She was halfway down the hall when a man rounded the corner ahead of her. He was large, had a shock of blond hair, wore a nice suit, and had a cane looped over his right arm.
And he smiled when he spotted her.
Tilly paused, all of her irritation fading fast into fear. She could run back to the room or she could continue walking. She could show him that she was afraid, or she could pretend his presence didn’t bother her at all.
Surely he couldn’t do anything to hurt her out here in the hallway, not when there might be other guests behind the doors nearby.
So she lifted her head and began walking quickly, hoping beyond hope that he’d say nothing and let her pass.
“Good morning, Mrs. Hannan.” His voice was loud and demanded attention.
When she said nothing right away, he stepped sideways, effectively blocking her from continuing on her way.
“Excuse me, Mr. Rodgers,” she said, surprised at how steady her voice sounded despite the fact that her entire body was quivering.
“I suppose you’re going down to breakfast.” He glanced past her, into the empty hallway. “Without your husband. In that case, I’d be happy to join you.”
“No, thank you. I’m not hungry,” she lied. If only she could get downstairs, where other people would be present.
“Are you headed into town then? I can escort you.”
“I’m meeting a friend downstairs.” Another lie, but Tilly would strike up a conversation with anyone who might speak to her, just to get away from this man.
“Ah. Well, I’m certain we’ll run into each other again. I’ve taken up a room here. That boardinghouse was not to my taste.” Rodgers’ smile grew as Tilly’s heart sank.
The thought of having him so close to them made her want to run into the snow-covered mountains and take her chances with the wildcats and freezing temperatures.
A hotel maid stepped into the hallway just then. When she paused to knock on a door nearby, Mr. Rodgers thankfully stepped out of Tilly’s path.
Without a word, Tilly looked down the hall, ready to be free of this man. But before she could take a step forward, he reached out and grasped her wrist.
Tilly drew in a shocked gasp, and the maid turned to look at them. Mr. Rodgers shot the girl a reassuring smile before loosening his grip on Tilly. Then he leaned forward and whispered, “Do please tell your husband that I don’t appreciate visits from the town marshal.”
With that, he let her go and walked away. Tilly sucked in a breath and walked as fast as she could past the maid, who looked after her curiously. She flew down the stairs, not daring to look behind her.
It felt that nowhere was safe anymore.
Chapter Nineteen
LIAM RUBBED HIS EXHAUSTEDface as he waited for Tilly to join him in the hotel’s dining room for supper. The worry kept him from giving his full attention to his work at the land office, and Jake Gilbert had finally asked if he was feeling well. Liam had shaken his head, not exactly lying since the entire situation made him feel sick to his stomach. Gilbert had sent him home, but unable to face Tilly just quite yet, Liam had spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering the town, keeping an eye out for Rodgers and then unfortunately running into James Wright.
“I paid the man a visit at Fred Polson’s last night,” Wright had told him, hands on his hips. “He was amiable enough, but clearly annoyed to hear from me. He denied being anything but friendly toward you and Tilly.”
Liam had let out a sarcastic chuckle, which only made Wright frown even harder. He wished Wright hadn’t let Rodgers know that Liam had come to him. He feared it would make everything worse.
