Echoes of the Heart (29 page)

           
For
now, Cash realized they must do his bidding.
 
They tossed their revolvers and rifles into the water.
 
Cash felt his blood rising while he stood
helpless to aid the victims.

           
After
releasing the hostages, they jumped onto their horses and spurred them north.

           
Cash
tore into the bank checking for casualties.
 
The shots had been fired only to expedite their cause.
 
Soothed by onlookers, the woman hostage
appeared unharmed.
 
Cash followed behind
John who had already started toward the jail.

           
They
re-armed and saddled up to begin their pursuit, Cash yelled to a man on the
street.
 
“Get Chad
and tell him to stay on duty.”
 
He had been
watching two drifters who had arrived in town.
 
So far, they just drank and played poker but he would take no chances.

***

Raeden heard the
shots.
 
In a state of panic, she ran to
the front window and looked toward the bank.
 
She saw Cash run into the street, gun drawn.
 
Her heart rose to her throat and a wave of
nausea gripped her stomach.
 
Determined
to watch, she ignored the discomfort.

           
Mike
grabbed a rifle and ran from the store but stopped dead in his tracks when the
hostages appeared and Cash and John tossed their guns.
 
Unable to help, they stood and watched the
events unfold.
 
They are going to shoot him, this can’t happen.
 
She sank to the floor in a soft heap.

           
Raeden
blinked her eyes open to find her head in a lap, Diane peering into her face.
 
What
happened?
 
I’ve never fainted
before.
 
She had never been one of
those weak-minded women swooning at the slightest threat.

           
Unable
to deny her symptoms any longer, she hoped Diane would not guess and especially
not Cash.
 
She had been late and chose to
ignore the nausea plaguing her the last few mornings, not wanting to admit she
might be carrying Cash’s child.
 
She had
not ever really thought about having children, though she knew they would come
in time, just not so early.
 
It would be
a big responsibility to raise a child by herself.
 

Having never loved
a man before, the feelings she had toward Cash had become an enigma.
 
Even in her predicament, she had no doubt,
she did not want to be married and spoil her plans.
 
The reality their lives would go in different
directions, made her silence paramount.

She had known from
their first encounter and the intensity between them, it would be hard to leave
him even though she must.
 
Sure, he would
do his duty if she chose to trap him into marriage.
 
It would be an unacceptable alternative and
she held back tears wondering if she could remain strong.
 
This inconvenience only meant she needed to
accelerate her plans and get to New York
before anyone noticed, adding to her shame.

           
Raeden
watched Cash and John ride after the robbers and prayed for their safety.
 
The two men sat straight and sure in the
saddle as if they had been born there. After they reached the outskirts, she
ran through the store holding up her skirts, out the back exit and threw
up.
 
A cold sweat broke out on her
forehead as she grabbed the hitching rail along the back porch for support and
her head began to get fuzzy.

           
Revived
by the cold fresh air she filled her lungs and dabbed a handkerchief to her
forehead.
 
Diane joined her with a cool
damp cloth and a glass of water.

           
“Let’s
go get some tea.
 
It should help.”

           
Wrapped
in heavy woolen cloaks the women walked toward the hotel watching wagons and
horses slowly traveling through the streets while people still gathered near
the bank talking, no doubt about the robbery.
  
Raucous laughter rang from the saloon when they passed.
 
Two saddle tramps loitering outside the
doorway stared through drunken bloodshot eyes as they hurried by, making Raeden
uncomfortable and her pace quickened.

           
Raeden
knew what Diane must have been thinking and she felt ashamed and
embarrassed.
  
However, she would bear
the consequences of her actions and never regret her time with Cash.

***

Horace and Lester
stood outside the saloon gawking at the two women walking past.
 
Horace grabbed his crotch.
 
“They sure got some pretty gals in this town,
Les.
 
Wouldn’t mind havin’ a piece of one
of them.
 
Mehbe’ we could haul ‘em in an
ally like we did in Oklahoma.”

 
         
“Yeah, they wuz pretty
fun, ‘til we kilt ‘em.
 
It wuz real nice
of them gals to have so much cash in their purses.
 
Let’s go have anuther drink.”

           
They
staggered back into the saloon and sidled up to the bar to order another drink
then play some cards.

           
They
knocked back their shots then hailed the barkeep.
 
“Hey, give us the bottle.”
 
Horace tossed coins on the bar and grabbed
the whiskey.
 
They stumbled to the poker
table, plopped into chairs, and chugged another drink while the dealer passed
out cards.

***

Only two customers
sat near the warm welcoming fire burning in the fireplace in the café when they
entered and sat a table near the hearth. Diane ordered tea and while they
waited, Diane spoke first.
 
“I have
noticed you look somewhat piqued of late and your appetite has dwindled.
 
Your eyes have dark circles and after the
episode at the store, I am thinking you may want to discuss something.”

           
Their
tea arrived and Diane ceased talking until the waitress left their table.
 
While the tea steeped in the ceramic pot,
they made eye contact.
 
“You know, honey,
you can tell my anything.
 
I won’t judge
you.
 
I just want to help.”

           
Tears
swelled in Raeden’s eyes and sobs racked from her throat while she unloaded her
burden.
 
