Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
She’d never been one to hum, but did so as she smiled and worked, humming a happy tune that couldn’t be helped. Being so stinking happy made every day a pure joy to experience. Although she was covered in dust and sweating, she loved every minute of it.
Since getting back to Silver Falls, she and Josiah had been cleaning and restoring the small cabin the town had provided for the town marshal. It wasn’t in too bad a shape, thankfully, and with Clay and Tanner’s help, it was nearly complete.
They’d even spent their first night there, camped out in what would be their bedroom on a pile of blankets spread across the floor.
Lanterns had lit the space and after eating a simple meal of sandwiches and fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, he’d stripped her bare and loved her until long into the night.
The smile that graced her lips when he’d asked the preacher in Elkin to marry them was still there, and she wasn’t sure it would ever disappear.
They’d reluctantly left Bonnie and Archie in the care of the doctor in Elkin and after making sure the advertisement for a new doctor was set to be printed in the local papers there, they’d come home alone.
Married.
Legally.
And so darn happy about it, everyone who saw them had commented on it.
Hearing the snuffle of a horse outside, followed by the low murmur of a voice, she folded up the blankets as she heard the front door opened and turned her head to say, “I’m in here.”
Footsteps echoed through the empty front room, hit boots hitting the floor loud in the stillness.
She tossed the folded blanket onto the pile with the others as the footsteps neared the bedroom door and she could barely contain her joy.
They’d sleep in a real bed tonight, the first of many, in their new home.
She turned as he stepped into the room, then stilled. The smile fell from her face in an instant.
Josiah pulled the wagon to a stop, tying the horse's reins to the brake lever and jumped to the ground. The numerous chests and boxes he’d hauled from town would take a dozen trips to unload, but he wanted that bed put back together before the sun fell, so he’d work himself ragged to see them all unloaded and carried into the house.
A lone horse grazed near the porch. Tanner’s or Clay’s, if he had to guess. The two had helped out so much over the past week, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever repay them.
He barely glanced at it as he reached for the closest box to him before hefting it from the back of the wagon and starting for the house.
The door was open, so was the back one, and a cool breeze blew through the house. He set the box down just inside the door and went back for another. After the third, he stopped and looked around the empty space. “Violet? You in here?”
He hadn’t expected her to help carry in the boxes, but surely she would have been out there telling him where to sit them.
He started for the bedroom and heard her gasp before he reached the doorway. Taking one step inside the room, he froze.
His entire body locked down hard when his gaze fell on Edwin. The man had an arm around Violet’s waist, a hand over her mouth, and the look in his eyes was—wild. He’d seen that look in the eyes of a trapped animal once and knew he’d do anything to get out of this, even hurt Violet if he had to.
His mind instantly threw him back in time. Instead of Violet standing there, it was Ruth and the man holding her had murder in his eyes.
He blinked and realized Edwin wasn’t in a murderous rage hellbent on revenge. No, he was scared and prone to do something stupid if he didn’t defuse the situation.
“Edwin,” he said in a calm, even tone. “Let her go.”
Instead of doing what he said, Edwin pulled a gun and pointed the barrel at Violet’s side.
“That’s the second stupidest mistake you’ve made today,” Josiah said, his own hand easing to the gun holstered at his hip.
“Don’t touch it!” Edwin yelled.
Josiah raised his hands to chest level. “I won’t,” he said. “What do you want, Edwin?”
The man laughed, but tears filled his eyes. “My life back!”
Josiah looked at Violet and gave her a reassuring smile when their eyes met before focusing back on Edwin. “The sheriff has the two men who had been extorting money from you locked up in his jail. There’s nothing stopping you from going back to Elkin and resuming your life.”
“No, I can’t,” he whined. He sniffled and poked the gun into Violet’s side more forcefully. “It’s over for me. Those men were just cronies to a much bigger organization.” He laughed suddenly. “Even if I gave them my store outright, I’d still owe them more money than I’d ever make in my lifetime.”
