Page 89 of Conveniently Wed
“You’re afraid of letting me in—and that’s a fool thing to be, because I’m here and I’m…”
She stopped.
She’d almost blurted,I’m in love with you.
But she couldn’t give that to him, couldn’t declare her love when he was standing stone-still, silent, determined not to let her in.
“I won’t hurt you,” she said instead.
And she waited.
He assessed her in silence, for a long time, and she began to hope.
But he only said, “I’ve got to spell John with the cattle. Seb will be here shortly. Tell Emma to keep that weapon close. I don’t want any surprises.”
And gave her a nudge toward the wagon.
She was blinded by tears as she fumbled her way into the covered space.
Emma was there, holding on to her. Comforting her. She should have been doing that for her younger sister instead.
She didn’t have any hope left. Edgar had taken it all with his callousness, with his refusal to believe that she was more than her circumstances.
What now?
Emma would have her happy ending, but for Fran only darkness remained.
Edgar made his way back to his horse, chest hot like he had a spike of fire through his sternum.
There was a reason he’d wanted to be far away from Fran.
Seeing her tears, her face white in the moonlight, pleading.
It was enough to give a man permanent heartburn.
How could he trust a woman like her? He couldn’t. Running away made her look guilty. The presence of the federal marshal compounded it.
If she was innocent, why all the hullabaloo?
He knew the story of how the insane man who’d become obsessed with Penny had attempted to get Penny’s pa out of the way and tried to kidnap her as well, but what if this situation wasn’t the same?
He didn’t know anymore.
And he had a job to do.
He passed Seb on his way to the wagon to guard the girls. Edgar would spell John and at least two of their guys could get an hour or so of rest.
Edgar wouldn’t sleep anyway.
The cattle were edgy, restless when he took a slow circle around the herd. He ranged out further but didn’t come across any of Underhill’s men.
Then a bunch of coyotes started yipping off in the distance and he thought that was probably what had the cattle spooked. It didn’t take much.
He warned the other riders and then spelled John. He ground-tied his horse and walked a bit, swinging his arms to create some warmth in the cooling night air.
The girls would be all right.
He’d take Emma home to his ma and…then what? How would he explain that he had a wife but she was in custody of a federal marshal, awaiting trial?
