A Widow to Melt the Sheriff’s Heart (Preview)

Chapter One

Emma Dawson hugged her son, Luke, close to her chest.

He was sick with a fever. It could kill him. How many children had the fever claimed in the last year? Two that she knew of. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to fight tears.

The doctor’s office was just up ahead. It wouldn’t be long now.

“Hang in there, baby, she whispered, pressing a kiss to Luke’s flushed face as she raced forward. She turned the corner, then hurried up the steps of the doctor’s office.

She clung to Luke with one hand and yanked the door open with the other. She didn’t realize there was anyone in her path until she ran headfirst into someone who felt like a brick wall.

Emma pulled back, stumbling to catch herself while holding Luke tightly against her front.

She looked up to find piercing blue eyes staring down at her, accompanied by stubble across the chin, chiseled cheekbones, all belonging to a man who was two heads taller than her.

“Are you all right?” the man asked with gentle concern until he saw who she was. Then his eyes narrowed into suspicious slits, and he tensed his fists at his sides.

Emma took another step back, glancing up at the man, and then to the old woman sitting against the wall not too far off.

“I’m … sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to run into you.”

Her cheeks filled with heat, so intense that she was certain everyone in the near vicinity could see. She half-turned away from him, searching for a seat. She hurried to it, sinking into the little wooden chair against the opposite wall with a sigh of relief.

Everyone in town avoided her, when possible, but the man, still standing in the middle of the room as if he’d been frozen to the ground, especially disliked her. He was tall and quite handsome. Striking, many women said. But he was closed off, cold, and calculating.

Worse, he disliked Emma, her sister Maggie, and Emma’s son Luke with a passion.

Not because of anything she’d done, that would have made it too simple. No. He hated her because of what her brother-in-law had done. She and Luke were a reminder of Sheriff Caleb Westbrook’s biggest mistake.

She didn’t blame him. Some days, she disliked herself too.

She turned her face away, determined not to show Sheriff Westbrook how much his stare bothered her. He seemed to have tired of standing in the middle of the doctor’s office and had retreated to sit beside the older woman.

When Dr. Townsend came back out, his gaze flickered curiously between Emma and Sheriff Westbrook.

“Mrs. Hale, would you join me, please?” he asked. Emma wished he had attended to the sheriff first. Dr. Townsend was one of the few people in town who treated her as if she were anyone else, and perhaps a little kinder.

He always looked out for Luke, and whenever Luke needed something, he would go above and beyond for her son.

Despite being unhappy with all the attention in the room being on her, Emma rose, holding onto Luke for courage. Her year-and-a-half-old son was still sleeping, thankfully.

As she made her way across the room, she could feel Sheriff Westbrook’s eyes boring into her back. He was angry. Whether it was about the doctor’s attention or about her past, she wasn’t sure, and she was pretty sure she’d never know. Because if there was one person that Sheriff Westbrook avoided at all costs, it was her.

Dr. Westbrook let her behind the little curtain he’d set up for privacy. Even so, there wasn’t much between her and the angry sheriff in the waiting area. She wondered how much he would hear.

“How is Luke today?” Dr. Townsend asked, his voice booming so loud that it made Emma jump. She cleared her throat, trying not to show how flustered she was.

“He’s … um, got a fever.” Emma had taken care of Luke by herself since before he was born, only with the occasional help from her sister Maggie. Perhaps it was more than occasional. The two of them were Luke’s parents, in all senses of the word.

His father, if Gideon was still out there, didn’t know that Luke existed—and in a twisted way, she was grateful for as much.

“How long has he had it?” Dr. Townsend frowned.

“Since the middle of the night last night. I thought it would be better by now.” Emma’s shoulders slumped as she noticed the sun hanging low in the sky out the window.

She was supposed to be at the seamstress shop, working on the piling up projects waiting for her. This was important, but whenever she did extra things like taking Luke to the doctor or staying a little late with him to get him to school, she felt as if the rest of her life started to fall apart.

“All right. It’s probably just a bit of a cold. It’s been going around; several people have come to me about it.” Dr. Townsend smiled kindly. “Keep him warm, give him lots to drink, like warm teas, and if he gets worse, or it doesn’t get better in the next few days, you bring him right back.”

Emma stood, gathering a drowsy Luke into her arms. His fevered skin was warm against her lips. She tried to settle her heart from beating too fast by listening to Dr. Townsend; if he thought it was all right, then she should believe him.

