"Maggie! Oh, Maggie I'm so glad you're here. You're not going to believe what's been going on in Surprise."
"From the looks of things I'd say quite a bit. When did this town become so popular?"
Ushering her back across the street, Lydia answered, "It's been changing over the past couple of months. I've only been here for three weeks and already the new schoolhouse has gone up."
Stopping in front of the sheriff's office, Lydia stooped to pick up the basket. Carefully she opened the door and peered inside, listening for any disgruntled sounds. She imagined that the two lovebirds would be hungry and just a bit cranky after being locked up all night.
There was no sound, and when she opened the door the rest of the way she saw the reason why. No one was here. The cell door was opened. Setting the basket on the desk, she walked over to look inside the cell. The blankets on the bunk were rumpled and looked as if they'd been slept on.
Since she hadn't seen them at home or on her way here, Lydia wondered where they'd gone. A large shadow filled the doorway of the office. Slowly, Lydia turned around and found herself staring at a stout man.
"May I help you, sir?" Lydia gulped, and Maggie moved closer to her cousin as if she might be able to protect her.
"I'm looking for a prisoner by the name of Cole Stanton and Sheriff Abigail Monroe." Looking up from the sheet of paper he held in his pudgy hand, he asked, "Is your sheriff a woman?"
Both women nodded.
Peering around their shoulders he said, "Looks to me like they're not here. Do you happen to know where they are?"
Both women shook their heads.
"Come on. I know where Wanda is staying," Abigail said, as they walked rapidly along the back of the buildings. The first place they'd gone to was the telegraph office, where Abigail had sent an inquiry to the authorities in Albany asking for a description of the stolen goods.
Two strides ahead of her, Cole replied, "At the boardinghouse."
"Let's hope she's still there."
By the time they got to Mrs. Bartholomew's house the morning sun was warming up the day, drying the dew on the front lawn. Abigail proceeded up the steps with Cole behind her. Wasting no time, she rapped her knuckles against the front door. Within minutes Mrs. Bartholomew answered the door.
"Morning, Sheriff Abigail." She nodded politely at Cole. "Mr. Stanton." Closing the door behind her, she joined them on the porch. "I've got a few boarders who aren't early risers. We'll just talk out here so as not to disturb them."
"Would Wanda McCurdy be one of those late risers?" Abigail asked.
"Why yes, she is. How did you know?"
"A lucky guess." Abigail figured that someone as obviously vain as Miss McCurdy would be spending as much time as she could getting the required amount of beauty rest.
Beside her Cole impatiently shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Abigail was well aware of the importance of talking to Wanda.
"Do you think we might have a word with Miss McCurdy?" Cole asked before Abigail could even form the words.
Slanting him a look to remind that she was in charge, she turned and smiled at Mrs. Bartholomew. "If you don't mind, we really need to speak to Miss. McCurdy."
"Normally I don't like to disturb my boarders. You know I run a good business and part of that is not bothering people when they are sleeping."
Obviously they'd insulted her. Laying a hand on her arm, Abigail said, "I know that you're the best landlady in Surprise. We wouldn't ask to speak to Miss McCurdy unless it was important."
Looking from Cole to Abigail, Mrs. Bartholomew smiled. "I guess I could see if she's awake. You two make yourself comfortable on those rockers and I'll be right back."
Abigail didn't feel much like relaxing. She wanted this to be over with so she could get on with her life. But more important, so Cole could get on with his. After last night's revelations she wasn't certain what was going to happen with their relationship. She knew that if and when he was a free man, only then would they be able to find out what their future held.
Five minutes later a flushed and out-of-breath landlady burst onto the front porch. "She's gone! That woman up and left in the middle of the night without so much as a thank you, and she skipped out on paying her bill!"
Abigail and Cole were off the porch at the same time. They could hear the train rolling out of town. Stopping, they looked at each other and then took off running through town.
"We need to catch that train!" Abigail shouted.
By the time they reached the platform the train was making its way over the rise. "Come on. I know where Mr. Jules keeps his horse and buggy."
