A Good Man for Katie (22 page)

“Tell me what happened.” His arms wrapped tighter around her and Kathryne reveled in his strength, in the warmth of his embrace.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered into his coat. “Townsend is looking for you. He thinks you murdered Shep because of me.” She pulled away and stared into the soft gray of his eyes. “I know you didn’t do this. I know in my heart. Please tell me I’m right.”

He gazed into her face, his thumb smoothing along her cheek, and in the space of an indrawn breath, she knew the truth. He hadn’t killed anyone. Whatever seed of doubt Townsend had planted in her mind disappeared without a trace. Anger surged through her, anger that she had started to believe the accusations Townsend had spewed.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she melted into his arms once more.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said as his hand gently caressed her back through the thin silk of her blouse. “I can only imagine the horrible things Townsend said.” A long sigh escaped him, his chest rising and falling beneath her cheek. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No.” She shuddered as she remembered Townsend’s face, his hands balling into fists as he paced the small confines of the sheriff’s office. “He didn’t touch me, but there were moments when I wasn’t sure if he would.”

His body stiffened, his heart beating a rapid tattoo in his chest beneath her ear. “He’s lucky.”

“Lucky?” She pulled away from him and took a step back. “How?”

“If he had touched you, he would be dead.” His voice came out almost strangled. A frown pulled his dark brows together, making him appear sinister.

“Oh, Chase, don’t say that. It frightens me.”

He said nothing, didn’t try to reassure her that his words were just that—words. In her soul, Kathryne knew if Townsend had hurt her, Chase would once again be her rescuer and Crystal Springs would need a new sheriff. His statement wasn’t just an idle threat, but the truth, plainly spoken.

“It’ll be all right now, Katie. I’m here.” He tilted her chin upward with his thumb and gazed into her eyes then pulled her into him as his mouth captured hers. Kathryne breathed in his scent, his warmth and let the touch of his lips melt away the terror of her day.

“Show me where you found Shep,” he said as he broke the kiss and pulled away from her. She nodded and reached for the shawl hanging on the peg beside the door.

“Don’t you have anything warmer than that shawl?” As he asked the question, the corners of his mouth tilted upward.

She shrugged as she wrapped the long length of fabric around her shoulders. “I didn’t know Arizona could get so cold. I’d always heard it was a desert with unrelenting heat so I didn’t pack anything warmer and I just haven’t gotten around to buying a coat.”

“Stay right here. Don’t move.” He left her in the doorway, the frigid temperature outside making her shiver despite the warmth of the woolen wrap. Curious, she watched him reach into Champion’s saddlebag and pull out a paper-wrapped package. The devil-may-care grin was firmly in place as he bounded up the back steps and handed the bundle to her. “Here.”

“What is it?”

“Open it and find out.”

Kathryne moved away from the door and laid the package on the table. She pulled the strings, releasing the bow, and peeled back the plain brown paper to reveal Wedgwood blue fabric, dark fur and big tortoise-shell buttons. She held the garment up, unfolding the length from the paper, which floated to the floor unheeded. Sarge sniffed at the wrapping, his big paws making the paper crinkle, tail wagging, obviously in the mood to play.

“Not now, Sarge.” Chase picked up the paper and stuffed it in the box of kindling beside the stove.

“Oh, Chase, it’s a beautiful cape.” She rubbed the fur along her cheek, reveling in the softness as she watched him. “But I can’t accept it.”

“Nonsense. You can and you will.”

He removed the shawl from her shoulders and hung it back on the hook then took the cape from her hands, his long fingers unbuttoning the garment before he spread the material around her. The cape fell to just below her waist. Instantly, the warmth of the wool embraced her, the fur trimming the neckline tickling her neck and ears.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her throat closing, tears springing to her eyes. He cared for her well-being, enough to have gone through the trouble of finding the perfect gift. The knowledge made her heart beat a little faster in her chest. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Your shawl isn’t nearly warm enough and after the other night, I don’t want to see you in it again until the weather warms up. You could have frozen to death, Katie. I—I…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but one look at his face, and Kathryne understood. She
could
have succumbed to the freezing temperatures, her body covered in snow, hidden from sight. The thought made her realize how lucky she’d been.

