“I…I changed my mind,” she said, grateful for the veil that covered her face. Instead of sounding bold and sure of herself as she’d hoped, she hardly recognized the uncertain voice as her own. Dear God, if she didn’t marry the man, how would she ever support herself? She had no skills. At least none that would earn a living in a town such as this.

She cleared her throat and knotted her hands at her sides. “I-I can’t do this,” she said. Her decision could mean sleeping in doorways and eating bread crumbs, but at least she wouldn’t be tied down to a man who didn’t want her.

“I can’t marry you,” she said, her voice stronger this time. There had to be another way; there just had to be.

The silence that followed her outburst was broken by a previously unnoticed third man in the room—a man she suddenly realized was the judge. “Five minutes.”

The older man with the shotgun opened his mouth to speak, but the younger man interrupted. “If that’s how you feel…”

“I-I think it’s best.” Casting a nervous glance at the man with the gun, she added, “Please accept my apologies.” Anxious to make her escape, she picked up her voluminous skirts and hurriedly left the room.

Outside the courthouse, shouts and mass confusion greeted Emily and stopped her in her tracks. What had moments earlier been a calm and peaceful town was now mass confusion. Men, women, and children ran down the middle of the street, screaming.

A man on a horse raced by, waving his hat and yelling, “Clear the way. Clear the way!”

The wooden-plank boards beneath her satin slippers began to vibrate, then violently shake. Startled, she clutched at the railing. It felt as if the world was coming to an end.

A thick, roiling cloud of dust headed her way, and terror held her in its grip. Just as the cloud reached the courthouse, the dust gave way to thundering hooves, bawling cries, and clashing horns.

Emily’s jaw dropped, and her eyes rounded. She’d heard of cattle stampedes, of course, but had never witnessed one. Even her wedding veil couldn’t keep the dust from clogging her mouth and stinging her eyes. Unable to see or even breathe, she squeezed her eyes shut and clung to the railing until her fingers ached.

Someone grabbed her by the arm and dragged her back into the courthouse. Grateful for the relatively clean air, she gasped, and her chest heaved. The reprieve lasted for only as long as it took for her vision to clear. The first thing that greeted her startled eyes was the shotgun the man held at his side.

Her horrified gaze traveled upward to the gun owner’s face. It was the older man with the mustache.

“I’m here on behalf of my nephew,” he said. It was necessary for him to shout to be heard over the thundering hooves. “I’m hoping you’ll reconsider and wed him as promised.” When she failed to respond, he continued. “Given your, shall we say, dire circumstances? It would be to your advantage to go through with the wedding.”