DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Walker, Texas Ranger characters within this story, nor is any ownership implied.
Author's note: Sydney and Trivette's counterparts in the Hayes Cooper storyline were not named in the Final Showdown episode. I took the liberty of naming them in this story as they needed names, but the characters themselves are not mine. If anyone would happen to know what the characters' actual names were from that episode, please let me know and I will gladly make the necessary corrections.
Judd Weaver never considered himself a lucky man, but maybe his luck was changing. When he woke up that morning, he was just a roughneck, picking up odd jobs and cowboying around Bovine, spending his free time playing poker in the Red Ox Saloon so he could listen to the pretty saloon singer and hoping that maybe he could catch her eye. If it was a good night, he'd win a few hands of poker and leave with more money in his pocket than what he started with. If it was a really good night, he'd win a few hands of poker, not get too drunk, and coax a smile out of the pretty singer.
Today, though, it looked like luck was in his corner. The pretty saloon singer was there in the street, kneeling next to the piano player. He had come out to join Judd and Hayes Cooper in the shootout with Moon Levocat's gang and was fatally shot. She was holding the dead man's hand and crying. Judd limped over to her.
"Uh, ma'am?" He reached out to touch her shoulder but pulled his hand away. "Ma'am, can I do anything?"
The pretty, dark-haired saloon singer looked up at him, her face wet with tears. "He was a good person," she whimpered. "Please help me get him a proper burial. He's good for it."
Judd looked at her, puzzled.
"The money for the burial. He has it. He owned the saloon," the singer explained. "Just get him a good, proper burial. Don't let them dump him in some hole in the ground without a proper service and casket and marker."
"I will," Judd replied.
The petite singer stood and started to walk away.
"Oh, ma'am?" Judd called after her. She turned to him, brushing tears from her dark eyes.
"What was his name? For the marker?"
"Clarence. Clarence James."
Judd Weaver touched the brim of his hat and nodded slightly toward her.
"Thank you, Mr. Weaver," she smiled slightly. "Oh, and Mr. Weaver, you really should see the doctor for those wounds. I hope they aren't serious."
Judd had been grazed on the shoulder in the shootout with Moon's gang. The wound wasn't deep, but with the reminder from the singer, he realized it was stinging. He was also hit in the leg and while he was sure it also wasn't a serious injury, he knew she was right and he needed to get himself to the doctor. First, he needed to find the undertaker. He promised a pretty lady a proper burial for her friend.
Before he could do anything, though, Cooper had returned. His wife and child were safe and Moon – the man who said he could not be killed – was dead. The mayor handed Cooper the sheriff's badge, asking if he'd consider being the town's sheriff. Cooper agreed and walked over to one of Moon's mortally wounded gang members. Weaver watched as he pulled the deputy sheriff's badge off the dead man's chest and walked toward him, tossing the badge to him. "I didn't expect this," Judd said, surprised at the sudden turn of events.
"Either did I," Cooper replied, walking away to join his wife and baby.
No, Judd Weaver never really considered himself a lucky man, but now he was deputy sheriff of Bovine, Texas. That would have been the last thing he would have ever expected to happen, but when Hayes Cooper tossed him that badge, he certainly wasn't about to say no.
The next afternoon, Weaver stopped by the Red Ox Saloon. It was oddly quiet without the sound of the piano and singing. He found the pretty singer sitting alone at a table in the corner. He asked Stan the barkeep for a beer and after a few minutes he approached her.
"Afternoon, ma'am."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Weaver. How are you feeling?"
"How'm I feeling?"
"Your gunshots?"
"Oh, those. I'm fine. Just grazes, really. I'll heal up quick."
"I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Weaver. And thank you for getting a proper burial for Clarence. I really appreciate it."
"I'm glad I could help out, Miss, ah, Miss?"
The pretty brunette smiled sweetly. "Liliana Westfall. Call me Lily."
A cowboy stood up from the poker game across the room and staggered toward them. "Hey, lady. You gonna sing or what?"
"Leave the lady alone," Weaver ordered.
"Yeah? Who says?" the cowboy slurred.
Weaver stood and pointed to the metal star pinned to his vest. "I'm the deputy sheriff here. We don't want any trouble. You can sit down and play cards or you can sit in a jail cell. Your choice."
