The Marshal Takes a Bride

by Renee Ryan

  “Not yet. It’s time we had the rest of it out between us.” He shifted his weight. “All of it.”

  Her clenched fists spoke of inflexible resolve. “Now is not a good time for me.”

  “Nevertheless, we’re going to settle this. Not only for your sister’s sake, but for yours as well.”

  And maybe even for his own.

  Here, now, in the confines of the school’s supply closet, Trey finally admitted to himself that he’d been moved by this woman and her painful past long before she’d brought Molly to live with her.

  The discovery sat heavy on his heart. How could he have feelings for this woman when his hate and anger drove him so hard? How could he be drawn to Katherine when his only goal should be to avenge his wife’s senseless murder?

  How could he betray Laurette like this, even in the secret corners of his mind?

  “Please.” Her trapped gaze darted to the exit. “Can’t we do this later?”

  He nearly relented at the sight of her unconcealed dismay, at the wave of guilt that had begun to spread through him, but it was time they addressed the real problem standing between them. Without the issue of Molly or the little girl’s future as a buffer. Without his mind consumed with his wife.

  He reached to Katherine, brushing aside a strand of hair that had freed itself from the braid. “We have to work through this, before our antagonism explodes in some unforeseen way, and we do something you’ll regret.”

  “Me? What about you?”

  “I’m long past regrets.”

  Trey had told himself the only reason he’d sought out Katherine today was to tell her he would honor her wishes concerning Molly.

  He’d been lying to himself.

  Katherine Taylor awakened tender emotions in him he’d thought dead. She gave him a glimpse of who he used to be before anger and hatred had taken root. He wanted to teach her how to trust him, as a friend would trust another, and that all men didn’t want to use her for their own selfish desires.

  “I won’t hurt you, Katherine. Ever.”

  He meant every word, but she stiffened anyway, and then shifted away from him.

  Feeling helpless, foolish, he stepped back. Focusing on her fears helped him remember why they needed to work through this awkwardness between them. He tried another topic. “I know you and Molly shared the same mother, but you had different fathers. I also know how your sister’s father died. But, tell me, Katherine, what happened to yours?”

  Her closed, stony expression made him fear she wouldn’t answer his question, but she surprised him. “He was a town sheriff, shot in the line of duty.”

  His stomach dropped, and he felt like he’d been gut-punched. Why hadn’t Marc warned him? Now her worries for her little sister made more sense. “How old were you when he died?”

  “About Molly’s age. He left us with less than nothing.”

  “Us?”

  “Me and my mother. It’s why she turned to her scandalous profession.” The look in her eyes explained more than her words. “Momma didn’t have any skills. When the last of our money ran out, she did what she thought she had to do. Eventually, she started her own business and, well, you know the rest.”

  “You admired her.”

  Katherine started trembling, her eyes clouding over as though she was lost inside painful memories. “No. I wept for her. She was a strong woman, capable and resourceful. But because of the choices she made, she lived a bitter and lonely life.”

  He reached to her again.

  She shrugged him off. Again.

  “You escaped her legacy.”

  “Yes.” Her face took on a faraway look. “I guess she knew what would happen if I grew up in her brothel, so she sent me to school back East. But I had to leave right before graduation and care for her during her illness. It was an honor and a blessing to share those final days with her, and to see her come to know the Lord.”

  He had to swallow back his own anger at the thought of Katherine leaving the safety of school, only to have a man violate her in the most vile way possible. “You truly believe returning home was a blessing, after what happened to you?”

  “Oh, Trey.” She gave him a serene smile, the one he’d seen her use on the smaller children when they were confused. “Despite all the tragedy, I eventually found my real home. Here at Charity House.”

  Her naive response swelled a primitive need to lash out. “Good doesn’t always come out of evil. Look at Molly. Tell me, what good has come out of her loss?”

