by Paty Jager
“How?”
“I guess you could say, we’ve been kind of spreading the word, you’d make a good marshal.” Clay stepped through the door. The room overflowed with Halsey men.
One more body walked through the doorway. Jeremy’s expression turned to pure hatred.
Gil stepped forward, “Can I help you?” he asked, blocking Jeremy from the view of the man.
“I’m Judge Lucas Duncan. I received a telegram to preside over a trial of a bank robber.” He moved across the room and peered into the cell at the men still bickering.
Duncan. Could this be the uncle who… It had to be, the way Jeremy looked at the man.
“We’ve captured more of the gang making the trip worth your time.” Gil studied the man. He had a cruel hook to his nose and dark, unwavering eyes.
“Ethan, why don’t you and the boy go get something to eat,” Gil said, making eye contact with his oldest sibling to make sure he understood to keep Jeremy away from this man. Ethan nodded his head and pushed Jeremy out of the room in front of him before the judge turned from the jail cell.
“Where do we set up for the trial?” he asked. “I’d like to get this over with today and head back to civilization.”
“I’ll find out for you.” Gil started to head out the door.
“You’ll find me in the saloon when you have things set up.”
Gil nodded and motioned for Hank to stay with the prisoners. Darcy had to be told her uncle was the presiding judge. Damn. Would the man remain unbiased if Darcy took the stand? Could she control her hatred of the man?
Gil ran to the brothel expecting to find Darcy sleeping, instead he heard Jeremy’s excited voice and Ethan trying to calm him.
“Darce, he’s here!” Jeremy said, tugging on his sister’s arm.
“I told you to get him something to eat,” Gil said, rushing across the room to keep Darcy in bed.
“He bolted for here as soon as we crossed the street.” Ethan said, running a hand over his face. “What is going on?”
Gil sat on the bed, holding Darcy under the covers. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked looking into her scared eyes.
“Out of here before he finds us.” Darcy beat a fist on Gil’s chest to no avail. They had to get away. She could tell by the look in Gil’s eyes, he wasn’t going to let them slip away like they’d done so often to stay one step ahead of the monster.
“He can’t hurt you. I won’t let him.” Gil pulled her into his arms. The safety of his embrace almost convinced her.
“He’s a judge. He can hurt us anyway he wants.” She looked at Jeremy, remembering how skinny and sick he’d looked when she stole him from her uncle.
“Not any more. You have us to help.” Gil pulled her tighter against him. She wished she could believe him.
“You can’t go in there!” Lila screamed as the formidable Judge Lucas Duncan strode into the room.
“I finally found you!” he bellowed, stalking across the room. Darcy cowered despite Gil standing and placing his body between her and her uncle.
“Who have you found?” Gil asked.
Darcy cringed as her uncle pointed a finger at her as she peeked around Gil.
“That harlot and her brother.” Judge Duncan spun around, grabbing Jeremy by the collar. “You shouldn’t have run away.”
Ethan stepped up to the judge. “Take your hands off my little brother.”
Jeremy’s face lit up, and he yanked out of the judge’s grip.
“What are you talking about?” The man sputtered and stared at Jeremy then Ethan.
“Jeremy is no longer a Duncan.” The finality of Gil’s words warmed Darcy’s heart. “When I marry Darcy tomorrow, he’ll be a Halsey, just like she will.”
Darcy looked at Gil. The defiance shining in his eyes took her breath away. But was he only standing up for her to keep her out of her cruel uncle’s hands?
“You plan to marry this harlot?” the incredulous look on her uncle’s face made her feel filthy.
“No, I’m not marrying a harlot. I’m marrying the woman I love.” Gil raised her hand and kissed her knuckles. The sincerity in his voice touched her heart and stirred her courage.
“And I’m marrying a true man. One who will never hurt me or anyone else who doesn’t deserve it.” Darcy glared at her uncle. “You got what you wanted, by telling our father you would take care of us. Money to buy your judge position.” She motioned for Jeremy to come stand by her and Gil. “You can have the money, let us be. We have a new family.”
