The Rightful Heir (12 page)

Mrs. Ledford stood and pushed the pink fabric into a heap on her chair. “I'll get him.” She paused on her way to the stairway in the back corner of the room. “But I'll stay with him while you talk to him. If I feel you should stop, you will stop immediately.”

Jared answered for them. “Yes, ma'am. I promise we'll be respectful of his age.”

Reilly didn't remember anything special at first, but when Jared asked if he'd noticed anyone hanging around the general store who didn't seem to be buying anything, Reilly perked up.

“I saw that man from the train. The one who comes around every time the train comes.”

Mary Lou leaned over to be closer to Reilly's height. She put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you remember what he looks like or what he was wearing?”

“He was just a man. I don't remember nothing special about him.”

Mrs. Ledford signaled to them that she wanted them to take what Reilly had given them.

Mary Lou patted his shoulder and stood. “Thank you for all your help, Reilly.”

“Nothing special, 'cept he was wearing one of them funny hats. You know, the kind Doc Willis likes to wear. I don't know why any man wouldn't want a Stetson. The Mosley twins got Stetsons when their ma married Mr. Barlow. That's the kind o' hat a man oughta wear. Ma, if you get married again, can I have a hat like that?”

Mrs. Ledford struggled to cover her embarrassment. “Reilly, we will not discuss that now. We have visitors.”

Reilly turned to Jared like they were allies and held up a finger to his lips. “Don't tell Doc Willis I don't like his hat. He might wanna give me some of that nasty-tasting medicine next time Ma makes me go see him when I ain't even sick.” He grinned a boyish grin and bounded up the stairs.

Jared laughed and Mary Lou and Mrs. Ledford joined in. “I'd say he was very clear about that.”

Mary Lou thanked Mrs. Ledford before they left.

“What do you think Sheriff Collins will do with this information?” Jared could hear the concern in her voice.

“I'm not sure there's enough information for him to use. We've got to do more than prove that Mr. Finch was there. We've got to prove he's a thief. If he is a thief.”

“I know you're right.” She stopped still. “I just realized something that won't help Andrew at all.”

“What?” He watched the color drain from her face. “Mary Lou, you have to tell me.”

“I saw Andrew in the general store, holding the mirror, but I didn't see Mr. Finch.” Her eyes glistened with sorrow. “How will it help Andrew if no one saw Mr. Finch with the mirror?”

Jared finished her thoughts out loud. “You seeing Andrew could be all the proof a judge would need.”

* * *

“Can you handle the ink or do you want to load the papers?” Mary Lou tied on her apron Saturday afternoon as she and Jared prepared to run the newspaper for the first time without Andrew.

“Why don't I load the papers and you load the ink?” He pushed his sleeves up with Andrew's garters.

She looked at the printing plate and prayed that God would use the paper to help prove Andrew's innocence. She'd memorized the words of the story asking the community to come forward with any clue, no matter how small, to help the sheriff solve the crimes. It had been difficult to pen the story without pleading for everyone to help Andrew. In the end, Jared had written the article. His words emphasized the responsibility of the community's citizens to protect themselves from crime by being aware of their surroundings and reporting anything suspicious.

Separate and apart from the article, they'd offered a twenty-five-dollar reward to the person who revealed the true thief. Jared had insisted that to include it in the story would show a distinct bias in the paper. By having it posted like an advertisement and declaring themselves as the individuals who offered the money, they gave a modicum of protection to the paper. At best.

Mary Lou inked the plate. “I hate the contrast of the Christmas Eve story about the children beside the piece about crime.”

“If you think about it, the two stories show how the paper is an integral part of the community.” Jared pulled the lever to print the page. “We keep the people of Pine Haven informed about current and future events, but we also involve them in things that matter to them. The Christmas Eve social is a big event from what I've heard since I arrived here.”

“But the thief and not being able to catch him isn't good for Pine Haven.”

He loaded another sheet of paper as they fell into the rhythm of printing. “But if someone in the community comes forward with the answer then everyone will see the good the paper can do. That reinforces their need for the
Record
.”

