Chapter 2

"Only the man who rents to us knows exactly where we are," Eliza Grant said. "Only Hebron goes for supplies when we need them."

"And what does that man know?" Heath asked. "Does he know you're also Mrs. Grant?"

Eliza Grant hesitated and ended up saying, "I think you'd better talk to my husband, not to me."

Heath said, "Mrs. Grant, you and your husband caused a heap of trouble when you rented from us up in Stockton. I'd pack my brother up and get out of here right now, but he's in no shape to travel and his horse couldn't carry him anyway."

Eliza hesitated. She didn't want to talk about that. Hebron would talk about that. She said, "I came out here to see if you needed anything to eat."

"No, I don't," Heath said. "I need to tend this horse, and if you would, please tend to my brother so maybe we can get out of here before we have to deal with another load of trouble."

Eliza left, and for a moment Heath rested his head against Big Louie's side. He and the horse sighed at the same time. Heath raised himself and looked at the big beast for sympathy. Big Louie whinnied.

Heath did what he could for Big Louie, and brushed his own horse down. At least his mount could rest in case he was carrying both him and Jarrod out of here before too long. When Heath finished, he started to leave to go back into the house to see how Jarrod was, but he heard a wagon roll in before he got out of the barn. The wagon was being driven toward him but pulled up when the driver saw him. Heath looked up at Hebron Grant, who looked down at him like he knew him but couldn't place him –

But then Grant recognized a Barkley brother. One of the ones who had helped him pack up this wagon. One of the ones who thought he and Eliza would be heading for Mexico, even though they were leaving his second wife, Emilena, behind. Grant took on that belligerent set of eyes he'd had for almost all the time he'd been renting from the Barkleys, not a year ago.

"What are you doing here?"

It was about what Heath thought he would say. "Jarrod and I were heading toward Turlock when his horse threw him. He's inside. He's hurt and your wives are tending to him. Both your wives."

Grant would have tended to his own horse and wagon, but instead he climbed down and headed for the house, not even waiting for Heath. Heath gave another sigh before following along.

Grant marched into the house without saying anything to anyone. Eliza was in the kitchen. The younger, pregnant Mrs. Grant was with Jarrod in the bedroom.

Heath was astonished to find Jarrod sitting up on the edge of the bed. Grant was more astonished. "What are you doing here, Mr. Barkley?" he asked, a bit more kindly than he'd asked Heath.

Jarrod looked up at him, and eyes still lost in the fog of a head injury focused slowly, unbelieving. "Grant?" he finally asked. Then his head hurt and he squeezed his eyes closed and reached for the wound. "I don't know. I don't know what's going on."

Heath came closer. "Big Louie stumbled and threw you into a rock, Jarrod."

Jarrod looked up at his brother, than closed his eyes again. "I woke up and found Eliza Grant in front of me and thought I must have been lost in this headache somewhere, but now I see – " He looked up at Grant. "You're supposed to be in Mexico."

"I figured it was all right to stay in California since I only had one wife," Grant said.

"But now you obviously have two again," Heath said.

Jarrod moaned. "Are you out of your mind, Grant? You cannot have two wives in California."

The effort of getting that last part out sent Jarrod's head spinning and he lay back down again. Grant looked at Heath, then back at Jarrod, who just lay with his eyes shut and his face screwed up in pain.

"I didn't intend it to happen," Grant said, "but Eliza and I met Abagail up north of Modesto. She was widowed and we took her along and – well, we got married."

"Is the child yours?" Heath asked.

"Yes," Grant said. "The child is mine. I couldn't leave her to have a child without a husband."

"Who knows about this arrangement?" Jarrod asked.

"The man who rents to us knows Abagail is my wife, but he and everybody else thinks Eliza is Abagail's mother," Grant said.

"Another thread of lies, Grant," Jarrod said, and opened his eyes and looked up at him. "I can't get you out of it this time."

Jarrod saw Eliza standing in the doorway, listening to this. Heath's main concern now was figuring out what Grant was going to do, now that he and Jarrod knew the truth. Jarrod was going to have to go to the authorities this time. Grant had married Abagail after the law against plural marriage was in effect, so he didn't even have the moral excuse of being charged under a law that didn't exist when he married both Eliza and Emilena. This time, he was flat out breaking the law.

Heath was genuinely concerned about what Grant was going to do now that he was caught. Grant had been backed into a corner before and taken to the rifle. It was only by the action of the Barkley men and Jarrod especially as his legal defender that Grant hadn't gone to jail in Stockton. Now –

Heath said, "Grant, we can't go anywhere while Jarrod is still hurt like this. You got time to pack up and get out of here and go to Mexico like you said you were gonna do."

Grant turned on him. "I'm not – "

"NO, not this again," Jarrod cut him off, the effort hurting his head. "How many times does it take to beat your head against a wall, man? You have got to either give up one of these women, right away, or head for Mexico before the law finds out you're here."

"The law and everybody else think Eliza is my mother-in-law," Grant said.

"But Heath and I know different!" Jarrod said. He fought to get strength to say the next part, knowing it would be dangerous, but also knowing Heath was standing right there to defend them. "I'm an officer of the court, Grant. What I said in Stockton still holds true but even more so now. I can't shelter you. I can't keep this from the law or I'm an accessory and I will lose my license AND get locked up with you. I will not be doing that."

Heath kept his hand on his sidearm, and now Jarrod eased his hand to his that he was still wearing, even though there was no way he could pull it out and even aim it straight. But Grant got the message.

Grant left the room, pushing by Eliza in the door. Afraid he was going for that rifle of his, Heath went after him, but Grant did not go for a weapon. He stopped in the middle of the room that was their parlor, and he stood there, stricken, frightened – and angry.

Grant knew Heath was behind him. "All I ever wanted was a home and family, just like any other man," Grant said quietly. "Eliza could not give me a child, and neither did Emilena, so I figured the good Lord just didn't want that for me, but then Abagail came along, and before I knew it – there was my chance. There was the only chance I'd ever have to be a father, to have that home and that family and all it took was just a little lie, that Eliza was her mother."

"Were you married in the church?" Heath asked.

"The man who rents to us isn't Mormon but he don't hate Mormons either. There's a Mormon just outside of Modesto who married us."

"And you told them Eliza was Abagail's mother?"

Grant nodded. "I didn't want to get them in trouble."

"Grant, why don't you just divorce Eliza but keep living together like she is your mother-in-law?

"Because she's my wife! How can I face the Lord my God with a woman I've been knowing as her husband and want to keep knowing as her husband but she's not my wife anymore? I love Eliza! I loved Emilena, and I love Abagail! What's a man supposed to do to women he loves? Throw one of them away just because a law says he has to?"

"You have to divorce one, or you have to go to Mexico," Heath said. "Your choice here is the same one you had in Stockton."

The look in Grant's eyes changed from one of confusion and injustice to one of anger. Heath recognized it. Grant was going to fight back, and that was dangerous, because he could start shooting. And this time, it would be him and Jarrod he'd want to be shooting.

Heath kept his hand on his sidearm. "We don't want to hurt you anymore than we did in Stockton," he said, trying to stay calm but make sure Grant knew that he would fight back. "We want you to have that home and that family. You just can't have it the way you want it and stay in California. You just have to make up your mind that that's the way it is, and you have to make your choice."