Chapter 4

Jessie woke up to light spilling in from a window off to her right and looked toward it. The morning light shone out over the countryside beyond the window and she studied it. Where were the trees? Where was that little pond just outside of her window?

She looked around the room and took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Had she taken a trip somewhere? Wouldn’t she have remembered it f she had?

A feeling of paranoia came over her, and she didn’t know what had elicited the fear in her. She tried to get out of the bed, but her head ached and her leg was weighed down by a splint.

How had she broken her leg?

She reached up and felt her head, which was wrapped in bandages. No wonder it hurt. There were enough bandages wrapped around it to cut off circulation.

Voices came from the other room and she drew her eyebrows close together. Had she been kidnapped?

She had a feeling that someone was chasing her, but she couldn’t think of who it would be. Where was Adam? Why wasn’t he here? They were supposed to go see his great aunt this morning.

Did he know that her leg was hurt?

The door across the room began to open and she expected to see her mother come through the doorway. Momma would explain why she was so confused.

Only her mother didn’t come through that door. An older lady with silvery white hair entered the room carrying a tray with a pleasant look on her face.

“Good morning, Miss Steele. Are you hungry?” the lady asked.

Jessie stared at her, not sure what to think. “Who are you?”

The lady’s eyes clouded over with sympathy. “You still don’t remember anything, do you?”

Jessie narrowed her eyes. Remember what? The lady was beginning to scare her.

“I’m Carby Kidd. You’ve been staying here with me since yesterday. You got a nasty bump on your head that came with a concussion and the inability to learn or remember anything,” the lady said as if she had went through the same speech a thousand times before.

Jessie touched her head. “Where am I?”

“Arizona. You’ve told us that you were from South Carolina, so you’re a long ways from home,” Carby placed the tray on the bedside table and turned to her.

Jessie didn’t remember telling anyone that. She hadn’t even seen this lady before. She rubbed her bandaged forehead. “I’m so confused.”

“I know. Just trust me, okay? I’m not going to hurt you. Now you try to eat some and get your strength back,” Carby thrust a tin cup of milk at her.

Jessie took the cup but didn’t take her eyes off the lady. Could she trust her? She didn’t seem very suspicious, but Jessie had never prided herself with being a great judge of character.

Taking a sip of the milk, Jessie’s eyes jerked toward the door as another figure appeared in the doorway.

“I’m gonna take off, Granny. Oh, she’s awake.” A man stood there, keeping his voice low until he realized that she was awake. He tipped his hat to her. “’Morning, ma’am.”

He wasn’t that tall, but he could pass as a grown man. Black hair combed to the right side of his head and looked as if he kept it nicely trimmed. He had about a day and a half of whiskers on his face and a smile on his lips. Strange, that smile didn’t quite meet his blue eyes, which was shameful. He had a pretty blue color for eyes.

All in all, he wasn’t hard to look at.

Jessie narrowed her eyes at him, curious as to whom he was yet not asking questions. Something about him seemed familiar though.

Had she seen him before she forgot? When would she be able to remember again?

Jessie directed her gaze back to the lady beside her, who turned and addressed the man with a smile. What was her name again?

“Okay, Colt. You have a good day,” she said.

Colt. That sounds familiar

.

The man turned and walked away from the doorway, leaving Jessie with a strange wanting feeling. Maybe she wasn’t done looking at him.

Could a woman ever be done looking at a face like his?

Jessie’s face blushed at her own thoughts, and she tried to forget about them while taking another gulp of milk from her tin cup.

Will I forget him soon? What if I never see him again?

*****

“I’m sorry, Carter. I wish I didn’t have to let you go, but Sherman has to cut down on the amount of workers with the slow year he’s had, and we just don’t have enough work for you to justify what you get paid,” Colt explained as kindly as he could to the man in front of him.

Carter accepted the envelope from him, which contained his last paycheck, and sighed. “I guess I understand. It knew it wasn’t a good year.”

“Again, I’m sorry that I have to do this, but it’s my job,” Colt said.

This was the seventh and last man this morning that he’d had to send on his way. The duty had gotten old very quick. Thankfully, he was done with the task and hopefully wouldn’t have to do it for a while longer.

“Kidd! Get over here!” Sherman barked from the porch of the main house.

Colt dismissed himself from Carter and walked over to where Sherman was.

