Page 85 of Montana Lawman Rescuer
She forced herself not to react, though every nerve in her body twitched, and she had an incredible urge to slap the man’s face.
Jesse was several steps ahead, surrounded by eager people grateful for the work he’d done. As Fred drew closer, Emilynoticed that several of those at Jesse’s side gave the man a frightened look and scurried away.
What was that all about? Had Jesse noticed? But, of course, he had.
She joined him and couldn’t stop herself from resting her hand in the crook of his elbow, even though he stiffened and studied Fred Ellesworth. She needed the strength and courage Jesse’s physical closeness provided.
The dark cloud in the back of her mind that had been her company since the stagecoach accident swirled with fears that she could not calm.
The next day,she learned she had reason to be fearful. Jesse came home for the noon meal with a troubled look on his face. Her first thought was that the trio in the jail had escaped, and her heart raced.
“Emily, can we talk?”
She left Mikey with Gram and followed him outside. They went to the little bench, but somehow, she knew this would not be a pleasant interlude like the ones they’d previously shared at this spot. Her knees shook, but he didn’t sit, so she didn’t, either.
He paced away three steps, rubbed the back of his neck, then slowly turned. His face was a plane of hard lines, and she shivered.
“Did they escape?” It was the worst thing she could think of.
He crossed his arms over his chest. The action made her feel very alone and afraid. “I had a caller this morning.”
She nodded. People were eager to heap praise on him, and it was well deserved.
“Your Mr. Ellesworth paid me a call.”
Her mouth twisted as she thought of the man’s boldness. “He’s notmyMr. Ellesworth.”
Jesse went on as if she hadn’t voiced a protest. “He told me a story.”
Emily stiffened, sensing the story was about her and wasn’t anything she wanted to hear.
“He said he knew you in Lincoln, Nebraska. He offered his hand in marriage but withdrew the offer after you spent the night with a man and made no secret about it.” The way Jesse’s lip curled matched the way her insides reacted.
“He said your reputation was ruined to the point you left town in disgrace. According to him, your aunt arranged for you to join her. I might have had doubt, but he said your aunt lived in Alliance.” Jesse turned away, disgust clear in his expression. It seemed he couldn’t bear to look at her.
Her insides had grown so brittle she feared her next breath would shatter them into a thousand fragments. Could it be possible? Was she really that sort of woman? Why couldn’t she remember?
“One more thing.”
She forced herself to remain standing, though she had lost all feeling in her legs.
“Mr. Ellesworth suggests Mikey is your child. The time from when you left Lincoln would indicate it might be so.”
She let out a wail and collapsed to the bench, rocking back and forth over her knees. How could it be so? Was she really a fallen woman? “Can it be true?”Please, God, make it not so. Was this why she didn’t want to remember?
“I didn’t want to believe him. But a letter came from Alliance today.”
She sat up. “Someone who knows me?” Someone besides the horrible Mr. Ellesworth?
“Why don’t I read it to you?”
She nodded.
“It’s from a woman who runs the Alliance Home for Children. She signs her letter as Matron Hilda.”
“The Aunt Hilda of the letter in my Bible?” She wanted it to be good news, but the look on Jesse’s face warned her it might be otherwise. Although he was less than a yard away from her, it felt as if a huge chasm had divided the ground between them.
“It would seem so. She says Miss Emily Smith has worked at the orphanage for four years, having been highly recommended by her aunt, Mrs. Martha Morgan. She knows Miss Smith came from Lincoln but has little information apart from that. She says the woman is a great help, wonderful with the children, and an asset to the home. The plan was for the boy, Michael, to be delivered to adoptive parents, but the adoption has fallen through, and the Matron requests that Miss Smith bring him back.”
