Return to Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  Culpepper leaned over and looked inside the saddlebag, and Reb saw his chance. He went for his gun, and in the next instant, he was lying on the floor with a bullet through his skull. His pistol hadn’t left the holster. It wasn’t Culpepper who shot him. Taggart saw Reb go for his gun, and in one smooth move, he picked his gun off the table, turned, and shot Reb dead.

  Corbin scrambled on his knees to check on Reb. “He’s dead.”

  Frank had never seen anyone move so fast. He’d heard tales about these two, but most stories were often exaggerated. Not this time. He exchanged a look with his men. They were at the mercy of these two killers.

  Culpepper stood over Reb’s body, reached in his pocket and pulled out a playing card. It was the ace of spades with a bullet hole through the center. He threw it on Reb’s body.

  “What’d you do that for?” Corbin asked.

  Culpepper laughed. “Ain’t you heard? That’s our calling card.”

  “Where did you get all this money?” Taggart asked.

  “We found it,” Frank said.

  “You must be the luckiest sons-of-guns alive,” Culpepper replied. “Get the rest of the saddlebags, Win.”

  Win gathered the rest of the saddlebags and looked inside all of them. “You’re right, Cul, these boys are real lucky. We’ve hit pay dirt without lifting a finger.”

  Taggart trained his pistol on the men while Culpepper looked inside the saddlebags. He let out a whistle. “Where did you boys happen to find this loot?”

  “Off the trail from Denver,” Frank said.

  “Langtry, other people might believe your lies, but don’t count me as one of them.” Culpepper glanced at his partner. “Win, will you get these on our horses? I’ll keep an eye on these terrifying hombres. Maybe we should take them in. There might be a price on their heads.” Culpepper wasn’t about to go near a sheriff, because there was definitely a price on his head.

  “You going to kill them, Cul?” Taggart asked.

  Culpepper looked them over as though he was giving the question serious consideration. “Well now, that depends. If I let you boys go, do I have your word that you’ll forget you saw us?”

  Having no choice, Frank and his men nodded their agreement.

  “We’ll do the same. Win and I won’t tell that you boys had all this cash on you. And judging from those bank bags over there in the corner, Marshal Holt happened to be in Denver at the right time.”

  Frank just stared at Culpepper. He knew they weren’t about to go to the law. He figured that marshal was in Denver looking for them.

  Win left the cabin with the saddlebags and the guns. He walked to the back of the cabin and took one of their horses and loaded their loot. When he returned, he said, “We’re ready to go.”

  Culpepper narrowed his eyes at Frank. “I don’t want to see you behind us. I don’t know where you’re going, but it better not be in our direction. Next time you rob a bank, I reckon you’d best do a better job of it.”

  * * *

  After they heard Culpepper and Taggart riding away, Deke said, “Ain’t we going after them?”

  “With what?” Frank said, slamming his fist to the table.

  “They took all our money, our guns, what food we had, and even our whiskey,” Corbin moaned. “What are we going to do now?”

  Frank was already formulating a plan. “We’ll ride back to Denver. I’ll get us some money and everything else we’ll need. I’ll meet you at that abandoned house and you can take off for Las Vegas. Stay there until the heat dies down, and I’ll join you. We’ll plan another rustle or robbery.” Frank wanted to stay in Denver until Leigh recovered.

  “Why don’t we go after those two after we get some guns?” Dutch said.

  “You know why we can’t go after them in Purgatory Canyon. They’d kill us on sight,” Frank responded. “Now if we see them somewhere else, we can take them on. At first light, we’ll bury Reb, and we’ll ride back to Denver.” Frank wished he’d stopped at the bank to get the money Aunt Ruth had mentioned. He hoped it was enough to get the boys to Las Vegas.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Addie excused her students by noon, and she walked to the mercantile with the girls. She planned to find Prescott and try to persuade him one last time to leave the girls in Whispering Pines. Afterward, she would have Morgan’s foreman drive her to the Coburn farm so the girls could see Davey. It would either be a visit filled with happiness, or a sorrowful good-bye.

