Montana Grit

by Ramona Flightner

  “Never. Ye are my love. Ye and Hortence are my family.” He leaned back and bracketed her face between his large hands. “I’ve acted as a wounded, miserable bear because I missed ye so badly. Forgive me for being an ass.” He held her as her sobs quieted. “Come, my love. Eat and then rest.”

  He helped her to her seat, where she ate with more restraint. However, by the time she finished her plate of food, she was full, and she motioned for Alistair to eat. He ate most of the food, although he saved a large piece of chicken in case she woke hungry in the middle of the night. After she completed her evening ablutions, he tucked her into bed.

  “Join me,” she murmured as she battled sleep.

  “No, Leticia.” He kissed her softly on the lips. “When I join ye in bed, I hope it’s for somethin’ other than sleepin’ next to ye.” He pulled the blankets up around her. “Sleep well, my love.”

  Alistair woke from a fitful doze. He groaned as he sat up in the uncomfortable chair and listened for what had interrupted his sleep. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating the bed. A whimper emerged from there, and he frowned as Leticia shifted as though in distress. He rose, tiptoeing to the bed. His fingers stroked her head, and he reared back as a hand emerged from the blankets to smack him in the throat and jaw.

  “Stay away from me!” she said in a sleepy voice. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Leticia, ’tis Alistair,” he murmured. “Ye are no’ with that man any longer.” He watched as the tension left her and heard a quiet sob emerge. After settling a hip near hers, he touched her shoulder. “Ye’re safe, Lettie.”

  “Alistair?” she asked, turning to face him. “You’re really here?”

  “Aye, my love.” He lay down atop the bedding next to her and pulled her head onto his shoulder, his arms stroking down her back. “He willna harm ye again.”

  She shuddered in Alistair’s arms. “But he might hurt you. I couldn’t bear that.” She hiccupped. “I should never have agreed to leave with you. I’ve put you in danger.”

  “That’s rubbish, an’ ye know it,” he said as he kissed her head. “He’s the only one causing mischief.” He sighed and held her closer. “Let me enjoy the moment, love. I’m finally holding ye in my arms.”

  She huffed out a laugh. “You’re sleeping next to me.”

  “Aye, an’ I’m a fool,” he muttered, pulling her closer. “But I want to wait ’til our weddin’ day.” He kissed her head. “Do ye mind?”

  She rubbed her face against his chest. “Not as long as it is soon.” She heard the rumble of his groan as her head rested on his chest. “I hate that you slept in that chair, Alistair.”

  “I wouldna dishonor ye.”

  “I dishonored myself,” she whispered, her fingers drawing a circle over the biceps of one of his arms.

  “Ye did no such thing,” he rasped. “Now sleep, love. Let me hold ye as we sleep.”

  She snuggled into his embrace and fell asleep. He remained awake for some time, a quiet contentment filling him.

  Chapter 14

  The following morning, Alistair lay on the bed with Leticia snuggled next to him. They were both dressed, awaiting Warren’s arrival. “It is scandalous to just lie about all day,” Leticia murmured.

  “It would be scandalous if we were naked,” Alistair muttered. “As it is, we are merely passing the time.” He jerked as a fist slammed against the door. He motioned for her to remain where she was and moved to the door. “Aye?” he called out.

  “For God’s sake, Alistair, open the door,” Warren half shouted.

  Alistair unlocked it and let Warren in. Alistair raised his eyebrows in surprise to find his friend disheveled with red-rimmed eyes. “Ye look awful.”

  “I feel worse than I look. I’m too old for this intrigue.” He yawned, and his whole body shook. “Did you find her?”

  “Hello, Mr. Clark,” Leticia said, now sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Miss Browne, lovely to see you, healthy and well.” Warren ran a hand over his hair that stood on end and then scratched at his growing beard. “I should have tidied up before coming to see you.”

  “No, we need to ken what happened.” Alistair pushed Warren into a chair and thrust a cup of lukewarm coffee in his hands.

