Redemption

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“The lines are down? Please, tell me you’re kidding with me.” Colt rested his elbows on the counter at the telegram office and leaned on them.

“I’m sorry, but we have men working on them as we speak. We should hear from them in about two weeks if all goes well,” Eli said, situating his visor on his forehead.

“Two-” Colt laid his forehead on the countertop and groaned. “I need a telegram to go through, Eli. You don’t know how much.”

“I gather it’s something to do with that woman, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything,” Eli said.

“I live a three days’ ride out. How are you going to let me know? Ride out there yourself?” Colt asked.

“Then just come back in two weeks or send one of those cowboys,” Eli suggested.

“It’s not that easy. Any cowboy that’s not busy will be building a house at that time. Who’s gonna break the news to Jessie?” Colt lifted his head.

He didn’t want her using that candlestick on him and meeting the same fate as that ruffian.

“You can leave a telegram with me and I can send it when the lines are repaired,” Eli offered.

Colt narrowed his eyes. It was bad enough that the town’s gossip generator happened to be the telegraph operator, but trusting him with something he didn’t care to have blabbed all over town made about as much sense as milking a bull.

Colt pursed his lips and found that he didn’t have a choice. He looked at the man, then out the window.

Lord, help us.

“Fine. Eli, if you even as much as utter a word from this telegram to anyone in the blame town, I’ll come back and make you pick your teeth with your own toenail ya hear?”

Eli grimaced, and Colt was tempted to make the same expression. He was never good at issuing threats.

Eli gave him a notepad and a pencil. Colt thought over the message he wanted to send. What was he to say to these people?

JESSIE STEELE FOUND IN PLATEAU ARIZONA STOP TAKEN CARE OF NEAR DOTTIE BELLE RANCH STOP COLT KIDD

Colt sighed and gave Eli the notepad.

“Where to?” Eli asked.

“Myrtleville, South Carolina,” Colt answered.

“That’s a long way, ain’t it?”

Colt nodded. “Sure is.”
An awful long way. Jessie’s leg might even be healed by the time her family arrived.

He hung his head and resisted the urge to groan. He was going to have to be around two women all alone in that house for at least two more weeks. Not to mention that he wanted to get Jessie out of his life as soon as possible. She made him… feel things. Caused emotions that he had buried two months ago to barely resurface, and he wanted them six feet under, where they belonged.

Lord, help me.

Maybe it wasn’t his fault at all. Maybe he wasn’t to blame for the feelings resurfacing. If might be her fault… it might be no one’s fault. He was a man, and she was pretty. It was a natural thing to be attracted, right?

Yet he’d seen pretty women all his life. They’d never affected him like Jessie had, with her long, copper-colored hair that fell in gentle waves, her soft green eyes, and delicate complexion. She probably hadn’t seen more than a week of direct sunlight in her life. That usually hinted to a prissy personality, but she had knocked a man out!