She inked the plate again. “I hope it works. I can't fail Andrew. He needs me.”

“You won't fail him.”

“When we took him in, your grandfather told me it was my turn to care for someone else. He had rescued me, and I had to do my part to keep the work of the Lord going forward. He said it wasn't right to receive something and never give anything.”

The muscle in Jared's jaw rippled as he pulled the lever again. “I wish I'd known him better. It sounds like he was a wise man.”

“He was.”

The sound of the press and the ink roller were all that filled the space for several minutes. Mary Lou continued her silent prayers for Andrew as every copy came off the press.

“Would Grump have put the reward in the newspaper?”

“Probably not. He was forever warning me to be objective. I have to remind myself that it's not all about throwing myself into the story but about looking at it from different angles.”

Jared turned the handle to move the paper under the press and it came off in his hand. Mary Lou laughed as his jaw dropped open, and he looked up at her.

“This is not funny.” He bent to pick up the pin that had worked its way loose from the press.

“It isn't, but your expression is.”

Without any evidence that he meant the words, Jared replied, “I'm glad I could entertain you.”

Mary Lou walked around the press and reached for the handle. “Let me show you how to fix it.”

He pulled it behind his back. “I will fix it.”

She raised her eyebrows and fought back a chuckle. “How well acquainted are you with the workings of this press?”

He gave a mock glare. “I know enough to keep from being made a fool of. Now back up and let me work.” He extended his hands, effectively pushing her back without touching her. He rolled his shoulders and bent close to the press.

Mary Lou reached over his shoulder and pointed. “That's where the pin goes.”

“I can see that.” He shrugged her arm away with his shoulder.

“Then why aren't you fixing it?” She couldn't help it. A little rumble of laughter caught in her throat.

He twisted his neck to look up at her. “Perhaps you're blocking the light by trying to watch my every move.”

She clasped her hands behind her back and turned her head in a deliberate fashion from one side to the other. “I could fix it with my eyes closed.”

“Oh, you could, could you?” He rotated his shoulders again and made another show of trying to put the pin through the handle and into the machine.

She reached over and held the handle for him. He maneuvered the pin in several directions before it slid into place and the handle held firm. When she let go of her end of the handle, he overbalanced and landed on his seat at her feet.

He wiped one hand across his forehead. “That was more involved than I imagined.”

Her laughter could be held no more. She couldn't form words, so she pointed at his face.

“What?” He rubbed the other hand across his cheek.

“Stop!” She wrapped her hands around her middle. “You've made quite a mess of yourself.”

“I have?” He looked at the grime on his hands and then at her. “It's everywhere, isn't it?”

“Pretty much.” She reached for a clean rag while he got to his feet. “Let me help you.” He leaned over so she could reach his face. The spot on his forehead came off without much effort with the rag, but it was hard to concentrate when his breath mingled with hers in the small space between them.

“Better?” he asked with a grin.

“One more place.” She scrubbed at the smear on his cheek. He angled it toward her, all the while keeping his eyes on hers. “This spot is more stubborn than the other one.”

He captured her hand with his. They stood, inches apart. Not speaking. She searched his eyes for a calm she didn't find. He leaned forward, ever so near.

“Thank you.” His words a low rumble of a whisper.

Mary Lou could hardly breathe with him so close. “For what?”

“For helping me. Teaching me all of this.” He nodded his head toward the press without losing her gaze. “For putting yourself at risk to protect Andrew.” He looked over her shoulder but she knew his focus was inward. “For sharing my grandfather's life and this newspaper—first with him, and now with me.”

“You're welcome.” She rubbed the rag across his cheek again.

He stilled her motion and looked into her face. “You never give up, do you?”

“I can't afford to. If I give up, I won't have anything.”

