The Lawman Claims His Bride
Page 20
Before Logan could tell Hunter to leave his wife out of this, Megan’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Listen to what your brother has to say,” she urged. “His story will surprise you.”
Logan’s hands clenched into fists at his side as he rose to confront his brother. “Did you kill Kincaid?”
“The man had it coming.” Hunter’s gaze turned hard and unrelenting, his gun still pointed straight at Logan’s heart. But when he stared into his brother’s eyes, Logan did not see an outlaw. Rather, he saw a man stricken with grief.
“Did you kill him to protect Megan?”
“She had the blackguard subdued before I arrived.” He looked over at her with a hint of admiration.
“Then why’d you do it?” Logan took a miniscule step forward.
“Don’t come any closer,” Hunter warned.
Logan complied midstep. “Why did you kill Kincaid?” he repeated.
“He murdered my wife.” Hunter’s gaze turned haunted.
“You got married?”
“Five years ago.”
“Cole attacked your brother’s wife, in the same way he attacked me,” Megan said when neither man spoke again. “But she wasn’t able to fight back because she’d just had a child who’d died in her arms. She was too weak to defend herself.”
Logan’s heart tumbled in his chest. “Is that true?”
Hunter nodded. His eyes were so wounded Logan knew there was no doubting the story. “I’ve spent the last two years hunting the bast—” he looked over at Megan “—er, outlaw.”
Sadly, Hunter’s tale was not a new one. Logan had spent much of his career tracking men like Kincaid. He’d brought most to justice. “You should have let the law handle it.”
“Would you have?”
“I am the law.”
“We both know you wouldn’t have waited for a trial to determine the outlaw’s fate.”
Logan didn’t argue the point. But he wasn’t the one who had to face up to his actions. He wasn’t the one who’d killed a man.
Despite understanding why his brother had murdered Kincaid, vigilante justice was never the answer. “There are laws in this land for a reason.”
“Justice was served.”
“Now who’s kidding himself? What you did to Kincaid wasn’t about justice. It was about vengeance.”
“And what, Logan? Vengeance is God’s alone?” Hunter sneered at the sentiment. “Always taking the righteous path, huh little brother?”
Logan ignored the goading tone. He knew his duty. There was no joy in the knowledge, only a deep sense of regret.
“I have to arrest you, Hunter.” He shook his head sadly, wanting to rage in frustration at the unfairness of the situation. “But I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you get a fair trial.”
“You know I can’t take that chance.”
Before Logan could make a move, Hunter rushed him. The last thing Logan heard before his world went black was Megan’s scream.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Logan wasn’t moving.
Please, God. Please, Megan prayed. Don’t let him be dead.
Swallowing back her panic, she focused all of her efforts on the rope securing her to the chair. Hunter had positioned the knot at an awkward angle, which required extra concentration on her part.
Her arms protested in the twisted position in which she held them. Megan ordered herself to relax, to focus only on freeing herself and not on the pain in her cramping muscles, or on the fact that Logan was…still. Not. Moving.
The knot slowly released, enough for Megan to wiggle out from under the rope. Free at last, she dashed to her husband.
“Logan.” She knelt beside him, ran her fingers across his cold forehead. Fear unfolded in her chest, crowding out the breath in her lungs. He looked terribly pale. Too pale.
Had his brother killed him?
Oh, Lord. Please, let Logan be alive. It was the most desperate prayer of her life.
“Come back to me,” she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. The force of her love was so fierce it nearly blinded her. “Logan, do you hear me? Wake up.”
She placed her hand on his chest, felt the slow rise and fall of his breath and blew out a sigh of relief. “Still alive.”
He murmured something incoherent, moved his head around, moaned heavily and then—finally—he opened his eyes.
“Oh, Logan. Praise God.” She dropped a kiss to his lips. “Welcome back.”
Wincing, he reached up and touched her wet cheek. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.”
She blinked back her tears. “Can you sit up?”
“Won’t know till I try.” He lifted slowly to a sitting position but then cupped the back of his neck. “My head is pounding.” She could see him struggling through the pain.
Gripping his shoulders, Megan supported his weight while he caught his breath. Eventually, he pulled himself to a standing position, took two unsteady steps then collapsed on the sofa with a hiss.
Megan sat beside him and lightly touched his arm. “Where do you hurt?”
“My head.” He rubbed his palm over his temple. “What happened?”
“Your brother hit you with the butt of his gun.”
“Right.” He took a ragged breath of air then looked furiously around the cabin. “Where’s Hunter?”
“Gone. And if I’m not mistaken—” she gave him an apologetic grimace “—he took your horse with him.”
“Smart. It’s what I would have done.” There was no respect in his tone, only a sad note of acceptance.
Megan moved her hand to Logan’s chest. His heartbeat was stronger, steadier. Wanting a more personal connection, she leaned forward, hoping to place her cheek next to her hand, but he stopped her progress midway.
