JASON

With Aaron and his men staying to help Jeremy and Swede with the body, Jason carried Laurie back to the saloon on his own. By the time they arrived at the saloon, both were cold, exhausted, and drenched. At first, he tried to carry her like a man should carry a woman, but it wasn't long before they both admitted it was impractical. In the end, he carried her on his back like he used to do with his brothers. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Thankful no one was outside observing them when they arrived. Jason put her down on the saloon's stoop and shook the rain out of his hair. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't expect the storm to be that fast. We should have had plenty of time."

Laurie touched his face with tenderness, and released a curl plastered to his forehead before she entered the door he held open for her, saying, "Any other day, it might have been romantic."

Jason followed her into the barroom. A few regulars raised their heads in surprise, and Lottie gasped, letting go of Clancey's arm to race toward them.

"What are you two doing out in this? Jason, go get that tub! She needs to warm up!"

Laurie lifted her head to Jason and spoke so softly he had to lean forward. "I can't take a bath."

He opened his mouth to ask why, but she scooted into the backroom. He looked over at Clancey who was grinning from ear to ear at him. Inwardly he groaned. It should have been a romantic afternoon. A chance to talk about her past, and the chance to rebuild. The chance to start over, this time their home built on love, not survival.

But he was being selfish. Eli was dead. Nancy would have to be informed, though he doubted she would return to Seattle for the burial. And why should she? There wasn't much left of him. But knowing her, she would still grieve the death of her husband. After all, they had a child. Laurie had been right when she said children tied a couple together.

"Clancey, when the rain lets up a little, could you tell the reverend we need to set up services?" he asked, coming around the bar and pouring a shot of whiskey.

"Services? Bah, you're already married, man!"

Jason downed the liquor in one gulp. "Ah," he said, savoring the moment. It warmed him to the core. He should give Laurie a sip. It'd be good for her to warm from the inside out. "Not for me. For Eli."

"Och! Did ya find the man then? Lottie says he's been missing for over a week!"

"Yeah. Laurie stumbled across him by the cabin. At least, what's left of him."

"What's left of him?!"

"He's dead, Clancey. For some time, it looks like."

Clancey took his hat off and looked a little forlorn. "Ah, he'll be grinning at the daisy roots, is it? That's too bad. Himself was a good drinking buddy, that's the truth of it, God rest his soul."

"Look, just tell Reverend Adams that Jeremy and several other men are bringing the body to him for burial, all right?"

"Sure, Jason. I'll visit the good reverend and put in a word for poor Mr. Johnson."

Clancey's worried expression made Jason feel guilty for snapping. He put his hand on the captain's shoulder and said, "I'm sorry. It's been a canker sore of a day."

"Well, that's not too far to stretch the mind to suppose. How is, ah," he asked, gesturing toward the way Laurie had gone. "That's quite an ordeal for a lady."

Jason looked up at the ceiling and answered, "Not well, Clancey. Not well at all."

"Oh, it was a terrible fright for her, was it? She looked a might peaked."

There was a blast of cooler air from the saloon doors as four men, strangers, walked in. Jason eyed them with mild interest. Travelers taking refuge in the saloon during a Seattle rainstorm wasn't all that unusual. They had pulled their hats low over their heads, their bodies fully covered by their rain slickers. While they shook themselves off just inside the door, Jason downed the last of his drink and set the glass down, a little surprised when Clancey sat still with a keen interest in the newcomers.

"Does Lottie still have that brandy in the cabinet?" Jason asked him.

"Heh? Oh, sure, right where she keeps it. What'cha want brandy for when you've got a good bottle of scotch right there?"

"It's not for me, it's for Laurie. I'm a little worried about her."

Clancey glanced at the men and grabbed a bottle and a few glasses. To Jason, he nodded, "Aye, and well you might be. Better go fetch it to her, lad. I'm going to see what these fellas are up to."

Jason retreated to the back room. He grabbed the brandy and headed up the backstairs, pausing at the door when he heard Lottie's voice take on an exasperated tone. Frowning, he opened the door and walked in on the two women glaring at each other from opposite sides of the room.

"Ladies?"

"Oh Jason, you talk some sense into her. She's not wanting to come down to take a bath, but she's shivering so much she's going to shake the saloon down around our ears!"

"I'm fine," Laurie told her, her chin up in her usual defiant way that he found to be adorable. She held a towel in her hands, apparently used for drying her now damp and frizzy hair.

