Cutty (Prairie Grooms Book 8) Read online

  Nothing. “That’s funny,” he muttered and knocked again. Still, Newton didn’t come to the door.

  “I wonder where he went.” Cutty scratched his head. Maybe Seth hadn’t seen Newton go down to breakfast.

  He returned to the lobby and went straight to the dining room, but the only people there were Sheriff Hughes and Cyrus Van Cleet. “Have either of ya seen my … Newton this morning?”

  “Haven’t seen him, Cutty,” the sheriff said. “Have you had your breakfast yet? Why don’t you join us?”

  “Ain’t got time,” he said. He turned and headed back to the lobby.

  “What’s the matter?” Seth asked. “Can’t you find him?”

  “Ain’t in his room, ain’t eatin’ breakfast. Maybe he went out to Nettie and Amon’s place.”

  Seth glanced at the hotel’s double doors. “Sometimes he likes to go for a ride early in the morning. Maybe that’s where he went. Sheriff Hughes and Cyrus are in the dining room – why not sit and eat something with them?”

  “Yeah, maybe I could grab a bite while I wait.”

  “I’ll let you know when he comes in,” Seth assured.

  “Much obliged,” Cutty said and headed off.

  “Changed your mind?” Sheriff Hughes asked as he re-entered the room.

  “I cain’t find Newton, so I might as well. What did Mrs. Upton make this morning?”

  “Pancakes, bacon, eggs, fried potatoes – you name it, she’s got it,” Cyrus replied. “I had to come into town early and Polly wasn’t feeling well, so I told her I’d eat here. I’m glad I did.”

  “Better not let your wife hear you say that,” Sheriff Hughes said with a chuckle.

  “I won’t,” Cyrus said. “I might wind up with nothing but tea and toast for the rest of the week.”

  Cutty and the sheriff laughed as Mrs. Upton came into the dining room with a plate laden with food. “Here you go,” she said, setting the plate on the table. “Eat up, honey!”

  “How did ya know I was here?” Cutty asked.

  “It’s my job to know. Now sit yourself down and eat.”

  He did. Everything looked and smelled wonderful.

  “Where’s Imogene?” Mrs. Upton asked as he took the first bite. “I haven’t seen her in days.”

  Cutty’s face reddened. He swallowed the food and gave her a sheepish look. “She and I had what ya might call a disagreement.”

  “Had yourselves a good fight, eh?” she said with a raised eyebrow.

  “It weren’t no fight.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” Sheriff Hughes said.

  “Me neither,” Cyrus added. “I heard it was a real row.”

  Cutty’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Where did ya hear all this from?”

  “The newlyweds, who else?” Mrs. Upton said.

  Cutty’s face twisted up in confusion. “How would Nettie and Amon know?”

  Mrs. Upton took a coffee pot off a nearby teacart and poured him a cup. “Well, considering how much time you spend with them, how wouldn’t they?”

  “Well, it was a disagreement, not a fight. Mind yer own business!”

  “Now, Cutty, she didn’t mean anything by it,” the sheriff soothed.

  “She didn’t try to get her facts straight neither. We did not have a fight!”

  “With the way you’re acting, though, I can certainly see how you could have,” she said and set the coffee pot down with a loud clank. “Enjoy your breakfast!”

  Cutty watched her stomp back to the kitchen. “She’s in a mood this morning, ain’t she?”

  “Only because you got her upset,” Cyrus said. “So, does this mean you and Imogene are getting serious?”

  Cutty’s cheeks grew hot. “What do ya wanna know for?”

  “Now, now, it was just a friendly question.”

  “What if we are?”

  “Then I’d say congratulations are in order,” Cyrus said with a smile.

  “About time,” Sheriff Hughes said and slapped Cutty on the back.

  He almost choked on his eggs. “Hey! Watch what yer doin’!”

  “Sorry about that,” Sheriff Hughes said. “Looks like we’re going to have another wedding.”

  “There ain’t gonna be no wedding,” Cutty grumbled.

  “No?” Cyrus drawled. “Why not?”

  “Just because two folks spend a lot of time together don’t mean they’re gonna get hitched!” Cutty took a quick bite of pancake.

