Cole's Redemption (Love Amongst the Pines) (34 page)

             
As Natty stepped closer, she saw that Miriam held her mother's bible. "What are you doing with that?"

             
"Cole gave this to me and these papers as well, so I could look over your attempts at writing."

             
Natty grimaced. Her old feelings of inadequacy rose to the surface. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I just can't read and write. I planned on asking you to teach me, but I don't think it's possible." Natty stated.

             
"That's not true. Before I left Boston, I read in a journal about a newly discovered disorder. An
ophthalmologist
, a Mr. Morgan I believe his name was, described a condition called word blindness. It means that you don't see the letters and numbers the way most people do. And while it can be aggravating, it doesn't mean you can't ever read or write. It's just going to be harder for you to learn."

             
"You think I could?"

             
"I do. However, you will have to work very hard and, even then, you
may
only have minimal success. I think the key is that you don't give up."

             
Cole laughed beside them. "One thing you'll learn when you get to know her, Mother, is that Natty doesn't give up easily on most things."

             
Natty turned to swat at him but before she could, he caught her in a full embrace.

             
Clearing his throat behind them, Judge stood up. "Miriam, would you like to join me in a walk? There is a very refreshing stream at the back of the property I don't believe you've seen yet."

             
Miriam smiled. "I'd love to. Don't you think it's odd that the weather has stayed so pleasant this late into the season?"

             
The two left, but Natty hardly noticed their absence. For the moment, her world didn't extend beyond her husband's arms.

Five months later...

             
The buckboard slowed to a stop in front of the Whispering Pines church. All things considered
,
it hadn't been that rough of a ride. The rutted roads had been much worse those many months ago when she and Dermott had set into town that fateful day to attend a hanging. This time, she allowed her husband the reins, and he'd made sure they'd arrived safely at their destination. The young couple had risen early this Saturday morning to attend two weddings.

             
"Here, Nat," Cole stated as he reached up for her. "Let me help you down."

             
"Thanks." She could have managed without his help, but having her husband strong arms lift her down pleased Natty endlessly.

             
"We'd better hurry or your Mother will be furious," she told him once he'd set her feet firmly on the ground.

             
"You're the one slowing us down. How can you be so sick when you wake up, and then eat as much breakfast as two grown men?"

             
"I don't know, Cole, but Doc Evans said it was normal for an
expectin
' woman. I feel fine now."

             
As they walked up to the church, they caught sight of the Sheriff and the doctor rounding the street corner.

             
"
Mornin
' Cole, Natty," Sheriff Watkins called out. Both gentlemen nodded.

             
"How's everybody doing this fine day?" Cole asked.

             
The Sheriff laughed. "Oh, 'bout as well as expected. Dermott's been chattering away like a magpie, and Judge has barely uttered a word."

             
"Hard to believe that," Cole stated. "I don't think I've ever heard him at a loss for words."

             
"How's Miriam doing?" Natty asked, trying to peer inside the church.

             
"She and Miss
Melly
are keeping good company. You'd best head on around to the back of the church. The ladies are waiting for you. At least having a pregnant woman around to fuss over will keep Bessie and the church ladies busy. Give the rest of us a break for the day."

             
The men all laughed, and Natty couldn't hold back her own smile. "It's only because men need to be fussed over."

             
"Spoken like a true married woman," Cole stated, laughing. "I think I'll go and visit the nervous grooms. I have to remind them how much better things get after the ceremony."

             
Natty waved them off as she headed off to join the female half of the town.

             
The day passed without incident, and by the end of it, two more married couples joined the ranks of wedded bliss in the town of Whispering Pines. When the sun began it's decent into the horizon, Cole and Natty returned home. Seated on the newly built porch swing,
             
Natty snuggled up beside her husband.  "That was a beautiful ceremony," she yawned beside him.

             
"Yes it was. I don't think I've ever seen mother look prettier. I miss my father, but I'm glad she got the chance to be happy again. Judge is a good man."

             
"
Mmmm
. And, don't forget Dermott. I swear he looks ten years younger. It's funny, but I never thought of him ever being married. He and
Melly
are just made for each other. I guess for each of us there is someone."

             
"It looks that way. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm awful glad this gunslinger found his hanging bride."

             
Natty smiled. "Yeah, me too. I love you, Cole
Remmington
, for ever and always."

             
"And, I love you, Natalie
Remmington
, every ounce and inch of you."

             
Cole leaned forward, claiming his bride in a soft kiss. Suddenly, a loud crash split the evening.

