Chapter Forty-Three:

"Jedidiah?" Katherine called quietly, pulling the old man's attention away from the gun he was cleaning.

It was early evening and the hotel was stocked, Silas and Charlotte were still on guard duty, Rachel was cooking in the hotel kitchen and everyone else, other than Jedidiah, Susette, Katherine and Ox were in the rooms upstairs.

"What is it, Katherine?" Jedidiah asked, his sharp blue eyes going to Susette. His wrinkles deepened as he frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"There's something that Susette needs to speak to you about. She doesn't want to but I believe it needs to be done."

Jedidiah sat the rifle aside and smiled comfortingly at the girl, though there was something in her eyes that confused him. Something he recognized. "What is it, Susette?"

The girl tugged at her skirt and bit her lip as she stared down at the floorboards. "Nothing."

"Now, Susette, you need to tell Jedidiah the truth." Ox urged. "He'll understand and he won't think you're crazy."

Katherine put her hand on Susette's shoulder and the girl nodded, swallowed hard and grabbed one of her braids in her fist. "I knew something bad was going to happen here."

Jedidiah was hit with shock so hard he nearly fell off the chair he was seated on. "What do you mean you knew?"

"I see things." Susette replied, her voice so quiet, Jedidiah had to strain to hear her. "I always have. I don't have normal dreams."

"How old are you?" Jedidiah asked cautiously.

"Six, almost seven."

"And how long have you had these dreams?"

"For as long as I can remember."

Jedidiah motioned for the girl to come closer and she glanced back at Katherine. "Go on." Katherine urged. Susette took three small steps toward Jedidiah and he grabbed her hands, holding them gently in his own.

"Were your parents on that stage?"

"No." Susette whispered, her bottom lip trembling. "They didn't want me. Not once they knew I was different."

"And just what kinds of things do you see in your dreams?"

"Things that are gonna happen." Susette replied, once again tugging on her braid. "I knew people were gonna get sick but nobody would listen. I knew our stage would get attacked by the monsters too."

"And you knew Colt would get hurt at this town?"

Susette shook his head. "I didn't know it would be him. All I saw was faces, everybody's faces, and blood. And I saw this town."

"Susette, I don't think you're crazy." Jedidiah assured the girl and he smiled at the surprise in her eyes when they met his.

"You don't?"

"No, I sure don't. As a matter of fact I know you're not crazy because if you are then that means I am too."

Her tiny brow scrunched up for a moment and then she smiled. "You have dreams too?"

Jedidiah smiled back and tapped his finger against his temple. "I don't have dreams but I do see things. I saw a dark cloud hanging over a town but could not see clearly enough to know it was this town."

"I saw the town clear." Susette stated, seeming a bit more sure of herself now that Jedidiah had shared what he was with her.

"Is there anything else you've seen that you think we should know about?" Jedidiah asked.

Susette shook her head. "Not yet."

"If you do have another dream will you promise to tell me about it right away? Or tell Katherine and Ox about it?"

"Yes sir." Susette replied with a nod.

Jedidiah smiled and patted her cheek gently. "Now what do you say we let Ox and Katherine have a bit of time alone and you and I can sit down here and chat. We can swap tales of times our gift has helped us—" he winked at the girl. "—and even times it's gotten us into a bit of trouble."

"Okay." Susette smiled and propped herself on the arm of his chair.

Katherine stepped forward. "Should we tell Colt...?"

"Naw." Jedidiah waved his hand. "At least not until tomorrow. He needs a night to recover and if this world has any mercy at all left in it, it will grant him at least that."

"Miss Kate, would you like to go upstairs a while?" Ox asked, his voice shaking a little as he rubbed furiously at his neck. "I—We never did finish that poker game."

Katherine nodded and let Ox lead her away, though if Jedidiah were a betting man he would say that she had more than poker on her mind—and Ox did too for that matter.

"Mr. Jedidiah?"

He smiled at the pig-tailed girl beside him. "Yes?"

"How old were you when you had your first dream?"

"Well let's see.... I reckon I was right around four."

***

"Are there plenty of soap suds?" Evangeline demanded and the sound of water splashing reached her ears as Colt chuckled.

"Yes, doctor, there's plenty of suds. Your eyes will be safe from the sight of anything below my navel."

Evangeline felt her cheeks flame red. "Good." She gathered up a couple small rags and a bucket of warm water and walked to the tub.

