Chapter 23
Jessie hobbled outside on her crutches to where her fiancé was getting off his horse.
“Adam? How did you find me?” she asked as she fell into his arms.
He hugged her tight. “Thank God you’re okay.”
Jessie clung to him, willing herself to believe that he was actually there with her. That he had found her.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
“I’ve never stopped looking, Jess. I looked all over the country for you,” Adam told her, smoothing her hair out of her face.
She smiled.
She believed him. To think he had actually searched all these weeks for her without giving out. She was ashamed for ever feeling doubts about him.
Adam looked up and saw Colt.
“Who is he?” he asked. “Are you being kept here against your will?”
“Yeah, because I would kidnap her so I could send a telegram letting you know that she was okay and where she was. That makes perfect sense.” Colt crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway of the cabin, sarcasm lacing his words.
“Do you even know who I am? As an officer of the law I can have you arrested for…”
“That tin star ain’t gonna do you a lick of good out here, bud. You want some coffee? We have a little left in here.” Colt’s tone had turned from condescending to hospitable in a split second.
Jessie stared at him strangely for a moment. When Adam didn’t let her go, she turned back to him. “He’s the one who found me and brought me back here and took care of me.”
“Alone? Y-you were alone with him for three weeks?” Adam asked, accusation behind his eyes.
Colt’s arms uncrossed and his hands balled into fists at his sides.
“His grandmother lives with him. She’s out at her garden plot now, but she’ll be back soon,” Jessie said before Colt could get any words out.
“I… I don’t like this, Jessie,” Adam confessed.
“He saved my life, Adam. You can trust him,” Jessie told him.
Adam looked down at her leg. “What happened to your leg?”
“It got broken, but it should be healed soon,” Jessie smiled.
“Broken? What are you even doing out here? I know what I said, but this is a little…”
“What did you say?” Jessie asked.
Her breath caught in her throat. Had an argument with Adam brought her out here?
Adam was silent for a moment. “You don’t remember?”
“She got a head injury and a concussion. She can’t remember a thing about the accident or how she got out here,” Colt answered for her.
Adam looked… relieved, which caused some suspicion to rise up in Jessie.
“Why don’t you two come in and sit down?” Colt offered.
Adam helped Jessie into the house and looked around. “This is a bit small, isn’t it?”
“It’s home,” Colt said, no hint of hostility in his voice now.
“The man at the ranch seemed a little confused when I asked after you, Mr. Kidd,” Adam said.
“Sherman?” Colt spun around. “You talked to Sherman?”
Suddenly, the sound of hoof beat interrupted their conversation.
“Colt!” a voice yelled from outside. “Colt, you in there?”
Colt and Jessie looked at each other at the sound of Doc’s voice. The door flung open.
“I came from the ranch. Colt, her fiancé’s here and Sherman’s madder than a wet hen out there because you’re so late. Jessie, you’re man’s gonna…” his voice stopped when he saw Adam.
Colt gave him a look. “Dawson, this is Adam, Jessie’s fiancé.”
“Of course, it seems you already know that,” Adam watched Doc closely.
“I… um… I didn’t know your name,” Doc defended awkwardly.
It was too tense for Jessie’s liking, so she attempted to change the subject. “Doc, would you come in and shut the door? Carby would have a conniption fit if she saw you left it open.”
Doc shut the door but kept silent.
“Colt Kidd, what’s all the ruckus about? That fool Doc Dawson came riding in here like the devil was chasing him. It’s like y’all was all raised in a barn. Can’t a woman have a peaceful morning around here every once in a while?” Carby entered the back door and kept talking as she walked to the washbasin to wash her hands, not even looking toward the table. “These dishes ain’t even washed yet. Sherman’s gonna have your hide, too. It’s nearly eight o’clock.”
“Granny, we have a guest,” Colt told her.
“I don’t care at the moment. It’s a crying shame that we can’t even have a moment’s peace around here without one of your men causing trouble. Where’s Jessie? I’ve got to ask her about that garden plot of mine. Do you think I can grow a garden out here? I’d probably have to water it all on my own, and that would probably take too much time. I might not even do it now that I see how much work is gonna have to go into it.”
She turned around and her eyes landed on Adam. “Why didn’t you tell me someone was here?”
“I did. This is Jessie’s fiancé,” Colt explained.
“Really? Well, I’ve got something to say to this boy. What took you so long? This girl worried herself plumb sick about you all. What’d you let her run off out here for, anyway? It’s just irresponsible, if you ask me.”
“He had no idea where I was, Carby,” Jessie spoke up in her fiancé’s defense.
“Uh huh,” Carby looked at Doc. “Why are you still here?”
“I’m not,” Doc stated simply, opening the door and leaving as fast as he could.
Jessie smiled and shook her head.
Carby looked to Colt. “You better burn the breeze if you want to be there before Sherman starts spittin’ fire. Off with you! I’ll take care of these two.”
Colt walked to the door and grabbed his coat.
“Have a good day,” Jessie called out to him.
Colt smiled. “They might have to cart me back here if five or six pieces, you never know.”
“You can tell him about me now, can’t you? Adam will take me back home soon,” Jessie offered.
She had mixed feelings as the words left her mouth. She wanted her family, but she didn’t want to leave the Kidds.
Colt looked at Adam, then back at her. “Yeah,” was all he said before he opened the door and left.
Worthless started barking and Colt could be heard scolding the dog as he walked past the open window.
