Chapter 3

It was taking a while for Jarrod's head to clear, but it was clearing. The reality that this actually was Hebron Grant and his two wives who were before him again was not going to go away. He had to think. He sat up slowly, and Abagail Grant was there to help steady him as he moved his legs over the edge of the bed. Jarrod had forgotten she was there. Now he could see her more clearly, see that she was young, and that she was very, very pregnant.

He moaned, and not just from the fact that his head hurt. Everything about Hebron Grant was flooding back to him now, including the part that he had kept Grant's secret for a while to give him time to either divorce one wife or leave for Mexico. Now he knew he was going to be asked to do it again because as he looked at this young woman, he knew that Grant would not divorce her, and this family wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, not with her as close to delivering as it was obvious she was.

And then Jarrod remembered something else, another secret he was keeping. A secret both for Grant and from him, and from everyone else on this planet earth. Grant actually had three wives now, because Emilena had never gotten a divorce. She let Grant go without her, and Jarrod had put her on a train back to Utah, but she had never divorced Grant and swore Jarrod to secrecy about it. Jarrod had never even told his own family. He just let everything about the Grants go, thinking Emilena was in Utah and Hebron and Eliza were in Mexico. Grant wouldn't be breaking the California law, and Jarrod was certain he would never have to deal with them in any way again.

And now – how wrong could he have been?

It took a moment before Jarrod realized Abagail was smiling at him. He wondered how young she really was, but she didn't look to be even a year over 20.

"How do you feel, Mr. Barkley?" she asked.

Jarrod realized she had already asked him that but he really hadn't heard it. "A headache, but I'll be all right," Jarrod said. "Where has my brother gone?"

"I believe he's talking with my husband in the next room," Abagail said.

Jarrod looked at her. She was pretty in a haunting sort of way. "Abagail, did you know that by marrying Hebron when he already had a wife, you were breaking the law?"

She nodded. "I knew. But I had lost my husband and I was alone. Have you ever been alone like that, Mr. Barkley?"

In a way, Jarrod thought, but he said, "No, not exactly like that."

"And you've never been with child," she said.

Jarrod had to smile. "No, that's beyond my capabilities."

"Hebron was kind to me, and he really is a very gentle man."

Sometimes, Jarrod thought.

"Eliza was good to me, too," Abagail said, "and I needed someone. We were planning to continue on to Mexico but then I was to have a baby, and Hebron wanted the child to be born in the United States. We found this farm, we told everyone that Eliza was my mother. I know we've lied, but it seemed like the only thing we could do."

Jarrod took her hand. "Mrs. Grant, I'm sure you don't know the whole story and I will leave it to your husband to tell it to you, but when the Grants were living in Stockton, I rented a property to them, and it became a very bad situation when everyone found out that your husband was Mormon and had – " Jarrod stopped. Did Abagail know about Emilena?

"He had a second wife," Abagail said. "Yes, I know, Hebron told me."

Jarrod sighed again. His head hurt. The only thing he knew was that he was not going to mention that Emilena had never gotten a divorce, at least not here to this family. What he was going to say to the authorities about all of this, and when, he wasn't at all sure about yet.

Heath came back in. He said, "Grant's gone out to tend to his horse. How are you feeling?"

"Head hurts," Jarrod said. "How's Big Louie?"

"Nothing's broken, but he's not gonna take you anywhere anytime soon," Heath said. "Do you need a doctor?"

"I don't think so," Jarrod said. "I just need to take it easy for a bit."

"I'll get you some water," Abagail said and left the room.

Heath came closer to his brother and spoke softly. "Does she know about what happened in Stockton?"

"Some, at least," Jarrod said. "But you can see, she's probably going to deliver pretty soon. This family isn't going anywhere right now."

"Yeah, well, neither are you, so we've all got time to think about how to handle this," Heath said.

"Grant knows his choices," Jarrod said. "They're the same as they were before."

"Yeah. But as soon as you can get up and around, you don't have any choice, do you?"

"Neither do you," Jarrod said. "We could both go to jail if we become accomplices."

"They could take your right to practice law away, too."

"Yes, they could." Jarrod rubbed his head. "But like you said – nobody's going anywhere for a bit. There's time for me to talk Grant into doing the right thing."

"And what is that?"

"Divorcing Eliza, or going to Mexico," Jarrod said. "Damn it, Heath, I'm not happy about men having more than one wife, but I hate that the law against it does things like this to people."

"I think you told me a couple times that the law always hurts somebody," Heath said.

Jarrod nodded.

Abagail came back in with a glass of water, and she helped Jarrod keep hold of it while he sipped some. "Are you feeling sick, Mr. Barkley?"

"No," Jarrod said. "My head might be cracked but I don't think there's a concussion."

"You best take it easy for the rest of this day," Heath said. "I'm gonna go see if there's anything more I need to do for Big Louie."

"Eliza is making some food for us," Abagail said.

"Before you go," Jarrod said, and he stood up on weak legs.

Heath quickly took hold of him. "You better stay down."

Jarrod said, "I will, but not here. In the living room. What time is it now, anyway?"

"Getting on toward five o'clock in the evening," Heath said.

Jarrod said, "I'm not taking up this bed tonight. How about you get our gear out? You and I can curl up in some other part of the house or in the barn."

"In the house," Abagail insisted. "We don't have any other rooms but I'm sure Hebron will let you settle in by the fireplace."

Jarrod nodded, straightening, feeling a bit stronger but still letting Heath support him. He started into the living room and Heath helped him in there. Heath put him on the sofa, where he sat up for a few moments. When he realized he wasn't wearing boots, he lay back.

Heath looked down, not liking what he was seeing. "Jarrod, I think a doc ought to look at you."

Jarrod closed his eyes. "No. Just give me a little time. I'll be fine by tomorrow morning."

Not if you keep fretting over what you're gonna do about this family, Heath thought, but he looked up at Abagail beside him and Eliza coming closer from the kitchen area, and he said, "I guess I better settle the horses for the night."

Jarrod said, "See if Big Louie might be able to get us out of here tomorrow."

Heath nodded and went outside. As he entered the barn, Grant was starting out of it, wearing a frown but then that seemed to be all he had for them right now. Heath said, "I'm gonna see what kind of shape I can get Big Louie in."

"I guess you and your brother have been talking about what you're gonna do when he's able to travel," Grant said.

"There's not a lot to talk about, Mr. Grant," Heath said. "You have the same two choices you had in Stockton, and Jarrod's got the same two choices he had. But I hope – Mr. Grant, Jarrod's been awful good to you through all of this. If you force him to go to the law on this, he will have to do it, or he will lose his career and even go to jail."

"I know," Grant said, "but I can't take Abagail anywhere right now, and I'm of the same mind I was in Stockton. I'm not gonna divorce either of my wives."

Heath sighed. "You go to jail and you're not gonna be of any use to either one of them – and if you're thinking about taking that rifle of yours to me or my brother, well, you know somebody will come looking for us and they'll find you. And it won't be just jail."

Grant looked at Heath. Heath realized the man didn't have any realistic choices right this minute, and not even tomorrow. He realized he and Jarrod didn't have any either.

"Talk to your wives," Heath said.

"I make the decisions for my family, Mr. Barkley," Grant said.

"But this is even more about them than it is about you. You ought to at least talk to them about what they think. Maybe they ain't exactly used to telling you, but maybe this time you oughtta coax them about it a bit."

Grant hesitated to answer, and then just nodded a little.