“How much do I owe you?” Emma asked. She had brought her savings from the past week, the little she’d managed to set aside for emergencies, but it always got used up before it added up to much.

“It’s all right, Mrs. Hale. This one is on the house.” Dr. Townsend winked, and Emma had to hold back tears to keep from showing just how much the gesture meant to her. It almost made up for having to hear the last name “ Hale not once, but twice.

Over the past almost two years, she’d managed to keep up appearances of the grieving, abandoned wife who still wondered where her husband was, if he’d had anything to do with the bank robbery that broke the town and if he was even alive at all.

The truth was, she knew he had everything to do with that robbery. He’d left, most likely because of it. She didn’t cry at night because he was gone. She cried in relief, and in fear he’d come back.

“Thank you so much, Dr. Townsend.” She made a mental note to bring some of his favorite spice cake the next time she had time to pass by the mercantile for the ingredients. Dr. Townsend had given her more of his time for free than he should have.

He was too kind. Considering Luke’s bad health, she wasn’t sure her little boy would still be alive if it weren’t for the good doctor. He’d seen her so many times, helping her free of charge.

“All right then, be careful heading home.” Dr. Townsend pressed his spectacles up on his nose, and his thinning gray hair fell a bit into his forehead as he bent over a notepad to scribble a few notes.

She hurried out of the doctor’s examination room and paused only for a moment before passing in front of the sheriff. She could feel his cold eyes on her. They were icy, peering into her.

Whenever she saw him in the street or in the mercantile, she felt like he was looking past her body, into her soul, and reading all of her secrets aloud to anyone who would hear.

His gaze was accusing, so stern. It made her squirm. He was handsome, but he was also everything she’d vowed to avoid since her last run-in with love. Not that she would ever believe love existed after Gideon.

Her thoughts wandered as she headed home, Luke growing heavy in her arms.

He’d held similarities with the sheriff. Aloof, with all the women after him, and a face made to be admired. But underneath his charm, and his good looks, his smooth words, and his promises, lay cruelty, lies, and betrayal. She shuddered.

The difference between Gideon and the sheriff was that the sheriff didn’t bother to put on the charm, and he had the whole town fooled. She hadn’t heard a bad word about the man.

Yes, people said he liked to be on his own, that he’d dedicated his life to his work and nothing else, to the town’s safety, and tracking down criminals. They said he’d stop to help anyone in need, and they’d never seen someone take such good care of their mother. But Emma didn’t believe it.

Only three years ago, there were such praises sung about Gideon and his horrible brother Marcus. Looking back at where believing those stories had gotten her, she wasn’t about to repeat it.

She hid an ironic laugh. What was wrong with her? It was probably the lack of sleep getting to her that had her thinking of Sheriff Westbrook and herself in the same sentence.

They belonged on opposite sides of town, and that was where they usually stayed.

When Emma made it back to the little room she shared with her sister Maggie at the back of the inn, she began to pace. She was running out of daylight and had people coming to pick up clothing at the seamstress shop in less than an hour.

She fed Luke some dinner and got him set up on the bed, playing with his favorite little wooden carriages and horses, then waited for Maggie.

Late again.

Her little sister was slipping when it came to sticking to their strict schedule and agreement. Emma was just about to go and ask Clara for the third time that week if she wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on Luke till Maggie returned, when her sister burst through the door.

Her reddish brown hair was poking every which way, whipped by the wind. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and her shawl was clutched in her hand, most likely abandoned in her rush to run home.

Only Maggie cared so little about how badly this town already thought of them to be seen racing down the street in such an unladylike fashion. She’d only turned eighteen, so it wasn’t as if she had a lot of experience being a young woman, but Emma blamed herself for not being stricter before.

“Maggie,” she scolded. “I’m late to the seamstress shop. The doctor said Luke needs to stay warm, so don’t take him outside, and give him lots of tea and water to drink, all right?”

Emma tried to hide her annoyance. It wasn’t her sister’s fault they were struggling and she couldn’t keep up. It was hard not to take it out on her.

“You could always run.” Maggie giggled.

“That’s not funny. I don’t suppose that the mercantile stock boy is who made you late.”

Maggie’s blush was the only response she needed. “ He’s nice. I think you’d like him.”

“I think I don’t like that he makes you late and distracts you.”

Maggie pouted. “You have to give him a chance.”

