“But?”
“But except for sex, Jane and I didn’t have much in common.
She was used to servants and such.
I was never going to have servants, not on a Texas Ranger’s pay.
I wanted a simple life.
Wife, home, kids.
That’s all.
Not much to ask.”
“What happened?”
“I was getting cold feet.
I started talking to Jane about postponing the wedding.”
“And she didn’t want to.”
“No.
She was ready to get out from under her fathers thumb.
She seduced me.
I was young enough I didn’t realize why she did it until later.
She wanted a father for the baby she already carried.”
Cassie put a hand on his leg and a lightning bolt traveled from there to his loins.
“Oh Sam, I’m so sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter now.
I loved that baby girl.
She was mine as far as I was concerned.
The fact she was a little tow head should have alerted me, since Jane and I both have dark hair, hers almost black.
But I didn’t think about it, I just thought
somewhere in her family there must have been blonds.”
“What happened when they were killed?”
“Frank Borden thought to capitalize on the fact Jane was the banker’s daughter.
He figured he could ransom her and the girls for a lot of money.
He was mistaken.
The only thing Jane’s father loved more than his daughter was his money.
But it doesn’t matter.
That’s not what killed them.
Borden had them tied up in the parlor of our house.
Jane tried to escape and knocked over a kerosene lamp.
It caught the curtains on fire and then the rest of the house.”
When he looked over at Cassie, there were tears, silent tears running down her face.
“Why are you crying?”
“I’m crying for those babies, for that young woman who made mistakes but didn’t deserve to die.
I’m crying for you, Sam.
You.
Because you blame yourself for something that’s not your fault, just like I did.”
“It was my fault.
If I hadn’t let Borden escape Jane and the girls would still be alive.”
“You didn’t
let
him escape.
It just happened.
He would have escaped no matter who’s jail it was, it just
happened
to be yours.”
“No,” Sam shook his head, the reins shaking in his hand.
“No.
It was my fault….”
Cassie wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
“No.
It wasn’t and the sooner you realize that the sooner it’ll stop eating at you.
It was not your fault any more than Roy Walker attacking me was mine.”
They were just outside Creede now.
Cassie sniffed and rubbed her tears away.
“How do I look?”
“You look beautiful as always.”
“Seriously, Sam.
Do I look like I’ve been crying?”
“A little.
You’re eyes are red and so is your nose.”
“We’ll go to Mary’s first then.
She’s not a nosy, busy body and won’t say anything to anyone about my showing up in town with a new man and in tears.
It wouldn’t be good.
Trust me.”
“Okay.
I don’t get it but I trust you.”
“They all know what happened with Walker.
Now do you see what they’ll think.
You’re new.
They’ll think something happened, again.
And it will prove to them that it’s me whose to blame.
I won’t let that happen, so we go to Mary’s first and I freshen up before we go to Sadie’s mercantile”
“I understand.”
He slapped the reins and the horses sped up from their slow walk to a fast one.
“Lets see if we can avoid putting on a show and just get to the boarding house.”
“Agreed.”
CHAPTER 6
“Whoa.”
Sam pulled back on the reins, coming to a stop in front of Peabody’s Boarding House.
Cassie jumped down before he could come around to help her.
She patted her hair, brushed the dust from her jacket as much as possible then used her hat to dust off her pants.
Then she took a deep breath.
“Okay.
I’m ready.
How do I look?”
“Good.”
He wanted nothing more than to kiss all her tears and her fears away but knew he couldn’t.
At least not yet. “Most of the redness is gone.
You can claim to have hay fever if anyone says anything.”
She nodded.
“I should have thought of that myself.
Let’s go.
I don’t think you’ve met Mary yet since we haven’t stayed overnight before.
Mary is going to want to meet you.”
“Yeah, I know, any friend of Duncan’s.
I’ve gotten that a lot since I came to Creede.
Duncan seems to have made quite an impression on folks in these parts.”
“He has.
He’s the small town boy made good.
He was famous as a dime novel hero before he came back to town and some folks give those penny
dreadfuls
more credence than they deserve.”
Cassie walked beside him up the stairs.
He smiled.
“I remember reading one that called him tall, dark and lethal.
I laughed my ass off.
Not that I disagreed with the description, mind you, I just knew how Duncan would look at it and it would
not
have made him happy.”
“Gosh.
That story had to have come out twelve years ago now. Hard to believe it’s been that long.
Catherine showed it to me.
Tall, dark and lethal.
If only they could see him holding Conner.
He doesn’t look so lethal then.”
“He would be if anyone threatened his family.
Then watch out.
You’ve heard how a mama bear protects her cubs?
That’d be nothing compared to Duncan.”
They entered and the screen door banged shut behind them.
Mary Peabody looked up from behind a desk, where it looked like she was working on her books.
She saw them and sprang up as fast as any thirty year old.
Amazing considering Mary was past sixty.
“Cassie.
I haven't seen you in ages.
Where are RJ and Sarah?” she asked as she looked behind them.
“They’re home.”
Cassie waved her hand at Sam.
“This is my new foreman, Sam Colter.
He’s a friend--“
“Of mine,” said Duncan from behind them.
Cat followed holding baby Connor.
Sam and Duncan shook hands.
“Let me hold that sweet baby,” said Cassie taking Connor into her arms.
Sam thought she looked perfect holding a baby.
He’d like to see her holding his.
“What are you two doing in town?”
“Getting supplies and a much needed break from three little hellions.
They’re with their grandparents and we’re here for the night.
What about you?”
“Supplies, too and it’s time for grain for the horses.
It takes the whole buckboard so no kids this time for us either.
Since we got such a late start, I thought we’d stay here at Mary’s.
