Cade

"So you weren't really robbed."

There was a pause. "No, I suppose we weren't. But he did shoot me."

"Really?" Jeremiah asked. "Where?"

Mr. Wick's face reddened. "Well … he didn't shoot me exactly, but he did shoot at me. He shot the gun out of my hand."

"So you weren't hurt?"

"No."

"We've heard test

imony that Mr. Morgan is practically a sharpshooter. So wouldn't it be fair to assume that he deliberately shot the gun out of your hand so you couldn't shoot him, that if he'd wanted to shoot you, he could have."

"Well … yes, I suppose, but --"

"Thank you, Mr. Wick," Mr. Peterson said. "You're excused." He turned to the judge. "I'd like to call Isabella Morrow to the stand."

Isabella's throat closed as she got up and made her way across the room. Every eye was on her, but her eyes were on Cade. Would her testimony free him or send him to prison for the rest of his life?

"Miss Morrow," Jeremiah said. "You were taken against your will by Mr. Morgan, is that correct?"

What was he doing? "No," she answered.

His brows lifted. "No? Do you expect this court to believe you went with the defendant willingly?"

A faint smile teased her lips at the memory. "It's the truth. I did go willingly."

"Why?"

She glanced at Cade, his jaw tight, his eyes boring into hers. "Because he promised to keep me safe."

"Safe from whom?"

"At the time I didn't know, but … " She paused, smiled at Cade. "I believed him, and as it turned out, he kept that promise."

"I see," Jeremiah said. "And at any time were you hurt or otherwise held against your will?"

"No, I was not," she said honestly. "Mr. Morgan told me I was free to leave whenever I chose."

"Thank you, Miss Morrow."

Turning to the judge, Jeremiah began to speak. "Your Honor, as you can see, there really was no robbery and no kidnapping. No one was hurt. Mr. Wick and the driver got their possessions back, and Miss Morrow has herself stated that she went willingly with the defendants and she never felt that her life was in danger. In light of Mr. Dobson's subsequent arrest and the defendants' motives for their actions, I beg the court to consider dropping all charges against all three defendants."

The courtroom was silent as the judge dipped a pen in the inkwell and made a note on the papers in front of him. Finally, he set the pen down and looked out.

"This is one of the most interesting cases I've presided over in years," he said, lacing his fingers and scanning the defense table. "Although technically there was no robbery and no kidnapping, the law doesn't condone armed men forcing a stagecoach to stop and holding passengers at gunpoint."

Bella's heart thumped so hard she was sure it was going to explode in her chest. Convinced the judge was going to sentence Cade and his cousins to prison, her throat closed. She couldn't breathe. She was really going to faint.

"However, upholding the law and rendering justice aren't always the same thing. Sometimes, the law must take into account extenuating circumstances which force normally law-abiding citizens into taking action, especially when those men who are sworn to uphold the law are themselves guilty of breaking the law. In those cases, the court must show mercy.

"I've looked into the death of Bessie Morgan and the events which followed, and the fact that although Cade Morgan went to the authorities with his suspicions, he was ignored, forcing him to take the matter into his own hands to bring Edward Dobson to justice.

Therefore, I find the defendants - Cade Morgan, Zane Morgan and Trey Morgan – not guilty."

As the saloon erupted in cheers, the judge banged his gavel. "Quiet down," he said. "I'm not finished."