“I didn’t walk into Mr. Grimsby’s house of my own free will,” she continued. “Do you think I wanted a man like him for a husband?”
I didn’t know Grimsby, only heard what James had said of him, what he’d done to Tennessee. Her father. Abigail.
“My father was going to give me to the man with the largest bank account. He thought it was Mr. Grimsby. Turns out, he was wrong. And died for it. And yet, I’m the one who’s still paying the price.”
Her hands went up in the air as she spoke with a depth of feeling I’d not heard before.
I frowned at her words. “What do you mean?” I took a step toward her, and she retreated. “Tell me, Tennessee. Tell me what burdens you.”
She brushed her hair back from her face, long tendrils having come loose in her ride. Her bonnet hung down her back, held by a ribbon about her neck. “What burdens me? Grimsby is going to kill my sisters.”
I stiffened. That, I had not expected. “Continue.”
She rolled her eyes, laughed. “Abigail wasn’t the only one he threatened. Grimsby sent a man to Fargo to kill my sisters if I didn’t provide the money he wanted. He wasn’t rich at all, but penniless, just like me. His mine had gone dry and he wanted a rich heiress and became enraged when he discovered I was not one. Now
he’s in jail and the man he sent to Fargo hasn’t received word to call off his actions. He will kill Ginny and Georgia.”
Her eyes filled with tears but she blinked them away. She was so strong, so brave. And all of this weighed upon her. The basis for her actions in Butte. She’d done as her father wished, gone to Grimsby and lied. I had to wonder if he really had been wealthy if she’d have gone through with the marriage, just to please her father.
“The saloon?” I asked, thinking of where I’d first met her.
“You believed I was there because I was flighty and naïve. That I’d put myself in a situation with blind stupidity. I was desperate and knew poker would allow me the opportunity to win the money I needed to return to Fargo.”
“Money?” One of the horses tugged on the reins, eager to snack on the tall grass, and I released my hold.
“Yes, money.” She shrugged. “I never captured a rich husband.”
Never… what was she talking about? James and I were both wealthy in our own rights. Combined, we had enough to get her to Fargo. Hell, we had enough to perhaps buy Fargo.
“You captured us,” I said quietly. Assessing.
Her blue eyes flared with cold fury. “Of course, I did. I trapped you better than Mr. Grimsby. There’s no option but marriage after a minister witnesses a woman on her knees sucking your cock. You didn’t want to marry me. You had to. I guess I should be thankful my father didn’t suggest sucking Mr. Grimsby’s cock.”
“Tennessee,” I warned.
“You will not diminish my anger, Jonah.”
My bride and her actions were misunderstood, and for that I had been wrong. James, too, but he wasn’t here. I needed to make things right.
“You overheard me and Abel,” I said, remembering what she’d said when she’d first stopped.
She replied with a curt nod. “You married me out of honor.”
“What is wrong with that?” I asked.
She swiped at her face, a tear escaping. “Nothing. But it’s not enough.”
“You heard Abel, but did you hear what I said to him?”
Her gaze turned in every direction but at me.
“Abel, as you heard, was angry I wed. Surprised because I have had no interest in marriage. You see, he is not my child.”
She frowned, but I continued on. It was important she understood.
“I was twenty and saw Victoria at a dance. We walked out together twice. I found her… not to my liking and had no intention of pursuing her further. But she announced that she was with child. Mine.”
Tennessee gasped.