The cowboy laughed. "Well, ain't you fancy. I know you, Weaver. You're just a lousy roughneck. Now get out of my way." The cowboy turned to Lily, "I better hear you start singing, lady."
"She's not singing," Weaver growled.
The cowboy turned and took a swing at Weaver. Weaver ducked and came up with a punch to the cowboy's jaw. The cowboy fell backwards, crashing onto a table. Weaver couldn't help but notice Lily flinch and turn her head away.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't want him bothering you," Judd apologized, feeling bad that he had obviously somehow offended the pretty brunette.
"It's okay," Lily replied. "I'm just so tired of all the fighting here. The fighting, the dust, the mud when it rains. Now without a piano player, I'm out of a job, and I refuse to become one of those girls, " Lily nodded slightly to one of the girls who worked at the saloon, a redhead in a low-cut, lacy dress with rouged cheeks who was sitting in the lap of one of cowboys playing poker. Judd squirmed uncomfortably when he realized it was a girl he'd been with on a couple of drunken occasions.
"Well, you could always teach singing lessons," Judd offered helpfully.
"Do you really think the good Christian women of this town would want a saloon singer teaching their young'uns to sing?" Lily rolled her eyes. "Lightning would strike and burn the town to the ground first. I don't know what to do. Maybe I'll just go back east," Lily finished with a sigh.
"How did you end up here, anyhow, if you don't mind me asking?" Judd asked.
"A man." Lily answered matter-of-factly. "We were in a theater group from back east. He said he was coming out here to bring beauty and art and class to the wild, wild west. Thought that cowboys and gold miners and buffalo hunters would want to know all about Shakespeare and hear beautiful music. I could have told him that wasn't going to work. We got here to Bovine and he decided that the wild, wild west wasn't for him. It was too dirty and dusty and rough. He hopped the next stage back east. Never told me he was going back, just left me here. I didn't have any money, but I could sing, and I convinced Clarence and the Colonel to take me on as a singer here. "
"The Colonel?" Judd had been fascinated by Lily's story and was angered at the thought of some man, no, some pansy, leaving such a beautiful lady alone and behind.
"Colonel Parker. He was the original owner here. He was also from back east. Virginia. He was a Colonel during the war. Clarence was his house servant. Colonel Parker told him he was a free man after the war, but Clarence, well, he and the Colonel were more like old friends than master and servant by then and he just came out here with the Colonel and helped him open up the saloon. The Colonel got sick with influenza and died and left everything he had, his house, the saloon, everything to Clarence."
"Wow, that's some luck."
"I know. And now that Clarence is gone, I just don't know what I'm going to do. He was the best friend I had here in Bovine. He was the only friend I had here in Bovine," Lily's voice had a sad wistfulness to it.
"Well, Lily, I would sure hate to see you leave, and I would hope that you would call me a friend," Judd replied, his heart almost breaking at the thought of both.
The next day, Judd Weaver stopped back at the Red Ox Saloon, hoping he would find Lily there. A few glances around the room left him disappointed; she was nowhere to be found. The bartender told him Lily was upstairs in her room.
"May I?" Judd motioned upstairs.
Stan mumbled under his breath and nodded, telling him that Lily's room was at the very end of the hall. Judd had to stop himself from taking the steps two at a time. When he got to Lily's door, he raised his hand to knock, but stopped. Glancing in the mirror at the end of the hallway, he took off his hat, and tried brushing the dust off his shirt. He went back to her door and knocked tentatively, holding his breath for a reply.
Lily opened the door, smiling when she saw Judd standing there. The room behind her looked like a tornado had blown through a dress shop. Judd saw an open trunk on the floor and dresses and hats scattered across the bed, over a chair, and spilling out of the trunk.
"You're packing?" Judd swallowed hard against the lump that was suddenly in his throat.
"I have to. I don't have a future in this town. I'm going to head back east to Philadelphia and see if any of my family is there to remember me. There's a stage coming through tomorrow around noon," Lily replied. Judd thought maybe he heard her voice catch, but wasn't sure if it was just wishful thinking on his part.
"What if you had a reason to stay? Would you at least consider it?" Judd asked.
"I suppose if I had a reason, but I can't for the life of me think of any reason at all that would keep me here. Besides, without a piano player, I'm out of a job. No job, no money. I can't stay here forever and I can't really do anything else. I need to get back home before I'm broke," Lily went back to the pile of ruffles and lace on the bed. Judd averted his eyes as she held up a lacy, beribboned corset and dropped it into the trunk at her feet.
