Chapter 25

Jess was helping with the beginning framing on Oscar and Mary Wilson's new home when he paused for a moment to get some water. As he was drinking from the ladle, he looked around admiringly at the men who were working so hard in the heat of the summer afternoon. Rock Springs shor' did have a lot of wonderful, loving people in it. Then, suddenly, as he scanned the crowd of workers, he noticed something that greatly alarmed him. Where the hell was Atkins? A house and barn raisin' was exactly what this guy should be writin' 'bout. What was happenin' here would definitely be the type of story that would interest city folk back in Ohio. Jess caught Ben's eye and motioned for him to come over to the well.

"Yeah, Boss, what ya need?"

"Ben, hav' ya seen Atkins anywhere 'round?"

"No. Not since the meetin' at church."

"Don't ya think it's jest damn odd that he wouldn't want ta write 'bout all this?" Jess motioned with his hands at the mass of activity that was occurring on the property.

Just then, Bill Simpson came up to the well. "What's wrong, boys? You both look so concerned."

"I am Bill." Jess wiped the sweat off of his face with his sleeve. "That Atkins fella ain't nowhere near here. A real reporter would want ta write 'bout this. Bill, I don't want ta alarm ya, but I hav' my doubts 'bout him. I hav' ever since he showed up in town."

"Doubts about what, Jess? Is that why you asked me if he was at the trial in Denver?"

"Yeah. But I'm not shor' it has anything ta do with the trial or Carrie. But I don't like it that he ain't here watching this. I think Ben and I need to git back ta town now."

Ben grabbed Jess by the arm, "But, Jess, I'm not so shor' that would look so good. All these folk are working hard and sweatin' out here for the Wilsons. What would they think if we jest up and went back ta town? Are ya forgetting that the rest of the town don't know nothin' about Caroline and that trial?"

Jess looked around him again. "Yeah, I see what ya mean." He rubbed his chin with a gloved hand as he thought how he could explain leavin' without lookin' bad.

Bill spoke up, "Well, I noticed that we forgot to bring any ladders out here. I'd hate to use some of this good lumber to make some when I got several already made in the storeroom back in town. Why don't I ask if anyone can think of anything else we need to go back and get when I tell everyone that I am sending you two for the ladders?" Bill started to walk back over to the work area when he suddenly turned back toward Jess and Ben. "Only thing is we still got my buckboard here full of supplies. I'll need to ask someone if we can borrow theirs."

Bryce Mosley was walking toward the well and heard what Bill had just said. "Ted Patrick's got several at the livery. I'm shor' he'll let use bring one out with whatever ya need."

"Great idea, Bryce. Let me check with Ted. Would you mind going back with Jess and Ben to get my ladders and drive the buckboard back?"

"Not at all." Bryce readily agreed as he got a drink of water.

Bill talked briefly with Ted Patrick and then called for everyone's attention. "Men, we're sending Jess, Ben, and Bryce back to town to bring some ladders in another buckboard. Can anyone think of anything else that we need to bring out for the work this afternoon?"

No one could think of anything else that they had to have today. That was all that the three men needed to get on their mounts and head back toward town. They left at a trot, but as soon as they rounded a bend in the road, Jess called to Ben and Bryce. "I'm not happy 'cause that newspaperman is not out here. I don't trust him in town with all of us gone. I'm gonna git there as fast as I can. Ya'll do what ya want." With that, Jess urged Rocky into a fast gallop and took a huge lead on Ben and Bryce.

"Bryce, I'm gonna push as much as I kin. I think Jess is right. Leave me if I'm too slow. I'll git there." Ben wasn't sure if his leg would allow him to gallop all the way back to town, but he was shor' gonna try to be close on Jess's heels.

"Okay." Bryce kneed his horse into a gallop, but he didn't get that far ahead of Ben.

Back in Rock Springs

Leroy Cooley was relieved when he saw Dirk approaching, leading Leroy's horse. "C'mon, Dirk. We need to git movin'. The Simpson woman is all by her little self at the General Store. We need to git in and out quick 'for anyone knows we're here. But I need to git my stuff from the hotel room first." Leroy mounted his horse and said, "Follow me 'round the back of the hotel. It won't take me a minute to grab my things. I have 'em ready ta go."

"Ya gonna ride in that suit, Leroy?"

"I couldn't take tha chance that someone would see me out here in ridin' clothes. Ya oughta know that. I'll hav' ta do 'til we git ta tha camp with tha others."

When they got to the alley behind the hotel, Leroy told Dirk to hold the horses and keep 'em quiet. He quietly ran up the back stairs and entered the hallway after checking to make sure that no one was coming. He grabbed the bags that he had ready to go and silently ran back down the stairs to the alley.

