by Rita Hestand
"Does not return!" Lilly's face went white. But suddenly she raised her head and with a determined effort looked at them both. "He'll return! I know he will!"
"Of course," they both agreed.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It was a long ride to Terrell and it meant camping out several nights. Cord hadn't even ridden back to the ranch to tell Lilly. He knew she'd be worried. Still, he needed no distractions right now. This was going to take some doing and he had to be ready.
It took five days of hard riding for Cord to ride into town. Cord noted it was a prosperous town as the railroad had come to here. A bank, a hotel, several four mills, a cotton gin, and many churches were springing up all over this buzzing town. People were everywhere.
He stopped off at the local saloon to find out where Sam lived.
The barkeep poured him a beer and told him where to find Sam's house.
"Much obliged," Cord told him.
"If you're a friend, maybe you should know, his wife and kid just died."
"Wife and kid, huh? How'd it happen?"
"Childbirth. The doc was out of town."
Cord took this news in, that explained Sam's sudden interest in Charlie. It also told him he was dealing with an emotional man. He hadn't expected that.
He went to the house and a maid came to the door.
"May I help you?" she asked.
"Looking for Sam Donaldson." Cord explained.
"He's at work. He's President of the bank sir." The maid informed him.
"I see, well, how about Charlie. Is Charlie here?"
"Charlie? There's no Charlie, here." The maid closed the door on him then.
Cord was worried. What had he done with Charlie. There was no choice, he'd have to see Sam at the bank.
He found the bank to be the nicest building in town, modern.
He walked inside. He saw several tellers and a back office.
The teller saw him and asked, "Can I help you sir?"
"I need to speak to Mr. Sam Donaldson."
"One moment please," The man went to the back office and came out directly. "Sorry, he's not receiving anyone this morning."
"He'll see me." Cord said and rushed the door.
The teller objected, but it was too late, Cord burst in on Sam.
Sam stood up, stiff and blank faced. "Cord McCall?"
"That's right, I'm surprised you recognized me after all this time." Cord moved to face him.
"Well now, why are you here in Terrell?" He asked innocently.
"I came to get Charlie. Where is he?" Cord asked watching Sam's every move.
"My son?" He questioned with a frown.
"No, actually, he's mine." Cord told him.
"I beg to differ!" Sam said, his voice rising just a tad and his face becoming black with fury.
"What have you done with him Sam?" Cord asked.
"He's fine, but you won't get him." Sam told him arrogantly.
"I wouldn't bet on that, Sam." Cord glanced about the room. "Is he here, or have you stashed him somewhere that no one will find him?" Cord asked.
"He's perfectly safe." Sam assured him.
"Your wife and baby are dead Sam; you are going to have to face it sooner or later." Cord told him without much regret.
"I didn't think you that cruel Cord." Sam frowned, moving toward his desk once more. He pulled a gun out. "Now I think you've said all you need to. Get out."
Cord sighed aloud. "Sam, I'm sorry for you. I really am, but I can't change their death. You've got to deal with it so you can get over it. And Charlie isn't yours."
"You know damn good and well he is mine."
"I know how it all came to be, Sam. And I'm not letting you get away with this."
"I received notice of the adoption, but it didn't go through because I didn't sign it. He's my son and he stays with me." Sam announced.
"You raped her, I ought to kill you for that. You think I’m going to tell Charlie about that? You think I'm going to let that great kid be raised with that on his plate. No. Now for the last time, where's Charlie?"
"You'll never find him."
"What are you doing, hiding him out?" Cord accused.
"You persist in this, Charlie could get hurt." Sam stared coldly into Cord's eyes.
"I'll kill you myself, Sam, for hurting Lilly." Cord put his hand on his gun.
"Go ahead, kill me, you'll never find the kid if you do." Sam promised.
"There's a way Sam, and I'll find it." Cord moved toward the door. "And your life is going to be a living hell until I do."
"You don't scare me. Nothing can scare me now!" He shouted at him.
"We'll see about that, Sam." Cord walked out, slamming the door. He glanced at the meek little teller. "Your boss is in now!"
He walked out into the street. He'd go to the Sheriff's office. Maybe they could help.
The Sheriff was a thin little man with a big gun and a bigger mustache.
"What can I do for you stranger?"
"Sheriff, the President of your bank, Sam Donaldson has gone off his rocker. He's crazy. He took my kid. He lost his wife and baby and now he's taken my kid. I want him back."
"Sam Donaldson?" He asked sitting down in his chair and almost laughing at the absurdity of that statement. "Why Sam in a pillar in our community. One of the nicest men I know."
"Then you don't know many people. Sam has taken my son. I want him back." Cord repeated.
"Sit down mister. You better start from the beginning." The Sheriff informed him.
