Chapter Twenty-two
TILLY WANTED TO GO immediately to Liam, but she resisted. Putting herself too close to Dutch Rodgers could make all of this turn sideways. So instead, she planted herself on the opposite side of Sheriff Hunt as her brother approached the men already in the room.
“Your investment in the Hannan hotel is no longer needed,” Jamie was saying to Rodgers.
The man had the gall to laugh. “Hannan here tried to tell me the same, except he doesn’t have enough to give me back my investment. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Marshal, we have a business meeting to finish here.”
“That conversation sounded more like a threat than a business meeting,” Jamie said. “And, as I said, you’re no longer an investor. The town is.” He stepped back and nodded to Weston Gardiner, who joined him and handed Rodgers a carpetbag.
“What is this?” Rodgers asked, staring at the bag.
“Open it,” Jamie instructed.
Shaking his head, Rodgers opened the latch and peered inside the bag.
“Feel free to count it. It’s the exact amount of your investment. You’re finished here. I’ll escort you to your room and send a man to ensure you board the morning train back to Denver. Your friend over there, too.” Jamie spoke with such gravity that Tilly felt so grateful that he was her brother. He looked out for everyone in this town as if they were his own sibling.
“I’m not leaving,” Rodgers said, indignant. “I have business here.”
Liam looked back and forth between them as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.
“You don’t,” Jamie said in a voice that offered no room for argument. “Take your money and pack your things.” He rested a hand on the gun at his side as Sheriff Hunt stepped up beside them. The men behind them—everyone from Mr. Gardiner the banker to Mr. Drexel from the general store—seemed to take a step forward.
Tilly held her breath as Rodgers looked from the lawmen to the crowd behind them to Liam. He scowled, but finally he nodded.
“Let’s go, Morris. Plenty of towns better than this one to be found.” He slung the carpetbag over his shoulder and didn’t even glance at Liam as the crowd parted to let them through. Jamie and Sheriff Hunt, along with a couple of deputies, followed them.
As soon as they left the room, Tilly ran to Liam. He looked at her with such disbelief that she flung her arms around him.
“Are you responsible for this?” he asked, wonder creasing his words as he wrapped his arms around her.
She leaned back to look at him. “I went to Jamie. Asking the townspeople to pool their money was his idea.”
“It was?” Liam glanced toward the door, where Jamie had already gone to escort Rodgers and Morris. “And all of these people . . .” His gaze wandered to the men in the room, who were now talking jovially among themselves.
“They contributed,” Tilly said, settling herself under one of his arms as she turned to see the men.
“I need to apologize to them.” Liam rubbed at his face. “I can’t believe this happened again.”
“There was no again ,” Tilly said fiercely as she turned to look up at him. “You were tricked, and you’re not at fault for that. Jamie understands that. All of these men do. They believe in you. And they agreed that any return on their investment ought to go into a charity that benefits anyone in town who needs it.” She held out her hand toward the crowd, hoping Liam would believe her. “You can’t be so hard on yourself.”
He closed his eyes for a second, and then finally nodded. “I’m going to thank each of them. Starting with my brother-in-law,” he said as Jeremiah Wiley came toward them.
Tilly stood by his side as Liam thanked each man in the room. She was still in awe of everyone who had stepped up to help. Even Fred Polson, who Jamie didn’t entirely trust, had contributed a few dollars. One by one, they shook Liam’s hand. The saloonkeeper, the butcher, Mr. Darby, old Mr. Thomason from the depot. Tilly lost count of how many men had contributed, but she knew Liam was tucking away each and every name.
When they’d all gone and Jamie reassured them he would keep a deputy posted outside Rodgers’ door for the night, Tilly and Liam finally returned to their room. Liam excused himself and returned not long after with a tray filled with sandwiches, cold potatoes, and apple pie. They sat on the floor as if they were having a picnic, and Tilly ate until she could fit nothing else into her stomach.
Liam stretched out on the bed and patted the space beside him. Tilly curled up against him, her head resting on his chest as his arm curled around her shoulders. She closed her eyes, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and—finally—she felt content.
“I owe you an apology too,” Liam said after a moment.
Tilly opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow. “For what? You did nothing wrong.”
“Not for Rodgers or the investment.” He closed his eyes as if he were trying to gather his courage. “For making you worry. For making you question if my heart was in the right place. You didn’t deserve any of that. You deserved someone who was happy to marry you and could give you a good life, not one fraught with fear.”
Tilly rested her free hand on his chest, and he opened his eyes. “Yes, I worried. Of course I did. But that happens in life. It’s nothing you should apologize for. And as for the other . . .” She trailed off and looked down, not sure if she wanted to see the truth in his eyes. “Do you want to be married to me now? It’s all right if you don’t. I’ll understand.” Her voice broke a little on the last word, giving away exactly how difficult it would be if he said he didn’t.
“Tilly,” he said softly after a second. When she didn’t look up, he rested his fingers beneath her chin and lifted it until she was looking him in the eye. “I wasn’t certain at first. It was all so new and unexpected and, honestly, I was afraid. But now? Now I can’t live without you. I love you. I realized that earlier today as I was deciding what to do next. The thought of you is what made me come here and stand up to Dutch Rodgers.”
Tilly blinked as tears filled her eyes. “You . . . love me?”
He smiled. “I love you.”
Before she could comprehend what that meant, he raised his head and met her lips. Tilly closed her eyes as his hand moved to cup her cheek. This was everything she wanted. But there was one thing she needed to tell him first.
She pulled back just slightly and opened her eyes. “I love you too, Liam Hannan.”
He smiled at her then. “In everything that happened, I didn’t have the opportunity to tell you that I did find a place for us. It’s just a room behind the church, but I promise it won’t be like that for long.”
“I don’t care where it is, so long as you’re there with me,” she said.
That made him smile even more. His hand moved to the back of her head, and he pulled her down to kiss her again. Joy rose like the sun inside Tilly as his lips parted hers. This was the marriage she’d dreamed of—a man just like Liam and a happiness that was impossible to chase away.
And even though she knew it wouldn’t always be easy and that difficult times would come again, she could weather them with Liam at her side. If they were together, nothing could break them. Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, Liam leaned back and looked at her.
“You’ve made me so happy,” he said.
Tilly smiled at him. If only he knew how happy he’d made her. She closed the space between them, catching him by surprise when she kissed him. He laughed beneath her lips.
It didn’t matter that Dutch Rodgers was still just down the hallway. In the morning, he would be gone.
And their lives could start again—together.