The Runaway Bride (18 page)

Silas glared back at Sean for a long moment, then shoved himself away. “I’ve got work to do.”

“I hope that means saving my papa’s bank from being robbed,” Lorelei said pointedly.

“It does,” he said. They followed him outside as he picked up his weapons. He stopped beside his horse. “Sheriff, you can ride along with me if you like. I’m sure I could use your help rounding up all of those outlaws.”

Sean nodded. “I’ll deal with the one here, then Lorelei and I will follow you into town. You and I probably won’t need to do much. The whole town decided to pitch in to catch the bank robbers. We’ve probably got them outnumbered three to one.”

Just as Sean had predicted, all of the outlaws had been bound and gagged by the time he arrived at the bank. He walked inside and was immediately met by Jeff. “It all went according to your plan.”

“Anyone hurt?”

“No. Not a single gun was fired.” Jeff grinned. “I wish you could have seen the look on those outlaws’ faces when they burst in with their guns waving only to find themselves surrounded by half the town’s arsenal. I doubt Judge Hendricks will ever swear in so many temporary deputies again.”

“Where is Mr. Wilkins?”

“He’s in his office with Doc. He was looking pretty pale when those good-for-nothings came in holding Lorelei’s hat like a medal of honor.”

Sean headed to the back of the bank and walked into Richard’s office. The man stood from his chair as soon as he caught sight of Sean. “Lorelei. Is she—?”

“Fine, Mr. Wilkins. She stopped for a minute outside to talk to Amy, but I can assure you that she is perfectly fine.”

Richard sank back into his chair and let out a relieved breath. “Thank God.”

“Deputy Bridger tells me everything went as planned.”

Richard nodded. “They hardly got past the door.”

“Good,” he said. “I’d better make sure those men are officially taken into custody.”

Richard waved him away. Sean had barely taken a few steps out of Richard’s office when Silas approached him. “I’d like to transfer these men to the jail now. They shouldn’t be there long. I’ll wire headquarters immediately.”

“Good. I’ll open the jail for you.” He was walking out the door when Lorelei stepped inside.

No one could miss the glare she sent to the outlaws lined up against the wall. She grabbed her hat from where it sat on the counter, then walked over to Sean. “Is Papa in his office?”

He nodded. “He’ll be glad to see you.”

She glanced around, then, with half the town watching, she rose on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his cheek. Pausing to meet his eyes meaningfully, she whispered, “Thank you.”

He might have returned her gesture with a bit more gusto if she hadn’t quickly stepped past him to hurry toward her father’s office. The sly knowing looks he received from the other men in the bank told him they thought he was falling hard. He smiled wryly. Lord, help him. They weren’t half-wrong.

* * *

Lorelei gave a parting smile to her parents as they stopped to talk to their friends. She continued through the crowd toward the gazebo where the main Founder’s Day activities would take place. It looked as if most of Peppin’s citizens had turned out for the event that would begin with a picnic and end with a dance late that evening. Usually Lorelei anticipated this day for weeks, but her mind had been so preoccupied by other things lately that she’d hardly given it a second thought.

She spotted Ellie a few yards in front of her and wound her way through the crowd toward her. As she neared, Ellie caught her gaze with a smile. “Lorelei, I was just looking for you. Where are your parents?”

“They stopped to talk to Doc and Mrs. Williams,” she explained, then leaned around Ellie to wave at Kate and Nathan. “Kate, how are you? Ellie told me you were feeling poorly last week.”

“Just fine.” Kate shared a smile with Nathan, then leaned toward Lorelei to whisper, “I told the rest of the family, so I guess I should tell you, too. Nathan and I are going to have another baby.”

Lorelei’s eyes widened. “Congratulations! That’s wonderful.”

Nathan grinned. “It certainly is. I think it’s going to be another boy this time. We need to even things up.”

Judge Hendricks stepped forward on the platform of the gazebo and raised his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Quiet down, folks. Quiet down.”

Ellie nudged Lorelei and whispered, “Did you hear that Sean is getting an award for stopping the bank robbery?”

