by Annie Boone
A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. Bart had arrived to take Amy back home, and they quickly said their goodbyes. As soon as Amy was out of sight, Mrs. Jennings let out a deep sigh and a lengthy chuckle. A combination Elizabeth had come to discover meant she had something to say.
“That girl can wear me out at times. She’s full of a lot more energy than brains.”
While Elizabeth wasn’t sure how she felt about such harsh words being directed toward her friend, she had come to recognize that Mrs. Jennings had a blunt way of saying everything. Smiling at the work in her hands, she nodded her head before responding.
“I think that might be a good thing at times.”
“Certainly good,” Mrs. Jennings replied.
Sitting in silence, Elizabeth considered the obvious plot Clayton had constructed to trap Mason. He had been paying attention when Elizabeth had advised him that it was time to act. Something about that sent a thrill of pride mingled with excitement through her heart, yet it also brought a sense of pain.
Forcing herself to think sensibly, she set her work aside before speaking.
“Mrs. Jennings, I know you said I could stay here as long as necessary.”
Mrs. Jennings’ eyes never left her work, instead she simply nodded her head and grunted.
“Well,” Elizabeth began nervously, afraid to ask for fear of being turned down. “Is there any chance I could stay on here and be your apprentice once my ex-fiancé is in jail? If you could pay me, then I’d earn enough money to take back to Georgia where I could make dresses in one of the cities.”
Now Mrs. Jennings looked up, the older woman’s eyes was filled with surprise.
“Why would you want to leave?” Mrs. Jennings asked with a shake of her head as to show she didn’t understand.
“Elizabeth, I know you’ve been hurt by Mason Reeve, but he’s not the only man in town. Out here, there are so many more men than women. Why don’t you just stay here for a while, mend your broken heart, and then let yourself find love again?”
Something about the suggestion pricked Elizabeth’s heart and she instantly felt like she might break out into tears. Struggling to maintain her composure, she said, “I know there are plenty of men in town but …”
She couldn’t find the words to continue. Deep inside, she knew the truth. She was falling for Clayton Ward. The handsome sheriff had caught her heart in a way that no one else ever had. She wanted desperately to spend time with him, to get to know him, to let him fall in love with her and yet none of those things were ever going to come to pass.
“You want to leave,” Mrs. Jennings stated knowingly. “Because you’ve already found someone you care for but you’re not willing to do what it takes to make a relationship work.”
Elizabeth wanted to disagree with her but kept her mouth shut, instead choosing to mutter a reply.
“You don’t understand.”
Putting her work aside, Mrs. Jennings sat up and aimed a furious stare at Elizabeth.
“I understand all too well, my dear. Just because you’ve encountered one bad apple doesn’t mean they’re all bad. Mason Reeve is a wicked man, yes, we all know that’s true now and soon the whole town will. But Clayton Ward isn’t Mason Reeve. Clayton is a good, honorable man. I see the way he looks at you when he stops by to check on you, and it’s certainly not with the look of someone who’s just interested in doing his job. That man has feelings for you, Elizabeth.”
The words seemed too good to be true and Elizabeth found herself struggling to find a fitting reply. When she did, she spoke with a clarity that surprised her.
“I have a hard time believing that, Mrs. Jennings. Yes, I have come to feel some attraction for Clayton, but he has already explained he’s still tangled up in the pain of a relationship that fell apart years ago. I can’t change that.”
Thinking better of the entire conversation, she added, “And I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I can’t think about it, because there’s nothing I can do to make it different. Right now, I just need to focus on my future and ensuring I’m secure financially.”
Mrs. Jennings was silent for a moment but just for a moment.
“It’s your life, Elizabeth. You’re a good worker and you’re a good companion for me, so I’d love for you to stay on here as long as you like. As soon as things are worked out with Mason Reeve, we can set something up for you to stay on long term. But I don’t think you’re so foolish to focus so much on making money that you lose sight of what’s really important in life. When you truly care for someone, there’s no excuse not to chase after them. And there’s no excuse not to fight to make them a part of your life.”
