On the ride, back to town Cole noticed Martha was quiet. The earth had cooled a bit, and the trees were brimming with noisy birds and crickets. The wind barely blew, one of those still nights. Then things got quiet as they moved away from the tree lines. The only noise seemed to be the sound of the wagon making its way over a rough and rutted road.
"So how did your visit go?" Cole asked her.
Martha stopped him with a hand on his knee, "Stop the horses for a minute, will you."
"Sure." Cole stopped and looked at her.
"She accepted the dresses gracefully, from me. And you were right, she wouldn't have accepted them from you. She feels so indebted to you for what you did for her father. But I've got a question for you now."
"Alright, shoot."
"When you gonna take her as your wife, Cole?" Martha blurted about as bluntly as a gun to the head.
Cole fidgeted, he cleared his throat and looked off in the distance. "Well, I…well…you don't understand."
"Oh, I do understand. You told Polly you were through, but you can't tell her that this so-called marriage is for real. Can you? And Cole Martin that is exactly what you want it to be. I saw you staring at her tonight. I saw what was in your eyes."
He frowned. "In the beginning, it was all just for Harmon, Martha." Cole tried to explain, but he couldn't quite look Martha in the eye when he said it. Martha saw the truth, always, and spoke it too. "We both knew that."
"I understand that, but you would have never told Polly goodbye if there wasn't more to this so-called marriage of yours and I know that very well. You've gone up those stairs with her for the past five years. Not that Polly is suffering a bit from it, but you cut yourself off from a healthy dose of lust, and I'm wondering why."
Cole almost laughed. In a way, it was funny. "I don't even know for sure myself. Except she said I could get it annulled so I could see Polly. And somehow that didn't set well with me, Martha. When the preacher read those words between us, I don't know. How can anyone listen to those words and not take them seriously?"
"What is wrong with you, Cole?"
"Nothing!" Cole insisted.
"Nothing? You are letting that poor little gal sit out there on that land, and work it every day, alone, just like Harmon did. And she's doing a bang-up job of it, Cole, but that's not right, and you know it. She's your wife now and you should claim her. What are people to think of the two of you? Why, they'll be talking all over town about how the two of you are married and living separately. It just isn't done. You either make that gal yours or get an annulment one."
"Well what the hell am I supposed to do Martha?" Cole shouted. "I don't have the slightest idea how she feels about me."
"Oh, don't give me that, you know a lot about women, Cole. So, tell me, have you asked her?"
"I can't spit it out like that."
"Well then, how do you feel about her?"
"Truth?"
"Truth!"
"I like her!"
"And that's it?"
"Well Martha, Gabby was a complete surprise to me. But well, we are married, and somehow it doesn't sit well to get an annulment just like that. I got a responsibility to her."
"Have you kissed her?"
Cole stared at Martha a minute before answering. "Yeah, I kissed her." He blushed like a schoolboy.
"Once…or more?"
"More…" He frowned.
"Why?"
"I don't know. She's easy on the eyes Martha, and she's even better about how she believes and stuff. She's a surprise Martha. She's not some ignorant little lady. She's got a simple way of looking at things, and I like that. I somehow understand her, and I don't have any idea why."
Martha smiled. "Soul mates."
"What?" He twisted his head at her in question.
"Soul mates, I've heard the term more than once in my life. It's when you connect with someone, like you almost know them, because their soul is like yours."
"Where did you hear that?"
"I don't know, some passing gypsy, I suppose, but when she told me about it, I understood it. That's what you got, you and Gabby. Oh boy, this is wonderful Cole. I thought maybe you just thought she was pretty and wanted to have her for yourself for a while, but this is even better."
"You're talking nonsense."
"Am I? I'll bet when the two of you are together, you can almost guess what she's about to say. How she'll react. You know her, Cole. Don't you? And you ain't known her that long."
Cole sat stone still. Martha had somehow picked up on the same thing he'd been thinking for a while now and it was uncanny. Even if it was true, what should he do about it?
