The Pursuit

by Elliee Atkinson

  Alice laughed. “I suppose you are, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about. I promise I won’t shove you into the arms of one of the men in Wickenburg. How does that sound?”

  Molly joined her in laughter. “That sounds good. Thank you, my dear cousin.”

  Even as she said the words, she knew that there was something special about Mark that she wanted to explore. She was torn between wanting to be alone, needing a man by her side, and mourning the loss of her beloved husband.

  CHAPTER TEN

  A MYSTERY ARISES

  A MYSTERY ARISES

  Through the rest of the week, Molly spent most of her time in the little yellow house, sorting through her bags and getting comfortable. She wasn’t used to being alone and it took some adjustment for her. Even after Bill died, she’d had a steady stream of visitors and people who stayed with her. She was always watching children for her relatives and friends.

  Here, in this little yellow house in Wickenburg, she was truly alone.

  By Thursday, she was settled in. She hadn’t seen Mark since she first moved in. When he said he had work to do, he meant it. Adam told Alice, who told Molly, that he’d seen a lantern burning in Mark’s workshop two nights in a row. Thursday evening, Molly heard a knock on the door and came out from the bedroom to open it.

  Mark smiled wide at her. “Good evening, Miss Molly.”

  “Well, it feels like I haven’t seen you for ages, Mark! Come in!” She pulled the door open wide and he stepped into the front room. He looked around.

  “Fresh flowers, a nice fire, you have made this your home, haven’t you?” Mark asked, pulling his hat from his head and setting it on the table next to the door.

  Molly nodded, closing the door behind him. “Oh, yes. I love this little house. I’m so glad you had it open for me.”

  Mark smiled. “Me, too.”

  “Come in and sit down on your furniture.”

  Mark laughed. “I think I will. I wanted to come by and talk to you about the cook off this Saturday. I have all the preparations at my house. I plan to cook all day tomorrow and have it ready by Saturday morning.”

  Molly raised her eyebrows, sitting on the couch next to him, turned to face him with one leg up under her skirt.

  “It does when I make it. I let some of the ingredients cook overnight.”

  “This must be a west coast thing to do. I have never heard of such a thing before. Our county fairs have pie cook offs but I have never heard of a chili cook off.”

  Mark nodded. “It’s probably just over here, then. I don’t know why. You easterners are missing out on some fantastic tastes. I admit,” he chuckled. “My chili is the best around. But there are some great cooks around here and their chili is delicious. Wait till you find out.”

  “Is that all that will be there? Just chili?”

  “Drinks are always provided by Sam at the Horse N Saddle.” He leaned forward, grinning. “That doesn’t mean ya gotta drink a beer. It just means that he provides drinks.”

  “I’m sure there will be a lot of men drinking beer though.”

  Mark shrugged. “There always is. But don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

  She gave him a surprised look. “Do I need protecting? I thought the people of Wickenburg were friendly.”

  “Oh, they are. I just meant because… well, you’re new here, you don’t know anyone. And you’re a… small woman… so…”

  Molly laughed at his awkward response. “Oh, Mark, I’m teasing you. I know what you meant. I’ve been around men who couldn’t handle their drink. I have learned to take care of myself. Remember… Annie Oakley.”

  Mark smiled. “I’d love to go shooting with you. There’s a place out on my land that I use for target practice. Would you like to go with me sometime?”

  “I would love that!”

  He nodded. “It’s settled then. Next chance we get. For now, I wonder if you would like to come up to my house and help me with the fixings tomorrow. You can stay and have dinner with me tomorrow night if you’d like. I am making a beef roast and some vegetables. I think you’ll like it.”

  Molly felt a strange sensation run through her, anxiety she hadn’t felt in a long time. She had been at such peace in her solitude for the past week; she had lost the desire to spend time with anyone. She wanted to have dinner with Mark and she didn’t want to at the same time.

  “I would love to.” She found herself saying the words and hoped her reluctance didn’t come through in any way.

  After Mark left, Molly went into the bedroom and flopped herself down on the bed face first like she used to do when she was a child. She pushed her face down in the fluffy comforter. She prayed quietly that she be given the wisdom to do the right thing with the rest of her life. So far, she had not strayed down the wrong path. She wasn’t going to start now.

  She turned over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Life was very different here. It was going to take a while to get used to it. She stretched her arms up over her head for a moment, tucked her hands under her cheek and was asleep before she knew it.

  A few hours later, when Molly woke up, it was pitch dark outside. It didn’t seem like there was even a moon in the sky. She felt around, remembering that she was on the bed and that she’d fallen asleep while it was still daylight. She slipped out of the bed and felt her way to the side table next to the door, where she kept her lantern. She lit it and held it up to see where she was going. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten any supper. She set the lantern back down and changed into her nightdress, covering herself with her robe. The nights were cold here, despite the warm days.

  She shivered, hugging the robe around her.

  Picking up the lantern again, Molly went through the door of her room and walked down the hall to the kitchen. There might be some slices of ham and cheese in the icebox. She could slice off a chunk of bread and make a cup of tea or coffee.