Choosing not to talk about it anymore, Elizabeth turned her attention back to her work.
Should she be chasing after Clayton? The idea seemed preposterous. How was she supposed to chase after a man who seemed perfectly content to stay single? The idea went against everything Elizabeth believed about love.
Shaking her head to herself, she tried to clear her mind. She wasn’t going to think about Clayton Ward anymore. There was no reason to entertain ideas of something that was impossible. Clayton didn’t love her, and he never would.
Chapter Seventeen
Scooting down farther in the hay, Clayton tried to keep from falling asleep as he considered the long night that awaited them. At his side, Bart was also snuggled down in a mound of hay. The older man let out a long yawn, assuring Clayton that they were both exhausted beyond words.
“I’m starting to wonder about this entire idea,” Bart said as he ran his hand across his face.
Clayton waited, knowing Bart would have more to say about what they were doing.
“I’m sorry to say this, Clayton, but I just wonder if anyone really is stealing the animals. I spread that story about my prized stallion far and wide. In fact, I’ve got people in town threatening to come out here and look at it. What am I going to do if I start getting visitors who want to see my horse, and there’s nothing to show?”
Ignoring his question, Clayton sat in silence as Bart kept up what was starting to turn into a monologue.
“I mean, we’ve been out here for three nights now, and we haven’t seen a sign of anyone. I’m just starting to wonder if maybe we’ve been falsely accusing Mason after all.”
Raising an eyebrow, Clayton found it difficult to swallow his brother-in-law’s much to generous comment.
“Do you mean you think Elizabeth just bloodied her own lip?”
Shaking his head, Bart hurried to explain.
“No, no. I know now that Mason’s a woman beater and he deserves to be in jail for it—and who knows what else. I’m just not sure he’s really sneaking around stealing livestock. Can you actually picture that?”
Clayton didn’t reply. Instead, he just allowed his mind to wander back to the image of Mason Reeve standing in his office. Clayton had almost punched him then. The idea that Mason might not be doing anything illegal was more than Clayton could stand. Clayton wanted to arrest Mason. He needed to arrest him.
“Clayton,” Bart began slowly. “Is there any chance that Amy might just be right about you?”
Clayton grew defensive. He didn’t know exactly what his brother-in-law meant, but he hated the over-all suggestion.
“Right about what?”
“Right about your feelings for Elizabeth Brown,” Bart replied, in an unusually serious voice.
“I just wonder if maybe you’re doing a lot of this to try to protect her. I’ve never seen you so devoted to a case before. And I’ve never seen you so devoted to a woman.”
Almost choking on his nerves, Clayton feebly replied, “I just want to see Mason Reeve in jail. That man’s always been obnoxious to me.”
“So, you don’t have any feelings for Elizabeth?”
The question got Clayton momentarily tongue tied. What was he supposed to say in return to that? Clayton wasn’t a man who liked to wear his heart on his sleeve, and he certainly didn’
t want to admit that he had fallen for a woman who had no feelings for him.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to wonder what to say for very long. A noise in the front of the barn took them both by surprise and made them sit up in attention. Someone was working the lock on the front of the barn.
Grabbing for their rifles, the men carefully snuck closer to the door, anxious to attack the intruder as soon as he entered.
Clayton felt his heart beat like it was a war drum. It felt like he had been waiting on this moment for his entire life. He could hardly wait until he had his hands on Mason and could transport him directly to jail.
The barn door swung open and the form of a man stepped inside. Before the intruder had a chance to know what had happened, Clayton ran at him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him against it while Bart cocked his gun and pointed it to the stranger’s head.
“You’re under arrest.” Clayton shouted.
When it became obvious that the intruder wasn’t going to put up a fight, Bart scrambled to get a lantern and light it, illuminating the barn.
