Stay With Me

by Rita Hestand

  "Not sense the second time and I threatened to go to the army and let them handle it. But we ain't heard nothing no more. I guess they finally got them on the reservation."

  "That's interesting," Ed scratched his chin. "If it weren't them it means it were probably white folks."

  "Yeah."

  "Ten thousand, huh?"

  "That's it. What do you mean by sharin' the rights to the water?"

  "Just that, a neighbor needs to water his stock, whoever buys the place has to allow it. Unless there is a severe drought. That water hasn't run dry in all these years, Ed. It ain't gonna now. There's enough to take care of half this valley. I don't want no range war over water rights Ed. Fair is fair. I know you want this place and you and I have dickered over the water rights."

  Ed seemed to consider his words.

  "I'll think on that, Charlie." Ed rubbed his chin then whipped his horse away, "Talk to you soon."

  "Ed." Charlie tipped his hat to him.

  Clay let out a breath. "For a minute I thought he was going to throw open that blanket to see what was under there."

  "Don't fret about that man back there in the wagon bed, he was trespassing if nothing else, and he pulled a gun on you son. You did what needed doin'." Charlie assured him.

  "I know, dad, but it doesn't make it any easier. And I'm just not sure anyone would believe it." Clay told him.

  "One thing about it, Ed didn't mention those men, so maybe he knows nothing about them." Charlie told him.

  "I guess you are right about that. I hadn't even thought about it."

  "I got a feeling Ed will make an offer on the place. He might have looked like he was stallin', but I know him, he wants that spread. But him getting burnt out is news to me. Makes you wonder about things."

  "Will you come down on the price?"

  "Maybe, if they agree to the water rights, and it's in writing." Charlie told him.

  "But only to nine thousand, it's worth that much and Ed knows it."

  Clay nodded.

  It was past noon and they were tired, thirsty and hot. They drove the wagon on over to Cora's.

  Charlie couldn't wait to tell Cora about Ed considerin' the bid on the place.

  "Sounds like he doesn't know much about what's been going on. You think that's possible?" Cora asked putting her hands on her hip and staring at Charlie.

  "After talking with him, I don't think Ed had a thing to do with it. However, I'm beginning to wonder about Laura and her dad. Who is working for them now, do you know?"

  "A couple of cowpokes, drifters came to town a year or so ago. They are pretty wild. Hadn't thought much about them until you mentioned them." Cora told them.

  "Those men could be responsible. Come to think on it, she might have wanted those men to get rid of Willa and the baby then burn the place too."

  "It's early yet son, and we still have no proof, but if we lay low, more and more of the truth will come out." Charlie assured him.

  "I hope you are right." Clay muttered.

  "Let's have some food and drink before you start burying anyone." Cora suggested.

  "Sounds mighty good, we've worked up an appetite." Charlie put his arm around Cora, gave her a quick kiss and smiled.

  Charlie grabbed Elan and swung him in the air. Elan giggled and Charlie hugged him to him. "My God, you are a sweet little fella, you hardly ever cry."

  "Pa…. Pa?" Elan muttered.

  "Did you hear that. I knew he'd get it." Charlie chuckled.

  Willa smiled. In that moment, she knew she'd be happy here for the rest of her life. Charlie and Cora both loved Elan, and that was so important to her.

  "No one disturbed the man's grave?" Willa asked.

  "Nope, not a soul." Clay told her with a smile.

  "That is good to know." She sighed. "Did you fix it like I said?"

  "Yes, we did."

  Tomorrow the preacher would be here, and the doc and it would be a glorious day. The girls had their heads together all day, about what they would wear, and they'd been cooking a lot too.

  After they ate, Charlie and Clay went out to get the deed done.

  Something about digging graves made both men rather somber.

  It took a while to dig three graves but when they had buried them, Charlie insisted on saying a few words over them. It gave Clay a bit of peace. Clay stared off into the distance a few moments later, and Charlie knew that Clay was coming to terms with digging his own mother up and finding her in that condition. It was a hard thing to do and Charlie wasn't comfortable with it himself.

