“That sounds lovely,” Sam said. “But won’t you be lonely?”
They had pulled up in front of the restaurant. The sheriff was looking through the glass at the front. He turned to Sam and shook his head. “She’s not in there,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
Jim nodded. “I’m sure. So on to the church we go.”
“That’s a good place to look,” Mrs. Whittaker said. “She is a God-fearing woman.”
“I have a question, Caroline.” Sam looked at the woman, hoping his question didn’t bother her.
“What is it?”
He hesitated. “Do you think your son will… do you think he’ll pull a gun if he’s confronted?”
Mrs. Whittaker kept her eyes looking forward down the road. He could tell she didn’t want to answer the question.
“Ryan has been running from this, doing Max’s bidding for a long time now. I really don’t know what he would do. He is fast with a gun. But I don’t know if he’d have it in his heart to actually shoot someone. He’s not a cowboy. He likes to shoot and he can rope a hog and tie a knot. A lot of knots.” She smiled at Sam. “That’s my boy. That’s what he does. He’s not a violent man. He’s… he’s…”
“He’s scared.” Sam supplied the words for her.
She nodded. “Yes. He’s scared. In my eyes, he’s like a scared little boy. He can be rough on the outside sometimes. But he’s got a good heart. I really don’t believe he wants to hurt anyone. He really doesn’t.”
Sam licked his lips. “I hope you’re right, Caroline. I don’t want you to lose your children, either one of them. If Max is holding the three of you hostage because of these allegations, that needs to stop. And that sure seems to me like what he’s doing.”
Mrs. Whittaker sighed. “Yes. He has been doing that. We’ve barely made it through these years. He would come to the trailer at all hours of the night, taking Ryan away with him. When Ryan came back, he was devastated, telling me he’d had to do some things I wouldn’t approve of. He wouldn’t ever tell me what they were. But I knew Max was making him commit crimes.”
“And you don’t think they were violent crimes?”
“He has never killed anyone. He swore that to me. And he’s never hurt a female. I thought maybe Max was making him steal money or items for Max to sell.”
Sam nodded. “That sounds about right.”
They had reached the church. Mrs. Whittaker looked up at it, taking in the tall building with a steeple that rose high up in the air, ending in a cross that jutted up as if it was poking the clouds. The front doors were white with red around the trim. The entire church was white with red around the window sills.
“This is a beautiful church.”
“Thank you. For a town as small as ours, we have three churches. But this one is the closest to where we believe Emily to have walked. She’s not ignorant. She wouldn’t go in the opposite direction.”
“No, that’s highly unlikely.”
They stopped their horses and Sam was about to get off when Mrs. Whittaker stopped him. “Sam, would it be all right if I went in here to look for her? I would love to see the inside. And if she’s there, I would ease her mind more than anyone else. Except you.” She smiled at him. He smiled back.
“If you would like to go in there, you are more than welcome. We’ll stay out here, just in case we catch a glimpse of her somewhere or the men come back from searching the woods.”
“I’d rather not hear from them,” Mrs. Whittaker said, dismounting. “If we don’t hear anything, that means they haven’t found her hurt or worse.”
“That’s exactly what I said,” Sam said. “We’ll be out here waiting for you.”
“Thank you.”
Sam watched the woman go into the church. He couldn’t help admiring how much better she looked than the day before. He didn’t recall her looking this energetic and clean earlier that day when they were about to go in the woods when she opened the door for Jack.
He felt sorry for her that she had to deal with such a traumatic thing after the death of her husband. Her children must have been impacted just as hard. Her fall into depression probably left them with no time to grieve. Ryan was already dealing with his own predicament when his father died. According to Andrew, he had been following the Whittaker's for at least two years. That meant the entire time he should have been mourning his father, he was being chased by people who thought him guilty of a crime he didn’t commit.
Sam sighed, looking around him, wishing he would see Emily just pop up out of nowhere. He looked back at the front door of the church, wondering where Mrs. Whittaker was. The church was not terribly large. It wouldn’t take long to see if Emily was in there.
“You think she’s okay?” Jim asked. Sam looked at him.
“I was thinking the same thing. I think she might be praying. Let’s give her some time.”
Jim nodded, folding one hand over the saddle horn and putting the other hand over the first one. “I’ve got time. I’m just sitting here, wondering what Adam is going to say to Ryan and where the heck that Emily girl is.”
“I wish I knew, Jim. I wish I knew.”
One of the doors to the church finally opened and Mrs. Whittaker came out. She had a smile on her face and she looked better than she had when she went in. She came back to the horses, without Emily in tow.
“She wasn’t there?” Sam asked.
She shook her head, pulling herself up into the saddle. “She wasn’t. But what a lovely little church. I think if we stay here, we will have to attend Sunday services here.”
“We would welcome you with open arms, if you decided to reside in Wickenburg.”
Mrs. Whittaker sighed. “It’s like a dream that I keep dreaming and I can’t wake up from it.”