Leading the way to the stable, Abigail showed Cole where the tack was and helped him hitch up the horse. By the time they left the stable, a small crowd had gathered.
"Hey, Sheriff, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"She's got that criminal with her," yelled another person.
Slapping the reins against the horse's backside, Cole got them moving at a rapid pace. As they galloped out of town with the buggy barely riding on four wheels, Abigail hung onto the side of the seat for dear life.
They were out of hearing distance like a shot. Neither of them heard when Mr. Jules jumped to the conclusion that Cole must be using the sheriff as a hostage so he could make a clean getaway. So while they left a trail of dust in their wake, the townsfolk were rounding up a posse.
"Hurry, Cole. We can't let her get away!" Abigail balanced herself in the seat while keeping a hand on her head to keep her hat from sailing off.
"There's the caboose." Cole urged the horse onward.
Before he could stop her, Abigail positioned herself on the edge of the seat, preparing to jump onto the steps of the caboose. For her it was reminiscent of the time she'd captured Cole leaving on this very train. At least now she was going to get the real criminal.
"Pull up closer," she ordered.
Without questioning her wisdom or her sanity, Cole pulled alongside the car. On the silent count of three, Abigail, with her skirts flying around her, launched herself onto the steps. Her footing firm, she reached into her pocket, drew her gun, and entered the caboose. From there she made her way through two passenger cars before finding the woman she was looking for.
It wasn't difficult to find her because she was wearing a ridiculous hat with the fake bird and bright orange dried flowers. The color clashed with her flaming red hair.
Quietly, Abigail made her way down the aisle while Wanda was oblivious to the activity going on around her. Noticing the vacant seat on the window side of Wanda's, Abigail asked, "Is this seat taken?"
The welcoming smile on Wanda's face faded as soon as she saw who asked the question. "Sheriff Abigail!"
Abigail thought she heard a gurgling sound coming from the woman but wasn't certain until she saw the skin on Wanda's face turning puce. Realizing that the woman was choking, she thumped her hard on the back.
When the coughing finally subsided, Abigail leaned down asking, "Better now?"
Her hand clutching her throat, Wanda nodded mournfully. The train began to slow down as Abigail trained her gun on Wanda.
"You almost got away with it, Miss McCurdy. I must say that framing a drifter like Cole Stanton was brilliant thinking on your part."
Wanda stuttered, "I don't ... know ... what you're talking about."
Admiring the sapphire earrings worn by Wanda, Abigail reached out to touch the smooth stones. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about."
Outside the soot-stained window Abigail watched as Cole drove the carriage up to the front of the train. Wanda noticed him too.
Pointing her finger towards the window, Wanda wailed, "He did it! Cole Stanton robbed that jewelry store in Albany!"
Her hysterical shrieking roused the curiosity of the dozen or so passengers sharing the car, causing them to peer over their seats. Some even stood in the aisle trying to ascertain what all the commotion was about.
Hoping to war
d off anymore hysteria, Abigail ordered everyone to sit down. "Miss McCurdy, you know as well as I do that Mr. Stanton did not rob the jewelry store. I believe these earrings are proof of that."
Shaking her head violently, Wanda said, "No, they were a gift from a friend."
With brakes squealing and the cars shifting, the train pulled to a stop.
Taking hold of Wanda's hand, Abigail pulled her from the seat. "Wanda McCurdy, I'm placing you under arrest for robbery."
"No! No! You can't do this to me." Her hat slid down onto her shoulder and pins fell from her hair. Despite her disheveled appearance, Wanda continued to violently shake her head.
By the time Abigail managed to drag her through the car and out onto the platform, Wanda was crying and clutching her traveling bag to her chest with a death-defying grip.
While the commotion inside the train car had been bad, the chaos that greeted them as they departed the train was even worse.
Mayhem and mass hysteria seemed to have become the rule of the day. A trail of dust could be seen as far back as Surprise. Wagons and riders on horseback were circling in front of where Abigail stood holding onto Wanda. There was a great deal of shouting going on, none of which could be discerned.
