An Uninvited Bride on his Doorstep by Ava Winters
Chapter Twenty-Nine
As he sat at the courthouse, Logan realized he didn’t actually believe there was such as a thing as liberty and justice for all, at least not for normal people, small people. The realization came upon him suddenly, and with it came a dramatic sense of certainty that Sterling Koch would walk away from this trial with no consequences for his behavior. He hadn’t expected this feeling.
He certainly didn’t expect it after feeling such a sense of victory and triumph after the town came together to help him rescue Winona from the clutches of Koch and his son. He hadn’t experienced that certainty at all during the trial. In fact, he’d felt the opposite certainty, that somehow despite all of the walls built in front of him over the course of his life, he’d prevailed and Koch wasn’t just foiled in his attempts to hurt Logan and others in town but would actually be held accountable for his actions.
Logan still believed Koch was foiled. The man had no sway or power over Logan or his family now. He had no wicked son who could terrorize anyone and his hired guns were all either driven from town or in cells where they belonged. Some were already hanged for past crimes come to light after their arrests.
Koch couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. Logan understood that and felt a measure of pride that he’d been involved in the events that brought those circumstances to pass. He felt a powerful sense of pride, in fact.
But none of that meant Koch would face justice. As the sheriff said, “Settle down, now! Settle down! The judge is coming in! Settle down,” and the crowd quieted, Logan realized he believed the man would face no real consequences. He’d get a slap on the wrist, a fine or house arrest, something like that. He hadn’t felt that way about the verdict. He knew all of the people that sat on the jury.
They were good people, although just a few months ago they were also people who would turn their heads and look away if he came into town. As much as they’d turned their heads away from him and looked to Koch for leadership before, though, they’d rallied behind him when the truth about his family and Koch’s behavior came to light.
He knew the jury would find Koch guilty, but he also knew that guilty or not, Koch’s fate lay in the hands of the judge, Hancock Taylor.
Logan knew nothing about Taylor except that he traveled from the state capitol in order to handle the trial. Paul knew enough about the capitol to know the government there believed the railroad was the key to progress. Koch, guilty or not, would not be easily replaced to lay the tracks, so to speak, for the railroad’s path through town. He knew the jury would find Koch guilty, but he felt certain suddenly the judge would reverse all that meant for Koch. A sick feeling settled in his stomach, and when he rose along with everyone else in the courthouse at the sheriff’s urging, he felt unsteady on his feet. The judge, a small man with a too-full beard and a too-important expression said, “This court will come to order. You may be seated.”
As much as the sight of the judge struck Paul as a man filled with himself and puffed up with purpose and regality, the judge got to business quickly. He looked at Koch, who sat next to his expensive lawyer all the way from Boston and said, “Sterling Koch, you were found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, kidnapping and … Well, you know all the charges. If you’d stolen a horse instead of a person, a gallows would already be under construction and, like your devil of a son, you’d be dead and justice would be served. I can’t sentence you to death for these crimes, though, as much as I wish the laws allowed it. Maybe it will change. Since that Philadelphia boy was kidnapped in July, there’s some noise in the legislature about changing the law. For now, I can only sentence you according to the rules I have. Sterling Koch, you are remanded to the custody of the Texas marshals, who will escort you to the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, where you will serve a sentence of not less than twenty-five years.” He brought his gavel down and the sound of it hitting the bench seemed sharper than a gunshot.
The courtroom erupted in cheers at the news. Judge Taylor adopted an almost comical expression of affront and brought his gavel down. “Order!” he called. “Order!”
There was no order to be had for several moments as the townspeople cheered the sentencing of their tormentor. Sterling sat and stared straight ahead, his face expressionless.
Logan wore a similar look as he tried to process what he’d just heard. Twenty-five years? That was incredible! For a man of Sterling’s age, that was essentially a life sentence. Logan had never seen the inside of a state penitentiary, but he’d heard from others who had that conditions in those facilities were adequate at best and usually far less than. It was conceivable that Sterling could live another twenty-five years under normal circumstances but in state prison the chances were slim to none. It was then that Logan knew he and his family were safe.
The realization brought a grin to Logan’s face. He turned to Winona who smiled gleefully at him as she cheered. Then he too pumped his fist in the air and whooped and hollered with the rest of the crowd.
“Can we please have order!” Judge Taylor cried, his tone similar to one a parent might take with a particularly troublesome toddler. “This is a court of law!”
The noise died down and within a minute, Judge Taylor was finally allowed to continue. “As I was saying,” he said, voice stiff with dignity, “Mr. Koch, you are sentenced to not less than twenty-five years in the State Penitentiary at Huntsville. You will be remanded to the custody of the local U.S. Marshals office pending transportation to the facility. This court is now adjourned.”
He banged his gavel once more and the court erupted with renewed cheers. Sterling and his lawyer left swiftly, escorted by two U.S. Marshals. Several in the crowd taunted and jeered at Sterling as he left.
Logan watched him leave and wondered how he could have been so afraid of him. Minutes ago, he had seemed so formidable, larger-than-life, a force to be reckoned with cautiously, if indeed at all. Now, he seemed only like a small old man.
All that wealth, Logan thought. All that power. For what? Now he would spend the rest of his life languishing in a bleak prison cell, his influence and richness useless to him. What a sad life to be spent the way it had and end the way it would.
He turned to Winona. She smiled at him, her expression radiating pure love. He extended his arm, and she took it, her smile widening.
“Shall we head home, my love?” he suggested.
“Yes,” Winona replied softly. “Let’s go home.
***
Logan laughed as Gregory recounted the first time Jay had attempted to ride a horse. “He couldn’t lift himself up on to the saddle. He tried and tried but he couldn’t do it.”
“None of you offered to help?” Winona asked through her own laughter.
