Secrets of the Past (Kansas Crossroads Book) Read online

  Mischievously, he glanced back at the machine and scratched his head. “Dying, huh? Doesn’t look like much of a casket to me.”

  Josie threw her hands in the air and released another growl. She turned back to her contraption.

  Wyatt grinned. Goading Josie never got old. He’d teased her when she was younger, and he found it just as much fun now. “Tell me, Runt, why didn’t your neighbors come to help you when that thing let out Indian smoke signals large enough to be seen clear to Texas?”

  “Mr. Donovan, would you be so kind as to leave now? I have everything under control.”

  Chuckling, he turned back to the opened barn door but stopped before taking another step. “One more thing before I go,” he said over his shoulder.

  She turned her head and met his stare. “What? You have another insult to fling at me?”

  “No. I just wondered where I could find your brother.”

  She flipped her hand and shrugged, turning back toward the machine. “More than likely, you’ll find James in the saloon. Topeka has three of them now. Your guess is as good as mine which one he’ll visit today.”

  A saloon? At this time of day? It was barely one o’clock in the afternoon.

  “Thank you kindly, Runt.”

  Just as he reached the door, she kicked the machine and grumbled. Biting his tongue, he dared not laugh or comment on her unladylike language. No doubt she’d gotten her patience from James.

  “Wyatt?”

  He turned back to Josie. She sat on the ground with her legs folded beneath her but kept her eyes averted toward the ceiling.

  “What?”

  “I’m glad to see you here,” she whispered. “James really needs a friend like you.”

  His heart softened. “Thanks, Runt.”

  Another groan tore from her throat as she shook her head. He’d always been able to get her bloomers in an uproar with that nickname. Funny, because it was more enjoyable now than before.

  Strange how time changed things.

  Wyatt found himself genuinely grinning as he walked toward the saloon. Silver Dollar Saloon had been in town since he was a boy. His father and his chums had left that place drunker than a skunk. Wyatt lost his grin. He hadn’t approved of his father’s drinking even when he was a young boy.

  Shaking his head, he pushed the memory aside. No use in thinking of the past now. It would only bring heartbreak.

  From behind the saloon, another commotion started, but nothing like the explosion that Josie had made. Instead, a woman’s wailing and men’s shouts pulled his attention to the alleyway. This time, people ran to see what had happened.

  “Get the marshal,” a man screeched. “There’s been another killing.”

  Dread clutched at Wyatt’s heart and churned his stomach. He’d picked the right day to come to town since this was the very reason he’d volunteered to assist the town marshal in Topeka.

  He hurried through the alleyway toward the crowd at the wooded area behind the saloon. Two women stood crying into their hands, and four men knelt around a person lying between the trees – still as could be.

  “Excuse me.” Wyatt pushed people aside. “I’m a Texas Ranger. I’m here to help.”

  The men lifted their heads and looked at him as they moved aside. When Wyatt strode closer, death’s foul stench hung in the air.

  The young woman – who probably wasn’t much older than twenty – wore a wrinkled nightdress and was somewhat wrapped in a white bed sheet. Her lips were blue, but her face, neck, and arms were white, making the blonde hair framing her face stand out more.

  Bile rose in his throat, and he gritted his teeth to keep it down. It was never easy to look at death no matter how the person left this world.

  As he knelt beside her, he assessed the area carefully, checking for any signs of blood or a weapon. “Who found her?”

  “I did,” whispered the young man kneeling by her head. “She disappeared last night. I never thought...” He sobbed and placed his fisted hand to his mouth.

  “Has she been moved since you found her?”

  “No, sir.”

  Wyatt studied her closer, mainly her hands. Her nails were dirty, which struck him as odd since it appeared as she kept herself clean. He glanced on the ground around her, hoping to see anything that might indicate how she died. But the area was also clean.

  He lifted his gaze to the young man. Brown curly hair blew over his eyes as the wind teased each strand.

  “Are you related to the deceased?” Wyatt asked.

  The man swiped the hair away from his face. “We were engaged.”

  “Does her family know yet?”

