Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  “You didn’t pay attention to me.”

  Morgan grinned. “That’s not entirely true. I remember the pretty little gal with long blond hair who would peer over the church pew at me with those big green eyes.”

  Rose gave him a sad smile. “And now I’ve brought you nothing but problems.”

  “Honey, you’ve made me the happiest man in the world. This is nothing we can’t handle.” He told her how he thought she was the one who died in the fire. “I’m really sorry about Stevie, honey. I don’t know why Frank would do something like that.”

  “He really is crazy,” Rose said. “I saw it in his eyes. I never knew he was so filled with hate. You tried to tell me, but I’d never seen that side of him before. I wish you had told me about Judge long ago. Anyone who could hurt an animal would have to be insane.”

  “I didn’t understand Frank back then, and I guess I don’t understand him now.”

  “How did you find out it was Stevie and not me?”

  “Joseph told me there was no wedding ring on the . . . body.” He didn’t want to tell her how badly Stevie was burned. That was one detail she didn’t need to hear. “Before Joseph told me it wasn’t you, I didn’t know what I was going to do without you. I didn’t even know how much I loved you until I thought you were gone. Granny was devastated.”

  Though saddened by what he’d gone through, Rose was thrilled by his admission. “It makes me happy to hear those words from you.”

  Morgan kissed her again. “I love you, and you’ll hear those words forever.” He pulled her ring from his pocket and placed it on her finger. “This belongs to you, Mrs. LeMasters.”

  “Jack said Frankie left you a message. Was it my ring?”

  “Yeah.”

  * * *

  “Corbin, wake up,” Frank yelled.

  Corbin’s eyes opened. “What’s going on?”

  “Rose is gone and so are our horses,” Frank said.

  Jumping to his feet, Corbin looked around. “How . . . when?”

  “You didn’t tie her up, and it looks like she played us for fools,” Frank said. He walked in circles as he cursed. When he found Rose again he was going to put a bullet through her head, just like he did Morgan’s. “We’ve got to find those horses. We can’t walk all the way to Las Vegas.”

  “There’s a small town a couple of days from here,” Corbin said.

  Hands on his hips, Frank glared at him. “You feel like walking for a couple of days?”

  “What if she took the horses with her?”

  Frank had already thought of that, but he didn’t think Rose could lead two horses for long. “We’ve got to look.”

  * * *

  “Rose!” Granny was sitting on the porch when she saw Morgan and Joseph riding in with Rose.

  Morgan helped Rose from the saddle and she ran to her grandmother. “I’m sorry about Stevie, Granny. I’m so sorry you had to go through this alone.”

  “Hush, now. It’s in God’s hands.” She turned to Morgan. “Thank you for bringing her home.”

  “You can thank Joseph, Granny,” Morgan said.

  Granny turned to Joseph. “I figured you took off after him. Next time you leave, please let me know so I won’t worry so much about you.”

  Joseph had never considered that someone other than Morgan would worry about him. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Granny smiled at him. “Thank you for your help.”

  Rose quickly gave Granny a brief explanation of what had happened. “Granny, we need to get Morgan into bed. He’s been shot, but he refuses to rest.” She’d told Morgan when they got back to the ranch, Granny would make sure he stayed in bed. He wouldn’t be able to argue with Granny.

  Granny gave him a stern look. “You go right on up to bed. The men will carry water up for a bath, and then to bed you go.” She turned her attention on Rose. “You don’t look much better than your husband. Both of you take a bath and go to bed, and I will bring you something to eat. I have a lot of questions, but nothing that can’t wait until you are well rested.”

  To Rose’s amazement, Morgan didn’t put up an argument. He even allowed Joseph to take Faithful to the stable.

  Morgan didn’t want to admit it to Rose, but he was in considerable pain. He was determined to make sure she was safe at the ranch before he relaxed. “Thanks, Granny. A bath and bed sounds good to me.”