The man opened his mouth, looked at Gil who stood by her side, holding her hand while his other hand rested on the handle of his pistol, then to Ethan standing with his arms crossed, glaring.
“Since you seem to have found a family, I’ll leave you alone.” He started to back out the door.
“One other thing.” Gil stepped forward. “Darcy is the main witness for the trial your hearing. Since she’s having trouble talking due to the bastard locked up in jail, the trial will have to wait until tomorrow.”
The Judge started to open his mouth. Gil and Ethan both closed in on the man.
“And there’ll be no prejudice against her when she testifies.”
The judge looked at her than back at Gil and nodded his head, before hurrying out the door.
Darcy’s heart stopped bouncing in her throat as Gil sat down on the bed. Ethan grabbed Jeremy by the shoulder, moving him out the door and closing it.
“You really love me?” she asked, fearing he’d said the words only to convince her uncle he meant business.
“Let me prove it.” Gil took her head in his hands. His lips brushed hers tenderly before he deepened the kiss, making her lightheaded and weak.
He drew his head back. “Now do you believe me?”
“Tell me again.”
Chapter 25
Darcy’s heart brimmed over with happiness as she stood at the top of Mrs. Danforth’s staircase dressed in a beautiful gown staring down at Gil Halsey, the man who would become her husband in a matter of minutes.
The appreciative grin and sparkling eyes took her breath away. He loved her enough to overlook her flaws and marry her. He’d stood up to her uncle and helped her through the trial. This was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with in good times and bad.
He held out his hand, and she started down the stairs, holding her skirt up so as not to trip and tumble down the stairs into his waiting arms. A relieved sigh escaped her lips, when her foot touched the rug at the bottom of the stairs. So far so good. The rest of the way was all flat.
“You look beautiful,” Gil said, kissing the back of her hand.
“I’m thankful I made it down the steps without falling.”
“You know I’d catch you.”
His words set her heart fluttering. The look in his eyes set her body on fire. He would always be there to catch her.
“Yes.”
“Come on, the sooner you get hitched the sooner we can eat all that food Lila’s got spread out in the kitchen,” Jeremy hollered from the parlor door. An arm snaked out the door, pulling the boy back into the room.
“I guess we know what’s important to him.” Gil chuckled as he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and headed toward the parlor.
Darcy couldn’t think of a day she’d been any happier. The man she loved and who loved her was about to become her husband. Her brother had been brought into the Halsey fold as if they’d been born of the same parents. Nothing could spoil this day.
They stepped into the parlor. Her eyes lit on the man standing at the front of the room. She pulled back, but Gil wouldn’t let her hand slip from his arm.
“Your uncle and I had a little talk.” Gil tugged on her hand. “Come on, he’s the only person around who can marry us legal. Otherwise we’d have to go to Baker City or wait for the preacher to come to town.”
She stared at Gil and saw he wasn’t about to wait. Waiting wasn’t something she wanted to do either. Swallowing the lu
mp of fear that lodge in her throat at the sight of her uncle, Darcy moved forward. Her foot caught in the hem of her dress. Blazes. She made it down the stairs and couldn’t even walk on flat ground. Gil caught her before she fell flat on her face. He smiled as he set her on her feet and took her hand, drawing her forward.
How had she been so lucky to find a man to love her unconditionally?
They stopped in front of Judge Duncan. She didn’t look at the man who haunted her dreams and her travels. Her gaze remained on the face of the man saying he would take her for better or for worse. Darcy never thought she’d ever hear a man say those words and mean it with the depth of emotion she saw in Gil’s eyes.
“Sir, I’d like to add one thing,” Gil said, never taking his gaze from her.
“Go ahead.”
“Darcy Duncan, I will always love you and be by your side, but if you take up a rifle for any reason, you’ll be paddled and never set foot outside our home again.”
