Come the Spring (22 page)

“If she's in love, she's probably trying to protect him. She's got to know this gang could use him to get to her,” Cooper said. “What about Grace and Jessica? What do you know about them?”

“I don't know anything about Grace yet, other than the fact that she came here from England and that she wants to buy a ranch. I wired some contacts in London, but I haven't heard back from them yet.”

“And Jessica?” Cooper asked.

“Her mother died about two years ago. Her father deserted the family when she was a little girl. Jessica came to Rockford Falls from Chicago to help with the delivery of her aunt's baby. The aunt was her mother's sister, and she was the only family she had left.”

“You're talking as though she's dead. Is she?” Cooper asked.

“Yes,” Daniel answered. “She died a couple of hours after childbirth from hemorrhage. She and her husband had been married for over fifteen years when she finally got pregnant. Her husband didn't want the baby, though. After his wife died, he didn't stay around long enough to name the baby. He left town the very next day and hasn't been heard of since.”

“What happened to the baby?” Cooper asked.

“Jessica happened,” Daniel answered. “She's very young, but she's doing a hell of a job raising the boy on her own.”

“That's a hard burden for a single woman to take on,” Cooper said.

“She's up to the task,” Cole said. “Jessica's strong.”

“Sounds like she is,” Cooper agreed. “Her baby would be a good reason for her to keep silent if she were your witness. She'd probably go to great lengths to protect him.”

“Grace probably had someone she was trying to protect too,” Cole said.

“She does,” Daniel replied. “Her parents.”

“Where did you get all this information?”

“Tilly MacGuire,” Daniel answered. “Like I said before, it hasn't been verified. The woman's a wealth of information. She seems to know everything about everyone in this town and all the folks passing through. She's been very helpful.”

Cooper stood up and stretched his arms. “When are you going to leave for Blackwater?” he asked.

“I can't go until tomorrow. The doctor wants Grace to stay in bed another day. It's too bad you can't get some sleep before you head out. You look like hell.”

“You don't look so good yourself, Daniel.”

“I'm fine,” he replied. “Cole, when are you going to take Jessica?”

“Wait a minute,” Cole said. “I can't take Caleb with us. That's out of the question.”

Daniel agreed. “What are we going to do with him?”

Cole had already considered the problem. “I don't want to leave him here. Everyone knows who he belongs to,” he explained. “I want to hide him, and I think I've thought of the perfect place.”

“Are you thinking about Rosehill?”

“What's Rosehill?” Cooper asked.

“My ranch,” Cole answered. “My mother lives there, and my brothers and my sister come and go. Mama Rose is in Scotland now with my sister and her husband, and they won't be back for another month.”

“Then where are you going to put Caleb?”

“Tom and Josey Norton.”

Daniel smiled. “That's good, Cole. Tom won't let
anything happen to the boy, but Josey just might kill him with her cooking.”

“That's a risk we have to take,” Cole replied. “I'm going to tell Tom to disappear with Caleb for a little while. If Jessica is the witness, I don't want the Blackwater gang going after her son.”

He motioned to the map spread out on Daniel's desk. “Where's Red Arrow?” he asked. “I've never heard of it before.”

“Blink and you'll miss it,” Cooper said. “It's a tiny hole in the ground and the turning-around point for the train. The town boasts a saloon, a whorehouse, and a stable. In Red Arrow you sleep outside 'cause they don't have any hotels. It's a godforsaken place.”

“It's surrounded by deep caverns,” Daniel remarked. “It's barren, but beautiful.”

“I think I should leave Jessica with Spencer and Cobb while I take Caleb to the Nortons. I'll swing back here for her.”

“That won't work,” Daniel said.

“It's safer for Jessica.”

“It still won't work.”

“Why not?” Cole asked.

“Because Jessica will be going with you.”

Cole didn't like the idea one bit. “She'll slow me down,” he said. “And like I said, it's safer. Once I get Caleb to the Nortons, I plan to cut down through some rough terrain. It's hard riding.”

“You aren't married, are you, son?” Cooper said.

“No, I'm not married, and I'm sure as certain not your son. You're old, Cooper, but you aren't that old.”

Cooper laughed. “I've never been married,” he admitted. “Daniel wouldn't let me in on this investigation if I were a family man. He only wants bachelors in case one of us gets shot. My brother's married, though.”

“Is that right?” Cole said, wondering why Cooper was telling him about his family.

“Yes, he is,” Cooper said. “He's got five girls and two boys, and I swear to you that if you tried to take one of those seven children away from his mama, there would be hell to pay. Just how do you suppose you're going to get Caleb away from his mama?”

Cole didn't anticipate any problems. “I'll simply explain the situation to her.”

He paused when he saw the look of disbelief on Cooper's face, then went on to defend his position. “I know Jessica won't like being separated from her son, and I expect she'll argue, but in the end, she'll go along. I've gotten to know her pretty well in the last two days, and after I've explained the situation, I'm positive she'll be reasonable.”

Twenty-Two
 

She threatened to kill him. Jessica was anything but reasonable. Cole had believed that, because he was a U.S. marshal, she would do whatever he told her to do. That was his first mistake. Letting her get close to his gun was his second. He hadn't realized how arrogant he'd been with his assumptions until she grabbed his gun and threatened to put a hole through his black heart if he touched her son.

