Misty's True Love (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 2) (10 page)

Suddenly, Indiana let out a long,
drawn-out sigh, interrupting the discussion temporarily. She then
leaned forward, glancing at Misty with an encouraging nod.
“Sheriff, we would be more than happy to discuss this matter, but
could you please tell us what this is all about? What is the
problem, and to whom does that necklace belong?”

Sheriff Baker appeared reluctant to
pursue the matter, but his reluctance meant nothing in terms of the
law. “This necklace was reported missing earlier today by Miss
Rosamund Swire. That is where you were earlier today, is it not?”
he asked, his question clearly aimed at Misty.

“
Yes,” she replied, nodding
as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

“
Then it’s as I had feared.
Miss Swire informed us that Miss Fields was at her house earlier
today for tea and was acting very peculiar the entire time.
According to the report, she acted suspiciously during the visit,
but it was only afterward when Miss Swire discovered that her
prized possession was missing.”

“
Sheriff, are you implying
that she stole something from Miss Swire?” Indiana asked, standing
to her feet.

Sheriff Baker followed suit, standing
up as he tried to calm her. “I understand your frustration, but I
am only regarding the evidence as I see it right now.
Unfortunately, it seem as if a theft might have
occurred.”

“
A theft?” Misty said,
astonished by what she was hearing. “You think I stole that? I have
never even seen that necklace before in my life!” she said, her
voice growing slightly louder as she rose to her feet to join the
others.

“
This cannot be,” Indiana
said, shaking her head profusely. “I can personally vouch for Miss
Fields. Why, she was in my family’s service for years and had
access to many an item of valuable jewelry.”

The sheriff raised his hands in a
placating manner. “It might very well be a misunderstanding, or at
the worst, a false allegation, but we need to take the accusation
seriously until we discover otherwise.” He turned to address Misty.
“I mean, as far as I know, it could have fallen into your purse or
something of the sort. It’s unlikely, but anything could have
happened, and it’s not for me to decide what. Unfortunately,
however, I will have to take you into custody until the district
judge comes to town in a few days. The decision on what happens
next will fall to him.”

“
Are you saying that she’s
under arrest?” Indiana said, her voice shaky. “This is
preposterous! Miss Fields would never steal from
someone!”

“
I understand that, but
until the accusations are proven unfounded, we need to go through
the necessary steps. Only the judge has the power over this
situation now. I’m sorry,” he said, walking over to Misty with his
hand extended. “Please come with me.”

As Sheriff Baker led her away, Misty
looked back in terror at Indiana. She was standing there helpless,
her face riddled with sadness. Her friend said nothing as they
walked out the front door toward uncertainty, but Misty knew that
Indiana wouldn’t rest until the truth was known—or at least that’s
how she hoped it would be.

“
Sheriff, may I say goodbye
to Indiana first?”

“
Yes, if you can do it from
here,” he said.

Misty looked at Indiana. “I am certain
this was a set-up.”

Chapter 14

The afternoon was somewhat chilly, but
it wasn’t nearly as cold as how Cody’s skin felt. Goosebumps were
forming on his arms, as he walked up the steps to his mother’s
home. He shrugged it off, assuming that the cool breeze was at
fault. With a gentle knock, he waited patiently until the door
opened, revealing Bradford’s welcoming smile. “Good morning, sir.
May I take you to see your mother?”

“
Yes, please,” he said to
the butler, nodding all the while. “I heard that she was looking
for me. Is something the matter?”

“
I’m afraid I know nothing
of such things, sir. I believe you will need to speak to your
mother about that,” Bradford said, leading Cody toward the drawing
room.

As they walked in, he saw his mother
sitting by the fireplace, sipping from a cup of tea. In one hand
she held the teacup, but in the other was a small piece of paper.
At first, she continued reading from it, not paying any mind to the
butler and her son. He knew that Bradford was just being courteous
by waiting instead of interrupting her, but if she had sent for
him, then something had to be wrong. In order to inform her that
she had visitors, Cody cleared his throat, garnering a sincere look
of shock from his mother.