"Oh, well, Lottie's just trying to make sure you don't catch a cold, darling. There isn't a fire in here and—"

"That's right. And if you're really concerned about—" Lottie threw him a look and lowered her voice. "I promise, I know what's too warm and what's not. That bath is probably stone cold by now, so you'll be able to add however much you want to make sure it's just right. You don't have to go without—just don't sit in anything piping hot."

Laurie swallowed, looking away. Lottie gave Jason a pointed look and left the room without saying another word.

Jason watched Laurie for a moment, and when she didn't offer any explanation, he shook his head and poured a glass of brandy and handed it to her. She looked at it as if it were the first time she had ever seen a glass.

"Brandy. It'll warm you," he told her.

She sipped it a little and made a little face.

"A little more," he prodded.

"Jason, really, I am—"

"Lottie's right. You're shaking a little. September chills aren't anything to trifle with."

Obediently she sipped until almost half the glass was empty. She handed it to Jason, and he polished it off for her.

"So. We're afraid of baths now?"

"No. Not like that." She pulled the ribbon on her chemise loose. "I just need to get out of these clothes, that's all. Actually, I'd fare better bundled up in bed. You too."

"Oh, well, I'll dry out. Not my first rainstorm."

"Then why is Lottie fussing over me?"

"For my sake."

"For your sake?"

"Mother," he said with a barely perceptible lift of one shoulder, and she sucked in her breath. It was hard to admit that it still bothered him, but he might as well face it. His mother's death had taught him a lot about the importance of protecting oneself from the elements, and while his brothers only halfheartedly took his advice, often wearing noticeably less than most loggers. Laurie's welfare wasn't just on her own shoulders. It was on his too.

"Oh Jason, I—I didn't even think of that."

"I don't understand. You take baths all the time." He chuckled and in a sultry tone said, "I like that about you."

She walked to him and wrapped her arms around him. There was something about her demeanor that put Jason on alert. "If there's even a chance I might be with child," she whispered, "I don't want to risk it. Women take hot baths to lose their babies on purpose. I want to be careful, that's all. Just in case."

He stared at her for a moment, and then a grin broke out over his face. "Oh well, if that's all, then Lottie's right. If it isn't too hot... you know, I could bathe with you. Test the water before you got in, you might say."

Laurie sucked in a fair amount of air, and Jason's heartbeat picked up a notch. He meant it tongue-in-cheek, but he shouldn't have suggested it. While he might be in love with her, she had never made any indication that she might feel the same. What he said, it was too intimate, too suggestive. Her eyes were searching his, and he wished his smile wasn't faltering, but she was so blasted quiet.

And then an impish grin slowly spread across her face, too. "That might work," she said, touching his jacket and using her eyelashes to peek through with that flirtatious tilt of her head she always did when she was allowing herself to be... well, herself. "After all, we don't want you to get the sniffles either, do we?"

"Hmm."

She leaned forward, and they kissed, his hands coming around her body to hold her hips in place. When they parted, he whispered, "Maybe we could do that later?"

"Later?"

"Yeah, after I warm you up in an old-fashioned way."

"You haven't even taken off your wet clothes."

"Uh, well, I'm mostly dry."

"Mostly dry?" she asked and then rolled her eyes. His grin grew wider when she said in her authentic Scottish accent, "Husband, you are going to mold."

She giggled, and he punished her with a kiss. It had been a terrible afternoon, but now they were here, together, with the pounding of steady rain on the roof matching the pounding of their hearts. She felt delicate in his arms, her skin soft and cool to the touch. Yet when her arms traveled up his back, he felt a surge of heat.

"Laurie," he murmured against her lips, ready to say the words. "I want to tell you something."

She lifted her eyes, and he could see a thousand stars shining in them. She felt something for him. Did it really matter if her feelings matched his? He felt how he felt.

"What is it?" she whispered and kissed his lips quickly with a soft brushing of her own.

"I—"

An insistent knock interrupted him. "Jason, you in there?"

He groaned and broke away, practically toppling her over to storm across the room and wrenched the door open. "WHAT?!"

"Uh, uh, well..." Jeremy said, tongue-tied.

Jason closed his eyes wishing he could take it back. He nodded impatiently and held his hand up to interrupt Jeremy's stammering. "All right, Jeremy, all right. I apologize. I shouldn't have snapped like that. I just, uh," He glanced back at Laurie. "I'm kind of... busy."

