The Lawman Claims His Bride

by Renee Ryan

  Letting out a slow breath, Logan flipped open the top ledger and began sorting through the mess Trey had left him. A half hour later, he gave up.

  Ledgers tucked under his arm, he left the courthouse and made his way to the telegraph office. He sent a brief message to Washington explaining that he would be delayed at least one more week before he could start his official duties.

  After making a quick stop at the mercantile, he headed back to the jail with a present for his bride.

  It was time to begin their life together at last.

  Megan watched as Bella and her husband spoke softly to one another just outside her jail cell. They’d left the door slightly ajar, but the iron bars served as a barrier, a reminder that Megan was not a part of their world.

  Heads bent, hands lightly touching, the Bartletts made a single unit, one that seemed to shut out everyone else. They slowly pulled apart and then shared a look of quiet understanding, as though they could read each other’s mind.

  Megan fought a pang of envy. She wanted that kind of relationship with Logan. She wanted the certainty and deep connection that went beyond words. But they didn’t have anything like that. Not anymore.

  Had they ever?

  Of course they had.

  There was no doubt she loved Logan, and he loved her. They simply had to get to know one another again. But if her memory never returned would they ever be completely happy together?

  Doubt swept through her like a cold blast of mountain air. But in the next moment, the outer door swung open and a burst of light from outside temporarily blinded her. When her vision cleared, Logan wasn’t the one standing in the doorway.

  It was…it was…

  Mattie Silks?

  Why would Denver’s most notorious madam come here? The last time Megan had seen the woman she’d been hovering over Cole Kincaid’s dead body.

  Her mind drifted back to that moment, but the images shifted, blurred. Then disappeared altogether.

  Frustrated, Megan focused on Mattie’s approach.

  Hand on her hip, the other one bent at the elbow and swinging in time with her steps, Mattie sashayed across the floor. Catching sight of the woman, Bella broke away from her husband and stepped directly in Mattie’s path.

  The two proceeded to carry on a harsh, whispered conversation. Megan thought she heard the word wedding, but couldn’t be sure. After several hard shakes of her head, Bella relented and stepped out of Mattie’s way.

  “Remember, Mattie. Don’t overtire her,” Bella said as she pulled her husband toward the outer doorway. “Shane and I will be just outside.”

  Mattie tossed her a careless wave in answer.

  Once the Bartletts left the building Mattie stepped closer to Megan, sending the sickeningly sweet scent of musk and jasmine wafting over her.

  Her stomach roiled in protest, but she bit her lip and forced her body to relax. “Mattie? What are you doing here?”

  “I came to check on you, of course.” A ridge of concern dug between the woman’s eyes.

  The look was so atypical, Megan found herself more confused than before. She pressed a thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose and ordered her mind to slow down. But her thoughts continued running in countless directions.

  “Megan, darling. You look absolutely…” Mattie smiled. “Stunning.”

  Megan dropped her hand and smiled back, oddly pleased to discover that the blue silk dress suited her well enough to earn a rare compliment from Mattie Silks.

  “But your hair.” The older woman clicked her tongue in mortification. “We simply must do something about all those knots.”

  Not waiting for Megan’s response, Mattie entered the cell, set the carpetbag she’d brought with her on the cot and proceeded to rummage through its contents.

  “Sit down,” she ordered without looking up. “We’ll get you presentable yet.”

  Suddenly too exhausted to argue, Megan did as the other woman requested.

  Standing over her, Mattie proceeded to comb out Megan’s tangles with a surprisingly gentle hand. “Now, tell me, dear. Have you remembered anything from last night?”

  Shying away from the sympathetic tone, Megan shut her eyes. Her lower back still ached. Her head still spun. And she still could not recall a thing prior to Mattie’s appearance in her boudoir. “I remember nothing after I first arrived, except waking up and seeing you leaning over Cole’s body.”

  “Well, never mind.” Mattie gently released another tangle. “It’ll come eventually.”

  “Dr. Shane said the same thing.”

  “He would know.”

  Silence fell over them, interrupted only by the sound of the brush stroking through Megan’s hair.

  Once she’d combed out all the tangles, Mattie wound Megan’s hair on top of her head. She shifted around her, studied her creation from the front, pulled a few tendrils loose then nodded in satisfaction. “Perfect.”

  “Really?” Megan asked.

  “Of course.” Mattie looked insulted. “I don’t give false praise.”

  Unable to deny the truth in that particular statement, Megan lifted her hands in surrender. “No, Mattie. No, you don’t.”

  “I almost forgot.” She began digging in her bag once again. “I brought you a present.”

  “You did?” Megan’s voice rose then broke over the last word.

  “Now where is it?” Mattie continued digging. “Ah, there you are.” She pulled out a package that was small enough to fit in her hand.

  “This was your mother’s.” She thrust the gift at Megan. “I thought you should have it.”

  “Oh.” Megan had nothing left of her mother but sad memories. She took the small bundle with shaking fingers and slowly peeled away the corners of the box.