  “Aah, elixir,” Warren muttered as his eyes closed a moment while he took a sip. “That man is a card shark, but I suspect he’s a cheat. I don’t have proof, because I’m not nearly of his caliber, but there is no statistically sound way a man can continue to win with his rate of success unless he cheats.”

  Leticia snorted. “Of course he cheats. He cheats at everything.”

  Warren stretched his legs in front of him. “If he keeps it up here, I suspect you won’t have to worry about him much longer. Someone will gladly put a bullet in him and save you the expense and infamy of a divorce.”

  “I don’t want him dead. I just want him out of my life,” Leticia whispered.

  Warren rested his head against the back of the chair. “Then you’re more generous than I am. After a few hours in his presence, I was ready to commit murder.” He huffed out a laugh. “I think he’s a raving lunatic.”

  Alistair sighed. “What does he ken about ye?”

  “He thinks I’m an easy mark,” Warren murmured, closing his eyes again, yet continuing to speak. “I lost some at the tables but mainly sat and watched them play. He is an inveterate liar, but it can be hard to discern truth from fiction.” He opened his eyes to watch Alistair and Leticia. “He went on and on about his beautiful wife, Lorena. He’ll be irate to find you missing, Leticia.”

  Alistair moved to her and put a hand on her shoulder as she shuddered. “Ye don’t have to be afraid of him any longer. We will keep ye safe.”

  “He’ll find me. He always does.” She took shallow breaths and lowered her head as though she were fighting panic and about to faint.

  Warren nodded. “Yes, he’ll find you.” Warren turned to Alistair. “I doubt you attempted to hide Miss Browne as you brought her in here.” At Alistair’s silent glare, Warren shrugged. “I have a meeting arranged with a judge in two days’ time. The papers are to be delivered today to your husband, summoning him to the hearing and informing him of your wish for divorce.” He met Leticia’s panic-stricken gaze with an implacable one. “If this is not the course of action you desire, if you do in fact wish to remain married to such a man, I will cancel the hearing, and the summons will not be delivered.”

  Leticia shook her head. “No, I desire a divorce. It just seems that this is all happening so quickly. I don’t know …”

  Alistair crouched in front of her. “It will all turn out well. I promise. We must free ye from that man.” He turned to stare at Warren. “How did ye arrange the meeting with the judge so quickly? I thought there was at least a month’s backlog.”

  Warren shrugged. “He knew my father in Philadelphia. It helps to have connections.” He met Leticia’s gaze. “It also helps to have a lawyer with a family of very high standing representing you. There is no way we can discount your illicit behavior in Kansas, but we can highlight your years as an upstanding citizen in Bear Grass Springs.”

  “No one will believe me. I’m a woman, and I lied,” she whispered.

  “They will believe you if you believe it,” Warren said. “And I will give credence to it as your lawyer. Few will doubt the word of a Clark from Philadelphia.”

  Alistair snorted. “That sort of thing doesna matter in a place like Montana.”

  Warren smiled slyly. “As you know, Montana is still a territory and not a state. The US Congress has no desire to accept our petition for statehood, despite our overwhelming desire by popular vote last November. We have not yet swayed those in Congress desperate to hold onto their power.” He watched as Alistair fought impatience. “This means that our judges are not from Montana but appointed by someone in Washington, DC. These judges don’t know our ways, and most don’t care about our ways. They see this as a post to suffer through and
survive until a better position becomes available.”

  “Warren, what does this have to do with how ye will help Leticia?” Alistair glared at his friend. “It willna matter that ye are a Clark from Philadelphia. It doesna mean anything here.”

  Warren smiled. “It does to some DC judges. And I picked the judge it would impress the most. He knew my father and is predisposed to like me simply because I am my father’s son.” His smile turned self-deprecating. “I learned some worthwhile things from my father.” Warren rose. “I need to wash up and rest. Should we meet for a meal in the restaurant here around one?”

  Alistair nodded and locked the door behind Warren. He sat beside Leticia and slung an arm over her shoulder. “It will turn out well. I know it seems odd, but Cailean told me that Warren has the credentials of a big-city lawyer.”

