Bridal Veil Mountain: A Tale of Three Brothers Chapter Seven
The next day, Jeremy returned to the Oates' cabin. He was surprised to see Candy there. Lottie had gone into town to check on the saloon and brought Candy back with her.
"Hello, Jeremy!" Candy ran outside to meet him.
"Hi, Candy!" He replied.
When Jeremy got off his horse, Candy threw her arms around him and gave him a passionate kiss on his mouth.
"I have missed you so much, sweetheart. Did you miss me?" She asked.
"Sure, I did, Candy." He replied. "I'm glad to see you."
When they walked into the cabin, Joshua was sitting on the sofa.
"You couldn't talk Jenny into coming home?" The blond Bolt asked.
"No, she still says she wants to stay with Bartley. I'll go back in a few days. Maybe she will be tired of him by then." Jeremy sighed.
"She will come home, Jeremy. Jenny might even come back on her own before you go back." Candy touched his cheek.
"I hope you're right, Candy." Jeremy sobbed.
Candy enfolded him in her arms. She could feel his heart pounding.
"It's alright, sweetheart, it's alright." Candy whispered in his ear.
Jeremy put his head on her shoulder and cried gut wrenching sobs.
Candy held him tighter. She whispered, "I love you; I love you."
"I love you, Candy. Please don't ever leave me!" Jeremy spoke raggedly.
"I will never leave you, Jeremy. I promise. Please try to calm down, darling. We have to be careful about your heart, remember?" She asked softly.
"I r-r-remember." Jeremy took some deep breaths.
He gave Candy a big hug. "You feel so good in my arms. I hate to turn loose."
"Who said you have to turn loose?" Candy kissed his lips.
"Well, we don't want to embarrass Josh." Jeremy whispered.
"He went in Jason's room. I suppose to tell him that you're back." Candy sighed.
"Jason! I have to go see Jason. Let's kiss and hug some more later, okay?" Jeremy kissed her cheek.
"Okay." Candy smiled as she watched him hurry to Jason's room.
"Hey, brother! How are you? Is your shoulder feeling better? Doctor Wright got the bullet out okay, didn't she? You don't have a fever, do you, Jason?" Jeremy rambled.
"Jeremy! Slow down, I'm alright, the doctor removed the bullet, and I don't have any fever. I appreciate your concern but don't worry." Jason reassured him.
"I'm sorry, Jason. I guess the situation with Jenny has gotten me more upset than I realized. I thought sure I would be able to convince her to come home with me." Jeremy said sadly. "Why don't we get out this afternoon for a little while? We can take the buckboard. Do you feel up to it, Jason?"
"Yes, Jeremy, I think I can do that. Doctor Wright went back to town so she's not here to say no." Jason grinned.
"That sounds like a good idea, Jeremy." Joshua spoke.
"What was that, Josh? My mind wandered there for a minute." Jeremy inquired.
"I was saying that's a good idea." Joshua repeated.
"Great! Let's go after lunch." Jeremy looked out the window.
The three brothers ate lunch with Candy, Lottie, and Mrs. Oates. Ebon had left early that morning to check his traps.
Jason, Joshua, and Jeremy left about one o' clock. They said they would be back around two thirty.
Later about four fifteen, Candy was anxiously watching for her fiancé and his brothers. Lottie joined her on the porch.
"Oh, Lottie! They are almost two hours late. Where could they be?" Candy was worried.
"Honey don't fret. They probably decided to go fishing. You know men aren't good at keeping track of time." Lottie gave her a little hug.
"Ordinarily, I would agree with you, Lottie. But Jason just had a bullet removed from his shoulder and Jeremy is worried about Jenny. It doesn't seem to me that they would feel like going fishing or something." Miss Pruitt replied.
"Now, Candy, I've had a lot of experience with men. You never know what they might do, no matter how they feel or what's on their minds." Lottie insisted.
"I suppose you're right, Lottie." Candy managed a little smile.
They heard the sounds of horses and wagon wheels coming toward the cabin.
"Thank The Lord! That's them!" Candy exclaimed.
"I told you, honey!" Lottie put her arm around the young woman's shoulder.
The two ladies watched the road expectantly. When the buckboard came into view, a Bolt was not driving. Big Swede was in the driver's seat and Corky was in the back.
Candy and Lottie exchanged a worried glance.
