Love’s Sweet Revenge(103)
The crowd followed, some grumbling when courthouse guards wouldn’t let all of them inside the courtroom.
Jeff followed. I thought I was done writing about Jake Harkner, he scribbled, but with a man like Jake, the story never ends. If I’d known all this was going to happen, I would have saved it for my book.
He turned to see how many were left behind, and then he saw a familiar face. “Good God,” he muttered, feeling light-headed.
It was Brad Buckley.
Twenty-six
Everyone filed into the courtroom. Jeff grasped Peter’s arm and pulled him aside, glad that the flow of the crowd caused Jake and the family to continue on inside.
“What is it?” Peter asked with obvious irritation.
“Peter, I saw Brad Buckley in the crowd outside!”
“What!”
“It could spell disaster for Jake if he spots him inside that courtroom! Should we tell him?”
Peter removed his hat. “Holy Mother of God, I don’t know which would be worse—telling him now or letting him see the man by surprise! For all I know, the prosecutor plans to call him up for some reason.”
“I think we should tell Jake now so he’s prepared.”
Peter turned to a court guard. “Send Jake out here, will you?”
The man left to get Jake, and Peter ran a hand through his hair as Jake came back out looking concerned. “What’s going on?” Jake asked.
“Jake, I—” Jeff started to speak up.
“Listen to me, Jake,” Peter interrupted. “It’s vital that you stay calm in there no matter what. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“No matter what. They might bring up Dune Hollow or the shoot-out in Guthrie or even go back to other shoot-outs or bring up your daughter or—”
“What the hell is wrong, Peter? We’ve already talked about this a hundred times.”
Peter looked around the crowd that remained close by. “You stay calm when I tell you this, all right? Don’t react!”
Jake looked at Jeff. “You started to tell me something?” he demanded.
Jeff sighed and stepped closer, keeping his voice low. “Jake, just before we came inside, I saw Brad Buckley in the crowd.”
He waited, along with Peter, as Jake stood there, glaring back at him. Jake turned, scanning the stragglers who couldn’t make it into the courtroom. They all stared back, some grinning and nodding at Jake.
“Good luck, Jake,” one of them called out. “We’re all on your side in this.”
Jeff could swear he heard thunder somewhere, but it was a sunny day. Jake looked from him to Peter. “He’s offered to testify against me. I guarantee it.”
“But what could he possibly say that would matter in this case?” Peter asked.
“I killed his father and two brothers. He’ll find a way to make it look as bad as he can make it look.”
“But you were a marshal then,” Jeff spoke up.
“They’ll say I overstepped my duties.”
“Did you?” Peter asked.
The dark outlaw look moved into Jake’s eyes. “His father raped a fifteen-year-old farm girl, and then he tried to shoot it out with me. I did exactly what I had to do. And Brad’s brother Bo was part of that shoot-out in Guthrie that left me in the street likely bleeding to death, so no, I didn’t overstep my duties at all.”
“Well, you just let me do the questioning if it comes up. If that man shows himself, you sit still, got it? You’d better tell Lloyd and make sure he does the same. He can be as bad as you when it comes to men like the Buckleys and Mike Holt.”
Jeff could see Jake already struggling with his temper. Jake took a deep breath, and they walked into the courtroom. Before sitting down, Jake leaned over and spoke into Lloyd’s ear. Lloyd immediately started to rise, but Jake pressed his shoulder. “Stay calm,” he told him quietly. “If you don’t, I won’t be able to either, and I have to, Lloyd.” He squeezed his shoulder. “It will be all right.”
Randy was still standing, and she faced Jake in near panic. “What’s wrong?”
Jake leaned close, talking softly into her ear. “Brad Buckley is somewhere in the crowd.”
Randy put a hand to her chest. “Oh, Jake!”
“It’s okay. At least I know it. Come sit down beside me, and don’t you give one thought to that bastard.” He scanned the row of seats…Little Jake on the end. The boy gave Jake a smile, and Jake winked back at him. Next came a very anxious-looking Brian, who Jake knew was very worried about Little Jake’s behavior. Beside Brian sat Evie, then Lloyd, Stephen, and Katie. Ben sat on the end, looking ready to cry. Jake walked along the railing that separated their front-row seats from the table where Jake would sit. He reached over and tousled Ben’s always-tangled-looking blond hair. “It will be okay, Ben.” He couldn’t help the grip at his heart at seeing his big, beautiful family…all the things he once never dreamed could be possible for him. He missed his precious little granddaughters and wondered if he’d ever see them again, feel their arms around his neck and their sweet kisses on his cheeks.