A Sheriff's Passion

by Michelle Beattie

  Wade closed the door then took his place next to Scott on the sofa while Shane dropped into the chair.

  Shane clasped his hands between his bent knees. Considering he’d been itching to tell Scott all day, the words suddenly stuck in his throat.

  “Scott,” Shane began, watching his friend closely, “Charlotte was beaten last night.”

  Shane managed to grab his friend’s arm and keep him from bolting. “She’ll be all right. I sent the doctor to her, he confirmed it was mostly bruises.”

  Scott looked pained. “How bad?”

  “Bad enough. But Ephraim agreed to give her a few days rest.” He didn’t mention that in order to ensure Charlotte would be left alone, Shane had agreed to cover her lost wages.

  “Who did it?” Scott asked, tugging free of Shane’s grasp. His hands curled into white-knuckled fists.

  Shane knew just how his friend felt. He’d love to get his hands on the bastard who’d do that to a woman.

  “A stranger. I’d never seen him before.” He didn’t mention the possibility that it was one of the stagecoach robbers. Not until he talked to Katie.

  Scott’s eyes bulged. “You saw him? Is he down in the jail?” Scott turned for the door.

  “He’s not here.” Shane’s words stopped Scott in his tracks. Then, feeling the weight of the guilt he’d carried since seeing Charlotte, he admitted to seeing them go upstairs together, to feeling uneasy about the man.

  “You couldn’t have known he’d do that to her,” Wade assured him.

  But Shane’s eyes were on Scott. “I had no reason to stop him. She went willingly and at that point the man hadn’t done anything wrong.”

  Scott’s silence did nothing to relieve Shane’s guilt.

  “I’ve been in and out of Grey’s all day and the man hasn’t returned. Ephraim’s agreed to send someone to tell me if he returns.”

  “And if he doesn’t come back? Then he just gets away with what he’s done?” Wade asked.

  Shane grimaced, because it got even worse than that.

  “Even if he comes back, there’s not that much I can do.”

  Scott’s blue eyes turned to ice. “Why the hell not?”

  “Because Charlotte won’t admit it was him who hit her.”

  “What? Why?” Scott asked.

  “I suspect he scared her good, likely threatened her. Even when I reminded her that I saw them go upstairs together, she still wouldn’t admit it was him.”

  “But you saw them go together,” Wade said.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t see him hit her, nor did anyone else. If he comes back, I’ll question him.”

  “If he scared Charlotte into keeping quiet, I doubt he’ll confess to a sheriff,” Wade argued.

  “Not likely. But sometimes they admit to more than they were planning on. It’s all in the questions you ask and how you ask them.”

  “You trick them, in other words.”

  “It doesn’t always work, but yeah.”

  Scott’s jaw was still clenched tighter than a bear trap. “And if that doesn’t work?” he finally asked.

  “Then my hands are tied,” Shane admitted.

  “Well, mine won’t be,” Scott answered.

  “Scott.” Again Shane’s words stopped him mid-stride. “I can’t protect you either if you break the law. You have a wife now. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  Scott glared at him. “I protect my friends.”

  Shane didn’t stop him again. The door slammed behind Scott and his footfalls thumped on the outside steps. Shane moved to the window, watched his friend march across the street.

  “Goddammit!” He cursed, rapping his fist on the window frame.

  “He knows you’ll do everything you can, Shane. He’s just upset right now; he’ll calm down.”

  “I have to work within the law,” Shane said as he watched Scott disappear inside Grey’s. “Even if I don’t always like it.”

  While not every lawman was an honest one and many in his position were as crooked and lawless as the most dangerous outlaws, Shane had built his life on upholding the law, not breaking it. He hoped to hell that man didn’t return tonight, or anytime Scott happened to be in town. In his years as sheriff he’d never had to arrest a friend. He’d hate like hell to start now.

  “I’m not heading home without him,” Wade said. “Did you want to head to Silver’s while I wait?”

