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February 27, 1874
I woke before dawn in the still-silent house, my thoughts immediately going to Hank. Despite Michaela's assertion that having Sully behind bars had been far preferable to not knowing where he was or if she had already been made a widow, Hank's arrest had brought me very little peace of mind. I kept thinking of a boy too restless to spend his life behind a desk, despite enormous family pressure--a boy for whom time spent at sea had felt too confining. Locking a man like Hank in a tiny cell and depriving him of his freedom was like placing an eagle into a cage. Hearing a child's soft whimper, I quickly threw back the quilts and put on slippers and robe, hoping to reach Katie's room before she disturbed Mike and Sully. I opened the door and found her sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes with both fists, her face puckered into readiness for a loud wailing cry for her mother's attention. "Good morning, Katie-Kates," I whispered, giving her a hug. "Do you need to go potty?" She nodded, still half-asleep, and I helped her manage her gown, then washed her hands and face. The room was chilly, embers glowing dimly in the fireplace, and I quickly dressed her in thick leggings, shoes, and a warm dress and sweater before carrying her downstairs. "Now, what would you like for breakfast?" I knelt and lit the kindling that Sully had already laid in readiness for whoever was first out of bed. "Pie." "We had cherry cobbler last night. Why don't we cook Matthew and Brian something different this morning?" "Okay. And make a pie for Kaey." "I have a good idea." I lit a lamp, then washed my hands. "Why don't I make pancakes with faces for everybody?" Intrigued but doubtful, she took up her post in a chair to watch while I quickly put on the coffee and bacon, then began mixing up the pancake batter. While the griddle heated I broke eggs into a bowl, then set out to amuse her with my ability to flip pancakes in the air as well as to provide them with eyes and smiles. She was giggling and kicking her feet with pleasure, cheering my efforts on, when I heard boots against wood, and Matthew appeared. "Mornin'." He grinned, his eyes going to the apron my small "assistant" wore as she clutched a spare spatula in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. "Come and see, Machoo!" Obediently he came over to the warmer to take a look, and she pointed to the pancake that I had just added to the stacks. "That's Billy." "We've already named one for almost every person in town, and now we're starting on the characters in her books," I explained. "Dr. Mike and Sully not up yet?" Matthew poured himself a cup of coffee. "They must have decided to sleep in a bit this morning." I put butter into the frying pan to melt so that I could scramble the eggs. "Is Brian awake?" "He oughta be down any minute." "I still have to get dressed and go back home to feed my animals before time for work, so we'll eat as soon as the eggs are ready." "I'll ride over and take care of things, after I finish up the chores here," he offered. "That'll give you a few minutes extra to stop by and see Hank." "Thank you." I flipped the four pancakes in front of me. "Kae-lin's magic." Katie pointed to the faces that now either frowned or smiled up out of the pan. Peering closer at one that I'd given a frown, a delighted smile broke out on her face. "Mr. Bray!" Both Matthew and I started laughing, and he swung her up into his arms for a kiss. "You are a mess," he accused. "Am not!" she protested, looking down at the clean apron that covered her from armpits to ankles in puzzlement. Suddenly I realized that Matthew was watching me, his eyes moving admiringly from the spill of curls that I hadn't had time to tame, back to my face. I had never thought of Matthew Cooper as anything other than my best friends' oldest son, and for the first time it occurred to me that the "boy" was a man only a few years younger than I was. "What's your shaving kit doing out on the porch?" Brian entered the kitchen from outside, apparently having used the back stairs to make his trip to the privy. "So that's where it ended up." Matthew rubbed his unshaven chin, smiling at me. "I must've left it out there yesterday." "Don't remember seeing it 'til now." Going to the cupboard for dishes, Brian began to set the table. "Is Ma feeling better this morning?" "I'm sure that she's fine." I took up the eggs and put them into a bowl. "She was already feeling better by the time I came back downstairs last night." "We decided to let Sully and her sleep late." Matthew went into the pantry and brought out syrup and strawberry preserves, allowing his tiny sister to carry the smaller jar. "How could anybody sleep with bacon frying and coffee perking on the stove?" Brian wondered aloud. "Ab-ra-ca-dab-rah!" Katie chortled with glee as I flipped the final pancakes and moustached faces appeared. "When you hear that repeated 2,562 times over the next few days, I suppose that I can't possibly deny that I'm the guilty party?" I chuckled. "We're gonna loan her to you for a week," Sully threatened, smiling broadly as he joined us. "So you two finally decided to crawl out of bed, now that breakfast is ready to put on the table?" I teased. "Good