As one of the men in the posse helped Violet to her feet and took off her gag and untied her, she saw that Sullivan no longer looked so self-righteous. In fact, he was scowling. “I just took the burden off Dr. Cantry by letting Mitchell convalesce in my house. He should be thanking me, not accusing me of wrongdoing.”
Sheriff Gibson laughed. “Is that so? Then I’m guessing you don’t know that he regained consciousness sooner than you thought and was awake to hear you and your sister discussing when and how to kill him?”
Sullivan’s face turned red. Gibson continued, “So here’s the thing, Mr. Sullivan. Abduction and confinement of good law-abiding folks doesn’t sit well with our circuit judge. Falsifying a man’s death and causing his family untold grief, when all along you’ve got the fella imprisoned in your attic, won’t either. And here you are giving me even more evidence against you, out here trying to steal a couple of mines, hog-tying the two owners of those mines. The judge really won’t like that charge, not when he’s a mine owner himself, you know. But I do thank you, Mr. Sullivan. Been a long while that I’ve been hankering to tell you that you’re under arrest, and that’s what I’m telling you now.”
“You’re making a mistake, Sheriff Gibson,” Sullivan said furiously. “I warn you—”
The sheriff interrupted sharply, “Like I said, save it for the judge. You know they hang horse thieves out here. Won’t be long before they start hanging mine thieves, too. You better hope the judge hasn’t reached that point yet. And don’t think I won’t be presenting my earlier suspicions alongside all these new facts, like those two mines on either side of yours that you miraculously managed to buy right before the owners had very odd accidents. But you were careful then not to leave a trail of crumbs. Weren’t so careful this time, now, were you?”
“I haven’t killed anyone.”
“That anyone knows about. But I have not one but two signed statements that you intended to commit murder. And I reckon I’ll have two more before we leave here.” He paused to look at Morgan, who’d been freed from his bonds, and asked him, “Did he threaten to kill you in so many words?”
“He was very clear that he’d kill Miss Mitchell if I didn’t show him the way to my mine.”
The sheriff glanced at Violet. “Did you hear Mr. Sullivan say that?”
“I can repeat every word exactly,” she assured him.
Gibson grinned. “Then I reckon it’s a good thing I brought some paper with me so you both can write it all down. No need for you two to wait until the court convenes. Signed statements are just as good around here.” And then his eyes pinned Sullivan again. “The judge just might think that’s enough to warrant a hanging. Stew on that on the way back to town.”
“After my lawyer gets through with you, you’ll never work in this territory again, Gibson!” Sullivan snarled.
“Someone gag him.” The sheriff’s response drew a few chuckles from the posse.
Violet rubbed her wrists and took a step toward Morgan, but the nasty look he gave her stopped her cold. That hurt, his not wanting to talk to her or share this moment of relief with her. She remembered the angry, possessive way he’d kissed her last night, and also the beautiful, passionate night they’d shared when he was so loving and irresistible, the many caring things he’d done for her. She would never forget any of that, but it was just as well that they keep their distance from each other, because she would be leaving soon. Yet she hoped she would have a chance to explain to him why she’d run off.
“Are you all right, Miss Mitchell?” Sheriff Gibson was approaching her.
“I am now, thanks to you, Sheriff. I was so scared that you wouldn’t arrive in time.”
“We caught up to you last night, but didn’t want to attempt to capture Sullivan while it was dark, which could have turned messy with men dying needlessly. But you weren’t in any more danger. I left a couple men to watch your camp. This bunch wasn’t going anywhere without my knowing about it. You were very brave to go along with Sullivan and lead him on a wild goose chase so Miss Hall could get your father out of Sullivan’s house. They’re safe at my office with Deputy Barnes. I reckon you and Miss Hall are the heroines of the day. Without you, Sullivan’s ruthlessness and perfidy wouldn’t have been exposed so thoroughly.”