  Shane pushed away from the window and the darkness that was settling in beyond it. He flopped back into the chair. “No, I think I’ll stay here for now, but if you want to go, feel free.”

  Wade propped one ankle on his bended knee, stretched his arm across the back of the sofa, and studied Shane. “Something else is troubling you besides what happened to Charlotte,” Wade declared.

  Not sure he was ready to admit he’d been a bastard toward his brother Shane grumbled, “That’s not enough?”

  Wade gave him a steady stare. “Does this have something to do with Mitch?”

  “You mean other than the fact that I accused him of being responsible for Charlotte’s beating?”

  Wade’s foot hit the floor. “Jesus, Shane, you can’t possibly think Mitch is capable of such a thing?”

  And that, Shane realized, should have been his reaction. He should have dismissed the idea as soon as it entered his head. Instead, he’d let it take hold and because of it he’d hurt his brother.

  “Not him directly. But I accused him of bringing trouble to town.”

  Wade rubbed his stubbled chin. “What did Mitch say to that?”

  Shane lowered his gaze to his hands, studied the lines crisscrossing his palms. “He told me he wasn’t our father.”

  Wade’s sharp inhale whistled through his lips. “Is that what you think? That Mitch has turned into your pa? Because I don’t see it. When he stopped by the other day he was the same old Mitch he always was. Yeah, he might not be as straightlaced as you and Logan, but he’s not a bad guy.”

  Shane got up, lit the lamp on the side table. The room filled with pale light.

  “Of all of us, Mitch is the most like him, the gambling, the leaving. The not caring.”

  How many times had Mitch guffawed and taunted as he’d been hit? How many times, when Shane was whimpering did Mitch tell him not to let it get to him? And then he left. Not a look back, not a word since. As though it didn’t matter, none of it mattered. Shane didn’t matter.

  Shane rubbed a hand down his face. He could have died, fallen ill or any number of things in the past ten years and his brother would never have known. As the youngest, Shane had looked up to his brothers and while he never expected them to be perfect, only Mitch had ever hurt him.

  “He’s here, Shane. Why would he come back if he didn’t care?”

  “How would I know? He won’t tell me why he’s back.”

  Wade rolled his eyes. “Try asking him without snarling.”

  “I don’t snarl,” Shane muttered.

  “You snarl all the time, especially when we mention Silver and the fact that you’d better get off your ass or—”

  “I thought we were talking about Mitch.”

  “We were.” Wade grinned. “Now we’re talking about Silver.”

  “Leave her out of this.”

  Wade smirked. “As I said. You snarl.”

  “Only because you give me reason to,” Shane grumbled.

  “Look. We all know you’ve been acting differently for weeks, just as we know it has to do with Silver.”

  “Silver and I are friends,” he stated. “That hasn’t changed.”

  “She’s my friend too,” Wade said, “but I don’t look at her the way you do.”

  Shane’s hackles rose. “You don’t know what I want.” They couldn’t know because he’d never told them.

  “Actually, I think I do, because not so long ago I was in your shoes, as was Scott. Look,” Wade began before Shane could argue, “I know what it is to love a woman and fight it because she doesn’t fit the image you hav
e in your head of a perfect wife.”

  “I’m not looking for perfect.” Shane corrected.

  “Respectable then,” Wade amended. “The point is none of that matters. I almost lost Jillian before I had the chance to tell her she meant everything to me. Don’t make that same mistake with Silver.”

  “I told you at the picnic she wasn’t mine to lose.”

  “I can’t decide if you’re blind, stupid, or both. You can lie to me and Scott all you like, but it’s pretty clear you have feelings for her and it’s equally clear she returns those feelings. We’ve watched you two dance around each other for years but it’s gotten worse these past few weeks and now with Mitch showing interest...” Wade shook his head. “She’s the perfect woman for you, why can’t you see that?”

  “How is a saloon owner perfect for a sheriff?” he countered.