"Don't git on yer horse, Dirk. Follow me, I want to quietly lead them 'round ta tha back of the General Store. There's women in the café and more could come down the main street to git ta tha store or the café at any moment. I'll bring her out the back of the storeroom. You wait with the horses fer me ta git her."

When they got behind the General Store in the alley, Leroy gave his horse's reins to Dirk. He motioned for Dirk to stay quiet. Leroy snuck around the side of the General Store. He quietly looked through one of the windows. He smiled when he saw her blond head through the window. She was walking through the store toward the back. He quietly returned to Dirk in the back alley.

"Keep 'em quiet again. And give me your handkerchief."

"Why? Ya got one." Dirk looked puzzled.

"Yeah. And I am gonna tie them together right now. I gotta make a gag that I know will hold her quiet. Most women can scream purdy loud iffen they're scared enough. We don't want none of that."

Caroline had gone into the storeroom to get some items to replenish the bins in the main part of the store. She heard voices out back, and she didn't like what little she heard. She quickly ran back into the main part of the store, shutting the storeroom door behind her. She knew that Pa kept a rifle behind the store counter. She just hoped it was loaded. Frantically, she reached the counter and ducked down low, hoping to have a few extra seconds to check the rifle. Her hands were shaking as she made sure that the rifle was loaded. She knew that she was a good shot. She always gave Len a run for his money when they went hunting. But she had never shot at another human being before. She didn't know how many men were out back or why they were there. She thought that she had heard at least two different voices, but she didn't recognize either one of them. She had clearly heard "make a gag" and "hold her quiet." The rest of what was said she couldn't make out. She was breathing hard as she waited, but she forced herself to try to remain as quiet as possible. She knew that her father always kept the back door that led from the storeroom to the alley locked. Would they come that way? Or would they come around to the front door that was always unlocked when the store was open. The seconds seemed like hours to her.

She finally heard a loud noise from the door to the alley, and she knew that they were coming in that way. Should she stand up now and shoot whoever entered or should she continue to hide until they came closer? Could she stand up and aim quick enough to hit a moving target? Her hands were shaking. She told herself to calm down. She was an excellent shot – normally. This was not normal, but she kept telling herself that she could do it. She remained ducked down behind the counter.

She heard footsteps coming out of the storeroom. She thought it was only one set of boots. She waited, and then she heard his voice.

"Miss Simpson, are ya in here, Ma'am?"

She remained quiet.

The voice came again, "I know that yer in here. I saw ya through the window. Ya need to come out now, Miss Simpson."

She continued to wait as she strained to hear his footsteps and determine exactly where he was in the store. Then she heard a distinctive metal sound. She recognized the sound as the metal bins directly across from the counter on the far side of the store. She had heard that clang many times as her father counted out nails for customers.

"Ya need to quit hiding, little lady or I'll hurt ya bad when I find ya. Quit wasting my time!"

Caroline was sure where he was. She knew his location not only by the sound of the metal bins, but also by where his voice was coming from. She stood up quickly, aimed the rifle, and shot twice. She watched as he fell, knocking over a bin of nails as he hit the floor.

At the same time, she heard horse hoofs on the main street in front of the store. The horse was moving fast. She ducked back down behind the counter. Was the man in the floor dead or was he going to get up and come after her? She knew she had hit him. She had aimed for his chest. Was her aim on target? She heard nothing from the storeroom. Where was the other man? She knew that there had been two of them. Was he the one who was now at the front of the store?

Then she heard the front door of the store open. She stood up again quickly and fired. The second that her finger pulled the trigger she saw a glimpse of a familiar hat at the side of the doorway, a hat that moved back and to the side very quickly. Jess ducked behind the door frame just in time, and the bullet missed his head by inches. He screamed, "Caroline, it's me, Jess! Don't shoot!" He very cautiously peered around the doorframe that was now quite splintered. He saw a very pale Caroline with a rifle still aimed at the front door. "Don't shoot, Caroline. It's me." He said again.

"Jess," She cried, "There's another man in the alley behind the storeroom."

Just as she spoke, Jess saw a rider coming fast from the alley behind the store. As he rounded the corner into the main street, the rider drew his pistol and fired at Jess. His aim was not good. Jess drew and fired. He hit the rider in the stomach, and the man fell off his horse just as Bryce pulled up in front of the store.

"Bryce, make shor' he won't cause no more trouble." Jess yelled, pointing to the man lying in the street. He saw a group of women standing in the door of the café. "Git back inside now, ladies! Wait til I tell ya it's safe!" Jess yelled.

