Seeking Justice (9 page)

Miss Agatha's smile dimmed. "I remember it. It came out about the time my husband died. I wasn't too much on researching things then, and I think I just shove it in the box. I didn't go back to it."

Justice squeezed the woman's hand. "It talks about a man named Abel Gunner, whose great-grandfather was a jailer in Bluefield at the time. You didn't try to make contact with him?"

"No." For once, Miss Agatha seemed subdued.

Justice imagined it was because she was thinking about her late husband, who had been dead for many years. When the elder woman didn't say anything, Justice squeezed her hand again. "I'm going to try and find him, see if he can tell me anything that's not in the article. I think he might be a promising clue."

Miss Agatha smiled at her, and Justice could see that she was back with her. "I remember the article somewhat," she said. "I'd like to read it again."

"I'll make a copy and bring it up to you," Justice said. "By the way, thank you for letting us use your house."

Miss Agatha's eyes twinkled. "You're welcome. It's rather a wonderful place to relax."

Justice was about to ask her about her state of the art computer system, and what Miss Agatha did with it, when Priscilla announced it was time to eat. She instructed Zander to collect his sister and nephews from the backyard, and asked Justice to help Miss Agatha to the table.

"I don't need any help," Miss Agatha grumbled as she pushed away the blanket the covered her legs. "If people are going to treat me like an old woman, I'm going to get pissed."

It was all Justice could do to keep from laughing. She made sure not to take hold of Miss Agatha as they walked. It would be best just to be close in case the older woman seemed as if she was going to lose her balance.

After they were seated and said grace, Ben started to talk of their trip. He told them of London, making sure to play up their visit to the Tower of London. He was talking about seeing the Eiffel Tower when Justice's mind started to wander.

Where would Zander take her on their honeymoon? That one thought made her think of everything that needed to be done before they could get married. There was the business of picking a date, and a place. She hoped it would be on the ranch, where she and Zander first fell in love. Maybe in the fall when the leaves started to turn and the air turned cooler.

But fall would be upon them before they knew it. There were things she needed to do, like quit her job, move her things, and figure out where they were going to live. It was like starting all over again, and yet it wasn't. It was a new beginning, but she would bring things from her past. Like her mother. She would have to tell her mother, even though she wasn't happy about that idea. If she could get married, and then a few months down the line say, "Oh, by the way, I got married," that would be just fine with her.

She was afraid her mother would want to help with the planning, play the mother-of-the-bride card, and take part in everything. That was something that didn't thrill Justice.

"Justice," Zander's voice broke her concentration.

Justice stared down at her plate. There were very few bites gone from it. One look at Zander's plate showed she'd been daydreaming for a while, and not eating. His plate was nearly empty.

"Want to share with the rest of us?" Emily asked. "Dad asked you a question about three minutes ago, and that's when we all noticed you were staring into space."

"It wasn't that long ago," Zander said.

Justice looked at her future husband. She could tell by the look on his face that he knew what she was thinking. He winked at her, and then he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"What's going on?" Emily asked, suspiciously.

Zander lifted his brows, and Justice nodded.

"Well," he said, drawing the word out. "Today, Justice asked me to marry her. And I said yes."

There was complete silence for about three seconds, and then the room erupted into cheers and laughter. Chairs were pushed back from the table, and seconds later Justice found herself enveloped in huge hug from her future father-in-law. Soon she'd hugged everyone, and when she got to Miss Agatha, the older woman was grinning like she'd just won the lottery.

"You keep the house," she whispered in Justice's ear as they hugged. "Gut it, do whatever you want with it. It's yours now."

"But…" Justice started to object, but Miss Agatha shook her head. "Unless you two decide you want to build somewhere else. But I like the thought of the two of you out there on your own, playing and making babies."

Justice blushed. She wasn't sure what to say, but Miss Agatha's words had stroked a part of her that captured her heart.

"I like that idea, too," she said. "Thank you, Miss Agatha, but I have to talk about it with Zander."

Miss Agatha patted her cheek. "Just know the offer is there. But don't let all that playing keep you from finding out where the loot is buried. That's your primary objective right now."

The acceptance of Zander's family reinforced Justice's decision, and it made her feel warmer than she had in quite some time. It also made her wonder why she'd waited so long.

After they'd settled down and finished dinner, Justice offered to help with the dishes, but she'd been rejected and told to go sit with Miss Agatha. This was Justice's night, Priscilla had said. In a few days' time, all the ladies would sit down together and discuss the wedding details.

Justice's mind was so preoccupied with how much she had to do, that she didn't hear Zander sneak up behind her. He put his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

"How's your bottom?" he whispered into her ear.

A flush rose up from her chest, making her face and neck feel red-hot. "Stop that."

"Why? You think my family doesn't know we're sharing a bed at grandma's house?"

The flush intensified. Of course, the family knew, but they didn't know particulars, and that included the fact that Zander reddened her bottom on a regular basis. She told him as much.

"If they heard me ask you that question, I'd be surprised." He nuzzled her neck again. "Let's go for a ride. It's a beautiful evening."

"Sounds like fun." Justice took Zander's hand as he released her and moved to her side. "But don't you think you've worked Bandit enough today? He's taken two trips to the house, and worked the cows, too."

"I'll ride Depot," he said. "He needs a workout."

"That means I get Sassy?"

"As always."

