DAKOTA AND DARVI HAD TALKED FOR THE first part of the journey to Aurora, but now both were silent with their thoughts. Darvi was fine when she was distracted by conversation, but alone with her thoughts, she felt something akin to panic creeping up on her.
Part of her mind simply could not accept the fact that she was headed back to Aurora. And not just to the town, but to the very train station where those two men had taken her.
A glance at Dakota’s profile told Darvi he was as confident as any man could be in his ability to protect her, but going back to Aurora was causing her no end of anxiety. And the wig in her bag didn’t help!
She shook her head at her aunt’s scheme. What could the woman be thinking? Darvi hated pretense. She honestly didn’t know how her aunt stood such a life. A spark of anger flashed inside her, and it was all directed toward her aunt. Darvi knew it was wrong and worked for the remainder of the journey to calm down.
I’ll just explain when I get there that I didn’t want to wear the wig, Darvi finally calmed and told herself. Aunt Renee will understand. I don’t have a thing to worry about.
“Where’s your wig?” were the first words out of Renee’s mouth.
Darvi’s mouth opened a little with hurt and surprise and for a moment she lost her train of thought. When she recovered, she was glad to hear that her voice was normal.
“Are you going to ask us in, Aunt Renee?”
“Oh, yes.” The older woman was momentarily flustered by being caught off guard, and the result was a breach of manners. “Come in. I’m sorry. You took me by surprise.”
Renee invited them into her living room. Moving silently, Dakota and Darvi entered and, when directed, sat on the comfortable red sofa. Most of the furniture was red or pink, but it wasn’t gaudy as Darvi might have expected had she only heard about it. The room was warm with family photos and bits of lace and ruffles here and there.
“Why aren’t you wearing the wig?” Renee asked as soon as she had taken a seat across from Darvi. She had known her own anxieties concerning the pending court case, and having Darvi show up looking like her wasn’t helping.
“It’s in my bag,” Darvi told her quietly.
“You didn’t feel you needed it?”
“No. I think Dakota is all the protection I need.”
“What about my privacy—did you think of that?”
Darvi hadn’t, but didn’t say that. Why had she thought her aunt would understand? They had gotten on well at the ranch in Kinkade, but in truth, they didn’t know each other at all. Working not to lead with her emotions, Darvi spoke.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Renee. If, when I’m done, you want me to wear the wig, then I will, but I hope you’ll hear me out.”
“I will, Darvi,” Renee said sincerely, seeing that she had come across rather strongly.
“Thank you,” Darvi replied. “I think that even if I wear the wig, people will be able to see that we’re related. I don’t think it can be helped. I know you value your privacy, but at what price?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you believe in what you’re doing here, it shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t make any difference if people know that Annabelle Hewett is an assumed name. Everyone comes from somewhere. Surely people know you have family.”
Renee blinked at her. Never had she looked at it that way. She then looked slowly at Dakota to gauge his reaction, but his face was unreadable. Watching her, Darvi thought Renee looked so surprised that it made her feel guilty.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Renee,” She said quietly, sorry that she had even tried to explain. “I hate subterfuge, and having to wear that wig scares me more than taking my chances on the street. I couldn’t even tell my parents the whole story because they would have wanted to know who this woman was that looked just like me. If you’re hurt, I’m truly sorry, but I did mean what I said: Why must you hide who you really are?”
Renee looked upset, her fingers coming to her lips.
“I never thought about your not being able to tell your family, Darvi. Honestly, I didn’t. Please tell them. If I had a daughter who had been through what you’ve experienced, I would want every detail. Tell them whatever you need to.”
Darvi nodded, and in the moment Renee thought she looked very young and vulnerable. She also looked a bit pale. She wanted to speak more on the issue, but Dakota had a question of his own.
“There’s something else bothering you, Darvi.” Dakota’s deep voice rumbled out, his head turned to study her. “What is it?”
Darvi closed her eyes for a moment and then looked at him.