Carby looked at them both. “Well, youngsters. You two have a lot to talk over, I assume.”
“Yes we do. For starters, I want to know how my parents are. I hope they’re not too worried,” Jessie inquired.
“They’re off somewhere chasing train tracks. They weren’t content to sit in Bottlebrush with me,” Adam answered.
“They’re out looking for me?” Jessie asked.
Adam nodded. “They caught up with me after about two weeks of my endless searching and said they wanted to help.”
Jessie’s heart dropped. They waited two weeks before helping him search for her?
“They let you search on your own?” she asked.
Adam nodded.
Jessie put her head down.
“But the point is that I found you. I’m so glad that you’re okay,” Adam smiled at her.
Jessie smiled back, though her insides were in one big knot.
She had a lot of thinking and sorting to do.
*****
Colt slapped his hat on and opened the door to the lean-to. He didn’t feel right leaving Jessie with that man. Sure, they were “engaged” but he didn’t trust the man. He was too quick to accuse her of being irresponsible and didn’t even notice her hurt leg until they were well into a conversation.
He clenched his jaw and snarled as he cinched his horse’s saddle tight. He knew that he had to calm down before facing Sherman, but it was all just so unnerving!
Maybe he should avoid his boss altogether. He’d rather apologize for going straight to the building site than deal with the man’s questions.
Mounting his horse, he steered him in the direction of Bliss’ house site and pushed him into a gallop. The wind washed over him and calmed him some. He spurred Hidalgo into a run and watched his horse’s long, powerful strides eat up the ground under them. He ran the horse until they got near the other cowboys, then slowed him. He rubbed the horse’s neck and smiled. A good run always made the both of them feel better.
Once at the building site, he reined in Hidalgo and dismounted.
“Where on earth have you been?” one of the cowboys asked.
“Busy. It’s a long story,” Colt said, walking into the house and noticed that all the cowboys were working on the inside.
“Is the roof done?” He asked one of the cowboys nearest to him.
“Yep. Finished it this morning,” the cowboys answered.
Colt smiled. “Well, good. I’m gonna go out and look at it.”
He walked back outside and looked upward until he saw the roof, shingled and sturdy. He had to admit that they had done a good job on it, even if they were drovers.
“Looks good, Carpenter,” he smiled at the man he had put over the roofing.
“Thanks, Mr. Kidd. I’m mighty glad it’s over with. Do you think Sherman’s daughter’s gonna like it?” Carpenter asked.
Colt shrugged. “I sure hope so.”
At the end of the day, Colt trudged back to his horse and struggled to mount. Flooring was not his strong suit, and he felt like his knees had aged fifty years in six hours. He rode back to the ranch, not even feeling like a run this time.
Once at the ranch, he dismounted and handed the reins to Mason.
“You look rough. You alright?” Mason asked.
“Just tired is all,” Colt replied with a weak smile.
“Nah, you look like you got the world on your shoulders. That’s a little bit more than tired,” Mason said as he coiled the reins to Hidalgo around his fingers.
Colt was tempted to laugh. “You bet.”
“Sherman’s in the house if you feel in the mood to get slaughtered,” Mason said over his shoulder as he walked toward the barn.
“Thanks, Mason. I’m drowning in your sympathy over here,” Colt teased.
He walked to the main house and opened the front door. He walked slowly down the hallway, as if to delay the coming disaster.
“Colt Kidd? Is that you?” The familiar, gruff voice called out.
Colt stopped, as if ceasing the sounds of his boots against the wooden floor would make Sherman believe he was hearing things.
After a moment, he continued on into the kitchen. “Hey, Sherm,” he smiled.
“Sit down,” Sherman pointed to a seat at the table.
Colt took the seat and put his hat on the table, reading to take his scolding like a naughty schoolboy.
“I’ve got some news, Colt,” Sherman said, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together on the table.
You’re fired. You’re fired and you know it, Kidd. Just face it.
Colt braced himself, waiting for the words.
“I’ve bought another house for Bliss,” Sherman told him.
Colt stilled. Which would have been worse?
“You what?” he asked.
“She found a house a little closer to town for sale, about a day’s ride form here, and she wanted it. So I surprised her and bought it for them,” Sherman said with a smile.
“What about the house those cowboys and I spent three weeks breaking our backs over? Look at all the money you spent on it!” Colt exclaimed.
“She wanted another one, Colt. You know I want the best for her,” Sherman defended.
Colt put his head in his hands. “So what are you gonna do with the other house?”
“I’m still working that part out,” Sherman confessed. “I might use it for a line shack.”
A line shack.
Figures.
Colt stood and grabbed his hat. “Thank you for telling me. I really just want to get home and sleep, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure. By the way, there was a man by here looking for you. What did he want?” Sherman asked.
Colt knew how protective Sherman was about his land.
“He… had lost something and was wondering if I knew where it was. It’s all done now, though,” Colt answered, putting his hat on his head.
“Very well. Oh and I want you to come in a few minutes early in the morning. You were late today, after all.” Sherman took a nonchalant sip of coffee.
“Sure thing.” Colt gave his short reply and walked back down the hall.
He was steaming mad as he went out to the barn to get his horse. All of the work that he put into that house and Sherman threw it all out like yesterday’s coffee. If there was ever a most ungrateful man in the world, Sherman Cooper was his king.
I had mixed feelings about the quality of this chapter. Please feel free to be hard on me in the comment section... just don't be mean. Thank you guys so much!