STANDING
BETWEEN LOVE AND BETRAYALSTANDING
BETWEEN LOVE AND BETRAYAL
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Cody adamantly wipes down his rifle as Hannah watches him through the enclosed bars of her jail cell. The blonde army man gives Hannah an uneasy feeling. He doesn't seem like he belongs in the family back at the Kid & Buck Ranch. He seems like a man that is more like Jesse James. Hannah has noticed in the short time that she has been kept a prisoner that not many of Cody's family members have anything nice to say when they come to the marshal's office to visit with him. Most of Cody's conversations with anyone end up in an all out verbal battle.
Hannah turns her head toward the office doors when she notices Charlene waltzing through them looking as if Cody isn't going to have an easy day.
Charlene slams the glass door, and Cody shrieks with concern that the glass will suddenly shutter in hundreds of tiny pieces. He looks around slowly to make sure the pane of glass didn't crack from Charlene's abuse.
Charlene walks over to Cody, and gently takes the rifle out of his hands. She places it on the marshal's desk.
"The rifle isn't loaded Charlene," Cody spoke flatly.
"I'm not taking any chances. How long do you plan on keeping Hannah locked up?"
"There is a judge arriving in Rock Creek in a few days for Hannah's trail. I can't just free Hannah on your assumption that she is innocent."
"Cody, isn't a person innocent until proven guilty?"
Cody shakes his head. "In my book Hannah is guilty. I'm not letting her walk the streets of Rock Creek. I can't allow anymore lives to be put in danger."
Charlene glances over at Hannah who is sitting calmly on her cell bunk. "I'm getting my sister out of jail if it's the last thing in my life that I accomplish!"
"I'm sorry Charlene, I was under the assumption that your main goal in life is to accomplish the impossible feat of getting Buck Cross to marry you," Cody spoke quietly so Hannah can't hear their conversation.
"You're only hoping that I marry Buck, so you can get your greedy hands all over Jane. Wasn't it you Cody who once told me that true love always prevails?"
"So, you're giving up?"
"I didn't say I was giving up, but Hannah's predicament is just a little more important at the moment."
Charlene walks angrily away from Cody, and heads over to the cell that Hannah is in.
The breeze is blowing lightly through Jimmy's hair as he sits on the ground of the embankment that leads down to the creek near Kid and Lou's home. He silently sits, and watches the turbulence of the creek. The winter winds will soon be settling in, and the water will soon freeze along the edges of the creek. By the time winter fully arrives Hannah will be taken from his life. Her own life will be just a memory to him, and to everyone who knows and loves her.
Louise stands at the edge of the embankment wondering if she should make the attempt to be a friend and console Jimmy. If she chooses to be a true friend, her consoling could get her into unwanted trouble with Kid. On the other hand, she really feels bad for not helping Jimmy through all the sorrow, and guilt that he is feeling concerning Hannah's arrest.
Without hesitating another moment longer Louise finds that her legs are carrying her down the slope of the embankment and nestling her body close to Jimmy.
"I sort of thought it was you even before you sat down," Jimmy spoke quietly."
"How long have you been sitting out here? It sure is cold."
"I can't feel a thing," Jimmy spoke flatly.
"I know that you are feeling terrible over Hannah, but Cody isn't giving up on Hannah being the killer. He's going to see that Hannah hangs for her crimes unless someone can prove that she's innocent. Cody isn't going to be that someone who searches for Hannah's innocence. He isn't looking for new evidence that will prove he is wrong.
"Yeah, I know," Jimmy spoke quietly.
"Yeah, I know isn't going to free Hannah," Lou replied softly.
"I suppose I'm just feeling sorry for myself. I finally allow myself to fall in love with a woman, and look what happens. She ends up being a killer. I'm really trying not to love her anymore, but these feelings won't go away."
"Do you think Hannah is guilty?"
"I saw the bloody gloves in her purse. I should have just took her away from here."
"Hannah may have eventually killed you," Louise spoke sadly.
"It really doesn't matter. Hannah is in jail, and the judge will be here within a few days. Cody will finally be able to put these murders behind him, and move on. I'll just have to get used to living without Hannah the same way I have lived my life without you."
