Brides of the West-Part One

by Hestand, Rita

  "Si…so it was attraction."

  "I also liked her spirit. She came from good stock, I knew that. Yet, she had good reasons for wanting to get away. I wanted to help her. It was that simple." Cole said.

  About to roll over, Perez asked one more question. "She is a special kind of woman, it is true. I have seen it myself. But when you and she are in the camp together, it is like thunder and lightning coming together. And like thunder and lightning, one needs the other."

  Cole smiled. "I guess that about sums it up."

  Perez laughed heartily. "Good night amigo. I will wake you at midnight. And we will get your woman back, I promise you."

  "Good."

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  "This sure isn't what I expected," Perez whispered as they found the place. They had searched the mountainside forever it seemed before coming to this enormous house out in the sticks of nowhere.

  There before them was a big white, two-story house, still in good condition. It was hidden by lots of brush and trees, as though it was meant to hide from people. But it was kept up well and looked almost pretty. It had a big wraparound porch and lots of chairs on it. There was smoke coming from the chimney.

  It looked like a home, not an outlaw camp.

  "Me neither. It's no camp. It's a home." Cole stated with surprise.

  "What makes you so sure it's the right place?" Perez asked as he turned to look at Cole.

  "That fella on the porch. I recognize him. He was one of the men that came into our camp." Cole explained. "This is the place alright."

  Perez nodded. "It's a big house."

  "Yeah…"

  Going back to their own camp, they sat down by the fire they built and studied on how to handle it.

  "Do you think we could find Emily and Beth in the same room?" Perez asked, using a stick to draw the place on the ground.

  "I don't know. Maybe…" Cole scratched his chin.

  "We need to vámonos?"

  "As soon as we figure out what the best way is. I hadn't planned on it being a big house like that. I thought more along the lines of a regular camp. I don't understand where that house came from." Cole shook his head. "There's no roads leading up to it. It's like it was built as some magnificent hide out."

  "Yeah, I don't know any outlaws with a house. Especially one that big."

  "Maybe it's his home?" Cole suggested.

  "You mean, where he grew up?"

  "Yeah! Or maybe…it's someone else's home that they took away from."

  "Stealing a house?" Perez looked at him strangely.

  "We could wonder about it all night," Cole said. "We gotta quit stalling and go in after them…"

  "You are right, compadre. I agree." Perez nodded.

  "How's the leg?"

  "Sore. But I'll manage to hold up my end." Perez smiled.

  "Okay, listen, I'll get Emily, you get Beth and if we can clear them all out, we'll hunt for the money and stuff later," Cole said.

  "Sounds reasonable."

  "Maybe we can avoid more bloodshed by going in after dark after they've gone to bed. Turned the lights out." Cole reflected.

  "That makes a lot of sense."

  "How am I supposed to find Beth?" Perez asked.

  "I don't know. We'll get Emily first, then ask her where Beth is." Cole said. "Or maybe they are at least sleeping in the same room."

  "Unless we find the senorita Beth first…"

  "Yeah…"

  "Have you still got that scatter gun?"

  "Si…why?"

  "Take it with us. Maybe we can scare them into scattering and not shooting back."

  "I'll try anything once…" Perez smiled.

  "Let's eat, and then we'll watch the house and when all the lights are out, we'll take them. If they have a guard on the porch, we'll sneak up and knock him out, then go on in. And don't worry about how hard you hit them, we want them to stay out until we are out of there."

  Perez nodded.

  "We don't even know how many there were…" Perez said.

  "About twenty at the camp," Cole answered. "Maybe more at this house."

  "You really think we're gonna get by twenty men?" He asked him.

  Cole sighed. "We got to try…"

  "Si…only I think I'll say a little prayer first." Perez smiled.

  "That might be a good idea." Cole laughed.

  Cole added a sense of direction to the drawing in the dirt. Perez nodded.