  The man shook his head. “No, but I’ll go fetch them now.” Tenderly, he lifted the dead girl’s hand and placed a kiss on her fingers. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he pulled away and stood.

  Emotion clogged Wyatt’s throat. He knew how this man felt. Wyatt wasn’t the first man to have his heart ripped from his chest and chopped into tiny pieces, and he wouldn’t be the last man to mourn for a loved one, either. The pain was as strong today as it had been when he’d read Dr. Allen’s letter almost thirteen years ago.

  What had possibly made Wyatt agree to help the town marshal find the killer? He knew the dangers of opening old wounds. But he needed to know how Marjorie died, and to make the person responsible for killing her, finally pay.

  TWO

  Thoroughly dejected after yet another failed attempt to create a self-propelled rug cleaner, Josette dragged herself home to wash up before supper. She glanced down at her black hands and groaned. What a filthy mess!

  A trill of horror rushed through her. Oh, heavens! Wyatt had seen her looking this way. She closed her eyes and groaned again. Why had Wyatt Donovan shown up in Topeka today of all days? At the exact moment the beast – as she’d nicknamed the rug cleaner – decided to blow up in her face. Again. For the fourth time.

  Wyatt’s light-hearted insults rang through her head. Though he only meant to tease, the words stung like lemon juice in an open wound. All her life she’d been inquisitive, dreaming up things no one else had the gumption to imagine. True, most of the time her inventions didn’t work, but on rare occasions, they had.

  She slipped through the back door of the office building that had once doubled up as a doctor’s office and the Allen’s residence, but now was barely livable as a home. As she passed the kitchen, the smell of fresh cornbread met her senses and, on cue, her stomach grumbled.

  “Annie, it smells absolutely wonderful in here.” Josette smiled at the cook who’d been with them since before the war.

  “Thank you, sugar.” Annie beamed, turning warm coffee-brown eyes to Josette. The cook sucked in her breath. “Oh, dear,” she exclaimed with a rueful shake of her head. “Just what in tarnation happened to you? No, wait, don’t answer that, child. I’m certain I can speculate.”

  Her cheeks warmed. Even kind and loving, Annie thought Josette was little more than an eccentric fool. “Yes, well, I was hoping you could help me prepare a bath.”

  “I think we’d better draw two.” An amused smile tugged at Annie’s lips as she placed her hands on her wide hips. “You just head upstairs and I’ll bring the water up straight away.”

  “Thank you.”

  Josette sighed and mounted the stairs, heading toward her room. A loose floorboard caught her toe and she stumbled. That would have to be fixed before someone tripped and hurt themselves. Perhaps James could... No. The thought fizzled as quickly as it had come. Her brother would be of no help. Josette would have to repair the board herself.

  Wearily she pushed open the second-floor bedroom door and trudged inside. Gadgets of all shapes and sizes filled the space, lining every wall, and a few hung from the ceiling. One device – her pride and joy to date – was a round ball with flat blades that twirled at lightning speed and sucked air through a long hose. Not only did it work, but it helped dry the unruly mass of her hair after she washed it. Even her skeptical mother p
raised her for this particular idea, which hadn’t happened often. Unfortunately, Josette couldn’t get other people to buy it. Most complained it took up too much space, was too bulky, and made too much noise. She rolled her eyes. True, but at least it dried their hair faster.

  Frowning, she sat on the stool facing the mirror on her vanity. “Oh, nooo!” Mortified, she stared at her reflection. Wyatt had seen her looking this horrid? She was absolutely humiliated.

  Tears stung her eyes and a knot formed in her throat. She buried her face in her hands. Why hadn’t she realized she looked like a demon bathing in a fireplace that was still lit and burning?

  She peeked through her fingers. The image peeking back was of a woman who’d been too busy thinking about her inventions to worry about her appearance. Just like when I was a young girl. No wonder Wyatt mentioned she hadn’t changed.

  That assessment wasn’t fair. Josette had changed. She’d grown a great deal since her days of dogging Wyatt’s heels with the moon in her eyes. Now responsibility for her family rested solely on her shoulders.

