Marrying Miss Marshal

by Lacy Williams

  This time Chas didn’t freeze. He reacted, drawing and firing his pistol before he even blinked.

  Parrott screamed in anger as Chas’s bullet struck his hands. His weapon dropped to the ground harmlessly.

  Chas approached on shaking legs to find Danna with one pretty knee in Shipley’s back.

  “Why?” she asked, still panting from exertion. “Why did you do all this? Have Fred killed? Did you hate us so much?”

  The man beneath her remained silent.

  “You’ve ruined it all,” Parrott spat, as one of the other deputies took him roughly off his horse. “Your husband was eliminated because he started asking too many nosy questions. You were only appointed because you weren’t supposed to figure any of it out.”

  Danna flinched, and Chas moved to her side, taking her arm when one of the deputies hauled Shipley to his feet. The man looked beaten, defeated.

  “But, I don’t understand…”

  “We had a plan,” Shipley said, voice nearly a monotone.

  “Shipley…” Parrott warned. “Don’t say another word.”

  “Parrott thought he could run many of the smaller ranchers out of the area if they lost enough cattle. He brought in a gang and had a few unsavory cowhands of his own.”

  “Shipley!” Parrott lunged for his fellow town council member, but the deputy who had hold of his arm was made of muscle and wouldn’t be moved.

  “C’mon, you. Let’s go get Doc to patch up your hands, and then you’re going to jail with the rest of ’em.”

  The other man continued as if Parrott hadn’t spoken at all, staring off into the distance. “It was unfortunate that Marshal Fred and Brent Jackson had to die, but they started asking questions of the wrong people. They got too close to our operation.

  “With O’Rourke on our side, we planned to start extorting money from the businesses in town. We’ve heard of other…businessmen making good money that way.

  “The only problem was Castlerock. He may be a selfish lout, but he’s arrow straight.”

  “So you set up the robbery, thinking his bank would fold if the money was never recovered,” Danna whispered. Chas noticed she was shaking.

  “It would’ve been best if he’d left town, yes.”

  Chas couldn’t believe the man spoke so calmly of the criminal enterprise they had masterminded.

  “And the payoffs?” Chas asked. “So the men wouldn’t help Danna?”

  “At first no one wanted to work with a woman. They were glad to take the money. After that, we could threaten to reveal they’d been bribed—ruin their standing in town—and that’s how we kept them quiet.”

  “Marshal, I’m going to take him in now.” The deputy stepped forward

  “See if he’ll write out his testimony first,” she murmured. “For the judge when he gets to town.”

  With the mess sorted, Chas took Danna’s arm and swung her up onto the boardwalk and out of the dusty street.

  She looked up at him, her dark eyes questioning. She was something else, with her dark curls falling out of the updo they’d been pinned into, dirt smudged across her chin, one sleeve missing and a rip in the hem of her gown. He’d never seen anything so beautiful.

  He wanted to sweep her up in his arms, but he wasn’t sure about his welcome.

  “Hello,” he said instead. “I was coming to talk to you.”

  Danna looked down at herself, and when she looked up again he could see the distress on her face.

  Was she still upset about the crooked town council members? Personally, Chas was relieved to know the motivation behind the men’s actions, outrageous as it was.

  “You all right?” he asked, wondering if she was shaken up. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  “No, that’s not it,” she said, shaking her head.

  With a tiny sigh, she tried to smooth away the wrinkles and dirt from her skirt. Then she seemed to realize her sleeve was torn, and her hand fisted. “I guess I’m just not meant to be a lady.”

  Her words confused him, and so did the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes.

  She looked down again, fingered her dusty skirt.

  “I had this grand plan,” she whispered, “to show you I could be a lady as fine as your friends back in Boston. I put on this dress, let them put perfume on me—”

  “You do smell nice.”

  “—I let Marianne Kendrick do my hair,” her voice turned into a wail, as she reached up and realized her hair was falling down around her ears. “And Merritt Harding promised she’d teach me to read. I thought I could impress you.”

  “You did all that for me?”

  “Yes.” She swallowed hard, and for a moment he was afraid she might start crying. “Only…”

  “Only, you had to do your job,” he said, busting with pride.

