"Uh, come in." "Oh, Jarrod." "Uh, what do you think, Jarrod?" "A bit too, uh, frivolous for the wife of a judge?" "I'd say that depends on the judge, or even more on his wife." " I think Irene would love it." " Good." "Good." "Um, speaking of Christmas presents... what do you say we collaborate on one for Maybelle Williams?" "I hope you're not asking me to set bail." " She's only a kid." " My answer is no." "Well, why not?" "There's no proof as yet... that she was actually BillyJoe's accomplice." "You're right." "But it would be the height of folly... to let her out of that cell for even one minute." "She's a wildcat, Jarrod, right out of the brush." "And I trust her just about as much." "And besides, with BillyJoe Gaines on the loose... it's asking for trouble." "All right." "Suppose you release her in my custody?" " What?" " I'll guarantee that she won't run away... and that she won't jeopardize public safety." "You can't make that guarantee." "Possession of stolen goods is a bailable offense, Your Honor." "And that's all she's been charged with." "She's not worth it, Jarrod." "Why not suppose we just wait and see about that?" "All right." "I'll release her in your custody." "But how much you wanna bet you'll regret it?" "I'll bet you a box of your favorite cigars." "It's a bet, Counselor." "I suppose you're waitin' for me to thank you." "Not necessarily." "I'm just doin' my job." "Taking me home to spend Christmas with your family?" "Or is that just what you told the judge?" "Maybe you got some other plans for us, Counselor." "Like maybe you got some plans that you and your client... might get together real cosy-like and discuss the case." "You know, I was gonna buy some clothes for you." "But I imagine you're just about the same size... as my little sister, Audra." "Now, you look, Counselor." "I never asked you to get me out of jail or to buy me anything... and I especially never asked you to be my lawyer." "That little pleasure was arranged for me by the Women's League." "Then you were forced to defend me." "Now, look." "Whether you like it or not, the law says you've gotta have a lawyer." "They asked me, and I accepted, and it's that simple." "Those old biddies at the League probably asked you to take me home with you too." "This wasn't your idea, was it?" "Maybelle, it's Christmas." "No matter how the arrangements were made... you're going to spend the holiday with my family." "What do you say we make it a pleasant one?" "We can't, Counselor... because nothing's good for me- nothin'- unless I'm with my BillyJoe." "Maybelle, what are you" "Maybelle!" "All right, you little wildcat!" "Now stop it!" "Now listen to me." "You try that just one more time" "Maybe there won't be a next time, Counselor." "Uh-huh." "Let's go." "Home or back to prison?" "You've got a real itch for jail, haven't you?" "You keep this up, and you'll spend a long, long time there." "Maybe I can help you, and maybe I can't." "But if you escape, the Supreme Court... won't be able to keep you out of San Quentin, understand?" " Now let's go." " All right, Counselor." "But you may not have the pleasure of my company for very long." "BillyJoe's on the loose, and he's comin' for me... law on his trail or not." "And when I'm with BillyJoe, nobody's gonna catch me!" " Oh, it's beautiful!" " It is kinda, isn't it?" " Just beautiful." " Went all the way to Bridge Peak for that spruce." " Fought snow and blizzard." " And wolves." " And frozen feet." " You boys are magnificent." " That's kind of scrawny, isn't it?" " Scrawny?" "Uh" "Family, this is Maybelle Williams." "Maybelle, this is my mother, my sister Audra." " Nice meeting you, Miss Williams." " And those two questionable... gentlemen over there struggling with that piece of lumber... are my brothers, Heath and Nick." " Hello." " Maybelle Williams." "That's right." "The Maybelle Williams." "As Maybelle's attorney, I was able to... arrange for her to spend the Christmas holidays with us." "Of course." "I'm so glad thatJarrod could arrange that you... wouldn't have to spend Christmas in- that you could visit with us." "I'll bet you are." "What's your boyfriend, BillyJoe Gaines, doing... for this Christmas, Miss Maybelle?" " Nick" " It's all right." "BillyJoe has things to do and places to go, Mr. Barkley." "Oh, I'm sure he has." "Like, what bank is he robbing this week?" "I think that'll be enough, Nick." "Perhaps you'd like to wash up." "Maybe I'd better." "It was a dusty ride out here." "I'll show you