A Husband for Charli Rae Read online

  “I’m not saying it won’t go your way. I’m just pointing out what Mr Bartholomew is likely thinking. Why do anything to a farm he thinks he’s going to own very soon?”

  Tears filled Charli’s eyes. “I’ll die if I lose the farm,” she whispered desperately. “It’ll be like losing Pa all over again.”

  Sheriff Johnson wrapped his arms around her. “I’m doing everything I can but you have to work with me Charli, instead of fighting me all the time. Now pack a bag and make sure you have a dress for court. We need to get back to town before the Judge arrives.”

  <<<<>>>>

  Charli was too worried about her farm to sleep, not that the cot in the cell was overly comfortable anyway. Sheriff Johnson had assured her that everything was secure, but she still didn’t trust the Bartholomew’s not to sabotage her in some way. If she lost any more chooks or one of the piglets, she could be in a lot of trouble. Her entire future hinged on nothing going wrong and she wouldn’t put it past her neighbor to know exactly that.

  The one upside to being in jail was that she’d been given a decent meal the night before. It should have been enough to help her sleep but it wasn’t. Charli was seriously worried. If they sent her away, she’d lose the farm for sure and all her hard work would have been for naught. Several tears found their way down her face as she contemplated a future without the farm.

  As the early morning light filtered through the tiny window, Charlotte gave up on trying to sleep and began to pace the cell instead. After what felt like hours, Sheriff Johnson entered carrying a covered tin plate.

  “Martha sent you a cooked breakfast,” he said to her. “I’ll heat you up some water so you can wash and get changed while I go out and feed the animals.”

  Charli’s heart warmed at his words. She couldn’t fault Sheriff Johnson’s attempts to help her out. He and her papa had been good friends and the sheriff had tried to help her as much as he could since his accident. He’d have done more if Charli’s pride had allowed it. She was determined to make her own way in the world, without the help of a man. It grated on her that it was expected that females were reliant on a man to survive. She was just as capable as the next man.

  By the time Sheriff Johnson returned, Charli had bathed as best she could and braided her hair neatly. The Sheriff frowned when he saw she was still wearing pants. “Why aren’t you changed?” he asked her. “We haven’t long until we have to be in court.”

  Charli looked down at her clean pants and shirt. “I am changed,” she told him with a frown.

  “You need to wear a dress for the hearing,” Sheriff Johnson scolded her sternly.

  “Why does it matter what I wear as long as it’s neat and tidy?” she challenged him. It annoyed Charli no end that society tried to dictate what she could and couldn’t wear. Why should a man get to wear comfortable and practical attire while women had to wear cumbersome dresses?

  “You don’t want to make a good impression on the Judge?” he asked her, his patience with her fraying. “Or perhaps you’d like to be treated like a man? Perhaps you’d like the judge to send you away to a hard labor prison camp?” he asked her angrily. “Did you even pack a dress like I asked?” Charli shook her head, feeling a mite guilty. She’d ignored the Sheriff’s instruction so that he couldn’t force her to wear a dress, which in hindsight may have been a bit foolish. “If ever anyone needed a man to take them in hand, it’s you Charlotte Anderson!”

  “Well I’m never getting married!” she retorted, her own anger rising. Why did all men think that women needed them in order to survive? “No man is ever going to tell me what to do!”

  Sheriff Johnson looked worried, but he didn’t say anything more on the matter. “We don’t have time to do anything about a dress now, we have to go,” he said to her as he unlocked the door to the cell.

  “Is everything all right at the farm?” Charli asked as she stepped toward him, thankful to be free from the confines of the tiny cell.

  “Everything is fine,” Sheriff Johnson told her. “All animals present and accounted for and no sign that anyone has entered the property in your absence,” her assured her as he escorted her out the door to the courthouse next door.

  Mr Bartholomew, his daughter Matilda, and the bank manager were already there when they entered. Martha came in just behind them and put a supportive hand on Charli’s shoulder. Sheriff Johnson seated her at a table near the front of the room and they waited for the judge to arrive.

  Charli noticed the sheriff looking to the back of the room several times. He seemed concerned about something, but when she turned around, she couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t help but wonder who or what the sheriff was waiting for. When the judge arrived, the sheriff spent some time speaking with him.

  Johnson knew he needed to stall the proceedings as long as he could. Benjamin was due to arrive on the morning stage but it was notorious for being late. There was no guarantee he would make it before the hearing began. If he did, the sheriff still wasn’t sure there was much he could do for Charlotte. Still, he’d feel better if she had her own lawyer, just in case.

  When the Judge indicated it was time to call the hearing to session, Johnson had no choice but to take a seat. There was a slight commotion just as the Judge began to speak and Johnson turned to see Ben entering the room.

  The look of relief on the sheriff’s face wasn’t missed by Charli and she turned to see who had entered. A large man wearing a dark suit was standing in the doorway, his eyes firmly on the Judge. Charli wondered who on earth the strange man was. Clearly the sheriff had been waiting on him. But why?