Jerking the thief to his feet, Clayton felt his heart sink when he saw that it wasn’t Mason he’d just caught. Instead, it was a much younger boy who was probably still in his teens. With a shock of bright red hair and a dirt smudged face, the kid’s eyes were wild and frightened in the light of the lamp.
“Who are you?” Clayton asked, his voice sounding firmer than usual. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
The kid shook as he explained, “I’m John, sir, John Sinderson. Please, please don’t shoot me. I promise I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it at all. I’m just trying to take care of my family. I’m just trying to support them.”
“By stealing a horse?” Bart asked with a scoff, without pointing the rifle away. “What were you going to do with it? Cook it up for breakfast?”
Fear broke the boy’s reply into sobs.
“All I wanted was a job. It was just a job. That’s all I was out for.”
Clayton felt a rush of sympathy weaken his resolve.
“What do you mean, boy?”
“After my pa died, I needed some money to take care of Ma and the other kids. I took on a job down at the Reeve ranch.”
Clayton’s ears perked at the mention of the Reeve ranch and he leaned forward to hear what would be revealed next.
“I just thought that it would be feeding animals and taking care of them, but then Mr. Reeve told me I had to go to other farms to steal animals.”
Shaking his head, the boy tried to plead his innocence.
“I didn’t want to do it, I swear. I swear to you I didn’t, but Mr. Reeve told me he’d kill me if I didn’t do it, along with my ma and little sisters. He told me he’d killed men in the past and he’d have no problem putting a bullet in my head, either.”
Clayton glanced at Bart and could see the same look of frustration in his eyes.
“But, Sheriff, I’d say Mr. Reeve already knows that I’m tattling on him, because I had one of his hired men come with me to get this horse.”
Breaking out in tears, he sobbed.
“I just hope he won’t go kill my ma right now. Please, Sheriff, you’ve got to get him. Please, get him.”
Nodding his head, Clayton laid his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“I’ll get him, son. I promise you that.”
Turning to his brother-in-law, Clayton asked, “Bart, could you lock him up somewhere until we get all this figured out? Looks like I’m gonna have to go track down Mason Reeve and bring him in tonight, before he has a chance to do anything worse than he already has.”
Handcuffing the boy just in case, Clayton removed his pistol and then turned him over to Bart’s care. Hurrying to his horse, Clayton could only hope he could get to Mason before Mason had a chance to escape or do even worse.
When Clayton rode up to Reeve Ranch, the place seemed even more eerie than usual. He hated the fact he had been forced to make the trip all by himself and yet, at the same time, he knew that Bart needed to stay behind to protect his own family.
Urging his horse toward the ranch home, Clayton pulled it to a stop outside the front door. Banging his fists against the door, Clayton waited anxiously for someone to arrive. When no one came, he pushed the door open and burst inside, breaking the strong piece of wood right off the hinges.
From a room down the corridor, he could hear a loud shout. Pulling his gun out of his holster, Clayton rushed down to see what had happened.
Although he had spent very little time at the Reeve Ranch, he instantly recognized the elderly form of Mason’s housekeeper, Martha, standing in the kitchen, screaming. At her feet was the bloodied body of a ranch hand that had been shot clean through the chest.
“Sheriff!” Martha screamed when she caught sight of Clayton.
“Oh, Sheriff. Mason’s gone mad.”
Bending over to check the ranch hand for a pulse, Clayton wasn’t surprised to find that he was dead.
“What happened here?” Clayton asked.
Trembling like a leaf, Martha explained, “Mr. Reeve was eating his supper when Frankie, this field hand, rushed in to say that John had been caught by the sheriff and that you had arrested him. Before I even knew what had happened, Mr. Reeve pulled out a gun and shot Frankie dead. Then he took off on his horse like a wild man. I don’t know where he was going or what he plans to do, but I can promise you that it’s not good.”
Shaking her head, she exclaimed, “Oh, how I wish I’d quit this job already.”