After packing his satchels, he had gone to her hotel room, knocked on the door, and when she'd let him inside—keeping the door open so that the deputy assigned to protect her could see that nothing inappropriate was going on—he had quickly explained that he was going to take Caleb north and that she was going to wait in Rockford Falls until he returned—then she was going to Texas.

Fortunately, Caleb slept through the whispered argument that followed. The baby was curled up in a ball on the cot, his chin wet with drool. He looked like an angel—but the fire in his mother's eyes was
anything but angelic. She was acting like a bear determined to protect her young.

“You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you take my son.”

“Jessica, stop waving my gun around. It might go off. Give it back to me.”

Deputy Spencer stepped into the room. “Marshal, do you need some help?”

Cole shook his head. “No, it's all right.”

Jessica stood at the foot of the double bed, the gun pointing to the floor now. She was tense and out of sorts, and there were dark circles under her eyes. The strain was beginning to show on her.

“You're going to be reasonable about this,” he said.

She shook her head. “I'm not going to Blackwater, and you're not going to touch Caleb.”

“I know it's difficult for you to give me your son, but I promise you he'll be safe and well taken care of.”

“Get out.”

He ignored the command as he crossed to the chair adjacent to the bed and sat down. His arm deliberately brushed hers when he walked past her, and he could have easily snatched the gun out of her hand then, but didn't.

“I told you to leave.”

“I'm not going anywhere until you listen to reason.”

She glanced from the deputy to Cole and then back again. Cole had a gun in his other holster, which made him armed and dangerous, and Spencer had his hand on the hilt of his gun.

“I can't make up my mind which one of you I'm going to shoot first.”

Spencer glanced at Cole to see what he was going to do about her threat.

Cole ignored the deputy and kept his gaze on Jessica.

“Please leave before I do something you'll regret.”

“Spencer,” Cole said, “close the door. Jessica and I are going to have a private talk.”

“We are not,” she whispered.

“Are you sure you don't want me to stay, Marshal Clayborne?” Spencer asked as he reached for the doorknob.

“I'm sure.”

Spencer looked disappointed. Cole waited until the door was shut and then told Jessica to sit down. She shook her head and continued to stand there glaring at him.

He smiled at her. In fact, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She'd changed her dress and looked even prettier than she had an hour before. She wore an old, faded honey-colored dress that had probably been the color of gold at one time. The dress, noticeably threadbare at the elbows and frayed at the cuffs, was probably a hand-me-down, but on her it was still beautiful. Her hair was tied back behind her neck with a thin white ribbon. Strands had worked free of the confinement and curled around her ears. She defined sensuality and femininity, and when she took a step toward him, the light scent of lilacs came with her.

Damn, but she was something else.

“What are you staring at?” she demanded.

“You,” he answered. “You're a very beautiful woman, Jessica.”

The compliment took the wind out of her. He didn't order her to sit down this time. He asked.

“I want you to listen to what I have to say, and when I'm finished, if you still want to shoot me, I'll let you.”

“You know I won't shoot you,” she muttered as she handed the gun back to him. “I'd like to,” she hastily qualified. “But I won't. The noise would wake the baby.”

He laughed. “You're all talk, Jessie.”

“You can't make me go to Texas.”

“Yes, I can,” he countered, his voice firm now, unyielding.

She buried her face in her hands. “I didn't do anything wrong. Why don't you leave Caleb and me alone?”

“You know I can't do that.”

She put her head down on his shoulder and quietly wept. He dug his handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. He didn't tell her to stop crying, figuring she needed to get rid of the tension inside her, but he hated knowing that he was part of the reason she was so distressed.

Long minutes passed before she was able to gain control. Cole held her close, noticing how soft she felt against him.

“I know you didn't do anything wrong,” he whispered. “The judge down in Texas wants you to come to Blackwater.”

“But what about Rebecca and Grace,” she cried out. “Are they—”

“Hush, you'll wake the baby,” he reminded her. “I don't want you to worry about your friends. Daniel will watch out for them.”

“How can I not worry?”

“Trust me,” he replied.

“I'll try. But, I can't stop thinking about Rebecca and Grace. They're in danger because of me, aren't they?”

“Yes, they are. Your names were published in the paper as potential witnesses, and I don't think the men who murdered those innocent people will stop until they've gotten every one of you. I can understand why none of you would want to admit you were there, but…”

She started crying. The sight of her tears made Cole feel like a heel. He started to reach for her, then stopped himself.

“I don't like women who cry,” he said.

“Then you must hate me. I cry all the time. I don't cry in front of Caleb, though. It would upset him. Sometimes … late at night, I pull the covers over my head so no one can hear me and I have a good cry.”

He put his arm around her and pulled her to his side. “I don't like hearing that. What makes you cry at night?”

“I get scared.”

“Of what?”

“Failing.”

“You have a hard life, Jessie.”

“Oh, no, I have a wonderful life with Caleb,” she whispered. “I'm very content. I just get … tired sometimes. Everything was going so well until the day I walked into the bank. I'm ready to tell you what happened if you want me to,” she added. “Then you'll believe me. I know I've lied to you. I shouldn't have told you I wasn't there, but I was trying to protect Caleb.”

“I'm going to help you protect your son. I've found a safe place for him, Jessica. You can't take him with you to Blackwater, and you know you have to go.”

She finally accepted the inevitable. “Yes, I know. Couldn't I leave him with Tilly? She loves him and would take care of him. Caleb knows her. He wouldn't be afraid or feel abandoned.”