Before she knew it, Jolie had reached the creek bank. She set the bucket down to take a moment to catch her breath. The bright sun illuminated the changing leaves on the aspen trees. Those clumps of trees had intrigued Jolie so much, and she was grateful Cade had been able to put a name to them. She would have to include a small watercolor of the aspens with one of her letters to Mama. Those letters were piling up quickly. Cade had promised her a trip into town to mail them as soon as the house was ready to inhabit.
Humming under her breath, Jolie walked a short way along the edge of the little creek. She imagined the waterway ran quickly in spring and early summer, but now it was shallow and slow. Sunlight danced on the creek, making it sparkle like jewels. She wished Mama could see this place for herself. And Papa too. The grief that closed around her heart when she thought of him didn’t come as often as it once had, but it arrived now and then, usually when she least expected it.
She took a deep breath and rubbed the threatening tears from her eyes. Papa would prefer she observe what was around her, instead of letting tears fall in his memory. And so she blinked and let her gaze wander the creek, the opposite bank, and—
Jolie tilted her head and squinted. No, she hadn’t imagined it.
There was a bit of white fluttering in the breeze on the other side of the creek. Curiosity took over. Bucket forgotten, she analyzed Silver Creek. The water flowed at a crawl, and she could see through it to the bottom all the way across. Even in the middle, it wouldn’t be any deeper than about halfway up her shins.
She bent over and tested the water with her hand. It was cold, no question about that, but not dangerous. At least so long as she was quick about it. Besides, there were a couple of larger rocks she could use as stepping stones.
Mind made up, Jolie sat down to remove the practical boots she was glad she’d brought with her from home. Glancing around for the sake of propriety and satisfied she was alone, she peeled off her stockings and left them on top of her boots.
The riverbank felt cool but solid beneath her bare feet. Jolie smiled, remembering how often she used to run outside barefoot as a child, before such things were frowned upon. When Mama hadn’t been looking, she might have done it again as a grown woman—just every once in a while. After all, what was the use of living in the country, far from neighbors, if one couldn’t feel the earth beneath one’s feet now and then?
She made her way to the edge of the water. The scrap of what looked like white fabric still lay on the other side. It looked as if it might have been pinned under a small rock. Carefully, Jolie stepped on the first stone in the creek, and then the next.
Now was the true test of her bravery. She drew in a deep breath, steeled her shoulders, and planted a foot in the water. It lapped at her leg as she sucked in air at the freezing water. She set her other foot down fast, before she could change her mind.
If she’d been tempted at all to take her time in crossing to the other side, she certainly wasn’t now. Moving as fast as she could, Jolie reached the other bank. The white fabric was close enough to the bank that all she had to do was lean over and pull it out from under the small rock where it had been caught.
Back at the other bank, shivering at the chill in her legs, Jolie examined her find. It was a handkerchief. Likely one for a man, as the embroidery at the edges was done in a strong, blue pattern that resembled interconnected squares. It was dirty, as was to be expected since it had been outside after being parted from its owner.
Jolie folded it neatly and tucked it into the pocket of the calico skirt she wore. It was an interesting find, but she would have preferred to stumble upon some new creature or some never before seen bit of lichen. She drew on her stockings and laced up her boots, grateful for their warmth, and made quick work of filling the bucket.
When she returned to where the men were making progress on the house—which now held the skeleton of a roof—she found Cade in conversation with a man on horseback. As soon as she’d set the bucket down, Cade motioned for her to join him.
“Sawyer, I’d like you to meet my wife. Jolie, this is Zachary Sawyer, our closest neighbor to the north.” Cade gestured at the man on horseback.
Mr. Sawyer tipped the brim of his hat to Jolie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Harris.”
“I feel the same, Mr. Sawyer. I’ve been longing to meet some of our neighbors. I don’t suppose there is a Mrs. Sawyer?” she added hopefully.
He chuckled. “I’m afraid there’s not. It’s just me and a few men I’ve kept on for the winter. One of our hands is married, though, and his wife cooks up a fine meal, if you’d be inclined to join us one evening.”
Jolie wanted to answer right away with a resoundingyes. It would be so nice to have some female company, even if it was only for an evening. But Cade was spending nearly every daylight hour on the house, and she didn’t want to pull him away from his work.
“That’s very kind of you,” he said. “And if it’s all right with my bride, perhaps we could come one night next week, once I’ve got a roof on this house.”
Jolie beamed at him, and Mr. Sawyer said he’d expect them the following Friday evening. She excused herself then to begin cooking their own supper, but her mind was alight with thoughts of possibly making a new friend.
And, because she knew Cade would not ask, perhaps she could find out if Mr. Sawyer or anyone else at his ranch was the person who’d spotted the white horse the day Lucas was murdered.
As she prepared the fire, she could hear Cade’s voice in her head, telling her to let it be.
She respected his wishes. After all, she was well acquainted with grief and how difficult it was to move along with one’s life when a large part of it had been cut out at the loss of someone dear.
But deep down in her heart, she wanted an answer for Cade. Seeing his brother’s murderer receive justice felt like the right thing to do. And perhaps that was what he really needed to properly grieve.
She simply had to go about her own investigation quietly.
Chapter Ten
Cadethoughthehadnever seen anyone so vibrant as Jolie when they drove into town. He’d hammered the last nail into the roof just before the noon meal and sent Neil and Horace off with their pockets and stomachs full. And then to celebrate finishing a few days before he’d planned, he offered to take Jolie into Crest Stone to mail her letters.
She’d emitted an incoherent shriek and then thrown her arms around him. She took him by surprise, but he laughed as she set about cleaning up the dishes as quickly as possible.
Now, as they rolled into town in the wagon, he drew up the horses outside the general store. “Would you like to stop in and take a look? I’m sure there are a few items we could replenish, and a few we might need now that we have a home. I’ll go to the livery and then meet you back here and we can post the letters together.”
