Chapter Twenty-one
IT WAS BEGINNING TO grow dark, and Liam knew there was no putting it off much longer.
He’d spent most of the afternoon walking through the snow along the creek. His face was numb, and he could barely feel his fingers, but the cold air and the solitude had helped him focus his mind.
He wouldn’t send Tilly away, although that had been his plan when he’d gone to the depot that morning. Old Mr. Thomason had questioned his purchasing one train fare, asking after his new wife. Liam didn’t know what it was about that question, but he’d known in that instant that he couldn’t go through with it.
As much as he’d feared he wasn’t ready to be married, he now couldn’t imagine life without Tilly by his side. She’d done nothing but provide support and encouragement. She made him laugh and lent him a hand when things were hard. Maybe they were still getting to know one another, but he also felt as if he’d known her forever. That he was somehow meant to find her in his life.
He couldn’t give that up, as selfish as it might have been.
They couldn’t outrun Rodgers in town, and Liam refused to uproot himself and Tilly. And so, his only alternative was to change the situation they were in here in Crest Stone.
That meant facing Dutch Rodgers and giving him his money back. The only problem was that Liam didn’t have access to that amount of cash, not all at once. It would have to come in pieces, but he needed to make it clear that he didn’t want Rodgers having any interest in his business. And he needed to do that tonight.
He refused to let himself think about how Rodgers would react. Perhaps he would send Tilly to her brother first. If he didn’t have to worry about her in the hotel, it would be easier to stand in front of Rodgers and say what he needed to.
As the light faded behind the mountains, Liam gave the frozen creek one last look before turning to trudge through the snow. The hotel was just on the other side of the trees, up a slight hill, but there were well-worn wagon tracks to walk in where the snow had already been pressed down from the weight of the wheels.
He strode up the tracks, his eyes on the stars that were just beginning to come out overhead. It was a beautiful reminder that Christmas was almost upon them. Once he had things squared away with Rodgers, he hoped to spare a few coins to purchase something small for Tilly. He wished he could afford something big, something impressive, to give her, but that would have to wait. Thinking about those plans gave him hope that everything would work out tonight.
Light spilled from the windows of the hotel. Somewhere inside, Dutch Rodgers waited for him. But first, Liam would go upstairs and ensure Tilly left to spend the evening with her brother and his wife.
Inside, he took the stairs two at a time, not sparing a glance around the lobby. But their room on the second floor was empty. The fireplace was cold, as if Tilly hadn’t been there for hours.
Frowning, Liam hung his coat. She must have gone downstairs. It wasn’t ideal. He was more likely to run into Rodgers if he went looking for her down there. But it had to be done.
He stood at the second-floor railing, searching the people below for Tilly, before descending the stairs.
She was nowhere to be found in the lobby.
He poked his head into the dining room and asked the hostess if there were any ladies seated alone, but she shook her head. At least there was also no sign of Dutch Rodgers.
Back in the lobby, he shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to think. Weston Gardiner and his wife were making their way toward the dining room, and Liam raised his hand in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to his present problem. There was a small sitting room upstairs for the ladies, and an impressive library down the hallway to the left. Out of other options, he turned down the hallway.
The moment he stepped into the library, he wished he’d looked upstairs first.
Dutch Rodgers sat in an armchair, with Morris seated across the room. No one else was present.
Liam paused. It was too late to find Tilly. He could hardly back away now. If only he’d told Rodgers that he’d meet him in the dining room—or anywhere more public.
“Liam! What good fortune that you found us here. Come, take a seat. Where is Mrs. Hannan?” Rodgers pointed at the armchair across from him as he laid down a newspaper he’d been perusing.
Liam wanted to hesitate, but he couldn’t. Everything he did from here on out would have bearing on Rodgers’ response to his demands. So he straightened his shoulders and took the seat as Morris silently rose and closed the door. “She won’t be joining us,” he said.
“A pity. She’s a lively conversationalist, or so Morris tells me.” Rodgers eyed Liam for a moment before continuing. “Now, I’ve told you I’d like to get this moving along, so I’ve taken the liberty of sending a telegram to an old friend in Denver. He runs some lumber mills and can find men to work for nearly nothing. He guaranteed me a crew and a shipment of lumber in three weeks’ time.” Rodgers sat back in his chair with a sort of triumphant look on his face.
Liam tried not to shudder. That lumber was more than likely sourced from some other company that owed some debt to Rodgers’ “old friend.” And the men were certain to be those who’d emigrated from China or somewhere else and fell into working for the wrong people.
It was the antithesis of the sort of businessman Liam wanted to be. It was time to put a stop to this now.
“No.” Liam’s voice came out louder than he’d intended, but maybe that was for the best.
Rodgers froze. “I’m sorry?”
“I said no.” Liam forced himself to breathe. He couldn’t back down. And as long as he remembered Tilly, he wouldn’t. “We’re finished here.”
Rodgers raised an eyebrow as Morris took the seat beside him. “That’s impossible. I’m an investor, remember? You made a deal with my partner.” He nodded at Morris. “You took my money and used it to buy that land. Like it or not, your endeavor is mine now.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong,” Liam said evenly. “It isn’t. It’s my business, and I’ve decided to return your investment.”
Rodgers stared at him a moment. Then he tossed his head back and laughed. “All right. Where’s the money?”
This was the part Liam dreaded. “I can get you a substantial percentage from the bank in the morning.”
“A percentage. Meaning you don’t have the full amount.” Rodgers leaned forward. “I don’t accept your offer.”
“It isn’t an offer.” Liam’s tone was icy. He was past caring what Rodgers might do in the moment. His anger boiled beneath the surface. It wasn’t right what Rodgers had done, and Liam refused to pay the price for it.
“Hmm.” Rodgers wasn’t smiling. He held Liam’s gaze with his own.
The seconds ticked by, and Liam forced himself not to look away. The room was eerily quiet around them, with the only sounds being footsteps in the hallway beyond the door and the light rumble of conversation from the lobby.
“Morris, it seems Mr. Hannan has forgotten last summer,” Rodgers finally said.
“I haven’t,” Liam said shortly.
“Then you must care less for yourself and your family than you do your own pride.”
“I won’t stand for your threats, Rodgers.” Liam stood, hoping that would indicate he was through with this conversation. “The marshal is aware of you and your background. This town won’t let you put roots here, as I’m sure you’ve already figured out. You’re hanging on to me as your last hope.”
Rodgers stood then too, and before Liam could realize what he was doing, the man was standing toe to toe with him. “No one tells me no. You’re going to learn that the same way everyone else in this town will if they don’t give me what I want.”
Liam stood his ground, half wondering if Rodgers would hit him if he said anything else. But he couldn’t back away. He refused to. “You—”
The door to the library flung open at that moment, cutting Liam off. And in walked Marshal Wright, the county sheriff, Tilly, and what appeared to be half the town behind them.