“Yes, I know,” she returned quietly. Sean had tried to convince her to let the town know about her part in apprehending the criminals, but she’d been more than appalled at the idea. Actually, she’d been more than appalled at the thought of what her father might have to say if he knew the extent of her involvement. Having caught the outlaws red-handed, there was no need for her to testify. As far as she was concerned, her foray into undercover work would remain a secret until no one cared to hear about it.

Judge Hendricks cleared his throat. “As one of the town’s founders, I would like to welcome you all to the fifth annual Founder’s Day celebration.”

Lorelei glanced back to look for her parents, hoping they wouldn’t miss the judge’s speech as the hundreds of people around her cheered, whistled and clapped. She saw her parents edging forward at the back of the crowd. Richard smiled when she met his gaze and gave her a little wave. She turned back in time to see the judge hold up his hand to indicate he was ready to speak again. The cheers died down, so he continued.

“We have set this day aside to come together to show our commitment to each other and this town. We come together to remind ourselves of the ideals our town was founded upon. We come together to express our thankfulness to God for seeing our town through another year and to pray that His will is accomplished in the next.

“As we do, we remember the faith, dedication and perseverance that took us through the first fifteen years. Those same qualities will sustain us through the next one hundred and fifteen.”

Lorelei joined in with the thunderous applause that interrupted the judge.

“Reverend Sparks will begin the day with a prayer. After he does, I would like to invite retired Sheriff Hawkins, who served this town for fifteen years, to come up and help me with a special announcement.”

“This is it,” Ellie whispered proudly a few minutes later.

Lorelei smiled as the tall but slightly stoop-shouldered sheriff from her childhood stepped forward. Judge Hendricks shook the man’s hand, then turned back to the crowd. “The citizens of Peppin have long been interested in finding a way to express their appreciation to outstanding members of the community. It is my pleasure to announce that we finally figured something out.”

Chuckles rang through the crowd as the judge continued, “From now on we will recognize citizens who show admirable courage, self-sacrifice, fortitude, so on and so forth by awarding them with the Peppin Award of Honor.

“I’m sure all of you have heard by now, a gang of outlaws tried to rob the First Bank of Peppin a few days ago. If they had succeeded, our celebration today would not have been quite as joyful. As it was, members of this town came together to help defend the bank and managed to put those outlaws right where they belong—in jail. Today the town would like to recognize Sheriff Sean O’Brien for his outstanding leadership in coordinating this effort and for his service to the community.”

Sean stepped forward as Mr. Hawkins presented him with a fancy-looking box and everyone clapped. He faced the crowd, then held up his hand as Judge Hendricks had done. He managed to keep the applause short. “I am very grateful to all of you for finding me worthy of this award. However, this award really belongs to this town and not to me. I especially think we should recognize those who were sworn in as temporary deputies to help in the effort.

“There are about ten of you, so I didn’t want to forget anyone.” He grinned, then pulled out a piece of paper to read off their names. After everyone cheered for the temporary deputies, Sean put the piece of paper back in his pocket. “There is another person from our town we should thank. This person has chosen to remain anonymous but provided vital information necessary to the success of our efforts. I hope this person knows how much I truly appreciated their help.”

He gave a self-deprecating smile. “Now, I think I’ve said about enough, so I’ll leave y’all to enjoy the day.”

“He did a good job,” she whispered to Ellie.

Ellie nodded but tilted her head toward the gazebo with a confused look on her face. She glanced back at the gazebo to see Judge Hendricks holding his hand up to keep the people from clapping just yet. “Hold on there, Sean. I thought there was something else you were planning to say.”

Even twenty feet away she could see Sean begin to redden. He whispered something to the judge, but the man just grinned. “Don’t be shy, now. If a man has something to say, he ought to just go ahead and say it. Right, folks?”

Several teasing remarks rang from the crowd urging Sean to speak. Lorelei smiled and exchanged a glance with Ellie. “What in the world?”

Ellie shrugged, then cupped her hand by her lips to yell. “Speak, Sean. Speak!”

Sean laughed. “Fine. I wasn’t planning to do this, but while I was waiting to come up here I realized the opportunity had presented itself.”

“That and this town is too nosy to let him leave the stage without saying something interesting,” Ellie whispered to Lorelei.

She giggled and nudged Ellie with her arm but had to admit, “That’s the truth.”

