Brazos Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

they still had their honor. Each believed a man was only as good as his word. If Micah said he didn’t kill Alfredo Montoya, that was good enough for Joel and Zach, and they put their own lives on hold to help their younger brother.
    They'd tried to discover who had murdered Montoya and clear Micah’s name. Not an easy task when most people hereabouts didn’t want to talk with them. So far, they had no leads. Not one. They'd succeeded only in eliminating a hell of lot of people before the worsening drought forced them to spend all their time helping Micah in his quest for water.
    Hope took the arm Micah offered and they walked back to the front room. Again, she leaned her weight against him, but he thought her steps were lighter.
    When they announced their engagement, Theresa expressed pleasant surprise and rushed to hug Hope. Mrs. Henderson was less enthusiastic, but she offered polite congratulations to Micah and embraced Hope with good wishes.
    Theresa smiled at Micah and hugged Hope again. “I think he’s very lucky. I wish you as much happiness as John and I share.”
    Beaming first at her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Henderson looked at Hope. “I’m sorry your mother couldn’t be here to see you wed. She wanted so much to see you settled and safely away from your fa--, um, to see you happy.”
    Ten minutes later, they had reassembled at the other end of the house in Judge Henderson’s office. Theresa had sent a message to John and he’d returned. If John was shocked at their news, he hid it, and promised the wedding announcement would appear in the newspaper edition he was readying to print.
    The judge leaned back, steepled his fingers, and surveyed Micah and Zach. Obviously their less than tidy appearance failed to impress Henderson. Micah suppressed the urge to brush more dust off his britches.
    The judge addressed Hope. “You’re determined to go through with this scheme without your uncle’s blessing?”
    Hope had to convince his her cause was urgent. “Please. It is more important to me than you could ever imagine.”
    He sat forward and raised his eyebrows. “Hmph. Maybe my imagination is better than you think. You forget how long I’ve known your family.”
    As far as she knew, the Hendersons were the only ones in this community—other than Tio Jorge and Aunt Sofia—who suspected her father often vented his anger on her mother and her. Otherwise, Hope probably could not have prevailed on the Judge to go along with this marriage.
    “ Thank you, Judge Henderson. There is this one other part.” Looking nervous, Hope handed him the agreement detailing the finances and annulment.
    His face turned red and he tossed the paper down. “What kind of trick is this? I’ll not be a party to such shenanigans.” He pounded a fist on his desk. “A husband is head of the house.”
    “Please, it means so much to me. Mr.—um, my fiancé agrees.”
    Zach stepped forward, signed as a witness, then stood aside. The judge reread the agreement, a frown on his brow.
    Hope touched the judge’s arm. “Please, sir, trust me. Your excellent reputation means your signature carries the weight I need for my plan to work.”
    Theresa added, “Yes, Father Henderson, please help Hope.”
    His wife nodded at him, even though she hadn’t read the agreement and knew only that it was important to Hope.
    John stood with his arm around Theresa. “Pa, you know Hope well enough to know she’s planned this out carefully. She’s counting on your help.”
    “ I’ll likely hear a lot about this quick marriage from your uncle.” Judge Henderson picked up the pen and dipped it into the inkwell. “In for a penny, in for a pound.” He signed with a flourish and stood. “All right, if there’s to be a wedding, let’s get on with it.”
    Hope’s body cried out for rest, but her nerves wouldn’t have allowed it. If only this day’s events would move forward. She looked at the clock. Half past two. Her heart pounded so hard she