She glanced at the tray in her hands. Roast beef, potatoes, gravy, green beans, a biscuit, and apple pie. “Not a bad wedding night dinner. I never thought I’d spend my wedding night alone,” she murmured. Molly set the tray on the small table and forced herself to eat. The food tasted good, but Molly didn’t care. She needed sustenance, and any food would do.
~ * ~
Ben checked every door in town and spoke to nearly everyone who lived in Gentle Falls. Molly had disappeared. Where could she go? There were a few cabins used by the loggers when bad weather caught them unaware. If she hid there, she’d need a horse. She couldn’t walk. He strode purposefully toward the livery.
Jace was sweeping the floor when Ben entered.
“Evening, Sheriff.”
“Evening, Jace. Have you seen Molly Sullivan today?”
Jace swept harder, “No, sir.”
“Jace, look at me.”
The boy stopped sweeping and looked at Ben. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ll ask again. Did you see Molly?”
Jace dug at the floor with his boot.
“Jace.”
The boy jumped. “I um, I…”
“She’s in danger, Jace.”
The boy’s eyes widened. “What? Why”
“A man came into the church and stopped our wedding. He scared Molly, and she ran. I need to find her and keep her safe. I know you’re her friend. The man’s in jail, but he claims he bought Molly.”
“You can’t buy anyone,” Jace insisted gripping the broom tighter in his hands.
“I know that, but the man will go after her. He’s the kind of man that will starve and beat a woman and worse. I can’t let that happen to her. I don’t think you want that to happen to Molly, either.”
“No, sir.”
“Then help me.”
“I saw her. I saddled Shadow for her. I promised not to tell anyone.”
“Jace, it’s all right. You are helping to save her from a life of misery or death.”
Jace nodded.
“Did she say where she was going? I plan to check the cabins out near the forest.”
“That’s a good idea, sir, but I think she may be farther away. She told me she wasn’t stealing Shadow and she’d let you know where he is in a couple of days. It sounded as if she was leaving town.”
“Which way did she head?” Ben fisted his hands at his side wanting to pummel Skinner for scaring Molly badly enough she’d run off alone.
“West out the old stage trail. That would be in the opposite direction of the logger’s cabins unless she doubled back.”
“You may be right. I’ll head West and have someone check the cabins. Saddle my horse. I’ll be back in five minutes.” He turned to leave.
“Sheriff, wait, it’s too dark. You could break your neck out there or the horse’s leg. Leave at first light. You can’t help Miss Molly if you’re hurt.”
“You’re right. I’ll be back at first light.” Ben strode to his office.
Skinner was in his cell yelling at Joseph that he had no right to hold him. Ben walked in and strode up to the cell.
“If you say one more word, just one more, I’ll come in there and beat you into silence. You’ll be unconscious for days if you survive. Now lay down and shut up.”
Joseph explained Luke brought a meal over for Skinner earlier, so they were set for the night. Ben sent him home asking him to return just before sunup.
Ben lay on his cot trying to sleep, but his mind wandered over every terrible thing that might happen to Molly or what might have already happened. He fought the urge to kill Skinner while he slept. Blessedly, sleep claimed him, and he slept for a few hours before waking an hour before sunrise. He wasn’t waiting. He rose and headed for the livery but not before asking Skinner, “Are you a praying man? If you are, pray Molly is safe. If anything happens to her, it will happen twice as bad to you.”
Chapter 26
Molly stretched and opened her eyes. She could tell it was well past sunrise from the amount of light coming through the hotel room curtains. She looked at the pocket watch next to the bed. It was one of the few possessions her mother owned. Molly hoped it belonged to her father although her mother would never tell her his name. Molly doubted her mother knew. She sighed and realized she had more than two hours before the morning train left. She sat on the edge of the bed and prayed for strength. Today she would begin her new life. The hardest part would be when the train rolled through Gentle Falls. She knew it would take all her strength not to get off the train. If she were lucky, the train wouldn’t stop. It was Monday and the train quite often passed through town without stopping early in the week.
