by Kit Morgan
“I don’t think it’s so bad. I feel much better than last night.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Doc Waller said firmly.
Sadie set the half-eaten bread on the plate as he came around the table. “Take off that bonnet. It looks like it needs a good washing anyway.”
“Yes, sir,” she said and complied. Her hair spilled out of the bonnet in a dark cascade as loose pins tinkled onto the floor.
Harrison all but choked on his coffee.
Doc Waller grinned knowingly and began to examine her head. It didn’t take long to find the trouble spot.
“Oh!” Sadie exclaimed when he touched the large lump.
“Woo-wee! What a doozy! That’s the biggest lump I’ve ever come across! How’d you get it?”
Now Harrison did choke.
“I don’t remember.”
"Hmmm," Doc began. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about it, would you Harrison?”
Harrison set his coffee down. “Ah, yes. Well, as it was, Miss Jones ... she ... well I had to ... what I mean ...”
“Just spit it out, boy!”
Harrison looked at Sadie. “I do so apologize.” He turned to Doc Waller. “I hit a tree with her.”
“You ... you did, what?” Doc Waller sputtered.
Sadie sat and stared at him, eyes wide.
Harrison squared his shoulders. “I had to carry you after you fainted. As I was fleeing I slipped on some ice and fell against a tree. I’m afraid, Miss Jones, your head hit it harder than I did. Please accept my most humble apology.”
“That would explain it.” Doc Waller mumbled as he began to feel around the injured area again.
Sadie continued to sit and stare. So, he really had rescued her. She knew she was delirious last night and thought she might have imagined parts of it. But she hadn’t. It must have been horrific for him to carry her while running for his life as he escaped to his horse, or wagon, or...
Oh none of that mattered! What did matter was he risked his life to save her. And succeeded. “Thank you.”
Harrison gave her a single nod. His mouth then curved into a slight smile and she swore he started to blush as he quickly pushed out. “I best go see if I can find the sheriff.”
Sadie could only nod as Doc Waller continued to poke and prod at her. She watched her rescuer leave as the enormity of her recent ordeal hit her full force. She would be forever grateful to the broad shouldered Englishman. He’d saved her life. Not only that, but he saved her quest.
“Doc Waller,” she began. “Do you know a woman here in town by the name of Teresa Mitchell?”
“I don’t know of any Miss Mitchell. But there is a woman in town named Teresa.”
Mrs. Waller’s mouth formed into a thin line. “Here now girl, what business do you have with the likes of her?”
Sadie ignored her remark. “Do you know her?”
The Waller's exchanged a quick glance as Mr. Waller came around the table to stand next to his wife. “We both know of her,” he answered.
“What do you want with her? She’s a harlot, child. A harlot! You’ve no business even going near a woman like that.”
“Sarah, quiet!” Doc Waller ordered.
Mrs. Waller’s words stung. Sadie held her breath before she asked, “Is she alive?”
“Yep, I reckon so,” he began. “That is, the last time I checked. Why? What’s she to you?”
“I know she’s nothing more than a harlot. But to me,” Sadie looked them both right in the eye. “She’s my mother.”
Four
“Your mother?” Mrs. Waller gasped.
“Blazes, Sarah! You can see it plain as day! She looks just like the woman!”
“Yes, I can see that, but did she know her mother was a ... a ...”
“Adventuress woman?” Sadie finished for her. “A prostitute, Mrs. Waller? A whore? Yes. Yes I knew.”
Mrs. Waller stood and stammered as she searched for the best way to apologize. Finally she said, “I’m sorry if I offended you. Guess it don’t much matter what she’s done. She’s still your mother. And it’s none of my business anyway. It’s just that the decent folk around here run the rest of those women out of town. They left your mother behind on account she was sick. Only a matter of time before she’d be run out of town too only no one wanted to be responsible.”
“Responsible for what?”
Mrs. Waller closed her eyes a moment. “Her passing on.”
Sadie stood. Running a sick woman out of town in this cold was like a death sentence. “Can you take me to her?”