morning." Michaela came in, still buttoning her robe, and gave Katie a kiss. "Feeling okay now?" Matthew questioned. "I feel wonderful." She was beaming with happiness as she made eye contact with me. "Your ma and me got somethin' to tell you." Sully slipped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "We're gonna have another baby." "When?" Brian demanded, his face lighting up, as he came to hug the two of them. "About two months after Colleen and Andrew have theirs." "Congratulations." Matthew juggled Katie on his hip and leaned forward to kiss Mike. "This one could use a little brother or sister before we all spoil her rotten." "I suspect that it's already a bit late for that." Mike brushed her palm lovingly over the tyke's silky hair. "Sit down'n eat." Katie tugged on Matthew's shirt to urge him to carry her over to her highchair. "This time you gotta take it easier, Ma." Brian pulled out a chair at one end of the table and waited until Michaela sat down. "I plan to." "These are for you." I stacked moustached pancakes on the plate in front of her. "In case you don't get the hint, we're expecting you to produce a boy." "Would you like to specify the hair and eye color, too?" "I'll leave that up to your discretion." I took my seat at the table so that the men would sit down. "But whatever color you decide on, you might at least try to make both eyes match..." "Did you sleep well?" She laughed, beginning to pass the platters of food around. "As well as could be expected." I gave her a devilish grin, my face hidden from the others by a curtain of hair as I turned my head. "I'm sure that it's difficult to get much rest when you're concerned about Hank," she recovered smoothly, hiding her own involuntary smile by wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Matthew, will you be serving as the prosecuting attorney?" Brian asked curiously. My breath caught in my throat, the thought not having occurred to me as yet that the man at the other end of the table might be the one arguing the case for Hank's murder conviction and death by hanging. I slowly turned my head to look at him, waiting for his answer, my appetite gone. "Not this time," he said quietly, his eyes meeting mine. "Daniel hasn't asked, but I'll have to say no if he does. When I was sheriff and I needed a deputy Hank was always the first to volunteer, and I learned a lot from him. I could use the work, but makin' a case against Hank ain't something I'd feel right about doin'. Because of what I owe him--and because of Caitlyn." "Thank you." My hands were shaking slightly as I picked up my cup of coffee. "I'm awfully relieved to hear that." "Are you and Hank seriously courtin', Miss Caitlyn?" Brian took another bite of his pancakes. "Or is that just talk around town?" Aware that it would be impossible now to keep our relationship out of the public eye, since I had no intention of staying away from the jail, I decided to be completely honest. "Hank and I are engaged to be married." "Our last teacher married Jake, now this one's promised to Hank." Matthew smiled. "Looks like I'm going to have to buy a hotel if I want to find myself a pretty, educated woman." "So far they've all managed to ignore the allure of Mr. Lodge," Mike reminded him drily. "Hank's a lucky man." Matthew met my gaze. "I hope you and him will be real happy." "Me, too." Brian nodded, starting to help himself to more pancakes. "NO!" Katie screeched, shaking her head and pointing at the platter. "Don't eat Mr. Bray!" At the look of confusion on everyone's faces but Matthew's, I started laughing. "You've been dining on pancakes named for all of your friends and relatives." "What do you want me to do with 'Mr. Bray,' Katie?" Brian chuckled. "Put jelly on him." He complied, then passed the pancake to her, watching as she carefully folded it and took a bite. "Mmmm." She smacked her lips with pleasure. "No cannibals on my side of the family." Sully's blue eyes moved over his wife's face, lingering hungrily on her lips. "She must've got this from yours." "Blame Cait. Hopefully, she and Hank will have at least half a dozen children so that she will be far too busy with her own to further corrupt ours." Mike's gaze held his, the lines of tension that had furrowed her forehead for weeks completely gone. "It seems funny to think of Hank and Miss Caitlyn raising a family together." Brian smiled. "I mean, I know he's got Zach, but I just never thought of him being a pa." "I never thought Hank would get married." Matthew grinned. "But then none of us reckoned on Caitlyn coming along either." "Do you think Daniel's got enough of a case to take Hank to trial?" Sully turned to his son. "The question ain't whether he can--he's got the right--but why would he want to? There's more evidence to support letting Hank go than for keeping him locked up, from what I've heard so far. After what you told me-- about him having the kind of alibi he does--the right thing to do would've been to drop it. Why bring all this out in open Court, when Daniel didn't get a good look at who did it? It makes no sense to me to--cause harm--when there's no need. If I was still sheriff, there would never have been a warrant issued." "It still ain't too late to drop the charges--but it's gonna take some doin' to convince Daniel." "I need to go