Charlie blushed to her roots. She had completely forgotten she was only half dressed.
36
Morty’s mouth felt dry as it did when he slept with it open after a night on the town. On any given day, he was more than a little intimidated by Jaxon Bloodworthy, but to lie to him was making Morty sweat. It didn’t help that Morty couldn’t lie convincingly to save his life.
“Captain, your sister told me to tell you she tore her dress and needed to change clothes so they are going to be late.”
There. It wasn’t a lie—not his lie anyway. It was what she told him to say.
“It seems to me, it would have been faster for you to stay there and wait than for you to be running back and forth delivering messages.”
“Aye, they just didn’t want you to worry,” he said, amber eyes looking everywhere but at Jaxon.
“Was there anything else?”
“No,” Morty answered quickly. “I’d better get back.”
“Hurry, please.”
“Uh, it may take longer than you think. Charlie wasn’t—” He almost said fully dressed, but he caught himself. “Charlie wasn’t ready either.”
Morty turned on his heel to leave, but realized he didn’t know where the sheriff’s office was located. He scanned the sanctuary until he spotted a familiar fire-headed woman and approached her.
“Mabel,” Morty whispered in her ear. “Where’s the sheriff’s office?”
“Town square, across from the courthouse.” She grabbed his arm before he could leave. “Why?”
“Can I tell you later?”
Mabel looked a little hurt. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, my love. I can find it.”
“But now I’m going to worry.”
He tenderly touched her face. “Everything is fine.” He picked up her hand and kissed it.
By the time word of the women’s arrival finally reached Jaxon, he had worked himself into a nervous wreck. He had convinced himself Morty was spending his time trying to talk Charlie out of marrying him while Jayne was trying to convince her to go through with it.
“They’re ready,” Daniel stated. “Are you?”
He was as ready as he was ever going to be. Despite the fact he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Charlie, he still felt anxious. The delay had only served to make his nerves worse.
The men took their places by the altar next to their childhood preacher who had baptized them as children. With a nod from Reverend Fyfe, the musicians began playing. The ushers, Levi and Eli, opened the doors to the rear of the sanctuary and Jayne began the slow procession down the aisle. Almost immediately Jaxon noticed her pallor and wondered if having all the attention on her for these few moments plagued her more than his shy sister could tolerate. She really was as pretty as Charlie had pointed out and he cast a glance at all the sailors in the room and frowned. Poor Jayne would die a spinster if he and brothers couldn’t relax their protective natures. It was no wonder such a pretty girl had never had any suitors.
He turned his eyes back to Jayne and noticed how glassy and heavily hooded her eyes looked. Instinctively, he knew this was not the result of unshed emotions.
Was she drunk? Charlie’s upbringing contrasted harshly to theirs. He wouldn’t have put it past her to have gotten his sister drunk; not understanding it was something young women did not do. Did she get sick on her dress causing the delay?
As Jayne approached, Jaxon stepped towards her and took her hands. He leaned in to kiss her cheek as an excuse to get close enough to see if he could smell liquor on her. He could not detect any odor.
“Are you all right?” he whispered in her ear and pulled back to see her eyes.
The look on her face told him she was surprised to find he had noticed anything amiss.
Jayne smiled and nodded and moved to her position opposite her brothers.
Jaxon retreated back to his place next to Daniel and elbowed him lightly. When he had his attention, he nodded towards Jayne. Daniel looked past him and frowned when he saw her eyes.
The music changed and the congregation of family, friends and crew rose to their feet as Charlie began her walk down the aisle on Morty’s arm. Morty wore his white dress uniform as did nearly every sailor there. It made him look even more muscled than usual.
Jaxon had been annoyed when his mother insisted if Morty was her cousin, he should give her away. He either needed to admit the lie or let Morty act as her father. But there was also a side of him that liked the symbolism of him yielding his hold on her.
But when they came through the doors at the back of the worship hall, he barely noticed the brute next to his bride. His eyes fixed on Charlie. He didn’t think she could possibly look more beautiful than she always did, but he was wrong. The joy in her face radiated through the gossamer veil. He smiled widely.