“Need something, Mr. Cooper?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got something I need you to do for me. I’ve been thinking over the last few days and I decided on something. I’m going to send one of the cowboys after the supplies we need, and I’m going to build my daughter and her new husband a house of their own. They were planning on living out at the old cabin, but that won’t do for my daughter,” Sherman told him.

Bringing up the subject of Bliss and Clint brought the old familiar pang to his chest, but Colt did his best to try to forget about it.

“What do you need me for?” he asked.

“Well, obviously, I can’t be out there overseeing that and be here running the ranch, so I need you to oversee the building for me. I’ll draw up the plans I want, and I’ll pay you extra to head it up for me. Also, instead of firing those seven cowboys, I want you to send them over to the area of the new house to work. I’ll have to dip into my savings for this, but it’s worth it for Bliss,” Sherman said, a smile on his face.

Colt’s heart sank. He couldn’t stand to go to work every day and help build a house for Bliss and her husband. Sherman didn’t understand how much he just couldn’t handle that.

Yet, he had his grandmother to think about. He needed this job to provide for her. He had to put aside his personal pain and do the job he needed to do in order to make the money he needed. Sherman had also mentioned that he would pay extra. The extra money could go straight into replenishing his savings for his own spread.

However, the thought of adding to Mr. and Mrs. Slade’s happiness made his stomach tighten.

Would he be able to set aside his pride?

“Well, what is it, Kidd?” Sherman pressed.

Colt looked up at the man. “Sure thing, Mr. Cooper.”

Lord, help me.

*****

Colt rode up to the front of the line shack and was greeted by Worthless’ incessant barking.

“Would you shut up?” he growled out to the dog irritably.

Worthless continued barking.

Colt rolled his eyes and took the saddle off Hidalgo‘s back. When the insane dog still didn’t quiet down, he clenched his jaw and resisted shooting the dumb animal.

Normally he loved animals, but this one particular one knew just how to drive him crazy.

The barking continued to go on and on while Colt took care of Hidalgo and after he had stalled the animal for the night.

On his way back to the house, Worthless followed him and barked behind him. Colt had enough and spun around toward the dog.

“Why do you insist on tormenting me?” he asked, hoping for a heart to heart discussion with the fool creature.

Worthless was silenced for a moment, and then let out one last bark.

Colt breathed heavily and started laughing. He laughed at the dumb dog, at how ironic his life was becoming, at how there was a strange woman in his house, and at how his old grandmother had more of a will to live than he did. It all became overwhelmingly hysterical to him. He laughed uncontrollably for a moment or two, until tears began forming in his eyes. Worthless wagged his tail and panted, walking up to stand in front of him.

“I’m one big mess, Worthless,” Colt admitted to the dog. “My whole life is one big mess.”

He entered the house with a smile still on his face.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” Doc asked.

Colt shrugged. “Why get upset at the world when you can just laugh at it? So that’s what I’m doing. Laughing at all of my problems until they actually become funny.”

He shoved his hat on its peg and tore his coat off as if they were the offending part of his life.

“What happened?” Doc asked.

Colt shook his head. Doc didn’t know all that had went on between him and Bliss, so it was best for him never to find out. “It’s a long story, Dawson. A long, boring story. How’s the patient?”

“She’s doing a little better, actually. Her head is beginning to heal and she remembered your grandmother’s name for about an hour earlier. I think she knows that she’s in Arizona now, but she still asks what happened and who we are every time she wakes up.” Doc explained.

Colt nodded.

“She needs a real doctor, Kidd. I only know enough to get by. She needs someone who’s studied medicine,” Doc told him.

Colt walked over to the table and sat down. “What would I tell Sherman if I disappear for a week? He’d flip.”

“He doesn’t know about Miss Steele?” Doc asked.

Colt shook his head. “Of course he doesn’t. Do you know what that man would do if he found out there was a stranger on his land and no one knew why?”

Doc thought a minute. “That’s a good point.”

Colt thought a moment. How could he sneak into town and get the doctor, then take him back? That was at least two weeks of being gone. No, he wouldn’t be able to think up an excuse to satisfy Sherman.

Then, it hit him.

“I’ve got it, Dawson,” he leaned forward.

Doc looked at him.

“If bringing the doctor here would take to long, then I’ll take Miss Steele to the doctor,” Colt said with a hint of a smile.

Doc narrowed his eyes. “How do you aim to do that?”

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