When West arrived back at the hotel, he knocked before entering. The last thing he wanted to do was barge in on Julia while she was bathing--wife or not.
When Julia opened the door, West was immediately and pleasantly assaulted by the sweet smell of roses and lilacs. As he stepped through the door, he realized the closer he stood to Julia, the more her scent enveloped him. Why did she have to be so lovely? Why couldn’t Archie have hired a homely spinster? West breathed in deeply again and pulled himself back to reality.
“Four telegrams were waiting for us,” West said as he handed Julia the first one. “It seems as if Kate has disappeared into thin air. People saw her around town, and then she was gone, and no one recalls her leaving. She didn’t take the train, rent a horse or buggy, or hire a wagon and driver. At least not that the sheriff could discover. I also spoke to the sheriff here, and he said he hasn’t seen any newcomers matching her description.”
Julia bit her bottom lip and seemed lost in thought before she said, “She must have left town in disguise. If I were her, I’d dress as a man to fit in and leave without drawing any attention to myself.”
West grinned. “You’d never pull it off. You couldn’t hide being a woman under any amount of men’s clothing.”
Julia shot him a look with raised eyebrows, and West lifted his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate. I only meant it’s hard for a woman to hide in men’s clothing. They wouldn’t fit right.”
Julia shook her head. “It isn’t hard. Wear loose old clothes. Bind up what you want smaller and add a little padding where you want to look strong or bulky. Don’t underestimate the female mind.”
West nodded and handed her the second telegram. “The Bishop paid Archie a visit and reiterated that this must be kept as quiet as possible. I still don’t understand the secrecy, but I suppose we’ll find out more when we get to Smiley.”
He continued. “The third telegram is disturbing. Father Dominic was attacked in his church. He’s doing all right, but we need to get to Smiley quickly. I bought tickets for tomorrow morning’s stage.”
“That’s good. We need to leave right away,” Julia agreed. “If Kate found out where he was headed, she might have followed him. If he was attacked once, he’s in danger from another attack.”
“That could be, but the fourth telegram says that Smiley has seen an increase in shady characters in the past several days. No trouble yet, but these guys are just hanging around town,” West told her.
“They are after that ridiculous bounty, I’m sure,” Julia offered. “Wouldn’t it attract all sorts and the worst of the worst in the process?”
“Yeah,” West nodded. “Easy money always attracts the worst sort of person, especially when all they have to do is steal something. For that amount of money, many men wouldn’t stop at killing either. We need to see what’s going on with Father Dominic.”
“Agreed,” Julia said, “but first we need a good supper and some sleep.”
West followed Julia out the door to the dining room where they enjoyed a good meal and whispered about sleeping arrangements until West put his foot down. He insisted that not only was he the head agent on the mission but also her husband and Julia would sleep in the bed.
Julia glared at West but finally agreed that she would for one night, but the next night she would sleep on the floor.
The stage ride to Smiley was a bit rougher than West expected, and he glanced at Julia each time the stage hit a bump or rut in the road. At one deep rut, the coach rocked from side to side, and West reached out and grabbed Julia’s arm to keep her from falling off the seat.
“Thank you,” Julia said as she settled back onto the seat.
West didn’t release Julia’s arm and said, “I better hold onto you for the rest of the ride. I doubt the road is going to get any smoother.”
Julia smiled at West, and part of her wanted to tell him she’d be all right, and part wanted him to keep holding tightly to her arm. The independent woman and the gentile female in her fought, and she decided to let the gentle side win. She enjoyed feeling West close to her.
After several minutes, the road smoothed a bit, and Julia fell asleep. When she leaned toward West and her head snuggled onto his shoulder, he smiled and held her arm a little tighter.
When Julia woke, she sat up straight, quickly trying to disengage her arm from West’s. A blush crawled up her face as she tried to adjust herself in her seat. The elderly woman occupying the seat across from her with a broad grin across her face didn’t help Julia’s embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” Julia stammered. “I never meant to fall asleep and lean against you.”
“No need to apologize,” West assured her. “It didn’t bother me at all,” he said and winked, causing the blush on Julia’s cheeks to deepen.
The elderly woman leaned a bit closer to Julia and said, “It’s nice to see a young couple enjoying each other’s company. Take my advice and remain close all your lives. No matter how old you are, a hug and a kiss can cure a multitude of problems between a husband and wife. I think if you remember that, you’ll also remember the love that brought the two of you together.”
Julia wanted to say it wasn’t love that brought her and West together, but she couldn’t find the words. How did you explain
