Mrs. Stone glared at Mary. “But her sister is a—”
Jasper held up a hand. “If you finish that sentence now, or ever, you will not see a dime of my money.”
“You don’t have to marry me,” Emma Jane said quietly. “You’ve done more than anyone else has ever done for me.”
Jasper’s eyes misted. “Your mother’s right. If I don’t, your reputation will never recover. Mine won’t be as bad, but I’ll still never be allowed to set foot in many of the homes in Leadville. Like it or not, we must marry.”
He turned toward Mr. Logan. “If you will accompany me to Mr. Lewis’s study, we can go over the details of the wedding. Given the circumstances, I’m sure you’ll understand why it won’t be an elaborate affair.”
“But it must be!” Mrs. Logan’s screech burned Mary’s eardrums. “My daughter’s wedding should be the societal event of the season.”
At least here, the Logan family’s plans would be foiled. Jasper looked at her coldly. “You, madam, have no choice in the matter.”
He turned and stomped out of the room, Mr. Logan trailing behind him.
Mrs. Logan turned and flopped onto a couch. “Why, I never.” Then she turned her attention back to Mary. “And you—”
“I would watch your words, Mrs. Logan.” Will glared at her with a deep ferocity. “I plan on remaining here, and I will report every word you speak to Jasper. Your family does not deserve his kindness.”
Something in Will’s defense of her made the dam holding back Mary’s tears break. They ran freely down her face, and the truth crashed over her in wave after wave. Jasper’s staunch support did little to change the fact that Rose had done the unimaginable, and it was all Mary’s fault.
* * *
Will wished he could offer some comfort to Mary, who’d dried her tears with a handkerchief but stared at the fire as though she wished it would swallow her whole. But with the way Mrs. Logan stared at him, he knew any kindness he offered would be misconstrued.
“It’ll be all right,” Emma Jane said quietly, patting Mary’s hand.
Mary squeezed Emma Jane’s hand back. “I should be comforting you. We’re in a fine mess, aren’t we?”
Emma Jane looked as if she was about to say something, but Mrs. Logan swooped in. “I will not have this.”
Giving Will a cold look, Mrs. Logan continued, “I may not be able to speak what I think, but that doesn’t mean I will allow my daughter to be under the influence of someone who thinks that marrying the most eligible bachelor in Leadville is worthy of comfort.”
At least married to Jasper, Emma Jane would have the freedom to talk to Mary again. Jasper would make sure of it, Will was certain.
Poor Jasper. Will had warned his friend that his antics would land him at the business end of a shotgun someday. But Emma Jane wasn’t a bad sort. Sure, she made a lousy first impression. But she grew on a person. Jasper could do a lot worse than Emma Jane Logan for a wife.
Though he wasn’t sure he could find worse in-laws than Mr. and Mrs. Percival Logan.
Jasper reentered the room, Mr. Logan at his heels. “We’ll return to Leadville as soon as possible. Mrs. Lewis is having their man get the horses ready for travel. None of us have much in the way of belongings, so we will be leaving shortly.”
“Surely you don’t expect us to travel with—” Mrs. Logan glared at Mary.
The woman couldn’t possibly be serious. The accusations were about Mary’s sister, not Mary, and they hadn’t even proven to be true.
Jasper met Mrs. Logan’s glare with a fierce look of his own. “You and your husband will ride back in your carriage with Emma Jane. Mr. Lewis needs to go into town for some supplies, so Will, Mary and I will ride in the wagon with him.”
“But you should be riding with us, so we can get to know the man who’s stealing our daughter.”
“I have business to attend to with Will. There will be plenty of time to get to know each other after the wedding.”
The Jasper Will knew would have made a joke here, but the tightness around Jasper’s jaw made it clear this was no laughing matter. Jasper had often joked about marriage being akin to facing a hangman’s noose. Now on his way to the executioner, Jasper didn’t have anything to laugh about.
Jasper looked at Will. “Come, help me with the horses.”
Knowing Jasper, he was probably ready to explode at the inhumanity of the situation. Will didn’t like it, either. Perhaps they could find a way out.
Will followed Jasper out to the blessed fresh air. Though the ground was still muddy, it was far better than being inside with all the tension.
“Are you really going to marry her?”
“I don’t have much of a choice. It was bound to happen someday. Emma Jane saved my life. If saving her reputation means giving up my freedom, then I guess I owe her.”
Will hadn’t much considered marriage much for himself. Sure, there had been the craziness with Daisy that almost had him thinking along those lines. But he’d learned a valuable lesson in not trusting the fairer sex. Thinking you were in love only addled your brain, and if you weren’t careful, you could get shot. Literally.
Truthfully, he had nothing to offer a woman. No wealth, no home, no respectability.
“Emma Jane’s not too bad,” Will said lamely.
“No, she’s not.” Jasper blew out a breath. “I don’t know how I’m going to handle her family. Her father spoke of wanting to return to family back East. I’m hoping, with enough money, I can stick them on a train and be done with the lot of them.”
Cold, even for Jasper.
“Won’t Emma Jane miss them?”
Jasper shook his head. “Doubtful. When we were stuck in the mine, Emma Jane made it clear that she wanted nothing more than