Colt was still filthy and covered in blood as he sat there in the copper tub, which was far too short for him to stretch out properly in. Evangeline's heart was racing as she took in the sight of him and knew that every inch of his body was bare. There was nothing covering him—well nothing other than soap suds. Evangeline had added enough soap to the bath that washing anything smaller than a grown man inside it would result in the bather becoming lost.

"You know this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I thought of you helping me with my bath." Colt informed her with a raise of his brow.

Evangeline swallowed hard as she crouched beside him in her clean dress. She had bathed earlier while he'd been finishing up boarding the windows. She hadn't wanted to give the man any excuse to get her out of her clothes.

"Colt you were just shot. I highly doubt that the good doctor would approve of what you had in mind." Evangeline scolded him.

She pulled off the bandages that Silas has placed on Colt's shoulder and winced at the sight of those stitches in his skin. "Does it hurt?" she asked, gingerly touching the skin around the wound.

Colt drew in a sharp breath between his teeth. "No, it feels great." He grumbled.

Evangeline blushed and quickly moved her hand away. "Lean your head down, I'm going to pour some of this water on it."

"Yes, ma'am." Colt tipped his head and Evangeline hefted up the bucket, pouring some of the hot water over his head.

"Son of a......" Colt bellowed as his hands gripped the edge of the tub and he nearly stood up.

"Don't you dare stand!" Evangeline exclaimed, closing her eyes tight.

"That hurt." Colt grumbled as he settled himself back down.

"Well it's going to hurt more. I have to get your hair and scalp scrubbed clean." Evangeline informed him. "I would think that after so many experiences with bullets, you would be used to the pain by now and not cry out like such a child."

Colt glared at her and Evangeline was helpless to stop herself from laughing. Colt grinned. "You are an evil woman."

"I am just happy you're alive." Evangeline replied, her voice lowering. "I honestly thought I'd lost you today. I've never been so scared in my life... and given the way the world is now, I would say that that's saying something."

Colt laid his dripping hand on her cheek and smoothed his thumb across her trembling bottom lip. "After I lost Sarah and Loralie, I never thought I'd be happy again. I was living in a fog and all I wanted to do was die and kill as many rabid as I could before it happened. I kept hoping that one day I'd run into a mess of rabid big enough that I wouldn't be able to get away and they'd rip me apart and I'd be able to stop feeling so much damn pain."

"Colt...." Evangeline felt tears gathering in her eyes and he laid his forehead against her as his eyes slid closed.

"You've given my happiness back, Evangeline. I will be forever grateful to you for that."

Evangeline kissed him lightly and pulled her face away. "A woman does what she can, fearless leader." She teased with a smile. "And that includes scrubbing your head."

"I was hoping to distract you from that particular task." Colt grumbled with a pout.

Evangeline laughed. "No such luck."

Evangeline began her task of scrubbing Colt's blood from his hair. Clearly the tough man act this morning in the mercantile had been for Silas's benefit because Colt had no problem with wincing, yelling out and glaring at her every time she bumped the deep gash that ran along the back of his head.

"You're a lucky man, Colt. Another half an inch and......"

Colt silenced her by grabbed her hand and pulling his wrist to his mouth. He kissed it tenderly and Evangeline was glad that she was kneeling because she would have collapsed with the way her legs turned to mush.

"I'm alive, sweetheart. I'm a little worse for wear but still going strong. You get to keep me around for another day at least."

"I would like to keep you around forever." Evangeline admitted, her stomach fluttering inside of her. "I don't ever want to be without you, Colt."

Evangeline stared deep into his dark blue eyes and drew a deep breath, building her courage. "I love you." She whispered.

She saw his eyes widen and instantly wished she could take the words back. Embarrassment filled her and she tried to stand only to have Colt's grip on her wrist tighten and tug her toward him.

Hungrily his lips found hers and Evangeline moaned against him as she kissed him back with every ounce of passion that this man managed to stir within her. She had gotten rather good at kissing, or at least Colt seemed to think so, as he moved his hand to her hair and tipped her head to deepen the kiss.

Evangeline felt herself falling over a cliff... a sharp faced cliff that would doubt lead to pure pleasure at the bottom..... Quickly she pulled away and stood up.

"No." she stated firmly.

Colt's eyes were still closed and his hands were gripping the tub tightly. "No, what?"

"You were just shot. Twice! You're supposed to be getting patched up and resting because God knows what's going to happen tomorrow. I will not hamper your healing by......."

"Marry me."

Evangeline's jaw dropped and stuttered several times in a very unladylike fashion as she stared hard at Colt. He was staring at her intently, his knuckles were white as they gripped the tub and his chest was rising and falling rapidly. He was nervous.

