True to the Law (31 page)

“Then they didn’t draw on each other.”

“No. It began with fists and then they were in too close to get at their guns.”

Relieved to hear it, Tru exhaled softly. “I’m glad no one was hurt.” To be sure he had not sustained any injury, she leaned back and gave him a thorough look. “What is it?” she asked when Cobb’s mouth twisted with tender irony.

He pointed to the side of his head where she had walloped him. “I managed to avoid everything thrown in my direction tonight until I came here.”

Tru did not apologize for it. She beamed.

Cobb’s attention was arrested by her smile. “Jesus,” he said quietly. “You’re beautiful.”

She put a finger to his lips. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“You
are
beautiful.”

“I’m not, but I meant the other. You curse too much.”

“That wasn’t a curse. I said it with enormous respect and reverence.” He kissed her finger before she removed it.

Rolling her eyes, Tru cut him off. “Would you like a drink?”

“No. But you go ahead.”

Tru slid off his lap and went to the drinks cabinet. She splashed a tumbler with whiskey and carried it back. When he patted his lap, she merely gave him an arch look and curled into the corner of the sofa that was closest to him. “I think it’s better if I sit here.”

“Better for whom?”

“Both of us, if you like. You can’t spend the night.”

Cobb agreed, but reluctantly. “You were right about my absence being noticed. Walt commented on it.”

“So did Andrew.”

That caused Cobb to cock an eyebrow at her. “He said something to you? I saw him go into the schoolhouse after you excused the children.”

She nodded. “That’s when he mentioned it. It was a test, of course. I’ve learned that’s the way Andrew does these things. I’m unaware that he’s ever practiced law in a courtroom, but he approaches people as if they’re on trial. He seemed to think I should know where you were last night.”

“I know you didn’t tell him the truth, so how did you manage the lie?”

“Evasion.”

Cobb chuckled. “You do very well there.”

Tru nodded and sipped her drink. “He asked for my answer.”

That sobered Cobb. He pushed the stool aside and sat up straight.

Tru went on: “He said I should have known that he had feelings for me when I was in his grandmother’s employ. I don’t recall a single instance when I thought that might be the case.”

“Is it possible you were mistaken about the reasons he wanted you gone? It could be that he wanted to remove temptation.” He quickly threw up his hands to ward off the sharp, vaguely accusing glance she sent his way. “Playing devil’s advocate.”

“He also told me he loved me—something he didn’t say when he asked me to marry him last night. I had the impression he had thought about it and was rectifying a mistake. It was . . . calculating, I suppose. He intended for me to be moved by his declaration.”

“Were you?”

Tru shook her head. “No. Not at all. I really don’t understand what he wants.”

“Besides you.”

“I know I said that, but I’m not certain it’s true. I told you yesterday. Dog in the manger. I can’t shake the sense that he wants me only so that no one else can have me. It’s not flattering; it’s disturbing. But before I give him my answer, I want to understand his urgency first. I want to know his purpose.” She smiled faintly at Cobb’s shuttered expression. “You’re not sure what I’m going to say, are you?”

He said nothing.

“My answer does not hinge on you making the same offer. You should know that in the event you are tempted to make a proposal.”

“And if I did?”

With more regret than joy, Tru’s smile deepened. She said quietly, “I would want to understand the urgency and know the purpose.”

Cobb nodded slowly. “That’s fair.” He stood. “I think I will have that drink.” He headed for the cabinet. “Finn and Rabbit dropped by after school. Finn mentioned that Mackey asked after you as soon as he arrived at the station. That was enough for Finn and his grandfather to speculate about Mackey’s interest in you. It’s only a matter of time before people learn there’s been a proposal, and no one’s going to be surprised by it.”

“How will anyone find out? Only you and I and—” She stopped. “Oh, Andrew. Of course. Sooner or later he will want it known. That’s why he asked for me when he arrived. I suppose there is more than one way of pressing me.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

“Enlisting the town,” she said, shaking her head. “I hadn’t considered that.”

“It’s what I would do.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

Cobb turned back to face Tru as he was pouring his drink. “Why do you say that?”

“You’re a private person.”

“I might surprise you.”

“I don’t think so. You’re not secretive exactly, just private. I imagine it comes from wheedling information from everyone around you. You guard yours closely.”

“It comes from being wheedled,” he said. “That’s what passes for conversation at the Bridger table. My mother in particular is relentless. What I know about interrogatory, I learned from her.”

“I envy you your family, you know. I shouldn’t. It’s wrong.” She finished her drink and put the tumbler aside. “I’m sure every one of them holds you in great esteem, and if they try to coax something from you, it’s because of their affection and concern. I think you know that.”

He nodded. “I do, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded.”

“Do they know where you are?”

“Yes. I write regularly.”

“Do you?” She did not try to conceal her surprise. “What do you say?”

Cobb returned the bottle to the cabinet and carried his drink to the chair. “Different things about the town, the people. The adventures of Rabbit and Finn.”

Tru laughed softly. “Did you write that you’re marshal?”

“No. That’s better left for later.”

“For when you’re no longer marshal, you mean.”

“I mean for when I’m sitting in the farmhouse at the table. They’ll need that much assurance that I’m unharmed.”

“I would too,” she said. “In their place, I would too.”

Cobb raised his glass but didn’t drink. Footsteps on the front porch pulled his attention to the door. He glanced at Tru. She was already rising to her feet and regarding him with concern. He had no trouble interpreting her look. She wanted him to leave. She was not up to a confrontation. He set his glass on the table, picked up her empty one and shoved it in his jacket pocket. He pointed to himself and then to the kitchen. She nodded and crossed to the entrance while he made his retreat.