If she has rooms available.”
Cassie looked over at Mary.
“’Course I do.
My last two.”
“I’m looking forward to some of that peach cobbler you always serve on Saturdays.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”
Sam, finally able to get a word in, held his hand out to Mary.
“Pleased to meet you.”
She had a firm handshake.
He liked her already.
“Sam Colter.
Duncan’s told me stories about you,” said Mary.
“I deny everything.”
Sam said with a laugh.
“They’re all true.” defended Duncan.
“If you really want to get into a story swapping contest…”
Duncan held up his hands.
“No.
Thank you.
I try to avoid those.
I always lose.”
“Well,” said Cassie, “we need to go get our supplies if we’re going to get back here in time to get cleaned up for supper at six.”
“Sharp, ” said Mary.
“You know I don’t hold supper for anyone.”
“I know,” said Cassie.
“I’ve missed meals here in my day.”
He and Cassie left and walked two blocks down the street to the general store.
The store’s proprietress, Sadie, was behind the counter, counting the till.
She looked up at the ding of the bell on the door when they entered.
“Cassie.
I didn’t think I’d see you today.”
“We got a late start.
How’ve you been?
We need grain on our order today.”
“Good.
Good.
Hello, handsome,” she said to Sam as she always did. “Say, Sam, there was a man in here earlier asking about you.
He was kind of rough looking so I said I didn’t know you.
Skinny, average height, dirty blonde hair and beard.
You know him?
Should I send him out to the Rocking C if he comes back?
“Thanks, Sadie.
No, you did right telling him you didn’t know me.”
“Okay, you got it.”
Cassie looked at him, her forehead furrowed and her mouth tight.
“Sadie, can I give you my order and pick it up tomorrow?
Mary doesn’t hold supper for anyone you know.”
“Don’t I know it.
Gordon and I stayed with her when we expanded the store and needed to build us a house.
But she does have the best food.
Now what do you need this week?”
Cassie took out her list.
“Two fifty pound sacks of flour.
Fifty pounds of sugar.
Twenty-five pounds of beans, thirty pounds of coffee,
nine tins of milk, half a pound each of lemon drops and hard rock candy, a pound of salt, quarter pound of pepper and five hundred pounds of grain for the horses.”
Sadie wrote it all down.
“Okay, I got it.
Thanks for picking it up tomorrow.
It’ll give Gordon a chance to put it all together.
Do you want this on your tab?”
“Yeah, but I’ll clear the whole thing tomorrow.
I haven’t paid you for a month and I figure it’ll be close to one hundred and twenty dollars I owe you including this order.”
“Don’t know off the top of my head, but I’ll have the total for you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, see you then.”
No sooner had they stepped onto the boardwalk than Cassie lit into him.
“He’d here isn’t he?
Harry Borden is here?
In Creede?”
“Sounds like it.
I didn’t really expect him to come looking for me, but it looks like he’s doing the tracking now.
I never would have taken this job if I’d known.
You have to believe that.”
“I do.
I don’t believe you’d willingly put any of us in danger.”
“I’ll leave.
I don’t want anything to happen to you or the kids.”
She shook her head.
“Then you’d better stay.
By now he knows where you are.
Better you make your stand here among friends than alone somewhere.”
“No.
It’s too dangerous.”
Cassie cupped his jaw in her palms.
“It’s more dangerous for us if you leave.
Please.
Stay.”
Sam looked down at her, pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss.
“Sam.”
He loved that he could make her blush.
She looked even more beautiful with the pink glow highlighting her features.
They walked back to the boarding house in silence.
“I need to talk to Duncan,” he said finally.
“Then you and I need to talk…about us.”
Cassie hesitated, then nodded.
“We can talk in my room after supper and after you and Duncan have made your plans.”
*****
Harry stepped out of the hotel and stopped cold.
Across the street was his quarry, Sam Colter.
He was with a pretty blond woman.
He watched him pull the woman into his arms and kiss her.
He slid into the shadows and watched them go up the street and into the boarding house.
It was a good thing he’d chosen the hotel instead of the boarding house or all his plans would have been for nothing.
As is was, things were proceeding nicely.
Harry went down to the bath house.
He needed a bath, shave and haircut if he was to put his plan into action.
Thirty minutes later, Joshua Beals the new school teacher emerged from the bath house and went in search of the barber.
After the haircut, it was time to see if Harry was recognizable.
He put on his only suit, it was wrinkled but clean.
He walked the short distance up the street to the mercantile.
“Hello, be right with you,” said the woman behind the counter.
The sound of coins hitting tin reverberated through the store.
“Now what can I help you with, young man?”
Harry smiled wide and took off his hat.
“Hello, ma’am, I need some supplies.
I’m Joshua Beals, the new school teacher.
I believe I’m expected.”
“I’m Sadie.
Sadie Hawkins.”
The woman dropped everything and hurried around the counter.
“Pleased to meet you,” she said grabbing Harry’s hand and shaking his with both of hers.
“You too, Mrs. Hawkins.”
“Just Sadie.
Everyone calls me Sadie.
Now what can I be a getting you.
You know where the school is, right?
Your house is right next to it.
At last count you’ll have eight pupils from age five to fourteen.
The five year old is Mary McKenzie and the fourteen year old is my son Gordon Jr.
Don’t let him give you any sass.”
“No ma’am I won’t.
Now about those supplies?”
“Not to worry.
I have the dry goods right here.
You’ll want to add some salt pork and maybe some tinned goods.
Me and Gordon, that’s my husband, will be giving you some beef every week and some of the other families will be getting you pork and chicken.
We may not pay a lot but we’ll feed you well, Mr. Beals.”