Emma quirked an eyebrow. “Be careful, Maggie. You don’t understand how bad these things can get.”

Maggie’s expression sobered. “I was here, remember? Silas is nothing like Gideon was.”

“Just … be careful. She huffed in frustration. “I have to go. Watch Luke, okay?”

“Okay, sorry I was late.” Maggie’s cheeks turned a bright pink, and her eyes focused on the ground.

“It’s okay. Love you.”

“Love you more!” Maggie’s cheery demeanor returned as quickly as it had left. At least it made Emma feel as if she’d done something right, if her sister could see things in such a lighthearted way .

Emma hurried as fast as she dared down the street. As she turned the last stretch toward the seamstress shop, she spotted the sheriff with his mother in the distance.

Maybe one part of the rumors was true. The sheriff did look like he cared about his mother. Her own mother flashed into her memory. Gentle hands running through her hair, a sweet smile as she wished Emma a good day at school.

Pretending to squish those memories into a ball, Emma stuffed them into an imaginary crate. She couldn’t allow herself to remember those times, to think of what happened next. She was certain that if she did, more memories would follow. As all the forbidden memories gathered into one torrential storm, she’d break into a million pieces, and no one would be able to put her back together again.

She wasn’t about to let that happen. She had people who depended on her, and wouldn’t let them down. Maggie and Luke were her lifeline, and the reason she kept going, every single day.

There were days it was difficult. There were moments when she felt as if she couldn’t go on for another moment. And yet, one look at Luke’s little smile, and all of that was forgotten.

Chapter Two

Caleb Westbrook helped his mother down from the wagon, keeping his hands on her until he was certain she was steady.

“I’m not a child, Caleb. You don’t have to hover,” his mother scolded, looking a bit embarrassed.

Caleb cleared his throat, trying to ignore the pang in his chest. She wasn’t a child, and yet, the disease that was slowly taking hold of her mind was turning her into one, a piece at a time.

He walked her up to the porch, then into the cabin. It took great patience not to scoop her up and carry her in, but she certainly wouldn’t like that. Instead, he forced himself to count to ten, then twenty. He held open the door, then offered his hand for her to lower into one of the dining room chairs.

As he prepared dinner, he hissed when he burned his finger on a skillet. He still wasn’t as adept in cooking as he’d like to be. If it weren’t for his mother needing to eat when the woman who worked for them wasn’t there, he wouldn’t touch the stove or cook at all. It wasn’t his strong suit.

He served up two plates of baked beans, salt pork, and cold biscuits. Mrs. Langley had left them from the day before. Placing his mother’s plate in front of her, he sat down opposite.

His mother said grace, and they started eating in silence. Caleb’s mind was occupied by the woman from town. Emma Hale. She was beautiful, with soft brown hair bordering on red that seemed to frame her face in the perfect way, and big green eyes that seemed to carry every emotion known to man. Still, he knew it was one cruel illusion.

Why else would she agree to marry someone like Gideon Hale? She’d been a mail-order bride, from what he heard. But it was no excuse. She’d spent a good three months with the man before marrying. Caleb had spoken to her the day the bank was robbed.

He’d asked her for information on her husband, so he could go and retrieve the man. Instead, she’d told him that Gideon and his brother Marcus were stand-up citizens who would never harm anyone. He wondered if she’d heard the two were connected with the Black Reaper gang. Or maybe she’d always known.

She’d lied to protect her husband and his wicked brother. From that moment on, he d’ known that the young woman who put on such an innocent, sweet image to everyone else knew what a horrible family she’d married into, and wanted to be one of them.

He hadn’t found out about the gang until a year after the bank robbery, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been more honest and up front with her.

He frowned as he shoved his food around on his plate. The doctor’s words about her son came back to haunt him. He was worried about the boy, that was it. The boy had nothing to do with his mother’s mistakes.

The quiver in Mrs. Hale’s voice when she’d thanked the doctor for his kindness made his stomach turn. Why did their predicament have that effect on him?

“Are you all right?” his mother asked.

“I’m okay, Ma.” He sighed. “Just thinking.”

“About Mrs. Hale? I know you dislike her husband’s family, but don’t you think it might be time to put the past to rest?”

Caleb’s mood darkened even further. He didn’t want to discuss Mrs. Hale, and he certainly didn’t want to discuss the past. Not with his mother, or anyone for that matter.