  As she passed into the kitchen, she caught movement in the corner of her eye and turned to stare at the window in the front of the house. She could just make out the trees on the other side of the white fence that went around the house. The white fence stood out against the black darkness of the night. She narrowed her eyes, staring at the fence. There was something off about it.

  Her heart began to beat harder and she froze in place, unsure whether she wanted to investigate or go into the kitchen and be afraid for the rest of the night.

  She set the lantern on the table just inside the kitchen door and let the door swing closed without going through. Now in total darkness, she felt her way to the front of the house and stood between the door and the window. She peeked around the window and stared at the fence.

  Her heart quickened again when she saw a black shape move from its place in front of the fence around the house in the direction of the kitchen. The kitchen only had one window and it was on the side of the house. Molly quickly moved from her position to the kitchen, reached in through the door and grabbed the lantern.

  As she went out the front door, she reached to the corner behind the door and picked up her rifle. She stifled herself against the cold when she opened the door and stepped out on the porch. She lifted the rifle and settled it against her shoulder, softly walking around the porch in the direction of the kitchen.

  She hesitated only a moment before swinging the rifle around the corner of the house, prepared to shoot whoever or whatever was stalking her house.

  There was no one there. No black shape. No animal. No man.

  She lowered her rifle, still alarmed. She looked all around her, peering into the darkness, wishing she could see through the black veil over her eyes. How could the intruder have disappeared so quickly?

  Who was it that had come prowling around her house at night?

  She hoped it wasn’t Mark. She hoped it was someone she wouldn’t mind shooting.

  She didn’t realize she could see part of Mark’s ranch house from hers until she went to see him the next day. He
came to pick her up around mid-day. He was smiling and seemed full of energy. Molly hoped he couldn’t see how tired she was.

  When she found no one outside the house the night before, she’d gone back into the kitchen, hurriedly made a snack and a soothing cup of hot tea. She’d planned to make a fire but was too anxious to do all of that.

  She went to her room and ate the food by the light of her lantern. Then, she lay back in bed and tossed and turned the rest of the night. By the time she managed to get to sleep, she knew it would only be a few hours before Mark would be there to get her.

  As they walked through the field, Mark chatted, apparently not noticing how quiet she was being. She didn’t know whether she wanted to tell him about the prowler or not. What if it was him? What would be his reason for spying through the windows at her in the middle of the night?

  She looked up at him as they walked, half-listening to his words. He was telling her something that had happened at the last cook-off, how close the votes had come to someone else taking his title away. He seemed very proud of the title. She could tell by the smile on his face. She pushed away the negative thoughts she was having. It couldn’t have been him. He was a gentleman. He was noble and kind.

  “How many years have you won this cook-off, Mark?” she asked.

  “Every year since it started!” he exclaimed. He laughed and added, “Of course that was only five years ago. I’m sure someone will come along eventually who will cook a better tasting chili than me.”

  “Not necessarily,” Molly shook her head. “You may very well win for the rest of your life.”

  He laughed. “I couldn’t be that lucky, my dear. See, there’s the house.”

  She narrowed her eyes and gazed at the structure. It looked very solid, as if it was made of rock. She was impressed by its size. It seemed to stretch on for miles. As she got closer, she could see it wasn’t quite as long as she’d thought but it was still massive. She never would have expected Mark to live in a home that seemed so luxurious for its location.

  “What a beautiful home you have!” She exclaimed, grabbing his arm so forcefully, he almost tripped on his own feet. He looked down at her to see if she’d seen him stumble but she didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were focused on the house in front of them.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Oh, it is very nice. I can’t wait to see the inside. I didn’t know you lived so fancy.” She sniffed the air. “I can smell the meat you’re cooking. Let’s go.” She pulled on his arm and he chuckled, following as she picked up the edge of her skirt and ran to the edge of the lawn that surrounded the home. Once there, she turned and waved at him to come along. “I don’t want to go in your home uninvited, so you have to get up here now, come on.”

  He shook his head. Her youthful demeanor made him feel young again, too. He jogged up to where she was, took her hand, and they hurried over the grass to the front door, which he opened for her. “You are invited into my home, Miss Molly.”

  “Thank you, Mark. You are a gentleman.”

  Even as the words came out of her mouth, the suspicion in the back of her mind made her feel uneasy. She decided she was only going to tell Alice and ask what her opinion of the situation was. She knew Mark. She would know if he was the type to spy on his house guest. She would also know what Molly should do about it. Still, she wouldn’t want her to tell Adam.

  Once more, she pushed away her negative thoughts and concentrated on having a good time with Mark. She wanted to think he wasn’t capable of being a peeper. However, all the while, as she helped him boil beans and mix together ingredients for his chili, she felt a tingle of worry and regret. Those feelings, mixed with her guilt for being suspicious of a man who was doing something so kind for her, allowing her to stay in his guest house, made Molly feel like going back to bed an hour after she arrived at his house.

