Chapter 7

Jessie eyed the blankets surrounding her in the back of the wagon, a confused as to why they were there.

“Why do I need these?” she asked Colt. “It’s warm right now, and it’s only six in the morning.”

“Yeah, but haven’t you noticed how cold it gets out here at night? We keep the house relatively warm, but there won’t be a fireplace on the way to town,” Colt explained as he threw a satchel into the back of the wagon.

Jessie nodded and looked down at her leg, propped up on top of two or three blankets. She hoped it would heal soon. She was tired of being an invalid.

“How’re you feelin?” Colt’s friend Doc asked her as he approached the side of the wagon.

“I feel just dandy,” Jessie put on a sweet smile.

Doc nodded. “Maybe the doctor in Plateau will be able to do more for you. I’m sure glad you got your memory back. Hey, speaking of which, you don’t happen to remember how you ended up flat on your back with a broken leg in the middle of Arizona, do you?”

Jessie drew her eyebrows close together and thought hard. No matter how hard the thought, she couldn’t remember a thing about how she ended up in the accident. Had she ridden Sara? What had happened to the normally trustworthy horse?

“I… I honestly don’t remember a thing. I’m sorry,” Jessie said ruefully.

Doc waved her apology off with her hand. “It’s understandable. I’ve seen men get kicked by a horse and have a concussion like yourself, who never remember the accident or the events surrounding it.”

Jessie swallowed hard. Would she ever remember what happened? How else would she determine her reasoning for being out West? She couldn’t imagine never knowing the answer to that. How would she get back home?

Momma must be so worried. Daddy was probably gathering up a posse at the moment, and Jake would be at the head of it. She’d always had a protecting, good and strong Southern family, but what if they didn’t know her whereabouts?

Had she run away?

Jessie stifled a gasp. Who would give her a reason to run away? She had never been the kind to act hastily about anything, let alone run away on a whim.

The uncertainty of her past thoughts and actions enveloped and scared her. She was overcome by the feeling that someone was after her… that she was running from something. Why would she, the daughter of Jacob Steele, be running from anyone or anything? She had been taught better than that.

“You sure Sherman knows nothing about Miss Jessie, Colt?” Doc asked.

Colt nodded and glanced at her with that same kind smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sure. He has no clue.”

Just then, the dog started in on a barking fit.

“Shut up, Worthless!” Colt ground through his teeth.

The dog stopped only a moment before he started barking again. Colt rolled his eyes.

“If Granny didn’t love that mutt so much, I’d put us out of our misery,” he told her.

“Don’t you dare say such a thing about Worthless!” Carby screeched, bending down to pat the dog’s head. “He’s not worth much, but he’s a good guard dog.”

“Is that why he’s called Worthless?” Jessie asked.

Colt shook his head. “She named him that when he was a pup and refused to bark about anything. Needless to say, that wore off real quick.”

Jessie smiled as the dog continued to bark.

“I’m gonna go ahead and get out of here, Granny,” Colt said, walking in his grandmother’s direction.

He gave her a brief hug and knelt down to be eye-level with the dog, who barked in his face.

Colt scowled at the dog and put a hand on his head.

“You take care of Granny, ya hear?” he said.

Worthless continued to bark while everyone said their brief goodbyes and until they were out of hearing range of the line shack.

“You sure about leaving your granny there alone?” Jessie heard Doc ask.

Colt glanced back toward where they had come and sighed. “I don’t got a choice, Dawson. I asked Clint to check in on her while I was gone, and he said he would. If there’s anyone who can take care of her, it’s Clint. I trust him.”

The tone in Colt’s voice sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than his friend.

She sighed at the trouble she was causing. Colt was sacrificing for her, and so was Doc. They were kind men, and she knew they would take care of her on this trip.

It hit her for the first time that she would be making the three-day trip to Plateau with two men she barely knew. Perhaps she hadn’t allowed herself to think of it before, but it hit her square in the face right now. Heat crept up her neck as she thought of the circumstances. Momma would be devastated if she got wind of this. Even Jessie felt violated.

God, I’m trusting you to protect me and my reputation on this trip. You’re all I’ve got.

*****

Colt’s words proved true. Once the sun started to go down, the chill settled in and Jessie had to put one of the blankets to use.

“You about ready to make camp, Miss Steele?” Colt glanced back at her.

Jess shrugged. “Whenever you two are. I’m just along for the ride… literally.”

Colt chuckled. “This is as good of a place as any. We’ll make camp here. Doc, why don’t you go find something to make a fire with?”

The men began to have some kind of argument, though Jessie couldn’t hear a lot of it. She only heard bits and pieces from their whispered voices.

“Why do I… the one to get firewood?”

“Because I said… better comply or I’ll…”

“I could… any day of the week.”

“Just get… stinkin’ firewood… Dawson.”

“… just lucky that I… worth my weight in dirt or…”

“Just git!”

Colt hopped down from the wagon seat and walked around the wagon to her. Doc hopped down and walked off.

“Is everything okay?” Jessie asked.

Colt nodded. “He’s just bein’ contrary.”

