Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  “It’s a lovely room. I’m sure Granny would be comfortable here.” Rose noted the room was much larger than Granny’s bedroom at the farmhouse. She silently prayed that Granny would agree to move in with Morgan, but she was skeptical since the farm held so many fond memories of her life with Preacher. If Granny objected, Rose didn’t think she could leave her alone. Granny had spent too much time alone over the past few years.

  “Our room is down the hall.” He took her hand and pulled her into his bedroom. Rose’s eyes immediately zoomed in on the large bed. “That bed is huge.”

  Morgan pulled her into his arms. “I promise not to lose you in there. I’ll keep you close to me.” He saw a blush rising on her cheeks, and she looked so delectable he wanted to kiss her. He didn’t talk himself out of it. When his lips left hers, he said, “I plan on doing that a lot for the rest of our lives.”

  Rose didn’t want him to stop, but she knew they had to get to town. “This is a lovely room.”

  “You can do whatever you want in here. I want you to be comfortable.”

  His generosity brought tears to her eyes. “Thank you.”

  “This is your home now. I want you and Granny to make it your home.” He reached for her hand again. “Let’s go get that buckboard.” Now that she had agreed to become his wife, he wanted to tell everyone as soon as possible. His excitement surprised him, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

  Joseph appeared as Morgan was harnessing horses to the buckboard. Rose approached him to say hello. “How are you, Joseph?”

  “Well. Morgan said you were injured.”

  “I’m much better. I wanted to tell you I am sorry my brother shot you.”

  Morgan overheard what Rose said to Joseph. She must believe what he’d told her about Frank, and he couldn’t help but wonder why she’d changed her mind.

  “Joseph, Rose and I are to be wed in a few weeks. Would you mind if we married in the pines? Rose has a spot she is partial to in there.” Morgan might be the owner of the land by law, but he always thought of Joseph as the caretaker of the pines.

  Joseph smiled. “I know this place. I do not object.”

  “Thank you.” Rose turned to Morgan and said, “Joseph showed the place to me a long time ago.” She had so many fond memories of talking with Joseph when she was a young girl. He’d always been patient with her many questions about the Sioux. Before she’d left Whispering Pines, she’d visited the altar one last time. Joseph was there, and she remembered saying to him that when she found a boy who heard the same sounds in the pines as she heard, she would marry him when she grew up.

  “It is the place where I speak to the Great Spirit. I showed you a long time ago,” Joseph reminded Morgan.

  Morgan knew the place. “It is beautiful there.”

  “You don’t mind being married there?” The fact that Morgan wanted Joseph’s consent for them to marry at the sacred place said so much about the kind of man she was marrying.

  Morgan put his arm around her. “I can’t think of a better place.”

  “It is good you take a wife, Morgan. About time,” Joseph said before he walked away.

  “I had to wait on the right one,” Morgan yelled after him. He turned to Rose and laughed. “We seem to have his blessing.”

  Rose smiled. “I’m glad we do.”

  * * *

  Granny was at the door of the church speaking with Clay when she spotted Morgan and Rose. Clay took her by the elbow and they were making their way to the buckboard when another parishioner stopped the pastor. Morgan jumped down from the buckboard to assist Granny.

  “What are you two doing here?” Granny asked.

  “We came to pick you up. We have news to tell you,” Rose said.

  Granny looked at her smiling face. “It must be good. You’re both smiling from ear to ear.”

  “Morgan asked me to marry him,” Rose said.

  Granny clasped her hands together. “Oh my, that is wonderful news. I knew it would happen.”

  Clay walked up and overheard Granny. “What’s wonderful news?”

  “Morgan and Rose are going to need your services soon,” Granny replied.

  “Really, why is that?” Clay asked.

  Morgan put his arm around Rose’s shoulders. “Rose and I are going to marry.” He felt his chest swell with pride when he said those words.

  “You work fast, Morgan,” Clay said, extending his hand in congratulations.

