Safely Hidden in His Pure Love (Preview)

Chapter One

Emily wiped the counter down, watching her hand mechanically swipe the varnished wood until the last of the crumbs were gone. Her shoulders sagged as she trooped back toward the bucket for dirty rags and dropped it inside. She still needed to wash the rags and hang them out to dry before she could think about collapsing onto her cot.

Emily closed her eyes for a moment, hoping to regain her balance. Instead, she almost fell asleep standing on her feet. It was a few minutes before midnight. Olivia was at the money drawer, counting out coins as she always was. She counted them at least once an hour to make sure none of the girls had pocketed any. They all knew better than to even try. 

Olivia looked up when Emily blinked her eyes. Emily shook her head, trying to force herself to move toward the wash bin. There were only a few more simple tasks to do before she could lay down for the night, or what remained of it. She must ring out the rags and leave them to dry overnight then toss the dirty water. Emily tried to animate herself to complete the tasks. 

“Stop standing around,” Olivia told her. “I’m not paying you to stand there. Do your work!”

Emily opened her mouth but closed it again before she could say something. She already knew that it would be no use. She reached for the wash basin, sloshing a bit of the water as she set it on the counter. Emily glanced over at Olivia, but she hadn’t noticed the mess. Good—Emily didn’t want to be responsible for mopping the floors again. Cleaning up after midnight was a hard enough job without Olivia making it harder.

Clementine came over to the counter and patted Emily’s hand. “Do you want me to help with the rags?” she asked kindly, the exhaustion clear in her voice.

Emily smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Clementine, but I’ve got them. You go on to bed. I’ll—” Emily interrupted herself to yawn. “I’ll be up in a moment.” Clementine nodded and turned toward the stairs that led to their room above the saloon. Emily took the rags one by one from the basin and scrubbed them against the wood, squeezing them before laying them out to dry, always conscious of Olivia’s low voice counting the coins rhythmically.

Finally, Olivia rattled the coins then dumped them carefully into the pouch she carried around her waist. She saw Emily watching and hardened her eyes. Emily turned away, but it was too late—Olivia had caught her watching. She was bound to receive a lecture now. 

“Mind your own work,” Olivia said harshly.

Emily took the basin of water toward the back door to dump it out on the lawn, but Olivia followed her. She always was one to assert her position whenever she had the opportunity. Unfortunately, much as Emily might not like to admit it, she could do nothing about Olivia. 

“I saw you looking at the money. Don’t get any thoughts in your head!”

“I wasn’t thinking anything,” Emily responded, the empty basin in her hands. When she turned to go back inside, Olivia was blocking her way back into the saloon. 

“You might say that, but I know what’s on your mind; if you stole a few coins, your debt might not take so long to pay. Stealing is no way for a young lady to go. You will have to work off your debt like everyone else who owes us money. You should have thought about what money meant before you used it all.”

Emily’s whole body felt heavy. She had had this conversation with Olivia before, and no matter how easily Emily explained her situation, it was as though Olivia refused to understand how impossible it was.

“I don’t see how I could work any more hours. At this rate, it will be years before I can pay it off.” Emily felt tears coming to the surface. 

Each night as she fell into her bed exhausted, she would think that she couldn’t take another day of the never-ending work. But when she was awoken in the morning, she would get right back to it, because she had no other choice. Her exhaustion wore down her barriers, and the tears bubbled up and threatened to spill over.

Olivia reached over as though she were going to wipe Emily’s cheek, but Emily ducked her head. She didn’t want the woman’s money-hungry hands coming close to her—she would probably receive a bill later for Olivia’s services. Emily pressed her lips into a resolute line and resolved not to let the tears escape. Her chest burned as she kept her tears inside, the injustice of everything pressing down on her.

“You should have thought of that before you incurred the debt,” Olivia reprimanded her. 

Emily didn’t even try to protest. She had been a child when Olivia and her brother had taken her in. She hadn’t known that they would keep tally of any and all money spent on her and expect her to pay it back once she was old enough to work. Emily simply repeated the same sentiment.