“Did you see the flowers today? They were beautiful.” His mother’s expression lit up, and he knew the topic of Mrs. Hale had been forgotten, but he couldn’t forget. He couldn’t stop remembering the events that happened a little more than two years ago that turned his life upside down and ripped his heart out of his chest.

It started innocently enough. He almost scoffed at the thought. The day Marcus showed up at the sheriff’s office, he’d been happy about it. How naive he had been.

Caleb pinned up another wanted poster, making the last row of perfect pictures with angry faces and scratched names complete.

“Howdy!” a rough voice sounded behind him. “You the sheriff?”

Caleb turned to see a young man standing there, around his age. Sandy brown hair flopped into his eyes, and a mischievous light brown gaze found his.

“One day I hope, but today? Just a deputy.” He grinned. “What can I do for you?”

“Mercantile said this would be a good place to ask about employment. I’m looking for something I would be good at. Ranch hand, security for a rowdy saloon, whatever is needed. Have you heard of anything I might be able to find?”

“Actually, yes, Frank in the saloon was looking for a stock boy the other day. You’re not much of a boy, but he isn’t picky. Workers quit on him all the time.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the recommendation. You live near here?”

“Sure do, have a ranch up a ways. You new to town? My name’ s Caleb. ”

“ Marcus. It ’s a pleasure. Maybe you can show me around some time?”

“Would love to. It ’ s my second job to be a deputy.”

Marcus laughed, and Caleb grinned. Marcus seemed like the type of person who could be a good addition to the community.

The sound of another person joining them made him turn. His face lit up, and his chest warmed.

“Jacinda, you ’ re early.” He turned to notice Marcus watching the two of them. “Marcus, this is Jacinda Lewis . Jacinda, meet Marcus. He’s new in town.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Lewis.” Marcus tipped his hat politely. “I should be going, but I ’ ll see you around.” He directed the last bit of his sentence to Caleb, then walked away.

“Who is he?” Jacinda asked, coming close to Caleb, and watching as Marcus continued on.

“Just a new friend, I think.” Caleb grinned. The sheriff was looking for another deputy. Who knew? Maybe Marcus could be interested in the position.

He couldn’t have been more naive.

The sound of someone riding up the way made him push away the past and turn to glance out the window and see who was coming.

It was Tom, his deputy, racing up to the house, his pinched eyebrows showing his worry. Caleb patted his mother on the back.

“I have something to take care of. Why don’t you go to the garden when you’re done eating?”

“All right.” His mother never missed an afternoon sitting in her rocking chair out behind the house, watching the sunset and admiring the flowers in their little garden. It was one of the few places he could trust her to come and go from on her own.

When he made it out to the front, Tom had already dismounted. He was a little shorter than Caleb, but not by much. He always wore a grin on his face and had a joke, even though Caleb made it a point not to laugh at any of them.

“What’s going on? Something’s wrong?” Caleb’s chest clenched in anticipation. He’d failed the town, the worst way, once. Never again. Now, he’d die to protect the town, to protect every citizen in it. Even the less-than-honorable ones.

“I suppose you could call it that. Just visited the Jenkins’inn. They’re requesting our help. There has been a string of little robberies. Money is going missing, and things are being stolen. They have twenty employees and several outside workers. They can’t possibly figure out who would do it. They’re getting worried, as it is affecting their business.”

Caleb frowned. She lived there, Mrs. Hale.

Just because she lived there didn’t mean she was responsible, but…

The Jenkins’inn was one of the largest estates in White Lake. They had fifteen rooms. Some of them rented to regulars, and others to travelers passing through. They also had a small restaurant below, and half the town frequented it. It was known as the best place to eat in town.

“Might not be a worker, could be a boarder.”

“I like the way you think.” Tom chuckled. “We should get down there, talk to people, start getting an idea of what’s going on.”

“Sounds like a plan. I just need to wait for Mrs. Langley…” Before he could finish his sentence, he spotted Mrs. Langley, the older woman who was only about ten years younger than his mother, coming up the road. He waved to her, then went to get his horse from the barn.

The young ranch hand, Leroy, had it ready for him. Caleb hired Mrs. Langley to take care of his mother, the house, and the little chores, and Leroy to feed his animals and deal with basic upkeep around the place.

Money wasn’t an issue for him, not since a few years ago, when he found out that his father had left investments he received upon turning twenty-five, and that made it possible for him to do better than ever at the job that was close to his heart—being the town sheriff.