  “My apologies your Honor,” the man said as he took several steps toward the front of the room. “The stage was late getting into town.” He gave a slight bow of his head, in deference to the Judge.

  “And you are?” the Judge asked him with a frown.

  “Benjamin Montgomery, Attorney at Law, representing Miss Anderson,” the man told him.

  Charli’s eyes widened in disbelief and she gave a little gasp. Surely it couldn’t be…. It wasn’t until his eyes met hers that recognition hit. How many years had it been? Six or seven maybe? When the judge motioned him forward, Ben slid into the seat beside her.

  “Close your mouth Charli Rae before you catch a spider,” Ben mumbled to her, keeping his eyes on the Judge as he spoke. The Judge was already asking the sheriff to outline the charges against her, so she didn’t have an opportunity to respond. She did close her mouth. Ben smiled and reached out and put his hand over hers, concerned with how cold she felt.

  The sheriff’s report was very brief as he outlined the details he had been told by all parties involved. When Sheriff Johnson had said his piece, the Judge called on the witness, Norman Banks, to give his version of events.

  “Stanley Bartholomew asked me to accompany him to speak with Miss Anderson about an offer he wished to place on her farm. It seemed like a very generous offer to me given the fact that the bank was going to be forced to foreclose on her in another month,” Norman said.

  “WHAT?” Charli screeched, shooting out of her chair. “There’s almost two months until the next payment is due and I fully intend to make that payment. You can’t foreclose on me!”

  “QUIET YOUNG LADY,” the Judge boomed at her. “TAKE YOUR SEAT AND REFRAIN FROM ANY FURTHER OUTBURTS OR I SHALL HOLD YOU IN CONTEMPT,” he warned.

  Ben reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down to her seat. “You’ll get your turn to speak,” he said quietly to her. “Now keep quiet before you get yourself into more trouble,” he scolded her. Charli wanted to tell him where to stick it, but both the judge and the sheriff were glaring at her, so she didn’t dare open her mouth.

  “Continue,” the Judge said to Norman Banks.

  “Miss Anderson came out of the house with her gun already pointed at us. We informed her that all we wanted to do was talk and she did put the gun down for a few moments. When Mr Bartholomew made his offer, she pointed the gun at him ag
ain and shot it. We didn’t wait around for her to shoot again. Once we were clear of danger, we stopped to give Mr Bartholomew’s ear first aid. The bullet clipped his ear. It could very easily have killed him.”

  “Did either of you at any time threaten Miss Anderson in any way?” the judge asked him.

  “Absolutely not!” Norman said with a shake of his head. “We told her very clearly that we did not intend her any harm and only wished to talk to her.”

  “All right, Miss Anderson, let’s hear your version of events,” the Judge said, turning to her. “Stand up please.” When Charli stood up, the judge got his first look at her outfit. It had been hidden by the table up until that point. “What in the blazes are you wearing girl? Do you have no respect for this court?” he barked.

  Charli’s face paled at his apparent disapproval. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked him, her voice wavering slightly.

  “You’re dressed like a boy. Do you have no self-respect?” he asked her.

  Charli’s face flushed with anger. “Why must I dress a certain way just because I am female?” she asked him.

  “I see, you’re one of those are you?” he asked with scorn. Charli wasn’t sure what one of those meant but she was too nervous to ask. “All right, explain to me why you shot at Mr Bartholomew.”

  “It was an accident sir,” Charli said softly to him.

  “I see, so you accidentally loaded your gun, carried it outside and pointed it at Mr Bartholomew and Mr Banks?” he asked her. Charli chewed her lip nervously as she shook her head. “Speak up girl!” the judge barked at her.

  “N-no. I did intend to load the gun and I only pointed it at the men to warn them away. They had no right to be on my property. I didn’t mean to pull the trigger at that time,” she said softly. “It just happened.”

  “If you cannot handle a gun without accidentally pulling the trigger then you certainly have no business handling a gun at all young lady,” the Judge lectured her. “What you need is a husband to keep you in line!” he added sternly. Charli opened her mouth to object, but Ben put his hand on her arm and shook his head in warning. “If you had a husband, I would be instructing him to take you home and give you a jolly good thrashing and to ensure you cannot get your hands on a loaded weapon again,” he said to her. “Given that you do not and I very much doubt you have any prospects either in that get up, I have no choice but to sentence you to a time of incarceration. I’d like to hear from the victim’s legal representative as to how long a time you believe is reasonable,” he said as he looked at Mr Bartholomew and his lawyer.

  “You’re not much of a defence lawyer,” Charli hissed at Ben. “You haven’t said a word!”

  While Mr Bartholomew was consulting with his lawyer, Ben stood up. “I’ll marry her,” he said loudly.

  “What?” Charli said in shock as she looked up at Ben, her eyes wide.

  “I told you I’d come back for you Charli Rae,” he said to her. “And here I am. Right in the nick of time by the looks of it.” Ben didn’t wait for a response from Charli but instead, turned his eyes back to the Judge.

