Unfortunately, giving her friend a smile was not enough reassurance about their time away.
“Promise me, Mary. No more talk of our responsibilities. We’re here to enjoy ourselves.”
It would have been a simple enough promise to give if only Will’s eyes were not upon her. Why did he care? He seemed to hang on every one of her words.
But maybe that was his intent. To throw her off guard so that she was willing to talk more about Ben. Fine, then.
“Of course I promise,” she told Polly. “What more can I do to show you my desire to have fun?”
Polly grinned. “Just stick with me, my friend.” She turned and indicated the girl sitting on the other side of her.
“This is Beth Williams.”
The freckle-faced girl held out a gloved hand. “So pleased to make your acquaintance. I know your sister-in-law quite well. Annabelle is a dear, and we were all so happy to see her settled with such a fine man as your brother.”
Mary would have been flattered by the compliment to her family except for Polly’s barking laugh and quick retort.
“You mean you were glad that you no longer had to worry about her competing with you for Jasper’s attention.”
Fanning herself furiously, Beth hid behind her fan. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are we almost there? Suddenly it’s grown quite warm out.”
Some of the girls around them giggled. A perky blonde whose name Mary thought might have been Rachel leaned forward.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone’s been infatuated with Jasper at one point or another. Who wouldn’t? His father runs with the high rollers and has even sat in Mr. Tabor’s box at the opera house. Plus, he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”
At those words, all the girls sighed and glanced in the general direction of one of the dandies sitting with the driver of the wagon. The glorious Jasper, she presumed.
In Mary’s eyes, he wasn’t so terribly much to behold. Certainly he had a thick glossy head of dark hair, but not so shiny as to give it the heroic description some of the girls were talking about. And his eyes...why, she’d seen much nicer eyes on—
Will.
She stole a glance at him, only to find him staring right at her with an amused look on his face.
“Do you find Jasper as wonderful as the others are saying?”
His eyes held the same twinkle they’d had the entire time, and Mary was forced to admit, at least to herself, that they held a kindness to them that she rarely saw in others. Ben’s eyes always had a coldness that never left. Will, even when tormenting her, had a warmth that made her want to trust him.
But where would that get her? Perhaps Will had no idea of the extent of Ben’s criminal enterprise. Maybe he saw Ben as so many in Ohio had—as a perfectly amiable man who was all kindness and civility. After all, Ben had very quickly and easily taken in those at the church last night, convincing them, despite her protests, that he was a loving fiancé.
How could she expose the truth of Ben Perry to everyone without exposing herself?
If anyone from her family saw her aunt’s brooch, she’d be in trouble for sure. They would all believe she’d had a role in its theft, as well as the other thefts that had taken place. Several families had jewelry and other valuables stolen—and all of them were connected to Mary and her work. The sheriff had even questioned her about the losses. It wasn’t until the mercantile and bank had been robbed that they’d cleared Mary of suspicion. She’d honestly never thought that Ben, who’d patiently waited for her while she worked, was actually robbing the place behind her back.
Why had she been so desperate for romance as to keep Ben a secret, even from the sheriff?
Ben was right. With all her deceit, who would believe her completely ignorant of his actions?
Will nudged her in the side. “I can introduce you, if you like. I know Jasper from my work in Denver. Pleasant fellow.”
Mortified that her woolgathering over Ben had led to the belief that she was interested in Jasper, Mary shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, thank you. I have no romantic illusions at this point in my life.”
“Say it’s not so.” Will gave her a look that would have melted the heart of any woman who hadn’t had hers irrevocably broken. “A beautiful woman, of marriageable age?”
Before answering, Mary stole a glance at Polly, who had returned to her animated conversation with the other girls. “I won’t marry until after I’m certain I’ve fulfilled my responsibility in raising my siblings.”
On this point, she was determined. She’d failed those responsibilities already in believing herself ready for romance and marriage. From here on out, she wouldn’t fail. Couldn’t fail.
“Why is that mutually exclusive? Plenty of people marry and take on another’s children.”
The conversation was clearly headed in a direction she didn’t need to go. Didn’t need to consider.
“Not when there are six of them,” she said. Mindful of Polly’s gaze turning in her direction, Mary changed course. “What work did you do in Denver with Jasper?”
Will coughed slightly. “I...uh...I did some security for his father’s bank.”
* * *
Will had supposed that at some point or another, his previous line of work would come up. At least it had been about the security he’d done for the Jacksons as opposed to his fall from grace in the sheriff’s office in Century City. Though it was only a matter of time before the gossip got back to people, he’d like that piece of information to remain confidential for as long as possible.
Who wanted to associate with a disgraced lawman? It had been his fault Perry’s gang had gotten away with robbing Colorado Citizens Bank. He’d been so wrapped up in his romance with Daisy, so intent on saving her from Ben’s nefarious schemes, that he hadn’t realized that she was spying on him for Ben. He’d been a fool. And in so doing, everyone believed that he’d willingly given them information, willingly let them go.
Plus, despite Mary’s denials about Ben, he still had to wonder what she knew. What her involvement with the gang might be. Could he get her to trust him enough to tell him the truth? And given his past poor judgment when it came to women working with Ben, could he trust that whatever she told him was the truth?
No, letting Mary know his story was not a safe option at this point. Much as he’d like to, there was too much at stake.
“Is that what you’re doing in Leadville? Working for Jasper’s father?”
He didn’t like the way her eyes narrowed at the question.
“No,” he told her honestly. “I’m here in pursuit of Ben.”
She gave him a look similar to what she’d given him every other time the other man’s name came up. “Why?”
If she was in on Ben’s schemes, the truth would only serve to make things harder for him. But surely nothing could make Mary more hostile than she’d already been.
“He robbed a bank in Century City, and I aim to bring him to justice.”
Easy enough to share the gist of what was going on. Harder to read the expression that crossed her face, which darkened, but just as quickly turned back into the stone mask that matched her name.
“So you’re a lawman?”