Reaching out a hand to steady her, Clayton asked, “Do you know where he was heading?”
Martha shook her head, the offered in a weak voice, “I think he said something about getting her.”
Clayton felt his blood run ice cold through his veins. Mason was talking about Elizabeth. Obviously, the wicked man had completely lost his mind and now he was going to go take revenge on the woman who had scorned him and refused to be his wife.
“I’ll be back,” Clayton said and, without another word, ran off and left Martha standing alone in the kitchen with only the dead body for company.
He felt bad to abandon the frightened old woman but, at this point, he knew he had to get to Elizabeth. He had to save her before Mason had a chance to take her life next.
Chapter Eighteen
Letting out a deep sigh, Elizabeth rubbed her hand against her eye and pulled the lantern closer so she could see the work in front of her. Glancing across the room, she noted Mrs. Jennings snoozing in her rocking chair, a piece of fabric still clutched between her hands.
What would life be like if she was to truly continue on here at the dress shop? While Elizabeth had certainly come to enjoy the work, she had to admit that there was a sort of emptiness in her heart when she considered a future of nothing but sewing dresses for other women. It was hard to imagine that only weeks ago she had been so excited about moving out west and finding a new life along with new love. Elizabeth had been so certain she’d finally have the home she had lost long ago along with a new family of her own.
Rubbing her eye again, Elizabeth wished she could rub the painful thoughts right out of her mind.
She wanted to see Clayton.
The thought hit her suddenly and shockingly, taking her by force. Sitting up straighter in her chair, Elizabeth let her memory wander back to the night that they had spent by the creek. They had sat so close together, their eyes staring at each other as they took turns baring their souls to one another.
Although Elizabeth now realized that there was no hope for Clayton and her to ever have a future together, she found herself desperately wishing for him.
Almost as if someone had read her thoughts, there was a soft knock on the door. The knock roused Mrs. Jennings from her sleep. Although she still seemed completely exhausted, Mrs. Jennings sleepwalked to the door.
Clayton? Oh, please be Clayton.
Elizabeth swallowed hard, her heart galloping in her chest. Without even looking o
ut the window, Mrs. Jennings jerked the door open. To Elizabeth’s total surprise, Mrs. Jennings let out a loud gasp as the door swung open.
“Get out of here. Just go back home,” Mrs. Jennings shouted.
Her words sent a cold thrill down Elizabeth’s spine. Pulling herself to her feet, Elizabeth watched a nightmare unfold before her.
Mason Reeve stepped into the dress shop, shoving past Mrs. Jennings. He looked around the room with a sort of heated anger that Elizabeth had never seen in the past. Yes, Mason had been scary when she lived with him, but this was something worse.
“Elizabeth,” Mason snapped as his eyes found her.
“Mr. Reeve,” Mrs. Jennings was trying to say as she stepped up beside him and grabbed for his arm. “Mr. Reeve, I believe that it’s time for you to leave.”
With one swift motion, Mason shoved the elderly woman with a backhand, sending her sprawling across the shop floor.
“Mrs. Jennings!” Elizabeth cried out as she watched her friend fall to the ground. Rushing forward, she tried to go to the elderly woman’s aid, but Mason stepped forward and caught her before she could get to Mrs. Jennings’ side.
Enveloping her in his arms, Mason stared down at her menacingly.
“Do you think I couldn’t do worse to her if I wanted to? Keep struggling and I will. I just want to talk to you.”
Forcing herself to remain calm, Elizabeth asked, “What do you want?”
Letting out throaty evil sounding laugh, Mason replied, “I want what I’ve always wanted, Elizabeth. I want what I was promised. I want you to be at my beck and call.”
Feeling her heart sink into belly, Elizabeth wondered what would happen if she was to go with the wretched man. Would he even take the time to marry her now, or would he simply kill her? Or would she just be forced to live as his slave?
“Mason,” she said with a shake of her head.
“I’m sorry, but I believe that too much has happened between us for things to ever work out.”