Love Inspired Historical July 2015 Box Set: The Marriage Agreement\Cowgirl for Keeps\The Lawman's Redemption\Captive on the High Seas (53 page)

However, this time, as much as he'd like to further a more personal acquaintance with Mary, he would keep it all business. His heart was not going to get in the way of apprehending Ben.

“Like I told Polly, I would like to get more involved with the church community. It'll be my pleasure to escort you both. Surely there's room for one more.”

Mary's shoulder's sagged. She looked defeated—for now. But Mary wasn't one to give up easily, and that was something he liked about her.

“If you insist.” The words sounded so forced, he almost felt bad for her. And if her feelings were the only thing on the line, he'd have relented.

“Oh, Mary, have a little fun for a change.” Polly took her friend by the arm and gave Will a smile. “Don't mind her. She's always too busy thinking about her responsibilities to remember that she's young and supposed to enjoy life.”

Will regarded Mary carefully. Again, he was struck by the way her personality seemed to be in contrast with the sort of woman Ben carried on with. Ben Perry only concerned himself with the party and would have never wanted to be tied down by responsibilities.

He'd like to be able to accept what she said at face value, except something in the sensitive part of his gut, the part where he'd been shot, still said that Mary was hiding something. Only it didn't keep him from wanting to bring a smile to her face.

They crossed over toward the church, and Polly deftly slipped her arm out of Mary's and moved to the other side of him, leaving him between the two ladies. Despite Polly's cheerful chatter, he could still feel Mary seething. Perhaps at the picnic, he could explain to Mary that he didn't mean any harm. As long as he obeyed his aching gut and kept his mission close to his chest.

When they arrived at the church, a large wagon was already parked in front, and several young people milled about, laughing. A young woman spied their approach and waved.

“I'm so glad you came! You'll never guess who's here. Jasper Jackson!”

Will's ears perked up at the name. He'd done some security work for Jasper's father when they had a bank in Denver. When the Jacksons moved to Leadville, Will had opted to take a deputy position in Century City to be close to his parents. Though they'd parted on good terms, Will had to wonder if the reunion would be positive after Will's disgrace. Surely word of his failure had gotten back to the Jacksons.

His musings had put him behind in the conversation, drawing him out at the mention of his name.

“And this is Will Lawson. He's a...friend...of Mary's.” Polly's emphasis on
friend
, along with her wink, told Will exactly what Polly thought of his association with her.

He tipped his hat to the woman and murmured the most polite “How do you do?” he could muster.

“Quite well,” the woman said, then turned to Polly. “Can you help me with the food?”

As Polly and the young woman walked away, giggling, Will was painfully aware of being alone with Mary.

Despite the tightness in his throat, he looked over at her. “I'm sorry if I said or did anything to have given her the wrong impression. I didn't mean to embarrass you.”

Her cheeks tinged pink, and the tightness in her jaw softened. His apology was enough to loosen the tension between them. Maybe the rough start they'd gotten off to could be redeemed.

“You can make it up to me by not coming to the picnic.” Her tone was all sweetness, but just like he knew her earlier acceptance of his presence was forced, there was nothing sweet about Mary's demand.

Good thing he wasn't very sweet, either.

“Then I guess we're sworn to be enemies.” He took her hand, gave it a well-placed kiss, then turned to join the others.

Chapter Five

E
veryone had seen The Kiss. Mary's ears still rang from Polly's squeal about Will's being her secret beau. Worse, she found herself seated next to him on the wagon, where he chatted amiably with everyone around them. And worst of all, Mary's hand still tingled from the press of Will's lips against her hand.

Mary finally caught his eye, but when she tried giving him her best “you're in trouble” glare, he merely winked back.

How could any human being be so positively insufferable?

Will settled back against the seat and gave her what she imagined to be his best lady-killer smile. But Mary knew better than to fall for that ruse.

“What are you most looking forward to at the picnic?” Were not there so many eyes upon her, wondering about the secret romance that had been whispered about, she might have been tempted to give him yet another dismissal. But he wasn't one for accepting them, and in present company, she was in no mood to argue with him.

Mary hesitated. She had been looking forward to visiting with some of the others. Other than Polly, she didn't have friends her age, with being so busy caring for her siblings. How was she to make friends with others if Will monopolized her time?

Perhaps, if there was any compassion in the man, he would understand. “I was most looking forward to getting to know the other ladies. We haven't been here long, and as much as I adore Polly, it would be nice to establish myself in the community.”

His warm smile almost made her think he could be among those she counted as friends. “Then we are of the same purpose. Perhaps we can conquer them together.”

Oh, to be able to trust that easy look. But his connection to Ben made it impossible. What had Ben told him of her? Was he of the same character as Ben?

“You are just as much a stranger to me as they are.” She cast a glance over at Polly, who was chatting with the young lady to her left. “I fear too close an association will only fuel the tale that you are a beau.”