  During the war, money had been scarce and her father’s health declined. They moved from a small town in Missouri to the thriving town of Topeka, Kansas, to be closer to mother’s sister, Agatha, and Josette’s cousin, Elizabeth. Not long after their arrival, Pa passed away. When James returned from the war, he tried to finish his medical training so that he could take over his father’s practice, but since James’ patients hadn’t wanted a drunken doctor, he stopped practicing medicine and the responsibility to earn a living rested on Josette’s shoulders.

  A loud rap on the door jarred Josette from her thoughts.

  “Are you ready to wash and look human again?” the cook called.

  “Yes, Annie.” Josette couldn’t help but chuckle. “Come in, if you dare.”

  A half hour later and thoroughly scrubbed – twice – Josette stepped out of the tub and wrapped the towel around her. She reached for a clean set of trousers and stopped short.

  Runt, you haven’t changed a bit... Just the memory of Wyatt’s rich baritone voice sent a shiver down her spine. Josette sighed, sliding her gaze to the only three dresses she owned. The first was a plain brown gown, only worn on the days she worked for her cousin, Elizabeth, at The Brody Hotel. The second dress was a flattering pale blue, one she rarely had the occasion to wear, and the third was a black dress – the one she’d worn for her father’s funeral.

  She chewed her bottom lip nervously. If Wyatt saw her garbed in the blue dress would he think she’d changed and grown up? Would he gaze upon her as a woman, for once?

  Josette tightened the towel around her as she meandered to the window, parted the curtain ever so slightly, and looked out over the town. Clouds, gray and ominous, swallowed the last of the sun’s brilliant rays, casting lonely shadows across the dusty buildings. Deep down, Josette knew it was pure folly to hope James’ friend had any real interest in her, but she couldn’t ignore the rush of excitement in her veins whenever Wyatt was near. She’d thought the feelings she once had for him were long gone and dead, however, the moment she’d laid eyes on him, tall and strong with grayish-blue eyes like an October sky, a tumult of old and new emotions came flooding back.

  Two men stepping out of the Silver Dollar Saloon caught her eye. James motioned broadly to the buildings around them, his drunken state painfully obvious. Standing next to him, Wyatt tried to steady James as they walked toward the house. Her heart leaped. Mother would certainly invite the family friend to supper. Perhaps this was Josette’s chance to show Wyatt she had changed. Hopefully, he’d notice her as a woman and not a girl.

  Eagerly, she rushed through her toilette, trying to recall everything she’d been taught years ago. For certain, she would shock her family at the dining table tonight. She yanked the brush through her hair then stopped it mid-stroke. They’d know why she dressed differently – to impress Wyatt.

  Frowning, she glanced in the mirror, her excitement taking a nosedive. Because of James’ blurred vision, he’d probably not even see her, but her mother would comment. In fact, Mother would make a big deal of it. Ma would probably make some snide comment about Josette needing to marry a man with money in order to pull her family out of the slump they were in.

  Josette groaned. She couldn’t have anyone saying anything about marriage. Especially not in front of Wyatt. Even now, she could hear the words Ma would say to her... You’ve wasted your efforts, Josie. Mr. Donovan won’t pay you any mind, not when you have the beautiful memory of his dead wife to compete with.

  Josette blew out a frustrated sigh. Wyatt’s wife had been so very beautiful. Josette could never compete with that, even if Marjorie was just a memory.

  For years, Josette had hoped to catch any man’s eye. Only if someone in town would think she was pretty. And sane. Most folks around these parts figured she’d lost her ever-lovin’ mind.

  Maybe she had.

  She finished her toilette and gazed at herself in the mirror, thoroughly satisfied with her reflection. A new woman smiled back at her, one who cared about her appearance – a woman who could eventually catch a man such as Wyatt Donovan.

  She piled the unruly mass of blonde curls loosely atop her head with thick combs then smoothed a hand along the flattering pale blue gown, resisting the urge to squirm. Dresses were not a thing she was used to wearing, but with Wyatt back in town, she must put forth her best impression.

