'Now you can leave,' she whispered. 'I'm no longer a disgrace to my brothers.'
'That isn't amusing,' he whispered against her mouth. He kissed her again, harder, and then draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.
Two of the brothers, Douglas and Travis, had tears in their eyes. Cole looked pleased, however, and that surprised Harrison.
'You're happy about this?' he asked.
'If she's pregnant, she's married. She might want to stay here, Harrison. You should think about that on your way to England.'
'She'll come to me.'
Cole frowned. Harrison sounded damned sure of himself.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in celebration, though Mary Rose wasn't given any time alone with her husband. She went upstairs with a piece of the cake Samuel had prepared, but Eleanor didn't have the stomach for food just yet. She cried for a minute or two because she'd missed the wedding and fell asleep almost immediately. Mary Rose left the cake on the dresser and then went back downstairs to thank Belle and the judge.
Harrison was waiting for her on the steps. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
'I promise as soon as possible we'll have a preacher bless the union. Will that make you feel better?'
'Yes, thank you.'
'I love you, sweetheart.'
'I love you too.'
'I realize you'll want to spend the night with your bride, Harrison, but there's a matter I'd like to ask your opinion about, seeing as you're an attorney and all. Could you spare me a few minutes in the library?'
Judge Burns made the request from the bottom of the steps. Harrison couldn't deny the request, of course; though, in all honesty, the last thing he wanted to do now was talk about legal matters. He wanted to get Mary Rose naked again.
She would have to wait, however. He winked at his bride and followed the judge into the library.
The judge was a pipe smoker. He took a long while to get a proper fire lit, then leaned back in Adam's chair and smiled at Harrison. He motioned for him to take the other chair.
'This here is the most peculiar family I ever did encounter. Now that you've married into it, I guess you must be peculiar too. Are you, Harrison?'
'I guess I am,' Harrison agreed. 'They're all good men, Judge, and they're certainly a family. The brothers have done well for their sister.'
'Sweet Belle had a little hand in it too. She sewed up dresses for Mary Rose. I don't remember much about her as a young'n. When I called on Belle, it was usually close to nightfall and of course the child was back at home where she belonged. I recall a mop of curls though. She's still got plenty of those, doesn't she? You love her fierce, like you should?'
'Yes, sir, I do.'
'I got to hear a trial day after tomorrow in Hammond,' the judge remarked. He shifted his position in his chair, folded one leg over the other, and then continued on. 'It's a jury trial, and everyone in town is dead set against the defendant. He won't get a fair hearing. I got the feeling he's being railroaded by the vigilantes. Ever hear of a man named Bickley?'
'I'll never forget the bastard,' Harrison said. He explained how he'd met the man and what he'd done to him.
The judge didn't seem surprised by Harrison 's admission. 'You wanted to kill him because he hurt your Mary Rose, but you didn't kill him. That's the difference between civil and animal. Are you an ignorant lawyer, or do you really know how the law works?'
'I know how the law works.'
'I'd like to see you prove it to me. Will you come to Hammond tomorrow and talk to George Madden? He's the man they plan to condemn.'
'What's the charge?'
'Stealing a horse. We don't take kindly to stealing anything out here, but when a man's horse is taken, well, then, folks tend to think the death sentence is the only possible punishment. You won't have long to work up your case, I'm sorry to say, but I've got a strong feeling that after you talk to Madden, you'll know who really took the horse. I won't say anything more to taint your mind, but the man deserves a fair hearing, and unless you come to Hammond with me, he won't get one. You can't bring your bride with you because the town's worked up over this business. The vigilantes have everyone all lathered up and ready for a lynching, and the sheriff has his hands full trying to keep order. I can't put off the trial date, so don't go asking me for any favors. The sheriff would sneak in my room and shoot me in my sleep if I decided to delay things. He's putting in twenty-four-hour days now, and his jail is bursting at the seams with men in need of my attention.'
'They call you the hanging judge,' Harrison remarked.
'That's nice to hear.'
Harrison laughed. 'You're a fair man, aren't you?'
'I like to think I am. If a man needs hanging, I'm not squeamish about seeing he gets it. It doesn't always matter what's right though, especially when a man is given a jury trial. His peers are mostly an ignorant breed.'
'When do you want to leave?'
The judge smiled with satisfaction. 'How about noon? It will take me that long to get up the strength to leave Belle's bed. I'll meet you outside her place tomorrow then, if that's agreeable.'
'Yes, sir,' Harrison said as he stood up. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bride waiting to be kissed.'
The judge stopped him at the doorway. 'Mind telling me why she carried a pistol to her wedding? I've been mighty curious about that.'
'I'm not completely certain, but I think she was letting me know she wasn't going to be coerced into doing anything she didn't want to do. I guess you could say she was trying to even up the odds. Her brothers and I were stacked up against her. She was also hoping to be married by a preacher. She wanted the union blessed, I suppose.'
'Well, hell, son, drag her on in here. I'll be happy to bless her. Will it matter that I'm not a preacher?'
'I'm afraid so, Your Honor.'
He left the judge snorting with laughter. Mary Rose was upstairs with Belle. The two women were looking in on Eleanor. His bride didn't come back downstairs until nearly three o'clock. Harrison sat on the porch and drank beer with her brothers. When Mary Rose came out to the porch, Harrison told her about the trial in Hammond.
The judge left with Belle an hour later, and Mary Rose went into the kitchen to help set the table for supper.
All four of her brothers seemed genuinely happy for their sister, and try as he might, Harrison couldn't understand why. Their turnabout confused him. He knew they had a motive for wanting the marriage; he just couldn't figure out what it was.
Cole sat in the chair next to Harrison. He turned to him first.
'How come you went along with the wedding?'
'It's like Douglas said,' Cole drawled out. 'No use closing the barn door after the horse got out. She loves you and you love her.'
'And?'
'You'll bring her back home, where she belongs.'
'Do you mean here? To your ranch?'
'The area at least. She belongs in Montana. The land's a part of her. You won't take that away from her.'
'Where we live is in her hands,' Harrison said. 'She might change her mind after she meets Elliott.'
Cole and Douglas exchanged a look Harrison couldn't quite interpret.
'And?' he persisted, determined to get to the end of the maze and find out what their true motive was.
'He can't keep her, can he?' Cole asked the question in a whisper-soft voice.
Harrison straightened in his chair. 'Meaning what, Cole?'
Douglas answered. 'Elliott can't keep her in England or marry her off to some rich old lord and make her stay