to your room." "Jarrod, you should've given us some warning." "Or at least check with us to see what we'd say... about you bringing home BillyJoe Gaines's girlfriend as a houseguest." "Or maybe I should freshen your memory on BillyJoe Gaines!" "Nick, lower your voice." "This'll be your room while you're here." "I'm sure you'll find everything that you want." "There's water in the pitcher for you to wash with." "Now, ain't that fancy." "A washing'-up place right in the bedroom." "He wouldn't agree unless I told him she'd be in my custody." "In other words, thejudge doesn't trust her any more than I do." "Jarrod, I want her outta here.!" "Nick, I can hear you without yelling." "When you're ready, I'll show you around if you'd like." "Yes, sirree, it gives you a real warm feelin'... right in the pit of your stomach." "How about you?" "You as glad to have me around as the rest of your family?" "I can't answer that yet." "And I thought it'd be love at first sight... all the way around." "What you're saying is she admits to being BillyJoe Gaines's girlfriend- a vicious, outright killer!" "Nick, we're not concerned at the moment with BillyJoe." "I am." "And I have been concerned about BillyJoe for an awful long time!" " We know." "We all feel the same" " Please!" "Let me tell you about BillyJoe Gaines." "This happened before you got here." "Just Christmas last year." "BillyJoe Gaines and his boys decided they would hold up the Stockton Bank." "The teller" " Dave Ross, a very good friend of mine- was just a little bit too slow about shoving the money into the satchel." "BillyJoe thought he was stalling... so he pumped two bullets into Dave Ross's stomach." "And as Dave Ross lay there on the floor bleeding' to death..." "BillyJoe Gaines and his gang helped themselves to $10,000." "It was BillyJoe's Christmas gift to Stockton that year." "Jarrod, it's not easy to admit to mistakes." "I know that." "It's not easy for me." "Why don't you take her back?" "Jarrod, maybe he's right." " Heath, what do you think?" " I'm not sure." "Gaines didn't gun down a friend of mine." "But if he had, I might feel different." "I vote for whatever Nick wants." "Jarrod, what'd you bring her here for?" "Well, I, uh" "I suppose I could tell you I did it because I thought I could... do my job better if she were here." " And" " And it was Christmas." "Yes, I suppose that's partly the reason." "You know, it was a funny thing." "I went to visit her in her jail cell this morning to discuss her case... find some basis to defend her." "And all the time I was talking to her... shejust kind of stared at me... defiantly... and it made me angry... because I felt guilty- guilty that it was Christmas- that I was coming home to my family and leaving her there... all alone in that cold cell." "And the guiltier I felt, the angrier I got, so I left." "I told myself, "After all, it wasn't any of my business." "I didn't put her in there." "I was merely trying to help her. "" "And I told myself that all the way over toJudge Parker's office... where I promptly asked him to release her into my custody." "Now, Nick, if you really want me to take her back to that cell, I'll do it." "But somehow I don't think you do." "All right, Jarrod." "All right." "And I hope we all have a merry Christmas." " "Welcome. "" " Does that include everybody?" "It sure includes us." "There isn't a bounty hunter or a lawman... in this state that wouldn't more than welcome us." "Yeah, well, the way I figure it, we're about a hundred miles from Stockton." "If we travel about 35 miles a day, we'll make it by Christmas." "The only thing is, that pace isn't gonna give you time to get her a present." "You're wrong, friend." "Me." "I'm gonna be her Christmas present this year." "Oh!" "I think these should fit you." "Thanks." " Good night, Maybelle." " Good night, uh" "Audra." "Fancy name." "Fancy bedroom." "Everything... fancy." "Maybelle?" "I was... kinda hungry... so I just thought I'd fetch me something to eat." "Well, you're a little off course." " Kitchen's over there." " Oh." "Well, thank you." "I can find it myself now." "You can go back to whatever you were doin'." "I'm kinda hungry myself." "Let's see what's in the icebox." "First we'll put a little light on the subject." "There we are." "And then we'll see what we've got." "Ah!" "Beef." "Nice cold milk, freshly churned butter." "There's some napkins and silverware and stuff like that... in the cupboard over there." "I'll get the bread." "I