  “We plan to marry on the ranch. Can you come out and perform the ceremony?” Morgan asked.

  “I’d be honored,” Clay said.

  Morgan looked at Rose. “Honey, what time do you want to get married?”

  She was so stunned he’d addressed her as honey that she could hardly think of a reply. “Anytime.”

  “Noon sounds good to me,” Morgan said. “We’ll let you know the exact date when it’s decided.”

  “We’ll have a nice lunch afterwards,” Granny said. “I’m sure all of Morgan’s ranch hands will be there.” She glanced at Morgan to see if she had overstepped her bounds. “Would that be okay with you, Morgan?”

  Morgan smiled at her. “Granny, that sounds good.”

  Granny became emotional and her voice cracked when she said, “Morgan, you’ve made me so happy. There isn’t a better man for my Rose. I know you will take good care of her.”

  Morgan found himself getting choked up at her confidence in him. “Yes, ma’am, I promise you, I will always take care of her.”

  “And I know she will make you very happy.”

  They said their good-byes to the pastor and left for the farm. Morgan drove slowly so they could discuss their plans with Granny.

  “I would love to live on your ranch . . . if you’re sure you want me,” Granny told them.

  Rose was relieved Granny had so readily agreed to uproot her life.

  “We definitely want you,” Morgan assured her. “I’ve already got your bedroom picked out. If it doesn’t suit, you can choose another one. There’s plenty of room.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine. I expect you two to start working on giving me great-grandbabies before I am too old to enjoy them,” Granny informed them.

  “Granny!” Rose was appalled Granny would say such a thing.

  Morgan laughed. “You can bet we will get to work on that, first thing.”

  Rose was turning a nice shade of pink.

  “I think four sounds like a good number; two boys and two girls,” Granny said, enjoying Rose’s embarrassment.

  “I can’t guarantee boys or girls, but as many as Rose wants is fine with me.” Morgan glanced down at Rose and grinned. “How many children do you want, honey?”

  “We have time to think about that,” Rose said, ready to die of embarrassment. She couldn’t believe these two were discussing something so personal.

  Morgan winked at her. “Yes, ma’am, we have a lifetime.” Morgan was thankful Granny didn’t mention Frank or Stevie. He’d expected one of them to ask if Stevie could live at the ranch. He’d already decided Stevie could work for him, and bunk with the men, but he wasn’t going to allow a man not to work for his keep. But Morgan figured if Stevie really wanted to work, he’d stay on the farm. The property could be his one day. If Rose was right, and the sisters came home, Morgan felt sure men would be lined up to court them. They’d find themselves married in no time. Stevie could start a family of his own if he was interested in that kind of life.

  They reached the farm and Morgan was helping Granny to the ground when Stevie walked out of the house.

  “Good morning, Stevie. We have some wonderful news,” Granny said, still beaming with excitement.

  “Yeah?” Stevie stared hard at Morgan.

  “Rose and Morgan are planning to marry in a few weeks. The new pastor will perform the ceremony.”

  Morgan was lifting Rose to the ground when he caught the look on Stevie’s face. It was not a look of joy, but rather one of disbelief.

  Stevie took a step forward
, bringing him within inches from Rose’s face. “What is wrong with you, Rose? He’s the man that is going to make sure Frankie hangs!”

  “Stevie . . .” Rose started, but was interrupted by his ongoing tirade.

  “You’re no sister of ours. You’re nothing but a . . .”

  Morgan grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away from Rose. “Watch your mouth. I warned you about the way you speak to your sister.”

  “Stevie, Rose’s relationship with Morgan has nothing to do with Frank. What your brother has chosen to do is not going to ruin our lives,” Granny said firmly.

  Stevie started in on her. “What do you know, old woman? You’re no better than her.” He pointed his finger in Rose’s direction. “You always take Morgan’s side against Frankie. All of you make me sick.”

