by Peterson, Tracie; Davis, Mary; Hake, Kelly Eileen; Stengl, Jill; Warren, Susan May
“Now you’re sorry. It’s a little late for sorry.”
“No, it’s not too late. I want to help you get your nieces back. If you will only listen to me.”
Marty twisted her wrists slightly in his grasp and glanced at his hold on her. “I don’t seem to have much choice.”
“This isn’t my fault. You are the one who keeps trying to kill me. I’m only defending myself. And I’m getting real tired of you pointing guns at me.” He glanced around the room and settled his gaze on an armchair. “If I let you up, will you promise to sit nicely in that chair over there and listen to what I have to say?”
Marty gave a quick nod of consent. He got up off the bed, pulling her by the wrists with him. He slowly released her, testing the waters. She stood defiantly.
“You promised to be good.” Reece pointed his finger at her.
Marty rolled her eyes but said nothing and did not make a move to cooperate.
Reece figured she needed some prodding. “All right. Have it your way.” He took hold of her wrists.
She yanked free and stormed over to the chair. She stared at it for a moment before plopping herself down and folding her arms across her chest. She gave him a you-may-have-won-this-battle-but-I’m-going-to-win-the-war look. He believed she would, too.
He paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back like he was giving a summation to a jury. “First of all, I would like to tell you how sorry I am for taking your nieces the way we did and tying you up.”
“Sorry! It’s too late for sorry.” Marty rose from the chair.
Reece raised his eyebrows and pointed back at the chair as he saw the intent on her face to come after him. “Please sit down, Miss Rawlings. I don’t want to have to tie you to that chair.” He already hated the way he had treated her and her family and that he had frightened the girls. He wanted to do it differently, but Wylie had given him no choice. He really didn’t want to manhandle her anymore, if he could help it. “Please, Miss Rawlings. I want to tell you where your nieces are, if you will just sit down and listen.”
He was relieved when she moved back toward the chair, even though her look divulged her murderous intent toward him. If given the chance, would she really hurt him? He hoped the opportunity never arose for him to find out.
Marty wasn’t sure she really wanted to listen to a man who could tear a family apart for the sake of money. What choice did she have? He possessed the information she needed to rescue her nieces from the clutches of William McRae.
She had met him a couple of times when she was five and her sister had gone to see his brother, Aaron. He gave her the creeps then, and the thought of possibly facing those cold gray eyes once more made her uneasy. If someone had to take her nieces, she supposed this Reece Keegan wasn’t so bad. He had been kind and gentle with the two scared nine-year-olds. Actually, he seemed quite good with children.
She narrowed her eyes at him. He was sorry. She would make him sorry all right. She would sit here long enough to find out what she needed to know, then maybe she would tie him up. That way he couldn’t stop her from retrieving them. See how he liked it.
On the off chance he was telling her the truth, she sat down. She seriously doubted he was capable of honesty; after all, he was only a lawyer. If anything had happened to either Dani or Davey, she would shoot both his kneecaps and watch him writhe in pain, then leave him begging for help.
“Your nieces are quite safe, I assure you,” he began as if reading her mind.
“Your assurances mean nothing to me.”
“Very well. But your nieces are still safe and will remain so as long as you don’t cause any trouble.”
“Are you threatening them?” Marty tightened her grip on the arms of the chair.
“No, I am not. But if William McRae thinks you are threatening what he wants, I don’t know what he might do. He is not a man to be trifled with. Since my return, I have been learning as much as I can about the man.”
Marty recalled what her supper companions had said about Aaron McRae being here. “What about the girls’ father? He’s the one behind this. He’s here in Seattle.”
“Their father never set foot in Seattle.”
Marty huffed. He knew nothing. How was he going to be any help? “Aaron McRae was headed for Seattle. My sister came here with him. The men in the dining room said he was here. Maybe you can’t find him, but I will.”
Reece nodded with understanding. “Aaron McRae Senior did live here. Your sister married Aaron McRae Junior. He died six years ago in the eastern part of this territory. He and your sister never completed the journey to Seattle. Just why, I have yet to find out. Some sort of falling-out with the family is my guess.”
“So Davey and Dani’s father really is dead?”
It was more a statement of recognition than a question, but Reece confirmed it anyway. Marty felt a tinge of remorse and sympathy for her nieces. She knew the anguish of losing your parents at a young age.
“William McRae is a powerful man with a great deal of influence in this city. If he wanted to make trouble for you, believe me, he could make plenty. I would ask you to stay away from the hearing, so the McRaes won’t be aware of your presence. Since that is unlikely, I’ll give you a word of advice. Don’t cause any trouble or let them know you might cause trouble.”
Trouble was exactly what she had in mind, and from the arch of his eyebrows he could read it on her face. His eyes were warning against it.
She needed more information. “What’s this hearing?”
“There is to be a hearing the day after tomorrow to determine permanent custody of Daphne and Daniella. A formality really as far as the McRaes are concerned. With no one to contest, they will be granted custody.”
“Contest?”
“Object.”
“But there is someone to contest—ME!”
