by Etta Foster
“Right around the time all my plans went to hell and I had to keep rethinking my strategy on life,” Jude replied bitterly, prompting Gavin to decide to leave the matter alone for now.
“Should I take her flowers or something when I go to apologize to her? I don't think she'd be too happy if I took any from the garden that she's worked so hard on,” Gavin said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“I think you need to be yourself, stick to what is important, and make sure your woman doesn't try and take a horse and leave. Claudia tried to pull that on me once three years into our marriage, but I chased her down and almost got kicked by the horse for my trouble. Try your best not to do the same thing, alright?” Jude said, sticking his hands in his pockets as he made his way toward the barn door.
“I'm going to go talk to Claudia about something, so I'll catch up with you later. There’s something we should talk about, but I'm afraid trying to explain it now would take too long.” Jude looked wistful as he spoke, his eyes looking distant as he seemed to gaze past Gavin rather than at him.
Gavin wasn't sure how to take that comment, but the circumstances didn't exactly allow him to ask Jude what he meant. What was important was that he needed to make his way toward the house so that he could talk to Coralee. Just like Jude had said, they still had chemistry. It would be an insult to both of them if they didn't try to make things work.
She'll just have to settle for the promise of an apology dinner later.
He smiled gently to himself, remembering the night they'd gone out dancing. Maybe we'll go to another dance, or to a show of some kind. Hopefully she's become better at not stepping on toes. I suppose I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Chapter 35
As Coralee gazed down at the single suitcase that held all her worldly possessions, her mind flashed back to the night she had left Boston. She had probably felt the same amount of misery that night, but she'd been far more optimistic about her prospects. Gavin had been the promise of a safe life for her, and that had been more than enough reason for her to try and hold on to it.
Now that he knew the truth though, she knew he'd never forgive her. She had worn out her welcome, and the best thing to do would be to disappear from Gavin's life before she could sour things any more between them.
“I don't think you’re making the right choice,” Viola said softly from behind her. Coralee managed not to jump this time, glancing slowly over her shoulder. “You’re still thinking of leaving, aren't you?”
“Oh, Viola. Things got so much worse,” she said, unable to stop the tears from flowing down her face. “I've been lying to you all ever since I got here, and Gavin found out about it before I could tell him myself. Now he's mad at me and I can't bear to have him look at me again with the expression he had on his face when he confronted me.”
“Oh, Jessica, I'm sure that whatever it was can be worked out,” Viola said soothingly, causing Coralee to throw her hands up in the air.
“That's just it, Viola. I'm not Jessica!” The words seemed to echo through the room. Viola looked momentarily surprised, her eyes widening slightly. Coralee bit her bottom lip gently, turning to look at the mirror next to her. She could still see Viola in the reflection, watching her.
“I'm Coralee. Jessica died of influenza about a week before she was planning to come here. Before she passed, she told me to come in her place. I guess I thought that if I told Gavin that the woman he'd arranged to be his mail order bride was dead that he wouldn't allow me to stay here. I couldn't bear the thought of going back to Boston or spending my life on the run.”
“On the run?” Viola sounded confused about that, her head tilted to the side. She seemed to take a moment to digest everything, her silence unnerving Coralee.
“From that Lucas person you told me about?” Viola asked finally, Coralee's nod serving as the only answer she needed. “What did he do that has you so adamant about staying away from him?”
“I'm sorry, Viola, but I don't really want to talk about it. The memories are simply too painful for me,” Coralee murmured, toying nervously with her hair as she spoke. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and hurriedly brushed it away. “I just wanted to find a place where I could be loved and not have to worry about having some horrible man force himself onto me.”
Viola wore a look that was a mixture of pity and horror, and the older woman gently moved up to rest her hands on Coralee's shoulders. Coralee wished she could take comfort in the gesture, but she felt she didn't deserve her understanding. She had lied to them all; they shouldn't be consoling her for her guilty conscience!
“That sounds horrible! I couldn't possibly imagine the terrors you must have experienced in your old life. But you don't have to rush off and leave. What happened in the past doesn't matter, and I think that Gavin will eventually agree with that. He's truly crazy about you. I know you can see that.”
“I’m not worthy to be part of your family, and I'm not worthy of being loved by Gavin. You all have been such wonderful people, and yet in my selfishness I allowed Gavin to be hurt. I got trapped in a lie and just when I tried to do the right thing, fate swooped in and tricked me,” Coralee sobbed, her tears freely flowing down her cheeks now. She paused for a bit, trying to catch her breath.
“I was growing so excited at the thought of being able to marry Gavin. My dreams had even started to shift toward scenes of our future together. It was the first time in a long time that I could even sleep without waking up from horrible nightmares,” Coralee admitted, trying to wipe away her tears that were still continuing to flow down her cheeks.