"Oh, yeah," said. The look on Jeremy's face told Jason that Jeremy had already forgiven him. "Ah, well, uh, Clancey's wondering what you want him to do with all that stuff you bought in San Francisco."

"What stuff?" Laurie asked from behind him.

"Just some supplies and things you'll need for winter," said Jason without looking at her. "Clancey can have one of his men deliver the packages tomorrow."

"Oh, okay. And Laurie's brother is here. He came in with me and Swede. I didn't know who he was, so I told him about Eli. I saw the uh, I saw the b-badge."

"Richard?" said Laurie, and Jason ran his eyes down her figure, evaluating her appearance. Her frizzy hair was charming to him, but between that, the dark circles under her eyes and visible shivers - the idea of Richard seeing his sister for the first time in six months in that state left Jason in a sweat.

"Uh, tell you what. Tell her brother we got caught in the rainstorm and we'll be down after we've properly changed."

"Yeah, we were pretty much behind you with a body, remember? What's taking so long?"

"I had a drink, Laurie talked to Lottie..." He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, putting his hands on his hips. "You know. Things."

"Yeah, I know," he said, giving Jason a knowing look. "He doesn't look like a pleasant sort."

"No, Jeremy, he's not. Thank you."

"Sure. Oh, and the reverend's got Eli. Turns out it wasn't the fire that killed him."

"So it was murder."

Jason glanced at Laurie when she said the words with what sounded like resignation. She had put on her robe over her wet dress and had it hugged around her body, listening.

"Yeah. Found some tears in his shirt—looks like a knife in the back, f-four times."

"That's awful," Laurie whispered.

Jason left Jeremy in the doorway to wrap his arms around her, pressing her cheek into his chest. She still shook, though he doubted it was only from the cold. "I don't want you to worry about it. It has nothing to do with us." He looked back at Jeremy, thinking maybe to stall Richard, but Jeremy's small shake of his head told Jason all he needed to know. He sighed. "Jeremy?"

"What Jason?"

"Go to the livery and pay Thurman an extra couple of dollars to make sure the marshal's horse is bedded down for the evening. His deputies' animals too."

Jeremy scrunched his face. "What good will that do?"

"Probably nothing, but this way Laurie knows they can't just take off with her." He turned back to Laurie. "I tell you what," he whispered, massaging Laurie's shoulders. "I'm not going to take the time to change. I'll go stall him. You take that bath and put on your best dress... uh, definitely not that drowned gown," he added with a chuckle, gesturing to the heap under her robe. "But you take your time. He'll be there when you come down".

"But Richard?"

"You leave him to me and Jeremy. Every woman has a right to look her best, and that includes you. Besides," he said with a half-grin to Jeremy. "He could stand to do a little waiting."

LAURIE

Laurie shivered when Lottie helped her into the bath. Lottie had heated it with fresh water from the stove, just enough to be tepid. The older woman was unusually quiet, flitting in and out of the barroom to check on things there, but refused to tell Laurie anything of what was happening outside. Once Laurie heard Jason's voice float through the doorway, and she wished she could scrub a lot faster than her current state would allow.

It was her hands. They shook so badly Laurie felt like a bear trying to catch a fish. The soap flopped into the water several times, and it was hard to get her trembling fingers to work through her hair. Laurie slipped a little getting out of the tub, but Lottie caught her arm and helped pull her out. She wordlessly wrapped Laurie in a towel like she was a child and saw her to her room. Laurie noticed the room felt slightly warmer, and Lottie confirmed a fire had been lit in the saloon's pot-bellied stove below. A fire in early September? She almost felt like she was back in Scotland.

She picked through the few dresses she had left and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Jason said her best one. She tried to think of which one he liked best, so she chose the red one, the one she had worn to sing on his birthday. The one his eyes had publically devoured her in and helped her advance their marriage in the bedroom. She had no regrets wearing it that night. Perhaps it would give her luck now, just as it had before.

A hush fell over the barroom when she entered it, just as the crowd had hushed on Jason's birthday. Not that Lottie's barroom was full of people, making it easy to find her brother. Richard was sporting a scraggly, unkempt face, his eyes slightly swollen and red. His deputies looked like him, wearing dark shadows of beards, all drying out from the rain with their backsides against the potbellied stove Lottie had fired up for the occasion.

