A Bride to Melt the Sheriff’s Iron Heart

by Melynda Carlyle

  “It’s alright. I just worry that Peter is going to drive himself into an early grave. He already looks like hell,” Melanie added, pointing toward where Peter still sat sleeping.

  “That is just the weight of the job getting to him, I think. You’ll see that once we can manage to find the mastermind behind these incidents, he’ll be right as rain. For now, we can only let him enjoy his occasional breaks and try to be understanding. With that being said, he has been asleep for the better part of two hours now. I think that is quite long enough for him to be watching the back of his eyelids, don’t you?” Chris smirked, rising out of his chair and slowly tiptoeing over to where Peter was sleeping.

  “I don’t think you should bother him, Chris,” Melanie started to say, but it was too late. As she watched, Chris pulled back his leg and then swept the chair leg sideways, sending both Peter and the chair toppling to the floor. Peter let out a shout as he was suddenly awake, his arms flailing at the last second before he slammed into the wooden floor below.

  He was immediately on his feet, his eyes blazing. “Hang it all, Chris. I am going to shoot that hat off your head and hopefully the little brains you have with it! I am going to stick my foot—”

  Peter stopped when he saw Melanie standing beside Chris, practically choking on his own words. Melanie could see a distinct red blush spreading across the sheriff’s cheeks, his hand moving in front of his mouth as he began coughing violently.

  Melanie had to bite down hard on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing, pretending politely to cough. Chris didn’t even bother hiding his laughter. “I figured you didn’t want to sleep through Miss Thompson’s visit, seeing as how she seems to have come specifically to talk to you. Now that my no-account sheriff is finally awake, I am going to get myself some breakfast while the two of you chat.”

  Peter glared at his deputy’s retreating back until the door to the jail closed, sighing heavily as he turned his attention back to Melanie. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that,” he said, reaching down to pick up his chair and put it back in place before seating himself again. “Why don’t you sit down and tell me what brings you here, Miss Thompson.”

  “If it makes you feel better, I tried to stop him from waking you,” Melanie said pleasantly.

  That made Peter smile.

  Chapter 18

  Peter was still groggy from his nap, the irritation from having been woken up in such a rude manner still coursing through him. Sometimes he wanted to strangle Chris, but Peter knew better than anyone what the consequences of that would be. He ran his pointer finger and thumb across his eyes quickly, rubbing the sleep out of them before reaching over to where a pot of water was sitting. Pouring some into the cup that sat beside the pot, he took a deep drink before he turned his attention back to Melanie.

  He watched her gracefully fold into the chair that sat across from his desk, the two sitting at roughly equal height, though Peter had a couple of inches on her. He found himself gazing deeply into those emerald eyes of hers for not the first time, noting how they glowed like the innermost depths of a fire as they reflected the sunlight streaming in through the window. He heard his stomach rumble but ignored it for now.

  “I hope that you have not been running yourself ragged over Darwin,” Melanie said gently.

  “It’s hard not to worry about a kid like that. He’s always been kind of like a little brother to me, even if he drives me up the wall with his free-spiritedness at times. But now, he looks like all the fight has been taken out of him. I would have thought that saving my life would have just served as an incentive for him to call himself a hero and get a big head, and I’d prefer that compared to what he’s like right now,” Peter admitted. “The boy seems like a shell of his former self, and it breaks my heart.”

  “I can imagine that this has to be hard for you, but I just want you to know that I’m worried about him too. I’ve been keeping an eye on him in class, and it is just as you say. He used to make snide comments and constantly interrupt the class, but now he doesn’t even seem like his mind is there. He looks like he’s been getting very little sleep too,” she added, causing Peter to slowly shake his head.

  “I was afraid of that. I don’t know what we can do to help the kid snap out of it, but something has to happen soon. Do you have any ideas about what we can do to try and help him? I’m afraid I’m not the best when it comes to dealing with people’s emotional needs,” Peter admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

  “It’s a skill that we work on every day for our entire lives,” Melanie replied gently. “But I wanted to tell you what I tried to say the other day. That’s one of the bigger reasons for me coming here,” she said seriously, leaning forward on his desk.

  “Right, before Johnny showed up and rudely interrupted us,” Peter said, unable to believe that he had completely forgotten about it. “You were saying something about how Lawrence and Darwin had been talking to one another a lot more.”

  “That’s right. When I first came to the school, Lawrence was one of the kids I noticed spending time around Darwin. They always talked quietly and in out-of-the-way places, going silent if they thought I was coming over. He was also sitting right behind Darwin on the day that I found that flyer in my class,” Melanie said, gently biting her nail.

  “Is that right?” Peter asked, leaning forward a little. Something was nagging at the back of his mind. “Do you believe that there is a possibility that Lawrence might have known something about the ambush?”