“I can’t work more hours.” At this rate, she would have to work years and years. She would be over thirty before she would be able to try to start a life of her own. It was times like this when she felt discouraged. 

“Working more hours isn’t the only way you can earn more,” Olivia told her. 

Emily’s eyes flew up. She had heard rumors of some girls who paid their debts off more quickly, but she hadn’t been sure if she should believe them. She waited for Olivia to explain and hoped it wasn’t what she thought it might be. She would do anything, anything for money, so that she could get out of Cassidy hands.

Olivia’s lips twisted into a smile. “You earn enough to pay for your meals, but not to pay off your debt.”

Emily opened her mouth to protest that she hadn’t chosen the rate of compensation with which the Cassidy family paid her, but Olivia shook her head just slightly. Emily had missed more than one meal in an attempt to pay off her debt more quickly. Even now, her stomach rumbled as though remembering the injustice of having been forced to suffer for her sake. She hadn’t had much sleep or any food, and her body felt like it was rebelling. Emily gripped the wall to steady herself, receiving a splinter for her efforts. The tiny prick of pain was enough to keep her awake, and she worked at the splinter while Olivia explained how Emily could pay off her debt more quickly.

“There are quite a few single men in Jacobstown. Many of them would be delighted to have the company of a pretty young thing like you.”

Emily’s eyes widened at what Olivia was insinuating. Surely she wasn’t implying anything such as…

“It’s something to think about. We’ll pay you triple per hour what you’re earning now.”

“Just to keep them company?” Emily asked, imagining an evening cooking dinner for a man and making conversation with him. That wouldn’t be too difficult, but deep down, she knew that was not what Olivia was suggesting. 

“Well, and doing whatever they like,” Olivia winked, and Emily knew exactly what she meant.

“No!” she shouted, appalled at the idea of giving away the one thing that she owned to any and every man who requested her. 

Olivia’s face clouded over. “You don’t need to shout,” she said, clearly not impressed with Emily’s loud reaction. 

Emily’s stomach rumbled. She had been putting more of the money she earned toward her debt and less toward feeding herself, but it still didn’t seem to be enough. Still, she would never lower herself to accepting what Olivia was offering. 

Emily gritted her teeth and turned away from Olivia, completing her task by thumping the basin back under the counter. Her work for the evening was done, and she didn’t want to see Olivia’s twinkling eyes anymore. She muttered to herself as she climbed the steps to the upper floor where all the girls who worked in the saloon lived and slept. 

“I can’t believe she thought I would accept such an offer. I’m not that kind of woman. Even if I have to starve, I will pay off this debt, and I won’t work here anymore.”

Once at the top of the stairs, Emily gripped the rail tightly, trying to maintain her balance even though she was half-asleep on her feet.

Emily looked longingly at the washroom. She should probably run a cold cloth over her body to wipe off the grime of working in the saloon, but she was too tired. She started toward her cot instead. Clementine was just entering the room, and her face was sparkling from a recent wash. She looked awake and alive, much stronger than Emily felt at the moment.

They acknowledged each other but didn’t speak. The room was dark, and the other girls were most likely already sleeping. Emily collapsed onto the cot. Normally, she fell asleep within five minutes, but today, her mind kept turning over what Olivia had suggested. What if they forced her to select that method of earning them money? 

Emily thought back on the few memories she had of her parents. Whenever she thought back on them, she could not avoid thinking about how her mother died. She winced in the darkness as she scene replayed before her. 

She had been eight years old and helping her mother in the kitchen when the man strode into their house like he owned it. He was asking for her father, but Emily hadn’t known where her father was. Her mother had urged her to draw some water from the well. Emily had started to protest that they didn’t need any more water, but her mother had given her the stern look that meant she better listen. 

Emily had gone behind the house and started the tough work of pulling up the bucket full of water. Her stomach had felt funny, like she knew how the day would end. Even at that young age, she understood the signs from the man. When she had returned, she hadn’t gone directly into the house. She had waited by the window, trying to listen in to the conversation.

