A Bride's Dilemma

by Blythe Carver

  Knox thought about it, piecing what they knew together in his mind as he spoke. “Luke is the one the ladies saw in the street. He was in the jail cell with Paddy and not the other man, the one that threatened Melissa. I’m not sure he’s connected here. He was just fighting over a card game, is what he told me.”

  “Just seems strange to me that Paddy just happened to be involved.”

  Knox and Baxter turned their horses off the pathway and onto the main street, heading into town to the jailhouse.

  “Not to me,” Knox replied.

  “That’s because you come from a city. In the city, people can be connected without really being connected. Just happens at random. This is a smaller place. Seems like most people are connected more.” Baxter was quiet for a moment.

  “Well, what do you know about Paddy?” Knox inquired. “When I talked to him, he was a weak-minded man who kept whining for a doctor and wanting to be cleaned up.” He shook his head. “He’s no murderer. Can’t stand the sight of his own blood, I don’t see him having the guts to whack Jonah on the back of the head in the middle of the night.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

  “I reckon we need to track Luke down first. In the meantime, we’ll start looking for another stranger in town. I’m gonna depend on you for that, Baxter. You know everyone here. I don’t.”

  Baxter nodded. “I’ll start asking around. See if anyone has seen anyone. Luke is new in town, too. Paddy said he was just playing cards—the four of them were—and the fight broke out, and they took it outside. That was all of Paddy’s story, wasn’t it?”

  Knox nodded. “Yeah, that’s what he said happened.”

  “So maybe Paddy wasn’t lying. Him and Buddy are the victims here because Jonah and Luke knew each other and kept it hidden.”

  Knox listened to the deputy’s words with interest.

  “I can see how that would happen,” Baxter continued. “Buddy is always lookin’ for someone to play cards with. I reckon we need to ask Luke about that card game when we see him.”

  Knox gave his deputy a look of appreciation. “Good work, Baxter. That’s an excellent idea.”

  “Thanks,” Baxter replied with a smile. “Luke tell you anything about workin’? What he does and if he’s doing anything right now?”

  Knox thought back to his conversation with Luke. “Nothing specific, though I know he’s not working anywhere around Shady Forks right now. First, we’re going to the lumber mill. Maybe him and Jonah knew each other from there.”

  “Depends on how long Luke’s been in town. I don’t recall seeing him at the lumber mill when I’ve gone there.”

  “He might have been up in the woods cutting down trees.”

  Baxter nodded. “I reckon that’s true.”

  “If he wasn’t working at the lumber mill, we’ll go around asking. He didn’t pay his bail to get out, so it’s not like he has a lot of money on him.”

  They reached the jailhouse a few minutes later to see Clive out on the front deck, holding a package. He was examining it through narrow eyes.

  The sheriff and deputy dismounted, tossing the reins over a hitching rail that ran along the front of the building. As he passed, Knox dropped his eyes to look at the water in the trough. It looked fresh, which surprised and pleased him. He liked knowing Bolt would get a nice, refreshing break while he had to stand out in the hot sun waiting for his master.

  Clive turned his eyes to them, and the rest of his body followed. Knox was surprised to see a brilliant, excited smile on the deputy’s face.

  “Sheriff! You got a package.”

  Knox took the box with a smile, wondering how curious the deputy really was.

  “Thanks.” He passed by, tucking the box under his arm.

  “Well, aren’t ya gonna open it?” Clive asked, following him into the jailhouse.

  Knox was teasing his deputy and grinned without saying a word.

  “Aw, come on, boss,” Clive said with a laugh. “I’m curious.”

  Knox set the box down on his desk. “It’s a bottle of wine. That’s all. I had it sent from Sutton a week ago. Been waiting for it. Would you like to try it?”

  The deputies gave each other anticipatory looks and turned their heads to nod at the sheriff.

  “Well, all right, let’s get some mugs. Or glasses, if you have them.”

