Cole looked around but didn’t see a bucket. Hell, it wouldn’t have been suitable for a lady, anyway. Come to think of it, he had to go, too. “Sid!” he called, not knowing if the new marshal was there or not.
“Yup?”
“Uh, the lady needs to tend to her duties.”
Cole heard the rattle of jail keys, then Sid ambled in and leaned on the doorway. “Are you going to be married with Sarah and me?”
Daisy squirmed a bit, and Cole knew this was no time for discussion. “Sid, she really has to go. Me, too, as a matter of fact.”
“The judge says neither of you leaves this cell until you come to your senses.” He picked up a bucket, unlocked the door and passed the bucket through, the relocked the cell.
Daisy looked horrified. “I can’t go in that.”
Cole thought fast. The only way the judge would let them out was if she agreed to marry him—which she seemed willing enough to do twenty-four hours before. “I love you, Daisy Gardner.” He brushed a tendril from her cheek. “Do you think you could feel the same about me again?”
She bowed her head, a tear nearly spilling from her eye. He hated himself for hurting her, but hoped beyond all reason she’d forgive him. Finally, she nodded, and his heart pounded with hope.
He got down on one knee. “Daisy, I’m just a rancher, but I love you with all my heart and all my soul. Would you consent to be Mrs. Cole Richards?”
“How can I be a detective on a ranch?”
His spirits plunged, but he still had hope. “I don’t know, but you can fingerprint the cowhands, our kids, the chickens—even the cook.”
“Cook?”
“Well, yeah. After sampling your biscuits I think we best hire a cook.”
She laughed through her tears, and his heart leapt. “You’re a good man, Cole.”
His name sounded like heaven coming from her lips. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
He sprang to his feet and kissed her full on the mouth, then asked, “And not just because you have to go to the privy?”
“Well, there is that, especially after the one-armed squeeze you just gave me. But yes, I love you, too, I do want to be your wife, and I want you to be my husband.”
“Sid,” he bellowed, “get in here and unlock this cell. We’re nearly late for our wedding!”
Sid unlocked the door, unlocked the cuffs, and they practically ran over him getting outside.
Epilogue
Judge Glover had dropped all charges on Daisy and Cole. The double wedding took place promptly at five o’clock. Cole thought he’d died and gone to heaven when he’d seen Daisy in her stunning, white silk gown. She held a bouquet of wildflowers, befitting of her spirit.
At the end of their vows, the judge asked both couples to face the guests and announced, “I introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Cole Richards, and Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Adler.” Everyone, including Cole and Sidney, applauded. Cole thought his heart would burst from the pure joy of having Daisy for his wife, and he was sure Sidney felt the same about Sarah.
The reception was held in the livery, where Mrs. Nafsinger and Mr. Curtis played joyful music for the dance. At the crowd’s urging, Cole played a couple of songs on his harmonica, then stepped off the stage and reclaimed his beautiful bride.
“You’ve danced with enough men. The rest of the dances are mine.”
She blew in his ear, and he nearly threw her over his shoulder and carted her off. But then her mother announced it was time for Daisy to throw the bouquet. She did, with great flair. The bouquet flew past Mrs. Proctor who tried her best, but couldn’t reach it. Iris, the avowed spinster, caught it. Cole laughed. Daisy elbowed him in the ribs. Sarah threw hers. Aunt Grace caught it, and Henry kissed her cheek.
Bosco, grinning like a coyote over fresh kill, meandered over to Cole and Daisy. He had a piece of cake in one hand and Mrs. Proctor’s cinnamon bun in the other. “I tell you, Cole, this here town knows how to lay out a spread. Yes, sirree!” He glanced at Mrs. Courtney, who carried a plate of raisin pie. “Uh oh, gotta go.” He stuffed the cinnamon bun in his mouth and hurried to her—or the raisin pie—Cole wasn’t sure which.
Thomas and Etta came by to offer their congratulations. Then he said, “Hey, little brother, I have a wedding gift for you.” He shrugged. “Well, it’s really not a gift, since it was yours in the first place.” He handed Cole a thick envelope. “It’s the money from the ranch. I took the money for my half of the cattle. That’s the money from the land, plus your half of the herd.”
“You sold the ranch?”
“Yup, I came here to ask you about it, but you didn’t want to talk. Too busy with other things, I guess.” He winked at Daisy. “Anyway, I got a good offer, more than I thought the place was worth, really, so I paid off all the bills and split the rest. Etta and I are moving to Boise City. A lawyer up there wants me to apprentice with him. I’ll be a clerk for a few years while I take classes, then I’ll have my own practice.”
