Corinne turned to look back out over the land and Lee could see a speck of light reflect off the tear on her cheek. He vowed that whatever it took, he’d stick out the time she needed for her heart to heal. He fervently hoped it would not be long.
Chapter Forty-Six
The pair of horses in the yard stomped and snorted and when Corinne stepped out onto the porch she shook her head at them. It would be a long trip to the cabin and then back to her land, and the horses that were pulling the empty wagon were agitated. She admitted to herself that without Highland she may have been overwhelmed. Chief and Boomer tolerated one another while they were ridden separately but Corinne was uncertain how they would behave side by side as a team. She knew however, that with both horses pulling together they would get her big stove home that much sooner.
Daniel stepped down from the wagon while Lee stood beside the horses taking them by the reins.
When Corinne climbed into the vehicle she watched Daniel kissing Barnette goodbye in the early morning light. The young wife put her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes with love and concern. Corinne could not hear their words but she knew their meaning. She fought to swallow the lump in her throat. When she looked down to Lee standing beside the horses she saw that he was watching her. His face was serious and his countenance steady. She smiled, just slightly. She had meant it when she’d said she wanted his friendship very much. Corinne smiled at him again.
Daniel finished his goodbyes and climbed up beside Corinne, taking the reins, and then Lee stepped up and sat on the other side of her. Corinne could not help but feel safe and excited. She smiled at each of them in turn and then waved to Barnette as they pulled away.
Barnette watched them go. She knew Daniel would not be long. He and Lee had made arrangements that he would only need to help get the stove and the rest of Corinne’s belongings into the wagon. Corinne and Lee would go north on their own and Daniel would stay home with her and Elijah. Both she and Daniel had agreed that Lee was capable of taking Corinne back to her new property and maybe, if they were alone together, something would blossom between them. Barnette was certain that Lee Highland was exactly what Corinne Greslin needed and she ought not take too long figuring that out.
Corinne tried not to think about the next goodbye at the cabin and instead tried to concentrate on getting her stove. It would be the last time she’d have to face the heartbreak head on and then she could move on to her new life. She smiled up at Lee and he returned her grin. It didn’t seem so arrogant anymore. In fact, it seemed warm and kind. She looked down at the big gun on his hip.
“I’m lookin’ forward to movin’ my things up north. I think we can make the dugout house into somethin’ special,” Corinne said to Lee. Her use of the word we did not go unnoticed by either of her companions. Corinne talked about how she wanted the place to be and how the bricks would be completely dry by the time they got back. Her spirits were high and both men enjoyed her excitement.
Twice Lee stopped the wagon for people who appeared to be having trouble, once for a man whose horse limped badly. Lee stepped up behind the big animal and inspected his shoe. Corinne remained in the wagon and held the reins to the team, sitting perfectly still while he and Daniel worked on the shoe. It wasn’t long before Lee walked the horse in a circle, and the limp was gone. The rider offered Lee money and he refused.
On the second stop a man was struggling with an overloaded mule. The animal sat on the road stubbornly and could not be budged. Lee removed several bundles from the mule’s back until he stood up. Lee then fastened the bundles to the owner’s back.
“Now with the load distributed he should do better. When you get tired your mule is likely tired as well,” Lee told the man before climbing back into the wagon.
“How many times did you do that kind of thing on the way to my place?” Corinne asked Lee. Daniel smiled as he shook out the reins.
“A couple,” Lee said.
Corinne studied his face. She looked down at his chest and noticed that his shirt was still a crisp white.
Chapter Forty-Seven
When she saw the landscape changing, Corinne’s smile faded and Lee could feel her taking a deep breath beside him. In the last quarter mile before the house she touched Daniel’s arm and he slowed the wagon to a stop. Lee stepped down and helped her from the wagon. Her face was drawn and she furrowed her brow beneath her hat. She walked ahead of the wagon quickly and Lee turned and looked at Daniel, uncertain as to what to do.
Daniel indicated silently that Lee should follow and he waited behind with the wagon. Lee walked slowly at first until Corinne was a good distance ahead, then kept pace behind her.
Stepping up to the rise, Corinne looked down onto the tiny homestead. The cabin looked exactly as she had left it. The yard was swept and cleared but she could feel her memories hanging thick around her. She looked past the yard to the tiny hill where a gravestone reflected soft white in the afternoon sunlight.
“Hello, baby,” she said aloud.
Lee stopped short behind her hearing her words. In the yard he saw a large sign painted in big, black letters: BANK AUCTION. He watched her walk down the steep path that led directly to the cabin while Daniel turned the wagon onto the road that led to the house from the east. Lee walked down the path behind her.
She did not stop at the cabin but instead continued up the hill to the gravesite. Lee walked up and stopped several feet away and read the sign. In two days the yard would be full of people who would come to bid on the homestead.
“I found it,” he heard her say and he looked up to where she knelt beside the gravestone. “I found the prettiest piece of land. There’s shade there and a beautiful creek with a little pool just right for bathin’. I can’t take you there but when I went swimmin’ in it I thought of nothin’ but you, baby. It would be perfect for floatin’ in on a hot day.”