“
Oh, I hadn’t noticed you,”
she said, gently placing the items that she held on the table as
she stood to greet Cody. “Bradford, send a maid with more
tea.”

“
Of course, my lady,” he
said, bowing slightly before walking off.

“
So, may I ask what is
going on?” Cody said, intent on figuring out what nobody else was
telling him.

For a moment, it looked like she was
about to speak, but then his mother stepped backward, feeling for
her chair with her hands. As she sat, she pointed over at the sofa,
signaling for Cody to sit across from her.

After doing as she had asked, he
leaned forward in his seat, interlocking his fingers together.
“Mother, please, just let me know whatever it is that’s on your
mind.”

She paused briefly, but for the first
time since Cody had sat down, she stopped looking away and glared
over at him. “Just after lunchtime, a courier came by with an
urgent letter from Miss Rosamund Swire. It seems that Miss Fields
has been arrested for theft.”

The news was like a punch to the
stomach, forcing his eyes to fall to the floor. Cody couldn’t
breathe, but he also couldn’t even think. He felt broken and
battered, but there had to be a reason behind what he was hearing.
“Theft? How absurd! What happened?”

“
Well, the letters contains
no details, but it appears that Miss Swire invited Miss Fields to
tea. After your friend had gone, Miss Swire noticed that a very
valuable and irreplaceable necklace had been taken. Since she had
only one guest that day, it wasn’t difficult to pinpoint the
culprit. When she notified the Sheriff, he went to visit her at the
Chase ranch, and she hadn’t even tried to conceal it. The brazen
woman left the necklace right in her purse,” his mother said, her
voice sounding pleased.

“
You cannot be serious!”
Cody snapped. “Misty would never do such a thing!”

“
My son, you barely know
the woman. Do you honestly believe that you know her that well?”
she said, lifting her teacup back to her lips.

Cody swallowed hard, shaking his head
as his body filled with an overpowering warmth. “Actually, I do.
And it’s not just her: Morgan and Indiana have both vouched for her
time after time. I trust their word much more than I do than that
of someone like Miss Swire,” he said, standing up at once in
anger.

“
I understand that this is
difficult news to hear, but perhaps you should calm yourself down
and listen to reason. The Sheriff found what he found, and there’s
no way to dispute it. I’m sorry, but maybe she just isn’t good
enough for you after all,” his mother said, smiling as she
spoke.

Cody wasn’t usually one to let his
temper get the best of him, but that moment was definitely testing
his willpower. It took every bit of strength that he could muster
not to raise his voice toward his mother right then. In a reasoned
but stern tone, he replied, “I know who is good enough for me and
who isn’t, Mother. What I don’t know is why you and Miss Swire
would set her up like this. Miss Fields has done nothing to either
of you to deserve the way she’s been treated.”

The look on his mother’s face was one
that he hadn’t seen before. She looked extremely agitated, but
bewildered at the same time. “What? You think that we planned
this?”

“
What else am I to think?
Just because I show civility to the woman doesn’t mean that I don’t
see right through her façade. It’s been both her objective and
yours for quite some time to get me to marry her and you know it!
You can’t stand here and lie to me about that; can you, Mother?”
Cody said, his anger getting the better of him for a
moment.

“
I had absolutely nothing
to do with the woman’s arrest,” she said, her voice rather
insistent. “All that I am guilty of is trying to make sure that my
son marries a woman worthy of his name.”

“
Then why are you pushing
that woman on me? If you truly have no knowledge of this, then
clearly Miss Swire did it all on her own. The thing is, however,
that your encouragement might have been just as effective as her
lies. What if she resorted to lying about the theft just to
expedite what you two have been after all along?”

His mother sighed once more as she
walked over toward the fireplace. She said nothing yet, but stood
there, pointing at a specific portrait on the mantle. “Do you see
this photograph? It was taken when you were just seven years old.
Back then, you told me that you would always trust me. Is that
still true?”