“Hunter tied you up. How’d you get free? Did he let you go before he left?”
“I freed myself.” She motioned to the pile of discarded rope now lying on the floor.
“You freed…” His eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Yourself?”
“You weren’t moving, Logan. I didn’t know if you were alive or dead. I had to get to you, make sure you were all right.” She gave him a frustrated glare. Really, did he not know her at all? “I’m perfectly capable of heroic feats when the situation warrants.”
He continued staring at the rope. Wonder eventually took over the confusion in his gaze. “Of course you’re capable. I never should have doubted you or your ability to take care of yourself. Or me, when the situation warrants.”
She cupped his cheek and smiled into his eyes. “Is that an apology?”
“No, this is.” He tugged her onto his lap and pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry for misjudging you. You are a strong, beautiful, capable woman in your own right. You are amazing, spectacular, worthy of poetry. Songs should be written in your honor. You are the sunshine of my life.”
Who knew her husband could be such a romantic? “Well, I—”
He kissed her on the lips, cutting off her words. “I’m sorry for not taking the time to get to know the real you.” He pulled away and rubbed the back of his head. After a moment, some of the pain left his eyes. “I was wrong to hold on to the image of you I’d created in my head while we were apart. That wasn’t fair to either of us.”
“Well, now, that’s an even better—”
He kissed her again, this one lasting longer than the first. When he pulled away a second time, they were both gasping for air.
“Most important of all, I’m sorry I waited five years to make you my wife.”
“Oh, Logan, apology accepted.” She lowered her gaze as her own remorse reared. “But you aren’t the only one to blame for our misunderstanding. I was too proud to let you take care of me. I’ve spent so many years fending for myself I had no idea how to surrender to someone else’s strength, even when I needed to.”
“Apparently, submission comes hard for us both.”
“Well, I for one made a promise to live with
you in the holy state of matrimony as God ordained it,” she repeated the words from their marriage ceremony with fervor. “That means there has to be a certain amount of give and take on each of our parts. I’m good at giving, but I still have to work on the receiving portion of the Lord’s command of me as your wife.”
He touched the wedding ring he’d put on her finger less than a week ago. “I promise not to overdo the protection portion of His command for me as your husband.”
He seemed truly remorseful. It took a very strong man to admit he was wrong. Was there any wonder why she loved this man?
“I like you worrying about me,” she admitted. “I like knowing you will protect me in times of trouble. It’s just that, for the last few days, you’ve—”
“Smothered you with my notion of protection?”
“Maybe you did overdo it a bit.” She kissed his lips then scooted off his lap so she could look at him directly. “I don’t want you to stop caring for me. I just want you to remember I won’t break under a little adversity now and then.”
“I won’t forget. And if I do, simply say the word rope and I’ll remember how you untied yourself while I was lying on the ground completely subdued and unconscious.” The tender, honest way he looked at her confirmed the truth far more than his words. Her husband finally saw her as she was today.
Megan wanted to pull him to her, but now that he was fully alert she steered the conversation in a more difficult direction. “What about Hunter?” Her lips quivered with the compassion and pity she felt for her brother-in-law. “Are you going after him?”
Logan sat motionless for a long while, his gaze locked on the cabin’s door. “No,” he said at last. “Hunter will eventually be caught and brought to trial, but not by me.”
“Surely you understand why he killed Cole.”
He rubbed a hand down his face and released a long burst of air. “No matter how much I sympathize with his reasons, Hunter killed a man. I’ll have to write up a report. Wanted posters will have to be hung across the territory. But I’m going to let another marshal track him down.”
“I’m sorry, Logan.” The sorrow in his eyes was so real, so mournful, Megan’s heart broke for her husband. “I can see how hard this is for you.”
“Hunter is my brother. My family. I allowed myself to forget that over the years. Maybe if I’d have reached out to him that night in the brothel he wouldn’t have become what he is today.”
“You mean a man grieving the senseless death of his wife?”
“No.” He shook his head sadly. “I don’t begrudge him that. What I can’t ignore is that he resorted to vigilante justice. He broke the law. The law I’m sworn to uphold.”
“Logan—”
“Don’t worry, Megan. I won’t turn my back on him again. When he’s caught, and he will be caught, I’ll ask for leniency and do everything in my power to ensure he receives a fair trial.” He fell silent.
Megan could practically hear his mind working through the rest of his thoughts. She didn’t press him further. Instead, she switched the conversation yet again. To a much happier subject. “You realize where we are. And what we did the last time we were here.”
His gaze darkened with an altogether different range of emotions. “I remember.”
“Do you also remember which one of us took matters into their own hands when the other one was being overprotective and…smothering?”
“Yes, Megan. I remember.” Grinning now, Logan pulled her back into his lap and buried his face in her neck. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, too.” She wrapped him tighter against her. “So very much.”
For a moment, they simply held each other. But Logan knew the time had come to discuss one last matter. “There’s something else we need to talk about,” he said.
