Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  Joseph smiled a rare smile before he turned to ride through the brush with the braves following.

  “Are you saving Frank for yourself?” Jack asked.

  “That wasn’t my reason. I was thinking of Granny and Joseph. Granny buried one grandson yesterday, and I don’t think she could handle another loss so soon. She knows what’s in store for Frank, but she needs some time. I’ll change my mind if he’s hurt Rose. And I don’t want Joseph to do anything that would bring attention to himself.”

  Morgan didn’t mention his agreement with God. He’d made a bargain with his Maker that if He’d keep Rose from harm he’d leave it up to the justice system to deal with Frank. He didn’t care what Frank had done on the ranch as long as Rose was safe. She was too important to him. He’d live up to his end of that bargain. But like he’d told God, if Frank tried to hurt Granny or Rose, or tried to kill anyone on his ranch, all bets were off. “If I’m forced to kill Frank one day, it won’t trouble me.”

  “Let’s get you stitched up.”

  While Jack worked on sewing him up, Morgan said, “Thanks for coming to help me out.”

  “When Joseph returns with Rose, we’ll get out of here. I’ll round up a posse and go after Frank and his gang.”

  Morgan couldn’t deny he’d like to ride with the posse, but he would stay at Whispering Pines to make sure Rose was safe.

  “Do you think Stevie dying in that fire was an accident?” Jack asked.

  “No, I don’t think Frank has accidents. I’d say he had it planned.”

  “He’s one coldhearted son-of-a-gun.”

  “Joseph said it best. Frank’s an evil spirit.”

  Jack finished with the last stitch, and he placed Joseph’s pouch over Morgan’s wound. He didn’t know if it would do any good, but it couldn’t hurt. “Let’s get you bandaged.”

  Ignoring Jack’s objections, Morgan moved to a sitting position once he was bandaged. “I think I’ll take that coffee now.”

  Jack filled Morgan’s cup and added some whiskey. He repeated the process for himself. “You think Frank thought he killed you?”

  “Yeah, I guess he didn’t make sure, or I’d be dead.” Morgan didn’t know if Rose had seen Frank shoot him, but Frank would be sure to tell her he was dead. He was sorry for that. He understood all too well how she would feel, since he’d experienced those same feelings less than twenty-four hours ago. He wondered if she saw Frank set fire to the farmhouse with Stevie inside. If she was another witness to Frank’s crimes, there was no way she’d ever be safe until Frank was dead, or in prison for life. “Jack, he needs to be caught or Rose will never be safe. I don’t even think Granny is safe around him.”

  “Yeah, I know. I don’t think many people are safe as long as he’s roaming the earth.”

  Morgan positioned himself on his side, and saw his saddlebag by his blanket. He reached in and pulled out Rose’s Bible. He wished she had it with her because he knew it would give her strength. He closed his eyes and prayed for her to stay strong.

  * * *

  At dusk, Corbin decided it was time to stop for the night. He figured without Frank around, they might get a good night’s rest before moving on in the morning. After he helped Rose off of her horse, he told her she could soak her wrists in the nearby stream.

  “Why don’t you let me go? I will tell the sheriff you helped me.” She knew Corbin didn’t agree with Frank’s actions, but she thought he was too afraid to help her.

  “He might be right behind us. You see what he is capable of doing. He told me I’d have to look over my shoulder if I don’t get you to Las Vegas, and I believe him.” He motioned toward the creek. “Go on now and take care of your wrists. You ain’t going anywhere tonight.” He handed her the coffeepot from his saddlebag. “Fill this up when you’re done and I’ll get a fire going.”

  Rose walked to the stream and placed her hands in the water. The cool water was soothing on her raw wrists. She tore strips off the hem of her dress so she could wrap her wrists to keep them clean. After filling up the coffeepot, she walked back to camp. Corbin threw some beans in the pot and placed it over the fire. He shared some of his dried meat with Rose. She wasn’t hungry, but she knew she had to eat something to survive.

