His grip loosened just a little as he regarded her. “You’re lying.” He shook his head. “It makes me awfully glad I didn’t marry you.” He said this as if he’d been the one to make that decision.
I am not a liar. Sophia repeated the words to herself, even though she knew deep in her heart that was why Matthew had chosen Miss Timperman over herself. It didn’t matter how much she had apologized for pretending to be Miss Timperman—it hadn’t been enough.
And so she didn’t square her shoulders and insist she was telling the truth. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Mr. Durham was going on about meeting someone in the saloon who’d told him that he’d seen Sophia and Matthew at the bank making a large deposit.
“I believe it’s time you accompanymeto the bank,” Mr. Durham said, leaning closer to her.
No one was nearby to help her. Before she could respond, he’d begun walking across the road, forcing her to come with him.
“You might be able to make me come with you, but I won’t speak. And no one at the bank will withdraw those funds without my consent,” she said as she tried to keep up with him. “And I’ll scream if you drag me any farther.”
He stopped—right there in the middle of the road, just past the railroad tracks—and turned. He yanked her closer, withdrawing a small pistol from his pocket. She gasped as he pressed it to her stomach. “You will come with me and say exactly what I tell you to or you’ll lose your husband to my partner. And your life too, so suppose that won’t really matter, will it?”
Sophia blinked at him, trying to make sense of his words while trying to ignore the feel of that small revolver against her dress. He had a partner . . . Someone else who was working with him. Who was helping him. And she would lose her husband to . . . Her eyes widened as the answer came to her. It was impossible, and yet it was the only thing that made sense.
He laughed as he watched her face. “Yes, poor sad Miss Timperman. It was fairly easy to convince her to help me if she got the only thing she wanted in return.”
Sophia said nothing. He didn’t know that she’d already lost Matthew to Miss Timperman. He didn’t know she had nothing at all left to lose, save the money in the bank.
He pulled her across the remainder of the street. Sophia didn’t fight him.
She had nothing left to fight for.
Chapter Twenty-four
MISS TIMPERMAN APPEAREDlike a ghost in the doorway of the land office.
Matthew groaned inwardly when he saw her. When would the woman realize he was no longer an option for her?
“Miss Timperman.” He stood and strode across the room as Jake Gilbert watched him curiously from the table where he was discussing a potential sale of property with a customer.
“Good morning, Matthew.” That beaming smile was back.
He closed the space between them and gestured at the door. She took his hint and stepped outside. Matthew shut the door behind them, leaving Gilbert to conduct his business in peace.
“Do you need something?” It was best, he decided, to get to the point with her. A part of him hoped she’d changed her mind about accepting his help to return home.
