“Have they taken the place in your heart of the family you lost?” Mr. Lewis asked.
Macie glanced to where the Bradfield men sat. “Yes, they have, though they’ll never replace my own family.”
“Of course, of course,” Mr. Lewis smiled benevolently. “Would you do anything for them, Mrs. Bradfield?”
Careful, Macie, Blake cautioned internally. This felt like a trick.
Up on the stage, Macie seemed to sense the same thing. “I would, within reason,” she answered.
“What if their very lives were threatened? Would you do anything to stop the men who might hurt your new family?”
Macie glared at him. “I would fight to help my family, but I don’t know that I’d do anything, Mr. Lewis. I wouldn’t break the law of this country nor would I defy God’s law.” She lifted her chin proudly.
The lawyer smiled condescendingly. “Come now, Mrs. Bradfield. You perceived a threat from Mr. Durning and have stepped in to try and stop that threat, isn’t that right?”
“I perceived a threat, yes,” Macie clarified, “but I didn’t make up Hank’s confession. I didn’t coerce it nor have I embellished it.”
“But there are no witnesses!” Mr. Lewis laughed. In an instant, he had changed from the kindly grandfather who was on her side to a scornful stranger who found Macie’s testimony absurd. “How is it that you are the only person who heard this so-called confession?”
Blake wanted to run up to the front of the church and knock the lawyer down. He couldn’t imagine how Macie was keeping her cool.
But somehow she did. Macie looked down on the man with equal scorn and retorted, “There were half a dozen witnesses, Mr. Lewis. They simply refuse to tell the truth. I think that’s far more telling.”
“How so, Mrs. Bradfield?” Mr. Lewis asked, his voice dripping with condescension.
“The only thing I hope to gain is Lucien Durning stopping his harassment of the good people of Elmswood. Well, and that terrible saloon being closed down,” Macie paused as the assembly tittered at this comment. Then she continued, “If those men are unwilling to admit for whom they work, either they’re being paid a great deal of money or they are very afraid of what will happen to them if they confess.”
Mr. Lewis prickled. “Might they simply be unwilling to participate in your lie?”
“That’s impossible, Mr. Lewis,” Macie replied with all confidence. “I’m the one telling the truth.”
Blake tried to guess what the judge was thinking of this back and forth. The robed man reclined in his chair, head cocked, taking it all in but revealing nothing.
Macie was soon allowed to step down. She fairly sank onto the pew next to Blake who took her hand immediately in his own.
“You were brilliant,” he whispered.
She looked up at him with eyes full of emotion. It was enough to make his heart skitter, though Blake wasn’t sure what she was feeling for him in that moment. Appreciation? Affection? He didn’t dare pretend it could be more. Still, he gave her hand a squeeze and didn’t let go even when Harris shifted in his seat.
The afternoon dragged on. Blake himself was called to the stand where Mr. Dorian asked about Durning’s threats outside the mercantile. Mr. Lewis tried his best to imply that Blake had misunderstood the conversation. He brought up Ewell, implying that he was mad and that Blake took after him somehow.
When he stepped down, Blake was almost overwhelmed with the temptation to take a swing at Lucien, who sat looking unconcernedly up at him. The smug little man seemed confident in the inevitable verdict.
Iver Kennedy was called to the stand and shared his experience with being blackmailed by Durning. However, since the entire thing had happened verbally, Mr. Lewis pointed out that it was little more than “one man’s interpretation of events.”
When Mr. Dorian rested his case, it was the defense’s turn to call witnesses. Suddenly, there was a string of Elmswood’s citizens who swore faithfully about Lucien’s fine character, charitable giving, and excellent church attendance. No matter how often Mr. Dorian pointed out that these character witnesses had no real proof and were mostly in Lucien’s employ, Blake feared that the judge would lean towards Lucien Durning’s side.
Finally, it was time for closing statements. Again, Mr. Dorian argued well, but Mr. Lewis spun everything his own way.
“Here we have the case of a group embittered people taking advantage of an unfortunate event to try and malign my client,” Mr. Lewis said. “Mr. Kennedy, my client’s business rival, is trying to get revenge for being bested. Mr. Bradfield, an angry and delusional youth who takes after his mad grandfather, misunderstood my client’s honest offer to buy his father’s land. And poor Mrs. Bradfield who endured a terrible incident at the hands of these despicable criminals, did nothing more than seize an opportunity to try to help the family she so desperately hopes to please.”
Blake looked over at his brothers and father and saw his fury mirrored on their faces. He’d expected Lucien’s lawyer to take some low blows, but he hadn’t imagined this! Surely, it was only all the praying they’d done that kept the Bradfield men silently in their seats.