  Wade’s eyes narrowed. “Silver is more than a saloon owner and if you can’t see that then you don’t deserve her. She built a successful business from a barn, Shane. And she did it mostly by herself. She doesn’t run a brothel and, despite what most folks think, including you it appears, she’s an upstanding, moral woman. Owning a saloon is what she does, it isn’t who she is.”

  “I know that!” Shane argued. And he did, he knew what kind of woman Silver was. If only she didn’t own a damn saloon...

  “Then what in hell are you waiting for? Mitch to propose to her? Her to say yes? You waiting to tell her your feelings on their tenth wedding anniversary or over her grave?”

  Shane set his jaw. “I’ve no intention of telling her.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  Shane leapt to his feet. “Because I’ve worked too damn hard to earn the respect I finally have in this town. People are no longer looking at me as ‘one of those McCall boys’. I’m not the subject of town gossip and hushed whispers anymore. When folks look at me now, they don’t compare me, or expect me to turn into my pa. Damn it, Wade, I’m not going back to that.”

  Wade slowly rose to his feet. “So, what’s your intent, then? You’re going to settle for someone like Melissa?”

  “There’s not a damn thing wrong with Melissa,” Shane glowered.

  “No, there isn’t, except you’d never be happy with a woman like her. You need someone with spark, someone who’ll challenge you and not put up with your shit. Someone like Melissa? You’d be bored inside a week and I think you know it, otherwise you’d have married her by now.”

  Yeah, he did know it. It was why he intended to tell her at her birthday supper that he’d been unfair to her and wasn’t romantically interested. Still, it stuck in his craw that it all seemed so simple to Wade when it felt anything but simple to Shane.

  As though reading his mind, Wade said, “Love is supposed to be scary. It’s supposed to twist you up, make you crazy. But hell if it isn’t worth it.” Wade pulled his hat down, gestured to the door. “I’m going to Silver’s. You’re sure you don’t want to come?”

  “I’m, sure. You go ahead.”

  Shane stared at the door long after Wade left. He had feelings for Silver, strong ones. But love? He’d never considered it.

  Love is supposed to be scary. It’s supposed to twist you up, make you crazy.

  Goddamn. He was all those things.

  “Silver.” Reverend Donnelly gasped when she lifted aside the tablecloth.

  He stared at the contents of the small child’s wagon she’d pulled along and set on the grass at the bottom of the church steps. “That’s too much.”

  “I had time.” She persisted.

  And had taken advantage of her restless night after walking Melissa home by cooking. Which had turned out to be lucky, as she’d had ample food to send along with Shane to take to Charlotte.

  He shook his head. “But you just gave me this much last week.”

  She arched a brow. “Are you telling me you don’t know of any families that could use this bread?”

  Solemn eyes met hers. “You know I do. Just as you know there are children who will see those cookies and be as excited as if it were Christmas morning.”

  Yes, she knew. While she never wanted to know who benefitted from her donation, she trusted the reverend to give it to those who needed it most. Give it to those who wouldn’t have to go without eating for days, or have to resort to taking stolen money, or stealing themselves, in order to survive.

  “I couldn’t sleep and decided not to let the time go to waste. Now, let’s not keep those children waiting longer than we have to.”

  Partly because she was short on time as she was expecting Mitch at eleven, but mostly because she didn’t want people seeing what they were doing, Silver began passing him the loaves of bread she’d wrapped. As a rule, she brought the reverend her offering, or penance as she most often thought of it, around lunchtime when there was the least likelihood of running into folks. Although by skirting around Grey’s and avoiding the bulk of Main Street, she wasn’t too likely to bump into anyone anyhow.

  With their arms full, they marched up the steps into the church where the smell of candle wax lingered in the air.

  “I wish you’d come with me, let these folks see who is helping them.”

  Silver smiled. “They will see. They’ll see you.” And she spun on her heel to get the last of it before he could argue.

  She wasn’t doing this for praise or accolades. She had wrongs that needed to be made right and this was one way she could make a difference, make amends. It didn’t absolve her of her sins, she wasn’t sure anything could, but until she figured out what to do with the money she had hidden in her floor boards, she’d continue to help the reverend.