Cody paused, his chest tightening. “Of
course it is, Mother. I trust you with my life, but this is all so
absurd. An innocent girl is going to pay for a crime she didn’t
commit all to secure a marriage that I wanted no part of in the
first place. How could anyone live with themselves after doing
something like that to her?”

His mother stood by the fireplace
still, her eyes fixated on the image of him as a boy. “I do not
know the answer to that, but I had nothing to do with it, nor would
I ever. I just need you to trust me once more, like you did when
you were a child. I’m not sure what happened here, but I shall find
out. Perhaps it is all a misunderstanding,” she said, finally
turning to look back at him.

“
A misunderstanding?
Whatever do you mean?” he asked, his voice as shaky.

“
I meant just what I said,”
his mother replied, walking back toward her chair. “It probably
wouldn’t be the first time that a misunderstanding was reported as
a crime.” As she sat down, her penetrating stare met
Cody’s.

“
Wait. Are you saying that
you don’t think Miss Swire had done this deliberately?” The mere
thought of his mother defending her even now was enough to make his
skin crawl.

His mother frowned deeply. “Do I think
Miss Swire planted her own jewelry on Miss Fields with the
intention of having her arrested? Of course not. The idea is
absurd. It’s possible that she mistakenly reported it as a theft as
she simply misplaced it.”

“
You cannot be serious!”
Cody said, his voice unintentionally growing louder. “The theft is
a blatant lie, and anyone who refuses to see that is just as guilty
as Miss Swire herself. Why would she even invite her to tea in the
first place? And don’t give me that nonsense about wishing to make
her acquaintance.”

“
But what if that is what
it was? Your accusations of Miss Swire could be less founded in
truth than those made of Miss Fields,” his mother said, folding her
arms over her chest. “As I’ve said, they did find the stolen
property. So, maybe neither was at fault, and it is all a simple
mistake.”

“
Maybe,” he said, “or maybe
jewelry doesn’t just mistakenly find its way into someone else’s
possession. I do understand that Miss Swire is your friend, but the
woman is a deceitful liar, Mother. Why don’t you ask her yourself?
You might be correct that she wouldn’t lie to you, but she
obviously did lie to the Sheriff.”

Without saying anything more, Cody
leaped to his feet and turned toward the doorway. Just as he was
about to leave the room, Bradford walked in. “Hello, sir. Were you
leaving already?”

Cody paused and looked back at his
mother. “Yes, Bradford. I have overstayed my welcome.”

“
Please, wait,” his mother
called out, hurrying after him. “I had no involvement in what
happened to Miss Fields. I cannot believe that Miss Swire has acted
deliberately, but I shall find out.”

“
I suppose that will
suffice, then. Thank you, Mother. I do understand why a woman of
Miss Swire’s standing would look more appealing to you for me to
marry than a former maid. What I will never understand, however, is
how you could treat someone how you did without even getting to
know them first. Miss Misty never had a chance to win your
approval, Mother. You made her want to leave the moment she came
here.”

His mother sighed, shaking her head.
“I have said all that I had to say on the matter, my son. I acted
how I did in your best interests, but I am willing to accept my
faults if I did indeed make the wrong choices. But will you do the
same if it turns out that I was right and this is all just a
mistake?”

“
You wouldn’t even have to
ask, Mother, but I know Miss Fields well enough to stand by what I
believe. One of us is going to find out that someone we trusted and
cared for betrayed us. I wouldn’t wish that on you, but I’m sure I
won’t be that person.”

Chapter 15

Mrs. Olivia Mills stood there, her
mouth open and her thoughts in tatters. Her son had never before
spoken to her such. The only way that she could right matters now
would be to get to the bottom of what really happened, and there
was just one person who knew the truth: Miss Rosamund Swire.
Without giving it much thought, she called for Bradford to bring
the car at once. Her son’s trust in his mother was at stake, and so
was his future. Those things were worth protecting, no matter the
cost.