He glanced at Violet again. She looked calm. So unlike Ruth, when held in much the same manner. Ruth had been terrified with good reason. She’d been beaten and used and tortured for the better part of a day. Violet hadn’t endured the same fate and, for that, he was grateful.
“If you would have just married me,” Edwin said, pulling Violet closer to his body, “I could have just paid my fee and everything would have been fine. Now I’m ruined! I have nothing!”
“That’s not true,” Josiah said. “You have a new start.” Edwin stilled at his words. “You can do anything you want now. Change your name. Reinvent yourself. Go anywhere in the world you want and just start over.”
Josiah knew his words were making the impact he’d hoped they would, for Edwin lowered his gun. Violet glanced down at it before flicking her gaze up at him. Before he could shake his head no, she balled her fist up and brought it back, slamming it into Edwin’s groin.
Edwin grunted and loosened his hold on her enough she pulled away, turned and aimed her knee between his legs.
The gun fell from Edwin’s grip as he doubled over. Violet ran across the room to him. He grabbed her, hugging her to him for a brief moment before putting her at his back.
He pulled his gun and lifted it, aiming it at Edwin’s head.
Long minutes later, Edwin straightened, looking more pathetic and broken than any man he’d seen before. It was in the eyes. The despair was evident and had he not used Violet as a shield, he may have felt a bit sorry for him. As it was, he didn’t have an ounce of sympathy for the man.
Violet touched his back, and he made sure she stayed behind him.
When she plastered herself to him, he breathed a little easier.
Things hadn’t gone bad like last time. Even though Edwin was stupid, he didn’t think he was evil like so many in the world.
Stupid, you could reason with. Evil men just did what they pleased and felt joy at doing it.
“I want you to leave Silver Falls and never come back.”
Josiah’s words were loud in the stillness. “If I see you again, it’ll be the last time anyone ever does.”
Violet’s heart was still racing, and she wondered if Josiah could feel it as she pressed her body against his back. The entire last few minutes were such a blur. She felt almost dizzy as she stared at Edwin.
Seeing him standing in the doorway had left her so shocked, she’d froze in place, only realizing a moment later what a mistake that had been. It had given him time to walk into the room with her and blocked her only way out.
She’d never been truly afraid of him, not even when she saw the desperation in his eyes at times, but seeing him today, she had been.
Something in the expression on his face had been different from any other time she’d seen him.
She’d realized when he started across the room toward her it was desperation and defeat.
He’d lost everything, and he was going to make her pay for it.
Luckily, he hadn’t had time to do more than glare at her before Josiah had arrived. They’d listened to him come in and out of the house a few times, both of them staring at the other, and it wasn’t until Josiah said her name that Edwin grabbed her.
Edwin went for his gun and Josiah pulled the hammer back on his revolver. “Leave it.”
The muscle in Edwin’s jaw ticked as he straightened. He looked at her, his eyes narrowed, angry.
“Don’t look at her, “Josiah said. “Just leave.”
Edwin started across the room without another word. They turned as he passed them and followed him out of the bedroom, then to the door. Neither said a word as he climbed onto his horse and left. When he rode through the trees and out of sight, Josiah holstered his gun and turned to her.
“Are you all right?” He cupped her face in his hands. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine.”
He exhaled a breath and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to his body.
“He hadn’t been in the house but a few minutes before you came in.”
He cupped her face again and pressed his mouth to hers in a long, hard kiss before deepening it to the point her legs went weak. When he broke away, both of them panting for breath, he looked around the house.
The look on his face was—anguished. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m just thinking, if I hadn’t gotten here in time—”
“—But you did,” she interrupted, knowing exactly what was going through his head.
This was why he hadn’t wanted a wife, or any kind of relationship. The danger that revolved around his life, but this had nothing to do with him. It was all on her. “Life is full of danger, Josiah. You can’t not live because of it.”
He exhaled and lowered his head, laying his forehead against her own. “I know. I’m just...” He didn’t say anything after that, just held her and kissed her again.
She knew the fear was still there. It was for her, too. Fear she’d lose him for something out of their control, but he was hers and she’d hold on with every ounce of love she had for him.