“This whole thing—the trial, having to see Seth and Eliot again…all of it.” Darvi glanced at her aunt. “I know you can’t wait to see Jared Silk pay for his crimes, but in truth, I don’t even know the man.”
“You should still want to see justice done,” Renee stated plainly.
“I do, but in the process I’m sure others are going to be hurt. I don’t feel good about that at all.”
“What others?”
“Cassy Robinson for one.”
“Cassy’s no child, Darvi.” This time her aunt’s words were blunt. “She knows exactly what type of man Eliot McDermott is.”
“Be that as it may,” Darvi went on quietly, “she loves him and so do the children. You may want justice served so badly that nothing else bothers you, but I can’t make the same claim.”
Renee sat back in her seat. She wanted to tell her niece to grow up and stop walking around with her heart on her sleeve, but maybe Darvi had a point. For the first time in a long time, Renee wondered if she might have become a bit hard.
“So, what is it you want to do, Darvi?” Dakota surprised both women by asking. “For that matter, what is it you want your aunt to do?”
Seeing that he was right, Darvi sighed very quietly.
“I guess I want her to do just what she’s doing. Jared needs to answer the charges against him, and she’s right, Cassy’s made her choices with her eyes wide open.” Darvi’s gaze dropped to her lap. “Nevertheless, it still hurts my heart to be involved in all of this.”
As Dakota had gotten in the habit of doing, he reached for her hand and held it tenderly.
“I’m glad to hear that, since this whole thing should hurt your heart,” he assured her softly. “Justice is a must, but there are ways to go about it. There’s nothing I hate more than coming across a Ranger who’s lost his compassion, one who’s mean and thoughtless. He gives the rest of us a bad name.”
A distinct whinny outside the house suddenly set Dakota’s gaze to the window.
“I’m sorry, ladies,” he said with genuine regret. “I have to see to my horse. Would you please excuse me for a moment?”
“Certainly,” Renee offered graciously, and a moment later she was alone with her niece.
“I appreciate all you’ve said, Darvi, and I plan to think on it.”
“Thank you.”
“I also don’t want you to wear the wig. I think your point is very valid.”
Darvi nodded with relief, as they both heard Dakota’s voice outside. Darvi glanced that way, and when she looked back, her aunt was smiling.
“I certainly hope you’re not going to let that one get away.”
Darvi surprised her when she only smiled. Renee waited a moment for her to reply, but it didn’t happen.
“No comment?” the older woman prompted, and Darvi laughed.
“Aunt Renee, I think you might be one of the most private people I know, but you expect me to bare my heart to you.”
Renee grinned. “It’s the reporter in me. I can’t stand not knowing something.”
Darvi smiled back, and Renee’s eyes widened when she realized her niece wasn’t going to answer. The older woman actually moved to the edge of her seat, reminding Darvi of a six-year-old.
“So tell me, how do you feel about him?” Darvi laughed and watched her with amusement.
“Darvi Leigh Wingate!” She was very stern now. “This is your aunt speaking, and I expect an answer.”
Darvi hadn’t even opened her mouth when they both heard the front door. Dakota was returning. The younger of the two women had all she could do not to laugh at her aunt’s aggrieved expression.
“So you’ve never attended this church?” Darvi asked Dakota the next morning as they walked toward the end of town.
“No. I’ve never attended any church in Aurora.” He glanced down at her and then back up the street. “I found myself looking for a certain strawberry blonde when I was last here. I’m afraid I thought of little else.”
Darvi studied the firm, clean-shaven line of his jaw from a shorter vantage point and knew she’d been complimented. She shifted her gaze away again before speaking.
“My aunt seemed pleased that you asked her to join us.”
“True. But if you’ll notice, she’s not here.”
“No, she’s not. She would say that my mother can’t deal with the fact that I need a relationship with God, but I’m not sure she can either.”
“It’s easiest to be blind to our own sins.”
