Chapter Thirty-Five
Nick couldn't stop pacing and fidgeting. He had never been the type to fidget but hell it wasn't every day that a man got married! Oh God what if something went wrong? What if someone said something bad about him and Aiden and ruined this day for Aiden?
Nick would kill them, that was what. He'd put a .45 bullet right between their eyes and then he'd.......
"Are you listening?"
Nick turned his head toward Susie and saw her watching him with concern. Had she been talking? "Sorry, Susie," he shook his head, "I'm a bit distracted today."
She smiled brightly and laid her hand on his arm, "I understand. I was saying that Wendell wants you standing up with him while he gets married so just as soon as he and Kaitlyn are finished, LeRoy and Ryder will take George's place, you'll move to Wendell's and Aiden....."
"Ryder?" Nick questioned, "Why is Ryder moving to George's place with LeRoy?"
Susie bit her lip and folded her hands in front of her, "Because he wants to help with the ceremony."
Nick could see a million ways that could go wrong and it only caused his worry to increase. He saw Ryder beside the refreshment table, greeting the guests as they arrived at the ranch. He was bowing and waving his arms, directing folks to their seats as if he was conducting an orchestra, "That's..uh.. nice, I reckon," Nick mumbled.
"It'll be just fine, Nick.... I hope," Susie frowned as she glanced at her overly animated husband, "He means well."
"I know," Nick sighed. "It was real nice of you to do this for me and Aiden, Susie. Especially since we ain't really family."
Susie whipped her head around and her blue eyes were filled with real hurt, "Of course you are! Family isn't always blood, Nick. Besides, I think Brody has adopted Aiden as his son."
"But there isn't even ten years between them," Nick pointed out.
"Doesn't matter," Susie shrugged her shoulder, "Brody even volunteered to walk Aiden down the aisle to you. And it was his idea. Elizabeth was just as surprised by it as Aiden was."
"So you've talked to Aiden?" Nick asked, wondering what the man was thinking and feeling as their moment grew closer. Nick would guarantee he was worried because Aiden was a worrier. He probably needed Nick to hold him and kiss his head while promising that everything would be alright......
"He's doing better than you are today," Susie teased. "Relax, Nick, everything is going to be just fine."
Rita Halcomb began playing a tune on the organ and Nick recognized that as the sign for everyone to settle down and take their seats.
Nick waited impatiently as Wendell and Kaitlyn said their vows. He had hoped that Aiden would come out to watch but it seemed the other man was serious about not seeing each other until it was their turn to wed.
Nick nearly throttled Wendell and Kaitlyn when their kiss took longer than he thought it should. Didn't they realize how nervous he was!? Couldn't they see his suffering?
"I think we should get out of the way now before Nick collapses," Wendell said with amusement.
"Yeah, he's looking a bit pale," Kaitlyn agreed.
Nick glared at them both as chuckles and laughter broke out around them.
George excused himself from beneath the white archway full of roses and took a seat at a back row of chairs. Nick tried to focus on everything going on at once. He was aware of more than a few people gathering up their belongings and heading toward their carts and wagons; clearly they had no interest in staying to witness a marriage between two men. Nick didn't care.
For the most part though, people stayed. Nick saw Brody rise and head into the ranch. That meant he'd be coming back out with Aiden soon. Nick looked around at the crowd. He saw many familiar faces, most smiling, some seeming a little uncomfortable but determined to stay. There were also a few unfamiliar faces but one in particular drew his attention the most.
It was a man and it was clear he was trying to blend into the crowd but he was failing. He looked hard, rugged and mean. His hat was sweat stained and frayed as were his clothes. His face was sharp angles and long blond whiskers hung from his chin. Nick let his gaze drop and was nearly certain he saw a pair of double drop holsters beneath the man's duster coat—it was a bit too hot for a coat like that.
Who was this? An old acquaintance of Brody's? He certainly seemed to fit the image of Brody's past.... Or was he a friend of someone else's? Maybe someone who had simply been passing through town, heard about a wedding and free food and decided a meal sounded nice....
Nick shook his head to clear his thoughts. That man could be anybody and Nick had a wedding to worry about. He saw Ty and Liza arrive and they whispered to Ellie and Elizabeth as they sat down while throwing Nick an apologetic glance.... He wondered why they were late. Aiden had been worried about a bad feeling he'd been having.... Now the sheriff was late to the wedding and a gunslinger was sitting in the crowd....
Nick wanted to slap himself. He had to quit over thinking everything. He needed to get this wedding over with. He didn't do well in front of crowds –hell, he didn't like crowds at all. He wanted to get married, take Aiden back to their cabin, (which they were spending their first night in tonight), and get started on their life together.