The money was nice. It gave him the ability to care for his mother, to make sure she was watched all the time. And yet, it was also a bitter reminder that his father hadn’t left any sort of safety net for her.

When his father died, he’d only left debts, and it had thrown Caleb and his mother into poverty. That was up to a few years ago, when a lawyer had shown up, telling him that a small investment his father left for him had grown over the years and could only be accessed when he was twenty-five.

“Let’s go. He mounted in one swift motion, and they were off toward town.

“Is there any other information about the thefts?” Caleb asked.

“Not really. Just that money and other things have been going missing for the past couple of months. That makes it more likely it’s someone who wasn’t around a few months ago. Otherwise, why would they start stealing all of a sudden when they’ve never done it before?”

“Or they recently got desperate and needed to make ends meet.”

A young woman with big green eyes, the color of emeralds, and a shaky voice came to mind. Would she become a thief like her husband to support her son? There wasn’t much a person wouldn’t do for their child.

His own mother, scrimping and saving to put food on the table for him as a child, came to mind, and it ripped open the hole in his heart he fought to keep closed. His father had brought that upon them with his bad decisions.

He couldn’t think of Mrs. Hale like his mother. She was different.

How? He couldn’t quite place it, but he was certain there were bad intentions, somewhere, behind the perfect image she did so well at preserving.

There were plenty of bad rumors about Mrs. Hale. Everyone had their rumors about how she must have helped her husband plan the bank robbery and helped him escape, then stayed behind to protect his reputation.

People said she lived off the money she must have stolen from them. They’d iced her out for the most part, save for a few here and there, like Dr. Townsend. But Caleb had watched her from afar. For the first six months after her husband left, he’d watched.

Day and night, sometimes, he’d watch when she left her room, and he’d follow her to see if she went to see him, if she met up with him to share in the spoils from the bank robbery.

There was no sign of it. She went to the seamstress shop, and she came home. She went to the mercantile, then made dinner in her room. She took extra jobs, cleaning homes, washing laundry. She cared for her son and her sister. She never stepped out of line, spoke unkindly to a person, or rubbed anyone the wrong way. Not a single thing he could bring himself to criticize in six months.

Every once in a while, he’d watch for a day or two, make sure she wasn’t slipping up when she thought she was safe.

But no. It was all the same. Cared for others, worked hard, didn’t spend too much money, kept her head down. That was all she did. He couldn’t find fault with her, and it frustrated him. The woman he’d seen in front of him, the woman he’d come to know by her actions, didn’t line up with the woman he expected her to be, the woman he wanted her to be.

He wanted to be angry at her because Marcus wasn’t there, and Gideon wasn’t there. She’d lied for them, so she must know where they’d gone. Yet she was still there, a connection to them, which meant she was also the closest thing to bear his dislike.

He shook the thoughts from his head. When he analyzed it too much, he started to feel like he was in the wrong, and he didn’t like feeling wrong.

They came to a stop outside the Jenkins’ inn. Clara and Jed were outside, on the porch, talking in low tones, looking around a bit suspiciously. Both of them seemed to relax as Caleb and Tom dismounted and approached.

They got that reaction from a lot of people in town. Most people, actually.

Except Mrs. Hale. She always tried to avoid him.

He had to stop thinking about her. He’d already allowed her to take up too much of his time, too many of his thoughts, and yet, he couldn’t seem to shake her.

“You look a bit… bothered,” Tom whispered before they got to the Jenkinses’.

Caleb nodded in acknowledgment. Besides being his best deputy of three, Tom was also his friend, or as close to a friend as Caleb would allow himself to have. Something Caleb appreciated about him was his ability to tell the truth and share all that he was thinking, no matter how difficult the topic.

“I’m fine, just… distracted.” He squared his shoulders and approached the Jenkinses’.

“Good afternoon, I hear that you have a problem you need help looking into?”

“That’s right.” Jed Jenkins stepped forward, holding his hand out to Caleb. They shook hands vigorously. “Why don’t you come inside, and we’ll tell you all about it?”

Caleb nodded in agreement and motioned for Tom to follow. They were led in off the porch and through the main dining area, toward a little back office.

Caleb couldn’t help but notice the hustle and bustle of the place. Women came and went in the dining area, serving food and taking orders. Patrons sat here and there, enjoying afternoon meals or just a cup of coffee.

