She nodded as they both stepped from the spring. They were dripping wet and she looked over his naked body.
“None of that. We don’t have the time for it.” She nodded in agreement but gave him a frustrated sigh with it.
Slipping back into their clothes, they made their way into the next set of woods. They heard howls all around them and the sun was starting to set. Keeara shivered as they kept walking.
They stepped into a clearing and Keeara sighed with relief when she saw the little cabin sitting up ahead. They ran to the shelter and banged on the door but there was no answer.
Craig pushed the door open slowly. It creaked with the movement and he held the lantern they had carried with them. The sunlight streamed into the cabin. The cabin apparently hadn’t been used in many years. There was nothing but some old tin cups in the cabinet and they looked all around the cabin. When their eyes fell on the bed they saw that there were some blankets.
Craig walked over and picked one up carrying it back to them. It looked fairly new and they wondered if they had come upon a place that was deserted or if someone lived there. Nobody was around at the moment.
Keeara looked around and smiled with recognition. “I know where we are. We are at Old Rusty’s cabin.”
“Old Rusty’s cabin? Okay. Well where is Old Rusty then?”
“Oh he died before my mother was even born. We just call it that. Does your phone work?”
He pulled the phone from his pocket and sighed with relief when he saw that he still had two bars and the reception was good. Handing the phone to her, he waited while she spoke to her father and demanded that he bring her grandfather with him. She told him there was something very important she needed to show him. Her father agreed and told her that the path was blocked and it may be morning before they could get there. He told her about the wood in the little house out back and said that he had stashed some food out there a couple weeks back as well.
Craig carried in the firewood and placed it on the ground next to the fireplace. They found a couple cans of soup and she found a hand held can opener. They sat down and ate their soup out of the tin bowls that were in the cabinet.
They were cuddled together on the floor. They had also found some comforters out back and realized that up in the mountains where they were, it got a lot colder at night. They decided to get some sleep while they had the chance. They knew the next day was going to be hectic and exciting. Keeara curled up into Craig’s arms. With her stomach full and finally feeling safe, she drifted off into a deep sleep.
***
She was woken up by a kiss on her ear. She turned to smile up at the man beside her. “We need to get up. The sun’s up and I'm sure your father is going to be here. I don’t know if he would appreciate walking in on me ravishing his daughter.” She giggled as she sat up and swatted at him. Just then they heard horses in the distance and he laughed at her as she scrambled up and started putting her pants back on. He did the same and both were dressed and walking out the door when they saw the horses come up.
Lynn Murray jumped from her horse and gathered her daughter in her arms. For a fifty-something year old woman she still handled a horse like it was nothing. “Don’t you ever do that to me again. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Momma.” She rolled her eyes at her father and felt like she was fifteen and had fallen into the river again.
She was happy to see that not only were her parents there but so was her grandfather and son.
“Grandpa, are you up for a little walk?”
“This old bird still has some flying time left to him, young lady.”
“Good. We found something we want to show you.”
“Lead the way, honey.”
They made it to the first cave they had entered that was still blocked by the large tree. Between the five of them they were able to move the tree enough so that they could get through. Lewis sat there and pouted (because he couldn’t help move the tree) until her grandfather told him they might find treasure. Her grandfather had no idea how close he was to the truth.
They walked into the spot before the clearing and Craig asked them to wait. After he and Keeara lit the lanterns in the cave opening they went back and escorted the rest of the bunch into the space.
Her grandfather instantly went to the initials on the wall. His eyes filled with tears and he traced the letters with his hand. He looked around and Keeara took him by the hand and led him to the chest where the letters were kept. He slowly lifted the lid and gasped at the sight. There were hundreds of letters in the chest. Later they would find out that his father wrote a letter every week to his deceased wife until two weeks before his death.
Jack gathered his granddaughter close and held her for a little while. She could tell by the sniffing that the old man couldn’t hold the tears in.
“Grandpa? Are you okay? Why are you crying? Are you sad?”
Jack gathered his great grandson into his arms and held him as he smiled. “No, my boy. These are tears of joy. Of the greatest joy. I think your mother and Mr. Craig have given me the best gift I have ever received. Thank you.”
“Oh yeah and Grandpa, look what else is here.” She led her parents over to the other chest.
“Oh my Gosh. These are the documents that old man Jenkins told everyone burned in a fire. They were never burned. They are right here. Daddy, look. It shows that the land was always ours. You know what this means.”
“An end to that damn feud. And oh yeah, we are getting married.” Everyone turned to see Craig smile at Keeara.
“Oh really?” Josh looked at them both.
“Oh yes, sir. That is, if you don’t object.”