As the wagon pulled into the yard, the women ran to meet it. Swede brought the horses to a halt. He immediately jumped from the vehicle and got to the ladies before they reached the buckboard.
"Stop, please! Miss Lottie, Candy, I need to tell you something. It's bad. It's really bad, I'm sorry, there's no nice way to say it. Jason and Joshua are dead." Swede choked back tears.
"Oh, my God!" Lottie cried.
"Jeremy! Swede, where is Jeremy? Is he dead too? Tell me, Swede! Tell me right now!" Candy screamed.
"No, Jeremy is not dead. He is unconscious in the back of the buckboard. He is in bad shape, but he will be alright." Swede replied. "Let me bring him in the cabin."
Swede went to the back of the wagon. He lifted up Jeremy very carefully and carried him in the cabin.
Corky, Lottie, and Candy followed. Swede placed Jeremy on the bed in the back bedroom. Candy gasped when she got a close look at him. His shirt was soaked with blood and there was something mixed in with the blood. There was blood on his hands, arms, and on his face. The something mixed in was all over him as well.
Jeremy had a black eye and a busted lip. One cheek had a large bruise. His burned arm looked as if it had been clawed.
"Where are the…...the bodies, Corky?" Lottie asked.
"We had to leave them, Lottie. They are, well, they are pretty messed up and we knew we had to get Jeremy back here fast. Swede and I will go back and get them and take them into town." Corky explained.
"What happened?" Candy sat on the side of the bed staring at Jeremy.
"We don't know exactly. We were on our way here to talk to Jason about the work schedule and we found them on the road about ten miles back. Jason and Joshua were gone when we got there. Jeremy was going from one to the other crying and screaming for them to wake up. That's how he got blood all over him. He was cradling each brother's head next to him as he talked to 'em." Corky explained.
"So, Jason and Joshua were shot in the…." Lottie couldn't say it.
"They were shot in the head." Swede flinched.
"Jeremy probably saw it happen. Oh, dear God! And that mixed in with the blood on him is his brothers' brains." Candy dashed to the washroom.
Mrs. Oates returned with Candy several minutes later. "The sound of this poor girl retching woke me from my nap. I went to check on her and she told me what happened. I sure am sorry. The young feller there is gonna have a hard time without those brothers." Mrs. Oates lamented.
"Yes, Jeanie, he is. We are going to have to love him with all the strength we have to help him through this." Lottie spoke. "Candy, do you feel up to helping me get Jeremy cleaned up?"
"Yes, of course, Lottie. Swede, how did Jeremy lose consciousness?" She asked. "Corky said he was hugging his brothers when you came upon them."
"Yes, he was. We asked Jeremy what happened. He was so upset he couldn't tell us. He kept saying they would be alright if he could just wake them up. We sat with him a few minutes while he was going back and forth between Jason and Josh. Then we figured we needed to get Jeremy back here. He wouldn't come with us. Jeremy wouldn't accept that they were gone. I had to flat out tell him that they were dead, and he couldn't wake them up. When I said that, he stood up and looked at the bodies. Then he fell to the ground unconscious." Swede explained.
"Thank you Swede and you too, Corky for helping Jeremy." Candy sobbed. "He lost consciousness due to the terrible shock."
Lottie and Candy had removed Jeremy's bloody shirt. Jeanie brought a basin of warm water, a bar of soap, and some cloths. Candy began gently washing Jeremy's face. She washed his chest and his arms next.
"My poor darling, my poor darling." Candy murmured as she washed him clean.
Corky and Swede left to go take care of Jason's and Joshua's bodies. They agreed to bring Doctor Wright back to the Oates' cabin tonight.
Candy and Lottie got Jeremy changed into some clean long johns and in the bed. Thoughts of modesty were forgotten in light of what had happened.
"Lottie, I love Jeremy so deeply that he's a part of me. But I don't know if I'm strong enough to help him through this. For the rest of his life, he is going to be without his brothers. They have been his whole family since he was nine years old. Jeremy was just a child when his parents died, Lottie. And now, he has lost his brothers too. Jeremy is so kind and so loving. Why is life so unfair to him?" Candy sobbed.
"I understand what you mean, sweetheart. Life is cruel. But you are stronger than you realize. That deep love you have for Jeremy is going to help you help him. Don't worry. There is nothing stronger than love." Lottie choked up.