  Morgan slumped in his chair while his wife bathed first. He wished he felt better so he could have a second wedding night, but he’d be content just to hold her in his arms all night.

  When Morgan sat in the tub, Rose cut his bandage away and washed his back. “I could get used to this. I think I might have to get shot every month.”

  “I’ll scrub your back every night if you promise not to get shot again.” Rose tried to sound normal, but she was scared to death Frankie was going to come back once he found out Morgan was still alive.

  “I like that deal better.”

  Rose bandaged his back again, and they climbed into bed. They were holding each other, thankful to be alive and together when Granny brought them something to eat. Granny ate dinner with them, and after she left their room, they fell asleep holding each other.

  Morgan could not recall a time when he’d stayed in bed all day, but he found he’d never been as happy and content in his life as he was while recuperating. His beautiful wife was caring for him, and she was snuggled up to him at night as they discussed their dreams for the future. He had no reason to complain, and every reason to be thankful.

  * * *

  “Hello, Stella, Reuben.” Walt had arrived at the prearranged meeting place the night before. He hadn’t been back to his family farm for over a year. It was the place where he’d been born and lived until his parents died. He’d never sold the place, and he’d come here often when he wanted to be alone. He’d even slept in his old room last night, though he’d tossed and turned all night wondering if Stella would come with Reuben. He’d thought of nothing else since the day he left Denver. He didn’t want to think too far ahead and make plans, in case she didn’t show up, but he’d given some thought about where they would go to make a fresh start if she did. Now, here she was right in front of him.

  “Hello,” Stella said as Walt helped her from the buckboard.

  “I’m glad you came, Stella,” Walt said, not taking his eyes off of her. He was so excited she was there that he could hardly contain himself. She was the first woman he’d ever asked to take a chance on him. And she’d said yes.

  Stella gave him a big smile. “So am I.” She’d never thought this day would arrive. She’d prayed for years that some man would come along and take her away from the saloon. Nothing had come of her prayers, until now. She’d questioned what made Walt ask her to join him that day as he was making his getaway, but she’d never come up with an answer. It had to be fate. Nothing else made sense. It was risky going away with a man she didn’t know, yet she had a good feeling about Walt. She figured she’d taken bigger gambles in her life. Working in a saloon since she was fourteen years of age was a risk every day. Men with guns, drinking alcohol, was the perfect lethal combination. She’d actually been shot once when two men had argued over a card game.

  “Walt, have you seen Stevie?” Reuben asked, climbing down from the buckboard.

  “A friend of mine told me he was killed in a fire on the farm,” Walt said.

  Reuben was shocked by the news. He liked Stevie, and he’d tried to warn him about his brother. “That had to be Frank’s doing. I told Stevie not to trust him. When I met Frank I knew he wasn’t a man to trust.”

  “I don’t know if Frank had a hand in it or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  “Does Frank know about this place?” Reuben asked, glancing around the old house that was located about twenty miles east of Denver.

  “No. My family owns this land. I’ve never told anyone about it, so we are safe here. Come on inside the house. I just made some coffee.”

  The thr
ee entered the kitchen, and Walt pointed to the saddlebags he’d placed on the table. “You know how much you put in there, Reuben. I didn’t spend a penny yet.”

  Reuben trusted Walt. Initially, he was skeptical about trusting an outlaw, but once Stella said she was riding with him to meet Walt, he was encouraged that he might actually get his share of the money. He didn’t really have an option. It was either trust Walt, or get killed by Frank Langtry if he didn’t help with the robbery. He walked to the table and opened the saddlebags. “Walt, thanks for keeping your word.”

  “Reuben, it ain’t none of my business, but I’m thinking you should probably move on. Frankie knows by now that one of us double-crossed him. I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay around Denver. If you want, you’re welcome to ride with me and Stella. I figure we’ll head East and get out of this territory.”

  “That’s why I bought the buckboard. My belongings are in the back, and I’ll ride with you as far as St. Louis if you’re going that way. From there, I will get passage East on a train.”