“You'll never be without, Mary Lou.” He lifted his other hand and brushed her jawline with one finger, stopping to rest it under her chin. “No one as special as you will ever be without whatever, or whoever, they need.” She was beginning to need him in her life, but would he still send her on her way if the judge gave him the paper? He leaned close and pressed his lips to her forehead. A gentle, sweet pressure of kindness and closeness. And something else. Something she was afraid to consider.

Chapter Twelve

M
onday afternoon Jared stopped in at the jail to talk to Andrew again. Sheriff Collins was out, so he pulled up a chair and sat close to the cell.

“Are you hungry?”

Andrew sat up on the side of the bunk. “Hungry and angry.” He dug his fists into the mattress. “How long will it be before someone comes out with the truth? And what if they don't?”

“Don't lose hope.”

“That's easy for you to say from that chair. You're on the other side of these bars.” He stood to pace the small floor.

“Mary Lou hasn't given up on you. Don't give up on yourself.”

Andrew stopped in front of Jared. “What about you? Do you still think it could be me?”

“No.” He twisted the brim of his hat with both hands. “The faith Mary Lou—and Grump—put in you is enough for me.” He met Andrew with a level stare. “I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner.”

With a scuff of his boot against the floorboards, Andrew forgave him. “I can see how all the things made me look guilty.”

“Help me think about everything that was stolen and where you were when it happened.”

Andrew sat down, and for the next few minutes they went over every item, one at a time.

Jared looked at the notes he'd made. “The mirror is the biggest hurdle. How are we going to convince a judge you didn't take it when the sheriff found it in your pocket?”

“I don't know how it got there.” The defeat in Andrew's voice was real.

“We're going to find out. Mary Lou and I will find out.” Jared pushed his chair back against the wall. “I promise you that. You just keep praying and thinking. One way or the other, we'll find out.”

“I didn't think you believed so much in praying for stuff.” Brown eyes dared him to deny it.

Leave it to a young man, barely more than a boy, to get right to the point. “I believe in God.”

“I know that. Why else would you go to church?”

“Going to church is the right thing to do. Christians need to be around one another. It makes our faith stronger.”

“But I've heard you say you didn't think God was interested in the details. Like you thought He cared about the big stuff, but not the little things.”

It was true. “You're right. I used to think that.”

“What changed your mind?”

“You. And Mary Lou.” He put his hat on. “And that's all I'm going to say on the matter.” He had changed. His heart had softened to believe God would help him and Mary Lou find the answers to get Andrew out of jail. And to think God might help him know how to run Grump's newspaper.

He stepped onto the sidewalk and looked across the street to see Mary Lou coming out of Momma's Bakery.

What he didn't know was if God would show him how to get Mary Lou to stay. He couldn't imagine the
Record
without her there. The stories wouldn't be as personable without her knowledge. The heart of the community beat inside her.

Jared could manage the business and print the information about ranching and trends in the market to help the landowners in Pine Haven, but he would never be able to make stories come alive and give people hope the way she did. That was Mary Lou's gift.

He was beginning to realize that she was causing him to let down the barriers he'd erected against women. She had single-handedly scaled the walls he'd put up between him and any woman. He'd done it to protect himself from the mistrust that had flourished in his heart after years of his mother's falsehoods and silence.

He remembered the kiss he'd given her on Saturday. The sweetness in her face as she'd laughed at his dilemma, yet helped him, had drawn him to her. Her gentleness was like a balm to his wounded heart. The memory of the softness of her skin against his lips warmed his soul.

Jared went to check on Andrew's horse and give Mr. Robbins more money for the animal's care. Then he headed to the hotel and arranged for a hearty meal to be delivered to Andrew.

He made his way back to the newspaper office. Maybe Mary Lou had uncovered some new information. They'd gone in separate directions to deliver the newspapers today, hoping that someone would give them a hint of a clue that could rescue Andrew.

Mary Lou sat at the desk with a cup of coffee and two cookies. Jared hung his hat on the coat tree and sat down across from her.

“Those look good.” He reached for a cookie but she swatted his hand away.

“They are. I'm sure Jane Sanford would love to sell you some. All you need to do is stop in at Momma's Bakery.”

