Chapter 15

To Jacob, the thought of the Double-M without Ann and Susan was unthinkable. They were as much a part of this place as he was. Getting used to Juliette's absence was going to be tough enough. But he knew she and Jim would be coming to him in a few weeks, if not in a few days.

He doubted they would wait very long before they actually wed, either.

He stared at Marnie for a long time. In his heart, he knew she was right — as she usually is, Jacob cursed. Ann and Susan deserved as much happiness as this life could offer them.

She was also right about his feelings toward them. The three women — Marnie, Ann and Susan — were almost a part of the other. He certainly couldn't seem to think of one of them without thinking of the other two. He'd also noticed how delightful Susan's lips felt on his — and how certain body parts of his stiffened when she kissed him. The fact the she was constantly running her tongue over her full mouth to moisten her lips didn't help matters. Susan's hair was only slightly lighter than Marnie's flaming red tresses. She was tall and stately but there was such sexiness in her walk that Jacob had found himself stopping whatever he was doing to stare at her walking past.

Ann had filled out into a beautiful young woman — much prettier than he thought she would be when he first met her, not that it mattered much. Her black hair flowing behind her as she rode her horse was a sight to stop the heart. She had big blue eyes that melted him whenever she turned them on him and she was developing a body that would lead to fistfights on the street. She had begun to blossom shortly after arriving at the Double-M. Her face had filled out and she had begun to sprout once her body started to get decent food on a regular basis. But the biggest change was in her demeanor. Ann was the happiest person Jacob had ever met in his life.

He had to admit to himself that he loved and wanted both of them. But even that knowledge didn't make his decision any easier for him. Yet he knew that anything would be easier on him than never seeing their lovely faces again.

Later in the month, like clockwork, Jim Harcourt approached Jacob with his hat in his hands. He sat opposite Jacob on the porch and looked out at the hillside in the distance.

"Jacob, when I came up the lane to this place I didn't know what to expect," Jim said. "Our lives were the same but they were different, too. I guess I always saw you as someone who would want to get away from what we used to do. I think right when we first met was when you started having doubts about your future. I don't mean that you ever doubted that you were faster than any man you'd face. But you started to doubt if it was worth what it was costing you on the inside. We were introduced when I hired on with that outfit in Nebraska. But I'd seen you a time or two before.

"I bet you don't even remember the first time I saw you," Jim continued. "Well, I bet you remember the day but I doubt you remember me. It had to have been six or seven years ago up in South Dakota. I walked into a saloon and saw you drinking there. Hell, you didn't even look old enough to shave. I started to give you a rough time but some other hombre beat me to it. I'm lucky he did.

"You put up with it for a bit and even ignored him for as long as you could. Honestly, you lasted longer than I would have. He thought you were scared of him. Well, I probably did, too. You sat your beer down on the bar, turned and looked him dead in the eye. You told him there was no reason to keep yammering like a woman. If he wanted to face you to meet you outside.

"I had been in town for a few days and I knew the asshole who was messing with you. He was a rough customer and he had some friends that rode with him. So I figured I'd go out to make sure if by some miracle you outdrew him that nobody back-shoot you. Or to make sure he didn't shoot you in the knee and let you suffer for a while before he killed you. I had heard he done that to a couple of men. But that ain't what happened. Instead I saw two things that day, Jacob, that I had never seen before.

"First off, I saw the fastest gun hand I've ever seen. I saw him go for his pistol and then he was dead. Just like that — one right between the eyes. I figured a body shot or something. But no, you put one right dead center above his nose. I know, because I looked. I had never seen someone faster than you with a gun. I had never seen a gunfighter shot between the eyes from that distance during a play.

"The other thing I saw that day scared the hell out of me. I seen the deadest eyes I've ever seen on another living human. You stood there in the street and asked if any of the others wanted to give you a try. Told them to step on out if they wanted to join their buddy in hell. Nobody even flinched for fear you'd kill them where they stood. You wanted to kill more that day. I could see you shifting your eyes around, daring someone, anyone, to take you on so you could kill them.