Emily tried to make her younger self do something different, but she couldn’t. The memory played unhindered through her mind. She wouldn’t be able to stop the man no matter how many times she went through what had happened.

Young Emily had heard the man demanding something from her mother. It had to do with her father, but Emily hadn’t understood what he said. Now, his words had been blurred by time. Then, Emily had heard the gunshot, the loud explosion of noise followed by a long silence. The sound had frozen her body as she had watched her mother fall to the ground. She had held her breath until she had nearly passed out. The man had finally left the house, slamming the door behind him. 

Emily blinked her eyes where she lay on the cot. Her father’s body had been found a few hours later. A couple of the townsfolk had come to inform her mother and that was when they had found Emily bending over her mother’s body crying. Emily simply remembered thinking she could stop the blood. If she just kept the floor clean and the wound covered, then she would be able to save her mother. 

“Clementine,” Emily whispered in the dark, suddenly feeling the need for company.

“Mmmm?” Clementine asked, clearly half asleep.

Emily paused. She should let Clementine sleep. They had both worked long days. Just because she was stuck reliving the moment of her mother’s death, wondering if she could have done anything to stop what had happened, didn’t mean that Clementine needed to miss out on sleep as well.

However, Clementine spoke again. There must have been a note in Emily’s voice that made it clear how she was feeling. “Emily, you okay?” Clementine asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

“I’ve just been thinking about…what happened with my mother.” 

Clementine knew the whole story. She was one of the only ones who had heard every detail of that day.

“What’s brought her to your mind tonight?” Clementine asked.

“She…I’ve been wondering how I can get out of here.”

Emily heard the shuffling in the dark, and even though she couldn’t see her friend’s new position, Emily imagined that Clementine sat up a little. Emily waited, the anxiety in her stomach growing. Ever since it had happened, she had an unhealthy fear that if she did anything she shouldn’t do—just the slightest action that was not right—the same man would hunt her down and make her pay for her crimes. She knew it wasn’t a valid fear, but she couldn’t help it. 

“I’ve thought about it too,” Clementine confessed, keeping her voice in a low whisper. She shifted so that she was half-hanging off her cot, her face close to Emily’s. The show of camaraderie suddenly made Emily feel more secure. She realized that she had been shaking from the memory running through her mind. 

“I’m unhappy here, and I don’t think they can legally make me work for any money I spent as a child under their care.”

“The problem is that the Cassidys don’t care if what they are doing is legal or not,” Clementine whispered, and Emily had to agree. That was what had kept her here so long already. She knew how powerful they were, and there were rumors about what had happened to the other partner in the business years ago. Emily wasn’t sure if the rumors were true or not, but she was apt to believe anything about the Cassidys if they benefited from it.

Clementine spoke again. “My understanding is that all of the girls working here are unhappy, but what are we to do about it? We’re not here of our own free choice.”

Emily thought of each of the girls in service at the saloon. She was closer to some of them than others, but she knew that all of them, in one way or another, had taken money from the Cassidys. Now, the repayment of the debt was making it impossible for them to enjoy their lives.

Emily cringed. She probably had another decade of serving tables before they would consider her debt paid. Another decade felt impossible. She couldn’t keep working so hard and getting so little sleep.

“Still awake?” Clementine asked.

“Yes,” Emily answered. Her mind was too busy to let her fall asleep so quickly tonight. “Do you ever think about just leaving? Maybe we could try to go to another town together?” Emily had little information about other towns, but she had to hope that they weren’t as male-dominated as this one. Perhaps they would be able to find a town where everyone went to church, and no one knew who the Cassidys were.

“I’m too scared,” Clementine murmured. “But you know that I’ve been talking with Deputy Ben.”

Emily smiled just a little. Clementine hadn’t really told her much about Deputy Ben, but Emily had intuited that Clementine was sweet on him. If her senses were working properly, then she believed that the deputy felt the same way.

“What have you been talking about?” Emily asked, trying to distract herself from her source of anxiety.

“Well, we’ve mostly talked about how I came to be working here. That’s all.”

