The Runaway Bride. Noelle Marchand

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СКАЧАТЬ she had left for Sean O’Brien once and for all.

      * * *

      The late-afternoon sun burst through the nearby window to gleam off the metal star on Sean’s dark green shirt. He heaved a sigh, then tapped his pencil on the paperwork in front of him to expend his frustration and anger. His mind kept replaying the scene that had taken place at the church that morning. How dare Lorelei walk out on his best friend like that? The couple had been together for almost two years, despite his original prediction that the relationship wouldn’t last more than six months. He’d started to think Lorelei might not be as impulsive, unpredictable and flighty as he’d imagined. She’d proven him wrong—again.

      He’d spent the past several hours sorting out the mess Lorelei had made of the wedding so Lawson wouldn’t have to. Lawson had been abandoned by his parents as a child and forced to drift from town to town in order to survive. Sean’s family had taken him in when he’d shown up in Peppin at age fourteen. Several months later, Doc and Mrs. Lettie had adopted him, but Lawson had stayed close to Sean and his family. They were practically brothers as far as Sean was concerned. His friend of ten years didn’t deserve the treatment Lorelei had just dealt him.

      Lorelei Wilkins had been a thorn in Sean’s side since grade school days when she’d informed the whole school that they would get married one day. He’d been annoyed then, but by the time he’d turned nineteen the idea hadn’t seemed so awful. Lorelei had become the belle of Peppin. She could have had any guy in town, but she’d made him think he was the one she wanted. Nothing had been said between them, but he’d started to plan for her. He’d left his family’s farm and accepted the position of sheriff to save up enough money to provide for her. He’d even carved a pitiful wooden promise ring.

      He’d waited for the perfect moment to express his intentions. Then, just when the time seemed right, she suddenly chose his best friend. She’d become Lawson’s girl practically overnight, and Sean had finally gotten a glimpse of her true character—impulsive, unsteady and completely unreliable. He hadn’t said a word to anyone about her betrayal. Instead, he’d pretended she hadn’t just landed a punch to his heart that would leave him reeling for years.

      He realized his pencil was tapping in cadence with the ticking of the nearby clock and threw it aside. He’d be better off pacing the streets than sitting at his desk. He was just pushing his chair aside when the door flew open. Richard Wilkins, the president of the town’s only bank and Lorelei Wilkins’s father, stepped inside with Lawson right behind him.

      Sean’s eyebrows lifted at the grim looks on the men’s faces. He settled back into his chair, then motioned them to the seats across from him. He gaze bounced between their worried eyes questioningly. “What’s wrong?”

      Richard settled into his chair with a dejected slump. “Something has happened to Lorelei.”

      Sean frowned. “Is she hurt?”

      “No.” Lawson shook his head. “She’s gone.”

      Sean’s stomach dropped to his boots with a surprising amount of dread. He stared at the men. “You mean she’s dead?”

      Richard abruptly straightened in his seat. “Of course not, boy! She just up and disappeared while we were all shutting down the wedding and packing up the reception.”

      Sean sighed. That was exactly the kind of stunt Lorelei would pull in a situation like this. Nevertheless, he readied his notebook and grabbed a pencil. “She couldn’t have gone far. How long has she been missing?”

      Lawson shot a glance at Richard. “Well, she isn’t missing exactly.”

      The pencil hovering over the notebook hesitated as he glanced up at the men across from him in confusion. “Then y’all know where she is?”

      “No,” Lawson said just as Richard said, “Yes.”

      Sean lowered his pencil in tempered exasperation. “Well, which is it?”

      “My daughter has run away.”

      “You mean she truly ran away, as in she’s left town?” At Richard’s nod, Sean frowned. “Are you sure?”

      “I’m sure because she left this.” Her father handed him a folded piece of paper.

      He studied the written note carefully. “She says she wants a new life for herself and is going to live with her great-aunt in California.”

      “Keep going.”

      “She begs you to let her go and—” he glanced up sharply to meet Lawson’s gaze before continuing quietly “—and not to send Lawson.”

      Lawson nodded firmly. “That’s why we chose you.”

      “You chose me,” he echoed as a sense of foreboding filled his chest. “To do what?”

      “To bring her back.” Lawson swallowed. “Not to me, of course, but to her parents.”

      Richard cleared his throat. “I’d go myself but my wife says I’d just end up letting Lorelei have her own way like I always do. As much as I hate to admit it, the Lord knows Caroline is probably right. That’s why you’ve got to do it.”

      Sean leaned forward to set his arm against the desk. “Listen, I’m sorry, but I am not the man for this job. I’ll tell you what I can do instead. I’ll send my deputy—”

      Lawson laughed skeptically. “Jeff Bridger? He’s the only man in town who’s gotten lost walking down Main Street.”

      “His sense of direction isn’t that bad anymore,” Sean protested. “I’ve been working with him and he has definitely improved.”

      “I’m glad, but do you really think I’m willing to trust that man to find my daughter, let alone bring her back? Besides, I think you’re a little confused here.” Richard’s fierce gaze told Sean he wasn’t to be trifled with. “This isn’t about you, Sheriff. This is about my daughter, who, as a citizen of Peppin, deserves your protection just like everyone else. She has no chaperone. She has no supplies and hardly any money. She’s a target for every charlatan from here to California.”

      Sean cleared his throat as he tried to regain control of the conversation. “I understand that, Mr. Wilkins, but I can’t just leave town for several days to run after your daughter. I have a job to do here.”

      “Actually, that seems like a good job for Jeff.” Lawson crossed his arms. “After all, the man can’t get lost just sitting in an office, can he?”

      “I guess not.” Sean stared at the men before him with a mixture of bemusement and dread.

      Lawson shifted forward in his chair. “Sean, I would go myself but you read the note. We both know it isn’t safe for her out there. Why, she’s never even traveled before. She needs protection. I know she and I aren’t going to get married, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about her. I’m asking you to protect her not only because she’s a citizen of our town but for my sake, because I can’t.”

      Sean pulled in a fortifying breath to push aside his misgivings. His voice filled with resolve. “I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. It will take that long for me to pack and coordinate things with Jeff.”

      Relief painted СКАЧАТЬ