  Before they reached the boardinghouse, Prescott walked through the door with Clarissa on his arm. “Let’s hurry, girls, and catch up to Mr. Adler.”

  “Prescott, I would like to speak with you.”

  Prescott and Clarissa turned together. “Addie, I think we’ve said everything we need to say.”

  Addie preferred to have this conversation without the girls around, so she reached into her reticule and pulled out a few pennies. “Girls, go to the mercantile and buy some candy. I will be there momentarily.”

  “I’ll be going to Boston with those girls,” Clarissa said.

  Addie thought there was a gloating tone to Clarissa’s words, so she responded in kind. “I’m surprised you have the time to go to Boston, since you are planning a wedding.”

  “Wedding?” Prescott echoed.

  “Don’t worry, Prescott, I have plenty of time to go to Boston,” Clarissa assured him.

  Addie glared at her, but she held her tongue. Clarissa was going to be with the children on a long trip and Addie wanted her to treat them well. “Prescott, I want you to leave the girls here. They are going to be adopted.”

  “I told you I will not leave them here. If they were adopted, I’m certain you would interfere just as you have interfered in the boy’s adoption.”

  No matter how much she wanted to try to be civil, it proved difficult. “You are doing this to hurt me because I refused your proposal.”

  “One has nothing to do with the other. The orphanage has a reputation to uphold. As I told you, I was unaware you have an outlaw for a brother. There are many factors involved with my decision. The children are the wards of the orphanage, and as such, it is my responsibility to consider what is best for them. Now, that is the end of the matter.” He held out his arm to Clarissa. “Let us continue our walk.”

  “Don’t worry, Miss Langtry, I’m certain one day you may find someone to marry you, and you will have your own children,” Clarissa said.

  Addie stared at her a moment, thinking of all the things she could say to her, but she remembered part of a Bible verse Granny often repeated: A harsh word stirs up anger. Still, she couldn’t take back what she was thinking, and the words were harsh. “While you are busy interfering with the children’s lives, I guess you haven’t heard the man you say you are marrying was shot.”

  “What? What do you mean?” Clarissa looked as if she didn’t believe her.

  “He was shot while chasing bank robbers. I cared for him all night. He will be in bed for a few days, but he will be okay.”

  “Where is Jack?” Clarissa asked.

  “He’s at my home. Granny is caring for him today.” Addie had said more than she intended, so she turned and walked away.

  * * *

  “What did he say, Miss Addie?” Jane asked as soon as Addie entered the mercantile.

  “I’m afraid Mr. Adler’s mind is made up.”

  Claire clung to Addie’s skirt. “Are we going to see Davey?”

  “Yes, honey, we’ll go right now.”

  “We bought some candy for him,” Jane said.

  Morgan’s foreman was waiting for them outside the mercantile. Addie dreaded another confrontation with Roy Coburn, but she hoped he would be more understanding, considering the circumstances. Her hopes were dashed when Mr. Coburn steadfastly refused to allow the girls to see Davey.

  Morgan’s foreman, Hank Murphy, didn’t abide Coburn’s unreasonable attitude. “Coburn, Miss Addie told you the reason for their visit, and it seems to me the least you can
do is let the girls see Davey, since they may not see him again for a very long time.”

  Listening at the door to the conversation on the front porch, Sarah Coburn walked outside and said, “Davey’s in the barn.”

  “Old woman, you’d best get inside and tend to your business,” Roy said to his wife.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Coburn.” Addie felt sorry for Sarah Coburn. How any woman could put up with a man like her husband without shooting him deserved her admiration.

  Sarah scurried back inside the house and closed the door.

  Addie was tempted to give Coburn a piece of her mind, but she knew it would only make matters worse. She took the girls by the hand and walked to the barn. It was a tearful good-bye with Davey, and when they walked away, Addie thought it was one of the most difficult things she’d ever done in her life. They were halfway to the buckboard when Jane ran back and hugged Davey one last time.

