"I'm sure legal process will prevail," the lawyer said.
Caulfield and Fitzhugh turned and started toward their horses.
Elise stared at Caulfield's back. "If you think my father is going to help you annul this marriage, you don't know him. He wouldn't do such a thing."
Caulfield looked at Elise and Devlin didn't like the smile on his face. Not one bit.
"I wouldn't bank on that. Your father was very adamant about the evidence he's provided. I think he'll be very co-operative," he said with a knowing grin. What did Caulfield have over Elise's father? Devlin had no idea but it must be something major if it was going to allow Caulfield to try something as desperate as this.
Caulfield and Fitzhugh mounted their horses and swung out of the yard.
Devlin drew Elise close to him. She was shaking. He cursed the two men who were disappearing into the distance. Devlin wrapped his arms around his wife. "There Elise. They're gone. Nothing's gonna happen. Everything is going to be fine," he whispered.
Devlin held her tight, the scent of her hair strong and clean. He clutched her head to his chest and heard her begin to sob quietly.
"What a horrible man," she said, her voice quivering.
Devlin took a breath. The man was vermin. How dare he come to the ranch and threaten his marriage and his wife like that. All because of water. Was the source of all life going to be the cause of him losing everything he held dear in the world?
Not if he had his way, he said to himself, holding Elise firm against his body, and wondering how he was going to take her pain away.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The moonlight showed her the way. Elise guided the horse along the narrow track, heading toward town, focusing hard to make sure that her mount wouldn't step into any dangerous holes. The last thing she needed right now was to take a tumble and end up on the ground.
Elise thought about Devlin. He was still back at the ranch and hoped he'd forgive her for sneaking off in the middle of the night. But, she had to talk to her father, even at this late hour. There had been too many things spoken of earlier that she needed answers to.
Devlin had been kinder than she could have hoped, after Caulfield and Fitzhugh had left. Elise and Devlin had spoken about the revelations and agreed that they would take a trip into town the next day and try to sort things out.
But, when it had come time for her to join him upstairs in the bedroom, Elise had known that she wouldn't be able to settle. There were too many problems hanging over their heads for them to have any chance of feeling comfortable together. Caulfield had made sure that their first real night of closeness would be marred by the worries over their future together.
So, Elise had taken matters into her own hand and decided that she had to speak with her father and get to the bottom of just what was going on between him and Caulfield. It looked like Caulfield might be able to force Elise and Devlin apart. That made her heart ache just to think of it. Surely it couldn't be done. Their marriage was as legally binding as anyone's. Surely her future with Devlin wasn't in jeopardy.
The thought of Devlin made her smile in the pale moonlight. The care he'd shown her had touched her deeply. He'd shown just how much she meant to him. Elise knew just important that was. And she felt things for Devlin that had taken her by surprise. He was a fine man; strong minded; gentle spirited; passionate and determined. She'd seen all those qualities in one day and it made her wonder at the depths of his passion for her.
She wasn't going to give this up. Not for anything or anyone.
She prodded the horse onto a faster pace and fixed her eyes on the distant lights of the town. Her father was going to give her answers if it was the last thing she did.
Devlin started down the stairs and wondered where Elise was. He'd been waiting for her for almost half an hour, expecting her to come to him. He wanted to continue where he'd left off earlier, calming her, soothing her, reassuring her that everything would be alright. But she hadn't come upstairs and he was getting concerned.
He went through the rooms on the ground floor and couldn't find her. He stepped out into the cool night air. The moon was full and lit up the yard and the corral. He stood there for a moment and looked around. He called her name, but there was no answer.
A moment later Evan, the ranch hand came around from the direction of the bunkhouse.
"Have you seen Elise?" he asked his employee.
Evan frowned. "I haven't. But I heard one of the hands say he saw Mrs.Cooper head off on a horse," he answered.
Devlin's eyes lit up. "What!"
"He said she was headed south, maybe toward town," Evan concluded.
"At this time?"
"Maybe she's going for a short moonlit ride," Evan offered.
Devlin knew otherwise. There was only one place Elise was headed and it wasn't for a moonlit ride.
"Thanks, Evan."
"You need a hand boss?"
"No. It'll be fine. She'll be back soon."
Evan squinted, obviously not entirely convinced by Devlin's explanation. Evan headed off and Devlin sighed, kicking the dirt under his boots.
What in tarnation had gotten into Elise? Surely she didn't think that going to town in the middle of the night was going to solve anything. She was such a strong willed woman. In one way he wasn't surprised that she had decided to take matters into her own hands. But he was mildly disappointed that she hadn't asked him to go along with her. Maybe she wanted some private one on one time with her father. He knew she needed explanations, but he wasn't sure she was going to get any from her father. The same father who'd tried to marry her off to Caulfield. It didn't matter to Devlin if Macleod had had his reasons for doing that. No man should force his daughter to marry a man she hated.
But Caulfield had to have a mighty powerful hold on a man to force him to give up his daughter.
There was still the question of who was going to end up with the water access rights. That land hadn't been signed over to Devlin nor to Caulfield. So it still wasn't too late. Things could still turn out right. But they weren't going to fix themselves.