"You are right, Lottie. Thank you for listening. I know this is heartbreaking for you as well. You have known the Bolts since they were children." Candy sympathized.
"Since before Jeremy was born. It's so hard to believe that Jason and Joshua are gone. It's going to be difficult for Jeremy for a very long time. Oh, that sweet boy…" Lottie sobbed.
The two ladies hugged and cried angry heartbroken tears over the loss of Jason and Joshua.
Later, Big Swede and Corky returned with Doctor Wright. It was almost dark.
She examined Jeremy. The doctor confirmed that he had lost consciousness due to the shock of realizing that his brothers were dead. The doctor said he would recover from the physical injuries over time. The intense agony of the loss of his siblings was another matter.
Mrs. Oates cooked stew and biscuits for supper. She also prepared some broth for Jeremy to eat when he woke up.
Doctor Wright and Lottie persuaded Candy to eat a little. They reminded her that she had to take care of herself so that she would be able to help Jeremy.
While they were eating, Lottie commented that Ebon had not come home. She asked Jeanie if she was concerned that he might encounter the men who killed Jason and Joshua. Mrs. Oates said that was unlikely as her son had told her he might stay the night with some buddies playing poker.
Just as they finished the meal, Candy heard sounds coming from Jeremy's room. She ran to check on him.
Jeremy was thrashing about in the bed. "J-J-Jason! J-J-Joshua! W-W-Watch out! No! D-D-Don't!"
Candy sat on the edge of the bed. "Jeremy, can you hear me?"
Jeremy opened his eyes. He looked at Candy. "Where am I?"
"We are at Mrs. Oates' cabin." She told him. "How do you feel?"
"I feel sorta achy all over except my left arm hurts bad. I had an awful nightmare. I dreamed that…wait" His eyes widened in terrified realization. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"
"No, Jeremy, I'm so sorry, it wasn't." Candy cried.
Jeremy clung to her crying loud guttural sobs.
Candy held him to her and wept with him. Jeremy cried until he was exhausted.
"Do you want to talk about it, sweetheart? Corky and Swede told us some of what happened." Candy continued to hold him in her arms.
"I c-c-can't, C-C-Candy." He whispered. "H-H-Hold m-m-me t-t-tight."
She squeezed him a bit tighter. "It's alright, Jeremy. You don't have to talk about it if you don't feel up to it or if you don't want to."
He raised his head from Candy's shoulder and looked into her eyes. "J-J-Jason b-b-begged. My big strong strapping lumberjack brother BEGGED!" Jeremy screamed the word.
Jeremy gasped and shuddered. He was quiet for a minute. His eyes were closed.
When he opened his eyes, tears ran down his face. "After we had fought them as much as we could, they pulled guns on us. Well, you know us, we didn't have any guns with us much less on us. Jason begged them not to kill Josh and me. We protested, Joshua and me. We told them not to kill any of us. Stupid me, for a few seconds, I thought they were actually going to let us go. Then, right in front of me, they blew my brothers' heads off. Just blew them right off their shoulders. The killers laughed. They laughed like it was a game. As if Jason and Joshua could pick up their heads and put them back on like nothing ever happened." Jeremy hid his face against Candy's shoulder.
"Dear God, Jeremy! How horrible! I'm so sorry, I wish there was something I could do to help you." She stroked the back of his head with her hand.
"Just hold me!" He replied as his body was wracked with sobs.
"I will, sweetheart, I will." She hugged him so hard her shoulders ached.
When he stopped crying, he said, "I need to lie down."
"Here, let me help you, darling." Candy helped her fiancé lie back on the bed. She stroked his hair gently. "Get some more sleep. I will be right here."
"Candy, can I ask you something?" Jeremy inquired.
"Certainly, you can, Jeremy. What is it?" She was concerned.
"Do you still love me?" He whispered.
"Jeremy! Of course, I still love you! What makes you think I would stop?" She asked softly.
"This horrendous thing has happened and my family, well, I guess, just me and Jenny now, is under a gypsy curse. I thought maybe you wouldn't want to marry me anymore." Jeremy frowned.
"Your thinking is confused because you are so upset. There are no such things as curses. And even if there were, I would still love you and still want to marry you." Candy smiled. "I love you, Jeremy with all of my heart."
