The Runaway Bride

She watched dumbfounded as her father gathered his dishes and placed them in the sink before returning to the table to kiss her mother goodbye. “Have a wonderful day, you two.”

“Shall I send Lorelei with your lunch?”

“That would be nice, if you don’t mind, Lorelei,” her father said, then leaned across the table to kiss Lorelei on the forehead. His beard and mustache tickled her skin in a familiar sensation.

“I don’t mind.” Tears pricked her eyes as she watched him turn away and grab his hat. She blinked them away resolutely. He couldn’t leave without talking to her. Surely she deserved a lecture or something. She stood. “Papa, where are you going?”

He turned with a perplexed look on his face. “I’m going to the bank.”

She gave an exasperated sigh. “I know that. What I mean is…well, I know you two want to talk to me. I’d rather you just say what you need to say now rather than drag it out by waiting until later.”

He seemed confused. “What is it you wanted to discuss, Lorelei?”

Her mouth fell opened then closed. “I ran away.”

“Yes,” he agreed.

“Isn’t that something you want to discuss?” she asked.

“Not particularly,” her father said.

Lorelei looked to her mother for help, but the woman lifted her delicate brows in confusion. “Well, what would you like us to say, dear?”

She sat down in disbelief. “This is ridiculous. Don’t you want to tell me how impractically and irresponsibly I behaved? How dangerous it was for me to travel alone as I did? How flighty it made me appear to everyone? How awful it was of me to leave you two wondering and worrying?”

Her mother took a sip of tea. “Is it necessary?”

She glanced to her husband who looked down at Lorelei thoughtfully. “I don’t think so. She seems to have learned her lesson.”

Lorelei looked from her mother to her father and back again. With a groan, she buried her face in her hands. “Did I just give myself a lecture?”

“I’m afraid so,” her father said with amusement in his voice.

She frowned at him. “You planned this, didn’t you?”

He smiled. “Goodbye, Lorelei.”

As the door closed behind him, her mother smiled. “Dear, we spared you the lecture because we know you. We know you’ve already recognized what you did was wrong because you’re here. You came back to us. Don’t think for a moment we weren’t worried or upset while you were gone, because we were both of those things and more.”

“I really am sorry.”

“We know that.” She reached over to place her hand over Lorelei’s. “Why did you leave? What happened that day?”

She sighed. “There I was in a beautiful white dress with one of the best men in the world standing beside me at the altar, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t—even after I spent all that time convincing myself that I could. I knew it wasn’t right.” She paused to take a deep breath. “It all was my fault because my whole life I was foolish enough to fancy myself in love with the one man who has never cared I existed.”

“Sean O’Brien,” her mother said softly.

Lorelei stared at her. “You knew. This whole time you knew?”

Her mother laughed. “Of course, I knew. You’re my daughter. How could I not know?”

She froze. “Does Papa know?”

At her mother’s nod, Lorelei groaned and buried her face in her hands.

Her mother pulled at her hands. “Come now, it isn’t that bad.”

Lorelei dropped her hands to the table. “That’s what I’m afraid of. That everyone knows how I felt about him.” Including Sean.

“I don’t think that’s the case. It’s common knowledge that you had a crush on him as a girl, but then Lawson began courting you and everyone assumed you let it go.”

“I almost convinced myself I had until that day. Suddenly, I realized I couldn’t do that to Lawson. I couldn’t go into our marriage halfhearted, knowing I couldn’t love him as he deserved to be loved. It wouldn’t have been right.”

“I hope you know how proud I am of you for doing that. It would have been much easier to let things continue as you’d planned,” her mother said. “But why did you run away?”

Lorelei shrugged. “I just hated the thought of having to deal with all the gossiping, the speculation, the people whispering behind my back—or saying to my face—that I’m a silly flirt who broke Lawson’s heart.”

Her mother looked surprised. “Did someone actually say that?”

A long time ago, she thought to herself, and glanced away. “Never mind that. But all of it made the prospect of getting away for a while and starting fresh somewhere new seem awfully tempting. I had everything already packed and ready to go. It…” She smiled weakly. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

The smile quickly faded as she continued. “But if I thought I could run away from being judged, then I was wrong. Sean tracked me down, and ever since I’ve had to live with his constant disapproval day in and day out. That’s when I realized how foolish I’d been, and decided to come home.”