             
"What in blazes?" Natty asked as Cole shot from his seat beside her. Coming around the corner of the property was
Natty's

buckboard
with two grungy figures seated on the bench. Cole stood up, and pulling Natty behind him, hurried down

the
porch steps.

             
"Howdy, there Cole, Natty!" Dermott called from the wagon. He was half standing, half sitting, and covered with sooty grime, as was the person beside him. Shocked, Cole realized that it was Miss
Melly
.

             
"What in world is going on?" Natty called out. "Are you all right,
Derm
?"

             
"Oh, heck
ya
," Dermott called back. He jumped down from the wagon and half lifted, half pulled
Melly
down after him.

             
"We just had the best bit of luck."
Melly
shouted to them.

             
"Why? What happened?" Cole stopped suddenly, and Natty nearly crashed into his back.

             
"You
was
right all along, Plum! Doggone it, if you wasn't right all along!"

             
"Right about what,
Derm
?" She paused a few seconds. "And, what have you been up to? It's your
weddin
' day, for heaven's sake!"

             
"Oh this,"
Melly
blushed, a bit of pink visible beneath the patches of dirt on her face. "Dermott and I decided to take a stroll after the ceremony."

             
"That we did, but the town was so empty, and I was
missin
' home
somethin
' awful."

             
"I can't stand to see Dermott so upset. That's when we remembered."

             
"Remembered what?" Natty leaned in closer.

             
"Remembered that I left my harmonica out to the mine. So, me and
Miz
Melly
went out to fetch it."

             
"Yes, and when one thing lead to another, we found something else."
Melly
stated, her gaze slipping guiltily to Dermott's.

             
"What did you find, Dermott?" Cole asked, his tone wearing a bit thin.

             
"We found your book,"
Melly
blurted out. "The one about mining. I was skimming through it, remarking as how there hasn't really been time to properly investigate the mine with the hanging, the ranger, the long winter, and then the weddings."

             
"I was planning to start digging again on Monday," Cole offered slowly.

             
"We know that, but it was just at that moment that Lester
Biggins
stopped by. He'd been down to Lead and had picked up the supplies you ordered."

             
"The supplies? The dynamite, you mean?"

             
"Yep," Dermott straightened his stance, tucking his thumbs under his suspenders, "We set them charges, just like in the

book
. You
shoulda
' heard it, just like a clap of thunder, only ten times louder!"

             
"No!" Natty rushed up to her uncle, half angry-half scared. "Dermott, you could have been killed! Both of you!"

             
"It's all right,"
Melly
stated quickly, "I read the book quite completely. I even scanned over the plans written by Mister Cole. It was all quite on the up and up. The supports you constructed were sturdy. The framework held extremely well!"

             
"I hope you
ain't
sore, Natty.
You neither, Cole.
It was my
weddin
' gift to you both."

             
Natty shook her head, and then glanced at Cole.

             
"No, I'm not angry," he told them, "and I'm really glad that neither of you were hurt. I wish you'd have waited. The chance that something bad might have happened scares the hell out of me."

             
"Oh, sir,"
Melly
stepped forward, "Rest assured that we took every precaution. Like I've said, I read the book completely. I'm quite good that way, you know. You won't prepare the bests meals if you can't follow a recipe."

             
"Just the same, thank you for your help," Cole stated. "We'll go down first thing Monday morning and start digging for real."

             
"Oh, that's just the thing," Dermott stated, his face reddening as the excitement returned. "You won't have to do any more digging. We found it."
Melly
giggled beside him.

             
"Found what?" Cole asked quietly. "We found the silver. A whole mine full of it." "What?" Both Cole and Natty asked in unison.
             

"We found the metal,"
Melly
stated. She quickly put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a handful of dirt. Both Cole and Natty leaned closer. Only, it wasn't dirt. It was a dark, gray material mixed in with the soil and bits of

rock
.

             
"This
ain't
all of it, neither," Dermott grinned. "We saw a
vein
about three foot wide encased in granite. I tell
ya
, Nat, Denton and
Maddie
was right all along! All we needed to do was dig a little deeper."

             
"Oh," Natty sank back, tears forming in her eyes. She looked to Cole, who was carefully examining the sample.

             
"Don't get too excited, yet. We can't say for sure how much of this is actually silver, nor what grade of metal it is. We'll have to take it into Deadwood and have it tested first, then set up an operation for extraction..."

             
"Oh, Cole!" Natty flung herself at him, hugging him tightly around the neck. "I don't care if there's not enough silver down there to fill a tooth. I have more riches here than all the gold and silver in the world."