RNWMP: Bride for Joel (Mail Order Mounties Book 4) Read online

  “Evelyn, put your pistol away,” he said at last. “Timothy, I can’t allow you to shoot this particular moose, but if you’ll give me one hour to tie up some loose ends here, I’ll come hunting with you today, and we’ll find the moose you lost on the ridge or a reasonable substitute. Your family will have supper tonight—I’ll see to it personally.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Timothy said, stepping forward and shaking Joel’s hand.

  Cyrus gave Joel a nod before walking off with Timothy. Joel pulled in a breath of relief, feeling as though he’d done everything he could in that regard.

  Then he turned back to Evelyn.

  Her hands were on her hips, and she looked anything but happy.

  Well, it was time she understood a few things. “I just saved your moose, Evelyn. Doesn’t that merit anything?”

  “You . . . you acted like I had no right to defend him at all,” she sputtered.

  “Legally, you don’t,” he replied. “I understand that he’s somewhat of a favorite among you and your friends, but we live in the wilderness, and we eat what we hunt. He’s not protected by any law.”

  “What about the law of common decency, of humanity, of—”

  Joel held up his hand. “I saved your moose. Didn’t you hear that part? Didn’t you see how I just bent over backwards trying to make everyone happy? A large part of my job is playing politics, Evelyn—keeping a balance between mercy and justice. This . . .” He shook his head. “This put me in a very difficult situation.”

  She threw her hands in the air. “I’m sorry it put you in a difficult situation. How do you think Monty felt, facing his imminent death like that?”

  Joel pressed his lips together. So many angry words were roiling around in his head, he knew that if he spoke in haste, he’d regret it. “I’m going hunting with Timothy. How long I’ll be gone will depend on our luck. While I’m away, I think we should both think about what happened here. The fact of the matter is . . .”

  He closed his eyes, asking himself if he really wanted to go down this road. If he didn’t, she would never understand. He met her gaze squarely. “The fact is, Evelyn, while I’ve made a goodly number of mistakes in our relationship, so have you, and in this instance, I’m not wrong. I’m sorry your feelings were hurt and I’m sorry that Monty’s life was in danger, but I upheld the law just now, and I’m not sorry about that. I should also point out that I have every right to arrest you for pulling a gun on a man who was posing no threat to you, and yet, you’re still free.” He turned on his heel. “I’ll come find you when I get back.”

  Chapter Ten

  Evelyn sat on a chair in Miss Hazel’s room, watching the older woman pack her trunk. “Do you really have to go, Miss Hazel? You’ve only been here a week—what are we going to do without you?”

  “You’ll do exactly as you must, which is to work things out amongst yourselves,” Miss Hazel replied. “Imagine if I stayed here and you all brought your troubles to me—first of all, I’d be exhausted, and secondly, you’d never learn to solve your own problems. That wouldn’t be good for you—you can’t have someone holding your hand your entire life.”

  “I think I should come with you,” Evelyn said, looking down at the rug. “It’s not going to work out with Joel. We have feelings for each other, but there are just too many other things in the way.”

  “Like pride?”

  “Exactly! I don’t know how to respond to him when he’s like that.”

  Miss Hazel put her hand on Evelyn’s shoulder. “I wasn’t talking about his pride, dear.”

  Evelyn looked up into the matchmaker’s kindly face, and shame washed over her. “I really made a mess of things today, didn’t I?” she whispered.

  “I believe you did, but I also believe you can set things right,” Miss Hazel replied. “I have to ask you a question—you do realize that you must uphold the law just like everyone else, don’t you? You will not get special privileges just because you’re a Mountie’s girlfriend or fiancée or wife. In fact, you of all people should obey the law. Part of your role here will be to set a good example and support your husband.”

  “I thought I was being supportive,” Evelyn said. “I love the RNWMP—he knows that.”

