Emma Jane’s eyes watered. “I don’t know...”
“Let’s at least try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll find another solution for your family. I refuse to give up, and neither should you.”
Will approached them. “Mrs. Haggerty brought us some food. It’s not much, but along with the leftovers from the picnic, it’ll tide us over until morning.”
“I am hungry.” Emma Jane said. “I haven’t been able to eat all day, on account of being so nervous.”
Will’s smile made it almost impossible for Mary to breathe. “Then go eat. If it’s not enough, let me know. We’re each to have one piece of chicken, and I’m happy to give you mine.”
Didn’t Will know that men needed more food than women? Mary stared at him, and he winked. “I’ll be fine. She looks like she’d have blown away in that storm had it not been for all the people in the wagon.”
Mary turned to reassure Emma Jane, but Emma Jane had already gone. Once again leaving her alone with Will. It wasn’t so much that she worried about what people would say anymore. From the conversation she’d had with Emma Jane, they’d already said plenty.
The worry now was that the more she saw this kind side to Will Lawson, the more she wondered how she was ever going to resist him.
* * *
Will hated interrupting the girls, particularly as he listened to Mary encourage Emma Jane. It again made him wonder how Mary could have played any part in Ben’s actions. Maybe he could contact the sheriff in their old town to see what the connection was. Had Mary simply turned over a new leaf since coming here?
No. As he’d heard Mary tell Emma Jane not to lose hope, he couldn’t believe that. Such conviction was borne of many years of believing in God’s provision. She might not have mentioned Him, but Will could tell by the way she said it, she believed. If only Will could believe for himself in God’s ability. He’d like to believe God was there, but when He allowed such evil as Ben Perry to continue to walk the earth, Will had to wonder if God was active or merely present.
In his line of work, as much as Will hated to admit it, he’d arrested many a churchgoing man. Mary’s faith meant nothing in relation to her culpability for crime. Still, Mary didn’t seem the type. If only she’d talk to him.
But he’d promised to leave it alone—for now.
They watched as Emma Jane joined the others, and when the other girl was out of earshot, Mary turned to him. “You can have some of my chicken if you like. I hate the thought of you going without.”
How could a woman like Mary have associated with Ben Perry? It didn’t add up, and yet he knew he couldn’t push her for the answers he needed.
“I’ll be fine. When we came for help, Mrs. Haggerty wouldn’t let us leave without having a bowl of stew. She’s a good woman. Reminds me a lot of you.”
He shouldn’t have offered such a bold compliment, nor should he have enjoyed her blush so much.
“You shouldn’t say things like that. You don’t even know me.”
“Whose fault is that? Mary, I want to know you. You have been so kind to Emma Jane, a girl everyone else shuns, and when we were in crisis, you stepped up and did what you needed to do. So, give me a chance.”
For a moment, Mary almost looked as if she wanted to say something different. She shook her head slowly. “I want to, but I can’t. There are so many things you don’t know about me, things that would ruin everything.”
She turned to go toward the food line, but Will stopped her. “Weren’t you just telling Emma Jane to have a little faith? Where’s yours?”
Mary’s jaw tensed. “That’s different. Emma Jane hasn’t... That is, she didn’t...” Then Mary sighed. “Well, it’s just different, that’s all.”
Will’s heart sunk at her words, or lack thereof. Her guilty conscience set off all kinds of alarm bells in his head, his heart and, more importantly, in that tender place in his gut.
Mary knew something.
As much as his heart didn’t want to accept it, he even had to wonder if maybe she had been involved. He’d been loath to do it, but it was time to stop thinking only like a man and remember that he was a lawman. He may not have his badge, but he’d taken an oath, and he was going to see to his duty of keeping the world safe. Especially from men like Ben.
When they got back to town, he’d send a telegram to the sheriff in their old town to see what he could find out.
In the meantime, if he could only convince Mary to tell the truth, surely a judge would give her a lighter sentence if she’d be willing to help put Ben behind bars.
He looked at Mary, trying to be as comforting as possible. “Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“I’m sorry.” Mary truly looked regretful. “I can’t. Perhaps when Joseph and Annabelle are back from their honeymoon...”
He should have been pleased at the victory, only he didn’t have the luxury of time. “And in the meantime, who knows what Ben will do. Mary, this is more serious than your pride or your reputation.”
But his words seemed to have no impact on Mary. She gave him a wan smile before brushing off her skirts. “I suppose I should get my share of the meal. You may not be hungry, but I’m starving.”
Will would have liked to have stopped her, but when he turned in the direction of the others, he saw Polly’s watchful eye on them. She seemed determined to pair him with Mary. And every time someone’s tongue got flapping about him
