LITMIR.BIZ

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take my place.”

      A little harsh, but as he remembered the vitriol aimed at Emma Jane since their wedding, she probably wasn’t too far off the mark. Every woman in town wished them ill. No, not them. Emma Jane. She’d snatched the town’s most eligible bachelor out from their noses. Despite their marriage, the rumors and innuendoes hadn’t stopped.

      “I’m sorry,” Jasper said quietly. “I wish it were easier for you.”

      Oddly enough, he spoke the truth. Emma Jane hadn’t been the first to try to trap him into marriage. Every girl in town had, at some point, contrived some scheme to attempt to compromise herself with him. Emma Jane had merely been the one to succeed. And they all hated her for it.

      “It will be,” Emma Jane reassured him with a small smile. “Once I help you bring down the bandits, everyone will see that I am a credit to you. A credit to this town. A woman worthy of respect.”

      “You don’t need to put your life at risk for that. I promise you, Emma Jane, once this is all over, I will do everything I can to fix things. But for now, you have to trust me. Your respectability is not worth your life. Continue to occupy yourself with the pastor’s ministry, but don’t get involved with this case.”

      She appeared to consider his words, nodding slowly.

      “I really do have to go.” Then he locked eyes with her, squeezing her hand. “The most important part of marriage to me, the part ours is lacking, is trust. Trust me, and stay out of this. If you do this, our marriage will have the foundation it needs for us to have a future. Do you understand?”

      Emma Jane’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded again. Maybe there was hope for their relationship, after all.

      As they started to turn to leave, Mary and Pastor Lassiter entered the office.

      “I was just coming to find you,” Emma Jane said, a happy smile finally filling her face.

      As much as everyone talked about Emma Jane’s unfortunate appearance, Jasper couldn’t help but think that many of them had never seen Emma Jane smile. When she smiled, it lit up her whole face, and even her eyes sparkled. Jasper had escorted many of the town’s beauties, and not one had a smile like Emma Jane’s. Jasper shook his head. These thoughts had no business popping up. Not when he had so many more important matters to think of.

      Pastor Lassiter returned her smile. “I’m glad to have run into the both of you. Your wedding was such a rushed affair, and then everything that happened with Rose, I fear that I haven’t done my duty by the both of you.”

      “We understand, Pastor,” Jasper said smoothly. “I’ve also been occupied. The remaining bandits still need to be caught, and I’ve accepted a deputy position to help make it happen.”

      Pastor Lassiter’s brow furrowed. “You should be spending your time getting to know your bride. Emma Jane’s a lovely woman, and she needs the support of her husband right now.”

      Why was everyone so worried about Emma Jane? She’d gotten what she wanted—the Jackson name. In the meantime, there were some very bad men on the loose, and another young woman potentially in danger.

      “Emma Jane will be fine. We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other.” Jasper didn’t want to add that since there was no love between them, they’d need all that time—and more—to bridge the gap between them.

      But if they could build the trust he asked for, perhaps, as Pastor Lassiter had said the day of their wedding, love could grow.

      “People are talking,” the pastor said slowly. “I don’t like to give credence to gossip, but in Emma Jane’s case, the longer you remain absent from your wife, the worse it will be for her.”

      The pained expression on Emma Jane’s face almost made him feel guilty. He’d been busy for most of the time in the days since their wedding, but he’d seen how people had treated her at the wedding and at their reception. None of the women from good families even spoke to Emma Jane, and all of the men had apologized to him for the behavior of their wives and daughters.

      But it would blow over. Gossip always did. Soon enough, people would be clamoring for invitations for tea with Emma Jane, and they’d be looking for her sponsorship at their events. The Jackson name and fortune had that effect on people.

      Ignoring the prickle at the back of his neck, Jasper replied, “No one ever died from gossip. The longer we delay in finding and rescuing Daisy, the more her life is at risk. As I said, my wife will be fine.”

      But something tugged at him as he remembered talking to Emma Jane when they were trapped in the mine, and how hurt she’d been by all the women mocking her dress, whispering about how her father had gambled away all their money, and worse—her sister’s hand in marriage.

      Maybe no one had ever died from gossip, but he’d seen how it had broken Emma Jane’s heart.

      “I’m sorry.” He held out his hand to her. “I’m so used to people talking about me, I suppose I hadn’t considered much about how it might be hurtful to you. But I have to go with the posse today. They’re counting on me. I should be back by supper—we can talk then. I promise we’ll figure something out.”

      The lines in Emma Jane’s forehead disappeared, even though Pastor Lassiter still looked concerned. But it was the best he could do for now. If the bandits weren’t stopped, how many others would be in danger? He’d do what he could to make more of an effort with Emma Jane. Maybe he’d talk to his friend Will about how to balance life as a lawman and making time for family. Of course, Will’s engagement was as new as Jasper’s marriage, but surely the other man would have some advice. He only hoped that Emma Jane had the wisdom to stay away from the case.

      * * *

      The humiliation of sitting and listening to the women mocking her in church was nothing compared to the fact that Jasper didn’t seem to take the gossip she faced seriously. But of course it wasn’t he who was called the names. A woman finds herself in a compromising position, and she is all sorts of evil. But what of the man? No one spews insults at him or tries to tell him that there is something wrong with him. Since their wedding, Jasper was perfectly able to carry on with his life with no ill effects.

      Emma Jane watched as her husband justified his actions to the pastor. Jasper honestly didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. But as Jasper pointed out that a woman’s life was in jeopardy, how could Emma Jane argue? It seemed selfish to speak up and say that Pastor Lassiter was right—she did need him. Both in defense against the women at church and with his mother.

      Jasper bowed his head slightly. “I’m sorry, Pastor. I really am. But I do need to get going. The posse is leaving soon, and I need to be with them.”

      Then, without waiting for anyone’s response, Jasper turned and walked away.

      It shouldn’t have hurt, since Emma Jane knew he was leaving, but the farther he went, the bigger the empty space in her heart became.

      Mary came and put her arm around Emma Jane. “It will be all right. Hopefully, they catch the bandits soon and they won’t have to keep rushing off. Will seemed confident that they were close to finding them. Their most recent lead was promising, he said.”

      Far more information than Jasper had given Emma Jane. Was it wrong to envy her friend and the open communication Mary and Will had?

      “I hope so.” She turned to Pastor Lassiter. “In the meantime, I believe you were saying that the church needed additional assistance with the women you’re caring for right now. What can I do to help?”

      Though the pastor’s brow remained furrowed, he gave a smile. “It’s as I keep telling everyone, Emma Jane. You have a good heart. Once the Jacksons figure that out, they’ll be grateful to have you in their family. You’ve already done so much, and I’m proud to have you in our church. As for what you can do...”

      Mary stopped him. “Oh, no, you don’t. First, we haven’t eaten. While I’m sure the

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