Marrying Miss Marshal (24 page)

But she seemed awfully weepy today.

“Darlin'.” He purposely lengthened out the endearment, his voice a soft drawl. “I'm here to stay.”

She blinked, looking a bit like a sleepy owl. “To stay,” she repeated. “But…”

“I bought a
pair
of train tickets,” Chas said slowly. “So I could take
my wife
to Boston. I thought we might go on a honeymoon trip.”

Her eyes softened and she blinked. “You're going home?”

He nodded. “If you go with me.”

“To make peace with your parents?”

“It's past time, wouldn't you say?”

Then she frowned. “But the annulment… We agreed—”

He couldn't help the grin that quirked his lips. “Maybe you misunderstood my kiss. I thought it was pretty clear I'd changed my mind, but perhaps it wasn't…”

Her eyes widened as he followed her up the steps, until they were even again. “Chas…”

He kissed her again. And again, trying to show her everything he'd felt since he'd realized she had gone after the outlaws alone, everything he wanted to share with her now. When they parted, he spoke into that crown of beautiful hair. “Just so there's no misunderstanding… I love you. I want you to stay my wife.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered. “I'm glad I got the chance to tell you.”

She squeezed his middle, burrowed her face into his chest. “I almost hate to ask, but…will you mind terribly if I'm still the marshal?”

“I won't mind. I'm going to talk to the town council—or what's left of it—and see if they'll let you keep me on as deputy. I think we work pretty well together.”

“You won't mind me having a dangerous job? Getting into trouble sometimes?”

“Not as long as I'm there to help get you out of it.” He paused, but this seemed like the right moment. “And in the future, if we want to…maybe buy a homestead. You can teach me to ranch.”

“S
top! Thief!”

Reacting on instinct, Danna stepped in front of the teen boy running out of Hyer's General Store, taking hold of his arm to stop him.

Then she leaned over the edge of the boardwalk and got sick right there in the street.

“Missus Marshal? You okay?” Hyer came out of the store as she braced her free hand—the one not holding on to the thief—on her knee and straightened.

“Mmm.” She hoped he would take her hum for agreement, as she didn't want a scene out here on the street, but she didn't feel okay.

“Danna, darling?”

Oh. Her husband had seen that lovely display. Chas came up behind her and took her arm, letting her release the teen. Hyer was griping, but it didn't seem the boy had stolen more than a handful of candy, so Danna allowed herself to be led off by her concerned husband.

Head spinning, she leaned against her husband's broad shoulder. In the three months they'd been married, she'd become more used to him pampering her.
Right this moment, she didn't mind his arm supporting her one bit.

“Are you still feeling under the weather?” Chas's tone conveyed his worry. “Perhaps you should go see the doctor.”

“Just been there,” she said, keeping her voice low. Even though the town accepted her now—liked her—she still didn't want everyone knowing her business. “I just need to lie down for a bit.”

“But, Danna…”

She pushed away from him, walking toward the jail and their room above it, leaving him no choice but to follow. In a few long strides, he caught up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. That was nice. She leaned her head against his shoulder again, the queasiness still gripping her.

“You've been ill off and on since we visited your brother at Christmas. Did the doctor know what's wrong?”

“Mmm-hmm. Said I'm much too happy with my new husband and adopted sister, Katy. And that I've had it too easy around here lately.”

At the foot of the stairs, Chas swung her around to face him, one eyebrow raised expectantly. “Oh, really? I have to admit, it
has
been quiet around Calvin since you put all those ornery coots in jail.”

“Since
we
put them in jail, with Judge Allen's help,” she corrected, smoothing the collar of his chambray shirt. He dressed more like a cowboy now, though he still wore his black suit for fancy occasions.

He was right. Other than a few drunken brawls, there hadn't been a hint of trouble in Calvin in the last three months. She'd almost been…bored.

Chas touched her chin, turning her face up to meet
his intense gaze. She could still see the worry behind his expression and wanted to erase it.

“Danna?” he asked.

Suddenly shy, she lowered her eyes to stare at her hand on his chest. “How would you feel about…oh, in about seven and a half months…meeting Baby Marshal?”

His stunned silence said more than any words could. Worried, she looked up, just in time to see a humongous smile split his face.

“We're in the family way?” he asked. Then, not waiting for an answer, he whooped loud enough that she was sure they heard it all the way across town. So much for everyone not knowing her news yet. But she couldn't be happier.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading my first novel! From the moment I “met” Danna, I knew I had to tell the story that this courageous, stubborn woman whispered in my ear. And with God's help, I have. I hope you enjoyed the adventure as much as I have.

To find out about book news, read short stories, and be a part of giveaways, please visit my website: www.lacywilliams.net.

Lacy Williams

1. Chas has never met anyone like Danna. What things make her different from the other women he has met before?
   
2. Have you ever met anyone who was so different from yourself that you weren't sure how to relate to them? What things made that person different from you?
   
3. Chas and Danna were able to find common ground and work together. Give an example of a time when you've had to find common ground with someone else, and how it changed your relationship.
   
4. In the beginning of this book, Chas is consumed by guilt for things that happened in his past. Have you or someone you know felt this way? What event caused this guilt?
   
5. Have you been able to accept God's forgiveness for your past? Why or why not?
   
6. Danna has a hard time fitting in with other women because of her clothes and her job. Give an example of a time when you felt you didn't fit in.
   
7. How did you overcome the barriers of not fitting in?
   
8. Until Chas came along, Danna accepted the way others saw her as reality (for example, she didn't
   believe she was pretty because no one ever told her so, and because she did not dress in a womanly fashion). Has there been a person in your life who challenged your perceptions about yourself? Tell about that person.
   
9. Throughout the book, Danna works hard to try to take care of everything by herself. Tell about a time when you realized you couldn't complete a task or get through something on your own. Did you have to rely on someone else to finish?
   
10. There are several things in the book that allowed Chas to confront his past and begin to heal. What were they?
    
11. Can you think of other things that might have helped?
    
12. Throughout the book, Danna wants to have a family. Were there other characters in the book that took on family-type roles in her life (e.g. big sister, little brother)?
    
13. Name some people in your life who have been like family, but who weren't blood relations.
    
14. What made these relationships so special?
    
15. Do you think Danna and Chas will live happily ever after? Why or why not?