Devlin got himself ready, grabbing his coat and pistol, and heading for the stable. Before the night was out he'd know whether he was going to keep his ranch and, more importantly, whether Elise and he had a future together.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Elise hammered on the door and called up. "Father. Open up. It's me. Elise. I need to talk to you."
There were no lights on in the house. The dark windows in the neighbours' houses suggested the people there were already asleep, but Elise didn't care if she woke any of them.
She worked the door's circular metal knocker. The sound of it echoed in the dark. It made Elise feel suddenly conscious of being on her own. It would be good to get inside the house.
Elise looked up and saw the glow of a lamp in one of the upstairs bedrooms. A few moments later the door creaked open. Her father stood in the hall, dressed in his night gown, his feet covered in white socks. He had on his customary loose white cap. It was an image of her father that Elise recognized from her childhood.
"Elise, child. What are you doing here?" he gasped.
Elise strode into the house and closed the door behind her. "I've come to talk to you father. I need some answers," she declared.
Elise headed for the parlor and took up a position next to the fireplace. The embers of a fire still glowed softly and she felt the gentle heat warm her bones. The ride to town had been fast, and on more than one occasion the horse had stumbled, requiring Elise to hold tight to the reins. The plains north of town were cold and unwelcoming in the night. It was a relief to feel the heat of the fire, the welcoming warmth of her parents' home.
But, she still felt the cold clinging to her. Or was it the cold in her heart at the thought of the conversation she was about to have with the man who'd raised her.
Jedediah placed the lamp down on the table and stood in front of Elise. "Elise. You didn't ride out here at this ho
ur, just to see me. Did you?"
"I did, father. I must talk to you. My life and future happiness depend upon you," she said, her voice cracking.
"But Elise. You could have come to harm. It's dangerous riding in the dark. Are you alone?"
"Devlin isn't with me, if that's what you mean."
"He let you come on your own?" Jedediah said frowning.
Elise warmed her hands by the faint heat of the fireplace. "He doesn't know I'm here," she admitted.
"Why have you come?" Jedediah asked.
Elise gave her father a stern look. "You know why I'm here. My husband and I had a visit tonight. From Bart Caulfield and a lawyer."
Elise saw Jedediah's face pale at the mention of the two men. He sat down on the wide sofa and placed a steadying hand by his side.
"What did they want?" he asked looking up at his daughter.
Elise saw the fear in his eyes and felt a brief surge of emotion. Her father had always been a strong man; a resourceful provider for his family. But right now what she was seeing was a pale shadow of the man who had nurtured and protected her for most of her life.
"They told me that with your help, they are going to try to have my marriage to Devlin annulled."
Jedediah's face went deathly white and his lower lip began to tremble. "Annulled? Why?"
"They claim that you have made an allegation that calls into question the legitimacy of my marriage to Devlin. They say that Devlin abducted me and forced me to marry him. Of course that's ridiculous."
Jedediah breathed out noisily and sank back on the sofa. He looked like all the air had been sucked out of him, and for the first time, Elise thought he looked really old.
Jedediah looked at his daughter. Elise's throat tightened as she looked into her father's moist, wide eyes. He said nothing.
"Is it true, papa?" Elise asked.
Jedediah swallowed noisily and cleared his throat. He tried to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth on the first attempt. He eventually spoke, his voice cracking with emotion.
"I didn't mean to do you any harm Elise. It's just that he put so much pressure on me. He knows too much about me," Jedediah mumbled.
Elise went to the sofa and sat down next to her father. "Who does, papa?"
"Caulfield," he said simply. He said the word like it was dirty.
"What does he know about you?"
Jedediah looked away and seemed to be considering his words carefully. Elise reached over and took her father's thin, bony hand. It felt cold and weak. She was sure she could feel it shiver in her grasp.
Jedediah turned and peered into Elise's eyes. She saw something there she hadn't seen in a very long time.
Love for his daughter.
Elise felt her heart beat faster as she looked at her father.
"Caulfield found out about some deals I'd carried out a while back," Jedediah said in a low voice.
"What kind of deals?" Elise asked.
Her father sighed. "Some parcels of land that I'd acquired. You know I'm supposed to avoid conflicts of interest. But we needed the money. So some opportunities came up and I made sure that I acquired some stretches of land. I used some shell companies so no-one would find out. One of the parcels of land is the one that Caulfield wants to ensure water access for his ranch."
"The same one Devlin wants?"
Jedediah nodded.
"Papa. You didn't break the law. Did you?"
Jedediah's shoulders slumped. "Not really. But if it came out it might look that way to anyone who wants to take issue with it," he admitted.
"And Caulfield threatened to expose you?"
Jedediah nodded. "So he tried to force you to agree to me marrying him, and in return he would stay quiet about the land deals and get the water access."
Jedediah looked at Elise and squeezed her hand. "And he'd get you," he murmured as if he was ashamed of himself. He shook his head.
