The Lawman's Surrender: The Calhoun Sisters, Book 2 (28 page)

“Now, Senator, you know I can’t do that,” MacElroy replied. “Not with a warrant out on him.”

“Warrant, indeed! I’ll have your job for this, young man!”

“Senator.” Jedidiah’s brows rose as Nate’s voice came from somewhere within the crowd. “You’re not doing anyone any good. If you would kindly wait until I can contact the proper authorities—”

“Authorities!” the senator roared. “I am a United States Senator, Sheriff Stillman. And you have some nerve attempting to calm me down when it was you yourself who put out that abominable wanted poster for my nephew!”

“Your nephew attempted to hang a woman who was under the protection of the law, Senator Caldwell. Around these parts, we call that murder.”

“That woman,” the senator snarled, “murdered my nephew, Brick. She deserved to die!”

“That,” Jedidiah said, “is a decision for a jury.”

Everyone turned to face him. He gave Nate a nod of greeting, then looked at MacElroy. “I take it this is Senator Caldwell?”

“I am,” the senator answered before the sheriff could reply. “And you are…?”

“United States Marshal Jedidiah Brown.”

“Ah.” The senator had striking blue eyes and aristocratic bone structure to go with his thick head of hair, and those eyes narrowed on Jedidiah in speculation. “Marshal Brown. I understand you are responsible for this outrage?”

“Depends.” Shrugging away from the door jamb, Jedidiah strolled into the room. “Which outrage would that be?”

“The incarceration of my nephew.”

“Oh, that.” Jedidiah stroked his mustache. “Yes, I am responsible for that particular outrage. But Wayne was trying to kill someone, so I really did have to stop him.”

“Marshal, I’m sure you comprehend the circumstances here.” The senator gave him a winning smile. “The boy was stricken with grief over the senseless murder of his brother. I’m sure you understand.”

Jedidiah didn’t return the smile. “What I understand is that he tried to hang Susannah Calhoun—twice—and that he conspired to murder me as well.”

“Conspired?” The senator laughed indulgently. “Certainly you exaggerate, Marshal.”

“Certainly I don’t, Senator. Wayne Caldwell held my own gun on me and informed me that he intended to kill me so that he could hang Miss Calhoun. It’s hard to exaggerate a gun in the face, Senator.”

“Your own gun, Marshal?” the senator repeated, a calculating gleam lighting his very blue eyes. “How ever did poor Wayne manage that?”

“He stole it.”

“I see. And you were where when he stole it?”

Jedidiah stared at the senator, careful to keep his expression neutral. “I was asleep.”

“Asleep! Are you such a sound sleeper that a man the size of my nephew can manage to steal a weapon from a skilled professional such as yourself?”

Jedidiah never looked away from Caldwell. “Apparently this time I was, Senator.”

“Well, I think it’s clear to all of us what really happened here.” The senator looked around with a knowing smile, as if including everyone present in the secret. His gaze came back to Jedidiah, as sharp as a well-honed knife. “I understand Miss Calhoun is a very attractive woman, Marshal Brown. I would certainly hate to discover that you used your position of authority to take advantage of the young lady.”

“Now there’s a leap of logic,” Jedidiah said with a disgusted snort. “I was asleep, and from that, you deduce that I must have taken advantage of a young woman in my care? You’ll have to do better than that, Senator.”

“You have ties to this woman,” Caldwell said, surprising him. “I have it on good authority that you requested this assignment for personal reasons.”

Everyone looked at Jedidiah.

“That’s hardly a secret, Senator. I’m acquainted with Miss Calhoun’s family. They asked me to help if I could.”

“So you admit that you are involved with this woman.”

“What I
admit
, Senator, is that I am acquainted with this woman’s family and that I agreed to escort her safely to Denver.”

“Something which you have yet to do!” the politician pointed out triumphantly.

“Because your nephew kept getting in the way.” Jedidiah turned away from the senator and looked at the sheriff. “I just stopped by to check up on the prisoner, make sure everything was all right.”

“Looks like it from my end,” MacElroy replied.

“Don’t you turn away from me, Marshal!” the senator thundered. “I’m not finished with you!”

Jedidiah turned his head and looked the older man in the eye. “But I’m finished with you, Senator. You put pressure on the sheriff of Silver Flats to railroad Susannah Calhoun into a murder charge. I was assigned to escort her to Denver for trial. And that is what I intend to do, despite you and your nephew.”

The senator drew himself up. “Your superiors will hear about your impertinence, Marshal Brown. I will have your badge for this!”

“You may get my badge,” Jedidiah shot back, “but your nephew still broke the law, and he’s still going to jail for it. I suggest you content yourself with the way things are, and get on back to Washington or Denver or wherever you were before all this happened.” He turned his back on the senator and headed for the door.

“You get back here, Marshal Brown! I am a United States Senator, by God, and you will listen to what I have to say!”

“Save it for your constituents,” Jedidiah replied. He slammed the door behind him, ignoring the raised voices that followed him.

When Susannah awoke, Jedidiah was gone.

For a moment, she panicked. Then she saw his saddlebags in the corner and his shaving things on top of the bureau, and she breathed a sigh of relief. But it didn’t last long.

Today was the day they would reach Denver.

She sat up in bed and buried her face in her hands. Dear Lord, she’d thought she would be strong enough to handle it. But now that the moment was at hand, she was scared down to her toes.

Murder. At first it had seemed like an amusing joke. But after feeling that noose around her neck and almost losing her life, she realized that it was all very real.

She wouldn’t be able to charm a jury into believing her innocent, the way she often cajoled men into carrying her bags or opening doors for her. She wouldn’t be able to simply leave the room when things became uncomfortable, and she wouldn’t be able to find comfort in Jedidiah’s arms, because Jedidiah wouldn’t be there.