Richard himself was standing next to Jason and Clancey, his mouth open as if she had interrupted a sentence, and slowly lowered a coffee cup as his mind took in what his eyes saw. She felt flushed and let her eyes drift to her husband. He wore a grin as big as the Mississippi River. When she reached the bottom stair, Jason left her brother's side and rushed to offer her his arm, which she took, her eyes searching his. "Don't worry," he murmured, and then grinned at her. "Well, it looks like I'm in for a treat," he said, his voice suddenly loud. "Laurie's wearing my birthday dress."

The loggers in the room cheered, and Clancey put his glass of whiskey in the air. "To Mrs. Bolt! What a lovely addition to Lottie's saloon, breaking the monotony of this dreary rain."

"Here! Here!" some loggers said, and glasses of beer and whiskey were raised before consumption.

Jason guided Laurie to the group of lawmen that still eyed her with surprise. "Well, McConnell. Here she is, just as I said." He dipped his head low to say to Laurie, "I like what you've done with your hair, darling. Very pretty."

Laurie touched the back of her head, the lace bow holding together the tiny ringlets she had made with her still-damp hair. "It was taking too long to dry," she murmured.

Richard was still staring, his eyes looking her over as though she were a thoroughbred for hire, his eyes lingering on her waistline. He suddenly snapped his eyes back up to meet hers. "Not expecting," he muttered, sounding relieved. The other men seemed to lose some of their tension, and Laurie looked up at Jason with an unspoken question.

"Ah yes," Jason said to her, a small frown playing at his lips. "He was just telling me how very concerned he is about that. The truth is, we don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" asked Richard.

"Does it matter?" Laurie snapped, and Jason's arm tightened around her waist. He bent down and kissed the top of her head.

"Darling, Lottie's in the kitchen. She could use your help."

Jason's body was tense, and the deputies were eyeing her like they usually did when they were afraid she'd make a run for it. "Jason..."

"It's all right. No, I mean it. Everything's fine. I just want to set a few ground rules here with your brother. Now, you go help Lottie, and we'll see you when you get back."

Laurie left the warmth of his side, and looking back several times, finally disappeared into the back of the saloon. "Lottie?"

"Oh good, there you are... whoa. What are you trying to accomplish there?"

Lottie was staring at her dress, and Laurie looked at the ceiling as she replied, "I don't know. Jason told me to put on my best dress. I guess I want to show Richard I'm happy and not afraid?"

"Is that a declaration or a question?"

"Both. I'm terrified, and while I'm happy with Jason, so much is happening. I can't breathe for not knowing which way is up."

"Oh honey, I know. They'll understand."

"No, you don't know Richard! If my life isn't perfect, I'm not sure what he'll do."

"Well, we all know what Jason will do if anyone tries to lay a finger on you. So you can relax that ridiculous notion of perfection and—"

Jason's voice boomed. Laurie and Lottie exchanged astonished looks and ran to the door, opening it just a crack to peek out and listen.

"She's my sister!"

"And she's my wife! Nobody, brother or otherwise, is going to upset that woman tonight. She's been through enough."

"See?" Lottie whispered.

Laurie didn't answer. They were still going at it, and she didn't want to miss what they were saying.

"She looks healthy," said Kincaid. "Try looking at it from another angle."

"Kincaid, when I want your advice, I'll ask for it," barked Richard with a grimace on his face.

"All I'm sayin' is, if my sister looked as healthy as that with a man, I'd leave her be."

"That's good advice," Clancey chimed in and jabbed a finger at Richard. "Maybe ya oughta listen to your friend there."

Richard put his hands on his hips and sucked in a deep breath. Jason shook his head and said, "You came a long way to check on Laurie. Don't you think you could at least get through a meal without causing trouble? Find out how she feels?"

"What kind of trouble are they talking about?" Laurie asked Lottie in a whisper.

"I don't know," said Lottie with a shrug. "They're a tired, hungry bunch, and there's nothing crankier than a tired, hungry man. It rained on them all the way from Oregon. You know that's why Jason was late getting back from San Francisco, don't you? Clancey said the seas were terrible once they passed Portland. They had to stop several times to wait the weather out."

Laurie smiled at Lottie's rolled eyes and refocused on the conversation in the other room. "Well," she mumbled. "In Richard's case, it couldn't have rained on a nicer person." She avoided Lottie's scrutiny by leaning forward, hoping to catch the rest of the conversation.

