Cutty (Prairie Grooms Book 8) Read online

Newton strode to the livery stable and didn’t look back. Cutty stood there for a few moments, his mind a blank. Just as he was about to turn and head back to the hotel, Newton led a horse from the livery, mounted, kicked the animal into a canter and rode off.

  Cutty watched him go, then shook his head and stared at the ground. “Please, Lord. I have little right to ask anything of You, but please, make sure he comes back.”

  “He will.”

  Cutty spun around. “Imogene …” He reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “Imogene … if only I could be so sure.” He looked up and saw Harrison, Seth and the others watching them. “How long have all of you been standing there?”

  “Long enough,” Harrison said. He rubbed his face with his hand a few times. “I think you and I should pay a visit to Sheriff Hughes.”

  Cutty’s eyes widened as he realized Harrison’s intentions. “Yes, I imagine so.”

  “Cutty,” Imogene said. “You don’t have to.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Harrison touched Imogene on the shoulder. “I’m not going to have him arrested, if that’s what you think.”

  “You’re not?” Imogene said accusingly.

  “You’re not?” Cutty echoed in shock.

  “No. On the contrary, after hearing what you just told Newton, I was going to see if the sheriff knew what it took to legally change a name.”

  But Cutty shook his head again. “I’m not proud of who I was … but I’m not going to hide from it either. No more lies, no more silly accents – and no false names. I want to marry this woman, Harrison. And if she’s willing to marry Thackary Cuthbert Holmes –”

  “And I am,” Imogene declared, as much to Harrison as to Cutty.

  Cutty couldn’t hide his smile, or his tears. “– then I’m willing to be him. It makes no difference to me what it says on our marriage license.”

  Harrison smiled and nodded to himself. “If you say so, old man.” He looked at Imogene. “Are you sure you want to marry him?”

  “Do I have to point that gun at your head again?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary. But even if the rest of the family agrees, that doesn’t mean others will. Cutty has a past, and sometimes our pasts come back to haunt us. If he changes his name legally, it will be harder for that past to find him.”

  She glanced at Cutty and back. “He has a point. Especially if we were to return to England for any reason.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Cutty replied. He looked at the livery stable, his eyes full of worry.

  “We can talk about it another time,” Harrison suggested. “Are you going to go after Newton?”

  Cutty turned back to him. “No. He said he needs time – I need to honor that.”

  “But he could stew over this for months out there.”

  “If that’s what he needs to do, then I say let him. I can’t force him to accept me – he has to make his own choice. I hope he chooses to return, but …” Cutty shrugged.

  Harrison put his hands on his hips. “I’m sure he will. I doubt he’ll want to spend the winter with the Indians.”

  “If he does, he does.” Cutty said as he took Imogene’s hand and stood beside her. “He likes to be out in the open, after all.”

  “True,” Harrison conceded. “What say in the mean time, you and Imogene accompany me back to the Triple-C and let the rest of the family know.”

  Cutty shuddered and went pale.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll speak to Colin and the other men. No one is going to harm you.”

  “If you say so. But even aside from the men, your wife may wish to lay about me with a frying pan. And Mrs. Dunnigan …” He shook again.

  Harrison laughed, a laugh that quickly faded as he realized the truth of Cutty’s statements. “By Jove, I think you’re right. Well, I may have to serve as your bodyguard once or twice. I’ll break it to Sadie gently. As for the rest of the town … well, one thing at a time. Besides, if everyone sees that our family accepts you, the rest of Clear Creek will be more likely to.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Cutty said. “Who knows, I might even live long enough to see if Newton does.”

  Harrison gave him a somber expression. “I understand. Now, let’s go tell the others.”

  Cutty leaned over and kissed Imogene. “Thank you for not shooting Harrison.”

  She smiled. “Who said I would have?”

  “Me,” Harrison stated as he headed for the Triple-C’s wagon. The others laughed.

  Nettie sobered first. “Would you have?”

  “I’ve made my decision, dear, same as you,” she said. “I didn’t want to see Cutty come to harm, but I wouldn’t want to see Harrison come to any either. This isn’t easy for any of us – for Cutty, hardest of all.”