Elise felt her eyes moisten as she gazed at her father. It wasn't his fault after all. He'd had no choice, it seemed to her. She couldn't imagine the pressure he'd been under to bend to Caulfield's will. Knowing Caulfield she could only imagine how cruel he'd been to her father.
Jedediah had bowed to the pressure and gone along with Caulfield's plan. And the reason he'd done so had been to provide for his family and protect his daughters in any way her could. He hadn't done it for private gain after all. Elise suddenly felt bad for doubting her father.
"Oh, papa," Elise said and wrapped her arms around her father's shoulders. She felt him shake in her embrace. She'd never seen her father cry, let alone show any vulnerability, but right here, in the parlor of the house where she had spent so many memorable years, she held him and allowed him to let out the pent up emotions which had so clearly built up inside him.
As she held him Elise considered what this meant. Caulfield still had the power over her father, even if Jedediah was ashamed at what he had done to his daughter. Even if Elise had forgiven him. It meant that Devlin stood to lose the water access he needed and that, within a few months, she and Devlin would have no ranch.
She let Jedediah settle for a moment and then she looked him straight in the eye. "Papa. You must sell that land to Devlin," she stated.
Jedediah's eyes widened. "But I can't. Caulfield will destroy me if I do."
"He can't do that. I won't let him," Elise said sternly. She thought of the pleasure it had given her to slap him. That would only be the beginning, she thought.
"How can you stop him?" Jedediah pleaded.
"I can stop him because of something he has no control over," Elise said.
Jedediah frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There is something he can't prevent. Something all his greed and hatred has no power over. Something no law or court can interfere with."
"What?"
Elise looked at Jedediah. "My love for Devlin Cooper," she said simply.
Jedediah's eyes widened. "Love?" he asked tentatively.
Elise glanced away from Jedediah's penetrating stare. Had she said those words? She could hardly believe what she had just said. Did she love Devlin Cooper? It scarcely seemed possible.
But it was true!
She'd felt it on the way home from the Grantly ranch surrounded by the wild Montana landscape; she felt it the moment his sweet, soft lips had caressed her own; she'd felt it as his eyes had gazed into her soul; she'd known it was true when he'd protected her against Caulfield.
She knew it was all true and she had said it, now, to her father.
Jedediah seemed stunned. "You love Devlin Cooper?"
Elise smiled and nodded. "I do."
Jedediah shook his head as if trying to come to terms with what his daughter had just told him. His eyes were flashing from side to side. Elise wondered what he was thinking.
"This changes everything," Jedediah said quietly.
Elise's brows narrowed. "What do you mean, papa?"
Jedediah reached over and clasped Elise's hands. "You truly love Devlin?"
Elise smiled and nodded aware that she must look like someone who'd just lost their heart to a new beau. That new beau was already her husband.
Jedediah's jaw tightened and a steely look appeared in his eyes. "In that case Bart Caulfield can go to hell."
Elise's mouth opened in shock. She didn't often hear her father speak in such a manner.
"If he thinks he's going to get his hands on that land or my daughter he's got another thing coming," Jedediah announced.
Elise felt his grip tighten around her hands.
Jedediah's eyes narrowed. "Elise. Your husband will have that land tomorrow. No daughter of mine is going to go destitute, especially with the man she loves by her side," he said to her.
Elise hugged her father. "Oh papa. Thank you. I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to say anything Elise. I'm not so old that I can't remember what it feels like to be in love. Your mother and I have been together a long time but I still love her
the same as I did the first day I set eyes on her," he said. A small tear settled on his cheek.
Elise wiped the tear away with the back of a finger. "And Caulfield. What about him?"
"I'll deal with the worst he has to offer. But I'll face that dog down. I've seen worse than him off before."
Elise saw a transformed man next to her on the sofa. Gone was the fearful, timid man she'd known recently. The father she remembered had come back to her. And she loved him.
Jedediah patted Elise's hands reassuringly. "Love is a precious gift, Elise. I'm not going to stand by and let someone like Caulfield stop you from being with the man you love," he said, smiling at his daughter.
Elise smiled at him, grateful for kind words. She could tell he meant what he said; she knew she could trust him again; she understood that what he'd done before had been born out of fear.
But everything was going to be alright.
Jedediah glanced up at the ceiling. "I think I can hear your mother moving about upstairs," he said.
"I didn't hear anything," Elise said.
"Once you've been married a few more years you'll know where your own husband is every minute of the day. It's the way it is when you love someone," he said.
Elise thought about her future with Devlin. There was so much to think about, so much to hope for. She felt a soft glow of anticipation at the wonders which awaited her.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Devlin rode into town. The streets were dark and quiet. He didn't spend much time in town these days, especially at night. He wasn't one for drinking and carousing. Life on the ranch was too busy and too hard to waste time in saloons and the other less reputable places.
He rode past the church and smiled to himself, recalling the wedding. He knew now just how lucky he was to have someone like Elise. At first he'd been reluctant to admit to himself that even a marriage of convenience could develop into something more lasting. But that was exactly what had happened.
Devlin's Montana Bride (Sweet, clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers Brides series) Page 10