He finished buttoning the cape and adjusted the collar as Kathryne slid her hands through the fur-lined slits in the sides. Grin firmly in place, he offered his arm. “Shall we?”

Kathryne slipped her hand into the crook of his arm.

“Come on, Sarge.” The dog needed no second invitation. The words were barely out of Chase’s mouth before the furry beast barreled between them and shot out the door as if his tail were on fire.

Moonlight glittered on the snow that had fallen earlier in the day, adding to the drifts still in place from the last storm. Kathryne couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her as the dog bounded through the expanse of pristine white. At times, all she could see was his tail fanning the air as he shoveled through the white stuff with his nose. “He is the oddest animal. He acts more like a child than a dog sometimes, and I swear he understands every word I say.”

“He’s a good companion though, isn’t he? A good protector?” Chase asked as they walked to the front of the house and the little bridge spanning the swiftly flowing stream. “I heard how he wouldn’t let anyone into the schoolhouse.”

“He was adamant about not letting the children see what was inside. He didn’t even want me to see. I wish I hadn’t.” She shivered, despite the warmth of the cape, despite Chase’s closeness, as she told him about Sarge’s strange behavior. “He was gentle though. Never growled. Never showed his teeth. As Joe said, it was the darnedest thing.”

The object of their discussion raced to the door of the schoolhouse and shook the snow from his fur. He watched them expectantly, tail wagging, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

“Stay, Sarge.” Chase ordered and the dog sank to his haunches, his body rigid.

The strong scent of lye soap permeated the air in the schoolhouse as Kathryne opened the door and lit the lantern hanging on the wall. She didn’t have to say a word. Chase strode toward the blotch of faded crimson marring the floorboards.

“He didn’t die here,” he said, his voice echoing in the empty room.

“How can you tell?” Kathryne wrapped her arms around herself for comfort as the vision of Shep’s cold, lifeless body passed through her mind.

“There’s not enough blood.” He bent down and rubbed his fingers over the stain. “If he’d been killed in the schoolhouse, there would have been a lot more, especially with the wound he had. Heads bleed.” He walked around the coatroom, his boot heels heavy on the wooden planks.

“There seemed to be a lot to me. Took hours to clean it up after Townsend let me come home.” She didn’t move away from the door, didn’t want to step any closer to the stain on the floor. Even though Shep’s body had been moved to the undertaker’s, she could still see him laying there—the vacant expression in his eyes, the blood surrounding him, the bruises marring his face.

“Do you hear that?”

Kathryne jumped, startled from the visions in her mind. “What?”

“Listen.” He walked around in a circle and she heard what he did.

“The sound is different. Almost like there’s a hollow space underneath the boards. I’ve never heard that before.” Curiosity replaced her anxiety and she took several steps closer to him, but avoided the blotches of faded crimson.

He crouched and ran his fingertips over the wooden planks. Without warning, he stuck his middle finger into a small knothole and pulled up. The entire section of flooring moved with the simple action, revealing a dark hole beneath the schoolhouse.

Kathryne sucked in her breath. “It’s a doorway,” she whispered. “No wonder I feel as if someone is coming in here at night. I thought it was one of the older boys.”

“I’m assuming this is how Shep came to be in the schoolhouse without you or Sarge hearing or seeing anything. The question is who put him here. I can pretty much figure out why.” He looked at her.

She wondered about the apology she saw in the soft gray of his eyes and a blush heated her cheeks. Until she realized what he’d implied by his statement. What better way to get rid of an unwanted man and a woman who asked too many questions than to implicate them in murder? The thought was enough to strike fear in her heart.

“Would you bring the lantern?”

Quickly, Kathryne unhooked the lantern hanging off the wall and lowered it slightly into the hole. Light flared into the empty space, which wasn’t so empty. Trash littered the floor—old whiskey bottles, newspapers, a lantern missing its glass, a rickety ladder with broken rungs, a threadbare blanket, and oddly enough, a woman’s shoe.

****

“I’m coming with you.”

Chase shook his head as he lowered himself into the opening. “It would be safer for you to stay here. I don’t know what we’ll find.”

