STANDING
BETWEEN LOVE AND BETRAYALSTANDING
BETWEEN LOVE AND BETRAYAL
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Louise had decided all on her own, without permission from her objecting husband, that she is going to find out exactly what it is that is going on between Jane and Buck, and Jane and Cody.
Her actual intentions are to make Jane aware of the deep feelings she has for Buck, and of the long life of happiness that she will give up by being with a man that she really doesn’t love or want. Lou is certain that Jane doesn’t love Cody. She is certain the young woman is not being honest with Buck, Cody or herself for that matter.
Jane had told Buck that his Indian Heritage is why she has turned away from him. Lou doesn’t believe one word of that. Buck’s Indian background had never bothered Jane, until after Jesse had shot Buck. Louise is positive that the answers to Jane’s abrupt dismissal of Buck’s love, and her quick falling in love with Cody, are hidden deep within Jane’s heart. Lou intends on finding out exactly what happened in Jane’s life that may have caused her to walk out on a life with Buck.
Louise and Jane are sitting on the swing on the front porch of Lou’s home. It is a beautifully warm day for late November and Louise has been informed that Buck is going to watch Kid break in some new horses this afternoon. Lou figures a perfect opportunity to carefully gauge Jane’s reaction to Buck’s presence with no Cody in sight.
“What did you want to speak with me about?” Jane asked hesitantly.
Before Louise can give Jane a half honest answer, their attention is drawn to Kid and Buck walking away from the Hunter home and toward the corrals.
Louise takes notice to Jane’s tense appearance, and the way her eyes follow Buck as he walks to the corrals. Once Buck is leaning against the corrals, Jane still can’t pull her eyes off the back of his form.
“Don’t look so worried,” Lou spoke with a grin.
Jane quickly removes her eyes from Buck.
“Doc Barnes gave Buck permission to get out of bed and walk around a bit. Buck is only going to watch Kid attempt to break in the new horses,” Lou spoke grinning at Jane’s misfortune of being caught by Louise.
“I’m not worried. Whatever danger Buck puts his life in is no longer my concern,” Jane spoke trying to convince herself that she doesn’t care about Buck.
Louise smirks. She has hit a nerve with Jane. Jane’s eyes tell Lou a totally different story as Lou catches her taking glimpses of Buck when she thinks Lou isn’t watching her.
Lou for the life of her can’t understand how Jane is managing to keep sane. It’s obvious that she loves Buck. Louise avoids making chitchat with Jane for a while longer. She wants to see how long it takes Jane to notice that she is being studied under Lou’s watchful eye.
Jane suddenly notices that Louise hasn’t said anything to her for a few minutes. She almost dreads glancing the woman’s way. She will surely see a smirk attached to Lou’s face laughing over Jane’s inability to take her eyes off Buck.
“That’s it isn’t it?” Louise spoke as Jane finally glances Lou’s way. “I don’t know why I didn’t see what is going on with you before this,” Louise spoke confident that she has Jane figured out.
“Louise, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re afraid of losing him,” Louise spoke softly not wanting Buck to hear any of this conversation just yet.
Jane is becoming weary of all Buck’s family members insisting on understanding her motive for ending her relationship with Buck. “He isn’t mine to lose.”
“Your father was killed by Emery Pike, was he not?”
“What does my father’s murderer have to do with Buck and I?” Jane asked angrily.
“Your father left you alone, and he was killed by an outlaw. Buck was shot and nearly died because of Jesse, who is also an outlaw. Are you afraid that Buck will leave you alone, like your father had done?”
“I don’t love Buck. That is the reason why I broke off our relationship,” Jane spoke insistently. “What I don’t understand is why all of you are trying to find some other reason for my ending my romance with Buck. Can’t all of you just leave well enough alone?”
“Do you mind convincing me of just how much you love Cody,” Lou asked, determined to uncover Jane’s secrets.
“I don’t have to convince you or anyone else about my feelings for Cody.”
“You’re lying to yourself, Jane. There is no way that I will ever believe that you fell out of love with Buck just so you could fall in love with Cody.”
“Believe what you want Louise. I’ll convince you of how deeply I love Cody. Tonight Cody and I are planning a romantic dinner together and then an evening in each other’s arms!” Jane spoke boldly, as she stands up to go inside Lou’s home. She takes one last look at Buck wondering if she’ll really be able to keep him off her mind and out of her heart when she’s engaged in lovemaking with Cody. Jane takes her eyes off Buck and glances down at Louise. “May I still get ready for my evening out with Cody at your house?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going inside to take a bath then.”
“I’ll be in later to help you,” Lou spoke disheartened that there isn’t any way she can talk Jane out of the mistake she is about to make.
The long day is getting even longer for Jimmy. He didn’t really think seeing Hannah behind bars would bother him a whole lot, being that she has made it clear on several occasions that she has no room in her heart for love. To Jimmy that clearly says she has no room in her heart for him. But, seeing the paleness from the fear of being arrested for a multitude of murders, has Jimmy a little worried for her safety. He guesses it is a sign that he really loves her. Jimmy is pacing back and forth listening to Cody and Teaspoon’s arguments over Hannah’s arrest.
“How can you lock Hannah up just because she owns a pair of woman’s leather riding gloves? You can’t just go on assumptions Cody. You’ve got to have some prove that Hannah is guilty,” Teaspoon spoke loud enough for all the citizens of Rock Creek to hear him. He figures they’re all listening anyhow, so he might as well make it easy for them to hear by hollering.
