Love Rules (22 page)

“This ain’t between you and me. It’s between me and that woman in there.”

The man shouted. “This is personal. Stay out unless you want a belly full of lead.

That woman is responsible for my family dying. They didn’t have a chance at Pea Ridge. There were so many deaths there and Chalk Hill. The Federals never would have gotten hold of Arkansas if it weren’t for her. She’s the cause of it. I aim to see her dead. You hear me?”

“You can ride out of here, or die. Which will it be?” Jesse cautioned. “You’re not getting the woman. She’s my wife.”

“You’re wife? You mean you married the Black Widow?” the man asked,

turning so he could see Jesse.

“That’s right. Now, I’m gonna tell you one more time. The war is over. Leave it be. Didn’t we have enough killing?”

“Maybe it’s time I tell ya we got your kid, then.” The man’s cold, dead eyes stared him down.

Jesse went white. “You’re lyin’! Wait a minute. I know you. You’re the one we let go. You planned this. What have done with her?”

A chill ran up Jesse’s spine. His anger roared through his veins like hot, liquid metal. If they hurt one hair on his baby’s head, he’d see them all dead. Rage filled him, white hot and mean. His heart seemed to turn to stone in that moment.

His Abby, gone! And he was supposed to protect her. He kicked him in the face, into the dirt. The man spat, blood spewed, and he still laughed hard.

“We seen a weddin’ goin’ on. We seen those Swede’s carrying that babe with ‘em. One of my men recognized her. Too bad about the Jenkinses though…they was nice people.”

Jesse’s jaw tensed, as every nerve in his body came alive. With anger he never realized he had, he swiped at the man’s face and knocked him in the dirt again.

“You’re lying!”

“Am I? Maybe we done better than just killin’ you outright. Oh yeah, we got that little girl. The Jenkinses wouldn’t have died, but they let that wagon get out of control, and tipped over. Both of them layin’ in the dirt on the trail. I’m right sorry ‘bout that too,” the man said. “So now who’s gonna do what?”

“Where is she?” Jesse gritted his teeth.

“Guess you better keep me alive if you want to know,” the man snarled.

“Get up.” Jesse pointed him toward the cabin. “Get in there.” Jesse pulled the man by the collar, dragging him and pulling him through the dirt as fast as he could. Turning him so they were face to face, he pointed his gun in his gut .”In the house.”

“I done told you, if you want to see that kid again, you better keep me alive,”

the corporal yelled.

Maggie opened the door and had the rifle aimed but Jesse took it away from her. “What are you doing?” she protested hotly. “What’s he doing here, again?”

“They’ve got Abby,” Jesse said coldly, his mannerisms changing to one of cold hard killer.

“No!” she screamed. “Where is she?” She turned to Jesse’s prisoner now and pounded him.

Jesse reared up, and shoved him to the floor. “Now, if you want to live, you’ll tell me what they have done with my daughter.”

“And if I don’t tell you?” he smirked.

“I’ll kill you.” Jesse’s jaw moved with raw tension.

“They want to trade.” The man laughed.

“Trade. Trade for what?” Jesse demanded.

“Her!”

“No way.” Jesse moved the gun to the man’s head. “You got a minute to tell me where they took my daughter, or I’ll just blow your head off. I don’t care.”

“You’re bluffin’. As long as we got that baby, you ain’t gonna shoot me.”

“Try me. I can track ‘em or you can tell me what you did with my little girl.”

Jesse cocked the gun. “Start talkin’.”

“You’ll never find her. She’s long gone.” The man laughed.

Jesse’s hand eased back on the trigger. “You’re wastin’ time!”

Maggie rushed to his side. “Wait, he has to tell us.”

“Here, Maggie. I’m gonna tie him up good and proper and you hold the gun on him. I’ll ride over to the Jenkins’s place and tell the boys. I’ll send a couple of them over here, another into town to tell the sheriff, then I’m gone. I won’t be back till I find Abby. Understand?”

Maggie took the gun and kept it aimed at the man.

Tying the man’s wrists tight, Jesse looked up at his wife. “They killed the Jenkinses.”

“No! Oh my God, tell me it isn’t so!” Maggie cried, hiding her eyes.

“Didn’t kill ‘em. The wagon overturned. Cain’t help that. Can I?” the man hollered.