  “You can’t put the woman off forever,” said Sheriff Hughes. “Women are funny about these things. She might get tired of waiting, run off and find herself another fella.”

  This time Cutty did choke. “In … cough … this town? Ya must be jokin’!”

  “I’d think about it, if I were you,” the sheriff said.

  “Ain’t nothin’ to think about. There ain’t no men in this town to marry any more than there are women.”

  Sheriff Hughes sat back in his chair and grinned. “Well, I wouldn’t say that. I fancy myself a right fine bachelor of respectable age. Same age as Imogene, as a matter of fact …”

  Cutty stood so fast he knocked his chair over. “Don’t even think about it!”

  Sheriff Hughes burst into laughter. “What did I tell you. Cyrus? He’s got it bad!”

  Cyrus’s face split into a wide grin. “Yes indeed, we’re going to have a wedding soon.”

  Cutty took a deep breath to calm down. They had him and they knew it. He picked up his chair and sat. “Well, there ain’t gonna be no weddin’ ‘til I say so.”

  “Promise you’ll tell us when that is?” Cyrus said as he chuckled.

  “Yeah, we want to be able to prepare,” Sheriff Hughes added.

  “Prepare?” Cutty asked. “Prepare what?”

  “You!” Sheriff Hughes said and burst out laughing again. He elbowed Cyrus. “Remember what we went through getting Anton Duprie ready for his big day?”

  “Good grief! How can I forget?”

  “Stop it, both of ya. I ain’t no dirt-covered Frenchie that ain’t had a bath in a decade!”

  “No, but you’re gonna need help just the same,” Cyrus said.

  “Fine, fine. I’ll let ya know.”

  The sheriff winked at Cyrus.

  Cutty wanted to punch them both. Unfortunately, they were right – he was going to marry Imogene, it was only a matter of time. He just needed to take care of one little detail …

  * * *

  After breakfast Cutty returned to the lobby and sat. Seth was nowhere in sight, which meant there was no one to talk to. “Figgers,” he muttered. He was bored not having Imogene to spend time with the last week, and wondered when he’d see her again. Maybe she’d read to him, or he could read to her one of their favorite adventure stories. He sighed, took off his hat and scratched his head.

  His eyes went wide. “What the …?” He patted his noggin to make sure. “Tarnation!” His mouth dropped open in shock. “Well, I’ll be.” For the first time since he’d been burned, he felt his hair growing back!

  Sheriff Hughes and Cyrus came into the lobby to find him patting his head with both hands. “Lose something?” Sheriff Hughes teased.

  “Only if it was under his hat,” Cyrus quipped.

  “Wait a minute,” Sheriff Hughes said and peered more closely. “Why, Cutty! Is that what I think it is?”

  “It’s a miracle! A plumb miracle!” Cutty said. “I didn’t think it’d ever grow back.”

  The sheriff and Cyrus studied his head. “Well, would you look there,” Cyrus said.

  “I was wonderin’ why my head’s been itchy lately,” Cutty said with a giggle.

  Sheriff Hughes got closer. “How old are ya?”

  “What ya wanna know that for?” Cutty asked.

  “Well, ‘cause …” He glanced at Cyrus, then back to Cutty. “It looks like …”

  Cutty lowered his hands. “Like what?” He stood and hurried to a large mirror on the wall behind the front counter. “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat
! It’s …”

  “White,” Sheriff Hughes finished. “You don’t look old enough to have white hair.”

  “I ain’t!” Cutty squeaked. “’Fore the fire I had brown hair.”

  “Not anymore,” Cyrus said, stating the obvious. “You should ask Doc Drake about it – maybe he can explain why it’s growing back white.”

  Cutty swallowed hard. What would Imogene think? Of course, up to now she didn’t mind that one side of his face had a few burn scars, not to mention the patch he wore over his eye. And she’d never said anything about his lack of hair. Come to think of it, what woman would want a man that looked like him?