  A beautiful diamond bracelet winked back at her. She’d never seen anything so delicate. The sparkling piece of jewelry reminded Megan of the mother she’d known before the bad times had hit, when there’d been nothing but laughter and smiles and a strong sense of safety. Unable to speak, Megan turned the box around in her hand.

  “Your mother sold it to me years ago.” Mattie snatched the bracelet free and then clamped it around Megan’s wrist.

  Even in the dim light of the jail cell the stones glittered. For a second, it was if her mother was as close as the bracelet around her wrist, telling her to be happy, telling her she deserved to be happy.

  Tears welled, but Megan swallowed them back. Aside from her earlier vow to resist crying on her wedding day, Mattie wouldn’t appreciate the sentimental reaction. “I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had anything of my mother’s.”

  In the next moment the door to the jail swung open, cutting off her words.

  Five people filed into the tiny building. Bella led the way with Dr. Shane and Sheriff Scott on either side of her. Pastor Beau came next. Logan entered last, carrying a bouquet of flowers and a package with a red bow tied on top.

  He smiled at Megan, his handsome face all but dancing with joy, but then he caught sight of her visitor and scowled. “What are you doing here?”

  Hands on hips, nose in the air, Mattie glared right back at him. “Visiting a dear friend on her wedding day.”

  As the two proceeded to stare each other down, Megan sighed. For one dreadful moment she wondered if it was too late to change her mind about this wedding.

  But despite this discouraging start, despite all the animosity flowing through the room, she wanted to marry Logan. Not for decency’s sake, not for expediency, but because she loved him.

  With all her heart.

  Chapter Nine

  Logan settled into his stalemate with Mattie as though he had all the time in world. Which, unfortunately, he did not. But there were some situations that required careful handling. This being one of them.

  No matter how badly he wanted to toss the unsavory madam out on her ear he wouldn’t do so unless Megan asked him. She deserved a wedding free of strife. If that meant he had to play nice with M
attie Silks, so be it. His bride’s happiness must come first.

  Of course, Mattie was in one of her surly moods. Bad temper flared out of her, while an unpleasant snarl curled her lips. Logan had dealt with the woman often enough to know this standoff could last all day.

  Unless he relented first.

  Finished with the ridiculous battle of wills, he broke eye contact with the madam and focused his full attention on Megan.

  The air immediately left his lungs in a hard, burning whoosh. Megan was…

  She was…

  Exquisite. Breathtaking. Beyond beautiful.

  And, best of all, she would soon be his.

  His.

  Until death do them part.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Standing in a splash of sunlight, she looked almost ethereal. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a complicated design, with a few pieces hanging loose along her face, framing her eyes. Eyes so blue, so clear Logan was reminded of the San Francisco Bay under a cloudless sky.

  Oh, Lord, help me do right by her. Help me to protect Megan in the coming days.

  Pushing down a thread of misgiving, he breathed out slowly but his thoughts refused to untangle. Clearing his throat, he carefully set Megan’s wedding present on Trey’s desk and went to her, flowers still in hand.

  Unsure how he put one foot in front of the other, he entered the jail cell and fumbled for words. “Megan. I…” Disgusted with his clumsiness, he forced a smile and tried again. “You look…remarkable.” He touched her cheek. “So. Very. Beautiful.”

  Blushing, she lowered her eyelashes and sighed. In that moment, she created such a picture of beauty and grace his heart gave two hard knocks against his ribs.

  She lifted her gaze at last and smiled up at him. “You look wonderful, too, Logan.”

  Her voice shook as she spoke and the sound of her nervousness made his gut stir with apprehension. What if I let her down? What if I can’t make her happy?

  “These are for you.” He shoved the flowers at her. For a man who’d hunted down the vilest criminals in the country he felt surprisingly stupid and tongue-tied.

  Megan did that to him. Even after all these years.

  “Thank you.” She buried her nose in the bouquet for a moment. “They’re lovely.”

  Their gazes connected again, and a pleasant warmth settled over him. This was where he belonged. With this woman. Always. They would work through the rest in time.

  Certainty filled him.

  At the same moment Megan’s eyes brimmed with an emotion he recognized at once. Love. She might not have said the words out loud yet, but Logan saw the truth in her gaze.

  Despite his five-year absence, despite the long days of silence broken only by sporadic letters Megan’s feelings for him hadn’t changed.

  He would make sure they never did.

  Nervous for an entirely different reason now, he dipped his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. As much as he wanted to continue staring at his beautiful bride, time was running out.

  They needed to be on the trail before nightfall.

  Logan took Megan’s hand and held it close to his heart. “What do you say? Want to get married now?”

  She curled her fingers into his shirt and let out an engaging little laugh, the one that had first attracted him to her all those years ago. “Oh, yes. Let’s.”

  Logan was suddenly very impatient to make this woman his wife.

  Hitting his cue perfectly, Reverend O’Toole stepped forward. “Shall we begin?”

  Logan nodded, then turned to face the man directly. With his tawny hair, chiseled features and charismatic presence, Beauregard O’Toole could have easily been a star on the international stage, like the rest of his famous acting family.

