HAWK PAUSED, MISS GROVES’delicate hand resting on his arm. That wasn’t a request he’d expected. In fact, he’d thought she would wish to rest and see the home in which she’d be living first.
But, then again, he also hadn’t expected to find his bride-to-be holding an outlaw at gunpoint.
She gave him a dazzling smile, one that left him feeling somewhat lightheaded. Perhaps this was her way of showing support for his work. It was a nice thought, and he certainly appreciated that she wasn’t a woman who scared easily in the face of the more dangerous aspects of living in a place like Perseverance.
“All right,” he said, leading her to the door. He held it open, and she slipped through.
Inside, Garland and Billy Morrell, who’d ensured the fellow they’d picked up at the Pass was locked away in one of the cells that sat in the jail adjacent to the sheriff’s office, stood near the desk, discussing the day’s events. The other men who’d ridden with him had already headed home for the evening.
“I don’t believe I had the pleasure of meeting your colleagues,” Miss Groves said, coming to stand by the corner of his desk, her hands clasped demurely in front of her. If he didn’t know better, Hawk would’ve assumed she was a delicate flower, likely to faint at the merest mention of anything lawless.
She was quite fascinating, and he found himself wishing Garland and Billy would scatter, leaving him the space to get to know her better.
Instead, he plowed forward with introductions, and Miss Groves inclined her head and said polite words of greeting to both his regular deputy and to Billy, who stood with his mouth half-open as if he’d never seen a woman before. And well, he hadn’t likely seen many, at least not near his own age, as Lina was. Perseverance was few and far between with members of the fairer sex.
Garland elbowed Billy hard, and Miss Groves covered a smile with her gloved hand.
“We locked up that fellow,” Garland said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward the door that led to the jail. “Said his name was Pete Turley. It ain’t familiar to me. I’ll see if I can’t get more out of him tomorrow.”
Hawk ran the name through his memory, coming up with nothing. “All right. Maybe he’ll be more talkative then.”
“Want us to stick around? To help?” Billy asked, his gaze flickering to Miss Groves.
Hawk bit back a laugh. The boy was clearly taken with Miss Groves.
“Fairly sure Rodgers has this situation under control.” Garland gave Billy a slight shove toward the door. “See you in the morning. Good evening, Miss Groves.” He tugged on his hat.
With that, they were gone, and Hawk was alone with Miss Groves. She stood, looking about the place, and he suddenly wished he’d run a rag over the desk and the other sparse pieces of furniture, or at least swept up the floor, which looked as if half the dust stirred up in the street outside had found its way in.
“I take it that’s your jail?” Miss Groves nodded toward the door in the rear.
“It is. And this is my office. There isn’t much to it, I’m afraid.”
“Well, it seems a good place to conduct the business of keeping the town in order.” Miss Groves walked slowly across the dusty floorboards, letting her fingers trail across the door of the old wardrobe that held an extra coat, some old files, and various sundries that prisoners had upon their persons when they arrived.
“The county,” he corrected her. “Not that there’s much out here save for Perseverance and Mad Dog Gulch. Fort Garland keeps its own peace.”
“Mad Dog Gulch?” She raised her eyebrows at the curious name.
“It sounds just as bad as it is. Not much of a place for visiting, particularly for ladies.” An unfortunate side effect of cleaning up Perseverance was the flood of ne’er-do-wells into the next nearest town—and up into the mountains.
“Have no fear, I don’t believe I’ll wish to pay it a visit.” She smiled at him, and Hawk instinctively smiled back. “Perseverance seems like a decent town, though.”
“It is now. Some day I’ll tell you how much work went into making it that way. It isn’t perfect, and we still don’t have much in the way of polite entertainments or many ladies for you to befriend, but I’m hopeful that will come now that it’s become a safer place to lay one’s head.”
“I’m certain it will. And I’m happy to be a part of that.”
Her optimism lifted his heart. “To be honest, I feared your introduction to Perseverance might put you off staying here.”
She twisted her hands together, and for a second, he feared he’d stirred up emotions within her that might change her mind. Even the bravest souls felt fear.
But she held fast to her pleasant expression, and said, “Well, now I suppose I have something fascinating about which to write my brother and friends back in Kansas.” She took a step toward him, her light blue eyes so trusting that Hawk’s breath caught in his throat. Had he been mad to send for a bride? What sort of man brought a woman all this way, only for her to need to face down outlaws before she’d even reached town?
But Miss Groves hadn’t said a word about fear or wanting to go home. Instead, she looked up at him and said, “Would it be all right if I saw the house now?”
Relief spread through him like a runaway train. Although he knew she wasn’t easily cowed, he’d still feared she might come to her senses. “Of course.” He gestured to a second door in the rear of the building, one almost hidden behind the stove that warmed the building in winter.
The house was mere feet behind the office and jail. “It isn’t much, I’m afraid,” Hawk said as he opened the door. “But I hope you’ll find it suitable.” He had at least bothered to make an effort to clean the house. He led Miss Groves through the small parlor to the kitchen directly behind it. In between the two rooms, a narrow staircase led to the single bedroom upstairs. He set the saddlebag full of her things on the kitchen table.