Those in attendance broke into laughter. Darcy laughed and threw her arms around Gil’s neck, drawing him down to her level.
“I promise,” she said and sealed the promise with a kiss.
Outlaw in Petticoats
Halsey Brother Series
Paty Jager
Windtree Press
Beaverton, OR
1
Dedication
To my children who believed in me from the first day I sat down at a typewriter and wrote stories for them.
3
Acknowledgement
A special thank you to Tim Brown at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Historical Museum and Lorna Elliott and Lou Ann Confer of The Dalles Public Library.
Outlaw in Petticoats
Chapter 1
Zeke Halsey patted the pocket on his vest. The tintype his new sister-in-law, Darcy, found while kidnapped by outlaws resided close to his heart. How the likeness of his parents ended up in a pile of loot in the outlaw’s hideout had all the Halsey brothers perplexed.
He took the stairs of the boarding house in McEwen two at a time. He hadn’t laid his eyes on Maeve Loman the pretty, prickly school marm since his youngest brother Gil showed up at the family mine with a woman dressed like a boy and her brother.
After witnessing his baby brother marry Darcy, Zeke was more determined than ever to get Maeve to come around to his thinking. He planned to start by showing her he came from good stock and put one more reason for her to reject his marriage proposal behind them.
Maeve met him at the door.
He stared taking in her perfection. Her black hair glimmered like a raven’s wing in the sunlight.
Her delicious pink lips, he hadn’t sampled near enough, fluttered a moment before straightening into a firm line. She’d wanted to give him a welcoming smile and thought about it. That was the problem with Maeve, she thought too darn much.
“I brought something for you to see,” he said, removing his hat and following her swaying backside into the parlor.
She sat primly on the wooden chair and gazed up at him. “What did you bring?”
He sat, placing his hat on his knee and reached for his vest pocket. Panic widened her dark blue eyes.
When he slipped the tintype out, relief relaxed her pretty features. She’d thought he was going to propose, again. He grinned. One of these days he was going to ask her to marry him, and she wouldn’t be able to avoid answering.
“It’s a tintype of my parents. We’d thought it was lost, but Darcy, the girl who married Gil, found it.”
She took the tintype and stared at it before running her finger over the faces. Her brow furrowed, and she looked up at him. “These can’t be your parents.”
“Why can’t they be my folks? Because they’re too pretty?” Zeke watched her continue to stare at the tintype in her shaking hands. The lacy curtain in the window behind Maeve framed her form, giving her a fragile appearance.
“No. Pa said that man was his brother.”
Zeke jerked his attention from Maeve’s comely attributes back to her angular face and wide eyes. He nearly choked from her contorted expression. Memories of all the times he’d stolen a kiss and been tempted to do more drifted in his thoughts. The idea they could be kin, and something else he couldn’t place, didn’t set well with her. He saw it in her troubled, blue eyes.
“That can’t be.” He bolted out of the sturdy, yet comfortable chair, he favored when visiting and crossed the room in two strides. Zeke stared down at the picture of his parents. “My pa didn’t have any brothers, or sisters, for that matter. They all died on the way out west. Only him and an uncle survived the trip.”
Her steely stare glimmered with unshed tears. “My pa had this tintype. It sat on our mantel. He’d look at it and tell stories of how he and his brother,” she placed a finger gently on his father’s likeness, “this man, played jokes.”
The anguish and longing in her eyes said she wasn’t making it up, but his head and heart knew she had to be.
“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and roughly pulled her to her feet.
She jerked her hand from his and glared at him. Her odd habit of curling and uncurling her fingers right about holster height caught his attention. She only did that when she was annoyed or distraught.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough.” He ran a hand down her slender arm. Nothing would ever make him hurt Maeve. He’d made up his mind the minute he set eyes on her; she’d be his no matter how long it took. “Let’s go see my brothers. Ethan’s old enough to remember if Pa had a brother I don’t know about.
She stared at the hand still resting on her arm. “Do you think that is proper?”
