Twenty-five

Numbing cold invaded, blocking the warm sunshine. Jessie’s entire body shook as if someone had submerged her in a tub of ice water.

Duel took his hands from her, removing the only warmth left. Then he pushed her behind him and widened his defiant stance. “Her name’s Jessie McClain. Can’t let you do this, Luke.”

“Darn it, Duel! I was afraid of this.” Luke’s arms rested at his sides where he could easily draw his weapon if push came to shove.

She couldn’t have two brothers killing each other over her. Resolute, despite her watery legs, she pushed Duel aside.

“Stop it. I’ll not have bloodshed on my account.” She faced her beloved. “It’s over, Duel. Luke has to take me back.”

“Sorry, Jessie.” Luke released pent-up tension in a big swoosh of air. “I hate like hell to have to do this. For what it’s worth, I think Foltry had it coming.”

“You’re damned right the man deserved it. That and more,” Duel exploded. “Ain’t no cause to lock a woman up.”

Luke ignored his brother’s outburst. “I spoke with your mother, Jessie. She’s worried sick about you.”

“Mama?” Jessie pictured the frail woman who had taught her decency in all things. Too bad she’d failed. She supposed she’d disappointed her mother and her father.

“Yeah, Phoebe and I had a nice long talk. She’s a special kind of woman, Jessie. Felt real bad for her.” Luke touched her arm gently. “Have some terrible news.”

“You don’t know any other kind, do you, Luke?”

Jessie knew Duel’s rudeness sprang from hurt. He blamed himself that he hadn’t delivered the one promise that meant so much to them both.

I come from a long line of promise-keepers, he’d bragged just after she’d met him. It seemed ages ago.

“What news do you bring, Luke?” She dreaded to imagine. Didn’t know how much more she could stomach.

“Your father died about three weeks ago. Your ma said it was his heart. Went in his sleep.”

She sagged against Duel, unable to stand.

“I’m sorry,” Luke murmured.

No tears came. A wall of heavy sadness kept them at bay. She felt Duel lift and carry her to the bench by the well. She felt the cool water slide down her throat. She heard the pain in his voice, but it all seemed to be happening to a stranger, not to her.

“Jess darlin’, can you hear me?” Duel patted her face gently.

His kiss brought her back to reality. The warmth of his love encircled her, driving the ice from her blood. Her Texan had that way about him—to always know the right thing to do.

A few yards away, Luke waited patiently, still in the same spot they’d left him. Jessie sympathized with him. The younger McClain was a good, decent man. Duty-bound, some folks called it. She couldn’t fault a man for that.

Right now, Luke hated the job they’d handed him. She could see it in his eyes, his dejected stance. No use making things more difficult than they were.

“Duel, I’ve got to go. You know I have no choice.” She pulled away from him and went to Luke. “I’ll pack some things. If that’s allowed?”

“Sure, Jessie. But, I was thinking. It’s kinda late in the day to be starting out.” Luke kicked a dirt clod with the toe of his boot. “Tomorrow’s soon enough.”

“In that case, stay for supper. Your pop’s in the house.”

Luke shifted his attention to Duel, who’d followed Jessie from the well. The proud man waited for an invite from his brother.

“You’re always welcome to sit at my table, Luke. Despite everything else, you’re fam’ly.” Duel clapped him solidly on the back.

“Can’t pass up an opportunity to spoil my new little niece, now can I?”

Worry tightened the knot in Jessie’s stomach. “Marley Rose is sick. She might not make it.”

* * *

“My little angel hasn’t taken a turn for the worse, so why do I feel like I’m attending a wake? Why all the long faces?” Walt asked, putting down his coffee cup with a bang.

His fork frozen in midair, Duel fixed the root of the problem with a stare. “Luke, why don’t you explain to Pop the reason we’re in a devil of a mood?”

Deafening quiet met his question. Finally, his younger brother lifted his eyes from his plate.

For a long moment, Luke watched Jessie push her food aside, not bothering to taste it. “I don’t think this is the time, Pop. After supper we’ll talk about it.”

The table shook under the impact of Walt’s fist. “By Josie, we’ll talk about it now, or I’ll know the reason why.”