  Katherine sighed. “God never promised us a life without adversity. But He gave us the strength we need to bear up under it. Molly may have lost both her mother and father, as I did, but she’s not alone. She has me. We have each other, and we have our heavenly Father.”

  “How can you speak of God as though He cares?” Trey demanded, no longer thinking of Molly now, but of his wife.

  She’d been a woman of faith, too, just like Katherine. However, God hadn’t given Laurette the strength to face Ike Hayes and his rotten brother, Drew. Her faith had been grossly rewarded with unspeakable violence. “Look around you. God abandons those who care for Him most.”

  Katherine winced, but she didn’t challenge him. Instead, she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. “If you give it a chance, healing will come with time.”

  She was wrong. Time healed nothing. At least not for him. Not until he caught Ike Hayes.

  But maybe, maybe, the future could be different for Molly. She was just an innocent child, one who deserved peace in her life. And she’d get it, too. If he walked away now.

  “I’ve been reckless with your sister.” He placed his fingertips against his temples, his heartbeat coming fast and hard under his touch. “I’m sorry, Katherine.”

  “Do you know, until yesterday you never used my given name?” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “Say it again.”

  Foggy memories screamed at him to stop before it was too late. He ignored the good sense that told him to pull away; instead, he touched her cheek with a gentleness he didn’t know he still possessed. “Katherine.”

  She tilted her head at him, smiled.

  All thoughts escaped him. All but one. “Am I scaring you?”

  “I…” She pressed her hand over his. “No.”

  She sounded shocked. Puzzled.

  Amazed.

  “Ah, Katherine.” Slowly, he lowered his hands to her shoulders. “Do you know what’s happening between us?”

  “No.”

  “Neither do I.” He started to pull her closer. “But I—”

  “Mr. Trey! Whatcha doin’ to my sister?”

  At the sound of Molly’s voice, resignation filled Katherine. She let out a choppy breath, drew in another, and then glanced into Trey’s eyes.

  He dropped his hands immediately from her shoulders. His expression gave away nothing of his emotions. In fact, his face was stark, fathomless, his gray-eyed gaze guarded.

  Katherine gave him an exasperated look.

  He sent her a small shrug.

  “Mr. Trey! I was talkin’ to you.”

  Trey gently pushed Katherine farther away from him, but he kept his gaze locked with hers as he answered Molly.

  “I heard you, kitten.” His lips curved into a slow, sardonic smile. “We were just talking.”

  Molly scooted around the back of Trey and then shoved between them. “Huh?”

  Trey flashed Katherine a fearless grin and then lowered his attention to Molly. “What are you doing here, kid?”

  Furrowing her brows, the little girl looked from Trey to Katherine and back again. “Laney told us to come get Katherine for lunch.”

  Katherine’s breath caught in her lungs. “Us?”

  Molly pointed to a spot just behind Trey. “Me, Megan and Johnny.”

  Leaning to her right, Katherine groaned at the sight of the older children shifting from foot to foot. Both were looking intently at the ceiling, but their smirks told her that they knew exact
ly what they’d just interrupted.

  Perfect. Two fifteen-year-old witnesses.

  Trey’s shoulders stiffened as he pivoted completely around. “Johnny, Megan, please take Molly back to Charity House. Kath—that is, Miss Taylor—and I will be right behind you.”

  Molly marched around Trey and parked two balled fists on her hips. “We can’t leave ’less Katherine comes, too.”

  “Go on, Molly,” Katherine said, squelching her sister’s mutiny with a firm voice and firmer frown. “I need to talk to Marshal Scott. Alone.”

  The little girl stomped her foot. “But I wanna stay.”

  Trey stooped to Molly’s height and then plucked at one of her braids. “We’ll be right behind you.”

  Molly cocked her head. “Really?”

  “Promise. And after lunch we’ll finish our game of marshals versus the big bad bank robbers,” said Trey.

  Molly cocked her head at him. “Do I get to be the marshal this time?”

  Trey nodded. “Of course.”

