With that last sentence, Jasper’s voice lost its solemnity and returned to the old Jasper Will had known. The accompanying wink told Will Jasper was going to be all right.
That Mary had played such a role didn’t surprise Will. In fact, it served to grow his admiration for her. If only she would trust him enough to be an ally against Ben. Surely Mary had more sense than what he’d witnessed Daisy possessing. Despite his vows not to compare the women, he was beginning to wonder if perhaps he should. Mary wasn’t the same woman as Daisy. She was a stronger, much more rational woman. If only Will understood her connection to Ben. That was the only area in which he could accuse Mary of being completely clueless.
“Speaking of Mary...” Jasper’s voice almost matched that of the silly girls he’d so recently put down. “You two seem awfully close for her only to be part of a case you’re working on.”
Trust Jasper to know the leaning of his thoughts. He’d make a good investigator, and if he weren’t the sole heir to a large banking fortune, Will could see Jasper having a promising career in law enforcement.
“We’re—” Could he venture so far as to call Mary his friend? In other company, he’d do no such thing. He wouldn’t dare risk a stain on her reputation. But this was Jasper.
“I don’t know,” Will said instead. Probably the closest to the truth if he knew what that truth was. “I need her help, but she won’t talk to me about Ben Perry. I find that the more time I spend with her...”
He glanced in the direction of the hotel. If he had to be honest, he’d say that he enjoyed her company, and not just because he hoped to get information from her. Mary Stone was a good woman. He admired her. He respected her.
“You’re falling in love with her, aren’t you?”
Will’s head whipped around at Jasper’s question. “I can’t afford to fall in love with anyone.”
He knew he was wrong to keep bouncing back and forth in his opinion about comparing the two women. But he’d tried love once, and all it had done was leave him gut-shot and badgeless.
“Didn’t you just tell me that I was going to have to marry sometime?”
Before Will could answer, Jasper nodded slowly. “You’re like my father, then. You don’t think love and marriage have anything to do with one another.” He let out a long sigh. “Perhaps it’s just as well. My mother’s old school friend has a daughter of marriageable age coming to visit next week. She’s been hoping for a match between the two of us. I suppose it’s time I resigned myself to my fate.”
Jasper turned and started toward the house. Will wanted to call out to him and tell him that Jasper had misinterpreted his words. True, he did not believe in the power of love, but neither was Will willing to accept a marriage based on someone else’s wishes. Which was why Will had determined never to marry.
These thoughts, however, seemed more appropriate for the giggling young women Will and Jasper so disdained. Love and marriage. Subjects they were ill-suited to manage. Jasper had the family business to carry on, and of course he’d need sons. But Will had no legacy to pass on, other than that of a disgraced lawman.
Yes, it was best for Will to never marry. To not examine any positive feelings toward Mary. He’d do what he could to foster a cooperative relationship with her so that he could put this case with Ben Perry to bed, and then he’d move on.
Chapter Twelve
From the moment Mary left the bathhouse to return to the main hotel, she knew that she wasn’t going home soon. It wasn’t just the tiny snowflakes that had seemed to appear out of nowhere, but also the way the wind had suddenly picked up and begun whipping down the mountain. Colorado weather. She still hadn’t yet gotten used to the fact that it could go from sunny and warm to ice-cold in minutes.
She entered the house just in time to see Mrs. Haggerty bundling up. “Have to get back to the ranch before the weather gets too miserable. There’s stock to feed, and Lord knows what else will be coming our way. By the way Josiah’s knee is paining him, it’s a bad storm coming.”
Not comforting words. As much as Mary would like the other woman to stay, she understood the obligations of home and family. Obligations Mary would be shirking for a while longer.
“Safe journey home.” Mary hugged Mrs. Haggerty. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
Mrs. Haggerty gave a short nod. “It was nothing. Where would we be if we didn’t offer hospitality to our fellow man?”
Her words sounded something like what Polly’s ma, Gertie, would say. For the first time since they’d begun their adventure on what was supposed to be a simple trip to the Soda Springs, Mary missed home. Though her siblings’ squabbles often got the best of Mary’s nerves, they were nothing compared to being stuck in a barn with a bunch of cranky overindulged misses. And though she liked Emma Jane well enough, she didn’t have the same jolly constitution Polly usually did. Plus, she’d gotten used to Nugget snuggled tight against her as she slept every night.
Perhaps having this time away was exactly what Mary had needed to appreciate her family. These feelings would bolster her courage when it waned due to the children’s misbehavior. She’d need it for the lonely nights when she might have been tempted to question her penance.
Mary gave Mrs. Haggerty another hug. “Promise you’ll call on us when you come to