Darvi silently agreed as the church came into view. The boardwalk would end in another 30 feet, and the church was still a block from there. They were nearing the end of the board slats when a horseman rode up. Dakota turned swiftly and brought them to a halt, but Darvi, whose hand was tucked in his arm, felt him relax.
“Sheriff,” the Ranger greeted the rider.
“How are you, Rawlings?”
“Fine, and yourself?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” With that the man tipped his hat toward Darvi. “You must be Miss Wingate.”
“Yes,” Dakota spoke up. “Darvi, this is Sheriff Laverty.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Darvi greeted him.
“Your aunt tells me you’re headed to church.”
“Were you at the house this morning?” Dakota asked, his mind working so fast that he did not let Darvi answer.
“No, she came by my office as soon as Seth Redding showed up at her door looking for Miss Wingate.”
Darvi’s eyes grew large at this announcement.
“I’m not worried that he’s going to try anything stupid,” the law man went on smoothly, “but I’d just as soon not have you out and about today, Miss Wingate. In fact, if you wouldn’t mind, the lawyer representing some of the bank customers was tied up yesterday when you came into town and would like to speak with you today. He’s at my office.”
“How did Seth know I was in town?” Darvi asked.
The sheriff’s smile was lopsided. “Seth and Eliot seem to have eyes everywhere. Your coming in on the train would be no secret.”
“And he was actually bold enough to go to my aunt’s door?”
“Yes. She said he was very polite about it all, but that he seemed determined to speak with you.”
From that point onward, Darvi’s Sunday plans fell into a heap around her. Her expectation of spending some time in church and possibly fellowshipping for a time with the congregation was swiftly put aside. Knowing it was best to do as the sheriff asked, Darvi went with Dakota to a back room at the sheriff’s office to meet with a Mr. Danby. He was a polite man, but all business. Some of his terms confused Darvi, but she asked enough questions to understand what her role would be the next day.
“All of this will be quite unnecessary,” he said more than two hours later, his papers already in his case, “if Mr. Silk will simply admit to guilt—something we don’t expect. But one can always hope.”
Darvi could think of nothing to say to this, but something niggled at the back of her mind, even as the man stood, thanked her, nodded to Dakota, and went on his way. Dakota, good at his word, was with Darvi the whole time. He had been silent during the proceedings and was still quiet, giving Darvi time to think. A few minutes later she knew what was bothering her.
“This is all about Jared Silk, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“No charge is being brought against Seth and Eliot for abducting me.”
“Not at this time. Your testimony is about their involvement with Silk.”
Darvi looked thoughtful and said with quiet conviction, “I’m going to have my say in that courtroom, Dakota. Even if none of the lawyers asks me about it, I’m going to tell them what happened to me.”
Dakota smiled. “Go to it.”
That smile was all Darvi needed until she had one more thought.
“Dakota,” she asked, “why aren’t Seth and Eliot in jail? Why is Seth allowed to roam the streets and look for me?”
“Because the law is imperfect, Darvi. I also suspect that his lawyer might have had something to do with it, along with the fact that you weren’t here to file any charges.”
Darvi knew she would have to be satisfied with this. She wasn’t really content with it, but right now nothing could change her helplessness in the situation.
“I guess we’d better head back to my aunt’s,” Darvi was saying as the door suddenly opened.
“Oh! You are here,” Renee spoke with relief as she entered. “I wasn’t certain what could be taking so long, and I had myself convinced that Seth Redding had found you.”
“He might find her,” Dakota put in calmly, “but he won’t take her.”
Renee looked up at the Ranger’s face and suddenly knew why Darvi was so trusting of him. Darvi’s aunt liked Dakota—she liked him a lot—but there was no missing the steel in his eyes right now. Renee almost shook her head. She would not choose to tangle with this man if she was on the wrong side of the law. She thought anyone who did was a fool.
“Well, let’s go home,” she said quietly, simply wanting to see Darvi safe behind closed doors.