  Rose stepped forward and slapped Stevie hard across the cheek. “Don’t you dare speak to Granny like that! She’s the one person who doesn’t deserve your wrath. I don’t know what’s happened to you, but you’ve changed. And the change is not a good one.” Rose had never struck anyone in her life, but she was shaking with anger.

  Stevie’s face was so twisted with rage Morgan thought he might strike Rose. He stepped between them. “Stevie, you may not like Rose becoming my wife, but you’re going to have to get used to the idea.”

  “You don’t care about Rose, you’re just trying to make Frankie come home so you can set him up to hang. You’re using Rose to get to him. You know if Frankie hears you are going to marry her, he’ll come for you.”

  “I don’t think Frank is man enough to face me. If he was any kind of man he wouldn’t rustle cattle in the middle of the night like a coward.”

  Smirking, Stevie said, “Frankie’s not afraid of you, if that’s what you’re saying.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Your brother is a coward, plain and simple. Like the rest of his gang, they don’t have the nerve to face a man. If they can’t shoot you in the back, they hide in rocks waiting to waylay a man, just like they did when they shot Jack. Now if you want to end up like your brother, that’s your business, and nothing anyone can say to you will change your mind. You’re a man, and you’ll make your own decisions. You should have been taking care of Granny instead of letting her take care of you. A real man cares for the women in his life. If you want to do the right thing, you’re welcome to work on my ranch for wages like the rest of my men. Whatever you decide, just know, if you can’t keep a civil tongue when you speak to Granny or your sister, then you’d best keep your mouth shut.”

  Stevie spat on the ground near Morgan’s boot. “You’re gonna pay, LeMasters. When Frankie hears about this, all of you are gonna pay.” He glared at Granny and Rose one last time before he stalked toward the stable.

  Morgan spotted Stevie’s horse still saddled outside the stable. He knew Stevie hadn’t bothered to care for him when he arrived at the farm. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He quickly caught up with Stevie. “I warned you about taking care of that animal.”

  “And I told you to mind your own business. You don’t own this farm, and I’m telling you to get out of here.”

  Morgan grabbed the reins of the horse. “You’re not riding this animal.”

  “Get out of my way,” Stevie yelled.

  Morgan didn’t move. He saw in Stevie’s eyes that he was going to draw on him. Before Stevie had a chance to pull his gun all the way out of his holster, Morgan punched him hard in the jaw, knocking him to the dirt. Stevie’s gun fell a few feet from him, and Morgan kicked it out of the way. “The horse is going to my ranch until he heals. If you want to file a complaint, go to the sheriff.”

  Turning, Morgan led Stevie’s horse to the buckboard and tied the reins to the back. After he removed the saddle and blanket, he threw them in the buckboard. When he looked up, Granny and Rose were staring at him. “I told him last night this animal was in bad shape, so he’s staying at the ranch until his sores are healed. I told Stevie he can talk to the sheriff if he has a problem with that.”

  “Thank you, Morgan. I had no idea Stevie wasn’t caring for that animal. I own the horse, and you have my permission to care for him,” Granny said. She wasn’t angry at Morgan for punching Stevie. She’d felt like doing the same thing several times lately. Maybe this would be Stevie’s wake-up call. She’d thought for a long time he needed to answer to a man for his bad manners.

  “I want you two ladies to show me what you want to take to the ranch and I’ll load the buckboard right now.”

  “Granny, do you think it will be proper to live with Morgan until we are married?” Rose asked.

  “I foresee no problems with that. As Morgan said, he has enough bedrooms, and with me there, no one will say a word,” Granny replied. She had to face the fact that it might be dangerous for Rose to stay at the farm now that she was marrying Morgan. Just as Stevie said, Frank would be furious once he got word of their impending marriage.

  Worried about Stevie staying alone on the ranch, Rose almost balked, but if Granny wasn’t protesting, she thought it best to go with Morgan.