  On the way back to the farm, Addie thought about Davey’s appearance. He’d lost weight, and the dark circles under his eyes worried her. He definitely wasn’t the same vibrant, inquisitive young man who had arrived in Whispering Pines with her. Like the last time she saw Davey, he’d had very little to say to her. She hoped in time he would come to trust her again.

  “Mr. Coburn is mean to Davey,” Claire said.

  “What do you mean, Claire?” Addie asked.

  Addie didn’t see Jane shake her head at her younger sister.

  “Claire?”

  “She means Mr. Coburn talks mean to him,” Jane said.

  “Mr. Coburn is not the most pleasant man,” Addie said.

  There weren’t as many tears on the way home as Addie expected after seeing Davey. Addie thought they were probably all cried out. It saddened her that they had faced so much emotional upheaval in their young lives. She was of the opinion that children brought into this world deserved to be children for as long as possible.

  The girls ran to see Jack as soon as they arrived at the farm, and Addie told Morgan and Rose about her conversation with Prescott. “Morgan, I think it is a waste of your time to go talk to him. He won’t change his mind.”

  “I’m going all the same. You know if I don’t, Jack will go. Granny relented and gave him his clothes so he could get out of bed and walk to the chair. He’s already been out of bed twice. I know he’s just trying to figure out if he can make it to town without falling off his horse.”

  Addie didn’t like the thought of Jack riding to town in his condition. Morgan was right, Jack would do anything for the children.

  * * *

  By the time Addie walked into her bedroom, Jack was sitting in a chair by the fire, and the girls were curled up in his lap sleeping. It was a heartwarming scene: the big, handsome sheriff with the two girls sitting on his lap in front of the roaring fire in the hearth. Addie knew it was a picture she would carry in her mind forever.

  Jack opened his eyes and saw her standing there gazing at them. “Hi.”

  Addie grabbed a quilt from the bed and covered the girls. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine. The girls told me what happened with Prescott. I think they’re worn out. They fell asleep as soon as they crawled in my lap.”

  “Morgan has left for town to talk to him, but I don’t think it likely Prescott will change his mind. Clarissa was with Prescott when I talked with him. She hadn’t heard that you were shot, and I’m afraid I wasn’t very pleasant to her.”

  “You have no reason to be pleasant to her.” Jack thought of the many nasty things Clarissa had said about Addie. “I don’t know why she agreed to do this for Prescott.” He wondered if Clarissa was jealous of Addie, and that was the reason she’d joined forces with Prescott.

  Addie thought she understood Clarissa’s motives perfectly. Jack had hurt her and she was retaliating. “She seems set on this course.”

  “Maybe she should marry Prescott. They seem to have a lot in common.” Jack had had a lot of time to think this morning about what to do if Prescott didn’t change his mind. He thought he might have come up with a solution, but it might be too late. He’d discussed his plan with Morgan earlier, and if Morgan wasn’t successful with Prescott, he would take matters into his own hands. It was a good thing Morgan was the one talking to Prescott, because right now, if he saw him, he knew he’d lose his temper. The children were too important to him to let them leave Whispering Pines.

  Addie sat in the chair next to Jack’s, leaned back and closed her eyes. Like the girls, she was asleep within minutes. Jack closed his eyes and thought about the night to come.

  An hour later when Addie awoke there was a tray of food on the table.

  “Granny said she didn’t think you or the girls had lunch,” Jack explained.

  “No, we didn’t. I’m afraid I indulged the girls with some candy today. Did you eat?”

  “Yes, Granny believes in keeping me well fed.” Jack glanced down at the girls. “Do you want me to wake them?”

  “Yes, they won’t sleep at all tonight if we don’t.”

  Jack gently shook the girls. “It’s time to have something to eat, girls.”

  “I’m not hungry,” Claire said.

  “I’m not either.” Jane looked over at Addie. “I had a dream that we got to stay here with you, Miss Addie.”

  If only that were possible, Addie thought. She’d prayed and prayed, but as Granny always told her, sometimes prayers went unanswered for a long time. If what Granny said was true, the day would come when she would receive an answer, and she would know it was a gift from God.