Judge Adams watched Mr. Lewis thoughtfully. When the defense lawyer finally finished, giving a small bow before taking his seat, the judge finally sat up.
“Well, that was a fine piece of defense, Mr. Lewis,” he congratulated.
Blake’s stomach sank. Was the judge really siding with Lucien Durning and his lawyer?
“Unfortunately,” Judge Adams went on, “your client made a vital error.”
The entire room seemed to freeze at these words. All eyes were riveted on the judge and even the usually-composed Mr. Lewis stared agape at the man.
“You see, your client had the audacity to attempt to bribe me,” Judge Adams informed the room. “He sent one of his men to offer me a one-tenth stake in the coming Durning Oil Fields, Incorporated, which I’ve been assured will be established within the next year. That is, providing that the key piece of property that is the Yellow Rose Ranch, is acquired.”
Murmurs erupted around the room. Blake realized he was squeezing Macie’s hand and let go only to find that she was gripping his every bit as tightly.
“Your honor, I didn’t know,” fumbled Mr. Lewis. “I’m sure it was no more than a generous offer to join Mr. Durning in a business venture.”
The judge cut him off quickly. “It wasn’t, I assure you. When I refused, this seedy associate of Mr. Durning’s went on to threaten my family. I don’t take kindly to threats, Mr. Durning.”
A grin was spreading across Blake’s face and his heart pounded excitedly.
“Furthermore, I don’t like your tactics, Mr. Lewis,” Judge Adams went on. “Your aspersions that Mr. Bradfield was mad are, frankly, ridiculous. And I find the dredging up of Mrs. Bradfield’s sad personal history disgusting. Should you ever have the misfortune to come into my courtroom again, I caution you most strongly to try using more honorable methods to win your case.”
The judge smiled icily. “But let’s return to the current issues. I need no time to deliberate.”
Mr. Lewis scrambled to his feet, tugging at Lucien’s arm.
Judge Adams said with great relish, “On the charges of conspiring to kidnap and cause malicious harm, I find you guilty, Mr. Durning. I sentence you to twenty years in prison. In addition, I will make certain that you are also brought up on charges of blackmail. I have a feeling that there will be many other charges brought against you as well.”
Blake leapt to his feet, cheering. He wasn’t the only one. Half the court was adding their loud approval to the judge’s decision. Macie threw her arms around his waist and Blake hugged her back, not caring what anyone thought.
Chapter 38
Macie’s heart pounded as she pressed her cheek against Blake’s shoulder. It felt so good, so right, to be in his arms. She warned herself that this was only temporary. She should pull away and protect her heart from further hurt. But she could
n’t force herself away. Even if it made everything more painful, she wanted to be in his embrace every moment he’d allow it.
Harris was sent off to gallop home and tell Judy and Clora the good news. Troy and Len said they wanted to stay and speak with some of their neighbors and friends. So, it was just Macie riding in the wagon next to Blake. The sun was hot and Macie was glad to pull on her sun bonnet and let the ruffle on the side hide both her scars and her flushed face.
“I’m so glad that’s all over!” Blake practically cheered. “And Lucien Durning is finished!”
Macie grinned at his enthusiasm. “I’m glad, too. I was worried for awhile there.”
“Were you?”
“Yes, of course. Weren’t you?” She looked over at him skeptically.
“Nah.” Blake gave her a sidelong glance as if checking to see if she fell for this whopper. When his wife only regarded him with a raised eyebrow, Blake cracked a smile and laughed. “All right, I suppose I was sweating pretty good there.”
Macie joined in his laughter feeling lighthearted. They’d done it: they’d stopped Lucien Durning!
“Do you really think there’s oil under your father’s land?” she finally thought to ask.
“Durning wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble if he wasn’t sure it would pay off in the end. I can hardly believe it, though. There was oil discovered in east Texas back in the ‘60s, but I haven’t heard of anything like that around these parts. It likely will mean big changes are coming, but I can’t begin to guess what they might all be.” Blake shrugged.
She returned her eyes to the now-familiar landscape. Durning had been willing to risk everything to get his hands on their land. Surely that meant he was confident there was oil and that it would be worth a lot of money. Would that change things for the Bradfields?
Blake shifted on his seat next to her, his boot tapping nervously on the buckboard.
“Listen, Macie, I’ve had an idea that I want to talk over with you,” he said.
Biting her lower lip, Macie ducked her head. Was this it? Was he going to tell her how he felt about Belle? Her heart pounded so hard she was sure he could hear it.
“What’s your idea?” she asked, her voice trembling with the effort to keep it steady.
