Wyoming Mail-Order Bride by Janet Tronstad

Author:Janet Tronstad
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-11-02T18:03:11+00:00

Chapter Five

“Court is in session,” the judge proclaimed, and Craig felt the sweat break out on his forehead. He’d never been one for playing poker, but he felt like he was in the middle of a high-stakes game and didn’t know how his cards would match with the others at the table. His win would be big or his loss devastating. His children were what he worked for. They owned his heart. He definitely had more on the table than he could afford to lose.

“The lawyers will take their respective places,” the judge declared, and Craig watched his lawyer seat himself at a side table on the main floor. Craig had not been able to talk to the man since he’d read the letter changing the date by which Mrs. Hunt could come to Cheyenne, but Craig hoped his lawyer would argue that it was not fair—nor legal. He wasn’t sure what else he had to stand on now that his marriage to Delores was in question.

Across the room, another lawyer was seating himself. He looked more confident than Craig’s lawyer, and that didn’t put Craig at ease. Though the judge was not generally impressed with credentials.

“Because this is a civil and not a criminal case,” the judge continued, “I am going to have the principals in the case introduce themselves to the court.” He looked out into the audience. “Is Mrs. Margaret Hunt present?”

Mrs. Hunt rose up proudly. “Yes, Your Honor.”

Craig figured the judge would be pleased with her. She was not all frilly and feminine like someone given to vapors and moods. Instead, she stood straight-backed, looking out at the audience like a general surveying her troops. Dressed in a wool navy suit with gold braiding along her shoulders, she had neatly pulled back her slightly graying brown hair in a serviceable bun. Under the brim of her hat, he could see her face was unlined and she looked remarkably youthful for a woman of her years. The braiding wasn’t the only gold she wore, either. She had a brooch that looked expensive enough to feed an army for a year—maybe more than that if one considered the dismal rations the soldiers were said to have been fed in the recent War Between the States.

When Mrs. Hunt turned to face the judge, Craig saw that the crown of her navy hat was circled with some kind of a gold chain that he’d guess was real. If she had wanted to sway the judge in her favor, Craig suspected she had done so. It was clear that she had dignity and money.

“Mrs. Hunt,” the judge continued. “I know you have brought this case as the grandmother of the two children involved. Do you have anyone present who could speak to your character?”

“But I didn’t know to bring someone,” Mrs. Hunt said, suddenly flustered. “Although I would think my character is obvious to everyone.”

She turned to look at her lawyer. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Then, apparently

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