“Did you tell him the true story?”

“Not all of the details,” Clementine admitted. She yawned loudly, and Emily felt bad for keeping her friend awake. 

“Do you think he’ll…?” Emily left the question dangling. She had to know if Clementine had a possibility of escape before she was done paying her debt. 

“I don’t know,” Clementine responded, but there was a slight lilt to her voice that indicated she was smiling. “I suppose we shall find out in the coming months. Whenever he comes in . . . he brightens up my day.”

Emily pressed her lips together. She knew it wasn’t right to feel jealous, but Clementine had the opportunity to get out of there, an opportunity that none of the other girls had. Now that they were on the subject of Deputy Ben, Clementine sounded much more awake.

“I spoke with him just yesterday, and he was telling me about a sick sister he has. She lives in a town a few miles north of here. He was thinking about visiting her, but he wasn’t sure if the other deputies would be okay without him there. They’re a relatively new lot, and he’s been working for at least four years in law enforcement.”

Emily nodded, and now, she was the one trying to stifle her yawns.

“I’m tired,” she finally announced. “I suppose we should try to sleep.”

Clementine seemed to come down from her cloud of happiness, remembering where they were. Her voice was softer. “We’ll have a busy day tomorrow. That’s for sure. Good night, Emily.”

“Night, Clementine.” Emily turned onto her back so that she was staring up at the ceiling. She could see a couple of pinpricks of light. When it rained, these were cause for a flurry of activity to bring all the buckets, but the Cassidys never seemed to find enough money to fix it. It probably had to do with the fact that the rain didn’t affect them, as they slept in a room behind the saloon.

Emily closed her eyes and forced the angry thoughts away. Right now, she needed sleep, and thinking about the unfairness of her plight would only hinder that. She took long, slow breaths, forcing herself to calm her mind and fall into a deep, restless sleep.

Chapter Two

Jake looked across the table at the sheriff. He should have known to expect this, but the optimism in his personality didn’t allow him to suspect that Sheriff Caulfield could be so uncaring.

Jake used his most respectful tone. “Sir, if you would allow me to have a day’s more time, then I would be able to find enough evidence of his involvement.”

“Can you guarantee me that, Legrasse?” Sheriff Caulfield responded, folding his hands into a tent in front of him. He carefully matched each finger with its opposite and stared at Jake.

“Well, I—I’ll try my best. We both know he’s the one responsible for the robbery,” Jake threw out, even though he knew that he had to have some evidence in order to properly charge the man of the crime.

The sheriff shook his head slowly. “You may know that, but I don’t know that without any evidence. What I do know is that this man’s friends are going to do something about us holding him without any evidence. I wouldn’t want that to fall on your shoulders.”

It felt almost like a threat, but Jake just shook his head. He was less worried about what the accused’s friends might do and more worried about the fact that the sheriff was going to let a guilty man go free. 

“Could you tell me who else could have possibly committed the robbery?” Jake asked. He had replayed the information in his head multiple times. “Jones was in the pub three evenings prior to the incident, and he asked the lady serving drinks—”

The sheriff shook his hand at Jake. “I don’t need to hear it all again, Legrasse. I know exactly what happened. What you need to hear is me. I’m not going to hold the man another day while you try to find some evidence. If you haven’t found it in the last forty-eight hours, then you’re not going to find it.”

Sheriff Caulfield didn’t give Jake another opportunity to speak. He rose, having to push his chair back so that his rather large paunch could fit around the desk, and left the room. Jake sat at the other side of the desk, acutely aware of the sounds he was hearing—the jangling of keys, the rough, low voice of the man who had been in their jail the last two days, and the shuffling of feet. 

Then, the building was silent. Jake let out a huge huff of breath. How was he supposed to help bring order to Jacobstown when it seemed like everyone, even the sheriff, was against him? If he just had enough support from the sheriff, the one who had the final say in all decisions, then he might be able to make a difference. 

Jake pushed back, the legs of the wooden chair scraping across the floor with a loud screech. If there was no use in investigating the robbery anymore, then he might as well go have a drink.