They stopped by his father's chair long enough to tell him what they were doing. Miss Agatha was in the chair next to him, sleeping soundly. On their way through the kitchen, Priscilla stopped them and asked Justice if she would, between searching for the money and planning the wedding, help with the final touches on Bandit Days.

"I don't want to overstress Miss Agatha," Priscilla said. "There is quite a bit that needs to be done still, and only a few weeks left to do it."

Justice told her she would be happy to help, and then Justice and Zander of them made their way to the stables. She stood to the side while he saddled the two horses. They both stomped
their feet as if they were eager to go. While he worked, Justice went to Bandit's stall where she handed him a handful of sweet corn she'd taken from a bin near the door. The horse ate it eagerly, and she stroked his mane when he was done.

"Don't spoil him," Zander said as she went back to the bin for another handful. "I'll have to run him twice as hard to work off all that extra food."

"He deserves it," she said as she fed him the rest. When he was done, she told him that was all. Zander helped her mount Sassy, and they took off in the direction of the creek where they'd spent the night just a few days ago.

As they rode, Justice's stomach roiled just a little. "I'm nervous," she said.

"Why? Do you think I'm going to turn into a brute after I slip a ring on your finger?"

"No." She laughed a little. "It's just such a big change." She pause a minute before she said, "Miss Agatha offered us her house. I wonder if your parents know she's planning on staying with them for the rest of her life."

"They do." He tightened his reins, and she could see that Depot was prancing, as if he wanted to take off and have a good run. "Dad said something to me tonight about me living there so that the house didn't go into disrepair. Of course, that was before the big announcement. We can redo it if you like, or leave it as it is."

He looked at her and smiled.

"Let's leave it as is, for a while. I would feel strange tearing things up, even though Miss Agatha told me we could."

There was a short silence, before Zander said. "We'll have to take her personal items up to the house. It will help her to feel at home up there, and it will make room for our things."

Sadness crept into Justice, something she hadn't expected to feel.

"Don't," Zander said. She wasn't surprised he could read her so well. "Miss Agatha has had a long, full life, and she knows that it's time for the next step. It doesn't mean she's going to die right away. It means that she's moving on. We have to help her feel as comfortable as possible."

They were true words, but it still felt a little strange. It felt like the right time to bring up things that needed to be done. Justice told him she would call the administrative office at the school district and the principal at her school tomorrow to let them know they would have to start looking for a new librarian.

"They have the whole summer," she said. "It won't be hard to find a replacement."

"It will be much harder for us to find the loot," Zander said. "I hope Miss Agatha is not too disappointed when we can't find what we're looking for."

Under her, Sassy started to prance, and Justice knew the horse wanted to take a good run, just like Depot did. She loosened the reins before she looked at her lover. "Who says we can't find it?" With that, she let the reins drop again so that Sassy had free lead. Justice clucked her tongue against her teeth and the horse took off, gathering speed as they ran toward the creek.

"Hey," Zander cried out in surprise as they ran. She could hear Depot's hoof beats behind them, picking up speed as they fought to catch up.

Sassy made it to the creek, first, and Justice dropped the reins and pumped her fists into the air. "Winner, winner, chicken dinner!" she yelled as Zander came into view.

"You're a cheat," he said. "Next time, warn me."

"No fun in that," Justice replied with a laugh. She watched Zander dismount. He offered her his hand and she took it as she got off Sassy. Zander winked at her as he went back to Depot. She hadn't noticed him strap a blanket to the back of Depot's saddle before they left the sables. Now, he handed it to her and went about securing reins so the two horses could graze at will.

Justice went under the tree and spread out the blanket. She lay down, and after Zander had given each horse a pat on the ass and sent it off to do its thing, he walked toward her. As he neared, she felt her heart rate accelerate.

This gorgeous cowboy, who filled out his jeans perfectly, was going to be her husband. If she hadn't let fear overtake her, he would have been her husband many years ago. But she didn't plan to berate herself for doing that. It was
time to let all of that go and concentrate on the future.

Zander took off his hat, gently placed it brim side up on the ground, and then sat down next to her. He opened his arms and she went into them without being asked, rubbing her cheek against his chest as he held her close.

They were silent for a few minutes and she listened to the beat of his heart. It seemed so normal compared to her own, which raced.

"Are you going to tell your mom?" he finally asked her.

"Eventually," she answered. "I don't want her in on the planning. She's—" Justice wasn't sure how to explain that the woman had done nothing for her except push Justice out of her body, but she didn't want to sound bitter. She supposed a lot of her mother's problems could be blamed on her own parents, who were less than stellar in the love and care department.

"Our kids will be loved," he said, as if he could read her mind.

"And they'll know who their parents are," she said. It was a sore spot for her, and she remembered well the day she told Zander that she had no clue who her father really was. "He could pass me on the street and I wouldn't know," she'd yelled at him. "You have memories of your parents on holidays. I have my mother saying, 'Well, he could have been this one, or that one,' because she didn't have a clue!"

Zander had tried to comfort her, but it had been difficult, because the more he'd tried to help, the madder she got. Now, he stroked her hair. He didn't offer to help her look for her dad, because that had been one of the things that had made her so angry before.

"You have a family now, Justice," he told her. "One that will love you for the rest of your life."

She knew that was very true. "I want to get married on the ranch," she said.

"Good." She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was smiling. "How about right here? I love this spot."