  On the other hand, what woman would want to be with a man like Thackary Holmes, despite him being much more handsome? But Cutty would never look like Thackary again. If his hair was indeed growing in white, no one would recognize him as his old notorious self. Unless he told them …

  Sheriff Hughes and Cyrus joined him at the mirror. “You’ll cut quite a figure for Imogene now,” Cyrus said.

  “They say white hair makes a man look wise,” added the sheriff. “I think she’ll like it.”

  Cutty shoved his hat onto his head. “I can always shave it off.”

  “Ouch,” Cyrus said with a grimace. “Don’t be too hasty. Let it grow out and see what it looks like first.”

  “Enough about my hair,” Cutty said and turned. “I gotta find Newton!” He marched out of the hotel and into the street without another word. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Cyrus and Sheriff Hughes hadn’t followed. Good. He decided to go to the livery stable – if Newton had gone for a ride earlier, he would’ve used one of the horses Chase the blacksmith kept for that purpose.

  When he got there, Chase was nowhere to be seen, which was fine with him. He’d had enough heckling for one morning. He settled onto a bale of hay and mused over his dilemma. How long should he wait before he told Newton and Nettie who he was? How long would it take him to get close to his son? How betrayed would they feel once he gave them the news? Maybe he should tell them now and forget all this nonsense. Maybe if he did, it wouldn’t hurt as much when they told him to get out of their lives and stay out.

  He closed his eyes against the thought. “I just found them. I can’t lose them now,” he whispered. “I haven’t even told them yet, and my heart feels like it’s breaking …”

  He took off his hat and twisted it in his hands. He got nervous just thinking about it. Once he told them, it was going to hurt – and telling them was just the beginning. Even if they didn’t reject him, he’d still have to ask for their forgiveness. Would they be willing to give it?

  Furthermore, the thought just occurring to him, he was going to have to forgive himself.

  But first things first. He couldn’t say anything unless there was someone to say it to. “Where is that boy?”

  The sound of a wagon drew his attention and he got up as it stopped outside the livery stable. A familiar voice drifted to his ears and his heart leapt in his chest. Imogene! He ran to the livery’s open doors and sure enough, there she was. He watched Jefferson Cooke helped her down and set her on her feet. “Imogene!” he said, starting to run, then catching himself. “Er … finally decided to come to town, eh?”

  “If you think I came into town to see you, you old coot, then you’re quite mistaken.”

  “Well, if you ain’t here to see me, then why are ya?”

  “Can’t a lady come to town and get a few things?”

  “Like what? Ya got all ya need out on that ranch!”

  Jefferson openly gawked at the two. “Tarnation, but you two have got it bad! Why don’t ya just get hitched?”

  “Hitched?” Imogene huffed. “Why, I wouldn’t marry that man if you paid me a thousand dollars!”

  Jefferson reached into his pockets as if digging for money. “I’m afraid I’m a little short, but I’m sure me and the boys could get enough cash together …”

  Imogene smiled at his joke, then looked at Cutty. “How have you been … old man?”

  “Don’t call me that!”

  “Why not? It’s true.”

  Cutty thought of his new white hair and cringed. “I ain’t no older than ya and ya know it!”

  “Oh, let’s not stand here arguing. It’s more fun to do it in the hotel over tea, don’t you think?”

  “Fine, let’s go,” he huffed and offered his arm. She took it with a smile. “Silly old coot.”

  “Crotchety old woman. C’mon.”

  Jefferson watched them cross the street and head to the hotel. “What a pair,” he said with a shake of his head. “I hope after they get married they don’t live at the ranch. None of us’ll have a moment’s peace.”

  * * *

  Cutty ordered tea and biscuits, then turned to Imogene after Mrs. Upton returned to kitchen. “I … I’ve missed ya.”

  Imogene smiled. “I rather missed you, too.”

  He fidgeted in his chair. “So are ya still mad at me?”

  She put a hand to his cheek. “No. I can’t stay mad at you, even if you are an old fool.”

  “I ain’t a …” He reached up and put a hand over her own. “… then again, yer right, I am. I don’t know what you see in me.”

  “Right now I see a man struggling with what to do.”

  Cutty gazed at her. She could read him like a book. Of course, considering how many books she’d read to him while he recuperated from his burns, she should. He could read her too, and noticed the light in her eyes. “What is it?”