“Escorting you? Why shouldn’t it be?” He slid his hand to her elbow.
She gulped and veiled her eyes with thick, black lashes, “We could be cousins.”
The realization they could be that closely related didn’t set well with his plans. Damn! If she and he were— He put a finger under her chin, lifting her face to see whatever expression she’d allow. One thing he’d learned while courting her, she didn’t let anyone see what she felt. This was the first time in a year she’d shown emotions without thinking it through first.
“We aren’t related. We can’t be. I wouldn’t feel the desires I do if we were blood. That much I’m sure of.”
She shook her head, looking away before he could glimpse what she thought.
“Come on, let’s get this settled. I want to put your mind at rest.” He pulled her to the door of the parlor. “Go to your room and get your shawl.” He gave her a nudge toward the staircase leading to the second floor of the boarding house.
“You two going out?” asked Mrs. White, the widow, who rented rooms to the school teachers of McEwen. She stood in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the white apron draped over her short, stout body.
“I’m taking Miss Loman to my brother’s for the afternoon. Don’t worry about fixing dinner for her. We’ll feed her.” Zeke retrieved his hat from the coat tree near the front door and waited for Maeve. It didn’t take that long to grab a shawl.
He moved to the stairs, resting his hand on the smooth, oak banister as she appeared at the top. His breath whooshed out. She still had on an everyday dress, but her curves were silhouetted by the long window on the landing. Lips the color of summer roses pursed in thought as she descended the stairs. The sadness in her eyes told him she already believed the worst. She rarely smiled. There were few moments since courting Maeve he’d seen unbridled happiness on her face. He wanted to be the person to give her a permanent smile.
Zeke held out a hand. Hesitantly, she took hold, and he led her out to his wagon full of supplies.
He grasped her about the waist to lift her onto the wagon. She twisted her neck to look at him. It took all his control to keep from brushing his lips to hers. He knew from the stiffening of her body and the distance in her eyes, until the mystery of their fathers was discovered, they couldn’t go back to the
way things had been. The sooner he proved it to her, the sooner he could kiss her.
Maeve didn’t want her body to respond when Zeke placed his hands around her waist to lift her into the wagon. How could her body throb when he might be blood kin? It wasn’t right. It made her feel filthy to even think about it.
Her mother had talked of families that went crazy from intermarriages. She wouldn’t be the downfall of the strong Halsey family, even if she had any inclination to marry Zeke. Which she didn’t. Not as long as he continued to mine for gold.
She bunched her skirt tight around her and tried not to touch him, but his broad shoulders rocked against her as they lumbered down the dirt road toward his family’s mine. She hated mining. Hated even the thought of it. If her father hadn’t been obsessed with finding gold and silver and becoming wealthy, she and her mother wouldn’t have lived in squalor waiting for him to return and take them out of poverty. But when he did return, the money wouldn’t last long, and he’d be gone again. Until the day he never returned.
“Nickel for your thoughts.”
Maeve glanced at the man beside her. His intense gaze and sincere smile did little to help the thoughts banging around in her head.
“They aren’t thoughts I’m ready to share.” With you or anyone. He smiled, as if he’d expected that answer and clucked at the team of horses.
She’d never planned to think of a future with a man. Still had her doubts. No matter how hard she resisted Zeke, he came back, again, and again. In fact, he seemed to thrive on her rejection. It spurred him on to prove to her he cared. And she couldn’t resist him.
Her gaze lingered on the mahogany hair curling up at the ends under his Stetson. His straight nose, coffee-colored eyes, and lips that perpetually tipped into a grin at the edges made her stomach flutter. At times his enthusiasm for life and good humor were infectious, but today—even his optimistic outlook couldn’t shed hope on their predicament.
Maeve shook herself. Why did she even care if he was related? This was her excuse to keep him from courting her without hurting his male pride. She shook back her shoulders, sat straighter. What a profound opportunity this outcome provided. Yes. This was perfect. Zeke could remain in her life, but as a family member not an amorous suitor.