upstairs now and get ready for school." I laid my napkin on the table. "If you will excuse me?" "Thank you for cooking breakfast." Mike smiled. "You're welcome, you slugabed." "How about you and me ride into town together in the wagon?" Sully suggested as I stood. "I'm gonna be leavin' here before the rest. I gotta job I want to get started on over at Eoghan McDonald's place, and I need some nails from Loren." "I wouldn't mind the company." I nodded. By the time that I had taken a quick sponge bath, dressed, and pinned my hair up Sully had finished his meal and was patiently waiting for me, his daughter perched on one knee. After Katie had covered both of our faces with kisses, he tied Storm to the back of the wagon, and the two of us headed toward town. "You're looking particularly--smug--this morning," I accused, smiling. "I ever told you how glad I am you showed up in Colorado Springs?" He chuckled. "Michaela's needed a woman friend like you for long as I known her --somebody who can make her remember how to laugh." "If it was Mike's last day on Earth she would keep her nose to the grindstone unless somebody prodded her into having a little fun." I sighed in mock resignation. "She tell you about that?" "About what?" "The comet." "What comet?" I was baffled. "The one folks around here believed was gonna hit and destroy the world. Happened before me and her got married. I asked her if there was anything she'd always wanted to do, and she said fly a kite. Before she even learned how to keep it up in the air, she was ready for me to take her back to work." "You are kidding?" I looked over at him, trying to decide if he was having a joke at my expense. "Nope." "You must have known then that you had your work cut out for you." I giggled. "Forget kites and my job. I would have seen how fast I could possibly run to Hank." "He woulda met you about a third of the way there...considerin' his legs are lots longer." A smile played along his lips. "It's plain you got him ready to put his bachelor days behind him." "Back home--before the war--an engagement of less than a year would have had the neighbors anticipating the announcement of a 'premature' birth, butout here...I thought six months would be adequate. That we could have a September wedding. Now--I don't even want to wait that long. With everything that's happened, I'm ready to marry Hank as soon as we possibly can." "Wasn't all that long ago you were swearin' you didn't even like the man," he teased. "Sometimes I didn't--but at the same time I loved him so much that I couldn't seem to catch my breath whenever he walked into a room." I smiled ruefully. "Could I ask you something? Was it terribly uncomfortable for you, going to Boston for the first time to meet Michaela's family?" "Compared to 'rasslin' a grizzly, I'd rather have taken on the bear." He chuckled. "But she was already there, and it was startin' to look like she didn't plan on comin' back. I either had to go--or I was gonna lose her." "If Daddy believes that Hank loves me and will be good to me, he won't have any problem at all with the fact that I've chosen to marry someone completely different from what they would have expected. The two of them will be riding horses, playing poker, smoking Cuban cigars, and drinking bourbon together the same day that they meet. Mother will be more difficult to convince." "You and Hank are the ones gonna make it work--or not," he reminded me quietly. "And from what I saw, it seems like you're both about as sure you belong together as a man and a woman can ever be." "It feels as if everything that's happened in my entire life has been a road that's led me to Colorado and Hank Lawson," I confided. "Why, I don't know--but this is the way that it's meant to be." "You gonna tell yer folks about him bein' arrested?" "I sent a wire yesterday, asking one of my sisters to come and stay for awhile." I nodded. "Right now, I don't feel very much like being alone." "This has gone a whole lot further than it ought to have," he opined flatly. "Hot-tempered and headstrong as Hank is, in all the years I known him he'd face you down if he was mad. He ain't the type who'd knife an unarmed man in a jail cell." "You two seem to know each other awfully well for men who never spend time in each other's company," I suggested quietly. "Back when I was a miner, come the weekend we'd get all cleaned up and head into town to drink beer, smoke, and dance with the whores." He shrugged. "Me'n'him are the 'bout the same age, and we got in the habit of goin' huntin' and fishin'...sometimes run our traps together in winter." "YOU used to spend time at the saloon?" I studied him in surprise. "Man works five and a half days down in the hole he deserves one night a week to celebrate the fact that he's still alive." "Did you ever...?" I blushed bright crimson. "I wasn't about to waste my hard-earned money on that kinda 'enter- tainment." Sully grinned over at me. "I was comin' inta town to get a look at Abigail Bray--makin' sure I got one of them tables at the window so I could see if Abby come out on the sidewalk to listen to the music. Back when Clarice was alive Hank always had a guitar in his hands, and River-Bob, he would play fiddle or banjo, long as his glass was kept filled for free. Once the two of 'em got goin', nobody