Christmas in Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  “Jonas wrote me and told me you’d changed. Maybe you should know I ran into some friends of mine a few weeks ago, and they are in the Denver jail right this very minute waiting for the judge. They told me that Culpepper and Taggart robbed them, killed one of their men, and stole the money from the bank robbery here in Denver. Sheriff

  Trent and Marshal Holt were on their trail, but they didn’t find them.”

  “Are you talking about the men who rode with Frank Langtry? They are the ones in the Denver jail?”

  Harper nodded. “One and the same. They aren’t bad men, they just got mixed up with Frank Langtry. They turned themselves over to the marshal and the sheriff. Frank Langtry was involved with that robbery, and they are going to testify against him.”

  The one question that was on the tip of Clay’s tongue suddenly felt bitter. He wanted to ask if Leigh King was involved, but he equivocated. Would it make a difference to him if she was involved? Either way, she was a young woman who needed assistance. The question remained unasked. “I don’t know if Judge Stevens will believe anything bad about Frank. I hear he’s partial to him.”

  “He might be partial to Frank, but there’s two men willing to testify in court that Frank planned that bank robbery.”

  As the men were saying good-bye, Clay asked again, “Are you sure you’re doing okay?”

  Harper leaned in and said, “Doc says I got cancer. He don’t give me long, so I’m spending the time with my sister and her kids, trying to make their life easier while I’m here.”

  Clay put his hand on Harper’s shoulder. “Doctors don’t have the final say in the matter.”

  “I was never one to go to church, if that’s what you are suggesting.” Harper thought he knew the direction Clay was headed.

  “This isn’t about going to church, this is about faith, Harper.”

  “Are you saying the doctor doesn’t know what he’s talking about?”

  “Not at all. I’m just saying doctors don’t have all the answers. Maybe you should just think about it.”

  Harper was silent for a moment. “Maybe you’re right.”

  * * *

  After Clay left Harper, he walked to the jail to speak to Sheriff Trent. The sheriff confirmed Frank’s gang was occupying his jail, and the men were waiting on the judge’s return to hear what they had to say.

  “Why are they going to testify against Frank?” Clay asked.

  “They said they didn’t shoot anyone, and they aren’t willing to take the blame for Frank. They also told me Culpepper and Taggart stole that money.”

  “You believe them?”

  “I do. They had their fill of Frank Langtry, and it rubs them the wrong way that he’s the one walking around without a bounty on his head.”

  “Are you planning on arresting Frank?” Clay asked.

  “We’ll have to wait on the judge to get back. His sister said he should be back in a few days. Marshal Holt is still out there trying to track down Culpepper and Taggart. He has a feeling they could be close.”

  “I hope he finds them before they find him.”

  * * *

  Clay arrived a few minutes early for Emma’s performance, and he stopped to greet some of familiar faces he saw in the crowd. To his surprise, there were several of the folks in attendance who had been adamant he not attend her performance in the first place. He acknowledged them warmly, and reassured them they were about to see a performance they would never forget. When he reached the balcony, he was surprised to see the prince along with his two bodyguards sitting in the same box.

  The prince stood and bowed slightly when he saw Clay approach. “Emma said we would be sharing the box with you, Mr. Hunt. I’m Henri d’Evereux.”

  Clay noticed the prince introduced himself by his given name without his title, and he introduced his bodyguards. Clay wasn’t schooled in proper etiquette when meeting a prince, but he figured he was like any other man, so he extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.” He then shook hands with the bodyguards. “Please call me Clay.”

  As they waited for the performance to start, the prince discussed the many times he’d been honored to hear Emma’s performance in France. It didn’t take long before Clay knew for certain that the prince had come to America to court Emma. By the many questions the prince asked, Clay felt like he was being sized up as competition. Considering he hadn’t decided where he wanted his relationship with Emma to go, he kept his responses brief. The more they talked, Clay discovered he really liked the man, and thought Emma should be flattered that the prince was pursuing her. He imagined most women would consider him an excellent prospect for a husband. But Clay told himself the prince wasn’t the man for Emma. However, he wasn’t willing to concede he might consider himself the right man.