  “Of course he does, but are you supporting him in the way he needs?” Miss Hazel sat down on the edge of the bed. “Joel carries a great many weights on his shoulders, my dear. Not only is he looking after this community, but he’s responsible for every other Mountie here. Now he’s responsible for you as well.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Evelyn protested, but Miss Hazel held up a hand.

  “You can take care of yourself until the cows come home, missy, but when you live in Joel’s town, you’re his responsibility. That’s part of the commitment he made when he became a Mountie. When you get married, you become your husband’s responsibility—not that he has to do everything for you, but that he has the duty to care for you, and that’s how it should be. The husband watches over the wife, and the wife watches over the husband. We’re not meant to be so independent that we don’t need each other at all.”

  Evelyn nodded slowly. She’d come in here all set to defend her position, hoping to get Miss Hazel on her side so she’d go speak with Joel, but the more Miss Hazel talked, the more Evelyn was beginning to see her mistakes. “What should I have done instead?”

  “Now that’s an excellent question,” Miss Hazel said, beaming at her. “I don’t know if there would have been a ‘right’ way to go about it, but I would have spoken with the hunter and asked him to wait, knowing that Monty wasn’t likely to run away—he seems a rather slow sort to me. Then I would have gone to find Joel and explained the situation. Maybe that would have worked and maybe it wouldn’t, but it’s one way in which you’d be working within the limits of the law.”

  “Timothy did seem like a reasonable man,” Evelyn admitted. “He might have listened if I’d spoken with him. I just got carried away in the moment—I couldn’t let him hurt Monty.”

  “We all know that, my dear. Monty has become special to all of us. It’s hard not to love a creature who wanders around with ladies’ underthings draped over his head. Yes, he got into Rose’s laundry the other day.” Miss Hazel laughed, then grew solemn. “Joel was right in asking that you think things over while he’s gone. What’s most important to you—being right all the time, or being happy?”

  “I don’t think I’m right all the time—in fact, Joel’s constantly telling me how wrong I am. That’s been the basis of our biggest arguments.”

  “Whatever the case may be, you have a lot of thinking to do deep down in your heart of hearts, and I suggest you begin immediately,” Miss Hazel said. “He’ll want to talk to you when he gets back. You need to know what you truly want so you can tell him.”

  She stood up and glanced around the room. “I believe I’m set to go—just a few last-minute things to add right before I leave. You will be just fine, Evelyn, and so will the other girls. Part of marriage is learning how to navigate rough waters together instead of separately. Trust each other. Believe in each other. Don’t fight over the blankets. You’ll be all right.”

  Miss Hazel stepped into the main room to help Jess with dinner, leaving Evelyn to think about everything she’d said. That was difficult when Evelyn hadn’t wanted to hear it in the first place—she’d always disliked having her faults pointed out to her. Plus, she thought she’d already done a great deal of soul-searching that week and had come out a better person for it, but now she had to do more?

  She sighed, trying to release the anger that had been building up inside her all morning. She had to view this rationally. Yes, she had acted impulsively, and yes, there was most likely a better way to have handled it. Yes, if she’d taken a moment to think about it, she could have come up with that way. But Joel didn’t have to scold her . . .

  He hadn’t scolded her, actually.

  She frowned, thinking about it again. He hadn’t raised his voice to her at
all. He’d been calm and collected. If anyone had raised their voice, it was her.

  But she was only doing what she had to do to save Monty!

  Again, there might have been a better way.

  She groaned and closed her eyes. Her impetuousness had gotten her in trouble yet again, and here she was, blaming Joel for it. Miss Hazel was right—she wasn’t above the law just because she was in a relationship with a Mountie, and yet she’d expected Joel to take her side in the matter. What kind of hypocrite was she, wanting him to defend justice and yet wanting him to turn a blind eye to whatever crazy thing she’d decided to do?

  Gracious. Was she really doing it again, asking him to make exceptions where she was concerned? She knew this train of thought well.

  With that thought, another realization struck—she was spoiled.