Her mother nodded, then asked, “So where does that leave your feelings toward Sean now?”

Lorelei shook her head. “If I learned anything while I was gone, it’s that I’m done with Sean O’Brien. I’m finished waiting for him to look at me with anything more than a frown on his face. I think I’ve allowed his dislike of me to shape who I’ve become. That’s part of the reason I wanted a new beginning away from here and him.”

“I see.” Her mother took a sip of her tea thoughtfully. “Perhaps what you are searching for is a new perspective, dear, not an entirely new life.”

“Maybe so.” Lorelei sighed.

It wouldn’t hurt to try, and it was much more practical than any step she’d taken so far. She smiled. A new perspective… That sounded perfect. She had no idea what perspective she needed but whatever it ended up being would be better than the one she had.

* * *

Lorelei smiled a greeting at the bank tellers as she breezed through the lobby with her father’s lunch basket in tow. Her steps faltered as she neared the open door of the manager’s office. Gathering her courage, she knocked lightly. Lawson glanced up from the box he was packing. He paused in surprise at the sight of her before giving her a welcoming smile. “Come on in.”

She surveyed him carefully. He didn’t seem to be upset with her, but she hadn’t seen him since the wedding. She decided to tread lightly as she stepped inside. She placed the basket on his desk, then turned in a slow circle to survey the moderately sized room. The room had been stripped almost completely of his personal items. She turned to face him as the weight of guilt settled on her shoulders. “You’re leaving the bank?”

“I resigned a few days after the wedding.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he asked curiously.

She crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the desk. “Well, it’s my fault you’re leaving, isn’t it?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m just ready to move on, that’s all. I’ve been inquiring about a few other jobs. Most of them are out of Peppin.”

“I still feel responsible.”

“Don’t.” He closed the box, then met her gaze seriously. “While we’re at it, let’s get something else straight. You already apologized to me about what happened at the wedding. I’ll admit I was hurt but not as deeply as you might have thought because you were right. I didn’t love you the way I should have. I knew something was wrong, but I’d made a commitment and I didn’t want to be the one to walk away from it. I’m glad you did. It was the right thing for both of us.”

She stared at him. “You mean it?”

He nodded. “I hope we can go back to being friends now and that you know if you ever need anything you can call on me.”

“Thank you, Lawson. Hearing you say that means so much to me. I hated thinking that I might have hurt you. You’ve been such a wonderful friend. I wouldn’t want to lose that.”

“Well, you aren’t. You’re stuck being my friend so you may as well like it,” he teased. Then, looking at her closely, he offered her his handkerchief. “No tears in my office and it’s still my office until I take this box out.”

She smiled and dabbed her watery eyes before handing it back with her thanks. “I’d better bring Papa his lunch. I guess I’ll see you around.”

“I’m sure you will for a little while at least.”

“Are you all right?” her father asked a few moments later as he cleared his desk to make room for the food. She told him about her conversation with Lawson, and he shook his head. “He’s a good man and a good manager. I wonder what sort of work he’ll go into next.”

“That reminds me,” she said as she laid out a plate with her mother’s baked chicken, green-bean casserole and corn. “On my way here I stopped to talk to Mrs. Cummings at the millinery shop across the street.”

He stared at her in confusion. “How did what I say remind you of hats?”

“She was looking for someone to come in a few hours a week to help her, and I told her I’d like to take the job. Isn’t that wonderful, Papa?”

Richard frowned up at her from his dark leather chair. “No, it is not. Why should you want a job, Lorelei? What will my customers think if my own daughter has to work outside the home? I’ll tell you what they’ll think. They’ll think their money isn’t safe here.”

She lifted an eyebrow and closed the basket. “As if they had anywhere else in town to put it.”

He waved his fork. “That is beside the point.”

“Well, I don’t see why they’d care one way or the other,” she reasoned. “Besides, I need something to do besides embroider with Mother.”

Hope sprang within her when her father quieted for a moment. “If it’s work you want, you are always welcome to work here.”

