Chapter 29
Chapter
James snuggled Noreen while she slept, enjoying the feel of her nestled into his side.
Treasuring the trust she bestowed by letting her guard down enough to relax in his arms. It felt right to hold her.
As if they belonged together—had always belonged together—though he had to admit he was less than objective about that particular belief.
The trick was going to be convincing Noreen that spinsterhood wasn’t her only option.
He’d been analyzing her declaration over the last thirty minutes, and he’d come to a few conclusions.
First, she intended to free him from any obligation he might feel toward her.
She hadn’t said she didn’t want something more than friendship, just that she had no expectations of such.
Second, she held him in some level of esteem.
An encouraging confirmation that his feelings weren’t entirely unreciprocated.
Yet her affection was a double-edged sword, for it also drove her to protect him and safeguard his career.
A fact he would appreciate if her methods didn’t include putting herself out of his reach.
Third, and most critical, he strongly suspected she didn’t believe herself worthy of marriage.
She might have accepted the Lord’s forgiveness, but she still referred to herself as a murderer.
Still defined herself by her worst day. A fact that made his heart bleed.
How do I help her heal, Lord?
He exhaled a breath and lightly tapped the back of his head against the stone wall a few times as if he might be able to knock some wisdom loose inside his skull.
Her story had left a deep ache in his heart.
She’d been so young. Vulnerable. Subjected to abuse on a regular basis, either from harsh words or bruising blows.
Yes, she’d made a poor choice that night.
A sinful one, even. But to James’s way of thinking, her father bore more blame for his death than she did.
He’d chosen to drink to excess that night, and the consequences of that choice culminated in the stupor that killed him.
Had he not brutalized his daughter for years, she might have had more compassion when she found him.
Finn O’Sullivan hastened his own demise, yet Noreen paid the price.
Her father was still leaving bruises, just not on her skin. These marred her soul.
James bent down and pressed his cheek against the top of her head.
Perhaps finally sharing her secret would ease her burden.
He prayed so. He’d do anything in his power to support and encourage her, but his loyalty could only go so far.
As much as he would like to, he couldn’t reach inside her heart and bind her wounds. Only her true Father could do that.
You sent your Son to heal the brokenhearted and set at liberty those who are bruised.
Noreen needs that healing tonight, Lord.
Her heart is broken, and her soul is bruised.
Grant her liberty from the shackles of her guilt and create in her a new heart.
One that can find rest in your forgiveness and receive the gift of your love. And mine.
Taking care not to jostle her any more than necessary, James slid out from under her and lowered her sleeping form to the mattress.
He held his breath when she rolled onto her side, but she didn’t wake.
Thankful for his strong night vision, he moved away from the mattress, taking care not to kick any of the extra items that cluttered the usually sparse quarters.
Moonlight filtered through the barred windows as well, allowing him to see her face.
Eyes that usually sparked with spirited fire rested behind lashes clumped together in spikes from long bouts of tears.
The delicate pointed chin that jutted with determination and courage had been retracted to tuck against her collar.
How he wanted to lay beside her and wrap her in his arms, shelter her from the past as well as the present.
To whisper reassurances in her ear and rub the shivers from her arms. But he’d not risk her reputation any more tonight.
The jailhouse rarely had visitors after dark, but an emergency could arise at any moment.
If someone came to summon the law and found him spooning with his prisoner, not only would his career be over, but Noreen would be left to pay the price for another man’s poor choice. He’d not let that happen.
Collecting the edges of the fallen blanket, he arranged it over her. A flash of white caught his eye as he pulled the blanket toward her chin. He picked up a damp wadded handkerchief, shook it open, and draped it over the edge of the table so it could dry.
He turned to go, but something about the handkerchief nagged at a memory.
Taking it in hand, he walked over to the window to examine it in what little light the moon had to offer.
A cluster of flowers had been embroidered in one corner.
Nothing unusual about that. Except that he’d seen the exact pattern earlier that day on a different handkerchief.
One stained with blood. That one had borne Luella Templeton’s initials.
This one bore Noreen’s. It seemed odd for them to have identical handkerchiefs.
Odd but not particularly significant, seeing as how the two were friends.
James returned Noreen’s handkerchief to the table, then exited the cell.
He clicked the door softly closed behind him and turned the key, each scrape sounding loudly in his ears.
His prisoner didn’t awaken, however, so after one long final look, James made his way downstairs to the uncomfortable prison cot waiting for him in his bedroom.
Not that he’d sleep much anyway. A man who wanted to be his woman’s hero while stuck being her jailer had more than a few mental knots to untangle.
Jane Cowan showed up bright and early with oatmeal fixin’s, a teapot, and what looked to be a book in her apron pocket. After showing her to the stove, James climbed the stairs to check on his guest.
“Noreen?” He announced his presence before he cleared the top steps. “Is it all right if I come up?”
“Yes.” Her voice sounded stronger this morning, as if she’d regained a bit of her fiery spirit overnight.
A grin traveled from his heart to his face as he hopped up the last few steps to the second-floor landing. “Good morning.”
She set a book aside that she’d been reading, then rose from her chair.
A shy smile curled the edges of her mouth as her chin dipped and pink painted her cheeks.
Was she remembering how he’d held her last night?
The feel of his lips pressed against her hair?
The thundering of his heart beneath her cheek?
He certainly was. Every delicious detail.