Before he could leave the jail, he saw the sheriff rearranging his keys and attaching them to his belt. The two of them stood in silence outside watching as the light faded into darkness.

“I know you think you’re doing a good thing for a place that needs it,” the sheriff started. Jake held his breath, maintaining his patience, but barely. He didn’t need the sheriff talking him down and telling him that it wasn’t worth trying to create a safe town. That was the only reason he had come here in the first place.

“You’re a good deputy, Legrasse, but just remember your place. You’re a deputy, not the sheriff. You need to respect what I say.”

Jake felt like a kid being scolded by a schoolteacher. Still, he couldn’t take the sheriff’s reprimand without saying anything. “I’m just trying to do what is right. Now if you don’t want me enforcing the law, then I’ll just step down. I won’t do my job anymore.”

“Legrasse,” the sheriff used a tone that indicated he didn’t appreciate Jake’s insinuation. “We’re all here to do our jobs—you, me, Ben Evans. But that doesn’t mean that we can arrest a man based on feelings. You feel he’s guilty.”

“I know he’s guilty. Look in his eyes. The way he laughs when you try to talk to him.”

“That’s not a reason to put someone away for a crime.” The sheriff held up his hand to stop Jake from protesting any further. Sheriff Caulfield sighed, dropping his authoritative tone. “Jake, we’ve already discussed this. I don’t want you to bring up the topic anymore. Now, we’ve had a busy day. It’s time to relax now, provided everything can remain calm for the rest of the evening. Let’s leave Evans on duty. You and I can grab something to drink and talk about something else for a while.”

“I’d rather not,” Jake simply said.

Jake stood on the front porch of the jail, looking out over the town, as the sheriff disappeared onto the main street without further urging to join him. The jail was at the western end of the town with a bit of a gap between it and the other buildings, as though the builder hadn’t wanted the dirty business of the jail to affect any other business in town. 

The town was much smaller than Jake’s small town, part of what had made him think that coming here would be an excellent choice. He would get the chance to really know the townspeople, and they would know him as Jake, and not Jeanpierre—a fresh start. Instead, he had really gotten to know the sheriff, and knowing him was frustrating. He seemed to care more about keeping the troublemakers happy than locking them up.

Jake strolled into the main part of Jacobstown. Being a Thursday night, it was busy but not too busy. Many were at home with their families enjoying the evening. Those who didn’t have families were looking for a chance to enjoy themselves. The number of women in the town was too few, but after living here for a time, Jake understood why women might be reluctant to move into the town.

The owner of the bank was closing up for the day, and he stood at the front of the building, putting his big lock on the door. He waved when he saw Jake, and Jake lifted his hand to return the greeting.

“How are you doing today?” Samuel asked, finally finished securing the lock.

“Fine,” Jake responded. That was how he always responded, even if it wasn’t true. Today, it wasn’t true.

“Any action up at the jailhouse?” Samuel asked, motioning to the lone building on the edge of town.

Jake opened his mouth to speak, but then shook his head. He shouldn’t begin unloading his thoughts on Samuel as there was nothing Samuel could do about it. 

Samuel reached out and thumped Jake on the shoulder, hard enough that he stumbled forward a little. He straightened his shoulders and tried to act as though he hadn’t stumbled at all. 

“Nothing then? You ever get the guy who broke into the—”

Jake shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about something that still bothered him so much. He hadn’t been able to pin the guy, and the sheriff wasn’t willing to help him. “No, but we will be on the lookout next time.”

“You think he’ll strike again?” Samuel looked over his shoulder at the lock on his front door. It was a big one, but it could be broken with the right equipment.

Jake shook his head again. He felt like he couldn’t answer anyone’s questions correctly. “We hope not. We roughed him up a bit while he was in jail, but Sheriff Caulfield let him go today on not enough proof.”

“Got to have the proof,” Samuel agreed. “You can’t just put ‘em away ‘cause you don’t like ‘em.”

