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  “Well, we’ll see. That might be allowed. But right now, I’ve got to get to the court. Hopefully I’ll be in time to stop Benjamin from being convicted. And you need to come with me.”

  Tears rolled down Elizabeth’s cheeks as the realization of what she had to do hit her. She nodded.

  “I’ll do my best, Miss Towers. But you do need to come with me. Just in case. If you care about Benjamin.”

  “I do. I will. I’m sorry.”

  Jacob nodded. He offered her his arm to escort her the final blocks between the church and the courthouse. Walking as quickly as he could while still being respectful to his guest, Jacob prayed he wouldn’t miss it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  As Jacob Payne and Elizabeth Towers rounded the corner of the wide street in central Tucson, the warm windows of the courthouse lit their way. Though Jacob had been here a couple times before, he had never been as invested in a case as he was tonight.

  “Do you think we’re too late?” she asked. “It’s Christmas Eve. Everyone is going to want to go home.”

  “We’ll see,” he said grimly. “We’re doing our best. That’s all we can do.”

  The brick building at the end of the block boasted two large windows on either side of a wide front door. Jacob yanked the door open, ushered the young lady through, before following himself. They hurried through the small foyer into the courtroom itself, trying to stay as quiet as possible. As Jacob entered the courtroom, his eyes were drawn to the witness stand.

  U.S. Marshal Owen Santos sat, leaning forward and talking urgently to the judge, an older bald man peering down at the documents on his desk, rather than look at the marshal.

  “That’s when I decided to arrest Mr. Wilbourne, your Honor,” the marshal said. “I felt that all the evidence indicated him to be the most likely culprit.”

  The judge nodded, reading again one of the papers in his hands. “You say this is similar to one of the buttons that is sold at his place of employment?”

  “Yes, your Honor.”

  “And you think Mr. Wilbourne brought a loose button with him to the robbery?”

  “Well.” The marshal cleared his throat. “I think it’s very possible that a button somehow fell into a cuff or a fold while he was at the general store and then fell out again while he was … performing the other tasks.”

  “I see.” The judge sighed. “Thank you for your thoroughness, Marshal. Is there anything else I should be aware of?” He glared down at the front row of the courtroom where Benjamin must be sitting.

  “Yes!” Jacob shouted from the back of the room. “Yes, sir. Your Honor. Sir, yes, I have some evidence that exonerates Mr. Wilbourne, sir, if you’ll allow me.”

  Jacob rushed up the short aisle until he was standing directly in front of the judge. The older man frowned.

  “And you are?”

  “This is Mr. Jacob Payne,” the marshal interjected. “He’s a bounty hunter, but also one of my most trusted lawmen in the territory.”

  “I see,” responded the judge. “And, Marshal, do you think I should listen to this man?”

  Jacob looked at Santos, hoping that he hadn’t yet offended the lawman in his challenge of him.

  He sighed. “Yes, your Honor. I believe that if he’s come all the way here on Christmas Eve, Mr. Payne must have something worth reporting.”

  “Very well. Marshal, you may step down. Mr. Payne, please swear to tell the truth and have a seat.”

  As soon as the formalities had been taken care of, Jacob rushed into his report of everything he had learned over the past few days, from the fact that Andrew Coleman encouraged Mr. Wood to leave his shop at midday, to the missing button on his vest, to the fact that no money was found in Benjamin’s quarters. He also told the judge about the fight that the young man and Miss Towers had had, though he tried to brush over that as quickly as possible so as to not embarrass the young lady.

  Throughout Jacob’s recitation of the facts, he kept glancing between the marshal and the judge, watching each of their expressions for clues that he was being believed. He didn’t dare look at Benjamin, for fear that he was going to let the poor kid down.

  Once he was finished, Jacob still sat forward, his hands resting on his knees, Coleman’s vest having already been handed over to the judge to be grouped with the rest of the evidence.

  “And so, your Honor, I believe the true culprit may still be at the church or near to it. If you two both approve, I’m happy to go apprehend the real suspect and Mr. Wilbourne here can be free to go.”

  The judge didn’t look at him. He was comparing the button found at the scene to the buttons still sewn on to the vest.

  “You know … It does seem as though this button found is more worn than a new one would be. I think you make good points, Mr. Payne. But I can’t just declare this Coleman character guilty instead of Mr. Wilbourne. He deserves to be present for his own trial after all.”

  “Of course, your Honor. I understand. Of course. I just— It was most important to me that an innocent man not be convicted.”

  “Hrmph,” the judge grunted. “In my experience, few fifteen-year-old boys are completely innocent of everything. But …” He looked down to where the accused sat, handcuffed in the front row of the court room.

  For the first time since entering the building, Jacob permitted himself a look at Benjamin. He seemed to be cautiously relieved; he sat up straighter, though he made no move to get up. The young man knew his place before even being stuck in a jail cell, and it was likely that the events of the week had cured him of any desire to break the law at all.

  The judge pulled out his pocket watch.

