Come the Spring (Claybornes' Brides (Rose Hill) 5)

“What about Jessica?”

“She left with Marshal Clayborne a couple of hours ago.”

“What do you mean, she left? Where did she go?” Rebecca cried out. “Did she have an errand to do? Will she be back today?”

“No.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s in good hands,” Cooper said. “You shouldn’t worry about her.”

“How long ago did she leave? Did you say a couple of hours?”

“Yes,” he answered. “We should have left then too, but finding a decent coach has taken time. You’re certain you won’t ride a horse to the train station?”

“I’m certain. I was raised in the city, Marshal, and as I explained before, I have absolutely no experience riding. I’d break my neck.”

“All right then,” he said. “It shouldn’t be much longer before the coach gets here. We’ll just wait.”

“You still haven’t told me where Jessica has gone.” Cooper braced himself before looking directly at Rebecca. He didn’t want her to know the effect she was having on him, but, Lord, it was difficult to keep himself from staring. She was an incredibly beautiful woman, and with the sun beating down on her golden hair, she looked as though she were wearing a halo. The first sight of her angelic face had all but knocked the legs out from under him. Daniel really should have warned him, he decided, so that he could have prepared himself.

Spencer and Cobb were openly besotted with all three women. Since meeting them, they had behaved like boys who had just discovered the opposite sex. It was damned disgusting.

Slowly lowering his gaze, he asked Rebecca to repeat her question.

“I want to know where Jessica and Cole have gone.”

“I don’t know their destination.”

“North,” Spencer blurted out.

Cooper gave the deputy a look that suggested he not say another word. “Cole and Jessica took the baby to a friend’s house.”

“Was it one of Cole’s friends?” she asked. “It must be,” she added. “Jessica’s friends are in Chicago … except for Grace and me. We’re her dear friends. Why did she need to take Caleb away? And why won’t you tell me where she’s gone? You’re a marshal, for heaven’s sake. You should know.”

“Sorry, but I don’t know,” he said.

“I just worry about her.”

“The three of you have become close, haven’t you?”

“Tragic circumstances forced us together, and we found we had quite a lot in common.”

Cooper felt sorry for Rebecca. She sounded so forlorn and looked so damned vulnerable.

“You’re going to see both of your friends real soon,” he promised.

“I will?” she asked eagerly. “When?”

“Jessica and Cole and Grace and Daniel will all catch up with us.”

She frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand. Are you telling me that Grace and Jessica are going to Texas too?”

“Yes.”

“But why? I’m the witness.”

“I realize that,” he replied. “However, we have to keep the other women safe until after the trial. Once you’ve testified, the ordeal will be over. Until then, all of you need guards. Besides, Judge Rafferty wants all three of you.”

“How soon will I see them?”

“They’re meeting us in Red Arrow,” he answered. “We’ll probably get there before Cole and Jessica, but they might surprise us and meet our train.”

“Red Arrow’s the last stop then? Does that mean I have to ride a horse to Blackwater?”

Her worry made him smile. “You can ride with me, or I’ll find a buggy somewhere.”

She stared down at her hands and whispered, “This is all wrong. If I had come forward sooner, Grace and Jessica wouldn’t be living in fear.”

“Why didn’t you tell the truth in the beginning? Was it fear?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Ma’am, you can get into serious trouble lying to an officer of the law,” Deputy Cobb called out. His friend Spencer nodded his agreement.

“You could go to jail for that offense,” Spencer added.

“What does it matter?” Rebecca asked. “I’m already in trouble. I’m going to be hunted by those criminals, and it will be a miracle if I survive. I don’t understand why they haven’t tried yet. What are they waiting for? Why haven’t they tried to silence me?”

“They’ve been busy, that’s why.” Daniel answered her question from the doorway.

He came down the stairs and handed Cooper a telegram. “Another bank’s been robbed,” he said. “Sixty miles southeast of here.”

Cooper swore. “Was it clean?”

Daniel looked grim. “No.”

“What did you mean when you asked Daniel if it was clean?” Rebecca asked.

Daniel turned to answer her. “He was asking me if there were any casualties.”

Rebecca paled. “How many were killed?”

“Three men,” Daniel answered. “All of them were employees of the bank.”

“Those poor men,” she whispered.

Daniel had motioned to Cooper to follow him to the corner of the garden. In a low voice he said, “There was something different about this one.”

“What?” Cooper asked.

“Every desk inside the bank was overturned, and a copy of the Rockford Gazette was nailed to the wall. There was blood all over it.”

“They’re telling us they know we have a witness.” Daniel nodded. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Twenty-Four

Traveling with a toddler wasn’t difficult; it was a nightmare. The baby didn’t know how to be quiet. Most of what he said didn’t make any sense, but he still expected and demanded an answer anyway, and Cole was pretty certain he chattered nonstop just to hear the sound of his voice echoing through the forest. His favorite word was still no. He whispered it, shouted it, whined it, and sang it, and by the time they stopped for the night, Cole was sure he’d said the word at least two hundred times.

