As much as Jasper wanted to believe that everything would be all right, he wouldn’t put much stock in that belief until justice had been done.
He had valuable information about the gang, and when he returned to town, he’d be able to get the others in the sheriff’s office to bring them to justice. Regardless of Daisy’s outcome, the gang was still dangerous to the citizens of Leadville. Even if the gang made good on their plans to go to Mexico after their last job, not apprehending them would send a message to all of the other criminals in the country that Leadville was a place where they could get away with a life of crime.
He looked over at Emma Jane, who was staring at the remains of her cookie absently.
“Is everything all right? You’re not upset, are you?” Jasper asked, looking for signs that he’d broken the fragile peace between them.
She shook her head. “No. I was just thinking about how my mother used to always spin her fantasies about what life must be like living in the Jackson mansion, having all the things you have and being at the pinnacle of society.”
Jasper’s stomach knotted. Everyone had their ideas of what his life must be like. Ladies used to beg for rides in their gold-leafed carriage. Jasper himself had never seen a need for such frippery, but his parents always thought it was good fun.
Then she let out a long, plaintive sigh. “But I wish I could go back and tell her that all those things are not what’s important. It seems to me that no matter who you are, even with a life as wonderful as what people think yours must be, people wish their lives could have been different.”
He couldn’t speak. Couldn’t feel his own heart beating in his chest. Everything he’d revealed to her, even the things that he’d only hinted at, she’d understood.
All this time, he’d been so angry at everyone not caring about his needs, his desires, and here she was, speaking to the fact that he felt so out of control. Not in so many words, perhaps, but at least she understood that the Jasper Jackson everyone so deeply admired was not the Jasper Jackson he wanted to be.
He took her hand as he moved closer to her. “Thank you. You’ve given me hope that you really do see me. You hear me. And I appreciate it.”
Then he looked into her eyes. Those deep, mystifying blue eyes whose flecks of brown made it impossible for him to decipher what was going on inside her.
“I know our marriage started out rocky, but I promise you, I’ll do my best to improve upon it.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and it lit up her whole face. A beautiful sight he hoped to see more of over the years. He truly hadn’t understood the value of such a simple thing until now.
Then Emma Jane shifted her weight. “Does that mean you’re more open to accepting Moses in your life, as well?”
His stomach dropped. Was that what all of this was about? Their connection? The seeming moments of hope in finding their way?
Every woman in his acquaintance was gifted at the pretty words, the lovely looks and the subtle manipulation used to get what they want. He hadn’t seen it coming with Emma Jane—not when the words she’d used were all so...deep. So profound. She’d figured him out, all right. She’d known that he was tired of all the fluff and had been searching for substance.
Jasper coughed. “I’d hoped our conversation would be more about us. Without involving the child.”
“I...I...I’m sorry.” She looked away, but then turned her gaze back at him. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Then her shoulders rose and fell before she squared off with him. “But you must know that I’m different now. Emma Jane Logan did everything she could to please others and be as little trouble as possible. Emma Jane Jackson, she stands up for what she believes in, even if that’s inconvenient to others.”
She stood, her petite frame towering over him. “Moses is my son. He needs a mother, and I promised to be that mother. If you’re looking to improve our relationship, then you need to accept that fact.”
Perhaps she hadn’t done such a good job of figuring him out, after all. No one backed Jasper Jackson into a corner. And clearly, she’d failed to understand that the one miserable thing in his life was his lack of choices. Because, yet again, she’d made it clear that she didn’t care about what he wanted.
Telling her that meant rehashing the same argument they’d already been around. Clearly, she didn’t respect his point of view in this matter. What other matters in their marriage would she fail to respect his wishes?
Jasper met her gaze with a steely look of his own. “And you need to accept that, in a marriage, a husband and wife make decisions like that together.”
He didn’t want to talk to her anymore. Couldn’t, really. Taking care of an orphaned child, it was a noble decision. Daisy’s child, yes, it made taking in the baby even more so. But he hadn’t even been given the opportunity to think it through.
“You’ll have to excuse me.” He rose to his feet and exited the kitchen. Not his finest manners, he’d admit, but what was a man to do?
Jasper took the steps to their bedroom two at a time. Their bedroom. Ha! The Lewises had given them a room together, but the previous night, Jasper had slept in the chair while Emma Jane sprawled out on the bed. Not that he wanted to share the bed with her, but she’d been comfortable where he had not.
Childish of him to think that way now, because of course sleeping in the chair was the right thing to do. Just as raising Daisy’s baby was the