Jimmy halts his pacing in front of Teaspoon and Cody. Cody is either trying to choose his words very carefully or he just plain hasn’t thought up a good enough lie to compensate for his rash behavior. Jimmy wonders what kind of answer Cody will come up with this time.
“You two are the ones that suspected something was amiss when you found those gloves in her purse. And you Jimmy, you said that earlier you found a pair of blood stained gloves in Hannah’s purse.”
“There was never blood stains on my gloves, Jimmy,” Hannah spoke adamantly.
Jimmy walks over to Hannah’s jail cell. “Hannah, they were in your purse.”
“Then someone purposely put them into my purse to make me look guilty. You wouldn’t have any idea who would do such a horrible thing, do you Jimmy?” Hannah asked blatantly accusing Jimmy of the deed.
Teaspoon walks over to stand by Jimmy. He understood the force behind Hannah’s accusations. He knows that Hannah’s words will bother Jimmy. “If you’re innocent Miss Anderson, I’ll make sure you aren’t locked up any longer than need be.”
“Why am I always wrong around here?” Cody asked in a whiney tone.
“An easier question to answer would be, when have you ever been right?” Jimmy spoke flatly.
Teaspoon walks away from Hannah and Jimmy feeling that the couple may need a chance to talk this entire mess out.
“I can’t believe that you actually think a committed these murders. I mean just because I won’t subject myself to a steady relationship with you or any other man for that matter, doesn’t mean that I’m a cold-blooded killer!”
“I’m not saying you’re a killer, Hannah.”
“You obviously gave your Mister Cody friend here the shrewd evidence that you have against me,” Hannah stated angrily.
“I didn’t actually give Cody the evidence that he used to arrest you with. But, how Cody got the gloves really doesn’t matter. The point is Hannah, if you’re telling me you didn’t kill those men then I believe you. I’ll do everything I can to get you free.”
“That’s real sweet of you Jimmy, after you got me locked up in the first place!” Hannah stated with sarcasm as she turns away from Jimmy and proceeds to the back of her cell.
Louise gathers the courage to walk out to Buck. She figures by now Jane must be soaking in her tub trying to calm her frazzled nerves over the evening she has planned with Cody. To Louise the evening sounds almost like a death sentence.
Louise finds Buck still standing at the corral watching Kid get thrown off another horse.
“We need to talk,” Louise spoke softly to Buck.
Buck turns to glance at Louise. “What about?”
“Jane.”
Buck looks as if Lou has just punched him in the gut. “Jane has made it perfectly clear to me that what she does and whom she sees is none of my business,” Buck spoke turning his attention back to Kid and the horses.
“I wouldn’t have thought that you would give up on Jane so easily.”
Buck is getting somewhat irritated that Louise is bothering him about Jane. Can’t Louise see that talking about Jane still upsets him? “Jane doesn’t want anything to do with me. I tried Louise, just last night.”
“Where? When?”
“I couldn’t sleep and apparently Jane couldn’t either. We both went out into Rachel’s garden and we inadvertently ran into each other. We started our usual kissing. I even managed to get Jane into my bedroom. Uh…do you want to hear more?”
“Jane obviously didn’t spend the night with you,” Louise spoke disheartened.
“No. She didn’t. Jane ran out of my bedroom as soon as her senses came back to her that she’d be sleeping with an Indian. She doesn’t want to be with me Louise, and I’m not going to allow her to keep breaking my heart.”
“Maybe you should hear what I have to say before you decide to just ignore what Jane is about to do.”
Buck has to admit he is curious about Jane’s plans. He almost wishes she would leave Rock Creek. He isn’t sure how he will handle it if Jane and Cody end up getting married. “I know I’m going to live to regret this. What is Jane about to do that I need to know about?”
“Cody is planning a romantic dinner and night at the bunkhouse. Jane has accepted his invitation.”
Louise can see by the look in Buck’s eyes that her announcement has upset him. She can see a collection of moisture beginning to surface in his eyes. She almost wishes that she hadn’t brought up Cody’s evening plans for Jane.
Buck glances down at the ground. He sensed that Cody and Jane’s relationship would become more serious sooner or later. Why did Louise feel the need to share this information with him? He gazes back into Lou’s sympathetic eyes. “I would have rather you kept this information from me.”
“Buck, don’t give up on Jane. I know she still loves you.”
“Louise, if Jane loves me, than why in the hell would she sleep with Cody?” Buck asked, the anger showing in his tone of voice.
“Buck, I’ve been talking to Jane. I see the way she still looks at you. I know she’s not being honest about why she broke things off with you. Jane won’t admit it, but she’s afraid of losing you. I think in Jane’s mind that it would be easier for her to be with Cody and lose him than it would be to be with the man she loves and lose you.”
“If that were true, Jane would talk to me about it,” Buck spoke adamantly.
“Buck, Jane’s problem goes a lot deeper than just not being able to cope with losing you.”
“I’m tired of arguing about this Louise. You believe what you want to believe. Jane told me she doesn’t want to be with me because of my Indian background. Until Jane tells me otherwise, I’m just going to believe that that is the problem between us.”
“I have a plan. Cody messed up an evening of romance you had planned with Jane when he falsely arrested you. Wouldn’t you at least like to pay Cody back?”
Buck is sure by Jane’s reaction to his shirt being off that he is disgusting to her, but the thought of messing up Cody’s plans does make Lou’s plan sound tempting.
“What’s your plan?” Buck asked with an evil smile.
Louise reaches up to Buck’s ear and whispers the plan that she has for him and Jane.
Buck laughs. Louise has out done herself again.