Page 204 of Conveniently Wed
“Hungry enough to stay awake?”
Leah raised an eyebrow as the heat crept into her cheeks. “I’ll try.”
As they descended the final stairs, the front door opened and the sheriff entered. He removed his hat as soon as he saw them.
“Miss Townsend, yer lookin’ much better this mornin’. Mr. Bryant.” He nodded at Gideon as they both came to stand at the landing.
“Thank you, Sheriff. Everything all right?” Seeing the man brought a flood of memories from yesterday.
“Yes, ma’am. I received a response from my wire to Richmond. The sheriff there confirmed your background. He’s arrested Simon Talbert. For now, he’s holding him for threatenin’ yer life and for payin’ to have you kidnapped. They’re lookin’ into the death of his former wife too. It’s my guess he’ll be hanged before it’s said and done.”
A ball of tension tightened in Leah’s stomach as the man spoke. Was it over? Could things really end this quickly? Why wasn’t she relieved?
Gideon placed a hand at the small of her back as he spoke. “Thank you. That’s the best news you could’ve brought. We were just headed to breakfast, will you join us?”
The man squeezed his hat brim—an uncomfortable action. “No, thank ye. I ate with the boys at the jail. An’ I should prob’ly get back. Got a cell full of prisoners.” His mouth parted to reveal a coffee-stained smile.
“Well, we’re much obliged for the update.” Gideon reached out a hand, and the men shook.
When the door closed behind the sheriff, silence took over the room. Leah turned to look at Gideon, but he was already watching her, raised brows speaking his question before he did.
“You don’t seem as happy as I thought you’d be with that news.” His green eyes were caring, prodding into her soul in a way she couldn’t evade.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. “It’s just that Simon is so well-connected. He could probably buy his way out of jail, or at least send people after me while he’s there.” She tried toresist the panic needling her chest. “And now he’ll have an even stronger motivation to find me—revenge.”
36
She expected to see anger in Gideon’s posture, or protectiveness, orsomething. But his gaze stayed soft. He kept one hand at the small of her back, and with his other, touched her shoulder, trailing his fingers all the way down her arm until he slipped his hand into hers. His warmth left tingles everywhere it touched, and she had to work hard not to shiver.
“Leah.” His voice was deep, husky. “Don’t you think God can take care of you?”
Between his touch and the intensity of his gaze, she was so mesmerized that it took a moment for his words to register. God?
“Of course.” What else could she say? Was this Gideon talking about God? Nothing made sense, and the pull of his touch was almost overwhelming.
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Don’t worry then.”
A door opened behind them, breaking into the spell that ensconced her. As the clerk entered the room, Gideon squeezed her fingers, then released them. He gave her a wink, then turned to nod at the man.
“Morning, Watson.”
They took breakfast at the same little café where they’d eaten dinner the night before. But for some reason, she struggled to carry on a casual conversation. She couldn’t make sense of this new, happier Gideon.
She picked at the eggs on her plate, spearing a few onto her fork. She raised her eyes to sneak a glance at him. He was watching her. When she met his gaze, he didn’t look away, didn’t say anything, but the tips of his mouth quirked upward in a grin. Who was this man?
She scrambled for something to say. Something to break the awkwardness and uncover a hint of the reason for the change in him. “Are you planning to head back up the mountain today?”
His expression turned hard to read. Not the stoic, impassive look he used to wear, but more like he had a secret he wasn’t ready to reveal.
“Maybe. Not sure yet.”
She couldn’t hold his gaze any longer, so she dropped her focus back to the food on her plate. She took a bite of the eggs. They were lukewarm now, not appealing with the knot in her stomach. She tried the fried potatoes. They were probably good, but she really had no appetite. She set her fork on the plate and leaned back in her chair.
Gideon was still watching her. He raised a brow. “You get enough to eat?”
She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. Why was she so nervous? “Yes, thank you.”
He flashed a dimple. “Good. I was hoping you’d like to take a walk.”