"No, I’m sure of it now. I wasn't sure that old gypsy knew what she was talking about, but now I am. I see it between you. I didn't believe it at first. But you are drawn to this girl. And she is your wife, and despite what she might say, she's drawn to you. Oh, I’m so pleased. But there's one thing. Just don't hurt her."
"I have no intention of hurting her."
"Good. You better bed her quick then."
"Now what are you going off about?" Cole frowned.
"When two people understand each other without talking much, it means they were meant to be together. And you two were meant for each other, Cole. Don't let her get away from you. You'll never find it again! I can tell you that."
"Now you're beginning to sound like a gypsy yourself, Martha."
"Maybe, but don't underestimate the power between you two, Cole."
"Look, I like her, and I think she likes me a little too. But that doesn't mean we can make this thing work, you know?"
Undaunted Martha yelled back, "If you don't know how you really feel, you aren't the man I thought you was."
"It was a deal, Martha, not the forever kind of marriage." Cole explained. "At least that's how it started."
"Maybe that's how it started but, it's not how it should finish. It ain't right Cole, and you are the only one that can set it right. She doesn't belong out there alone working her fingers to the bone. She's a sweet little lady, but working like she does, she'll be dead before she's thirty, and you know it. You must move her to your place. And you know that too."
"It's not that easy. She doesn't want to go."
"You asked her?"
"I have."
Martha shook her head with disgust. "Then don't you think it's time you told her!"
"Told her what?"
"That you care about her, that's what. That she's got to go with you. That she's your wife and that's how folks live that are married."
Cole opened his mouth to refute it, but in all honesty, he couldn't. He did care. But he hadn't wanted to force her into going with him. And he wasn't sure just how much he cared. At least not yet! The fact was, he'd never been in a real relationship with a woman before.
"Unless you want an annulment. Is that what you want?" Martha asked, her face a wad of frowns now.
"No!" He quickly affirmed. "I told Harmon I'd take care of her, I meant it?"
"Is it Harmon you are worried about, or your feelings for her?" She asked. "Are you afraid to admit how you really feel about her?"
"I don't know what my feelings are, Martha. Never had any for a woman before. I mean, not like this."
"That's not true." Martha claimed.
"What. I never have had…."
"What about Polly? You gonna sit there and tell me you weren't sweet on her? You never went up those stairs with another woman before. You were so true just to her, and she walked all over you. And for what? Sex! That's what. But sex alone will never be enough, Cole."
"That wasn't love, that was lust. I realized that this morning." Cole grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, maybe at first, I thought I loved her, but after a while it got to be a routine, more than a yearning. A man works hard and having a woman sort of relieves the tension."
"That's true, I know that for a fact. Well, at least you got your head on straight about her now. But Gabby is something else. I know you didn't start out like most folks do, lovin' each other. But every time you look at her, I see something in those dark, brown eyes of yours that was never there before." Martha told him.
"Look Martha, I know you mean well, I do. But this is something the two of us are gonna have to work out ourselves." Cole told her. "And it's not going to happen overnight."
"Well," Martha looked at him now, with sympathy. "You better do it soon, because people are gonna start talking. Your boys get a little loose tongued when they drink Cole. And before long everyone in town will know."
Cole stared at her a long time, "You're right about that. I have considered that. Part of why I broke it off with Polly. I didn’t' want the town talking about it."
Martha nodded.
Cole whipped the horses and they rode in silence most of the way until they were almost in town. "I'll think on it, Martha."
"Don't think too long. She's a pretty little gal, and if you don't do something, someone else might. You could lose her Cole, to some sweet-talking young man. Now that they know she's out there. It won't be safe for her…She's took care of that place almost completely by herself. She's worth ten Polly's."
"You're right. I've thought about it before. But what the hell can I do?" He asked looking straight into her gray eyes.
"Take her to your ranch. It's the only way to protect her now." Martha told him. "Even if you don't touch her, she'll be safe there. And maybe things will work out naturally once you get her over there."
