Jesse by Barbara Goss (best romantic books to read TXT) 📗

send them alone, but they wouldn’t know what Leo looked like since there wasn’t a picture of him on the poster.”

“How soon can we leave?” Charlie was eager to get the money back.

“I’ll round them up and send them over today.  Now, you can trust these men. They are all Christian men with families,” Marcus said.

“That’s good to know, but I can take care of myself,” Charlie said.  “I’ll be ready when they get here.”

Jesse was sitting in a chair with a big fluffy pillow behind him when Dr. Benedict strolled in.  “How’s my patient today?”

“Eager to go home.”

“I’d let you go if you had another means of travel.  Horseback would be too jarring for your wound,” the doctor said.

“I could rent a buggy from the livery and pull my horse behind it.”

“That would work except you can’t rent a buggy to go as far as Sunset Creek.  How would you return it?

“When you get home, I want you to take it easy.  Rest, if you understand that word, young man.”

“Then I’ll buy a buggy from them,” Jesse said.

“If they have an old one, they might sell it.  Let me talk to Vernon Burdick, the owner, and see what we can do for you.”  The doctor left the room.

Jesse wondered how Charlie was getting along.  He’d never expected to be gone that long. He had thought about having the doctor send a wire to Charlie or Sean to let them know he was all right, but he didn’t want Charlie to worry.  She thought he was on a bounty job, and he thought it best if she kept thinking that.  He knew she’d try to ride there alone if she knew.

The doctor returned with a frown, and Jesse knew his hope of getting a buggy had vanished.

“I have good news and bad news; which do you want first?” the doctor asked.

Jesse sighed.  “The bad news.”

“The sheriff went to Roy’s home, but he couldn’t find a gun. Roy swears he wasn’t even in town the day you were shot.”

Jesse rolled his eyes.  “The good news?”

“While I hate to see my favorite patient leave, Vernon will sell you an old buggy for three dollars.  I’ll let you take one of my pillows for behind your back.  You’ll do fine—it’s only six or so miles of travel."

 “Can I leave now?”

“More good news,” the doctor said. “We may be able to lock up Roy yet. I have a visitor who’d like to see you.  She claims she witnessed the shooting and has agreed to testify.  Will you see her?”

Jesse shrugged.  “Sure.  I’d be more than happy to.”

The doctor opened the door and to his surprise, Delia walked in.  “Hello, Jesse.”

“Delia!  You saw Roy shoot me?”

Delia waited until the doctor had quietly left the room before saying, “No.  He came home and bragged about it, so I told the sheriff I saw him shoot you.”

“But why?”

“Because it’s the least I can do after what I nearly did to you.  With Roy locked up, I won’t have to worry about him turning me in for killing my old landlord—it was an accident.”

Jesse shook his head.  “And your sister?  Won’t she be furious with you?”

“No, Gwen hates Roy.  He’s been tossing her around lately.  I think something inside of his brain has snapped.  She and I are going back to Kansas after I testify. We want to be sure Roy’s locked up.”

Jesse’s voice softened.  “I appreciate that, Delia.  Now I won’t have to hunt him down and have a proper shootout.”

Jesse found the door to his house locked.  He thought that perhaps Charlie had gone to stay with Sean and Sophia.  He unlocked the door and felt tired and weak, so he laid down on the bed and fell asleep.  When he awoke, it was dark outside, and he undressed to get properly into bed. Jesse emptied his pockets and found that he still had seventeen dollars on him.  He took the money into the kitchen, reached up to put it into the safe, and nearly fainted when he saw that his safe had been stolen.

He sat down on a kitchen chair.  No,  Charlie would never take the money and run.  Maybe someone had come in and taken them both.  Then he knew—Leo!  He’d taken the money and Charlie.

Jesse had to find his wife.  He went to bed with the intention of looking for them in the morning.  It was dark, and he was in pain.  It would have to wait until dawn.

Jesse drove the buggy to Sean’s.  He pulled into the yard, and Sean came out to greet him.  “Jesse!  Where have you been?”

“I’ve been laid up.  That rat Roy shot me in the back like a coward.”

Jesse stepped carefully down from the buggy.  “Where’s Charlie?”

Sean shrugged.  “I thought she was home.  It upset her that the deputy had only arrested Leo’s friends. They can’t find Leo.”

Jesse rubbed his forehead.  “She’s not home, Sean.  Could Leo have taken her?”

“No.  He grabbed your safe and took off one morning before Charlie was awake.  She’s furious.”

“That no good. I know what I want to call him, but I need to change my words now that I’m a church-going Christian man. You know what Roy and Leo are.”

“Sophia has me going too, and I can’t believe I've spent my entire life without God.  How did I ever survive?”

 “God and my prayers kept me alive,” Jesse said.  “Now, I need Him to help me find my wife.”

Sean helped Jesse into the house. “You’ll stay right here on our settee.  Sophia will make you something to eat.  I’ll go into town to see if the deputy knows where she is.  Anna Barringer, my cousin, died, and Deputy Campbell has been taking over until Geoff