She blushed a little, glancing at Morgan to see if he’d heard the sheriff’s praise and understood now that she hadn’t betrayed him. He was within earshot of the sheriff’s voice, but he wasn’t looking her way.
Sheriff Gibson had followed her gaze, and addressed Morgan: “Didn’t recognize you at first without your beard, Callahan. Isn’t this little lady amazing?”
Morgan still didn’t look at her when he replied, “She’s the bravest debutante I’ve ever met.”
Violet blushed further with the realization that he’d never met any other debutantes, so he wasn’t really agreeing with the sheriff.
Once the prisoners were secured and the posse was ready to depart, Gibson told Violet and Morgan, “I won’t be returning to Butte with you. I’m going to take half the posse and the prisoners and veer off to Helena where the territory judge is holding court this week. I don’t want to wait for the trial to be held in Butte. That’s just asking for a riot, and I don’t doubt it will happen if Sullivan’s miners get wind that’s he’s under arrest and they might lose their jobs if their employer gets convicted.”
“But what about Sullivan’s sister, Kayleigh?” Violet asked. “She knew my father was a prisoner in that house and was in on the plot to steal our mine.”
“I went to their house to see for myself where your father had been kept and to confront Miss Sullivan for her part in it. She started crying and confessed that she’s had to do whatever her brother ordered because she is utterly dependent on him, so she had no choice. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know, but I’m not partial to arresting women, so I told her to catch the next train out of town. The judge will decide if that family gets to keep their holdings here.”
Violet immediately thought of Katie. She didn’t think the daughter should be punished for the father’s sins. “Other than Kayleigh, who knew exactly what her brother had been doing and seemed as rapacious as he was, I doubt the rest of his family knew how ruthless he could be.”
“That family is rich as sin. I wouldn’t worry about the rest of them.”
Morgan didn’t look happy that any Sullivan was escaping justice, but then he’d come very near to dying today. But maybe his disgruntled look was just for her. She was still getting the cold shoulder from him. Even after she’d told him last night that she hadn’t betrayed him. Even after he’d just heard about the part she’d played in their rescue. He had heard it, hadn’t he? How could he not?
Nine men escorted them to Butte, but they were widely spread out along the road since Violet and Morgan didn’t need protection now. Violet wasn’t sure how she ended up riding next to Morgan a few hours later, but it was just after they passed his mountain, which was the perfect time to break the ice with him.
She glanced his way and asked, “You aren’t going. . . . ?” She didn’t say “to your mine,” just nodded back toward his mountain range.
He shook his head. “And miss seeing Charley alive and kicking?”
“I don’t think he’ll be kicking for a while. The ordeal has left him very weak. But you can’t imagine how happy I was to find him alive.”
“That must have been an incredible surprise.”
“I confess, at first sight I was afraid he was a ghost! But of course that was silly, and yes, it was unbelievably amazing that he isn’t dead after all.”
“You’re fortunate that someone in that house knew what Sullivan was up to and didn’t like it.”
“Yes, today would have turned out quite differently without Abigail Hall’s help.”
He still looked so unapproachable, reminding her of the bear she’d first met. She regretted thinking the worst of him, not that he’d been the best company those first few days
she’d known him, but she’d been at her worst, too. While he’d protected her again and again, from wild animals, from muscle pain—well, he’d tried to—from outlaws. He’d even taught her to shoot so she could protect herself. And he’d danced with her under the stars! Yet she’d repaid him by disappearing without a word. She was afraid she might have hurt his feelings or his pride. And he’d obviously looked for her. All those days since she’d left his camp? No wonder he was so mad!
She’d been trying to speak normally, as if it didn’t feel like they were complete strangers again, but she had to explain. “You may not have guessed, but I was terribly distraught by the violent encounter with those two outlaws. When you went to work the next day as if none of it had happened, the horror of it all came back to me and I sort of panicked. I simply had to get back to civilization immediately, but you’d said you wouldn’t take me until the following week.”