  “St. Louis sounds like a good place for Stella and me to make a fresh start.” Walt looked at Stella as he poured her some coffee. “How does St. Louis sound to you?”

  “St. Louis sounds just fine.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Six weeks later, Rose, Morgan and Granny were relaxing on the front porch after dinner when Murph reined in.

  “How’s things at the farm?” Morgan had sent Murph and two men to the farm to start cleaning it up to rebuild the house.

  “It’s going good, but I found something in the stable you need to see.” Murph tossed a saddlebag to Morgan.

  “What’s this?”

  “I reckon it belongs to Stevie, but you need to look inside,” Murph said.

  Morgan glanced at Granny. “Is it Stevie’s?”

  “Yes, that’s his saddlebag.”

  Morgan started to hand the saddlebag to her, but Granny said, “You look inside.”

  He opened the flap, peered inside and his eyes widened. He looked up at Murph, and said, “What’s this?”

  Murph threw his hands in the air and shrugged.

  Rose looked from her husband to Murph. “What is it?”

  Morgan held the saddlebag so Rose and Granny could see the contents.

  “Oh, my! Where would Stevie get that kind of money?” Granny asked.

  Quickly putting together the pieces of the puzzle that had long been evading Morgan, he realized he had the answer. “From that stagecoach holdup.” He told them what he knew of the holdup, and how he’d happened on Stevie and Reuben on the trail. “I knew Stevie was lying to me that day. He knew the man in the buggy. Then, the day I went to Denver, I found out the man in that buggy worked at the bank there.” Morgan had initially eliminated Stevie as the holdup man when he saw the man riding the palomino in Denver, tailing Reuben. Now that they had proof in their hands, he figured Stevie and Reuben planned the holdup together.

  “I guess Stevie had already followed in Frankie’s footsteps and we were just too blind to see,” Rose said.

  “We didn’t want to believe he could be like Frank,” Granny said.

  They heard another horse riding toward the house. Morgan looked up and said, “It’s Jack.”

  “Hello, Jack,” Morgan said when Jack reined in at the porch.

  “Evening.” Jack tipped his hat to Granny and Rose. “How’s everyone feeling?”

  “Good,” Morgan said. “Would you like a cup of coffee? We have something to show you.”

  “If you have some made, I would be grateful,” Jack said.

  “Why don’t you all come in the kitchen? We were going to have some pie,” Granny said.

  “Granny, you know the way to my heart,” Jack said.

  Jack dismounted, and as they walked to the kitchen, Morgan handed Jack the saddlebag and told him the story.

  “So you think those two planned that robbery?” Jack said.

  “I’d bet that Reuben was the brains and did the planning, while Stevie carried it out,” Morgan replied.

  “I’ll take the money back to Denver in the morning and tell them what we know.”

  Rose poured the coffee while Granny served the pie. They talked about the stagecoach robbery while they ate.

  Morgan figured Jack hadn’t come out for a social call. “When did you get back, Jack?”

  “Last night.” Jack had come to the ranch to deliver the news in person because he knew they would be worried. “Frank made it to Las Vegas. We tracked them to Mexico, but that’s where the trail went cold. They aren’t too helpful to the law down there.”

  Morgan’s eyes slid to Rose, and just as expected, she looked worried.

  “He’ll come back here.” Rose was heartbroken Jack did not have Frankie in jail.

  “I agree with Rose. If Frank finds out he didn’t kill Morgan, he will definitely come back,” Granny said.

  Morgan couldn’t deny he agreed with them, but he refused to worry about something he had no control over. “We can’t live our lives worried about what Frank might do.”

  “Morgan’s right, Rose,” Granny said.

  Jack told them he would let them know if he heard anything about Frank’s whereabouts. “Morgan, I just remembered something. That Denver bank was robbed over a month ago.”

  “I hadn’t heard. Did they catch them?”

  “No. Apparently, the robbers showed up at the clerk’s home on Sunday morning and made him go to the bank and open the safe. The clerk was shot, but not killed.”

