Heart of a Lady (Book One of the Red River Valley Brides)

by Hestand, Rita

  "Maybe you will. We've discussed it, and we want a houseful."

  Ma rolled her eyes, "A house full, huh?"

  Ma left, and he locked everything up and went to bed. Although he was tired of sleeping on the hard cot, he just didn't feel safe leaving the jail at night. He knew Morey wasn't going to take this easy like.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  It was the night before the eve of the hanging. Harry had instructed Ma and Jo Ella to stay away from the jail. He didn't want the ladies around.

  Morey was like some caged animal, walking back and forth, rattling the cell doors and hollering obscenities every few minutes.

  Cole and Danny both tried to settle him down, but were unsuccessful.

  Jeff came to stay with Harry so he wouldn't be alone. Sleep could creep up on anyone.

  Mae came, and Harry was apprehensive to let her in the cell now. "Mae, it's close to time now. It's dangerous letting you inside."

  "Why? What do you think is going to happen?"

  "I'm not sure. That's why I am so worried."

  "Cole won't be any trouble, and neither will Danny," she said confidently.

  "I know that, but Morey could use them as a shield, or you for that matter."

  "I hadn't thought of that. Can I stand outside the cell?"

  "Sure, that should be fine."

  "Thanks."

  She was gone for a long time. Jeff had fallen asleep, so Harry went to check on them by himself.

  "All right, sheriff, now open this door," Morey said with a gun in his hand.

  "Where did you get that?" Harry demanded.

  "You really should board up the window, you know." Morey laughed as he motioned for Cole and Danny to move out of his way."

  "You ain't gonna take me with you?" Danny asked.

  "Nope. I ain't worried about anyone but me, kid, and you should do the same."

  "But it was my friend who sent you the gun."

  "Well, he shouldn't have been so stupid, now should he?"

  "I'll kill you fer this, Morey," Danny shouted.

  "Shut up, kid. The deputy is in the other room, you'll wake him."

  "Morey, put it down now and I'll forget this happened." Harry gently shoved Mae out of his way.

  "You hurt my sister and I'll kill you myself, Morey." Cole's eyes bore into him.

  "I ain't gonna hurt her unless she gets in my way." Morey laughed.

  "Mae, get out of the way," Cole cautioned her. His concern was genuine.

  "God forgive you, Morey," she mumbled.

  Morey pointed the gun at her. "Shut that up. I don't want to hear any more of what God is gonna do. You hear me, woman? For days, I've put up with you and your preachin'. No more."

  "Morey, put the gun down." Cole's voice turned cold and unmoving.

  Harry unlocked the door. "I'm gonna let you out, Morey." Harry opened the door, waiting for Morey to come out so he could pull him free of everyone else and tackle him.

  "You better or you're dead."

  "Just settle down," Harry said quietly.

  "If you think you are gonna hang me, you are dead wrong, sheriff," Morey said.

  Just then, Harry jumped him. The gun went off, as they struggled to control it and Cole jumped on top of his sister to protect her. Danny fell to the floor. Blood ran from his mouth. He'd been shot in the neck.

  Harry was still battling it out with Morey. Morey had the gun, and it went off again. Harry grabbed his gun hand and sent several big blows to his hand, but Morey hung on to the gun. Jeff ran in, but Harry and Morey were so locked together he couldn't do much.

  Cole had gotten up before the gun went off, he got to his feet and was about to check on Mae when he realized she wasn't moving. He saw the blood at her head.. "Mae… Mae… Oh God, no. Mae…" He cried real tears. Morey had shot her in the head.

  Cole stood and looked at Morey who was locked in a grip hold with Harry. With both his hands, he dove into Morey and picked him up with his bare hands and threw him against the wall. Morey started to come at Cole when Jeff shot him in the chest, killing him. His shoulders were slumped in a mass of dejection. Everything in him seemed to stop as he slid down to the floor in a puddle of his own blood. His eyes stared, but saw nothing. Cole looked around him in a cold sweat. Danny was slumped in the cell, dead. His sister lay against the floor out from the cell, dead. He looked up at Harry who was breathing hard and trying to get a grip on things himself.