Lee felt his chest tighten. There was a third person who had broken her heart, he thought. This wasn’t a drunken father or some bum who only thought of himself. This was a child. Just an innocent lost child. Lee Highland felt a twinge of shame. Corinne’s heartbreak wasn’t like his. It wasn’t her ego being dashed or that uncertainty of feeling that maybe she wasn’t good enough. His heartbreak was petty in comparison. This was real heartbreak. He was wrong. Being Corinne’s friend could not just be a means to an end. It could not be a ruse to get into her heart. Lee Highland stood perfectly still and listened.
“I came to get our things, baby, and I won’t be back again, not ever. I’m goin’ there to start over again.” Corinne’s words caught in her throat. “But you never worry because I’m carryin’ you in my heart and you’re comin’ with me just like when you walked here and you held my hand. You’ll always be with me, baby. You be sure and remember that. I’m goin’ to get those men to help me load the wagon. Uncle Daniel is here and a man I met. A nice man who is my friend. He’s so helpful to everyone, I know you would like him. Your cousin Elijah just loves him.”
Lee Highland felt as if he had just been punched in the chest. He considered stepping back, feeling as if he had no right to be eavesdropping on her heartfelt conversation with her lost child. As he lifted his boot to step back Corinne turned and saw him. She looked up into his face.
“This is where my child lies. It sure is goin’ to be awful hard to leave him behind.” Corinne looked into his grey eyes and the pain in her expression compelled him to step closer to her. Lee held out his hand and Corinne took it gently.
“Thank you,” she said softly as he led her down the hill to the cabin. Corinne looked up and met his eyes again. “That right there is why I’ve got nothin’ left to give you, Lee.”
“I ask nothing,” he said. “You have my promise that I will always be your friend.”
Corinne nodded once, taking his words to heart. She opened the cabin door and stepped inside.
When Lee stepped inside behind her she still held his hand.
Chapter Fo
rty-Eight
Lee Highland looked around at the interior of the cabin. The few pieces of furniture had been broken down and were tied in neat bundles along one wall. There were several baskets and wooden crates, packed neatly with a small collection of household items. Against the farthest wall was the biggest cook stove Lee had ever seen. He decided it must weigh five hundred pounds. He had to agree, it really was something special. Besides the main oven there were warming ovens above the range top which had six burners. There was a tank attached to one side which did not appear to be an oven of any sort. Lee walked up and began to examine the stove.
“Don’t it beat all?” Corinne said reverently. “I couldn’t even tell you how many pies I made in an old brick oven to pay for it.”
“What is this?” Lee asked, scrutinizing the tank.
“Water heater.” Corinne pointed to the spigot on the side of the tank. “I bought the stove when I was expectin’. I thought it would be just wonderful to make hot baths for Dustin.”
Lee continued to study the stove. “I might like that myself,” he said absentmindedly.
“You have a perfectly good bathtub of your own,” Corinne smiled and Lee looked up.
“That I do,” he said.
They heard a commotion in the yard and Corinne ran out. Three men rode up on spirited horses and greeted Daniel in the yard as he pulled up in the wagon.
Lee stepped out behind Corinne and smiled at everyone. First one of the men, then the other two, took notice of Lee and they eyed him suspiciously.
“Corinne, who’s your friend here?” one asked.
“James, Axel, Mark,” Corinne called out, pointing to each man in turn. “This is my good friend and companion, Lee Highland.” She smiled up to him. “Lee, these are three of the best friends a woman ever did have. They’re the ones that built this fine cabin.”
Lee shook each man’s hand firmly. It was clear that these fellows were nearly as protective of her as her brother Daniel. Lee could not help but wonder how many of them had hoped to win her heart once. He began to speculate if it were even possible.
“Lee is helpin’ me get my stove back to my new claim. Oh, y’all should see it. It’s a fine piece of land, thanks to Daniel and Lee. Daniel knew exactly where to go for it and Lee knew exactly how to get there. Boomer ran faster than I’ve ever seen. It was so excitin’!” Corinne related the story of her land run, mentioning Lee repeatedly in her story. She did not however, mention Tupper Hawkins’ attack.
“Then Lee helped me out by lettin’ me stay in his quarters at the fort where he had the finest bath tub I have ever seen!” she went on.
“Quarters?” James asked.
“Lee is a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Cavalry,” Daniel said.
“Corinne,” Axel said firmly. “I never thought you’d leave here after everythin’ that happened and end up in a bathtub with a cavalry officer.”
Corinne looked up nervously and then began to laugh. “No, no,” she said. “The lieutenant wasn’t there. Heavens, Axel. Tell him, Lee. He’s a friend, like y’all. I swear Hank cured me from ever wantin’ a man.”
Lee looked around at the men. He was sure they all had once wanted Corinne themselves. He knew exactly how they all felt.
The stove was eventually conquered and tied securely onto the wagon, wrapped lovingly in Corinne’s tattered old quilts. She tiptoed around it, making sure it was secure before she allowed anyone to load the rest of her things.