Jesse got more rope and tied the man’s feet and legs. Then he glanced at Maggie. “I’ll be back with Abby. You stay put. Don’t set foot out of here till the sheriff or the Jenkins boys get here. You hear me?”

“Where will you go? How can you find her?”

“I can track ‘em. I was one of the best trackers in my unit. In a hurry, they are bound to have left tracks. If he moves, kill him,” Jesse said coldly.

“But Jesse…wait…” She followed him outside.

“I’ll send the Jenkins brothers over to help. You sit tight. Everything will be okay,” Jesse vowed.

“Jesse, be careful.” Maggie touched his arm.

Jesse whipped about to take her into his arms. He didn’t wait for her permission and as his lips claimed hers, it was more than clear, he didn’t need to ask. The kiss was hot and heavy with unspoken promises. He ached for her, but

he ached for his baby too, and what he had to do. Wrenching his mouth from hers, he looked deep into her eyes. “I’ll be back. You can bet on that.”

Jesse found the Jenkins boys as they were carrying their folks inside the house to lay them out proper. They were mad and hurt at the same time. Unashamed tears rolled down their cheeks.

He watched in silence as they moved about the room, placing the bodies in their own bed and covering them as though they were asleep. Death had been a common thing in the war; Jesse had seen a lot of it. A lot of torture when young men had to have their arms or legs cut off, but the Jenkinses’ deaths seemed to hurt deeper, almost as deep as when his father was killed by a Comanche.

He wished he didn’t have to disturb their sons at a time like this, but his first concern was Abby, and if she was still alive.

“Ben, can I talk with you a minute?”

The eldest Jenkins boy moved about the room methodically as though he might disturb the bodies of his folks. He spoke to his brothers then turned to talk with Jesse. He gestured for the kitchen as he made some tea. “My ma, she was the best tea maker in the county.” Jesse watched him move about stiffly, as though just going through the motions. His face wore a wad of frowns and hurt.

“She was a wonderful lady, Ben. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I never dreamed this would happen.”

“Yah, you seen what was done?”

Jesse looked directly at him now, the biggest of the boys, who were all blond, and built like a steam locomotive. Ben’s blue eyes filled with tears, his temper barely under control.

“I haven’t seen the wagon or where it turned over, but I know about it. I’m so sorry I brought this trouble upon
your
family. But they took Abby, my baby. I gotta find her. Maggie, she’s at the cabin, and one of them is there with her. I need one or two of you to go over there and bring her back here if you would. I wouldn’t ask it, at a time like this, but I had no choice. She’s scared to death,”

Jesse explained.

“There’s one at the cabin? One of them that killed my folks?” Ben listened and nodded. “Yah, we’ll do it. I’ll go with ya. They killed my folks. I won’t be forgettin’

it. I’ll send Olle and Paul over to fetch Mrs. Coleman. Ya mind if they kill ‘im?”

Ben asked about the prisoner Maggie held.

Jesse smiled a little. “I don’t mind, but try to get some information out of him first, okay? I loved your folks, too, you know?”

Ben eyed him up and down. “Yah, I believe you did, and your missus. They’ll take care of her. Don’t you worry. As my Pa said many times, we are all family. Ya live in this country called Texas, you grow families along the way.”

Jesse nodded. “Things like this have a way of bringin’ people closer. Your dad was someone I’ll never forget as long as I live.”

Then Ben went to tell his brothers. Jesse followed going to his own mount.

Two of the brothers mounted immediately and nodded to Jesse.

“Where did you find the wagon?” Jesse asked.

“Down the road about a mile. We came in first, thinkin’ our folks was just havin’ a good time with the wee one. We looked about, tried to find her, but there was no sign,” Ben explained.

“Got somethin’ we can use as a torch?” Jesse asked as they both went to their horses.

“Ah Yah. I’ll get it, jest a minute.” He hurried off toward their barn. He came back quickly, and they were off.

***

Maggie was shaking as she held the gun so tight her hands turned white. The man didn’t scare her; fear of the unknown did. Fear that Abby wouldn’t be found, fear that Jesse might not return alive, fear that she had caused it all. Guilt and fear turned her stomach upside down.

“Guess we got you pretty tore up, don’t we? Takin’ that little girl of yours. Ol’

John saw how took you both were to that little tyke. We figured if we took her, we could have anything we wanted from you. And you know what we want, don’t ya?”

