Joline's Redemption (7 page)

“Your sister is nice,” Sarah said behind Jo's back.

Flipping over, Jo faced her in the bed they shared. “Yes, Lara has always been nice.” Except when she was pushing Jo to do her chores or help more. Still … in all fairness, now that she'd been married—sort of—and had become a mother, she'd learned how much was involved in keeping a home and raising a child.

“Why did you leave, then?”

“Well, for one thing, she lived in a dugout at the time.”

“What is wrong with dugout?”

“Oh … they smell, bugs and snakes fall out of the ceiling and onto you, rain sometimes leaks in—lots of things.”

“She has nice house now. Will you stay?”

Jo thought for a moment of all the reasons to say no. “I don't know. Until we get some more money, we can't afford to go anywhere else, but I worry that this isn't far enough away from Badger.”

“He will come.”

Jo felt the same way. Sooner or later, Badger was sure to find them. The man was tenacious, if nothing else. If it had only been Jo who left, he might not search so hard, but she'd taken Sarah. And she had a feeling he wouldn't give up until he found the girl. Knowing that gave her the answer she needed. She must risk going to town to look for work. It was the only way she knew to get the funds they needed to get away.

Lara wouldn't be happy seeing her leave again, but it seemed Jo's lot in life was to disappoint her sister.

Lara stared at Jo, her arms crossed. “I don't understand why you feel you must get a job.”

Jo attempted to stand still in the face of her sister's confusion, but her feet insisted on moving. Lara was always nice, but Jo still felt belittled, even though she knew it wasn't her sister's intent.

“I can't explain it, but just accept the fact that I do.”

“You can stay with us for as long as you wish. You won't lack for anything here. Gabe has done well in the ranching business and has even bought out several of our neighbors so that he could have more land. We have the funds to buy whatever you all need.”

“Maybe I don't want you providing for me. Have you considered that?” The words came out harsher than she intended.

Lara winced. “I, of all people, understand how hard it is to let others help you. I nearly chased Gabe off because I didn't want his help in the beginning.” She glanced down and ran a hand over her swollen belly. “Just think of all I'd have missed if he hadn't been so stubborn and persistent.”

Jo thought of all the pain she would have avoided if she had listened to her sister before she ran away from home when she was only sixteen, but still … “If you have to know, I fear someone is after us. I need to get Sarah away from Oklahoma and somewhere safe.”

Lara's eyes widened. “Who is after her?”

“I can't tell you that.”

“Why not? You should describe the man to Gabe so he and the ranch hands can watch for him and make sure he doesn't harm Sarah.”

The girl wasn't the one Badger would seek to harm. Jo gritted her teeth, remembering the first beating he gave her. “At least now you understand why I have to find employment.”

“As I said before, if it's money you need, we can give it to you, although I'm not ready to lose you again.”

Her sister's comment touched a lonely spot deep within Jo, but she wouldn't accept money, even from her sister. “I appreciate your offer, although I'm sure you know I can't take it. I'm going to town, but I'll be back by supper. Do you want me to pick up anything while I'm there?”

Lara sighed. “I suppose you could get some flannel for diapers. I should have more for the new baby, and Jamie could also use some.”

“That's a good idea. Washing them every day gets tiring.”

“I remember those days when Michael was a baby.” Lara smiled. “Why don't you also pick out some fabric for a couple of dresses for Sarah, as well as undergarments?”

“She does need some clothing. There wasn't time—” Jo bit her lip, knowing she'd almost revealed something she didn't want to.

Lara frowned but thankfully didn't interrogate her. “Just put those things on our tab at the mercantile. And don't worry about Jamie or Sarah. I'll see to them. Be careful, and make sure to be home well before dark. Not everyone is nice, although most folks are. And I know you're not too familiar with the area.”

“I didn't have any trouble finding my way here. I recognized certain landmarks.”

Lara smiled and touched Jo's arm. “I'm glad. It's so good to have you here with us.”

“Thank you for being so generous.” Her sister had always been kind, but Jo had been blind to her benevolence when they lived together before. Maybe she'd grown up in more than one way.

Three days after her arrival at Lara's, Jo rode into Guthrie on one of Gabe's saddle horses. She'd chosen to leave Badger's horse hidden in the barn. The town was bigger, but the original wooden buildings not painted had grayed and lost that fresh-scented newness. And now there were numerous buildings made from brick. Guthrie had been a brand-new town the first time she saw it, ringing with the swishing of saws and the pounding of hammers and oozing with optimistic people. She'd thought Guthrie was the place of her dreams, but it sure hadn't turned out to be.

Jo recognized many of the stores she'd traded at when she lived here previously and easily found her way to the street that boasted Mark's store. Her heart throbbed. She wiped her sweaty palm across the skirt of the burgundy calico Lara had given her and tugged the borrowed cloak across her chest.

She rounded a corner, and there it was. Hillborne's General Store. The place where her dreams had taken wing and then plummeted back to earth. It didn't look too imposing, but then, it wasn't the store that had wrecked her life. She curled her lip. Mark had done a fine job of that.

The facade needed a fresh coat of paint, as well as the Hillborne sign, but everything else looked pretty much the same. A pair of barrels sat on each side of the doors, inviting folks to come in.