  After they ate, Rose pretended to be resting, but she was trying not to fall asleep. She thought she might try to leave after Corbin fell asleep. She saw him pull a whiskey bottle from his saddlebag and add the contents to his coffee. As she waited for him to drink himself into a stupor, she fell asleep.

  * * *

  The warriors knew the territory, and with the aid of the full moon, they quickly caught up with Frank. Joseph was surprised Frank was riding alone, so they kept a safe distance behind him, keeping out of sight. They followed Frank for two more hours, hoping he would lead them to Rose. They spotted a small fire off the trail, and they knew Frank saw it too, because he rode off the trail and approached the camp from a different direction.

  “Wake up, Rose.”

  Rose jerked awake when someone kicked her on the shin. “What are you doing?”

  “I wanted to tell you that your husband is dead.” Frank laughed and took a long swig from the whiskey bottle he’d picked up beside Corbin.

  Fear crept down Rose’s spine. “What did you do?”

  “I made you a widow today.”

  Jumping to her feet, Rose went after Frank, pummeling him with her small fists and kicking at him like a madwoman. “You are a devil!”

  Frank hit her in the jaw with his fist, knocking her to the ground. “Don’t worry, we’ll find you another husband.”

  Rose remained on the ground, sobbing. If Frank was telling the truth, Morgan was lying somewhere dead and no one knew where he was. Frank could be lying just to hurt her. He took pleasure inflicting pain, just as he had to Judge. Rose cried and cried, until she could cry no more, Exhausted and alone with her fears, she remembered Morgan saying he thought it was easier to talk to God under the night sky. She looked up at the thousands of stars and started praying. A calming peace that was beyond her understanding settled over her. In that moment, she knew, without a doubt, she would see Morgan again. If there was ever a man larger than life, it was her new husband. She was determined to keep her faith in him and his strength.

  Frank couldn’t believe Corbin slept through Rose’s outburst. He kicked Corbin in the ribs.

  Corbin rolled to his side and drew his gun.

  “I could have already shot you, and you would never have known what happened,” Frank said.

  Corbin looked at Frank through bleary eyes. “I had some whiskey.” He holstered his pistol and looked around for his whiskey bottle.

  Frank held it in the air. “Looking for this? I’m glad you didn’t finish the whole bottle.” He pointed to Rose and asked, “How did you know she wouldn’t take off while you were sleeping? You didn’t even have her tied up.”

  Corbin saw Rose curled in a ball on the ground. “What’d you do to her?”

  “I told her she was a widow.” Frank laughed again.

  Corbin was already regretting not letting her go. She might not have made it back to Whispering Pines, but he wasn’t sure she would survive traveling with Frank. “Leave her alone, Frank. Haven’t you done enough to her?”

  Frank eyed Corbin as he took another drink. “Corbin, I think you’re getting soft.”

  “I just don’t see no reason to be mean to her.”

  Frank was tired and he hadn’t decided what he was going to do about Corbin, so he sat down and drank more whiskey. He’d been thinking about taking all the men back to Denver and robbing that bank again. This time, they’d rob it during business hours and anyone who got in his way would be dead. He wanted to know if that clerk was dead, and if not, he’d be the first one to get a bullet. No one double-crossed him. After they reached Las Vegas, he’d decide who rode with him to Denver.

  * * *

  Joseph and the braves were watching when Frank hit Rose in the face. One of
the braves started to go after Frank, but Joseph placed his hand on his arm and shook his head. Morgan had said not to kill Frank if it could be avoided, but Joseph didn’t think he could avoid it if Frank hit Rose again. When Joseph saw Frank and Corbin drinking whiskey, he knew they wouldn’t have long to wait for the opportunity to act.

  Sooner than Joseph expected, the men were snoring. He recognized Stevie’s horse, so he told one brave to release the other two horses. When the outlaws awoke, they would be spending time trying to find their horses. If they didn’t find them, they would have a long walk in either direction before they found a town. Joseph planned to stay off the trail just in case more men in Frank’s gang were lurking about.

