It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own (Code of the West) (24 page)

“Only I didn’t count on Mr. Hatcher being so handsome and exciting and caring. In a matter of days, I loved not only the dream but the man also. Meanwhile I was reading Miss Cedar’s Bible, trying to be like her. All of that readin’ got me convinced that maybe the Lord was leading me in all this.”

She stopped as her voice started to falter.

Tap rocked her back and forth in his arms. “You don’t have to say any more if you don’t want to.”

“He forgave me, Tap. Do you know what that’s like? God really did forgive me for all of that. That’s when I made my pledge. I was so anxious to find you and tell you the truth.

“But then we heard the shots and found you in that gu
nfight. You dragged me over to them trees and wouldn’t let me say anything. I was so shocked to hear your story I didn’t know what to do next. I know you are crazy in love with that Cedar woman, and I just couldn’t stand to have you put me out. I’ve been put out lots of times, Tap. I didn’t think I could take it again.

“But for two days I haven’t slept and couldn’t eat. I had to talk to you, but you didn’t come back to McCurley’s .
 . . so I came out here. And I fixed your supper. Then Beckett showed up.

“I was really scared—more scared than ever before. Most of the time in the past ten years I haven’t cared whether I lived or died. But tonight I was afraid you would be killed. It scared me real bad .
 . . real bad.

“But I’m not her, Tap. I’m not the girl you’re in love with. I’m not that good, that refined, that proper, that pure. I’m goin’ to do my best, but I’ll never be Suzanne Cedar. I’m just Pepper. But I’m forgiven. Honest, I am.”

Tap continued to rock her back and forth.

Neither spoke a word.

The gray and white cat, which had disappeared into the darkness at the explosion of gunfire, now wandered back to the house and jumped up into Pepper’s lap.

She petted it.

The cat purred.

Tap remained silent.

“Please talk to me. Say somethin’. You can tell me the truth. I can take it now. I’m not just another Selena who needs a hug and a kiss before you leave. I’m goin’ to make it. Things are different. I’m different.”

By now the air was growing frigid. The stars were radiant.  An almost-full moon had risen in the eastern sky, and the western mountains reflected its glow.

Standing up, Andrews pulled Pepper to her feet. The cat scampered down the porch. “Come here.” He strolled to the western end of the porch.

“You see that range of hills over there?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the edge of the ranch. Right on the southern end is a butte made up mostly of exposed granite. A couple of days ago I hiked up to the top of that. From there you can see into Wyomin’ in the north and clear to McCurley’s hotel.

“What were you doin’ up there?”

“Thinkin’ about you .
 . . me . . . and God.”

“God?”

“Been readin’ some of Hatcher’s Bible, you know, in order to impress Miss Suzanne Cedar. It got me to thinkin’ real hard. And . . . I decided it’s about time for me to take Jesus serious whether you agreed to marry me or not. Pepper, this is hard for me to talk about.”

“But that was before you visited with Stack. What about now? What’s goin’ to happen?”

Still holding her hand and looking at the western hills, he paused for a long time.

“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we? We got nothin’. We’ve done nothin’ we want anyone to remember. We got a past that we’ll spend a lifetime tryin’ to outlive. We’re tied to no one and no place, with absolutely nothin’ awaitin’ us in the future. What a team of losers.”

“I don’t feel like a loser right now.”

Tap gazed into her eyes. “I’m goin’ to get it right this time. Pepper, will you consider marryin’ this reckless gu
nfighter who’s tryin’ to change his ways?”

“Who are you askin’? Miss Suzanne Cedar or—?”

“I’m asking Aimee Paige, who used to be a wild dance-hall girl. And if she doesn’t hurry up and say yes, my stomach’s goin’ to split in two with worry.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Yep.”

“You ain’t just feelin’ sorry for a dance-hall girl?”

“Nope.”

She slipped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up on her toes so she could place her lips on his. When she pulled back, she started to cry. It was a deep, rolling, unco
ntrollable sob. She struggled to catch her breath. And tasted something wet and salty. She reached up to catch the tears that flooded over her fingers and across her face.

“I don’t know if you’re cryin’ ’cause you’re happy or ’cause you’re sad. Are you going to say yes or no? Which is it?”

She continued to wail.

“Are you goin’ to marry me?” he demanded.

“Yes. Yes!” She let out a deep heave.

“Yes? You will? You said yes?”

She shook her head up and down and wiped her face with her torn dress. Then threw her arms around his neck. She released her grip and they stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment. Finally, the cat meowed and rubbed against their legs.

“What was it you bought me?” she asked.

“A big grand piano.”

“A piano? But, I don’t know how .
 . . That was Suzanne. After you had that discussion with Stack, how come you went ahead and bought it?”

“’Cause I .
 . . I, eh . . . didn’t like the looks of the other old boy who was biddin’ on it.”

“What?”

“And I figured you could learn how.”

“Me—play the piano?”

“It can’t be all that hard. I can tell you’re the type that can do anything you set your mind to.”

“I am?”

“Sure. You snagged me, didn’t you?” he teased.

“Me? You’re the one who came around beggin’ me to marry you.”

“So that’s the story you’re goin’ to tell all our friends?”

“Tap Andrews, we don’t have any friends.”

“We both are mighty friendly with dance-hall girls.”

Her tight-fisted right cross caught him in the stomach. Laughing and gasping, he pushed her back. “Okay. No more joking about the girls.”

Pepper reached down and scooped up the gray and white cat.

“You two stay out here,” he ordered. “I’ve got to clean up the house a little and escort our house guest outside.”

“Before you do that, I’ve got one question.”

“I hope it’s an easy one.”

“What’s the name of this cat?” Pepper asked.

“Name? I was hopin’ you’d know it’s name.”

“Me?”

“I mean, I was hopin’ Miss Suzanne Cedar knew its name. He was here when I first came to the ranch.”

“We’ll have to name him.”

“Then let’s call him Salvation. I reckon he saved us from Beckett’s bullet.”

Pepper squinted her eyes and wrinkled her nose. “But I read somewhere in Suzanne’s Bible that ‘salvation belongs to the Lord.’”

“That’s fine with me. He’s sure not my cat.”

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