Her face as white as a newly hatched eggshell, Jessie covered her mouth with her hand. The sparkling tears in her eyes broke Duel’s heart into a million tiny pieces. He would sell his soul to buy her freedom. If not her freedom, just a little more sand in the hourglass. The grains of sand dropped faster and faster. The sorghum wasn’t ready. Two Bit clung to life by a thread. Without Jess to give their daughter courage to fight, who knew what might happen?

Most of all, he wasn’t ready to give her up. Loving her had been the easy part. Letting her go would rip out his guts, his sanity, and everything else in between.

“Luke’s taking me back to El Paso come morning.” Her voice quavered, but she held her head high, her jaw firm. He’d never been so proud. What would he and Marley do without her strength to lean on?

“Takin’ you back? What in tarnation for?”

Luke withered a smidge under his father’s icy stare. But when he spoke, he was defiant. “I’m sorry it has to be this way, Pop. Lord knows I’d rather be chasing horse thieves or Indians. But I have a job to do, laws to uphold, whether it sets well with folks or not. I hafta look at myself in the mirror.”

“Don’t try to sell me on law work, and quit the double talk. Tell me straight out like a man.”

“All right.” Luke took a deep breath. “I’m arresting Jessie Foltry for the murder of her husband. She’ll stand trial in El Paso.”

Walt jumped to his feet, knocking over his chair. He paid no attention to the clatter. “You’re not takin’ her anywhere less’n you go through me.”

“Pop, I don’t want any trouble. Just doin’ my job.”

The elder McClain’s voice shook with anger. “Tell that to that sweet angel lyin’ in there. Jessie an’ Duel are all the hope that precious thing has. You take Jessie away, and you’ll be stealin’ her will to survive. No sir, I won’t let you.”

Walt stalked from the room. The front door slammed shut behind him, leaving a heavy silence at the table.

Jessie touched Luke’s hand. “Go talk to him. He lashed out like that because he’s hurting. Worry puts words in people’s mouths they wouldn’t say otherwise.”

It amazed Duel that Jessie could show tenderness to the man who wanted to subject her to a humiliating trial and maybe worse. Yet, that quality endeared her to him more.

She accepted her fate and met it head-on. For better or worse. The ache in his chest pounded harder.

“Come on, Luke. Let’s go talk to Pop.” He pressed a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll be right back. We’ve plans to make, lady.”

* * *

They located their father in the barn, leaning against Preacher’s stall. Duel hadn’t seen his father cry since they’d buried Lily McClain. For him to do so now revealed the depth of his misery.

“Pop, it’ll work out. Marley Rose will be up and around before you can shake a stick. And Jessie? She’s a strong woman. I’ll see she gets a good lawyer.”

Walt wiped his nose on a faded red hankie. “I don’t care what anyone says, I’m proud to have Jessie McClain as a daughter. A heart as kind an’ pure as hers cain’t have blood on her hands.”

“She did it, Pop. It’s true.” God, how he wished he could change that.

Luke touched Walt’s shoulder in sympathy. “I fought with myself all the way here, whether to turn in my badge and forget what I know or do my duty to the state of Texas. Unfortunately for us, duty won out. For what it’s worth, Jeremiah Foltry was a mean, rotten son of a bitch. But it doesn’t change the fact that Jessie shot him to death.”

Duel flinched under his father’s piercing stare.

“How long’ve you known about this? I could’ve helped you if you’d seen fit to confide in an old man.”

“Not at first. I knew something was eating her, but didn’t know what.” Memories of that day on the cliff heaped on more guilt. He’d promised to protect her. Fine promise that turned out to be. “Jessie told me the day I asked her to marry me.”

“Sounds like my girl. She has honor and ’tegrity. Could see it right off.”

A long sigh came from Luke as he kicked the goat’s milk pail, sending it skittering across the dirt floor. “Dad-burn it, Pop. I can’t take her away from her sick child.”

“It won’t hurt any to wait a few days, will it, son? Jessie’s not going anywhere.”

Unseen hands seemed to be strangling Duel. He gasped for air. “What’s a couple of weeks more or less? Give the sorghum time to ripen.”

