“The light in the office is on,” Hale said, stopping them long before Izzy was ready. He reached for the door of the sheriff’s office. “Let’s stop in here first and see if they’re ready for us.”
Izzy nodded as her heart shoved its way up her throat. Stepping into a lawman’s office, complete with cells in the backfor people just like her, wasn’t anything she wanted to do. She clung to Hale’s arm as they stepped inside.
“Darby! Mrs. Darby.” Sheriff Wright stood up from behind his desk when they entered. “I must have lost track of time. Let me gather my things and we’ll walk over to the house. Edie’s probably fuming at me for being late.”
Hale laughed and said something conversational as Izzy’s eyes darted to the sheets of paper tacked to the wall nearby. Sketched images of men stared back at her.Wanted, they each read, with a list of terrible things following the word. Her gaze tripped over each one, landing finally on a poster that held a familiar name.
Sutcliffe.
There was no first name listed, and the sketch only vaguely resembled Izzy—if she were a boy. But none of that kept her hand from flying to her throat. She could barely make sense of the words as her heart pounded in her ears.
Robbery.
Desperate.
Dangerous.
Red hair.
“Isabella?” Hale’s gentle tone halted the words stuttering through her mind. “Are you ready to go?”
“Go. Yes. Let’s.” It was all she managed to say. Hale was looking at her oddly again, as if he were worried about her.
“We’ll never see most of those fellows around here,” the sheriff said to her, gesturing at the wall of sketches as he led the way to the door. “Some of them would have to ride awfully far to get here.” He gave her a smile that Izzy supposed was to be reassuring.
Hale nodded in agreement. Izzy tried to smile, but the fear was making it awfully hard to keep pretending.
The sheriff’s house was close to his office, and they entered to the scent of roasted meat and some sort of sweet fruit.
Sheriff Wright gave them a broad smile. “It smells as if Edie’s made her peach pie.”
Izzy’s stomach rumbled at the thought. Finally, something to distract her from her worries! “How does she get peaches? Do you have them shipped in?”
“They’re tinned, but I do the best I can with them.” A woman who looked only a little older than Izzy, with light brown hair and dainty spectacles, entered into the parlor. “You’re late.” She tapped Sheriff Wright on the chest before turning to Izzy. “And you must be Mrs. Darby.”
Izzy returned her smile. Something about Mrs. Wright set her immediately at ease. “I am, but please call me Isabella.” It felt strange, introducing herself that way, but she liked it. Izzy was the girl who lived in a rustic cabin with her family, the one who’d felt entirely lost just a few months ago. Isabella was a capable wife who helped run a boardinghouse.
“I’m Edie,” the sheriff’s wife said. She nodded toward the rear of the house. “Why don’t you come help me bring out the food?”
Grateful to be away from the sheriff for a few minutes, Izzy followed Edie.
“Would you like me to slice that bread?” Izzy asked, nodding at the loaf on the counter.
“Oh, please! I forgot all about it. Caroline at the general store brought me a new book, and I confess I spent too much time reading today instead of preparing supper.” Edie gave her a sheepish look.
“What is the book about?” Izzy asked, taking the knife Edie handed her. “It must be quite entertaining.”
“It’s about growing exotic plants indoors,” Edie said as she pulled the roast from the oven. “It’s fascinating. Now if only Ican figure out how to get seeds for some of these plants . . .” She trailed off, and Izzy looked up to find her lost in thought.
“I thought you were going to tell me it was about a dashing knight and a lady-in-waiting,” Izzy teased. She couldn’t imagine a book about plants to be all that interesting.
Edie laughed and shut the oven door. “Let me know if you ever need a certain kind of plant. I make teas too, and salves.”
Izzy tilted her head, bread forgotten. “Are you trained as a nurse?”
“Oh, no, not at all. I’m just fascinated by plants and their uses. I’ve read a lot about them.” Edie motioned at Izzy to follow her. Izzy gathered up the bread, and they brought the food out to the table.
Sitting down with the group, Izzy found herself growing nervous again. She picked at the meat and potatoes, which were both dotted with herbs she didn’t recognize. The food was good, but the nerves fluttering in her stomach every time the sheriff spoke made it impossible to have an appetite.