  Knox chuckled, watching the two deputies search the building, coming back with three glasses that looked like they’d been there for a while. He wiped them off with a clean kerchief before pouring three half-glasses of wine to share with his deputies.

  23

  “I can’t believe you asked him to dinner,” Rich said the moment the sheriff left the house and was safely out of hearing distance. “I thought you didn’t like him.”

  Melissa couldn’t believe it herself. She felt like she was still in shock from having even got the question out. She gave her brother a mild look and shrugged. “It’s not a big thing, brother dear. Let’s not make it one.”

  She pushed herself from the couch, her heart pounding in her chest. It had just come out. How could she resist when the man was so good-looking, when she could tell how smart he was, when he had sat there gazing into her eyes so deeply she could see into his soul…

  Melissa shook her head to clear the thoughts as she walked to the bar. She poured another small glass of brandy and took a sip. She was about to speak when Annie poked her head in the door.

  “Was that the sheriff I just saw leaving?” she asked, running her eyes over the people in the room.

  “Yes, that was him,” Melissa replied.

  “What did he want?” Annie came into the room, leaving the door wide open behind her and going to Rich to receive a warm, quick kiss.

  “Jonah’s dead,” Nate said in a hurried way. Melissa figured he did it that way to make it quick and easy instead of dragging on about it.

  She did notice that Annie’s expression barely changed. Her eyebrows twitched, and a soft look came to her eyes.

  “Oh no,” she said half-heartedly. “That’s really terrible. Awful, really.”

  She crossed the room and drew Melissa into a hug, the first one Melissa was given since the news broke. Melissa hadn’t realized that until that moment. She hugged Annie back, grateful for the sympathetic touch. A few seconds later, the others in the family had joined in until they were all a large circle of arms.

  Melissa had never felt so warm and loved.

  “Thank you, thank you,” Melissa said. “You all know this is unnecessary. I had ended our courtship before his death. The reason for that decision hasn’t changed now that he’s dead. I won’t pretend to feel how I don’t feel.”

  Her family members broke away with a laugh.

  “Any death is a tragedy. But did I hear someone say something about a dinner with the sheriff?”

  “That depends on how long you were standing with your ear to the door,” her husband teased.

  “Oh, Rich.” She swatted at him playfully.

  “Melissa asked the sheriff to come to dinner on Friday,” Theresa confirmed, “and I think I see good things coming from this.”

  “It’s always good to have a sheriff on your side,” Nate said.

  Melissa raised one eyebrow at him. “Just in case we need to commit and get away with a crime?”

  Nate grinned. “Of course.”

  Melissa quickly thought of an excuse and said, “Well, he’s new to town. He doesn’t know a lot of people yet, and we’re pretty influential, I would say, wouldn’t you? He should be glad to get to know us.”

  “I’m sure he is,” Nate continued. “That’s a real good reason for asking him to dinner, too. Even though from the way he described it, you were ready to kill him for implying you might have something to do with the death.”

  Melissa still felt a little resentful that she’d been put on the spot that way. When the sheriff’s intense blue eyes staring at her floated through her memory, however, she kne
w she was able to forgive him for it.

  “Everyone deserves a second chance,” she said nonchalantly. “Look how many I gave Jonah.” She moved her eyes away from her family in an obvious way, implying she had given way too many chances to the deceased man.

  “Are you sure you’re okay, though, Mell?” Rich asked, concern in his voice. “He was courting you. You loved him. I know you did, at least for a time. You weren’t looking for wealth, that’s for sure.”

  “No, I wasn’t,” Melissa replied before drinking the rest of the brandy in her glass. She was satisfied with the smooth, warm feeling she got from it and set the glass down, turning around to lean back against the bar. “I did love him, of course. You all remember the way he used to be. He helped you and Theresa when she first came to town, remember? That wasn’t even that long ago.” She paused, thinking about the man she used to know. “He was different back then. Something happened at the beginning of the year. I saw that man at the New Year’s party, you know. Aileen helped me remember that.”