  True, she would be competing with his wife’s memory, God rest Marjorie’s soul, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do. In this small town, a girl had to do a lot to get noticed since there were so many women compared to the few single men who were worth looking at.

  A knock upon the door startled her out of her thoughts. She hurried to the door to see who had come. Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Her gaze ran over Josette with wide eyes. Clenching her hands, she waited patiently for Ma to make a comment.

  Finally, a smile tugged at the corners of her mother’s mouth and she walked into the room, closing the door behind her. A low chuckle escaped the older woman’s throat as she patted her perfectly styled silver-blonde hair.

  “What’s the special occasion, my dear?”

  Josette really didn’t need to give the older woman an answer. Her mother knew. Josette shrugged. “I decided to start acting more like a woman.”

  “Indeed? Why now?”

  “Because it was high time I started, don’t you think? You’ve been hounding me for years to care about my appearance, so now I’m taking your advice.”

  Her mother tilted her head. Her judgmental expression took the twinkle of humor away from her brown eyes.

  “Oh, my dear.” She patted Josette’s cheeks. “You don’t need to lie. I know why you’re doing this. You must know Wyatt Donovan is in town.”

  Josette nodded. “He came by the barn earlier today looking for James.”

  Mother sighed and folded her arms. “Let me guess... he caught you with soot all over your face, correct?”

  Rolling her eyes, Josette turned away from the other woman and walked to the window. “Yes,” she muttered.

  “What did he say?”

  Josette didn’t want to explain how embarrassed she’d been when Wyatt caught her in a rotten mood. She especially didn’t want to talk about her actions now. Wishing to change the subject, she squared her shoulders and faced her parent. “Is dinner ready yet?”

  “Almost. I came up to inform you that we’ll have a guest for tonight, but...” She grinned. “I think you already knew that.”

  Josette pushed past her mother and walked out the door. “I’ll see if Annie needs any help.” Before her mother could stop her, Josette fled down the stairs. She wobbled on her heeled boots and nearly stepped on the train of her dress since she wasn’t used to wearing such fancy attire.

  Taking a deep breath, she calmed her frustration and slowly walked the remainder of the way. That’s all she needed – to trip and fall and rip her dres
s – or worse, break a limb in the process. Wyatt would certainly believe that she hadn’t changed at all.

  As she entered the swinging kitchen door, she searched for the woman who had always treated her decently. Annie was more like an older sister to her, and Josette smiled at the memories they’d shared together as they made it nearly penniless through the war.

  “Do you need any help?” she asked when spotting Annie by the stove.

  The plump woman glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Of course not.” Her attention moved over Josette. Annie’s brown eyes shone brightly. “My, you look mighty pretty tonight.”

  Not used to being complimented, heat flooded Josette’s cheeks and she shyly glanced down at the gown, smoothing her palm over her bodice. “Ah, this old thing?”

  Annie chuckled. “Just say the word, and I’ll have my sister make you some more gowns.”

  Josette shook her head. “I couldn’t ask her to do that. We have barely enough money to live off of now.”

  Annie flipped her hand in the air. “Hogwash. Eunice would happily make you a dress at no cost. You know she loves you as much as I do.”

  Josette’s heart swelled. “Thanks for telling me that. Eunice is a good friend. It makes me feel special that someone would want to do that for me.”

  Annie winked. “You are special, and don’t let anyone tell you different.” She shooed with her hands. “Now get out of here before something stains that gorgeous dress.”

  “All right, I will.” She smiled and backed out of the swinging doors before sharply turning. In her rush to get out, she bumped into a large object – a large and muscular object, no less – knocking him to the floor.

  Her heart dropped. Out of all the men she wanted to knock over, why did it have to be Wyatt Donovan?

  THREE

  Wyatt didn’t know what had happened to him. One minute he was walking by the kitchen door, and the next minute something had smacked right into him and knocked him to the floor. As stars spun inside his head, he sat in an undignified position with his legs spread in front of him, planted on his buttocks with the heels of his hands braced behind him.