“What’s the sorghum got to do with anything?” Walt asked suspiciously.

“I planned to use the money from the harvest to hire Jessie a lawyer.” He shot an accusing glare toward Luke. “We’d hoped to hire someone to clear Jessie’s name before the law showed up on our doorstep. Seems we merely ran out of time.”

“Your ma an’ me always raised you to do the right thing, Luke. I believe you’ll do that now.”

Duel watched his brother march to the barn door, where he stood staring toward the farmhouse.

“Don’ worry, son.” Walt bent to pluck a hay stem from Preacher’s feed trough and stuck it in his mouth, leaving half dangling out. “You can lead a mule to water, but you can’t make him drink. An important thing to remember. But in this case, I think the mule’s gonna drink.”

“Hope you’re right.” Marley’s life, their future depended on it.

Minutes later, Luke threw up his hands and walked back. “How long till that crop’s ready, Duel?”

“Won’t get near as much for feed as we’d get letting the heads mature. Rumor has it they’re paying a dollar a bushel at the sugar mill. Don’t know the price for feed. I reckon we could start cutting next week.”

“I’ll probably lose my badge over this, but I’ll hold off till Marley Rose gets well. No longer.”

“Shout Hallelujah!” Walt danced a jig.

Overcome with gratitude, Duel stretched out his hand. “Thanks, Luke. You don’t know what this means to us.”

He’d managed to add a few more grains to that hourglass.

“I think I do.” And for the first time since arriving, Luke smiled.

* * *

“Your brother’s truly a caring man, Duel.” Jessie lay in his arms. While the thundercloud hanging over them hadn’t disappeared, she felt grateful for the short reprieve.

“At least Two Bit’ll have her mama for a few more days. That’s the important thing.”

“You think Luke and your father will be comfortable in the barn?”

“They will if that darn goat’ll leave ’em be. If it weren’t for Two Bit, I’d have skinned and cooked the pesky thing before now.”

Jessie smiled, knowing his threats never posed a danger to Marley’s Cheeba. The small flicker of light from the lamp beside the bed allowed her to memorize every feature of her beloved’s face. Each moment of their time together now seemed more precious.

Beneath the covers, his gentle touch moved to her naked thigh. She willed herself to think of nothing beyond this night, to enjoy the strange heat his caresses left on her skin. Where his hands went, glorious excitement followed.

“I should be ashamed to take enjoyment in our lovemaking, but I’m not. It’s the most ‘right’ thing I’ve done my whole life.”

“You talk too much, woman,” he said with a growl, his kisses smothering further conversation.

Passion burned its way into the core of her being. Musky wetness spread between her legs, between her breasts. Emptiness inside cried out, yearning for him to fill it.

When he did, the completeness of it rocked her soul. She savored every ripple, every crashing wave that washed away her pain. If she tried hard, perhaps she could store it up for the times when loneliness would be her sole companion. A cold jail cell would be a long way from the warmth of Duel’s arms.

The gallop beneath the soft chest hair slowed to a fast trot. Jessie buried her face in the dark-brown wisps and gripped him fiercely to her.

“There’s so much we need to discuss—”

“Shh. Tomorrow’s soon enough for that, darlin’. Let’s enjoy the here and now.”

With wild abandon, she met his sensuous mouth halfway and felt desire rise swiftly once again. She’d never grow complacent as so many wives did, if fate gave her the chance to live out her life with this Texan. Each second shared with him would be heaven on earth.

“If things don’t go well, if they sentence me to—”

“You’re not gonna hang! Don’t say it, don’t even think it.”

“I have to tell you this. You’ve given me the will to fight. Without you beside me, I’d have crumpled long before now.” She reveled in the luxurious texture of his hair. “Thank you, my husband.”

In one smooth move, Duel rolled over and brought her atop him. His amber gaze pulled her inside to the secret place no one had ever gone. She glimpsed the thick scars that had shaped him into the noble man he’d become. He allowed her to see not only his faith, but his insecurities as well.

“No matter what happens…” He spoke softly and with such tenderness. “No matter what, I love you, Jessie McClain.”