Coldwater Creek

Chapter 3

Upon finding out that Eli Rose had been in town, Sheriff Coleman and a handful of men had ridden out in the direction he had gone in hopes of catching up and cutting him off before he met up with the rest of the gang. They returned late in the night empty handed.

"It was the strangest thing," Joshua admitted as we sat in the sitting room by the fire after he and James had returned. "We found the cattle that were stolen down by where the river forks. No one was even there keepin' them together."

"Almost like a distraction," I whispered.

My cousin simply nodded his head.

"It's been a long day," I stated, standing. "We all need some rest."

Despite my talk of rest, I hardly slept that night. Every peal of thunder reminded me of Eli Rose's footsteps on the wooden floor of the store, and the stench of his breath was still seared into my brain.

~~~~~~

Daniel Knight woke to faded light surrounding him. A soft light voice came from a distance trailing itself into a familiar melody. He remembered shooting Casey Rose and being shot by the man who was with him. He wasn't sure how badly he had been shot, but death certainly seemed like a possibility. The light wasn't quite what his mother had always told him about growing up, but the singing was exactly what she had described.

He tried to move and instantly knew he was indeed alive. There was no way heaven could be as painful as it was. His entire body was stiff and sitting up was difficult.

After what seemed like forever he was able to follow the sound of the voice down a hall and a flight of stairs to the open door of a large kitchen. A young woman moved around quietly, cleaning up the remnants of the most recent meal. She sang quietly as she worked, her skirts swishing around the floor. He simply leaned against the door frame and listened, not wanting to disturb the old shaker melody.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend, we will not be ashamed,

To turn, turn-

As she sang she slowly turned toward the doorway where Daniel stood. The melody was cut off with a startled scream.

Before Daniel even had time to react, four men burst through the door on the other side of the kitchen. One of the faces was familiar.

"Jesse?" Daniel asked. "I guess I made it to town."

The familiar man laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Only barely, Kid. Looks like that Rose shot ya up pretty good. Where were ya?"

"Two towns east of here," he said, racking his brain trying to remember the name of the place. "Pine..."

"Pinebrook," Jesse Coleman said with a nod. "The Roses are known to frequent that town."

The group of people grew as the group sat around the table and introductions were made.

"What day is it?" Daniel asked after he felt he knew the names of each person in the small group.

"Saturday morning," Jesse said as Mrs. Franklin brought some food over to the table. "You rode... into town Thursday evening, barely conscious. Doc Faraday patched ya up and we kept ya hidden. Good thing too, cause Eli Rose rode through yesterday afternoon lookin' for the man who killed his brother. If it wasn't for Miss Emma's quick thinkin' who knows what woulda happened."

"What did happen?" He asked watching the dark haired Emma. She didn't react to the question and just kept cleaning the practically spotless kitchen.

"Rustlers rode through night before last and Sherriff Coleman and many of the town's men rode out after them," Adaline spoke up. "Mr. and Mrs. Franklin had gone out to make a delivery, and my parents were out tending to a sick woman who lives outside of town, and Clara, Emma, and I stayed back with the store.

"Clara saw him first. It was raining and we didn't recognize him. Emma had me and Clara hide upstairs so we watched through a little hole in the floor boards in the sitting room up there. It's just big enough to see what's going on in the store.

"Emma didn't even flinch the whole time he was here, demandin' to know if you were here. She lied right to his face, tellin' him your horse was hers."

"Why would you do that?" He asked Emma.

She still didn't respond.

"Her pa was a gamblin' man," Joshua spoke up. "Her momma tried, but –"

"You leave my momma outta this, Joshua," Emma spun on her heels, her eyes blazing. "You know she did the best she could."

With that she spun around and marched out of the room, the door slamming behind her.

Joshua sighed. "Her father was a good man and he was very good at what he did. She was kind of like his lucky charm. I wouldn't recommend placin' any bets against her."

~~~~~

I shook my head as I walked out into the store. I knew Joshua hadn't meant any offence when talking about my parents, but I knew how people talked. Despite having lived here for four years I would still overhear people telling newcomers about Matthew and Hattie's niece who'd been orphaned after her pa gambled his life away and her poor mama's heart gave out.

"Miss Emma," a voice cut through my thoughts.

I turned to find Daniel Knight standing in the doorway to the back of the house.

"Yes, sir?" I asked.

"Why'd ya lie for me?" He asked, and I could see the genuine confusion in his eyes. "Ya don't even know me."

"No," I admitted. "But Sheriff Coleman is a good man and if he says you are too then I believe him. We protect our own here in Coldwater Creek. Now you best not be here to make a liar out of our good Sheriff, Deputy. 'Cause if ya do, I don't think either of ya will make it through the winter. If you'll excuse me I have some business to attend to."

With that I turned on my heel and headed out the front door.

"Is that some kind of threat, Miss Franklin?" The new Deputy called after me.

"That's not my name, sir," I said, turning to look over my shoulder. "And consider it more of a friendly warning."

The door closed behind me and I walked quickly down the row of shops, breathing in the freshly chilled air.