Jo rode past several stores then dismounted and tied the horse to the hitching post. She moseyed down the boardwalk, her heart pounding harder with each step she took. She felt as if she were gambling—with her life. She didn't know what to expect from Mark. He could charm spots off a snake or turn around and poison you with his venom. Why was she even here? She'd never work for him again. Never live with him. She didn't want anything he had to offer. She spun around, bumping into a man.

He raised his brows, muttered, “Pardon,” and kept on walking.

Jo sighed. She'd come this far. She needed to know if Mark was back or not. Stepping close to the nearest window, she acted like she was looking at the merchandise displayed there. Her gaze flitted toward where she knew the counter stood and then around the store, but because of the sunlight reflecting off the windows, she couldn't see anyone inside. When a couple passed her, she fell into step and hurried past the next window. She might not be able to see in, but Mark could probably see her. At the door, she drew in a deep breath, tugged down the long brim of the sunbonnet she'd borrowed from Lara, and stepped inside, instantly heading to the back of the store where two other women studied the bolts of fabric. Jo had no intention of buying anything here, but she needed to blend in. To purchase something, she would have to look Mark in the eye, and she couldn't. But she also couldn't sleep until she knew for certain if he was back. And if he was, she and the children would be leaving Lara's very soon.

As she studied the stock of threads, she glanced out the side of her eye and spotted him. She ducked her head so fast she nearly dropped the thread in her quivering hand. The women moved on, so Jo pretended interest in the calicos, listening to the clerk's voice. It sounded like Mark's but different somehow. Perhaps his voice was hoarse from a recent illness?

Her being here at this place was dim-witted. She'd worked here day after day, had chosen Mark over her own family, had fallen in love with him, and then out of love after Mark had abused and treated her miserably. She shouldn't have come, and yet she had to. Her nerves suddenly got the best of her, and she held on to the cabinet to stay upright. She needed to leave before Mark saw her and asked about the baby she'd been pregnant with when he left her.

A man behind her cleared his throat, and Jo spun around, staring straight into Mark's blue eyes. She sucked in a sharp breath then realized the truth. This man wasn't Mark, but he looked enough like him to be his twin. He was taller—broader. But he
was not
Mark. Her stampeding heartbeat slowed.

“Are you all right, ma'am? You look a bit pale.”

“Um … I'm fine. You just startled me.”

“My apologies. Is there something I can help you with?”

Jo backed away. She had to get out of there. This man wasn't the one she was married to, but they were obviously related. And if he knew who she was, he might contact his brother and let him know she was in town. Jo sidestepped toward the ready-made garments hanging on a bar, pretending to be interested. When several feet were between her and the man, Jo spun and dashed out of the store. She didn't care what the man thought. She just had to get away from him.

Baron walked to the doorway and stared out as the strange woman rushed away. When she first glanced up at him, his breath caught in his throat, and he'd been a bit stunned by her beauty. Her delft-blue eyes looked troubled. But why? Had he frightened her that much?

And why had she been slinking around the store? Had she been planning on stealing something? It would certainly explain her odd behavior and her reaction when he addressed her. But she didn't have the look of a beggar in her calico that still had a new sheen.

“Um … excuse me. We're ready to check out.”

At the timid voice, Baron spun around. The mysterious woman had so mesmerized him that he'd forgotten he still had customers in the store. “I'm sorry, ma'am. I'll have you checked out in a jiffy.”

Rarely rattled and never one to overlook a customer, Baron quickly tallied the woman's items and helped her carry them to her wagon, but his mind was still on the pretty blond who had turned his day upside down. Why couldn't he quit thinking about her?

“Wish I had time to lollygag all day.”

Baron pushed up from the porch railing he'd unknowingly sat on and smiled. “Isn't that what you do most of the time, Marshal?”

Bob's lips quivered as if he were struggling not to smile. “No. I call it keeping an eye on the town. You never know when there might be a robbery or some drunk causing trouble.”

“I had a woman in a short while ago who I thought might be a thief.”

Bob leaned against the wall. “Sounds like maybe you changed your mind about her.”

Shrugging, Baron gazed down the street. More than likely, he'd never see the pretty blond again. He rubbed the back of his neck. “She looked suspicious, and when I walked up behind her and asked if I could help her, she nearly fainted.”

“She does sound as if she was up to somethin'.” Bob rubbed his hand across his bristly jaw. “You might want to keep a close watch if she comes back. What did she look like?”

“Pretty. Blond hair and dark blue eyes. Slender. Probably at least six or seven years younger than me.”

Bob cocked one eyebrow. “And just how old are you?”

“Twenty-nine.” Baron straightened under the marshal's stare, even though there was a spark of humor in his gaze. Bob was his first friend in Guthrie, although the authority he carried sometimes made Baron edgy. He'd never broken the law and never intended to, but a man had to respect a lawman. “How did you end up in Guthrie?”

Bob shrugged. “I was just one of the eighty-some-odd lawyers who set up shop right after the land run. I never dreamed so many would come to town, but with all the land disputes after the run, we were all needed for a time. Someone got wind that I'd been a lawman in the past and asked me if I'd consider being one again. By then, I was ready to shed my suit and get outside again, so I agreed.”