She almost laughed. “Doing what?”

“Why, you could be a teller.”

“Papa, I don’t want to be a teller.”

“I’d much rather you work here.”

She grimaced. “I’d much rather not.”

“It’s a perfectly respectable place. I can watch you,” he rationalized.

“It’s a perfectly boring place and I don’t need to be watched.”

He looked at her in wavering contemplation, and she gave him her best and most pleading look. Finally, he sighed. “I have a feeling this is going to be like the rose garden you tried to start and that bakery idea you tried to get a loan for and the—”

She titled her head. “And the wedding I didn’t go through with?”

He stilled. “Now, I didn’t say that, did I?”

She fiddled with the lace on her dress and tried to keep the tears from blurring her eyes. “Well, why don’t you? Isn’t that what you’re thinking? I can start something but I don’t finish it well, do I?”

“You can do whatever you set your mind to, Lorelei. When you like something well enough, you stick to it. Look at your music lessons. You’ve been playing the piano—very beautifully—for years. I guess you just try out more things than most and there’s nothing wrong with that. If it’s all right with your mother, then I don’t mind.”

“Oh, thank you, Papa.” She smiled and slipped around the desk to give him a quick hug. “I’m certain I’ll like it, and I’ll stick to it no matter what.”

“That’ll show them.” He winked.

She chatted with him for a few more minutes before exiting his office and walking right into a conflict between Mrs. Greene and her father’s secretary. Neither party seemed to realize they were blocking the hallway. The man looked positively flustered. “But, ma’am, you don’t have an appointment and Mr. Wilkins is having lunch. Why don’t I direct you to a teller? I’m sure one of them will be able to help you.”

“I’m sure they will not.” Mrs. Greene’s face seemed to grow redder by the moment. “I insist on seeing Mr. Wilkins right now. I have been entrusted with a letter for him and I aim to see he gets it.”

Lorelei spoke up to try to diffuse the situation. “It’s all right, Alexander. Father is finished with his lunch. I’m sure he’d be willing to see Mrs. Greene.”

The young man stepped aside to let Mrs. Greene pass. The woman’s gaze shifted to Lorelei, who smiled pleasantly. Mrs. Greene didn’t return the gesture. She just stared with an appraising eye. Lorelei had the strangest feeling that she’d been weighed and found wanting. Mrs. Greene brushed past her to enter her father’s office without waiting to be announced. Lorelei grimaced, then glanced at Alexander. He shook his head. “I’d hate to be your father right now. She has one mean bee in that bonnet of hers.”

“I’m sure he’ll be able to handle it.” She said goodbye to him, then waved at the other tellers before she stepped back onto the sidewalk.

It was surprisingly good to be back in Peppin. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her family and the entire town until she’d returned. Not that she hadn’t noticed the curious looks and quiet whispers she garnered. Despite that small discomfort, it was good to be home. She’d decided her mother was right. She needed a new perspective. She was not going to allow herself to be distracted by old desires or thoughts anymore.

“Lorelei.” She glanced up into Sean’s green eyes as he tipped his Stetson to acknowledge her in passing.

I should have used the alleyways, she thought with an inward groan. She gave a small nod in return. She waited until she crossed the street to glance back for one final look at what never could have been.

Chapter Five

The door to the sheriff’s office flew open, banging against the inside wall and allowing a burst of sunlight to paint the room. Sean’s hand hopped to his gun. He rose so quickly from behind his desk that he sent his chair toppling to the floor. The door swung closed behind the man who scanned the otherwise empty room. After seeming to establish they were alone, Richard focused on Sean with narrowed eyes.

“Mr. Wilkins, what can I do for you today?”

Richard strode toward him with fire in his eyes. “Sean O’Brien, I ought to tear you limb from limb. No, I ought to lock you up in your own jail cell, scoundrel that you are.”

“Hold on just a minute, sir. Those are some pretty strong words.” He righted the chair without taking his gaze from the advancing man.

Richard pressed his fist on the top of Sean’s desk. The man paused to catch his breath, then his blue eyes locked with Sean’s in anger. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? She is my only child. I trusted you. I put her well-being in your hands. You were supposed to protect her but all you did was expose her to slander.”

