Chapter 5 #2
Tension started to grow as Veronica stared at her and Daisy and, as always, Clay’s attention was on her sister. The sound of music filled the air, and she turned to see where it was coming from.
Several men from the town had brought instruments, a guitar, and a fiddle among them, and were playing a little tune that seemed to liven up the entire crowd. When the kids stopped playing their games and started dancing instead, a few adults joined them.
Violet smiled and turned her attention to Clay and squeezed Daisy’s hand before blurting, “Daisy loves to dance, Clay. You two should go join in.”
Daisy gasped at the suggestion, but Clay’s smile widened. “I’d love to.” He held out his hand. When Daisy looked at him, he said, “Would you like to dance?”
Before Daisy could refuse, Violet put a hand on her sister's back and gave her a tiny shove. “She’d be delighted to, wouldn’t you, Daisy?”
The look on Veronica’s face confirmed her suspicions. The girl was indeed sweet on Clay and it was time to put a stop to that before it even got started.
Clay didn’t take Daisy’s silence as a rejection and grabbed her hand before she even had time to protest. Violet watched them head toward the other dancers and grinned big when Daisy turned her head to look back at her, her sister’s face so red it clashed with her dress.
She saw Veronica move out of the corner of her eye. The girl’s jaw was clenched, her lips held in a tight line and even though she wasn’t a spiteful person, she couldn’t help but say, “Clay has been sweet on Daisy since the day he came to town. They look cute together, don’t they?”
Veronica didn’t respond. The girl gave her a tight smile instead and excused herself.
Violet watched her walk away, then turned her attention to Daisy and Clay. Her sister was smiling, but her cheeks were still tinted pink. Hopefully, Clay would be able to get her to talk to him. She set the groundwork. It was up to him to court her sister all proper like.
Her gaze drifted over the crowd before darting back to where she’d last seen Josiah.
He was still there, surrounded by a group of men, her grandfather among them.
They were all laughing about something but seemed to sober when someone pointed to the top of the hill.
As one, they all turned their attention to the road.
She did as well. A small buggy with two people in the seat was making its way down toward the gathered crowd.
She watched with everyone else as they drew near, and the moment she saw Edwin’s smiling face, all the air in her lungs seemed to evaporate.
He was looking right at her, his smile blinding. What was he doing here?
She sucked in a breath when she realized she was holding it and turned to look at Josiah.
He’d seen Edwin as well. When he turned to look at her, a sense of dread sucked all the joy she’d been feeling away in an instant.
She knew without a doubt that the day was about to take a disastrous turn and there wasn’t a thing she could do to stop it.
The surrounding conversations still hadn’t resumed. The hush that came over the crowd seemed to cause an unnatural tension to fill the air. He’d like to say seeing Edwin pull his buggy to a stop had no effect on him, but he’d be lying. His being here smelled like trouble to him.
He looked for Violet and found her by the creek bank. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open as if she’d gasped, and it only took a second for her to turn her head his way. The moment their eyes locked, he could see her fear shining in them.
Josiah shared Violet’s unease, more so when Ewan stepped up beside him. Did the old man know about the white lie Violet had told Edwin? That he’d asked for her hand in marriage and that they were now engaged?
By the look on Ewan’s face and his lack of comment, he guessed she hadn’t. Did anyone know?
Does it matter?
He sighed. Like it or not, Violet’s troubles were now his own since she’d dragged him into her little dilemma and something told him today was about to get interesting.
Most everyone went back to minding their own business, but a few busybodies kept their attention on Edwin and his friend.
The other man had hair so stark white it seemed to shine in the noonday sun. There were lines around his eyes and mouth that gave him the impression the man had some years on him.
Edwin helped him from the buggy and kept a hand on the man’s arm until he was steady on his feet, then looked around the clearing. He knew the instant Edwin spotted Violet. His smile widened and something in his eyes told him Edwin wasn’t leaving today without some sort of confrontation.
Why else would the man be here?
Violet still had that shocked expression on her face when he glanced back at her, and it only took her a few moments to turn her head his way.
They stared at one another from across the clearing and as much as he’d love to get back on his horse and let her deal with her own drama, he knew he couldn’t, if for no other reason than he was the marshal.
It was his job to keep the peace, to make sure everyone was safe, and sometimes handle disputes, and if this didn’t classify as a dispute, he didn’t know what did.
He pushed off from the tree he’d been leaning against and headed to one of the tables to set his plate down.
As he figured he would, Edwin headed straight for Violet while the old man he’d brought with him headed toward him, and the table filled with food, before he grabbed his own plate and started filling it while talking to a few of the ladies who were standing nearby.
Violet’s face was red when he looked back over at her and Edwin. They were in a heated conversation from the looks of it, and he sighed again when she looked his way.
Why did I let her drag me into this?
He started across the clearing and the relief on Violet’s face was enough to make Edwin turn to see what she was looking at. When the man saw him, he scowled.
“Edwin,” Josiah said when he finally reached them. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”
“Apparently.” The man sneered at him before straightening his spine. He looked back at Violet. “Have you two married yet?” He glanced down at her hand, looking for a ring, if he had to guess.
