“We’ll figure it out,” Jamie said, pushing himself away from his desk to wrap his arms around Tilly. “And I might have an idea. It was something I thought of earlier when I was talking with some of the shopkeepers in town.”
Tilly nodded against his chest. She had to believe it would work, whatever Jamie had in mind.
And she had to believe that Liam was still here. That he hadn’t left, and he wasn’t hurt—or worse. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed.
Faith was all she had.
Chapter Twenty-one
IT WAS BEGINNING TOgrow dark, and Liam knew there was no putting it off much longer.
He’d spent most of the afternoon walking through the snow along the creek. His face was numb, and he could barely feel his fingers, but the cold air and the solitude had helped him focus his mind.
He wouldn’t send Tilly away, although that had been his plan when he’d gone to the depot that morning. Old Mr. Thomason had questioned his purchasing one train fare, asking after his new wife. Liam didn’t know what it was about that question, but he’d known in that instant that he couldn’t go through with it.
As much as he’d feared he wasn’t ready to be married, he now couldn’t imagine life without Tilly by his side. She’d done nothing but provide support and encouragement. She made him laugh and lent him a hand when things were hard. Maybe they were still getting to know one another, but he also felt as if he’d known her forever. That he was somehow meant to find her in his life.
He couldn’t give that up, as selfish as it might have been.
They couldn’t outrun Rodgers in town, and Liam refused to uproot himself and Tilly. And so, his only alternative was to change the situation they were in here in Crest Stone.
That meant facing Dutch Rodgers and giving him his money back. The only problem was that Liam didn’t have access to thatamount of cash, not all at once. It would have to come in pieces, but he needed to make it clear that he didn’t want Rodgers having any interest in his business. And he needed to do that tonight.
He refused to let himself think about how Rodgers would react. Perhaps he would send Tilly to her brother first. If he didn’t have to worry about her in the hotel, it would be easier to stand in front of Rodgers and say what he needed to.
As the light faded behind the mountains, Liam gave the frozen creek one last look before turning to trudge through the snow. The hotel was just on the other side of the trees, up a slight hill, but there were well-worn wagon tracks to walk in where the snow had already been pressed down from the weight of the wheels.
He strode up the tracks, his eyes on the stars that were just beginning to come out overhead. It was a beautiful reminder that Christmas was almost upon them. Once he had things squared away with Rodgers, he hoped to spare a few coins to purchase something small for Tilly. He wished he could afford something big, something impressive, to give her, but that would have to wait. Thinking about those plans gave him hope that everything would work out tonight.
Light spilled from the windows of the hotel. Somewhere inside, Dutch Rodgers waited for him. But first, Liam would go upstairs and ensure Tilly left to spend the evening with her brother and his wife.
Inside, he took the stairs two at a time, not sparing a glance around the lobby. But their room on the second floor was empty. The fireplace was cold, as if Tilly hadn’t been there for hours.
Frowning, Liam hung his coat. She must have gone downstairs. It wasn’t ideal. He was more likely to run into Rodgers if he went looking for her down there. But it had to be done.
He stood at the second-floor railing, searching the people below for Tilly, before descending the stairs.
She was nowhere to be found in the lobby.
He poked his head into the dining room and asked the hostess if there were any ladies seated alone, but she shook her head. At least there was also no sign of Dutch Rodgers.
Back in the lobby, he shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to think. Weston Gardiner and his wife were making their way toward the dining room, and Liam raised his hand in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to his present problem. There was a small sitting room upstairs for the ladies, and an impressive library down the hallway to the left. Out of other options, he turned down the hallway.
The moment he stepped into the library, he wished he’d looked upstairs first.