in hearin' distance could keep their feet from tappin'. Hank used to threaten to make us all leave our boots at the door 'cause at least one of his girls was always limpin' around with a broke toe from us gallopin' them around in the room in our minin' boots. I figure the smell of our socks the one time he tried it was enough to convince him to change his mind." "You knew Clarice?" I felt my heart quicken. "Met her'n'Hank at the same time." He nodded. "Was she--pretty?" I twisted the cord of my reticule, wanting to know and yet afraid of what I might hear. He glanced at me and hesitated. "The prettiest woman I'd ever laid eyes on back then," he finally admitted, deciding that I wanted the truth. "Blue-eyed, hair so pale it was almost silver--nearly tall as me. Lookin' at her--talkin' to her--you'd never have known she was a whore." "Do you know what was wrong with her...why she died?" I asked quietly. "Band of Utes with a taste for whiskey attacked Hank's supply wagon not far outside of town." Sully's jaw tightened. "He woulda give it up without much of a fight, but this bunch wanted her, too. Hank tried holdin' em off--ended up with three bullets in him and one in her. Knicked her intestines. She was burnin' up with fever...swellin' real bad from infection. Closest thing we had to a doctor was Charlotte Cooper, and wasn't nothin' she could do 'cept give her laudanum. Didn't come come to cuttin' the pain. For three days straight she cried and begged Hank to give her his pistol--or use it on her himself." "Dear God," I whispered, tears filling my eyes. "When Clarice finally died, you couldn't have got half a dozen men to bet a nickel that Hank would still be alive by the time another year rolled around. We all figured it was a matter of time before he killed somebody or got himself killed, and it didn't seem to matter much to him which way it went. People who knew him stayed out of his way--left him alone." "He told me that he stayed drunk for a long time--that he was angry at the world." "A man blames himself for not bein' able to keep the woman he loves safe...and for bein' alive when she's gone." The hollow sound of his voice drew my gaze, and I saw the reflection of his own inner pain in his eyes. "I never knew how deep that feelin' goes 'til I lost Abigail--then I understood better'n I ever wanted to."
With less than 30 minutes left until I had to ring the schoolbell, Sully offered to take Storm to the livery, then dropped me off at Grace's cafe. She was busy at the stove, and I hurried over to where she had a pan of eggs frying. "How ya holdin' up?" she asked quietly. "Is it that obvious?" "Saw the way you was lookin' at that man the day he brought you to church. Even then it was already too late to talk any sense into you." Grace glanced up at the orders hanging on the clothesline above her stove and added more sausage to another huge skillet. "You were too far gone." "I fought my feelings for Hank for as long as I could," I admitted. "The time finally came when I had to admit defeat and run up the white flag." "For the life of me, I can't figure out what a woman like you could want with Hank Lawson, but if you can make a silk purse outta that sow's ear, it'll be doin' the whole town a favor." She sniffed. "From you, that's almost a stamp of approval," I teased. "You want my approval, you'd best be lookin' for somebody besides Hank." Grace snorted, glancing at me over her shoulder. "He ain't my favorite person. Was he beat bad as they're sayin'?" "He has broken bones and needed stitches," I answered flatly. "And I doubt that there are very many places on his body where he's not black and blue." "Hoped I'd seen the last of men being whipped or stomped half to death." She quickly slid eggs onto four plates, added ham, fried potatoes, and a biscuit, then waved a towel at her assistant to indicate that an order was ready to be picked up. "I love Hank too much to ever want him to become Sheriff--he takes enough risks with his life without having a tin star pinned to his chest--but in my opinion electing Daniel Simon was the worst mistake that Colorado Springs has ever made." "Couldn't pick out the worst one if I tried." She sighed. "You do know there's loose talk around town? Everybody's heard about Hank bein' caught on your place and wonderin' if he was stayin' there the whole time." "I've apparently had several men chaperoning my every move from the day that Daniel charged Hank with murder. There shouldn't be anything to 'wonder' about. As they well know, wherever he's been, it wasn't with me." "Would it be a waste o' my breath, tellin' you it might be better if you'd stay away from him 'til this is all over?" "Would you have stayed away from Robert E?" After a moment she shook her head reluctantly. "Wish I could say I would, but if I did, I'd be lyin'. Back before me'n'Robert E ever got married, his forge exploded. He got burned real bad. Didn't want me to see him like that...and I came anyway. Couldn't have stayed away if I'd tried." "It's almost time for me to be at work." I glanced at the town clock. "Is there anything already cooked that I could take to Hank for breakfast? Biscuits and gravy, maybe?" "Man needs meat to build his strength back up." She put two sausage patties that she had just fried into huge buttermilk