  “I’ve been thinking,” she said, letting her hand fall away. “You do understand why it’s best we not marry yet?”

  “I suppose.”

  “You know I have your best interests in mind, along with Newton and Nettie’s. How can I help you?”

  Cutty could only stare. “You wanna help?”

  “Of course I want to help, you silly man. This is too big for you to face alone. But I’m not sure how.”

  His eyes darted to the kitchen door and back. He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “I came up with an idea how to spend more time with Newton, like I did with Nettie. I need to get to know him better before I tell ‘em anything.”

  “Why, Cutty, that’s a splendid idea. How are you going to do it?”

  “Well, Ryder’s gonna build a house and asked if I’d help. So I’m gonna ask Newton to help too.”

  “Maybe that’s why Constance is having the family to dinner,” she mused.

  “What do ya think? It is a good idea?”

  “I just said so, didn’t I? It’s wonderful – except that I won’t see you as often.”

  “I know it has its drawbacks,” he said. “But we both know I gotta see this done.”

  Her eyes softened, melting his heart. “I’ll help you any way I can – if it means not seeing you for a time, then so be it. Besides, I think it will do you good to spend time with your son.”

  “Ya could come out to Ryder’s place for a few days …”

  “I’ll do nothing of the kind. “You know very well there would be no place for me to sleep – I’m too old to bed down in the barn.”

  Cutty’s eyes darted to the door again. Mrs. Upton could come back at any moment. “After Ryder builds his house, his old one’s gonna be empty.”

  “I would imagine so.”

  “He offered it to me.” He gazed into her eyes and smiled. “Right cozy little place it is, too.”

  “Cutty, what are you saying?” she said with a smile of her own.

  “Ya know perfectly well what I’m sayin’,” he said in a low voice.

  Mrs. Upton entered the dining room. “Here you go,” she said as she set their tea tray on the table. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “No, thank you,” Imogene said.

  “It’s nice to see you,” Mrs. Upton told her. “My, but it’s been a while.” She smiled at Cutty, then turned back to Imogene. “Are you going to be in town long enough to attend the ladies’ sewing circle
?”

  “Good heavens, is it Thursday already?” Imogene said. “I had no idea. Neither Belle nor Sadie said a word to me about it this morning.”

  “They probably figure you plan to attend, then ride home with them,” Mrs. Upton suggested. “You should go. You missed last week’s.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” Imogene said.

  “Wonderful! I made cookies just for the occasion!” Mrs. Upton bustled back to the kitchen.

  “That woman sure loves to cook,” Cutty remarked.

  “And I suppose if you have me tucked away in that new little house of yours, you’ll expect me to do the same?”

  “Well … it ain’t like we’re gonna hire a cook and a maid now, is it?”

  “I said nothing of the kind. Pour the tea.”

  “Why should I marry such a bossy woman?” he groused as he reached for the pot.

  “Because you can’t help but do as I say,” she said proudly.

  “And why is that?” he demanded as he handed her a cup.

  She gave him a bright smile. “Because you know you love me, you old coot.”

  He poured his own cup, set the teapot down and glared at her. “And you love me, so that makes us even, don’t it?”

  “I suppose it does,” she said and took a sip of her tea.

  “Women!”

  “Oh, be quiet and enjoy your tea, will you?” she said. “Then when we’re done you’d best find Newton.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Cutty agreed. “I just wish I knew where to look.”

  Four

  “And them there’s rabbit tracks,” Ryder said and pointed.

  Newton knelt next to him and studied the ground. “I appreciate you teaching me how to track. Call it a boyhood fancy, but I’ve always wanted to learn. I still can’t get over that you and your brother learned from a woman.”

  Ryder chuckled. “In case you ain’t figured it out yet, Mrs. Awahnee ain’t your average woman. I don’t know where she learned to track so well, but she’s the best I’ve ever seen. She and her husband.”

  “An odd pair, to be sure,” Newton said and stood. “Have you seen much of them lately?”

  Ryder stood as well. “Not much since Amon finished his house. But my guess is they’re still around.”