  Melissa shook her head, noticing the astonished looks on her brothers’ faces. They quickly questioned what she meant, and she went on.

  “The one who stopped me and threatened me. He was at our New Year’s party here at the ranch. I forgot to mention it to Sheriff Knox, but I don’t know what relevance that could have to his investigation. I don’t know the man’s name. He’s got to find him first. Then we can find out what happened that night to change the way Jonah behaved so drastically.”

  “You should still mention it to the sheriff the next chance you get,” Annie suggested. “He needs to know how this all ties together. If it wasn’t that Luke person, it might be the other one who killed Jonah.”

  “I think Knox knows he’s looking for two men,” Rich said. “He knows one of them is Luke Belcombe. The other one is the stranger whose name nobody knows yet. I think we should all go into town and look ourselves. We don’t have to do anything but track him down.” He looked at Theresa and said with a grin, “You and Melissa are professional followers now anyway. You’ve got the experience. Maybe you can track him down and follow him like you did Jonah.”

  Melissa and Theresa both laughed. When Melissa saw the threatening look Nate was giving his brother, their laughter was renewed, and the rest of the group joined in.

  “I think we should do it,” Melissa said, trying to keep her voice was showing her excitement at the prospect of adventure. “I don’t know how any of you are going to know who to look for, but I know what he looks like. I’ll never forget it.”

  “We don’t need to know anything more than a general description,” Nate responded. “There aren’t that many strangers in town that we haven’t seen yet. In fact, the rest of us probably have seen this gentleman and just didn’t know he would be wanted.”

  “I was thinking…” Annie spoke in a thoughtful voice that made the rest of them look at her, “if this man killed Jonah, why would he stay here if he’s a stranger? Wouldn’t he leave town right away?”

  This thought made the rest of them quiet as they contemplated it. It made Melissa feel a little sick to her stomach that someone might get away with murder. She shook her head.

  “Not if he didn’t get what he wanted. There’s a good chance he did leave but let’s assume he didn’t and search for him anyway.”

  Annie nodded. “I didn’t mean to put a damper on the suggestion. I just think we need to keep in mind that he might be gone already.”

  24

  Knox pushed himself to his feet and headed for the door. His dinner with the Winchester family was that night, and he had nothing new to tell them as of yet. Luke hadn’t been at the lumber mill and had never worked there. The last two nights, Knox and Clive had gone to the saloon and sat in a back corner, watching for Luke or any other stranger Clive might notice to come in.

  Neither Luke nor the other man they were looking for came in. They’d discussed the possibility that both men had left town or were at the very least hiding out.

  Knox had decided early on not to make a big show of the death or the investigation. So far, no one seemed to notice that Jonah was gone except the Winchester family. As far as he knew, no one was talking to Melissa about Jonah either. That way, the killer would think there was nothing to worry about and might come out of the woodwork.

  Knox could only hope.

  He stepped out onto the porch of the jailhouse and looked to the left and the right. The street outside was bustling with action, women with their children, men chatting in front of the barbershop, people coming and going from the shops, restaurant and hotel.

  He’d had high hopes that he would find Luke or the other man at the hotel, but neither had checked in. There were shacks and cottages all over, and Knox had to assume the men had taken advantage of that.

  As he peered to the left, focusing his eyes on different people as they walked around, men specifically, he wondered if it was possible to look at a man and see if he was capable of murder. He’d come to the conclusion long ago that sight was indeed a factor when deciding if a man was an outlaw or not, but it certainly wasn’t the only thing. The way they talked and moved, their eyes, their personality. There was so much involved in judging a man’s character that just looking at someone rendered accurate judgment impossible.

  His eyes drifted to the saloon, and he froze. He just saw Luke Belcombe go in that building. He was sure of it.

  He looked both ways again before crossing the dirt road and going up to the doors of the saloon. He looked over into the dim room, running his eyes over the patrons.

  The man who had come in was now standing at the bar on the left side of the room, one foot up on the railing that ran along the bottom. It was Luke Belcombe.