Sam drew his eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”
She looked at him. “I’ve been in that trailer for two years. It’s been like a prison for me. For Emily, too. And even Ryan, I think. A prison where there are no bars and no one is feeding you three times a day. The moment you walk in the trailer, you feel… upset, angry… that’s what happened to my family. We’ve been pushed into that little space like mice and nearly starved to death just to satisfy the greedy monster my children worked for.”
“Do you know if Max ever hurt Emily?” Jim asked. She looked at him sharply.
“No. He has never laid a hand on her.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jim made sure to use a gentle tone with her.
She nodded. “I’m sure of it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FIVE YEARS IS A LONG TIME
FIVE YEARS IS A LONG TIME
Adam rode out to the rodeo site, rehearsing to himself what he would say to Ryan, if he should encounter him. The road seemed longer than he remembered and he’d just been there a few hours ago. The sun was crossing over the sky as the day wore on.
Once he could see the site in the distance, he noticed a strange anxious sensation rose up in his chest. He frowned. He wasn’t nervous. Why should he be nervous? The last time he’d talked to Ryan, he’d been friendly. They had a good conversation. He was going to rely on that memory and hope that Ryan did, too.
The only reason he knew which trailer to go to was because he’d watched Jack knock on the door to the Whittaker's. He went slowly through the trailer park, looking at each one. No one was looking out the windows. No one was walking around. It was as if the place was deserted. Typically, when entertainers visited, the entire site was almost chaotic with action.
He kept his horse moving slow until he got to the Whittaker trailer. He dismounted, still looking around him. If he had a gun trained on him, he wanted to spot it with enough time to get out of the way. He walked casually to the door of the trailer, taking the steps up and knocking on the door. He waited a moment.
“Who is it?”
He heard Ryan’s voice from inside.
“It’s Adam Collins. May I talk to you?”
&nb
sp; “What about?” Ryan didn’t sound angry. He sounded like he might have been crying.
“I need to talk to you about your sister. And your mother.”
The door was suddenly jerked open and Adam was looking into the red-rimmed teary eyes of Ryan Whittaker.
“Please, Ryan. Do you mind if I come in? We really do need to talk.”
Ryan looked over his shoulder, scanning the park area. “Did anyone see you come here?”
Adam looked behind him. “I doubt it. It looks deserted to me. Where did everyone go?”
“Some of them are out looking for Emily. That’s what I should be doing. I shouldn’t be sitting here feeling sorry for myself.”
“Don’t worry about Emily. We’ll find her. We have some of our locals looking for her. We know this town very well.”
“Thank you.”
“May I come in?”
“Oh.” Ryan stepped back to let Adam in the trailer. Once inside, Adam scanned the interior. It was a bit cluttered, but three people living in such small quarters was probably more like a prison than a traveling rodeo. A rodeo where the owner allowed his prisoners to perform for low wages and abuse.
“Thank you,” Adam said. He sat in the chair Mrs. Whittaker usually took. Ryan sat down near him in his own chair. “Ryan, where do you think Emily is?”
“I don’t know where she is,” he replied, hanging his head. He put one hand up to his forehead and sucked in a deep breath. Adam could tell he was trying not to cry. He reached out and grasped the younger man’s shoulder with his hand.
“Ryan. You are in despair. Please let me help you.”
Ryan shook his head violently. “No one can help me. I’m in too deep.”
Adam shook his head. “I don’t think so, Ryan.”
Ryan looked up at him through teary eyes. “Why don’t you think so? What do you know about what I’m going through?”
“A fair good amount, Ryan. I know you have a bounty on your head for cold blooded murder.”
Ryan blanched, pulling away from his hand. The look of fear on his face when he looked at Adam told Adam all he needed to know. This young man did not kill anyone. He was terrified that he was going to hang. That’s why he’d allowed Max to have such power over him.
Adam leaned forward and looked directly into Ryan’s fearful eyes. “I’m here to tell you right now, Ryan. There is no one in town who thinks you are guilty of that crime. There may have been suspicions. But there aren’t any more. The suspicion on your head is gone.”
“It doesn’t matter if the people of Wickenburg think I’m innocent,” Ryan reasoned, using a soft tone. “The government thinks I am. The sheriffs and the deputies and everyone who has a badge. They all want me to hang.” He choked on the last word. His distraught eyes tore through Adam’s heart. He leaned forward again and grabbed Ryan’s shoulder.
“We won’t see you hang. I have friends in high places. I know the sheriff personally. In fact, I just came from there. You have no warrant for arrest here in Wickenburg. I suggest you come back with me to the sher…”
“I’m not going to the sheriff’s office. That’s the jail. They’ll lock me up as soon as I get there and then ship me off somewhere to rot in prison or hang from the noose in downtown Wickenburg.”
“Stop. Don’t think like that. Not here. Not in Wickenburg.”
“How do you know? How can you be sure?”
“Because I know my people. I know my town. I can guarantee you. You won’t have to worry about hanging while you are with me. I won’t let them touch you. And no one in town is gunning for you anyway. I think there’s only one person who seeks your destruction and he’s in one of these trailers. I’m assuming the one in front of yours because it’s the leader.”
Ryan nodded without saying anything. His breath was ragged as he tried to control his anxiety. “I don’t wanna hang, Adam. I’m not a bad man. I don’t hurt people. At the most, I’ve had to pull off some scams and stolen some things. But I never hurt anyone. I swear it to you on my father’s grave.”