Doing the only thing she could think of, Abigail raised her arm above her head and fired a single shot into the air.
"What is the meaning of this?" Searching the crowd, surrounding Cole, Abigail set her sights on Mr. Jules. "Mr. Jules, perhaps you'd care to explain."
He spent an inordinate amount of time shuffling his feet in the dirt and then adjusting his clothing. Finally raising his eyes to meet her stare, he said, "We captured the escapee."
She felt her eyes widen.
"See, a bunch of us witnessed Mr. Stanton here taking you as hostage. We saw him making a getaway in my buggy."
She knew when her mouth dropped open, and quickly snapped it shut.
Beside her Wanda spoke up, adding fuel to the crowd's anger. "Look, they've captured the real criminal, now you can let me go."
In any other place and any other town, Abigail would have thought them all completely insane, but these were the citizens of Surprise and nothing here was ever ordinary.
Wanda struggled to break free and in doing so dropped her satchel on the ground. The fall caused the clasp to break open and the contents to spill forth. The sunlight glinted off the sparkly jewelry. Wanda began to shriek about being set up by Cole.
The crowd began to pick up momentum once more, gathering around Cole, upon whom many hands held in place. The look on his face was so funny that Abigail wanted to laugh. His dark eyes were fixed upon her, the look beseeching her to do something. Springing into action, she stepped down from the train.
"Let Mr. Stanton go. He's done nothing wrong. As a matter of fact as soon as the circuit judge arrives he will be cleared of all charges."
The crowd separated and released Cole. Realizing the ground in front of them was splattered with priceless jewels, they turned their attention to admiring the cache.
"Don't touch the jewelry, these items are evidence of Miss Wanda McCurdy's crime."
"You can't prove that I did this!" Wanda squirmed to break free.
"I'm afraid that she can." John Wagner stepped forth from the crowd waving a piece of paper in his hand. "This just came in to the telegraph office, the descriptions of all the stolen property." Glancing from the paper to the ground, he declared, "Looks to me like we've got a match."
Pushing her hat back up on her head, Wanda raised her chin, straightened her spine and allowed Abigail to lead her to the waiting buggy. Glancing over her shoulder Abigail was relieved to see that the crowd had released Cole. Tipping his hat to her, he waved her along. They rode back to town in Mr. Jules' buggy with a ragtag caravan of townspeople following them. When she finally pulled the buggy to a halt in front of the sheriff's office, Abigail was surprised to find Aunt Margaret sitting out front in her wheelchair.
"Glad to see you made it back in one piece, Sher iff Abigail." Her aunt's voice carried crystal clear over the hubbub of the town returning.
Helping Wanda down, Abigail led her to the doorway, pausing to peck her aunt on the cheek. "I'm glad you felt well enough to come out."
Winking at her, Aunt Margaret replied, "I wouldn't have missed this for the world." Grabbing hold of her sleeve, she stopped Abigail long enough to add, "I'd be careful if I were you, you've got plenty of company in there." She nodded towards the office.
Smiling weakly, Abigail escorted Wanda McCurdy in through the open door. The first person she noticed was Lydia. Dear, sweet, Lydia without whom none of the events of the past twenty-four hours would ever have happened. Abigail wasn't sure whether she wanted to hug her or stay angry at her for locking her up.
Looking towards her desk she saw a rather round man sitting in her chair. Deciding that she'd get to him in a minute, Abigail took Wanda and locked her in the jail cell. It was only after doing so, that she noticed the last person in the room. Maggie. Maggie!
"Oh my gosh! Maggie, is it really you?" Abigail quickly went to give her cousin a welcoming hug.
"Yes, it's me. I just arrived and was surprised to find the entire town in some sort of an uproar which involved you, a crime and a man." Laughing, she returned Abigail's hug with exuberance.
The man sitting in her chair cleared his throat, interrupting their reunion.
"Excuse me, Sheriff. But I believe we have some business to take care of."
Still unaware of exactly who this man was, Abigail released her cousin and, walking to her desk, said, "I don't believe we've met."