  "My God, my God, he killed them…." Cole cried.

  Harry scrambled to get up. Jeff moved to help him.

  "I had to shoot him." Jeff glanced at Mae. "He killed her, Harry. He killed the kid. And he was trying to kill you."

  "He was trying to escape Jeff. And he killed two people. You did right."

  Jeff was crying. Danny was dead. Mae was dead, and Cole sat in the cell, alone, staring at the wall.

  Harry got his breath and rolled Morey away. The horror that had taken place was unthinkable.

  Two other deputies came running in. "We heard the shots, and thought we better check," they both said.

  Harry nodded. "It's over." His voice was thin and full of an emotion that barely controlled itself. "Get him out of here," he hollered. Then he remembered Cole. He stared down at the man who was slumped over in the cell, crying. "Cole, I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry…."

  After a long while, Cole looked up at him. "It's all right, Harry. She's with God now. And I will be too, soon."

  "After tonight, no one is gonna hang, Cole," Harry announced.

  "How you plannin' on stoppin' it? They done sentenced me. And I want to go to heaven to see my Mae." He cried aloud now.

  "Cole?" He came closer to look him in the eye. "Everyone wants to live."

  "Not me. I want to go home to glory land. Like Mae said."

  Ma and Jo Ella ran into the jail. Harry looked at them as he stood beside Cole, hand on Cole's shoulder.

  "My God." Ma pointed to Mae.

  "Oh!" Jo Ella shrieked. She started to cry.

  "Ma, go fetch someone for Mae, will ya?" Harry's voice was shaken.

  "Sure I will, son. Sure I will…" She hung her head and wrung her hands all the way out.

  In minutes, a couple of men rushed in to carry Mae out. Then Danny. Jo Ella broke out crying again.

  Harry walked slowly out of the cell.

  "Want us to lock him up?" one of the deputies called to Harry.

  "Not right now. He needs to be with Mae right now. One of you take him along. It ain't right for him to be cooped up in here while they are burying his sister," Harry instructed.

  They nodded.

  "How did this happen?" Jo Ella asked Harry.

  "Danny's friends slipped Morey a gun," Harry said, his voice tightening with each word.

  "How did Danny and Mae…"

  "I was struggling to get the gun away from him. It went off twice. It killed Danny then Mae." Harry choked.

  They watched as Cole went with a deputy to the undertakers. Jeff escorted Cole to the undertaker's.

  "Will they still hang Cole?" Jo Ella asked.

  Harry wheeled around and looked at her. She looked as upset as he felt. "Not if I can help it."

  "But how can you stop it?"

  "I don't know yet, but I've got to try."

  When everyone left, Harry laid his head in Jo Ella's lap and cried like a baby. He cried for Mae, and for Danny, and then for Cole.

  It was a moment he hoped he would never repeat again.

  Jeff came back inside. "We took them both over to the undertaker's. Cole is with Hugh, making arrangements for Mae's burial. I should have been faster on my feet. I should have tried to get the gun."

  Harry shook his head and wiped his eyes. "No, don't go blamin' yourself. It was meant to be. It happened, and we can't change that. We can mourn, and we can go on."

  Jeff nodded. "Times like this… you don't want to do this kind of work, do ya?"

  "No, you don't."

  "Well, goodnight."

&nbs
p; "Yeah. See ya tomorrow." Harry tried to smile.

  "I wish I could have been here to help," Jo Ella cried out.

  "I don't. I wouldn't want to have to haul you out to the undertaker too!" he exclaimed.

  With his arm around her, he closed the jail for the night and left. He needed sleep. Tomorrow was another day.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Harry hadn't wasted a bit of time going to the judge. He had to wake him. The old judge didn't even have his teeth in yet.

  "You expect me to reverse my decision, based on what? The others getting shot and killed? That makes no sense."

  Harry nodded. "I know that, but the man lost his sister in the skirmish. He's paid a high enough price, don't you think? Can't you just send him to prison?"

  "Absolutely not. I've given my verdict, and the verdict stands, sheriff. Now carry out your duties."

  "You just won't listen to reason, will ya? I want to ask you something. Did you get summoned to this trial, or did they pick you?"

