Carol Cox (31 page)

M
elanie wound her hair into a coil and pushed the hairpins into place. She leaned closer to the oak-framed dresser mirror and ran a fingertip along the puffiness under her eyes, still there after a good night’s sleep.

Out of habit, she’d awoken as usual at first light, but remembering Caleb’s insistence that she sleep in that morning, she’d pulled the covers over her head and sunk back into slumber. She hadn’t stirred again until the sun was past its zenith.

At least she had been able to wake up. A shudder rippled through her at the thought of the time she’d spent with Doc in the cave, wondering if she would ever see another dawn. Bruises marred her arms where Doc’s fingers had dug into her shoulders, and her body bore a multitude of scrapes and scratches from being dragged across the ground. It would be days before the marks on her cheeks from the pressure of Doc’s hand faded. But those reminders of her ordeal would disappear in time. She had lived through it, and that was what mattered.

That, and whatever the future might hold for her and Caleb. She would never forget the sight of him standing before her when she made her desperate escape from the cave. And now he would be waiting downstairs.

She took her time descending the stairs, realizing afresh how sore her muscles were. When she reached the bottom step, she heard a voice call out, “There she is!”

Melanie looked up to see a crowd of people congregated in the mercantile, stretching from the counter over to the far wall . . . and all of them looking at her.

When Caleb stepped toward her, she whispered, “What’s going on?”

He smiled. “It’s been like this all day. As soon as the news about Doc got around, people started pouring in here, all of them asking about you. Some of them have been waiting for more than an hour to see you.”

Andrew Bingham grinned. “We needed to see for ourselves you were all right. Caleb made us keep quiet so we wouldn’t wake you up.”

Someone cleared his throat loudly. The crowd parted to allow Mayor Pike and his wife to make their way through.

The mayor cleared his throat again. “Miss Ross, it appears this town owes you a debt of gratitude for bringing the truth to light and helping to bring a perfidious villain to justice.”

Melanie nodded her thanks, not sure what to say.

Mrs. Pike fastened her gaze on the top of Melanie’s head, not quite meeting her eyes. “I’d like your assistance with a number of items I plan to order. I’ll be back in to discuss them when you’ve had a chance to recuperate.”

Melanie watched with a faint smile as the mayor’s wife swept out of the store beside her husband, knowing that
was the closest thing to an apology she was ever likely to get from Ophelia Pike.

A buzz of conversation sprinkled with laughter swept over the crowd, giving the gathering a festive air. Melanie looked around, marveling at the number of visitors to the store. She nudged Caleb. “Have they just come to say hello, or are they buying anything?”

His delighted grin answered her even before he spoke. “If sales keep on going as well as they have today, we’ll make up for the business we lost by the end of the month.”

Melanie breathed a happy sigh. “So maybe we won’t lose all our customers to O’Shea, after all.”

Micah cleared his throat and nodded toward the door. “Speaking of O’Shea . . .”

The owner of the emporium made his way through the crowd and took a stance in front of Melanie and Caleb. He kept his eyes fixed on the floor. “Miss Ross. Caleb.”

Melanie drew nearer to Caleb, who circled his right arm around her.

“Afternoon, O’Shea,” he said.

The skinny man slapped his hat against his leg, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I just want to say—I’m sorry for what happened yesterday.” He risked a glance up at them. “Having the tables turned on me that way, when everyone thought I was the one trying to scare you into leaving town, kinda woke me up. It brought me up short to realize I’d been so intent on getting all the business in town for myself, I didn’t realize the kind of trouble I might be stirring up for the two of you.”

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I’d like a chance to do
better.” He held out a tentative hand. “Do you think there’s room enough for both of us in this town?”

Caleb gripped the other man’s hand without hesitation. “I’m sure there is. I’m more than willing to get along, Thomas. I’d much rather have you as a friend than as an enemy.”

A quick grin flitted across O’Shea’s face, and he ducked his head in a brief nod. “Thanks, Caleb. It feels good to clear the air.” He shuffled his feet and then added, “Well, I’d better get back to my store. Good day to you both.” He turned and made his way to the door, pausing to give them a brief smile as he went out.

A series of customers lined up at the counter, and Caleb went to take care of them. Melanie turned to see Will and the Professor approaching.

The Professor sketched a little bow, his black suit and cravat as tidy as ever. “From what Will tells me, you showed a remarkable amount of wit and courage yesterday. I hope this dreadful experience hasn’t soured you on the West. It would be an honor to have you remain in our midst.”

“I don’t have any plans to leave.” Melanie smiled at the Professor, thinking of the town, the store, and the dear people she had gotten to know since coming to Cedar Ridge. And Caleb. God truly had taken her frightful situation with the Deavers and turned it around for her good. She couldn’t imagine being happy anyplace else.

Will tilted his hat back on his head and smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

The bell jingled, and Mrs. Fetterman pushed her way into the room. When she spotted Melanie, she waved and hurried over to enfold her in a tight hug. “Oh, my dear! What a horrible time you’ve been through.”

She held up a plate and beamed. “Look, I brought you some of my raspberry torte to celebrate your rescue. Two pieces this time,” she added with a grin.

Melanie felt her mouth water at the sight of the delectable pastry. Without a moment’s thought, she picked up the nearest slice and finished it off in three quick bites. Mrs. Fetterman chuckled, and Melanie’s cheeks flamed. “I didn’t mean to gobble it up like that. I think you’d better take Caleb’s slice to him before I completely lose control.”

“Mrs. Fetterman!” Caleb hailed her from the counter. He reached underneath and held up a parcel. “This package arrived for you this morning.”

The gray-haired woman clapped her hands and hurried over to the counter. She took off the paper in one swipe and crowed, “It’s my new spectacles!” Taking off the old pair, she set the new ones in place, hooking the side pieces over her ears.