  "We need to make sure that most of them are asleep," Cole said.

  "Another good idea. That's part of what I like about you, boss. You think things out."

  "I try." Cole smiled. "Let's try getting in, and out with the girls first. Then maybe we'll worry about the money, later."

  "Again a good idea."

  "Since they are going to be asleep, maybe we should just knock them in the head as we go," Cole said.

  "Si…less trouble, less gunplay."

  "It sure is cold out here." Cole managed as he pulled his old wool coat around him tighter.

  When it was late enough, they led their horses back toward the house, but halfway there, they slid off and walked them to be more quiet.

  Sure enough, there was a man on the porch. He had a rifle in his hand, but he looked to be dozing as he sat in an old rocking chair.

  Cole motioned for him to get behind him.

  Perez did and as Cole began to walk up to the porch, the man sprang up and Perez knocked him out with the butt of his pistol.

  Cole nodded. They saw blood ooze from the man's head in the moonlight.

  They slipped inside the house.

  It was warm inside and quiet. All the lights were out.

  Fortunately, there was a moon though, so they could make out a few people in beds as they slipped up the stairs.

  Finding two women in one bedroom, they took them both out, covering them with a sheet.

  They hauled them over their shoulders and started for the stairs.

  One man came up the stairs and saw them. He began to holler, but Perez drew his knife and threw it, hitting the man in the chest, dead center of the heart. The man fell forward, landing on the knife. At least he hadn't fallen down the stairs and woke everyone up.

  Cole nodded.

  The women were kicking and trying to holler. Cole whispered. "Shh…it's me Cole…"

  One of the women stopped immediately the other hollered.

  Her voice was muffled, but it didn't sound like the me Beth they had been used to. Perez quieted her, "Be quiet senorita, or I'll knock you out."

  The woman hushed.

  They rushed down the stairs. Another cowboy came in the front door and saw them. This time Cole shot at him and he keeled over right in front of the door.

  Pushing and shoving him out of the way, they made it to the porch before someone behind them started shooting.

  Shots were fired and the men hurried across the yard with the women wrapped around their shoulders.

  They heard the clamor of people running down the stairs, and the sound of their guns as they rushed into the darkness.

  They ran for a long while when the shooting finally stopped they landed on their knees in the dirt.

  Quickly they uncovered their women.

  But to their surprise one of them was Ma, and as Emily looked at her, she realized she'd been shot by one of her own men.

  Emily clutched Cole tightly

  Cole frowned. "We thought we had Beth…where is she?"

  Emily looked at Cole for a moment, soaking him in. "She's…dead…"

  "Dead?" They both shouted.

  "I'll tell you about it later…" she hugged Cole to her and when Cole kissed her, she knew she'd found home again.

  Perez laid the woman down and stared down at her. When he raised his eyes to Cole and Emily, he shook his head.

  Ma opened her eyes. "Mike should've been back by now…" she barely managed to say.

  "Where's the money they took…" Cole asked.

  "Mike buried
it…he always hid the money he stole…" she cried.

  "Where?" Perez demanded.

  Emily looked in shock for a minute. "Don't…she's dying." Emily cried.

  Suddenly all the built up fear and frustrations got to Emily and she broke down and cried hard.

  Cole took her in his arms and cradled her. "We'll stop. You just rest…"

  Emily clung to him hopelessly, unable to stop the river of tears that streamed down her face.

  As they made their way to the campsite, Emily rested.

  Perez studied her. "She has been through a lot. It was bound to come out one way or another…"

  "I think you are right. How's the old woman?"

  "She won't make it through the night."

  Cole shook his head. "Shot by her own men. I wonder who she is?"

  "She's Mike's Ma." Emily raised up and joined them at the fire.

  "His Ma?"

  "Yeah."

  "What happened to Beth?" Perez asked.

  Emily glanced at Cole, then Perez. "She was with the one they called Angel. They…" she stopped she couldn't talk about Beth like that anymore. She was dead. She paid the price for her wrongs.