think." "Ah, there we are." "Would your mom mind if we use these plates?" "I don't think so." "I was just kind of planning on grabbing a chunk of bread." " This is kinda like a party." " Well, I'm glad you think so." "All right, Counselor." "You got somethin' on your mind?" "You're absolutely right." "I wanna discuss your case with you." "What about my case?" "I told you everything there was." "Well, let's see." "You said that you didn't know the stuff that BillyJoe... left in your room was stolen, is that right?" "That's right." "Five thousand dollars in large bills and a sack of gold dust?" "Who's side are you on?" "I'm just asking questions the district attorney is bound to ask." "We'd better have some pretty good answers." "I told you what happened." "I woke up one mornin'... and I found that stuff in my room." "And you haven't the faintest idea how it got there, is that right?" "Sure is mighty good beef." "But don't anyone around here believe in seasoning'." "How about you, Counselor?" "Spice it up a little?" "Or you got enough spice in your life?" "You can trust me, Maybelle." "As a matter of fact, you have to trust me." "You're not gettin' paid for defending' me, are you?" " No." " Then how do I know... that you won't just go runnin' to the judge... tell him that I admit I'm guilty and save everyone the trouble of a trial?" "I might just do that." "If I decide that your best chance... is to be thrown on the mercy of the court." " "The mercy of the court"?" " You're still a minor, you know." "Am I, Mr. Barkley?" "Legally, yes." "Now, you look here." "I don't want mercy." "Not from the court... not from you, not from anybody!" "Thanks for the sandwich." "Good night, Maybelle." "Maybelle!" "Maybelle?" "Maybelle?" "That room where you were arrested- Was that your room or BillyJoe's?" "It was our roo" "He paid for it, if that's what you mean." "That's exactly what I mean." "So if he paid for it, legally it would be his room." "And whatever he brought into it would be his too." "Stolen property in your possession?" "Not by a long" "Your sister forgot to leave me any slippers... so I just" "I always dress for a midnight snack, Mr. Barkley." "Good night, Maybelle." "Wait!" "I won't do it again." "I don't expect you to believe that, but honestly, I won't do it again." "I said good night." "Oh, good morning." "Sleep well?" " Just fine." " Well, see you at breakfast." "Maybe we'll go riding later." "I won't be here later." " Morning, Maybelle." " Do I have time for a cup of coffee?" "That depends on you." "It's just a lousy cup of coffee." "You gonna make a big deal out of that?" "I'm not talking about a cup of coffee." "I'm talking about whether you go back to jail or not." "Well, Lawyer, I'm packed and ready." "Last night, you promised you wouldn't try it again." "Did you mean that?" "Either you believe me or you don't." "I'm not about to start begging' you." "You have Silas fix you some of the best scrambled eggs west of the Mississippi." " Some more coffee?" " No thanks, Silas." " See you at dinner." " All right, sir." "The man says you make the best scrambled eggs west of the Mississippi." "Is that what the man says?" "Can I trust him?" "If you can't trust him, then you can't trust nobody." "Fifty-five miles!" "Say, BillyJoe, I've been meanin' to ask." "What makes this Maybelle so special?" " You really wanna know?" " Yeah." "For one thing, she doesn't ask a lot of stupid questions." "You tell him, Billy." " Your brothers always work this hard?" " Work hard and play hard." "Lots of girlfriends and stuff like that, huh?" "Is, uh" "Is Jarrod engaged to be married or anything like that?" "No, not that I know of." "But, then, Jarrod's kind of mysterious about his women friends." "I remember last summer he brought home a girl." "I thought for sure she'd be the one." " She was bright and beautiful" " Why don't we find somethin' else to talk about?" "I'm gettin' a little tired of your brother and his girlfriends." "What's he tryin' to do?" "That horse is wild." "That's why we keep him out here by himself." "He's trying to saddle break him." "There's only one way to saddle break a horse." "You ride it." "Hey, cowboy!" "You afraid to mount that animal?" "Why, you quitting' so soon, cowboy?" "BillyJoe'd break three of those in half a mornin'just for the fun of it." "Well, he does things his way, and I do things mine." "And both of you stay away from that pony." "Unless you think a broken back's funny." "If you want, I'll show you the rest