Lies. All of them. And as the memory of Will’s persecution in Century City flowed through his brain, he knew that Ben would ruin Jasper’s good name. He’d marry either Mary or Rose, and do away with the other, enabling himself to lay claim to a hefty fortune.
Why did God allow such evil to exist? And why couldn’t Will have found the courage to have shot Ben when he’d had a chance? Fair fight or no, this man deserved to die.
Unbidden, a verse about trusting the Lord with all your heart ran through Will’s brain. Could he trust in the Lord enough to let the chips, as they were, fall? Would letting the Lord have control of the situation impact the outcome?
Will took a deep breath. Lord, I know we haven’t exactly been on the best of terms. I’ve blamed You and denied You, and tried taking matters into my own hands. But in all my chasing of Ben, none of it has done a lick of good. No one’s believed me. There’s a dirty sheriff on Ben’s side. The room is full of gunslingers who shoot for the fun of making a kill.
I can’t do this on my own.
The heaviness pressing on Will’s chest lifted. Yet no angels burst through the ceiling, or even through the door. No, Ben still stood before him, eying Rose and Mary as if they were as scrumptious as the wedding cake that was supposed to be served at Jasper’s reception.
“So what’s it going to be, ladies? Which of you lovely creatures will love, honor and, most importantly, obey me?”
“Neither!”
In a movement that could have only been planned, Mary grabbed a kerosene lamp from a nearby table as Rose did the same. Mary tossed hers at Ben, and Rose aimed straight for Rusty.
The result was chaos. Giving Jasper and Will enough time to reach the girls, then run through the door.
Ben let out a howl, and Will didn’t need to look back to know he was hot on their tail.
Hot being the operative word as they ran down the hallway and flames followed. The room shouldn’t have caught fire from those two lamps, but as a loud boom sounded behind them, Will realized there must have been some other explosives in the room, ignited by the smaller fire.
Whatever it was, they weren’t safe in this building. Nor was anyone else.
Will grabbed Mary’s hand, pulling her behind him as they headed for the stairs leading to the exit.
“Fire,” he yelled, hoping that the inhabitants of the other rooms would hear him in time.
As they reached the stairs, Will noticed US marshal Dean Whitaker standing on the landing, looking ready for a fight. It figured he would show up at some point or another. The marshal had been trailing Ben almost as long as Will had...but now was not the time to think about such things. Another boom sounded from the room they’d just escaped.
“Arrest them,” Ben shouted. “All of them. Those crazy women are trying to burn the place down.”
“No time!” Will kept moving forward. “We have to get all these people out of here!”
The air was so thick with smoke that it was a wonder any of them were able to yell at all. Doors flew open, and people, mostly half-dressed, poured out of the rooms.
In the melee, they were able to get past the marshal and even slow up Ben. Too many people wanted to escape the impending disaster.
“Don’t give up!”
Will turned to see Jasper tugging at Rose. Mary turned as well, moving in their direction.
“We have to keep going. You have to keep going.” He stared at Mary for a brief moment, long enough to hopefully instill the sense of danger they faced, but not so long as to lose himself in those eyes. Face streaked with sweat and soot, Mary Stone was still the loveliest woman he’d ever beheld.
And the smartest.
“We’ll never make it through the door,” Mary said instead. “The crowd is already too thick.”
She was right. Mary pointed to a window.
He didn’t need further encouragement to head in that direction. Jasper followed, pulling Rose, who seemed to find the strength to carry on at the sight of the freedom so close.
Will picked up a chair and hurled it through the window. He started to help Mary out, but she looked in her sister’s direction. “Get Rose first. She’s coughing a lot.”
Rose had grown pale and, just as Mary said, was coughing, struggling to breathe in all of the smoke. “I didn’t mean for it to cause such a terrible fire,” she said between gasps.
“No time for that.” Will picked her up and lifted her through the window. “Be careful of the glass.”
After making sure Rose made it to the ground safely, Will turned to Mary. “Your turn.”
Over Mary’s shoulder, Will noticed that the marshal had gotten trapped underneath a fallen beam. Though the marshal cried for help, no one stopped, as they were all too busy trying to save their own lives.
“Jasper,” he said, turning to his friend. “The marshal’s stuck. Let’s get Mary out and then try to help him.”
Jasper gave a quick nod of his head, as though he’d been thinking the same thing. Will lifted Mary.
“Let me stay and help.”
“No. Tend to your sister.”
He didn’t let Mary argue further as he guided her through the window. There’d be time enough for that later.
“Go to my house,” Jasper said, leaning out the window. “Father has men he can send, and the doctor is next door. Besides, it’s closer than the parsonage.”
Mary nodded. She looked as if she wasn’t going to obey, but as her sister started coughing again, Mary took her sister’s arm and tugged her down the street.
At least Mary was safe, and Will wouldn’t have to worry about her. But as another beam crashed down in front of them, Will had to wonder if his nobility had been nothing but suicide.
Chapter Twenty-Three
What had Mary been thinking, letting Will and Jasper
