Chapter 10

Joe Mitchell took his grandmother's wedding ring out of his pocket and before Father Martin, before his family, Jose and Theresa Cabrillo, and the Barkleys, he slipped it onto Annamaria's finger and repeated his vows. They were a bit more fervent, and bit more meaningful now than they would have been the day before. Contrary to almost everyone's expectations, this wedding was not turning out to be a quick afterthought to the events of the planned wedding day. This unplanned wedding seemed to carry more meaning and more emotion than anyone thought it would.

Serena's absence and the events that were going to come because of her actions hung over the small gathering, but the moment that Joe kissed his new wife brought tears from everyone and they were not tears of regret. Maybe there were no cheers or throwing of rice in the Barkley living room, but there were smiles of deep happiness along with the tears. There were genuine hopes for a bright future.

Hugs and handshakes and kisses on cheeks went all around. The afternoon sun was hanging low and Silas had seen that the dining room was full of beautiful candles that cast a warm glow as the darkness crept in outside. The three families ate wonderful food, drank sweet champagne, and toasted the new family that now joined the rest of them.

A knock at the front door sent Silas heading out of the dining room, but he was back in a moment, saying quietly to Jarrod, "The sheriff is here, Mr. Jarrod."

Jarrod put his glass down and went out to the foyer, where he found Sheriff Harris standing. "Sorry to interrupt," the sheriff said, keeping his voice low.

"You have some news?" Jarrod asked.

The sheriff nodded. "Dave Paxon came over like you arranged and spoke to Serena, and Jim Walker agreed to represent Chonez pro bono. The end result is they both signed full confessions and they'll be pleading guilty to charges in court tomorrow. Reduced charges – not kidnapping but conspiracy to commit a felony. Not much in the way of lawyers fees for Senor Cabrillo to pay. I thought you'd want to know right away."

"I'll tell everyone later," Jarrod said.

"The wedding came off all right?"

"Beautifully," Jarrod said. "Do you have any word on those fellows Raymond and Provost?"

"I haven't found them, but two men traveling together, about their age, took the noon train to San Francisco. I wired ahead to the authorities there. They oughtta be picked up before long."

"They're not gonna be happy when they find out they've been given up as well as shorted on the money."

"No, but that's not our problem, is it? Just as long as they're out of my jurisdiction, I'm not gonna be worrying about them. The hearing tomorrow is set for ten o'clock, in case you want to be there – or the Cabrillos do."

Jarrod gave a glance toward the dining room. "I'm not sure what they're going to want. Don Jose is a strict man, but if Serena goes to prison, his wife might work on him a bit."

"Again, not my problem," Sheriff Harris said.

"I just hope what happened doesn't hang over Joe and Annamaria for long," Jarrod said. "The wedding has gone very well, but now there's a marriage that will have to deal with a rough beginning."

"Well, that's something else that remains to be seen, but at least the overt threat is out of the way. Thanks for your help in clearing this up fast, Jarrod."

"Why don't you come on in and have a bite to eat?"

"No, no," Sheriff Harris said quickly. "You don't need me reminding everybody of the problems they've been going through. Just enjoy yourselves, get those young people off on the best start you can under the circumstances."

"I don't know if the Cabrillos will be in court tomorrow, but I'll be there. Thanks, Steve."

The sheriff turned and left. Jarrod went back into the dining room. He didn't say a word about what Sheriff Harris said, or even that Sheriff Harris had been there. He just stopped inside the room and watched, and listened.

The voices were subdued, but there was soft laughter here and there. Annamaria looked beautiful in her mother's wedding dress, and she and Joe stayed close together all the time, his arm around her, or her arm in his. Victoria looked up Jarrod's way – she had heard Silas tell him the sheriff was here. Jarrod just gave her a smile that said later, and she let it go.

In a while, they gathered in the parlor. Audra played the piano as Joe and Annamaria took their first dance together, then their parents danced together, and then partners began to be exchanged. Jarrod bowed to Victoria and asked to dance, and as they danced, Victoria finally asked, quietly, "What did the sheriff have to say?"

Jarrod just said quietly, "Confessions. It will all be over at ten in the morning and I'll go in."

"The men who took Theresa and Serena?"

"Suspected to have gone to San Francisco. They'll be caught. That's enough for tonight, Mother. I'll let Jose know what's happening privately, later. For now, let's just dance."

Nick and Heath watched from the sidelines, but before long they were dancing too, first with Theresa and Carol, and then cutting in with Annamaria. Jarrod and Victoria stopped to drink some punch Silas had prepared, and they watched. In a while, Heath took Audra from the piano and Victoria took over playing while the brother and sister and everyone but Jarrod and Nick danced.

"It turned out right nice, didn't it?" Nick asked as he and Jarrod watched.

"Better than we could have hoped," Jarrod said. "How about it, Nick? Why don't you settle down with one of those pretty girls you've been courting so half-heartedly?"

"Me half-hearted? Pappy, when I court, I court with my whole heart. It's the girls who can't handle a spectacular man like me."

Jarrod laughed. "Well, Nick, when you finally find one who can, we'll have the wedding right here, just like this. Without all the preliminaries from yesterday, of course, but otherwise, just like this."

Nick smiled, watching the dancers. "Yeah, this turned out right nice, didn't it?"

Jarrod nodded. "It did. And here's hoping the marriage goes just as beautifully."

The End