of the ranch." "What are you doing?" "Come on, fella." "Easy now." "Come on." "Maybelle, don't be foolish!" "Easy now." "Maybelle!" "Maybelle!" "Audra!" " Well, how is she?" " Nothing to worry about." "Some bad bruises, but no concussion." "Your mother's staying with her until she falls asleep." " You can see her in the morning." " Fine." "Thank you very much for comin' by, Doc." "Merry Christmas to ya." " Same to you, Nick." " Speakin' of Christmas... why don't you drop by a little later for a little Christmas cheer?" " Thank you." "I will." " Bye-bye." "Good-bye." "You know what we're havin' for dinner?" "I'm hungry as a bear." "Before we start discussing' dinner, Maybelle, I think you better do a little talking'." " Well?" " Well?" " What happened?" " You're not gonna believe me anyway... so why don't you just go ask your sister?" "Heath warned both of you girls not to get near that horse." "Audra should've listened." "I don't have to." " Silas just told me." "How's Audra?" " Audra" " She'll be fine." " You were with her when it happened?" " Your brother and I... were just discussing' that, Counselor." "Seems he thinks it was all my fault." " Was it?" " That depends on how you look at it." "The way he sees it, you get a strong rope and you find the nearest tree." "Was it your fault, Maybelle?" "Yes or no?" "Then again, you might just say that he's a... hostile witness." " Right, Counselor?" " You get your things together." "I'm one step ahead of you, Counselor." "I never unpacked." " What actually happened?" " All I know is you could talk to her... from now till next Christmas and never get a straight answer." " Does anyone know what she actually did?" " What difference does it make?" "All we have to know is Audra was stomped by that horse... and that girl couldn't care less!" "You maybe right." "Let's go." "Mr. Barkley" "Maybelle, let's go." "You get in there and sit down." "I'll get the horse." "Do you mind if I take a drink of water?" "Go ahead." "Here." "Allow me." "Let me ask you something." "Have you ever been the least bit interested in how I plan to defend you?" "I'll find out soon enough." "You want some?" "It's good." "Real cold." "I was gonna argue that you should be given a second chance... because way underneath, you're really a decent little lady- that you'd never intentionally hurt anybody." " Ain't that nice?" " You're real tough, aren't ya?" "Just too tough to admit that you might do something nice." "Tell me something." "Why didn't you run away when you knew you were in trouble?" "Maybe because I didn't think of it!" "Too bad you weren't around to advise me, Counselor!" "Or was it because you just couldn't leave Audra lying there?" "That you were more concerned about her than you were about yourself?" "Are you gonna take me back to jail, or are we just gonna stand here talkin'?" "Little lady, you're right." "It doesn't do any good to talk to you." "What you really need is to be turned over my knee... and your backside tanned until you can't" " You try it, mister!" " Don't tempt me!" "You touch me!" "Just you touch me!" "You" "You just wait!" "I'm gonna fix you for this... if it's the last thing I do.!" "When BillyJoe hears about this... you just wait!" "And I'm gonna tell you something else." "I don't want you to be my lawyer anymore!" "I'd rather rot in jail!" "I'd just as soon hang!" "You" "Well, I guess I can't take you to Stockton in that condition." " Why not?" " Well, you might catch pneumonia." "And die?" "That just might save us all a lot of trouble." "And cheat me out of winning this case?" "Don't you dare." "You go on and get in the house." "And change your clothes for dinner." "I hope we're havin' some more of that smoked ham." "Hey, Billy." "What happens if we get finished... ridin' all this way and bust her out of jail... and then find out she's changed her mind?" "Maybe got herself another beau." "Well, that's a right smart question." "Right smart." "Now, ain't no need to get riled, Billy." " Hayes and me is just havin' some fun." " That's all." "I'm Maybelle's man." "That's the way it's been, and that's the way it's gonna be." "Well, sure, Billy." "If she took up with some other guy... she'd change her mind back to you real quick." "Yeah." "Or I might just kill that new beau of hers... and change her mind for her." "Jarrod, do you think this is the right place for the mistletoe?" "Why not?" "You hang it there every year." "Well, ladies, I think that looks just fine." "That's