"Did you just tell me to marry you?"

"I was asking but if you'll respond better to a command then, yes I was telling you to marry me."

"You want to marry me?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

"But you said you were telling."

"No, I said I was asking. You're the one who mentioned telling."

Evangeline's head began to spin. "Are you only asking so I'll let you take advantage of me?"

Colt appeared truly insulted, and a little angry, at her question. He rose to his feet in one fluid motion and Evangeline nearly fell over, before grabbing the wall beside her for support.

Holy hell!

This man was perfection. Even with stitches marring his left shoulder, he was the single most fabulous sight that Evangeline had ever laid her eyes on.

Six and a half feet of lean, rippling muscles lightly dusted along the chest with tawny hair that trailed down his stomach to his.......

Evangeline licked her lips and stared in wonder at the part of a man she had never before seen. It looked different than she imagined, though it was long, it just laid there...... Then suddenly it came to life. It moved right before her eyes. Growing and hardening as her eyes gazed at it. Evangeline's eyes widened and she tore her them away from that and back to Colt's face.

"The fact that I want to make love to you has nothing to do with why I want to marry you, Evangeline. I have a feeling that you'd give in to me even without a marriage vow."

Evangeline was tempted to deny his words but what was the point? She would give him anything and he knew it....She suspecting he'd do anything for her as well.

Her gaze once again dropped and Colt growled under his breath, grabbed a towel from a nearby chair and wrapped it around his waist. Evangeline bit her lip and looked back up into his eyes.

"You really want to marry me, Colt?"

"You asked me that already and I told you the answer."

Evangeline wiped her wet hands on her skirt and let out a long breath. "Why then? Why do you want to marry me?"

"You gotta make this difficult don't you?"

"A lot of men have wanted to marry me, Colt. They wanted to marry me to have a pretty wife, a big plantation, money, status—"

"I just want you, sweetheart." Colt promised, stepping forward and cutting her off. "My life was over until you came into it. I have never felt this way about any other person in my life. Marry me, Evangeline."

For the first time in her life, Evangeline was completely and thoroughly speechless. Colt wanted to marry her. Somehow in this new world of monsters, fear, death and destruction Evangeline had found an incredible man and he wanted her to be his wife.

She laughed as tears filled her eyes and she went to Colt, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tight with her face pressed against his wet chest, breathing him in.

"Is this a yes?" Colt asked, his voice hoarse as his good arm wrapped tight around her waist and his other hand stroked her hair.

"Yes." Evangeline replied, pulling away just enough to give him a teary smile. "When?"

Colt smiled down at her. "There's no time like the present."

"Tonight?" Evangeline gasped.

"Yes."

"Colt, you need to be resting."

"Plenty of time to do that once I'm dead."

Evangeline frowned and smacked his chest. "That's not funny."

Colt caught her hand and brought it to his lips. "I don't want to wait, Evangeline. We've never been promised tomorrow but now the world is an even more dangerous place. Silas can stand over us as we say our vows and I'm sure we'll have plenty of witnesses."

"I love you, Colt."

Colt smiled and brushed his lips against her cheek. "You consume me, Evangeline, and I want to feel like this every single day I've got left."

"So do I..."Evangeline gasped as her heart fluttered against her ribs and her smile widened. She couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"Not only that—" Colt added, a teasing light coming into his eyes. "—but your brother won't have a reason to kill me now."

***

"You're better at poker than I am." Ox admitted, tossing down his cards and smiling at Katherine.

"I've had a lot of practice." Katherine replied. "Though I have to admit, this is not what I thought we would be doing the next time we were in a bedroom all alone."

Ox flushed and rubbed the back of his neck. Lord knew he'd like to be doing something else with Katherine as well but it was too soon for that. He wanted to make sure she actually liked him before they took a step like that. Ox just couldn't bear it if the past were to repeat itself.

"Shit, Miss Kate, I...." before Ox could finish, Katherine stood, sauntered around the table and perched herself on his lap.

"Don't you want me, Ox?" she purred against his neck.

Ox swallowed hard and he knew she would be able to feel just how badly he wanted her pressed against her rear where she sat. "You know I do, Miss Kate..."

Katherine stood up and motioned with her finger for him to do the same. Ox got to his feet, though his knees were shaking.

"Now I know you wanted perfect, Ox, but there is no such thing as the perfect moment. I know you're worried that I'm going to change my mind about you but I won't. I want to kiss you, you want to kiss me and I think it's about time you put a little trust in me and....."