"Well, what if you owned a business? Would that be reason enough?"
Lily stopped what she was doing and turned to stare at Judd in disbelief. "Whatever are you talking about Mr. Weaver?"
"You need to see Mr. Tinsley over at the bank, Lily. Clarence named you as his sole beneficiary. You are now the proud owner of a house and a saloon."
Lily still couldn't believe her luck. Just two weeks ago, she was certain she was out of a job and on her way to being broke, and today she was the owner – the owner! – of the Red Ox Saloon. She really had no idea how to run a saloon but Stan, the barkeep, had been there a long time and seemed to know what needed to be done. That afternoon he was busy polishing up glasses and lining them up behind the bar. Lily busied herself wiping off tables, straightening chairs, and polishing Clarence's old piano. She hummed to herself as she pressed a few of the keys, listening to the notes fill the empty saloon.
"Sure would be nice to have a piano player in here again, wouldn't it, Stan?" Lily spoke as the notes echoed in the room.
"Yes, ma'am, and it sure would be nice to hear you sing again, Miss Lily. We do miss your singing around here," the loyal barkeep replied.
"Maybe we could put word out with the stage drivers. They could mention at each stop that we're looking for a piano player. Maybe somebody will be looking for some work and take us up on the offer," Lily offered thoughtfully. She missed Clarence and hated to have just anyone sit at his piano, but she also missed singing. She certainly didn't need to sing anymore, now that she owned the saloon, but she felt lost doing little more than wiping off tables and counting up the till at the end of the evening. Besides, Judd Weaver didn't seem to come in as much now that she wasn't singing and as much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to miss him. Maybe he couldn't spend much time in the saloon now that he was the deputy sheriff, but surely he'd drop by to listen to a song or two, wouldn't he?
Lily was wiping off tables and still pondering the rules a deputy sheriff might have to live by when Judd walked in.
"Afternoon, Miss Lily!" Judd greeted the petite brunette with a big, boyish grin, and then sheepishly remembered to remove his hat. All this being around a lady came with too many rules for a long-time roughneck.
Lily didn't seem to notice Judd's lack of etiquette, though. She looked quite happy to see him.
"Good afternoon to you, too, Mr. Weaver. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Just coffee, ma'am. I'm on my way to the jail. Sheriff Cooper is going to head home for the rest of the day so he and Miss Althea can celebrate their anniversary."
"Oh, how wonderful for them!" Lily smiled warmly, and Judd's heart did a funny little leap in his chest. Lily set a cup of coffee on the bar in front of him, but he didn't seem to notice it.
"Reason I stopped by, Miss Lily, I borrowed Cooper's wagon for tomorrow and I was wondering," Judd shifted his weight from foot to foot, turning his hat in his hands. He could barely look at the beautiful woman in front of him for fear of not being able to speak another word.
"Wondering what?" Lily asked, leaning slightly across the bar to try to catch his eyes.
Judd suddenly looked up at her, his sky-blue eyes locking on hers and nearly hypnotizing her. "Wondering if you would like to go out riding and maybe have a picnic with me tomorrow." Judd spoke the words quickly before he lost his nerve.
Now it was Lily's turn to be speechless. "I need ah, ah, the saloon, ah…"
From the other end of the bar, Stan spoke up, "I've managed this saloon for years, you don't need to do anything, you go on and have yourself a good time, Miss Lily."
Lily felt her face redden with a blush that seemed to creep up from the lace collar of her dress. "Well, then, Mr. Weaver," she spoke, regaining her composure, "I would love to."
"I'll see you tomorrow at ten-thirty, Miss Lily," Judd grinned, tipping his hat to her and turning to walk out the door, all the while thinking that he just couldn't believe his luck these days.
When Judd left the saloon, Lily allowed herself to wilt against the bar, completely taken aback by that smile and those eyes, and his request to take her riding and on a picnic. My goodness, she just couldn't believe the way her luck had changed these days!
