For Love

Chapter 3

LAURIE

"Let me out of here!"

Jason's bellows echoed through the sheriff's chambers before Richard shut the door to the jail cell. The stranger's shouts also echoed in Laurie's heart, and feelings of deep regret flooded her senses. She tore at her hands and shivered in the glow from the lamp that hung on the wall.

Laurie had changed out of Jason's shirt into her brown dress with the ribbon embroidery, chosen by one of Richard's men because it was easily accessible where she had left it on the bed in her ship's cabin. Around her shoulders like a shawl, she wore a wool sash made from McConnell tartan in shades of red, blue, and green. She pulled the sash tighter around her shoulders, shivering just as she had when she emerged from the Puget Sound.

Her hair had dried and now she wore it pinned up in a messy but attractive bun on her head, tendrils falling around her face like the tear streaks she continued to dry over and over with a damp hankie. She couldn't care less if someone saw her with her red-rimmed eyes. Her life teetered on Richard's sense of humor.

Richard walked to a potbellied stove and poured a cup of coffee. He plunked it on the sheriff's cluttered desk in front of her before skirting around the worn furniture to sit. She stared at the tin cup without moving. The handle was bent.

"Take a drink, Laurie," he said and waved his hand in exasperation when she didn't obey. "It'll put color in your cheeks."

"Why are we here, Richard?" she asked quietly, raising her eyes from the steaming cup. "Why is that man in jail?"

"Gives me time to figure out what his story is. I've got an idea, but I wanted Kincaid to do some verifying."

"There's nothing to verify!" Laurie cried out, wringing her hands so hard they hurt. "It was a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We both told you that."

Richard leaned back in the chair and put his boots on the sheriff's desk. His eyes narrowed as he studied her closely.

"Yeah, I know. You both did a magnificent job with that story too. Opening a window to stage proof for your idiot brother is pure genius."

What little color her face had faded with each sarcastic word, and when she spoke, her voice trembled. "It wasn't a story, Richard. It was the truth."

"Like the last time you told the truth?"

His bitterness made Laurie's spirit burn, and she bit her lip without a retort.

When she didn't answer, he continued. "As improbable as it all sounds, the way you've lived your life, it might be true. I'd believe you, except you haven't explained why you jumped ship."

Richard paused, waiting for her to speak. But how could she? She studied the knotted pine floor, warped, aged, and covered in dirt while her mind whirled like a tornado in her head. The man in the mask had caused so many arguments between them. Richard would be angry if she mentioned him.

In the silence, she realized there was no more yelling from the jail cell. Jason had quieted down. It made her feel lonely, as if she were the only one still fighting, and her record for winning disputes with Richard was dismal.

After a few ticks of the clock that sat on the desk, Richard jerked his head back to the jail cell. "I think you jumped ship to meet him."

Laurie's head whipped up. "That doesn't make sense." She stood and walked a couple of paces before turning, her shoes making clip-clop sounds on the floor. "How could I possibly have known him before I came here? And how would he know where to find me? The captain didn't even know he was docking until the storm! You're just not making sense, Richard!"