“I know it was wrong. I have apologized and I came here of my own volition —.”
“You came here because you knew I was coming here,” Zachary said. “Pure and simple. You wanted to get the jump on me.”
“I came here to right a wrong,” he said, not even glancing at Zach. “Again, I’m sorry for my transgression, Enos. Warner can allow the Hastings boy to inherit the property.”
“You understand that your client was legally divorced from Charles Hastings, even though she was not aware of it at the time,” Judge Olson said, switching his attention to Zach.
“Yes, I understand that and so does she.”
“Therefore, her son will inherit.”
“I will file papers to have the property held in trust until he’s twenty-one and place his mother as the Trustee,” Zach said.
Judge Olson nodded, then his gaze latched onto Judge Bishop again. “Silas, if you had hauled off and called me a stinkin’ sonofabitch in the halls of justice here, I would accept your apology and let bygones be bygones. But you did a little more than that. You deliberately and brazenly removed property from this courthouse and forged my name on a document. You don’t walk out of here on a ‘Sorry, I made a mistake’ for those crimes, Silas. Now you surely know that.”
“We’ve known each other a long time, Enos, and you know me to be an honorable man. I admitted that I wasn’t thinking clearly —.”
“People are tried and convicted for what you did,” Judge Olson interrupted. “Are you afraid of her? Is that why you went to such measures?”
“Afraid of Luna?” Judge Bishop shook his head and then buried his face in his hands. “No, no. I love her. I adore her. It seemed to me at the time to be a simple matter. She wanted that land so badly and I could make it happen for her. The way she said it, it didn’t sound like a crime. But I knew. I knew I could be ruined!” His voice broke on the last word.
Despite his exasperation, Zach felt pity for the older man. Luna specialized in lonely men. Charles Hastings and Silas Bishop and who knows who before them? Hell, she might have even figured that he had been lonely that night at the dance. Zach recalled that he’d come alone and he had been relatively new in town. But he hadn’t been lonely – just alone that night – so her manipulations hadn’t worked on him. After that tawdry encounter, he hadn’t been the least bit tempted to seek her out or have anything to do with her.
“Silas, this is sad business,” Judge Olson said, sitting back in his chair and glancing toward Zachary. “You have wronged Counselor Warner’s client. I might feel more sympathetic toward you if you had come to me about this when Mrs. Hastings and her son arrived in Guthrie, obviously seeking to claim the land. But you did not. You stayed silent and you and your wife were even obstinate and uncooperative toward Mrs. Hastings. This is a young woman who came here a widow, having been with her husband when he died. She has a child to raise and this land was her one bright hope. You could have approached me and told me of your crime and that this woman deserved the land you stole from her. That would have been the honorable thing to do. But you developed lockjaw, instead.”
“I should have said something, but Luna was sure the woman would go on back to St. Louis to her people. Luna said she was a city girl and would have no use for the land. She would sell it, so we might as well keep it.”
“Looks like you drove your cattle to a bad market, Silas, and now you have to accept your losses – the loss of your honor, your standing in this community, and probably your freedom for a while. I don’t know about Counselor Warner here, but I am not of a mind to cut you any slack.”
Judge Bishop’s eyes were red-rimmed and his nose was ruddy. He turned toward Zachary, his expression beseeching. “I’ll apologize to your client, too. So will Luna.”
Zachary couldn’t look at him anymore. The sympathy drained away with the realization that the judge thought he would actually leave these chambers with a slap on the wrist and one-hundred-and-sixty-acres lighter. “Luna has other problems, as well. The man living out there on the land is a convicted cattle rustler and I have reason to believe that he killed Stella Carlson, the girl who worked at the Lantern Saloon.”
“She has nothing to do with that. Her cousin —.”
“He’s not her cousin,” Zach said, almost growling the words. “He’s her lover.”
“I ought to —.” The judge made to rise from the chair, but Judge Olson stopped him by slamming the flat of his hand on his desktop.