Cole was stunned.
“And to thank you for all you’ve done for us, I bought that little house at the edge of town for you.” He handed Cole another envelope. “Here’s the deed. The place needs a lot of work, but it’s a start.”
Cole was speechless.
“Take the envelope, Cole,” Daisy urged.
He took it, then hauled his big brother in a bear hug. “Thanks.”
Thomas turned to Daisy. “Your father helped me move your things into the house. Your mother and sister and Etta have spent the whole day cleaning and arranging.” He patted Cole on the back. “There’s even a bed all made up.”
Cole swooped Daisy up and cradled her in his arms. “Let’s go see our new house.
“Hold up there, Cole!” Sidney said as he and Sarah blocked their path to the door. “There’s another order of business that has to be settled. The Owyhee County Sheriff resigned because of ill health a few months ago, and they haven’t found a replacement yet. Judge Glover asked me to take that position, and I’ve agreed.”
Cole nodded. And not that Daisy was all that heavy, but his arms were starting to tire and he needed to save his strength for more interesting activities.
He took a couple of steps toward the door, when Judge Glover blocked his way. “Cole, Mayor Gardner asked me to remind you that you are still the duly sworn marshal of Oreana, and it’s only fitting that you ought to wear your badge when you’re in public.” He pinned the badge on Cole’s chest, avoiding Daisy as best he could. “I’d shake your hand, but I see it’s occupied. I’m happy to have met you, Marshal Richards.” He nodded at Daisy. “Congratulations, Mrs. Richards.”
Cole was nearly speechless. Never would he have imagined that Oreana still wanted him as their marshal. Well, hell, a marshal needed a deputy. “Bosco!”
Bosco waved at him from across the room, then made his way over to Cole. “What?” he said, cheeks bulging with food.
“Make sure you wear your badge in public, deputy.”
Bosco swallowed, then hollered and slapped his knee. “Yes, sirree!” He took the badge out of his vest pocket, then spat on it and shined it with his shirtsleeve before pinning it on. He puffed out his chest. “Looks purty good there, don’t it?”
Daisy gave Cole a big squeeze and whispered in his ear, “Let’s go home, marshal. I have some prints to show you.”
~ ♥ ~
Thanks for reading Much Ado About Marshals (♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #1). Reviews are welcome! Please click on http://amzn.com/B0058ON1LS and let me know your opinion!
There’s more in the Hearts of Owyhee series!
Much Ado About Madams (♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #2)
* A story this good can only come from the imagination of Jacquie Rogers *
~ Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews
Much Ado About Mavericks ( ♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #3)
Check it out—Mélange Publishing says any day now!
And you might also enjoy this HOT western historical romance by T
aylor Lee:
Struck by Thunder
1890: In a world marked by corruption, prejudice and hate, Lei Chang is determined to be the first woman kung fu master in the country. Little does she know that the grandmaster, everyone's hero, is as accomplished a lover as he is a warrior.
But be warned:" Struck by Thunder" isn't for the faint of heart. The language is rough, the sex explicit, and the fighting ferocious. For readers who want their romance as hot as the story is riveting, this book is a "don't miss!"
Author’s Note
Yes, I played fast and loose with the geography in Owyhee County, Idaho in Much Ado About Marshals. Oreana isn’t on the way to Silver City from Murphy, or between Sinker Creek and Silver City, for that matter. That’s the way of fiction, though. If a town isn’t in the right spot, the writer can move it.
I’m not sure if Oreana had stagecoach service or not, but the stage did run from Murphy, the town north of Oreana, west to Silver City. In 1885, Silver City was the Owyhee County Seat, but now Murphy is. Murphy boasts a county courthouse, a parking meter, a museum, a gas station/store, and an airport.
Agriculture is still the basis of the economy—mostly ranching in the hilly portion of the county, and farming in the valleys. The mines at Silver City and surrounding area have long played out, with only a few still in operation.
The general store that I used for Gardner’s Mercantile was built “in the late 1800s” so probably didn’t exist in 1885, but close enough for literary license. The stone structure is now beautifully restored and is Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church. Mass is held once a month. Search for “Oreana church” on the internet and you’ll see a picture of it.
The musicians at the barn dance were the musicians at the dances held at the Stateline Grange when I was a kid, and close friends of our family. I used their names because of the many hours of joy they brought to our community. I wonder if they knew how important they were to so many of us.
