The Heirloom Brides Collection (13 page)

Pops scowled. “You mean to tell me you let yourself get caught in the cold? I taught you better than that.”

“I didn’t know what else to do. Where was I supposed to go? I had to wait for Stuart to show up.”

“You could’ve come here. The Averys are up at five every morning, and you know that.”

“I was just so upset I didn’t think.”

“Well, can’t help but admire a man who saves a girl’s life and then her toes.”

Betsy’s cheeks heated up at the memory. He had been so gentle and so kind and generous with the stockings and blankets. But that didn’t excuse his refusal to sell her back the watch.

“So the Fields boy got the watch.” Pops scrubbed at the stubble on his chin.

“Yes, and there’s no point in trying to buy it back from him. He’s being a mule.”

“Seems to me you’re a little sweet on that mule.” He shook his head. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“You think I’m sweet on Stuart Fields, the thief? Are you daft, Pops?”

“I might be daft, but I’m not blind. And even though you’re spittin’ mad at him, your eyes brightened up when you talked about the way he saved you. By the way, didn’t he save your honor at the cabin one day?”

“Yes,” Betsy mumbled. She was humiliated that she had suddenly turned into the sort of woman who needed rescuing. She’d always been able to take care of herself.

“Well, if you marry him, seems to me you’d have the watch anyhow. So why fuss about it?”

Betsy gasped. “What are you saying? That I should just forget that the watch was supposed to go to me? A watch that has been in our family for over one hundred years? That your pa gave you and you gave to my pa? Why, it’s all I’m going to have left of my family once you’re gone.”

“Well, I ain’t planning to go anywhere soon.”

Betsy gave a short laugh and took his hand, covering it in both of hers. “You almost went to glory just a few weeks ago. So you never know the day God’ll call you home.”

Pops frowned. “When did you get religious?”

Betsy shrugged. “You know Miss Annie made me go to church. I guess I sort of like the feel of it. Of course, if they let people like Stuart in, maybe it’s not such a nice place, after all.”

“Girl, I think I best come clean about something.” He shifted in the chair and cleared his throat, then turned his gaze on her. “It ain’t going to be easy to hear.”

“About what, Pops?” Surely it couldn’t be worse than telling her they had lost the farm.

“That watch you’re so upset about.”

Upset about? Her anger went so far beyond upset. She felt betrayed, heartsick, enraged every time she saw Stuart pull the watch out of the cash drawer where he kept it during the day. Her only consolation was that each time he looked at it, he scowled, so she knew it still wasn’t keeping the time. He might have the watch in his possession, but he certainly wasn’t enjoying it.

“What about the watch?”

“I might have told a bit of a falsehood about how long it’s been in the family.”

Was that all? Relief flooded over her. Old Joe was known for his exaggerations. This was nothing new. “That’s nothing, Pops. And it’s beside the point now.”

“But it wasn’t so much a legacy piece. I sort of came by it on my own.”

Betsy frowned. “What are you saying? You didn’t get that when you married Grandma?”

“Well, I got it the night before I married her. But not from my pa.” He gave a short laugh. “Only thing my pa gave me was a lickin’ every other day and not enough to eat till I got tired of it and ran away from home at seventeen years old.”

“But you said you lived in a big house back East next to the ocean and left without a penny because you wanted to make your own way in the world.”

“That’s a lot more interesting than what really happened, ain’t it?”

“Pops!”

“Fact is, I was born and raised in Kentucky. Grew up in a little log cabin with six brothers—all crammed into the loft. We ate coon and possum and chewed tobacco by the time we was six.”

Mercy. “Everything I know about you is a lie. Why not tell the truth?”

“What do you think I’m doing now?”

“Only because you think you’re going belly up in the grave soon.” Outrage flooded through her like one of those big waves he used to tell her about—but apparently had never seen.

“It don’t matter why I’m owning up, just that I am. Besides, what I want to tell you about is the watch.”

“You just did. It isn’t a legacy.”

“Turns out, it was a legacy.”

“Good gracious, Pops, you’re making my head hurt.”

“So hush a minute and let me finish.” He coughed deeply, holding on to his cracked ribs. “The watch… night before the wedding, Old Mr. Fields drank a bit much at the saloon.”

