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

Shocked, Natty watched in silence as Doc Evans and Preacher Dean began to examine and treat the gunslinger's wounds.
                  "I thought that you'd just leave them chains on him!"
                  Judge Cummins pulled her to the side. "The sheriff didn't think that would be good enough, and I agreed with him. This way, it'll give you two time to get to know each other before you have to worry about any marriage duties."
                  Doc Evans looked up from his ministrations. "Nope, I don't reckon he'll be doing much thinking about the wedding night tonight."
                  "I ain't marrying him for that." Natty scolded, unable to keep the flush from heating up her face. "I need him to work, that's all."
                  "Well, either way, it'll take some time. Now, I need to talk to you before the two of you head out." The older man took her by the arm and led her into the hall.
                  "I know what you're gonna say. You're gonna to tell me like everybody else to give up the mine. We'll, I ain't doin ' it!"
                  "Natalie, ever since I've known you you've been cheated. Neither one of your parents took the responsibility of raising a daughter seriously."
                  "Stop it!" Natty growled.
                  "Because of that damn fool mine, they were chasing rainbows with no thought of what was necessary to help you become a proper young lady. Just look at you now, dressed in rags and filthy. How long has it been since a comb went through your hair? I bet if you were all cleaned up, with a pretty dress and stockings, you'd be the belle of the county."
                  "You ain't got no call to talk to me like that! I brushed my hair the other day. It's just that livin ' ain't been easy."
                  "I know that, Nat. But facts are facts. It's time you settled down and had a good life. You deserve to have the same things any other girl your age has. Doesn't it bother you that you're selling your soul for that hole in the ground?"
                  Natty twisted her hands. "Of course, this ain't all I want. I'm hoping for a good life some day. When I have a good strike, I can buy a nice dress and live in a pretty little house that has real floors. You know, the type of life where dirt don't stay under your fingernails and the windows have lace curtains."
                  Natty sighed. "That's all for the future. Much later, when I can prove that my Pa wasn't shiftless and lazy, or that my Ma wasn't a fool for staying with him. Only when I do that, can I even think about really getting married for real and having a family of my own."
                  "Still," Judge told her in a firm voice, "your parents didn't do right by you. Not when they were alive and not now."
                  "You shouldn't talk about my Pa and Ma like that. They did everything they could."
                  "No, they didn't, Nat. Someday, you'll come to see that. But that's the past. I want you to think about the future. Think about what you're getting yourself into here. I've seen every form of lowlife that's walked, rambled, or slithered across this territory. This one's different. I surely hated to give him a hanging sentence. Didn't seem right, somehow."
                  "You think he's innocent?" Natty shook her head. "Cause, I can't keep no innocent man. I mean, it wouldn't be fair, would it?"
                  "I don't know that he's innocent, but I don't think he's completely guilty, either. He shot a man in cold blood and in front of witnesses, to boot. The wanted posters say he shot two other men as well. Chances are they were criminals in their own right. I imagine if he'd called himself a bounty hunter, he might even be considered a hero. It's just a different way of looking at things. At any rate, I still