Cole's eyes narrowed. "I guess you're right. Just gotta figure out how I'm gonna do it. She's a stubborn little thing."
"You're right about that too, but maybe you'll have to run roughshod over her, until she sees the wisdom of it."
"You mean force her to go?"
"Whatever it takes." Martha told her.
Cole nodded.
He dropped Martha off, after thanking her for the advice and the dresses.
All the way home he tried to figure a way to talk Gabby into moving to his place. But nothing seemed to work in his mind. Aside from just physically making her move.
He didn't like mountain-men tactics.
No, he'd have to do some thinking.
However, the problem was solved one day when he least expected it.
Slim, his foreman came running up to him one morning, with a worried look on his face.
"Boss we got a real problem." Slim Biggs told him. Slim was not just his foreman, he ran the ranch for him a lot of the time. He was a dependable and good man.
"Oh, what's going on?" Cole asked with interest as he looked out over the spread.
"It's a cat, boss. A big one."
"A cat?" That caught his attention.
"Yeah, no run of mill cat either, spotted him a time or two, even got a shot off, but he was quicker than molasses. Every night for two nights now. A big cat."
Cole studied on it, "Alright, I'll ride night herd myself for a couple of nights, see if I can get a shot off at him."
"He's been makin' the rounds according to Haywood. Been scaring his chickens to death and the Conroe's had one calf killed." Slim told him.
"Thanks for letting me know. I'll sit the saddle and see if I can get him before he does any more damage." Cole told him. He was usually a good shot and he figured he could get the drop on him, if he kept at it.
Slim nodded and let the others know.
For the next two nights, Cole rode with the night herders. He heard the cat long before he got a glimpse of him. He fired a shot at him the first night and missed him by a hair. The cat had perched on a cliff, and was above him, he fired almost immediately only managing to scare him off.
"Dammit." Cole exclaimed.
The second night he heard him but didn't see him.
The cattle were restless.
When he came into camp that next morning, he was dead on his feet tired, and he still hadn't gotten the cat.
"Boss?"
Slim came striding up to the camp after tying his horse with the others. "Haywood done put a bounty on the cat."
"A bounty. Good gosh that means every man with a rifle will be out here trying to get him. It'll get crazy. Keep the herd tight, all the shooting that might go on could cause them to stampede and with all the barbed wire, it could get messy."
"I know, but he's already posted it. $500 reward."
Cole slapped the dust off his chaps, "Just what we need."
Slim studied him a minute.
"Something else on your mind Slim?" Cole asked.
"Well yeah," Slim stirred the dirt with his boot, hesitating blurting it out. "I guess there is boss, me and the boys were wonderin' if you have checked on Gabby lately. I mean, she's alone over there and she's got stock too." Slim scratched his chin as he spoke, as though hating to mention it to him.
Cole sighed, "No, I guess I should, though."
Slim nodded and walked off. It was the expression on Slim's face that bothered Cole. He bowed his head, he'd thought about her, but his pride didn't want the world to know that.
Martha was right, everyone was thinking about Gabby these days. And the news of the cat would be all over the town.
He mounted up and told Slim to stick close to the herd. Slim nodded without a word.
He rode over to Gabby's and was dumbfounded when he spotted her at the chicken coop. She was sitting down in the coop, crying her eyes out.
Cole looked around, to see what the problem might be, but the silence told him. The cat had been here and got her chickens, all of them.
"Gabby…. Get out of there?" He told her coming around to the coop door.
She looked up. She was in her men's clothes, dirty and not caring. "They're dead…. all of them…cat got them. I tried to shoot him, but he was too quick…"
"Get out of there," he demanded, worried at what she said.
She came out and stood up and looked at him. Her tears were still flowing down her cheeks. "I tried to kill him, but he was just too fast for me. He was so big!"
He pulled her to him and let her cry on his shoulder.
"That settles it. You are coming home with me." He told her.