“He wouldn’ let us!” Logan protested. “He kept saying he wanted to do it himself.”
“He couldn’t do it, though,” Gregory repeated. “He just kept sliding off.”
“Hey, I was five years old!” Jay protested, pink with embarrassment.
“That’s right,” Logan said. “Five years old and already a stubborn sonofa—”
“Logan!” Winona warned. “Language!”
“Alright, alright,” Logan relented. “The point is you were as stubborn a kid as you are as a man.”
“Hey, I figured it out eventually.”
“No you didn’t!” Gregory said. “Pa finally got frustrated and put you on the saddle himself. You threw such a huge tantrum about not being allowed to do it yourself that the horse got spooked and took off, throwing you from the saddle. If Pa hadn’t caught you quick as he did, you would’ve broken an arm.”
“Ma was so upset with Pa when she found out!” Logan said. “Oh, those were good days.”
“If you say so,” Winona said dubiously.
“A toast!” Gregory cried suddenly, lifting his glass.
“You want to toast with water?” Logan asked.
“Why not? It’s not about the drink, it’s about the meaning of the toast.”
“Let him make his toast!” Winona chided. “For heaven’s sake, Logan you sound like a crabby old man sometimes.”
“I’m your crabby old man,” he said smiling.
“Mine, all mine,” she joked, smiling at him.
“Ahem,” Gregory said, “If you two don’t mind …”
“Of course, Gregory, dear,” Winona said. “My apologies. Do continue.”
He smiled and bowed slightly. “Thank you. As I was saying, I would like to raise a toast. To good days.”
“To good days,” Winona responded.
“To good days,” Logan and Jay echoed.
The four of them raised their glasses and solemnly sipped their water. Gregory whistled and made a face. “Whew,” he said. “The drinks are always stronger in Texas.”
The other three groaned and rolled their eyes and Gregory bowed his head with a flourish.
“Not your best effort, Gregory,” Winona quipped.
“An artist is never appreciated in his own time,” Gregory retorted.
They spent the rest of dinner laughing and talking good-naturedly. Logan couldn’t recall a time he’d ever felt this happy. He’d thought after his parents died that he’d never feel happy again. Now it felt like the best part of his life was only just beginning.
After dinner, Logan and Winona remained at the table while Gregory and Jay excused themselves and headed for bed.
Winona smiled bashfully at Logan across the table. When he smiled back, she blushed and lowered her eyes.
Logan regarded his wife with an admiration that bordered on worship. What had he done to deserve so perfect a woman?
Nothing. That was the answer. He’d done nothing to deserve her and quite a few things that deserved losing her, but she loved him anyway. That, he thought, was perhaps the most remarkable thing about her.
“If you’re going to stare at me, you might as well say something,” Winona said. “Instead of just ogling me boorishly.”
“Thank you,” Logan said.
Winona’s eyebrows raised. “Not what I had in mind, but certainly not unwelcome. And for what are you thanking me?”
“For saving me,” Logan responded. “For saving my family. For a long time, I thought my brothers and I were done for. We didn’t get along. We bickered constantly, we barely spent any time together that wasn’t spent working or fighting, we disagreed all the time. I really didn’t feel like we were a family anymore.
“Until you came. You brought us the courage and the desire to unite as brothers again. You gave us a reason not to quit on ourselves. You’ll never know how much that means to me.
“I love you, Winona. I love you more than I ever thought I could possibly love anyone. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen but more than that, you’re strong, and wise, and caring. Without you, I would have been alone. Now, thanks to you, I not only have the most wonderful wife a man could ask for, but I have my brothers back too. I owe everything to you and from now on, you have everything of me.”
Winona didn’t respond for a moment. When she finally did, tears welled at the corners of her eyes. “You know, when you rescued me from that storm six months ago, I woke up for a moment before you brought me into the house.”
“Really?” Logan said. She’d never mentioned this to him before.
“I did,” she affirmed. “Just long enough to open my eyes and look at the man who had rescued me. You seemed so perfect then,” she said. “Like something out of a fairy tale, a knight in shining armor come to the aid of the beautiful princess in distress. I think I fell in love with you then.”
“Really?” Logan said again. “That fast? You didn’t even know me.”
“I didn’t,” she agreed. “And believe me, once I did get to know you, there were times I felt fairly certain it would be impossible for me to love you, but I did. No matter what happened, I loved you. Even when it hurt. Even when I didn’t want to. Even when I was so angry with you the sight of you made me want to run away, I still loved you. You know, you’ve saved me three times.”
“Three times?” Logan asked.
“Yes,” Winona asserted. “Once with the storm, once when you rescued me from Jude Koch.”
“And the third?”
“The third is every day,” Winona replied. “Every day you save me from a future alone with no purpose and no meaning and nowhere to belong. Every day I look at your adorable infuriating face—” Logan chuckled softly at that “—and thank God that I found you and pray for Him to give me a hundred thousand more days like it.
“I think we really were meant to be together, Logan. Like people talk about: two souls fated to spend their lives together from birth who have finally found each other. I used to think that was just fantasy, but I don’t think that anymore. You’re my true calling, Logan. All my life I’ve searched desperately for the life I thought I wanted, and it was given to me before I even knew what was happening.
“I love you, Logan Foley. I love you more than life itself. You are my life.” She reached forward and took his hand in hers. “And I’m so glad I found you.”
Logan didn’t respond right away. The love and joy and gratitude he felt was so powerful it nearly overwhelmed him. He lifted his hand and gently caressed his wife’s face. There was so much he wanted to say but no words seemed adequate to express the love he felt for this woman.
So, he said the only words that really mattered. “I love you, Winona Foley.”
At the use of her married name, Winona burst into a smile. Logan returned it for a second, then leaned forward and kissed her.