CHAPTER 13
Jake
Jake took one last look in the small looking glass in the bedroom. His tie was straight and his hair and beard were clean and combed. His Sunday best suit was clean and pressed, and his shoes were polished to perfection. He was ready.
So why then did he still have a huge lump of dread in the pit of his stomach? He had no idea what the day would bring and he had to be prepared for anything. He could only hope that Charlie’s plan was watertight.
With a sigh, he headed for the team, patiently waiting outside with the wagon while he dressed. He glanced at the living room of the cabin one last time, seeing that everything was in order, the way he liked it. He could only hope he would return here this evening in one piece.
He arrived at the church early, nerves building in the pit of his stomach. What if this didn’t work?
No, he couldn’t think of that. He wanted to be there early to greet the guests personally, so he focused on that instead as he waited for everyone to arrive.
Poppy hadn’t questioned his sudden change of heart over her wedding plans. She’d sneered that he’d seen the wisdom of remaining silent at last and had been happy to throw herself into planning the day. Jake had cooperated when requested, but other than that, remained as distant as possible. Poppy didn’t seem to notice or care.
Now, as the townsfolk began to gather, he greeted each one with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Finally, everyone was seated and Jake waited at the front of the church, wanting to fidget but doing his best to remain calm and composed.
At last, there was a flurry at the rear of the church and Poppy stood in the doorway on Charlie’s arm. She paused, allowing her triumphant gaze to sweep over the congregation from behind her lacy veil, finally settling on Jake with a victorious light in her green eyes.
There was no doubt that she was beautiful. Somehow, she’d procured a stunning cream-colored gown overlaid with lace and trimmed with satin. Its train trailed behind her, and she carried a magnificent bouquet of wildflowers.
After pausing to soak up the admiration of those present, she began her stately walk down the aisle, her back straight and her eyes fixed on Jake. She could have been royalty.
The unsuspecting preacher began the ceremony. After greeting those present and delivering a few remarks about the sacredness of the event, he turned to Poppy and Jake.
“Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?” he asked.
“I do,” Charlie replied. He took Poppy’s hand and placed it on Jake’s arm, then sat down on the front row.
The preacher began his speech about the meaning of marriage and how each party should prepare for married life.
Lies! Jake wanted to shout. There was nothing sacred or meaningful about being blackmailed into marriage. But he held his peace, trusting that everything would work out in the end. He stole half a glance at Poppy. The satisfied smirk on her face made him feel sick to his stomach.
The preacher finished his talk and addressed the congregation. “Before we proceed any further, is there any reason why these two should not wed?” he asked. “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
“Yes.” A voice rang clearly from the rear of the church.
Everyone turned around in shock to stare. Robert stood there, breathing heavily and propping himself up with a cane. He was obviously ill and in pain, but he’d made it.
“Speak up,” the preacher said, a note of surprise in his voice.
“Father!” Poppy screeched. “What are you doing here?”
Robert ignored her. “I have not lived a good life,” he began. “And while I would like to be able to say that I support my daughter in this matter, I cannot allow her to destroy the lives of people I care about.”
“Father!” Poppy shrieked. “You have lost your mind!” She turned wild eyes on the congregation. “Pay him no attention! He’s ill and has lost his powers of reason.”
The preacher held up his hand. “Allow him to speak. It is a legal requirement.”
The room hushed as Robert went on. “My daughter will tell you that she came here with me months ago to nurse me back to health, but it isn’t true. She came here three weeks ago.”
“That is the truth,” Charlie affirmed. “She arrived at my cabin to stay three weeks ago.”
Poppy looked as if she was ready to lash out physically and hurt Charlie, but Jake held her arm firmly in his grasp. She tried to wrench free, giving him a furious glare through her veil.
“She will also tell you that Jake has put her in a compromising position,” Robert went on. “I can assure you, the child is not his. It’s not even remotely possible.”
Everyone gasped and stared at Jake. He felt his face redden even though he’d done nothing wrong.
“Yet, she has coerced Jake into being here today to wed her under the threat of exposing secrets that could ruin his life.” He paused for breath. “Jake does not deserve this. He is a man of integrity and honesty who was falsely accused by someone else in a situation such as Poppy’s.”
“It’s true,” Jake spoke up. “I was accused of a crime against a woman in another town that resulted in a child. The accusation was motivated by someone who wanted land that I owned, and they were successful in running me out of town.” He took a deep breath. “Miss Hartman thought to do the same thing to me. Either I would comply with her wishes or she would see to it that I was ruined in this town.” His gaze swept the room. “Have any of you heard rumors?”
A murmur rippled through the congregation.
“Nothing certain,” someone ventured.
“But enough for people to question my motives and integrity,” Jake stated.
Heads nodded in agreement. He continued.
“There have also been whispers of misconduct against Miss Williams.”
People dropped their heads and no one was willing to look him in the eye. He felt a perverse satisfaction in knowing that his intuition had been correct. People had been talking about Rowena.
“The rumors about her are also incorrect,” Jake went on. “She has done nothing wrong, and I promise there will be trouble if I catch anyone saying anything untoward about her. If you want to check for yourselves, you may ask either Zach or Rebecca. They know of these allegations and it has hurt their reputation too. They will defend Miss Williams’ honor without hesitation.”