  She blinked a few times. Yes, she was spoiled. That was an uncomfortable thought, but she had to examine it. As the youngest, and the only girl, she’d been doted on. Her brothers brought her sweets and entertained her and taught her all the best games. Her mother made sure she always had nice clothes and plenty of parties to attend. She had rarely been told no, and so she resented hearing it from Joel. He had every right to say it, though, because she was putting people in danger.

  Jess stuck her head in the room. “Will you have dinner with us, Evelyn?”

  Evelyn wiped her eyes. “No, I’d better get back and help Mrs. Timmons, but thank you for the invitation.”

  Jess came in and sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you all right? I can tell you’ve been crying.”

  “I didn’t even realize I was until you came in.” Evelyn gave a shallow laugh. “I’m just sitting here realizing what a fool I’ve been. I thought Joel and I had confided in each other and created a new foundation for our relationship, but I still haven’t allowed him to see all that I am, and that’s probably just as well because what I am is selfish.”

  “Oh, honey.” Jess reached out and patted Evelyn’s knee. “Aren’t we all?”

  Evelyn had been expecting Jess to say something like, “No, you’re not,” and the honest answer she received instead caught her off guard. But it also made her laugh. “So how do we get over it?”

  “By learning to care about someone else more than we care about ourselves,” Jess replied. “Marriage is excellent for that—it forces you to look beyond your own wants and needs. With any luck, he’s doing the same, and so you both get what you need.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Evelyn said, thinking back to Miss Hazel’s similar comment about taking care of each other. “Do you think Joel and I could ever get to that place?”

  “I think you could, if you’d stop threatening to run away whenever you get frustrated.”

  This was said so quietly, Evelyn almost didn’t catch it. “What? I’m not running away.”

  “Um, yes, you are,” Jess replied, a little louder now. “For almost a week now, you’ve been talking about buying a return ticket, but then changing your mind, and then changing it back. You’ve always had that escape plan. What if you decided to stay and stuck with that decision no matter what? How would that change your relationship with Joel?”

  Evelyn had to mull that over. “I didn’t think of it as an escape plan,” she said at last. “I thought that if I was in a bad situation, I should be able to leave it.”

  “And you should—that’s entirely your right. I would just suggest that you make sure it really is a bad situation, and not just an unexpected one.” Jess stood back up. “May I send some jam home with you?”

  “I’d like that, and I know Mr. Timmons would be grateful forever.”

  As Evelyn walked back to the shabby cabin in the trees carrying a little pot of jam, her heart and her mind were swimming. She’d been having little glimpses into herself, but this was like an avalanche of realizations, and it was difficult to breathe through it all. She’d always known she was a flawed person, but she’d never put a finger on how or why, and she’d never paused to consider how those flaws might be impacting those around her. But now she knew, and with this knowledge came the power to do something about it. She couldn’t wait for Joel to get home so she could apologize—for real this time—and hope that he still wanted to marry her.

  Chapter Eleven

  “That little gal of yours is quite a spitfire,” Timothy said with a laugh. “I have to say, I was pretty startled when she pulled that pistol on me.”

  “I imagine so,” Joel replied. “Thanks for your cooperation.”

  “I was pretty mad at the time, but you resolved it fairly. What’s going to happen when you get home, though?”

  “I wish I knew.” Joel shook his head as they continued to follow the trail of moose tracks up the mountain—all the while keeping their eyes out for any possible signs of Black Jack Bitters. Up until now, it had been Evelyn threatening to call things off, but now, maybe it was his turn. She claimed to be an ardent supporter of the law, and yet, she didn’t seem to feel that the law applied to her. Was that the best choice he could make for his wife? He planned to be a Mountie for the rest of his life, and he needed someone by his side who truly understood what that meant. Evelyn claimed to, but her actions that morning hadn’t shown anything of the sort.

  “Wait,” Timothy whispered, holding up his hand, and Joel froze where he stood. Up ahead, he spotted some movement, and Timothy edged forward, rifle at the ready. Seconds later, a shot rang out, then Timothy darted forward to see if he’d been successful.