“Coralee, is it? I know you feel awful about what you did, but that is even more reason why I think that you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. A bad person wouldn't have felt guilty about deceiving others, but I watched you beat yourself up almost every day about it. You put honest effort into all of the things that you do, and I can't even begin to thank you for what you did with the vegetable garden,” Viola said kindly, offering her a smile.
“Everything you've done since you've arrived has been a good deed, and I especially believe that when it comes to your relationship with Gavin,” Viola continued warmly, sitting beside Coralee and draping her arm around her shoulders in a gentle hug. “You took food to him, you gave him an outlet that wasn't work related, and you revived some of his love for life. There isn’t enough money in the world to repay you for making my son laugh again,” Viola said softly.
“You two have a great future ahead of you, and I don't think you should throw it away like this. People can be far more understanding than you think, and I believe that if you tell him what you told me, the two of you could still save this relationship.”
“How can I face him?” Coralee asked, burying her face in her hands. “I just feel so horrible for the hurt that I caused him. You should have seen the look on his face, Viola. It was as if his heart was shattering into a million pieces.”
“I can't tell you how many times I’ve received those same kinds of looks when I rejected would-be suitors,” Viola said consolingly. “Those men would all move on to eventually find wives that they've been with for years now. And I can't tell you how many times I've unwittingly hurt Isaac during our years together, particularly when we were younger and first starting out. You can only work on things as you gain experience, and try not to make the same mistakes often enough that you'd risk upsetting your partner.”
“What sorts of things did you do that would upset Isaac?” Coralee inquired, unable to imagine Viola doing anything wrong.
“Well, he wasn't fond of me going out late at night for midnight walks. Even though the forest contains barely any predators and is too far away from town for anyone to want to bother to come in the middle of the night, there were still rumors that a group of bandits lived out in the prairie located on the northernmost side of the forest. He was worried that I would go for a walk one night and never return, kidnapped by bandits,” she said, laughing lightly.
“T
hat sounds horrible! How can you possibly laugh about something like that?” Coralee asked, the smile on Viola's face making it impossible to stop herself from cracking a smile of her own.
“If you could have seen him when he went on a tirade about it, you’d laugh, too. He would get unusually animated, constantly gesturing with his hands and pacing while he talked. That’s something he only does when he’s dealing with something that’s very important to him. While he can be overprotective to a fault at times, at the end of the day I would be miserable without my Isaac. He's one of the few people in this world who understands me completely, and that is no easy thing to find these days,” she said softly, sobering up immediately.
“I thought that I had managed to find my happiness, but I can't help feeling like I've lost something that I can never get back,” Coralee said, looking into Viola's eyes. “Won't Gavin just think I'm a liar and suspect everything that I say to him from now on? He definitely strikes me as a suspicious kind of person at times.”
“I never raised either of my boys to be the kind to hold grudges, and especially not against a woman. You didn't intentionally do anything to specifically hurt him, and since the worst part of your crime was lying about your name, I don't think it ranks that high in terms of bad acts. It's nothing compared to something like cow rustling or bank fraud. You should stop beating yourself up about it and go talk to him. I'm sure Gavin will be able to put your heart at ease in an instant,” Viola replied encouragingly, gently rubbing Coralee's back for a moment before rising from the bed.
Coralee watched the older woman exit the room, leaving Coralee alone once more. She glanced at her suitcase and lifted it from the bed, setting it instead on the top of her dresser. She reached into the suitcase front pocket to retrieve the envelope full of money that she'd kept hidden until now. The thought that she should still leave was fresh on her mind, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to try and talk to Gavin one more time before she left. If he told her that he wanted her to go, then she would go without a fight. A large part of her hoped that he would ask her to stay.
She slipped the envelope back into the front pocket of her suitcase, patting it gently. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the soft leather, deeply inhaling its scent. It had been sprayed with perfume so many times that the smells were ingrained by now, and they offered Coralee comfort. They reminded her of days when she and Jessica would do one another's hair while they gossiped about what had transpired at the gatherings Jessica frequented.
Viola soon returned a short while later, knocking lightly on the open door before peeking her head in. “Coralee, supper is just about ready. Would you join us, please?”
“I'd like that,” Coralee replied, nodding her head in Viola's direction. “I'll be there in just a little bit. I'm just mulling over a few things.”
“Try not to wait too long. I would hate for it to get cold,” Viola said cheerfully, disappearing from the doorway just as quickly as she had come.
Kind words, but she didn’t know what she was talking about. Gavin hadn’t even tried to come talk to her since he had found out her secret; that was a clear sign that he didn’t wish to see her, and she didn't want to force her company on him if it wasn't wanted. It would just be better for everyone if she took her leave. Sure, she'd have to figure out a way to get to the train station in order to go, but she didn't think that would be too hard. Perhaps she would ask Harland if he would be willing to take her. He seemed like the kind of man who would help a woman in need.