  That evening they all gathered on the porch, sipping tea and talking about things.

  "Well Charlie, you ready to give up your freedom again?" Cora asked with a knowing smile.

  He reached for her hand, kissed it and smiled. "I sure am. Might even say I'm anxious."

  "And you Clay," Cora smiled at him.

  "I'm looking forward to it. I'm gonna be a husband and a father." Clay told them with a happy smile. "I couldn't be happier."

  Cora looked at Charlie and then she picked Elan up off the porch where he'd been playing with a wooden spoon. "I guess that makes us officially grandparents then, Charlie."

  Charlie laughed, "It sure does!"

  Elan gurgled.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The next morning everyone was up early. The women put the coffee on and went to bathe in the creek.

  The men were busy shaving and Charlie put Elan on the floor beside him while he shaved.

  Clay laid his clothes out on the bed and brushed his suit, so it looked nice.

  They poured themselves a cup of coffee and put Elan in his highchair. Clay gave Elan one of his toys and he banged it on the tray.

  "Well son, this is gonna be a mighty nice day, isn't it?" Charlie got up from the table and glanced out the kitchen window.

  "One I sure won't forget." Clay smiled.

  "We'll have a lot of good years son." Charlie glanced at him.

  "Yes sir, I believe we will." Clay stared at his father.

  He hadn't seen his dad this happy in a long time and it made him proud. Charlie had already started acting younger since he proposed to Cora. Funny, how a little thing like love could do that to a man, he mused. He was so excited himself but tried to contain it. Willa would finally be his, and they would make a big and happy family, he was sure of it.

  They could hear the girls giggling all the way back from the pond. They weren't dressed in their fancy clothes yet and they skipped and laughed as they came into the house.

  "The pond's all yours, boys. We'll fix you some breakfast now, then we have to get ready. The preacher said he'd be here before lunch. I think that means he wants to eat with us." Cora chuckled.

  "Great. See you two in a bit."

  They left with their towels and soap, talking all the way out.

  "You want to take Elan with you?" Cora called from the open window.

  Charlie nodded, "That might be a good idea."

  She took Elan out of his chair and carried him to the back porch and handed him to Charlie.

  "Thanks sweetheart." Charlie smiled.

  She handed him a blanket to lay him on the banks with.

  Then she returned to the kitchen with Willa. Willa already made the biscuits and was frying bacon. "Better slow it down, they might be a bit." Cora told her.

  "Good idea."

  Willa unwrapped her wet hair from the towel and they sat and had coffee together.

  "I can hardly believe it. We're getting married!" Willa laughed.

  "I feel the same as you. Like a silly schoolgirl." Cora laughed at herself.

  "This makes us one big, happy family." Willa sighed with contentment.

  "Yes, it does. It is so nice to fill this house up with love once more." Cora said almost mystically.

  "It is a big house." Willa smiled at her.

  "Now, like I told you, for the first week or two you and Clay can live out in the bunkhouse in the foreman quarters. It has
a nice big bed, and there's a kitchen there too. You want to take Elan with you?"

  "I better as he'll need nursing every few hours."

  "Of course, but if you want to bring him inside for a while, we can watch him for you."

  "Thanks, that would be nice too. I'm so glad you care for him too."

  "Care for him, we love him as our own, child." Cora laughed.

  "You know," Willa paused to sip her coffee and stare at Cora a moment. "I never thought I'd find anyone."

  "Why? Your young, beautiful, why would you think like that?"

  "I'm a breed. And usually a breed marries trappers or Indians. I don't know. When I first saw Clay, I couldn't take my eyes from him. He didn't like me, not at first. But I think it was more from the fact that he didn't want a woman tying him down and I'm a woman in his eyes, not a breed."

  Cora chuckled. "Yeah, he's been a bachelor a long time. But now I see he was merely waiting for the right lady to fit his needs. And you are that lady."

  "I fell in love with him so quickly it scared me. I felt I'd bring them both trouble, and I didn't want that. At one point I was going to leave."