  “That’s a nice deer,” Joel said, coming up behind Timothy as the man inspected his kill.

  “It’s not a moose, but you know, after this morning, I’ve sort of lost my appetite for moose.”

  Joel laughed. “I understand completely.”

  A glance at the sky told him that they had just enough time to drain the blood out of the animal and get back to town before sunset. Joel pulled out a knife and made the necessary incisions while Timothy reloaded his Sharps single-bore rifle in case they came upon any more game.

  Then another shot rang out.

  Joel’s head whipped around, and he dropped his knife to reach for his pistol. Was someone lurking in the woods, shooting at them? Probably just another hunter, but he had to be careful. “Hold your fire!” he yelled.

  “Um, Corporal?”

  He looked over at Timothy, and in a glance, he realized what had happened. The rifle had gone off accidently, and Timothy had shot himself in the leg. Blood seeped through his trousers and ran down into the dirt, mixing with the blood draining from the deer.

  Joel helped Timothy lie down on the ground, then used his knife to slit away the trouser fabric. It looked like the bullet had grazed the leg, which was a blessing—if it had been a solid hit, it would have obliterated the bone.

  “I can’t believe I did that,” Timothy gasped, his face white. “What a foolish thing to do.”

  “A risk we take when we carry a firearm,” Joel replied. “Could have happened to anyone. Now, let’s get you bandaged up.”

  He took the fabric he’d cut away and fashioned it into a large bandage, which he tied on with a longer strip. “That will do for just now. I have a kit in my saddlebag with more supplies. I’ll go get the horses—be right back.”

  Timothy gave a nod, and Joel stood and moved through the trees back the way they’d come. The horses weren’t far off, but it was crucial that Timothy receive medical care immediately. As things were, he could still lose his leg, but if Joel acted quickly, that wouldn’t have to be the case.

  He grabbed the horses’ reins, and as soon as he could, he was back at Timothy’s side, pulling out his supplies. He rolled the fabric off the wound, doused the leg with whiskey, then covered the whole thing with a broad square of muslin. Because the bullet had just grazed the leg, he didn’t need to worry about extracting it—a blessing for him as well as Timothy because that was a complicated procedure.

  “All right,” he said at last, feeling that the bandaging would hold fo
r the time being. “Let’s get you back home.”

  “What about the deer?”

  Joel tilted his head to the side. “What about the deer?”

  “We can’t just leave it here. I promised my wife I’d bring home meat tonight.”

  “Timothy, at the risk of sounding rude, don’t you think that getting you back and saving your leg might be the priority here?”

  Timothy shook his head. “Mountie, you’re not a father yet, so you can’t understand what it’s like knowing that your children are hungry. I’m not a man of influence or importance in the world, but to those children, I’m everything, and they’re counting on me.”

  Joel took a resigned breath. “All right, but we’re going to move quickly.” He pulled out his knife and slit the deer all along the abdomen, glad he’d changed out of his uniform before he left the house—it would be a mess otherwise. Then he pulled out all the internal organs, doing whatever he could to make the animal lighter because Timothy wouldn’t be able to help him lift the carcass. Then with a great heave, he slung it over the back of one of the horses, staggering under the weight.

  “Your turn,” he said to Timothy, bending down to give him a hand up.

  “You aren’t going to pull out my stomach, are you?” The man laughed as he came upright.

  “No, you get to keep yours. It’s your leg I’m worried about.” Joel helped Timothy up into the saddle of the second horse, then took the reins of the first animal and began leading them down the mountain. Who knew when they’d arrive in town at this rate.

  ***

  Evelyn had kept an anxious eye on the clock all afternoon. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself in Joel’s arms and apologize, but as the minutes ticked by, she began to worry about something else—Timothy Horn’s family. If they were counting on him for dinner and he hadn’t returned, they’d go hungry.