“You could have said so, instead of taking off on your own when you didn’t know where you were.”
“But I did know. One of those outlaws mentioned Butte and gave me rough directions to town before you arrived to rescue me. He said it was only a half day’s ride away, so I thought I could get there before dark.” She wasn’t going to mention that that hadn’t happened, but did admit, “Yes, it was beyond reckless, and I walked right into Sullivan’s plot when his men found me before I got to town. But I was never a party to any of Shawn Sullivan’s illegal machinations.”
“Doesn’t matter. You made your choice,” he said, and spurred his horse forward, ending the conversation.
What the bloody hell did that mean? But she was afraid she knew. He wasn’t talking about trusting him to change his plans and take her to town if he knew she couldn’t bear to stay at his camp another minute. Her “choice” had been to leave him instead of pursuing a relationship with him. With everything this man could make her feel, she wasn’t sure she’d made the right choice.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
THEY ARRIVED BACK IN Butte by dusk. Violet went straight to the sheriff’s office. Morgan followed her. Deputy Barnes immediately stood up from behind the desk. “Been expecting you after one of the posse rode ahead to give us the good news. Heard congratulations are in order, that you were quite the heroine, Miss Mitchell.” And then he glanced at Morgan and laughed. “What happened to you? Misplace your beard somewhere?” And then he laughed harder.
“Not funny, Deputy.” Morgan glowered at him. “Where’s Charley Mitchell?”
Morgan left as soon as they were told which hotel Charles was in. Violet ended up following him now. All without a word to each other. And she was annoyed that the hotel happened to be the very one she’d been kicked out of—Morgan’s hotel. Yes, of course it would be. The one time Charles had come to town with Morgan, they’d probably both stayed there.
She wasn’t happy about it. She even glared at the desk clerk, daring him not to speak to her when she asked for her father’s room number and requested a room for herself for the night. The bloody fool actually looked at Morgan first to get his permission. And Morgan gave it with a nod.
Her annoyance mounted over that ridiculous byplay. While Morgan asked for his messages, she marched upstairs and knocked on her father’s door. She had to knock several times before he answered. She entered to find him lying in bed, looking as if he’d just awakened from a nap. Her anger was replaced by a burst of happiness. She was never going to get over this joy that he was alive.
She gave him a brilliant smile. “It’s done, Papa. Shawn Sullivan has been arrested and taken to Helena to be tried in a court of law.”
“That’s wonderful news,” Abigail said from a chair by the window.
“Abigail! I didn’t see you there.”
Charles chuckled. “I keep telling her to stop watching me sleep.”
The housekeeper stood up with a slight blush and approached Violet. “I was just making sure he didn’t need anything while we waited for you to get back. I’m very pleased you’ve returned safely.”
“It all went as planned.” Violet hugged the older woman. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done to help us. We couldn’t have come through this without you.”
“I’m just glad it all worked out. But now you’re here, I could do with a nap myself. I was falling asleep in that chair. We’ll see each other later, dear.”
Violet nodded and turned to her father again with another wide smile. “We can go home now and—”
“Hell, Charley, you’re skin and bones,” Morgan interrupted as he came into the room moments after Abigail left.
“Not quite, though it feels like it,” Charles admitted with a grin as he sat up. “Good to see you again, partner.”
“Not nearly as good as it is to see you,” Morgan said with a chuckle. “I’m sorry you had to go through that hell, but as your daughter told you, it’s over.”
“I slept through most of it, and you never knew it happened. We were both spared that, at least.”
“Don’t forget about the grief,” Violet put in, but immediately regretted saying it. She joined her father, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry. It’s going to take a while for me to let go of all the emotional upset Sullivan caused. Did you send word to Daniel and Evan that you’re alive?”
He extended an arm, and Violet moved closer to him so he could put it around her. “Not yet. I will in the morning.”
“No, I will. You’re not getting out of that bed until you’re ready.”