Tru pressed the flat of one hand against the door and covered the knob with the other. The knock jarred the door and both of her hands. She waited a few beats and then asked, “Who is it?”

“Andrew. Let me in. I need to speak to you.”

“It’s late, and I’m in my nightclothes. We already spoke once today. We can talk again tomorrow.”

“Please,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it was important.”

Tru glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. She didn’t see Cobb. She had to trust that he was gone. “One minute,” she told him. “You have one minute and then you have to leave.”

“Yes. Whatever you want.”

Tru turned the key in the lock and twisted the knob. She had hardly stepped back before Andrew entered, and he was halfway to the sofa before she closed the door.

“Stop right there,” she said. “I didn’t invite you to make yourself comfortable. What do you need to speak to me about?”

Mackey ignored her. He went to the table between the chair and sofa and picked up the tumbler of whiskey. Once he had it in hand, he turned on her. “You drink liquor?”

“Obviously I did not pour that for you, so yes, I enjoy good whiskey.”

Her answer raised his eyebrows. “I had no idea.” He lowered the tumbler to the table. “When I saw it, it occurred to me that you might have been entertaining.”

Tru did not think that deserved a response. She said, “Please, Andrew, the point of your visit?”

He nodded. “I received a telegram this evening from Uncle Paul. Frank is coming to Bitter Springs.”

Tru felt her stomach turn over and imagined that after only a few seconds passed she had no color left in her face.

“I came by earlier,” Andrew said. “Twice. You weren’t home, or at least you didn’t answer the door.”

“I wasn’t home. I ate with friends tonight.”

His dark eyes narrowed on her face. “You should sit down. You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine.” But she wasn’t, and she knew she wasn’t. If he plucked another nerve, she would begin to vibrate and never stop. “Did you invite him to join you?”

“No.”

Tru thought he seemed surprised that she asked. “I wondered if you intended to present yourself as the lesser of two evils.”

He stiffened. “That’s unfair. And cruel. You’ve changed since you left Chicago.”

“Perhaps.” If it was true, she was making no apology for it. “When can we expect him?”

“He already left. Uncle Paul was informing me after the fact. If Frank’s journey is as uneventful as mine was, I believe he’ll arrive sometime Thursday. Mr. Collins thought the same.”

Tru nodded. “Thank you for telling me. You were right that I would want to know.” She indicated the door. “Goodnight, Andrew.”

“I wouldn’t mind a drink.”

“You’re staying at the Pennyroyal,” she reminded him. “Have whatever you like. There.” Tru put her hand on the doorknob and turned it. “I’m tired, Andrew, and I want to go to bed now.”

He came toward her and then abruptly turned in the direction of the kitchen. Tru left the door and hurried after him. She put out a hand to touch his shoulder, thought better of it, and let it fall back to her side. He entered the kitchen first. She was right on his heels.

She was glad she had stayed behind him. That left her free to make her own furtive assessment. The room had only the benefit of the lamplight from hallway and parlor, but it was sufficient for her to see that Cobb’s hat and coat were not hanging at the back door. The empty glass he had removed from the parlor was not on the table, and as best as she could tell, not in the sink. She wondered if he had walked out with it as a safeguard or because he forgot he had it.

Tru watched Andrew’s head turn left and right. She slipped past him and stood beside the table, her hand resting on the back of a chair. When he glanced her way, she had the sense that he was looking through her. “What is it you think you’re going to find?”

Ignoring her, he went to the door. Tru held her breath when his hand closed over the knob. He twisted it. Expecting the door to open, she gave a small start when it didn’t.

“This is locked,” he said.

“Yes. I told you I was out.” She hadn’t locked it, though.

“I thought . . .” Shaking his head, he released the knob, turned, and reentered the kitchen. “I thought I heard something.”

It was not difficult for Tru to look concerned. She was. It was impossible for Cobb to have locked the door behind him when he left, not with the key still dangling in the lock. “What kind of noise was it? Sometimes the neighbor’s cat scratches at my door. I need to stop feeding him. You might have heard Mr. Peeve.”

“No. It wasn’t that.”

“The house is still settling. It creaks and groans like an old man.” She pointed to the window as the glass rattled. “And there’s a strong wind out this evening. You’ll want to turn up the collar of your coat on your way back to the hotel.”

Andrew pointed to the archway behind her. “What’s in there?”

“A dining room.”

“Perhaps I should have a look.”

She moved to block his path. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

He cupped her elbows, lifted her a few inches, and set her down when he had removed her as an obstacle. “It will only take a moment, and I’ll sleep better knowing that you’re safe. You can’t have forgotten there was a problem here last night.”

“The problem was out there, not in here. And you don’t even have a lamp. I don’t know what you think you’ll see in there.” But when Tru followed him in, she saw the light from the entranceway was brighter in the dining room than it had been in the kitchen. She watched Andrew bend at the waist to get a better view of under the table. “Andrew. This is really rather foolish.”

“Humor me.”

“I don’t know what I’m humoring,” she said. “Is this about Frank? Were you lying to me earlier? Is he here already?”

“No. Frank isn’t here. He only left Chicago yesterday.”

“All right. Then go.” She took the short route back to the entrance, avoiding the kitchen, and opened the front door. An eddy of snowflakes swirled across the threshold. Tru shivered. “Go,” she said. “I mean it, Andrew.”

He turned up the collar of his coat just as she suggested and paused when he stood in the doorway. “I failed to protect you once before,” he said. “I’m not going to repeat that mistake. I
will
take care of you. It’s not only what Grandmother wanted, it’s what I want as well.”