Ch 11 – Separation

At first it wasn't too bad, Bridget was there to help me along without my best friend, but there's only so much you can tell to a four year old. I missed Will something awful. It was as bad as it had been when he's gone to Contention the first time. The only thing getting me through the day though, was knowing that this time, Will would be home soon.

Mark, for all his wonderful qualities, soon found himself in love with a girl on a neighboring ranch and set about to woo her, so he was no help to talk to. He made a bad fill-in Will. Mrs. Evans was always there, but there are some things you want to talk about only to your best friend.

I know it sounds bad, but a part of me hoped he was missing me just as much. And, what made matters worse, I was apparently not the only one who noticed Will's absence. It was like as soon as he left, it was okay for men to try and win over my heart. Some proposed, others, the smarter ones, realized I wasn't returning the affection and so stopped coming over to see me. But worst of all is that they would come find me, not only at my house, but also at the Evans', with Bridget right there!

With the sudden flow of men, the extra work to raise a child alone and to try and help Mark with the cattle while also doing chores for Ma, I was slowly going insane. I didn't think anyone had noticed either, until Mrs. Evans came up and told me to stop working so hard because I looked like I was about to pass out, which honestly, seemed like a great idea at the time.

After a few days of rest when it didn't look like I was getting any better, Mrs. Evans decided to put me and Bridget on the train to Contention so that I could see Will and get better. Of course, by this time I hadn't seen him in eleven months and I had changed dramatically.

I started wearing longer dresses and skirts as my mother told me that I was of the age where showing my ankles wasn't proper. Also, instead of braiding my hair, I'd found that a bun was more freeing so I could work without my hair getting in my way. I wasn't sure he'd recognize me.

After getting off the train in Contention, I decided we should check in to the hotel first and then go find Will. Once we were settled and then had asked where the sheriff's office was, Bridget and I walked down the street to a brown building between a saloon and a house.

First walking in, I noticed Will right away, hunched over some paper behind a desk to the right of the entrance, facing the door. He didn't notice our arrival, but a man whom I supposed to be the sheriff sure did.

He seemed to be about twenty-five with brown hair and brown eyes. He was quite handsome himself, actually. When he spotted Bridget and me, he stood up quickly and smiled brightly.

"May I help you, mam?"

"Yes, I would like to report a crime," I said, ridiculously happy even just to see Will.

"Of what nature?" I smiled and motioned to Will. He seemed to catch on."Deputy Evans, take this one, would you." It didn't appear to be a question.

"What's the nature of this crime?" Will asked, sounding bored, still hunched over his desk. Bridget and I hadn't moved since we stepped through the door and I don't think I could've if I'd tried.

"It's about a man who hasn't seen his best friend or his daughter in eleven months," I said nervously, waiting for his reaction. His head snapped up to look at us and I smiled brightly at him.

"Hello, Will," I said, softly.

"Beth! Bridget!" he exclaimed, standing up and pushing his chair back so fast I missed it. Suddenly he was right in front of us. He picked up Bridget, spinning her around before hugging me tightly.

"Oh, you've no idea how much I've missed you two."

Once he was there, once I saw him, I felt a hundred times better.

"Ahem," someone cleared his throat behind Will. "Deputy Evans, would you like to introduce me to your visitors?"

"Oh, right, sorry," Will said, pulling away. "Sheriff Finley, this is my best friend, Beth and our daughter, Bridget."

"Oh, so you're the ladies I have heard so much about. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances," he said, kissing the back of Bridget's hand. She giggled.

"I'm not a lady, I'm just a girl!"

"You're just a girl!" he exclaimed, laughing. "Well, forgive me, you looked like a lady to me. And you, miss," he said, turning to me. "It is an honor to finally meet you. I've heard so much already from Evans here that I feel as if I already know you." He kissed the back of my hand too, and when I looked up, Will was glaring daggers at the back of his head. But why would that bother him so much?

"Have you had lunch yet, Beth?" Will asked, obviously trying to control his anger.

"No, not yet."

"I'll take you. How long are you in town?"

"Two days, we leave Thursday morning."

"Alright then, we will have to make the best of our time." He grabbed his hat, picked up Bridget, and then, placing a guiding hand on the small of my back, pushing me toward the door.

"It was nice to meet you, sheriff," I called over my shoulder as I was pushed onto the street.

"Will!" I scolded as soon as we were out of the office.

"What, Beth?" he snapped.

"That was rude, you could have at least let me say good-bye properly."

"What, with a kiss?"

Now his hand was starting to clench the fabric of my coat as if I was about to run away.

"Of course not, Will. Have you really lost all of your faith in me in the past eleven months?"

The grip on my coat and the lines on his face softened.

"No, I just…want to make sure you are not going to get hurt."

"By the sheriff?" I said, laughing. There was a pause.

"You look different."

"Good different or bad different?"

"Good different. It suits you."

"Ma was worried you wouldn't like her the same now with her new clothes but I told her that whenever I have to get new clothes you still love me."

"I have missed you, my Honey-Bee," he said, kissing Bridget on the top of her head. "And of course I still love your Ma, nothing will ever change that."

There was a strange intensity in his eyes that made me blush and look away. He seemed different, I couldn't place my finger just on how he was different. Before I had time to think on it though, there was a shrill 'yoo-hoo' and a short blond woman walked gracefully up to Will.

"Deputy Evans, I'm glad I found you. I wanted to give you these muffins as a thank you. You know, they say my muffins are the best the west of the Mississippi!"

She looked to be about twenty-five, beautiful and probably had never worked a day in her life. She was obviously wealthy by the clothes she wore and she probably had a servant as well. In fact, her servant probably was the one who made the muffins. She was dressed in all black and had on a hard bonnet with a peacock feather sticking straight back.

"Oh, my, and who is this?" she asked of Bridget.

"I'm Bridget!" my naïve little daughter replied, she wasn't a shy child.

"This is my daughter," Will said, proudly.

"Oh and how old are you?"

"I'm five years old," Bridget said, holding up five fingers.

"And where is her ma, Deputy Evans? A girl needs a female influence on her life." Obviously she was either blind or ignoring me.

"I'm her ma," I said, stepping forward. "She already has multiple female influences. Thank you for your concern."

"Oh, I see," she said, haughtily before turning back to Will. "Why don't you and I have lunch together?"

"Actually, Mrs. Crawley, I am taking Bridget and Beth to lunch because they're only here for a few days."

"Well then, maybe some other time." And just like that she flounced across the street and disappeared into a house.

"She seems nice," I said, sarcastically.

"Yes, she is," Will replied. He wasn't being sarcastic.


A/N: Sorry this took so long, life's been hectic. Let me know what you think!