Cole's Redemption (Love Amongst the Pines) (18 page)

             
"I guess you're right. I can't help wishing that you would meet someone, though. You deserve some happiness, too."

             
"With my
Tildy
, I had more than any man has a right to. I suspect the same could be said for Cole." He gave her a sly wink.

             
After running the length of the creek and back, Cole
             
returned to the cabin. The place was deserted except for Dermott. He sat in the lone rocking chair concentrating on his harmonica, worrying over some obscure tune. Glancing up, he nodded once, and then tucked the instrument into his shirt pocket.

             
"
Mornin
', Cole." "Dermott," he nodded back. "You look a bit
fashed
today. Anything wrong?" "A lot is wrong,
Derm
, and none of it is anything I can fix."

             
"You upset about what Natty told Judge, about them wranglers killing your wife and baby?"

             
Cole glanced up, "You know, that memory of yours is a mystery. Why is it that you can recall what shirt I wore yesterday and not know who the president is?" He turned to the water barrel and lifting the lid, pulled out a cup full of water.

             
"I know what you mean. It's a curious thing, the way my mind works. I try not to think about it too much. Gives me a terrible headache."

             
"I know the feeling." Cole sighed.

             
Dermott cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about your family, Cole. About
hearin
' about it by eavesdropping. I was just coming up from the creek, I
shoulda
' let her know I was there."

             
"Don't worry about it, Dermott. It makes no difference
who
knows. Maggie and Zach are just as dead. No matter what happens now, it won't bring them back."

             
"You sure are right about that. Sometimes I try to think what I
coulda
' done to save Denton,
Natty's
Pa. If I had rode out with him that night, or if I'd have convinced him to stay home, he'd still be alive. Then maybe
Natty's
Ma wouldn't have got sick, and they'd all still be here."

             
"You can't take the blame for all that." Cole took a long drink of his water.

             
"Maybe not, but a man can't help
thinkin
' about it. Just like you can't help
blamin
' yourself for what happened to your family."

             
"
Naw
, but I still do. I guess that's what it's like when you lose the people you love the most."

             
"Yeah."

             
Cole turned to go inside the cabin. As he reached for the door, the sound of distant thunder rolled on the horizon. For a brief moment, he couldn't tell if the sound truly did come from the distance or it was just the noise made from his own heart turning in his chest.

             
"Looks like there's
gonna
be a squall," Dermott noted, squinting into the afternoon.

             
Cole nodded, suddenly exhausted. Opening the door, he gazed into the cabin. In the shadows, he noted that something had changed.

             
"
You been
here by yourself all afternoon, Dermott?"

             
"Yep. I was down to the creek
fishin
' after Natty and the Judge left for town. I got powerful hungry a bit ago, so I came
             
up and ate some jerky Natty got for me awhile back. It's as tough as boot leather, but I like it fine. Why?"

             
"The place is messed up a bit. I guess I upset Natty before I left."

             
For a brief instant, he thought he felt the essence of someone else trespassing in her cabin, but the feeling quickly passed. The sudden trepidation at being found alone and vulnerable in the woods slowly dissipated all except for a minute niggling of doubt.

             
"
Somethin
' wrong, Cole?"
Deromott
asked behind him.

             
"No. I'm just a bit jumpy today, is all.
"
He nodded once to Dermott, and then entered the quiet sanctum of
Natty's
cabin, carefully closing the door behind him.

             
Once inside, he saw the note lying on the table.

             
Remmington
, Natty and I have gone into town, be back around sunset.

             
J.

             
Cole peered out the dirty window for a moment, thinking about how much he missed Natty, and what it meant to him that he did. It was just for a second, but his attention came to focus when he thought he caught sight of something, or someone, just beyond the clearing.

             
Startled, he stepped closer to the glass and scrutinized the landscape outside.

             
Nothing moved. After a few minutes passed, Cole eased his attention. "Whoever you are," he told the phantom beyond the trees, "I know you're there."

             
"He knows we're here," Marty Calvin told his younger brother, Jonas.

             
"Are you sure?" Jonas asked. The shadows of dusk gave his brother an odd, amber cast.

             
"Did he see us?"

             
"I don't think so, but he saw something. He's watching out that window a lot." The roughneck spit into the dirt beside him.

             
"Maybe we ought to go in there and take him now, before Judge Cummings gets back. It'd be easy, with just the two of us."

             
"I'm not
gonna
do any such thing. We wait until the Texan gets here. He said
he'll
pay us plenty up front to help him catch this sidewinder. I
ain't
doin
' nothing until I see some greenbacks."

             
"So we're just
sittin
' here
watchin
' for nothing?"

             
"We're just earning our pay. Don't worry; we'll get out of here as soon as it's full dark."

