Love on the Range (Brothers in Arms #3)(74)

Both the lawmen nodded. Sheriff Corly said, “You’re free to go. There isn’t even the necessity of any of you speaking at the trial for these men we brung in. Sheriff Gatlin is a witness to the jailbreak. To Hawkins shooting two men, including a lawman, to get his brother free. And we’ve got enough evidence from Hawkins’s house to lock him up without any of you needing to stand as witnesses. We don’t put up with such as he’s done, not here in Wyoming. My only regret is we didn’t know about it sooner. We could have saved a few of these young women.”

Cheyenne said to Wyatt, “We need to bring Jesse in to be arrested.”

Wyatt nodded. “First thing.”

“I’d like to attend the trial anyway,” Rachel said. “Kingston shot me, and I heard him brag of it to his brother, who said they’d planned it right down to the route I was taking to Casper. That’s conspiracy to commit murder. Attempted murder. And gloating about attempted murder.”

“Uh, Miss Rachel.” Sheriff Corly rubbed his belly as if he was fond of being prosperous enough to have it. “Gloating’s not exactly a crime. Probably oughta be, but—”

“I know.” Rachel swept his words aside. “But it made me mad enough I’m going to attend the trial and make sure neither of them gets away with anything. Kingston’s got a way about him, blaming everything on his brother, acting like he was only involved a little bit. He even acted like that about waylaying me on the trail and shooting me in the heart. I don’t want the jury to believe him.”

“So be it, Miss Hobart. The trial will be tomorrow afternoon. We want to give Sheriff Gatlin here a chance to rest, or we’d have it right now.”

Nodding, Rachel said, “I’ll be here.” Rachel turned to Cheyenne. “Now I’d like to go back to the ranch. I need a chance to rest, too.”

“Not before the wedding.”

Every eye in the place turned to Molly when she said it. And she smiled, but it was a private smile of joy. Only for Wyatt.





Thirty-One




This is the third wedding we’ve had in a very short time,” Cheyenne said, leading the way to Hogback’s diner, just like she led everywhere.

Wyatt watched his bossy big sister and decided he wasn’t going to be heartbroken to have the RHR ranch house to himself . . . well, himself and his wife. That made him smile.

Rachel had gone to the hotel and rented a room. She’d told them congratulations but said she was going to rest until the sheriff needed her to testify at the trial tomorrow.

John stayed with the prisoners. Sheriff Gatlin was ailing and wasn’t much help, and Sheriff Corly shouldn’t be alone with those two outlaws, who’d proven to be dangerous.

Kevin had stopped at the doctor’s office and been bandaged up while the rest of them told their stories, but they waited for him, then went to find the preacher to hold a wedding ceremony.

“I’ll fix your shoulder better when we get home,” Molly whispered to Kevin.

Parson Brownley was visiting the family of a widow and taking them a meal. Mrs. Brownley said he’d be back within the hour, and she’d send him to the church. In the meantime, the Hunt family would share a meal and make some plans.

Hogback had fried chicken for dinner and nothing else, so that’s what they all had. Win told them there were restaurants that had choices, but that seemed like a lot of fuss.

The food was coming to the table by the time they all sat down.

“I came out best in all of this.” Wyatt gave Cheyenne, straight across from him, a sassy smile.

“No, you sure enough didn’t.” Falcon gave him a brotherly swat on the arm.

“Molly’s the best cook,” Wyatt said.

“We won’t starve.” Falcon looked at his wife as if he didn’t have one worry in the world, though he probably should have.

Kevin, at the foot of the table, slid one hand behind Win’s neck. “Do you want to live in your father’s house? I’d be fine with a cabin with a couple of rooms and a few acres to farm. I know your pa’s house holds no good memories for you.”

Kevin didn’t seem overly worried about Win’s cooking, only her feelings. Still, Wyatt quietly gloated. He had the best cook, and the prettiest wife, too, but he was too smart to say that out loud.

“I’m going to think of it as my mother’s house. I intend to think of her when we move there.”

“If you’re sure,” Kevin said. “I’ll live there only if you agree.”

“I am sure.”

Kevin leaned close and kissed her, softly and not for long. It wasn’t at all proper. But he did it anyway.

Wyatt thought of a few more things they needed to clear up. “So it seems our name really is Hunt.”

“Yep, for a while, I was worried Win and I were first cousins.” Kevin gave her a wide-eyed look.

She smiled back.

“Our pa, Clovis, is a brother to Randall but no blood relation to Oliver. Both men changed their names,” Kevin explained.

“They’d’ve never passed themselves off as rich men with the Tennessee accents,” Win said. “Oh, there are Southern folks who move north, but they have fancy family ties that they trot out and boast about. Those boys had nothing. No high-steppin’ kin, no wealth, and Pa needed both to weasel his way into high society and marry my ma.”