Chapter 16

Jessie had never been so proud to see an old shack as she was when Colt’s home came into view. She smiled broadly and clapped her hands once, feeling the soreness from the long ride begin to roll away. The past two days had been quite uneventful. Colt had been careful not to push her too hard, but she saw that he was more than anxious to get home.

“Praise be to God Almighty.” Doc sighed and leaned back, resting against the wagon seat.

Colt smiled next to her.

It wasn’t long before Worthless caught sight of them and began barking - hardly taking a breath even as they rolled to a stop by the front door.

“Worthless, would you shut yer yapping mouth! I’m about fed up with your shenanigans!” Carby’s voice echoed from the open window.

Colt put a finger to his lips and silently hopped off the wagon. Jessie smiled as he crept over to the window where Carby stood inside washing the dishes. He glanced back and grinned broadly at them.

Doc and Jessie smiled back at him.

He stepped up to the window and appeared in front of him, crossing his arms over the flower box.

“Hey beautiful,” he said to his grandmother.

A squeal came from the house, followed by a dishtowel colliding with Colt’s face.

“Boy, you near gave me a heart attack!” Carby complained as the front door flew opened.

She wrapped her arms around Colt and hugged him tight, in spire of the scare he had just caused her.

Jessie’s heart melted. Colt was so good to his grandmother, even though she had cost him a lot of hard-earned money and didn’t even know it. That was the true meaning of loving your family, and it was beautiful.

“Did ya’ll have a safe trip?” Carby asked, turning to the wagon.

Colt nodded. “Pretty smooth.”

“Nice to see you got some crutches, Jessie,” Carby observed.

Jessie smiled. “The doctor was so kind to give them to me.”

“That was nice of him, wasn’t it? Why are we all standing out here for, anyway? Let’s get this young lady in the house.” Carby smacked Colt on the arm and motioned for him to help her.

With Doc on one side and Colt on the other, Jessie was able to get down off the wagon and into the house. They helped her into a chair and she slapped at their arms.

“I can walk on my own, ya know. Well… sort of. I have my crutches,” she scolded

They backed away, holding their hands back.

“Go get that wagon unloaded down at the ranch so you can get back,” Grace shooed the men away with her words.

Colt sighed. “I guess she’s right, Dawson.”

Doc shook his head. “You’re handling the boss, ya know.”

Colt groaned and turned to the door.

“Did I cause trouble for you?” Jessie asked.

She would hate to think that they had to get in trouble with their boss on her account.

Colt shook his head. “Nah. The day I can’t handle Sherman Cooper is the day that I quit my job as foreman. It’s gonna be sad to see the condition of the boys, though. They had to answer to the man for over a week.”

Doc shook his head. “Every year it’s the same way. We come back and every man on that ranch is in a tizzy.”

Colt smiled. “It’s pretty fun to watch, though.”

He and Doc exchanged glances and laughed as they walked out of the door.

Jessie smiled, but deep down she felt like a burden.

She knew she had caused more trouble than she was worth, and she had to find some way to make it up to them.

*****

“Took you long enough, didn’t it?” Sherman’s penetrating gaze nearly made Colt cower. Instead, he went on about unloading the wagon and didn’t meet the man’s gaze.

“It took them longer to fill our order of lumber,” he said.

Sherman sighed. “I should’a counted on that. Shouldn’t have taken them this long, though. You’re three days late.”

“We had a heavier load this trip,” Colt defended as he set a crate onto the porch.

Sherman rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Kidd. Just get that wood out to that place I showed you before Bliss sees it, ya hear?”

Colt nodded. He had no problem with avoiding Bliss. He had managed to do that since she got engaged to Clint, and he was getting mighty good at it.

Sherman turned and walked away, and once he was gone, Colt spotted one of the cowboys making his way toward the porch just as Doc put the last of the crates onto the porch.

“I’m so glad to see you back, Kidd,” the cowboy, Jeff Rivers, said.

Colt nodded. “Thank ya.”

“That man’s a tyrant.” Jeff looked after Sherman.

“He… uh… He just…” Colt tried his best to think up a defense, but not one presented itself.

“I gotta get back to work, just wanted to let you know that me and the boys are proud to have you back,” Jeff said with a nod.

Colt smiled at him. “It’s good to be back, Rivers. Get on back to work.”

Jeff smiled and turned around to get back to his work.

Doc looked over at Colt and his eyes widened. “I believe that’s the first time they’ve actually told you that they’re happy to have you back.”

Colt shrugged, climbing back up into the wagon. “You gonna come help me unload this wood?”

“Might as well. Been stuck with you for a week now, I guess a few more hours won’t hurt.” Doc climbed up into the seat beside him.

Colt elbowed the man and slapped the reins across the horses’ backs, sending the wagon into motion.

Colt looked out over the land stretched out in front of him, the exact view that Bliss and Clint would wake up to every morning… together.

The thought made his heart sink and his feet felt like bricks as he walked back to the wagon.

“Are you getting the irony of this, Dawson?” he asked.

Doc looked up from where he was putting the gate of the wagon back on. “I guess so.”

“It ain’t natural. It just ain’t natural. I ought to be allowed to sulk and brood, not build a cotton-pickin’ house for her.” Colt groaned and put his head in his hands.

