Cole's Redemption (Love Amongst the Pines) (30 page)

             
Miriam nodded to Judge and Bill as she led the girl outside. He watched them go, his own grief and anger building up inside so that he felt like a shotgun primed to go off at any minute.

             
"Uh, Judge," Bill
Watkins
said beside him after the women had gone, "I got the boys pulling the lumber out. They're going to start on the gallows right away. We should have it done by sunset.
Ain't
nothin
' to
puttin
' together a
hangin
'
tree
."

             
"I suppose daybreak would be the best time. Let's keep the town out of it if we can. I want things to go smoothly. I want to give Cole and N
atty some semblance of dignity.”

             
Miriam watched the young woman sleep. After a hot bath, a sparse meal, and clean clothes, Natty succumbed to a nap in the late afternoon. Of course, Miriam had helped a bit by slipping a bit of her cough medicine into
Natty's
tea at lunch. The girl had picked at her food, but drank just enough of the warm brew to get her settled.

             
With a sigh, Miriam turned and walked out of the room, gently pulling the door closed behind her. She passed by the room where
Melly
sat beside Dermott, who himself was resting comfortably. She and Natty had decided it was best not to tell her uncle about the events of the past few days. At least until the execution, that would lessen his worrying and help him to recover from his own wounds.

             
"
Melly
," she whispered into the room. Her maid looked up, and seeing that she was needed, patted Dermott's hand and excused herself.

             
"Yes, Mrs.
Remmington
?"

             
"I'm leaving the house for about an hour. I want you to listen out for Natty. I've got some errands to take care of."

             
"Yes, Ma'am." Her maid turned away briefly, and then turned back. "Are you all right?"

             
Miriam wanted to scream and cry and beg God for her son's life, but she knew it would do her no good. She had another course of action. It was desperate and without much chance for success, but she had to try just the same.

             
"I'll be okay,
Melly
."

             
Any lawman worth his salt knew that death lingered around every corner. Any time a bullet, a rattlesnake, or a club in the head could take a man's life and especially that of a Texas Ranger. They were a brave breed and considered themselves above most men in the scheme of justice, but none ever doubted their own mortality. It was that foreknowledge of death that kept them sharp, or so Wesley Greene believed.

             
As many years as he had behind the badge, he'd thought that there was little left on earth that could really surprise him. He'd
seen men
cross deserts
to get away from the law. He'd watched many of the accused face their own deaths in a number of ways, some stoic, some comedic, and quite a few without a shred of dignity. He expected no less of life. He knew that when his time came, he would accept it with the quiet grace that had ruled his life. So, when Miriam
Remmington
showed up at his door, it wasn't surprising or even unexpected.

             
"You deceived me, Mr. Greene," she stated as she stood in the doorway to his sick room.

             
"I used you, Mrs.
Remmington
. I needed to find a killer, and you led me right to him."

             
"My son's not a killer. He had reasons for what he did."

             
"There are no reasons for killing men in cold blood."

             
She laughed. "That's nonsense and you know it." She walked towards the window and stared out into the street.

             
He knew what she was looking for. She wanted to see the wooden structure now being resurrected on the other side of town. Even at this distance, they could hear the far off sound of hammering. It gave him no small amount of comfort that his life's work was ending this way, with a killer brought to justice.

             
Greene shrugged. "There's only self defense, defending the feeble and the very young.
And during a war.
A man has to kill during war. But there were no idiots or young'uns or soldiers to kill. You son pursued and killed three unarmed men. That makes him guilty. That rope out there is the only way to make things right."

             
"Even if those so called 'unarmed' men murdered his wife and child? A newborn infant whose only crime was to be born into a life filled with such ruthless men."

             
"He should have let the law handle things."

             
"Should he? Aren't you twisting the law to your own purpose, Mr. Greene? Aren't you insisting that my son die for killing your son? Is it because you have the power? Is it out of some true blue sense of right and wrong that you have chased him to the ends of the earth?"

             
"I am the law." Greene stated slowly, his voice strong despite his poor condition.

             
"No, sir, you are not. Not when it comes to this case. Justice was done that day, sir, whether you want to call it that or not. I'm not saying my son wasn't wrong in what he did. But, I think he was justified and, by his actions, no other husband will watch his family suffer and die by the hands of those men. Isn't being chased over half the country, having his hands broken, and being made to think he's going to hang for the second time in a month punishment enough?"

             
"I don't write the laws, Ma'am. I just enforce them."

