The Outlaw's Return

Old Ways Die Hard

CHAPTER 10 - Old Ways Die Hard

I spent the afternoon with Claire. James would look in the window occasionally to make sure I was still there, but I would pretend not to see him. John came inside for a few minutes when he got worried and couldn't find me. Claire gave him a weird look and then hit me with a hundred questions about him. I kept up our lie about our marriage and child that had died. Claire had empathy, but it was wrongly given. My child was very much alive.

It was almost time for sunset when John came for me. As I was hugging Claire goodbye, she slipped a note in my dress pocket. I waited until I was alone to look at it.

"Meet me tomorrow at sunrise by the foreman's office. I over heard part of that man's threat about Cole. We can stop the telegram." Did she know I was lying to her the entire time?

I was relieved. I didn't want Cole to know where I was because he'd hurt me so much already. I didn't want him to know James had us either. I didn't want to risk the chance of him getting killed. My mind and heart were torn in opposite directions but I kept myself together at the same time. I put it in the back of my mind.

"Cassie, we got some good food tonight." John said with a smile. Even in a bad situation he could lift my mood. We ate supper and got a place ready for sleep. I wasn't sleeping on the hay again.

COLE'S POV

"Wake up, boy. You just got a telegram." Dr. Jack said as he entered the room. We'd been cramped in this little saloon hotel room for two weeks and we were all irritated with each other. I was real irritated with Jack. Everything he did lately just pissed me off. I got out of bed and picked up the piece of paper from the table.

"COLE MASON STOP I AM OUTSIDE OF SUNSET RIDGE STOP

I HAVE CASSIDY STOP IF SHE MATTERS TO YOU THEN COME

GET HER STOP I MIGHT KEEP HER TO MYSELF STOP

WE ARE AT HUDSON RANCH STOP LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE COMING STOP"

My heart was racing. I didn't know who this was or why they had Cassidy. Seth took the telegram after seeing my facial expression and read it out loud. Jack shook his head and mumbled, "It's always somethin'."

"C'mon. We goin' to Sunset Ridge and we gonna find out who this bastard is. Then we can go find 'em before he knows we're comin'. C'mon!" Seth yelled. I picked up my whiskey bottle and drank the rest before following my brother and Jack. We didn't stop for anything. It seemed like forever before we were even close. It was mid afternoon when we stopped to let the horses rest. My blood pressure was up and all I could think about was Cassidy and the baby.

"We are about 3 miles away now. Let's stop for a few minutes before the horses give out and my legs fall off."

Seth had been a lot more tolerable lately. We didn't bicker like usual and he was even funny sometimes. That was something he never was, unless he was comical in a sarcastic kind of way. He wasn't even doing that very often, unless it was necessary.

"Who do you think this is we are dealin' with?" Jack asked while leaning against the tree he had used to tie his horse. I shook my head, I really didn't know. Seth stepped away from his horse.

"It's gotta be James."

"Naw, I killed him. He ain't that stupid any-"

"Cole, after we loaded you up on the horse I saw a few of his men that had been hidin' go and get him. He could have survived just like you did." Seth shifted in his position and rubbed his hand across his forehead before speaking again. "He's not gonna play this time. This is serious. Cassidy could get hurt if we don't end this."

I knew he was right. James was going to die for this. Even if I died in the process, at least Cassidy would be safe. And my baby.

"Come on, let's get goin'."

We stopped at the edge of town. I looked around and made sure no one was payin' us any mind. Maria had told us the area where Cassidy's house was. I was going to have to find it. Seth and Jack already knew the first course of action. So we headed in the direction we were told to go in. We met several people on the dirt road. Some walking, some riding horses or wagons. None of them seemed to mind us. No one even spoke a word to us.

"It was supposed to be right here." I said as I stopped my horse and looked around. I saw a man about my age walking up the road, so I kicked my horse and started towards him. "Hey, you!" I shouted and he turned around. He had an exhausted look on his face but seemed to make himself look friendly.

"What can I do you for, friend?" He asked while walking towards me.

"I need to find a Ms. Cassidy Smith. Where is her house?" I asked. I wasn't going to tell anyone she was gone.

"Well, sir, she ain't here no more. She took off for a few days. But her house is right down that trail. I worked for her these past few months. She took ill and needed some time away."

He was a bullshit liar. He knew as much as I did. I jumped off my horse and walked towards him. "You know where she is don't you?" I was as threatening as I could be at that moment. I saw the fear in his eyes and he took a step back. "Where is the baby?" He had shock written all over his face. He ran.

An hour later, I was rummaging through Cassidy's house. Seth and Jack were outside in the barn and scanning the property for anything helpful. I opened the door to what was Cassidy's bed room. Her dresses were hanging out of her suit case and her bed wasn't made up. There was a piece of paper on the dresser. I picked it up, and realized it was a birth certificate. I looked at the name Cassidy had given our son. Britt. That was all it said. I was confused. Nonetheless, I shoved it in my vest pocket and left the house to find my brother and Jack.

I had scared the poor man into telling me what happened. His story checked out with mine. He didn't say anything about a baby, so he must be with Cassidy. That's where I was planning on going myself.

CASSIDY'S POV

"C'mon darlin'! Take that dress off for me!" My stomach rippled with disgust.

"You have to kill me first, you sick bastard." I spit the words out like venom. John was gone, I hadn't seen him in hours. Claire was in her big, white farm manson. Cole was somewhere, but not here. There was no one here to save me this time.

James reached over to touch me and I jerked away. I was tied up, so I couldn't jerk away very far. He grabbed me and in a blink I felt piercing pain across my face. It wasn't just once. The pain just kept coming, over and over. Until I finally fell over onto my side and then rolled to my stomach. I couldn't get up. Not only because I was tied up, but because I had an enormous boot crushing my lower back. I screamed in pain, but no one heard me.

"You like that, baby?" James said after pulling me up by my hair. I could feel the wet moisture running down my face. I watched my white dress slowly become covered with red dots. The side of my face was cut open and I could feel the swelling. I didn't look at him, I just stared at the ground. For once, I was going to be silent and grit my teeth. Talking would only make it worse.

"Take her dress off, boss!" One of the nasty men yelled from across the barn. James looked at him, then at me.

"What you think, darlin'? You wanna take that pretty dress off for us?"

I didn't say a word or fight back, not even when he was untieing the back of my dress.