  “Very well then,” he said slowly. “Mr. Payne, I applaud your efforts to find the truth. It is my belief that justice has been served tonight. I declare Mr. Benjamin Wilbourne not guilty of the crime of robbery.”

  Jacob let out a long sigh of relief.

  “Marshal, it may not be exactly my place to say, but I encourage you look into this Coleman character for the crime. Given the late hour, I will not be staying to try another case, but any additional inmates can wait their turn in a jail cell until the circuit brings me back to Tucson.”

  Jacob chanced a look at the marshal. He grinned and nodded.

  “Go ahead, Payne. I’ll meet you at the jail.”

  Jacob went. He didn’t need to be told twice. He darted down the aisle of the courthouse at a speed he wished he could have taken in the church. In the foyer, he slowed only enough to tell Miss Towers that her testimony wasn’t needed. That Benjamin should be free soon to see her home. And thank her.

  But then he was out the door.

  Jacob ran. He ran down the dark, empty streets of Tucson. Nearly all the citizens of the town were home on this night before Christmas. As Jacob cut down a street and passed a few homes, he heard the plinking of piano and the sweet tones of a family singing “Stille Nacht” in the original German. The bounty hunter felt a warm surge of home and family and love speed him on toward the church, toward where he hoped to find the thief.

  As with every other outlaw that Jacob had apprehended, this one reeked of arrogance and the certainty that he wouldn’t be caught. And Jacob knew that was precisely the circumstance that would allow him to seize the man.

  The bounty hunter rounded the final corner and stopped in his tracks. The church was dark and closed. Everyone had left the church in the short time Jacob had been gone. It’s not as though he had expected anyone to wait for him to come back and arrest them, but Jacob was surprised briefly by the total absence of people.

  He would have to find Coleman another way.

  It was Christmas Eve. Coleman wasn’t going to get a stagecoach out of town for at least a couple days. That left only one other option: the Golden Saddle Saloon.

  If he was wrong about this, Jacob didn’t know where to try next, so he went full bore back down the street toward the only establishment in town that seemed to have people.

  As with
the courthouse only an hour or so earlier, the warm, lit windows of the saloon drew Jacob in. From the outside, judging by the stream of traffic through the door, it seemed as though every man in Tucson who didn’t have a family—that is, most of them—was in the saloon that evening. Jacob would probably find his quarry there, though actually locating him in the crowd might be difficult.

  Jacob managed to slip through the door into the Golden Saddle Saloon, but could advance no further. The crowd of men around the bar was at least ten men deep. Though the bounty hunter wasn’t there for a beer, he still couldn’t find a way past all the men that were.

  His height, however, gave him an advantage. It was no trouble at all for Jacob to spot his prey sitting near the back of the room with Clifford Pierce and another couple familiar faces. All the men seemed jovial and relaxed, never thinking for a second their lives were about to change.

  Focused on his destination, Jacob elbowed his way through the crowd toward Coleman. His eyes never left the other man’s face and he recognized the exact moment that he realized Jacob was coming for him.

  There was a brief lull, a small pause as the thief seemed to debate how to handle the situation. He could feign ignorance or he could run.

  Coleman chose to run.

  Unfortunately for him, there was nowhere to run.

  He had only managed to push away from the table and dive into another group of men standing nearby when Jacob caught up with him. Laying both hands on the man’s shoulders, Jacob snarled, “Marshal Santos needs to see you. Now.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Handing Andrew Coleman over to U.S. Marshal Owen Santos was one of the most satisfying things Jacob had done in a while. True, it wasn’t quite the same thing as a conviction from the judge, but the fact that the real thief was in custody and Benjamin Wilbourne was not was enough for Jacob.

  He had been so focused on freeing the young man that Jacob hadn’t had much chance to think about the holiday the following day or how he would spend it. Even his time as Joseph during the Nativity play was full of thoughts of clues and crimes.

  But now, as the sun rose on Christmas Day, Jacob found himself with a day empty of responsibilities or appointments.

  And he knew there was only one way he wanted to spend it.

  It wouldn’t be the first time he made his way over to Bonnie Loft’s boarding house the first thing in the morning, but he didn’t think her landlady Mrs. Withers would be any happier to see him this day than any previous.

  But, there was no help for it. Jacob wanted to see Bonnie. He needed to see her. He had done enough thinking about it and now it was time to take action. What better day than Christmas Day to tell someone how he felt about her?

  It was only after knocking on the door to the boarding house that Jacob realized he might be interrupting a big holiday breakfast or some other tradition. He hadn’t yet lived in the Arizona Territory the previous December; he didn’t quite know what to expect from the settlers that had left all the trappings and tradition of the east coast to come to the wild western frontier.

  He didn’t get far in these thoughts before the door opened and the very woman he was looking for stood before him.

  “Bonnie,” he said, almost breathlessly. She looked stunning—a deep green dress that both showed off her alabaster complexion and called to mind the home and holiday that most people were celebrating that day. “Is this a bad time?”

  She smiled at him, as though she had been expecting his visit. “Of course not.”

  “Can you … Would you please take a walk with me?” He gestured out into the cold December sunshine. Almost no one was out in the town this early on Christmas Day; they could have virtual privacy.