"You don't understand," Kincaid was saying. "We just got back from—"

"San Francisco. Yes, I know."

That was a surprise to Laurie. Jason hadn't mention Richard being in San Francisco, but then, he hadn't had the chance either. That explained why he never answered the wires to Olympia.

"And what were you doing in San Francisco?" Richard asked Jason.

"Business. I own a logging operation, after all."

"Ugh, those two are going to lock horns all night like a couple of stags before they get anywhere," said Lottie, throwing her hands toward the barroom likes he was shooing a fly. "I've got some steaks on the stove. Want to help me serve? Then they can't send you back in here."

"That doesn't explain what you were doing there," Jason went on, "but the reason was obvious. Miss Cowan is a beautiful woman, and that was some puppy you gave Jenny."

He went back to her! Then the relationship between Richard and Kenna was as serious as she had thought when she left. And she had sent Jason to talk to that, that, backstabbing, conspiring, trussed up, two-faced, lying—forget the olive leaf. Richard would have to marry her now. That thought made Laurie's stomach flop.

"Laurie?" Lottie called.

"I'm coming." She walked to the stove she took the serving tray full of food from Lottie and sighed. It seemed forever ago she was serving out of her own kitchen, without a silver tray.

Lottie hugged her. "Oh baby, what's wrong now?"

"Do you think tomorrow I could do some baking?"

"Missing your kitchen?"

"That, and I always feel better when I bake. I'm sorry, you've been nothing but kind."

"Don't be silly. I'm just surprised you didn't ask sooner. Besides, with Jason here, you need to feel a little more domestic."

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it. Now, let's go feed those bullheaded men before they lock horns again," said Lottie, widening her eyes to show Laurie just what she thought of that.

Laurie walked out of the kitchen and served Richard's men, starting with her brother, when she noticed they were all staring at her. Again. "What is it now?" she asked Jason, not bothering to hide the exasperation in her voice.

"Dinner smells fabulous, Lottie," Jason said to the older woman as he took the tray from Laurie. "You've outdone yourself."

"Pfft, you know how my steaks are," Lottie told him. "I just threw yours and Laurie's on the stove."

Jason handed Lottie the empty tray and offered Laurie his elbow, which she took for him to seat her next to Joshua. Jason stood beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder. The gesture was a little odd, but not completely unheard of. She glanced at Joshua, and her brother-in-law offered her a strained smile.

"Well, McConnell—"

"Richard," Laurie corrected Jason. When Jason's eyes widened, she smiled innocently at Richard. "After all, we're all family now. Right?" There was some shifting in the room, and a few of Richard's men coughed behind their fists. She looked up at Jason and saw his eyes narrow across the table at Richard. Laurie took his hand, and asked again in an anxious voice, "What's going on, Jason?"

"That brother of yours a liar and a cheat! That's what's going on!" Clancey yelled, and half the loggers in the room stood to stand behind Jason. Three of Richard's men cocked their guns.

"Clancey! What are you doing?!" Lottie yelled. "Stay out of it! You're going to make this worse than it is!"

"I'm calling it as I see it! This blunderbuss lawman had better not mess with Jason, or there'll be—"

"Clancey!" Lottie yelled, pulling on his shirt to get him to hush.

"Well, talk to her, Jason! Tell her the fat lie her brother is saying."

Laurie's eyes traveled back to Richard. He had calmly sat at a table, cutting his steak as though he hadn't a care in the world. It made Laurie's stomach boil. "Hungry?" she asked, her voice almost coming out like a croak. He glanced up and grinned at her.

"Famished. But you look well. Better than I thought you would. Bolt's been good to you."

Laurie felt Jason bristle next to her. She put her hand on Jason's and waited for him to look down at her. He didn't.

"He says you've been through a lot today. Says I need to be careful." Richard took a bite of steak and sat back in his chair while he chewed. "Know what? I've half a mind to listen to him, except I can't let you two sleep together. If I'd known you'd—"

"Be very careful what you say there," Jason said, his voice dark. Laurie's eyes widened. She'd never heard that tone from Jason. It wasn't just cold—it held a promise.

"I can tell by your reaction he means that," Richard commented, pointing his fork at them. He cut another piece of steak. "All right Bolt. Uh, Jason, if we're going on the premise of family," he said with a nod toward Laurie.