  She pushed on, through the anxiety, determined to give Mark the benefit of the doubt. She would have a talk with Alice and get it straightened out. If it wasn’t Mark, though, that meant there was someone else coming around her house at night. She’d hate to have to shoot someone so soon after arriving, but she wasn’t about to become a victim to a scoundrel or an outlaw. She knew how to protect herself and she would do so without hesitation.

  Mark mentioned going shooting again, which perked Molly up. They had a lively discussion about the latest pistols and rifles. They shared their experiences in competitions. As time went on, Molly forgot her exhaustion and her doubts and had a good time.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THE GREAT CHILI COOK OFF OF WICKENBURG

  THE GREAT CHILI COOK OFF OF WICKENBURG

  The central place of meeting for the chili cook off was, of course, the Campbell Hotel. Helen had loaned out several of her large pots to those who entered their chili into the competition. Molly and Alice were seated on the bench just outside the hotel, the same one where Molly sat when she first arrived.

  “You know, he has asked me to go shooting on his land with him.”

  “Are you still doing that?”

  Molly laughed. “Surely you don’t think that someone like me with a talent like that is going to let it go to waste? I want everyone to know I can shoot like I do.”

  Alice nodded. “It’s because you’re a woman. You want to show that we are equal to men and should be treated like we are.”

  “Exactly.” Molly agreed. She looked down the street as the citizens of Wickenburg who were participating in the cooking part of the cook-off set up tables just outside their chosen establishment. She watched two men across the street arguing about who would put up their chili offering in front of the Horse N Saddle. A big man with red hair came out and took each of them by the shoulder. She could hear his booming voice from where she sat, even with the hustle and bustle of what was going on around her.

  “Now, there’s no need to fight. I’ll sponsor ya both. Just don’t be arguin’ outside my saloon! I got patrons, ya know.”

  The two men apologized to the man, calling him “Sam”. They apologized to each other and from then on, they worked together on the tables and large pots they’d brought with them.

  Molly moved her eyes away from the two men and gazed at the rest of the action in the street. She was still pondering how to tell Alice about the prowler. When was a good time to bring up such a subject? Alice would be alarmed and it would ruin a perfectly good family day.

  “When do the festivities start?” she asked, folding her light scarf around her arms when she felt a sudden chill. Alice noticed and looked at her strangely.

  “About a half an hour. When the bell tower strikes one o’clock, people start filling their bowls.”

  “When are the chilies judged?”

  “At four o’clock.”

  “What if some of the people run out of chili and don’t have any for the judges?”

  Alice laughed. “You are full of questions, aren’t you? They already have their bowls. They are given their own at the beginning of the day. They have probably already eaten, voted, and picked a winner. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  Half an hour later, Alice and Molly walked down the street, following in a line of people who took a spoonful from a pot of chili, decided if they wanted a bowl and either got one or moved on to the next entry. Molly and Alice decided ahead of time to sample all the chili's before going back and getting a bowl of Mark’s. They had to support him, even if they didn’t think his chili was the best.

  “It won’t matter whether we think his is the best anyway,” Molly reasoned. “You said the judges have already picked a winner.”

  Alice nodded. “Yes and no. They have chosen their winner but the people do get to cast a vote, too.”

  “How do we do that?”

  Alice pointed. Next to the pot of chili they were sampling was a bowl filled with small blue pebbles.

  “At the end, people pick up one of the pebbles from their favorite offering of chili and drop it in the large basket that Hele
n will carry around. The judges will count the pebbles. They know which color belongs to which entry. We had a lot this year. I see they had to use the white pebbles, too. Look, there are ten men out here.”

  “I do hope you’ll take one of my pebbles,” said the man behind the pot, who had listened to the ladies conversation. He smiled at them. Alice smiled back and held out her hand.

  “I think you might be new here, too. Have we met?”

  “I don’t think so, ma’am. I am new here, just arrived three weeks ago from Nevada. John Luke McAllister is my name. You can call me Luke.”

  “And you can call me Alice. I’m Alice Collins and this is my cousin, Molly Thorn. She has only been in Wickenburg for a week.”

  “Hello.” Molly shook his hand and smiled at him.

  “Hello,” he replied.

  Alice looked down at the big pot of steaming chili. “You seem to have become comfortable here very quickly.”

  “I know your husband, Adam,” Luke said, nodding. “He helped me get to know the other men in town, find work. When I heard about this cook-off, I was thrilled. We have these in my hometown every year.”

  Alice smiled and rolled her eyes. “Of course, you know Adam. Everyone knows Adam the moment they arrive in Wickenburg, it seems.”

  “He is a real help. I couldn’t have gotten this far without him.”

  “What brought you to Wickenburg?” Molly asked.

  “I could ask you the same thing. You are new here too, eh?”

  “Yes, I am. I came to spend time with my cousin and get away from the same routine I’d been living for a long time. And you?”

  “I am here on a mission.”

  “For the church?” Alice asked. She looked disappointed when he shook his head.

  “No, unfortunately, that wasn’t my calling. I am on a personal mission. You might call it a treasure hunt. I’m searching for something and I won’t stop until I have what I want.”