  "Well I'm certainly glad you didn't do that. You know you sort of in a round about way, brought me and Charlie back together."

  "Oh, how is that?"

  "Well, Charlie is the kind of man not to assume. But I knew he thought a lot of me, even when I was married. We'd look at each other. When his wife died, I was afraid to approach him. And he in turn felt the same when Sam died on me too. So, we kept our distance. Then you came along and came to visit. It gave Charlie an excuse to visit too. I'm so glad."

  "How long have you two cared for each other?" Willa asked.

  "Charlie always gave me the eye, even when he was married, but that's all it was, a smile here, a look there. I kind of knew he liked me. I liked him too, but we both had other considerations at the time. So, we remained good friends. It was like you broke the ice though, gave him a out to come visit and that was all it took. I'm glad he came into my life, I was so lonely, but I couldn't tell anyone. Charlie and I got along so well, all the time. Sam didn't like Charlie as he suspicioned Charlie liked me. I always played our friendship down to Sam, and Sam wasn't the kind of man to be jealous. Charlie was a good man, always has been. And I have thought through the years, if Charlie ever visited me after Sam was gone, I'd let him know I was interested. But I didn't have to. He was eager to renew our friendship and more."

  Cora blushed. "Imagine me, as old as I am, in love again."

  "I think it's wonderful." Willa touched her hand.

  "And you and Clay are crazy about each other too, aren't you?"

  "Yes, I've never been in love before. I don't know how not to show it."

  "What's wonderful is that Clay is the same way. I never thought I'd see that boy open up about a woman, neither did Charlie. He's happier than I ever saw him."

  "I intend to keep him that way," Willa chuckled.

  "With Charlie it's so different." Cora cried out.

  "Oh, how so?"

  "Sam was a quiet man, not prone to display his emotions or affections in public. Always controlled. Charlie is so open, and not afraid to hug, kiss, or tell me how he feels. I love it. And I love him, so much. I thank God he brought Charlie back into my life."

  The men were coming back now, and Charlie was carrying Elan with a towel wrapped around him.

  When they came in, they were laughing.

  "We gave Elan a bath too, want him slickered up a bit for the wedding." Charlie chuckled.

  Cora cast Willa a smile, "See what I mean."

  Willa chuckled.

  They sat at the table and ate breakfast, it was still very early, so they relaxed.

  The men disappeared to polish their boots and dig out their best hats.

  The women cleaned the dishes up and went upstairs to fix their hair and take out their dresses.

  Cora helped Willa put up her hair and added some baby's breath to decorate it with as she wasn't wearing a veil. Then Cora pulled out her best perfume and offered some to Willa. Willa never wore perfume, but it smelled so lovely she dabbed it on herself.

  The preacher arrived and Charlie and Clay sat in the parlor talking about the wedding. The doc showed up and brought some beautiful flowers.

  Charlie pulled him aside, "The girls don't have anyone to walk them down the aisle, in this case the stairs and a few steps into the parlor, can you do the honors?"

  "I'd be glad to." The doc smiled at Charlie. "I haven't seen you this dressed up in a month of Sundays."

  "This will probably be the last time you do, too." Charlie chuckled.

  When Cora hollered down to Charlie that they were ready, the doc went up to escort the ladies down.

  As they came into the parlor, both Charlie and Clay lost their voices as they spotted the two most beautiful women.

  The doc escorted them to stand in front of the preacher as Charlie and Clay came to stand beside them. The doc picked Elan up and sat him on his lap. Elan gurgled.

  "Your so beautiful," Clay whispered.

  "So are you," Willa murmured.

  The preacher smiled at them and began the ceremony. Doc took a seat in the parlor by the wall.

  The preacher went into a lengthy ceremony and finally he asked if they had rings. Charlie pulled out a lovely small ring for Cora. Clay pulled out his mother's wedding ring.

  Both women were astonished, when had they attended to rings?

  As they placed them on their fingers and repeated the vows, the preacher cleared his throat, "You may both kiss the brides."

  Charlie took Cora into his arms and smiled, then kissed her tenderly on the lips.