pretty." "Maybelle, you finish it." "I have a million other things to do." "Do you really like it?" "I'm not too good at this." "I never messed with Christmas trees before." "I think it could use something hanging right there." " Is this okay?" " Here, be careful." "One thing I can say for myself..." "I sure can be clumsy." "Thank you kindly." "Oh, that's fine, Silas." "Thank you." "I'll get it." " Oh, merry Christmas!" "Come in!" " Merry Christmas." " Come in." " Hello, Audra." " Have I lost a day somewhere?" " No." "We're riding up tomorrow to visit Bob and Cynthia and the grandchildren... so we brought the presents by today." " Come into the study." "Yours are in there." " Oh." " Jarrod?" " Meg." "Well, well, well." "Merry Christmas." " Guess what I got for you." " Oh, no, you don't." "I never step into the same trap twice." " What trap?" " Seems to me, I fell for that last year." "Once you tell me what you got me, then I have to tell you what I got you, right?" "Now, Jarrod, I never could wait for surprises." "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait until Christmas... because that's the rule of the game." "Come on over here." "I want you to meet our houseguest." "Meg Travis, this is Maybelle Williams." " How do you do?" " How do you do?" "Well, that certainly is a beautiful Christmas tree." "Thanks to Maybelle." "Meg, without any further ado, we'd better be on our way." "We still have a lot of visiting to do." "Jarrod." "Ah, yes." "With pleasure." "Deck the halls with boughs of holly" "Fa, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la" "'Tis the season to be jolly" "Fa, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la" "Don we now our gay apparel" "Fa, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la" "Troll the ancient yuletide carol" "Fa, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la" "Nick, you were flat." "Ho!" "Come on, Hayes." "BillyJoe!" "Hey, wake up." "It's Christmas." "Oh, it's beautiful!" " Merry Christmas." " Oh, thank you." "Thank you, darling." "Oh, Heath, you shouldn't have!" "Exactly what I said when they told me the price." "Oh!" "Well, bless you, brother Nick." "Now you can just keep the one you borrowed from me." "Bless you, brotherJarrod, for this nice saddle." "Now you can just return the saddle you borrowed from me." " Thank you, Jarrod." " You're welcome, Heath." "Just don't shoot it off in the house." "Thank you." "All of you." "I'm gonna be the best-smellin' woman in prison." "Jarrod, it's lovely!" "That's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen." "Unhand that, young lady." "Isn't that just like a woman- getting all set to borrow it before Maybelle has even had a chance to try it on." "For me?" "For what would I be needin' a dress like this for?" "I mean, what a dumb idea." "You know, for a lawyer, you're not very smart." "I'd better find myself another lawyer... or I'm gonna end up spendin' the rest of my life in jail." " What'd you find out?" " Her lawyer, by the name of Barkley... got her out on bail." "He's got her on his ranch right now, just a few miles outta town." "Well, now, that's right nice of him." "Saves us the trouble of breakin' her out of jail." "Come on." " Boy, howdy, don't they look pretty?" " Mm-hmm." " Is that a question?" " It's a fact." "Wish all your friends a very merry Christmas for me." " All right." "Come on." "Let's go." " And have a good time." "Good-bye, Mother." " Where's Maybelle?" " Here I am." "Do I look all right?" " I think you look lovely." " So do I." " And so will everybody else." " Thank you." " Aren't you coming with us?" " No." "I'll entrust you and Mother... with my season's greetings for everybody." " I have some work to do." " I'll be out in a minute, Maybelle." "Jarrod, I think she's falling in love with you." "Well, maybe." "You help them out or you try their case for them... and suddenly you're father, minister and lover all rolled into one." "I've run into it before, and with women more mature than Maybelle." "But in this particular case, it doesn't worry you?" "In this particular case, the only thing that worries me... is that if I get her free, will it be a worthwhile freedom... or will it be a license for her to run back to BillyJoe Gaines?" "Wait here for me." " Yes?" " I'm lookin' for Maybelle Williams." " Miss Maybelle?" " Yeah." "She's my sister." "Get her." "I'm sorry." "She's out visiting with the rest of the family." "Where out visiting'?" "If you care to wait, I'll call Mr. Barkley." "Silas, who