The expression on his face finally seemed to register his understanding of her predicament. “I suppose I should apologize for kissing your hand. I sometimes go too far in my teasing.”

Though he looked chastised enough and possibly even regretful, she didn't fully believe it. Perhaps it was because she kept too many secrets of her own to trust in the veracity of others. But mostly, it was because his eye still held the same twinkle it did when his lips burned a hole in her hand.

“I'll believe that when I see it,” she told him with the same kind of severity she usually reserved for the children.

“And here you thought me a stranger.” His wide grin seemed to fill the entire wagon. “You seem to have me already sorted out.”

Being so familiar with this man was dangerous, to be sure, but Mary couldn't resist teasing him right back. “As I've said, I have a great deal of experience with children.”

Her zinger broadened his smile, and before he could send another comment back, Polly interrupted.

“I will not have you ruining our perfectly nice time by speaking any more of the children, Mary Stone. You and I have barely had a break taking care of your siblings and mine, and I intend to enjoy every last moment of it.”

Her indignant glare reminded Mary that this was indeed a rare break from their responsibilities. And while it felt good to get away, even for a moment, part of Mary felt guilty for neglecting her family. It had been neglecting her responsibilities that got her into trouble with Ben in the first place. Oh, had she only not allowed herself to get caught up in the fancy of believing herself to be in love.

Unfortunately, giving her friend a smile was not enough reassurance about their time away.

“Promise me, Mary. No more talk of our responsibilities. We're here to enjoy ourselves.”

It would have been a simple enough promise to give if only Will's eyes were not upon her. Why did he care? He seemed to hang on every one of her words.

But maybe that was his intent. To throw her off guard so that she was willing to talk more about Ben. Fine, then.

“Of course I promise,” she told Polly. “What more can I do to show you my desire to have fun?”

Polly grinned. “Just stick with me, my friend.” She turned and indicated the girl sitting on the other side of her.

“This is Beth Williams.”

The freckle-faced girl held out a gloved hand. “So pleased to make your acquaintance. I know your sister-in-law quite well. Annabelle is a dear, and we were all so happy to see her settled with such a fine man as your brother.”

Mary would have been flattered by the compliment to her family except for Polly's barking laugh and quick retort.

“You mean you were glad that you no longer had to worry about her competing with you for Jasper's attention.”

Fanning herself furiously, Beth hid behind her fan. “I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about. Are we almost there? Suddenly it's grown quite warm out.”

Some of the girls around them giggled. A perky blonde whose name Mary thought might have been Rachel leaned forward.

“There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone's been infatuated with Jasper at one point or another. Who wouldn't? His father runs with the high rollers and has even sat in Mr. Tabor's box at the opera house. Plus, he's the most handsome man I've ever seen.”

At those words, all the girls sighed and glanced in the general direction of one of the dandies sitting with the driver of the wagon. The glorious Jasper, she presumed.

In Mary's eyes, he wasn't so terribly much to behold. Certainly he had a thick glossy head of dark hair, but not so shiny as to give it the heroic description some of the girls were talking about. And his eyes...why, she'd seen much nicer eyes on—

Will.

She stole a glance at him, only to find him staring right at her with an amused look on his face.

“Do you find Jasper as wonderful as the others are saying?”

His eyes held the same twinkle they'd had the entire time, and Mary was forced to admit, at least to herself, that they held a kindness to them that she rarely saw in others. Ben's eyes always had a coldness that never left. Will, even when tormenting her, had a warmth that made her want to trust him.

But where would that get her? Perhaps Will had no idea of the extent of Ben's criminal enterprise. Maybe he saw Ben as so many in Ohio had—as a perfectly amiable man who was all kindness and civility. After all, Ben had very quickly and easily taken in those at the church last night, convincing them, despite her protests, that he was a loving fiancé.

How could she expose the truth of Ben Perry to everyone without exposing herself?

If anyone from her family saw her aunt's brooch, she'd be in trouble for sure. They would all believe she'd had a role in its theft, as well as the other thefts that had taken place. Several families had jewelry and other valuables stolen—and all of them were connected to Mary and her work. The sheriff had even questioned her about the losses. It wasn't until the mercantile and bank had been robbed that they'd cleared Mary of suspicion. She'd honestly never thought that Ben, who'd patiently waited for her while she worked, was actually robbing the place behind her back.

Why had she been so desperate for romance as to keep Ben a secret, even from the sheriff?

Ben was right. With all her deceit, who would believe her completely ignorant of his actions?

Will nudged her in the side. “I can introduce you, if you like. I know Jasper from my work in Denver. Pleasant fellow.”

Mortified that her woolgathering over Ben had led to the belief that she was interested in Jasper, Mary shook her head. “That won't be necessary, thank you. I have no romantic illusions at this point in my life.”

“Say it's not so.” Will gave her a look that would have melted the heart of any woman who hadn't had hers irrevocably broken. “A beautiful woman, of marriageable age?”