  “Amon and I will come with you,” Nettie said.

  “We’ll come too,” volunteered Seth. “You’ve looked out for all of us at some point and I’m indebted to you for saving my wife from that fire. I feel I owe you.”

  Cutty wiped his eyes a few times. “Thank you, Seth.”

  “It is strange not hearing you talk like a drifter, though.” Several others agreed, and Nettie swallowed a snort of laughter.

  “Well, best get used to it,” Imogene declared. “This man is through hiding.” Cutty nodded sheepishly in agreement.

  “We’d better go,” Amon said. “Our wagon’s just down the street. Seth, Eloise, you can ride with us.”

  They followed Amon and Nettie to their wagon as Cutty and Imogene headed for the Triple-C’s. Cutty felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. And he’d only started. He just hoped he survived the rest of the day, and that Newton did as well.

  * * *

  Imogene squeezed Cutty’s hand as the Triple-C wagon crested the rise and began its decent to the ranch. He hadn’t been there as Thackary since the infamous dance, when Duncan Cooke proposed to Cozette Duprie … right before the kidnapping fiasco. He’d arrived late with the old duke’s solicitor Mr. Ashford – they’d been discussing his finances (or lack thereof) which had put him in a foul mood. That, plus being accused of taking the women, plus getting manhandled by that giant Scotsman, had made for a rough evening.

  When everyone lit out after the outlaws, he was at his wit’s end. He’d hired Jeb and his gang of outlaws to steal cattle and nothing more, hoping to instill a sense of duty in his cousin Duncan to the ranch. After all, how could any of them possibly take on a duchy when the ranch needed them more …

  So much for that idea. The outlaws’ leader had gone back on his word, taken matters into his own hands and caused a huge mess by making off with the Cooke brothers’ wives and others. What had started as a simple ploy turned quickly into a disaster. And for Thackary Holmes, the disasters kept right on coming …

  “Stop that,” Imogene said.

  Cutty shook himself. “What?”

  “You’re holding your breath.”

  He sucked in some air. “Oh. So I was.”

  “Don’t be nervous – everything will be fine,” she assured.

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “We’ll get through this together,” she whispered in his ear.

  Harrison sat and pretended to ignore them. He’d been quiet most of the trip. Cutty leaned forward, looked past Imogene and watched him a moment. “I’m still concerned about your wife throwing things at me …”

  “Sadie is more civilized than you think,” Harrison quipped, sounding annoyed. “She’ll not throw anything.”

  “You’re quite sure about that?” Cutty asked.

  “Positive.”

  “All right,” he said as Harrison parked the wagon in front of the house.

  Ten minutes later …

  Cutty ran out of the ranch house, jumped off the porch and barely dodged the stew pot that followed. A coffee pot flew out the door behind it.

  “I can’t believe you!” Sadie screeched. “You left me hanging on that swing and took off with Cozette!”


  Cutty covered his head with his arms and peeked around to see if Sadie Cooke had run out of things to throw at him. She’d even tossed a few spoons at Harrison for being, as she’d put it, “so calm about this!”

  Seeing that she was now unarmed, he dared to look up. “I can explain everything!” he whimpered. “Please, just give me a chance!”

  “You had your chance as far as I’m concerned!”

  “My dear wife,” Harrison said from behind her. “He’s right, you need to…”

  She spun on him. “You of all people should have … have spit in his eye!”

  Harrison’s brow puckered. “What would that have solved?”

  “I don’t know!” She put a hand to her chest and heaved a heavy sigh. “I … I’m sorry. I’m so upset! That awful day …”

  Harrison took her into his arms. “There was another awful day, as I recall. One where that chap over there saved you and the others from a horrible fiery death.”

  “Well … yeah. But that don’t just erase what else he did.”

  Harrison looked at her. “Darling, I was angry too, and my first reaction was just as … extreme as yours. But he did risk his life to save you, and would have died had he not been found and brought to Clear Creek. He was prepared to die, in fact, fully acknowledging he deserved it. Isn’t that punishment enough for the man? To die knowing none of us would ever know who he was, nor even thank him for what he’d done?”