He would try. Of that she had no doubt. Though no promises had been made, he had declared his feelings for her, then followed that declaration up with a night of loving that would convince the most hard-hearted and cynical woman that she was loved. But his authority had its limits, and once he handed her over to the law in Denver, he wouldn’t be able to do much more than sit in the courtroom once the trial started.

She would be alone—completely and utterly on her own.

She didn’t even know her hands were shaking until she raised one to brush back a straggling lock of hair. She stared at her trembling fingers, then slipped from the bed and walked to the mirror hanging on the wall. What she saw appalled her.

She was pale, and her eyes were huge in her face. Her hair was a mad tangle of loose curls, and her lips were pressed together in a hard line that promised wrinkles later on. And her hands shook, like those of the guilty.

Unacceptable.

She was Susannah Calhoun, and darn it, she was innocent! She would not go to this trial like a lamb to slaughter, but like a lioness who would feed off the carcasses of those who stood in her way. And by God, she thought, grabbing her hairbrush from atop the bureau, she would look good doing it!

The door to the room opened, and Jedidiah stalked in. He glanced at the empty bed and stopped, then turned around until he saw her.

She realized all of a sudden that she was naked, but she didn’t care. She lifted her chin in challenge.

“Susannah?” he questioned.

“I need a new dress,” she told him. “I also need a hat, and some talcum powder. I do not intend to go on trial looking like a washerwoman!”

He grinned. “I rather like the washerwoman look, myself. If that’s the look you’ve got on right now, that is.”

She sniffed. “Typical man.”

“Sweetheart, there’s no need to insult me.” He closed and locked the door. “If you want a new dress for the trial, then we’ll get you one.”

“Thank you.” As haughty as a queen, she walked across the room and scooped her clothing from the floor.

“Have I ever told you that you’re magnificent?”

She paused in sorting out her garments and looked back at him where he leaned against the door. He smiled at her with such pride and such love, that she softened.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Nothing gets to you. Nothing stands in your way. I love that about you,” he said, stepping away from the door. “The way you sort out all the unimportant nonsense and cut right to what matters.”

“It’s the only thing that will get me through this.” She cleared her throat as she started to feel dangerously misty.

“Marry me, Susannah.”

At first she thought she had misheard him. “
What
did you say?” she asked, staring.

“I said marry me.” For once the unflappable Jedidiah Brown looked positively nervous. “Now. Today.”

“We can’t,” she replied. “What about your job? Wouldn’t that be a problem?”

“I don’t care. I’m tired of politics anyway. Just say you’ll marry me. Let me be there for you.”

“Oh, Jedidiah.” She closed her eyes as her heart clenched with love, and with regret. He had given her no words of love, no promises, no reassurances. And she was standing there stark naked. But it was still the most romantic proposal she had ever gotten.

“Don’t say no.” He came to her and took the clothing from her hands. “I want to stay with you, Susannah. For the first time in twenty years, I’m willing to take a chance on love. I want to grow old with you. I want to give you children.”

“But what if things don’t work out that way?” She lay a hand over his pounding heart. “I am honored and thrilled that you want me to be your wife. If things were different, I would say yes without hesitation.”

“But—”

“Let me finish,” she said, placing a finger on his parted lips. “If we get through this, if I can prove my innocence to that jury, then I will gladly marry you. But if I can’t, I would never forgive myself if you sacrificed your career for a marriage that lasted only days. I couldn’t die knowing that you had been left with nothing.”

“You’re not going to die.” He pulled her into his embrace. “I won’t let you die, do you hear me?”

“I hear you.” She sniffed back the tears and held on tighter.

“I’ll get you out of this,” he vowed. “And then you’ll be my wife.”

“Yes, Jedidiah.” Burying her face in his chest, she squeezed her eyes tightly closed to hold back the tears. “If I get out of this, I’ll be your wife. That’s a promise.”

Chapter Twenty

Jedidiah left Susannah at the mercantile, dickering over fabrics and ribbons, while he went over to the stage depot. In the excitement of arresting Wayne Caldwell and getting his arm tended, he had forgotten to ask around about Mrs. Hawkins. He needed to do that before they left for Denver. If there was a chance to find the woman, they had to take it.

He bumped into Nate right outside the door to the mercantile.

“I had a feeling you’d be coming this way,” Nate said, falling into step with him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be following the senator around?” Jedidiah asked.

“Hey, I didn’t bring him here,” Nate protested. “He came to me because I was the one who sent out the wanted posters. Then I got word that Caldwell was in custody, and he insisted on coming here. I figured I’d better come along in case you were still in the area. I thought you might appreciate a friendly face.”

“I do, actually.” They arrived at the depot, and Jedidiah walked inside with Nate on his heels.

“You going to hop a stage to Denver? Probably a smart thing to do with Senator Caldwell hanging around.”

“Not exactly.” Jedidiah walked up to the ticket window. “Excuse me—”

“Can’t help you,” the pointy-faced clerk said without looking up from his paperwork. “The stage ain’t running today.”

“We’re not interested in the stage today—” Nate started, but Jedidiah jabbed him in the ribs and leaned forward.

“What’s wrong with the stage?” he asked conversationally.

“Driver’s sick. Came in two days ago and started tossing up his dinner. He ain’t been able to lift his head from the pillow, so the stage ain’t going nowhere.”

“What about other drivers?” Nate asked.

The clerk finally looked up, annoyance pinching his rat-like features. “Three other drivers in the same area all got the same thing. Got us an epidemic. Only one stage running through here, and that’s tomorrow. Anything else you want to know?”

“As a matter of fact, there is.” Jedidiah casually tucked his duster aside so the clerk could see his badge—and his revolver. “So the people from Tuesday’s stage had no way of continuing on their way?” he asked politely.