Then again, he is one of Gavin's best friends. I'm sure he isn't going to be happy with me if Gavin has told him what happened. He might take me out to the middle of nowhere and leave me for the wild animals.
Now she was just being absurd. She laughed gently at herself, the sound coming out shaky and uncertain. She slowly made her way toward the door of the bedroom, glancing back into it longingly. There was a chance that it was only going to be hers for a few more days, and that saddened her. This place had become the closest thing to a true home she had ever known, even more than the Caldwell house had once been. She'd be sad to see the last of this place.
Let's just get through dinner. I’ll try to find a time to catch Gavin alone so we can talk privately.
It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all she had right now. The smell of whatever it was that Viola had cooked was wafting through the house, causing Coralee's stomach to rumble with need. She just hoped that all the stress she was feeling wouldn't keep her from being able to eat.
Put more faith in Viola.
The older woman hadn't done anything to make Coralee doubt her before, and no one knew Gavin better than she did. If she gave it a chance, Coralee was certain that everything would turn out fine.
Chapter 36
Gavin had been dreaming about a storm, the sound of distant thunder echoing across the wide valley he was standing in. He had been drifting in and out of sleep for the better part of the night, and even as he watched the lightning flash in the distance, he couldn't tell if he was asleep or awake. He heard a few more distant crashes, though the sound of shattering glass managed to bring him back awake.
He sat up and slammed his feet against the floor. He grabbed his socks and shoes from beside the bed and quickly pulled them on. He took the time to tug a pair of trousers on, but that was about it. He threw open the door to his bedroom and quickly descended the stairs, coming to a halt at the bottom.
Harland was standing there just inside the front door, sounding out of breath. “Gavin! We've got big trouble. Those cow rustlers are back, and they've brought guns!”
Gavin immediately made his way into the living room toward where his rifle hung mounted on the wall, grabbing handfuls of bullets and stuffing them into his pockets. They would weigh him down a bit, but it would be better than getting caught without ammunition before the time was right.
As he stomped back toward the front door, he heard a loud knock. He readied the gun and aimed it at the door, motioning for Harland to slowly open it from behind. He had been expecting a rustler, but instead found Jude.
“You heard the commotion, I take it,” Jude said, holding a pistol in his hand that he was fastidiously loading bullets into. “I hope you know how to use that thing.”
“I spent a lot of my free time in the first few years after you left practicing with it. It was a good way to pass the time and keep myself distracted,” Gavin said, cocking the rifle and glancing out toward the barn. He could already hear distant shouts.
“If you boys are going out there, then I’m going with you,” Isaac said from behind them, as the older man slowly made his way down the stairs. He was only wearing his red flannel pajamas, a pistol held in his hand and his shirt pocket filled with extra ammunition. “This is the last time that they’re going to pull this kind of crap.”
“Is it finally time that we make an example of them?” Harland asked, looking a little too pleased at the prospect.
“We definitely know that Virgil isn't going to pull his punches anymore, so we can't afford to either,” Gavin replied, looking toward his father with worry. “I don't think it is such a good idea for you to come, Pop. You should try and rest.”
“I spend all my time resting these days, and it isn't doing much for my mind. I’ll have time enough to lie around when my heart stops beating. Until then, I’m still the head of this ranch,” Isaac replied stubbornly.
Gavin looked over at his brother helplessly. They didn't have the time to try and argue with their father. The sound of distant gunshots was still coming, and every moment they hesitated was more time the rustlers had. “Fine, but don't go charging in. We’re going to try and deal with this wisely. Harland, get all the ranch hands armed. You know where the rest of the guns are.”
Harland rushed off to do as asked, leaving the three Woodward men to make their way toward the sound of the commotion. Cows were mooing in panic, the shouts of men coming across clearly the closer they got. The smell of blood was thic
k in the air, the carcasses of cows lying strewn across the ground.
The bastards just started killing cows. I hate to think how many they've already managed to butcher in the time it’s taken us to get here. We can only hope that we can save enough of the herd and not be totally ruined.
He glanced toward the tree line, noticing three shadows that were moving unnaturally. The moon was high in the sky, allowing for a better view than normal.
He couldn't tell how many men were there, but he didn't think it was too many. They would have been cocky and sent maybe five or six men. Between the Woodward men and the ranch hands, they would have at least ten people.
We can only hope that’s enough. Otherwise, everything we've worked so hard for is going to end right here.
Raising his firearm and aiming over his head, Gavin fired a few warning shots into the air. The sound was like three cracks of thunder back to back, small amounts of smoke pouring from the side of the rifle after each shot.
Let's hope they take the warning and clear out on their own. Otherwise, we might very well have some blood on our hands tonight.