A chill crept down Sean’s spine. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Richard’s eyes narrowed as his voice turned steely, and he tossed a piece of paper on the desk. “Don’t lie to me. You can read it for yourself.”

“A letter?”

“Yes, it’s from a Mrs. Drake. She writes in stunning detail how the two of you arrived alone and unchaperoned at her boardinghouse.” He glanced down at the letter. “She says she tried to discover the reasons for this moral gaffe but you were hostile toward her while telling an incredibly dubious and conveniently difficult to disprove tale of being abandoned by your chaperone at some point during your five-day journey to town. She insinuates that you and Lorelei…that you… Well, it is quite obvious what she believes had been going on between you two. I want to believe it isn’t true but if it is, so help me…”

“It isn’t true.” He wavered. “Well, not entirely.”

“What does that mean?” Richard took a deep breath and seemed to calm down a bit, though his grim expression didn’t change. “Can you prove this woman wrong?”

“Yes. No.” Sean swallowed. “Not completely and not immediately. Listen, this can all be explained, but first I think it would be best if Lorelei were present during this conversation.”

Richard held Sean’s gaze for a long moment, then with a short nod he agreed, “Then send for Lorelei.”

* * *

Lorelei hurried down the raised wooden planks of Peppin’s sidewalk at a pace polite society would frown on. She could already feel herself starting to perspire. She would arrive at the sheriff’s office looking flushed and wrung out. Not that she was trying to impress anyone at a time like this. Surely, something must be dreadfully wrong for her father to summon her through a messenger. His tone in the note had been abrupt, almost harsh. It was so unlike him that she was worried that something was seriously amiss. Had he been robbed? Threatened? Attacked? What disaster could have struck that required him to turn to Sean?

Her anxious thoughts hastened her steps the last few feet into the sheriff’s office. Surveying the room, she noticed Sean sitting at his desk with her father seated comfortably across from him. Both men stood as she entered but remained oddly silent.

Obviously nothing was wrong with her father’s constitution. He even had a bit of color in his cheeks. She paused a moment to catch her breath before venturing farther into the silent room. “Papa, whatever is the matter? I thought something must have happened.”

“I’m afraid it did.” He looked sterner than she’d ever seen him.

“What did?”

“That.” He pointed to the desk.

Her confused gaze lingered on her father a moment before she followed his finger to the object on the desk. “A letter?”

“From Mrs. Drake.”

“Mrs. Drake?” she echoed in confusion.

Sean’s hand briefly touched her arm, drawing her gaze to his for the first time since she’d entered the room. His eyes were filled with what seemed to be concern and caution. “Lorelei, it seems that Mrs. Drake was concerned about our lack of a chaperone during our trip and decided to write your father about it.”

“Oh, no,” she breathed before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened as her mind raced through a thousand scenarios of how the next few minutes might play out. Very few of them were good. Her eyes collided with Sean’s inscrutable gaze before she turned to her father. “Obviously Mrs. Drake must have misunderstood the nature of my relationship with Sean.”

Sean nodded. “I was about to explain that to your father when we decided to send for you. Perhaps it would be best if we all sat down.”

Once they all pulled out a chair, a moment of silence echoed through the room as everyone seemed to calm down and collect their thoughts. Her father let out a tired sigh. “Start from the beginning.”

* * *

Sean leaned forward slightly in his chair, not enough to heighten the mood, but enough to call attention to himself. “Sir, when I finally met up with Lorelei she was traveling with a preacher, his wife and their children. After four days with them, I convinced Lorelei to come home to Peppin with me. The couple took umbrage with our leaving to travel in the wilderness by ourselves for a few days and insisted we find a chaperone. One of the local women offered to chaperone us for a wage, which we agreed upon. We set off with her in good faith, but we were only two days into our trip when she ran off with our money and Lorelei’s valise. We considered turning back and rejoining the preacher and his family, but by that point, we thought they’d probably moved on, and that it would be faster to push on to town rather than trying to track them down. We finished the trip alone.”

“In the wilderness, alone for a few days, you say?”

“Yes, sir.”