LeRoy and Ryder took their places up with him and Nick frowned at Ryder who was grinning from ear to ear and bouncing from foot to foot, "This is gonna be great!" Ryder exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together.
Nick groaned.
Rita once again began playing her organ and Nick felt his stomach begin to tie in knots so tight he worried it would burst. Ryder began dancing to the music and attempting to make LeRoy dance as well and Nick suddenly felt a bit of his nervousness melt away as he laughed quietly and saw Susie hiding her face in the front row of chairs; clearly embarrassed by her husband's antics.
Then everything faded away. The singings birds, the bright sun, the blue sky, the fragrant flowers, the white sashes and smiling crowd disappeared from Nick's view. Every bit of worry, nervousness and unease vanished as well.
All he could see was Aiden as Brody led him around the chairs and stood at the other end of the long aisle. Nick couldn't believe that Brody was even going so far as to hold Aiden's arm the way he would have one of his sisters. Brody was a damn good man—one of the very best that Nick knew.
Aiden's nerves were plain to see just the same as the smile that was nearly cracking his cheeks as he walked toward Nick. Nick smiled finding his excitement contagious and when Aiden and Brody finally reached him, it took every ounce of willpower Nick had to keep from taking Aiden into his arms right then.
"Who—" LeRoy began but Ryder quickly jumped in front of the other man.
"You're just here to sign papers," Ryder stated with a grin. "You let me handle the rest of this."
"Ryder!" Susie hissed quietly as her face reddened and Aiden's did as well.
"I got this, Sue," Ryder winked. "Don't you worry none."
Nick took his eyes off of Aiden just long enough to send a warning glance to Ryder. The man had better not ruin today for Aiden or Nick would kick his hyperactive ass.
"Now who gives this man away to be married?" Ryder asked as he stood tall and straight and folded his hands in front of him.
"I do," Brody replied firmly, the warning in his voice clear. Ryder smiled as Brody released his hold on Aiden's arm and rejoined his wife and children.
Nick's attention became focused on Aiden as Ryder began speaking about true love and the change it made in a person and their life. Nick was impressed by the depth and meaning behind Ryder's words as he spoke of how great a gift love was and how it was to be protected, cherished and never taken for granted or abused.
Nick could see the tears in Aiden's deep brown eyes as they looked into his and he smiled at the man who had made his life so complete and whole once again. Nick had never dreamed he'd find a love like he shared with Aiden and to be able to be open with that love was a gift that Nick knew he would never be able to pay the Atkinson family back for.
"So, Aiden," Ryder said, snapping Nick from his thoughts. "Do you take this handsome, tall drink of water to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, respect and keep him running back home to you for as long as you both shall live?"
Aiden smiled as he nodded, "I do."
"And Nick, do you take this handsome, dark eyed temptress—" at this everyone in the crowd either moaned, chuckled quietly or shifting awkwardly, "—to be your husband. Do you promise to love, honor, respect and keep him sated and satisfied for as long as you both shall live?"
Nick couldn't help but laugh at the uncomfortable stances of some of the people in the crowd, "I do," he vowed looking deep into Aiden's eyes as he did so.
"Then by the power vested in me by...myself... I now pronounce you 'y'all'. Nick you may kiss your fella."
Nick smiled down at Aiden and laid a tender kiss to his brow, "Hey, that wasn't a good kiss," Ryder snapped as he put his hands on his hips, "Do it again!"
"I don't think that's a good idea..." Nick mumbled, sparing a quick glance at the crowd.
Ryder rolled his eyes and addressed the spectators, "If any of you have a problem with a newly married couple who love each other deeply, and both just happen to have facial stubble, kissing than please look away now. If you choose not to look away then don't you offer one bit of complaint if you don't like what you see," Ryder smiled at Nick and Aiden, "Now you may kiss your fella and do it a bit better than the first time."
Nick growled at the challenge in Ryder's voice and the uncertainty on Aiden's face. He reached out, took Aiden by his lean hips, pulled him close and pressed his lips firmly to the softness of Aiden's mouth.
Nick kept the kiss short and sweet but it still caused his heart to pound against his ribs. As he and Aiden broke apart, claps and cheers erupted from the crowd as everyone stood. Nick and Aiden turned to face everyone and stood hand in hand together.
Nick was proud to stand there with Aiden by his side and he found himself looking down at Aiden and getting lost in the happiness that was splashed all over Aiden's features. Nick would do his best to make sure that Aiden always looked just like this; just this happy.
"Hey Aiden!" Nick looked toward the unfamiliar voice and saw the gunslinger, "Your folks say hello."