  She snuggled into his side. “Why did he decide to settle in a small town in Montana?”

  “I dinna ken. I doubt Cailean does either. Warren is a man to know everyone else’s secrets but to guard his own.”

  As they relaxed at the table after a delicious meal, Warren noted a disturbance at the front of the hotel. He rose, motioning for Alistair and Leticia to remain and finish their coffee. A few moments later, he returned, his forced air of serenity increasing Leticia’s anxiety.

  “Come. We must go to the back parlor.” His smile failed to reach his eyes. “Your husband is here, demanding to see you.”

  “I take it he didna like the summons,” Alistair muttered. He rose, and Leticia slipped her hand through his. “Ye are no’ alone, love. Never forget that.”

  Just before they entered the parlor, Warren whispered into Alistair’s ear, “Keep Leticia behind me, and keep her quiet. No matter what that man says.” His intense gaze met Alistair’s, and he nodded his approval when Alistair blinked his agreement.

  They followed Warren into the private parlor to find Josiah Fry pacing like a caged animal. His spit-polished shoes gleamed in the early afternoon sun, while his trousers, shirt, and jacket were new. He stalked toward Leticia, only stopping when Warren and Alistair blocked his path.

  His gaze flitted from Warren to Alistair, and then he shook his head in disbelief. “And to think I had selected you as my next mark. I thought Lorena could coax you out of your father’s money.”

  Warren matched his glare and blocked his attempt to circumvent him. “You’re small potatoes compared to who raised me.” His low gravelly voice laden with bitterness hinted at a deeper betrayal. “You know nothing about a successful con.”

  Josiah laughed. “You might have your pretty words and your fancy education, but I have right on my side. She’s a thief and a liar, and she attempted to murder me! She won’t see her daughter again because I have the right to her in a divorce as I’m her father. I’ve been unjustly separated from my child.”

  Warren ignored Leticia’s gasp of dismay, trusting that Alistair would hold her back and ensure she remained quiet. “Is that so? I have written testimony from at least ten townsfolk about your proclamation that Leticia played you for a fool while you were married to her. That the child isn’t yours and that you would never accept responsibility for her.” He met Josiah’s irate gaze. “Seeing as you’ve proclaimed that you aren’t her parent, and you’ve publically accused your wife of having an affair on at least four occasions that I am aware of, I believe your argument is futile.”

  Warren took a step forward, forcing Josiah backward. “As for your claim that she is a liar and a thief, I have written testimony, that has been notarized, from three couples in Kansas from the first year of your marriage. It will show that she was miserable and acting at your behest. There is mention of bruises on her arms, and one man said he would not treat a dog as badly as you treated your wife.”

  Josiah straightened his shoulders. “Lies. All of them lies. I’m a respectable man. Trying to make my way in the world.”

  Warren nodded as though considering Josiah’s claim. “Which would explain why those such as the Mitchell gang continue to seek you out? Why they still want you dead?” He watched with satisfaction as Josiah paled.

  Warren held up a hand to prevent Alistair from speaking. “Fry, you have two options open to you. You can accept this divorce. Accept that Leticia Browne will no longer be your wife and that you have legally disavowed Hortence as your child in two days’ time. And give thanks that you can slink away into the shadows.” Warren’s voice deepened. “Or you can attempt to fight what will happen. And I will announce to the world who you are. Where you are. And everyone you’ve ever swindled will find you.”

  Josiah faltered as though he had been struck. He shook his head and swiped at his now-sweaty brow. “No. No, please. I’ll agree. I’ll divorce her. Give up rights to the kid.”

  Warren nodded. “You should have known better than to come back.” His voice lowered. “You should have remained dead.”

  Josiah glared at Warren and then at Alistair who stood with an arm around Leticia’s waist. “You may think you’ve won. But, at the end of the day, you’re still stuck with a passionless woman and her brat. It will give me joy to know you’ll be miserable.” He stormed past them and slammed the door behind him.

  Alistair led Leticia to a chair and sat beside her before staring at his friend in wonder. “How? When?”

