An Officer but No Gentleman(101)

“No!” Jayne interrupted. “That’s what Millie wants. You can’t give her the satisfaction. Go tell Jaxon I tore my dress and we’ll be there a little late.”

Charlie tied off the last stitch, cut the catgut and began wrapping the wound with a long bandage.

“Jaxon and your mother would kill me if they found out,” Charlie protested.

“Don’t tell them.”

“Jayne, you’re not thinking straight. This isn’t something we can keep to ourselves.”

Jayne, using only her good arm, pushed herself into a sitting position. “Look, I’m not bleeding, and I’m not hurting. We just need to send Morty to the sheriff after he tells them we’ll be late. Then we’ll change and after we turn Millie over to the sheriff, you’ll go get married.”

“When that laudanum wears off, you’re going to be in pain again.”

Jayne swung her legs over the side of the table. “After the wedding, Mother can take me home if I don’t feel well.”

Charlie found her argument compelling enough to consider it. It would take a couple of hours for the laudanum to lose its numbing effects. She handed a small brown bottle to Morty. “Can you keep this with you in case we need it?”

“Aye.”

Charlie recognized the resignation in Morty’s voice. He could never say no to her. But Charlie already knew that.

“When I get back, make sure you’re dressed for the wedding not the bedding,” Morty said walking out.

Charlie blushed to her roots. She had completely forgotten she was only half dressed.





36





Morty’s mouth felt dry as it did when he slept with it open after a night on the town. On any given day, he was more than a little intimidated by Jaxon Bloodworthy, but to lie to him was making Morty sweat. It didn’t help that Morty couldn’t lie convincingly to save his life.

“Captain, your sister told me to tell you she tore her dress and needed to change clothes so they are going to be late.”

There. It wasn’t a lie—not his lie anyway. It was what she told him to say.

“It seems to me, it would have been faster for you to stay there and wait than for you to be running back and forth delivering messages.”

“Aye, they just didn’t want you to worry,” he said, amber eyes looking everywhere but at Jaxon.

“Was there anything else?”

“No,” Morty answered quickly. “I’d better get back.”

“Hurry, please.”

“Uh, it may take longer than you think. Charlie wasn’t—” He almost said fully dressed, but he caught himself. “Charlie wasn’t ready either.”

Morty turned on his heel to leave, but realized he didn’t know where the sheriff’s office was located. He scanned the sanctuary until he spotted a familiar fire-headed woman and approached her.

“Mabel,” Morty whispered in her ear. “Where’s the sheriff’s office?”

“Town square, across from the courthouse.” She grabbed his arm before he could leave. “Why?”

“Can I tell you later?”

Mabel looked a little hurt. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, my love. I can find it.”

“But now I’m going to worry.”

He tenderly touched her face. “Everything is fine.” He picked up her hand and kissed it.



By the time word of the women’s arrival finally reached Jaxon, he had worked himself into a nervous wreck. He had convinced himself Morty was spending his time trying to talk Charlie out of marrying him while Jayne was trying to convince her to go through with it.

“They’re ready,” Daniel stated. “Are you?”

He was as ready as he was ever going to be. Despite the fact he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Charlie, he still felt anxious. The delay had only served to make his nerves worse.

The men took their places by the altar next to their childhood preacher who had baptized them as children. With a nod from Reverend Fyfe, the musicians began playing. The ushers, Levi and Eli, opened the doors to the rear of the sanctuary and Jayne began the slow procession down the aisle. Almost immediately Jaxon noticed her pallor and wondered if having all the attention on her for these few moments plagued her more than his shy sister could tolerate. She really was as pretty as Charlie had pointed out and he cast a glance at all the sailors in the room and frowned. Poor Jayne would die a spinster if he and brothers couldn’t relax their protective natures. It was no wonder such a pretty girl had never had any suitors.

He turned his eyes back to Jayne and noticed how glassy and heavily hooded her eyes looked. Instinctively, he knew this was not the result of unshed emotions.