             
"Looks like we gutted the place," Natty told her host.

             
"Does look a mite empty, doesn't it? Well, that's all right. I don't spend that much time here, anyway. I've been thinking about doing some traveling in the next few months. I heard that Judge Hearn, over in Lead, has taken poorly. Might be I'll be going up there to help with his case load."

             
"Maybe, when you get back, we'll have hit a silver strike, and then I can replace your furniture," Natty stated hopefully as she balanced two oil lamps and a brightly colored quilt Judge had given her.

             
"If you get the chance," Judge told her as he helped her into the wagon, "but there's no hurry." With that, he climbed into the wagon beside her, and the two set off.

             
Their next stop was in the heart of Whispering Pines, the home of Bessie Watkins. It was clear at first glance that the sheriff and his wife kept a vastly different dwelling than that of the Judge. Built in solid, western style, the multi-roomed house was filled to the brim with clutter. Every surface was covered with cloth, dried flowers, or knick-knacks, and it almost hurt
Natty's
eyes to look at it all.

             
Bessie Watkins was a large boned, rotund woman, but her size and shape took nothing away from her vivacious nature. She instantly drew Natty into a bear hug and carted her off to the sitting room.

             
"This is Natalie Lane; you remember,
Maddie
and Dent's girl? The couple that owned the silver mine out west of town." Judge nodded toward Natty.

             
"Of course, it's been a coon's age. I believe the last time I saw you, you were still in braids and knickers."

             
When Natty asked about her dress, Bessie became a tornado of action. In minutes, Judge was shoed away, and Natty was standing on a stepping stool, wearing the dress, inside out of all things, and work was begun.

             
First, Bessie pinned every piece of the material, and then began pulling out swatches of cloth and lace covering. By the time she was finished, plans were made, fabrics chosen, and Natty felt more like she'd gone to battle than attended a dress fitting.

             
"This will be positively breathtaking," Bessie stated as she pulled out her sewing basket. "I'll get my friend Emily to help, and my girls can start putting out the veil. My goodness, our work is cut out for us."

             
"I never meant to put you so much trouble," Natty said. "I'm afraid I can't pay you for all that lace, although, it's awful pretty." It had been Bessie's idea to layer it over the white fabric, and then make a matching veil."

             
"Nonsense, consider it a wedding present. Oh, and there is something else. I wonder if you could do me a huge favor?"

             
"Oh, yes, Ma'am, I'm sure I could. Whatever you need, if I can get it..."

             
"It's nothing like that. The truth is this house is full to exploding. I have two whole boxes of dresses that my Lydia has plum outgrown. She's going to be my size I'm afraid, and the gowns are way too short. Could you possibly take them for me?"

             
About a half an hour before sunset, Natty sat on the wagon bench, leaning precariously over, dozing on Judge's arm. It was no wonder she was asleep when the wagon stopped. Before Judge could climb down, Cole was at the wagon's side lifting her off.

             
"Be gentle on her, she's had a mighty full day," he said as he pulled the packages from the back of the wagon.

             
"What have the two of you been doing? It looks like you've robbed every dry good's store in fifty miles."

             
"
Naw
, worse than that, I'm afraid. We've visited the Sheriff's wife. All of this stuff is clothes for Natty. I swear, if I'd have known that she was as generous as all that, I'd have hauled Natty into town years ago."

             
In minutes, Cole had her settled into bed while Judge boiled them up some of the coffee he'd brought back from town. Neither one spoke for a moment, each settling with their thoughts. When he did finally come forward, Cole swallowed a long drink of the warm brew and began to voice his worst fear.

             
"There was somebody here this afternoon. Somebody is tracking me."

             
Judge looked up, curious. "Nobody ever comes up this way. It was probably just a coyote."

             
"No. It wasn't an animal. It was a man.
Or, men.
I didn't see anything, but I felt it. I know there was someone out there."

             
"Maybe I should ride into town and bring back some men." Judge poured another cup.

             
"I don't think that would help. Besides, it would lessen our numbers here. We don't have much firepower. The only one here with a gun is you. I don't know that I could even shoot one, at this point. Dermott hid all the shells to
Natty's
rifle."

             
"That settles it. We go into town in the morning and stay at my place until the wedding on Sunday."

             
"Won't people think we're being odd?"

             
"Not really. In fact, there's been talk of doing the house-
raising
on Sunday after the wedding. There's no reason for you, Natty, and
Derm
to come back out here for a few days. That'll give us time to flush out these woods, and see if there's somebody really out there."

             
"Sounds like a reasonable plan." Cole stared in his coffee a minute longer. "One other thing. Don't tell Natalie just yet. I don't want her frightened for no good reason."