  "What difference does that make?"

  "A lot to me."

  "I have no idea how they picked me."

  "You are sure?"

  "I’m sure. The man is sentenced to hang, today at noon. I expect you to carry it out. In fact, I'm going to stay here to make sure you do."

  "I'll do it, but I won't enjoy it."

  "That's your problem," the judge huffed.

  "Good day." Harry stomped out of the room, his anger festering like a wound that wouldn't heal.

  He was sore where Morey had beat him. He was angry where the judge had bested him. And he was disappointed in humankind.

  When he returned to the jail, Cole called him from the cell. "He didn't listen, did he, Harry?"

  "No, he didn't. I'm sorry. I don’t know what else to do. He's staying until it's over, to make sure I carry it out."

  Cole looked down at the floor, and his boot scratched the floor. "Don't trouble yourself any more, Harry. I'm ready to go."

  "But why?"

  "It's my time, I guess. Besides, I ain't got much to look forward to now that Mae is gone. The place don't mean much with her gone," Cole said quietly.

  "Okay, Cole. Is there anything I can get you or anything you want?"

  "No, I'm fine. But, Harry… don't feel so bad about all this. I done wrong. It's time for me to hang. And before the day is over, I will be with Mae again, in a much better place than this. She taught me that, her and you! So don't feel so bad for me. I'm gonna be with Mae again. And that's where I want to be."

  "Cole…" Harry nodded then backed away.

  The people began gathering for the hanging. Some came just to watch, like it was some sideshow in a carnival. Others thought it their duty to be there, like Dillon. Still others were just curious. And then there was the judge, who watched Harry and Cole.

  Stories went up about what had happened at the jail. Hardly any of them were true, but it no longer mattered.

  Harry spent some time that day settling his nerve and being calm about the hanging. The one good thing that came of it was Cole was ready to meet his maker. The kid hadn't had a chance. Maybe that was the best way for him to go out, so he didn't have to keep sitting there in that cell thinking about it. Morey got what he deserved, and Harry felt justified with that.

  In the long run, maybe Dillon had been right about some of it. Morey was guilty, and he did the worst he could do. He took some good people with him when he died. But he was dead and that in itself was a reassurance to Harry. The bad had left Vada.

  As the time came for Cole, Harry unlocked the door and Cole stood up in the cell. He marched out of the jailhouse with his head up, his shoulders back.

  The crowd let them through.

  The hangman was from out of town. No one wanted to use someone familiar as a hangman.

  Harry led Cole up the platform. He put the noose around his neck and whispered, "Good luck, Cole. Tell Mae hello for us all."

  "See ya, Harry." Cole winked.

  The people gathered, sang a few Christian songs, and waited for the preacher to pray over Cole as they offered him a chance to say something.

  Cole didn't want a mask, telling them he'd face his maker without that. He cleared his throat. "I guess you all know I done a lot wrong in this world. I deserve to hang. I know that. I ain't afraid to die, but only because I know I'm going to meet my dearly departed sister in heaven today. I go happy, for now I know God. That's all I got to say, except maybe I'm sorry for what I done."

  Harry respected Cole, and somewhere deep in his heart, he was glad that Cole would be with Mae, that his troubles were over now.

  Jo Ella and Ma came to stand beside Harry. Dillon showed up too and came to stand with them.

  "Well, at least one of them is hangin'."

  "Morey's dead, you know," Harry said lowly.

  "Yeah, I heard. Too bad, I would have enjoyed seeing him swing those legs around after they pulled the floor out from under him. But like you said, at least he's dead."

  "Dillon, you have no heart." Jo Ella shook her head in disbelief.

  "I gave it to you, darlin'." He smiled and then turned his attention to the platform.

  Jo Ella touched Harry's arm. "Look at him, Harry. He's smiling," she said just before the hangman jerked the bar that sent Cole under the platform.

  Jo Ella and Ma looked away.

  Harry stared up at the sky. "May you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you're dead," he murmured.

  "Where did you hear that?" Ma asked.

  "From an Irishmen passing through. It seems to fit."

  "God bless them both. And little Danny too."

  "Give me a break. They all three deserved it," Dillon countered.