She touched Jason's fingers on her shoulder. "But we are family. Aren't we, Jason?"

She had meant the question to be sarcastic, but Joshua answered her by saying, "Your brother claims there's a mix-up of some sort." Jason was staring at Richard, a solid wall of stone, his feet planted firmly apart. He crossed his arms.

"A mix-up?" When Jason didn't answer her she glared at Richard. "I don't know what you've said to upset him, but Jason is the kindest person I know. The least you could do is to be polite to the man you forced into marriage with me. Good heavens, Richard. Out of everyone in our lives, Jason deserves your respect more than anyone else."

She picked up a cup of coffee, Jason's she hoped. Joshua gave her a supportive pat on the back while she took a sip and nearly spilled it on herself when Richard replied, "Even though he took you to his bed?"

"What did you expect?" Jason snapped back at him. "The marriage ceremony is very specific about that."

Laurie glanced up at Jason's straight back and even straighter lips. She put the cup down. "This is hardly the time or place to discuss such things. And yes, I've had an awful day, thank you for asking. It's been a hard month. I was attacked about a week ago, did you know?"

Richard dabbed his mouth with his napkin. "Heard something about that."

"Well, I was. By a man in a gold mask. Odd thing, I have proof this time, so I'm not crazy like you insisted I was. Joshua fought him from—."

Richard's gaze rested on Joshua. "Bolt's brother."

"Jason's brother," Laurie reminded him. "Family."

Richard looked up at Jason and grinned. "Don't think he's too excited about that title, Laurie. As for your claim, his brother might lie to protect his interest, right?"

"Except I saw him too," said Aaron, shutting a saloon door behind him and making his way to their table. "Along with a lot of other people. What's going on in here?"

"Aaron, meet Laurie's brother," Lottie said from behind the bar when no one answered. "Mr. McConnell, Aaron Stempel."

"My pleasure," Aaron said, holding his hand out to Richard.

"People don't find it a pleasure for long," Laurie threw out.

Richard glanced at Aaron, then Jason, Laurie, and back to Aaron again before shaking his hand. "You might not think that after you talk with your friends."

"Well, I don't know about that, but I can clear the air on this point. I was under Joshua Bolt when he dangled from the balcony. Laurie's right. Some freak show quack with a mask almost threw him over the balcony two stories up."

"I see."

"Not so crazy now, am I?" Laurie said, her chin coming up.

Jason looked down, his voice gently reproving. "Laurie."

"Well Jason, you're right! I am tired! You just got home, Hannah's missing, Richard's here, and let's not forget I stepped in the middle of a dead body today!"

"Darling..."

"She did what?!" Richard asked, his bored facade slipping.

"And everyone is acting like...like... I don't know like we're in the middle of a duel, and I'm standing in the middle with my fingers in my ears!"

Jason lightly squeezed her shoulder. "Trust me, you want to wait until the morning after you've had a decent night's rest."

Richard cleared his throat, alarm becoming more evident across his features. "He wants to protect you, only he's going the wrong way about it. Ignorance will only get you killed. And you know I'm right," he said, pointing to Jason.

"No, McConnell. Not tonight. She needs rest. It'll keep 'til tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Laurie." Richard continued as though Jason hadn't spoken. "It seems I made a mistake. You're not actually married to Bolt."

JASON

Jason wanted to launch himself over the table at Laurie's brother and break a few of his teeth, a display he was sure his wife couldn't handle right now. Instead, he clenched his jaw, his mouth drawn in a single-lined frown.

Laurie grew pale, not moving, her eyes as round as saucers. He shook his head at her and motioned to Richard. "I warned him. The moment he told us, I warned him. I only wanted you to have one night, one night of rest. He just couldn't do it. You must carry the stain of hate in your heart to want to hurt her like this."

"No, she deserves the truth."

"We're not married?"

Her breaths were coming in shallow, painful sounding gasps, and it made Jason ache even more. She was slipping away right before his eyes, and he felt himself tackle her with harsher sounding words than he meant to use. "What? No! Of course not. We're... look, we said vows in front of a reverend, didn't we?"

"A real one?"

"Yes, a real one!"

"Jason," said Joshua, a warning in his voice.

"But then, what does he mean?" Laurie asked.