  “More than that. I have reason to believe that Lawrence is the one who spread those flyers around. Every time I would come near his desk, he would go out of his way to cover up his papers so I couldn’t see them. He also never responds to my greetings, yet I constantly find him staring at me when he thinks I am not looking,” she said softly. “I can’t even begin to imagine what he might be thinking.”

  “Do you happen to remember Lawrence’s last name by chance?” Peter asked slowly, that nagging feeling at the back of his mind starting to grow in intensity.

  “I sure do. I’ve managed to memorize the names of all the students in my class,” Melanie replied proudly. “I’ve also memorized the names of the parents who come to pick up their kids as well as many of my students' birthdays and their favorite hobbies.”

  “That’s riveting and all, but that isn’t exactly what I need to hear right now, Miss Thompson. You can regale me next time with it all, but for now, we need to stay on track. Lawrence’s last name, please.” Peter did his best to keep his tone warm, not wanting to create a standoff with her now that they were civil with one another.

  “Oh, right.” Melanie didn’t try to argue with him like she would have when they first met. She didn’t make any snide comments or snap at him, instead, closing her eyes as if in thought. “Let me see, what was Lawrence’s last name?”

  Peter sat silently to allow her to think, nearly dropping his glass of water when she suddenly jumped to her feet. “Carrington!”

  “What, is he here?” Peter asked, whirling around in his chair so fast that he nearly fell out of it again.

  “No, that is Lawrence’s last name! I was looking over the class list yesterday because I was trying to find some sort of lead to help you. I also did a little bit of asking around at the saloon, and from what I've gathered, Johnny doesn’t seem to have any children, illegitimate or otherwise. But he does have a brother that lives near the coal mines about half an hour north of the city. Perhaps you could go ask him and see if he has any leads?” Melanie offered.

  “I want to, but I can’t help but feel like that might create more problems than it solves. Word gets around quickly, even more so when you live in a town like ours. If I go to see his brother, you can bet your last dollar that I will have Johnny Carrington on my doorstep by the end of the day. I’d like to do things a little more covertly than that, if possible,” Peter said dismissively, the look on Melanie’s face causing him to quickly add, “But it was
a good thought!”

  “Maybe I could get some information out of Johnny? Work for you undercover or something? After all, who would expect the schoolteacher to be working with you?” Melanie was practically beaming with excitement, making it hard for Peter to reject her offer outright.

  “I’ll consider it, Miss Thompson. I don’t want to give you a knee-jerk response, so give me a couple days to think it over,” he replied with a weary smile. “Can’t say I am opposed to help. I just don’t want to risk putting you in harm’s way.”

  “I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but you don’t have to treat me like a child. I am not just some helpless flower that needs to be protected. I can use a gun and ride a horse just as well as any other man around here. I come from the family of a lawman; I am not just another helpless civilian,” Melanie sputtered.

  “I know you aren’t,” Peter replied safely, holding out his hands toward her placating. “Like I said, I would just feel horrible if anything were to happen to you.”

  She took a deep breath but said nothing, visibly holding back whatever retort she had been about to give. Peter slowly rose from his chair and strode over to where a picture of Michael Norton hung on the wall. Melanie noticed this, slowly stepping up beside him. “Is it because of how Michael died?”

  “It’s because of how he and his wife died,” Peter replied softly, his voice a quiet enough whisper that Melanie had to strain to hear it. “Bank robbery went wrong where they just happened to be. His wife, Sandy, had the same kind of attitude that you do. She always wanted to help Michael, always wanted to help him solve the dangerous cases because she couldn’t bear the thought of sitting at home waiting for him to never come back. She stepped out to try and save Iris when she got taken hostage, but they shot her immediately. Michael shot a couple of them in retaliation, but they gunned him down too shortly afterward. I got there and saw everything, and my vision went red. When I came to my senses, I stood over the dead robbers and Iris was the only civilian still breathing. I failed Michael and Sandy when they needed me most.”

  His voice felt raw as he spoke. Peter cleared his throat as he felt a lump rise in it. He still viewed Michael’s death as the most prominent example of his failings, and not a day passed that he didn’t wish he could go back and do things differently. Melanie reached out, setting her hand gently on his shoulder. “It sounds like you got there as quickly as possible. You did everything you could, Peter.”

  “Not just yet, I haven’t. But I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve. I’ll keep my promise to Michael and keep this town safe, no matter what I have to do to achieve this. People need consistent safety, or they’ll never feel comfortable enough living their lives. Spending your time constantly looking over your shoulder is no way to live,” Peter sighed. “I learned that lesson the hard way.”

  “I really do hope that you can grow to trust me enough to share some stories from your past with me sometime. I have a feeling that your stories would be better than any novel I could ever read,” Melanie said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

  Had he just imagined that, or was she trying to flirt with him? Not wanting to risk it in case he proved to be wrong, Peter simply stepped toward the door of the jail, watching Melanie rise from her chair. They chatted in the doorway of the jail for a little while longer before Melanie excused herself.