  While one brave was quietly moving the horses away from camp, Joseph and the other brave slipped silently toward Rose with their knives out, prepared to defend themselves.

  Chapter Thirty

  Rose was awake, waiting for Frank and Corbin to fall asleep. She’d been worried Frankie would tie her wrists again, but when he didn’t she knew she needed to make her escape. Frankie wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. She turned over to see how far she was from the horses, but when she saw a brave leading them away she almost yelled out, but stopped when a dark hand covered her mouth.

  “Shhh,” Joseph whispered in her ear.

  Rose looked at the man looming over her. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Joseph! He’d come to help her. But where was Morgan?

  Joseph removed his hand from her mouth. He helped her to her feet, and pointed to the brush. They hustled through the brush to their horses. Rose looked behind her to see if they had awakened Frank, but another brave was behind her.

  * * *

  To Rose, it seemed as though they rode forever before Joseph stopped. Finally, she was able to ask the question she’d dreaded. “Frank told me he killed Morgan.”

  “He is alive,” Joseph said. “But we must hurry.”

  From his serious tone, Rose thought Morgan must be severely injured. Tears formed in her eyes. “Is he in danger of dying?”

  “No, but if we are not back by morning, he’s coming for us.”

  “You are sure he will be okay?”

  “Yes. The sheriff is with him.”

  “Thank you for coming for me, Joseph.” Then she cried tears of relief. Morgan was safe, and they would be together again.

  Joseph looked at the sky. It would be morning soon, so they needed to ride fast. “We must go.”

  * * *

  At dawn, Morgan stood and walked to his horse. He was determined to go after Rose, and nothing Jack said persuaded him to wait longer.

  Though frustrated by his obstinate friend, Jack saddled his horse so he wouldn’t tear his stitches.

  “If you fall off that horse, I’ll leave you in the road this time,” Jack threatened.

  “I appreciate all you’ve done, Jack, but I’ve got to find her.” How could he explain to Jack that the pain he was feeling from his wound was nothing in comparison to the pain he felt when he thought Rose had died in that fire? Nothing he could ever face would be worse than losing Rose.

  Jack stopped arguing with him. If he’d learned one thing about his friend, it was his determination when he set his mind on something. Thankfully, he didn’t have to help Morgan into the saddle because they heard horses riding through the trees.

  Morgan and Jack pulled their pistols and waited. They spotted Joseph first, and then Morgan’s eyes landed on Rose. Rose slid out of the saddle and ran into his arms.

  The men took the horses some distance away to give the couple some privacy.

  “He said he killed you,” Rose cried. “I refused to believe you were dead. I asked God to protect you.”

  Morgan held on to her, understanding what she had gone through. “And He did, honey. It’s okay now, sweetheart.”

  She looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Joseph said you were shot. Why aren’t you lying down?”

  “I’m okay, honey. Are you hurt?” Morgan wanted to look at her to make sure she wasn’t injured, but she wouldn’t let go of him.

  Rose buried her head in his chest and cried as though her heart was breaking. She was mumbling words, but Morgan couldn’t understand her.

  “Honey, I can’t hear you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come on now, stop crying. You’re safe with me.”

  She wiped her tears on her sleeve, but they didn’t stop. “I can’t stay with you. Frankie will keep trying to kill you. You will never be safe. I’ve seen what he is capable of doing.”

  Cupping her chin, Morgan urged her to look up at him. When he saw her face, he became enraged. She had blood in her hair, dark circles around her eyes, her cheek was swollen and red. He held her hands and looked at her bandaged wrists. “Who hit you? What happened to your wrists?”

  “Frankie. He tied my arms to the horse.”

  What Morgan wanted to do was get on his horse, find Frank and beat him to death. But he wouldn’t forget his promise. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  “Please listen to me: Frank will never stop. He will kill you, and I can’t let that happen. I need to go far away from you.”

  “Rose, Frank didn’t kill me. He won’t kill me. And you aren’t going anywhere but to our home. Jack is going to get a posse together and go after them.”

