Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Wedded bliss. Was that what this feeling was?
As much as he fought any sort of relationship with a woman since he left Durango, laying here watching Violet sleep, knowing their marriage was as real as it could be now that they’d consummated it, he didn’t feel that anxious, nervousness he usually did when he used to think about it.
On the contrary, everything seemed—perfect.
As if this was how life was supposed to be.
Violet stirred, and she smiled when she saw him. Even that smile made his heart give a mighty thump, knowing it was just for him.
He reached out and brushed one of her curls from her cheek. “Nice nap?”
She grinned and snuggled closer to him. “The best.”
They were still both fully dressed, and he felt bad not giving her the proper loving she deserved. “What say we get out of these clothes and wash up, then do this all proper like?”
She grinned. “And what is all proper like?”
He rolled toward her, pulling her against his body and gave her a small kiss, tasting her lips at his leisure. “Me, you, completely naked, skin to skin.” He ran a hand down her arm. “I want to see every inch of you.”
Her smile widened. “Oh, I like that idea.”
He deepened the kiss, her tongue slicking against his own and his body reacted as if she were touching him.
The desire to roll back over her and start anew was strong, but he wanted to love her the way she deserved, not half dressed and tousled on the bedsheets.
He wanted to give her the attention she deserved.
Before he could sit up and do just that, someone banged on the door hard enough they both jolted. He broke their kiss and met her gaze. “If that’s Edwin, I’m going to kill him.”
She giggled, but stilled when someone yelled, “Josiah Lincoln, open up! It’s the sheriff.”
“Not Edwin, then.” He sat up and grabbed the blankets, pulling them to cover Violet’s exposed breasts, but she was already buttoning her blouse. He stood and fixed his pants, running his fingers through his hair to straighten it as best he could without a comb and crossed the room to the door.
He glanced back at Violet. She was standing by the bed now, smoothing the wrinkles in her skirt. When she nodded her head at him, he opened the door.
The sheriff and two other men were in the hall. None of them looked happy to be there. “Sheriff,” Josiah said. “What can I do for you?”
“Josiah Lincoln,” the sheriff said again. “You’re under arrest.”
Josiah froze, his heart seeming to skip a beat before he blinked and said, “Excuse me?”
The sheriff pushed his way into the room and grabbed his arm while the two men with him did the same.
“Arrest!” Violet yelling that word made him look over his shoulder at her. She was still by the bed, her blouse buttoned but untucked, her long red hair tousled, but the fear in her eyes had him turning back to the sheriff.
“What’s this about?” he asked.
The sheriff gave a brief glance to Violet before meeting his gaze. “You’re being held under suspicion of murder.”
“Murder?” He thought back to the shoot out in the street. He had fired his gun once, but he didn’t think he’d hit anyone.
Violet was moving around the bed now. The two men with the sheriff each held one of his arms while the sheriff put a set of handcuffs on him.
His shock took only a few moments to wear off, and he straightened when Violet reached his side. “Who did I supposedly kill?”
The sheriff glanced at Violet before looking back at him. “Edwin Wright. He was found in the mercantile with a bullet wound to the face. He’s dead.”
Violet’s gasp was so audible, everyone turned to look at her. The disbelief in her eyes was fleeting. Then something he didn’t think to ever see in them was directed at him. Suspicion.
“Let’s go,” the sheriff said, exiting the room. The two men still holding his arms gave him a shove, and he was ushered out of the room without a word.
“Josiah!”
“Go check on Bonnie and Archie and stay with them. I’ll get this cleared up and we’ll head home.”
He was still barefoot, with the make-shift bandage around his naked torso as he was marched down the stairs, through the hotel, and out onto the sidewalk.
He’d marched many men through the streets in Durango and hadn’t once thought of how they felt about it, but now that it was him that was the spectacle, he knew why they fought him so hard because he didn’t like it one bit.
Violet cleaned herself up, slipped her shoes on, and ran after the sheriff. She stopped on the sidewalk when they stepped into the street and crossed the road.
Her stomach ached to the point she had to swallow back the urge to scream and looked toward the mercantile.
The sidewalk outside the building was filled with onlookers. She was running toward them before she could talk herself out of it and pushed through the crowd to the door, where she was stopped by a burly man who was so tall, he barely fit in the doorway.
“Sorry, Ma’am, but I can’t let you through.”
She straightened to her full height, which wasn’t much next to him. “I need to see Edwin.”
He grimaced. “I wouldn’t suggest doing that, Ma’am. It’s not a pretty sight.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “My husband is charged with killing him, so I want to see him.”
The noise of the crowd died at her words. She glanced at the men closest to her before lifting her eyes to the one in front of her. “I demand to see him, so move out of my way.”
“That’s not going to happen. Sorry.”
He turned his back on her and blocked the doorway again. The crowd started shifting and before she could protest, she was pushed off the sidewalk.
The number of people on the street was massive now. She lost sight of Josiah in the bustle of people but saw the jail house and started running toward it.
The sheriff was locking Josiah inside a cell when she stormed into the building. “I want to see Edwin,” she demanded.
