Redemption

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Colt simply existed as one week without Jessie turned into two. Every day was the same routine. He would wake up, grab some coffee, get to work, and then work on finishing the house for the rest of the day. When he returned home, there was no one waiting up for him. Gone was the smell of hot coffee on the stove, or the heat from a fire blazing in the fireplace. He felt completely alone. He hadn’t even gathered the courage to move back into his own room yet. He knew that he had to move on soon, but something inside of him wanted to hang on to the hurt for a little while longer.

What was he expecting from her, anyway? She was an engaged woman. It was improper enough for her to run up and hug him like that before they left, but if she had actually wanted to stay? Neither of them could live with a good conscience after that.

One day, he was working on putting the finishing touches on the house they had built, nailing on white shutters against the yellow wall of the house. It hit him suddenly; the memory of what Jessie had told him. Her dream was to have a house with yellow trim and white shutters, with a white picket fence and a wraparound porch. He took a step back. The house that was meant to be Bliss’ had yellow walls, white shutters and trim, and though it wasn’t a wraparound porch, it was big enough to house a small family of Mexicans. He shook his head. How had he managed to put himself in this situation? Sherman didn’t even know what Jessie wanted, and yet this house was nearly an exact replica of the one she had described.

Only now she would never see it.

She would never even know it existed.

She would never even see how the curtains she made looked in the windows.

Colt glanced over at the cowboy beside him. “Can you take over for a little while, Carpenter?”

The man nodded. “Sure I can. Something come up?”

Colt nodded. “Yeah, I need to be gone for a little while. I’ll be back before quitting time.”

Carpenter nodded again.

Colt put his hammer down and walked back toward where he had left Hidalgo. He had gotten the animal back just today, yet another reminder that Jessie was gone. He mounted up, turned the horse toward the west, and spurred him into a run. He kept riding, and riding, until lather began to layer Hidalgo’s neck. Only then did he stop.

The freedom that a run usually brought him had no effect on him or his nerves. He dismounted and kicked at the dirt. All he wanted was to be rid of this mess, be rid of his feelings.

He shouldn’t even be feeling anything!

His own heart was so infuriating that his hands balled into fists.

He looked up at the sky. “I wanna know why. Why did she come into my life only to be yanked back out again? I don’t understand your reasoning at all, Lord. I’m failing to see how this can possibly be for my good. It hasn’t done my anything but bad this whole time. I can’t name one good thing that’s come of it!”

His voice echoed as he spoke, carrying on the breeze and through the grass. “All I want it peace,” he prayed. “Just some sign that everything will be back to normal. Is that too much to ask?”

He waited and waited for an answer. None came. He took a deep breath to try to calm his raging heart, and only then did a small whisper come through to him.

“Trust me,” it seemed to say. “Have faith in me.”

Colt huffed and shoved the toe of his boot into the ground. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He’d rather take his confusion out on an unsuspecting patch of dirt than leave the situation completely up to someone else.