“Yes. We can go right now if you like.”
“I would appreciate it. And no offense taken. I know what my mother is.”
Sadie turned from them a moment to collect herself. How could people be so cruel to another human being? The towns people had no idea what made her mother sink to such desperation. “But I know what drove her to it.” Sadie said and faced them again. “And more than anything else I want to be able to tell her I love her before she dies. She is dying, isn’t she Doc?”
Doc Waller slowly nodded.
Tears stung the back of Sadie’s eyes, but she refused to let them have their way. “Let’s go then.”
Within moments Sadie was on her way to meet a woman she could not remember. She had no idea what she looked like, what kind of person she was before her ruin, if the woman even loved her. But one thing Sadie did know was how much it could mean to someone to tell them they were loved. And even if her mother would not, or could not tell Sadie how she felt about her, Sadie desperately needed to tell her mother she loved her. And forgive her.
Perhaps then Sadie could find it in her heart to forgive her father.
* * *
Harrison hurried down the street to the Sheriff’s office, the look on Miss Jones's face still fresh in his mind. It had changed from accusatory to one of admiration as she realized what he’d done. He was right. A bump to the head was much better in her eyes than being dead at the hands of the outlaws.
He smiled to himself as he stepped up to the Sheriff’s office, his smile broadening as he remembered her dark hair, freed from the confines of her bonnet, spill down around her shoulders. He’d never seen such a beautiful sight. Such a beautiful woman. Such a ...
The door was locked, the Sheriff’s office empty. “Blast!” The posse was still out searching for the outlaws. Harrison forced himself back to the business at hand. He had to find out if the posse had retrieved the mailbag, not to mention those no good outlaws. No sense waiting around. He might as well head back to Doc Waller’s and see how Miss Jones was faring.
“You’re up early, ain’t ya?” A voice called.
Harrison turned. His stepbrothers, Jack and Sam, stood on the other side of the street. Great. This was all he needed. Harrison sighed. “I’d say the same thing about you. You two are never up this early. Is Mulligan giving away free drinks this morning?”
His brothers both sneered at him. “If’n he was, we never would have come home last night!” Jack called back. Both brothers began to laugh boisterously at the remark.
Harrison rolled his eyes. It didn’t take much to send them into hysterical cackles. “Are you telling me you’ve actually come into town for apurpose?”
Sam settled himself somewhat. “We come for coffee and a few other things. Seems someone hasn’t been keeping up on the supplies like he oughta.”
“Why else would I be here?” Harrison countered.
“Then how come you’re hanging round the Sheriff’s office? And why’s the wagon outside the Doc’s?” Jack asked, a slight challenge in his voice.
“Why don’t you come across the street and talk to me instead of doing all that yelling?” Was all Harrison offered.
Sam spit. “Worthless piece of ...”
“I heard the posse should be back soon.” Harrison began again. “I was wondering if they found out anything before I got supplies. You haven’t seen them have you?”
“
What do we care?” Sam asked.
“Thought you might be curious like every body else. There’s been too much thievery of late, don’t you think?”
Sam and Jack both spit. “Don’t pay no mind to it.” Sam said. “Get the supplies then get on home. You got pigs to feed and a barn to clean, boy.” He shoved at Jack and they headed down the street toward the livery stable.
Harrison watched them go. Mulligan’s was closed. And his lazy brothers never came to town to actually take care of any real business. That was Harrison’s job. The only business that brought the other Cooke men to town was drinking. So why were they here at this hour? Hadn’t they noticed the wagon was gone? That alone should have indicated he'd come to town to tend to things. One thing in particular.
Harrison headed back to the Waller's and continued to puzzle over his brothers unusual presence. It wasn’t long before he saw Miss Jones walking toward him, the Waller's close behind. He stopped up short and watched her approach. He was glad she had an over-coat on. Probably belonged to Doc. It was too big and her hands barely peeked out from the long sleeves. She’d not bothered to re-pin her hair, but instead wore it long and loose. By Heaven, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He swallowed hard as she walked up to him.