Her father walked over to Craig and looked him up and down. “Oh son, I’m not the one to worry about. You still have her two older brothers to meet. Actually how about tonight? We can have a cookout and celebrate what was found yesterday.”
“That sounds great.” The older man clapped him on the back.
Josh and Craig carried the huge chest out of the cave after multiple stops. The thing was huge and heavy. It was like carrying a couch. Upon reaching the entrance, they decided that they would head back to the house and bring a wagon to take the chest home. Jack, not wanting it to leave his sight, decided to stay back and read some of the letters. They agreed, although Lynn was hesitant on leaving her father by himself. After Jack’s stern demand she left with her husband and she realized he wanted some time alone, she left with the others.
When they came back, Jack was sitting in the same spot reading through the letters. There were drawings that his mother had sent to his father and he was caressing one of a wolf when they came back.
“That… That’s the wolf.” Keeara held up the picture. It was a solid black wolf that had a shape on top of its head that looked like a white star. It was very distinct and she knew it was the wolf that had helped her and Craig escape the cave the day before. Keeara calmly told her grandfather about the wolf. He smiled up at his granddaughter and didn’t say a word just nodded at her. Pushing himself up from the ground, he helped them load the chest on the wagon and then went back to get the other items they had found.
Keeara sat back and watched her brothers with Craig. He had instantly won them over when he told them that his cousin Antonio played for the Titans and he could get them tickets to the next game. Although Lewis said that football didn’t compare to baseball, he wanted to go too. They planned on a trip with all the men to a football game in the near future.
Lynn choked that it would be nice to spend time with her daughter and daughter-in-law without the loud noises of the men.
Craig had called his parents at Lynn’s insistence and invited them to dinner as well. His parents fit right in with hers and they were all one big happy family.
Keeara walked into the house carrying the empty pitcher of tea. She had just set it down when someone whispered into her ear.
“You think we can sneak away for a little bit? I haven’t be
en able to play with you all day and I think I am having withdrawals.” She felt Craig’s hands cup her breasts and sighed with pleasure. He turned her and kissed her deeply.
“Ewwww! Momma, do you have to do that?” Lewis ran from the kitchen. Second later she heard his yell. “They’re in the kitchen kissing. Yuck! That is so disgusting.”
She laughed as she looked at Craig. “I don’t think we can. We better go face the music.”
“I know my mother won’t stop harping on me about when the wedding is and where we are having it and stuff. I told her to talk to you.”
“Ugh. Don’t you want to help plan it?”
“No, baby. You can plan the whole shebang. I get to plan the honeymoon.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she couldn’t help but laugh at his theatrics.
“Well first let’s get through this weekend.”
He groaned out loud when he thought of the huge festival that weekend and the little charade that they had planned to make sure everyone attended.
Chapter 15
Keeara looked out at the people who were gathered at the festival. It had turned out to be one of the biggest turnouts in the history of Maryville. It was mainly due to the contest that Cole Jenkins and his wife Deanna had put up a $10,000 prize for. It was a shooting contest and there were a total of over 50 contestants signed up.
She watched as children scattered around and ate the food that was offered by the many different families in the community. They were about to start the first round of the contest. Keeara’s father and grandfather had signed up along with all the Jenkins’ family members and Craig. It would be conducted with 5 groups of 10 men to start. Each 10 men were drawn at random by the mayor. The three men with the closest mark to the bullseye out of each group would go on to the next round. Out of those 15 men only 10 would progress and then it would shrink down to 5. At the last five men, only three would progress to the final round. She was happy to see that her father had progressed to the top ten but had been beaten out at that point.
The contest progressed until there were but five men still standing in line for the prize. It was down to Sheriff Eugene (Carter’s son), Riley Jenkins, Antonio Montega (a distant cousin of Craig’s), a deputy of the sheriff department and one woman. The woman was a distant cousin of Keeara named Shining Rainbow. After the round it was down to Riley Jenkins, Shining Rainbow and Sheriff Eugene.
The air was tense and the three aimed and took their last shot. Eugene came just shy of the bullseye as Shining Rainbow and Riley Jenkins hit it dead on. All three were winners with the second and third place contestants coming out with winnings but the top two both wanted the large trophy. They decided to break the tie.
Everyone in the background held their breath. It was the most excitement most of them had seen in a long time. Shining Rainbow took the first shot shooting a hole on the line of the bullseye. Riley stepped up to the line to take his shot.
Suddenly he sat his gun down and put his finger into the air to hold on one minute. Rushing over, he grabbed Octavia his wife and planted a huge kiss on her. “For good luck!” he yelled then rushed back to where his gun was laying. He turned and winked, making her turn a scarlet shade of red.
The crowd laughed at the show of affection. Riley picked up his gun and aimed it at the makeshift bullseye made from a bale of hay. Lining it up, the shot could be heard all around in the silence. The shot cleared straight through the middle.
