A Sweet Mail-Order Bride for the Distant Rancher: A Western Historical Romance Book

by Lydia Olson

He noticed that she wasn’t alone. Her father was behind her looking worried to set foot in the courthouse. Milton couldn’t blame him. In his heart of hearts, George Parrish wasn’t a bad man, but Milton knew that he’d done illegal things in the name of greed. He was probably worried that Brandon would divulge the illegal things he knew Parrish had done.

  “No,” Milton said. He grabbed her hands in his own. “You’re right on time.”

  Jane gave him a small, sad smile. He remembered that she didn’t know about the men Matthew found. She didn’t even know that Matthew was back in town.

  “Is that Matthew?” she asked. Her eyebrow rose in surprise. “He’s back?”

  Milton smiled. “He is.”

  “That’s good,” she said. She looked at him; her pale gray eyes were still stormy. He knew that she was worried, and he couldn’t blame her. Milton had more hope, but he had no idea what these men Matthew found were going to say, and he didn’t know if it would sway the judge. He was too nervous to hope.

  “It’s good right?” Jane asked.

  Milton shook his head slightly. “It’s good,” he said. He looked around. He wanted to tell Jane all about how Matthew had three people who were willing to talk about Brandon’s illegal activities, but he was too worried that Brandon could overhear them.

  Before Milton could say anything else, a hush fell over the entire courthouse. Milton’s eyes immediately turned toward the door. Brandon Eimer walked in with a swagger in his step. Milton almost snorted as he took in the white suit Eimer wore. He was doing everything that he could to appear the respectable gentleman, but from the fear that was almost palatable in the room, Milton knew that Brandon wasn’t fooling anyone.

  “Good afternoon,” he said, as he walked up toward them. He tipped his hat slightly in Jane’s direction, and Milton felt her instantly tense. He pulled her slightly closer. “Nothing to say?” he baited them.

  Milton and Jane stayed silent.

  “That’s fine,” Brandon said. “I suppose our lawyers will soon be doing the talking.”

  Milton just glared at him. He knew that the older man was trying to get a rise out of him, but Milton refused to take the bait.

  “Keep walking,” George Parrish came between the group, taking them all by surprise.

  “Ah, George,” Brandon said. “So nice to see an old friend.”

  “We aren’t friends, and I’ll bid you to leave my daughter alone,” he said.

  Milton was shocked. He couldn’t believe that his father-in-law was standing up against Brandon, especially considering that the information that George had about him could put him in the clink.

  Brandon’s lips thinned, and it was clear that he did not appreciate George getting involved.

  “Seems you’ve grown quite a backbone,” he said.

  “Seems I have,” George countered.

  Mr. Wiley came up behind Brandon. He placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. His face was as grim as Milton had ever seen it.

  “We should take our seats,” Mr. Wiley said. He didn’t say anything to Milton, but he tipped his head slightly in his direction. Milton gave Mr. Wiley a brief smile. He wanted his best friend’s father to know that he did not hold any hard feelings against him. He understood that Matthew’s father got involved in this long before Brandon made his intentions clear.

  “We should also take our seats,” Jane said. “The judge will be here soon.”

  Milton nodded. He took his wife’s hand and led her to the front. He wanted to keep her close by his side.

  “Don’t you need to go sit by Matthew?” Jane asked.

  Milton cursed under his breath. He did. He pressed a kiss to her hand. “Everything is going to work out,” he told her. He hated that he didn’t have anything better to say.

  “All rise!” a voice called out.

  Here we go, Milton thought. He took his place next to Matthew and waited to see what would happen next.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “So, we are here to settle a land dispute?” the judge asked. “Is that correct?”

  “It is Your Honor,” Mr. Wiley, Matthew’s father, said. “My client is suing the defendant for using his waterway.”

  “Objection!” Matthew called out strongly.

  Jane nearly jumped at the loud timbre of his voice. She’d never heard Matthew so forceful before. He was normally a very pleasant and friendly man.

  “He sounds amazing,” Kate whispered in her ear. Jane raised a brow at her sister’s words.

  “I’ll save my thoughts for when he says more than one word,” Jane told her. Kate said nothing but gave an eye roll and leaned back in her seat. Jane turned her attention back to the case. She had missed some of the argument, but she quickly regained it.

  “Overruled,” the judge said. Jane cringed, so far things were not going well. “Continue,” the judge ordered Mr. Wiley.

  “As I said,” Mr. Wiley started once more. “The waterway runs through my client’s land, and as such, he owns it. The defendant has been using said waterway at the edge of the property to expand his cattle holdings. He has no right to it.”

  “Waterways are of constant dispute,” Matthew called out. “There’s an unspoken agreement about their usage that all ranchers adhere to.”

  The judge banged his gavel loudly before turning to Matthew. “You’ll have your turn, but I won’t take you speaking out again.”