“Mr. Cooke, did you find the Sheriff?” she asked.
Harrison eyes locked on hers. The deep, cornflower blue was mesmerizing. “No, they haven’t returned.” he forced out. It sounded a bit gruff. But he didn’t want to sound like a blithering idiot. His mouth had gone dry and he fought the urge to lick his lips in front of her. Good God, had it been that long since he’d been around a beautiful woman?
Unfortunately. Yes.
Doc Waller eyed him a moment as his mouth slowly formed into a lopsided grin.
Was itthat obvious? Harrison inwardly moaned.
Grandma Waller also took a gander at him, smiled, and then quickly glanced to Miss Jones.
Miss Jones, if she had noticed his starry eyed expression, was either too polite to comment or too intent on finding the Sheriff. “Just as well, Doc Waller was taking me to see my mother.”
Harrison opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. There were only so many people in Clear Creek. “Who’s your mother?” he finally asked.
“Teresa Mitchell.” And with that Miss Jones walked on, the Waller's too. Harrison turned and watched them go, his mind ticking off a mental list of people he knew. Which in this case was practically everyone in town. But he didn’t recall anyone named Teresa Mitchell. Unless ...
“Do you mean to tell me your mother is Tantalizing ...” He snapped his mouth shut. He’d done it again.
Miss Jones spun on her heel to face him. “What did you call her?”
If Harrison had any sense he’d pull his gun out and pistol-whip himself with it. “I did not mean to offend. But the only person named Teresa in this town is ...”
“The town whore, I know.”
Harrison’s eyes widened slightly. “Tantalizing Teresa is yourmother?”
“Tantalizing. An interesting nickname.”
“It’s what the men call her.”
“And what have you called her, Mr. Cooke?”
Harrison saw the flash of anger in her eyes. She automatically assumed he’d used the services of the only soiled dove left in Clear Creek. But why wouldn’t she? For the most part there weren’t any other women in town. Grandma Waller of course. Irene Dunnigan who ran the Mercantile with her husband Wilfred. A few farmer’s wives, and Mrs. Van Cleet who had come to Clear Creek with her husband Cyrus. They planned on building a hotel in the late spring when every thing had finally thawed out. The stage came through once a month, but word was it would come more frequently in the very near future. Especially with a hotel in town.
“Well, Mr. Cooke?”
Harrison’s sudden urge to take the beautiful Miss Jones and whisk her away to safety was overwhelming. There were at least fifteen men to every woman in the area, and those women were married. “I’m afraid I’ve not had the pleasure of making her acquaintance.”
Miss Jones let go a shaky sigh. “Well then, I suppose that’s for the best.” She quickly turned and started off again. The rest followed.
It wasn’t long before they reached the saloon. “Mr. Mulligan said they were going to move her to the shed out back. More privacy.” Doc Waller said. “Follow me.”
They followed him around the side of the building to the rear yard. Harrison had never been behind the saloon and was surprised to find a small fenced area that looked like it was used as a vegetable garden. Beyond the garden area was a tiny shed. It was no more than seven feet wide and probably just as deep. It had a door and a small window. Many of the shed’s boards had knotholes in them which the wind probably blew right through. Good Lord! The sick woman had to be freezing in there!
Miss Jones must have thought the same thing as she raced to the shed’s door, her face stricken. She softly knocked before she entered. Harrison and the Waller's followed her in.
Just as Harrison thought, the temperature inside wasn’t any different from outside. There was a small potbelly stove but it was stone cold. “I’ll start a fire right away,” he offered.
“No need, Harrison.” Doc Waller told him, and bent to the cot shoved against the wall.
A thin form was buried beneath several ragged quilts. Doc Waller gently shook the woman who in turn fell into a horrible coughing fit. She poked her head out from under the quilts and spit blood into a nearby bucket. She then took in the faces staring down at her.
“What do you want?” She rasped.
