A few doors down from the paper’s office, voices were raised in argument.
“Who do you think you are? I didn’t ask you here.” It was Angelica.
“You are promised to me, yet I hear rumors of another man all around town. I think I showed up just in time.” His voice dripped with accusation.
Her next words took Jamie totally by surprise. “There is another man. He treats me kind and does not try to control me.”
“What’s his name? I’ll blow his head off before taking you back to civilization.”
“You will do no such thing,” Angelica said, her voice shaking with fear. She turned her gaze from the man and locked eyes with Jamie. The man next to her, followed suit and laughed aloud.
“Is that the bloke? He doesn’t look like your type at all.” He turned and focused on Jamie. “Well you heard the woman – two men cannot own her, so we will do the honorable thing.” He walked over to him, removed his glove, and used it to slap Jamie on the cheek. “One o’clock sharp on the main street here. Bring your weapon,” he said.
“You’re crazy. I will not be there. You can have the woman.”
“Too late. The challenge has been given,” the man said.
“And you say you come from civilization?” Jamie asked. “Folks around here tend to talk out their problems before resorting to gunning each other down.”
“Gentlemen demand honor and restitution.”
“Gentlemen?”
“Yes! Stop echoing me. One o’clock, in the street.”
“Best bring a parasol – it gets hot standing in the sun alone.”
Jamie turned to Angelica. “Deal with this,” he said.
Instead of the flamboyant girl he’d grown to know, she cowered at his side. “Oh, James – save me from a fate worse than death.”
“Marriage? You will have to take that up with your father. Might be a good time to go home.”
“Home? That would only seal my doom. What of our plans to marry? I want to stay here,” she cried aloud. Everyone in close proximity could plainly hear and see the desperate woman’s plea.
She grabbed his arm, and faced the tyrant with new strength. “Go home, Clifford. We don’t want you here.”
From where he stood, Jamie heard the gasp, and saw Tariana outside the door of The New Northwest’s office building. Her hand clutched the collar of her dress as she stared at Angelica, sidled up beside Jamie. Was she doubting the promises they’d spoken the night before?
He needed to do something fast, but the choice was taken from him when the man moved to the center of the street. “I changed my mind,” he said. “Let’s get this over with now.”
Tariana took off running, and Jamie noticed that she was headed for the Sheriff’s office. All he had to do was waste a bit of time, let the lawman do his job, and the crisis would be over before anyone got hurt.
The thought had barely taken root, when, in two giant steps, Clifford reached over to snatch Angelica from Jamie’s arms and put the barrel of the gun to her head. “Maybe your chicken heart would prefer me to rid us both of our problem. No one will miss Miss Snooty-Pants. I will tell her father we married in Oregon, and after I scoop up the money he promised as a wedding gift, I will inform the family that their daughter was ruthlessly gunned down by a jealous nobody in Oregon City.”
The man seemed smug as he unfolded his plan. “You’d best watch your back, boy – because he will seek vengeance.” Clifford roared with laughter as he tightened his grip on Angelica. “Yes, this idea is sounding better all the time. She is one tigress I won’t have to beat into submission.”
How could a man spit such vile venom? Jamie had never met the likes of anyone like him before, and he realized he’d lived a sheltered life.
He inhaled and put up his hand. “Leave the girl alone. We’ve a date with fate at one, right?”
Clifford pushed Angelica to the ground. “That’s more like it. I heard frontier men were tough – now’s your time to prove it.”
“Not on my watch, mister,” the Sheriff said, aiming his gun at the stranger’s head. “No one comes into my town to stir up problems. The way I see it, you have two choices: either leave town immediately or go to jail and let the judge decide what to do with you. Threatening our citizens is a serious offence, depending on how the circuit judge feels that day.”
“He’s not partial to outsiders,” someone from the crowd yelled. “Go home and take the woman with you.”
“I was attempting that very thing when she declared her wish to stay and marry a member of your community,” Clifford yelled.
“I don’t care where the woman goes,” the lawman shouted. “I only care about you.”
At that moment, Angelica wrapped her arms around Jamie. “I’m staying here and marrying a man who will treat me with respect.” The way she clung to Jamie made them look every bit authentic as a couple. He glanced around to see the horror on Tariana’s face as she turned, went back inside the building, and closed the door securely behind her.
It was almost an hour before Jamie was able to tear himself loose of the overwrought Texan. Since the bully refused to leave town, Jamie pressed charges to keep Angelica safe. He let Clifford know he had no intention of marrying his woman when he was, in fact, sworn to another.
The sheriff locked Clifford Parksview behind bars, mostly to stifle his mockery of what he called “backward small-town justice.” He claimed his lawyer would have him out before nightfall, and the idea appeared to set Angelica to shaking all over again.
Jamie accompanied her to the telegraph office to wire a message
