this was no ordinary discussion.
“Mary!” Frank smiled warmly at her. The gesture only made her feel worse.
“Good evening.” Mary tried to think of a reason for having interrupted the men, but her mind went blank. It was as though all of her excuses had been worn out with Ben.
“Mr. Lawson was just telling me how welcome you made him feel at tonight’s dinner.”
She glanced over at Mr. Lawson, who smiled innocently. Oh, he wasn’t innocent at all. He was a conniving, manipulative snake who—
Was making her miss the rest of what Frank said about their conversation.
“I’m glad he told me, Mary. You know how I feel about you girls wandering the streets of Leadville alone. There are too many unsavory elements, and I’m extremely grateful Mr. Lawson came to your assistance. Had someone of less exemplary character been present, you might not have fared so well.”
Mary closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and looking at Frank. “Trust me, I learned my lesson, and I am very grateful for Mr. Lawson.”
Mr. Lawson gave a small smile. “Please. It’s Will. I was more than happy to render assistance.”
Unfortunately, Frank smiled back. “Of course. We don’t stand much on ceremony in these parts, do we, Mary?”
Her only option was to give a polite nod. Referring to Will as Mr. Lawson had been the means of keeping him at a distance. Now even that was being taken from her.
Why was everything in her newly safe world being turned upside down?
Frank twisted his head toward some men entering via the back gate, giving Mary enough time to catch Will’s smirk. Could a human being be any more insufferable?
“If you’ll excuse me—” Frank turned his attention back to them “—I need to take care of this.”
He didn’t wait for a response but immediately went over to the men at the gate. Though Mary was used to the pastor’s business, she turned to Will to give an apology for the abruptness.
Will seemed to sense what she was about to say and held up a hand. “I understand perfectly. He’s a good man, your pastor.”
Some of the tension fell off Mary’s shoulders. “He is. He’s done a lot for our family.”
“Once he finds out the kind of man Ben is, he’ll never consent to your marriage.”
Mary swallowed. On one hand, she was counting on it. On the other hand, she had no idea how to let Frank know without letting her own secrets be known.
“You seem like a nice girl. You have a good family. A pastor who is loving and kind. I’m sure whatever you are mixed up in with Ben, if you come clean now, they will support you through it.”
Easy for him to say. He had no idea what she’d done. Moreover, if he knew the kind of man Ben was, he would know that whatever she had done wasn’t anything a person admitted to. So, that left the question of who Will Lawson was and why he was so interested in Ben Perry.
“What’s it to you? You said you came here looking for Ben. Well, you found him. So, go about whatever business it is that you have with him, and leave me out of it.”
Will looked at her with an intensity that made her want to hide like the little ones did when some of the rougher miners came to call on the pastor.
“Ben Perry is a bad man.”
She wished Will could have told her that a year ago. Of course she probably wouldn’t have listened. Ben had preyed on her every vanity. Her every desire to be admired by a handsome gentleman.
“Why do you care what a supposedly bad man is doing with me?”
* * *
Will shouldn’t care. In one respect, Mary was right. It was none of his business if she married Ben or not. And yet, he couldn’t stand idly by as Ben ruined another life.
“You lied to me about severing your connection with him.”
Mary flinched at his words. “I did not. Ben’s visit here tonight surprised me just as much as it did you.”
Actually, Will had noticed that. He’d also noticed how Mary bristled at Ben’s attention and how she’d tried to remove herself from his grasp. But something wasn’t right with the situation. With Mary’s reticence.
“Then why did you announce your engagement?”
“Ben announced our engagement.” Mary’s eyes flashed as she emphasized Ben’s name. Will had to admit, Mary had really pretty eyes. Green with flecks of gold, so deep a man could spend hours mining them and still— What was he doing mooning over her? Hadn’t he learned his lesson?
“Why did you go along with it? Why not tell everyone that you’d broken things off with him?”
“Didn’t you hear me try to explain that it was over?” Mary’s voice was littered with the angst of unshed tears. “But I—” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll figure something out.”
Will took a step closer. “I’ll help you,” he said softly. “Let me help you.”
“If he is such a bad man, why would you involve yourself? Are you the law, with the power to do something about him being a bad man?”
“No.” Will’s gut churned. It was still hard to face the fact that he had no legal authority. But if he could gather enough evidence, he could take it to the authorities, and they could finally put Ben where he belonged.
“Then why?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” In so many ways, but most of them were things he couldn’t make Mary understand. Ways he wasn’t sure he understood himself. Ultimately, his gun had been the cause of an innocent man’s death. Whether Will pulled the trigger or not, he bore some responsibility.
It was easier remembering that layer of guilt, and how he needed to bring closure to Eldon Wormer’s family, than it was to look into the eyes of a woman as sweet and innocent as Mary.
Surely she was innocent.
But how was he ever to trust his instincts where women were concerned when he’d been so easily conned by Daisy? Her eyes had appeared innocent as well, and look where that had gotten him. Gut-shot and badgeless.
“In my case,” Mary said, giving him a tiny smile, “the right thing to do is walk away. I didn’t ask for your help. I don’t want your help. And I don’t know anything about Ben that can be helpful to you.”
Her head turned, and Will realized that the pastor was making his way back to them. They wouldn’t be able to talk freely soon.
“You didn’t ask for my help earlier today, either, but I probably saved your life.”
As she turned to speak to the pastor, Will thought he might have heard her say “Perhaps you shouldn’t have