  “Wait here. One moment.” She closed the door gently, leaving him on the front porch for just a few minutes before reemerging with cloak and muff to keep her warm while outdoors.

  Jacob offered his arm, thinking how lucky he was to have met her, how grateful he was that she seemed to care for him.

  As they walked—Jacob realized he had subconsciously steered them toward the Everlasting Hope Church—Bonnie pressed him with questions of the night before. The last she had seen of him, Jacob had been darting off to the marshal’s office carrying Coleman’s vest. He was happy to fill her in on the results of their investigation.

  “Oh, I’m so glad,” Bonnie exclaimed when she learned that her discovery of the missing button had so helped. “I couldn’t stop thinking about that poor boy last night, thinking about him sitting in a cold jail cell on Christmas Eve.”

  “Nope, he got to go home. I don’t know how warm it was, but at least it was his own bed. And Coleman was the one sitting in jail.”

  “I’m so happy to hear that.”

  The couple found themselves on the road in front of their church. Jacob looked up at the stark white building against the clear blue sky and made his decision. He gently guided Bonnie up the front path of the church to the geraniums that had been planted on either side of the front door. The deep pink blooms sprinkled here and there lent a softness and welcoming air to the garden.

  Bonnie continued, “No one should be alone on Christmas, though. Maybe we should take Mr. Coleman a piece of pie.”

  “Maybe,” Jacob said noncommittally. “I’m just grateful to not be alone myself this Christmas. Last year was particularly hard for me; this year is much different.”

  “Oh yes, weren’t you traveling out west at this time last year?”

  Jacob nodded. “The trip out wasn’t so bad, but … well, this year is different. I hope you know how much you have to do with that.”

  He turned to face Bonnie, and she removed one hand from her fur muff to be held in his. Looking down into her dark eyes, Jacob felt instinctively that they understood each other.

  “Bonnie, I want to say something. About how much this last year has meant to me.”

  “All right.” Her warm smile all but made his heart burst with love and pride.

  “I truly believe that every step on each of our paths has led us to each other, to this moment. If I had stayed in the New Mexico Territory, or if you had married the fellow back east your mother wanted you to. Even if I hadn’t been craving a pork chop that first day I walked into the San Xavier Cafe and met you for the first time.”

  She laughed at the memory.

  “Every one of those choices has brought us into each other’s lives and has showed me your character, and hopefully you mine. You make me want to be the best man I can be. Every one of those choices displayed for me exactly how well you would fit with me and how happy we could be together.

  “Bonnie Loft, I want to come home to you every night. I want you to be by my side through the victories and the struggles. There is nothing I would rather do with the rest of my life than spend it with you. I love you. Will you marry me?”

  She looked down, and for the briefest moment Jacob wondered if he had misjudged her attachment to him.

  But the pure expression of adoration that she offered him when she looked up told Jacob everything he needed to know.

  “Yes,” she said softly. “Of course, I will. I am so happy to be your wife.”

  He took her in his arms and kissed her, long and luxuriously, pulling her tightly and taking as much time as he thought he could get away with. True, they had kissed before, but not like this. Not with this love and promise of a lifetime between them.

  When he finally pulled away, Bonnie could not stop smiling. She laughed a little with the joy of it.

  “Now,” she said, tucking her hand back into his arm, “come back home with me and share in a Christmas dinner. Mrs. Withers won’t be happy, but I don’t want to spend any other holidays without you.”

  Jacob kissed her again, before leading her out of the church yard, back home and toward their life together.

  Free Jacob Payne Story

  Lonesome Trail

  Before Jacob Payne arrived in the Arizona Territory, before he was a bounty hunter, before
he learned how to survive in the desert, he had to travel west. Innocents in trouble, quirky characters and life-threatening peril are along every mile as he passed from Virginia through Texas to the desert of Arizona.

  When Jacob comes across a family that has fallen victim to horse thieves, he can’t just ride on and leave them to his fate. He’s not yet a bounty hunter, but Jacob Payne can still hunt down the evil-doers. Tucson will be waiting for him once he brings these men to justice.

  * * *

  Sign-up to download this prequel story for free from my website:

  * * *

  http://atbutler.com/jp-free

  Also by A.T. Butler

  Jacob Payne Series:

  Trouble By Any Name

  Danger in the Canyon

  Justice for Jasper

  Blood on the Mountain

  Outlaw Country

  Death By Grit

  Desert Rage

  Arizona Legend

  Fool’s Demise

  Silent Night

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  Courage On The Oregon Trail Series:

  Westward Courage

  Faithful Trail

  Frontier Sisters

  Unyielding Heart

  Wild Promise

  Fierce Dreams

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  Other Western Novels by A.T. Butler:

  Hawke’s Revenge

  Loyalty’s Price

  About the Author

  I grew up in the southwest—California Missions, snakes and constant threat of drought weaving the backdrop of my childhood.

  But it wasn’t until I moved to Texas a few years ago that the magic and mythology of the American West began to seep into my soul.

  I’d love to write western adventures for a long time. …