The crowd waited as Sean took the paper from his pocket and flipped it over. He read whatever was on the back of it then slipped it into his pocket. He glanced at the chortling judge and shrugged. “A man has to get this sort of thing right.”

A ribbon of suspicion began to flutter in her mind about the same time that Sean’s gaze met hers. His voice was loud and clear as he called out, “Lorelei Wilkins, will you come here for a minute?”

Chapter Nineteen

H
er eyes widened as she felt the entire town turn to look at her. Her breath stilled in her throat. She shook her head no, but she was urged forward by Ellie and pretty much everyone else. She made it to the base of the gazebo.

“You are the most wonderful, beautiful and captivating woman I have ever met.” He held his hand out to guide her up the stairs of the gazebo. A playful smile flashed at his lips for an instant, and she realized he was pulling her into their own little secret before he continued. “I have had no choice but to fall in love with you.”

She covered her mouth with her hand in a gesture that appeared to be of amazement but was really meant to hold in the laughter that begged to spill from her lips. Everyone had backed away to give them their space. Now, the crowd shifted to get a better view as Sean knelt before her.

“I would be honored to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said with a sincerity that might have sobered her if that playful gleam hadn’t returned so quickly. “Will you marry me?”

She gave herself a moment to gather her thoughts. Slowly, she managed to lower her hand from her mouth. A smile pulled at her lips. She nodded, then realized not everyone could see that.

“Yes,” she said loudly, then bit her lip to keep from laughing at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. “Yes, Sean O’Brien, I’ll marry you.”

The town erupted in cheers so loud she could hardly think. Sean shot to his feet and pulled her into a warm embrace. She pulled back to meet his gaze with her mirth-filled one. She shook her head. Knowing the crowd would think she was teasing him about the proposal, she swayed toward him to whisper beneath the crowd noise. “You are such a liar!”

“Is that any way to speak to your fiancé?”

The cheers were just beginning to calm down when Ellie called out, “Give her a kiss.”

Lorelei shot a glance at her soon-to-be mischief-maker-in-law as other people encouraged Sean to do the same. Turning back to Sean, she felt a blush begin to color her cheeks. He looked at her with mock seriousness. “We’d better give the people what they want. It’s my job to keep the peace around here, and they might riot if we don’t.”

“We wouldn’t want that,” she breathed.

His kiss tempted her to forget all about the people watching them until he stepped away to slip the ring on her finger. She waved it at the crowd, hoping they would take the hint and move on with the festivities. She followed Sean down the steps toward his family.

Judge Hendricks regained the attention of the crowd. “That’s the most exciting thing that has happened on Founder’s Day yet. I hope we make it a tradition. Well, folks. That’s all of the ceremonial stuff. You are free to go have fun. Enjoy each other and the festivities planned for today.”

Lorelei spent the next few minutes accepting congratulations from the town as people began to disperse. The more congratulations she received, the harder it was to keep the smile from slipping off her face. Finally, her parents joined her where she stood with the O’Briens. Her father shook Sean’s hand with a firm clasp. “Well done on that proposal, son.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Mrs. Greene stepped forward to congratulate them, but before she left she also added, “I’ll be at the wedding. Don’t you forget it.”

Lorelei grimaced as the woman walked away, but her mother was beaming. “Why don’t y’all come over to our house after lunch for dessert? I made ice cream. We can celebrate and make plans for the wedding.”

Sean’s family quickly agreed. Lorelei glanced around the happy faces of the two families in disbelief.
This entire thing is nothing but a farce, and they know it. How can they possibly be so genuinely happy about this?

Sean’s hand grazed her back, and she glanced up to meet his questioning gaze. “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

It wasn’t long before they were all gathered on her parents’ front porch with their bowls of creamy vanilla ice cream in hand. The children sat on the porch steps in raptures at the treat. Lorelei slid onto the end of the bench where Kate and Ellie sat. Sean took a chair next to her. Her mother and father sat beside him. Nathan completed the familial circle by sitting between her father and Kate.

“Now,” Caroline announced as they were all finishing with their desserts. “I think we ought to decide on a wedding date.”

Lorelei’s eyes widened in alarm. “So soon? I was hoping things might be able to slow down now. After all, you only gave us a deadline for the proposal.”

