The Outlaw's Return

Dark Clouds

CHAPTER 15 – DARK CLOUDS

      I was changing into my night gown when I heard a knock at the door. I looked over to Cole who was getting off the bed to see who it was. I heard the rusted bolts grind as the door opened. “Cole, we gotta get outta here.” Seth said in a rushed voice. “The Marshal from West Wood jus' rode into town. They got our posters up.”

      My heart sank. This was just what I had been trying to get Cole away from. I put on my slippers and went into the kitchen. Jack came running through the door and paused just a moment to tip his hat at me before announcing, “The Marshal done sent out a posse for us, if we gon' go we need to get goin' now."

      Cole looked at me with pleading eyes. “Cassie, please come with us. We can go to Mexico and stay until they get off our trail.. Cassie, I jus got you back, I don't wanna leave without you.” I didn't want him to go and I didn't want to go. Running from the law was no place for a baby and I didn't want to start things off like this. “Cassidy, please.” Cole begged as he grabbed my shoulders and stared into my eyes, waiting for any sign of agreement.

      “Cole, this ain't what we talked about.” I said in a low voice, almost a whisper. Britt started to cry and when I tried to turn around to go to him, Cole held me firmly in place.

      “I know, darlin'... but once we get to Mexico this will all be over. Cassie, I promise.” He let go of me and I went into the bedroom to get Britt. I didn't want to take him all the way to Mexico. I didn't even want to go to Mexico. Britt's crying stopped as soon as I picked him up from his cradle. I rocked him side to side in my arms my while I thought this over.

       “Cole, we need to get goin'.” Jack whispered but was still loud enough for me to hear.

       “No, we ain't leavin' til she says she's goin'. Cole's lost her once, no need to do it again.” Seth replied in a louder voice. Seth had changed since I last saw him, and had changed tremendously since the first day I met him. Seth had become a good friend.

      “Okay. Let me change 'cause I'm not runnin' from the law in a night gown.” I stated as I lay Britt in his cradle so I could change. I heard Cole's sigh of relief and heard them step outside. Once the door was closed I started to undress. I picked up a green dress made of soft fabric with an average collar and elbow sleeves. When I had it on and had packed a small bag of necessities for Britt, I joined the three men outside.

      “Thank you.” Cole whispered in my ear as he passed me to untie his horse. I hoped this would really be the end of this and Mexico could give us something better to live for. I had a long piece of cloth that I pulled around my side and tied it on the top of the opposite shoulder. This would be what I would carry Britt in. I made sure it was tight while Seth held him and when I was satisfied, I held it open so Seth could place my child in his portable cradle. This was a trick my Maw had used when I was little. Ann had supplied me with the cloth before Cole and I left with Britt to come home. I was so thankful she had thought of it.

      “That's pretty smart, Miss Cassidy.” Dr. Jack said as he watched me settle Britt into the cloth. No doubt this was something he'd seen in his good years, before he started riding with Cole and Seth. Having a doctor along with us had surely come in handy before, and it would help now that I had a baby with us. I wasn't too worried about that.

      “Alright, let's get goin'.” Seth announced once I was settled on the back of Cole's horse. We took it slow because it was dark. No one would see us as we slipped out of town, so no need to rush. We crept away from Sunset Ridge and I had a pain of regret for all I was leaving behind. All that I had worked for was being left without tending to or even a goodbye. I hoped Landon would take over and maybe use my small farm to make a living for him and Ann. Since I hadn't had a chance to tell him, I could only hope he would check in and see that we were gone. John and I had worked so hard together to get this place going. Now he was gone and I was leaving. I breathed in deep and let it out slow. Cole turned his head to look at me with regret in his eyes. He mouthed an “I'm sorry” and turned back to the road ahead.

      It was early morning when we were getting close to West Wood. I hoped Cole would let us stop for a moment so I could see Maria. I had missed her so much and I was getting more excited the closer we came to town. I had spent many a day in that town. That was where I met Cole and where I left him, or he left me, whichever way you want to look at it. I didn't miss working in the saloon, but I did miss the friends I had grown so close to there. Some had gone off to follow a different path, but I knew most where still there. I hoped Maria would be there, I really did.

     “We're gettin' close to town. You think they got somebody watchin' for us here?” Seth asked. Cole shook his head and Jack stayed quiet on the other side of Seth. “I sure hope not. It's two days from here to Mexico. Then a few hours to Elizabeth's house. We gon' need the rest to make that trip.”

       “We can stay here for tonight.” Cole said while he stretched his legs. He placed them back into the stirrups and began to stretch his arms. I looked into the cloth around my torso to check on Britt. He was sound asleep. I smiled at this beautiful being that I had brought into the world. It was amazing how you can only know someone for such a short period of time and instantly be so in love with them.

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Catherine's POV

       I was in grieving. I wore black and it seemed to deepen my mood. I hated her. I hated him. They had caused me this. I had finally been happy and now they had taken it all away from me. She was nothing but a dirty saloon whore and he was a scumbag outlaw. I couldn't believe I had ever tried to get along with them. The day I met Cole Mason was the worst mistake of my life.

       “Ma'am, what do you want us to do with the body?”

      I threw my cup at the idiot who was in front of me. “What do you think!? Bury him!” I screamed. How incredibly stupid these men were. If they had been more loyal and done their job, I would not be in this situation today. My son, our son, would carry out his father's wishes once he was of age. He would kill Cole Mason and Cassidy Smith. I wrote their names under the word “KILL” on a small piece of paper. I stuffed it into my pocket.

        “We are ready for the service, Mrs. Catherine.”

       I was as ready as I could ever be to bury my husband. This wasn't going to be much of a service, but I had picked a nice spot for him to rest out in the field. We all gathered around the tree he was to be buried under and had our service.

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John's POV

      I didn't know where I was when I opened my eyes. I felt a stinging above my eye and when I touched it I felt something warm and sticky. I looked at my fingers which were now covered in blood. I didn't remember what happened. I didn't remember anything. I tried to remember my name, but I couldn't. I propped myself up against the wagon I was next to and looked around. I was alone and it was getting dark. I tried to think of the last thing I remembered. 'Let's see, I was... in a house, my house I think... with someone.. a woman.. my wife? Ca.. Cass.. Naw, that's not it. Cassie? Cassidy? Yeah, Cassidy... Okay. We were.. sittin' at a table. Talkin'. I don't remember where we live. My wife is alone at a house I don't know how to find and I'm alone in the middle of nowhere. Somethin' bad must have happened.' I thought to myself. I just couldn't remember what that was.

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      "Well, we finally made it." Seth said with a grin. I looked around at the town. It hadn't changed. The saloon was still the centerpiece of small West Wood and all the buildings looked the same. I couldn't wait to see Maria. We stopped in front of the saloon and Seth was the first to go in. Jack followed him and Cole and I dragged behind. I checked on Britt and realized it was getting close to time to feed him.

       "You want me to go ahead and get us a room?" Cole asked and I nodded. He went to do just that and I looked around inside for any sign of the dark haired Spanish girl I was searching for.