Chapter 2 #4
Will rolled Jesse’s meal out on a cart and placed it in front of him. It was hamburger steak covered in thick gravy and served with mashed potatoes and peas. Normally, Cole’s stomach would’ve been growling, but the thought of food made him sick.
“Enjoy your din…” Will started to say. And then he noticed the silver star on the table. “Holy wow, Sheriff O’Hara. Is that what I think it is?”
“Marshal Calhoun was just letting me look at it. Don’t get too excited.”
But it didn’t do any good. Will wheeled the cart back to the kitchen with its lingering scents as fast as his legs would carry him.
“Congress and the president, of course, are aware of your brother and his efforts during the war, just as they’re aware of yours.
Though your brother’s efforts were quite a bit different than yours,” Jesse went on.
“It wasn’t too difficult to decipher that it was Riley O’Hara at the helm of the Silver Creek Bandits once his image started making the rounds.
But you need to take caution. Bounty hunters and other lawmen might not know you’re twins and will be looking for someone fitting your description. ”
The corner of Cole’s lip tilted up in a smile.
“We used to trade places when we were kids. Lord, we’d take a beating for it if we were found out.
But Riley always liked to test the limits.
And I’d found it was a whole lot easier to agree with Riley than to go against him.
” Cole had gotten plenty of whippings from his father because he’d listened to Riley instead of the sense God gave him.
“He’ll come to you eventually,” Jesse said. “He’s jealous. You’re the one who’s always recognized. You’re the hero. You’re the fastest draw. He’ll want to challenge that. To see if he can get away with what he’s been doing right under your nose.”
“And if he shows up in Laurel Valley, I’ll meet him on my turf, my way. I don’t need to be a marshal to do that.”
“It widens your authority,” Jesse insisted. “You’re one of the best trackers in the country. You learned from the Sioux during your travels. You could find him and bring him in. You could find all of them.”
Cole shook his head, the realization of his answer sinking in for the first time.
There’d always been a conflict inside him when faced with becoming a US marshal.
But knowing what his brother was capable of, and knowing that he had an obligation to protect his wife and community, answered the question for him with a clear conscience.
He pushed the star back across the table.
“My place is here, with my wife and this town. My duty is to them first. The job you’re asking me to do is meant for a younger man without any ties.
I’m not going to pick up and leave my wife for months at a time to track outlaws.
There’s plenty of good I can do here, with the badge I already have. ”
“A wife is just a wife,” Jesse said. “But this is your chance to go down in history.”
Cole laughed. There was nothing just about Elizabeth. “I never asked to go down in history. I’m just doing the best I can to make the world we live in the best it can be. I want a family, and I don’t want to let them inherit a world of wars and violence.”
“War is in the nature of man,” Jesse said. “It’s been that way since Cain and Abel. And here we are, a whole bunch of years later with the story of two brothers.”
Cole had been watching the street, subconsciously seeking out his wife. He was starting to get worried that she’d gotten stuck somewhere. She should’ve been there by now.
And then, almost as if he’d conjured her, she came through the window of visibility, the snow that had been falling since dawn swirling around her.
She’d left her head uncovered, and loose strands of dark hair had come out of the long braid that rested over her shoulder.
Her long coat that had seen better winters swirled around her legs, and her pistols were slung low on her hips.
Unlike any other woman he’d ever met, she chose to wear men’s trousers in her day-to-day work at the ranch.
He’d never actually seen her in a dress.
But he definitely appreciated what she did to a pair of men’s pants.
Jesse saw her too, and his fork stopped halfway to his mouth.
“Good Lord,” Jesse rasped.
“She’s something, huh?”
Jesse blew out a breath and put his fork down. “Oh, good. You see her too. I was afraid maybe I’d died and she was an angel of death.”
“There are worse ways to go,” Cole said, smiling.
“That’s for darned sure.” Jesse picked up his fork again, but he’d forgotten what he was doing so he set it down again. “I’ve got to tell you, O’Hara, I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, but I’ve never seen anything like her.”
She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And she was all his.
“Don’t enjoy the view too much,” Cole said. “That’s my wife.” And then he took a closer look. She was mad as a hornet. No wonder she wasn’t covered up too much. There was no way the cold was penetrating that kind of anger.
“Well, son,” Jesse said. “I can see why you don’t want to leave her to hunt down outlaws.”