  “He’ll never find them. Frankie is crazy.” She was fully convinced that her brother was so evil that he would always evade the law.

  “Honey, you’re tired and scared. Things will look better when we get home.”

  “No, they won’t. He’ll come back.”

  He knew she was frightened and not thinking straight after what Frank had put her through. All he could do was hold her, and try to assuage some of her fears.

  The men walked back to the fire, and Morgan thanked them for bringing his wife back to him.

  After Joseph told them they had released Frank’s horses, they decided they could stay at their camp one more day. Morgan was relieved they could stay put for several hours so Rose could rest. He thought she looked worse than he did. The two braves didn’t stay in camp, but they remained close by in case they were needed. Joseph knew they would be keeping watch, and if anyone approached they would have plenty of warning.

  Jack warmed some water so Rose could wash her face. When she finished, she sat beside Morgan and leaned against his chest. Even though she was secure in Morgan’s strong arms, she couldn’t stop crying. She’d nearly lost him, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Frank’s vow to kill him.

  Once Rose settled down, Jack joined them at the fire to ask Rose some questions. “Do you know where Frankie was headed?”

  “Yes, they were going to meet the rest of the gang in Las Vegas. They talked about going to Mexico, but they also talked about robbing a bank in Denver.”

  “Who was with you?”

  “Corbin was the only one. I think Frankie was expecting another man to show up, but he never did.” She wanted to give him as much information as she could so he could find Frankie and put him in prison before he could hurt someone else. “He knew Stevie was in the house as it was burning.”

  “Did you see him set the fire?”

  “No, I got there after it was already burning, but I know he started it.”

  “Did he say that to you?”

  Rose tried to think about Frank’s exact words. Her memory was fuzzy. “I don’t know. But he knew Stevie was inside. I tried to go in the back door to see if Stevie was there, but I think Frankie hit me. When I woke up, I was at some cabin with Frankie and Corbin. I don’t know where we were.”

  Jack looked at Morgan. “It couldn’t have been too far from the ranch since Frank left that message for you.”

  “He must have been hiding out at one of the abandoned homes,” Morgan said.

  “It was well-hidden, you would never know it was there,” Rose told them.

  “I never thought he rode to Purgatory Canyon each time he rustled cattle. It’s too fa
r away for him to go back and forth. It makes sense to me that he was hiding in plain sight.”

  “I’m real sorry about all of this, Rose,” Jack said.

  “I just want you to find him and put him in jail. He won’t stop,” Rose said. “I can’t prove he started the fire, but he did, and he didn’t help Stevie. Not only that, he said Joseph is the only one who can testify against him and I know he will try to kill him.”

  “I’ve already thought of that,” Morgan said. He’d tried his best to keep Joseph on the ranch, but even that plan hadn’t kept him safe.

  “I’m sure no one saw him shoot you,” she said to Morgan.

  “Rose, we will get him,” Jack said.

  When Jack walked away, Rose looked up at Morgan. “I prayed Frankie was just trying to hurt me when he said you were dead. I didn’t want to believe him.”

  “I guess he thought I really was dead,” Morgan said. He reached in his saddlebag and pulled out her Bible. “I brought this for you.”

  It meant so much to her that he’d thought of the one item that would bring her comfort. Rose reached up and touched his cheek. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I love you so much.”

  Morgan leaned over and kissed her. “You just said you love me.”

  Rose didn’t want to hold back her true feelings. “I love you very much. I think I have since I was fourteen years old.”

  Her confession surprised him. “What? I thought you were afraid of me.”

  “I was afraid of you when I was young. But as I got older, I started noticing how all the women competed for your attention. They flocked to you every Sunday. That’s when I started noticing how handsome you were. Of course, my older sisters had already pointed that out to me.”

  “Women didn’t flock to me,” Morgan said, but he was smiling.

  “You know they did. Every Sunday after church, it would take you forever to get to your horse. Every woman in town stopped to talk to you. Even my sisters were smitten. When I imagined my wedding at the altar, my groom was always you.”

  Morgan took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “I was waiting for you to grow up.”