Her father shook his head. “The sooner the better, Lorelei. Everything will settle down once you’re married. Anyway, we promised Mrs. Greene.”

“I guess you’re right,” she agreed, then bit her lip.

“How soon were you thinking, Mr. Wilkins?” Sean asked.

“I think I’ll have to defer to the women on an exact time frame, but I think it should be done as soon as possible,” he said with a glance toward her mother and Kate.

Kate’s gaze turned thoughtful. “Ellie and I would be willing to help in whatever way we can, Mrs. Wilkins. How long do you think it will take to get everything ready?”

“Well, Lorelei already has a dress, so that should help cut down on the time considerably. I’d have to see when the church would be available.”

“I’d rather not have another wedding in the church,” Lorelei said. “We can have it here, if Sean doesn’t mind.”

“Fine by me.”

“I’d like to keep things small and simple.”

“Well, if that’s what you want, darling,” Caroline said. “That would make things easier on us. We can have a small ceremony at home. You could always have a reception later and invite more of the town. If we keep it under thirty guests, I see no reason why we can’t have everything ready in two weeks.”

Richard nodded his approval for the plan. “We’ll set the date for two weeks from today. Now, why don’t we go back to the Founder’s Day activities? I hear there is going to be a bazaar this year.”

“There certainly is,” Nathan said as everyone began to stand. “I brought several of my horses out for exhibition.”

Lorelei let out a resigned sigh as everyone began putting the chairs back inside where they belonged. She helped gather the ice cream bowls and set them in the sink to soak before going back to the front porch to meet the others. Her breath stalled in her throat as she realized they had departed, leaving her alone with Sean. “Where did everyone go?”

“I asked them to go on ahead so we could have a moment alone,” he said quietly.

“Why?” she asked, then lifted her gaze to his threateningly. “Sean, if you say ‘we need to talk,’ I won’t be liable for my actions.”

A slow smile stretched across his lips. He reached toward her, but she stepped back to avoid his touch. His hand dropped to his side as he watched her in concern. “I won’t say that, but I would like to know why you’re so upset with me.”

She felt the tension in her shoulders ease. “I’m sorry, Sean. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. I guess our marriage is just becoming more of a reality.”

He frowned in confusion. “I know the proposal was a bit of a surprise, but we knew this day was coming all along.”

“Yes, but I never thought you would do it so soon. We had nearly a full week before Papa’s deadline. Why didn’t you wait?”

She could hardly believe it, but he actually blushed. “Honestly, I didn’t plan it. I think I got a little carried away in the moment.”

“Oh, that’s just fine,” she breathed and shook her head. “The one time you do something impulsive it’s this.”

He frowned at her sarcasm. “Your father wanted the proposal to be public, didn’t he? What does it matter? It would have happened anyway.”

“I know.” She shrugged and gave him a conciliatory smile. “I guess I was just counting on a few more days of freedom.”

* * *

Sean stared at Lorelei. His lips pressed together with the same agitation that filled his stomach. “Freedom? You make our marriage sound like you’re going to be forced into a fate worse than death.”

Her gaze dropped from his haltingly. “That isn’t what I meant.”

He stepped forward, then lifted her chin so that he could read the emotion on her face. “No, but it’s how you feel, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know.” She broke away from his hold but didn’t step away.

Disappointment battled with panic. He’d known all along he might be faced with this moment—the moment when he knew for certain that he was in love alone. That didn’t make it any easier to bear. He had to fix this. He had to prove to her and himself that the situation wasn’t as hopeless as it appeared. He shook his head. “Maybe our relationship isn’t ideal for two people who just got engaged, but I thought we were making progress.”

“Progress?” she asked as her eyes filled with tears of frustration. “How have we made progress? We aren’t any closer to loving each other than we were when we started out.”

“How can you say that?” he asked in disbelief. “I thought if nothing else that kiss showed you—”

“Showed me what? That isn’t love, Sean. That’s nothing more than—”

“Don’t,” he said harshly. “Don’t cheapen that moment or what we feel for each other by calling it nothing more than lust. That couldn’t be further from the truth and you know it.”

“Nothing has changed, Sean,” she replied quietly. “We’re still in the same situation that we’ve always been in.”

