by Stephy Smith
It’s better this way, she told herself. He didn’t need to know where she was or what she was doing. He didn’t care. This should set a smile on his face. Tears ran down her cheek. She sauntered down the street to the train station.
The torrential downpour and wind cooled the air. Mattie waited for the next train to arrive. The sun hadn’t shown its face all day. The gloom matched the turmoil raging inside of her.
Mattie never meant to drive James from his home. She didn’t mean to hurt Rose the way she did. The only way to fix things was to take care of the one thing she ran from. Tears stung her eyes. She surveyed the train depot. The train whistled and rolled to a stop.
The wind whipped around the ochre building. Thick fog enclosed the awning Mattie sat under. People abandoned the wooden walkway. Mattie sucked in a deep breath and waited her turn to board.
Out of the denseness came a tall handsome man. Mattie recognized James immediately. His walk, his stance, everything about him she memorized from the first time she lay eyes on him.
She ducked her head, hiding her face. She stared at the deck. His footsteps drew closer. She kept her head low. Her heart pounded with the rhythm of the storm. His familiar boots came to stand within eyesight.
Taking another breath, Mattie raised her head, fighting the urge to throw herself into his arms and beg his forgiveness. She gazed into his eyes. She knew she would be lost forever.
****
Standing in front of Mattie, James glanced at her bags. A desperate feeling, need, and desire ran through his veins.
He had to stop her. He had to make her listen to what he needed to say. He sighed and sat on the bench beside her, willing himself not to reach out and hold her in place. She had to want to stay on her own.
James glared at the marks on her wrist. His mind reeled. He didn’t want her to feel he was like her captors were. She needed to trust him on her own.
“Hello, Mr. Parker.” Her eyes revealed what she felt.
“Mattie. I can only hope you’re here to welcome me. But I see that’s not the case.” His heart lurched.
“Why would I do that? You’re the one who left without saying a word to anyone.” Her faint smile was edged with sadness.
“Where are you planning to go?” he asked just above a whisper.
“I have business to tend to back home,” Mattie’s voice quaked and she folded her hands in her lap.
“Everything in Georgia is cleared up.” James ducked his head. His eyes went to his hands, and he twirled his thumbs.
“How would you know?” Her brows rose.
“I just came from there,” his voice low. “Please, come back to the house where we can talk in private. I need to explain some things to you. If you don’t believe what I say, you may leave at any time.”
James tensed as he waited. Her reluctance crushed his inner soul. Picking up her bag, she headed to the boarding house.
Hoping against hope, James trembled. The need for her to trust him and his ignorance to know how to make her believe ate at him. Her only crime was she stole his heart and refused to return it.
They strolled along in silence. The closer they came to the house the weaker his knees grew. He hoped he could make her see what she was doing to him. He hoped things would be all right, but he could feel her tension and anger as they crept along.
****
Climbing the stairs, Mattie turned to her room, changed her clothes, and emerged to meet Rose in the hallway.
“There you are.” The genuine smile on Rose’s face eased her weary mind.
“I’ll explain later, Rose. I’m meeting James in the study.” Mattie peered down the hall.
She tapped on the door, James opened it. “You don’t need to knock.” He smiled at her. “Sit.”
Mattie stepped to the sofa and lowered herself to a cushion. James paced for a few seconds. He crouched in front of her and clasped her hand in his. James raised his head to her and searched her eyes.
“Mattie, I went to Chickamauga. The sheriff there explained everything to me. You’re not wanted in Georgia. You never were. There are many people concerned about you.”
James paused and then continued. “Why did you come to Texas?”
Mattie took a deep breath. She couldn’t expect James to understand. Her reasoning now sounded unreasonable, even to herself. “I don’t think you want to know the real cause of me being here.”
“Did you come here to kill the man who killed your husband?” His voice was clear and suggested understanding.
Lowering her lids, Mattie searched her hands. Tears stung her eyes, and guilt ate at her soul. She nodded. “Yes, that’s why I’m here.”
James raised himself to sit next to her. He held her hand in his, refusing to let go. “I know about the money the Howards and Fraziers owed your husband. Have you not heard, Mattie? They owe everyone between here and Georgia. They killed more people like your husband. There was a huge reward for them.”
“I hadn’t ever seen the Fraziers. I recognized Charles Howard the night I checked into the hotel. I hoped he didn’t recognize me. I guess I underestimated him.” Mattie thought back to that night. Her luck of running into the Howards in the first place she went sent shivers down her spine.
“No. He didn’t recognize you. If it hadn’t been for Bagwell, he wouldn’t have known you were here. Bagwell promised Howard he would deliver you to him. When he didn’t, Charles and Jane went in and killed Bagwell.”
“What were they planning to do with me after they grabbed me?” Mattie dropped her eyes from his steady gaze.
“They tried to get your sister to sign your husband’s property over to them. Then…” His voice broke off. James shook his head, his eyes wet, and he met eyes with Mattie.
“Then they were going to kill me?” The reality hit home. “Laura. She must think I’m dead.”