In a flash of movement the man went for a gun and then stopped quickly when in less than an instant he had the barrels of numerous revolvers aimed in his direction while the folks around him scattered.
Nick held his gun steady, his sights resting on the bastard's chest, and he wasn't the only one. Aiden also held his own gun, Ryder held his twin, pearl handled .38's, Brody has his long-barreled .45, Elizabeth had her own .38, Ty held his revolver and Thomas was behind the gunslinger with his gun pressed tightly to the back of the shaking man's head.
"You picked the wrong ranch and the wrong folks to mess with," Brody warned calmly.
Nick was faintly aware of most of the guests heading toward the barns and out of the line of fire. Susie and Ellie were shooing the children toward the barns as well.
"I knew something bad was going to happen," Aiden whispered.
"Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Aiden," Nick countered, "Something real bad is going to happen to that son of a bitch though."
"You're under arrest," Ty stated as he started toward the gunslinger.
"No," the man hissed his hand inching closer to his gun.
"I thought I recognized you, Cliff. Did you honestly think I didn't realize you were here when you first showed up?" Brody shook his head, "You picked a bad line of work. Hired killer? I expected something better from a man I fought beside."
"We do what we have to do, Brody," Cliff kept his eyes locked on Aiden and Nick moved in front of him, shielding him with his body, "Nice get up you have here though."
"Yep," Brody replied quietly. Thomas moved away from the back of Cliff and went to stand to the side, "You know if you pull that gun you're killing yourself."
Cliff nodded, "I know." He shrugged, "And you know that the war took everything I was living for away from me. I've been looking for a way to die since it ended and this seemed like a sure fire way to do just that."
"You're right about that," Brody agreed.
"I won't go to jail, you know that too," Cliff warned, "And I gotta do my job. If I don't then they'll just send someone else."
"Then I'll kill them too," Nick spoke up. He holstered his gun and stepped forward, shaking Aiden off of him when the other man tried to hang onto his arm.
Slowly everyone else holstered their weapons and Nick and Cliff faced off.
Nick could feel his heart beating fast and his mind racing. He took a deep breath, stilled his mind and focused only on Cliff while his hand hovered over the handle of his revolver.
Silence reigned all around them.
Nick waited for any sign of movement and suddenly he saw it. The flick of an eyebrow as Cliff went for his gun. Nick drew his first and fired a quick shot from his hip sending a bullet deep into the other man's heart.
Before Cliff's body hit the ground, Nick had his gun holstered and was holding Aiden in his arms.
"Damn..." Brody mumbled, "You might just be as fast as me."
"I gotta leave," Aiden stated as he pulled out of Nick's arms. "I can't stay here any longer. I'm just going to get someone killed!"
With that Aiden ran off quickly toward the barn and left everyone standing around staring at his back with confusion.
Brody shook his head, "Where the hell is he going? Nobody even come close to getting hurt."
Nick was about to chase after Aiden when Ty's next words stopped him in his tracks, "There's a good reason I was late today," he stated. "Aiden's parents showed up in Bakerstown. They're locked up at the jail right now."
***
Aiden stood outside the jail with Nick's arm securely wrapped around him. He couldn't believe his parents were in there. Benjamin and Mary Washington locked up inside Bakerstown Jail with Brody Atkinson currently alone inside with them.
Aiden thought of the events leading up to this moment and the rage that he had seen on Brody's face as they'd ridden toward town. It seemed Brody had taken them showing up as a direct insult against him after he'd told them to stay away.
Brody had only spoken once and that was to say that he didn't give warnings or mercy very often and he couldn't believe someone would spit in his face when he offered both.
Susie had agreed to stay at the ranch with Ellie and Jacob and the kids while Ryder, Nick, Aiden, Elizabeth, Brody, Thomas, Sally, Ty and Liza rode into town to deal with Aiden's family.
"Ya reckon Brody's killed them yet?" Ryder asked as he walked across the porch banister.
"Probably," Thomas nodded, "They'd deserve it."
Aiden shivered and felt Nick hold him tighter. Today was supposed to have been a day filled with love and laughter and instead it had turned into blood, fear and anger and all because of Aiden's parents.
When Aiden had come out of that barn with a horse and every intention of leaving and never coming back he had never seen such hurt and anger on the faces of those he loved. Nick had nearly been in tears as he'd tried to talk Aiden out of it, Elizabeth had been holding Brody back because the man had seemed ready to throttle him and everyone else had been insisting that Aiden was not the problem and they expected him to stay around.
Now here they were gathered outside the jail as night began to fall and Brody was inside alone with Aiden's parents and had been for nearly an hour.