After an hour of talking Cord didn't feel he'd gotten any further with this so called Sheriff. He'd have to find Charlie on his own.
He needed to search Sam's house.
He walked out on the boardwalk and studied the town a bit.
He went back to the house, and the maid answered again. "Is Sam in now?"
"No sir. I told you he's at the bank."
"Then can I come in and wait?" Cord asked.
"I'd rather you just come back when he's here." The maid grabbed her chest as though she felt threatened.
Cord left, going around back and glancing through the windows.
He was about to take off, when he spotted something in one of the back rooms. A movement of sorts. He heard something too. Charlie! He was in there.
Cord broke a window and went inside. Charlie was in a corner, he was bound and gagged.
Cord unwrapped the gag, then untied him. "Charlie, are you all right?"
Charlie hugged him, "I am now. He grabbed me from the barn!"
"It's all right Charlie. We're going home now."
"He said his name was Sam and that he was my father." Charlie rushed to say.
The maid came to the door and Cord shushed Charlie.
She finally walked away.
"We have to get out of here now."
Charlie nodded.
They left out the window and hurried to the saloon where he'd tied his horse.
But about to mount up, Sam walked out in the street and called Cord out.
"Cord, don't you try it." Sam warned.
"Sam, don't do this." Cord warned him now.
"I'll kill him before I'll let you have him." Sam told him, wielding the gun in his hand nervously.
"You can't mean that." Cord turned on him now.
"I mean it. Move away from the horse." Sam told him.
"Not on your life," Cord stared at Sam. "You don't want to do this Sam."
Sam aimed his gun and Cord jumped to throw Charlie off the horse. As the shot rang out, it clipped Cord in the arm, but he wasn't hurt bad enough to stop him from drawing his gun. "Put the gun down Sam. I don't want to kill you."
Sam started talking and looking for Charlie, but Charlie had scrambled up the boardwalk and was standing in the doorway of the merchant's building.
"I'm sorry Charlie, but you just weren't meant to be." Sam cried and aimed the gun at Charlie again.
Cord pulled his gun and jumped to the ground in front of
Charlie and pulled the trigger twice. Sam fell with a thud to the ground, dead.
Charlie ran to Cord, "You hurt Pa?"
Cord got up and shrugged, "It'll heal, you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, but we need to get you to the docs." Charlie told him.
"I remember Ma talking about Sam, but I don't remember him. Who was he, Pa?"
"A very mixed up and hurting man, Charlie. He just lost his wife and baby, and he sort of lost his mind…" Cord stared at Sam's open eyes and reached to close them.
The Sheriff came out and was about to arrest Cord when Charlie intervened. "That man was about to kill me. My Pa jumped in and saved me. That man drew his gun first, and shot at me twice. Pa saved me."
"This man's your Pa?" The Sheriff asked.
Charlie looked at him and smiled, "He sure is, and we got to get him to a doctor. He's hurt."
The Sheriff got a few witnesses to tell the same story then looked at Charlie. "The doc's office is around the corner from the jail. Take your Pa and get him looked at."
Charlie nodded.
Someone carted Sam off to the undertaker's.
Cord watched the whole thing, then he let Charlie lead him to the docs.
The doctor patched him up after taking the bullet out and wrapped his arm in a sling. "Don't be using that arm for a couple of weeks."
"No sir, I won't. Thanks." He paid the doctor and they left to walk over to the Sheriff's office. He walked in and looked at the little man behind the desk. "Just wanted to check with you before we left. You got any more questions about what happened?"
The Sheriff stood up. "No sir, I don't. There were enough witnesses to clear it up fast. But in his defense I'd like to say, he just went a little crazy after she died in childbirth."
Cord nodded slowly, "I can understand that. I got a wife I'm awfully fond of too. I'd probably do the same." He motioned to Charlie and they walked out.
"Let's go home, son." Cord looked at him.
Charlie smiled. "Sounds good to me."
Epilogue
"It's another girl," The doc came out of the bedroom and smiled at Cord. "That makes six girls, Cord. When you gonna give up and quit trying for another boy?"
Cord smiled with satisfaction, heading for the bedroom door now, "I like girls doc. I got the only boy I'll ever need."
Charlie was sitting at the table grinning.
"Can I go in?" He asked the doc.
"Give your Ma and Pa a few minutes, then you can. Where's the girls at?"
"Outside, Ginger and Maria are in the pen Pa built watching the others jump rope."
"Never seen anything like that before, corralling kids, but it works." The doc laughed. "You've taken this girl thing pretty well Charlie, how come?"
Charlie laughed. "'Cause I'm the boss, they mind me as good as Ma. And I like being the big brother. I just sort of dread when they grow up and start sparkin'. I might have some trouble with them then."
