Tragedy Turned Treasure (On Hold)

Chapter 1: Returning Home

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Four years later...

Cole Jackson rode into the little town of Spearman, Texas. The war had just ended a couple of months ago and now the fist snow of the season had just fallen and it was bitterly cold. Cole pulled his duster coat closer to him and pulled his hat lower to shield himself from the wind. He rode up to the livery and tended to his horse before walking up to the mercantile. Since it was late he knew that it would be closed, he shrugged to himself and knocked on the door anyway.

All of a sudden a shotgun came through the door and slammed into his stomach, Cole made a small 'Umph' sound before a steadying himself and calling out.

"I just wanted to ask where someone lives, so if you could open this door so I could talk ya I'd be much obliged," he rushed out because no one wanted a gun barrel pointing at them.

Slowly the gun pulled out of the hole and the door opened slowly and Cole came to face a small little boy no older than four or five.

The boy glared up at him and said," Ya lookin' fer Mrs. O'Malley?"

Cole stooped down to the boys eye level and said," Yes I am. Do you know where I can find her?"

"Sure I do. You can follow me instead of standin' outside in the cold," he said while rolling his eyes.

The boy walked to a door at the back of the mercantile and opened while yelling," Miz O'Malley some big fella' is out here askin' for ya. Do ya want me to shoot him if he isn't friendly like?"

An older woman on the plump side with bright red hair flying all over the place came rushing out of the back storeroom. "Didn't I tell ye not to shoot people unless I told ya too?" Mrs. O'Malley said while glaring at the boy. "Well didn't I?"

The boy looked at her with a purely fake innocent look on his face and mumbled," He has a gun and don't look to friendly to me." He shrugged.

Mrs. O'Malley just glared at him before turning to Cole.

"What can I do fer ye?"

"I got a letter from the sheriff a coupla' weeks ago  saying the Michaelson family died of cholera and my boy was stayin' with them and I came to find out if he was still alive," he said softly with a crestfallen face.

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Mrs. O'Malley looked at the man standing in front of her. She could tell he had been through a lot to get her just to see if his son was still alive. She looked into his bright blue eyes and could see the pain and suffering that a man as young as himself should never have had to go through. She glanced at the scar that ran down from just above his right eye to underneath his chin and withheld a wince.

She schooled her face and said," Yer lookin' fer Danny arn't ya?"

The man she now knew as Cole Jackson nodded slowly and pleaded with her with his eyes.

She glanced down at Danny who was standing next to her and said," Danny, I would like you to meet yer Pa."

Danny glanced up sharply and glared at Cole. "If yer my Pa then how come I don't remember ya?"

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Cole visibly winced and he knew it. "Because you were three years old when I last saw you"---Danny opened his mouth to ask Cole another question---"but I had to go away for awhile."

"Why did ya have to go away. Did ya not want me no more." Danny scowled at Cole.

Cole blanched," Of course I wanted to stay with you Danny; I had to go, I'm a U.S. Marshall."

Danny looked at Cole with awe then whispered,"My Pa's a U.S. Marshall?"

Cole looked up at Mrs. O'Malley and said," We have to leave right now."

Mrs. O'Malley looked at him knowingly then slowly nodded before saying," I'll pack his bag." She then turned to Danny and stooped to his level and said," I need you to go saddle your horse that's in the lean-to and take the shotgun with you; your leavin' in five minutes."

Cole couldn't tell Mrs. O'Malley that he was actually running from his own gang that was threatening to kill him because they found out that he was an undercover U.S. Marshall. So he packed his saddlebags and ran. He knew that Mrs. O'Malley knew not to ask what was going on and he respected that. But he needed to get himself and Danny as far away from Texas as possible. He was going to take Danny up to the Colorado Territory and see if his friend from the war would let him work on his family's ranch.

If only the could get out of town in the next five minutes

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Hello my little tacos I hoped you liked this chapter and dont forget to vote and send this to your friends and btw I like feedback.

This chapter has not been edited and for that I apologize.