"I love you too, Candy." Jeremy sighed as he drifted off to sleep.
Jeremy slept until the next morning.
When he awoke, Doctor Wright examined him. She said his injuries from the fight would heal easily. His burnt arm was hurting because it had been severely scraped. The doctor cleansed the injury and bandaged it.
Jeremy asked Doctor Wright if he could travel tomorrow. He explained he had to go see Jenny to tell her about Jason and Joshua. She said he could go but she wanted someone to go with him. Jeremy insisted that he could go alone and that he needed the time to himself. Allyn agreed because she knew it was useless to argue with a stubborn Bolt. Then she sobbed as she remembered there were now two fewer stubborn Bolts.
Candy helped the other women cook breakfast. She encouraged Jeremy to eat some eggs and drink a cup of coffee.
After breakfast, Swede and Corky wanted to talk to Jeremy before they returned to town. The three of them went outside.
"Jeremy, when we went back yesterday to get your brothers' bodies, we decided it would be best to bury them in the woods because…well…you know…" Corky hesitated as he tried to be polite.
"Yes, Corky, I know. It's okay, I understand. I'm grateful to you both for taking care of that for me." Jeremy gulped.
"We are really sorry, Jeremy. Jason and Joshua were fine men. They were the best friends a guy could have. I can make an announcement at the camp today if you want me to." Swede spoke.
Tears shined in Jeremy's eyes. "Thank you, Swede for your kind words about Jason and Joshua. They were the best brothers a man could have too. I would appreciate you making an announcement to the loggers. They need to know. Please tell them that it will be a while before I can come to the camp. Tell them that I have put you two in charge until further notice."
"We will tell them, Jeremy. We will be praying for you and Jenny." Corky told him.
"Thanks, Corky. We need all the help we can get now." Jeremy bit his lip.
Swede and Corky left a short time later taking Doctor Wright with them. She had patients coming into her clinic later in the afternoon.
Jeremy and Candy took a short walk after lunch. They were quiet most of the way.
"Jeremy, I wish you would let me go with you tomorrow to see Jenny. That's a long way and you're so upset. I'm worried about you going alone." Candy kissed his shoulder.
"Thank you, Candy. But I feel that I need that time to myself to get this straight in my mind. I'll be alright. Don't worry. I'm gonna leave very early in the morning and I will be back here tomorrow night. The next morning, we can go home to Seattle. It will be good to see Jay…" Jeremy burst into tears.
"Oh, sweetheart! This is why I think I should go with you tomorrow. What if this happens when you are on the road alone?" Candy embraced him.
"This won't happen again. I just forgot for a minute. I won't forget again. "Jeremy responded through his tears.
Candy placed her finger under his chin and raised his head. She gazed deeply into his beautiful blue eyes. "How can you be sure, Jeremy?" She whispered.
"I won't let myself forget." He softly kissed her lips. "I love you, Miss Candy Pruitt."
"I love you, Jeremy Bolt." She kissed the tears from his cheeks.
They returned to the Oates cabin in agreement that he would travel alone tomorrow.
Ebon returned home around supper time that night. He was shocked and sorry to hear about the two oldest Bolts. He said he hadn't seen or heard anything about a group of strange men wandering around.
Jeremy left before daylight the next morning heading to the caves.
When he arrived, Bartley was glad to see him. He met Jeremy outside the caves.
"Is it done? Are Jason and Joshua dead?" Loveridge asked eagerly.
Jeremy grinned. "Yes, Bartley, Jason and Joshua are dead. My purpose is to make you happy."
"You are sure you haven't slipped up? If anyone suspects that you killed them that could lead them to me. I'm not taking the blame for their deaths even if it was my idea." Bartley worried.
"Relax, Bartley! I haven't messed up. I have played the grieving baby brother to a tee." Jeremy reassured him. "Baby brother, my ass. I'm a damn fine actor. That's what I am. Maybe when this is all over, I'll join one of those Shakespearean troups. Yes, sir! I can perform some of that boring Shakespeare that Jason was so fond of. And I would play the big cities like San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia. Not a downtrodden place like Auburn as Jason did."
Jeremy looked at the sky pointing his thumb and forefinger upward as if they were a gun. "Me performing Shakespeare would kill you again, wouldn't it, Jason? Bang! Bang!" Jeremy laughed. TBC