“If they hurt her—”

“You’ll what?” the man laughed. “Most folks don’t think much about a half-breed Negro child. Even the churches frown of such a thing. I’ve seen men take Indians before, squaws for wives, but never seen a white man and a Negro woman together before. It’s sinful is what it is. Ugly, dirty. Don’t know decent whites have no pity for ‘em, but I reckon she’ll be fine until we make the trade.

After that there’s just no tellin’.” The man laughed. “But then you won’t be around to worry about either, will ya?” His cold brown eyes took her in.

Maggie eyed the man as her hands shook. “If you don’t shut up, I may kill you myself.”

“The pleasure of me dyin’ can only happen once, and if he don’t find her, you are gonna need me to tell you where she is.” The man laughed heartily.

“He’ll find her.” Maggie nodded. “He’s that good!”

“How the hell do you know?” The man laughed as he twisted against the ropes holding him. The black hair on his arms seemed to rub off against the ropes, leaving a white ring where the rope had burned him.

“I know Jesse, that’s how I know. He loves our baby.” She choked aloud.

“Well, even if you kill me, I done seen how bad you are hurtin’ for that baby, and it’s pure pleasure to see you squirm, I gotta admit. Yes, sir, John was right about that. He said we should get hold of that baby, and he shore was right.” His voice was hard and unrelenting.

“Shut up! Shut your dirty mouth. You keep that talk up I’ll blow your head off!”

she yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks. She held the gun at his head.

Her own guilt had Maggie hanging her head. Her words sounded so hollow and full of her soul. “Jesse is the one that made me see what I was doin’ was wrong during the war. Even though it was self-survival, it was wrong. I know that now. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d have never realized the horrors of the war. I deserve to pay even more than I did for doin’ what I did. Tellin’ you I’m sorry don’t help. Tellin’ you’d I’d change things if I could, don’t help, either. It’s done. I went to prison for it. They nearly hanged me for it. I lost the only man I ever loved because of it. Isn’t it enough?”

He shook his head. “You are just one person. You never looked upon a

graveyard of bodies that stretched for miles it seemed. You never had your family wiped out at once. You never looked into the faces of the people you killed. You never seen ‘em starin’ up at you and yet not seein’ you. Whole families you wiped out. Without one care or tear. You wanna cry because it’s over and you know what you did. You gotta live with yourself over what you did. For the rest of your life, you gotta live with it.”

His voice had turned so emotional, she had to stare into his face and see the misery there. The man was not just angry, but anguished. She looked him square in the eyes and came closer, “I’m gonna say this once, and it’s not enough, I realize, but I gotta say it to your face. I
am
sorry. And I pray God forgives me for it.”

“Well, lady, God might, but I won’t. No, sir, I won’t. If I had a gun right this minute you’d be dead!”

“I know that. I know that is true.”

“You better not go to sleep tonight or it might be the last time you do,” he warned.

She sat down and held the gun at her lap. Her mind was on Abby, her heart was with Jesse, and her fears faced her. The men she helped kill, the Jenkinses, maybe even her own child, it was too much. She’d never stared at hate but it was staring at her. The guilt inside her boiled. What could she ever do to make these people understand? What would it take?

She got up after a long while and made some coffee. She sipped it slowly. It roiled in her stomach.

The man still wrestled with the ropes that tied him.

She had grown sleepy. She didn’t know how it happened but one minute she was dozing and the next a gunshot fired, and the prisoner fell dead at her feet.

She stared at the body for a second, and then her head lifted to Olle as tears ran down her cheeks again.

Olle stood in the doorway. “You okay, Mrs. Coleman?” Not even looking at the man he just killed, he went to her side.

“Y-yes, I’m fine, thanks, Olle.” But she wasn’t. She shook so bad, and she glanced at the cup that she’d been holding, now leaking onto the floor.

He took her hand. “It’s gonna be all right, Mrs. Coleman. Jesse sent us to fetch you.”

Olle put his arms around her.

He stared into her tear stained face and nodded. “Mr. Jesse came by and asked for us to take you home with us. I told him we’d take care of you. Gather you some things, and let’s get out of here.”

“Oh yes, yes, of course.” Maggie moved toward the bedroom. After getting just a few things, she returned to the front room. Already they had moved the dead man outside by the side of the house, but Maggie carried what the man had said in her heart and it weighed heavily upon her.