  “You’re sure?” he asked again when she’d returned with the last of the cookies.

  “I am. Do you need me to help clean Saturday?”

  He crossed his arms. “You cleaned last week.”

  Saturday was the day designated to clean the church and more often than not, Silver was among those who helped.

  “I can spare some more time.”

  He regarded her closely. “For someone who won’t attend service, you spend an awful lot of time helping the church.”

  “I don’t see it as helping the church,” she answered. “I see it as helping you.”

  His smile was patient. “God wouldn’t see it that way.”

  He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. She’d never claimed to believe in God.

  “But, as it happens, I know Letty and Eileen are coming Saturday. You can take the morning for yourself.”

  “All right, then I will.” She wished him a good day and with her mind on getting back, pushed open the door. A spear of golden light fell over the wooden floor.

  “Silver?”

  “Yes?”

  “Whatever this burden is that you insist on carrying, why don’t you tell me what it is? Let me help you the way you help me.”

  Her heart tugged. She hated keeping it from him and while she’d often been tempted to confide in him, she hadn’t seen how telling him would change anything.

  “You’ve already helped me,” she said, meaning it to the depths of her soul. “You’re one of my best friends.” She turned before she embarrassed herself. “I made enough cookies for you to have a few,” she said over her shoulder before walking out into the sunshine.

  “Well, don’t you look pretty as a blossom,” Mitch said when Silver opened her kitchen door.

  “Thank you. Although I suddenly feel I should have worn something fancier.”

  Even with the flounce and lace trim at her elbows, her blue calico dress didn’t seem enough compared to his pressed, dark grey trousers, crisp, light grey shirt, and striped vest.

  Mitch’s gaze roved over her. “You look lovely as always.”

  Silver smiled. “I’m sure you say that to all the women.”

  He winked. “Only the pretty ones.” Chuckling, he skirted around her to the basket she’d left on the table. “Shall we?”

  Silver locked up behind them. Ac
cepting his elbow, she walked with him around to the front of the saloon. Her horse, Lady, was already tied to the hitching post along with a dun-colored gelding.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of bringing our horses.” He gestured toward Marietta Mountain. “I thought we’d ride a little closer, enjoy some privacy.”

  Silver’s stomach leapt. She’d thought about the picnic all night. She’d wondered if perhaps Mitch intended on kissing her today. Judging by the gleam in his eye, she thought it a strong possibility. While she’d told herself it was what she wanted, as there was no point in waiting on Shane, now that a kiss from Mitch seemed imminent, she wasn’t near as sure.

  “If that doesn’t suit you, we can go somewhere else, or stay here.”

  Silver fixed a smile on her face. “A ride sounds perfect.”

  As Silver settled into the sidesaddle, passersby turned and gaped. The whispering started immediately. Too happy to let their reaction get to her, Silver clasped the basket Mitch passed her.

  “Unlike my brother, I don’t care if folks talk. I’m honored to have your company.”

  She held their lunch until he’d mounted, then he reached over and took it from her. Side by side, with the basket balanced on one of Mitch’s thighs, they rode past Grey’s and away from Marietta. It was a pretty morning, with the blue sky stretching above them, the birds chirping in the trees. Judging by the already warm temperature, it was sure to turn into a hot day later, but for now it was comfortable.

  “I had nothing to do with it,” Mitch announced before she could say anything.

  “Nothing to do with what?” Silver asked, confused. She hadn’t accused him of anything.

  He cast her a glance. “You know what happened at Grey’s? To that woman, Charlotte?”

  Silver’s jaw slackened. “My God, did you think I would believe you had anything to do with such an awful thing?”

  Mitch scowled. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

  “Who in their right mind would—” She sighed heavily. “Shane. No”—she frowned—“that doesn’t make sense. When he came to warn me to be careful he described the man he thought had beaten Charlotte. He never said anything about you.”

  “Well, he said plenty to me.” He tipped his chin to the left. “Let’s go this way.”