“Who gives this woman?” the preacher said, bringing Jaxon out of his reverie.
“Her crew and I,” Morty said eliciting a few chuckles.
Morty outstretched his hand to Jaxon. “I hope you know how fortunate you are to have this woman’s love,” he said quietly.
“I do. And I intend to show her how much I love her every day for the rest of our lives.”
When Jaxon released his hand, Morty lifted Charlie’s hand from his arm and placed it on Jaxon’s.
As Morty took his seat next to Mabel, Jaxon and Charlie turned to Reverend Fyfe and began their vows.
Jaxon could tell Charlie was surprised when Daniel produced a ring. She may have forgotten about the ring, but he had not. She watched as he slid the ring onto her finger and stared at it while Reverend Fyfe spoke the vows first. When she looked up there were tears in her eyes.
“With this ring….” Jaxon’s voice cracked and Charlie covered his hand with her right hand and smile.
Jaxon cleared his throat and finished then Charlie said hers, their eyes never leaving each other.
Moments later, Reverend Fyfe pronounced them husband and wife, telling Jaxon he could kiss the bride.
Jax lifted the veil and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on her lips, but Charlie wrapped one arm around his neck and kissed him passionately. There were some chuckles from his crew and more than one of her crewmembers cleared their throats, but it was Grace and Sloane saying Ew that made Charlie relax her hold on Jax’s neck.
As they walked down the aisle to the church’s vestibule, Jaxon leaned towards her.
“What’s the matter with Jayne?” he whispered.
Charlie’s hand flew to her mouth as her breath caught. “She insisted we not postpone the wedding.”
Jaxon glanced behind them to make sure Jayne and Daniel followed. As soon as they were out of the sanctuary, Jaxon sought out a place where they could talk privately.
“In here,” he said to Jayne and Daniel as he led Charlie into the preacher’s study.
“Daniel,” Charlie said. “Maybe you should go get your mother, too.”
“No, not Mama,” Jayne protested.
Jaxon nodded his head toward the door and Daniel hurried to find their matriarch.
“I take it Jayne didn’t tear her dress?” Jaxon said frowning in earnest.
“No…” Charlie started, but Jayne interrupted.
“Millie tried to shoot Charlie.”
“Millie? Oh, God.”
“I tried to wrest the pistol from her and it went off and Jayne got shot,” Charlie explained.
“I got winged in the wing,” Jayne said still feeling the effects of the laudanum.
“She’s made that same joke half a dozen times already.”
“You should have seen Charlie. It all happened so fast, Millie didn’t know what happened.”
“But you’re all right?” Jax asked Jayne.
“Nothing a dozen stitches and a little laudanum couldn’t take care of.”
Jayne smiled widely at Jax.
“No more laudanum.” Jaxon scowled at Jayne and watched as her grin turned crooked as if she wan
ted him to know his glower did not work on her.
Daniel opened the door and he and Betsy entered.
“Millie shot Jayne,” Jax said without preamble.
“I’m all right. I just got winged in the wing.”
Charlie shook her head with a chagrined expression.
“Charlie stitched me up and in a couple of weeks, it’ll be like it never happened.”
“Where’s Millie? Did she get away?” Jaxon asked.
“I subdued her and tied her up and Morty got the sheriff to take her to jail.”
“Thank heavens,” Betsy said taking her daughter’s face in her small, but steady hands. Her arms suddenly surrounded the young woman and held her tightly for a brief embrace. “Maybe I should take you home so you can rest.”
“No, Mama. I want to shoot the cannons with everyone else.”
Jaxon and Charlie planned to take the wedding guests out into open water on The Dragon’s Lair and shoot the cannons to celebrate their nuptials.
“She can lie down in our cabin if it’s too much for her,” Charlie suggested. “It’s little more than a bad cut. It took about a dozen stitches to close up, but Jayne has been a model patient.”