Adam looked him in the eyes, nodding back. “I believe you, Ryan.”
Ryan locked eyes with him, suddenly gaining more confidence. “You do?”
“Yes, I do. I believe you. And there’s no need to continue this. You need to have a good life, like everyone else. One that you are in control of. You’re a grown man. You can make your own decisions about life. I’m thinking we can all mess up our own lives without the help of anyone else.”
Ryan chuckled, for the first time feeling better about the situation. He stood up and paced back and forth in front of Adam. “But I still worry that if I go to Wickenburg, there will be trouble. I don’t know what Max will do.”
Adam nodded. “I don’t either. He seems like quite a bit of a loose cannon.”
“He is. He really is. I don’t trust him at all. He’s a scoundrel and a fool.”
“He’s no fool,” Adam contested, shaking his head. “I think he’s been running the scheme long enough. It’s time to get you and your mother out of here. Where is she?”
“I don’t know where she is. She took Emily’s horse and probably rode into town to get shot down.”
“Stop it, Ryan. Your family is not in danger here. You are safe. I can tell you no one will harm your mother or your sister. The only one who is out to get you is Max. You’ve got to understand that not everyone with a place of authority takes advantage of it. Most people who are in authority actually care about the citizens of the town they are protecting.”
“Why aren’t you a sheriff? Or a mayor.”
Adam chuckled. “How nice that you would want to volunteer me for those horrific jobs. Sounds dreadful. Having to decide if the bad guy is really a bad guy. No sheriff, that’s out. Mayor? I’ve never been asked and I probably wouldn’t be able to find time. I run a successful business. I have three children, a wife, and a decent sized garden in the back. I have stables and horses. I don’t have time to take care of my own family, much less the entire town.”
“It seems like you already take care of the entire town.” Ryan was bringing himself under control. Adam smiled. He watched his Adam’s apple bobbing in his neck as he tried to swallow his tears.
“Well, then there is no need for elections is there? People who want to go to the mayor will, others will come to me. People who want the services of the sheriff’s office? They go to the sheriff’s office. If they want me to find someone for them, I will. The sheriff can’t be bothered with something like that. And we had a death on Main Street today, so most of the people are already in shock. They won’t recognize you or be afraid of you.”
Ryan frowned. “There was a death on Main Street?” He sounded astounded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Who was it?”
“I doubt you know her name. It was Sheila, though. Sheila Randolph. She and her husband came to town a few days before your rodeo arrived.”
Ryan nodded. “I know them. Well, I don’t know them personally. I’ve never met either. But I know of them.”
Adam frowned, leaning forward again. “How do you know them?”
Ryan decided to sit again. However, once he was seated and he stretched his arms out over the rests, he jumped back up. “I need to go find out if anyone knows anything about Emily. I’m worried about her. Before she left, Ma told me to stop worrying that everything was under control and she was going to find her. What in the world was I thinking having Ma go out there without protection.”
Adam shook his head. “You are carrying this too far. You are worried about your mother, your sister, your livelihood, your friends. I understand your worry. However, right now, what you need to do is find Emily. She needs to be your number one priority. I know you don’t want to hear this but you need to. It’s clear that you want to find her, that you are emotional about all of this. I believe you. I do not believe you killed a man.”
Ryan grinned. “You said that already, but I never mind hearing it again.
Adam chuckled. “I don’t believe you killed a man.”
Ryan stopped talking and looked at the ceiling of the trailer. “I haven’t heard anyone say that for some years now.”
“Come to town with me, Ryan,” Adam stood up, holding his hat in his hands. “Come with me. Take a chance. Try to trust me. I’m not leading you into an ambush. I promise you that. I would not break my promise. One of the reasons so many people in this town ask me to help them is because they trust me. I do the right thing, I do it well and I like to share the ability with other people.”
He walked to the door and plopped his hat on before turning back. “I wish you would come to town with me. We really don’t want to keep doing this, do we? Do you? You are the one suffering the most.”
“I don’t know about that. Em has been hurting for years now.”
“How long has Max had this hold over you?”
“Five years,” Ryan replied, dropping his head down.
“Five years is a long time, Ryan. Your sister has been through this the entire time. Your mother, the last two years. It’s a sad way to live, my friend. I don’t wish it on my enemy.”
“It is a long time. I’ve had to watch my mother deteriorate into a shell from what she used to be. My sister became the strong one, mothering me, taking care of me, though I don’t need her to at 32. She serves me food and will do almost anything I ask her to do. She’s a lovely woman. I wish I hadn’t done this to her. I wish I hadn’t destroyed our family name.”
“Did you stab that man?” Adam asked, growing tired of the conversation.
“No.”
“You have to stop feeling sorry for yourself, Ryan,” Adam said in a firm voice. He could tell Ryan was not going to hurt him. He needed to be assertive with the younger man to get him moving. “You need to come to town with me, help me search for Emily, talk to the sheriff so we can get this straightened out and see what we can do about Max.”
The Bride’s Secret_A Western Romance Story Page 14