He stared into her dark blue eyes. “A lot has changed. I think you’re just too afraid to admit it because that means you’d have to actually allow yourself to feel something for once. That’s why you’re so willing to demean these feeling between us. You don’t really want them to be meaningful, do you?”

She arched a brow coldly. “Are you done?”

He stepped back. “Yes, I’m done. I’m done trying to talk about love with someone who refuses to ever feel that emotion.”

He started to walk away. It felt good to leave her standing there until he realized it wouldn’t do for him to return to town without his fiancée in tow. He let out a deep breath, then turned to face her. “We have to go back together.”

A tense moment passed between them. He almost thought she would refuse when she stepped up beside him and slipped her hand onto his arm. He met her gaze, but she immediately looked away. He narrowed his eyes as an idea came to mind. She wanted to believe that nothing had changed between them. Well, he’d just have to show her the difference.

* * *

The toe of Lorelei’s kid leather boot rhythmically measured out the beats of the music as the melody coursed from the instruments in the gazebo into the heavy evening air. The sun would soon finish setting and bring a close to the endless stream of Founder’s Day activities. She could hardly wait.

As soon as Sean had walked her back to the flurry of activity, they had separated. He had spent the next few hours with his nieces and nephew. She had spent the rest of the day with Ellie, Amy Bradley and Sophia Johansen. Now she was alone because they were all dancing and enjoying themselves immensely, as far as she could tell. Sean had not approached her for a dance. In fact, he hadn’t approached her at all since their argument. Didn’t he realize people would think it strange if he didn’t even acknowledge his fiancée after proposing to her earlier that day?

“Apparently not,” she mumbled to herself. She glanced over to where he stood talking with a few other men.
I’m not going to stand around waiting for him to notice me like that awkward child I once was.

She began to thread through the crowd in an effort to find her parents so she could let them know she was going home. She heard someone call her name and turned to find Mrs. Sparks walking toward her. “Lorelei, wait just a moment.”

She looked at the reverend’s wife curiously. “Is something wrong, Mrs. Sparks?”

“No, no. I just wanted to give you this,” she said, handing Lorelei a letter. “The postmaster accidentally put it in with our mail. I guess he saw the Brightlys sent it and assumed it was for us. I’ve been meaning to give it to you.”

“Oh, thank you. I’ve been waiting for this.” Lorelei glanced down thoughtfully at the letter in her hand, then back up at Mrs. Sparks. “I’ve been wondering something. Did the Brightlys ever mention anything about me or Sean in their letters to you?”

Mrs. Sparks smiled kindly. “One thing my husband and I have learned while in the ministry is the benefit of staying out of others’ affairs unless they directly impact the ability of the church to operate as it should. Whatever the Brightlys communicated to us was private. It will stay private.” Mrs. Sparks gave Lorelei’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Does that answer your question, dear?”

Lorelei blinked away the tears that threatened to fill her eyes at the woman’s kindness. “Yes, it does. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said before walking away.

Lorelei slid her finger under the flap of the envelope, then stopped halfway through. She glanced over to where she’d last seen Sean. He had just as much of a right to know the contents of the letter as she did. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way through the crowd toward him. The town’s blacksmith saw her first and gave her a welcoming grin. “Here comes the bride, gentlemen.”

“Hello, Rhett.” She flashed a smile at him, but it was Sean’s gaze she sought. “I’d like to steal my fiancé away for a few minutes, if you don’t mind.”

“By all means, we won’t miss him,” Rhett said teasingly.

Sean shot him a wry look. “Thanks a lot.”

She waited until they were out of the earshot of Sean’s laughing friends before she said, “Let’s find a place a bit more private so we can talk.”

He sent her a questioning glance but agreed. She felt his warm hand settle at the back of her waist to guide her through the maze of people. Her arm brushed his chest as they walked between a particularly dense part of the crowd, and she felt that touch way more than she should have.

She bit her lip. She hated to admit it, but he was right. She was attracted to him, but her feelings went much deeper than that. She had grown so used to being with him, laughing with him, sharing secrets with him. She hadn’t planned on it, but somehow between all of their squabbles he had managed to become her closest friend. That was definitely not something she’d been expecting. Sean settled onto the church step, then glanced up at her. “Is this private enough?”