Louise is speechless for what seems like forever. The shock of Jimmy's admittance is quite difficult to digest. Lou is convinced that her face must be fifty shades of pink and red.
"I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have actually blurted out my feelings for you. It's just that I've kept these feelings inside for so many years that I just can't hide them any longer. You have to admit though that you have suspected all these years that I've had feelings for you."
Louise can't seem to utter any words to Jimmy. She finds herself being suddenly swept up by romance with Jimmy's admittance of love for her, and by Kid's absence in her life. Without thinking about the consequences of her actions she teasingly sweeps her lips across Jimmy's. In turn Jimmy embraces Lou close to him. A kiss of pent up passion between the two of them heats up the stormy day. Within moments Lou finds that her body is pinned beneath Jimmy's on the cold, damp ground that doesn't feel cold at all!
Louise can't believe that she is actually allowing her deepest secret feelings for Jimmy to surface. She struggles to pull her body away from Jimmy, and she stumbles nervously as she runs up the embankment toward home.
Jimmy watches Louise as she hurriedly tries to get away from him. At long last after all these years he knows that Louise has had romantic feelings for him as well.
Teaspoon is in the barn working on saddling his horse when Jack Morgan comes walking through the open barn doors. Teaspoon gazes away from his chores to let Jack know that he acknowledges his arrival.
"Getting ready to finish the job that you came here to do?" Teaspoon asked disheartened.
"Doc Barnes still insists that I rest for another week. You seem a bit disturbed about my resuming my work."
"Like I said before, just don't bring Jesse back to Rock Creek. My family doesn't need to go through Jesse's trail, and then his eventual hanging."
"Is that all there is to it?"
Teaspoon can't figure out exactly when it happened, but somehow Jack Morgan can penetrate into his thoughts. "I don't want Buck to have to deal with Jesse, and that is all there is to it!"
"You're very fond of the Indian," Jack spoke voicing his opinion as a statement of what he has noticed between Teaspoon and Buck rather than a question for Teaspoon to answer.
"Buck is like a son to me. I've caused him so much pain since Jesse has come back into my life. I've treated Buck like he is the stranger when in reality Jesse has become a stranger to me. I can't even remember the boy that Jesse once was."
"You love Jesse just as much as you love Buck."
"Not no more," Teaspoon spoke adamantly.
"You may be able to say you don't care about Jesse anymore, but if anything were to happen to him, you would grieve."
Teaspoon gazes at Jack for a very long time before trying to continue their conversation. He doesn't want to actually say that he doesn't care about Jesse, but he simply doesn't want Jesse in his life to do anymore damage then what he has already done. "If you aren't leaving to hunt down Jesse and his gang why did you ride out here today?"
"I have other business in Rock Creek besides Jesse James."
"We both already know that. So, since you've opened up the book sort of for me to ask about your arrival some more, I'm gonna do just that."
"I've managed to provoke your interest," Jack spoke with a smile.
"When you arrived, and first meet Buck you made a rather thought provoking statement about him. You said to me that I'm surprised you hadn't told me that you found him. You were watching Buck walk away from the house. You were referring to Buck that night."
Jack takes a deep breath. The time has finally come that Teaspoon's curiosity has overwhelmed him. "I was. I had merely thought that somehow the Indian woman had found you, and left you with your child. Buck would be the right age."
"I see," Teaspoon spoke flatly, but not really thinking about what Jack is implying.
"I didn't mean for my knowledge of your child to bring you misery. That wasn't my intentions. I just felt that perhaps you would like to know that you have a child out there in this world somewhere."
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Jack. I'm glad you told me."
"Well, I guess I'll get back into town. I better get that rest that the doc insists I get before heading out in about a week."
"Yeah, I guess you better," Teaspoon spoke, his mind absent of any thoughts of Jack at the moment.
Jack exits the barn to leave a bewildered Teaspoon to figure out the truth of his child for himself.
After Jack is clear of Teaspoon's voice, he begins to figure out the dates of his past. "I was with the Indian woman in early February of 1843. A child between us would have been born in November of 1843, and that child would be twenty-four this month. Buck was born in November of 18……1843. Buck just turned twenty-four while he was recuperating from his bullet wound." Teaspoon takes a deep breath. "Oh Lord."