Slowly those lashes lifted, and her gaze met his. “Good morning.” Warmth radiated through her greeting but so did caution.
The key to her cell lay heavy in his pocket.
He longed to open the door and go to her.
To clasp her tightly to his chest and assure her that the light of day had not changed his feelings.
Unfortunately, the light of day had changed other things.
Like the number of people traipsing in and out of the jailhouse.
“Miss Cowan is downstairs making breakfast. She knew better than to trust me with the duty.”
Her smile widened slightly, and his own joy doubled in response.
“It’s nice to know I’ll have more to eat than bread and water.”
James rested his forearms on one of the crossbars. “I probably could have managed biscuits and water since I rescued your basket last night. The jam jar had dented a few of the biscuits, but I figured they were still edible. Unlike the eggs I burned this morning.”
“You should have waited for Jane.”
He wagged his head slightly. “I would have if I didn’t have business to attend to first thing this morning.”
Her eyes shuttered slightly. “Oh?”
“Yep. I’m heading out to the Templeton place. Gotta return the wagon and team.”
Noreen’s arms wrapped themselves around her midsection. “Is that all?”
His jaw tightened. “Thought I’d do a little hunting while I’m out there. See if I can track down the troublesome coyote that attacked one of my citizens yesterday.”
Her arms lowered as she moved forward to stand directly in front of him. “Be careful, James. Wild animals are unpredictable—and dangerous.” She reached out and touched his hand.
He twisted his palm, laced his fingers through hers, then brought her knuckles to his lips through the bars. Her eyes slid closed, and her breathing changed, matching the leap in his pulse, but then she tugged her hand away and retreated a step, clasping her hands at her waist.
James exhaled, doing his best to ignore the disappointment that spiked through him.
She’d not be won over by spoken promises until he proved to her that he could be trusted to follow through.
It would take time to convince her that his feelings would not be easily uprooted and planted elsewhere.
That he’d chosen to plant himself at her side for all time.
“I’ll stay alert. Don’t worry.” He offered a wink that earned him a raised eyebrow. A chuckle rumbled in his throat for a moment before he grew serious. “I’ll check in on Luella, too, and let you know how she’s doing.”
Noreen’s expression instantly softened. “Thank you.”
He wished he could do more, but it would have to be enough for now. Unless his hunting trip turned up a prize he could gift wrap for her.
James had returned the wagon to the Templeton homestead and was unhitching the horses when the coyote attacked.
“What’d you do with them?” Claude Templeton charged out of his front door, cocking his lever-action rifle as he came. “Where’s my wife and kid?”
James turned slowly, keeping his hands well away from his weapon. No need to give the man a reason to shoot. “You don’t remember?”
Claude stumbled a bit as if his feet weren’t fully operational.
Not surprising. The man looked half dead.
Dirt and blood stained his trousers and untucked shirt.
His suspenders drooped low over his hips.
His hair stood out at all angles, and dark smudges circled his eyes. “Whaddya mean, ‘remember’?”
James glared at the sorry excuse for a human. “You beat your little girl nearly to death, Claude.”
The man’s face paled before he hardened his expression. “Liar!”
“Am I?” James prowled forward, the fire of justice burning in his gut.
“Then why are your knuckles raw and swollen? You’re wearing her blood.
” He gestured to the man’s filthy clothes.
“Took a couple swings at your wife, too, when she tried to stop you. Thank God your girl got away. Dragged herself as far as the schoolhouse before she collapsed. You could have killed her, Claude. Killed your own kin.”
His grip on the rifle loosened, and James snatched it from his hands.
The man made no protest, just stared at his hands as if he’d never seen them before. He curled one into a fist, winced at the pain the movement brought, then let his fingers unfurl. “I . . . I didn’t mean to hurt her. I just . . .”
“Just what, Claude? Wanted to teach her a lesson? With your fists?” James tossed the rifle aside and got up in Claude’s face.
“That girl loves you. Even lying on the schoolroom floor, broken and bleeding from the beating you gave her, she believed in you. Believed that you would change. That you would want to change. Your wife wasn’t so sure.
When I got here, she was packing up her things so she could take her child somewhere safe. Somewhere away from you.”
“Trudy wouldn’t leave me.”
“You gave her no choice.”
Claude stumbled over to the wagon and leaned his back against it for support. His hand shook as he combed back his unruly hair. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a dented silver flask.
James lunged forward and knocked the flask from his hand.
“I need that!”
James grabbed him by his filthy shirt and pinned him against the wagon bed. “What you need is to sober up and become the man your daughter believes you can be. A man who protects his family instead of destroying it.”
James released him with a final shove and walked away.
He might not have been able to make an arrest, but maybe he’d made an impression.
Hopefully, one that would spawn change. Not that it would be easy.
Once liquor got its claws into a man, it was hard to break free.
Hard, but not impossible. Especially if you weren’t alone.
After swinging up into his saddle, James nudged his horse up to where Claude sat huddled against the wagon wheel. At least the man hadn’t crawled after his flask.
“I’ll stop by a few times this week to check on you.”
Claude made no response, just stared into the air.
“Anything you want me to convey to your wife or daughter?”
The big man hung his head. “Tell ’em . . . I’m s-sorry.” Tears choked his words as the reality of what he’d done finally started to seep into his brain.
“I will, but it’ll be up to you to show them how much you mean it.”