I'd like to once again say a heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to Singerme, for giving me a push and support in the very beginning; to my beta/editor/bud, BigMommaT, for her ongoing help (annoyance…) and friendship and those supportive readers without return info: GSObsess ; Gunsmoke Fan; Just a Guest; Beverly; big fan; Phoenix; & MMB, as well as any I may have missed. I truly appreciate your ongoing feedback.
Capturing the Flame
Chapter 1
The Word
The Marshal's daughter threw the peeled spud into the pot of water. "I'm a doctor. I didn't go to medical school to learn how to scalp defenseless vegetables!"
Cooper managed to hide the laugh, but he couldn't keep his grin under wraps. "Newly said you lost a bet."
"Newly has a big mouth!" She tossed another whittled piece of potato in beside the first victim. "Some bet! My family owns the biggest and best restaurant this side of Denver! I'm not supposed to have to cook!" Somewhere in between the seething and peeling, she realized that her little brother was actually laughing at her. "Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!"
Cooper climbed up onto the stool next to his sister. "I'm sorry, Calleigh." Again, he tried to muffle his laughter, but the grin refused to be hidden. Small hands reached into the basket and pulled out a potato. "Maybe we can make this an adventure, like the book you're reading us."
"I don't think Huck Finn peeled potatoes." She gave Cooper a nod of thanks when he handed off a huge spud. "You like that story, don't you?"
"Yeah, it's a lot more exciting than that baby one."
"Hansel and Gretel is a good book!" Calleigh gave him a gentle shove with her shoulder. "Hadley is too small to really enjoy Huck Finn. It's only fair we take turns with the books. Tonight, we'll get back to yours. I promise."
With his grin restored, Cooper dug into the basket again and handed her another huge potato. She could stay annoyed with Newly, but not with her young assistant. "Thanks, spud bud. I knew I could count on you." The redhead let her temper cool off and the two worked side by side in a comfortable silence.
It was Cooper that broke the silence, as well as his sister's peace of mind. "Calleigh, what's a whore?"
Calleigh whirled around, her blue eyes wide, while the equally blue pair that she looked into were as innocent and curious as always. It was obvious that Cooper had no idea what he was asking.
Calleigh tried to choke back her anger at whoever put this word into her little brother's vocabulary." Cooper, where did you hear this word?"
Despite her attempts to remain calm, he could see the color rush into her face and knew from past experiences…she was not happy. "Is it a… bad word?"
Calleigh drew in a long breath and released it very slowly. "Yes, Coop, it's a bad word. Where did you hear it?"
His innocence remained intact, but now it had been compromised with an awareness he wasn't ready to comprehend. The little boy looked up at Calleigh with a pained expression, that made it clear—he had more than just 'heard' the word and Calleigh could tell the word had been attached to one of two people: Either herself, or Kitty. As much as Cooper loved his older sister, Calleigh knew by the pained look on his face, that it was his mother that had been maligned. The woman he adored.
"It's really bad, isn't it?" There was a faint quivering in his voice, as though he really didn't want to know.
"Who did they call…that word?" She watched his head drop down in an effort to avoid her scrutinizing gaze. "Coop, honey." Calleigh placed her hand under his chin, tilting it back up to face her. "You don't have to say the word again, but you do have to tell me who said it to you."
Cooper seemed relieved not to have to repeat the word. "Tommy Rachel. He said…he said she was...that word. That it was her job."
"Her job!" Calleigh mumbled in a quiet fury. "Coop, I don't know where Tommy Rachel gets his information, but I will be talking to his mother and father." She wanted to pick the boy up and hug him as reassurance that his world was still alright. The problem was, he had shot up tremendously and she couldn't physically do that anymore.
Stretched to the limit, Calleigh only teased the 5'2" mark, while Cooper was only about three inches shy of four feet. He was Matt Dillon's son, no doubt about that. At least that was one rumor that little Rachel heathen wouldn't be starting.
What she could do, was take a seat and pull him onto her lap. "It's not true, Cooper. We both know, how special Momma is, don't we?" He nodded and wrapped his arms around her neck. Despite his size, it was still another month before he turned six. "Sometimes, people are just jealous and they say bad things to hurt us." She brushed the wayward curls from his eyes. "Did Tommy say this to anyone else?"
"No, just me. We were talking about our mommas and..." He offered a shy grin, "I said Momma was prettier and that's when he said that word." Cooper sat up straight and this time, returned her gaze. "I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. His Momma is..." With a sigh, Cooper let the sentence trail off into silence. After a brief pause, he started again. "She's real nice and makes good cookies but…she's not very pretty." He confessed at last.
Calleigh cupped his cheek in her hand, "You...are… a very sweet boy." A kiss on the forehead followed the compliment. "I know you didn't mean to hurt him. Honestly, I doubt that he knows what that word means either. Let's keep this between us for right now. I'll talk to Tommy's mom."
"Momma doesn't have to know…does she?"
"No, Coop. She doesn't have to know."
TBC