  "Anyway, Ma was gonna force them to marry. Beth stabbed Angel and he died. Then Mike's men, shot her dead."

  "And you saw all of this?" Cole frowned.

  "Yes, and more." She said sadly.

  "I'm so sorry…" Cole took her into his arms.

  "Is she going to make it?" Emily looked at the woman they had stretched out on a blanket.

  "No…honey, she won't."

  Emily nodded. "And Mike…did you see him?"

  Cole hung his head. "Yeah…They came up on us in camp a few miles back. They are both dead."

  Emily nodded. "Then…don't tell her."

  Perez frowned. "No?"

  "No. Let her die in peace…She obviously didn't have much in her lifetime." Emily sighed.

  Cole nodded, knowing Emily had seen more than most women ever would in a lifetime. He also knew she had come to some kind of terms with it all.

  "If that's what you think is best…." Cole nodded to Perez.

  "Where am I?" The old woman asked a bit later, her eyes wildly looking about, but she was unable to raise herself.

  Emily came to hover over her. "You're in camp."

  "Mike's camp?" She asked barely with a whisper.

  "Yes, Ma. Mike's camp."

  "Good. He's alright then…"

  Emily's eyes clouded with tears. "Yeah…he's alright."

  "I knew he would be al—" and then she turned her head to the ground and breathed her last.

  She had died in peace as Emily had wanted.

  "I just couldn't tell her that her son was dead. It was all she lived for. Beth…Poor Beth…I'll never be able to tell Mrs. Meriwether about her. Oh, Cole…it was horrible."

  Cole grabbed her to him and held her tight. "It's all gonna be alright now. You are safe, and we're taking you back to the train."

  Emily stared through her tears at them. "I knew you'd come…both of you."

  "Cole…" Emily had pulled him to her before she went to sleep. "Don't go back after the money."

  "Why not. I promised—"

  "I know, but how much could it be? Some jewelry, a little cash. Not enough to start a war over. Let it lie. I couldn't face any more killing…Please…promise me."

  Cole's gaze captured her. He nodded. "You're probably right, honey. It isn't enough to kill for…"

  "Thank you…now I can sleep. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow." she promised.

  He smiled and looked at Perez.

  "She must have seen a lot. Never seen her rattled like that."

  "Si amigo, too much…I'm afraid. She was a strong lady…to survive as she did." Perez said quietly.

  "Yeah…I just wish I knew what I was going to tell Mrs. Meriwether." Cole shook his head.

  "Perhaps…only that her daughter died bravely." Perez suggested.

  Cole nodded. "Right again, my friend. Goodnight."

  Cole sat and watched Emily sleep for the longest. Then he curled up behind her, put his arm around her and went to sleep too.

  Chapter Thirty

  On the way back, Emily related the story of Beth dying and her horrible funeral.

  Both the men realized she had witnessed more than her fair share of horror.

  Still, the telling of it seemed to help her deal with it too.

  It was a long trip to the wagon train as they had apparently made it to the Valley.

  When they reached the Valley, they found a community and asked about the latest wagon train. But someone recognized them and by noon that day they all gathered about in the field of flowers. Mrs. Meriwether came too, but the minute she saw that Emily was the only lady rescued she knew.

  "My Beth…didn't make it, did she?"

  Emily came straight up to her. "No, but you would have been proud of her. She took one of them with her."

  Mrs. Meriwether's eyes brightened. "Do you mean it, girl?"

  "Yes…she was very brave."

  Mrs. Meriwether smiled sadly. "I can only imagine."

  All the women gathered around her to comfort her and to tell her how proud they were of Beth.

  "And the money…?" One of the men asked as the women seemed to huddle in one place.

  "We didn't recover it. I'm sorry to say." Cole explained.

  "None of it?"