It was almost sunset when they finally made camp in a secluded area by a small horseshoe-shaped lake. Jagged rock ledges, some as high as fifty feet, jutted out over the water in spots and offered protection from the rain and wind. More important, no one could sneak up on them during the night. There was only one way into camp, and that was on the path that bordered one side of the lake.

While Cole saw to the horses, Jessica fed Caleb his dinner. The baby was far more interested in exploring his surroundings than eating, and it took considerable coaxing by his mother to get him to cooperate.

Cole wasn’t worried about all the noise Caleb was making, because he knew they weren’t being followed. He’d backtracked twice just to make certain. The baby needed to run and play. He had been forced to sit still on his mother’s lap for most of the day, but he seemed to be making up for lost time now. Full of vitality, he raced in circles from one end of the clearing to the other, chattering away a mile a minute. Every once in a while he would burst into laughter over what Cole decided must have been a private joke only a toddler could appreciate. His shoulders would shake with merriment.

The kid was a charmer, even when he was having a full-blown tantrum because Jessica wouldn’t let him go into the water. All her energies were spent trying to turn his attention, but for some reason, when Cole told Caleb to do something, he did it. He told him to sit, and the baby promptly did just that. Caleb had already taken off his shoes and socks and sat perched on top of one of the saddles under the overhang, watching Cole brush the horses. His undershirt had ridden up to the top of his belly, his nappy had slid to the tilt of his hips, and he looked about as happy as a baby could be.

His mother, on the other hand, looked like hell. She was clearly exhausted. She reminded him of his little sister’s rag doll after it had been left out in the rain and the sun too long. Her hair hung in clumps, her white blouse was covered with dust and the strawberry jam Caleb had smeared on it while eating his biscuit, and

there were smudges all over her cheeks. He still thought she looked too damned sexy for her own good … and his peace of mind.

Jessica was too tired to eat, until he convinced her she needed the nourishment. He coaxed her in much the same way she’d coaxed her son, but he was smart enough not to mention that fact to her. In her present state of mind, she wouldn’t be amused.

He was starving and ate two helpings of the ham, beans, biscuits, and sugar cookies. He kept his eye on her while he ate. She was definitely in a mood tonight if her frowns were any indication. After suffering her stony silence for several minutes, he gave up and asked her to tell him what was wrong.

“Why didn’t you tell me we would be camping out tonight? You should have warned me.”

“Would you have done anything different if I had told you?”

She started to nod, then stopped. “I don’t know, but I would have insisted that you select a safer spot,” she said.

“This is about as safe as I could find,” he replied. “No one can get to us from behind, and I can hear anyone coming down the path.”

“That isn’t what I mean,” she said. “And now you’ve started a fire. I can’t be in three places at once.”

He wasn’t sure what she was riled up about. He leaned back against the rock and stared at her. “We’ll need the fire later,” he said. “It’s going to get cold in the middle of the night. It always does up here in the mountains.”

She threaded her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes. “Did you have to set up camp next to a lake?”

“The horses need water, Jessie, and so do we,” he reasoned.

She didn’t care if his explanation was logical or not. “Don’t you realize the enticement the water is for Caleb? I won’t sleep a wink tonight, worrying about him. What if he wakes up and wanders away? He could get lost in the forest, or drown, or step on a snake…”

“Jessica, calm down. I’m not going to let anything happen to him.”

She acted as though he hadn’t said a word. “He could fall in the fire or step on a hot ember,” she continued. “What were you thinking?”

Although he did understand her concerns, he was a little insulted that she didn’t trust him to look after her and her son. “I’m not going to let him get burned, drowned, bitten, or lost.”

“I’m still going to worry,” she whispered. She glanced over at Caleb to make sure he was all right, saw that he was digging in the dirt with a stick he’d found, and turned back to the lake. In the fading light, the water appeared to be on fire. The burnished orange sheen was a lovely sight.

“You know what I think?” Cole said, drawing her back to the conversation.

“No, what?” she asked on a weary sigh.

“You need a bath.”

She turned back to him. “Excuse me?”

“I said you need a bath. Take your clothes off and go swimming. It’ll be good for you. You’re hot and tired, and the water will make you feel better. Go ahead. I’ll take Caleb in with me. I’ll keep my back turned if you’re worried about your modesty, but out here folks have to be practical.”

She glanced back over her shoulder at the lake. “I’m not worried about modesty. I know you wouldn’t take advantage of our circumstances. You can’t.”

If she hadn’t added the last comment, he would have taken what she had said as a compliment, for in his mind, she had just admitted that she trusted him.

“I can’t?” he repeated, his curiosity piqued. “Why can’t I?”

“Why can’t you take advantage of our situation?”

“Yes.”

Her smile was heart-stopping. The woman was something else all right, and he realized then how difficult it was becoming for him to keep his hands off her.

“Because you’re a United States marshal,” she patiently reminded him.

“And that means?” he prodded.

“It means you’ve taken an oath. You’re here to protect me, not…” She was going to say the word “dally,” then changed her mind. “…you know.”

He couldn’t make up his mind if he wanted to laugh or groan. He gritted his teeth in frustration, for he finally understood what she was telling him. He decided to set her straight.

