And just like that, powerfully, she understood that she wanted that. She wanted to finish what they had started. She had been saying that all along, but it had all been assumption. No one had really questioned her until now.
And she had her answer.
“Yes,” she said, feeling instantly stronger. “Alone if necessary. Besides, Conn said he will come back. He said he will help me rebuild.”
George frowned. “That’s the other thing.”
“What?”
“Conn.”
“What about him?”
“You heard what Marshal Mayfield said.”
“That was a bunch of nonsense. Conn didn’t draw those men here.”
“How do you know?”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“Maybe not on purpose. But what if that’s why they killed Cole? What if they’re Conn’s old associates? What if they had a score to settle with him? And what if they thought Cole was Conn?”
This line of questioning threatened to knock her off-balance again, but she stayed strong. “No.”
“Why not? Because you don’t want it to be true?”
“Because Conn would have told me.”
“What if he didn’t even know?”
Mary crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you even hear yourself, George? That doesn’t make sense. If they were his old associates, he’d know them, right?”
“Yeah, I guess, but still… you don’t know him.”
“Not really, no, but I was married to his brother, and I sure knew him.”
“Conn’s not Cole.”
“No, but maybe he’s not so different from Cole as you think.”
“You told me before. Conn led a fast life. Drinking, fighting. He’s been in trouble, Mary. Real trouble. You said he was wild, the dark to Cole’s light.”
“Then the light went out of the world,” Mary said. “Maybe now, Conn is going to fill that void.”
“That’s not a good thing. You don’t want darkness to take the place of light.”
“Maybe he will become the light.”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt, Mary.”
“I’ll be fine, George. I can take care of myself. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get out of this dress and into my dungarees and shirt.”
“You’re going to work on the sabbath?”
“No. But I have to get out of this uncomfortable thing. It’s too tight in the chest and under the arms and four times too big around the waist. Now, you and James stay here. I’ll carry my things down to the creek and get cleaned up.”
“All right,” George said, looking suddenly sheepish. “I’m sorry, Mary.”