“Tucker’s Creek doesn’t have a saloon.”

“Not since all the womenfolk came to town.” He shook his head. “Town went downhill mighty fast once Tuck brought his family here and got a preacher involved in building things. But back then the saloon was a tent sitting where the church is now.” He peered closer at her. “They did that on purpose.”

“Okay. So you were in the saloon tent, and Stuart’s pa got drunk?”

Pops shook his head. “Not his pa, his pa’s pa. Three of us came to town together. Tuck stepped foot on the land first, that’s why we named the town for him. Then me, then Robert Fields. We all grew up together in Kentucky. Was heading to California but got tired of travel and decided to settle here. Besides, Fields was missing his wife something awful. They’d only been hitched a few weeks when he left to make his fortune out West.”

“He did pretty well with the store.”

Pops nodded. “That he did.”

“What about the watch?”

“It were Fields’ pa that came to Kentucky from the ocean. His folks came over from England not long after the War for Independence. They had more money than they knew what to do with. But Robert’s pa didn’t want that hoity-toity life, so he traveled as far as Kentucky and settled. His pa—Robert’s grandpappy—give him the gold watch before he left. So it is a legacy, just not yours. That watch came from Stuart’s great-grandpappy.”

“How’d you get it?” Betsy gasped. “Pops! You didn’t steal it?”

He shoved his finger toward her, anger flashing in his blue eyes. “I might be a liar, but I ain’t no thief. And you know it good and well.”

“But I didn’t know you were a liar until ten minutes ago.” A truth-stretcher, to be sure, but to flat-out lie about the only thing she’d really ever counted on? Her legacy? No, it was Stuart’s. That must have been why he was so keen on buying the watch. “Just… tell me how you came by the watch.”

“Obviously, I won it in a game of poker. Robert got so likkered up he wouldn’t stop playing, even though he went through all his money. And he knew I’d always had my eye on that watch so he threw it in the pot. Thought he had a winning hand with three queens.” Pops grinned. “Had me a full house. He was madder than a big fat wet hen. The next day he accused me of tricking him out of it. But enough folks had seen me win it fair and square to protect my honor, so I didn’t have to shoot him. Course, if I had shot him, you’d still have the watch, ‘cause Stuart wouldn’t have been around to go buy it out from under us.”

“That’s an awful thing to say!” She couldn’t imagine her life without Stuart. They’d known each other since they were small children. They’d never exactly liked each other, but he was a fixture in her life—like the general store and the church. And she’d been just awful to him about a watch that he deserved as much as she did—more, really. He’d obtained it in a much more honorable way than Pops had gotten the watch from Stuart’s grandpa. With a sigh, she sat back in the chair.

Stuart and Mrs. Fields would be gone the next couple of days. With Betsy at the store, Mrs. Fields believed it was a good time to go visit her sister in Topeka.

While they were gone, Betsy knew what she had to do.

S
tuart couldn’t believe how much he’d missed Betsy over the past two days. They’d left things tense between them. As he rolled into town, he wanted to go straight to the store and see her, under pretense of checking on things of course, but he had to take Ma home and get her settled into bed with a hot-water bottle first. Her hip was hurting her something awful after the long drive.

“It was sure nice to see Ellie, but gracious I’m glad to be home,” she said as they pulled up in front of the house. She glanced at him as he helped her from the buggy. “I guess you’re pretty glad to be home, too.”

Stuart knew exactly what she was getting at.

“You know, Betsy has every right to be angry about that watch.”

“Ma…”

“I’m not saying you didn’t buy it fair and square—although you know how I feel about your going to the auction in the first place.” She winced as she put weight on her hip, and her movement was halting as they headed up the steps. Silently, she concentrated on getting up to the porch, but as soon as he opened the door, she resumed her conversation. “The fact is, Betsy was counting on getting that watch as a gift the day she got married. Old Joe gave it to her pa and promised it to her.”

“So she said the other night.”

“Yes, but I don’t think you realize just how much something like that means to someone like Betsy. She lost her parents when she was still a child. Losing that watch was like losing the only thing she had left of her pa.”

