Cade

"As your wife it most certainly is. Now tell me." She moved so close her face almost touched his. Their eyes met, and she knew the truth. "You did it. I can tell."

Edward gripped her arm and pulled her toward a corner. "And if I did?" he asked.

"I … you really murdered her …?"

"She deserved it. Leading me on the way she did. Pretending she was grief-stricken, looking for comfort—"

"She'd just buried Cade's father."

"I tried to comfort her, but she pushed me away." His voice lowered. "Nobody pushes me away. Remember that."

"You raped her." The words came out on a rush of air. "And then you killed her."

"Believe me, one word about this to anyone and the same thing will happen to you."

Isabella felt the blood drain from her face.

"Besides," he went on, a sudden smile creasing his face, "there's nothing you can do about it."

Isabella raised her hand, and suddenly, two men appeared from behind the curtain covering the entrance to the choir pit. One had a gun aimed at Edward's chest. "Yes, she can."

"What … who the hell …?" Edward shouted.

"Let me introduce myself. John Cooper. Sheriff of Elm Creek. And this is Trey Morgan, Bessie Morgan's nephew." He glanced over at Isabella. "Are you okay, Miss Morrow?"

Edward smiled. "It's Mrs. Dobson," he said confidently. "Isabella is my wife now. She can't testify against me, and you couldn't hear anything from where you've been hiding."

"Come on out, Zane," the sheriff called into the empty church.

Zane strode down the aisle, tearing off the white collar he'd been wearing around his neck. He stopped in front of Edward. "Did I forget to tell you I'm not really a preacher?" he asked innocently.

Edward turned to Isabella, his face practically purple with rage. "You … bitch …"

Isabella smiled sweetly. "Why, thank you. That's probably the nicest name you would have called me during our whole marriage."

"Dobson, you're under arrest for the rape and murder of Bessie Morgan," she sheriff said, gesturing toward the door with his gun. "Move."

Cade paced the room, his gut churning. He never should have let Bella go through with this. Dobson was a dangerous man, and who knew what he'd do once he found out he'd been tricked. If the sheriff got detained … if Bella didn't handle him right … if Zane slipped up …

The possibilities of the whole thing going wrong scared him more than anything ever had in his whole life.

The knock at the door startled him. He drew his gun, crossed the carpet. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Bella's soft voice answered.

Cade holstered his gun as he threw open the door and pulled her inside, kicking the door shut behind him. She began to speak, but he wrapped his arms around her and silenced her with a kiss that he hoped showed her exactly how terrified he'd been at the thought of losing her.

Finally, he loosened his hold, but he couldn't bring himself to completely release her. His breathing came in short ragged puffs, and his heart pounded in his chest.

"Cade, it's over," Bella said softly. "Edward is in jail, and he'll hang for what he did."

A sudden release of tension washed over him. They'd won. After all the years of hate, he'd finally gotten justice for his mother.

But it wasn't over yet. He'd been thinking about it during the hours he'd spent waiting in the hotel room. He had no future with Bella. Not yet.

"Bella, there's one more thing I have to do," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the hotel room and down the stairs.

"What?"