Everyone stopped and looked at her.
“Violet,” Josiah said. “Go find Bonnie, then go back to the hotel.”
She met his gaze and shook her head. “No. I want to see Edwin.” She crossed her arms under her breasts and looked at the sheriff. “I want to see for myself that he’s dead. And if he is, what makes you think Josiah killed him?”
The sheriff blew out a tired breath before saying, “We have an eye witness who says she heard a man fitting Josiah’s description say was going to kill him.”
“Lot’s of men in this town resemble Josiah.”
“She said he was wearing a badge.” He looked at Josiah. “The only other man in this town wearing a badge is me, so…”
Violet shook her head. “It’s a lie. Josiah never said any such thing.”
“The witness says otherwise.”
“Well, she’s lying!” Violet looked at Josiah. He’d never said he’d kill Edwin. Had he? They’d both been mad at him at one point or another, but had either of them said they’d kill him?
Josiah did when the sheriff knocked on the door. He said if that was Edwin, he’d kill him.
Yes, but that was just talk. He didn’t actually mean it.
Did he?
Josiah braced his hands on the jail cell bars and looked at her. “Do as I said, Violet.”
She crossed the room and reached for the bars. “They can’t lock you away with no proof, Josiah. Someone saying they heard something means nothing.”
“I know and once I get this sorted, we’ll head home, but for now, I need to know that you’re all right, so go find Bonnie. Have her stay with you at the hotel until I get out of here.”
He glanced over her shoulder before leaning down to be eye level with her and lowered his voice when he said, “When I found the bruises on your face and went to talk to Edwin, you stopped me on the street. Do you remember?”
She thought back to the conversation. That was after he’d seen the bruises in the hotel restaurant. She’d had to run to catch up with him.
Her eyes widened when she recalled the conversation.
He’d been so angry and ready to confront Edwin about it.
And she remembered the lady who had stared at them as they fussed back and forth with each other.
Was she the one who accused Josiah of killing Edwin?
And if so, why? He hadn’t said those words at all.
Had he? “This is such a mess.”
“It is,” he agreed. “Now please do as I said and go find Bonnie. I need to know you’re safe.”
That look in his eyes was the one she usually saw there when they talked about their fake marriage. It was fear and for a brief moment while they lay in bed, he’d lost it. Now it was back.
She wasn’t going to be the reason he regretted consummating their marriage, and nodded her head at him. “All right. I’ll go, but I’ll just be down the street. We’ll find a way out of this.”
“I know we will.” To her amazement, he leaned in through the bars as best he could and kissed her. It wasn’t the deep soul-stealing kisses from before, but it was just as sweet.
She left without looking back, knowing it would be harder to leave if she did and hurried to the doctor's office. Bonnie was asleep sitting up in the chair by the wall when she came in but jostled awake when the door shut harder than she intended it to do.
Bonnie sat up straight, her eyes widening when she looked at her. “That look on your face says somethings happened. What is it?”
Violet leaned back against the wall and shut her eyes, willing her frazzled nerves to calm. When she knew she could speak without getting hysterical, she opened them and glanced at Archie. He was sleeping and lowered her voice an octave when she said, “Josiah’s been arrested for killing Edwin.”
It’s funny how life constantly throws you for loops.
He’d finally told Violet about Ruth the night before, hoping by letting her know why he didn’t want a real marriage that she’d let the whole thing drop, to waking up and finding her gone and being in a panic when a bullet hit the wall beside her head, to finally realizing life with her would be worth the struggle, to this.
Sitting in a jail cell accused of murdering a man that started this entire whirlwind of events.
He stared out the window across from him and watched shadows pass by it before finally turning to sit on the lone cot in the cell.
The sheriff and his deputies had left not long after Violet had and he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d done as he’d asked her to or if she was even now running around town, doing who knew what.
He rubbed a hand over his face and lay back on the bed, crossing his arms under his head and stared at the ceiling. It didn’t take much to let his mind wander to earlier, to the feel of Violet underneath him, and he felt like such a cad.
He should have taken his time and bedded her properly. Stripped her naked and worshipped her like she deserved.
You’ll have time for that later.
He hoped.
He lost track of time, his thoughts going back to every encounter with Violet since she’d run from Edwin in Silver Falls to when she’d lied and told the man he was her fiancé. He couldn’t think of a single moment he regretted.
Was he happy she’d lied to the man and dragged him into her drama?
No, but he wasn’t mad about the outcome.
Not really. He had a beautiful woman who wanted him, who was half in love with him if he believed what Ewan had said, and for once, the overwhelming fear he felt when thinking of marriage didn’t consume his thoughts.
Violet did, more often then not, and once he got this mess cleared up, he was going to take her back home, to that broken down little house on the outskirts of town, and start a life with her.
That is if they didn’t hang him first. He knew how outlaw justice worked in smaller towns. He’d been in enough of them to know fair trials didn’t always happen.
Despite Violet thinking this was a misunderstanding that would be sorted out sooner rather than later, he knew he’d be lucky to make it out of this alive.