“I know, Ma.” All he had thought about the past two days were Betsy’s words about inheriting that watch. He warmed the water on the stove while Ma climbed the steps to her room, leaning heavily on the wooden rail. Once he had filled the hot-water bottle and made sure she was settled in, he headed toward the livery to leave the horse and buggy. By the time he reached the store, Betsy had closed up for the day.

That was almost better, he thought. This way, he could do what he planned to do without her looking on, glaring at him. He pulled out his key and opened the door, heading straight for the cash drawer. When he opened the drawer, he noted Betsy had locked up the cash box inside. He smiled that she’d remembered. Then he looked over the rest of the drawer, pulled it out farther, and ran his hand over the inside.

The watch was gone. Anger once more lit a fire inside of him. There could be only one explanation.

He slammed the drawer shut, left the store, and walked home, anger propelling him. Once inside, he stomped up the steps and past Ma’s room.

“That you, Son?”

“Yes.” He turned the doorknob and shoved open the door to Betsy’s room.

“What are you doing?”

Without answering, he opened the top dresser drawer. Predictably, she had hidden the stolen watch there. He snatched it up and strode into his ma’s room.

“What on earth were you doing in Betsy’s room? She is entitled to her privacy.”

“Is she entitled to our things as well?” He held out the watch.

“What are you saying?”

“It was in her room. Hidden away in her drawer.”

Ma’s face drained of color. “Oh, my… I never would have believed.”

“Well, believe it. The proof is right here. There’s no telling what else she’s stolen. I’m going back to search her room.”

Ma sat up straighter in bed. “You’ll do nothing of the kind. There has to be an explanation, and we are going to give that girl the benefit of the doubt.”

“Ma, there is no doubt. Betsy has bills to pay, so she helped herself to our things.”

“Have you forgotten this is the same Betsy who sold her horses and came straight to the store to settle a two-year-old account? She has much more integrity than you are giving her credit for.”

Stuart held the watch tight and paced the room, silently fuming.

His mother got out of bed and slowly walked toward him. “I’m assuming Betsy is at Doc’s. Let’s just calm down and eat a light meal while we wait for her to come home.”

Ma fixed fried ham slices and eggs, and they ate fresh bread that Betsy must’ve baked while they were gone. It was better than Stuart wanted to admit. How could Betsy have stolen the watch from him? Disappointment drove his anger. He had truly believed she was better than that. He felt foolish for all the feelings he’d been having. The thoughts and plans. The dreams for his future that included Betsy Lowell. Somehow, without even realizing it, he had fallen in love with her. And she had done this?

“I think we ought to go see the sheriff,” he said.

“Under no circumstances will you go to the sheriff about this. Even if Betsy did steal the watch, which I find difficult to believe, we will settle it between the three of us. Is that clear?”

“I bought it. It belongs to me. Now, I don’t mean to be disrespectful. You know I love you, Ma. But if there’s a thief in town, she needs to be dealt with through the legal system.”

Ma glared at him. “Would you just listen to yourself? Do you even realize how ridiculous you’re being? Now, you’re right. The watch is your property, and she apparently took it for some reason. Did it occur to you that maybe she just wanted to have something familiar close to her and took it home while we were gone? You certainly didn’t need it. You left it behind.”

Stuart tried not to consider Ma’s words. He wanted to hang on to his anger so that when she walked through the door his heart didn’t cause him to lose all common sense. But Ma’s idea did seem reasonable. More reasonable than his suspicion, the more he thought about it. He and Ma had just finished eating when Betsy strode inside.

She stopped short at the sight of them. “I didn’t expect you back until tomorrow.” She swallowed hard and glanced from one to the other nervously. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just go to my room.”

“Wait.” Stuart stood, ready to confront her right then and there. She wasn’t acting like someone who was innocent.

But Ma spoke before he could pull the watch from his pocket and demand an explanation. “Of course we’ll excuse you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Fields.” Her face was flushed as she hurriedly walked to his ma, kissed her cheek. “Welcome back to you both.” She barely glanced at Stuart.

As the sound of her steps faded away, Stuart turned to Ma. “You see? Guilty as the day she was born.” He tossed his napkin on the table and went after her. He was getting to the bottom of this. And whether Ma liked it or not, thieves belonged in jail.