Redemption

Chapter 15

Doc shook his head. “Reckon it’s about time to make camp? She’s tuckered out anyway.”

Colt shrugged. “I guess so.”

They rode on for a few more miles until they found a good place for a camp. The sun had sank lower until it left the sky only a dull grey color. Colt looked over at Jessie.

“What’re we gonna do about her, Dawson?” he asked, pulling the horses to a stop.

“What about her?”

“We can’t keep her from Sherman forever. He’ll get suspicious. If he doesn’t, then Bliss will. What’s gonna happen when they find out?”

Doc sighed. “Reckon we can wait to cross the bridge when we come to it. If you want, you could even go ahead and let Bliss know. She could help us hide Miss Jessie from her daddy, don’t ya think?”

“I think this is one big mess and I have no idea what to do with it.” Colt rubbed his face, resting his elbow on his knee.

Doc was silent for a moment. “What do you want to do about it?”

“I don’t know. I want to help her, I just… I just don’t know. This whole thing is a little shady to me. A woman stranded out here all by herself without even a horse, that is. Either she’s plumb loony or there’s something - or someone - she’s hiding. And the girl can’t even remember.” Colt propped his foot up beside Jessie’s and sighed deeply.

The tension built up in him was refusing to loosen up, and he was tired of being stressed about his life. He’d been nothing but stressed since Clint Slade rode up to that porch and started tagging along after Bliss. Something about his life the past few months was nothing but unfair.

God, I didn’t even ask for Jessie to be put in my life. All of these problems are starting to weigh on me, Lord. I need some sort of break - some way to have a little control over something again.

“Well, let’s get a fire started. It’s starting to get cold,” Doc hopped off the wagon, jolting it in the process.

Colt sent him a look. “Do you wanna wake her up?” he asked in a loud whisper.

Doc held up his hands and mouthed an apology. Colt rolled his eyes and wondered how he was going to get Jessie off the wagon and down on the ground without waking her up. She needed all the rest she could get.

He sighed and got off the wagon with careful motions. He laid out her bedroll and a few extra blankets before walking about to the wagon and standing on the wheel. Leaning over, he put one arm under her knees and another around her shoulders. He picked her up and held her close to him, trying his best not to let her wake. She mumbled something and squirmed.

Colt held his breath.

Without opening her eyes, Jessie turned her head toward him and rested the side of her face on his chest. Colt’s heart softened at that moment. Maybe he didn’t mind the stress of her that much.

Stepping down off the wagon, he stilled for a moment to make sure that she was still sound asleep. He looked at the healing wound on the side of her head, grateful that she didn’t wear head bandages anymore. The things might help her some, but they took up half of her head and some of her pretty hair and kept it from anyone’s view.

Shaking his head at the rogue thoughts, he carried her over to where he had made her a place to sleep and lay her gently on the ground. Pulling his arms out from under her, he stilled when her hand caught his arm. His eyes snapped to her face, but her eyes were still closed.

“Adam,” she mumbled. “Don’t do this. Please, Adam.”

Colt didn’t dare move a muscle. If she was dreaming, that would be one thing, but if she were remembering…