             
"Don't you lie there and tell me that you don't have any personal feelings in this, or that the loss of your child hasn't colored your judgment!" Miriam leaned forward, her fists clenched, her entire body shaking with anger. "You want to see Cole hang out of your own personal need for revenge and nothing else!" With that she turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

             
"Damn fool woman!" Greene called after her. "You think justice is easy? Like a recipe for baking a pie?" Didn't she know that each man had a responsibility for his own soul and that of the child that he'd lost?

             
That was the way of justice. He dropped his head back to the pillow and didn't look up again until he heard the door to his room open once again.

             
"Had a visitor, I see." Doc Evans said as he walked to Greene's bedside. He held a small, green bottle and a spoon. "What a nice lady to be so concerned about your health."

             
"Mrs.
Remmington
and I met on the trip out here. What do you want now?" He rubbed his forehead tiredly. His
temperature was rising and he felt nauseous. Would these damn people ever stay away?

             
"I've brought you some more pain medicine. You only took one dose during the night. I thought you might be ready for another."

             
"What do you care? Aren't you one of the ones who'd like to see me dead over that
Remmington
boy?"

             
"I'm a doctor. I see death and disease as my enemy, not men. I thought you might need some comfort. The chances of you surviving your wounds are few, and I only wanted to ease your pain."

             
"Well, don't. I've had
worse ,so
I don't need a doctor or a preacher. What I need is to see justice done."

             
"So you keep saying," he said, setting the bottle on the bedside table.

             
"You don't believe me?"

             
"Oh, I believe it, all right. But, I don't think that justice is the only thing you're seeking."

             
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

             
"It means that you're trying to ease your own pain by taking Cole
Remmington's
life. Unfortunately, death never fixes anything, and it never brings back the ones we love."

             
Greene only grunted, saying no more until the physician was gone.

             
"Who said I wanted to bring anyone back?" He asked the empty room.

             
Natty woke to the steady thrumming of hammers on wood.

             
For a moment, she thought she was in her new house, with Cole working hard to finish their baby's room. She'd been dreaming that the two of them had finally moved into town, and that she was expecting a child come the spring. Natty opened her eyes

to
see her bedroom, only to be shaken to consciousness with the memories of the past few days.

             
"Damn!" She jumped from the bed, searching the room for her clothes. Cursing and throwing things, all she could come across was a light green dress, a new pair of
pantelettes
and a clean, white chemise. On the floor, beside the dresser
were a pair
of black women's leather boots and two white linen stockings.

             
"Where the hell are my clothes?"

             
The door opened, and Miriam stepped in. "Oh, Natty! It's good to see you awake. I was afraid you'd sleep the whole night through."

             
"Where are my things? I've got to get dressed so I can go see Cole! There isn't much time left!"

             
"Natty, calm down. I've set everything out for you. Remember? You wanted to look pretty for Cole tonight," she asked in a soft, voice.

             
Natty choked, turning around so her mother-in-law wouldn't see her cry. "I can't help it. I can't lose him, I can't."

             
"I know, sweetheart," Miriam walked up behind her, wrapping her arms about
Natty's
shoulders and hugging her, the way Cole had done before.

             
"What are we going to do? How am I going to go on without him?"

             
"I'm here to help you, darling. You won't be alone. That's the least I can do for my son. I promise; I'll take care of you."

             
"That's not what I mean. I had a dream just now. It was a beautiful one where Cole and I were living in our new house and I had a baby
comin
.' I can't lose him. Not just because I want that life, but because he deserves it, too. He's a good man."

             
"I know he is, and we still have a little time left. Maybe someone will come forward and convince Greene that Cole was justified in what he did."

             
Suddenly, there was a large crashing sound of doors bursting open, and people entering the front of the house.

             
"Mrs.
Remmington
, Natty?" Sheriff Watkins called out. Both women ran to the parlor.

             
"Yes," Miriam asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

             
"Is it Cole?" Natty asked, her voice shaking.

             
"
Naw
, it's Dermott. He's out shooting up the town and
hollerin
' like all get out! You need to come right away and calm him down before somebody gets hurt."

             
Natty nodded, and ran back to her room to get dressed.

             
"I don't understand? He and
Melly
just went out for a walk about ten minutes ago. What happened?"

             
"I reckon he just saw the gallows
bein
' about finished, and he plum went out of his head! You better hurry, it's hard to tell what that old coyote will do when he's this upset!"

             
"I don't know why you're bothering," Cole said as Doc Evans finished the last of the ties on the splint on his right forefinger.

             
"It's what I do," the other man said, not at all distracted from his task. He picked up the next finger and pulled it straight, then carefully aligned the boneset along its length. "Damn shame you had to take those splints off too soon. Your fingers needed a couple more weeks to heal. I don't think the damage will be permanent."