  “I’ve known this would happen at some point. Even though I said I wouldn’t travel to Kansas to investigate didn’t mean I wouldn’t make inquiries. I have friends from law school there.” He shrugged. “It was all worth it to see his reaction.”

  Alistair shook his head as though dumbstruck. “I’ve never seen ye in court, but it must be a magnificent sight to behold.”

  Warren laughed and shook his head. “It’s what this case called for, and I’m merely glad the information arrived before we left Bear Grass Springs.”

  Leticia raised her wondrous, shocked gaze to him. “How will we ever repay you? How can we?”

  Warren leaned against the mantel with a sigh. “Be happy. Let this time of discord go. That’s all I want.”

  Leticia rose and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “That’s not nearly enough. But I can promise you, if Hortence and I are with Alistair, I will be very happy.”

  Chapter 15

  Four days later Alistair paced in Warren’s hotel room. He glared at the tapping on the door and continued pacing as Warren slipped inside.

  “This isn’t much different from your first wedding ceremony,” Warren joked. “You seem to like to wander over ground you’ve already trod.”

  “I dinna usually, but I find, if I don’t, I have all this energy burstin’ to be free.” He stopped and watched Warren, a man he now considered a good friend. “Is she all right?”

  Warren chuckled. “She’s better than all right. She’s anxious to attend the ceremony.”

  “I worry that this is a mistake. We should marry in Bear Grass Springs. With our family around us and with the town as witness.”

  Warren shook his head. “I agree that it would be good to dispel rumors, but returning married with Leticia will help protect her reputation. You’ve shared a room with her for nearly a week.” He met Alistair’s glare. “You know I won’t speak of it, but that information has a way of leaking out.”

  Alistair grumbled about interfering busybodies and continued walking back and forth across the room. “Will ye escort her to the parlor? I dinna want her to make her way there alone.”

  Warren slapped him on the back. “Yes, I will. And I’ll be there next to you when you wed her.”

  Alistair watched as Warren slipped from the room again. After a few moments, Alistair walked downstairs and entered the parlor. A few of the hotel’s guests sat in the chairs as witnesses to the marriage, and the pastor stood at the front of the parlor, a Bible in his hands. Alistair shook his hand and then tried not to fidget as he waited for Leticia to arrive.

  Someone cleared their throat, and he looked to the door. Leticia stood in a dove-colored dress, cut to
enhance her figure. Her gold hair covered by a short veil was pulled in a soft chignon, and her blue eyes were lit with joy. She stood beside Warren, waiting to walk the few steps to join Alistair.

  Alistair beamed at her as he watched her approach. Soon her hand was in his, and they turned to face the pastor. “At last,” he murmured.

  He saw her battle tears as she whispered, “At last.”

  When the pastor recited the portion of the ceremony where he asked if anyone had a just cause to oppose their union, Alistair held his breath. After a moment, when silence prevailed, the pastor continued. When he announced that they were husband and wife, Alistair gave her a gentle kiss and then smiled at those present.

  Warren slapped him on the back and then kissed Leticia’s cheek. “Congratulations. I’m delighted.”

  Alistair accepted congratulations from all present and then turned to sign the forms Warren had prepared and the registry the pastor had brought with him. He saw Leticia stiffen as she read the forms Warren gave to her to sign, but she signed them, and they were soon drawn into a surprise reception in the dining room.

  After they had cut the cake, and all their wedding witnesses had become friends, Alistair swung Leticia into his arms as the small group of musicians played a slow tune reminiscent of a waltz. “Are ye all right?” he whispered.

  She shook her head and then leaned her forehead against his shoulder. “I am overwhelmed.”

  “Do ye want to go upstairs?” He stroked a hand down her back, eliciting a shiver.

  “And have everyone think we are eager for the wedding night?” she asked and then flushed at his gaze that agreed with her statement.

  After he studied her a moment, he frowned. “Are ye sayin’ ye are no’ eager? That ye prefer to spend yer time with a bunch of drunken men ye dinna ken rather than with yer husband on yer wedding night?”

  Leticia shook her head. “Of course not. I don’t want to cause any more scandal than we already have.”