"I'm Walter McCurdy, the circuit court judge. I'm here about one Mr. Cole Stanton." Consulting a sheaf of papers that he'd laid on the desk in front of him, he recited, "Cole Stanton wanted for jewel theft in the city of Albany, New York. Apprehended in the town of Surprise, New York, awaiting trial in said town." Glancing up, he asked, "Did I leave anything out?"
Did he leave anything out? Abigail was stunned as she was sure were most of the others in the room. Looking back and forth from Wanda to the judge it was easy to see the family resemblance. Why was he acting as if he didn't recognize the woman behind bars?
"In the short time I've been in Surprise, though, it seems that Mr. Stanton's lot may have changed."
"Yes. A short time ago I arrested Wanda McCurdy." Even after emphasizing the last name, the man didn't flinch. He was pointedly ignoring the woman in jail. "Mr. Stanton is innocent of the charges brought against him. Miss McCurdy has admitted to committing the crime. Perhaps, you sir, could enlighten me as to why she would do such a thing?"
Looking right into her eyes, he said, "I could, but I don't know why my daughter robs and steals."
"I do it so you'll remember who I am. I'm your daughter, your only daughter whom you choose to ignore." Sobbing, Wanda sat down in the bunk with her head resting in her hands.
"Perhaps you could leave us alone for a moment." Walter McCurdy lifted his bulk from the chair.
Abigail nodded and followed Lydia and Maggie outside. The town had settled into the morning routine. Aunt Margaret sat in her wheelchair like a sentinel standing guard or, in her case, sitting guard. Cole sat on the stoop talking to her. They both looked up as the three women exited the office.
"I must say Miss Margaret that you have the loveliest nieces," Cole drawled. "There's one in particular though who strikes my fancy."
Abigail felt herself blushing, the warmth spreading from her neck up to her cheeks.
Rising from the step, he reached out and took her hand in his. "If you ladies will excuse us, I believe that the Sheriff and I have some unfinished business."
"Take your time. Maggie and Lydia can take me home. I feel the need for some honey-laced tea."
"I can't leave the McCurdys alone ..." Abigail began to protest.
Margaret waved a hand in the air. "John will see to them. You run along with your young man."
Abigail was about to scold her aun
t for interfering in her job once again, but Cole shot her a warning look. Instead, she agreed to let Mr. Wagner entertain the McCurdy family until she was finished with her business.
"If you're interested, I know a place where we can talk uninterrupted." Cole gave her a wicked smile.
Her heart fluttered. "I'm interested."
Taking the path that led around to the back of the buildings, he took her to the very spot where she'd first shot a gun. The sunlight-dappled shade of the big oak tree spread around them like a blanket. Abigail hadn't really taken the time to come back here since that day. Surprisingly enough, her days had been filled with the duties of being the town's sheriff.
And she realized those same days had been filled with Cole Stanton. The same man who stood before her now, wearing the same intense look on his face, she remembered from the first day they'd met. The way those dark, dark eyes were looking at her right now made her heartbeat trip at a faster pace, and it felt as if butterflies were alighting in her stomach. A shivery feeling of delight slid down her spine.
"You are so beautiful." He spoke the words, slowly, softly, words meant only for her to hear.
She swallowed. "And you are the most handsome man I've ever known."
"I didn't say that so you'd return the favor."
"I know."
Running a finger along her jaw-line, Cole continued to stare at her, and it was then that she caught the look. It was as if he wanted to memorize her features. Her heart tripped along, only this time it was with a feeling of dread. She wanted to hold him close and never let him go. Abigail knew her life would never be the same if he left.
"Are you leaving?"
His face was inches from hers, so she saw the look of surprise in his eyes. Tears sprung to her eyes. A sob rose in her chest.
"Please, don't cry." His voice was husky with emotion.
She wanted to scream at him, to pummel his chest with her hands. How could he dare to take her heart and then hand it back to her? He was going to leave, to move on, to become a drifter once more, and she had to somehow find a way to stop him, to make him stay.
WOMEN OF SURPRISE 01: A Surprise For Abigail Page 11