  Knox pushed the doors and went into the saloon, walking straight over to Luke and assumed a similar position, his forearms up on the bar. He leaned forward and turned his head in Luke’s direction.

  “Howdy,” he said in a friendly voice.

  Luke’s eyes swiveled to the sheriff. After a moment, they twinkled with recognition.

  “Sheriff,” Luke replied in a tired voice. “What do you want with me?”

  “I’ve been looking for you. I just wanted to ask you some questions about one of the men you were fighting with when I pulled you in a few weeks ago. You know who I’m talking about?”

  Luke’s eyes narrowed. He grabbed the beer the bartender set down in front of him. “Maybe,” he said before downing half the glass. He breathed hard after, slamming the mug down on the bar.

  “You know which man I’m talking about?” Knox prodded him.

  “Yeah,” Luke said resentfully. “You’re talkin’ about Bell. Right? Fool owes me money. He knows he does.” Luke turned his head toward the sheriff. “You know where he is? He’s not answering his door or goin’ to work. He’s gonna be sorry when I find him. I want my money.”

  Knox studied the man’s face, searching for the truth there. Was Luke playing a game with him? Did he really not know Jonah was dead?

  “Owes you money, does he?”

  “Of course he does,” Luke barked. “He owes everybody under the sun. Doesn’t know how to play cards but does anyway. He owed me before that day we were fighting. That’s one of the reasons we were fighting.”

  “And Buddy and Paddy got involved because…” He waited for Luke to finish his sentence.

  “Because they were the other players.” Luke sounded furious. “Paddy ain’t no use anyway. You gotta look long and hard to find a weaker man than him.” Luke snorted. “Even Jonah. You tell him I said so when ya see him.”

  “Can’t do that, partner,” Knox replied, shaking his head. “Jonah Bell is dead.”

  Luke had been lifting his glass to drink his beer. The words made him halt in place, the glass halfway up. He was still staring at it, not turning to look at the sheriff. After a brief pause, he was in motion again, lifting the glass and emptying the contents. He swallowed and slammed the glass down again, slidi
ng it toward the bartender, who was a few feet away.

  “So you didn’t know he was dead, then,” Knox said, keeping his voice calm and low.

  Luke shook his head. He still hadn’t looked at the sheriff. “Nah. Didn’t know.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to have been angry enough to do it yourself, would you?” Knox didn’t expect a confession from the question. He just wanted to clarify.

  “Nope.” Luke grabbed the new glass of beer the bartender set in front of him. He lifted it but spoke before drinking from it. “Guess I’m not gonna get my money now.” His lip curled in anger just before he drank half of the beer in the glass.

  “You take it easy on those, friend,” Knox remarked, patting the man on the shoulder. “Beer and anger don’t mix well, I’ve noticed. I don’t want to come back here and take you to the jailhouse for brawling again.”

  Luke just grunted. He dropped into one of the stools with a brooding look. Knox decided to leave him alone. He didn’t look like a stupid man, and only a stupid man would kill another without getting the money they were owed.

  As he left, Knox considered whether anything might have been stolen from Jonah’s. That might have given Luke a reason to kill him. It was highly doubtful, though, that Jonah kept any money hidden in his house, and the stolen tools and equipment he’d taken from the lumber mill were recovered in a shed behind the shack that was in as dilapidated a state as the house itself.

  Knox was excited about having dinner at the Winchester Ranch that night but wished he had something more to tell them. He’d heard no reports of any other stranger in town and was beginning to fear the second suspect had fled the town. If that was the case, he was long gone and wouldn’t be caught unless he returned. They didn’t even have a sketch of him to go on. No one in Shady Forks did that kind of artistry.

  The end of the day came quickly, much to Knox’s satisfaction, and he found himself back at his cottage, washing up to go to the ranch for dinner. He was still pleased he’d been invited and was hoping to have a good time bonding with the family. Especially Melissa.