Betsy insisted on seeing the wound for herself. Jaxon and Daniel gathered behind Betsy as Charlie unveiled Jayne’s wound. The injury was red, but sewn up neatly. “I think it’ll be all right for Jayne to see the cannons fired.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
“Now we must get back out there and greet everyone.”
37
Charlie held onto her veil as the wind picked up and the sailors prepared the ship to make way.
“Take off the veil and I’ll put it in our cabin,” Jaxon said tired of watching her struggle with it.
Charlie smiled. She liked the way he so easily referred to it as their cabin. “Thank you,” she said divesting herself of the troublesome veil. “Have any of my jackets or coats been delivered to the ship?”
“I bet I can find you something. I’ll be right back,” he said and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“Charlie, Charlie!” Jaxon heard Sloane and Grace yelling, drawing her attention as he took the troublesome headpiece below. They would keep her occupied until he returned.
Jaxon stepped into the corridor and found two men he didn’t know there. They were big men and each wore a gun on his hip. They stood with arms akimbo blocking the door to his quarters.
“Who are you and what the devil are you doing in here?”
“Mr. Bloodworthy told us not to let anyone in here.”
“I’m Captain Bloodworthy. This is my ship and that is my cabin.”
“Mr. Bloodworthy said no one.”
“Which Mr. Bloodworthy?”
On deck, Charlie tried to figure out which twin sister was which. The girls giggled and whispered to each other. Suddenly a hand covered Charlie’s eyes and another arm went around her waist pulling her against his body.
“Guess who, baby,” came a familiar male voice, that if she hadn’t known better, she could have easily mistaken for Jaxon.
“Damn it, Grayson! Get your hands off me!”
“Grayson? Baby, how could you think I’m Grayson?” he asked not uncovering her eyes. “Maybe you should kiss me to make sure.”
In a second’s time, she had his arm twisted behind his back.
“Never, Grayson.”
“Ow, leave off, Charlie. I was just playing around.”
Charlie, suddenly realizing that all the wedding guests were watching, let go of Grayson’s arm. “This is not the place or the time, Gray, unless you’ve come to apologize.”
“Let’s go below so we can talk privately. I have a surprise for you.”
Charlie hesitated. Considering his accusations and demeanor before he left, she didn’t trust this new friendly Grayson. Whatever he was up to, she’d rather deal with it below in private than in front of everyone. Besides, that’s where Jaxon had gone and she preferred to have him by her side while Grayson sprung his little surprise.
“Jaxon!” Charlie called seeing him racing up from below still holding the veil. His expression dark as he spotted his twin with his wife.
“Gray, what is the meaning of this?”
Grayson put his hand on Charlie’s back, compelling her forward.
“This is between my client and me, Jax. May we use your cabin?”
“She’s my wife now.”
Grayson shook his head, his lip twitched upwards into a smirk. “Actually, I doubt that. I’m guessing it’s not quite legal.”
Charlie saw Jaxon pale and felt sick herself. She held her hand out to Jaxon. “Jax is coming with us. I don’t trust you and I have no intention of being alone in a room with you, Grayson.”
Jaxon allowed Charlie to go below first then pushed his way between his wife and his twin. Charlie stopped dead in her tracks seeing the two men guarding the door.
“Who…?”
“Deputy Marshalls is all I could get out of them,” Jax said.
Charlie understood without having to be told that Grayson had brought them with him. He was having her arrested for killing her mother and Gertie. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life and Grayson had pulled the rug out from under her. No wonder he seemed happy. He planned to send her to go to jail. Parading her in front of all Jaxon’s friends and family would have the added bonus of humiliating Jaxon as well.
She wished to heaven, she had told Jaxon everything so he would not be blindsided by this. Perhaps she should be thankful if what Grayson had said was true about the marriage was not being legal, at least then, Jaxon would have a graceful way to distance himself.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly to Jaxon. “I know this is little consolation, but I love you and I never meant to hurt you.”
“Charlie?”
Jaxon grabbed her elbow and pulled her into Daniel’s former cabin, slamming the door behind him and leaving Grayson and the deputies in the passageway.