“And our winner is Riley Jenkins.” The crowd flew up and yelled. Clapping could be heard and catcalls to the winner.
“Told you that those lips were golden, sweetheart.” He yelled it loud so that everyone could hear as his wife turned an even deeper shade of red. He carried the trophy over to her and gathered her close, kissing her deep again until the kids started yelling yuck and ewww. The adults joined in.
“Get a room!”
“No, don’t do that. They don’t have anymore room in that house for more kids.”
“Aurora, you’re about to have a little brother or sister.” Everyone turned to see the grimace on their daughter’s face and the laughter started again.
“Woohoo.” The joy emanated from Riley to the rest of the occupants of Maryville.
The music started and Craig pulled her on the dance floor. After hours of dancing and laughing and Lord knows how much eating, the families sat down around a huge bonfire. Her grandfather sat near the fire and yelled over an intercom that had been constructed.
“If I can get everyone’s attention please.”
The hush went through the crowd. Although babies could be heard crying softly as their mother’s bounced them on their knee, it was for the most part quiet. All the children had been instructed to gather their sleeping bags and come in front of him to start the campfire stories. Mayor Stevens walked up beside him as her grandfather handed the microphone to him.
“Citizens of Maryville. I am honored and excited to tell you that some artifacts have been found. Thanks to the discovery from Keeara Murray and Craig Jenkins, the original paperwork from the establishment of Fort Craig has been recovered. As many of you know the papers were said to have been burned years ago. I am happy to inform you that they have in fact been found. Some of you will be happy to know that the whereabouts of original property lines have been established and your ancestors’ names are signed to the documents as well as the outline of the original property that they inhabited. The documents are dated for July 11, 1795, dating back to the establishment of Maryville and the county of Blount.”
The hushed sound of the people held for a few seconds before the clapping began. People were hooting and hollering and yelling at the discovery. It was not only great for their family but for most of the families in Maryville to have found the documents.
“I will let you know that I will be devising a list of names. These are the men who are head of these families. These men will be required to meet with me to see the documents and then they will be displayed in the museum. I think it is only right for the head of the families to see the documents for themselves.”
“So does that mean that you found out the truth on the feud between the Jenkins and Murrays?” someone yelled out in the crowd. They knew that the question would be coming but none of the people who knew were excited about relaying the truth to the families of Maryville. “Yes, we have. I will be talking to Jack and Stephan about that. It seems that the lines that are currently in place are correct.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Stephan limped his way to the front. “You would take their side no matter what. My great grandfather told me the story himself. He told it as it was.”
“Your great grandfather was a kid at the time and probably didn’t know what was going on. Besides that, we have proof. And not just of the land. We have proof of the real way that Lisa Jenkins Murray died.” The mayor held up a stack of papers. “These are letters between Lisa Jenkins and her husband Lewis Murray. They tell of the love that was between the two. In the last letter, it states that her uncle, none other than Captain Jack Jenkins visited Lewis. It states that it was Bradley Jenkins, your great grandfather, that murdered Lisa.”
“Now hold on one damn minute. There is no damn way.”
“We found journals, Stephan, of your great grandfather’s among others in both families. We have measured it against the handwriting and it is your great grandfather’s. He admits to the murder as well as the hiding of the original paperwork from the docket. He tells of many things, Stephan, and they are not pretty.” The mayor looked him straight in the eye as a hush fell on the crowd. “I didn’t want to do this here but you forced my hand, Stephan.”
“I won’t stand here and listen to these lies. My great grandfather was a good man.” The man yelled it across the yard but anyone who looked at him could see the acknowledgement in his eyes. For some reason, the man did believe what the mayor was saying. He also knew that if they kept reading the book they would find out that his great grandfather had not been a go
od man and it hadn’t stopped there. He had passed his cruelty on to his son and grandson.
Stephan remembered that after his sister and brother’s death with their mother in the house fire ,it had been his father who had started the whole damn thing. His father had turned his rage on the only person left. His son. His own father’s rage at the betrayal of his daughter, Roger Jenkins had taken it out on Stephan, who was the only one left at home. There would be nowhere in that book that would tell them that his father hadn’t been attacked by wild bears the night of his death but rather tied to a tree for the animals.
Stephan remembered the look in his father’s eyes when he had laughed about his mother and younger siblings burning. He also remembered the fear in his eyes when he tied him to the tree in the woods and left him. Stephan had kept that secret and would take it to his grave. If his Jeannie ever found out, it would have killed her. She had been the best thing to ever happen to him. She had been sweet and loving and he had vowed that he would never treat his children the way the men in his family had.
Love Country (BWWM Romance) Page 8