“No. He was here on another matter, but your name was mentioned. I think we all should be worried where that self-important gutter rat is concerned. I’ll fill you in on the way to Hiram’s. Get your things while I tidy up my desk.”
Faith nodded her understanding of the situation. Liam realized she didn’t know the extent of the danger but she seemed to trust him. And that meant more to him than he could possibly have imagined.
She left his office and returned with her hat pinned on her head, shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders, and her reticule on her arm. “I’m ready to go when you are.”
Liam packed the legal documents he was working on for Mr. Mitchell’s case against Markham and stuffed them in his briefcase. He placed the documents Mrs. Markham had given him in the case too. But Markham’s words reminded him that could be a risky move. It suddenly dawned on him. Did Markham know about Lavinia’s plans against him? Is that why he decided to show his hand now? Liam decided it was better to be safe rather than sorry. His client was depending on him to win justice for his case. Misplacing critical documents would be unthinkable. He placed them in the false bottom of his desk drawer.
He was confident, even if someone ransacked his office, they wouldn’t find the papers. The wall safe was too obvious, and anyone with half a brain would look in his files.
He stole a quick glance toward Faith. He wished she hadn’t witnessed his hiding place. Not that he didn’t trust her. He was afraid she might become an accidental pawn in this game of chess against Markham.
“Okay, I’m ready.” He snapped his briefcase shut and pulled his jacket off the back of his chair. He pulled a pistol out of his desk drawer and shoved it in the waistband of his trousers. The pistol was a little uncomfortable but he’d manage. He wasn’t used to wearing a firearm. Not that he didn’t know how to use one. He had always used his words of persuasion to get him out of tight spots. For now, he would be careful walking alone after dark. Perhaps he would refrain from late night visits to the Holy Moses until Markham’s trial was over. He didn’t need those late nights at the saloon anymore. Drowning his grief in the rotgut whiskey no longer soothed his pain. He had a new cure to an old problem.
He picked up his case and walked the short distance to where Faith was standing. She was beautiful. Just looking at her nearly took his breath away. And she was so sweet. And kind. And—
Liam smiled. Look at him. Had it only been a few days since Faith’s trial? He remembered with vivid clarity his anger the day of her trial. But he also remembered he had developed feelings, conflicting feelings, but feelings all the same during the preparation for her trial. He wasn’t certain when it happened, but he had fallen in love with the dark-haired beauty.
He’d convinced himself he hated her, but there was a very fine line between love and hate. And he had crossed it without even being aware.
“Are you ready?”
Faith nodded, and he put his hand to the small of her back. It was a tiny gesture. A common practice among polite society. But it marked a change in their relationship. It was a sign of respect. He could tell she noticed and was pleased by the blush on her cheeks.
They reached the front door, and Liam took extra precautions to ensure everything was secure. He locked the office door and quickly walked in the direction of the Hanovers’ home. He made certain he knew who was ahead of him and, especially, behind him. When he crossed the street or an alley, he kept far away from the shadows of the buildings. He hoped Markham’s threats would just evaporate into thin air. He would make certain Markham paid a price through the courts for making those threats. But in the meantime, he would do everything he could to keep the Hanovers, Faith, and her sisters safe.
And Jedidiah Mitchell. He should know. Liam would pay him a visit at his first opportunity. He would make certain Sheriff Grayson knew too.
They arrived at the Hanovers without incident. Hiram and Aggie were in the garden, looking over their crop of fresh vegetables. Charity and Hope were helping Sarah gather herbs from several rows of plants.
“Come on, Faith. Help me eradicate these parasitic weeds from our garden of paradise,” called Hiram.
Faith smiled. “Let me put away my satchel and hat. I’ll be right back.”
Liam breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to alarm the ladies so he would wait until after dinner before he approached Hiram with the news. No one would think the slightest about him and Hiram disappearing into his library for a taste of Irish whiskey and a choice cigar.