  “Was this before Stevie died?” Morgan asked.

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “I wonder if Stevie planned that robbery with the clerk.”

  “I guess it’s possible,” Jack replied.

  “The day I was in Denver I saw a man watching the clerk. I noticed him because he’d been in Whispering Pines one day when I took Rose and Granny to town. He was riding a palomino, and that’s how I recognized him in Denver. It’s possible he was involved.”

  Rose remembered the man Morgan was talking about. “Perhaps it was a man in Frankie’s gang.”

  “I don’t know, but I doubt all of this is a coincidence,” Morgan said.

  “The sheriff in Denver said two men robbed the bank. The clerk couldn’t identify them because they wore masks,” Jack said.

  Morgan had a feeling one or both of the Langtry men were involved with the robbery, though they might never know the truth of what happened.

  Jack pulled a letter out of his pocket. “Granny, I almost forgot, I have a letter for you.”

  Granny looked at the writing on the envelope. “It’s from Adelaide.” She quickly read the letter and smiled when she finished. “She’s coming home in a few weeks. She’s bringing some children with her.”

  “Children?” Jack asked.

  “Three orphans. She’s planning on opening an orphanage here.”

  “Oh, I can’t wait!” Rose said. “It will be so wonderful to have her home again.”

  “It’s a shame the house burned down. It would have been a perfect place for the children,” Granny said.

  “Granny, that’s why I have Murph and the men working over there cleaning it up. We thought you might like to have the house rebuilt. If we don’t have it finished before they arrive, they can stay at the ranch,” Morgan said.

  Rose smiled at her husband’s generosity. She wasn’t surprised at his offer; he would do anything for Granny.

  “I’m pretty handy with a hammer,” Jack said.

  “I’m sure we can get Clay out here to help us,” Morgan said.

  Granny was excited at the thought of having children at the farm again. “That would be wonderful. Just think, we could help so many children. Adelaide said the orphanage back East was terrible.”

  “Anything would be better than some of the orphanages I’ve seen,” Jack said.

  Morgan was surprised by Jack’s statement. He’d rarely heard him speak of his childhood. “Maybe they
will have a better life here.”

  “I know Adelaide well enough to know that she will be so attached to those children she will not want to part with them if some family decides to adopt them,” Rose said.

  Granny agreed. “It would be difficult to let go when the time comes.”

  “It may take a while to find families willing to adopt, especially if the children are older. Not many people want to adopt older kids. They all want babies.” Jack remembered all too well how it felt not to be selected for adoption. It was a feeling he’d never forgotten.

  Jack stood to leave. “Morgan, if you are ready to start on that house tomorrow, I’ll bring my hammer after work. I’ll bring Clay with me.”

  “Murph, are we ready to start building tomorrow?”

  “It’s ready.”

  “We’ll pick up supplies in the morning. Come on by here and have dinner with us, and then we’ll go to the farm,” Morgan replied.

  They walked Jack to the porch, and when he rode away, Granny stood on her tiptoes and kissed Morgan on the cheek. “Thank you. You are the best son a mother could have.”

  Morgan smiled at her. “I’m just buttering you up so you’ll never stop making me pies.”

  “You never have to worry about that.” Granny said good night and walked inside to go to bed.

  Morgan and Rose followed her inside and turned down the lamps in the front room. Once all the lights were extinguished, Rose reached for Morgan’s hand. “Are you ready for bed?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” If she thought he would say no to an offer like that, then she didn’t know him. He leaned over and picked her up and carried her up the stairs.

  “You shouldn’t be carrying me. It might hurt your back,” Rose said.

  “I’m fine, and you are light as a feather.” He took the stairs two at a time.

  “I may not be much longer,” Rose replied.

  Morgan was in such a hurry to get to their bedroom, he almost missed her meaning. He walked into the bedroom, closed the door with his boot, and looked down at her. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been sick a few mornings, and I’ve wanted some foods I’ve never liked.”