biscuits. "Take him these. Preston can wait." "Thank you." I gratefully wrapped the food in a napkin. "Cait?" Her voice stopped me, and I turned back to meet her gaze. "You find Hank a good lawyer. Guilty or not, he's gonna need one." "One of his brothers is an attorney in North Carolina, and I've already sent a telegram, asking if he could recommend someone from this area. Hank probably won't like it that I let his family know, but I had no idea what else to do." "What's wrong with Matthew Cooper?" She broke several more eggs into the pan. "He's made a fine lawyer." "Hank served as Matthew's deputy--but most of what he earns now comes from cases that he tried for Daniel," I reminded her quietly. "On top of that, Sheriff Simon is a friend of the Sully family and so am I, I couldn't ask Matthew to make a choice. To put himself into that position. It's simply not fair." "Them biscuits are gonna be half-stale, if you don't pour that man of yours a cup of coffee and get on over to the jail." She lifted crisp strips of bacon onto plates that had been set at the back of the stove to stay warm. "I've been keepin' Hank fed ever since I opened this Cafe, and until he starts puttin' his feet underneath your table regular every night, guess I'll just keep on doin' it. Tell him I'll be sendin' over chicken an' dumplin's for his dinner. An' I won't forget the bill." Short of time and not inclined to waste one precious second of it on Daniel, I went straight to the cell with Hank's breakfast. He was lying on his back on one of the bunks, the many bruises on his face looking much worse on the second day. Turning his head, he winced as he tried to smile at me. "Didn't expect to see you here 'til after school's out." "I stopped by Grace's to get you something to eat." "Smells good." Every movement clearly causing him enormous pain, he staggered to his feet and hobbled over to where I waited. "Don't know if I can chew, but I sure as hell plan to try." He managed to set the coffee and biscuits on a nearby shelf. "My belly's makin' love to my backbone. Last time I put somethin' in it was day--day and a half ago." "You should have told me." I felt a stab of guilt for not having thought to bring him a meal on the day before. "Doubt I coulda kept anything down 'til now." He shrugged. "Grace will bring over chicken and dumplings at noon. If that's not soft enough, I'll make sure that you get soup or stew for dinner." Looking down at me, he reached between the bars and touched my mouth lightly with his fingertips. Grasping his hand with mine I kissed it, tears welling up and spilling over as I held his palm against my cheek. "Woman like you was never meant to be standin' in front of a jail cell." His voice was still hoarse and throaty. "There's absolutely no reason for you to be in here either." I pressed myself against the heavy door. "You've done nothing wrong." "Didn't kill nobody anyways," he corrected me wryly. "How're yer folks gonna take the news I'm locked up for murder? They gonna try an' stop you from marryin' me?" "Do you honestly believe that they could?" I chided gently. "I was your Pa, I'd find a way." "If you had known me for as long as he has, you would know that even if he drug me back to Georgia, he would have to keep me under lock and key--that I would be on the train to Colorado the minute that he turned his back." "You'd be better off forgettin' about me... Truth is, you deserve somebody a helluva lot better." "There is no one else for me but you," I whispered. "Not now--not ever." "First time I ever had reason to wanna be a better man...cared 'bout my reputation...and I'm gonna end up ruinin' yers. Feels like I let you down." "When this is all over we can leave here. Go to Riverview or move further West. As long as we're together, I can be happy anywhere." Swallowing hard, he fumbled in the pocket of his shirt, then placed a small velvet bag into my palm. Seeing my confusion, he smiled slightly. "Horace come in late yesterday, lookin' to give ya a telegram from yer Ma. That's how I found out it was yer birthday." "But with you being in jail, how did you..." "It ain't new," he interrupted quietly. "I sent a note to the saloon. Told Lacy where to go look in my room to find it." I opened the bag, spilling the contents into my hand, and drew in a quick breath of surprise as I found myself holding an exquisite gold locket, centered with a large ruby surrounded by four oval rings of tiny, delicate pearls. "My great-grandpa give that to Nana's ma as a weddin' present... an' Nana wanted me to have it when she left to go back to Norway." "It's beautiful." Tears flooded my vision. "Nana said I'd know the right woman to give it to when the time came I was ready," he admitted softly. "She was right." "Just when I think that I couldn't possibly love you any more than I already do, something happens to prove me wrong." I lifted my gaze to his. "Back has the dates on it when my grandma and great-grandma got married." His eyes locked with mine. "Thought we could add yours'n'mine underneath...an' put one of them weddin' pictures you wanted inside." "Oh, Hank..." I whispered, clutching the gift tightly in my hand. "Seein' as how both of them got married in June, I thought maybe, if yer willin', we might could just follow suit and make it all three." |