Liam kept guard, searching every dark corner and shadow for an unknown assailant. Hell, Markham was probably just making idle threats. The man wouldn’t be so stupid as to tell everyone he was going to do something and then actually do it. What kind of fool would do that?
Five minutes later Faith returned and was following Hiram around the garden with a hoe, hacking and attacking anything he pointed at.
Liam watched the gardening activities with guarded optimism. He was certain Markham’s threats were hollow until a sudden chill ran up his spine. Liam looked around the Hanovers’ carriage yard. Nothing was amiss that he could tell. He scanned his surroundings with a critical eye but he didn’t see anything unusual or out of place. Nothing to reveal there was any danger present. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He was just being paranoid.
Without warning, a single gunshot rang out. Liam watched his beloved mentor stumble to the ground in slow motion. The growing red stain on the front of Hiram’s shirt paralyzed Liam until he heard Aggie screaming out her husband’s name.
He ran toward Faith and Aggie, shoving them to the ground. “Stay down!”
It wasn’t long before he realized he had two gunshot victims.
23
Faith couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Or feeling. Liam rushed to Hiram’s side, pulling loose his shirt looking for his injury. Faith sat on the ground next to Aggie. Her arm felt like it had been scorched with a branding iron. Sarah and her sisters mowed down rows of vegetables to come to their aid. She heard Liam yell out.
“Sarah, get Doc Howard. Hiram’s been shot.”
A collective gasp from the three women and then Sarah was off. Charity and Hope came to help Aggie, pulling her away from Hiram’s still body lying on the ground. Her hysterical sobs were heartbreaking to hear.
“It seems he’s not the only one shot.”
Hope ran to Faith and began cutting away her dress sleeve up to her shoulder with the pruning shears she’d been using to cut squash from the vine just moments earlier.
Faith looked in astonishment at her arm, an angry red crease across her upper arm, blood seeping down to her elbow.
“I’ve been shot?”
Liam directed his attention to her. “Are you okay?”
His concern was heartwarming, but Hiram was the one who needed his full attention.
“I’m fine, Liam. Please don’t worry about me. Look after Hiram.”
He hesitated only a moment and nodded his head in agreement.
“Charity, go get Sheriff Grayson.” Liam’s voice sounded calm, but Faith could see his hands shaking as he unbuttoned Hiram’s shirt.
“Hope, see if you can get something to wrap around Faith’s arm and then get her in the house.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I know Hiram is okay,” Faith proclaimed. Hope’s eyes rounded in surprise. She had to admit, she was a little surprised herself at her bold and brave proclamation.
Hope ran into the house and returned in mere seconds with a basket full of rags. She wrapped one around Faith’s arm and tied it in place with another strip of rag.
“We can clean it when we all get inside.”
All attention turned back to the beloved gentleman lying still and pale on the dirt between the pepper plants and the onions. Liam shook the man’s shoulders, trying to rouse him to consciousness without harming him any further.
“Hiram. Hey. Talk to me, Hiram. Open your eyes,” Liam pleaded.
Aggie’s heartbroken sobs ripped Faith’s soul wide open. She and Hope shared a worried glance. She could see her sister was afraid the situation wasn’t going to end well for their beloved hosts but she remained silent.
“Hiram. Damn it, you stubborn ol’ goat. Open your eyes.”
Liam’s voice cracked with emotion, and Faith could tell he was doing his best to hold back his tears for Aggie’s sake. The quick look he gave the sobbing woman told Faith she was right.
“Hiram—“
“Please stop shaking me, lad.” A soft whisper drifted from Hiram’s lips. “And I may be an old goat, but I’m still the head ram around here.”
Faith’s heart caught in her throat when she saw Hiram’s eyes open. “Where’s Aggie? Is she alright?”
Aggie sobbed and dropped to her husband’s side. “I’m here, my darling. I’m here. What can I do? Please don’t leave me here. I can’t make it without you, my love.”
Faith’s heart broke when she watched Aggie smoothing Hiram’s hair, caressing his face, practically willing him to be okay.