“Enough! Silas, I’m charging you with forgery and theft of government property. Counselor Warner, I can take it from here. Thank you for your attention to duty. You honor our profession.” He stood and offered his hand.
Zach rose to his feet and shook the man’s hand. “Thank you, sir.” He left the office without even glancing at Judge Bishop again. The man was spineless and had let Luna do his thinking for him.
As he was striding along the hallway, thinking ahead to telling Jennie about what had just transpired, he caught sight of Deputy Lane. “Hey, there!” he called to the man, making him stop and wait for him. “What’s happening with the Stella Carlson murder? Have you made an arrest yet?”
“Just got the warrant,” the deputy said, waving a paper he held. “Got enough eye witnesses who saw Melvin Parks with her that night that we can make an arrest. He was seen by two fellas having a fistfight that night, too. They said he was chasing a gal down the street.”
Zach ran a hand around to the back of his neck where a weight seemed to have settled. “Damn. She was running for her life.” In his mind’s eye, he could see the wisp of a girl sprinting down the dark street with Parks hot on her heels.
“Yeah, poor gal.” Deputy Land pumped Zach’s hand. “We’ll take care of him before he has a chance to hurt anyone else.”
“Thanks, Deputy.” Zach glanced at his pocket watch, wishing he could go tell Jennie about the meeting with Judge Olson, but he had cases he needed to prepare for and a new client he was meeting at the office in twenty minutes. His good news would have to wait until after work.
The moment Jennie saw him standing on the front porch of the boarding house, she knew something good had happened. His blue eyes sparkled and he looked as if he couldn’t keep himself from smiling if his life had depended on it. The sun was setting behind him, limning him in gold.
“Good evening,” she said.
“Partner!” Oliver ran past her and skidded his a halt in front of Zach. “Are we going to ride today?”
“Not today.” Zach reached down and swung Oliver up into his arms. “I’m here to talk some business with your mama.” He looked at the little girl standing behind Jennie’s skirts. “Hello, Molly. How are you today, sweetie?”
“Fine,” Molly answered in a voice that could barely be heard.
“That’s good. Hey, partner, I have something for you.”
“What?”
Zach reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a loop of leather with two feathers attached it it. “This is a genuine Indian’s headband.”
“No kidding?”
“Well … I made it myself, but it looks just like the real thing. Let me put it on you.” He set Oliver on his feet and fitted the band around his head, then adjusted the two feather so that they stuck up straight at the back of his head. “You look like an Indian brave, partner.”
“Mama, look at me!” Oliver threw out his chest as he turned toward Jennie, striking a pose.
“Very impressive,” Jennie said.
“Miss Molly, I have a little something for you too,” Zach said, reaching into his other coat pocket and pulling out several pieces of wrapped candy. “Sweets for the sweet.” He placed a couple of the pieces in Molly’s palm and then looked past them to where Dottie Dandridge stood in the doorway. “Hello, Mrs. Dandridge. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, it’s okay. Thank you.”
He reached out, holding the last piece of candy. “One for you, Mrs. Dandridge.”
“How thoughtf
ul.” Dottie took the candy from him with a shy smile.
“We just finished supper,” Jennie said. “If you had arrived a few minutes earlier, you could have joined us.”
“I grabbed a bite in town. It’s been a busy day.”
Dottie rested a hand on Jennie’s shoulder. “I can take the children out back to play if you want to speak privately with Mr. Warner.”
“Would you mind?”
“Of course not. You watched Molly most of the day for me while I ran errands and met with my attorney.” Dottie smiled and took Oliver and Molly by the hand. “Come along. I’ll push you in the tree swing.”
“See you later, partner!” Oliver said over his shoulder as he was led away.
“We will have another riding and roping lesson in a day or two, partner,” Zach promised, then smiled at Jennie. “He’s a great little guy.”