Before the job was done all the men were joking with Lee in a friendly manner. They saw that he was a hard worker and that he respected their long time association with Corinne. When Lee walked to the creek to wash up for lunch James approached him.
“I’ve been friends with that girl a long time. I knew her man and I was here the day she buried that boy on the hill. I tell you now, she won’t make it easy for you, Lieutenant.”
“Pardon me?” Lee pulled off his shirt, hanging it over a limb. He splashed water over his shoulders and chest.
“You seem to be a good man, Lieutenant. If you get that girl to let you into her heart you better be ready to stick around. She deserves a hell of a lot better than Hank Fisher. If you want her you had better make sure you deserve her.”
Lee laughed dryly. “You know, James. I’ve met her brother, and his wife and the three of you. All people who care about Corinne. She seems to be completely unaware of my feelings for her, but all of you are sure I’m not just looking to be a friend. Why would that be?”
“Well you know what they say, Lieutenant,” James winked at him. “Love is blind.”
Lee shook his head and stuck his arm back into his shirtsleeve. When he pulled a small comb from his pocket and combed back his hair, James laughed to himself. He could not imagine two people being more different than the courteous cavalry lieutenant and the beautiful and wild Corinne Greslin.
“Just make sure you’re in it for the long haul,” James said quietly.
“That’s my plan,” Lee replied.
“She’ll only let you in if you’re true blue, Lieutenant.”
“I’ll remember that,” Lee said.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Corinne stood on the hill for the last time and she struggled to speak any words. She could not say a final goodbye and choked back her tears. She knelt down for a moment but her eyes went dry. When she stood up she felt faint and thought she would lose her balance. She turned away and nearly fell but Lee was there immediately and she found herself with her cheek pressed against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat and smell the fresh laundered scent of his shirt.
After several minutes she looked up and met his soft grey eyes. Corinne stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek briefly.
“Lee,” she said softly and she placed her hand on his chest. “How on earth do you stay so clean?” She smiled affectionately. “You’re somethin’ else. You truly are.”
Corinne took a deep breath and walked carefully down the little hill and Lee stepped down next to her. She turned to look back one last time and he heard her final words to her lost child.
“Goodbye, baby. You rest easy now.”
Lee took her arm and she let him support her and help her into the wagon. James, Axel and Mark stood silently nodding their farewells and Lee climbed up into the wagon next to Daniel who shook out the reins. When Lee looked back at the men they nodded to him in turn. He had promised he would not let them down, or Corinne either. She put her hand in his and he held it until she pulled it away.
“I’ll be glad when my new place feels like home,” she said quietly.
“We’ll make sure that happens soon. That cook stove is going to be great on that big brick hearth,” Lee said.
“And that’s when I’ll bake your pie, Lieutenant.”
As much as Lee Highland loved a good piece of pie there was a part of him that hoped it never happened.
Chapter Fifty
On their last night together at the ranch Daniel acted out his part in a spirited game of charades. Although he was losing badly, his antics were entertaining them all. Corinne had seen the look on Barnette’s face when they pulled into the yard. She had run out onto the porch and thrown herself into Daniels’ arms. Corinne envied them their love. She imagined them climbing into their big bed together at night and resting in each other’s arms. She looked up and Lee smiled at her as they played the game. She remembered how it felt to be up against him when her heart was breaking at the grave. Corinne thought it would be so nice to fall in love like Daniel and Barnette. She smiled back at Lee. She could not see it as something she could ever do again.
Barnette surrendered their game, admitting she had not slept a wink while they were away and she and Daniel excused themselves, said goodnight and climbed the stairs together.
“They’ve been through a lot together,” Corinne said as she sat next to Lee at the table.
“They’re a good team,” Lee said. “A good team can get through many things.”
&n
bsp; “Thank you,” Corinne looked up at him. “I’m ready to go on now. I’m ready to start my new place.”
“We can be a good team,” he smiled at her, his manner easy and relaxed.
Corinne wondered for a moment what it would be like to lie beside him in the darkness. Then she looked down at her hands and pushed the thought from her mind.
But Lee had seen it. It was like a little light peeking through a doorway that had been barely opened in the dark. For just the briefest moment she had let him in. He watched her get to her feet and she turned to face him.
“Goodnight, Lee. Sleep well.” She climbed the stairs slowly.
“Goodnight, Corinne.” Lee sat back and smiled to himself.
In the morning Corinne was up before anyone in the household. She ran down to the creek just before daybreak and bathed in the cool stream. Tiptoeing back to her room she brushed out her hair carefully and donned a fresh frock. The one she checked in the mirror now was a soft blue and Corinne tried pulling her hair back from her face.
“Would you mind?” Barnette stood in the doorway. She stepped into the room closing the door behind her, took Corinne’s brush from her hand and began fussing with her hair.
“Daniel said you did really well at the cabin,” Barnette said.
“It was surely hard to say goodbye.” Corinne watched her reflection in the mirror while Barnette brushed out her hair. “I can’t recall anyone ever brushin’ my hair before. Even Mama, not once,” Corinne said softly.
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