  Matthew looked appropriately contrite as he leaned back in his seat.

  “My client is not asking for anything that he’s not entitled to as a landowner. Whatever the ‘agreement’ is has no bearing on the law.”

  Mr. Wiley’s argument didn’t last too much longer. It was short and to the point.

  When it came time for Matthew to present, Jane felt her stomach twisting in knots.

  “Mr. Eimer is not interested in the law. He’s not even interested in the waterway. He owns a ranch, but he has no cattle. What’s motivating this is that the plaintiff has a personal vendetta against my client and his wife. He’s using the waterway to take his revenge …”

  “Whether he dislikes you or not is of no concern to the court,” the judge said, cutting Matthew off before he could go in further. “Please stick with the facts.”

  “Mr. Brennan is being accused of using land without Mr. Eimer’s permission, but that is simply not true. The land itself is contested. One could barely fault Mr. Brennan for potentially thinking it was his own. Ranchers in this town don’t contest waterways. They are good people who want everyone to succeed, unlike Mr. Eimer who seems to not have a generous or neighborly bone in his body.”

  It was hardly a sound legal argument, but it served as a way to get there.

  There was a grumble across the entire courthouse. It seemed that Brandon had freely threatened many people in Denver, resulting in a city that was full of people who felt less than cordial toward him. They seemed more inclined to side with Milton rather than Brandon, and Jane made a note to reach out to every single person and thank them.

  “I’m not here to determine the strength of anyone’s character,” the judge said. “I am here to determine the validity of Mr. Eimer’s land dispute.”

  Kate snorted, and Jane gave her a sharp look. “Be quiet,” she said. “I need to hear.”

  “The judge is going to side with Milton,” Kate said. “Matthew is going to make sure of that.”

  Jane sure hoped that was the way things went; however, she did not feel like things were going to turn out as they hoped.

  “Waterway rights can be difficult,” the judge said. Jane sat on the edge of her seat. “However,” the judge continued, “while I might not be willing to grant Mr. Eimer control of the waterway, your cattle cannot be on his land.”

  Matthew stood up abruptly nearly knocking his chair over. “Your Honor, are you going to allow this man to change years of reciprocity that exist between the ranchers of Denver …”

  “I’m following the law as it is written,” the judge replied, and
he seemed content to allow things to simply be what they were. Jane wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. They hadn’t expected the judge to not speak on the waterway, but to keep the cattle from accessing the water that ran through the land connection created an impossible situation.

  “This can’t be happening,” Kate said. She seemed genuinely confused that they appeared to be losing, and Jane wasn’t sure why. Kate had never seemed to care too much about the ranch, and while she hadn’t been outwardly hostile about things lately, she also hadn’t shown a great deal of interest in the case.

  “Mr. Brennan you are hereby ordered to cease any disallowed land sharing. I won’t determine who owns the waterway, but you are not to use Mr. Eimer’s land, which should solve that issue.”

  It all sounded so obvious. Milton didn’t own the land, so he was not going to be able to access the water. The judge effectively made a good portion of their pasture completely unusable. They wouldn’t even be able to irrigate because they wouldn’t be able to access a water source close enough. Brandon would be able to buy the land out from under them, and he’d win.

  Jane felt sick.

  “I’m finding in favor the plaintiff,” the judge said. The bang of the gavel rang throughout the courtroom, and Jane wondered if people could hear it all the way to California. Milton looked back at her, and the shock and sadness on his face broke her heart.

  There was a great deal of noise coming from the crowd, and Jane knew that people did not like the outcome of the case. This potentially changed water access for all the ranches in the area, and possibly the state.

  “Your Honor!” Matthew called out.

  “Mr. Wiley, I appreciate that you want to help your client,” the judge said.

  Jane could see the knowing look on Matthew’s face, and she wondered what he had up his sleeve.

  “I was hoping that you might hear another case,” Matthew said.

  “I’m not hearing any other cases today,” the judge said.

  Jane was confused as to what was going on, and it seemed that she wasn’t the only person. The courthouse had quieted down, and everyone seemed to be waiting on bated breath to see what was going to happen next.

  “Perhaps, you’ll do me the favor of hearing this one,” the sheriff said, his voice booming through the small courthouse.

  Jane turned in her seat to look at the door. Shock was evident on her face and on the faces of those around her. Standing in the courtroom with three men in tow was the sheriff.

  “Finally,” Kate muttered under her breath. She did not seem shocked to see the sheriff at the courthouse.

  Jane certainly was. She was under the assumption that he wished to be as far away from all of this as possible. The last time she saw him, he seemed pained by the fact that he had to bring the suit to Milton’s door.

  “Sheriff,” the judge said, “I’m surprised to see you here. I didn’t think you’d be interested in a civil case.”

  The sheriff looked abashed, as though he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing.

