Page 63 of A Soft Kiss in Summer
She thought back to the conversation.That was after he’d seen the bruises in the hotel restaurant.She’d had to run to catch up with him.
Her eyes widened when she recalled the conversation.He’d been so angry and ready to confront Edwin about it.And she remembered the lady who had stared at them as they fussed back and forth with each other.Was she the one who accused Josiah of killing Edwin?And if so, why?He hadn’t said those words at all.
Had he?“This is such a mess.”
“It is,” he agreed.“Now please do as I said and go find Bonnie.I need to know you’re safe.”
That look in his eyes was the one she usually saw there when they talked about their fake marriage.It was fear and for a brief moment while they lay in bed, he’d lost it.Now it was back.
She wasn’t going to be the reason he regretted consummating their marriage, and nodded her head at him.“All right.I’ll go, but I’ll just be down the street.We’ll find a way out of this.”
“I know we will.”To her amazement, he leaned in through the bars as best he could and kissed her.It wasn’t the deep soul-stealing kisses from before, but it was just as sweet.
She left without looking back, knowing it would be harder to leave if she did and hurried to the doctor's office.Bonnie was asleep sitting up in the chair by the wall when she came in but jostled awake when the door shut harder than she intended it to do.
Bonnie sat up straight, her eyes widening when she looked at her.“That look on your face says somethings happened.What is it?”
Violet leaned back against the wall and shut her eyes, willing her frazzled nerves to calm.When she knew she could speak without getting hysterical, she opened them and glanced at Archie.He was sleeping and lowered her voice an octave when she said, “Josiah’s been arrested for killing Edwin.”
It’s funny how life constantly throws you for loops.He’d finally told Violet about Ruth the night before, hoping by letting her know why he didn’t want a real marriage that she’d let the whole thing drop, to waking up and finding her gone and being in a panic when a bullet hit the wall beside her head, to finally realizing life with her would be worth the struggle, to this.
Sitting in a jail cell accused of murdering a man that started this entire whirlwind of events.
He stared out the window across from him and watched shadows pass by it before finally turning to sit on the lone cot in the cell.
The sheriff and his deputies had left not long after Violet had and he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d done as he’d asked her to or if she was even now running around town, doing who knew what.
He rubbed a hand over his face and lay back on the bed, crossing his arms under his head and stared at the ceiling.It didn’t take much to let his mind wander to earlier, to the feel of Violet underneath him, and he felt like such a cad.
He should have taken his time and bedded her properly.Stripped her naked and worshipped her like she deserved.
You’ll have time for that later.
He hoped.
He lost track of time, his thoughts going back to every encounter with Violet since she’d run from Edwin in Silver Falls to when she’d lied and told the man he was her fiancé.He couldn’t think of a single moment he regretted.
Was he happy she’d lied to the man and dragged him into her drama?
No, but he wasn’t mad about the outcome.Not really.He had a beautiful woman who wanted him, who was half in love with him if he believed what Ewan had said, and for once, the overwhelming fear he felt when thinking of marriage didn’t consume his thoughts.Violet did, more often then not, and once he got this mess cleared up, he was going to take her back home, to that broken down little house on the outskirts of town, and start a life with her.
That is if they didn’t hang him first.He knew how outlaw justice worked in smaller towns.He’d been in enough of them to know fair trials didn’t always happen.
Despite Violet thinking this was a misunderstanding that would be sorted out sooner rather than later, he knew he’d be lucky to make it out of this alive.
ChapterNineteen
Violet’s throat was dry by the time she’d told Bonnie everything that had happened.She left out the lie she’d told Edwin to begin with, that Josiah had asked her to marry him.She didn’t know Bonnie that well.Besides, everyone in Silver Falls knew what Bonnie did behind closed doors.Archies’ wife or not, the woman earned her money on her back.She didn’t know her, or trust her, with the complete truth, so she told her what she needed to know and nothing more.
“What will you do now?”Bonnie asked.
Violet blew out a breath and gathered her hair, twisting it into a coil before throwing it over her shoulder.“I don’t know.Find the woman who claimed she heard Josiah say he’d kill Edwin, I suppose.”
“And if you can’t find her?”
She shrugged.She wasn’t sure what to do, truth be told.She still wasn’t convinced Edwin was dead.They hadn’t let her see him and until she did, she wouldn’t believe he was gone.
She looked toward the door to the doctor's private residence.“Do you suppose they’ll bring Edwin here?”