Doc chuckled. “You have to admit, it’s kind of funny.”

“Pardon me if I’m not in the laughing mood.”

Doc climbed up into the wagon seat and looked over at him. “Lighten up, Colt. It’s a pretty day, you’ve got a roof over your head and someone to cook for you. What more could a man ask for?”

“A wife cooking for him instead of his granny?” Colt offered.

Doc socked him on the shoulder. “Quit focusing on the negative. At least you’re not eating your own cooking.”

Colt sighed. He had a point.

“Let’s not forget that you’ve got a pretty Southern Belle living with you for the next three or four weeks,” Doc teased.

Colt shoved him. “Don’t even start. She’s a fiancé-fied woman and I’m just stuck with her.”

“Uh huh,” Doc grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

“I outta knock you right off’a this wagon,” Colt scowled.

“Eh, you won’t do it,” Doc leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest.

Colt released the brake and took up the reins. “One day I just might do it, Dawson. The kicker is, you won’t see it coming until it’s happened.”

Doc shook his head, not even cracking a smile.

Colt looked over at him and smiled. “Lighten up, Dawson.”

Doc looked over at him narrowed his eyes.

Colt focused back on the trail and tried to hold back a smile.

*****

Jessie tried to help Carby around the house while Colt was gone, but the woman wouldn’t hear of her lifting a finger for anything.

“You need to sit down and rest, Miss Priss,” Carby scolded.

“Rest? I just got about a week of rest,” Jessie insisted.

Carby shook her head. “Laying in the back of a jolting wagon is not considered rest. Now go sit down before I take a switch to you.”

You’d have to catch me first. Jessie thought with a smile. Then she caught herself. Oh, right.

She glanced down at her bum leg and chuckled. Something told her that Carby could catch her easier than she thought.

Sighing in resignation, Jessie sat down in a chair and rested her crutches against her leg.

“Did you like the town?” Carby asked.

Jessie nodded. “It was a good looking town, I must say.”

She blinked several times to keep from reliving the events of her one night in town. All she wanted was to forget about that strange man. Why couldn’t she have gotten amnesia after that wretched man came along?

“Anything interesting happen?” Carby asked, wiping at the window over the sink, her back to Jessie.

Jessie gulped. She couldn’t lie to Carby, and yet she couldn’t tell the truth.

“Colt will tell you all about it, I’m sure,” she blurted.

She winced. How could she know that? Colt might not want to tell his grandmother, then where would they be?

Carby seemed satisfied with that answer and went about her cleaning.

Jessie glanced out at the setting sun, heaving a sigh. She would have to get very used to this tiny home and this little room. It had a parlor, dining room, and kitchen all in one, and yet it was so small.

Her heart sank as she thought about her large home back in South Carolina. It wasn’t fair that she had a big home with fancy furnishings handed to her, while Colt had to work hard for this little place he called his home.

She would never understand why God seemed to bless some people more than he did others, but then again, blessings weren’t all material things.

Worthless started barking, and soon Jessie heard the sound of a horse approaching and an agitated scolding directed at the dog.

Colt had returned from the ranch much later than she had expected, but Carby had explained that he had a lot of catching up to do after the time he spent away.

The door opened and Colt came in, his feet dragging as he clearly forced himself to walk.

“It’s about time you got home,” Carby said.

Colt hung his hat up and turned to her, putting his hands on his lower back and stretching.

“I had to unload that wood out where Sherman’s gonna have Bliss’ house built. Then Dawson’s horse had a rock wedged under his shoe and we had to take the whole shoe off to get it out, and the blame animal wouldn’t be still for more than five seconds at a time.”

“I can shoot it for him,” Carby offered.

Colt shook his head and sat down. “That’s the only horse that’d have Dawson, I’m afraid.

Carby shrugged and Jessie smiled at her willingness to take care of the animal.

Colt looked over at Jessie. “How’re you?” he asked.

Jessie was taken aback. He had just had a very trying evening and he was wondering how she was.

“I-I’m fine. I feel fine.”

Colt nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the tabletop in deep thought. His eyes began to glaze over and were constantly blinking. Jessie began to see the fatigue etching his face and realized that he wouldn’t go to bed until she had.

Taking her crutches and standing. “I’m going to go ahead and get some sleep,” she stated.

Carby turned. “Okay, that’s fine. Remind me in the morning to show some more dresses I found. I think they might fit you.”

Jessie nodded and hobbled over to the doorway of her room - of Colt’s room.

She turned and looked back at him, his head resting on his forearms as they crossed over the tabletop.

“Colt?”

Colt’s head jerked up and he blinked several times before looking at her. “Hmm?”

Jessie’s gaze drifted to the ground then back up at him. “Th-thank you. For… everything.”

He gave her a weak, tired smile. “You’re welcome.”

“You didn’t have to let me stay here after you found out how long it would be.”

Colt took in a deep breath and his eyes penetrated hers. “I know.”

Jessie swallowed hard and entered the room, closing the door behind her and thanking God for people with kind hearts like the Kidds.

Sorry it's taken me so long to update, ya'll!! I know I'm just horrible, but I hadn't written a word in 3 days when I sat down and wrote the rest of this chapter (which served to help my creativity). Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think! What do you think of Colt? Will he be able to handle building Bliss' house for her?