Lily was sitting at a table at the saloon the next morning waiting for Judd to arrive. She had been so excited and anxious that she barely slept and she'd tried on three different dresses before deciding on what to wear. Truth of the matter was she'd never been on a picnic before, so she chose something not quite as proper as she'd wear to church, but not anything she'd wear to sing in the saloon, either. Stan nodded at her like an approving father when she walked downstairs, so she figured she must have done all right. If she thought choosing a dress was difficult, waiting was even more so. She sat at the table, tapping her fingernails on the side of an untouched cup of coffee. Every noise from outside the saloon nearly made her jump in excitement and anticipation. Were there really that many horses and wagons in this town?
Judd Weaver really wasn't the church-going type, but he did have a clean shirt he saved just in case he was ever called upon to enter the house of the Lord. A bath and a shave and his dusted-off hat and boots finished the picture. Maybe he should have sprung for a haircut, but he just didn't trust that barber in town. Things would have to do. He had tossed and turned nearly all night, wondering if he had made a mistake asking Lily on a ride and picnic with him. He just couldn't believe she had actually said yes. Judd knew he had been quite a lucky man lately, but this was luck he just couldn't comprehend. What would a lady like Lily see in a former roughneck-turned-deputy-sheriff like Judd Weaver?
Judd stopped at the café next to the hotel. Minnie, the cook, had prepared a picnic basket for him to take along. She lifted the cloth on the basket to show him the wonderful-smelling contents: fried chicken, cornbread, some berry tarts still warm from the oven for dessert, and a big jar of tea with smaller jars for drinking. Judd thanked her and blushed when Minnie wished him luck. On his way back to the wagon, he spotted some bright flowers growing in Mrs. Tinsley's garden. Judd looked around cautiously and, with no one looking, took out his pocket knife and snipped a few of the colorful blooms. He tied his handkerchief around them and set them on top of the picnic basket just under the wagon seat. Then it was on to the saloon to meet Lily.
By the time Judd got to the saloon, the butterflies in his stomach felt more like bats. He parked the wagon and tied the horses and took a deep breath to calm himself before he walked inside. Lily was waiting at one of the tables, looking as sweet and lovely as ever. She turned toward him as he walked in, her face lighting up with a big smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Weaver! You're right on time!" Judd's breath caught as she stood to greet him. She was wearing a light blue dress with a matching darker blue jacket over it as the morning was still a bit cool. The dress's ruffled hem was caught up on either side with ribbons of the same dark blue, revealing a white underskirt with printed with dark blue flowers. Lily's dark hair was pulled away from her face, cascading in curls down her back, and she wore a straw hat trimmed with a large, dark blue bow. Judd had never seen a more beautiful sight and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"Stan, I'll be back this afternoon," Lily called gaily. Stan nodded and waved, smiling to himself as she walked out of the saloon with the town's new deputy sheriff.
"What a beautiful day!" Lily exclaimed once outside, taking in the bright blue sky full of fluffy white clouds. "And you, Mr. Weaver, you look quite handsome!"
"Well, thank you, ma'am." Judd tried to hide the blush that immediately colored his cheeks. He reached to take Lily's arm as they approached the wagon, helping her up onto the seat. He darted around the wagon, untied the horses, and hopped up onto the seat next to her, offering her a big smile that she returned easily.
"These are for you," Judd said, handing her the bouquet of flowers.
"Oh, thank you! So pretty!" Lily buried her nose in the bouquet to sniff the fragrant blooms and instantly sneezed. Judd cringed.
Lily giggled like a schoolgirl. "I see you tied them up with a handkerchief just in case! Very efficient, Mr. Weaver!" She sniffed the bouquet again, this time without sneezing. "So, where are we going?"
"I know this really pretty spot by the creek. Lots of willow trees and wildflowers. It's one of my favorite places to go around here," Judd replied. "I hope the wildflowers don't make you sneeze, though!"
They rode for a little while, laughing and talking, both surprised at how easily the conversation flowed between them. When they arrived at the creek, Judd helped Lily out of the wagon, noticing that Lily allowed herself to linger a moment longer than necessary in his grasp once she was on the ground. She smiled sweetly up at him and thanked him. Judd felt his knees go weak for a moment.
Judd spread a quilt on the ground under a willow tree and Lily opened the basket, setting out the spread that Minnie had prepared for them earlier that morning. "Mmmm. This looks delicious," Lily said, eyeing the carefully-wrapped chicken and cornbread. "I'm sure you were up all night making this," she teased.