  After the final curtain call, Emma saw both Clay and Henri near the door waiting for her. She regretted that Henri traveled all this way if his purpose was to court her, but she’d made every attempt to be clear about her intentions to stay in Whispering Pines. She dreaded to tell him she intended to ride back to Whispering Pines with Clay.

  “Clay, would you care to join us for dinner?” Henri asked.

  Clay was surprised by his question. He glanced Emma’s way, thinking she’d made a change in plans and hadn’t had a chance to tell him. “Thanks for the offer, but before the performance it had already started to snow, so I asked the restaurant to prepare something we can take with us.”

  Emma walked to the door and looked out. “It’s really coming down. I think we should leave now.”

  “Let’s go to the hotel and I will retrieve my luggage. I will take you to Whispering Pines,” Henri said.

  “Henri, I think I should ride with Clay. He is accustomed to this weather. Perhaps you should stay in Denver if you are insistent on attending the next performance.” Emma didn’t want him to come to Whispering Pines tonight.

  “I insist on taking you home, and I will stay there so I can see you tomorrow,” Henri said.

  Clay didn’t like the idea of Henri escorting Emma home. He told himself he was concerned because Henri didn’t know the territory. “Sorry, Henri, but we have a saying in this country: ‘The man that brings the girl to the dance takes her home.’”

  Henri stared at him, trying to understand what he was saying. “We aren’t at a dance. I’m traveling to Emma’s home tonight, and I will take her with me.”

  “Nope. I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen,” Clay said. No way was he going to entrust Emma’s safety to a tenderfoot.

  Henri looked at Emma. “Emma, tell this gentleman that I’m taking you home.”

  “I’m sorry, Henri, but Clay is right. He should take me home. He was kind enough to go out of his way to escort me to town, and we planned on returning together. The weather out here can get nasty very quickly, and Clay would know what to do. You should wait to come to Whispering Pines when it is not snowing. This is not a country to ignore bad weather.” Emma hated to pray for a foot of snow, but right now, that was what she was doing.

  Clay was half-aggravated that she was telling Henri the only reason she wanted to ride back to Whispering Pines with him was due to the inclement conditions. Before he made a fool of himself, he thought there was no better time to find out what she really wanted. If she wanted this prince, then he thought it was time to fish or cut bait. “If you want to ride with Henri, I can follow you to make sure everyone gets there safe and sound.”

  Emma’s eyes snapped to Clay’s. What was he doing? She was trying to keep Henri in Denver, and Clay was all but giving him the opportunity to go to Whispering Pines. “I think that would be foolish. Henri can come to Whispering Pines when the conditions improve.”

  Henri’s gaze bounced from Emma to Clay. “Why don’t we all stay in Denver tonight, and see what the weather presents tomorrow?”

  “I can’t stay. I promised my family I would return tonight. Not only that, but I didn’t plan on staying overnight, so I didn’t pack a valise.” Emma was
tired of all of this talking. She’d learned from Granny how to take control of a situation, and now was the perfect time to employ her skills. She took a deep breath, raised her chin as though she was preparing to command an army, and said, “Now, enough of this nonsense. Henri, if the weather improves, feel free to visit Whispering Pines whenever you choose. My family would love to meet you. If the weather doesn’t improve, I will see you at my next performance.” She turned her attention on Clay. “Are you ready to depart?”

  Clay’s features were impassive when he nodded his answer, but on the inside, he was smiling. Although Henri was not pleased with her decision, he said good-bye and walked out the door.

  Before they made it out the door, Emma heard her brother’s voice. She turned around to see Frank walking toward them. Clinging to his arm was an elegantly dressed older woman.

  “Emma, I’d like you to meet a big fan of yours. This is Judge Stevens’s sister, Mrs. Ruth Stevens Winthrop.”

  Emma politely smiled at the striking woman as she noted the sparkling diamond brooch adorning her dress. So this was the woman with the massive mansion on the hill who owned a gold mine. “Pleasure.”