The doc laughed. "Charlie, it's good to see you. Bring me a side of beef at the end of the week, will ya?"
"Sure thing doc. Thanks and take care." Charlie nodded and let him out as he gazed at his big sisters jumping rope. "Mama had another girl." He told them.
"Yippee!" They cried.
Charlie shook his head and smiled. He was beginning to notice girls himself and his sisters knew he was sweet on Charity Moss, he'd taken her to a couple of dances and from the looks of it, Charity liked Charlie a lot.
Cord went in to see his new baby and their beautiful mother. "She's a beauty. Look at that fire red hair!"
Lilly smiled. "I thought this one might be a boy."
"I told doc I got the only boy I need." Cord smiled at her.
Lilly got a faraway look in her eye. "You ever regret us not telling Charlie who Sam really was?" He asked.
"No, not at all. He's so happy, and I think it's better this way. Sam didn't love Charlie. He never would say Charlie was his. And I never understood that. The only thing he did was sell me the saloon, he thought that would repay me for what he'd done. But because of what he did to me. And what he tried to do to Charlie that day, I don't want to change a thing, Cord. He loves you. You’re his Pa. The only Pa he's ever known."
"I am, aren't I?" Cord smiled. "He's been so much help to me, and I love him as much as the girls."
"I know you do. And Sam was never his Pa. So do you want to hold her?" She asked.
"Of course I do." Cord reached to pick her up in his arms. He put her on his shoulder and she burped. They laughed. "So what are we going to name this one?"
"Hannah," Lilly decided quickly. "Hannah Elizabeth McCall."
"I like it. He smiled, pushing her hair back from her face he kissed her on the forehead and cradled her in his arms. She made a baby sound and they both smiled at her.
"Well, until they get to be about sixteen, I'll have it easy, but after that, me and Charlie might have to get our rifles out and stave off the boys."
Lilly laughed.
"We've made a good home, Lilly." Cord said laying the baby back in her arms.
"Yes we have. Are you…ever sorry that you hung your guns up after Sam died?" Lilly asked.
"No, not at all. Things have been pretty peaceful around here, and I'm hoping they will stay that way for a long time. Sam was a tortured man when I shot him. I am sorry I had to kill him, but when he shot at Charlie, deliberately, I didn't mind taking him down. I won't let anyone hurt my family. He hurt you once, and I wasn't around to see justice done, but he got his in the end."
"You know it's kind of funny how Jason seemed to straighten up after he did that jail time."
"Five years tamed him some, didn't it?"
"Yes, and it gave Dan a chance to become a good person too. I'm sort of glad it all worked out that way. I can't believe Charlie and Dan go fishing together at least once a week now. They are best of buddies."
"They have a few things in common now."
Lilly sat up and laid the baby on the bed with pillows all around her.
"She's gonna look like you, with that red hair." He smiled.
"Hope she doesn't have the temper that goes with it." Lilly laughed.
Cord reached to kiss Lilly on the lips, "I want you to hurry up and get well, because I'm a little hungry for you myself."
She laughed. "That's how we got her, you know." Lilly cautioned.
"It's sure worth it." He smiled kissing her again.
Lilly swooned. "You have such a way about you cowboy!"
The End
About the Author
I’m a professional writer of romance and children’s books. I’m also a poet and short story writer. I’m working on another historical western right now, one mid-grade book and just finished two historical westerns. You’ll find a lot of facts in my historical western romances not the run of the mill romances. Check them out.
I’m also a grandmother and great-grandmother who enjoys spending time with her family.
I hope you enjoy my books. Thank You and God Bless
Rita Hestand
Rita's Other Books
Beyond the Dream Catcher
Just One Kiss
Ask No Tomorrows
A Promised Heart
Be Free My Heart
Western Serial Killer Series
Better Off Without Her
Good Day for a Hanging
Bad Day for a Killing
The Travers Brothers Series
Chief Cook and Bottle Washer
Courting Abby
Hannah's Man
Along Came Love
The McKay's
Raining in My Heart
Ring of Fire
Twelfth of Never
Stand By Me
The Amory's
Heart of the Wild
Sweeter Than Wine
Mail Order Nanny
Singles
Always Remember
Love Rules
Jodi's Journey
Nick's Baby
>
Pretend Mom
Runaway Bride
Suspicions of the Heart
Wandering Heart
Brides of the West
Heart of a Family
Delivering the Bride
Heart of a Woman
Wanted Bride
This Side of Forever
Shotgun Bride
A Love as Big as Texas
Heart of a Captive
(coming soon to this series)
Where Ever My Heart Roams
In the Arms of an Angel
Bride From Shenandoah
Falling for the Bride
An Unexpected Welcome
A Desperado's Bride