STANDING
BETWEEN LOVE AND BETRAYALSTANDING
BETWEEN LOVE AND BETRAYAL
CHAPTER SIX
It is early afternoon and a howling November breeze has descended many different deep-colored leaves, from the trees inclosing the ranch, blanketing around Jimmy’s feet as he dismounts his horse in front of the Anderson homestead.
As he walks onto the porch to knock on the majestic door, Hannah opens the door with a startled expression.
“What are you doing here?” Hannah asked almost angry that Jimmy has showed up at her home. That privilege will only be given to the man that Hannah falls in love with. For Hannah, she’s pretty sure that falling in love hasn’t happened yet, even though Mister Hickok wouldn’t be the worst possible choice in a husband she could make.
Jimmy is a little taken back by Hannah’s reaction to his being at her home. “I thought perhaps we could go horseback riding so we could spend some time alone and talk about you and I.”
“I thought I had made it perfectly clear that I’m not interested in a you and I relationship,” Hannah stated rudely.
“Hannah, it’s me Jimmy. You don’t have to be so arrogant with me. I only came here hoping that you would consent in allowing me to court you,” Jimmy stated his blood starting to boil from anger.
“Isn’t that something you should be asking my father?” Hannah asked calmly. Her instincts tell her that Jimmy is serious. She had actually thought that he was teasing her when he first arrived. Especially since, right from the start of their bedroom rendezvous’, she has made it perfectly clear that she is only interested in what Jimmy can do for her in the bedroom and nothing else.
“Would you rather I ask your father? From my understanding around town, Oliver Anderson would like nothing better than to be able to wed his daughters off.”
Hannah smiles wickedly at Jimmy. She places her hands boldly on her hips. She isn’t about to lose any of the control she has over Jimmy. It has been that way since birth. Hannah Anderson always has the control in her relationships with men.
“If I would commit to courting you, would you suddenly act as if you own me?”
“You mean I wouldn’t own you?” Jimmy asked with sarcasm.
Hannah reaches her mouth boldly up to Jimmy’s and kisses him with all the passion she can muster up without actually tearing his clothes off of him in broad daylight.
Rachel quietly opens the door to Buck’s room at the doc’s clinic and finds the young man still unconscious and Jane sitting at his bedside looking as weary as ever. She walks over to stand at the bottom of Buck’s bed.
At first, Rachel doesn’t think that Jane had heard her walk into the room.
“He still hasn’t woke up,” Jane stated sadly.
“Buck is strong, Jane. You have to believe that he will be fine.”
“I’m sorry you made the trip into town for nothing. I’m sure you would have liked to talk to him.”
“Jane, I actually came into town to see you. I want you to come back to the ranch with me for a good meal and a decent nights rest. You can’t go on much longer just sitting here waiting for Buck to wake up.”
“Rachel, I can’t leave him. Besides, I don’t want to spend time at a dinner table that will include Charlene’s rather annoying personality.”
“I moved Charlene over to Kid and Lou’s home. I’m fixing that downstairs bedroom up for Buck for when he is allowed to come home. He won’t be able to take care of himself for awhile, so Teaspoon and I have decided that he will stay with us.”
“Well at least Charlene won’t be able to dig her claws into Buck if he’s staying with you and Teaspoon,” Jane spoke somberly.
“Now, what about dinner?”
“I’ll pass. I’m really not very hungry.”
Rachel shows her disappointment, but Jane’s eyes are glued to the man she so desperately loves.
Jimmy and Hannah are at the hotel restaurant having a celebration dinner over their newfound love.
Charlene and Cody are also having dinner at the same restaurant celebrating more scheming and plotting.
“I’m tiring of all the scheming and wrong doings that I’ve done to my family. When they find out what all I’ve done, they will never forgive me. I’ll consider myself damn lucky if Buck just doesn’t kill me! And, if Buck doesn’t kill me, I’m positive either Jimmy or Kid will,” Cody spoke sadly.
“I told you before that I am not ready to hand Buck over to Jane,” Charlene whispers loudly to Cody.
“Charlene, just who is over at the doc’s clinic at this very moment waiting for Buck to wake up? It certainly isn’t you. It’s Jane. You aren’t going to hand Buck over to Jane because she already has him.”
“Do you always have to make everything sound so bleak?”
“I’m just willing to except the truth when it’s staring me right in the face. You don’t see things for what they really are or perhaps you just don’t want to see things for the way they are.”
“Maybe I just love Buck more than you love or want Jane,” Charlene spoke boldly. “You want Jane to be your wife, but yet you’re not willing to fight for her.”
“I would fight for Jane if I knew it was gonna do me any good, but when I see the two of them together all I see is love between them and no place for me.”
Hannah takes Jimmy’s hand in her hand. “Don’t you think it’s about time we leave the restaurant, and engage in dessert upstairs in our room?” Hannah spoke in a rather seductive tone.
Jimmy gets a playful smile on his face. “I think we can manage that.”
Teaspoon pulls up a chair to sit next to Buck’s bed. When Jane decided against coming out to the ranch for dinner, he and Rachel decided to bring dinner to Jane. She had just finished, and Rachel wanted Jane to get a little fresh air before her and Teaspoon went back to the ranch. Teaspoon was more then happy to stay behind and watch over Buck.
“You know everyone is more than a little worried about you. We all need for you to wake up.”
Teaspoon watches Buck carefully to see if there is even just a slight sign from the Kiowa that he is going to wake up soon. After a few seconds when there is no visible sign that Buck is responding to Teaspoon’s voice, Teaspoon gets an uneasy feeling that he is going to lose Buck.