Before answering, Mary stole a glance at Polly, who had returned to her animated conversation with the other girls. “I won't marry until after I'm certain I've fulfilled my responsibility in raising my siblings.”

On this point, she was determined. She'd failed those responsibilities already in believing herself ready for romance and marriage. From here on out, she wouldn't fail. Couldn't fail.

“Why is that mutually exclusive? Plenty of people marry and take on another's children.”

The conversation was clearly headed in a direction she didn't need to go. Didn't need to consider.

“Not when there are six of them,” she said. Mindful of Polly's gaze turning in her direction, Mary changed course. “What work did you do in Denver with Jasper?”

Will coughed slightly. “I...uh...I did some security for his father's bank.”

* * *

Will had supposed that at some point or another, his previous line of work would come up. At least it had been about the security he'd done for the Jacksons as opposed to his fall from grace in the sheriff's office in Century City. Though it was only a matter of time before the gossip got back to people, he'd like that piece of information to remain confidential for as long as possible.

Who wanted to associate with a disgraced lawman? It had been his fault Perry's gang had gotten away with robbing Colorado Citizens Bank. He'd been so wrapped up in his romance with Daisy, so intent on saving her from Ben's nefarious schemes, that he hadn't realized that she was spying on him for Ben. He'd been a fool. And in so doing, everyone believed that he'd willingly given them information, willingly let them go.

Plus, despite Mary's denials about Ben, he still had to wonder what she knew. What her involvement with the gang might be. Could he get her to trust him enough to tell him the truth? And given his past poor judgment when it came to women working with Ben, could he trust that whatever she told him was the truth?

No, letting Mary know his story was not a safe option at this point. Much as he'd like to, there was too much at stake.

“Is that what you're doing in Leadville? Working for Jasper's father?”

He didn't like the way her eyes narrowed at the question.

“No,” he told her honestly. “I'm here in pursuit of Ben.”

She gave him a look similar to what she'd given him every other time the other man's name came up. “Why?”

If she was in on Ben's schemes, the truth would only serve to make things harder for him. But surely nothing could make Mary more hostile than she'd already been.

“He robbed a bank in Century City, and I aim to bring him to justice.”

Easy enough to share the gist of what was going on. Harder to read the expression that crossed her face, which darkened, but just as quickly turned back into the stone mask that matched her name.

“So you're a lawman?”

Not anymore. But that was a shame he couldn't face.

“No.”

She looked doubtful, chewing on her lip ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, except that he'd somehow gotten to know the very fullness of her lips. What kind of cad was he, thinking of her in this way?

“How much is the bounty on his head?”

“None.” Because he'd botched the job too badly to get the evidence on Ben.

“Then why do you care?” she snapped, turning away and leaning in toward the other girls.

Yes, Mary's reactions to his investigation of Ben definitely held an air of suspicion. He tapped her on the shoulder.

Mary turned, and the other girls giggled. Definitely not helping diminish the mistaken impression that he was Mary's beau. But he couldn't afford to fight fair. Not with all the money to be stolen in Leadville. Not with his reputation on the line. Not with the women Ben kept abusing. He'd make it up to Mary. Somehow.

“What Ben's done is wrong. All I want is to find out what you know about him because there might be something in that knowledge, no matter how insignificant you believe it is, that can help put him in jail.”

Her face softened for a moment but then hardened again. “There's nothing I can tell you. I knew him in Ohio, before he came to Colorado. He left Ohio before I did, and we hadn't spoken from then until he showed up last night at the church.”

Will stared at her and examined her expression for any sign of prevarication. “He claimed you were engaged. Last night, you looked every bit the happy couple.”

That part might have been an exaggeration. Through the cheers and Ben's loud proclamations, Mary looked like a rabbit caught in a snare. Will had replayed the scene in his mind over and over, trying to figure it out. She'd looked just as miserable with Ben as she had when Will questioned her about him. Which would almost have convinced him that Mary would be an ally—except that Daisy had told Will over and over that she wanted nothing more than to escape Ben's clutches.

The wagon hit a bump, jostling everyone and sending Mary nearly into his lap.

“Easy there.” He tried to steady her, but Mary jumped again.

“I'm fine.” She glared at his hands, then smoothed her skirts. “As for my supposed engagement to Ben, it's a misunderstanding that will soon be cleared up.”

Her voice shook as she explained her status with Ben. Will didn't need his aching bullet wound to tell him something was definitely not right with Mary. But how could he get her to trust him? And how would he know to believe her?

The wind picked up, blowing tendrils across her face and stirring something inside Will. Was he stepping into a trap by thinking that somehow Mary was different? That his feelings for her were different?

“I can help you with that,” he told her quietly. “Help me, Mary. And I'll help you.”

The words echoed dangerously in his brain as he recalled saying that exact phrase to Daisy. Of course, he'd been trying to help Daisy escape her work as a barmaid, where she'd claimed to fear that Ben was pushing to get her to work above stairs, as well. Surely this was different.