“I’m alright, Aggie, dear. Don’t you worry one bit. I’m not about to leave this world without you. We have a lot of livin’ yet to do.”
Aggie could only nod, tears streaming down her chubby cheeks. Holding her husband’s hand, she kissed his forehead. His lips. His cheeks.
Liam removed his shirt and pressed it against the wound, staunching the flow of blood. “Where is that damned doc—“
“I’m here. Now get out of my way and let me get a good look at his wound before we try to move him into the house.” Doc Howard knelt beside Hiram.
Faith and Hope pulled Aggie to her feet and bookended her, doing their best to support her ample girth and keep her standing.
Sheriff Grayson and Charity ran into the garden. The sheriff stood at Hiram’s feet and waited. Faith knew he wanted to ask questions right away, but he waited for the doctor.
For Faith, it seemed like an eternity passed before the doctor spoke. “Hiram, you are one lucky bast—uh, son-of-a-gun. The bullet went clean through your shoulder. I’ll have to sterilize the wound, front and back, and stitch it up. You will be sore as hell for a week or so, but you’ll live. That was either a bad shot or someone didn’t really intend to kill you.“
“Maybe whoever it was wasn’t aiming at Hiram. Maybe he was just in the wrong place.”
Everyone turned to look at Charity.
“What do you mean?” the sheriff asked.
“Well, in case everyone has forgotten, Hiram wasn’t the only one to catch a bullet. Faith here has a pretty big crease in her arm. Maybe someone decided to take the law into their own hands. Like them two miners that attacked Faith. Or that lunatic woman at the courthouse who blames anyone with dark hair and dark eyes for killing her husband. Anyone think of that?” Charity scowled darkly.
Everyone turned to look in Faith’s direction. She started to shrink behind her sister but caught herself. These were her friends. There was no need to hide from them.
“I’m fine. Really I am.” Being shot at made her dizzy. She put a hand to her head.
“Are you alright, Faith?” Liam’s concerned voice gave her strength.
“I’m fine. A little off balance, but I’m okay.”
“Let’s get you and Hiram out of the garden and into the house. Then we can talk about what just happened.” The doc looked around at the women.
“Let’s get Hiram into his bed. Aggie, he’s gonna be okay. Don’t you worry. He’ll be his ol’ ornery self in no time at all.”
Faith watched Aggie slump in relief and then spring into action. “Sarah, get some water boiling. Hope, you and Charity run ahead and turn down our bed. We’ll be along shortly.”
Doc Howard turned to Faith. “Let me see that arm of yours.”
Faith let the doctor unwrap the bandage.
“It’s a clean slice. No jagged edges or deep pits that need to be sutured. I’ll give Hope some ointment to put on that cut to keep infection down. It’s made of turmeric and honey. Keep it wrapped and clean. You should be good as new in a couple of weeks. But,” the doctor hesitated, “you are probably going to have a scar there. Can’t be helped.”
Faith watched the doctor turn and direct Liam and the sheriff to carry Hiram out of the garden and into the house. The very large pistol sticking out of the waistband of Liam’s trousers was hard to miss.
The sheriff hadn’t missed it either.
“Liam, I think we need to have a little visit down at the jail because that pistol in your waistband isn’t your usual fashion. Whatever is going on, I hope you are gonna let the law do its job. That peacemaker doesn’t look right on you.”
Liam faced the sheriff over Hiram as they carried him to his bed.
“I don’t intend to break the law, Grayson. But I’ve got to know who did this, and I’ve a really good hunch I’ll find some answers inside that carriage house since that is the general direction the shot came from.”
“I know that, boy. But I’m the law. I’ve got a job to do, and I’m hoping you won’t make it harder for me to do it by running off halfcocked.”
Faith followed Liam and the sheriff into the house, down the hall and watched them lay Hiram gently in his bed. She wanted to stay and help Aggie, but she needed to make certain Liam wasn’t going to put himself in danger any more than he already was.