“Oh?” She gave him a saucy swish of her shoulders. “Sure it can’t wait?”
He looked over at the crackling fire and swallowed. If his head wasn’t pounding he’d forget everything except showing his wife just how much he loved her. Then again, his head didn’t hurt that much. Their discussion could wait.
He reached to her, then quickly dropped his hand. No. They needed to clear the air between them first. “My parents’ wedding gift,” he blurted out. “We have to decide what we’re going to do with the land.”
She sat up straighter. “You’re asking for my opinion?”
“You’re my wife, Megan.” He took her hand. “My partner in life. Every decision we make from this day forward we make together.”
“Oh, Logan.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. “If I wasn’t already married to you, that speech would have sealed the deal.”
There was such satisfaction in her eyes, such joy, he forgot what they were talking about and merely basked in the moment. His head was feeling better by the minute. “What do you want to do about the land?” she asked, her tone serious as she scooted back to her side of the sofa. “Tell me the truth.”
Had she asked him that question a week ago, Logan wouldn’t have known what to say. Today, however, he knew exactly what was in his mind. And his heart.
“I want to work the land,” he admitted. “I want to build our family here, together, on this ranch, in our own house. I want to stand by your side every day and spend every night in your sweet arms. I want to watch our children grow and mature into godly adults because we were good examples as individuals and as a couple.”
When he finished speaking, she stared at him for several long seconds. Logan saw the hope in her eyes, and the hesitation, as well. “But you’ve spent years making a name for yourself as a lawman,” she said. “You would walk away from all that to be with me here?”
“Yes.”
“Why? When you’re so obviously good at what you do?”
“Being good at something doesn’t make it a life calling.” He held her gaze, trying to communicate the truth that was in his heart. “I believe God has a different plan for me. For us. And it’s here, on this land. Unless that’s not what you want.”
“As long as we’re together, I’ll be happy.”
“I need to hear you say the words, Megan. Tell me what you want.”
“I want to work hard with you and play harder,” she began with a dreamy look in her eyes. “I want to laugh well and often. I want to turn to God in times of need and praise Him for our blessings. And no matter how rough or messy life becomes everything will seem easier because we’re together.”
Logan’s heart swelled with satisfaction. But he had to be sure she knew what she was leaving behind. “What about your friends in Denver?”
“Denver isn’t so very far away,” she reminded him.
“A short distance on horseback,” he said.
“Precisely.”
“So what do you say, Mrs. Mitchell?” He went on bended knee and took her hand, the one with his ring already on it. “With God as our guide, will you be the love of my life? Will you bear my children and let me stand by your side always?”
“Yes, Logan. Oh, yes.”
“Will you let me protect you, and our children for the rest of our lives?”
She frowned. “I—”
“Within reason, of course.”
“Well, since you put it that way. Yes, my handsome husband. Yes.”
He stood, then pulled her up to join him. “Will you love me until death do us part? As I will love you?”
Lifting on her toes, she kissed him on the chin, the cheek and then firmly on the lips. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Epilogue
One year later
Megan reached out her arms to her mother-in-law. “I can take her if you need a break. She tends to get fussy at this time of day.”
Making a sound of dismissal, Mrs. Mitchell swung around until her back faced Megan. “Go away,” she shot over her shoulder. “I’m having a private conversation with my granddaughter. Isn’t that right, little Janie?”
She watched as the older woman headed toward the blanket they’d spread out earlier for their family picnic. Her mother-in-law whispered secret promises Megan knew she would do everything in her power to keep. Because that’s what family did for one another.
Full of unspeakable joy, Megan spun in a circle, silently thanking God for the many blessings he’d bestowed on her in the past year.
Thank You, Lord. Oh, thank You.
Arms outstretched, she breathed in the fresh scent of pine on the light breeze blowing across her face. The sound of hammers pounding nails made her smile all the more.
She turned toward the noise and looked up in time to see her husband, his three younger brothers and their father set their hammers on the ground. They stepped back as a unit to survey their work. It looked as though they’d completed the last section of the frame for Megan and Logan’s new house. When finished, their home would be a smaller version of the one where Logan had grown up.
“I’d say we’ve earned ourselves a break,” Cyrus said with a slap of satisfaction on Logan’s back.
Before Logan could agree with his father, a loud whoop rose up from the three younger boys. Giving Cyrus no chance to change his mind, they rushed off to the open field and proceeded to engage in a rousing game of tag. Really, Megan thought, it was a wonder no one ever got hurt.
Logan turned and caught Megan’s eye. Smiling, he sauntered toward her with a lazy, relaxed gait. “Hello, beautiful.” He kissed her firmly on the lips.
“You’ve done some excellent work already,” she said, hitching her chin in the direction of the house.
“It’s going to be a fine place to raise our children.”
“Speaking of which.” Megan tried for a stern expression, but failed miserably. “Your mother is already spoiling our daughter.”
“Is she now?” He didn’t seem overly concerned.