"Well, unless it's beans in a pot on a campfire, cooking isn't one of my many talents," Judd admitted. "I had a little help with this." He smiled and winked at Lily.
"And who helped you, so I can properly thank them?" Lily asked
"Minnie at the café in town. I probably would have starved to death if it wasn't for her," Judd replied.
"You, me, and most of the town, I think," Lily replied.
"So why did I never see you in the café?" Judd asked.
"Her son delivers food all around town for her. The saloon is a regular stop every evening. I ate so much of Minnie's amazing cooking I had to let out all my dresses a month after I got to Bovine!" Lilly laughed then suddenly stopped. Judd followed her gaze to the creek bank.
"I heard something. Down there, " she whispered, pointing toward the creek. "There aren't any indians around here, are there?"
"There's a few," Judd replied, realizing with a sick feeling in his stomach that his pistol was lying under the seat of the wagon.
"Comanches?" Lily whispered. Her face was pale and her eyes were huge as she continued staring toward the creek bank where her attention was riveted by the sound of another twig snapping.
"Cooper and the Comanches had an understanding years ago. We haven't had any trouble with them since. And with Moon out of the picture, we shouldn't have any trouble now, either," Judd whispered back, wanting to believe for himself every word he just said. It was true, Hayes Cooper and the Comanche chief had become blood brothers and had made an agreement years ago that there would be no more trouble between the Comanches and the people of Bovine. Cooper had even gone as far as to take food and supplies out to the Comanche camp during the winter. Every now and then, though, trouble would brew – a few times thanks to Moon Levocat and his gang, and a few times thanks to bands of indian raiders from other tribes. Cooper was always somehow able to settle things down. Judd hoped that if there was an indian lurking along that creek bank, he was part of the Comanche tribe and not a raider scout. He hoped, and he cursed himself for leaving his pistol in the wagon. Maybe all his recent luck had just run out.
Suddenly, the indian stepped from behind some bushes growing along the creek bank. Lily stifled a scream while Judd stood, pulling Lily up to her feet and protectively pushing her behind him. He felt her pressing against his back, her breath and heartbeat both fast through his shirt.
"That's Cooper's wagon and horses," the indian spoke.
"Yes. He let me borrow them for the day," Judd replied. "For a picnic." He motioned toward the picnic basket and food on the blanket, most of which had been upended and spilled in his haste to stand and protect Lily.
"Who are you?" the indian asked suspiciously, his hand creeping toward a knife tied at his waist.
"I'm Judd Weaver. I'm the new deputy sheriff in Bovine. Cooper is the new sheriff now. He made me deputy." Judd didn't miss the indian's move toward the knife and again cursed leaving his pistol in the wagon.
"You are a friend of Cooper's. So am I. I am White Wolf. I am happy to meet you and your lady." The indian stepped forward, extending his hand to Judd. Behind Judd, Lily squeezed her eyes tightly shut, her hand tightening around his arm. Judd could feel her fingernails digging into the flesh of his bicep. Still, he stepped forward and extended his hand as well, shaking hands with the indian in a gesture of friendship and peace.
"Not a good day for a picnic, Mr. Weaver. Rain coming." White Wolf pointed to the sky. "Bad storms on the way. You should get back to town quickly. Tell Cooper I wish him well." As soon as the indian had appeared, he was gone.
"Oh dear Lord," Lily whispered, dropping to her knees on the quilt. "I have never been so terrified in all my life."
Judd knelt beside her and gently stroked her hand. He noticed she was trembling and that a tear had dripped onto the light blue of her skirt. He reached over and tilted her chin up so she was facing him.
"Lily, I am so very sorry. I never wanted for you to be this frightened."
Lily jerked her hand away from his and wiped angrily at the tears on her face. "I'm fine. I'm fine. But maybe we should go. He said there were storms coming."
Judd looked at the sky. It was still blue and the sun was still shining. "We still have time to finish up our lunch, don't you think?"
Lily nodded in agreement and started straightening up their spilled lunch. They had just started on Minnie's fresh berry tarts when the first big raindrops began to fall.
"How did White Wolf know it was going to rain?" Lily asked, clearly annoyed. The sun was still shining, although there were dark clouds rolling in quickly. She began throwing things back into the picnic basket while Judd scrambled to gather up the quilt.