“I don’t care. I’m coming with you,” she repeated. “Nothing could be worse than seeing Shep’s body this morning.”

He took one look at her face and almost grinned. Her stubbornness showed in the tilt of her chin, in the determination in her brandy-colored eyes and the firm set of her mouth. If he said no, she’d follow him anyway. A small chuckle escaped him as his feet touched the ground, and his chest swelled with pride. “All right, but I have one condition.”

“What is that?” she asked as she lowered the lantern to him.

“You’ll do exactly as I say. No arguments.”

“Agreed.” She pulled her skirts closer to her legs and hunkered down on her hands and knees, presenting him with her backside in preparation for climbing into the hole as he had done. Such a lovely view of her behind made him suck in his breath as he remembered the softness beneath his hands. A muffled oath escaped her before she disappeared from view then tried again at a different angle, this time with her feet first as she sat on the floor and shimmied closer to the opening.

“That’s not going to work either, Katie.” He chuckled and caught her foot. “You just don’t have the upper arm strength. I guess you won’t be coming with me after all.”

“So I can sit here and wait for you? I don’t think so.” She didn’t smile as she looked down at him. Indeed, her features seemed set in stone and such determination flashed in her eyes, he should have been prepared. He did have the presence of mind to put the lantern on the ground beside him.

“Catch me,” she warned as she pushed herself from her seated position and plummeted straight down.

Into his arms. “Good God, woman! Are you trying to make my heart stop?”

“No.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Just making sure you didn’t leave me behind.” She wiggled out of his embrace, gaining her own two feet and her balance. “I couldn’t think of any other way to get down here.”

Chase shook his head. He’d known Kathryne was a magnet for trouble; now he knew why—she just couldn’t help herself. Stubborn, determined, lacking in what he considered common sense, she wouldn’t be stopped when something settled in her mind. He liked that about her, but found it frustrating at the same time.

He picked up the lantern from the floor and turned up the wick, shedding more light against the darkness closing in around him. Tool marks made deep grooves in the walls, breaking through the rock and hard packed earth to form this long, narrow passageway. “This is all man made,” Chase remarked as he ran his fingers along one of the ruts.

“For what purpose?”

“I haven’t a clue, but someone comes here quite often.” He shoved an empty whiskey bottle with his foot then handed her the lantern. “Hold this while I fix the floor. Just in case someone comes in here, we don’t want anyone to know we found this passageway.” He raised himself up through the hole and grabbed the piece of flooring, settling the wood into the grooves over him while he stood on tiptoe.

Once the flooring was in place, he had second thoughts about letting her accompany him. “You can still go back to the cottage.”

Kathryne shook her head. “I haven’t changed my mind. I’m coming with you.”

Despite the snow covering the ground above and the frigid temperature outside, the tunnel seemed much warmer, protected from the elements. Still, Chase swallowed hard. He disliked enclosed spaces, disliked the feeling of being confined, and yet, those feelings never stopped him from doing what he must.

“Someone lost a shoe,” Kathryne remarked as she handed him the lantern then picked up the footwear. She turned it over in her hands before she gave it to him. “It’s a woman’s shoe.” A frown settled over her face, pulling her brows low. “I wonder who it belonged to.” She sucked in her breath. “Could it be Amanda Stillwell’s? If so, why would it be here?”

Chase shrugged, the name unfamiliar. “Who is Amanda Stillwell?” He shoved the shoe in the pocket of his coat and took Kathryne’s hand, leading her further into the passageway.

“She was the teacher here before me. Emy and Laurel think she eloped,” she said as she walked behind him, the tunnel too narrow to allow her to walk beside him. “That old trunk you found in the attic, the one you kept tripping over? I finally opened it. I found some letters from Amanda’s mother. I also found her wedding dress.”

Even though he couldn’t see her, Chase imagined the animation on her face and the movements of her hand as she spoke. “When I moved into the cottage, all her clothes were still there, as well as her personal things, like her brush and silver-backed mirror. Why would someone who was eloping leave her wedding dress behind? Why would they leave anything behind?” She lapsed into silence, but only for a moment before she blurted, “She was having an affair.”