  “Well, okay.” Molly skipped over to Megan, clutched the girl’s hand and then looked at Katherine over her shoulder. “Bye, Katherine.”

  Katherine gave both girls a shaky smile. “Bye.”

  With a knowing grin, Johnny addressed Trey directly. “See you in a few…minutes, Marshal.” He wiggled his eyebrows but followed the girls out of the room without commenting further.

  “Perfect. Just perfect,” Katherine said once they were alone again. “Everyone at Charity House is sure to hear about this.”

  She’s just like her mother. The woman’s words from her earlier encounter echoed through her head.

  Trey turned to face her then, his gaze impossible to read. Katherine didn’t much care for the tug of unease that sped up her spine. Even before he opened his mouth to speak, she knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

  “I guess this means we’re getting married,” he said, with a heavy dose of resignation in his voice.

  Married? Katherine couldn’t breathe under the weight of her confusion. How on earth had the man come to that conclusion? It took several seconds for her pounding heartbeat to settle enough for her to speak. “Pardon me?”

  In the silence that followed, their gazes met and held. And held. And held.

  Trey blinked first. “I didn’t mean to put you into this predicament.” He sighed. “Not only did three children catch us alone, but a passing neighbor or deliveryman could have seen me come in here.”

  “Maybe not,” she said, a little too desperate, a little too shrill.

  “Ugly talk, even unfounded, could bring trouble to the school. Or worse, yet another complaint against the entire Charity House venture.” He darted his gaze around the room, speared his fingers through his hair, then gave a quick nod. “Under the circumstances, marriage is our best option.”

  Tears of indignation pricked in Katherine’s eyes, but her pride refused to allow a single drop to fall. Her only defense was to drop a cold chill into her words. “Stop talking nonsense. Even if someone saw us and filed a complaint, it…”

  She trailed off, realizing the trouble that could come to Marc and Laney. To Charity House.

  No. They were speculating now. Nothing more. There hadn’t been a formal complaint against the orphanage in well over a year. The probability of a renewed grievance was ridiculous. “Let me pass.”

  As though he’d forgotten where they were, his gaze flicked around. “Katherine, you must realize how sor—”

  “Don’t apologize.”

  He clamped his lips shut, but his unspoken remorse hung between them.

  As the silence grew, a burning throb of shame knotted in her throat. For one blinding moment, Katherine had actually wanted him to hold her. Was she leading him on?

  Why hadn’t she tried to stop him?

  As though hearing her silent chagrin, Trey looked deep into her eyes, winced. “Let me make this right for you.”

  She fought the disparaging echo in her head. Too late. Too late. Too, too late. A blast of sunlight chose that moment to spill into the room, blinding Katherine as it chased away the dark.

  She started forward, but Trey’s voice, melodious and smooth, stopped her. “Marry me.”

  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Even as Paul’s words to the Colossians echoed through her head, Katherine could only stare at Trey, a blank, lifeless sense of doom fisting around her heart. “No.”

  For the first time that day, he actually looked angry, as though she’d finally pushed him past his limit. “Why not?”

  Refusing to allow his bad manners to intimidate her, she stepped back, stopping his approach by shoving her palms hard against his chest. “I shouldn’t have to explain myself after everything we’ve discussed. I won’t marry a man—”

  “Who wears a badge?”

  She let her hands drift to her sides. “That’s only part of it.”

  He raked a tender gaze across her face, but he didn’t come any closer. “I’m not like the man who attacked you, Katherine. I won’t hurt you.”

  As a slice of yearning clung to the edges of her resolve, her heart hammered out her words. “I know that.”

  “Do you?” he asked, gripping her shoulders again.

  She slapped his hands away. “I don’t think I’ll let you paw at me anymore today.”

  He stepped back and waited until her eyes locked with his. “Marriage is the only way out of this. If we go to Charity House and tell the children we’re engaged, word will get out quickly. If I was seen coming here, alone, all will be forgotten with the news of our impending marriage.”