“It’s not about who I like or don’t like,” Jake responded. “It’s about who did it, whether we got the proof or not.”

Samuel squeezed Jake’s shoulder and stopped in front of one of the town’s saloons. There were three in all. “I’m going in here for a drink. Care to join me?”

Jake shook his head. He didn’t want to go in for a social drink. He preferred to brood. Maybe if he had enough time, he would be able to think of a way to prove the crime. 

“Well, good evenin’ to you then.” Samuel lifted his hand in farewell and disappeared into the dark interior.

Jake continued on, thinking about the way Samuel had treated him. The way he patted him and ruffled his hair made Samuel feel like he was a pet dog. Samuel would never have treated the sheriff that way.

Jake almost bumped into another man on the boardwalk, but dodged to the right just in time.

“You should watch where you’re going,” the man told him, not unkindly.

“Just a lot on my mind,” Jake told him as an excuse, barely meeting his eyes. 

The man tried to draw Jake into further conversation, but he wasn’t interested. He walked to the opposite side of the street and entered a saloon he had never before visited. Once inside, it took his eyes a moment to adjust. 

He blinked a few times, the remnants of the sun lighting his back as he studied the tables and the bar stools that lined the counter. He wasn’t in a social mood, so he selected a table at the back of the saloon. 

A redheaded waitress immediately approached him and asked him what he would like to drink. He grunted out an answer, and she hurried off to have his drink prepared. 

Jake leaned back into the cushion of the seat and closed his eyes, replaying his interview with the suspect—or should he say the robber? He knew he had done it. The man’s infuriating smugness, almost as though he knew that Jake couldn’t pin him for anything, irritated Jake more than he thought possible. 

He could hear the man’s mocking tone in his ear. “I was with my buddies last night.”

“Where were you and your buddies?” Jake had asked, keeping his eyes on the man’s and watching for any sign he was lying, any break he could find in his confidence.

“We were a little bit of everywhere. Ask the saloon owners. They’ll probably be able to tell you more about what we had to drink and what time we were there than anyone else.”

“I want you to tell me where you were and when.”

“I don’t keep track of the time when I’m with my buddies. We just enjoy ourselves. Wasn’t expecting to have to give a minute-by-minute account.”

“Well, take a moment and think if you need to think,” Jake had told him evenly, trying to keep his temper.

The man had leaned back in his chair, as comfortable as a man having drinks with a friend, and had thought for a good long while. After perhaps five minutes’ silence, he had given a vague account of where he had been the night before, urging Jake and the other deputy to ask the saloon owners for confirmation. He was so confident that no one would contradict him, that Jake had set out with a vengeance to find someone willing to contradict the man’s story. Everything lined up. He simply could not have been robbing the store at the same time he was at a saloon. Unfortunately, someone had lied for him.

“Here you are,” a woman’s voice said, and Jake sat forward, startled from his remembrances. 

Jake opened his mouth to thank the waitress automatically, but he noticed that this was not the same waitress who had taken his order. This one was more petite, and she smiled at him anxiously, probably wondering why he wasn’t accepting the drink.

Reaching out his hand, Jake took the cool glass and nodded to the woman. She turned and scurried back in the direction of the bar, immediately grabbing a tray and heading to a fuller table. She was kept busy, for sure. Jake dragged his eyes to his glass and took a mouthful of the amber liquid, his eyes still evaluating details of the woman he had seen as though she were a suspect in a robbery.

She seemed quiet, the sort of woman who wouldn’t make trouble or get to know various men. She must be a hard worker. She had frizzy brown hair that seemed to break free from her braid and large, brown eyes that led to the childlike look about her. Surely she wasn’t old enough to be working in a saloon like this.

Jake looked up again and met her eyes. She was approaching his table, and Jake suddenly didn’t know what to do with his hands. They seemed too large on the tabletop, and who sat with their hands resting on the table anyway? But as he pushed them into his lap, he found them trapped under his legs as she approached. He desperately wanted to take a sip of his drink, but now, his hands felt sweaty. Why was he acting like such a child tonight?

“Can I get you something else?” she asked.

