Take Her to HeVan (Nephilim Book 6) by Lucy Kelly

months ago,” he told her.
    “What?” Marla asked, looking at the judge with a look of total incomprehension. Then she relaxed and smiled.
    “Okay, we can get this cleared up. You must have me confused with another Marla Jones. I’ve never been married,” she said with a smile.
    “According to Mrs. Lewis, who works in the Office of Vital Statistics, your previous marriage was held here in Boulder via proxy. You wouldn’t have to be present. I’ve been a judge for nearly thirty years and like to think I’ve learned a thing or two about reading people. I believe you were unaware of this marriage. It is still a legal marriage, though, so I can’t marry you today. The prior marriage will need to be dissolved first.”
    “What’s the name of the man she married?” Karlo asked.
    “Yes, who’s the jerk who married me without my knowledge?” Marla reiterated.
    She couldn’t believe that hadn’t been her first question. She was really losing it.
    The judge looked down at the form again before answering. “A Jake O’Brien.”
    “That snake. Why is he doing this to me? I don’t get it, we broke up before we even started talking about marriage. I broke up with him when I found out he was cheating on me with my best friend. That was almost nine months ago. Why would he do this? I don’t understand. Did he think he was helping me?” Marla started rambling.
    “Excuse me, Miss Jones. I’d like to ask a few questions, if I may?” asked Judge Davis.
    “You don’t need me here. I should get back to the office,” said Mrs. Lewis.
    She got up to leave the room. This real life drama was going to be better than any soap opera, and she had played a part in it. Unfortunately, she couldn’t stay. The judge’s secretary was an old friend so maybe later she’d get details. She did hear one question and answer as she crossed the floor.
    “Why would marrying you help you?” asked the judge.
    “It all has to do with my grandfather’s will,” Marla said.
    She went on to explain why she had to marry. Karlo added in all the information about the sabotage around the ranch. He believed, and the judge agreed with him, that it was all connected.
    “The way I see it, this man O’Brien has one major objective, to make sure your ranch goes up for sale. Is your ranch valuable in some way?” asked the judge.
    “It’s just an ordinary ranch. Jake’s ranch is five or six times bigger than mine. My grandfather ran cattle and as Karlo mentioned, I’m raising alpacas. We won’t get rich, but we’ll make a nice living, and the ranch will stay in the family,” she explained, still bewildered at the entire situation.
    She still couldn’t get around Jake marrying her by proxy. It was so bizarre.
    Karlo reached out and touched her. She realized she’d missed what the judge had said. She asked him to repeat the question.
    “I asked how long the ranch has been in your family.”
    “We were ranching there when the gold rush hit in 1859. Rather than buy into gold fever, my many times great-grandfather leased the mineral rights for ten years, and the family hunkered down to weather the storm. According to the family archives, the biggest problem we had was keeping the miners away from our spring. We needed the water for our cattle, and they wanted it for sluicing for gold. We worked it out. Many people went bankrupt when the gold and then silver rushes ended and the price of silver dropped. My family held on when others lost everything.”
    “Well, then, I think I know what makes your land so valuable. In Colorado, the water rights are rather complicated. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about people not owning the rain that falls off their roofs? I won’t go into detail, but the water laws were put in place at about the same time as the gold rush. Even though you have a small ranch, you probably own a large water right that’s tied to your ranch. I suggest you contact an attorney who specializes in water. I also suggest you