The Bounty Hunter's Bride. Victoria Bylin

nothing like the minister Dani had expected. When she dreamed of the wedding, she’d pictured him as a twin of her pastor in Wisconsin, an elderly man with kind eyes. Pastor Schmidt had called Jesus the Lamb of God. He’d taught his flock to turn the other cheek.

      Reverend Blue had a mane of dark hair, hawkish eyes and a chin that looked as if it could take a punch. For a good cause, Dani suspected he’d welcome it. Would he find her cause worthy? The Blues considered Beau a friend, but they didn’t know about the pistols on the porch or the secrecy in town. Dani had to convince them to help her keep the girls.

      Reverend Blue guided his wife up the stairs. As Adie sat, he took off his hat and faced Dani. “I’m sorry about Patrick, Miss Baxter. It had to be a shock.”

      “Yes.” Her throat closed.

      He dropped into the chair on her right and turned it so they were seated at an angle. “Whatever you need, Adie and I will help. Train fare—”

      “I’m not leaving.” Dani had to make her case and she had to do it now. “I want to adopt the girls.”

      The Reverend’s eyes stayed kind, but he lowered his chin. “I don’t think—”

      “I have to!” Dani’s voice trembled. “I promised Patrick.”

      The Reverend traded a look with his wife. They had an entire conversation without saying a word. Jealousy raged in Dani’s middle. She was mad at everyone right now—the Reverend, Adie, Beau Morgan, Patrick for leaving her, and especially God.

      Adie spoke to her husband in a murmur. “I saw Beau.”

      “How is he?” The Reverend sounded grim.

      “He looks terrible,” Adie replied.

      Dani jumped in. “The girls are terrified of him. Frankly, so am I.”

      “Of Beau?” The Reverend sounded incredulous.

      “Yes.” Dani pressed her point. “I don’t know what he was like in Denver, but he’s not fit to raise three girls. I don’t care what Patrick’s will says. I have letters. He’d want me to raise his daughters.”

      “Miss Baxter—”

      “I can prove it.”

      Reverend Blue held her gaze. “Maybe so, but does it matter?”

      “Of course, it matters!”

      “Why?”

      “They prove what Patrick intended.”

      The Reverend’s eyes filled with sympathy. “God might have other plans. Patrick left a will, but—”

      Her throat hurt. “The letter is more recent.”

      Reverend Blue sealed his lips. Dani didn’t like his expression at all. He looked like a man keeping a secret. Had Beau already spoken to the Blues? Did they know about sending the girls to school?

      She had to make her case. “You can’t let him do it.”

      “Do what?” Adie asked.

      “Send the girls away.”

      The Blues traded another look. Adie turned up her palms in confusion. “I spoke to Beau for less than a minute. I don’t know what he’s planning.”

      “I do,” Dani said. “He wants to send the girls away to school. I can’t let him do it. They need to be in their own home.”

      Adie’s mouth tensed. “They certainly do.”

      “That’s why I want to adopt them,” Dani continued. “I grew up on the biggest dairy farm in Walker County. I know the business. I can run the farm and the girls can stay together. It’s what Patrick would have wanted.”

      The Reverend said nothing. Why the silence? If he wouldn’t speak, how could she convince him to support the adoption? She didn’t know what to think of this hard, silent man, but she liked Adie. She turned to the preacher’s wife. “Will you help me?”

      “Hold on, ladies.” Reverend Blue sounded like Moses about to deliver the Ten Commandments. “Things aren’t that simple.”

      Dani frowned. “Why not?”

      “Patrick’s will gives Beau authority. He’s a blood relative.”

      “He’s also dirty and dangerous!” Dani didn’t like her tone, but she felt overwhelmed by emotions. Sadness. Fear. An anger that needed a target. She stared hard at Reverend Blue.

      He stared back. “What has Beau done to offend you?”

      Dani related Emma’s story about the guns, then described the trip to town. Her skin crawled at the recollection of Beau Morgan behind the window, the way his eyes had narrowed to her face. The more she relived the escape, the more deeply she disliked the man who had made it necessary. She took a breath. “I know you and Mrs. Blue consider Mr. Morgan a friend, but people change. He’s not the man you once knew.”

      The Reverend drummed his fingers on the armrest. “Has Beau harmed you in any way?”

      “No.”

      “Has he been harsh with the girls?”

      Dani thought of the blankets in the wagon and felt petty. She recalled his smelly clothes and knew he’d worked hard. He’d sounded threatening, but his actions had been courteous, even caring. “He’s been a perfect gentleman.”

      “That’s what I’d expect.” The Reverend looked her in the eye. “Let me tell you about Beau Morgan, Miss Baxter. He was the bravest, most dedicated lawman Denver ever had. He sang in the church choir. He pounded half the nails in my first church and served as a deacon. He put Bibles in jail cells for men who spat on him.”

      Dani didn’t want Beau Morgan to be human, someone with a conscience who’d fight her for the girls. “That was five years ago. It’s a long time.”

      “So is five minutes,” he said. “That’s how long it took for Beau’s life to change.”

      Adie touched Dani’s arm. “This is a horrible story, but you need to understand.”

      Dani’s insides spun. “What happened?”

      The Reverend’s gaze shifted to the mountains rising in the west. “It started with a gang of horse thieves. Randall Johnson was the leader. I knew him. I knew Clay, too. They were brothers with Randall being the elder.”

      “How did you meet them?” Dani couldn’t see the connection between the outlaws and this man of the cloth.

      The Reverend’s lips quirked upward. “Same way I met a lot of outlaws back then. I rode into their camp and introduced the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. That was a few months before the horse thieving started.”

      Dani sighed. “I guess the message didn’t take.”

      “We don’t know,” the Reverend said. “But I do know what happened that day in October. The Johnson gang raided Cobbie Miller’s place. They burned the outbuildings and made off with a dozen good horses. They also abused Cobbie’s two daughters.”

      Dani felt both ill and furious.

      The Reverend leaned back in his chair. “Cobbie stormed into town with the girls in the wagon, wrapped in blankets and looking pale. He went straight to the sheriff’s office. Beau put together a posse. Three days later, he shot Randall Johnson in a fair fight. I know, because I saw it.”

      Dani let out her breath. “Justice was done.”

      “Not in Clay Johnson’s mind. His brother was dead and he wanted revenge. He got it by murdering Beau’s wife.”

      Dani gasped.

      Reverend Blue stared into the distance, but his gaze lacked focus as he traveled to that bitter day in Denver. “It happened a week after Beau shot Randall. Clay sneaked into