“Nicole, would you stay still? You shouldn’t move yet.”
The panic surging through her must give her strength. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. “But...but...I’ve been here for three days. Does my family know I was shot?”
His smile disappeared and a scowl quickly replaced it. “How could I tell your family when you have lied to me about them this whole time?” His jaw hardened. “The last I knew, your family had moved into the hotel while your house was being remodeled.” He arched an eyebrow. “Can you perhaps tell me what I discovered when I went to the hotel enquiring about your family to tell them about the accident?”
Sadness washed over her, wrenching her heart. She shouldn’t have lied to him, but...that was her way of life. At the time, she hadn’t had a choice. “You probably discovered that we had never stayed in the hotel.”
“Correct.” He sighed heavily and scratched his scruffy chin. “Now tell me how I was supposed to find your family if I don’t know where they are staying?”
Tears burned her eyes and she blinked. Now she realized the error in her decision to lie to him, but it was too late. Her father and brother must be out of their minds with worry right now. She needed to get word to them, and fast.
“Forgive me, Ashton. You are right. I should have told you, but—” a tear slipped from her eye even though she tried not to cry— “you must understand this is the way I live.”
“Indeed? Your whole life has been about lying to people?”
Nicole didn’t like the way he phrased it, but it was true. Never in her life as a detective had she regretted her actions. But right now, she wished she could have taken everything back and done things differently with Ashton.
“Not all of my life, but mostly it has been that way.” She sniffed. “Growing up with a father who was a detective, I knew that if I told anyone about what he did for a living, he might get killed—or even his family would be killed. I learned at a young age to not get close to anyone because I would be tempted to tell them the truth about the family business.”
Ashton pulled away from her, but remained on the bed, and folded his arms across his chest. “It sounds to me like you have lived a sad life.” He shook his head. “And here I thought nobody could possibly have a past worse than mine.”
How could he possibly have a sad life? Something deep inside her heart wanted to probe, but she knew he was waiting for answers...answers she needed to give. “I did have a sad life. I didn’t have any close friends, unless they were older women like Mrs. Phelps. I learned not to trust anyone except for my detective friends.”
He studied her through a narrowed stare. His jaw was hard, and yet sadness coated his hazel eyes. “Tell me honestly, Nicole. Do you believe I could have robbed my own railway?”
More tears leaked from her eyes and her heart clenched even tighter. If she could only express the guilt that was in her heart. If only he could see right through her to the person she was inside—instead of the outer shell she’d allowed him to see.
“No, Ashton.” She swiped away another tear. “I never wanted to believe you had done that, even after the reports started coming in about people seeing a man who looked like you on the railway just before they were robbed. My heart fought against the evidence that your wealth had doubled as I tried to convince myself that there must be a very good reason why you have more money now.” She swallowed the lump of emotion clogging her throat that made her voice croak. “And the only reason I had searched your study was to find proof that you were not the thief.”
Sighing, he raked his fingers through his hair. The scowl he’d worn left his expression, but he left his stare blank and unaffected. “Thank you for believing in my innocence. However, there is still the fact that your friends think I’m guilty.”
“Indeed, they do.”
“So, how can I change their mind?”
“I don’t know. Unless...” She nibbled her bottom lip as a ridiculous—impossible thought struck her. What was she thinking? How could she possibly do this investigation on her own without her family? Yet the only way she could think right now to help Ashton was to work with him. Maybe the two of them together could discover who was really stealing from the railroad.
“Unless, what?” he asked, anxiously.
The thought terrified her, but what other choice did she have? Both her father and brother were hardheaded men, and they would think her weak for believing in Ashton. They had already accused her of being in love with him, which was why she couldn’t think straight. Although that part was true, she hadn’t really believed he was the thief from day one. Usually, her instincts were correct. She must trust herself—and Ashton.
She moistened her dry lips with her tongue. “I know the other detectives quite well, and unless we have some kind of proof that you didn’t steal from the railway, I won’t be able to convince them otherwise. However, if you and I work together on this and start our own investigation, perhaps we will discover the true culprit.”
Ashton didn’t say a word for the longest time. His gaze stuck to hers, but she didn’t dare disturb his thinking. She prayed he would soon forgive her, but she didn’t dare hope. She had hurt him badly, and she didn’t know how to make up for it.
“Tell me something, Nicole,” he began. “How do you expect to do all of that with an injured arm?”
She smiled. “Very slowly, and with careful planning.”
Nodding, he relaxed a bit. “Fine. I suppose it’s something. I don’t want to go to jail if I can help it.”
“No, I don’t suppose you would want to go to jail for a crime you didn’t commit.” She shifted in bed, grimacing from the pain. “So, first things first. Let’s get me healed quickly so we can get started.”
“What about your family? Should I send them word that you are injured?”
Oh, dear...she didn’t want them to worry about her, but then she didn’t want them knowing about how she and Ashton were going to work together. She nodded. “Yes, they need to know, but let me write the note. Thankfully, the bullet wound did not affect my writing hand.”
Patsy bustled into the room with a tray of soup. Ashton helped Nicole sit up, stuffing more pillows behind her. A wave of dizziness washed through her, and she closed her eyes, hoping it would pass quickly. This was normal after losing so much blood. But she had to stay strong.