“They don’t know about you yet, unless Wylie has told them, but I doubt it. Their ignorance will work to our advantage.”
Marty thought a few minutes on this new information. “If you think Mr. McRae will harm the girls, why did he want them in the first place?”
“When Aaron McRae Senior died, the family was shocked to find Aaron Junior named in the will. Aaron Senior believed his son would come around. He wanted his son to know he never gave up on him, and he loved him. Money is the only way the McRaes know how to show love.”
The love of money is the root of all evil. Lucas had taught her that from the Bible. He also taught her that family was more important than money. And land was important because it kept the family together.
“The family made no effort to find him so he could receive his inheritance. Aaron Senior’s lawyer spent his own money to locate his friend’s eldest son, but by the time he located Aaron Junior, the young man had passed away, and your sister had moved. When the McRaes found this out, they jumped in, thinking that they could somehow get his money with him dead. If they could bring Lynnette into the fold, they could get Aaron’s money from her. They thought the poor thing wouldn’t know how to handle all that money.”
Her selfish sister would have had no problem spending any amount of money…all on herself, of course.
“Three months ago they located a doctor whom your sister had seen in Spokane Falls. He said he had told her she should go home to her family. The McRaes figured if she had been seriously ill, she had returned to the Montana Territory with the girls, and if they were lucky, she had died. They persuaded a judge, a close personal friend, to grant them custody of the girls.
“This is where I came in. I was hired as an officer of the court to retrieve a pair of unfortunate girls who had been withheld from the family that loved them. I was even authorized to compensate your family for any inconvenience the girls may have caused while in your care.”
“Compensate? Inconvenience?” Marty’s anger boiled. “We would never take money for caring for our own flesh and blood.” She hated this sittin’. She needed to be up, movin’ aroun
d. If she got up, he might not tell her what she most wanted to know. But then, how hard could it be to find powerful William McRae?
“Basically, they figured you were some sort of poor dirt farmers who needed money. They can’t comprehend that anyone would value people more than money.”
She squeezed the arms of the chair and released, squeezed and released. “If they want the money, they can have it. We don’t need it. We jist want Dani and Davey back.”
“It’s not that easy. Legally the money and the girls go together. A judge can’t override Aaron McRae’s will. Where the girls go, so goes the money. And the McRaes want that money.”
Chapter 14
Reece took a deep breath. At least Marty was listening to him. “The only way to get the girls back is to do so legally. If the McRaes can’t possess the girls legally, they can’t touch the money. So we have to figure a way to keep them out of reach of the twins’ money.”
“We?”
“I would like to represent your family in the courtroom.”
“Why would we want you?” Her tone accused him of all sorts of misdeeds.
“The hearing is the day after tomorrow. Even if you could secure a lawyer in the next twenty-four hours, he wouldn’t have time enough to learn about the case and be prepared to face the McRaes’ lawyer. Without adequate legal representation, you don’t have a chance at receiving custody of your nieces. I’m your only hope. You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”
“Well, I don’t like it. And I’m not so sure I’ll be needing a lawyer at all.”
Reece saw a glint of trouble brewing in her eyes. She was a loaded gun, cocked and ready to go off. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash.”
“I’ll promise you nothing.”
“Please, Miss Rawlings. If you snatch the girls and try to run with them, the authorities will come after you. They know where you would be headed. They would catch you. You would never be able to rest easy as long as you were looking over your shoulder for the McRaes’ next move.
“I assure you I am a very fine lawyer.” As soon as he got the words out he could see she was going to protest, and he knew why, so he said it before she could. “I know my assurance means nothing to you. But I did graduate top of my class and was very successful back east before coming to the Washington Territory. I have been quite successful here as well.” But he had to admit he was so caught up in his own brilliance most of the time, he had forgotten to be human. That saddened him now.
“If you were so successful back east, why did you come out west?” Marty’s pompous question rankled him.
“I wanted to prove to myself that my success wasn’t because of who I was but because of my abilities.”
“And who was it you thought you were?”
“Third son of one of the top lawyers in Boston; destined to be the next partner in Keegan, Whitehurst, Keegan, and Keegan. I thought one more Keegan was one too many in the firm with my father, my brother-in-law, and my two older brothers. I wasn’t sure if my success was really me or my family name. So I went where my name carried no weight to see if I could do it on my own. And I have.”
“Modesty is not one of your attributes.”
“I do what I do well. I won’t hide the fact. My abilities will serve you well. You’ll see when I get your nieces back.”
“What if I don’t want you for a lawyer?”
He knew he couldn’t force it upon her. “If you come into the courtroom with another lawyer, one better qualified and equipped than myself, I will step aside.” He bowed with a flourish. He knew full well she couldn’t, but as long as she felt like she had a choice, she would be less resistant to his help.
Marty’s thoughts jumped as she weighed her options. The only way to get the girls back free and clear was to go to court. The idea of court was like vinegar in her mouth. But she had to admit she would do better in court if she had someone who knew what to do. Someone like a lawyer. Unfortunately, the only lawyer she knew was the very man who had snatched her nieces in the first place. She squinted her eyes at him. Could she really trust him? She was out of her element here. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she needed Reece.