Please, Lord, allow me to safely pass through Gentle Falls without notice. I need the strength not to run back to Ben. This is best for him. If it is Your will, please see me safely to my new life.
Molly stood and pulled on the clothes that turned her back into Fred. She brushed out her long dark blonde hair and braided it tightly. She twisted it up on top of her head and covered it with her hat. Her transformation into a young man complete, she picked up her satchel and walked out of the room.
Knowing it was proper manners to remove a hat while eating, she knew she’d have to skip a proper breakfast even though she was hungry. When she checked out at the front desk, she asked if she could purchase food for her trip. The clerk nodded and asked her to wait. When he returned, he told her the cook would pack up a large sandwich and cookies for her. Molly paid for the food and waited near the kitchen for the cook to bring her food.
“Thank you,” Molly said. “I’m in a rush and no time to sit and eat.”
“My pleasure, sir,” the young waitress said and smiled.
“Good day,” Molly mumbled quickly hoping to leave before the young woman struck up a conversation. Once outside, she took a breath of relief and decided to walk to the train station and wait for her train.
She saw a man stumble out of the saloon and knew from experience that some men drank early instead of eating. Her instincts told her to cross the street to avoid the man, but it’s what a woman would do. She wasn’t dressed as a woman today. Swallowing her worry, she continued to stride down the boardwalk. As she approached the saloon, the man grabbed her by the arm and yelled inside, “Hey, Fellas, I got one.”
Molly desperately tried to pull away. Did he recognize her as a female? Should she scream? She was about to scream when the man said, “Come on boy, we need another player for our game. You ever play Poker?”
Wide-eyed, Molly nodded. The man pulled her into the saloon and didn’t let loose of her arm until she was at a table with two other men. “Sit,” the man who held her arm said. “Four is better than three.”
Molly sat and said, “I need to catch the train.”
An old man next to her replied, “The train ain’t comin’ for nearly an hour. You can play ‘till we hear the whistle.”
Molly sat her satchel next to her left leg and forced herself to relax. She prayed she could pull this off. The man across from her made her nervous. He stared at her as if he knew her.
He asked, “What’s your name, kid?”
“Fred.”
“You got a sister?”
“Nope.” It was then that Molly remembered who the man was. He was a professional gambler she’d seen at the saloon where her Mama worked. His name was Reed, but she didn’t know if that was a surname or his Christian name.
“You look familiar,” Reed insisted. “Are you sure we haven’t met?” His eyes bored into hers.
“Yup, I don’t get off the farm much. I’ve never been in the saloon before.”
“If you say so, but you look dang familiar. Let’s play. You do play?”
Molly nodded.
“Who taught you to play?”
“Grandpa.” It wasn’t a real lie. She did learn from an old man everyone called Grandpa. Sometimes she spent time in the saloon as she grew up but only during the day while her Mama slept.
; A slow smile spread across Reed’s face. He saw an easy mark. Molly smiled back. She saw one, too. Professional gamblers didn’t worry her. The first thing Grandpa taught her was to decide on a Poker face and keep it throughout the game. Good or bad, don’t change your expression. She let the smile drop, and her expression changed to indifference.
Second thing to remember, watch how much you drink to keep your head on the game. Molly declined a beer but accepted a cup of coffee.
Reed won the first two hands. Molly knew he would. The third hand went to Molly and Reed laughed. “Beginners luck, kid.”
Molly won three more hands before she heard the train whistle. She stood and scooped up her coins. “Thanks for the game, Gentlemen. I need to catch that train.” She turned and strode out of the saloon knowing Reed’s eyes were on her.
Molly hurried to the train station and waited on the platform until the train stopped. She boarded quickly and sat near the back of the car hoping no one would sit near her. The train whistle sounded, and the train began its trek back toward Gentle Falls. One more stop and she’d be on her way to the new life that wouldn’t harm the man she loved.
