Give My Heart to Kaitlyn (2nd in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

"You're awake!" Kaitlyn announced brightly as she stepped into the patient room at the doc to find Carol sitting in the chair by the window in one of Blanche's green wool dresses.

"Do I know you?" Carol asked and then her eyes widened when they fell on Pete. "You. You're the man that found Gary and me."

Pete pulled off his hat and ran his hand through his blond hair. "Yes, ma'am, I am."

Kaitlyn smiled and folded her hands in front of her. "Carol, my name is Kaitlyn. I work here with the doc. I took care of you yesterday after Pete brought you in. How are you feeling?"

"My head pains me a little." She turned her gaze back out toward the bustling street. "But not nearly as badly as my heart."

Pete stepped forward. "Ma'am, I wanted to offer to take you down to the cemetery in about an hour. They're going to be burying your husband."

A lone tear rolled down Carol's soft cheek. "I've already buried my parents, one husband, several lovers and three children. Why does life have to be so painful?"

Kaitlyn stepped closer and laid her hand on the woman's shoulder. "I don't know," she whispered softly. "Some of us are asked to bear more than our fair share."

Pete cleared his throat. "Ma'am, I know it's probably small consolation after your loss but, the man that did this to you was named Gibson Lee and he paid for his crime. He won't be harming anyone else."

"Well there's the one good thing that will come from Gary's death." Carol reddened with shame. "I thank you, sir, for being so kind when you found me yesterday. I'm afraid my mind was simply not working well."

"Grief can do that to the best of us," Pete replied simply.

"I've had my fair share of grief," Carol agreed. "But today is the only day I will allow tears to fall for Gary. He would not have wanted me to wallow in a dark mood. The man despised wallowing. No matter what happened in his life or in our short time together, he was a firm believer in picking yourself back up and carrying on."

"That's a good way to be," Kaitlyn replied absently. Pete suspected her mind had strayed to her own past so he reached out and gave her tiny hand a squeeze.

"Do you want to come with us to the cemetery?" he asked Carol.

She stood up and smoothed her hands over her borrowed dress. "Yes, I do."

"They're burying him in an hour but we can go down now so you can have some time alone with him if you'd like," Kaitlyn stated.

Carol's blue eyes shone with sadness. "That is very kind of you."

Silence reined among them as Pete and Kaitlyn led Carol to the undertaker's building. They remained outside while she went in to see her husband. Kaitlyn wiped away a tear. "What a strong woman," she whispered with admiration. "She has lost so much in her life but she keeps going. I'm not sure I could."

Pete took her into his arms and hugged her tight. "Most people would consider you a strong woman too, Kaitlyn. I know I do."

Kaitlyn squirmed in his arms, feeling the eyes of more than a few townsfolk watching them. "Pete, people can see you."

"I don't care if you don't," Pete replied with a grin.

Before Kaitlyn could decide whether or not she cared, Langley appeared and shoved himself between them to break them apart. "I just saved your life, lawman," he winked. "Pa would have shot you for sure if he'd seen you holding onto Kaitlyn like that in plain sight. Why you ain't even married to her yet!"