“I’m not sick, dearest, just weak. Dr. Cantry was summoned to examine me and spent most of his visit apologizing for what happened. Needless to say, he won’t be asking Dr. Wilson for any more favors. That fellow actually skipped town. The deputy checked. And Cantry’s prescription was simply food and more food to get my strength back, but I can’t seem to eat very much at one sitting yet.”
“Abigail didn’t go back to that house, did she?” Violet asked.
“No, we got her a room here,” Charles said. “She’s done with that family and mentioned returning to Chicago to live with her brother. I think I’m going to miss her. She cared for me the whole while and fussed over me like a mother hen once I woke up.”
Violet grinned. “I’m good at fussing.”
“You’re good at bossing, sweetness,” Charles corrected gently. “Even in your letters!”
She laughed. “Let’s call it fussing, shall we? But you don’t have to part ways with Abigail Hall. Our home in Philadelphia is currently without a housekeeper, so you could offer her the job. And she can help you shop for furniture. I wouldn’t trust that task to my brothers.”
“What happened to—?” Charles started, but then sighed. “This damned heart. If it hadn’t caused me to hit my head that day, I would have paid off that loan in just one more week, thanks to Morgan. The situation was never supposed to turn so dire that your brothers would summon you back from London, but I’m so fortunate that you came.”
“And now it’s not dire, thanks to Morgan,” she said.
Charles smiled at Morgan. “I understand you’ve been incredibly generous again in loaning my daughter enough money to stop her immediate worries. We’ll need to discuss how to pay that back—”
“I’ve already done that, Papa,” Violet cut in. “Morgan and I struck up a new partnership agreement whereby Evan and Daniel will come west to work in the mine until they earn enough money to pay Morgan back, and then maybe”—she glanced at Morgan questioningly—“Morgan will agree to a fifty-fifty arrangement for the boys to continue mining.”
“Your daughter needs a dowry for her English lord,” Morgan said scornfully.
Charles looked puzzled. Violet blushed and told her father, “We can discuss England later.”
“Any arrangement we made was discussed before we knew Charley is alive,” Morgan said. “He and I will discuss a mutually satisfactory arrangement when you aren’t around.”
“He’s right, sweetness, you no longer need to concern yourself wi
th business matters.”
Feeling a little hurt, she offered, “Should I leave so you can do that now?”
“No, of course not,” Charles said, and hugged her more tightly to him. “Morgan and I will find time to talk later. We’re not going anywhere yet, and I’m certainly not leaving Montana until I hear the results of Sullivan’s trial.”
“That could take a few more days, at the very least,” Morgan pointed out.
“I’ve already concluded that,” Charles replied. “And as long as there is going to be a delay, I intend to return to the mines tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?!” Violet and Morgan said almost at the same time, but Violet added, “Out of the question. It’s too soon for you to ride a horse.”
“Nonsense, my dear. I might have to ride slowly, but I assure you that I can ride.”
He wanted to retrieve his hidden money, she realized. And, while she was dying of curiosity to know where he’d hidden it, she was more concerned about his health.
Charles added, “I promise I’ll stop at the slightest twinge, and I can rest up there at a camp for a few days. By the time we return, the sheriff should be back in town. And besides, I have a few things to pick up there before we go home. Mainly I left my pocket watch in the cabin. You know that watch is very dear to me. It’s a symbol of love and the happy marriage I enjoyed with your mother, something I want to leave to you to ensure you’re blessed with a marriage that is as happy as mine was. I’m not leaving the territory without it.”
Touched by her father’s words, Violet hated having to tell him the bad news. “It’s not there. I checked your valise as soon as I thought about that memento.”
“That’s not where I kept it. I shaved every morning and kept my shaving tools in a bag on the shelf. I would put the watch in it every night to remind me to put it back in my pocket in the morning. Otherwise I forgot it. Dreadful habit of mine to forget about trinkets if they’re not right under my nose.”
“I forgot about that little bag of yours,” Morgan confessed.