  The judge is correct, Jane thought, the sheriff should not be involved in land matters past the point of enforcement.

  Jane had been surprised when the sheriff had come to the ranch and delivered the suit. Sheriffs didn’t normally get so involved in such disputes themselves. In a city the size of Denver, she was sure that he had a deputy to do such work. She’d assumed he had only done it because he was friends with Milton, but now she wondered if there was another reason.

  “What’s going on?” Jane whispered to her sister.

  Kate pursed her lips. “Just listen,” she said.

  Jane did not like the fact that the people around her seemed to be keeping secrets. One glance at Matthew and Milton, and she realized that they too knew what was happening.

  “I’m here to arrest Mr. Eimer,” the sheriff said.

  There was an almost comical gasp from the crown, and Jane knew that she had gasped as well. Her mouth was completely open, and she snapped it shut as people started to stare at her. She did not want to appear as shocked as she was.

  I cannot believe that he did not tell me about all of this, she thought. She did her best not to be cross with him. She knew that he must have had a specific reason.

  “What!” Brandon yelled He stood up so quickly that his chair upended. Everyone sat in rapt attention, watching the unexpected events unfold.

  “I have three men here from San Francisco who tell me that you are wanted there by the San Francisco Light Company,” the sheriff said. His voice was clear and confident.

  “You have no jurisdiction on anything that happened outside of this town!” Brandon shouted, sounding desperate.

  “That’s interesting,” Matthew remarked, “because I’ve heard from several of the businessmen in this town that Mr. Eimer has some less than legal dealings around town. I have proof of everything from bribery to extortion.”

  The din of voices in the crowd swelled. It seemed that was all the townsfolk needed to start them all buzzing at once.

  “He tried to steal my business from me!” one man yelled in the crowd.

  “He sold me firewater that was more water than whiskey!” another man yelled.

  “He threatened to take my ranch if I opposed his usage of the waterway!” cried a third.

  Jane’s eyes grew wider and wider as each new accusation was announced. She could hardly believe some of the things that she was hearing. It turned out that Brandon was not just an unscrupulous man, he was also the type of person who would cheat and steal at the lowest of levels without regard to circumstances.

  “I suppose now we all know how he’s been able to get so rich,” Kate muttered.

  Jane nodded. It seemed that Brandon would do anything to catch a dime. The carpenter working on his house said that he was not paid for the work done, and that when he threatened to go to the courts, Brandon threatened to tear the house down and accuse him of shoddy workmanship.

  He went about his life destroying people as often as he could—as long as there was something that he had to gain from their ruination.

  “Order! Order! Order in the court!” the judge called out. He struggled to make himself heard over the noise, but the loud repeated sound of his gavel distracted everyone. People started to quiet and take their seats.

  “This is slander!” Brandon protested as he stood to be heard. His face was red as an apple, and his eyes shot daggers at the crowd. Jane had no idea how he was planning to get himself out of this one, but she was eager to see it. Up until now, Brandon had managed to stay just ahead of everyone else.

  Seems that his time is up, Jane thought. She bit her lip to stop her smile. She didn’t want to wish ill on anyone, but she liked the turn this case appeared to have taken.

  “Sit down!” the judge exhorted the people.

  Mr. Wiley seemed flustered himself, and Jane wondered what he was going to do. Matthew’s father was a good man, and she couldn’t understand why he was willing to represent a man like Eimer.

  “Your Honor,” Matthew said, standing, “Given this new information, I propose reconsideration of your original ruling. It’s clear that Mr. Eimer has been creating a problem amongst the good ranchers of Denver without cause. This was a personal vendetta that got out of hand.”

  The judge looked like he had a bad taste in his mouth. “Given all the new information that we are learning, I’m inclined to agree.”

  Jane tried not to allow herself to believe that things were looking up for them.

  “That being said, I must uphold the law, and the law is clear on this matter,” the judge ruled.

  Jane released a sigh. She couldn’t believe that they were still going to lose. She was appalled that someone who regularly took unfair advantage of his neighbors and fellow ranchers could use his schemes for his own betterment and get away with it.

  “Of course,” Matthew said. He seemed too calm. “However, I think we can both agree that the law prevents
criminals from owning land. Given Mr. Eimer’s obvious crimes and misdeeds, I think we can all agree that he should be stripped of his land as restitution for such crimes and misdeeds.”

  The longest stretch of silence that Jane ever experienced stretched out as the people waited for the judge’s reply.

  The judge at last spoke to Matthew’s proposal. “Mr. Eimer has not yet been found guilty of any crimes, so while I might not strip him of his land, I’m going to order it held by the court for the time being and suggest that your client find a way to water his pastureland in some other manner.”

  Jane released a sigh of relief as the entire crowd burst out in cheers. It wasn’t a victory, but for now, it would do.