Ox's lips were on hers in a rush. He wasn't sure how it happened. One moment he was listening to her voice and in the next he had taken one big stride and pressed his mouth to hers.

The kiss was gentle and slow. Katherine's hands went to his chest, clutching at his shirt. Ox held her slender hips in his hands and pulled her tighter against him, loving the feel of her body next to his.

Ox had never kissed a woman like this before and had always wanted to. The women he'd been with before didn't want gentle loving. They wanted the quick, hot rutting that they claimed he was so good at and then they were gone. Ox had never been given the chance to be slow and gentle. Slow and gentle was what he wanted with Katherine.

She moaned against his lips and Ox deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue between her lips and tasting her; breathing her in. Never before had Ox felt this way from a simple kiss.

A knocking on the door had them jumping apart. "Ox, I need to talk to you."

"Colt, go away." Katherine snapped.

"Uh—sorry." Colt stated awkwardly. "But, I can't. I need to talk to Ox. It's important."

Ox let out a long breath, untucked his shirt to hide the bulge in his trousers and made his way to the door. He opened it quickly and Colt was standing there. The other man looked like a tangled mixture of nerves and excitement. Ox found that odd when he happened to know that Colt worked hard to appear steady at all times.

"What's going on, Colt? Those men ain't here are they?" Ox asked.

"Colt shook his head. "No, actually I need to talk to you about Evangeline."

"Evie?" Ox questioned, his brow furrowing. "What about her?"

Colt shoved his hand through his damp hair and picked at a button on the clean white shirt he'd changed into. His left arm was back in the sling. Ox was surprised that other than the sling, it was impossible to tell by looking at Colt that anything had happened to the man today. His hair covered the wound on his head now that it was clean and he appeared healthy and fine.

"Can we have some privacy?" Colt asked, glancing at Katherine.

Katherine snorted and headed for the door. "Sure. We weren't busy or anything."

"Miss Kate..." Ox began.

"Don't worry about it, Ox. Our great leader has spoken and I have been excused."

"Sorry about that, Ox." Colt offered once Katherine was gone.

Ox sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "She'll be okay. What did you want to talk about?"

"I asked Evangeline to marry me and she said yes. We're going to get married tonight."

Ox blinked several times. "Married? You're gonna marry my sister?"

"Yes." Colt replied without hesitation.

Ox rubbed at his neck and then pulled his hat off, clutching it between his hands. "Colt, you know I like you and I respect you. Hell you never have treated me bad just cuz I'm not real smart. And I know that Evie loves you. I can't tell you all the ways she has changed and grown up since meeting you...."

"Why do I sense a but coming?" Colt asked.

"Cuz there is one coming." Ox replied sheepishly. He didn't want to make Colt mad. Ox hated fighting and always had. When arguments got going his mind had a hard time keeping up. "Well you see it's just that you—you just lost your family a few months ago, right?"

Pain flashed in Colt's eyes and his fists clenched at his sides as he nodded. "Yeah that's right."

"Well don't you think it might be too soon for you to be rushing off to marry my sister? " Ox wrung his hat nervously in his hands. "Do you really love Evie or are you just trying to replace what you lost?"

Colt appeared tempted to turn and leave but then he squared his shoulders and looked Ox in the eye. "I don't normally do this kinda thing but since I'm marrying your sister that makes you and I family and I hear tell that families talk to each other about things. I don't think that my relationship with my late wife is any of your business but let me make this one thing clear to you; Evangeline could never be a replacement for anyone or anything. You know your sister and she wouldn't play second fiddle to anyone. She is far too amazing a woman for that."

"You didn't love your wife?" Ox asked and then he stuttered and took several quick steps back. Damn his loose lips and slow brain. He had to have a death wish to say something like that to a man like Colt!

No, not in the way a husband should love his wife." Colt replied quietly. "And I won't speak any more about that so don't bother asking."

Ox knew the next question had to be asked. He had to look out for Evangeline even if it meant that Colt would shoot him for it. "If you didn't love her and married her anyway then how do I know that you love my sister?"

Colt sighed and stuck his thumb through his belt loop as he stared hard at Ox. "It doesn't matter if you know how I feel. I know how I feel and your sister knows how I feel and since we're the only two that'll be in the marriage I reckon that's the only two people that need to know. I only came to you as a common courtesy since Evangeline is your sister. I won't hurt her, that's all you need to concern yourself with."

Ox nodded and held out his hand. As Colt shook his offered hand, Ox laughed lightly.

"What's so funny?" Colt asked.

"I was just thinking." Ox replied, still chuckling.

