“Do you know where I can find her?”
“She might be in the kitchen. I overheard the cook telling her that she needed to get something to eat so that she could handle what has happened.”
Denton kept himself from chuckling. Nobody else but a cook – or a grandparent – would tell someone that. “Thank you. I’ll do my best to discover who killed your father.”
Before Denton could turn to leave, Terrance grasped his arm, stopping him. The man’s glare was piercing.
“Denton, I already told you who did it. If you find Courtney Mills, you’ll find the killer.”
“My friend, I promise to check out everyone’s alibi. I won’t leave any stone unturned.”
Terrance nodded. “I appreciate your help. I’ll make sure you’re paid well.”
For the next couple of hours, as Denton asked the butler, Rebecca, and the parents of the bride questions, in the back of his mind, Denton had a feeling there was more to this story. He still couldn’t figure out why a woman would kill the old man before the wedding. There was no motive, that Denton knew, which meant he really needed to find Courtney Mills as soon as possible. She’d already gotten a good four-hour headstart on running away.
Soon, he mounted his steed and rode away from the house, watching the ground closely. The young woman’s parents told him what buggy size she had, which meant the wheels wouldn’t be very thick. As he followed a set of tracks away from the estate, he noticed they turned in a different direction, off the main road. Thankfully, it had rained lightly early this morning, and the ground was still muddy in spots.
He rode his steed hard, zipping around the trees, trying to imagine how Miss Mills had been able to do this with her buggy and horse. A few times, Denton nearly gave up, doubting that the woman could have maneuvered a vehicle through this part of the woods, but then another wheel track showed up, and so he continued traveling.
It was almost dusk when he rode into a small town. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he should eat to keep up his strength for the journey ahead. A thought nudged him that Miss Mills might have stopped here for food, as well, but then he doubted she would stick around for fear of being found. Then again, traveling after dark would be dangerous for a single woman, so he prayed his instincts were correct in that she was still nearby.
As his horse trotted through town, he eyed the buildings closely, not only searching for a place that would serve him food, but also for the woman he was hunting. Her parents had given him a miniature of their daughter, and Courtney Mills was a very pretty lady. That would make it easier to spot her.
He passed a preacher who was advertising mail-order brides and trying to get women to sign up. Denton rolled his eyes. It surprised him that men were either desperate or didn’t enjoy the thrill of courting. Why else would they want to find their future wives quickly? Denton couldn’t count how many women he had considered proposing to after courting them for a few weeks, but then he finally decided none would want him to continue his career as bounty hunter since he’d rarely be home.
Three women walked by the preacher, and the man of the cloth hurried toward them. When the women noticed him, they quickened their pace to pass the man. Denton was sure the preacher was a nuisance to the town.
“Please, let me tell you about this wonderful idea,” the preacher called out to the women in a loud voice. “Being a mail-order bride will not only help these men, but it will help you, too. These men will take care of you, and all they ask in return is that you marry them and help them with their homes and children. This is a great opportunity for women to start a new life in a new location.”
A thought popped into Denton’s head, and he yanked on the reins, bringing his horse to a stop.Start a new life?Immediately, he thought of Courtney Mills. If the woman were truly on the run, how desperate would she be to become a mail-order bride? After all, why would she leave one unwanted marriage, only to enter into another? However, his gut feeling told Denton to check it out, just in case. After all, he wasn’t going to leaveany stones unturned, as he’d promised Terrance.
Denton moved past the preacher, still looking for a place to eat, but for some reason, his gut wasn’t pushing him toward food any longer. Instead, the further away he moved from the preacher, the more interested Denton became. And since he had always followed his gut...
He yanked the reins around, guiding the animal toward the man of the cloth. When the tall man holding a Bible noticed Denton, he stepped away from his wagon, narrowing his gaze.
“Excuse me, sir,” Denton began, stopping his horse. “I hope you’ll be able to help me. I’m looking for a woman.”
The preacher started chuckling. “Am I to assume you want me to find you a mail-order bride, too?”
“No, not really. I’m looking for a woman that might have come into town sometime today. If she did, I’m sure you would have seen her.”
“What is her name?”
“Miss Mills. She’s a pretty woman with darker blonde hair.”
The preacher frowned and scratched his chin. “I have seen several lovely women today.”
“She would have been driving a one-horse buggy.”
The preacher’s eyes widened. “I helped a lady sign up to be a mail-order bride, and she was driving a buggy. But her name was Miss Peters... or Parker, or something like that.” He motioned to his wagon and the table out front with papers on it. “She did sign her name, though.”
Denton dismounted and followed the man to the table, pulling his horse's reins so the animal would follow. The middle-aged man bent over the sign-up sheet with several men's names, but only a few women’s signatures.
“Oh, here it is. Miss Parker.” The preacher straightened. “I’m sorry, but there is no Miss Mills on my page.”
Denton should turn and leave, but... how often did a lovely woman with blonde hair drive a buggy by herself, and was new in town? Suddenly, he realized he had her picture, so he fished in his coat pocket and pulled it out.
“This is the woman I’m looking for.” He showed the picture to the preacher.