Cooks in the back passed plates, and the sound of someone coming through with a delivery of goods from the mercantile made him frown. There was so much going on; no wonder the thief was able to get away with their activities. It wouldn’t be hard to slip away with a couple of dollars here and there, or a little item in a bag.

When they’d gotten to the office, Jed ushered them in and closed the door behind them.

“Thank you for coming, Sheriff. We’re hoping you can help us find out who has been stealing from us these past months.” Jed sighed. “The thing is, we tried to look the other way, considering we have a lot of workers and we don’t want to mess with the balance of things, but lately, it’s been more and more. I don’t want it to get more out of hand than it has already.

“But I also don’t want to accuse anyone in particular. I think for that reason, if you’re willing, it would be best for you to take over the investigation, and look into everyone, keep it fair until someone is proven to have something to do with it.” Jed exchanged glances with Clara, who nodded eagerly.

“We don’t want anyone harassed more than others. An equal interview, equal questions, to see who is responsible,” she seconded what her husband said. “Will you help, Sheriff?”

“I’ll find out who’s behind it, and I will personally lock them up. No one gets away with this behavior in my town.” Caleb’s grim expression didn’t change. Jenkins may think that he was simply saying the words to put them at ease, but he meant them with every fiber of his being.

He meant to make White Lake as free of crime as possible, no matter how little the indiscretion. He appreciated the trust that the people of White Lake put in him. He was a young sheriff, only twenty-eight years old. Much younger than any other sheriff in the area. And yet, people knew he was serious.

They knew he missed out on nights at home, he missed out on relationships, social activities, and other activities that would distract most. If there was a crime in his town, he would do everything it took to stop it, and he wasn’t through until the perpetrator was behind bars.

He’d messed up one time two years ago, and he had spent every second since making up for it—as he would for the foreseeable future.

“I think we should get started right away.” He turned to Tom, then to the expectant Jenkinses. “I think I’ll need a list of everyone who boards here and everyone who works here, as well as any deliveries that are made regularly that would give someone access.”

Jed and Clara Jenkins nodded enthusiastically. Caleb knew before receiving the list what name he would see for certain on that list. For once, he’d have the chance to question Mrs. Hale again. Maybe this time around, he’d actually get some answers to his questions.

He certainly wasn’t about to stop until he’d tried.

Chapter Three

Emma studied the simple stitching, holding the white shirt she was making together. She’d left Luke with Maggie for the morning, since it was one of the days that Clara and Jed gave Maggie off. He’d seemed better since seeing the doctor the day before.

Maggie had most mornings off. Unless it was a job she could do along with Luke, or it was one of the few times that Clara or Jed needed extra help, Maggie would bring Luke to the seamstress shop. He didn’t seem to know what to think of the place, but she hoped that at some point he would enjoy the place as much as she did.

Emma loved having the ability to earn money at the seamstress shop, where she’d built up a clientele over the last few years, but lately it felt as if the work was piling up faster than she could keep up.

The sound of a little bell above the door made her look up. Two young women she’d seen around town walked in. They’d ordered two dresses last month.

“Morning,” one of them said. Her name was Nancy, if Emma remembered correctly.

“Good morning, I’ll get your dresses packed up.” Emma was relieved she’d just finished the two projects the day before. She moved around the shop, finding the finished garments and brown paper to wrap them.

The two women sat at the bench at the front of the little shop near the window. They were lost in their own conversation, but close enough that Emma could hear every word of it.

“Look! It’s Sheriff Westbrook.” One of them pointed out the window.

Emma glanced up. Sure enough, it was Sheriff Westbrook, passing by.

“He’s so handsome. My mother suggested two times last month that I try to get his attention.” Lisa, the woman with Nancy, giggled. “Of course, I reminded her that Sheriff Westbrook hasn’t had eyes for anyone since Jacinda.”

Nancy was just like every beautiful young woman in town. She believed she could get the attention of anyone she set her eyes on. Emma wasn’t sure she was wrong. She’d seen more than one man watching Nancy when she thought no one was looking. Too bad that beauty didn’t extend to the inside.

Nancy rolled her eyes. “Who knew she’d ruin him for everyone? I wonder what happened that made him like this. I hear he spends all his extra time with his mother and has sworn off women for good.” Nancy scoffed, and the way she said it turned Emma’s stomach.