He turned back toward Caroline, who was still standing behind the counter with the rifle pointed at the front door. She looked like she was about to faint and the rifle was shaking.

"Carrie, put the rifle down, Carrie." Jess slowly walked toward her, never taking his eyes off the shaking barrel of the rifle that she was holding.

She finally lowered the rifle, removing her left hand from it. She had yet to say anything else. She pointed with her left arm at the far side of the store. "Over there, Jess. I think I killed him." She dropped the rifle and put both of her hands on the sides of her face. "See if he's dead, Jess." A tear started down her cheek, and her whole body was shaking.

Jess holstered his pistol, and went and knelt beside the fallen man. He rolled him over and saw that it was Leroy Atkins. Jess looked at the man's chest. There were two bullet holes, separated by less than an inch. Jess noticed the two handkerchiefs that were tied together and held in his clinched fist. He was obviously dead. Jess stood up and walked over to Caroline.

He was afraid that she was gonna faint. He walked around the counter, "Is that the shotgun rider, Carrie?"

She shook her head. "No," she cried, "I saw him at the trial in Denver. He was one of the reporters at the trial." Her voice was shaking, "Am I in trouble with the law, Jess? I heard them outside. I heard them say 'Make a gag' and 'Hold her quiet.' He broke the back door to the alley, Jess." Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now. "Are you going to arrest me for murder, Jess?"

"Lord, no, Carrie. He broke in. He has the gag in his fist. The other one shot at me. All you did was defend yerself."

"But I killed him." She sobbed heavily now, "I've never shot a person before."

He put his hands tenderly on her shoulders and pulled her toward him. She leaned her head on his chest and sobbed. Jess scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the bench just inside the front door of the store. He held her in his lap with his arms wrapped around her. She continued to cry bitterly. Her tears were soaking the chest of his shirt while he stroked her hair and held her tight. "It's okay, Carrie. It's all over now. I've got you. Nothing is ever gonna happen to ya. I promise."

Just then Ben and Bryce came in the store. "Guy in the street is dead, Jess." Bryce announced.

Jess looked up, continuing to hold Carrie who was still crying and shaking. "Ben, Atkins is over there on the floor. He's dead. He tried to gag and kidnap Carrie."

"Atkins!" Ben said, "Boss, ya were so right 'bout him."

Jess looked up at Mosley, "Bryce, could ya git him outta here. I don't know if the undertaker is at his place or if he went to the Wilsons. I didn't see 'im there."

Bryce walked over to Atkins body. He started to pick him up, but then he turned and addressed Jess, "Sheriff, this guy's name is not Atkins. His last name is Cooley."

Carrie stiffened immediately in Jess's arms, "Cooley." She raised up and looked Jess in the face, "The men who were hanged at the trial in Denver were both named Cooley- Clyde and Larry Cooley. I'll never forget those names." She buried her head back in his chest. She was holding onto him for dear life.

How do ya know, Bryce?" Jess questioned.

Bryce looked a little uncomfortable, "Sheriff, I guess it's no secret that I spent some time in the territorial prison. Before ya think bad of me, ya need ta know that I was declared innocent of tha charges and freed last year."

Jess nodded, "I don't doubt ya, Bryce. Go on."

"There was another prisoner there – Old man Cooley. I tried to stay away from 'im. He was a bad one. But bad as he was, he had sons that would visit him every so often. This here is his youngest son. I remember him from when he came to see his Pa." Bryce looked sympathetically at Caroline. "I also saw Clyde and Larry from time to time. They were older than Leroy here. And then there was the oldest one, Aaron."

"Is that Aaron Cooley out in the street?" Jess asked.

"No, Sheriff." Bryce was shaking his head, "I ain't never seen him before. Got no idea who he is - was."

"If ya could git both of 'em over to the undertakers, I'd be obliged, Bryce."

"Shor' enough, Sheriff. Bryce picked up Leroy Cooley's body and walked out of the store.

Jess turned to Ben, "There's some women over at Mae's. They saw the shootin' in the street. Could ya make shor' they're okay, and tell 'em everything is alright now?"

"Shor', Boss. Then ya think I need to go get Mrs. Simpson?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Thanks, Ben."

Jess continued to hold Caroline after Ben left the store. He didn't care if Ben or Bryce thought his actions weren't exactly proper. He didn't care what anyone thought but Carrie. And as far as he was concerned, he would hold her for the rest of his life if that was what it took to calm her down. He continued to stroke her hair and hold her head close to his face. He could feel her softly breathing on his chest. He knew as he held her that he was totally in love with her. He didn't want to think about the Cooleys or who the other man was. He didn't want to think about the fact that neither one of these men was the shotgun rider. He jest wanted to hold her.