Ben thanked the livery owner and told him he’d be back to get the horse as soon as he made a few inquiries. His first stop was the train station. He needed to know if Molly was still in town or where she went. He watched the train leave the station wishing it would take Molly and him to a place where she wasn’t frightened. He doubted such a place existed.
“Excuse me,” Ben said getting the station master’s attention.
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you sell a train ticket yesterday to a pretty blonde young lady about this high?” He held out his hand to his shoulder.
The man shrugged. “Didn’t work yesterday. Let me get my son.”
Ben paced waiting for the man to return. A young man wiping the sleep from his eyes walked to the window. “Can I help you?”
Ben repeated his question. The man answered, “No, but a girl that looked like that asked me the price of a ticket to St. Louis. Said she’d be back today.”
“Thanks,” Ben turned to leave and then spun on his heel. “Any chance you sold a ticket to a young man in scruffy clothes yesterday?”
“Yeah, he looked more like a kid than a man, but he paid for a ticket to Chicago on the morning train.”
“Morning train?”
“Yeah, ya just missed it.”
Ben moved his jacket over to show the star on his chest. “I need to send an urgent telegram.”
“Yes, Sheriff.” The young man grabbed a pencil and handed it to Ben along with a form.
Ben wrote, “Molly dressed as a boy. On the morning train from Prairieville. Take her off. If she argues, arrest her. On my way back.”
Ben slid the paper to the clerk. “Send this immediately.”
The man’s eyebrows rose. “Did she kill someone?”
“Just send the telegram.”
“You didn’t say to who or who you are.”
“Sheriff’s office and I’m the sheriff. Make sure they receive it.”
“That makes sense.”
Ben paid for the telegram and watched the young man send it. They waited for several minutes and heard the reply come in.
Ben read: “Received. Sending word to the office now.”
Ben nodded and strode toward the livery knowing Molly would get back to Gentle Falls long before he did especially since he needed to return the second horse.
The conductor walked up and down the aisle calling out, “Gentle Falls. Next stop. Gentle Falls.”
Please don’t stop keep going, Molly prayed, but she saw a woman near the front of the car shuffle around gathering her things. All right, Lord. We’re stopping. Please help me leave if it’s Your will.
The train squealed to a stop and before the conductor could help the woman alight, Luke Tremble and Joseph boarded. Luke wore his deputy’s star and the conductor asked, “What can I do for you, Deputy?”
“We’re looking for someone. No one leaves their seats,” he instructed the few passengers on board.
Luke walked down the aisle checking all the faces of the passengers. His somber expression worried Molly but the slight glimmer in his eyes when he looked at her worried her more. He knew it was her and she hoped and prayed he’d move past her. It was beyond hope that he truly looked for a criminal. For a moment, her heart lifted thinking perhaps it was true when he walked past her. Then her world fell when she heard Luke whisper behind her, “Miss Molly, please come with me. If you resist, Ben says I should arrest you.”
Molly resigned to the fact that Luke would indeed arrest her per Ben’s orders, stood and gripped her satchel in her hand.
“This is wrong,” she whispered. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I have my orders. Don’t make a fuss.”
Molly spun on him. “Make a fuss? You don’t understand what that means until you try to push me around.”
“Maybe, but I do have handcuffs. I can put you in a cell, or I can take you back home. You’ll be under guard, but home. It’s better than a cell especially since that man Skinner is still in jail.”
“Skinner is still here? Why?”
Luke shrugged. “Ben left to find you and didn’t tell us what to do with him, so we’re keeping him until Ben gets back.”
“Where’s Ben?”
“He followed you. We received a telegram from Prairieville that you were on the train.”
“I should’ve gone the other way. All right, let’s go.” Molly walked toward the front of the train and was greeted by Joseph’s broad smile. “Welcome home, Miss Molly.”
“Hello, Joseph, I suppose you’re here to arrest me, too if I try to leave again.”