  “Why don’t you two try to eat a little? Granny went to a lot of trouble to bring it to you.” Addie handed the girls a half a sandwich each.

  “How about giving me a bite of that sandwich,” Jack said to the girls.

  Claire and Jane stuck their sandwiches to his mouth. Jack laughed. “Tell you what, I’ll take a bite of each one, if you take a bite.”

  “Okay,” they said in unison.

  “Hmm, that’s good.” Jack glanced at Addie and winked.

  His expertise with the children always amazed Addie. He seemed to know exactly what to do in every situation. “Would you like some tea? Granny has four glasses on the tray.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jack preferred coffee, but he’d drink the tea.

  “I could go make some coffee,” Addie offered as though she read his mind.

  “I’ll have coffee later.” Jack had noticed the girls didn’t mention Davey, so he was careful not to say anything that might upset them.

  Rose came hurrying into the room. “Jack, Clarissa is downstairs.”

  Jack looked at Addie. “What does she want?”

  “I’m sure she is here to see how you are doing,” Addie replied. She rose from her chair and reached for the tray. “I’ll take this to the kitchen. Girls, you can go with me so Jack can have some privacy.”

  “Stay where you are, Addie, I don’t need privacy.”

  Rose took the tray from Addie. “I’ll bring her up in a minute. Girls, come with me, I made some cookies.”

  When the girls hesitated to leave Jack, he said, “Bring me back a cookie.”

  When they were out of the room, he stood.

  “What are you doing?” Addie asked.

  “I was going to get my shirt from your wardrobe. Granny hung a clean one in there for me.”

  “Nonsense. Sit down.” When he sat, Addie draped a quilt around him. She wondered if Clarissa had ever seen him without his shirt. With that thought, she pulled the quilt together over his chest so not an inch of skin was showing. “Hasn’t Clarissa seen you without your shirt before?” She couldn’t believe she asked the very question she’d been thinking.

  Jack grinned at her. “No, ma’am. She hasn’t seen me in a tub either.”

  Addie’s face turned pink. She couldn’t believe he was teasing her about that night in her kitchen. “I see what Granny means when she says you are full of mischief.”

  “Miss Addie, you sure loo
k pretty when you blush.”

  Addie shook her head at him. “I’ll be back after your visitor leaves.”

  “I want you to stay. Please sit down.” He indicated the chair where she’d been sitting. At least now he could prove to her once and for all that Clarissa was not his fiancée, and never had been.

  Addie had just taken her seat when Clarissa walked through the door and hurried to Jack’s side. She kneeled on the floor in front of him. “Oh, Jack, honey, I’ve been so worried since I heard you had been shot.”

  “I know Addie told you that I was fine,” Jack said.

  Clarissa reached up and placed her palm on his cheek. “I just had to see for myself.”

  “I have one question for you, Clarissa.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Why are you going with Adler to take the girls to Boston?”

  Clarissa was surprised at his question. She jerked her hand away from his face. “I don’t think we need to discuss this now.”

  “Yes, we do.” Jack was determined to get an answer.

  Clarissa glanced at Addie. “Perhaps we should discuss this in private.”

  “No, we can discuss it now.”

  “Prescott said he needed help. I’ve never seen Boston, and I had no reason not to go. He is paying me for my time.”

  “You know he’s closing the orphanage, and taking those children from Addie.”

  “They are not her children.” She smiled at him and tried to change the subject. “I came to see how you are. I’m thankful that you were not seriously injured.”

  “As you can see, I’m fine. Addie’s taken good care of me.”

  Clarissa stood, leaned over and kissed his cheek and whispered, “Have you had time to think over our last conversation?”

  Addie couldn’t hear what Clarissa said, but Jack’s expression said he wasn’t pleased.

  “Yes, and nothing has changed.”

  Clarissa pulled back, the smile erased from her face. “Perhaps you need more time.”

  Jack saw no way around making it clear to Clarissa he wasn’t interested in marrying her, other than to be blunt. “Clarissa, I won’t be changing my mind. You mentioned other men had interest in courting you, so I suggest you accept their attentions. I’ve never laid claim to you.”