Miss Jones approached slowly, the others moved out of her way. She pushed the bucket behind her and knelt beside the cot. “I ... I’ve come to help you.”
The woman’s glazed eyes narrowed. “Help me?” She coughed again. “Help me out of town you mean. What’s the matter? This shed still too close to Mrs. Dunnigan? I suppose now she wants to send me out onto the prairie to die.”
Miss Jones shook her head. “No, nothing like that. We’re here to take you to Mr. and Mrs. Waller’s home. You can get better there. They have a room you can use.”
The woman looked at her and coughed again. Miss Jones was quick to grab the bucket for her. After she coughed up more blood she fell back upon the cot. “Who are you?”
Harrison watched as Miss Jones closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m your daughter Sadie, and I’ve come to get you out of here.”
Five
Sadie held her breath. Her mother stared at her in shock and disbelief before she clawed her way to a sitting position. Once she managed that she again fell into a horrible coughing fit. Doc Waller stepped forward. “We best move her before the cold takes its toll. It’s freezing in here.” He turned to Grandma Waller. “You run on ahead and get the bed ready.”
Grandma Waller hurried out the door as the coughing continued. Sadie extended a hand to her mother and rubbed her back. The woman looked like she was trying to wave the hand away as her body jerked and heaved from the force of her coughing.
Sadie couldn’t stand seeing her like this. Even if she wasn’t her mother, no one should suffer so. “Let’s get you out of here. You’ll be much more comfortable at the Waller’s home.”
“Why are you doing this?” Her mother rasped between spasms.
“I told you. I’m taking you out of here. You won’t get well in this drafty shack. What are you doing out here anyway?”
The woman hugged herself to get her heaving body under control. “Don’t you know? I ain’t fit enough to be inside. I’m no better than a filthy animal in this town’s eyes.”
Sadie nodded to Doc Waller to help get her mother up off the cot. She’d deal with the remark about the town later. Getting her mother warm was more important.
“Here, let me help.” Harrison said as he bent to the cot and in one swift move, lifted her mother into his arms, quilts and all.
“Mr. Cooke!” Sadie began. Surely he wasn’
t going to carry her all the way back to the Waller's home. But then, hadn’t he carried her? And at a greater distance and under much more difficult circumstances too. She felt an odd flutter in her stomach at the thought of his race to save her from the outlaws.
He looked at her, one brow raised in question, then smiled “Don’t worry. I’ll try not to injure her. I promise.”
He was making light of the situation. It made her feel better. “I don’t think there are any trees along the way to worry about, Mr. Cooke.” She wanted to call him by his first name, but felt it wasn't yet proper.
His smile broadened into a great, glorious warm smile that sent Sadie’s heart into a back flip. “We should go,” he began. “Doc’s house is on the other side of town.” He glanced to the woman in his arms. She had her head against his shoulder, her eyes closed. She’d not put up a fuss when he picked her up. She was indeed weak. All her strength spent talking. Sadie met his eyes with the same look of concern.
They left the shack and headed back to the Waller's. Sadie walked beside him and watched her mother for any signs of major discomfort. Her body was so still she feared the woman died in Harrison’s arms after he picked her up. But Sadie could hear her mother moan softly now and then, confirming she was still quite alive.
Sadie was glad he took the initiative and gathered her up. They had planned to support her mother and walk back to the house, even get the wagon if need be. No one thought to carry her as Harrison now did, but it was the quickest way. Sadie smiled at him, grateful.
“In the street there! What are you about?” A woman’s voice called.
Sadie turned toward the sound. A rather plump woman stood on the porch of the mercantile. Sadie hadn’t paid attention to the other buildings on her way to fetch her mother. ‘Dunnigan’s’was painted on a small board and hung above the door. The place didn’t even have a proper sign.
Doc Waller stopped up short. “Good Morning, Mrs. Dunnigan. Can’t talk! Got sickness to tend to!” He then trotted to catch up with Harrison who didn’t bat an eye at the woman.