For a few moments, she couldn’t speak because sweet emotion had coated her throat. Seeing him bond with Oliver had filled her with yearning and then his way with Molly and Dottie had made her feel proud. Proud? She chided herself. He’s not yours to be proud of, she told herself, and the truth of that squeezed her heart.
“What’s this? No smile for me?” he cupped her elbows in his palms and bent his knees to be eye level with her. “I have some wonderful news for you, Jennie.”
“You do?”
“Yes!” His hands slid down her arms to clasp her hands in his. He looked around at the porch and then nodded at the shadow draped porch swing. “Come over here and sit down with me.”
They settled on the porch swing and Zach turned sideways to look at her. He kept one of her hands sandwiched between his.
“The land is going to be placed in a trust for Oliver.”
The statement was made so confidently and quietly that Jennie thought for a few moments she hadn’t heard him correctly. She blinked, then realized she wasn’t dreaming. “What happened? How did you convince them to give it to us?”
“Oh, they aren’t giving us anything. You are taking back what was always your son’s. You always believed that in your heart of hearts, Jennie, and you were right.”
“Charles didn’t marry her?” Her voice broke with emotion.
His smile dimmed. “No, honey, he did marry her, but the marriage wasn’t legal. You have to be divorced six months before you can remarry here. He was only divorced for about three months when he married Luna. So, she has no right to the land.”
She drew a hand across her forehead, trying to straighten her thoughts. “How did you find this out?”
“The Bishop’s maid was a client of mine. Luna treats her badly, so she has no allegiance to her. She had been in court the day Charles obtained his divorce, so she knew that he hadn’t been divorced long enough to marry Luna.”
“And no one at the courthouse realized that? Why didn’t they stop them from marrying if the law forbids it?”
“That’s where it gets ugly. Judge Bishop removed Hastings’ original divorce decree and changed the date on it so that it was recorded that he was divorced in January instead of March. Then he forged another judge’s signature on it.”
Jennie shook her head, still feeling dazed by the unfolding scheme. “But why didn’t he just sign it? He’s a judge.”
“He’s retired and he didn’t preside over the divorce docket. He handled land and mineral rights. Judge Olson and two other judges handle the divorce docket. I went to Judge Olson’s office this morning to tell him about it and Judge Bishop was already there, trying to make Judge Olson take pity on him or see it his way, I’m not sure which.”
“But the other judge … he wasn’t on his side, was he?”
Zach shook his head and squeezed her hand. “He was as disgusted by what Judge Bishop and Luna did to you as I was. Well, maybe not as disgusted, but close. Judge Olson will make sure that they are charged with forgery and theft. You can bet on that.”
Jennie fell back against the swing, limp with relief. “I can’t believe it. I was thinking we wouldn’t be able to get even an acre of land and now the whole ranch will be Oliver’s.”
“And yours. You will be the trustee until Oliver is twenty-one and can legally inherit it.”
“Hopefully, it will be a working ranch by then and Oliver will have a sweetheart or even be married and —.”
“Whoa!” Zach chuckled and settle back against the swing, draping an arm around her shoulders. “One day at a time, darlin’.”
“Oh, I can’t help myself. I’m a dreamer. When I close my eyes at night, I see my future or at least the future I want for myself and for Oliver. You have to have a dream to shoot for, don’t you?” Happiness bubbled up in her and she felt like she might burst. “I can hardly believe this, Zachary! Thank you, thank you so much.” She couldn’t help herself. She flung an arm around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth.
He must have been stunned because he froze for a moment before his mouth moved against hers and his lips parted. Cupping her head in his hands, he slanted his mouth on hers to deepen the kiss. Passion flowered in her and she became blazingly aware that they were sitting in the open where anyone could see them. Reluctantly, she pushed him away and smoothed her hands over her hair.
“We shouldn’t be doing this out here,” she said, smiling. “What if Oliver or Molly or – anyone should step out onto the porch?”
“You’re right.” He ran a hand along the side of her head, his fingertips combing lightly through her hair. “Come back to my place.”