  Tired of looking at the crown of her head, he chucked her on the chin, waited until her luminous eyes met his gaze. “I won’t complain if you want to wear a dress, but I like you fine in your trousers and vest.”

  Murmurs from nearby interrupted everything else he wanted to say. He looked around to find several townspeople on the streets, watching his interaction with Danna and not bothering to hide their curiosity.

  “Can we talk?”

  She nodded. “Katy went home with Corrine for the day, to help her take care of Ellie, so the room should be empty for now.”

  He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm so he could escort her home. Home. He liked the sound of that.

  And he was dying to kiss her, but he didn’t want to do it in front of the whole town.

  She was unusually quiet, until they rounded the staircase leading up to the marshal’s private room. She hopped up on the first step and whirled to face him, pressing both palms against his chest to halt his progress. “Are you leaving town or not?”

  They were out of sight of the main thoroughfare, so he did what he’d wanted to do since he’d caught sight of her on the street…

  The extra height of that first stair put her face a few inches above him, but it was easy enough to grab her waist and draw her in for a kiss. A sweet, deep kiss, to tell her everything he wanted to say—and that he wasn’t leaving.

  And from the way she kissed him back, it sure seemed like she returned his sentiments.

  With a last, lingering touch of his lips, he joined her on that first step and pressed her close, her cheek against his shoulder. “I’m not leaving,” he said, voice husky.

  “Hmm,” she hummed, seemingly content to stay resting against him. He couldn’t get enough of having her close like this.

  Then, abruptly, she pushed away from him, eyes a little wild.

  She took a step backward, moving up another step. Putting distance between them. His hands felt empty, so he braced them on both sides of the stair railing. Plus, that blocked her from brushing past him, as well.

  “But you were at the train depot—Corrine saw you at the ticket window.”

  He groaned. “Are there really no secrets in this town?”

  Danna crossed her arms in front of her chest, as if she was protecting herself. From him? She looked so vulnerable, with her mussed hair and clothing, and her eyes shining like they were filled with tears, but he knew that couldn’t be right. She never cried.

  But she seemed awfully weepy today.

  “Darlin’.” He purposely lengthened out the endearment, his voice a soft drawl. “I’m here to stay.”

  She blinked, looking a bit like a sleepy owl. “To stay,” she repeated. “But…”

  “I bought a pair of train tickets,” Chas said slowly. “So I could take my wife to Boston. I thought we might go on a honeymoon trip.”

  Her eyes softened and she blinked. “You’re going home?”

  He nodded. “If you go with me.”

  “To make peace with your parents?”

  “It’s past time, wouldn’t you say?”

  Then she frowned. “But the annulment… We agreed—”

  He couldn�
�t help the grin that quirked his lips. “Maybe you misunderstood my kiss. I thought it was pretty clear I’d changed my mind, but perhaps it wasn’t…”

  Her eyes widened as he followed her up the steps, until they were even again. “Chas…”

  He kissed her again. And again, trying to show her everything he’d felt since he’d realized she had gone after the outlaws alone, everything he wanted to share with her now. When they parted, he spoke into that crown of beautiful hair. “Just so there’s no misunderstanding… I love you. I want you to stay my wife.”

  “I love you, too,” she whispered. “I’m glad I got the chance to tell you.”

  She squeezed his middle, burrowed her face into his chest. “I almost hate to ask, but…will you mind terribly if I’m still the marshal?”

  “I won’t mind. I’m going to talk to the town council—or what’s left of it—and see if they’ll let you keep me on as deputy. I think we work pretty well together.”

  “You won’t mind me having a dangerous job? Getting into trouble sometimes?”

  “Not as long as I’m there to help get you out of it.” He paused, but this seemed like the right moment. “And in the future, if we want to…maybe buy a homestead. You can teach me to ranch.”

  Epilogue

  “Stop! Thief!”

  Reacting on instinct, Danna stepped in front of the teen boy running out of Hyer’s General Store, taking hold of his arm to stop him.

  Then she leaned over the edge of the boardwalk and got sick right there in the street.

  “Missus Marshal? You okay?” Hyer came out of the store as she braced her free hand—the one not holding on to the thief—on her knee and straightened.

  “Mmm.” She hoped he would take her hum for agreement, as she didn’t want a scene out here on the street, but she didn’t feel okay.