“Aunt Diane, I’m pregnant.
 
Please don’t tell Uncle Mike, I could not
bear it.
 
I know I have disappointed you,
but I will leave town soon and no one has to know.”
 
She wiped her eyes, the tears continued.

           
Diane
reached across the table and clutched Raeden’s hand to comfort.
 
“Is Cash aware?”

           
“How
did you know?
 
I didn’t mention anyone.”

           
Diane
laughed.
 
“Excuse me for laughing,
Rae.
 
It is obvious you and Cash have
been seeing one another.
 
I haven’t seen
him so happy in years.
 
Don’t worry.
 
He will do the right thing.”

           
Raeden
felt suddenly desperate.
 
“No, he doesn’t
know and I won’t tell him.”
 
She fidgeted
in her seat while wrenching her hands in her lap.
 
“I could never force him into marriage.
 
He would hate me and I couldn’t bear
it.”
 
Her tears stopped flowing.
 
“Promise me you will not say a word about
this.”

           
“I
don’t know if that is wise, Rae.
 
You
need to know a little more about him and the events in his life which have made
him seem so callous before you make up your mind.”

Raeden’s curiosity
grew.
 
She moved to the edge of her seat
as Diane continued.
 
“He married once and
lost his wife in childbirth then his son as well.” She patted Raeden’s hand.
“He always blamed himself.
 
You know how
he is.
 
Afterward he left town for a
couple of years and came back so bitter and resentful one could hardly
recognize the person he had once been.”

           
Raeden
sat dumfounded and looked past Diane.
 
“Oh my God, it’s so tragic.”
 
Raeden’s voice trailed off.
 
“No
wonder.”

           
“Since
meeting you, he’s more like the old Cash.
 
He jokes and laughs, he even played cards!”
 
Diane moved in close.
 
“Rae, I know he would welcome a baby, he
loves children.
 
Maybe it would help him
forget his past torment.
 
He is a good
man, Rae.
 
Give him a chance.
 
If you like, I could break the news, let him
sit on it before he talks to you.”

           
Panic
edged Raeden’s voice.
 
“Oh, no please
don’t.
 
I couldn’t take the pity and
remorse.
 
He doesn’t want marriage.
 
I don’t want marriage either.”

           
“Rae,
you are not being fair.”

           
“I
don’t care.
 
I want my baby and I don’t
need him.”
 
She put her elbows on the
table and dropped her head in her hands.

           
“It’s
his baby, too, Rae.”

           
“No,
its mine, I will consider it a souvenir.”
 
She felt near hysteria.
 
“I will
deal with this on my own and I’ll leave on the next train out of here.”
 
Her head started spinning while she gulped
for air.
 
“Promise me, Aunt Diane.
 
I need to know my secret is safe.”

           
“Okay,
Rae, settle down.
 
If that’s the way you
want it, I’ll mind my own business, but I think you’re making a mistake.”

           
“Mistake!
No mistake is worse than the one I have already made.
 
Just look where this has gotten me.”
 
She threw up her hands in defeat.
 
“I swear this baby will not suffer because of
my indiscretions.
 
I will raise it with
all the love I have in me and there is plenty of money.
 
I can make a fresh start in New
York and begin my new venture.
 
We will get along fine.”

           
Diane
shook her head.
 
They finished their tea.

Thirty-six

           
When
Mike and Diane left for the evening, Raeden stayed behind.
 
She needed to think and maybe Cash would come
back so she could rest easy knowing him out of danger.
 
She lit a lantern and gathered a few items
then checked out the window one last time, looking for Cash.

           
On
her way to change, she heard the doorbell jingle and stumbling footsteps
enter.
 
When she saw the two tramps from
the saloon, she ran for the gun in her bag.
 
A strong burly hand grabbed her hair and yanked her backwards. She
stumbled and fell to the floor kicking wildly at her attacker, shrieking her
protests.

           
One
man spoke in a drink-slurred voice.
 
“Now
ain’t you a pretty little thing and spunky, too.
 
Mehbe we could show her a real good time.”

           
She
stood screaming and he clamped a hand over her mouth.
 
His breath smelled of rotgut whiskey.
 
His odor made her gag.
 
She bit down hard on his hand.
 
He let go shaking it wildly while the muscles
in his face tensed and his eyelids squinted, brows drawn together.
 
Yelling aloud, she kicked his shins and dug
her nails into his face then covered her mouth with the back of her hand in an
effort to ward off the smell.
 
Blood ran
down his cheeks and he slapped her so hard her neck snapped to the side.
 
For an instant, she saw white flashes.
 
Survival instincts took over keeping her
upright and she drew her leg back to kick him in the groin.

           
The
second man grasped her foot before it reached the target, sending her to the
floor with a jolt.
 
She jumped to her
feet, fear heightened, knowing the town was practically deserted.
 
No one could hear over the noise in the saloon.
 
She continued to scream when he yanked her
hair, dragging her through the rear entrance, knocking stock from the shelves
and sending things flying in all directions as they went, while the second man
cleaned out the register.
 
She reached
for his hand in an effort to remove his grasp from her hair, only to have him
yank all the harder.