“No. I talked to her. She knows you’re fine. I told her about the kidnapping. She’ll be here in a few days to see you. I hope you don’t mind, I know what family means. She told me you were close to your husband and her. When you disappeared, she feared you might have followed the shooter for revenge.”
“My sister knows me too well.” Mattie’s laughter filled the room.
“The Howards and Fraziers tried to get to her. They soon discovered their mistake before they carried out their plans. She shot Frazier in the leg.” He cocked a brow and exposed a wide smile.
Chapter Eleven
Mattie returned to her household chores. The doctor was pleased to see her up and happy. The bruising around the bite faded into an ugly yellowish-green.
“Where did you take your medical training?” he asked Mattie while attending to her leg.
“What makes you think I had training?” Mattie smiled at the doctor.
“I could use someone like you in my clinic. Not many people would have known what to do for someone who had been shot.” The doctor patted Mattie’s arm.
“I’ll help when I can, but I already have a full-time job here. I trained under a doctor in Georgia. He’s a good teacher,” she said.
“I need to train under him. The work you did on Rose and yourself is exceptional.” Doc winked at her. He turned for the door.
“Quit trying to steal my help, Doc.” Rose’s teasing voice came through the doorway.
“I know I’d get good treatment if you shoot me, Rose Parker.” He laughed as he shut the door behind him.
“And I know she would do a good job of cleaning up the mess,” Rose called back.
Mattie ran upstairs. Her sister would be here, and she wasn’t ready to meet her yet. The doctor took longer than she expected. She rushed around the room, leaving her dirty clothes to litter the floor. She changed quickly and smoothed out her hair.
“Mattie. This is no time to play around. The train will be here any minute. We should be on our way.” James’s impatient stance stirred heat in Mattie.
“I swear something is going on with that man.” Mattie said unde
r her breath.
Rose smiled. “He loves you; that’s what is going on with him. Ed is meeting us at the station.”
“No, he doesn’t. He has never said anything to make me think he does.” Mattie waved her hand to Rose. She wished he did though.
The sun blazed in the sky and warmed the air. Linden sprang full of life, and they waited on the wooden walkway in front of the train depot. It seemed to Mattie they had waited for hours. The train whistle alerted its arrival. Mattie’s excitement was hard to contain as the train rolled to a stop.
Men, women, and children filed off. Searching faces of passengers, Mattie wondered if Laura missed her train, or if something happened to cause the delay. The boardwalk cleared of endless foot traffic. Families greeting friends and loading luggage into wagons brought disappointment to Mattie.
Almost in tears, Mattie grabbed one last glance. There, with two children, crept along Laura and her husband, Luke. Mattie hurried to Laura, tears rolling down the cheeks of both women. They embraced. Mattie greeted Laura’s husband, who introduced the two children Mattie did not know they had. The children recognized James and ran to hug him.
Mattie entwined her arm with Laura’s. Ed helped gather luggage and load it in a wagon to deliver to the boarding house.
“There is something about you that has changed, Laura.” Mattie couldn’t believe the changes in her sister.
Laura patted her stomach, “Maybe it’s the baby that has changed me. They have a tendency to do things like that.”
“You’re having another one? Your children are beautiful.” Mattie watched the kids hanging on James.
“Especially when they’re asleep. They look so peaceful, angelic.” Laura’s sweet laughter floated on a breeze.
“The girls and I are stopping off at the grocery store. Mother, do you need anything from there?” James called over his shoulder, holding the hands of Laura’s daughters.
“Not right now. Looks like you have your hands full the way it is, James.” Rose called ahead to him.
“When Mr. Parker came to visit us, the girls grabbed right up with him. Normally they’re quiet and shy.” Laura’s smile reached her eyes.
Mattie let her heart swell as the three disappeared through a door of the tiny store. She happily crept along beside her sister and the rest until they reached the boarding house. Taking their luggage to an empty room, Mattie gathered two cots and placed them in the room along with extra bedding.
“I’ll leave you to rest. In your condition, I know you must be exhausted.” Mattie gently shut the door behind her and crept along down the stairs.
James and the girls came in the front door. Mattie stepped to the landing and stopped to listen to giggles filling the air with softness. Sparkles in James’s eyes danced merrily, enhancing his bright smile.
“I didn’t know he knew what a child was,” Rose whispered close to Mattie’s ear, “much less how to draw them under his spell.”
“Rose, why hasn’t he ever married?”
“He hadn’t met the right woman until you came along.”
“Me? What do I have to do with it?”
“Oh, Mattie, you’re so naïve sometimes.” Rose waved her hand to Mattie then headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Mattie stared after Rose. Naïve, she mused as she followed along to do her chores.
Sitting on her stool, washboard resting in the tub, Mattie washed, rinsed, and hung laundry. She glanced at the woods with a new perspective. The prying eyes were no longer present. Her day-to-day chores were a pleasure.
Naïve? If Rose only knew, she wasn’t as naïve as Rose thought she was. She coaxed James into the unthinkable. Mattie laughed lightly to herself. She turned her thoughts back to getting chores done.
Maybe James would have some free time later, so she could take another exploration journey.
