation. And what would she do if Vernon showed up?
She sipped her coffee as a longing crept into her heart. She wanted a husband, a home, children, to love and be loved. Could she have all those things with Elwood? And to think she’d been worried he’d pay more attention to his books than her …
“His books …” She set her cup down. Did he even want to get married? Maybe his books were so important to him that he passed marrying into a prominent family. If so, where did that leave her? To think they’d originally planned to get married that day. But she couldn’t, not with so many unanswered questions.
After her meal, she fixed her hair, grabbed her reticule and left to face her betrothed. Daphne was right – the sooner she spoke with Elwood, the sooner she could move forward. Where to, she didn’t know, but at least she was taking a step in the right direction. She didn’t want to be a coward anymore – she’d done that long enough with Vernon. She should have told Elwood at the onset, but fear held her back. Now look what had happened. As to why Elwood didn’t tell her about Gertrude, there was only one way to find out.
Dorcas arrived at the bookshop and marched straight inside. “Elwood?” Nothing. Wasn’t he here? She glanced around. Over half the shelves were now full, mostly on the perimeter walls. He must have worked hours the night before. Could he still be asleep? “Elwood?” she called again, louder this time.
Footsteps sounded in the back of the shop. Dorcas hurried in that direction – and stopped with a gasp.
“Hello, Dorcas.”
She gulped. “H-hello … Vernon.”
Elwood sat across from Sheriff Draven, looking grave. “I know it’s far-fetched, but after Gertrude showed up and threw such a public tantrum, I’d feel better if you made sure they’ve left the area.”
Sheriff Draven nodded. “Walker Brooks is thinkin’ the same – he was in here just before you.”
“Oh? Are you going to check things out, then?”
“I’ll take a ride, see if your Gertrude’s still around.”
“Not my Gertrude, Sheriff. She’s a mean-spirited, spiteful … well, you saw her. What do you think?”
“I think Bad Luck Chuck’s lived up to his name again.”
“Bad Luck … what are you talking about?”
Draven smiled, a fearsome sight. “Things don’t go well for folks who cross Charles Gant.”
Elwood thought a moment. “But I’m fine.”
“Ya didn’t cross him. The woman’s kin, though … looked to me like they weren’t here
to defend their sister’s honor so much as to get rid of her.”
Elwood’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling. The Van Housen boys didn’t like Gertie anymore than he did, maybe less – they’d had to grow up in the same house as her. “Why, those devious …”
“Didn’t happen, did it? They’re stuck with her. Maybe I oughta just make sure they didn’t abandon her in the woods somewhere.”
“Yes, perhaps you’d best.”
“Meantime, weren’t ya supposed to get hitched today?”
Elwood slumped in his chair and sighed. “We moved it to next week. Now I’m not sure it’ll happen at all.”
“Aw, don’t fret, Hunter. Talk to the woman, bare your soul, lay your heart out and hope she don’t step on it.”
Elwood looked at him, aghast.
“Trust me,” Draven said. “I’ve been there.”
Elwood swallowed and nodded. He didn’t want to pry into the sheriff’s personal business … actually, he did want to, but Draven had made it pretty clear he wasn’t welcome to. Still, he’d heard stories of the man’s tumultuous marriage with Pearl. They’d never intended to marry, only to pose as a couple, but …
“Anyways, I’ll round up Marshal Gant and some other men and we’ll have a look ‘round.”
Elwood nodded. “Thank you, Sheriff. I’m in your debt.”
“Yeah, ya are. If I find the woman, I’ll make sure she heads back to Boston. Last thing we need in this town is a troublemaker like that.”
“She was the last thing Boston needed as well. I hope her family doesn’t send her back again.”
“Me too.” Sheriff Draven stood, put on his hat and headed for the door. “You comin’?”
Elwood stood and followed him outside, but his eyes drifted to the Golden Nugget.
“Seems to me ya got some unfinished business over there,” Draven said.
Elwood sighed. “Yes, I do.” He stepped off the boardwalk, headed across the street, entered the hotel and marched straight for the stairs, checking the women gathered nearby to make sure Dorcas wasn’t among them. She wasn’t – just Norah, Felicity Hammond and Daphne Brooks staring at him as if daring him to proceed. He took the steps two at a time, ran a hand through his hair, then went down the hall. He heard a few giggles from below, but ignored them. Let them think what they wanted – he would speak to Dorcas and that was that.