“I guess you didn’t hear me. You know Jane…she’s been here with you since we brought you home. She’s getting awfully weary, Buck. She’s making herself ill watching over you. You need to get well so you can keep Jane from getting sick. Of course….I need for you to get well. I couldn’t stand living on the ranch if you aren’t gonna be there. Rachel, I don’t think she’d be too pleased with me if I made her move away from the ranch. Oh, after awhile she’d understand that I just couldn’t stay there anymore. But Buck, it would be a whole lot easier if you could just open those eyes of yours.”
Still Teaspoon gets no respond. He breathes a heavy sigh hoping that he hasn’t inadvertently helped Jesse bring the demise to one of his boys.
Charlene and Cody are just getting ready to leave the restaurant when their waitress brings Charlene a note.
Charlene opens the note with Cody desperately trying to read through the paper, but with no luck.
“Dear Charlene, meet me in the barn tonight at The Kid & Buck Horse Ranch, Jesse,” Charlene silently read it to only her.
“Who’s the note from, Charlene?”
Charlene glances up at Cody. She can’t possibly tell Cody that her orders of destruction for his family are coming from Jesse. Cody wouldn’t understand. He would call her a desperate woman. “It’s just a note from Hannah. I was suppose to wait for her after she finished her little romp with Jimmy upstairs, but she’s decided to stay in town and spend the night with him.”
Jimmy crawls out of the bed that he is sharing with Hannah. He stares down at her and places a gentle kiss on her lips as she sleeps. He slips into his trousers and walks over to the window. He gazes over towards the clinic. He wonders how Buck is doing today. He hadn’t had time to check on him because he had been in too much of a hurry to wine and dine Hannah. He’ll make sure that tomorrow he spends some time with his friend.
Jimmy turns away from the window to walk back to the bed where Hannah is still sleeping peacefully. From out of the corner of his eye he sees her purse lying on the floor with a piece of fabric sticking out from it. Jimmy bends down and picks up the purse, and from it a pair of black leather gloves fall onto the floor! He picks them up from the floor his hands starting to tremble with the knowledge of what these gloves could mean.
Jimmy almost hates to inspect the gloves closely. He remembers back to the day at the jailhouse when they all realized that the blood stained black leather glove that Cody had found belonged to a woman. Now, he finds an exact pair of black leather gloves in Hannah’s purse!
“What are you doing out of bed?” Hannah spoke drowsily.
Jimmy quickly places the gloves in her purse and sets the purse on a chair close to the window. “Your purse was on the floor. I was just picking it up and placing it on the chair.”
“I must have thrown it when you were attempting to unbind me from my clothing during our frenzied attack on one another.”
Jimmy slips out of his trousers and crawls back into bed next to Hannah, gathering her into his arms. “Would you like some more dessert?” Jimmy asked as he slowly begins to kiss her.
“That sounds delicious.”
Charlene and Cody pull up in front of Kid and Lou’s home. Cody walks to Charlene’s side of the buckboard and helps her down. Just as Charlene plants her feet on the ground, Kid is walking out of his house.
“Charlene, I need to speak with Cody in private. Could you excuse us, please?” Kid asked his tone demanding.
Charlene walks onto the porch. “Of course.” She turns and takes one last look at Cody trying to reassure him that she has everything under control. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Charlene spoke as she walks into the house wondering what it is that Kid couldn’t say to Cody in front of her.
“I don’t need a lecture at this late hour, Kid,” Cody spoke tiredly.
“What makes you think you’re going to get a lecture? You feeling guilty about something you’re doing that you ain’t suppose to be doing Cody?”
“No! I just mean that lately I’ve been pretty much getting berated by everyone. I’m not in the mood for it tonight.”
“Charlene is a deceitful woman, Cody. She can’t be trusted and you’re spending a lot of time with her lately. I can’t help surmising that you are manipulating our lives right along with Miss Anderson.”
“You’re accusing me of being no better than Jesse. I wouldn’t hurt any of my family intentionally.”
Kid gazes at Cody with suspicion. He is sure Cody isn’t being truthful. Cody, I will never forgive you for all the pain you are causing Buck and Jane,” Kid spoke boldly as he turns and walks into the house not giving Cody a chance to defend himself or lie further to him.
“He seems to be getting some color coming back to his cheeks,” Jane spoke auspiciously to Teaspoon and Rachel.
The three of them are gathered around Buck’s bed trying to will the young man to wake up from his deep sleep.
“Are you sure you won’t come back to the ranch with us tonight? You could use a good night of rest without having to worry about Buck,” Rachel spoke softly to Jane.
“Rachel, even if I go out to the ranch, I’ll only pace all night wondering if Buck is all right,” Jane spoke quietly.
“We understand,” Teaspoon spoke his arm around Jane for comfort for her as much as for him.
“Teaspoon, we should get going so Jane can at least try to get some rest,” Rachel spoke as she makes her way over to hug Jane. “Are you sure you’ll be all right? I could stay with you if you’d like.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Teaspoon gives Jane a hug, and gently touches Buck’s hand. “Please son, wake up,” Teaspoon spoke pleadingly as he gently squeezes Buck’s hand.
Rachel takes her husband’s hand and the two of them turn to leave the room. Jane watches them as they leave. It would have been actually nice to have some company through the entire night, but she can’t allow Teaspoon and Rachel to be engulfed with grief too. It is difficult enough for Teaspoon to see Buck lying unconscious for this long. Jane knows Teaspoon is fearful that Buck may slip away from them while he sleeps.
“I’ll see both of you tomorrow,” Jane spoke as she hears a soft moan come from the sleeping man next to her!
Rachel and Teaspoon rush back to Buck’s bedside as he fights to open his eyes!