  "I'm afraid not. You see, we attempted to rescue the women first. But in doing so, we had them all after us. We had to run, we were too outnumbered."

  One of the old men scratched his head. "Don't matter. The watch they stole from me wasn't real gold anyway. And I'll bet the money didn't amount to over four or five hundred dollars all totaled. We got through the passes and Sam paid the fee for the toll road. We got little worries now. This land is good, fertile land, and we'll all be able to farm it. It's all you promised and more. Most of us already got our papers for the land, 'course it will be four years before we can actually claim it as ours, but we go it."

  "I'm glad you are happy here." Cole smiled.

  "I want you to know Perez took a bullet during this excursion," Cole told everyone.

  The doc came forward. "Let me see that wound, young man."

  Perez was speechless at the people who thanked him and seemed to care about his health so much.

  But before he went inside to let the doc see about his wound he looked at Cole. "It is time amigo to talk to your woman."

  Cole hung his head and then smiled shyly. "I guess you are right."

  After Emily had told the women about some of the things she witnessed, she walked away.

  Cole followed her.

  She was looking out, over the meadows and smiling now.

  "It's beautiful, just like you kept saying it was." She said when he approached her from behind.

  "I agree, it is magnificent country."

  "It was worth it Cole…"

  "Was it?" He came up to her.

  "I'm going to get me some of that land and live here Cole—" she began.

  "Are you?"

  "Yes." she turned around to look at him, not realizing he was so close.

  "You'll need a house…a barn…and someone to work the land…don't you think?" He asked staring into her eyes as he came to stand in front of her now.

  "I guess you'll be wanting your freedom now…won't you? I'm sure you'll have another train by spring." She didn't quite meet his eye.

  "Are you?" He asked. "I'm through being a wagon master, Emily." He said throatily.

  "Oh… but you're so good at it."

  "Sam got them through, I didn't." He informed her.

  "You got them through the roughest parts though." She corrected.

  He stared at her now. She stood there in her beautiful white blouse and dark blue skirt, her hair hanging down her back, her eyes probing his.

  She licked her bottom lip. He stared in fascination.

  "I made a mistake." He sa
id his face somber now as he stared at the ground.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I made a bargain with you…a bargain I can't keep."

  She stared, not sure what he was saying. "Sometimes, when you have something to say…it's best to just spit it out."

  "I'm rough around the edges, Em. I don't have the manners of a gentleman, nor the money. But from the first moment I looked into those beautiful brown eyes, from the moment my hand itched to run through your beautiful hair. And the first time you lifted that gorgeous chin of yours to tell me you wanted to go west, I was a goner, Em…I fell so deep…so hard…"

  "Oh Cole…I love you too…" She whispered and went into his arms.

  His kiss was so inviting, so warm, so welcoming, and his arms went around her holding her just as close to him as he could get.

  "Oh Em…I don't know why you love me…but I'm sure proud you do…" he whispered as he smothered her with more kisses.

  "I want to be with you Cole. I want to be your wife in every way…"

  "Yes ma'am…I've been dreaming of that, most the trip." He laughed out loud. "And as soon as we find a preacher, we'll take care of that little itch."

  "Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked with a smile.

  "Oh yeah…I guess we don't have to wait." He laughed again.

  It was such a melodious sound to Emily.

  He picked her up in his arms, swung her around and laughed out loud again.

  He looked down into her face and that shy smile captured her heart once more. "I want to find the biggest, softest bed, in the whole of Oregon and I want to make love to you all night long. I want to hear you sigh with happiness and cry out my name."

  She swooned and burst into a smile and a slight blush. "It won't be soon enough for me!" She sighed and kissed him once more.

  ~*~

  Cole built them a house and barn, and he farmed the land just miles from where the town of Albany was established. Oregon had become a state that same year.

  Nine months later Emily put their first born son into Cole's arms and smiled.

  After Emily rocked the baby to sleep Cole snuggled with his wife in the other room.