A Lawyer for Linton

Driven by the desire to hold accountable people like the man responsible for her sister’s death, Samantha Robertson recently graduated from law school. Aware that legal opportunities are limited for women in the male-dominated profession, she seeks a business partnership with an established attorney. She is thrilled when she comes across a promising advertisement.

Linton Merrill has a growing law practice in Sonora, California. A widower with two young daughters, he needs help, but is uninterested in another marriage.

Judge Barnes thinks Linton needs a new wife. He is tired of the Merrill girls walking into his courtroom and interrupting proceedings to talk to their father. He places advertisements in various marital publications. Hoping to attract a woman of intelligence for Linton, he draws on his legal training and uses plays on words in his solicitations.

After days spent on a train followed by a bumpy stagecoach ride to her destination, imagine Samantha’s surprise when she discovers the nature of the legal business in which she was expected to engage.

Warning: This story contains a court scene where charges were brought against a man who battered his wife, resulting in her death. Although I did not describe the act taking place and did not dwell on the injuries suffered by the deceased, some descriptions might be disturbing for some readers.