Hank wandered over to the hearth and crouched down. Gathering kindling and a log, he arranged them over the coals in the fireplace. Dwight moseyed over to the settee and plopped down on it, more than a bit disheartened that he hadn’t been allowed to stay in the room with Mary. Hank was quiet while he worked and Dwight was glad his brother-in-law was giving him time to think.
However, once he had the fire going hot and the chill in the room began to abate, Hank stood up and whirled around, pointing a finger and shaking his head at him. Oh boy, here it comes.
The other man’s emotions had once again escalated and he burst forth with pent up questions.
“Why didn’t you marry her first? Didn’t you love her? Christiansen, if I find out you forced her, I’ll bust you up, so help me. And what did your little sister mean by all that…proxy…censure…” He stopped and rifled his hands back through his hair in frustration before slamming his hands on his hips and glaring back at him angrily.
Dwight assessed the look in Hank’s eyes and considered his words carefully. Mary had told him that she hadn’t wanted her brother to know the truth, but somehow, the way things were now, that just didn’t sit right—and not because the man was blaming him for something he didn’t do.
Sorry, sweetheart, he said silently. He swallowed and took a breath.
“There’s something you don’t know. Mary didn’t want to tell you—why, I’m not exactly sure. Maybe she thought you’d go off halfcocked and do something stupid,” he threw a half grin at the other man, who merely kept up his steady, fierce stare. “Maybe she didn’t want you to be ashamed of her. But I think you should know. The baby’s not mine. She met a man on the steamboat, J. Houston, and he…he took advantage of her innocence.”
Stopping as he could see his hot-headed brother-in-law’s boilers were filling with steam again, he then hurried on, just to get it all said. “He’d tricked her, got her drunk—and yes, he’s a no-good polecat, a liar, a thief, and a criminal to boot. He’d discovered she had stowed aboard the boat and he used the knowledge to his benefit. Once the boat docked here in Brownville, they were walking up the hill and he turned on her. He knocked her down, cut her leg with a big knife, stole her money, and took off running. Tobias caught up with him across the river and brought him back.”
He waited, watching his volatile brother-in-law. Hank put both hands up, gripping his head as if he were trying to keep his rage in check. Then he began pacing and mumbling, all while punching one palm with the other fist. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?” he demanded.
“Because she swore us all to secrecy, I told you. Calm down, Robinson.”
The other man shot him a glare. “Calm down, you say. My sister was ruined and she’s upstairs now havin’ some blackguard’s baby—she could even die—and you tell me to calm down!”
Dwight felt his own ire rising, but he stuffed the frustration back down, remembering when he’d first found out the truth and how he’d wanted to hunt Hobbs down and take a bullwhip to his sorry hide. Right now, though, he was going to set this hot head straight.
“First off, don’t ever say that again. She’s not ruined. You say that like she’s a jar of strawberry jam that hit the floor and broke, never to be good for anything again. She rallied from it, man. She made her peace with God and she has a lot of people who love her and don’t think of her as spoiled goods—except for a few busybodies that Doc told off a while ago. The past is past. If you throw it back in her face, Hank, so help me, I’ll beat you senseless. You got that?”
Hank looked away and answered with a shrug. Dwight let out a huff.
“Anyway, she was three months along when she realized something wasn’t right and went to Doc. That’s when she found out she was…in the family way. From there, Doc arranged everything. I’d seen her at my sister’s wedding in June, but I didn’t know her, and I’d gone back to Louisville. I found out about the problem and agreed to marry her and give the baby my name—partly because she’s my sister’s best friend, I guess. Doc arranged a proxy ceremony and another guy stood in for me. I uh…” he gave a small, crooked grin and lifted his shoulders. “I wasn’t supposed to even come here. The plan was that after the baby arrived, she would get a quiet divorce and tell people her husband had succumbed to a fever or something. But I think…no, I know God had other plans. I found myself needing to get out of town, so I came out here with my family and agreed to keep her secret. Playact like the loving husband.”
Hank had still been pacing while listening, but now swung around and jabbed him with a look. “Are you sayin’ that after the baby comes, you’re gonna leave her? Just like that? My sister loves you. Any fool can see that!”
Dwight leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and looked his hot-blooded brother-in-law dead in the eyes as he firmly shook his head, firmly. “Nope. I’m not going anywhere. I love Mary. I fell in love with her that first
