PART 2 — THE STRANGERS OUTSIDE HER CABIN KNEW HER HUSBAND’S DARKEST SECRET

Josephine froze.

Through the swirling snow, she could barely distinguish the shapes of the horses. But she could count them.

Three.

Three riders had followed Elias into the mountains.

And none of them appeared to be in a hurry to leave.

She тιԍнтened the rope around her waist and pulled Elias another few feet toward the cabin.

“Come on, Elias,” she whispered. “You promised me we would survive our first winter together.”

His eyes opened slightly.

“Jo…”

“Don’t speak. Save your strength.”

She finally managed to drag him through the cabin door.

The moment she shut it, the wind struck the walls so violently that the old windows rattled.

Josephine pushed a heavy chair against the door, then hurried to the fireplace.

She added wood, stirred the embers, and brought out every blanket she could find.

Elias was barely conscious.

His clothes were soaked, his face pale, and his breathing shallow.

Josephine had never been more frightened.

But she refused to surrender to panic.

She worked quickly, removing his wet outer layers, wrapping him in dry blankets, and keeping him close to the warmth of the fire.

“Stay with me,” she whispered.

His fingers moved weakly.

“Tracks…”

“I saw them.”

“Three men.”

“I know.”

Elias struggled to open his eyes.

“Don’t let them… inside.”

Josephine looked toward the door.

“Who are they?”

But Elias had already slipped into unconsciousness.

A heavy knock suddenly shook the cabin.

BANG!

Josephine turned.

“Open up, Row!”

A man’s voice came through the storm.

“We know you’re in there!”

She reached for the old lantern.

“Who are you?”

“Deputy Sheriff Thomas Reed. We need to speak with Elias.”

Josephine hesitated.

The man continued.

“It’s important, ma’am. There’s been trouble down in Oak Haven.”

She looked at Elias.

Then back at the door.

“What kind of trouble?”

“Somebody has been asking questions about your husband.”

Josephine’s stomach тιԍнтened.

“What questions?”

A second voice interrupted.

“Tell her the truth, Reed. We’re not here for a friendly visit.”

The deputy turned sharply.

“Silas, keep your mouth shut.”

Josephine stepped closer to the window.

Through a narrow gap in the curtain, she saw the three riders.

One wore a sheriff’s badge.

The other two did not.

The taller stranger had a dark beard and a long black coat. His horse carried a rifle in a leather saddle scabbard.

The third man looked younger, perhaps thirty, and kept glancing toward the cabin windows.

Josephine remembered Elias’s warning.

Don’t let them inside.

She took a deep breath.

“My husband is ill. If you have official business, you can leave a message with the deputy in the morning.”

The bearded stranger laughed.

“Your husband owes us something.”

Josephine’s expression hardened.

“He owes you nothing that you can collect at my door during a blizzard.”

“Careful, woman.”

“I am being careful.”

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Deputy Reed stepped forward.

“Mrs. Row, I don’t want trouble. But your husband was supposed to deliver something to town yesterday.”

“What?”

“A leather satchel.”

Josephine glanced toward the corner.

There, beneath Elias’s workbench, sat a small brown bag she had never seen before.

Her heart began beating faster.

The deputy continued.

“Inside it is a document that belongs to the county. Without it, several families could lose their land.”

The bearded stranger interrupted.

“Enough talk. We know the bag is inside.”

Josephine moved between the door and the workbench.

“How do you know that?”

The stranger smiled.

“Because Elias Row stole it.”

Josephine stared at him.

That was impossible.

Her husband was many things. Quiet. Stubborn. Sometimes painfully secretive.

But he wasn’t a thief.

“Leave,” she said.

The deputy looked uncomfortable.

“Mrs. Row, I suggest you let us handle this.”

Josephine raised her chin.

“I suggest you come back with a proper warrant.”

The bearded man stepped toward the door.

Then a weak voice came from behind her.

“Josephine…”

She turned.