She may not care much for Sheriff Westbrook, but she did understand his responsibility to his mother. It was the same one she had given to Maggie and Luke. They were innocent people who leaned on those around them for support and care.

She finished wrapping the dresses and walked them over to the two waiting women. As she handed them to Nancy, she met the woman’s eyes.

“I dislike Sheriff Westbrook as much as anyone, but I’m sure his mother is grateful for his care, and if there is something to admire about him, it’s his dedication to her.”

Emma held her hand out for her payment and enjoyed the shocked look on both Nancy and her friend’s faces as they made their payment, then hurried out of the seamstress shop. Emma didn’t know what had gotten into her. Defending Sheriff Westbrook wasn’t something she had intended to do that day.

She didn’t hate him, but he made her uncomfortable. He knew she’d lied that day a couple of years ago, and it still ate her up with guilt. Weeks before the robbery, she’d noticed strange behavior from Marcus. She’d tried to bring it up to Gideon, but he’d said it was nothing. Then, when the robbery happened, she was certain. At that point, she’d started suspecting Gideon, too.

She’d been on the way out of the house to get the sheriff when he stopped her. She shivered as she was transported back to the memory, as if she were reliving it.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Gideon growled, standing in her path. His eyes flashed with the all-too-familiar anger she’d gotten more used to than she would have liked.

“I … Nowhere, I mean, to the bakery.” She stumbled over the words. The sheriff Deputy Westbrook, she’d seen him the day before, asking about a string of robberies. Maybe he could help, or he could get the sheriff to do something about Gideon and his brother…

“I know where you think you’re going—to the sheriff, aren’t you?” Gideon’s eyes narrowed. “I won’t forget how you’ve been bringing Marcus up over and over these past few weeks. You’re ungrateful, you know? The work I’ve done, the work my brother has done, it puts food on your table. One day, it will feed your children’s mouths. You think that you’re better because you don’t do the crime yourself?”

His words were cruel, and his tone grew louder with every step he took.

“Listen carefully, Emma. You’ll tell the sheriff nothing of what happened with Marcus, nothing that you saw, and you certainly won’t bring my name into the mix. If you do, you won’t live to see next year—and your sister? She’ll pay for your mistake at an equal price.”

Emma reached the wall, her hands pressing into the rough wood. She could hardly breathe, fear racing up and down her arms. What if Maggie walked through the door? Would Gideon follow through on his threats right then and there?

“I … won’t say anything.” Her voice shook. She didn’t know what Gideon or Marcus had done for sure, but she was done looking into them. It was too dangerous for her, Maggie, and… the baby.

She’d found out almost three months ago that she was pregnant. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to hide it. Why had she hidden it for so long? Perhaps because she didn’t want to face the reality of sharing a baby with Gideon and his temper.

A knock sounded at the door.

“I’m leaving out back. You tell them I’m not here. Anything else, and you’ll find out how serious I am, got it?”

“Yes. ” Emma watched him go, for a moment, missing the man she’d thought she was lucky to marry a year ago. How wrong she’d been.

As he left, she made her way to the front of the house. She cracked open the door to find Deputy Westbrook staring in at her, his eyes narrowed and anger pulling at his brows.

“Mrs. Hale, is Gideon Hale or his brother Marcus here?”

“No. ” She didn’t hesitate; she just thought of the baby in her womb, depending on her to protect it. She thought of her sister and Gideon’s furious eyes. He was gone, for now, and she hoped he would stay gone.

She wasn’t going to risk her life to tell Deputy Westbrook the truth. Maybe if Gideon and Marcus were afraid enough, they’d keep on running, and she’d never see either one of them again.

Emma pulled herself back from her thoughts. She’d thought about going to Deputy Westbrook in the days after Gideon and Marcus never came back. Then, when Deputy Westbrook became Sheriff Westbrook, she almost did. But she was terrified that Gideon might have been watching her and would follow through on his threats.

When Luke was born, she didn’t want to do anything that might cause him to come back, and she was afraid that if Sheriff Westbrook went looking for Gideon, it might somehow bring him back into her life.

The guilt never left her. The feeling haunted her sometimes, when she saw him in town. He loved his town and was a good sheriff. It was easy to see he put his town’s safety first, no matter what.

But even if she understood Sheriff Westbrook, she couldn’t stop putting Maggie and Luke first, just like she always had. That meant they needed to keep doing what they had done to survive so far.