Listening to the wind in the treetops, the call of the wild, and the buzzing of insects, Mattie relaxed. The undeniable feel of home, just like in Georgia, gave her a sense of belonging.
Two young girls flew out the door, giggling as they raced around the backyard followed by James with a sheet over his head acting the part of a ghost. The girls caught his legs, and he fell to the ground. The girls fell on top of him and pulled the sheet from his head. Laughter echoed in the woods. James wrestled with the girls. He took turns tickling each of them.
Mattie walked over to them and paused with her hands on her hip; she smiled down. “Got kicked out of the house, didn’t you?”
The faces with broad smiles stared up at her. “Yes,” they said, and more laughter erupted when they glanced at each other.
Shaking her head, Mattie turned to walk back to the washing. She spotted Laura and Rose poised in the doorway snickering. Laura’s husband, a deputy in Louisiana, visited with Ed at the sheriff’s office for the afternoon.
“The two of you have produced some very active children. I wonder what they will be like when they grow up.” Mattie tilted her head to Laura and Rose.
“Your day will come, little sister,” Laura called out. “Your day will come.”
Mattie sat on the stool. She thought about the day Laura threatened to come. Mattie loved children. However, she never thought about having any of her own.
For the most part, she was content with her life until she came to Texas. Now the need for revenge was gone, she examined the thought of a life full of bliss.
She gathered the dry linen from the line and carried it into the house to fold and put away. Mattie joined Laura and Rose at the dining room table for afternoon tea.
“I suppose the Howards and Fraziers were in for a surprise. They didn’t know my husband was a deputy until they came for me. They sure didn’t expect me to shoot Mr. Frazier in the leg.” Laura said, adding a laugh.
After tucking the girls in Rose’s room for a short nap, James joined them at the table.
Mattie threw back her head and burst into laughter. “I wish you could’ve seen the looks on their faces, Laura. One of them called me a witch. So, I turned into one.”
“Not that wretched voice you used to scare me with.” Laura’s eyes widened a few seconds ahead of a laugh.
“Oh, yes, ma’am. When he closed the door, I made up some silly sounding spell. I hopped to the door, and one of them opened it. Then I hopped to each one, staring them in the eye. The next thing I knew, the front door was open and feet were moving. Then I threw in a laugh,” Mattie said.
James and Rose raised their brows at the laughing sisters. When their laughing slowed to almost nothing, James asked, “You scared them out of the cabin?”
“You should hear her tell ghost stories. She can stand the hair on a preacher with that voice and laugh. It is scary. It gives me the shivers just thinking about it.” Laura glanced at James.
“The way you talk, I don’t think I want to hear it.” James glanced at Rose and shrugged his shoulders.
“I love to be scared by ghost stories,” Rose said, as playful little stars danced in her eyes.
“Do it, Mattie, before the children wake up. I don’t want them to get scared out of their wits,” Laura taunted.
Neither Rose nor James ever heard a witch. With hair standing on ends and shivers down to their toes, they said they were sure they never wanted to hear that noise again. Mattie’s impersonation raised the question of if she were a real one. Laura assured them she wasn’t, as long as you didn’t make her mad. Laura laughed when James glanced at Mattie.
“When we found the cowards, they were looking in the window of the room they held you in. Now, I know why. They wanted to see for themselves if you were a witch. I can’t imagine what they thought when you weren’t still tied in that bed,” James said. “I would’ve left too.”
Another burst of laughter from Mattie echoed the halls. “I wonder what their faces looked like when they found I wasn’t in there.”
James grinned from ear to ear. “That could explain why they attacked us. They probably thought your
‘witch friends’ were after them.”
James left the table to go to the kitchen. A soft humming came into the room, followed by the door closing on the wood stove. Mattie gave Rose a quick glance.
“He’s baking cookies.” Rose smiled. “He hasn’t done that in years.”
“Strange how two little girls can change a man,” Mattie said as she shrugged.
“And a woman.” Laura said, more to Rose than to Mattie.
“He finally met a woman?” Mattie tried to hide her disappointment. She was happy for James. He never professed any feelings for her, and she didn’t know where she fit into all of this.
“You could say that. She hasn’t looked inside herself long enough to realize who she is yet,” Rose said, winking at Laura.
“She’s a lucky woman. How long will it be before he’ll introduce her to us?” Mattie hated the woman already.
“I don’t think it will be long now,” Laura said, smiling at Rose. “If you don’t like her, you can always bewitch her.”
Chapter Twelve
James watched Mattie through the curtained window. Her auburn hair flickered different shades of red under the full moon. She stretched her arms straight out from her body, twirling around until she became too dizzy to stand. She fell to the ground, laughing with a carefree existence. Shaking his head, he smiled and crept along to the front porch for a closer view.
He stifled a laugh as she crawled to the roses and cut several. She stood, staggered a little, and carried them to James, who sat on the porch. A soft hum breezed overhead and gently whipped leaves about.
The plea of two lovelorn coyotes carried in the air. The smell of fresh moisture promised the area more of nature’s beauty. Mattie and James silently shared the moment.
James reached over and held Mattie’s hand. Stars winked in the sky, and tiny crickets serenaded the ears of those they didn’t offend.