He leaned back in his chair. “So you're really not going to share?” He pulled his most pitiful face for her.

“Not even when you look like a sad puppy.” She broke off a piece of a cookie and smelled it before she put it in her mouth.

“You just smelled the cookie?” He laughed out loud.

“Yes. Smell is a large part of taste.” To emphasize her point, she inhaled the steam from her coffee before she sipped the dark brew.

“You do savor the small things, don't you?”

“Some people never get big things to savor. It's best to enjoy what you've got. You never know when it will be taken away.” The fun that had filled her eyes when she spoke about the cookies faded in an instant.

He knew she was thinking he could take the
Record
from her. He wanted to restore that fun to her but didn't know how without relinquishing everything Grump had built for him.

“I've been to see Andrew.”

“How is he?” She picked up the other cookie and handed it to him.

“He's ready to get out.” He made a show of taking in the scent of the cookie before he took a large bite. “Mmm, we'll have to bring him some of these. I sent him lunch from the hotel.”

“That's very kind of you. I'll buy him some cookies later.”

“We talked about all the different thefts. I'm going to go see the Warrens again. I wonder if they've come up with any ideas about the cameo. What are you working on?”

“I've made some notes about the Christmas Eve social article for the next edition. And I'm going to head to the depot when the train comes today. I want to get the paper from Dallas and whatever other papers the newsagent might have. I'd like to pull some articles from the bigger cities to expand our content more. People are responding well to the news of the markets and such from you. I'm thinking it would be good to add a piece or two about politics every week. We've done occasional things. It's time to print more of these stories on a regular basis.”

Jared finished the rest of his cookie. “You mean you're going to follow through with some of my suggestions for changes to the
Record
?”

“I am.” She stood and pushed her pencil over her ear. “If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to work.”

When she walked by him, he reached for her hand. He hadn't meant to. It happened without conscious thought. But she stopped and looked at her hand in his.

“We're going to solve this and get Andrew out of jail before the judge comes. We'll have the real thief ready for trial by then. And the paper is going to grow, just like Pine Haven is growing.”

She still stared at their hands. “And when the judge finishes the trial for the thefts and decides our fate, what will we do then?” She looked into his eyes and he saw fear in hers. He'd never seen fear there before, and it was there because of him.

“Maybe we can talk about that and come to some solution before the judge arrives.”

She slipped her hand from his. “I know we might both wish that were possible, but I'm not sure it is.” She left without looking back.

Jared sat for a long time. The afternoon sun was casting long shadows when he moved from the chair, no closer to a solution than when she'd left.

* * *

Mary Lou stood on the platform at the train depot a few minutes before the train was scheduled to arrive. Mr. Meadows had warned her that its stop in town would only last half an hour today. No more. The railroad was making a change in the schedule and this train was going to the next town. Then it would reverse the schedule and come back through Pine Haven in the morning.

She twisted her hands together. Jared was getting to her. Was he trying to win her over so she'd give him the
Record
? Or was he as kind and compassionate as he appeared? The more she learned about him, the more she liked him. He was like Mr. Ivy in so many ways.

Why did the type of man that she had only dreamed of in the past come to Pine Haven wanting to take her world from her? She must remember the only reason Jared stayed in town was to have the judge award the paper to him.

The whistle of the train drew closer and the ground rumbled beneath the platform.

Jasmine Willis came out of the station master's office. “Hello, Mary Lou. Are you expecting someone?” Jasmine wore her ranching clothes. The long black braid hanging over one shoulder was at odds with the clothes of a working man.

“I came to buy the newspapers from out of town. Mr. Ivy and I are expanding the scope of the
Record
to include things from outside of our area that could affect us.”

“That's very smart. I know the railroad has made a big difference in ranching. Cattle drives were a lot of hard work. Shipping the cattle by rail lowered our risk tremendously. I was just speaking to Mr. Meadows about any rate changes he might know about.”

The train came into view, and Mary Lou grabbed Jasmine's arm.