Violet finally found her voice and blew out a breath. “What I do is of no concern to you, Edwin.”
“It is when another man steals my fiancé.”
“I was never your fiancé.”
“I remember it differently.”
“Obviously.”
Edwin’s face reddened. “Since I see no ring on your finger, I’m going to assume you’re still available to court.”
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s not how I see it. Until you’re married, I still have a chance to win your hand.”
Violet sighed, loudly. “Edwin—”
“What will it take, Violet? Do you need a grand gesture? If so, I’ll challenge him to a duel and we’ll settle it like men.”
Josiah blinked along with Violet. “A duel?”
Edwin nodded. “It’s how disputes are settled all the time in larger cities.”
He wasn’t lying. He’d stopped several while living in Durango. “Well, it’s not how we handle them here.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “As marshal, I won’t allow a gunfight in the streets of Silver Falls.”
They were starting to attract attention. With as loud as Edwin was being, it was little wonder.
“Then marry her as any decent man would.”
Violet glanced around at those watching them and scowled. “Lower your voice, Edwin. I don’t need the entire town knowing our business.”
“What business?” he said, near to shouting when he added, “I just assumed everyone knew you two were engaged to be married.”
Someone gasped.
As if they’d planned it in advance, everyone within hearing distance stilled, their attention focused solely on them.
“You’re engaged?”
Josiah wasn’t sure who said it but it only took seconds before someone else asked the same question. Then the entire area exploded with noise.
Violet’s eyes closed as she blew out a long breath, small lines bracketing her mouth.
“When did this happen?” Josiah looked Hazel’s way when she spoke. Of all the people to hear Edwin, it had to be her. The woman gossiped as if she were paid to do so, and he knew this little scene would be the story of the week for her.
Violet glanced at those now whispering and shooting questions at them and threw Edwin a look filled with so much rage, that he took a step toward her.
“Violet, why didn’t you tell us?”
Gertie had moved closer, the smile on her face matching everyone else’s he looked at. Within minutes, congratulations were being shouted and claps landed on his back hard enough to make him shift on his feet.
When the noise died down, Ewan stepped into his line of vision. The old man was eccentric, but he didn’t miss much and the look on his face told him he knew something wasn’t right. “Ye been hiding something from your family, Violet?”
She met his gaze briefly, whispering, “I’m sorry,” before turning to her grandfather. “We’ll talk about this later, gramps.”
“What’s there to talk about?” Edwin’s smug expression wasn’t missed by anyone. “You accepted a marriage proposal from the good marshal here, even though you’d already promised to marry me.”
“I did not tell you I’d marry you, Edwin.” She hissed the words in a soft whisper, her face reddening as she stared at him. “You need to leave.”
“When are you getting married?” someone asked.
“Why the big secret?” someone else yelled. The questions and comments flew at them after that.
Someone shouted, “We all knew you were sweet on the marshal, Violet!”
Violet’s face turned a blistering shade of red before someone else said, “It’s about time!”
Gertie clapped her hands as if to get everyone’s attention and proclaimed, “Our picnic is now an engagement celebration!”
The noise grew as everyone continued to shout loud enough no one was focused on anything but them. The music had even stopped. Violet finally held up her hand and everyone quieted.
She glanced at him briefly before turning back to the crowd. “No one was told because….it just happened.”
So she’s sticking to the lie.
“When’s the big day?” someone yelled.
“Yes,” Edwin said. “When is the big day?”
“We haven’t set a date.” She scowled at Edwin before loosening a nervous laugh. “Honestly, we haven’t thought that far ahead yet. The circuit preacher doesn’t even come around but every so often, so there wasn’t any rush to mention it yet.”
“One is here now.”
Her head whipped around to Edwin when he spoke. “One what?”
“A preacher.” The words seemed to pull the air from Violet’s lungs. She gaped at Edwin before turning wide eyes to him.
Edwin’s grin widened as he turned to look over the crowd. The old man he’d brought with him was looking their way and when Edwin threw his hand up and waved him over, a hush fell over the crowd.
“This is Reverend Peele,” Edwin said when the old man stopped beside him.
“He’s a good friend of the family.” His attention came back to him and Violet.
“If not having a preacher in town is the only reason you’re waiting, then today is your lucky day.
Reverend Peele would be delighted to perform the ceremony for you. ”
His pulse started to race. Violet stuttered, her eyes wide as she tried to think of something to say.
When she looked at him, fear shining in her eyes, he said the first thing that popped into his head.
“That little room behind the jail I live in isn’t a proper home.
Violet deserves more than a tiny space like that, so that’s another reason we haven’t set a date yet. ”
Was he now actively participating in this debacle?
Why, yes. Yes, he was.
“The marshal's position came with a cabin.”
Josiah wasn’t sure who spoke, but several people nodded their heads. He vaguely remembered being told about a cabin when he took the job. It was rundown, he’d been told, and since it was just him, he’d not bothered with it, settling into the room behind the jail instead.
“There,” Edwin said. “Problem solved.”
His smug grin was getting irritating and the desire to knock it off his face was growing by the second.
“Reverend Peele?” Edwin said. “You’ll marry these two, won’t you?”