Jason's hands ached to hold her, to hit him... to do anything but remain still by his sides. He knew the men in the saloon were staring at him, holding their breath. He'd only refrained from a fight a few times before, and it always ended the same: with broken furniture and a sore jaw for him, and a concussed opponent. He hoped for her sake that wouldn't happen here, but the man was hateful. How could he say with a straight face that he was looking out for Laurie's welfare was beyond his ability to understand.

"What does he mean, Jason?" Laurie repeated.

"He says..." Jason said and realized he was breathing hard from the desire to use her brother as a mop for Lottie's floor. He took in a deep breath to calm himself and said, "He says a witness has seen your first husband. He says Campbell isn't dead."

"No." He didn't think it was possible, but Laurie grew paler, her body still stiff and not moving.

"A witness," said Jeremy, his voice soft. "Someone that knew him."

"But that means... that means our marriage... Oh, Jason."

Richard shook his head. "It's for the best, Laurie."

"No, it's not," said Jason. "And you owe your sister an apology."

"Already did." Jason glared at him, and he wiped some moisture off his brow. "I'll say it again because I'm nice. I am sorry, Laurie. If I'd known Campbell was alive, I never would have left you. But you're the one that told me he was dead."

"He is dead! We heard him, in the fire at Star Hill! He—we heard him die!"

"No ma'am," said Kincaid. "I hate to say it, but I saw him myself. Shorter than your husb—uh, Bolt here," he corrected himself, looking at Richard who scowled at him. "Dark hair and eyes, wide nose... You never forget a face like Campbell's."

"And why is that?" Joshua asked.

"Because he's the kinda man that makes you remember him, full of snark and sass. 'Cept he had burn marks on the back of his neck. Don't recall him havin' those before."

"A man with scars," Aaron echoed. "I don't know anyone like that."

"Not around here we don't," Clancey confirmed. "And anyway, it doesn't mean Jason and the lovely Mrs. Bolt aren't married. They were wed, good and proper, in a church."

"That doesn't make it legal," Laurie said, her voice far away and dreamy.

Jason made an exasperated noise low in his throat and took her by the shoulders. "Darling? Darling, look at me." Laurie's eyes slowly left Richard to stare at him. Jason felt a stab of pain go right through his gut. "Why don't you let me work this out, and you go to bed. I'll be up later."

"But if we aren't married..."

"Oh, for the love of all that is holy!" said Jason, throwing his hands in the air. She cowered, and he immediately regretted his outburst. He lowered his voice, taking her hands in his. "Let's settle this once and for all. Did you or did you not give yourself to me in marriage in a church, in front of God and witnesses alike?"

After a second of hesitation, she answered in a small voice, "Yes."

"And I gave myself to you in the same ceremony,"

"I know."

"And we were pronounced husband and wife."

"True."

"And your brother made sure to file all the paperwork correctly, remember? Remember how pained that reverend was over it?"

"Yes."

"Bolt, that's not the point—"

"You shut up!" Jason yelled and then lowered his voice to threaten Laurie's brother. "Shut up or you'll be so busy counting your lost teeth you won't have time to harass her!"

Richard pressed his lips together and watched.

Jason took the woman who meant the world to him by the shoulders, who now looked at him like a stranger. He couldn't help but feel the tight rope his words were walking. He couldn't risk her making a rash decision to leave with her brother. Not now. "And when I brought you home. That first night in our cabin, in the lone bedroom. Did you not give your body to me and me likewise to you?"

Clancey tugged at the red bandanna he wore around his neck, and Joshua flushed while Aaron cleared his throat. Laurie's hand flew to her chest, her cheeks reddening.

"Yes." Her voice sounded unusually high.

"So, we have the legal paperwork. We have consummated it under every moral law there is. The only thing in question," he said with a despairing look at Richard, "is whether it's legal as far as Laurie's first husband goes. Well, let's see. Did he make himself known to you after the fire?"

Laurie shook her head.

"Take care of you? Provide for you?"

"No," she whispered.

"In any way did he have contact with you? Did you have any reason to doubt he was dead?"

"No."

Jason grinned at Richard. The lawman looked like someone was strangling him. "Sounds to me like all I need is a good lawyer."

"A lawyer can't fix this," said Richard.

"Why not? Why not let us fix this ourselves?" Jason asked, dropping his hands from Laurie's shoulders. "We could easily settle it."

"He has a point," Joshua said, looking up at Richard. "Should be pretty cut and dry."