  “I thoroughly enjoyed your performance, my dear,” Ruth said. “It’s not often we get to hear such talent in Denver. But we are endeavoring to make this a city where gifted people like you will want to perform. What do you think of this venue?”

  “It’s lovely, and I’m certain you will attract many artists.” Emma didn’t really know what to say to the woman, and she wanted to get away from Frank before he and Clay had words again.

  “I do hope you will speak highly of our establishment,” Ruth replied.

  Emma thought the woman had developed a tactful way to make certain people understood her influence in the community. “May I introduce Clay Hunt?”

  Ruth raked her eyes over Clay and smiled. “Mr. Hunt, do you also live in Whispering Pines?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I do.”

  “He’s the pastor in Whispering Pines,” Frank offered.

  Ruth seemed surprised at that piece of news. “I must admit I’ve never seen many pastors as young as you.”

  Emma caught the look that passed over Frank’s face. She wondered if that was the real reason he didn’t want Leigh King around Clay, because women found him attractive. “Our family feels very fortunate to have him in Whispering Pines.”

  Clay glanced Emma’s way, thinking she’d never been so liberal with her praise. He thought she might be trying to circumvent any problems with Frank. He had a feeling Frank might be inclined to mind his manners around his wealthy benefactor.

  “Perhaps you would do us a kindness and hold a service in Denver one Sunday. I’m certain our pastor would be thankful for a reprieve,” Ruth said.

  Emma had to hand it to the woman; she wasn’t hiding her interest in Clay. She had no doubt this woman was accustomed to having her way.

  “Whispering Pines keeps me pretty busy,” Clay said.

  Frank glared at Clay. “He stays busy with the women in Whispering Pines.”

  Ruth bristled at Frank’s impolite comment. “I’m certain the pastor’s duty extends to men as well.” She smiled at Clay again, and added, “Please think over my request. I would consider it a personal favor to hear some new material from the pulpit.”

  “I’ll give it due consideration,” Clay promised politely.

  “Frank, why didn’t you bring Mrs. King to the performance? She mentioned she would like to come,” Emma said sweetly.

  The comment wiped the smirk off of Frank’s face, and for the first time in Emma’s memory, Frank had no response.

  When Clay and Emma walked away, Emma glanced back at Frank and Ruth. Frank was whispering something in Ruth’s ear. Ruth pulled back a fraction from Frank and smiled up at him. Emma watched as Frank leaned over and brushed a kiss over Ruth’s lips. It was so fleeting that Emma didn’t think anyone not watching intently would have noticed. She had a feeling there was more to that relationship than anyone knew.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Emma and Clay had been traveling for nearly an hour when the wind picked up and snowflakes were swirling in every direction, making it difficult to see more than a foot in front of them. Clay feared it wasn’t going to improve. “Maybe we should turn back and stay in Denver.”

  “I’m not going back to Denver. If you want to go back, then I will drive the buckboard myself,” Emma said. “I told Granny we would be home tonight. Even if we turned back and sent a telegram, they wouldn’t get it until morning. She would be worried sick about us.”

  Clay was having second thoughts about traveling in these uncertain conditions, but he wanted to please Emma. He certainly didn’t want Granny to worry.

  It wasn’t long before they were facing near-blizzard conditions, and they could no longer see the trail. He pulled the buckboard to a halt. “Emma, this is dangerous. I can’t see the trail.”

  Emma turned around to view the trail behind them that had instantly disappeared. “We can’t see going back to Denver, either. Do you know where we are?”

  “Not exactly, but I think we might be near a cabin I’ve seen off the trail.” He jumped down from the buckboard.

  “Where are you going?” Emma was afraid he was going to say they would walk the rest of the way to Whispering Pines.

  “I’m going to look around to see if I can find some shelter. There are two abandoned homes along this trail. I think there’s an old shack about thirty yards in that direction.” He pointed to the area, and added, “It may not be much, but it will keep us warm tonight.” He pulled his rifle from the back of the buckboard and handed it to her. “If you don’t see me in fifteen minutes, fire off a round.” He started to walk away, but he turned back and said, “Do you know how to do that?”