  “I’ll continue to keep an eye on Darwin. I know you can’t help but worry, so try worrying a little less. You aren’t in this alone. Chris and I are here to help, as are plenty of the townspeople. They look up to you, Peter, and most of them respect you. I might go so far as to say that some of them might even be a little afraid of you,” Melanie said, giving him a small bow before heading off toward the inn to find John.

  Peter returned to his chair and sat down, shaking his head gently. He hadn’t expected her to have grown quite so attached to the boy, not that it was a bad thing. She was turning out to be a much better person than he had originally given her credit for. Not to mention how beautiful she had looked in that dress.

  Peter shook his head slowly, trying to clear the thoughts away. He was letting himself get carried away in flights of fancy and it was time for him to ground himself back in reality. Maybe one day he and Melanie could be an item, but that was going to take a lot of hard work on his part and he would have to compete with every man for miles.

  Yet there was still a thrill to it. Getting the girl that everyone wanted would only make him feel more pride in the end. For now, though, he had his work cut out for him.

  Chapter 19

  True to her word, Melanie had gotten to work trying to cheer Darwin up. She started small by getting him to agree to eat lunch with her or help her out with things around the school, but soon she had convinced him to start spending a little extra time with her after school let out.

  She figured that he wouldn’t really have much else to occupy himself with, and she certainly didn’t have anywhere she had to rush off to. Besides, Peter hadn’t yet shown up to pick up Darwin like he usually did. So, to pass the time, Melanie had offered to play a game of jacks with Darwin.

  Despite how simple the game was, Melanie found that it was slowly helping to draw Darwin out of his shell. He won the first round easily, looking far more invested when the second game began. Melanie had only gotten the gist of the game from watching Chris, but Darwin seemed to know the game well enough that she could get by. As she bounced her ball gently, she reached forward and swiped up two jacks before catching her ball. She was winning by exactly two, but she had a feeling that Darwin would not let her remain in the lead for long.

  He tossed his ball down at the table, watching it ricochet straight up into the air. He reached forward and swiped up four jacks, barely managing to catch his ball before it touched the top of the table once more. “And just like that, I lead by two, Miss Thompson.”

  He looked so pleased with himself that Melanie couldn’t help but smile. This was more like the boy that she had met that first day. He might not be completely back to his old self, but this was a step in the right direction. She attempted to bounce her ball but missed with her swipe when she reached forward, accidentally scattering the remaining jacks onto the floor. “Oh, drat!”

  “I know that you were losing, Miss Thompson, but I think throwing the game pieces onto the floor might be a little much,” Darwin said teasingly. “Don’t you and Peter keep telling me that one should lose with grace when bested in a game?”

  “Using my own words against me now, are you?” Melanie narrowed her eyes at him in mock anger, yet her lips kept twitching as she tried not to smile. “You barely speak for almost a week, and when you finally do, it is to mock me? Such an ungrateful and rude boy,” she giggled, helping herself to one of the strawberries she’d brought with her.

  “Hey, I am not rude! At least not all of the time,” Darwin relented, crossing his arms. “I just get in a bad mood from time to time. No different than anyone else.”

  “I guess that is fair. However, what we need to work on with you is how you react to others when you are in that bad mood. Between you and me, the sheriff could use a lesson as well. Trying to talk to him when he is in a bad mood feels like standing in front of a wild animal that could maul me at any moment,” Melanie admitted, sighing gently. “Plus, when he spends as much time as he does worrying about people, it is no wonder that he’s never happy. Having a job where people are only happy to see you when something goes wrong is hard, but having a job where people blame you each time something goes wrong is even worse.”

  “You mean like what you did to him the first day you two met?” Darwin replied cheekily, causing Melanie to gasp and whirl to face him.

  “Who told you about that?” Melanie asked, her cheeks turning beet red.

  “Why, the sheriff, of course,” Darwin said, raising an eyebrow. “Where else would I have heard it? He and I typically talk when he walks me home from school, you know. Lots of things come up in our conversations
, and you haven’t managed to escape the topic roulette from time to time.”

  “I didn’t realize that you were so close that he would confide in you like that. Though, he did say something pretty interesting to me the other day about you,” Melanie said, grinning as she saw Darwin’s face light up.

  “What did he say about me?” he asked, hopping up and down in excitement. “Was it something good?”

  “I guess it depends on how you look at it, but I’m also not sure I should tell you. It might ruin the way that you think about him, and I don’t want to hurt what you’ve got going on. It might be something that he wants to tell you in his own time,” Melanie added. “It will probably be worth the wait.”

  “No way, you can’t sit on potential information I can use against him. You have to spill the beans!” he demanded. “If you don’t, then I’ll be mad at you and won’t listen to a thing you say.”

  “Oh, dear, that would be problematic. I would hate to ruin our relationship now that you no longer act like a complete ruffian around me,” Melanie teased, giving him a playful shove. “I will just say that the sheriff is very fond of you and worries about you. We both do. I told you before that you could talk to me if something was troubling you, and the offer is very much still open.”