"Whatever happens, Aiden, I don't want you to think you have to leave," Elizabeth warned. "You are family and this family sticks together no matter what."
"Okay," Aiden replied blankly.
Silence fell once again. Only the sound of Ryder's boots on the banister as he paced back and forth filled the oppressive lack of sound.
Aiden nearly jumped from his skin when the heavy jail door opened and Brody stepped out. Aiden looked the man up and down but didn't see any blood, "What happened?" he demanded. "Did you kill them?"
Brody raised a brow as he looked down at him, "No. I can't kill a person when they are on their knees, groveling, snotting, crying and begging for their life." LeRoy, (who had been leaned against the jail), chuckled and shook his head. Brody shrugged, "Okay, yes I can. I actually have before but, no, I didn't kill your parents."
"Why not?" Aiden whispered, causing looks of shock to be thrown his direction, "They're not going to stop until they're dead."
Brody sighed, "Yes they are. Because you're going to go in there right now and you're going to tell them to. Show them who the boss is, Aiden."
"I...."
Nick tightened his hold on Aiden, "I'll come with you," he insisted and Aiden had no choice but to nod, though just the thought of facing his parents again caused his knees to shake and his stomach to turn.
As Nick and Aiden disappeared into the jail Thomas turned to Brody, "Do you really think they'll listen to him?"
"No," Brody replied honestly. "But they're scared damn near shitless of me. Being an ugly son of a bitch with a mean streak comes in handy now and then."
***
Aiden was terrified as he stepped into the back of the jail and saw the people who had given him life and wanted his death sitting in a cell. He walked to the cell on shaking legs with a lot of support from Nick and stood there staring at his parents in awkward silence.
Finally his father spoke, "We have nothing to say to you."
"Why did you come here?" Aiden whispered, his voice trembling.
"To see the job done," his father replied coldly.
Aiden heard his mother sniff as she buried her face in her hands, "You want me dead too, mother?" Aiden whispered.
Mary Washington stood up and walked to the bars of the cell. She met Aiden's gaze and the coldness in her eyes caused his heart to stop beating momentarily, "Yes. You have ruined our lives. You and your black soul! The wrong people found out what you were, Aiden, because you told someone back home that couldn't keep a secret."
Aiden thought back and knew that the only person it could have been was his old friend named James. James wouldn't have told to hurt Aiden but when James was drinking he lost control of his mouth.
"Now your father is being forced from the government. You have ruined our lives simply because you are a selfish, sinful, demon spirit!"
"Hey now," Nick warned when Aiden whimpered. The hatred in his mother's voice was more than he could take. That wasn't how mothers were supposed to talk to their children, "You'll watch how you speak and what you say to Aiden."
"And who are you?" Benjamin demanded.
"He's my....my husband," Aiden whispered.
Mary gasped and made the sign of the cross over her breasts as she backed away from the bars. Benjamin spit at Nick's chest and Aiden felt his fear fading as anger took its place. How dare his father disrespect Nick that way.
"You'll apologize now," Aiden warned his father, standing straight and meeting the man's cold brown eyes.
"I won't."
"You will!" Aiden insisted. "And you'll leave me the hell alone from here on out. Tell the folks back home that I'm dead.. that I was killed because of my sins and you're happy for it. That should get you back in their good graces. Tell them that you rid the earth of my evil soul and then you forget I exist. You stay out of Texas and don't send anyone else here after me. Three of your hired killers have already been killed and I can promise that the rest of them will be too. I'll forget about you, you forget about me and we'll all live just fine without one another."
Aiden turned quickly, grabbed Nick's hand and led the man from the jail. Everyone looked at them expectantly as they stepped out into the cooler night air, "Well?" Ryder questioned.
"They aren't going to stop," Aiden shook his head, "But I told them to... They hate me... really hate me."
"Oh Aiden...." Elizabeth wrapped him up in a hug that made his heart constrict and he hugged her back tightly.
"It'll be okay, Aiden," Brody promised, "Ty, I want them held and tried for hiring those men to kill Aiden. There's plenty of witnesses that can say they heard the killers admit they'd been hired by his folks and his folks admitted it to me themselves while I was speaking to them."
"And if they're found innocent?" Aiden asked quietly.
Brody met his gaze and the coldness in the man's green eyes was the single scariest sight that Aiden had ever seen, "Then I'll take care of it. I told you before that I protect what's mine."
Aiden was exhausted both physically and mentally. He just wanted to fall into Nick's arms and sleep for five days straight. Nick seemed to realize how tired he was and he wrapped his arms tight around him, "Let's go home," he said and everyone else seemed to think that was a good idea as well.