"Indians know that kind of thing, I guess," Judd replied, darting after Lily's hat when the strong breeze lifted it from her head. The sun was gone now, replaced by angry, black clouds, and the rain was falling harder.
"Quick, under the wagon," he ordered, grabbing his pistol from under the wagon seat and grabbing the horses' reins. He knew he should have unhitched them and hoped the storm wouldn't spook them and send them running. He hoped he could hold the reins if they did spook and try to run. It would definitely ruin the day if he and Lily had to walk back to town in a rainstorm. He crawled under the wagon next to Lily, and once underneath, pulled the quilt over both of them to protect them from the raindrops that fell between the wagon boards.
"Just stay here between the wagon wheels and stay low. This should blow over soon," Judd reassured Lily who was huddled next to him. Actually, she felt quite cozy. It was raining hard, but underneath the wagon and quilt, she was fairly dry and warm and was starting to feel a little sleepy. She rested her head against Judd's shoulder and closed her eyes.
Judd's heart skipped about three beats when Lily's head touched his shoulder. He looked down and saw her eyes close, her long lashes dark against her skin. He bowed his head and was about to brush the top of hers with the softest of kisses when a lightning bolt struck a tree about fifty yards downstream. Both horses reared, jerking the wagon. Lily jumped, sitting up straight and smacking her head against the bottom of the wagon.
"Whoa, Whoa!" Judd yelled to the horses, pulling the reins as tight as he could from his hunched-over spot between the wagon's wheels. He struggled for a few moments but the horses finally responded and calmed down. Judd whispered a silent thank you to Hayes Cooper who was an expert horseman and had trained these two animals so well that they obeyed commands from just about anyone.
Beside him, Lily whimpered and rubbed the top of her head. With one hand still tightly controlling the reins, Judd rubbed at the bump that was fast forming under Lily's dark hair. She cried out in protest.
"It's not bleeding, but you have a nasty knot starting. I think you'll live, though, " Judd told her. In a daring move, he pulled her toward him and kissed the spot on the top of her head where she'd hit the underside of the wagon. Lily looked back at him, stunned.
"Best medicine ever," Judd said, winking at her and smiling broadly. "You tell me when we get back to town if that spot is still hurting." Lilly smiled back and leaned against him to wait out the rest of the storm.
The storm would not relent. It was raining harder and the wind, thunder, and lightning were beginning to pick up even more. Small rivers of water were starting to run underneath the wagon. Judd arranged the quilt so they were sitting on it and would stay as dry as possible.
In one bright flash of lighting, White Wolf appeared in front of them. Lily screamed. Judd reached under the quilt for his pistol, which was now in its holster at his hip.
"You are still here." White Wolf spoke. "You must go, and go now." He pointed to the creek behind them, which had overflowed its banks and was now a raging river.
"Oh my," Lily gasped. Judd closed his eyes and tried to will away the sick feeling in his stomach. Why hadn't he been paying attention to the creek?
"Here," White Wolf thrust something rolled up at Judd. "This will keep you both dry. But go. Now."
White Wolf had given them a buffalo hide, cleaned, tanned, and oiled so it was waterproof. He took the horses' reins while Judd crawled out from under the wagon and helped Lily out and up onto the wagon. Judd arranged the quilt and buffalo hide around and over her and then climbed in and got underneath the makeshift tent of quilt and hide. Taking the reins back from White Wolf and thanking him, he waved and told White Wolf to be careful and find a safe place for himself. He and Lily then started back to town in the deluge.
Hayes Cooper stood by the window of his small family's new house in town, staring out at the storm. Judd Weaver should have been back hours ago and he wasn't. Cooper hoped the young deputy sheriff had made it back to town before the storm hit and was holed up at the saloon or camped out at the jail. As smitten as Weaver was with that saloon singer, though, it was a safe bet he was at the Red Ox.
The wind had blown some of the tar paper off the roof and Cooper's wife Althea was setting pans and pails around trying to catch water from the newly-sprung leaks. One was right over the baby's cradle, and Althea's call for help to move the cradle out of the way broke Cooper's concentration. He stepped away from the window to help her and then went back to his vigil, watching the storm intently. Something on the street at the far end of town caught his eye. Cooper stepped out on the porch.
"Cooper? Cooper, where are you going in this weather?" Althea called nervously, but Cooper was already outside.