“That’s fine,” Dakota confirmed, “but if you don’t mind, I’ll answer the front door for the rest of the day.”
All Renee could do was nod, but in her heart she was more determined than ever to see Darvi marry this man.
Sunday turned out to be a very quiet day, which made the noise and crowded courtroom all the harder to take the next morning. It seemed that every person in town had turned out for this event, and Darvi knew that, as his witnesses, if the lawyer had not saved seats for them in the front row, they would have been outside with dozens of others who were denied entrance.
The courtroom was set up with a center section of seating flanked by two angled sections. Renee, Dakota, and Darvi had seats in the far right side. Once situated, Darvi settled her skirts around her, Dakota on her right and her aunt on her left, before glancing around. She had barely shifted her eyes when she spotted Seth in the far left section. The way the seats angled, they had nearly perfect views of each other.
He was looking straight at her, his eyes reflecting caring and interest. Darvi didn’t look at him for long but shifted her own gaze back to the front. Dakota, on the other hand, kept watching.
The moment Darvi turned away, Seth leaned and spoke to a man—assumably his lawyer—who shook his head no. He then wrote a note and gave it to his lawyer. He read it, handed it right back, and once again shook his head no. At that point Dakota turned away, but not before seeing that Seth’s eyes came right back to Darvi, who was still watching for the judge to enter. That the man was desperate to see the woman across from him was only too clear.
Dakota gave one more glance Seth’s way, and that was when he spotted Cassy and the children in the front row of the middle section. All three looked pale and sober, and Dakota was glad for Darvi’s tender heart. His own felt a little broken as well. He had chosen to deceive Cassy in order to rescue Darvi. Given a choice, he would do it all over again, but it wasn’t something he enjoyed.
The judge finally arrived. He was a large man with stern eyes, and the audience was very quiet as he took his place and cast those penetrating eyes over the room. No time was wasted, however, and in less than five minutes, things were underway. Mr. Danby, whose strict business manner seemed to have melted into something a bit more dramatic, called many witnesses forward to testify, but the defense offered no cross examination until Annabelle Hewett was called to the stand.
Darvi watched her aunt move to the witness stand in graceful confidence. The defense was out to prove that the reporter’s testimony, which was quite damaging, was nothing more than the rantings of an overemotional female. Their tactic fell very flat. Renee kept her cool, calmly answering all questions and putting holes in several theories. From her vantage point, Darvi thought Jared Silk looked angry enough to kill.
The day moved on slowly, and Darvi, to her surprise, wasn’t actually called to the stand until the next morning. She thought she caught the softening of the judge’s eyes at one point, but in her nervousness she couldn’t be certain. She took the stand and tried not to feel the awful pounding of her heart.
“State your full name, please.”
This came from Mr. Danby, and Darvi did as she was told.
“Darvi Leigh Wingate.”
“Address, Miss Wingate?”
“49 Brighton Road, St Louis, Missouri.”
“Thank you, Miss Wingate. Correct me if I’m wrong, but were you not taken against your will from a train in the Aurora train station on the sixth day of September?”
“Yes, sir, I was.”
“And am I right in thinking that two men took you from the train?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And am I also right in believing that those two men are in the courtroom today?”
Darvi’s heart froze and then pounded on, making her feel breathless. She was certain she had told him this. Had he not heard her, or had he misunderstood?
Mr. Danby, who thought she would answer immediately, seemed to freeze as well. He looked at Darvi’s stunned face and tried again.
“Would you like to me repeat the question?”
“Yes, please.”
“Can you point out the two men who took you from the train?”
Darvi’s heart sank. “No, I cannot.”
Mr. Danby blinked.
“Maybe you need a little more time,” he said, his face going slightly red, his eyes showing some strain. “Look around the courtroom again. Take all the time you need.”
Darvi had all she could do not to look at Dakota and nowhere else, but she made herself take stock of the entire room. She had not been with those men for very long, but she was very sure they were not in the room. She looked back to Mr. Danby.
