Cole's Redemption (Love Amongst the Pines) Read Online Free PDF Page A

voice.
                  "You don't know regret as much as I do, Judge. I may have shot and killed men but I've never hurt a woman. I won't now. You have no right to force me into anything. You need to do your job and carry out my execution."
                  "Well, that's the thing, boy. I am the law that decided your punishment. I just don't think death is adequate anymore. Like it or not, I'm sentencing you to life." He stood up straight and stepped back. "Let's get this done with, boys," Judge ordered.
     
                  In the course of his life, Cole had known many men. From the soft boned doctors and lawyers back east, to the stringy, toughened men who lived in the hostile west, and every measure of man in between. But only a few times had he been around men of any real girth.
                  Stefan Geary was the king of them all. At well over six foot six, he towered above everybody. In addition to his height, the giant man sported thick muscles that covered his upper torso. He was so big, in fact, that a regular shirt didn't fit around his massive upper body.
                  Instead, he wore a rough sleeveless, wool tunic that had been stitched together in the back. Thick, corded muscles wrapped his arms. A behemoth, Geary moved to stand before Cole with only one object. A thick, wooden handled sledgehammer rested easily in his broad, muscular hands.
                  "Real sorry 'bout this boy. I promise to make it quick." Before anyone could say another word, the giant lifted up his tool.
                  Not even daring to breathe, Cole watched as the hammer came plummeting downward, landing square on his right hand. A guttural scream tore from his lungs when the iron landed, and he lost all sense as a white-hot sheet of pain engulfed him. The agony was prolonged by the sensation that quickly followed, when Geary brought the hammer down once again, this time smashing his left hand.
     
                  Natty paced outside the jail. She wanted to go inside, but she'd no clear idea just what the Sheriff meant by after dinner. It was nearly six, and she'd spent the whole afternoon dragging Dermott around town, finally taking him to the dry goods store and buying him a hefty package of taffy.
                  He now sat on the bench devouring his confection and running on about his every experience with the sugary delight. It amazed Natty how he could remember every time he'd eaten the candy but couldn't remember what year it was, or who was president.
                  Suddenly, the evening silence was cut by a wrenching scream. Like shot from a gun, Natty jerked open the jail door and ran through the building in search of the sound, only to be met with a second scream as she found the small back room where six men stood, all staring down at one.
                  The object of their concern sat tied in a chair, now humped over, unmoving. She gasped as she saw two mangled, bloody objects on the table before him. His hands lay spread out, fingers broken and bloody as she stood there staring.
                  "What the hell did you do?"
     
     
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                  Natty stepped back, stunned at the sight of the injured gunslinger.
                  "Never mind that," Judge stepped quickly around the table. "We've got to get the two of you married fast. If the ladies of the church find us out, we'll be in for more trouble than a bear in a honey tree full of bees."
                  "What did you do to his hands?" She couldn't take her eyes off the moaning figure.
                  Sheriff Watkins stepped forward. "We fixed it so he can go home with you tonight. Of course, he won't be much good for a few days, but eventually, he'll be able to work. He won't be too interested in shootin ' anybody, neither."