  Colin stepped onto the porch, Belle right behind him. “What a horrible way to go,” she murmured. “To die alone like that. I’m angry with him, but I want to hug him at the same time. He saved us from that fire and has done a lot since then.”

  “People can change,” Imogene commented as she stepped onto the porch. “If you’d known who he was all this time, would you have given him a second chance?”

  Colin blew out a breath. “Probably not.”

  “The good Lord would’ve – and did,” Imogene said. “Isn’t Cutty lucky that the Almighty loved him even as Thackary Holmes?”

  “Have you been spending a lot of time with Preacher Jo?” Colin asked. “You could write his next sermon.”

  “It’s common sense,” she said, frowning at Colin. “Everyone deserves a second chance, especially after they’ve already proven themselves.”

  Cutty slowly approached the porch and held a hand out to Sadie. She stared at it as her mouth formed a firm line. “Take it,” he urged.

  “Why?” she asked.

  He took a few steps closer. “Take it, please, Mrs. Cooke.”

  The English accent suddenly broke through her rage. “Oh my heavens … it is you!”

  He stood in front of her now, his hand still extended. “My dear lady, I apologize for all the harm and anguish I’ve caused you and your family. I’m asking you to forgive me. Will you?”

  Sadie swallowed hard and looked at his hand again. She closed her eyes, opened them, then took it. “I … forgive you … Thackary.”

  “And now, Thackary Holmes can be laid to rest,” Cutty said, his lower lip trembling. “I, for one, would be content never to hear that name again.”

  “Hear, hear,” Harrison added quietly.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Cooke, Mr. Cooke,” Cutty continued. “You don’t know how much your forgiveness means to not just me, but Imogene. We could not marry until all this was settled between us.”

  Sadie’s eyes softened. “You may have been a low-down varmint once … but you risked your life to save me and the others. I can’t argue with the good Lord’s gift of redemption, and I’m not going to try.” She glanced over her shoulder at Harrison. “I guess the only thing to say at this point is …” She turned back to Cutty. “… welcome to the family.”

  Cutty’s eyes filled with tears and he choked back a sob. “Thank you, all of you. It’s …” He couldn’t continue, only let the tears flow.

  Imogene threw her arms around his neck. “I knew you could do it! And you didn’t suffer a scratch!”

  “Only because Sadie missed,” Colin riposted, and got an elbow in the ribs from Belle for his trouble.

  “Sorry about that,” Sadie said as she spied the stew pot several yards away. “Now where did the coffee pot go? I can’t have flung it that far …”

  Cutty pulled Imogene into his arms and held her close. “I love you, Imogene. I love you so much!”

  Jefferson and Edith came down the hall. They’d been in the kitchen when Cutty made his announcement, but neither had said a word. They just sat and stared at one another. “I see he’s still alive,” Jefferson remarked. “So, no one’s gonna shoot him or nothing?”

  “No, I think we’ve all come to an agreement on the matter,” Colin said. He went to Cutty and Imogene and tapped Cutty on the shoulder.

  Cutty turned to him. “Colin,” he simply said.

  “I’d like to offer you my forgiveness and, once again, my thanks. If it weren’t for you, I’d not have Belle nor our unborn child. You really have become a new man, and I’m glad of it.”

  Cutty bit his lower lip and shook Colin’s hand. “That means a lot to me, Colin.”

  Jefferson stepped forward. “Well, if anyone can appreciate being given a second chance, it’s me.”

  Cutty offered his hand to Jefferson, but was pulled into a fierce hug instead. He grunted as the older man held him in a vise-like grip. “Thnk yuh … Jffersn …”

  Jefferson let go. “You’re welcome,” he said and slapped him on the back. “And like Sadie said earlier, welcome to the family!”

  “And that goes for me too,” Edith added.

  “Well, I think that takes care of all of us,” Harrison declared. “I’m afraid I can’t predict anyone else’s reaction to the news. You’ve still got quite a few people to tell.”

  Cutty nodded his agreement. “Indeed. I’m less worried about Penelope, Fina, Lena, Apple and Constance. Irene Dunnigan, however …”

  Everyone paled. “Oh dear,” Colin said. “I’d quite forgotten about her involvement.”