"Well, it's not," Richard told them. He shifted and rubbed his jaw. "I can see you care about her. I'd say love, but love is a little strong for only a few months. That's good, it's what I hoped for," he added to Laurie. His eyes lifted to Jason. "But if you care about her like you say you do, let her go. All your fight will do is bring more misery, more death to your town, and in the end, she's going to die if I don't get her out of here."

"She's not going to die as long as there is breath in my body."

Richard glanced sideways at Kincaid, his shoulders revealing a heavy burden. "Look, I didn't mean to marry Laurie into bigamy when I married her to you. Like I said if I had known—"

"Bigamy?" Laurie asked, her voice sounding harsh and scratchy. "Bigamy?"

"No. Now listen, he's not telling you anything helpful," Jason said, taking her by the arm. "Trust me, darling. Go upstairs. Get ready for bed. Let me sort this out down here, and we can talk about it later, in private."

For the last sentence, he let his voice drop, and her eyes suddenly focused on him, a silent agreement exchanged. "You don't need the excitement," he said, stepping closer. "Not if you're, you know."

"Is she carrying your child?" Richard asked, sounding strangled. "I thought you said—"

"Whether she is, or isn't doesn't matter," Jason declared. "She needs to take care of herself."

"You're right. I'm going upstairs. I can't listen to my private life being discussed like this. I won't be a part of it," said Laurie. Her voice was strained. Distant. Jason's heart squeezed so hard it was painful. She met Jason's eyes and he could feel the weight of her next sentence on his shoulders. "I trust you to handle him without me."

"All right, darling. Swede, go with her. I'll send Jeremy up in a bit to take over the watch until I get there." He kissed her on the cheek and watched the tall foreman follow her up the stairs. She looked as though she were floating in a dream. To Richard, he said, "If you've caused her unnecessary pain..."

Richard seemed to consider his statement, and with a gesture to Jason, took another bite of steak. The sight of food made Jason's stomach rumble, and he looked for Lottie, who was filling another two beers.

"Lottie..."

"Don't worry, I'll have a plate sent up to her in a moment, not that she'll each much now. Your dinner might take a little longer to cook since I had to start over."

He gave her a warm smile. "Thank you."

She waved him away and Jason picked up Laurie's chair to sit next to Joshua. "All right," he said to Richard. "You got what you wanted. She'll fret about it all night long. "

"No, you're not listening. I wanted her to be alert. She knows that Campbell is a danger to her and anyone that cares about her. She needed to know he's alive because if we don't get her out of town, it's only a matter of time before she's dead."

"I can protect her."

"Not against Campbell. He's a planner. That's why he doesn't get caught. Trust me, as long as she's been here? He's already planned something particularly gruesome."

"What's with the mask?" Aaron said, sitting at the table with a beer in hand. Kincaid sat next to him.

"He had a college group of friends. Great, upstanding group of young men," said Richard, sarcastically. "A secret society... very hush-hush. Illegal activities... if the war hadn't started, we would have brought it to an end."

"And you think Laurie's involved?" Jason asked.

"No, not at all. Bolt, you have to let her leave."

"And if she doesn't want to go?"

Richard made a scoffing sound and asked, "Why wouldn't she?"

Jason tapped the table with his finger, his lips in a hard line. Much as he hated to admit it, that was an excellent question. She trusted him, but he wasn't sure she was ready to love him. Not yet.

"Well, what with Jason said, she might be..." Clancey said, making a very round gesture from his belly. "And what woman would want to leave her man with that hanging over her head, eh?"'

Richard gave Jason a questioning glance.

"I wasn't making it up. There's a good chance she might be carrying my child."

"Is there a doctor in town?"

"No, and it wouldn't matter, anyway."

Richard threw him a sympathetic look. Lottie brought in another plate and set it in front of Jason. "Eat up." She leaned forward and dropped her voice, "I already sent Laurie's dinner up with Jeremy."

"Oh, thank you, Lottie."

"I wish I could, but I can't," Richard said, dismissing whatever it was Joshua said while Jason was talking with Lottie. "Even in the family way, Laurie can't stay."

"She'll stay if she wants to."

Richard raised his eyebrows at Jason. He recovered quickly and let his bored facade take possession of his face again, reminding Jason of the mask he rarely saw Laurie wear anymore. "Talk to her. If she doesn't talk some sense into you, it's her funeral. And she knows it."