Trail of Deceptions

Chapter 16

 Later that afternoon a knock on the door came and Sam knew without a doubt their short honeymoon was over. Jake opened the door to find Jim standing there. "We need you two at the suite as soon as possible. Slim said Dixie Russell came back to town on the stage a while ago. I'm sorry you didn't have more time," he told them and left before Sam was able to ask him about her mother and him.

They both hurriedly dressed after Jim left. Before leaving their room, Jake stopped her put his arms around her and kissed her.

"Don't say anything yet about our being married," he told her a short time later. "I think it would be better if we were able to tell Tim without a lot of people present when he learns about our marriage." Sam had to agree with him.

They went directly to the suite finding others except Bob Kelly and Webb waiting there for them. When Sam asked where Bob was Tim said he had ridden back to Cold Springs one more time he was looking for property belonging to Red Larkin, Brent Evans, Dixie Russell and Cord Decker. Sam wanted to know why Cord was included and Tim told her it was because he left so soon after her father was murdered.

"Cord got money from father's will and he wanted to start his own ranch. He purchased the Waller ranch because it was up for sale at that time. Cord would never do anything to hurt father or me." Sam was angry that anyone would think Cord would do such a thing.

"I know you think of him as an older brother but older brother look isn't what I got from him the morning they found us at the line shack together."

"You were seeing things that were never there between Cord and I because you were scared about the night before. You were glad they didn't find me dress only in that blanket. That was why you made me get dressed after the horses ran off. You knew sooner or later someone would show up at the line shack searching for me."

Sam noticed the look of surprise on the other men's faces. She had done what Tim Martin wanted her to do. Get mad and tell about their night at the line shack. Sam realized too late she said exactly what Tim Martin wanted her to say. He was trying to make them think something sexual had happened between them.

She faced the other men. "For your information nothing happened between us, I got wet from the rain storm that night and took off my clothes behind a screen of blankets for them to dry. I was wrapped in a blanket the whole time until they did."

 Sam turned back to face Tim again becoming more angry with him as the man talked on.

Was Tim hoping that Jake thought she and Tim had spent the night together? Tim didn't know about their marriage and Jake knowing she'd never slept with anyone but him before last night.

"Sam your naïve to think that Cord never looked at you as a man does a woman he desires. He may not have shown it around your father because he was afraid of him or scared he might lose his job if he showed interest in you. I know what I saw early that morning when they arrived at the line shack," Tim said as he crossed his arms over his chest with a smirk on his face.

"You are wrong about Cord. I've known him since I was small and I've been alone with him many times through out the years. Cord has always treated me as a kid sister and after I returned home his treatment of me it wasn't any different then before I left. My father though of Cord as a son and that is why he left money to him in his will. He wanted him to be able to have a place of his own. You weren't there Tim the day father died when Cord and I cried on each other's shoulder. Cord was as devastated as mother and I were. Besides my father would have approved of Cord as a son-in-law if things between us had gone along those lines he thought that much of him."

"Tim, I think Sam knows Cord Decker better than you do. He may have looked at you wondering why you ran into Sam at the bank and later the line shack," Jim said coming forward putting his arm around Sam's shoulders. "You know I have wondered about that myself. Did you deliberately seek Sam out?"