Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Violet, what are you doing?”
She glanced at Josiah before saying, “I’m telling the sheriff what I heard.”
“Mrs. Lincoln—”
“—Miss Campbell,” Violet said, interrupting the sheriff.
The man gave her a long look, an expression crossing his face that told him he must have remembered the mess Amos created by pretending to be a preacher before clearing his throat. “Right. Miss Campbell. You can’t just go around accusing people of something they didn’t do.”
“Why? That’s exactly what happened, isn’t it? You found Edwin dead and some woman we still haven’t met said she heard Josiah say he would kill him, which he did not, and you just—locked him up as if he did it.”
“I locked him up so I could investigate the matter.”
“Well, now you have another suspect.” She pointed at his deputy. “Lock him up as well.”
“That’s ridiculous, Miss Campbell.”
“And so is arresting Josiah just because someone said they heard something no one else did!”
The silence that followed was deafening.
No one said a word for long minutes as the sheriff stared at her and, he had to admit, she had a solid point.
The sheriff had nothing other than hearsay.
Of course, he’d seen men hang for much less, but he hoped the sheriff could control the townsfolk better than they did in bigger towns.
Violet blew out a tired breath. “Sheriff, what possible reason would Josiah have for killing Edwin?”
The bruises on her face, the same bruises that caused Josiah to march toward Edwin’s mercantile in the first place, were barely a smudge on her skin now.
Edwin had left a mark on her, and although Josiah had been upset about it, he certainly wouldn’t have killed the man over it.
All he’d wanted to do was repay the favor and leave a few bruises on him as well.
The sheriff looked toward him, staring at him for so long, he knew he was considering everything logically now that the excitement from the previous day had settled down. When the man blew out a breath and wiped a hand over his face, then stood from his seat, his heart started thumping.
It was as if the man were moving in slow motion when he crossed the jail and unlocked his cell door, holding it open wide before saying, “If you leave town, I’ll automatically assume you’re guilty and will send out a posse of deputies to retrieve you.”
Josiah gave the sheriff a nod of his head and stepped out of the cell.
The sheriff closed the door with a bang loud enough to make Amos, who was still passed out drunk in the other cell, jolt. “This isn’t over yet,” he said. “Someone killed Edwin, and until I find out who that is, you two are to remain here in town.”
Violet jumped to her feet. “We will.”
The sheriff turned his attention to Josiah. “Your wife—er, Miss Campbell, I mean, is right. I can’t really hold you because someone said they heard something, but until this is cleared up, stay in town.”
Josiah nodded. “You have my word.”
The people on the sidewalk barely gave him a glance when he and Violet pulled the sheriff’s office door closed behind them. Neither spoke as they stood there in the hustle and bustle and stared across the street to the people still going in and out of the mercantile.
Violet broke the silence by saying, “What now?”
He had no idea. There was a lot left to talk about, but right now, he wanted to bathe, change his clothes, and eat until stuffed. “We’ll play it by ear,” he said, before motioning to the hotel with his head. “But first I want to get cleaned up and eat.”
She hurried after him when he started for the hotel. “You go on ahead. I’m going to fill Bonnie in and I’ll meet you there.”
He slowed, glancing over at the doctor's office. Why did letting her out of his sight feel so wrong? She’d been running around town since yesterday by herself, and he’d had no idea where she’d been. Knowing she was going to the doctor's office should have eased his mind, but it didn’t.
He held her gaze for a long moment, then took in her lovely face. She was staring at him and all it took was one look into her eyes, and he knew. She’s in love with you.
The words whispered inside his head and when she smiled at him, he thought he might be a little in love with her, too.
They weren’t married, and the situation they found themselves in would be difficult to navigate.
It doesn’t have to be.
No, it didn’t. The real question now was…what did he want?
He’d sworn off women for years but he had to admit, being in a fake relationship with Violet had turned his boring life into one he’d admit to enjoying.
Every day had been filled with a tiny bit of excitement, as he never knew what might happen.
If they went back to the way things were, he’d be left alone in his office, staring out the window, watching horses and wagons go by or walking the streets looking for something to take up his time.