She caught him in the hallway leading to the kitchen.
“Please be careful. I—would hate for anything to happen. I mean, I would hate for something to happen—please do what the sheriff asked. Don’t make it harder—“
Her heart stumbled when he stopped abruptly and turned to face her. That angry look was back.
“I don’t intend to make it harder. But I won’t be kept out of the process either. This is my fault. Hiram is like the father I lost…“ His words trailed off.
She understood what it was like to be afraid and did her best to encourage him. “What happened today isn’t your fault. Even if you had told Hiram the minute you got here, it might not have made a difference. Think about it. Whoever did this would have had to have been in place at the same time Markham was making threats. There wasn’t enough time to hire someone between then and now.”
He didn’t answer, and he refused to meet her eyes. But, he didn’t need to say anything else. It was obvious today’s violence brought back memories of another time. Another place. Another father figure.
They were back to square one. Tears burned behind her lids. Her arm burned from the gunshot. But the worst pain of all was her heart. It burned for a man who was slipping away from her, right before her eyes.
The sheriff stuck his head inside the kitchen door. “You wanna be a part of this investigation, O’Brien, let’s not waste any more time talking. Follow me.”
Faith watched her handsome Irishman turn without another word and disappear out the back door. She committed his face to memory, just in case fate decided to rob her of her dreams.
Liam pulled his pistol out of the waistband of his trousers and followed the sheriff out of the house.
He knew Faith was afraid for him. He could see her shaking with fear when he left her standing in the kitchen. But he was overcome with his own emotions; he needed time to process them before he did or said something he couldn’t take back.
The sight of Hiram lying bloodied and pale in the dirt, and Faith’s bloodied arm, knowing how close she’d come to—
Liam’s raw fear clawed at his chest and throat.
He’d learned his lesson today. Never take anyone or anything for granted.
Liam found the sheriff standing at the bottom of the backdoor stairs. The man didn’t waste any time on social niceties.
“Tell me who you think did this and why.”
Liam gave the sheriff the short version of Markham’s visit and his threats. When he was done, he watched the stoic sheriff struggle to maintain his legendary composure.
“Let’s go.”
; Grayson turned and stalked across the yard to the carriage house. It was obvious to Liam the man took this assault on peace during his watch very personal. The sheriff reached the corner of the building and peeked around it. Hugging the side of the carriage house, he motioned for Liam to follow. They inched their way to the single door next to the wide double doors used for the horses and wagons.
Where was the Irishman, Hiram’s farrier and caretaker? Liam’s heart pounded in his chest. Had something happened to him? He sincerely hoped not. He liked the big man. He reminded Liam of home.
The lawman opened the single door a crack and waited. All quiet. Crouching side-by-side, they ran through the door, hiding behind the first thing they came to—a wall of hay. Not much protection if someone wanted to fire a shot into it, but it was better than being out in the open.
Grayson motioned for him to stay low to the ground and stay put. But Liam was having none of that nonsense. He ran to the other end of the wall of hay and looked back. The sheriff gave him an look that said, “Why doesn’t anyone listen to me when I give an order?”
Liam heard something. A groan? Maybe. Peeking around the side of a hay bale, he saw the big Irishman lying on the ground, his face bloodied.
“Angus.” Liam looked around the carriage house shadows to be sure he wasn’t going to walk into a trap. “Angus,” he whispered again. “Can you hear me? Are you okay?”
The big man groaned again and rolled to his side, doing his best to sit up. Liam took one more look around the carriage house and back at the sheriff who motioned him on with his gun.
“I’ll cover you,” he whispered.
Liam ran to the aid of his friend. “What happened? Who did this to you?” He helped him sit up and waited for him to gather his wits before he pressed him again. “Angus, what—“
“I heard ya the first time, laddie. Give me a minute. Me head feels like I’ve been kicked by a mule. With both hind hooves, mind ya.”
Liam watched the giant of a man wipe at the blood on his face.
Faith Page 15