“I don’t want to do anything that would upset you. So if you don’t like my idea, just say so and we’ll forget all about it. All right?”
She nodded, unable to speak.
Blake took a deep breath and plunged in, “I was thinking that I’d like to start a ranch of my own. Your family’s homestead is still unoccupied. It’s a fine piece of land. I suppose it’ll need some work, but I think it can be a real great place down the road.”
Would he live there with Belle? It was almost too much to bear. Macie turned her head away from him, wondering if she was going to die from the pain of her heart breaking.
The moment stretched and finally Blake cleared his throat and went on as though he was finding it incredibly difficult to come up with the right words, “I know you said that you take your vows seriously and you won’t consider an annulment. I’ll do everything in my power to build a good life for you, Macie. Maybe you love someone else now, but in time perhaps you can learn to love me a bit, too.”
She whipped her head around and stared at Blake, her brain scrambling to make sense of what her husband had just said.
“What are you talking about?” Macie demanded. “Who do you think I’m in love with?”
Blake blinked at her, taken off guard. As though he was talking to a mad woman, he slowly explained, “You’re in love with Harris, my brother.”
It was laughable. Yet Macie wasn’t remotely tempted to so much as crack a smile. “I am not in love with Harris.”
“You’re not?” Blake’s brow furrowed and his eyes searched hers. “But I came upon you on the porch that day. He was talking about being in love.”
“Yes, he’s in love with a new girl in town. Ivy is her name.” Macie frowned.
“You preferred his gift to mine. The two of you always talk so easily and smile at each other.” Blake gulped and looked down at his hands. “He hasn’t treated you as badly as I have.”
Heart beginning to speed up, Macie said, “Well, I only liked his flowers better because I wanted to start an herb garden. And I had to talk to Harris because you were so gloomy all the time.” A smile began to grow as she went on, “You’ve made your share of mistakes but none of them have been as bad as all that. You really thought I was in love with your brother?”
Blake’s expression turned sheepish. “I thought you were only sticking with me because you’d made your vows and had no choice.”
He seemed so relieved to hear that she wasn’t in love with Harris that Macie suddenly began to wonder if she was right about him and Belle. Had she really interpreted his silence, his moodiness, his dark looks correctly?
“Are you in love with Belle Nelson?” she asked, hurt dripping off every word.
“With Belle?” Blake almost shouted, sitting ramrod straight in his surprise. “Why would you think such a thing?”
Macie felt foolish all of a sudden. She shrugged uncomfortably. “I just started wondering if you’d married me with the hopes of a quick annulment so you could court Belle and marry her when you were done adventuring.”
Blake pulled on the horses’ reins, drawing the wagon to a stop. Then he sat, shoulders slumped, and threw her a cautious look.
“I made a lot of mistakes. I thought that this adventuring would give me purpose and fill the itch to strike off on my own. I was so focused on that dream that I didn’t think about how much I could hurt you. You were handy and willing and I selfishly arranged things so I could have a way out if I wanted it.” Blake shook his head regretfully then reached over and took her hand.
“I wish to God that I hadn’t allowed for an annulment. It’s just about broken my heart several times,” he confessed.
Macie looked down at their hands and bit her lip. Was Blake saying what she hoped he was saying? Was it possible that he felt for her what she felt for him? This morning, she’d been so sure he loved someone else and now, maybe he might just love her.
“I thought you wanted to buy my parents’ land and then live there with Belle,” she whispered.
Blake shook his head, eyes begging her to understand how wrong she was. Tears pricked and Macie blinked them away.
“She’s so much prettier than I am,” she insisted.
Her husband lifted his big, rough hand and ran a finger along the left side of her chin, feeling the scars in all their terrible glory. She wanted to push his hand away. If he hadn’t been repulsed by them before, now he would certainly detest her disgusting skin.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Blake whispered reverently. “When I first saw you standing there on the platform, I could hardly believe you’d be willing to marry me.”
The tears spilled over and Macie smiled shyly at him, heart singing.
“I’m in love with you, Macie,” Blake said, voice shaking. “I don’t think I can wait another minute to tell you so. Maybe we started this marriage off as a way to help each other, but I want you to be my wife for all our days. No more talking about annulling our marriage. What do you say?”
“Oh, Blake,” Macie sobbed, burying her face in her hands.
“Do you hate the idea?” he asked, worriedly.
She laughed through her tears, hiccupped, and said, “No, silly. I don’t want to annul our marriage either! I’m in love with you, too. I didn’t think you would ever love me when you could have someone like Belle.”
The Scars of a Pure Heart Page 28