  "You are one cold-hearted son of a gun, Dillon," Harry reflected. "And I'm glad Jo Ella had the good sense to see it."

  Dillon stared at Harry with a wicked smile. "Harry, you don't think that judge just happened to show up, do ya? I made sure it was him. I knew he'd hang 'em."

  Harry's mouth flew open. His itch to knock him down was so strong he fisted his hands and became stiff all over trying to control it.

  "I suspicioned it," Harry admitted when his voice returned.

  "Too bad you couldn't do anything about it. But justice was served, so don't sweat it. At least I won something out of all of this."

  "You've got your revenge, Dillon, now go home and live with it." Jo Ella took Harry's arm.

  When it was over, people talked a bit then broke up. Some went to the saloon. Others went home. Harry, Ma, and Jo Ella walked to the jail. It looked so empty it created an eerie feeling. Jeff stood out front.

  "Jeff, you mind lookin' after the place? Ma's got some vitals on. I thought I'd go eat now."

  Jeff glanced up and nodded. "You mean you haven't eaten yet?"

  "No. I wasn't sure it would stay down until now."

  "I'll be right here," Jeff promised. "Take your time."

  "Thanks."

  Maggie, Trish, Sarah, and Nadine joined them. They had come to the hanging, but from the looks on their faces, none of them enjoyed it.

  "I hope I never see anything like that again." Maggie shook her head.

  "Yeah, I got a strong stomach, but that was a little too much for me too," Trish added.

  "The reverend sure said some pretty words, didn't he?" Sarah smiled slightly.

  As they all sat down to eat, Jo Ella looked at Sarah. "So are you making any progress with him?"

  "No, not yet, but I don't give up easy. You know that."

  Jo Ella laughed.

  "The mayor looked as though he was about to cry," Maggie added.

  "He's a soft-hearted man," Harry said, digging into the chicken that Ma had somehow kept warm during all the goings on.

  "Gee, thanks, Harry." Maggie smiled at him.

  Ma offered a prayer. "Thank you for the food we are about to receive and take care of Cole, Danny, and especially Mae, Lord."

  "Amen!"

  Chapter Thirt
y-Five

  Two days until the wedding. Both Jo Ella and Harry were excited. Ma had finished the wedding dress and made a beautiful veil for her. All the other girls helped with baking, flowers, and seating arrangements for the whole town.

  So that evening when Jo Ella took her bath, she was shocked to see Dillon at the door once more. In the excitement of the wedding, she hadn't given Dillon another thought. However, Harry had left her something for unwanted guests and she kept it at her side.

  "I guess I haven't made myself clear to you, Dillon. You are not wanted here."

  "I thought you were too good to be true." Dillon smiled as he came a little closer.

  "That's far enough." Jo Ella got out her gun that she kept wrapped in her towel like Harry instructed her. He'd even given her lessons on how to use it properly. She aimed it right at Dillon now.

  "Now, darlin', no use being shy with me. I know where you came from and why you are here." Dillon said with confidence. "I know all about it. I spoke to a man name Al. He was a talker, he was. I know all about your little scheme of finding a husband."

  "Since when is it against the law to marry a man?"

  "I guess it ain't against the law, but it sure creates a lot of lies, doesn't it. Does Harry know?""

  "Get out of here Dillon!"

  "Well, I wouldn't be interrupting your bath so much, but a whore shouldn't mind."

  "Get out of here. This minute, I'm warning you. I know how to use this thing." Jo Ella cried.

  "Oh now, honey, you'll have to do better than that. I aim to have you now, one way or another. You played me. I don't like to be played. You are nothin' but a whore, and you are trying to catch a decent husband. You almost had me fooled. " Dillon smiled again, again coming closer.

  "I am about to tell him." Jo Ella's voice cracked in panic.

  "About to. Well, you don't have to on my account. I'll keep your little secret as long as I get what I want. That shouldn't be hard for you, darlin'." Dillon laughed.

  "I didn't think you were this low!"

  "It's okay, honey. I want you just as bad as you want me." He was standing near her feet now, and his eyes took her in.

  She crimsoned. "So help me, Dillon."