Jasmine asked, “What is it? You look as though you're about to burst.”

“I've just had an idea! Will you help me?”

“What is it? I'm not sure I like your tone.”

“Please, I only have a few minutes. You have to help me.” Mary Lou pulled Jasmine along in the direction of the hotel and shared her newly hatched plan as they walked. By the time they reached Jasmine's old room in the hotel's private residence, Jasmine was on board and happy to help her.

Twenty minutes later Mary Lou stood at the edge of the platform, away from the other passengers making their way onto the train. At her feet was the carpetbag Jasmine had borrowed from her father. They hadn't told Mr. Warren what Mary Lou was doing. They'd slipped out of the hotel unnoticed and taken the back alley to the station. No one would know her plan until the train left the station.

Jasmine came out of the ticket office and handed Mary Lou a round-trip ticket to Gran Colina, the next stop for the train. “Thanks, Lou. I'll be here to pick you up when you return from your trip.” Jasmine winked at her. “Don't try to be anything you aren't. Just remember you're on a mission. Andrew is worth this.”

Mary Lou looked down at herself. Jasmine was several inches taller than her, but she'd packed the extra length of the trousers into the boots Jasmine had loaned her. The shirt was tucked in at the waist, and she'd braided her hair and let it hang down her back before putting on the riding jacket that completed her outfit. No one who knew her would believe the transformation.

Jasmine had laughed when Mary Lou had picked up her reticule after she'd changed clothes. Mary Lou had agreed and left the feminine bag on the bed. She'd tucked some money and her pad and pencil into the inside pocket of the coat. At the last second she'd pinned her watch inside the coat, too.

Jasmine asked one more time, “Are you sure he doesn't know who you are?”

“I don't see how he could. He saw me the first day he came to Pine Haven. He plowed into a post trying to avoid me, and the sheriff took him straight to jail. He was too busy trying to stay out of jail to pay attention to me. And even though we were in your father's restaurant the other day, he was across the room and my back was to him much of the time.” She looked down again at the trousers and jacket. “I think the change of clothes will keep him from making the connection to who I really am.”

“Be careful.” Jasmine lowered her voice. “Are you sure you don't want me to let Mr. Ivy know where you're going?”

“You can tell him after the train leaves. If he comes down to the station now, he'll ruin any chance I have of finding out if Mr. Finch is indeed the thief.”

The conductor checked his pocket watch and called out, “All aboard!” He walked a few feet down the platform and called out again.

“I better go.” Mary Lou felt a rumble of excitement and nervousness in her middle. “Thank you for your help.”

“You're welcome. If you find out it's him, I want to be among the first to know.”

“You will be. I promise.” She laughed. “Besides all that, I'll have to get these clothes back to you.” She hoisted the carpetbag that held the clothes she'd worn earlier. “Say a prayer for me.”

“I will.”

Mary Lou made her way to the rear of the car and sat on a seat alone. No one sat in the row across the aisle. She slid over by the window and put the carpetbag on the seat beside her, hoping no one would try to join her. Jasmine waved at her from the platform as the train pulled out of the station.

She kept her head lowered and scanned the other passengers from under the rim of the Stetson Jasmine had insisted was the finishing touch. Mary Lou almost laughed when she thought about the differences between Jasmine, the lady rancher, and her sister, Lily Stone, the milliner. Both were beautiful and strong women. Businesswomen, like herself. But they also had husbands. Men who valued their character and embraced their intelligence and their beauty.

Mary Lou could never compete with their beauty. She didn't have the softness they possessed. That was another reason she needed to solve this crime. If she could find evidence that Mr. Finch was the thief who troubled the residents of Pine Haven, it would solidify her ownership of the
Record
. The townspeople wouldn't be looking at her or Andrew with suspicion.

No. Mary Lou didn't have beauty or a husband. She had to protect the only thing she had. The
Pine Haven Record
. She hoped Jared would understand that she didn't have a choice. She had to fight for her future. Even if it put her at odds with him.