She inched back to get a better look at his face. He wasn’t teasing her. “Now?”
“Could Mrs. Dandridge watch Oliver for a spell?” He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “We should celebrate and we can’t do that here.”
His warm breath fanned her ear, and with her lips still tingling from his kiss, she was in no condition to deny him – anything.
Chapter 16
The minute the door was closed to his room Zachary took her into his arms and rained kisses over her face and neck. She trembled and grasped his hands, encouraging them to move deftly over her clothing, unbuttoning, unlacing, tugging, pulling, until she wore nothing but her chemise and stockings.
An urgency bloomed inside her and she wanted to tell him everything he had come to mean to her, but she also didn’t want to say a word. She just wanted him to love her.
He sat her on the bed and rolled her stockings down slowly, first one leg, then the other, pausing to kiss her knees and thighs. Jennie braced herself on her arms and flung her head back and closed her eyes to relish every nuance of sensation.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he murmured, removing her stockings and kissing her knees. “All I could think about today was you, you, and you.”
She smiled and opened her eyes to take in the beauty of his muscled torso, her body humming with desire for him. He joined her on the bed in a tangle of limbs. He grabbed the hem of her chemise and pulled it up and over her head. His chest hair tickled her bare breasts and teased her rosy nipples. He was as ready for her as she was for him and he entered her with a swiftness that stole her breath, her heart, her reason. At his moment of release, he called out her name as she clung to him, her breath soughing in her throat as wonder drifted through her like sparks from a dying fire.
“I never knew it could be so consuming,” she whispered after her heart beat normally again. “When I’m with you like this, I hardly know myself.”
He turned onto his side and pulled her closer to him. “You flatter me – and I love it.”
She pushed gently at his shoulder. “Oh, you! But, I must say, that you are well equipped.”
“Madam Hastings, I do declare!” He fluttered his lashes, making her laugh. “How you talk!”
With her fingertip, she drew circles in the hair on his chest. “I love being with you like this.”
“So do I.”
“I feel free now. Free of every shackle I had when I arrived here.”
He kissed the tip of
her nose. “Soon, you can leave it all behind you. There are just a few strings left dangling.”
“What strings?”
He smoothed her hair back from her forehead and temples. “Judge Bishop and Luna. They will be arrested and jailed, probably. I imagine the judge will put up bail for both of them. But they will be ruined. They will lose everything, including their standing in town and any shred of respect.”
“She was his downfall.”
“She was. From all appearances, he was a good man before Luna got her clutches in him. Women can make men perform all sorts of foolish deeds.”
She kissed his frowning mouth. “You are speaking from experience?”
“I am speaking as an observer,” he amended, dipping his head to kiss her fingertips and the back of her hand. “Can you spend the night with me?”
“No, I can’t. I must get back to Oliver.” Looking at him, her heart swelled. “You’re so good to Oliver, Zachary. I really appreciate the time you spend with him.”
“I’m fond of the little man,” he said. “It’s time well spent.”
Cuddling closer, she allowed her hand to drift lower, over his hard belly and finally her fingers closed around the silky hardness of him. He drew in a quick breath and his blue eyes darkened. She kissed him, telegraphing her passionate need with her tongue and the stroking of her fingers.
With a sound that was a mixture of a groan and a growl, he took in his arms again and made the world slip away.
Jennie stood in front of the shaving mirror and used Zach’s brush to remove tangles from her hair. Zach appeared in the mirror behind her. He buttoned his trousers and then his shirt. She smiled, loving the intimacy, remembering how he felt and moved against her.
“I have some other interesting news,” he said.
“What?”
He swept the curtain of her hair away from the side of her neck so that he could press a warm kiss there. “Melvin Parks is going to be arrested. In fact, he should already in jail.”
“In all the excitement, I had nearly forgotten about him,” she said. “But I’m happy to hear that he’s locked up. Guthrie is safer tonight, for sure.”
Deborah Camp Page 23