  “Danna, darling?”

  Oh. Her husband had seen that lovely display. Chas came up behind her and took her arm, letting her release the teen. Hyer was griping, but it didn’t seem the boy had stolen more than a handful of candy, so Danna allowed herself to be led off by her concerned husband.

  Head spinning, she leaned against her husband’s broad shoulder. In the three months they’d been married, she’d become more used to him pampering her. Right this moment, she didn’t mind his arm supporting her one bit.

  “Are you still feeling under the weather?” Chas’s tone conveyed his worry. “Perhaps you should go see the doctor.”

  “Just been there,” she said, keeping her voice low. Even though the town accepted her now—liked her—she still didn’t want everyone knowing her business. “I just need to lie down for a bit.”

  “But, Danna…”

  She pushed away from him, walking toward the jail and their room above it, leaving him no choice but to follow. In a few long strides, he caught up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. That was nice. She leaned her head against his shoulder again, the queasiness still gripping her.

  “You’ve been ill off and on since we visited your brother at Christmas. Did the doctor know what’s wrong?”

  “Mmm-hmm. Said I’m much too happy with my new husband and adopted sister, Katy. And that I’ve had it too easy around here lately.”

  At the foot of the stairs, Chas swung her around to face him, one eyebrow raised expectantly. “Oh, really? I have to admit, it has been quiet around Calvin since you put all those ornery coots in jail.”

  “Since we put them in jail, with Judge Allen’s help,” she corrected, smoothing the collar of his chambray shirt. He dressed more like a cowboy now, though he still wore his black suit for fancy occasions.

  He was right. Other than a few drunken brawls, there hadn’t been a hint of trouble in Calvin in the last three months. She’d almost been…bored.

  Chas touched her chin, turning her face up to meet his intense gaze. She could still see the worry behind his expression and wanted to erase it.

  “Danna?” he asked.

  Suddenly shy, she lowered her eyes to stare at her hand on his chest. “How would you feel about…oh, in about seven and a half months…meeting Baby Marshal?”

  His stunned silence said more than any words could. Worried, she looked up, just in time to see a humongous smile split his face.

  “We’re in the family way?” he asked. Then, not waiting for an answer, he whooped loud enough that she was sure they heard it all the way across town. So much for everyone not knowing her news yet. But she couldn’t be happier.

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading my first novel! From the moment I “met” Danna, I knew I had to tell the story that this courageous, stubborn woman whispered in my ear. And with God’s help, I have. I hope you enjoyed the adventure as much as I have.

  To find out about book news, read short stories, and be a part of giveaways, please visit my website: www.lacywilliams.net.

  Lacy Williams

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Chas has never met anyone like Danna. What things make her different from the other women he has met before?

  Have you ever met anyone who was so different from yourself that you weren’t sure how to relate to them? What things made that person different from you?

  Chas and Danna were able to find common ground and work together. Give an example of a time when you’ve had to find common ground with someone else, and how it changed your relationship.

  In the beginning of this book, Chas is consumed by guilt for things that happened in his past. Have you or someone you know felt this way? What event caused this guilt?

  Have you been able to accept God’s forgiveness for your past? Why or why not?

  Danna has a hard time fitting in with other women because of her clothes and her job. Give an example of a time when you felt you didn’t fit in.

  How did you overcome the barriers of not fitting in?

  Until Chas came along, Danna accepted the way others saw her as reality (for example, she didn’t believe she was pretty because no one ever told her so, and because she did not dress in a womanly fashion). Has there been a person in your life who challenged your perceptions about yourself? Tell about that person.

  Throughout the book, Danna works hard to try to take care of everything by herself. Tell about a time when you realized you couldn’t complete a task or get through something on your own. Did you have to rely on someone else to finish?

  There are several things in the book that allowed Chas to confront his past and begin to heal. What were they?

  Can you think of other things that might have helped?

  Throughout the book, Danna wants to have a family. Were there other characters in the book that took on family-type roles in her life (e.g. big sister, little brother)?

  Name some people in your life who have been like family, but who weren’t blood relations.

  What made these relationships so special?

  Do you think Danna and Chas will live happily ever after? Why or why not?

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-0991-6

  MARRYING MISS MARSHAL

  Copyright © 2011 by Lacy Williams

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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