Chapter Fifteen
Mattie awoke to the sound of the coffee pot being moved. She opened her eyes and saw Frank bending over the fire. After the fight with Buck, the gang had moved the camp right outside of town. Frank was now making the coffee while Jesse was starting to saddle the horses. She slowly sat up and noticed that dawn had not broken yet.
"Are we leaving?" she said, wrapping the blankets around her arms.
Frank looked over at her and stopped what he was doing. He helped her to her feet and took her away from the others. Mattie could tell that something was wrong. She had been fearing this moment ever since she left with him.
"Mattie," Frank said with a heavy sigh. "Jesse and I want to leave as soon as we can."
"And you think I can't keep up?"
Frank shook his head. "Mattie, I don't want you to go with us. We have to finish this thing with the railroad. You could get hurt, and I couldn't live with that."
Mattie wanted to fight with him, but she knew that this day was coming. She gently touched Frank's arm and pulled him to her. His strong arms and warm skin felt so good against her body. She rested her head on his chest and let out a sigh.
"I know I can't go, Frank," Mattie said as she looked over at Jesse. "Just promise me one thing."
Frank pulled Mattie away from her where he could look into her eyes. She was so beautiful with her hair falling down her back and her eyes glistening with tears. He gently touched her cheek, feeling the perfection of her skin.
"I'll do anything," Frank said, fighting back his own tears.
Mattie bent up and kissed him softly. She ran her fingers through his hair and then let go of him. There were tears streaming down her face as she kept her palms on his cheeks. She knew what she had to say, but the words seemed to escape her. She swallowed hard and pushed away from him.
"Just come back to me," she said softly. "No matter what, you come back to me."
Frank went to say something but only nodded. He knew that she didn't need words. He moved toward her, taking her into his arms. His lips pressed down on hers and sent a sensation through her that she had never felt before. She held onto him as long as she could.
"Frank, come on, we got to go," Cole called out.
Frank let go of Mattie and walked over to his horse. Mattie followed closely and stood back as he swung onto the horse. He bent down and kissed Mattie one last time. Finally, he let her go and turned his horse with the others. Mattie stood in there for a moment as they rode away. Then, she turned and walked over to Challenger. She got into the saddle and looked over at the clearing. Frank was standing there, just staring at her.
Mattie felt a tear roll down her cheek as she waved at him. At the same time, they both turned and rode in different directions. She rode back toward the town as Frank rode away. She got off at the back of her property and finally felt her tears roll down her cheek. She knew that Frank had made her a promise, but deep in her heart, she knew that he wouldn't come back.
She walked inside the house and started thinking about what to do next. She had nothing left in Heaven Springs, but it had been her home her whole life. Then, she thought about what made it a home. All of that was gone. She thought about her brother, Buck, and then Frank. There was nothing that made this place her home. She looked around each room and thought what she could do next. She could go out west to California or go back to Missouri. The thoughts laid heavy on her mind as she sat down and began to cry all over again.