Joseph shrugged. “Ben’s the sheriff, and we need to help him. It won’t be so bad, Miss Molly. We’re going to take you home, and all you gotta do is stay there until Ben comes back. He was mighty upset when you ran out of the church. I know he wants to talk to you and Mrs. Sarah is worried about you, too. She’s at the seamstress shop waiting with Miss Rose and Miss Lucy.”
Molly rolled her eyes, “This is not fair. I should be able to travel wherever I want.”
“I’m sure you can once you speak to Ben. It’s a good thing we received his telegram before the train arrived. If we missed you, we’d have had to send a telegram to the next stop and have the sheriff there hold you. You’d be in jail in a strange town. You are better off here at home,” Joseph reached for her satchel. “I’ll carry this.”
Molly stopped and looked at Joseph, “Do you think Ben would’ve had the sheriff in the next town arrest me?”
“Yes, ma’am. You’d be held until Ben could talk to you. He searched the entire town looking for you after you ran away. He was not happy. You two need to talk.”
“All right,” Molly stormed away from the train in the direction of the dress shop. Joseph hurried behind her, and Luke smiled watching them from the train platform.
Luke shoved his hands in his pocket and made his way toward the jail. “Women,” he muttered. “They’re more trouble than they’re worth.”
Chapter 27
Joseph opened the dress shop for Molly, and she entered. Sarah looked up from the chair where she sat staring out the window.
“Molly. Oh, it is you. Look at you. I wouldn’t recognize you. Why did you leave?” Sarah rushed to her and threw her arms around her. “I was so worried. We were all worried. Did you see Ben? Did he find you? Come upstairs and tell me everything.” She pulled at her arm and turned to Joseph.
“Thank you, I will watch over her. You can go home.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Sarah. I have to stay until Ben comes. Miss Molly is in our custody. I’ll stay in the back room while you go upstairs.”
“Custody? Molly, did you get arrested? What’s going on?”
Molly’s shoulders slumped. “Let’s go upstairs. I’ll tell you about my trip.”
Lucy and Rose appeared at the top of
the stairs with more questions than Sarah had.
Molly lifted her hands. “Please, I need a cup of tea and then I’ll tell you everything.”
Rose wrinkled her nose. “You need a bath, too and we should burn those clothes.”
Molly dropped into a kitchen chair and told her friends the entire story while she sipped her tea.
Rose stood, “Now we know what happened to you, you need a bath. I will run the water. Lucy will set your clothes outside, and we’ll burn them later.”
“No,” Molly argued. “I may need them again.”
Sarah took her hand. “You won’t, Molly. After you speak to Ben, he’ll let you leave if you wish to go. He told me he'd find a safe place where Skinner will never find you. You have time to think this all through. It will be a few hours before he returns. If you want to leave as a man again, I’ll buy you new clothes. Rose is right. We should burn those clothes.”
Molly smiled, “I think so, too. I don’t know how men wear these long johns. They itch.”
Molly stepped into the bathing room, disrobed, and threw her men’s clothing out the door onto the floor. She slid into the hot water and sighed. Her legs didn’t ache as much as last night, and the hot water should help. She loosened her braid and dipped under the water. She still smelled the trail on her skin and picked up the bar of lavender soap. Once she lathered her hair and every inch of her body, she rinsed off, and the odor of a horse was replaced by a field of flowers. Molly sighed. Sarah was right. If she ran again, she needed new clothes. Molly wanted to run before she saw Ben. What would she say to him? Would he understand why she left? Did he hate her now? It would be easier if he did. She dried off and slipped on her wrapper. It felt good to feel like a woman again.
When she opened the door, she noticed the clothes were gone. Rose smiled. “You smell wonderful now. Ben will be happy when he returns.”
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t stay. Skinner will kill Ben if I marry him and he’ll be after me if I don’t. Maybe I should go away with him. Living with Skinner knowing Ben is alive is better than living anywhere knowing Ben died because of me.”
Molly's Heart Page 17