If he was as successful as he boasted and the McRaes were as powerful as he said, would he really risk his standing in the community to help her? If he had any honor whatsoever, he would. Still she doubted it. She made no protest to his offer. How could she? Like he had said, she was stuck with him.
He looked at her, trying to read her thoughts.
“The hearing is the day after tomorrow at ten in the morning. I’ll send a carriage around at nine-thirty to drive you to the courthouse.”
“I can get there myself. You said it was only a few blocks away. I’m not helpless.”
“I’m well aware of that fact. I just thought you would appreciate a ride. I guess not.” He headed out the door, but looked back at her one more time.
Her heartbeat quickened, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe for a moment. She didn’t want him to leave just yet. Then she got angry. She was infuriated that a simple look from him could awaken strange feelings in her.
But she wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust him. That was another thing Lynnette had ruined, Marty’s ability to trust others. If she couldn’t trust and depend on her own family, whom could she trust? Herself. She made sure others could trust and depend on her. Next to herself, the only other person she trusted was her oldest brother, Lucas. Even with him there was a speck of doubt that maybe someday he, too, would let her down. The broken trust of a small child is hard to mend.
Marty walked into the lobby from a grueling day of shopping with a package under each arm. There were actually women who enjoyed that sort of thing. What an awful way to spend your day. It accomplished nothing productive, just wasted time. She would rather have been out slopping the pigs or cleaning stalls in the barn.
“The stores of Seattle will never be the same, I fear.”
Marty spun around toward the familiar voice. She glared into the face of Reece Keegan. What did he want now? She turned to head up to her room.
Reece rushed over and blocked her path. “You’re not even going to say hello?” He flashed her a brilliant smile.
There it was again, that little feeling and her heart thundered like a herd of stampeding cattle. The skunk. “I thought if I ignored you, you’d go away.”
“Sorry. Like I told you yesterday, you’re stuck with me.” His smile turned mischievous. “Unless, of course, you have found a better lawyer.”
She knew he knew she hadn’t. “What do you want?”
“I thought we would talk about your family. Let’s sit over here.” He motioned toward some chairs on one side of the lobby. He ignored her protests and carried her packages for her, like a good gentleman. As she sat down, he said, “That color is very becoming on you. It brings out your blue eyes.”
Marty didn’t know what to say. She had never been complimented by anyone outside her family. It made her uncomfortable, so she looked down at her royal blue shirt. She liked the color and wore it often. She wasn’t sure why; she just liked it.
“Now tell me about your family.”
She furrowed her eyebrows and eyed him. “Why?”
“I need to know the kind of environment the girls were in and the people who surrounded them, so I can emphasize all the reasons the girls should live in Montana with the family they know and love.” He scooted his chair so he was at an angle to Marty’s chair and could look at her while they spoke. “Let’s start with your brother, the sheriff.” He seemed to be pleased with this angle.
“If you think I’m difficult, you haven’t seen anything compared to Lucas.” Lucas had raised Marty and her older twin brothers, Trevor and Travis. They weren’t as serious as Lucas, but if you tried harming the family, watch out.
She told Reece about her brothers, her sister-in-law, Aunt Ginny, and her nieces. She told of her parents’ deaths when she was four. Lastly, sh
e spoke of her sister’s leaving, return, and her death.
After Reece had all the information he needed, Marty went up to her room. She unwrapped the dress she had bought and hung it up to keep the wrinkles from setting. The store clerk had told her to do so. She never cared before about wrinkles in her clothes, but her sister-in-law’s aunt always said wrinkles were never in fashion for a lady. She didn’t much care for being a lady, but she needed the judge to believe her capable of caring for her nieces.
The dress was the same color as the new blue shirt she wore. It had black stripes and was accented with black piping. Not one ounce of lace or a single ruffle was to be found anywhere on it. It was perfect, at least as perfect as a dress could be. She couldn’t believe she had willingly bought a dress. A shiver ran through her. Only for someone she loved so dearly would she do such a distasteful thing.
The next day Marty stood before the small wall mirror assessing her total appearance. If she had to wear a dress, this one suited her fine.
She found a pair of lace gloves in the things Sally had packed for her. Her heart warmed as she thought of the girl and her brother. Marty wrestled the dainty gloves onto her hands. They were disgusting things and completely useless. They weren’t sturdy enough to work in and sure as shootin’ wouldn’t keep her hands warm with all those tiny holes. They were good for disguising her callused hands.
When Marty stepped out of the hotel, the heavy mist hit her like a wet blanket. She wondered if the sun ever shone in this place. She had spent an hour trying to tame her curls and get her hair pulled back so she looked the part of a lady.
The drizzle wasn’t too bad as long as she stayed next to the buildings, but when she had to cross a street, she ran into trouble. A curtain of water slapped her face. The streets themselves were nothing but mud, two inches deep. She had bought a pair of lady’s boots yesterday as well, and now they were covered in mud and her stockings were wet. She held her dress up out of the way of the mud. At least that would stay clean. Now she wished she had accepted Reece’s offer of a ride.