Melanie grinned at Caleb, enjoying the older woman’s eagerness.

Mrs. Fetterman turned around and let her gaze travel over the store.

“Well,” Melanie said, “what do you think?”

Mrs. Fetterman’s voice held a note of awe. “I had no idea how much difference a new pair could make. When I think what I’ve been missing . . .” She grinned up at Melanie. “I guess now I’ll be able to read labels for myself.”

Melanie bent and gave the older woman a quick hug. “I’ll still be here to help out anytime you need me.”

Mrs. Fetterman nudged Melanie’s arm and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I didn’t miss everything, though. I was right, wasn’t I.”

Melanie tilted her head, puzzled.

Mrs. Fetterman’s eyes twinkled. “About the way Caleb looks at you. It didn’t take a new pair of specs to see that. He’s doing it right now.”

Melanie laughed and felt a blush color her cheeks. Her laughter faded when she saw Marshal Hooper winding his way through the crowd to stand before her.

Melanie’s heart constricted. The sight of the lawman brought back the memory of the previous day’s ordeal, flooding her with emotion. She wondered how long it would be before she was free of that nightmare.

The marshal took off his hat and nodded to her and Caleb, then glanced around the store. “I wanted a word with the two of you, but I didn’t count on the whole town being here. Is there any place we can go to talk in private?”

When Caleb hesitated, Will stepped forward. “Go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on things and call you if you’re needed.”

Caleb nodded his thanks, then led Melanie and the marshal back to the mercantile office.

The marshal turned his hat in his hands. “Now that the storm has passed, I’m getting ready to take Doc over to Prescott. He’ll stay in the jail there until he stands trial for murder. He’ll be charged with the deaths of Cecilia, Charley and Lucas Weber, and your uncle Alvin. Not to mention the attempted murder of Miss Ross.”

“Will we have to testify at the trial?” Caleb asked. “I don’t like the idea of putting Melanie through that.”

Melanie’s eyes widened. Once they’d made their way back to town—crossing Walnut Creek only moments before a wall of water came rushing down the streambed—Caleb and Will had delivered Doc Mills to the marshal, and Melanie felt like a chapter of her life had closed. The thought of
having to relive it all again, in public and before a group of strangers, brought back all the dark emotions she wanted to forget.

The marshal shook his head. “I don’t expect we’ll need you there. The court might send someone over to take an affidavit, but this trial is going to be more a formality than anything. Doc gave me a full confession after you brought him in last night.”

“So easily?” Surprise sharpened Melanie’s voice. A forthright admission of his guilt seemed at odds with the man who had gone to such lengths to conceal his crimes.

“It was that letter from Mrs. Weber that did the trick. That, and the photograph. Once I showed those to him, he broke down and owned up to everything.”

“What was in that letter?” The curiosity in Caleb’s tone matched Melanie’s own desire to know the rest of the story. “You said you’d fill us in on that later.”

Marshal Hooper leaned back against the edge of the desk. “You already know about Cecilia Weber’s death.”

Melanie nodded. “But just that she was killed, not how or why it happened. The newspaper article was so blurred, we couldn’t make out any of the details.”

“It happened nearly seven years ago,” the marshal said. “Miss Weber and Doc—who was going by another name at the time—were engaged to be married.”

“Engaged!” Melanie felt the air whoosh out of her lungs.

“But she broke it off just before their wedding date. Turns out she found out about Doc’s drinking, and it gave her second thoughts. Then she turned around and accepted another man’s proposal, one of Doc’s good friends.”

Caleb grunted. “That would be hard for a man to take.”

The lawman nodded. “Especially someone who’d been diving into the bottle. Outwardly, Doc seemed to take it with good grace, but inside, he was looking for a way to get even. He found his chance when they were all at a dinner party one evening, and he managed to catch her alone outside. When the other guests heard screaming, they rushed outdoors and saw Doc running away. They found Cecelia’s body in the garden. Her neck had been snapped.”

“How awful!” Melanie exchanged a look of horror with Caleb and put her hand to her throat. How easily the same thing could have happened to her!

Caleb cleared his throat. “From what little we could read of the article, it sounded like Doc got away.”

“That’s what Mrs. Weber’s letter said. By the time they started after him, he had just enough of a head start to grab a horse and get out of town. He managed to lose the posse, and he’s been on the run ever since.”

Caleb ran his fingers through his hair. “What about Charley? Are you saying he just happened upon Doc while he was visiting my uncle here?”

The marshal shook his head. “Lydia Weber said she was going through her husband’s papers and came across a letter written to him by his brother. He told Lucas he’d met a soldier on leave from Fort Verde who talked about a lush of a doctor, as he put it, in the neighboring town. Charley thought it was worth checking into and told his brother he might be on the trail of the snake who had killed his niece. He said a couple of old pards of his lived in Cedar Ridge, so no one would suspect the real reason for his visit. He promised to keep Lucas posted and let him know what he found out.”

“But he didn’t,” Melanie said softly.

“He may not have had time,” the marshal said. “Once he took sick, he needed medical attention, so Alvin and George called in the only doctor in town. Doc recognized the Weber name right off, of course. He didn’t know Charley was on his trail, and he hoped he wouldn’t be recognized after all those years, but he didn’t want to take any chances.”

Caleb picked up the story. “Then when Uncle Alvin had his suspicions about Charley’s death, Doc decided to take care of him, too.”

The marshal nodded. “He seemed to think that one more murder would keep him from being caught. Then Lucas rode into town. Doc was just coming home from another session at the Silver Moon, and he recognized him at once. Weber must have been heading to the back door to rouse your uncle when Doc caught up with him.”

They were silent a moment, then Caleb spoke. “Did he happen to mention whether he’d been leaving threatening notes around the store?”