  “While her being kidnapped wasn’t my fault … directly, she may not see it that way,” Cutty agreed. “Though I think she rather enjoyed herself. The way she handled them outlaws with that ladle made her a hero.”

  “Quite right on that score,” Colin affirmed. “She’s been reveling in it ever since.”

  “Don’t worry – we’ll be there if you want,” Sadie offered.

  Cutty gave her a small nod. “Just make sure she doesn’t grab that ladle when I tell her. Then maybe I’ll survive.”

  Everyone laughed as Harrison and Colin put their arms around Cutty and ushered them all inside. Only Imogene remained on the porch. She sighed, looked up at the sky and whispered, “Thank you.”

  Sixteen

  Cutty Holmes – no longer Thackary except legally, and no longer Cutty the drifter – joined the Cookes for dinner and for the first time experienced them all for what they were. Family.

  Harrison, Colin, Jefferson and their wives hesitated at first, but then began to barrage him with questions: where did he grow up? Where was he educated? Did his parents know Harrison and Colin’s? And on it went well into the night, even after Amon, Nettie and the others left. By the time they were done, Cutty was spent, and collapsed onto the settee in the parlor. “Have you an extra blanket?” he asked Colin. “I can bed down in the barn.”

  Harrison studied him, then smiled. “You’ll do no such thing. You can share the nursery with Honoria, that is, if you don’t mind.”

  Cutty’s jaw dropped. “You want me to share a room … with your little girl?”

  “She won’t bite. And if it bothers you, she can always sleep in our bed tonight. I’ve a cot I can set up – it won’t take me a moment.”

  “Thank you, Harrison. That’s very kind.” Cutty felt so overwhelmed, he couldn’t even raise his voice, let alone summon the cantankerous drawl he’d been using. But now he didn’t need to do either. Soft-spoken, humble … that suited him much better now.

  “Think
nothing of it. Now, let’s get you taken care off. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

  “I know,” he said and hung his head. “I hope I’m up to it.”

  “As I said before, the worst is over … well, almost.”

  “Not hardly,” Cutty muttered.

  “What do you mean? As soon as we disarm Mrs. Dunnigan, you can tell her who you are.”

  Cutty shook his head. “I meant Newton. That won’t be over until … until he decides it is.”

  Harrison sobered. “Oh yes, that. Don’t worry – he’ll come around in time. If my brother and I can find it in our hearts to forgive you, I’m sure your son can too.”

  Cutty stared at him and prayed it was true. “He does like those Indians.”

  “What tribe is it? Umatilla?”

  Cutty’s brow furrowed. “You know, I don’t recall. It’s no tribe I’ve ever heard of before, I do know that.”

  “That makes sense as you’re not from this country. I know of a few. Was there anything distinctive about them that you recall?”

  Cutty thought about it, then slowly nodded. “They were very tall. Some of them as tall if not taller than Andel Berg.”

  Harrison’s eyes went wide. “You don’t say? Well, that’s … strange. I’ll have to remember to ask Amon in the morning. He was out there with you – he would remember.”

  “He’s got a better memory than I do,” Cutty remarked. “Now I’d best get some shut-eye.”

  “Right. Follow me.” Harrison led him up stairs to Duncan’s old room. It had been turned into a nursery for their daughter and Belle’s child once it came along. As promised, Harrison set up a cot, gave Cutty a pillow and some blankets and bid him goodnight. Honoria was with Sadie, she having the same idea as Harrison about bringing the tyke to bed with them and letting Cutty have a sounder sleep.

  Cutty made up his cot, lay down and stared out the window. A crescent moon shone down, and the stars were brilliant. He wondered what Duncan and Cozette were doing at that moment, and wondered how to tell them. Write a letter? Let Harrison and Colin write something with him? What?

  He let his mind wander to this and that and tried not to think about tomorrow when he returned to Clear Creek and spoke with some of the townspeople. Eventually his mind found its way to thoughts of Newton. Where was he? Had he made it safely to the Indian village? Would he ever come back?