is it?" "The name's BillyJoe Gaines." "You know, Billy, I'd always heard you were a pretty smart kid." "But coming here was a pretty dumb thing to do." "Just shut up and tell me where she is." "Gladly." "As a matter of fact, I'll do better than that." "I'll draw you a map." "Now, let's see, Silas." "There must be-what- about three ranches within a radius of 50 miles where she might be?" " That's right, Mr. Barkley." " And then again... there are at least a dozen homes right outside of Stockton." "She might be in any one of those." "All right, Mr. Lawyer, sir." "When does she get back?" "Whenever they get through visiting, I imagine." "Unless, of course, it gets too late, and they decide to stay the night." "All right." "Why don't we just take it easy and wait till she gets back?" "How many lawmen do you figure are out lookin' for you, Billy?" "On Christmas Day?" "Probably all shoving' turkey into their fat faces." "Possibly." "But then again, wouldn't you be a lot safer... heading upcountry or maybe south to the border?" "I didn't get where I am playin' it safe, mister." "And where are you, Billy?" "A $5,000 reward on your head and two steps ahead of a posse and a rope." "That's one step more than I need, Counselor." "How is Maybelle?" "She talk much about me?" " She's mentioned you." " Yeah, I bet she did." "I done a lot of thinkin' about her too." "You know, Billy, if you really thought anything about her... you'd clear outta here right now... without her." " And let her go to jail?" " Let her stand trial." "She has a chance that way." "She doesn't with you." " She's been waiting for me." " Maybe she was waiting for you, but not anymore." "All she's waiting for now is the chance to stand trial and be cleared." "You seem pretty sure of yourself, Counselor." " Pretty sure of my girl." " You think I'm wrong, huh?" "Why don't we let the lady make a choice?" "You'd better pray I don't do that, Counselor." "'Cause if you mixed her up so bad... she decided to stay, I'll kill you." " Corey!" "Hayes!" " Well, look at our Miss Maybelle." "BillyJoe's waitin' on you in the house." "Better not take any chances." "Please, Mrs. Barkley." "That's real good advice." " Go get BillyJoe." " Yeah." "Hope you don't mind waitin' a spell, ma'am." "Hey, BillyJoe.!" "BillyJoe.!" "She's waitin', Billy." "Good-bye, Lawyer." "You try to stop us or follow us, I'll kill you." "Silas, get my gun." "All right." "Get goin'." "Hey!" "I said I'd come for ya." "I keep my promises." " Hey, that's a fancy dress you got on there." " It's all right." "Well, it's a good thing they treat my girl kindly." "Come on." "Let's ride." "She's with BillyJoe and two others." "They went toward the north ridge." "All right." "Hold it right there." "Keep those hands nice and clear." "Lawyer, I told you not to come after us." "Well, now, I didn't find that particularly good advice." "Drop those gun belts." "No." "Now, I'm gonna ask you just one time." "Drop those belts and turn around." "You start shootin', and you're not gonna hit all three of us." " You ain't that good." " That may be." "But the first one will be right between your eyes, Billy boy." "Like I said, you ain't that good, Lawyer." "Maybelle, you ride outta there." " Go on, BillyJoe, run!" " Maybelle, get outta there!" "I told you from the first, lawyer man." "All I wanted was for BillyJoe to come get me." "Not you, your family or any of your fancy Christmas stuff... could make me want different." "Like you said, Lawyer, let the lady make her choice." "Your cigars, sir." "I hate to say I told you so." "Go ahead, Judge, say it." "Say it all you want." "Lord knows I've said it to myself enough." "Jarrod, I've been a lawman for better than 40 years." "Sheriff, marshal, prosecuting attorney, now judge." "I've seen a thousand BillyJoes, a hundred Maybelles." "And, when I was younger, I tried to give 'em all a chance." "Spoon-feed 'em on the milk of human kindness." "Turn 'em into respectable citizens." "But I learned my lesson just like you've learned yours." "So, the next time you find yours- find yourself wanting to" "Maybelle!" " What happened?" " Well, I" "I knew that even BillyJoe had to go to sleep sometime... so I just waited for my chance, and... here I am." "All right." "What do I do now?" "Just tell the sheriff I've come back?" "No, you come with me." "There's a man who thinks he's met you a hundred times." "I'd just like to see the expression on his face... when he meets you for the first time."