  Clay took Willa and slowly bent his head to kiss her sweet lips. The kiss lingered, and the preacher cleared his throat once more to let them know that was long enough.

  After congratulating them, the preacher told them he had to get down the road to another wedding.

  Willa took Elan and fed him and rocked him to sleep. She put him in his bed that Clay had made special for him and he moved into Cora's bedroom as they promised to look after him for a couple of days.

  "Don't you want to eat with us?" Cora asked the preacher.

  "I'd love to, but I've got a wedding in town. I thank you and wish you all a good life. Trust in the Lord, always." He told them.

  They waved him bye and Cora turned to them all, "Then, let's eat."

  They were halfway through the meal when Doc announced that the other wedding was for Laura.

  "You're kidding, that was fast."

  "Yeah, I'm a bit concerned though. Haywood gets news of it; it could be a disaster."

  "He really was sweet on Laura, wasn't he?" Clay asked.

  "Yeah, and his drinking has caused some real problems. He nearly killed a guy in a saloon because he made fun of him. Joe Bedford, he never liked Haywood anyway, told him he was too low down for Laura. She was a lady. Naturally Haywood didn't take to kindly to that remark."

  "I'm sorry to hear that," Clay shook his head. "I can bet Haywood didn't take that too kindly."

  "Haywood finds out there's gonna be a wedding he's liable to try to bust it up."

  "How could anyone keep that a secret from Haywood."

  "Well," the doc wiped his lips with a linen napkin. "Everyone knows about him and Laura and agreed to keep quiet about it. But you know that town as well as I do, no one keeps quiet, long."

  "You're right about that." Charlie nodded.

  "When are they getting married?" Clay asked.

  "About three this afternoon. I'm gonna get back there in case there is some trouble. I may be needed, and I was invited to their wedding too. Although, I can't say I'll enjoy it as much as this one. Laura isn't in love, and that makes for a bad marriage."

  "I'm sorry to hear that too, "Clay told him.

  "Well, Cora, Willa, you two have out done yourself with this meal. Best I've had in a while."

  The girls beamed. "Glad you enjoy
ed it."

  They all went out on the porch for a bit and then the doc left.

  The girls were about to change clothes and do the dishes, but the men had better ideas. "The dishes can wait." Charlie told Cora.

  Cora blushed.

  Clay took Willa into his arms and carried her to the bunkhouse.

  The foreman's room was beautiful though, someone had fixed it up proper for them, with champagne and roses and opened a window so it didn't smell musty.

  Willa looked about the room, "I wonder who did all of this?"

  "Those two in there," Clay smiled nodding toward the house, kicking the door closed as he headed for the bedroom.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  But Clay was in no hurry to take Willa. This day was special to him, and he wanted her relaxed and happy. He poured her a glass of champagne. She tasted it, "Hmm, this is delicious, what is it?" Willa asked sipping it slowly.

  "Champagne. A very special drink for such occasions," he smiled. "Just sip it as it could have a strange effect on you if you drink too fast."

  "I've never had anything like this," she looked at the liquid in the glass.

  He turned to her as they sat on the edge of the bed together. "I want everything about this day to be special for you."

  "Well, it's turning out that way." She glanced at him with a shy smile.

  "You look so beautiful; I'll always remember this day." He murmured and kissed her sweet lips.

  Determined to let him lead this moment she beamed at his words. "Cora did my hair."

  "Have I ever told you, how beautiful your hair is?" he asked taking a few of the baby's breath from her hair now.

  "You like my hair?" she asked.

  "Very much. It's perfect," he purposely ran his fingers through it. The smile on his face said all she needed to know. "A man enjoys running his fingers through hair like yours, soft, shiny, and so very long."

  "I'm glad, I like yours too," she told him.

  "Do you?"

  "Very much."

  "What did you think of the wedding?" He asked her.

  "I loved it, and the fact that Cora and Charlie will be together now as a couple."

  "I'm happy for them too." Clay told her, but his gaze kept floating over her with appreciation. "I can't believe we are finally married." He whispered leaning to kiss her on the cheek.