“You know that, and so do I, but West is still confused.”
Father Dominic looked up when he heard the church’s door open and smiled when he saw Julia enter with Meg.
“I wasn’t sure what you were planning to do when you left, but I prayed whatever it was that it worked. It seems my prayers were answered. Welcome, Meg. I’m pleased to see you here,” Father Dominic said.
Meg nodded and wrapped West’s coat tighter around her slim shoulders and said, “thank you, but what do I do now.”
“Now, you sit and let me get you a blanket to cover with,” Father Dominic instructed before he hurried to his office, returning with a warm wool blanket.
Julia asked, “Can Meg stay here until we can get her back home?”
“Of course. The church can offer sanctuary to any soul in need, but from what I know of the town, it would be beneficial to help her leave as soon as possible.”
“We can do that,” Julia said. “Will you stay here with her now while West and I return to our room and get some clothes for Meg. They burned all her things.”
“I assure you she’ll be safe with me. When you leave, I’ll lock the doors, and while I do my best to spread love and kindness, I was given a rifle when I left New Mexico for the ride here, and I have kept it. Protection is also important.”
Julia smiled at the kindly priest and hurried off with West to find some suitable clothing for Meg. On the walk back to the hotel, West tried to get Julia to understand they didn’t have time to help every lost soul she found.
“Our cover is that we’re newlyweds and are taking a wedding trip. Who comes to someplace like Smiley and stays for any length of time on their wedding trip? Staying here to help Meg gives us an excuse to be here, and we’ll have time to investigate,” Julia explained.
Before West could utter a word, Julia smiled and added, “Stick with me, and you’ll learn something.” She winked at West and continued walking toward the hotel, leaving him speechless for the third time that day.
Chapter 9
West watched Julia fill a small traveling bag and asked, “Does she need all of that?”
“Of course, she does. Did you see what she’s wearing? She can’t go out in public dressed that way, and we can’t send her home without some clothes. I have more back in Denver and can always buy a few new dresses and underthings. You’ll need to measure her feet. They look bigger than mine, and she’ll need you to get her a pair of boots,” Julia explained as she closed the bag.
“Julia, we’re not adopting that girl,” West asserted.
Julia spun to look at West with her fists on her hips. “Haven’t you ever done anything for someone because they needed it? You don’t need a reason.”
“Well, yeah, I have.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know,” West answered. “We’re on a case.”
“And Father Dominic is a big part of that case. Right now, he’s also caring for a girl in trouble. It’s what he does. We can do both. Help Father Dominic help Meg and find Kate Mulligan.”
West shrugged. “You’re right.” He stopped talking and stared at Julia.
“What,” she asked.
“Nothing. Sometimes I’m not sure what to say to you.”
Julia laughed. “That’s a male problem, not just yours. Come on, let’s get these clothes for Meg back to the church and start the plan to find Kate.”
West and Julia found Father Dominic sitting in the front pew with his head bowed in prayer. Meg was nowhere to be seen.
Julia rushed forward and asked, “Where’s Meg? They didn’t come and force her back to the boarding house, did they?”
“No, no, she’s all right. She was tired, and I sent her to my office to sleep. I told you I would keep her safe.”
“I know,” Julia said, lowering her eyes in embarrassment. “It’s only that some of those men might be angry and come to try and take her.”
“Julia,” Father Dominic said softly. “I understand your concern, but I have found that most men, even the ones with terrible reputations, have some respect for the church and it’s ministers. There will always be some that don’t care who they hurt in the pursuit of what they want, but I have faith that God will protect both Meg and me from that type of man.”
“I do, too, Father. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to doubt you,” Julia said.
“Don’t concern yourself, my child. You have a job to do, and I don’t want your mind on Meg and her safety when you need to worry about your own.”
Julia nodded, and West said. “Can you draw another map from memory?”
“I’m sure I can,” responded Father Dominic. “But all the land looked familiar, and I’m not sure if I’ll remember where the map began unless I ride back down the trail out of town.”
“Why is that?” Julia asked.
“On my way here, I kept wondering how I would keep the chest safe. I took the train to Cheyenne and then instead of taking the stage, I bought a horse and rode here. I didn’t think I would draw much attention that way. I wasn’t sure where I was and passed a couple in a wagon and asked how far I was from Smiley’s station. They said about a mile.”
Father Dominic stood and paced back and forth for a few moments deep in thought before continuing.
“I thought a mile would be far enough to hide the chest safely and close enough to the church for me to ride and get the chest when needed. I saw the hills in the distance and rode toward them. About two miles from the road, I rode down a shallow arroyo and found a small cave opening. The cave is large inside, and I thought it would be a good place to hide