She jerked her head off his shoulder, "I can't do that. I've got stock to tend to…" she cried.
"Don't worry about that, I'll send a couple of my boys over to take care of them. Now, pack yourself some clothes and whatever else you need."
"But…I can't…. just leave." She cried.
"Sure, you can. I'm not leaving you here alone again. Understand?" his voice boomed at her. He took her by the arms and shook her a minute.
She stared at him.
"Dammit, you could have been hurt. I should have been here." He was reprimanding himself, not her. Pride had kept him away, and he knew it.
"You can't tend your place and mine."
"I don't have time to keep running over here…so you're moving over there, now!" He said and began hitching her wagon for her. "I've got to get that cat before it does any more damage. Not just to mine or your herds, but others in the community too. I know you want to discuss this, but it's not the time. I've got too much on my mind honey to worry about you too. So, you are moving over to my place and that's the end of it."
"Has it killed before?" She asked innocently.
"Oh yeah, several others had the same problem, some calves, chickens. One of my boys was hurt, as the cat jumped it hit him in the head."
"I tried to get him…but it was dark, and he was so fast."
"My God, you could have been killed Gabby!" He grabbed her to him again. "I'll get you to the house, then I'm going after him."
She stared up at him. "Alone?"
"It's the best way. He wouldn't come around a crowd of people."
Then he saw her face, full of concern, tears streaming down her cheeks, and that lovely hair, blowing slightly in the wind. It took his breath.
Her protests went unheard when his head bent, and he kissed her hard and unrelenting, then softened swiftly as her lips moved against his. He felt her fingers splaying through his hair, and his kiss deepened. They both seemed to need this kiss, soaking it into their hearts. He was just afraid, and concerned, that was all. Wasn't it?
When they came up for air, they stared into each other's eyes and suddenly he grinned down at her. "Get your stuff, I’m taking you home."
She went inside swiftly, as though her legs would barely carry her after that kiss. She glanced around the cabin, and after adding a few things to it, she dragged the trunk out on the porch. He pulled the wagon up beside the porch, jumped down and loaded the trunk. "Is this all?"
"I think so. I'll leave the cookin' stuff for the boys who come over to make themselves at home with." She told him.
"That's a good idea. Thanks." He helped her up the wagon and drove her home.
When he arrived Slim was waiting for him. Slim slanted a quick glance at Gabby, gave a slight smile and told Cole that a cow had been killed overnight. "Must have got the tail end of the herd. Joe Murphy was injured, cat nearly got him, jumped on him. Haywood said one of his boys tangled with him too but one of his hands shot at him before the cat did any really bad damage. Got Jim Prichard in the arm though nearly took it clean off."
"Sounds like Haywood is really having a time with the cat too. No wonder he put up the reward. He's got some pretty good guns working for him, I'd have thought they would have gotten him. Got Gabby's chickens too." Cole told him.
"We got to get him boss." Slim said taking the trunk toward the house.
"Soon as I get her settled, I'm heading out. How fresh was the kill?"
"Must have just happened, it was still bleeding."
"Good, at least I know where to start looking for him." Cole remarked as he helped Gabby down from the wagon.
They followed Slim in the house. Slim left the trunk in the hallway. "I better get back out."
"Take over the herd for me, I'll be out looking for him."
"Right boss, oh and uh, welcome, Mrs. Martin," Slim smiled at her and left.
Not used to anyone calling her that, she started to say something, but quickly shut up.
"Pick yourself a room. I've got to get after that cat. Sorry I can't stay a while but make yourself to home here."
"Where's your room?" She asked.
"At the end of the hall there." He pointed.
"Uh…this one will be fine, then." She told him, picking the one closest to him.
He nodded. "I'll be in when I can…" He started to walk off.
"Cole," she called to him.
"Yeah," he turned to look at her.
"Be careful," she told him with a slight smile.
"I aim to." He grinned, then left. "And, I'm sorry about your chickens."
He stared at her a long moment before he turned and walked away.