“Charlie, I asked you when Grayson left if there was anything he was going to find out that I should know and you told me there wasn’t.”
Charlie bit her lip. “I should have told you, but I couldn’t because I was afraid I’d lose you. I’m so ashamed of it. I prayed every night that he wouldn’t find out. It never occurred to me he’d bring the law with him.”
She had never seen Jaxon so angry. His lips were pressed together tightly and his eyes narrowed under a knitted brow. He released his grip and crossed his arms over his chest as pulled back half a step as if standing close to her disgusted him.
“This is your last chance to tell me before he does.” His voice was as cold as his eyes.
Charlie choked back the lump in her throat. Her lower lip trembled. “I need to sit down,” she said weakly. “I don’t feel well.”
Jaxon waited while she found a seat on the stripped bunk. She folded her hands in her lap and stared at the floor.
“This is about the fire.”
“The fire? When you were five?”
Jaxon felt the anger drain from him. He knew whatever prompted Grayson to bring two deputy marshals with him; it had nothing to do with the fire. However, if she wanted to tell him, he would listen. He pulled a nearby chair over and sat down facing her.
“Aye. There’s no statute of limitation on murder, Jaxon. I always knew it would catch up to me. I just hoped after all these years, maybe they forgot.”
“Start at the beginning.”
“My mother and Gertie, our housekeeper, were canning apple butter in the kitchen. It took all day, or at least it seemed like all day to me. My mother sliced a loaf of bread, spread it with apple butter and gave it to me. I still remember the way it tasted.” Charlie closed her eyes. To this day she could not stomach apple butter. Just the sweet smell of apples and cinnamon brought back the memories and made her sick to her stomach.
“Later, I must have been getting underfoot. She spoiled
me terribly and not having Mama’s attention all day made me act up. When I wouldn’t behave, she put me to bed. It must have been earlier than usual because I was wide awake and after just a few minutes, I got out of bed. I wanted to play with my paper dolls, but it was dark in my room so I snuck downstairs with them. A lantern lit in the back parlor so I went in there. If I remember correctly, the formal dining room was between the back parlor and the kitchen and you had to go into the hallway to get into the dining room.
“I had only been in the room a minute before the two pups started scratching and whining at the glass doors. They were at least six months old so they were pretty big. I tried to ignore them, but they wouldn’t stop. They should have been in the kennel with the other hounds, but sometimes they dug under the fences and got out. I knew I wasn’t supposed to let them in the house, but I loved playing with the dogs when my mother would let me.”
“You let them in?”
“Aye. I couldn’t control them. They were rambunctious and running around the room and jumping on me. Then one of them caught me off balance and knocked me into the little pedestal table where the kerosene lamp burned.”
Charlie stopped. She took a deep breath and slowly released it out her mouth before continuing. Jaxon moved to her side. He stretched one arm around her shoulder and set his other hand on hers.
“The lamp hit the fireplace bricks and shattered. One second the smell of kerosene filled the air, a second later the room was ablaze.” Charlie shook her head as if she could somehow erase the sight from memory. “One of the puppies got sprayed with kerosene and when the room caught…,” She couldn’t finish the sentence, but she knew Jaxon would understand. “It was yelping and spreading fire everywhere it ran. I tried to put it out, but my nightgown caught fire. The pain was unbearable. I ran blindly out the garden door and tripped over the threshold. The way I landed on my arm put the fire out. I should have gone around to the kitchen door, but I couldn’t move. Only when the heat from the fire became unbearable did I get on my feet and back away.”
Charlie looked at Jaxon. Fat tears streamed down her cheeks. “I could have saved them if I had only gone around to the kitchen door. I just stood there and only moved away again when the heat forced me back as it grew. I didn’t know what to do. The fire glowed orange through the windows at first and flames lapped out of the open door and spread up the wall. There was an indescribable roaring sound as it consumed the house. Then I could just barely hear Mama and Miss Gertie calling my name over the din. I yelled back, but they couldn’t hear me. I screamed and screamed until I lost my voice.
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