  “Are you saying you’re prepared to marry this young lady today and carry out her punishment as directed by the court?” the Judge asked him.

  “Yes, your honor,” Ben said seriously. “I have a letter here from her Pa stating his blessing and intent that we marry,” he added as he pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. When the Judge held out his hand, Ben walked up to him and handed him the letter.

  “But I don’t wish to get married,” Charli objected.

  “QUIET!” the Judge commanded her as he read the letter. When he was done, he fixed Charli with a stern look. “Are you telling me that you’d prefer to go to jail than marry this man?” he asked her.

  “I can’t go to jail, I have a farm to look after,” she protested as her eyes filled with tears.

  “I’m afraid your farm is not my concern,” the Judge told her. “My concern is seeing justice done in such a way that this doesn’t happen again.”

  “Your honor, my client wishes to object to your offering Miss Anderson a way out of serving what we deem to be well deserved time in jail,” Mr Bartholomew’s lawyer stated.

  The judge turned his piercing eyes on the man. “Your client has a vested interest in seeing Miss Anderson in jail. If she goes to jail, the bank will foreclose on her loan and the farm he wishes to purchase becomes available. If she chooses to marry, the asset will be protected by her husband and the bank will have a much harder time foreclosing,” he pointed out.

  “She’s getting special treatment because she’s a woman!” Mr Bartholomew stated.

  “It is quite common under law for a female to be disciplined by her husband rather than the courts,” the Judge told him. “Miss Anderson has recently lost her only living relative and it is clear to me that she isn’t coping with life alone. I like that this resolution deals with her crime but also the problem that brought about that crime.”

  “I’m coping quite fine on my own!” Charli spouted angrily.

  “ENOUGH CHARLI RAE!” Ben said angrily. “You are not helping yourself here.”

  “Will you stop calling me that,” Charli hissed. “We’re not kids anymore!”

  “Your honor, could we have a few moments for Miss Anderson to consider her options?” the sheriff requested. He could see Charlotte was going to lose her temper any moment and that wasn’t going to help her case either.

  “We will adjourn for 30 minutes,” the judge said with a nod. “Sheriff, Miss Anderson is remanded to your custody for that period of time. When I return Miss Anderson, you will give the court your decision on whether you will take the marriage option or the incarceration,” the Judge said seriously to her. “I suggest you read your Pa’s letter. It’s clear that this is what he wanted for you.”

  Charli was spitting mad. It was horribly unfair that a room full of males could decide her future like this. All she wanted was to be left in peace to run her farm. Was that really too much to ask?

  Once the Judge had left the room, Sheriff Johnson walked across and crouched down next to where Charli was sitting. “Look at me Charlotte,” he said gently to her. Charli looked up at him and his heart broke a little at the betrayed look in her eyes. “Your Papa told me about his arrangement with Ben. It took me a while to locate him but I knew he’d want to know about his passing. He’s a good man who cares deeply for you. I think you should consider the offer. If not for yourself, then for your Papa. You’d fulfil his wish to see you married as well as getting to keep the farm. None of us want to see you sent away to jail.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner Charli Rae,” Ben said gently to her. “It kills me to think of you here alone trying to deal with losing your Pa so suddenly. I’ve been in England so it took time for word of his passing to reach me. Then I had to arrange passage back. It would seem I only made it just in time.”

  “Are you staying?” Charli asked him as she considered her options. “You’re not going to marry me and then drag me back East?” she asked him. If that were the case, she may as well take the jail option. Charli was only considering the marriage option as a way to keep the farm. Nothing more.

  “I’m staying,” he told her. “I told you I’d come back and I meant it.”

  “You weren’t much more than a kid yourself Ben, no one could hold you to that promise.” It was true that Ben had promised to return when he left but as time passed, Charli figured the likelihood of that became less and less. They may have had an agreement of sorts, but they were both young when they made that promise. Neither could be expected to honor it.

  Ben passed her the letter from her papa. “When you sent me that letter saying you were never going to get married and that I should find someone else, I wrote to your papa. That was his reply.

  Charli opened the letter and read:

  Dear Benjamin,

  I’m delighted to hear of your interest in marrying my Charlotte. She’s a
rather headstrong girl but she has spirit and determination, both key qualities to survive the harshness that farming life can bring. I hope as she gets older that her views on marriage will change. Life can get rather lonely without a partner to share day to day living with. It’s not what I want for her. I want her to know the love and friendship that her mama and I shared. Not a day goes by when I don’t miss her mama desperately. I’d do anything for another day with her. I doubt another man will turn Charlotte’s head, her heart has always belonged to you, but if for some reason one does, I shall let you know so that you can decide if you wish to return earlier and have a chance with her. Barring that, I will look to hear from you of your arrival. I send you this letter as proof of my permission to marry my daughter, Charlotte Raelene Anderson, should the unforeseen happen and I am no longer around to provide my blessing in person. I wish you all the best as you work to complete your law studies and look forward to the day when I can one day call you son. Sincerely, Jedediah (Jed) Anderson.