Elias was awake.

His eyes were barely open, but he was looking directly at the leather satchel.

“Don’t give it to them.”

The three men outside heard him.

The bearded stranger’s smile vanished.

“Elias! You stubborn mountain rat. Hand over what belongs to us!”

Elias tried to sit up.

Josephine hurried to his side.

“Don’t move.”

He grabbed her wrist.

“Listen to me. There’s something in that bag.”

“What?”

“A list.”

“Of what?”

He swallowed.

“Every family Crowley has cheated out of their land.”

Josephine looked toward the door.

The stranger outside was no longer smiling.

Elias continued.

“Silas Crowley has been buying worthless debts from desperate families. Then he changes the records and claims their property.”

Josephine slowly understood.

The three men weren’t there to collect a debt.

They wanted evidence destroyed.

“How did you get this list?”

Elias closed his eyes.

“From the man who kept the original records.”

“Who?”

Before he could answer, the cabin door shook.

The bearded stranger had begun forcing it open.

Josephine grabbed the iron poker beside the fireplace.

“Elias, stay down.”

She stood in front of the door.

“I’m warning you. I will not let anyone hurt my husband.”

The deputy shouted outside.

“Silas! Step away from that door!”

But the stranger ignored him.

Then another sound came from the darkness.

A horse whinnied.

A fourth rider approached.

The men outside turned.

A woman’s voice cut through the storm.

“Thomas Reed! If you’ve brought those men here, I suggest you explain yourself!”

The deputy immediately removed his hat.

“Mrs. Whitmore?”

Josephine peered through the window.

An elderly woman was sitting on a dark bay horse.

She wore a thick traveling cloak and carried a leather document case.

The bearded stranger cursed under his breath.

The woman dismounted.

“I’ve been looking for Elias Row for three days,” she announced.

Then she looked directly at Josephine through the window.

“Miss Miller, open the door. My name is Agnes Whitmore.”

Josephine hesitated.

“How do you know my name?”

Agnes held up the leather case.

“Because your father was the last honest man to work for Silas Crowley.”

Josephine went completely still.

Her father?

She had buried him twelve years earlier.

He had been a quiet accountant who died believing he had failed to protect his family.

What could he possibly have to do with Elias Row?

Agnes leaned closer to the window.

“Your father left something for you, child. Something he spent his final days trying to protect.”

Josephine opened the door just enough to let the elderly woman inside.

The deputy immediately followed.

But Silas Crowley remained outside.

His face had turned red with anger.

“You have no right to interfere, Agnes!”

The old woman looked at him.

“I have every right. Especially now that I know what happened to Samuel Miller.”

She placed the leather case on the table.

Then she opened it.

Inside lay an old pH๏τograph.

Josephine recognized the man immediately.

Her father.

Standing beside a younger Elias Row.

But there was another person in the picture.

A woman wearing an emerald dress.

Josephine picked it up with trembling fingers.

“Who is she?”

Agnes looked at her.

“Your mother.”

Josephine felt the room tilt.

Her mother had supposedly died when Josephine was an infant.

But Agnes shook her head.

“Your father told you she was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ because he believed it was the only way to keep you safe.”

Josephine stared at the pH๏τograph.

“Where is she?”

Agnes took a long breath.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to discover.”

Then she turned toward Elias.

“And now that Crowley knows you’ve recovered the ledger, he will do everything possible to stop us.”

Outside, Silas mounted his horse.

Before riding away, he shouted one final warning.

“Enjoy your little reunion, Row! By tomorrow, every man in Oak Haven will know what your bride really is!”

Josephine looked toward Elias.

He closed his eyes.

And whispered something that made Agnes drop her document case.

“Josephine isn’t just my wife.”

He struggled to breathe.

“She is the rightful heir to the Miller property.”

And Silas Crowley had just discovered that the woman he wanted to silence was the one person who could take everything away from him.

To be continued in Part 3…