Poppy was weeping now as she tried to break away from Jake’s grasp. “It’s lies!” she shouted.
Jake shook his head. “It’s over, Poppy. No one is going to believe you now. You’re not going to force me to wed you and your days of spreading lies about innocent people are over. Accept it.”
She turned to him with such rage on her face that he took a step back. “I hate you, Jake Brooks,” she spat, her tone low and menacing. “I have never hated anyone as much as I hate you. You should be dead.”
She reached inside her dress and pulled something out of the shoulder. Horrified, Jake saw that it was a handgun. In a split second, she’d cocked it and was pointing it right at him.
“Get down!” Robert roared from the rear of the church, where he still stood leaning on his walking stick.
It was enough to distract Poppy. “I’ve changed my mind,” she snarled. “You die first, Father. ” And she raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
Robert fell to the floor and lay still, but the bullet continued its journey, shattering the window in the foyer instead. Everyone froze in shock and there was a stunned silence before screams of terror rent the air and the congregation stampeded for the door.
Poppy started to raise the gun again, but before she could aim it at Jake, Charlie launched himself at her, tackling her around the legs and knocking her to the ground. The gun went off again, splintering a hole in the ceiling, and there were more screams as the people fled. Jake pounced on Poppy and wrested the gun from her hands. She lay on the floor looking up at him with fury in her eyes.
“Don’t think this is the end of this,” she snarled. “I’ll hunt you down and finish the job.”
“No, you won’t,” said a firm voice somewhere above their heads.
Jake looked up to see the sheriff’s deputy standing there glaring at Poppy.
“You’re off to jail, Miss Hartman. You attempted to murder your own father and the man you were supposed to wed. Your father called me to be here in case of trouble. I was waiting in the foyer.”
“My father is a dead man too,” Poppy raged.
“Not yet,” Robert said from behind the deputy. “In fact, I feel better than I have for a long time. All this excitement must have been good for me.”
Jake stared at him in surprise. The last time he’d seen Robert, he’d been sure the man didn’t have long to live.
“I believe you have been showing signs of insanity,” the deputy went on.
Poppy paled. “I am perfectly sane,” she retorted.
“Then you’d better cooperate with me, or I will recommend that a doctor assess you for a stay in an asylum,” the deputy responded. “On your feet, Miss Hartman.”
Poppy burst into tears. “I just wanted a wedding,” she wailed. “I’m not insane!”
“Well, you went about getting one the wrong way,” the deputy said firmly. “Blackmail and attempted murder are crimes, and sane people don’t behave the way you have. No one should be treated the way you’ve treated these three men, no matter what your grievances are. At the very least, you’ll be spending some time in jail.”
As the deputy led Poppy away, her sobs faded into silence. Charlie sank onto the front pew and held his head with his hands. Robert sat beside him, holding his cane. Jake was still sitting on the floor where he’d wrestled the gun from Poppy, the feeling of relief making him feel weak.
“Thank you, Robert,” he said quietly. “I know it took a lot of effort and a big dose of courage to come here and do what you did today.”
Robert looked sad. “I wanted things to work out with Poppy,” he said, regret in his eyes. “But she was only interested in how I could benefit her in some way. It was not possible.” He took a deep breath. “I think I’m feeling better now because that situation has been resolved. It was weighing on me heavily while I was so ill.” He paused. “I wouldn’t say I have recovered, but I feel much better than I did.”
“Charlie has been caring for you well,” Jake replied. “With good food and rest, you might yet make a full recovery.”
“You know, I hope I do,” Robert replied. “I feel that I have something to live for now.”
Charlie spoke. “I still feel sorry for Poppy and the child, if there is one,” he said. “She’s messed up her own life; let’s hope she doesn’t destroy the baby’s.”
Jake sighed. “She’s an adult. No one can force her to make good choices.”
“We’re all fortunate that she was a terrible shot with that gun,” Charlie said with a grim smile. “I never expected her to be armed on her wedding day. She was getting what she wanted.”
Robert looked sad. “She’s been forced to look out for herself from a very young age,” he said. “I blame myself for not being around when she was a child. She had no one she could rely on. Not that it was entirely my fault. Her mother didn’t want me around. But I should’ve stayed and fought for her. Things might be different now if I had.”
Charlie placed his hand on his twin’s shoulder. “We all wish we’d done things differently. But if you can’t let it go, you’ll be eaten up with guilt and will never find peace.”
“I’ve been talking to the Lord lately,” Robert confessed. “That seems to help.”
“It does,” Jake agreed. “And I need to do a lot more of it because there will be ongoing consequences from today. Things might be rough for a while, and I have no idea if I will ever be able to persuade Rowena to give me another chance. This whole sorry mess broke her heart.”
“Don’t worry, she’ll hear all about it sooner rather than later,” Charlie said. “Someone will tell the tale, and it’s likely to grow more outlandish with each retelling.”
“I just hope she can see the truth.” Jake stared at his hands for a long moment. “She was very angry with me, and I can’t say I blame her.”
“Whatever happens, just know you’ve done your best to make it right,” Charlie advised. “She’s got good sense and a kind heart. It might take time, but I think you’ll find she will see your situation for what it was.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jake muttered fervently. “I hope you’re right.”