“I know that, but it will get uglier if you go off on one of your rants and show the darker side of Jake Harkner. The judge has to think it was a crime of passion, one most people can easily understand. But you can’t give the impression it could happen again. You’re supposed to be a reformed outlaw, not just one biding his time until he kills again.”
“It won’t happen again, because when this is over, I’ll be going back to the J&L where I can enjoy some peace well away from people who want me dead.” He walked back to the bed and sat down wearily beside Randy again.
Peter set his papers aside and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He studied Randy lovingly, thinking how beautiful and poised she was in spite of being married to a man like Jake for thirty years. He glanced at Jake then and realized Jake had caught him looking at Randy. Peter held his gaze firmly. He’d never denied his love for Randy Harkner, although she’d never returned his affections. The woman was blind to her own beauty and how other men looked at her.
“Jake, let me explain something, and I hope you’ll understand this.” He sighed before continuing. “You feel you did nothing wrong, and God knows you probably did similar things when you were a marshal in Oklahoma. But you were a lawman then. Now you’re just another citizen, and one with a unique reputation you’ll never live down. Maybe you think nothing of blowing a man’s brains out, but for the common person who has never seen anything worse than a dead raccoon or a deer they’ve shot, or maybe an aging parent dying, something like what you did is an incredible shock. It’s hard for them to accept, and the fact remains you apparently had Mike Holt on the floor and could have held him there until he was arrested. Instead, you chose to put a gun to his forehead and pull the trigger. Plus, you had a gun on you, which was against the rules in the first place.”
Jake kept the cigarette between his lips. “When practically anyone you meet could be out to make a name for himself, you arm yourself at all times.”
Peter rubbed at the back of his neck, then stopped to drink some coffee. “Well, we have to rely mostly on that judge understanding your relationship with Lloyd and how hard that was for you. Obviously Mike Holt committed murder and would have hung anyway. You were just a bit out of order when you took care of things the way you did.” He shook his head. “You are one complicated man, Jake. I still find it amazing what a good family man you are. We will point that out. It will work in your favor.”
Jake grasped Randy’s hand. “Do we have a date for this hearing?”
“Two weeks, unless Lloyd’s condition is still questionable. The judge wants this over with as soon as possible, because it’s causing a lot of contention and disagreements in town and more publicity than Denver cares to have.”
“You sure they aren’t going to try to arrest me?”
“I’m sure.”
“How did you manage that?”
“I told the judge and the prosecutor about that petition I circulated in Guthrie and that over three hundred people signed it, agreeing you deserved to have your sentence reduced. I told him what an excellent job you did as a U.S. Marshal—you and Lloyd both—and all the dangers you faced bringing in the worst of them and having to go into No Man’s Land to do it. And after what happened to Evie, you damn well deserved to get out of that life and out of Oklahoma.”
“Your rather questionable fame from that book I wrote will probably help,” Jeff added. “For every person who thinks you should pay for this, there are twenty who are rooting for you.”
Jake rubbed at his eyes. “Jesus,” he muttered. He met Peter’s gaze. “You didn’t need to do this. God knows that even though you’re married now, you’re doing this for Randy, but I’m grateful anyway. I’ll be forever indebted to you, which probably pleases you greatly.”
Peter smiled sadly. “It doesn’t please me at all. What pleases me is being able to help—at least I hope I’m helping. That’s yet to be seen. In spite of our differences and the hard feelings over certain things, I like you a great deal, Jake. And I respect you even more than I like you. You’re one of a kind and becoming a bit of a legend. Jeff, of course, thinks you’re the greatest human being who ever walked. I just see you as a man who was dealt a really bad hand early in life, and I admire your strength in overcoming some of that.”
“Yeah, well, most of that is thanks to Randy.” Jake moved an arm around her again. “Like the wife here said, if this works out, that invitation to come to the J&L is always open. You won’t regret the visit, and you might even want to stay in Colorado. It’s beautiful, beautiful country.” He squeezed Randy closer. “Living out here has been everything we hoped it would be. Since we left Guthrie, we’ve been blessed with two new little granddaughters who crawl all over me with hugs and kisses, and now two more grandchildren are on the way. Evie, of course, is hoping she doesn’t give birth to another boy who turns out like Little Jake. He’s quite a handful.”