"About?" Colt asked, a smile curving his mouth.

"About how my pa's head would explode if he saw the man Evie chose. And about the way my mama would be carrying on and sobbing to the ladies in her church group."

Colt laughed. "Yeah, I have that effect on mama's."

***

Colt stared down into Evangeline's eyes as Silas spoke about the joy of marriage. Colt wasn't paying much attention to Silas, he was too caught up in the way Evangeline was staring back at him.

Never in all his life had Colt been looked at this way. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty now about his past. He and Sarah had done each other a great disservice by getting married and entering into a loveless union.

Colt wished now that Sarah could have felt what it was to have someone love her the way Colt loved Evangeline. Though he would never take back the years he'd spent with Sarah because they had given him Loralie. Her short life may have been cut tragically short, but that little girl had changed Colt for the better.

"Colt, are you listening?" Silas asked and Colt glanced at the man quickly.

"What?"

"You're supposed to be repeating the vows...."

"Right.. sorry." Colt looked back down at Evangeline. Tears of happiness were glistening in her eyes as Colt repeated Silas's words. Colt meant every one of them. Strange that he had shared these vows before but only now was he truly feeling what they meant.

When it came time for Colt to kiss his bride, he did so with the absolute certainty that Evangeline was the one. Everything in his life had led him to her and he loved her.

Cheers and clapping hands filled the room as their friends, (truly more like a family Colt supposed), celebrated their union.

They ate a quick supper and then Colt was sweeping Evangeline away from the crowd and back up to their room for the night.

He looked at her standing before him once they were alone. The white dress she had found for the ceremony was flickering in the glowing firelight. The flames were bouncing off her dark hair and reflecting in her dark green eyes as she gazed at him.

"We're married." She stated.

Colt nodded. "Yes we are. Regretting it already?"

"No." Evangeline replied quickly. "And I never will."

Colt tipped his head. "I'll never give you a reason to, I promise you that."

"Do you need help?" Evangeline asked as Colt struggled to unbutton his shirt.

Colt nodded and took a step forward but his head began to swim and he fell, barely managing to twist his body in time to hit the bed instead of the floor.

"Colt!" Evangeline gasped.

"Sorry." Colt said quickly as he rubbed at his eyes. "I just got a bit lightheaded."

"You've done too much today." Evangeline snapped as she slid his boots off his feet. "Now you need to get under the covers and rest."

"Looks who's already being a nagging wife." Colt teased, though he found himself obeying her.

Evangeline slid from her dress and Colt felt his body respond to the sight of her standing there in her shift dress and garters. He saw her hands trembling as she too climbed into the bed.

Colt pressed a kiss to her shoulder and grumbled when she shook her head and rolled onto her side to face him.

"No."

"No what?" he demanded.

"We're not going to do that."

"But I'm your husband and you're my wife. It's perfectly okay for us to do that, Evangeline."

"So is that why you married me then?"

Colt's eyes narrowed. "You know it's not. What's wrong with you sweetheart? You were happy a moment ago."

Evangeline buried her face in his chest. "I'm scared." She mumbled.

Colt kissed her hair. "Of what?"

"Of tomorrow. Of what's going to happen."

"Evangeline....."

"Don't you dare tell me that everything will be okay and I'm worrying for nothing, Colt." Evangeline snapped and Colt sighed, realizing that she was indeed scared to death and chances were he wasn't going to be making love to her tonight.

Honestly he was a bit relieved. His head was still aching a little and his shoulder was killing him. He'd rather be feeling his best when he made love to her the first time, that way she wasn't left disappointed.

"Evangeline listen to me..."

"No, you listen to me." Evangeline spoke up, pulling her head away from his chest and looking into his eyes.

"Okay." Colt replied, caressing her cheek with his fingertip.

She leaned into his touch. "I can't lose you Colt McGreer." Colt grumbled at her use of his last name. It wasn't a thing he was very fond of but he'd had to fess up to it in order for Evangeline to take his name. "You live through tomorrow for me—live through whatever this group is going to do to us—and then I'll give myself to you."

"Conditional love then, huh?" Colt asked.

"Yes." Evangeline replied. "The condition is that you have to live for me. You're not allowed to die."

Colt chuckled and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Alright then Evangeline McGreer, I'll do my best to meet your conditions. You have my word on that."

Evangeline curled herself up against him and Colt listened to her breathing become more steady as she fell asleep. He stared up at the ceiling and prayed like hell that he'd be able to give this woman what she wanted. Lord knew he wanted to live for her because she was the one who had made him want to live again.