"You walked right past me when you went back in the bar. That's when I saw your eyes. There was nothing in them. They were just hollow. The only thing I could see for sure was that you were disappointed that none of the man's friends had offered to stand up for him. The only anger you felt was for the fact that you had hoped to kill 5 or 6 that day instead of one.

"About a month or so before I came here I saw almost the same look in mine. I had become almost immune to killing. Just like you were back then. Then I walked into the judge's office in Stover. You didn't have that look anymore. Your eyes were lively and bright, Jacob. They held life in them, not death. Then I saw the reason why — Marnie. She gave you life back. This place gave you life back.

"Just like it's given me life back. And I want to share that life with Juliette. I know you loved her once and I know she done you dirty. But I done a lot of bad things in this world and I told her every one of them I could remember. Jacob, I know she is a part of your family and I would like for you to consider me part of it, too."

Juliette had arranged for the woman to join Jim and Jacob on the porch as Jim spoke.

Jacob looked up and saw the hopefulness in her eyes. Marnie, Susan and Ann were standing behind her watching Jacob intently.

With a sigh, Jacob sat up in his chair.

"Jim, I think we've all known this day was coming," Jacob said. "You're right, Juliette is a member of this family. This place has given us all our lives back — not just me and not just you. We're all part of his land and this land is part of us all. It's what makes this so difficult for me."

Marnie's mouth dropped a little but she held her tongue.

"It's not that I don't like you, Jim. I do. But I think Juliette deserves more than just a good fellow," Jacob said. "I think she deserves someone who can add to her life like she has added to the life of this place. Juliette deserves to marry a man who would always treat her well and keep her safe. I just think she deserves a man who's better than good."

Jim's face started to turn red and Marnie, Ann and Susan exchanged astonished glances. Tears were forming in Juliette's eyes.

"Luckily for all of us, you're a great fellow," Jacob said with a large smile. "I can't think of a person in the world I'd rather see Juliette married to than you — and I couldn't pick a more welcome addition to the family."

Jacob stood and extended his hand to Jim, who shook his head and shook it warmly.

"You almost had me," Jim said with a grin of his own.

Juliette was exchanging hugs with Marnie, Ann and Susan before she gave Jim a chaste embrace and a kiss on the cheek.

"I thought I was going to have to shoot you," Juliette said when she turned to Jacob. "I was so mad and so hurt."

Jacob's face fell.

"I was joking with both of you," he said. "I know you know that now but I hope you know that I would have put a stop to whatever has been going on if I didn't think the man was good enough for you — long before he got to the point of asking for my unnecessary permission to marry you."

Juliette nodded and gave Jacob a warm hug.

"I know you would have," she said. "I just sort of lost my head for a minute. I even joked with Jim about what he'd do if you said no. I told him I wouldn't run out on this family with someone you didn't sanction."

"You're not running out anywhere," Jacob amended. He glanced at Marnie, who nodded.

"Well, that's what's taken us so long to get here," Jim said sadly. "I have some money saved up — enough for us to rent a place in town for a while. There are no married people here but we'd like to still be hired on here."

"I'm sorry, Jim," Jacob said. "That's not going to be possible."

Jim didn't rise to the bait this time. In fact, he had considered that he might not be able to keep the job he had.

"Do you three want to tell them?" Jacob asked.

Three heads bobbed up and down.

"You won't have much time to work here anymore," Susan said with a smirk. "Well, with the babies you'll have running around and all."

Marnie slipped back into the house and returned a moment later.

"Plus you'll be chasing each other a bunch too," Ann added.

"Then there is the herd of horses," Jacob said. He was a pretty quick study and got where this was headed.

"The four of us have discussed it," Marnie said. "Really, we had a hard time figuring out what to give you for your wedding. Finally we decided on a something that we hope you use for the rest of your lives."

She handed Jim the deed to the property on the south side of the ranch.

"There is a decent house on there that you can use for a while," Jacob said. "But we're hoping you'll build one a little closer to our land."

Jim and Juliette looked at the deed.

"We can't accept this," Juliette said with tears in her eyes. Jim nodded his agreement with his future wife. Jacob thought it was good that Jim was getting a head start on that part.