The approaching shape became clearer. Two horses and a wagon. Cooper clucked to the horses and got a neigh in response. His horses, which meant his wagon, too. He went back inside and grabbed his oilcloth raincoat. Althea looked at him, confused. Surely he wasn't going out in this terrible weather.
"Weaver and Lily are coming back right now. I'm going out to meet them. Put some coffee on, I think they're going to need it. "
Althea put on a pot of strong coffee and stoked the fire in the woodstove. She gathered some blankets as well, and then stood by the window, watching and waiting.
Cooper walked out into the street to meet the wagon.
"Weaver! Weaver, is that you?" he called.
"Cooper?" Judd called back. "We're okay, just really wet and cold."
"Get over to the house and get inside. Althea's got coffee waiting. I'll take care of the horses and the wagon," Cooper ordered. Judd didn't argue. He clucked at the horses, steering them toward Hayes Cooper's house.
Althea was waiting at the door to usher the couple inside. In moments, Lily and Judd were both in dry clothes and were sitting by Althea's happily crackling woodstove; drinking strong, hot coffee, warming away the chill of the downpour they had just ridden through. Lily's dark hair hung in damp curls against the white blouse Althea had lent her, and Judd couldn't help but to keep stealing glances at her. Even with her damp hair and in Althea's skirt that was too long for her, Lily was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
"I don't think I'd ever been so wet in all my life!" Lily laughed, "And I've certainly never seen a storm come up so quickly!"
"I've never seen a storm come up that fast, either," Judd replied. He was still shaken over how quickly the creek had overflowed its banks and embarrassed that he hadn't noticed. If White Wolf hadn't returned, it would have been a very unlucky day, indeed, and Judd didn't want to think about that.
"Well, the question is, did you have a good time on your picnic?" Althea asked Lily.
"I did. We did. We had a wonderful time." Lily smiled at Judd and he felt his heart do that funny leap again. A blush began to creep over his face and he felt warm, unsure if it was from Lily's pretty smile or the heat from the woodstove.
When Cooper returned from putting the horses up at the livery stable, they sat down for a delicious supper that Althea had prepared. Before they had finished eating, the baby had awakened in her cradle and started to cry. Althea rose to get her.
"Let me hold her," Lily said, "so you can finish eating."
Althea handed the tiny bundle over to Lily.
"Oh my goodness, she's darling!" Lily exclaimed. "What's her name?"
"Jane," Althea replied. "For Cooper's mother and my grandmother."
After the meal, Cooper and Weaver stepped out on the porch while Lily and Althea tended to baby Jane and cleared the table. Judd caught a glimpse of Lily through the window, an apron over the borrowed blouse and skirt, cooing to the tiny baby in her arms. He felt like he was looking into a window to his future. If that's what the future had in store for him, he would be one lucky man for sure.
"She's a very nice girl, Weaver." Cooper spoke, breaking Judd's vision of his future.
"Yes, yes sir, she is." Judd replied.
"You have any plans on courting her?" Cooper asked.
"You know, I think I do." Judd replied with a smile.
With the storm passed and the rain stopped, Lily and Judd said their thank-yous and goodnights to the Coopers and Judd offered to walk Lily home under a deep-red sunset that promised a beautiful day to come. As Judd helped Lily pick her way around mud puddles, they talked about their evening.
"Althea is just so kind. I am so happy to have met her. I really feel like I've made a good friend. She even said she'd suggest to the pastor about having me help with a church choir! Can you imagine?"
"I told you, you could teach singing lessons!" Judd was genuinely happy for the petite brunette for whom he had come to care so much about.
"And what did you and Cooper talk about?" Lily asked teasingly. "Catching bad guys?"
"No, not catching bad guys," Judd replied. "Actually, he asked me if I had plans on courting you."
"And do you?"
Lily had asked so pointedly that Judd was grateful for the fading light of dusk as it hid the blush her question had brought to his face.
"I think I'd be a very lucky man if I could," Judd answered, taking Lily's hand and squeezing it tightly. "I mean, if you'd let me."
"Well, then, Mr. Weaver, I'd say you're a very lucky man." Lily squeezed his hand back and looked up at him, smiling sweetly. Judd took that smile as the invitation he had been hoping for and bowed his head to meet her lips in a soft kiss.
"Oh yes, a very lucky man," he whispered.