Joseph agreed. “I missed lunch. I don’t think this will take long.”
Holly and Joseph walked to the sheriff’s office. Neither said anything about Lydia’s situation but talked about their wedding.
“We will have a party after the wedding at the café,” Joseph suggested. “We could hold a reception at the hotel, but I think the café is more suited to us, and if we want, we can sneak up the back stairs to our living quarters.” Joseph winked, and Holly blushed.
“I am not sneaking away anywhere while we have guests,” Holly insisted. “What would people think?”
“That we want to be alone,” Joseph shrugged.
“Exactly, and I’ll not have people stare and whisper about me the next time I see them.” Holly blushed even redder if that were possible.
“Yes, dear,” Joseph said and laughed while patting her arm. “I won’t embarrass you, I promise.”
“Thank you,” Holly said just as they reached the sheriff’s office.
“Ready to face Lydia?” Joseph asked.
“Yes, she needs to hear what I have to say. I hope she agrees to leave town. If not, do you think the sheriff will arrest her?”
“I suppose, but it won’t be good if you don’t want to have her charged. The judge would insist you testify anyway and then it would be out of your hands even if you asked the judge not to send her to prison for abduction. If you refused to testify, you could also be arrested. It depends on what the judge would consider proper punishment.”
Holly shuddered at the thought of Lydia being sent to prison. She couldn’t imagine Lydia would do well, and Holly didn’t want to be responsible for her incarceration.
Joseph opened the door, and Holly entered the sheriff’s office.
“Good evening, Joseph, Miss Martin,” Sheriff Knight greeted. “I’m pleased to see that you’re safe, ma’am. Are you here to see Lydia or give me a statement first?”
“We’d like to see Lydia and then perhaps we can forget all of this the way Holly wants,” Joseph explained. “Holly doesn’t want Lydia to face the consequences for what she did.”
Sheriff Knight raised his eyebrows. “All right, but since a crime has obviously been committed, I need to witness Miss Martin’s discussion with Lydia.”
“That’s agreeable, sheriff,” Holly answered. “I don’t have anything to say to her that you can’t hear. Do you have her in a cell?”
“Yes, but it isn’t locked. Lydia said she felt ill and asked to lay down. Best I could offer was a clean blanket for one of the cell cots. She’s back here,” Sheriff Knight said as he guided Holly into the back of the jail.
Lydia was lying on the cot but sat up as soon as she saw Holly and Joseph enter the cell area. Tears began falling down her cheeks, and she whispered, “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did what I did. I never meant to hurt you. I only wanted you to leave town.”
“Which is exactly what we want, Lydia,” Joseph responded.
Lydia’s eyes flew open wide, and she looked back and forth between Holly and Joseph. “What?”
“Lydia,” Joseph began. “Holly doesn’t want the sheriff to arrest you and send you to prison for abducting her. She’s forgiven you and I might in time, but the best thing for you to do is leave town and go live with your brother. I’ll ask the sheriff to telegraph him immediately, and as soon as we have his reply, I want you on a stage out of town with a promise never to return.”
Lydia nodded, “I can do that. Will you tell my brother what I did?”
“No, you can tell him. I’ll ask David to telegraph that you’ve had a bit of trouble and need to stay with him.”
“Thank you,” Lydia responded and dropped her chin to her chest.
Holly stepped forward. “I just want you to know I forgive you for what you did to me. I’m sure if you go to Oklahoma with a positive spirit, you’ll find someone to spend your life with and be happy.” She then turned and left the cell area and walked out of the sheriff’s office into the cold night.
Joseph joined her a few minutes later and slipped his arm around her. “David will allow Lydia to go home with the provision she remains there until he hears from her brother. She needs to pack her things and prepare for the trip. Until she leaves, I think you should stay with Charity.”
“Oh no,” Holly exclaimed. “If Lydia does something, I don’t want Annie and Ben in danger along with Charity, I’ll be safe at Miss Ruth’s. When I tell her what happened, she’ll be sure to lock all the doors and windows, and my room has a door lock. I won’t be alone. Besides, I do have my gun.”
“It’s a good thing you did have it although I would have found you before you froze, but if I hadn’t come, you would still have been safe. You’re a remarkable woman, Holly,” Joseph admitted as they walked back to the café.
Holly admitted, “Not really. Miss Constance worried about me and bought me the gun. The gun shop owner’s son gave me a few lessons, and I used them today. I wasn’t worried until I couldn’t walk back to town but once I heated her house and made the biscuits, I felt better.”
“I still think you’re remarkable. Get ready to tell your story again. Charity is going to want to hear every detail,” Joseph said when he opened the café door.
The aroma of fried chicken greeted them when they entered the café. Joseph took Holly’s coat and hung it on a hook next to his own before joining Holly and Charity in the kitchen. Charity was busy mashing potatoes as she asked Holly questions about Lydia and her ordeal.
Chapter Twelve