“Jessica, contrary to what you might imagine, marshals aren’t neutered when they’re sworn in. Giving up sex isn’t part of the job description.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you saying…”

“Damned right I am.”

He expected her to blush or at the very least try to change the subject. She shrugged instead. “I’m not going to worry,” she announced. She stared at the lake a long minute before nervously adding, “Should I?”

The longer he thought about the conversation and her bizarre opinions, the more exasperated he became. “I’ll tell you when you should worry. All right?”

She laughed. “Yes, all right.”

“Do you want to go swimming or not?” he asked. “Caleb, quit throwing dirt and come here.”

The baby dropped his stick and came running. Cole sat him on his lap and took his undershirt off.

“Is the water deep?” Jessica asked.

“I don’t know,” Cole answered as he unfastened the ties holding Caleb’s nappy secure. “It probably is in the middle. Why? Can’t you swim?”

“Not very well,” she admitted. “I haven’t had much practice.”

“Didn’t you go swimming when you were a little girl?”

She shook her head. “There wasn’t time for such frivolity.”

Cole looked at her. “Why wasn’t there time?”

“I was busy.”

He could tell from her tone of voice she didn’t want to talk about growing up. If he’d been a sensitive man, he might have heeded the unspoken suggestion and changed the subject. Sensitivity wasn’t one of his attributes, however. “Doing what?” he asked.

She sighed. “I helped my mother in the shop where she worked … a lady’s dress shop,” she qualified. “When I was younger, I stayed with neighbors or helped at school. There wasn’t much time to play.”

“It was just the two of you, wasn’t it? Your father left.”

“Yes, he left.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“I heard that he died, but I don’t know if that’s true or not. Are you taking Caleb in the water now?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll hold him tight?” she asked. “He’s slippery when he’s wet.”

Cole pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Then he removed his gunbelt and stood up. She hastily turned her attention to the lake, but not before she noticed how muscled his chest and upper arms were. His skin was deeply tanned, indicating he had spent long hours in the sun bare-chested. There was a mat of dark blond hair trailing down to his belly button, and, God, she really shouldn’t have been looking. Cole was a handsome man. She would have had to be blind not to notice his steely blue eyes, but what made him most attractive to her was his behavior toward her son. He had the patience of Job. He was gentle and soft-spoken with Caleb, and nothing the little one did seemed to bother him.

He’d make a wonderful father. She pushed the thought aside the second it popped into her mind. She didn’t need him or any other man, she reminded herself. She and Caleb were doing just fine the way they were.

“I wish I had been able to talk to Grace before we left. I promised to help her find a ranch. She offered me a job, and it would have been an ideal setting to raise my son. He’d have room to run.”

“What could you do on a ranch?”

Her spine stiffened. “I could do lots of things. I’ve never been afraid of hard work,” she added.

“You don’t need to get mad. I wasn’t insulting you or challenging you. I was simply curious.”

“Grace should know what’s going on. I would have told her to go ahead and leave without Caleb and me and that we’d catch up with her in Denver. She’s under tremendous pressure, and time’s running out for

her.”

Cole didn’t understand, but Jessica refused to explain. “If Grace wants you to know her personal business, she’ll tell you. I should have taken my belongings out of the wagon. I hope Grace doesn’t feel she has to look after them.”

“Quit worrying,” he ordered. “She’ll be fine, and you’ll be seeing her real soon.”

Her attention was turned when Caleb threw himself into her arms. He wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, and he was rank.

“I’ll get the soap,” she said.

“Jessie?”

“Yes?” she answered as she eased the baby off her lap.

“You might want to close your eyes for a minute.” She didn’t ask why. She simply squeezed her eyes shut. Curiosity got the better of her, though, and she finally had to know. “You didn’t take all of your clothes off, did you?”

“Sure did,” he answered cheerfully. “Caleb and I are buck naked.”

She wanted to look. She convinced herself that she was merely curious because she’d never seen a naked man before. She really ought to, shouldn’t she, since she was a mother? She peeked, but with only one eye. She was disappointed because she’d waited too long. All she saw was Cole’s backside and thighs as he moved into the water. She found it quite odd that every inch of his back was also tanned. What did the man do? Work outside naked? The possibility was so ludicrous, she smiled.

Caleb had his arms wrapped around Cole’s neck and was happily chattering into his ear. He didn’t look at all scared, and Jessica suddenly yearned to be in the water with both of them.

She went to fetch the soap instead. As she was searching through the valise, she heard a loud splash, promptly followed by the baby’s squeal of delight. Nothing seemed to frighten Caleb, which meant that he was feeling secure, she hoped.

“So far so good,” she whispered. Caleb hadn’t been harmed by her lack of skills as a mother. Each day she learned a little bit more, and hopefully, by the time he was five or six, she’d be comfortable in the role she’d taken on. She would always worry, she supposed, but then didn’t all mothers? She wanted to do the right thing for her son so that he would grow up with fond memories and a strong sense of self-worth. Unlike the other men in her life, Caleb would have values.