With Violet in his life, his future was uncertain and, for once, that didn’t scare the hell out of him.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll meet you in our room.”
He waited when the door to the doctor's office closed behind her and watched her through the window, her smile lighting up her entire face.
His heart gave a tiny clench at the sight of her talking, her hands waving in the air excitedly, and he realized he enjoyed looking at her. Enjoyed talking to her. Kissing her. Touching her.
He also enjoyed the way she looked at him, as if he was the only man in the whole world she wanted.
A smile pulled the corners of his mouth up, and he watched her for a few minutes before turning to the hotel. Once inside, he stopped at the front desk and ordered a bath to be brought up, then requested room service before heading up the stairs to their room, his thoughts still on Violet.
He had a decision to make, one that would change his life forever.
Violet stopped in her tracks as she stepped into their room and saw Josiah still in the tub. Their eyes met from across the room and it only took the sound of someone's voice in the hall to snap her out of her stupor and turn around and shut the door.
“I didn’t think you were coming back.”
His voice was lowered, almost husky in the stillness, and she inhaled a deep breath before turning to face him. “I wanted to give you time to finish your bath.”
There was still steam wafting from the surface of the water. He dunked a washcloth into the depths and twisted the material to get the water out before hanging it on the side of the tub.
“They’re short staffed at the moment so everything is taking longer than expected.”
“I see.”
As hard as she tried to keep her gaze on his face, it wandered to his hairy chest and the bulge of his biceps. Life really was unfair. For a brief moment, all that had been hers. Now, she only had a few memories to try to last her a lifetime.
“How is Archie?”
His question snapped her out of her mute stare and she turned away, heading to the small table by the window. She sat and started removing her boots. “Better,” she said. “The fever is almost gone. He was actually awake when I stopped in.”
“That’s good.”
Kicking her boots under the table, she stretched out her legs and wiggled her toes, slowly glancing up to find Josiah still watching her. His attention would have left her beyond elated a few short weeks ago. Now, it only left her confused and starved for more.
What were they to do now? They weren’t really married.
Not that it mattered. They’d only been pretending to be a couple since Edwin showed up in Silver Falls, so no one back home knew their marriage was anything but real.
In their eyes, they were husband and wife.
If they went home and said the marriage was fake, that the preacher had been fake, they’d just expect them to get married properly and that would be the end of it.
But if they refused, staged a fight like they’d planned to begin with, what would people say?
“You’re thinking too hard.”
She looked up when he spoke.
“You get these little lines between your eyes when you think too much.”
Raising a hand, she touched the skin between her eyes. Sure enough, it was wrinkled. She blew out a breath and lowered her hand. “What are we going to do?”
“About what?”
She flung out a hand and motioned between the two of them. “About us.”
“What about us?”
“Josiah,” she said, exasperated. She stood and walked the space along the foot of the bed. “I mean, when we get back home.”
She walked back, turning when she reached the table before turning again at the door. She paced the floor in short, quick laps while chewing on her bottom lip. “Assuming we get to leave at all. If the sheriff decides to take the word of the lady who said she heard you say you’d kill Edwin, we—”
“—Violet.” She stopped pacing at the sound of his voice and looked over at him. “One day at a time,” he said. “Right now, all I want to do is enjoy my evening and I could do that a lot easier if you weren’t walking a hole through the rugs.”
She blew out a breath. “I can’t help it. The anxiety of all this is getting to me.”
“Then stop thinking about it.”
“How? I can’t ju—”
“—Undress and get in the bath with me.”
She stilled at his words. Did he say what she thought he did?
“The water is still warm.”
He did say it. Her heart started thumping as she stared at him.
Both of them naked in the bath would not be so innocent as them just—bathing. Especially not with the look in his eyes. His head was tilted back, resting on the lip of the tub, his eyelids lowered. He looked completely relaxed and—he was asking her to get into the bath with him.
“Unless you’re scared.”
Scared? Ha! Not even a little. But what would this mean? They weren’t married. If she got in that bath with him…
This might be your last chance to love him.