  At the sight of the turbulent emotions in his eyes, a spasm of longing threatened her resolve. But nothing had changed between them, and although his argument had some merit, she wouldn’t marry a man simply to stave off the mere possibility of trouble.

  “We did nothing wrong,” she said. “But you’re right about one thing. We don’t need any additional talk. If we’re seen leaving together, the neighbors might not be kind in their estimation of the situation. You go first, out the back door, and I’ll follow out the front after a considerable amount of time has passed.”

  His expression turned into stone. “I won’t allow you to walk into Charity House with rumors flying among the children. You suffer enough of that in town.”

  “So this is some sort of misguided sense of gallantry? U.S. marshal Trey Scott saves the day?”

  “No.” He paused, hissed. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. I hear how they speak about you and Molly.”

  “They?”

  “You know who I mean. The gossipmongers.” His gaze softened. “You and Molly deserve better than inaccurate rumors and nasty hearsay.”

  “They’re words without substance. Anyone who knows me will know the truth of who I am and what I stand for.”

  “Some claim you’re Molly’s mother.”

  For a dreadful moment, Katherine’s heart skipped a beat, and another. She’d suspected this but hadn’t known for sure until now. Although Trey meant well, his desire to protect her through marriage was misguided at best. It wouldn’t change the reality of what others chose to say about her or her connection to her sister.

  “I’ve never worried about talk before. I won’t start now. A marriage license would change nothing. I’m still the daughter of the most notorious madam in Denver next to Mattie Silks, and I’ll always be a ruined woman in the eyes of the town.”

  He stiffened at her blunt words. “What about Molly? Do you want to teach her that cavorting in supply closets is acceptable behavior for an unmarried woman?”

  His point hit its mark. For a moment, Katherine wavered on the edge of relenting, but then reality burst through the shield of her other emotions. “I’ll simply explain the truth to her.”

  He speared his fingers through his hair. “You’re being unreasonable.”

  “And you’re suddenly the voice of logic
here? You’re offering marriage on the off chance someone sees us leaving together and will ultimately file a complaint with nothing more than conjecture to base it on. I won’t stand here and hypothesize about a situation that may never happen.” She shoved at him again. “Now let me pass.”

  His expression dropped into a frown as he shifted to his left and waved her forward. Tilting her nose at a regal angle, she sailed past him. But he caught her by the sleeve.

  “Let me go.”

  “Not yet. You throw around words like off chance and conjecture, but you know I have a point. Give me one good reason why you won’t marry me.” Turning her to face him, he added, “Other than my profession, and I’ll leave this alone until we know for sure if there will be any consequences over this meeting of ours.”

  Although his words were spoken in a firm tone, the masculine confusion that blazed out of Trey touched a hidden corner of her soul.

  Katherine had a sudden urge to ignore her own fears and take a crazy chance with this man. But she had someone to consider besides herself. And Molly deserved to know that a woman never had to settle for being second best, not even one with a ruined reputation.

  “I can’t marry you, Trey.” Katherine swallowed hard.

  “Because…?” he prompted.

  She met his gaze without wavering. “Because you’re still in love with your wife.”

  Chapter Seven

  Later that afternoon, Trey decided to use work to rid himself of the painful emotions Katherine had awakened in him. How could she speak so boldly of forgiveness given the tragedies she’d suffered?

  Where did that strength of faith come from?

  And why did he admire her for it?

  Disturbed by his train of thoughts, he charged up the steps of the newly completed Arapahoe County Courthouse. The smell of fresh varnish hit him as he entered the building. Italian marble floors reminiscent of the Capitol in Washington gleamed white and pristine in the late morning light.

  The three-story building, by its regal existence alone, changed the look of Denver from a prairie town to an up-and-coming city. Important business occurred in this building, carried out by important people. The same important people Trey didn’t especially want to see at the moment.