“Hmmm, you say that, but were you?” He pulled out a chair and gestured to his wife to sit.
“Hush, Charley. You talk too much.” Felicity caressed his shoulder, then took the seat he offered. She looked up at him, her face reflecting all the love she had for him. A fresh wave of tears filled Evie’s eyes just seeing that expression. “That’s what made you such a great lawyer, and an even better judge, but now is not the time.” Felicity turned to Evie and demanded, “Do you love him?”
“What?”
“It’s a simple question, dear. Do you love him?” This time Felicity’s voice was stronger as she enunciated each word. “The truth now. What’s in your heart, not your head.”
“I do.”
“Can you live with knowing why Jake came here? Can you live with his past?”
She nodded. She could. It was the other issue, the problem that seemed to be much more difficult to reconcile. “There’s more,” she said. “Something you don’t know.” She narrowed her eyes. “Or maybe you do.” Her gaze flicked to Charley.“Maybe you do as well. There isn’t much that happens here that you don’t know.” She scrutinized his expression, but as usual, Charley’s face told her nothing. Whatever he thought or knew he kept to himself. She sniffed then used the handkerchief to wipe her eyes and focused on Felicity once more. “There’s a man who might be looking for Jake. According to him, this man is ruthless and isn’t above killing people. If he finds Jake here, it could put all of us in danger. The children…everyone.” She couldn’t continue, her heart constricting with fear.
“Why is that man looking for Jake?”
“Jake won a lot of money from him playing poker, enough, he said, to buy this ranch twice over. Apparently, that was an unforgiveable sin. That man—King—wants a rematch and isn’t willing to take ‘no’ for an answer, but even if Jake agrees, he could still end up—” she shivered, unable to finish.
Felicity shook her head. “My girl, I’m going to tell you what my mother used to tell me. Don’t borrow trouble.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means don’t fret and worry over something that may never be.” She reached for the bottle of whiskey on the table. “Charley, dear, would you get me a glass, please?”
He did as she asked, but brought two glasses to the table instead of one, and took a seat. Felicity poured a generous amount for all of them, put the bottle down and took a sip. “It’s been how many months since Jake has been here?”
“A little more than three. He arrived the day Lucy and Ben married.”
“And that man hasn’t shown up, has he?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “To my way of thinking, if that man truly wanted to find Jake, he’d have been here already. Nothing would have stopped him. He would have talked to all of Jake’s friends in—where is he from?”
“San Francisco.”
Felicity gave a slight nod. “That man would have frequented all the places that Jake would. He might have even hired someone like the Pinkertons, but the point is, Jake would have been found by now.”
“How do you know?”
She shrugged, her eyes brightening, her smile widening. “It’s what I would have done. It’s what Charley would have done. In fact, he has, in the past, utilized the Pinkertons for a case.” She glanced at her husband, love shining in her eyes, then turned her attention back to Evie.
“I hadn’t thought of it that way. You may be right. Three months is a long time.”
“Ask yourself, how you would feel if he left?” Again, she didn’t leave room for Evie to respond. Instead, she reached over and grasped Evie’s hand, squeezing it. “I think you should forgive him. Not for him, but for you. You deserve every bit of happiness you can find.”
Evie glanced at the strong hand holding hers, then back at Felicity. “What about that man?”
Again, the woman shrugged, an elegant lifting of her shoulders, then released her hand and sat back in her seat. “Let him come.”
“Let him come?” Evie jumped from the chair, nearly knocking it over, and started pacing. “Are you insane! What about the children? And the rest of you?” She couldn’t believe Felicity would say such a thing.
“There isn’t a person on this ranch who would let anything happen to the children, Evie. You know that. As for Jake, I don’t think anyone here would hesitate to defend him—myself included, if—and I meanif—that man should come here. Even if he does come here, I doubt he would try to kill Jake. Or anyone else for that matter.” She smiled then and her eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. “He can’t win his money back from a deadman.” She rose from her seat and pushed Evie toward the door. “Now you go and think about it.”
“But—” Evie sputtered, but never finished. Propelled by a strength she didn’t know Felicity possessed, she tried to stop the momentum, but couldn’t, not until she stood on the porch, the hands pushing her suddenly gone.
“No ‘buts,’ my girl. Go. Take a long walk and think about everything I’ve said.” The door closed in her face.
Evie stood on the porch, stunned Felicity could be so forceful, and just stared at the closed door. Who knew behind the sweetness Felicity showed the world was a woman with backbone. Of strong conviction. Of uncommon strength.
Reeling from Felicity’s actions, Evie reached for the doorknob. She had every intention of stalking back into the cottage, and continuing the conversation, but changed her mind when she heard Charley’s voice coming through the open window. “You should have been a lawyer.”
Felicity laughed before there was the unmistakable sound of a kiss being given. “I didn’t spend all those years in the courtroom with you and not learn anything.”