  But the Lord had called him into ministry. And while most preachers tried to keep the unpleasant types out of their church, Beau opened his doors to everyone, especially the lost and broken. He was a man who lived Christ’s example daily and Logan admired him greatly. He couldn’t think of a better person to perform his wedding ceremony.

  Smiling now, Beau opened his Bible and motioned the others forward. “Everyone, please take your places.”

  Logan pulled Megan flush against him. She leaned in closer still, the gesture turning them into a single unit.

  It was a very good beginning.

  There was a moment of jostling as the others moved into the jail cell. Trey and Shane stood on Logan’s right, Bella on Megan’s left.

  Mattie hovered just behind Bella, but Logan chose to ignore the woman. He would have succeeded rather nicely had he not breathed in a large whiff of her cloying scent.

  The woman was a menace. But at least she comported herself with a small amount of dignity—by keeping her mouth shut.

  Thank God for small blessings.

  Megan clutched the flowers in her hand so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her mother’s bracelet felt heavy around her wrist and despite her best efforts to focus on the positive aspects of the moment, nerves consumed her.

  She should be happy. Ecstatic, even. But she felt rootless and adrift, nothing like herself at all. She shouldn’t feel so unmoored on her wedding day.

  Then again, who could blame her?

  She was getting married in a jail cell, for goodness’ sake. To the man she loved, yes, but with only a handful of her friends as witnesses. Worse yet, she was wearing a dress that was not her own.

  She let out a weary sigh.

  During all the lonely nights she’d lain awake dreaming of this moment, a borrowed dress had never factored into the equation. Nor had a row of iron bars. She certainly hadn’t expected the smell of mold and Mattie’s nauseating perfume to waft over the proceedings.

  Oh, Lord, Megan prayed. I want to believe the odd circumstances of this wedding are part of Your plan for Logan and me. Please, I beg You, help me to see this from Your perspective, not my own.

  “Dearly beloved,” Pastor Beau began and Megan snapped to attention.

  “We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony.”

  The reverend was speaking words Megan had heard countless times before at other wedding ceremonies, yet they sounded distant and cold to her now. Like frost under hazy fog. Yet the air in the room was so unbearably hot and sticky Megan had to fight to take a decent breath.

  Feeling more disjointed than before and needing an anchor, she let her gaze drift toward Logan.

  He was watching her in return.

  His smoky blue eyes skimmed her face with a look she couldn’t quite decipher. Fondness, perhaps? No, conviction. Logan Mitchell knew exactly what he wanted.

  And he wanted her.

  Her stomach dropped.

  Even as Pastor Beau continued blessing their union, Logan held her stare. Then he enfolded her free hand in his and squeezed gently.

  A moment of apprehension took hold of her. Logan was so big and she was so small. He was so strong and, at the moment, she was so unsteady. She didn’t know what to say, or how to act.

  But then a slow, warm smile spread across Logan’s face and he touched his lips lightly to her knuckles. The intimate gesture put her immediately at ease.

  Tightening her grip around her flowers, Megan spent the next few moments trying desperately to refocus her attention on the solemn words Pastor Beau spoke.

  She missed several lines, but easily honed in on the vows.

  “Logan,” the reverend addressed him directly. “Will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony as God ordained it? Will you nourish and cherish her as Christ loves the Church? Will you love, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others remain united to her alone, as long as you both shall live?”

  “I will,” he said with quiet intensity, commanding Megan’s gaze as though she was the only person in the room. He pressed another heartfelt kiss to her kn
uckles and repeated the words a second time. “I will.”

  Bella sighed. Mattie blew her nose, loudly.

  Megan looked down at her feet.

  “Megan.”

  She quickly lifted her gaze. “Yes?”

  “Will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony as God ordained it? Will you love, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others remain united to him alone, as long as you both shall live?”

  “Oh, yes.” She glanced over at Logan, who was looking expectantly at her. “I will.” Her voice barely shook.

  She was slowly getting a handle on her nerves.

  “Is there a ring?”

  Megan’s heart plummeted. Logan had been gone only a short time this afternoon. Surely with all the other tasks he’d had to complete, there hadn’t been time for him to purchase a wedding ring.

  But, oh, how she wanted the symbol of their unity wrapped snugly around her finger. She wanted the world to know she was this man’s wife.

  Looking rather pleased with himself Logan opened his mouth to speak, but Mattie beat him to it. “You may borrow one of mine.”

  She thrust forward, jockeying for position until they were forced to step apart.

  “This will do quite nicely.” Mattie tugged at one of the massive, ostentatious jewels on her left hand. When the ring didn’t budge, she applied considerable effort to the task, popping it free. The gesture sent her elbow straight into Logan’s stomach.

  He released a grunt.

  “Oh, dear, so sorry, Marshal.” Mattie didn’t appear sorry at all.

  Ever the gracious gentleman, Logan didn’t call her out on the lie. Instead, he nudged her back to her place behind Megan.

  “No need to trouble yourself, Miss Silks.” He gave her a warning glare. “You may keep your ring. I have one of my own.”

  “You do?” Megan asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice as she moved back into place beside him.

  “Of course I do.” He dug into his pocket and retrieved a tiny, velvet-covered box. “I made the purchase before I left San Francisco.”