Jessie narrowed her eyes toward the direction that Doc walked. She didn’t picture him as the lazy type.

‘”A’ight, sunshine. We’ve gotta find some way to get you down,” Colt tapped a finger on the side of the wagon in thought.

Jessie looked around the land around them. Small bushes and tall cacti sprinkled the countryside, some tall mountain-like hills with flat tops serving as a backdrop. She had only heard stories of the beautiful state of Arizona, but she had never actually been in person. That thought confused her all the more as to why she was here in the first place.

“Tell you what. Why don’t you see if you can scoot down toward the end here and I’ll carry you from there,” Colt suggested.

Jessie froze. “Carry me?”

Colt stared at her. “Yeah. It’s where I hold my arms like so and…”

“I know what it is, Mr. Kidd,” Jessie narrowed her eyes at his smart-aleck comment. He grinned… and somehow that made it all better. Then she remembered why he couldn’t carry her. “B-but I’m too heavy.”

“Heavy? Pshh,” Colt snorted. “I carried you about a mile to the line shack when you were unconscious. You’re not heavy at all.”

Jessie was still doubtful. She clenched her hands and held them over her stomach. She eyed his arms and noticed how he wasn’t exceptionally muscular, but he had a good deal of strength hidden under than flannel shirt. Maybe she wasn’t too heavy to a man who was used to carrying cows, but to others, she was sure a burden.

“A-Are you sure that I’m not too much of a burden?” she asked.

“Nah,” Colt waved off her insecurity with his hand.

Nervously, Jessie scooted down to the end of the wagon, her immobile leg preventing the normal ease of the task. She got far enough for her feet to hang off the end of the wagon.

“That’s good,” Colt said as he came around the side of the wagon.

He extended his arms and Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck. Just like that, she was lifted into his arms without as much as a grunt. There wasn’t even strain on his face!

A small part of Jessie felt triumphant. Her efforts to eat less of those delicious sweets Rosie made and taking a brisk walk in the mornings might be paying off. Yet one glance at her stomach area banished those triumphant thoughts. She was still fat, and no amount of muscle on Colt Kidd’s part could convince her otherwise.

“See? You’re no trouble at all,” Colt said with a slight smile.

Jessie searched his eyes for some sort of hint that he was lying, but found nothing but kindness there. His words coaxed a smile from her lips as he carried her a few feet away to set her on the ground with her back leaned up against a tall cactus.

“These cactuses around here are positively gigantic!” she exclaimed as she looked at the towering heights of the one that supported her back. They looked a lot taller up close.

“They’re Saguaro cactuses. They can grow up to twenty feet tall, I heard,” Colt told her as he walked back to the wagon to retrieve a few supplies.

“Twenty feet? That is amazing!” Jessie grinned broadly.

Maybe one day she would be able to see one that tall. Arizona was even more beautiful than she had heard, and the people much more tame. It wasn’t as if she had expected hooligans, but she certainly didn’t expect such a kindness as she had found in Colt, Doc and Carby.

“Cold?” Colt dropped a folded blanket into her lap.

“Thank you.” Jessie unfolded the blanket and wrapped herself in it.

She watched as Colt busied himself with preparing the rest of the camp. Doc came back shortly with an armful of twigs, brush, and enough substantial firewood to make a warming fire.

Soon, the fire was made and Colt put a small pot on a square rock on the edge of the flames.

“It’s nothing like Granny’s cooking, but we’ll see how you fare on cowboy vittles,” he said with a smirk.

Jessie narrowed her eyes. What did cowboys eat? An old retired cowhand back home recalled his days in the West with wild tales of drinking from a hoof print, eating raw cowhide, and losing his finger in a range war.

Had Colt ever been in a range war?

“Not to worry, Miss Steele. It’s just beans a jerky with a sourdough biscuit or two,” Doc put in.

Jessie felt relieved. Yet, she couldn’t keep from asking, “Have either of you ever eaten raw cowhide?”

Colt and Doc exchanged looks before laughing her question away.

“I can honestly say that I’ve never had the need, Miss Jessie,” Colt said with a smile. “Of course, I’m the foreman so I never get sent away for more than a few days at a time. These week long trips to town are the longest I ever take.”

“However,” Doc took his knife out and commenced to carving out a hole in the top of a bean can, making the most atrocious sound as he did. “I’ve had to last three days with nothing but half a canteen and a piece of old jerky before. It weren’t fun, to say the least.”

He continued carving out a hole in the can until the sound nearly drove Jessie batty and caused her head to ache.

“Give me that.” Colt snatched both the can and knife away from Doc and made a much quieter job of making an opening in the can.

Doc huffed and sat back on his heels. As soon as he settled he popped right back up before sitting back down, his feet in front of him this time.

“Ain’t I ever told you not to squat with your spurs on, ya dingbat? Colt muttered to him as he poured the contents of the can into the heated pot.

“I forgot I had ’em on,” Doc defended.

Colt looked at Jessie and shook his head. She laughed a little bit.

She could get used to being around these two, even under such circumstances.

Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I've been lazy :/ Lemme know what you think, guys! Have a great new year!