“Did you see them?”
Darvi began to shake her head no and then verbally answered.
“You’re sure?” Mr. Danby tried again, but Jared Silk’s lawyer had had enough and came to his feet.
“The woman has more than answered the question, your honor. What more could the man need?” The judge waved him back down.
“Do you have another line of questioning, Mr. Danby?” the judge asked, his tone almost bored.
That man came just short of tugging on his collar.
“No, your honor,” he admitted at last.
“Your witness, Mr. Robbins,” the judge said to Jared’s attorney.
“Thank you, your honor.”
Darvi watched him come forward, a kind smile on his face, but it didn’t fool her. She knew that all men had a right to a fair trial, but this man was out for blood.
“Now then Miss Wingate, there seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding here. You don’t even know Jared Silk, do you?”
“No, sir, I don’t.”
“Have you even been into his bank or laid eyes on him before today?”
“No, sir.”
“So anything you might have heard about Jared Silk is what you’ve read in the newspaper or been told by someone else. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes.”
The man’s smile was just short of benevolent as he said, “That will be all.”
“You’re dismissed, Miss Wingate,” the judge told her.
Darvi looked down just then and into Dakota’s eyes. While he held her gaze, he raised his chin.
“Your honor,” Darvi said a bit loudly, causing the judge to turn in surprise.
“Yes, Miss Wingate?”
“I would beg your indulgence, sir. I do have something to say, if I could just say it without having to answer questions.”
“This witness has been dismissed!” Mr. Robbins nearly shouted, his calm face deserting him in a flash. Even Jared came to his feet.
“Sit down, both of you,” the judge said in a frigid voice. “I want to hear what the lady has to say.”
Darvi’s eyes were huge in her pale face as she turned to face the judge, who was leaning toward her in full attention. Darvi made herself swallow and start.
“It’s true, your honor, that I’ve never met Jared Silk, and that the men who took me from the train are not here today, but the two men who held me captive against my will are here today and have told me they work for Jared Silk.” Darvi glanced their way and kept on. “Their names are Seth Redding and Eliot McDermott. I never saw the two men from the train again, but Mr. Redding and Mr. McDermott kept me in an apartment and made it very clear that I couldn’t leave until I agreed to meet with Jared Silk.”
“Why would they do that if you don’t know the man?”
“They thought I was Annabelle Hewett, and even when they learned I was not, Mr. Redding decided to keep me. I was held at the apartment for two days and then taken against my will to Cassy Robinson’s ranch. I had no idea where I was and no way to leave there.”
“But you did get away?”
“Yes, a friend found me and got himself hired onto the ranch as a cook. We left one night after dark.”
The eyes that the judge turned on the defense lawyer and Jared were colder than ever.
“Thank you, Miss Wingate. If there’s nothing else, you may step down.”
Darvi did so on shaking legs. She made her way back to her seat to the sound of the courtroom buzzing around her. Mr. Robbins was on his feet again, protesting the judge’s interference and unorthodox behavior at the top of his voice. From their seats with the rest of the audience, the accused brothers and their lawyer had their heads close together, the lawyer doing all the talking. All three seemed to be completely unaware of the courtroom’s state of pandemonium. The judge finally pounded his gavel to gain order and make an announcement.
“This court will adjourn until nine o’clock tomorrow morning, whereupon I will hear final testimony and make my decision. I will be available today until five o’clock for questions or further information.”
With that he stood and exited the room. People talked even louder, babies cried, and in the midst of it, Dakota had Darvi’s arm in a steel grip. Getting her outside as swiftly as he could manage, he moved her along through town, cutting off on a side street in hopes that it would be a shortcut to Renee’s house.
In better time than he’d figured, the house came into view. Both still moving silently, Dakota took Darvi up the front steps, through the front door, and into the house, not even waiting a full heartbeat before he pulled her into his arms.