  “Yes. But I want to go with you. I don’t like the thought of sitting here alone worrying that you might get lost.” Unable to see anything but swirling snow, she had no sense of direction.

  Clay knew if he walked a foot away, he wouldn’t be able to see her. He didn’t like the thought of leaving her alone either, so he walked to the horse, released him from the buggy and took him by the reins. He helped Emma from the buckboard and onto the horse’s back. After he retrieved the blankets and the basket of food he’d ordered from the restaurant, they slowly trekked through the dense brush. After several minutes, Clay became concerned that he was way off course, and if they didn’t find shelter soon, it could go from bad to worse.

  He slowly moved forward and within minutes, he thought he saw a structure. “I think I see it.”

  “I don’t see anything,” Emma replied.

  They walked a few more feet, and Clay said, “Do you see it now?”

  Emma was thrilled to see the dilapidated structure in front of them. “Yes.”

  After tying the horse to the rail at the front of the shack, Clay walked up the steps to the front door. When he opened the door, he struck a match to look inside. Surprisingly, the place looked like it had been recently swept out. There were some chairs and an old table arranged in front of the fireplace, and there wasn’t a cobweb in sight. That could mean one of two things: someone may have been passing through and used it for the night, or men like Frank Langtry’s gang knew about the place and stopped here frequently. He quickly decided it didn’t matter; they couldn’t stay outside in the cold to look for another place. They’d have to take their chances that no one else would be out on a night like tonight. He hurried back to Emma and helped her from the horse.

  After ushering Emma inside, Clay lit an oil lamp on the mantle before inspecting the fireplace. “It’s been cleaned recently, and there are logs already placed for a fire. At least we’ll be warm tonight.” In no time he had a fire going before he went outside to see if he could find a sheltered spot for the horse.

  While Clay was outside, Emma looked around the small one-room shack. Someone had cleaned the place recently, and she wondered if they planned on returning soon.
The small room was warming up quickly, so Emma removed her cloak and started unpacking the food in the basket. It surprised her that Clay had been so considerate to ask the restaurant to pack a meal for them. She speculated about his plans if the weather hadn’t taken a turn for the worse. It was too cold for a picnic, but they could have stopped and started a fire off the trail. She envisioned the two of them cuddled close together by a fire sharing a meal. It made for a rather romantic scene in her mind. She chided herself for having such starry-eyed notions. Clay had probably ordered the food because he was hungry, plain and simple. Since the meal consisted of fried chicken and biscuits, he could have eaten as he drove the buckboard.

  Clay was carrying more logs, along with a saddlebag and his rifle, when he walked through the door. “I found an old lean-to behind the house. The horse will be fine tonight.” He placed the logs beside the fireplace, removed his coat, and placed it over his rifle on the table. “It feels good in here.”

  “The chicken smells delicious. Thank you for thinking of having a dinner prepared to take with us.”

  “I had planned on taking you to a small ranch that’s for sale not too far from Morgan’s. I thought about selling my ranch in Kansas and buying that piece of property. That is, if I can get Jonas to come out here and work.” Actually, he’d only been thinking seriously of buying the place in the last few days. He’d seen it before, but he couldn’t say he would have considered such a move until now.

  “Jonas?”

  “Yes, Jonas Meeker. He runs my ranch in Kansas.” Clay reached inside his saddlebags and pulled out a coffeepot and some beans, along with two cups. “I brought this along in case we had that picnic.”

  Emma smiled. “A good hot cup of coffee sounds heavenly.”

  “I’ll have it ready in no time.” Clay opened his canteen and poured water into the coffeepot.

  “Why did you want me to see that ranch?” Emma was thrilled to hear him say he had made plans tonight if the weather had cooperated.

  Clay’s hands stilled. He hadn’t expected that question, and he hadn’t thought through the reason he wanted her to see the ranch. “You mentioned living in Whispering Pines when you stopped singing. I guess I just thought you might like to see the place.”