Sheriff ✔

Chapter 18

Sunday, the next day, I made my way over to Mrs. Johnston's house. Thankfully, the outside work had largely been tackled, so I worked indoors, tightening pipes, fixing closet doors, and other miscellaneous tasks. I was running out of projects around the house. Very soon I wouldn't be able to come over under any pretense apart from the truth - to see Evalyn.

I was only about an hour into fiddling with the plumbing in one of the bathrooms when Evalyn popped her head in and started pestering me about stopping work and being with her. More amused than anything, I rebuffed her attempts to get me to abandon my tasks. Not to be deterred, she followed me from room to room, needling me.

Honestly, I was touched that she was so open in her desire to be with me. After doing a bit more work and standing strong, I gave in and sat on the couch with her. We sat close – not too close, knowing Gram was around – and indeed she entered the room with lemonades shortly thereafter.

Sipping our drinks, we discussed this and that. Evalyn definitely seemed in better spirits than when I had left her yesterday. Mrs. Johnston, however, was still wary of me, which I hoped would change eventually. After a while, the conversation lulled, and the old woman dismissed herself to take a nap, warning us to "behave".

Evalyn rested her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her. After a while, I broke the silence.

"I'm still going to be paying you, Evalyn. You've worked so well and hard – you've earned double of what I've been giving you."

"We cannot accept your charity, William," she sighed reproachfully.

"It's not charity if it's fairly earned, doll. Besides, I have no family outside of you. Who am I going to spend my money on besides you?"

Evalyn looked up at me quizzically.

"We're family? And I know you have other family members."

I kissed her gently.

"You're my betrothed, so yes we're family. And you're the only family I really care about."

Evalyn frowned. "You haven't even asked me to go steady with you, let alone marry you. You're all out of order," she huffed, snuggling deeper in my embrace.

I chuckled. Of all the ways to respond to what I had said, that was not what I was expecting.

I untwined myself from her and kneeled before her. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"W-William! What are you doing?"

I took her hand solemnly in mine. "Evalyn Rosalyn Brown..." I paused dramatically and gazed in her eyes. I could tell she was barely breathing.

"Would you...go steady with me?"

All at once, her mood shifted, and she began howling with laughter. "William – you are terrible!" She began hitting me – weakly - as I laughed and ran away from her. When she had exhausted herself chasing me around, we both collapsed on the couch, her head resting on the crook of my neck.

"So, what will it be?"

"William, you know that's ridiculous."

"No, Evalyn, what's ridiculous is that we've confessed our love for each other and you still are dragging your feet."

She sat up to rest her chin on my chest. "What's truly, truly ridiculous is that if people found out we were together, I could be tarred and feathered, while you could get off fine, especially being a police officer."

I was quiet, the wind knocked out of me. What could I say to that? The doubt that had been creeping up on me since her attack now flooded my mind. I wasn't strong or influential enough to protect the woman I loved, and that realization twisted me up in a way I hadn't experienced before. I thought love conquered all, but maybe it couldn't?