Dear Reader,
There’s nothing quite like growing up in Owyhee County, Idaho, to fuel a young girl’s imagination. I lived on a dairy farm six miles southwest of Homedale. Stories popped into my head while I was feeding calves, or hoeing beets, or shucking corn. These stories placed me in another time, wild and exciting, full of adventure, handsome heroes, and heinous villains.
They called me a daydreamer, and I made up stuff, outlandish stories for which I was properly chastised, because the world in my mind was a hundred years behind the world I actually lived in.
Our family raised and milked Holsteins, but I dreamed of wrangling Texas Longhorns. We grew alfalfa, corn, wheat, and beets, but I dreamed of riding across the sagebrush foothills chasing cattle rustlers. Dad always drove a Buick, but I dreamed of stagecoach rides beset by the fearsome Alsup Gang (Alsup is a family name, and seemed as good for a gang name as any other).
Good people lived in our little corner of Owyhee County, the kind you treasure. Everyone knew everyone else, and our neighbors were community-minded, full of humor, and always ready to lend a hand.
I remember my dad, Jack Walker, and his friend Bill Nafsinger raising money for Homedale’s first ambulance. I remember the dances and parties at the Stateline Grange where Arlene Nafsinger, Al Curtis, and whoever else they could wrangle (sometimes Grandpa Neil or Dad) played fun music like Silver Threads Among the Gold and Little Brown Jug.
All of us kids had a grand old time at the Owyhee County Fair and Rodeo each August. I really miss it, even the rain and wind storm that always hit at about 1 PM Saturday, sending us all running for cover.
A bunch of us used Graveyard Point as our playground —we rode our horses there and swam in the Highline Canal. We pretended it was an Indian village, though. Everything and everywhere we went, our imaginations made the sagebrush hills that much more exciting.
And so it’s only reasonable that I should end up writing western historical romance full of dashing heroes and despicable bad guys set in the Wild West of my mind, which was and always will be Owyhee County, Idaho. It’s where the west was won.
Enjoy the ride!
Jacquie
http://www.JacquieRogers.com
http://RomancingTheWest.blogspot.com
About the Author
Jacquie Rogers has worn many hats before taking up the pen: a former soft-ware designer, campaign manager, deli clerk, and cow milker. She writes romance in three sub-genres: western historical, fantasy, and contemporary western.
Much Ado About Marshals, a western historical, is the first book in the Hearts of Owyhee series, followed by Much Ado About Madams. Before that, Mélange Publishing released a romantic fantasy, Faery Merry Christmas.
Her first book, Faery Special Romances, won the Fall NOR Award for Best Print Sci-fi/Fantasy Romance and finaled several other contests. She then released a short contemp-orary novel, Down Home Ever Lovin' Mule Blues., a PNR Top-Pick, a CTRR Award winner, TRS Sweetheart of the Week winner, and NOR Top-Pick.
She calls Seattle home, and lives with her husband who is an audio/video engineer and a fantastic proofreader. They are allowed to live in the house by a cat named Annie, a feral cat who has decides she likes to be warm, dry, and fed, although not held or petted.
Website: www.JacquieRogers.com
Blog: RomancingTheWest.blogspot.com
Twitter: @JacquieRogers
Facebook: search for Jacquie Rogers (the Author page, not the website page)
More Oustanding Fiction
from Mélange Publishing:
The Shaman’s Quest by Norman W Wilson PhD: Book 1 of the Shamanic Mysteries. Adam is young, handsome, financially independent and unhappy. No one wants to answer his questions. He begins his search for the mysterious shaman, Esaugetuh in hopes of having the nagging questions answered. When he finds Esau-getuh he is taken on a fascinating mystical world of the natural and the supernatural. . . one few survive.
The Shaman’s Transformation by Norman W. Wilson PhD: Book 2 of the Shamanic Mysteries. What do you do when you are a wealthy, young, and handsome shaman healer beset with mysterious enemies who want you dead? Adam is plunged into a lesson in knowledge, a path fraught with murderous intent. Who do so many people want to kill him? Who is threatened by his newly found shamanic powers? Why must Adam risk his life to learn his lessons?
Faery Merry Christmas by Jacquie Rogers: Romance has gone awry in Faeryshire!
Who would’ve thought Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s daughter would be “on the shelf”? Yep, Cheshya’s all a’flutter because her 2,000th birthday, the last day can take a mate, is on Christmas, only four days away. But Liam of the Red Clan, the only man she has ever wanted is otherwise occupied.
What will it take to make a Faery Merry Christmas?
Much Ado About Marshals (Hearts of Owyhee) (2011) Page 29