The man looked as if he’d aged a few years since entering the office, but he nodded. “I see. Continue.”

“Well, that’s it.”

“What do you mean ‘that’s it’?”

Sean shrugged. “There’s nothing more to tell.”

Lorelei pinned her father with her blue gaze and a raised eyebrow. “Were you expecting more, Papa?”

“Don’t be smart with me, young lady,” he said even as his skin appeared to flush a bit.

“In defense of my honor as a gentleman and Lorelei’s as a lady, I would like you to know our behavior was circumspect on the trip home. She slept on one side of the campfire and I slept on the other.” He met Richard’s gaze. “I mean this as no insult to your daughter’s sensibilities, but I want you to know I never touched her.”

“All right, I get the point and I appreciate you making it.” Richard shook his head. Rising to his feet again, he began to pace. He turned to face them. “I understand what happened wasn’t your fault, and I believe you when you say you began the trip with a chaperone. I do, but I’m afraid that Mrs. Drake’s account…”

“It’s embellished, to say the least,” Sean said.

“Perhaps so.” He agreed. “That isn’t the only thing that concerns me. This letter was hand-delivered to me by Mrs. Greene. She is aware of the contents and was quite adamant that I do something to fix the predicament.”

“No wonder she glared at me in the bank,” Lorelei muttered.

Sean grimaced. Mrs. Greene and his family didn’t have the best history. After his parents’ death, she’d taken it upon herself to guide their orphaned family on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, that somehow translated into her being rather harsh and overly critical in her judgment of them. She was hardest on Ellie but wasn’t particularly fond of Sean, either. He cleared his throat. “Surely you can just explain to her that there has been a mistake.”

Richard shook his head. “I suggested that idea in my office, but she stood by her niece’s account and painted a picture of the incident that whipped me into a fury. Sorry about that, Sean.”

“It’s understandable, sir. I reckon I’d act the same way if I had a daughter.”

He stopped pacing to face them. “Even if we could prove your chaperone abandoned you, the fact remains that you traveled alone for days in the wilderness.”

“It wasn’t our fault,” Lorelei insisted.

“No, but can you imagine the scandal? It could easily be construed that you two had some sort of affair only days after you were supposed you marry another man. If word gets around about this…” He shook his head and sat back down.

“Knowing Mrs. Greene,” Sean interjected, “she may have already told everyone.”

“I asked her to let me deal with this my own way first. She promised she’d keep quiet until I speak to her again but vowed that if I didn’t hold you accountable she’d make sure the town would.”

Sean clenched his fist. “What does that mean exactly?”

“We don’t want to find out.” Richard turned to Lorelei. “I need to talk to your mother about this. We’ll decide together what to do.”

“But, Papa—”

He shook his head. “I think its best that you go on home. I’ll be there shortly.”

Lorelei watched her father for a long moment, then left without a glance Sean’s way.

Richard turned to him. “Come to our house for supper this evening. I’ll know what to tell you then.”

Without waiting for a response, the man left. Sean stared at the door for a long moment, then sighed. There was nothing left for him to do but straighten the chairs and prepare himself for that evening. Waiting—his least favorite thing to do. He needed something to occupy his time. He glanced around, his gaze landing on the Bible at his desk, and suddenly the choice seemed obvious. He’d read his Bible and maybe even say a little prayer. He could only hope it would help.

* * *

“I know we are all anxious to address the issue foremost on all of our minds,” Richard Wilkins began, then glanced at her and Sean as if to be sure they were listening before he continued. “I won’t keep the two of you in suspense any longer.”

Lorelei glanced at Sean to gauge his reaction. His gaze was intent on her father’s face as if it might give some hint to the outcome of her parents’ decision. Certain she wouldn’t be able to swallow another bite of her blueberry pie, Lorelei placed her plate on the small table that rested between Sean’s chair and where she sat on the settee. Her mother and father sat side by side in chairs across the room, letting Lorelei know that they were unanimous on whatever decision they had reached.

As if reading her thoughts, Richard said, “My wife and I spent quite a bit of time in thought and prayer about this matter. We ask that you both refrain from commenting on what we say until you have heard us out completely. Is that understood?”