  Morgan had a hunch Rose was thinking about Stevie. “Rose, he’s a man, and he needs to act like one. He can cook his own meals and look after himself for a change. If he’s man enough to draw a gun, then he can darn sure work like a man.”

  Granny placed her arm around Rose’s waist, urging her to the house. “Morgan’s right. Let’s pack our valises and show Morgan what he can load on the buckboard.”

  * * *

  Once they had ridden away with a full buckboard, Stevie walked in the house. The first thing he did was walk in his bedroom to make sure everything was as he’d left it earlier. Seeing nothing out of place, he went to the kitchen and looked around for something to eat. He’d never even prepared a sandwich. He considered cooking women’s work, and he cursed Granny and Rose all the more for taking off with Morgan. Judging by the many things Morgan had loaded into the buckboard, they would be staying at his ranch permanently. That was fine by him. After he cut some bread and slapped a couple of pieces of ham on it, he carried it through the house to see what they’d left behind. He walked in Granny’s room and saw her favorite rocker was gone, along with her daguerreotype of Preacher. He wanted to find Frankie and tell him what was going on, but he had no way of getting to Purgatory Canyon. He took solace in the fact that Frankie would make sure Morgan paid for everything he’d done. All he had to do was wait. Frank would come to him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two days later, Stevie was still without a horse. He considered walking to town and buying one, but word was sure to get back to Granny. He didn’t need anyone questioning where he got the money. That was another thing he hated about small towns: Everyone wanted to know your business. He couldn’t raise suspicions now. If he could get to Denver, where no one knew him, he could buy a horse there. He couldn’t just sit at the farm and do nothing. He needed to find Frankie and tell him what was going on. But to find Frankie, he had to have a horse. After pacing for an hour, he decided there was nothing he could do tonight. He knew Granny well enough to know she would give him a few days to calm down and see the error of his ways. There was no way she’d leave him without a horse for long.

  He walked to his bedroom and moved a table in the corner of the room to get to his hiding place. After he pried open one of the wooden slats in the floor, he retrieved one of the bottles of whiskey he’d purchased in town. He uncorked the bottle and took a drink before he pulled out the bag of money he’d stashed in the hole. He sat on the floor and counted his money again. He couldn’t wait to tell Frankie what he’d done. Frankie would be proud of him. He placed the money back in the bag and stuck it back down in his secret hidey-hole.

  * * *

  Frankie rode to the farm in the middle of the night. He was near the stable, watching the farmhouse for over an hour to make sure no one was waiting for him to appear. He’d left his men a few miles away at the old Conner place. It was an abandoned log home whose
occupants were long forgotten. Their old homestead was nothing more than a dilapidated dwelling fading into the wild brush. No one would ever know he was hiding out so close to the farm.

  “Stevie, wake up,” Frank whispered.

  Stevie’s mind was still foggy from the bottle of whiskey he’d consumed. He thought he was dreaming about his brother. “Huh?”

  “Shh, wake up and talk to me.”

  “Frankie?”

  “Keep it down.” Frank sat in the chair next to the bed. “Where’s Granny?”

  Stevie slowly moved to a sitting position. He wiped his eyes, trying to clear his vision. It wasn’t a dream, Frankie was sitting in his chair. Fumbling for a match on his bedside table, Stevie finally put his fingers on one. Striking the head on the wooden table, he held the flame to the kerosene lamp. “Frankie, what are you doing here?”

  “Turn that low,” Frank said. “What do you think I’m doing here? I came to see what’s going on.”

  He dimmed the light as Frankie instructed. He couldn’t have been happier to see his older brother. “What happened in Kansas?”

  “We got away from Morgan, and hid out at Purgatory Canyon. I thought you might be there.”

  “I was going to ride to Purgatory, but Morgan’s got my horse. Frankie, you are not going to like what’s going on here.”

  “Why does Morgan have your horse?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. But first, I don’t think it’s safe for you to be here.”

  Frank grinned. “I’m smarter than all of these yokels. Now tell me what I’m not going to like to hear.”