“Uh, where did the other waitress go?” he responded, without planning to ask that question at all.

“She…” the curly-haired waitress looked over her shoulder. “She’s taking a little break.” Then, the waitress left him with his half-empty glass. Jake shook his head. He should come to this saloon more often, if he could think of clever things to say and the right thing to do with his hands.

Jake concentrated on his drink. He was not going to be caught staring at the waitress. Still, when some of the customers on the other side of the saloon started getting rowdy, Jake peered across the semi-darkness to evaluate the noise. Was it just the normal noise of men having a good time or was something else happening?

Jake finally got a clear picture. He saw the curly-haired waitress standing in front of the table holding two glasses. She was trying to hand one of the glasses to the man closest to her, but he was pointing to another man in the group. She was forced to lean across the table to hand the drink to the indicated man, at which point all the other men leaned in and started ogling her.

Jake rose to his feet, annoyed at their impudence.

“We need some more drinks!” one of the men at the back of the group called. “Bring us something else to drink.”

“We’re thirsty!” another man egged his friend on.

“What…what would you like?” she asked, clearly unnerved by their behavior.

“Whatever you’re offering,” another man told her. “And there’s no limits on what we’re willing to pay.”

“Uh…” The woman was clearly uncomfortable with the situation, and Jake couldn’t watch it anymore. He strode across the room until he was directly beside her. 

“Excuse me, men,” he said, standing as straight as he could. “This behavior will not be tolerated in here.”

The men tried to shout him down, thinking that if they were louder than he was, then they would be able to force him to leave them alone. Jake didn’t like it, but he went for it—he pulled out his deputy badge and showed it to the men.

“You’ve got to leave her alone,” Jake told them. “Unless you want to spend the night in a jail cell for disorderly conduct.” That made most of the men shut up. One of them started saying something else to Jake, but he just ignored the man’s play for attention. 

He placed his hand gently on the woman’s shoulder and guided her back to his table. “I’d like another drink if you don’t mind,” Jake said, thinking if he kept the woman busy, then the men would leave her alone.

“What can I get you?” the woman asked, her voice shaking just a little. She averted her rounded eyes, waiting for Jake’s command, and he saw that she still wasn’t comfortable in his presence.

“I’ll take a whiskey,” he ordered. She scurried back to the kitchen to collect his request, and Jake shot a hard look over at the men in the corner. He wasn’t going to start a fight with them. There were too many of them, and he didn’t know if any of them happened to have weapons. Still, he was going to let them know that he meant business. 

The men leaned forward and had their heads together, whispering furiously about something. Jake wouldn’t forget about them, but right now, he turned his attention to the woman with curly, brown hair. He would discover her name, and he would make sure she was alright. There was something about her harried appearance as she delivered drinks to different tables, cleaned up used glasses, and collected payments that made him wonder if she was working too hard. Why would a gentle, young thing like her choose to work in a place like this? Jake resolved to discover the answer immediately.

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“Safely Hidden in His Pure Love” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Orphaned at a young age, Emily Pertwee was forced to work as a saloon girl, tolerating her boss’s harsh treatment. Indebted to the people who took care of her, and eager to avoid conflict, she complies with all of their requests. Trusting anyone seems impossible until she meets Jake whose courage and generosity touch Emily’s heart.

However, his methods of helping her leave her confused and conflicted… Is there any end to her turmoil?

Jake Legrasse is excited about his new job as deputy and looks forward to restoring calm and order to the town. His only obstacle is the most powerful family in town, the Cassidy’s, that makes it impossible for justice to prevail. When Jake meets Emily and begins to understand her difficult position, he decides to save her from her torture, even if it means going to extreme measures…

Will Jake ever be able to overthrow the power that the Cassidys have in town while earning Emily’s trust?

Even though Emily has no idea what Jake is planning, she finds safety in his presence, and soon, they realize that they are falling for each other… Can they break free from everything separating them and finally let their growing feelings turn into true love?

“Safely Hidden in His Pure Love” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Get your copy from Amazon!