Love’s Sweet Revenge(90)

Pepper nodded and put his hat back on. He started to leave, then hesitated. “Oh, by the way, there are a couple of men downstairs askin’ about you, Jake. One’s a fancy-lookin’ dude—like a big city lawyer or somethin’, and I heard the other one say he was a reporter from Chicago. Wears round wire glasses and looks more like a kid than a man.”

Randy gasped. “Jake! It must be Jeff!” She looked at Pepper. “Jeff Trubridge is the reporter from Chicago who spent time with Jake and Lloyd back in Guthrie and wrote the book about Jake. He came to visit once the first year we settled here, before you and Cole even worked for us.”

“Well, him and the other man was askin’ your room number, but the clerk downstairs said he wasn’t allowed to give it out,” Pepper told her.

“Go ahead and tell them where we are,” Jake told them. “The man with Jeff—” He shared a look with Randy, strong memories of another man who’d loved her hitting home. “He’s probably a lawyer friend we also knew back in Guthrie. His name is Peter Brown.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Pepper told him on his way out.

Both men left, and Jake locked the door and leaned against the wall beside it. “I’ll be damned. We haven’t seen Jeff in a couple of years, and we’ve never seen Peter Brown since—”

Since he left for Chicago because he loved me too much to stay in Guthrie, Randy thought. She saw the same thought in Jake’s eyes. “Jake, he must be here to try to help us. Hear him out. Personally, I’ll be relieved to see both of them. It gives me a little more hope.”

Jake looked her over with a strong hint of “you belong to me” in his eyes. “Maybe he’s just here for you. If things go bad, you’ll need someone to turn to. I’m sure Peter would gladly help out.”

“Jake, don’t start. Jeff told us in that letter a year ago that Peter’s married now.”

“That doesn’t change how he’ll always feel about you.” He walked over to a dressing table and snuffed out his cigarette. “Don’t worry. I’ll be good.”

“He did so much for us.”

“I am well aware of what he did, and I’m also aware he did it all for you.”

“And if he’s here to help you, it only shows what a good friend he is to us—both of us. He does care about you, Jake. That was obvious when he worked so hard on that petition to get your sentence shortened.”

Jake raked her over with his gaze as she walked closer. “I love you,” he told her.

Randy saw the flash of past regrets in his eyes. “And I love you, way more than you can ever imagine.”

Someone tapped on the door. “Jake? It’s Jeff Trubridge. I have Peter Brown with me.”

Jake kept the cigarette between his lips. “Anybody else?”

“Just us.”

“This had better not be a trick. There are a few people out there who’d like to see me hang.”

“Jake, for God’s sake, how well do I know you?” Peter spoke up. “You’d still like to shoot me, and I have no doubt you are wearing guns right now. Do you think I’d add to your wrath by bringing someone up here to try to cart you away?”

“Well, I don’t know, Peter.” Jake winked at Randy. “If they hang me, that leaves Randy a widow. Pretty convenient for you, wouldn’t you say?”

“It would be if I wasn’t already married to someone else.”

Randy smiled.

“Jake, stop joking around and let us in,” Jeff spoke up. “I have coffee with me, and it’s still nice and hot.”

“Well, since Peter is married now, I guess it’s okay.” With his back still to the wall, Jake opened the door and peered into the hallway, seeing no one else. “Come on in.”

The men walked inside, and Jake closed and locked the door. He fought old jealousies and reminded himself Evie was praying for miracles. If Peter Brown was here to try to keep him out of prison, maybe Peter was just another answer to those prayers. Keeping him out of prison this time would take a miracle.





Twenty-three


Jake just watched as Randy embraced Peter, keeping his feelings in check. Peter Brown was responsible for his being released from his sentence to serve as U.S. Marshal in Oklahoma so he and the family could finally come to Colorado. He was responsible for a lot of help in other ways…but Jake knew it was all for Randy.

“Oh, Peter, it’s so comforting to see old friends right now,” Randy told him. “You did so much for us back in Guthrie. Did you bring your wife? I so want to meet her.”