Ruth had changed into her nightwear. Corset gone and flipping her single braid behind her shoulder, she measured her figure by pulling the waistless white shift taunt against her sides. Not showing yet. At least not so as you could tell.

"We'll be alright," she told her unborn babe. "You'll see."

She turned to the empty bed. "'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee'," she quoted, reminding herself of God's promise. He was the One who would never disappoint. It was fast becoming her mantra through this.

She pulled back the bed coverings and was about to climb in when she heard a rap on the window. Her heart jumped in her throat and she spun around.

It was probably the last person she wanted to see at the moment, but she opened it anyway. The window was small, but Kid didn't appear to give that sufficient consideration before he began to climb in through the window.

He got about halfway through before he became stuck. His hips couldn't quite squeeze through. He tried to back his way out again, but that wasn't going to work either.

"Great, I'm stuck. This is becoming a bad habit," Kid grumbled.

"You've been stuck in another window?" she asked, cocking her head.

"I've just been using windows for doors too much lately. It's a long story. Will you try to help me through or you going to leave me half hanging out here all night?"

"It's mighty tempting," she said even as she took his hands and began pulling. "I don't know why I'm letting you in here. I think we've done said everything we had to say to each other."

Pulling his hands wasn't budging him an inch. She grabbed his waistband and tugged on that, which worked after a few good tugs. He tumbled onto the floor, causing her to fall on top of him. They stood frozen like that for a moment and then they both scrambled up on their feet.

Kid had been torn over coming here. On the one hand, he didn't want to hurt her by not staying away to give her a chance to get over him, but on the other, he could see that he already had hurt her and if he could lessen her pain in anyway he wanted to. And if he wanted to be honest, her refusal to look at him at the trial had hurt him. "I wanted to make sure you knew that I didn't really do all that was said. I went up to her room, but that was it. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do. We talked about this remember? What we didn't talk about was the real reason you're going to all this trouble."

"Do you ever let anything go?"

"Not when it's important. What's your lawyer going to say about me tomorrow? Should I prepare myself?"

"Why can you never just trust me?" he asked, pretending aggravation. "He's not going to say anything to cast doubt onto your character if that's what concerns you."

"I didn't say that I didn't trust you. Why are you putting words in my mouth?"

He ignored her question. "You are the most exasperating woman I know."

"Well, if I'm so exasperating, why are you here anyway?"

"That's a good question. I'm just a glutton for punishment, I guess."

Her left hand went to her hip and her right hand pointed at him angrily as she stepped forward to wave it in his face. "I am not going to stand here and keep taking these insults! I knew I should've kept that window closed. I don't want to see you anywhere but the courtroom if this is how you're going to be. God help me, but I don't even know who you are anymore. You're not the man I married. I know that!"

She'd backed him against the wall in her angry tirade and now only a couple inches stood between them. Kid couldn't ever seem to think with her this near. His arms went around her waist before his brains could catch up with his hands and their mouths found their way to each other. It was a bruising, desperate kiss, filled with their frustration from the past few days.

They didn't hear the door open, but they heard Señora Martinez exclaimed, "What is going on here?"

They broke apart, both looking very guilty for different reasons.

"I'm sorry," Kid apologized to Señora Martinez. "I just had to talk with my wife, but I won't make that mistake again."

"Oh, you can be sure of that," Ruth said more to Kid than Señora Martinez as her temper flared again.

"Well, take care no one sees you when you leave," said Señora Martinez. "I should report you, Señor Cole, for breaking the rule."

"Well, thank you for not doing that and don't worry, I will be, but would you mind if I used the door to leave?"

Señora Martinez directed a raised palm toward the door.

Kid gone, Señora Martinez asked, "Was he trying to talk you into dropping the annulment?"

"No." Ruth tried to put some bite into it, but the no came out rather pitiful.

"You still love him." It wasn't a question but a statement.

"If I could stop, I would because he clearly already has."

"Well, from where I was standing it seems like he likes you pretty good."

"That didn't mean anything."

"Maybe not if he carouses the way he does, but still why come to you if there are the girls at the saloon? Something is not right about this whole thing. I suppose he's not the first man to want his wife and other girls both though."

"Whatever the reason he's turned his affections elsewhere, the result is the same. You know it's like a part of me is being torn away and I'm not sure I can stand it, but I've got no choice but to go on with it. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes. Sometimes one must lose an arm or leg to carry on in this life," her voice was both a mix of reproach and understanding. "Yet, certainly one must do all they can to save that limb from being taken if they can for honor's sake if nothing else, but see that you keep the window closed in the future, yes? Or you may get us both in serious trouble."

"You can depend on it," she promised.

sss

Ruth met with her lawyer the next morning and he told her what he was going to ask her on the stand. By the time he left, she was prepared for the carefully worded testimony she had to give because he had told her that there was no doubt that Kid's lawyer was going to call her to the stand today.

Kid testified first. Lying came so naturally to him that if she didn't know better, she would have believed it herself. He acted as if he was incensed over the annulment while his lawyer questioned him about the women, his faith, and the words he'd said to her. The suspect way that he evaded answering his lawyer left no doubt that they'd rehearsed this beforehand. Her lawyer questioned him next. Kid pretended as if he accidentally let a few things slip, confirming all three charges.

That should have been enough to end this case, but of course, it wasn't. She was called up to testify.

She swore to tell the truth to the Lord. Her palms got sweaty.

"You must cross yourself when you say it," Señor Martinez told her.

"Oh, right." She'd figured that out watching all the other testimonies, but she was so nervous, she'd forgotten. She swore one more time, this time crossing herself, which somehow made it worse.

"Have you ever actually seen your husband cheating on you?" was Kid's lawyer's first question.

"Well, no, but I don't need to see the clouds to know where a rainstorm comes from. I think the evidence speaks for itself."

Her lawyer looked pleased with the answer.

The other questions were just as weak. Hadn't he attended church with her? Yes. Didn't that prove one's faith? No. Had he ever said anything unkind to her? Yes. Wasn't Kid known for being rough around the edges? Yes. Hadn't she suspected he would be this way from the start of their marriage? No.

It was a flimsy defense, but the extra lawyers didn't call anything into question. Maybe they didn't care because they weren't Catholic and they were only passing through.

"Now I wish to question the plaintiff if I may?" her lawyer asked. The judge gave him permission. "Can you explain to the court what it is you do?"

"I hold revivals where we sing spirituals, see lives rededicated to God or dedicated for the first time, and people heal are healed physically through the Lord Jesus Christ."

"And what would happen if it was known that your husband carried on affair? Do you think there would be a decline in attendance?"

"I believe it would." No doubt about it. There was no lie in that statement.

He used what she had told him at their first meeting and vilified Kid with it, using the lack of his praying to call his faith into doubt and painting a picture of her as a good Christian woman suffering emotionally from an abusive tongue, during which she did get teary thanks to her unbalanced hormones. She had to end it with another swearing and her age, 28.

She was so relieved when it was over. Her hands were shaking when she signed her name to the written testimony and they were shaking as they went back to the pew. She was a liar. She'd tried to stick to the truth as much as she could, but that didn't change that she was lying by omission. And not just here in court but to Kid. She was frustrated with him because she could sense he wasn't being totally forthcoming and yet wasn't she doing the same thing to him?

The case was ended for the day again to give the lawyers time to review the ever thickening case file. She had a feeling the judge was getting closer to ruling on the matter. Things did appear to be moving as fast as Kid and the lawyers hoped.

She had to find a way to see him again. She had to tell Kid about the baby whatever his reaction, even if it didn't change a solitary thing if for no other reason than it was the right thing to do.