“Oh, Roman, I believe I found them! The men who stole your horses.”
That was the last thing he’d expected her to say. “How . . .?” It was so improbable—soimpossible—he couldn’t even think of what to ask.
She told him of walking along the creek, alone. Roman bit his tongue at that revelation. And about how she’d stumbled upon a couple of men cooking their dinner while discussing the sale of something that most certainly sounded stolen. And if that weren’t enough, about how she’d drawn their attention as she tried to leave and found herself running from them.
“Did they see you?” Ice crept through Roman’s veins. Such men were often desperate. Whether they were desperate enough to worry about a woman having seen them . . . The very thought made Roman feel ill.
“Well . . . Not by the river. But I couldn’t outrun them, so once I grew closer to the railroad tracks, I simply pretended I was a woman from town, out for an evening stroll.”
He blinked at her. If the situation weren’t so dire, he might have laughed. What other woman would have thought to do such a thing? “Did they believe the farce?”
“I think so. They certainly saw me, and I was far enough from town that if they thought I’d overheard them, well . . .”
Roman closed his eyes. He didn’t want to imagine what might have happened.
“But instead they returned to their camp.” Clara looked up at him with frightened eyes. “Do you suppose they’ve come back to steal from you again?”
Roman pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to believe it. In fact, he didn’t want to believeanyof it. “Perhaps they were discussing something altogether different.”
“Have you heard of anyone else in town having items stolen?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“No, but I doubt the marshal makes public every crime that occurs.” No one wanted it known their business was easily robbed—Roman knew that firsthand. “It’s possible they’re just traveling through, on their way elsewhere.”
“Yes,” Clara said, but her voice didn’t sound convinced.
“Jeremiah and I are staying up through the night, keeping guard,” he replied, hoping that might assuage her fears.
“I know, but don’t you think we ought to alert the marshal?” Her green-gray eyes looked to him for reassurance.
“I’ll stop by the hotel and see him after I get you back to the boardinghouse.” Roman returned to the desk for his hat and extinguished the lamp.
“Don’t you think I ought to come too?”
“If he needs you, he can find you tomorrow at a decent hour.” Roman took her elbow and led her to the door before turning to call back into the stable. “Jeremiah! I’m going out.”
“All right, Boss,” came the reply from somewhere in back. A horse shuffled in response, and Roman shut the door firmly behind him.
Roman led Clara down the road, his hand tucked protectively around her elbow. “You oughtn’t be walking down by the creek—or anywhere outside of town—on your own.”
“It was still daylight. I wouldn’t do such a thing at night,” she said.
He could feel her defiant eyes on him, and he sighed. He liked that about Clara, her spirit and her independent thinking, but not when it put her in danger. “I don’t mean only at night.”
“Are you telling me I can’t stroll by the creek or out along the tracks or—or—anywhere when the sun is out?” Her voice matched the indignant look she was giving him.
“That is exactly what I’m saying. At least until we know the thieves are gone for good. If you need to walk, do so in town. Away from the saloon,” he added.
“But—”
“Those men know who you are. Even if they believed your ruse this time, they certainly won’t if they find you walking anywhere near their camp again.” He looked down at her, hoping his words and the look he gave her firmly planted the danger she might face in her mind.
She said nothing. Instead, she pressed her lips together and turned forward, away from him.
“You shouldn’t be walking alone anyhow, even in town, given what’s been happening. I’d prefer if you took a companion.”
She looked at him then, her eyes blazing brighter than the moon overhead. “I may not come assist you in the livery. I may not take a walk outside town. And now I must have a companion? Do you have any more rules you’d like to enforce, sir?”
Irritation shot through Roman. This was for her own good. Why couldn’t she see that? “I only want to keep you safe.”
