A Heart Renewed (16 page)

Will grunted.  No one said anything for several uncomfortable minutes.

Finally, Will uncrossed his arms and his expression softened.  “Let’s go get some dinner.  Hannah has been waiting to meet you.”

“Hannah?” Julia asked as he offered his arm.  Adam prudently said nothing and fell in step behind them.  Making their way across the beautiful green plaza, she guessed their destination was the cluster of log buildings that had a line out the front door.  As they neared the line, delicious aromas wafted from inside.

“My wife.”  Will answered her earlier question.  “Hannah is my wife.”

I never thought you would be married.
  Will had never taken interest in any of the women in Texas and she thought he might stay single forever.  This bit of news definitely changed things.  What if Hannah didn’t want her living with them?

“How long have you been married?”

“Two months.”

Julia smiled.  This was the Will she remembered.  Straight and to the point, especially when he was preoccupied.  Nevertheless, she would drag as much information from him as possible before meeting this woman.

“What is she like? How did you meet her?” 
Will she like me?

“I met her right here, at Lancaster’s Boardinghouse.  Well, no that’s not exactly true.  I first met her at Fort Whipple, though we weren’t properly introduced.  Then, she came to work for Betty—that’s Mrs. Lancaster, the owner of the boardinghouse.  I supply beef for Lancaster’s.  But the day I met her, I was in town for a meeting.  She was serving up dinner here at the dining hall.”

“What is she like?” Julia asked again as the threesome entered the very same dining hall.

“See for yourself,” he answered grinning sheepishly as he waved to a beautiful woman.

She, presumably Hannah, had the most interesting shade of blonde hair with touches of red.  She was short—near Julia’s height, but maybe shorter.  She was carrying armloads of food to the diners, as if she had done the very same thing hundreds of times.  She probably had, since she used to work here.

“I see Betty put you to work,” Will teased his wife as he took a seat.

She smiled back.  “I’ll come sit with you in a minute after I get a few more people served.”

Julia watched her brother as he followed Hannah’s every movement.  He was obviously smitten with his wife.  Then she took the seat across from Will.  Adam sat next to her, leaving the seat next to Will open.  She resisted the urge to squeeze Adam’s hand.  He was still tense from the initial encounter with Will, judging by his ramrod straight posture.  This was probably not the reception he imagined when he planned to work for her brother.

As she looked around the dining hall, her eyes snagged on a familiar face.  Her stomach plummeted to her feet and she squinted.  “Bates,” she whispered in shock.   Had he followed her all the way from the Star C?  Had Reuben sent him to fetch her back?

Panic rose.  Her breath came in staccato bursts.  Blood drained from her face and lightheadedness threatened the last ounce of her control.  She could not go back.  She would not go back.  He could not make her. 
Please God!
  Her heart cried out.

Gentle fingers curled around her clammy hand resting in her lap, snapping her out of her spiraling thoughts.  Green eyes met hers as she focused on Adam.  “It’s okay,” he mouthed, then gave a nod towards where Bates sat, letting her know he recognized the cowboy, too.

Leaning near her ear, he whispered.  “I won’t let him take you back.  I promise.”  He squeezed her hand but did not release it.

Blinking rapidly, Julia tried to keep the tears from forming.  She trusted Adam.  He kept her safe this long.  He wouldn’t fail her now—she hoped.

Glancing back at Will, she was relieved to see he missed the entire exchange, as his gaze was firmly glued to his wife as she approached the table.

His wife returned from the kitchen with four cups and a pot of coffee.  She filled them and set one before each of them, placing the last for herself next to Will.  Then, she bustled back to the kitchen one last time, returning with four plates of food. 

As she set the plates in front of Julia and Adam, she said, “Betty says this one is on the house.  First time I’ve ever seen her do that.”

Once Hannah was seated next to him, Will made the introductions.  He carefully watched Adam throughout the meal, still trying to decide if he could trust him.   Even though he hadn’t married his sister, he had traveled with her all the way here without a chaperone.  That thought wasn’t sitting very well.

“Julia, it’s so good to finally meet you,” Hannah said, warmly smiling at his sister.  “I’ve been rather nervous about it.  But, I like you already.”

As Julia replied, Will studied her.  Again he felt like something was off.  She wasn’t herself.  She would not make direct eye contact with him, although she did with Hannah.  The dark circles under her bright blue eyes added several years to her appearance.  She was only seventeen, but she looked old, haggard, defeated. 
Defeated, where did that idea come from?
  Yet it fit.

When a man sat on the other side of Julia, Will noticed her visibly stiffen and scoot a little closer to Adam.  What would prompt her to react in such a way?  This was his buoyant and outgoing kid sister.  She was nervous, almost skittish, like the horse he once saw that had been grossly mistreated.  He would never forget the pure look of terror in the animal’s eyes whenever anyone approached.  Now, he recognized that same look in Julia’s eyes when she glanced at him.  Something terrible had happened.

As they finished the meal, Hannah suggested Julia help her and Betty wash dishes.  That left Will alone with Adam.  Judging by the way the young man shifted in his seat, he was concerned. 
Well, Will, how are you going to handle this?  Make him sweat or offer an olive branch?

Swallowing his earlier indignation, he said, “I’m sorry if I put you on edge.”

He paused, gathering his thoughts.  Perhaps business first would ease their tensions.

“I have purchased a few studs and mares and we have built out the stables.  I think you’ll be pleased with the facilities.”

“Thank you.  I’ve been looking forward to this for months.  I’m sorry about not being clearer in my letter regarding Julia—Miss Colter.”

“No need to be formal.  I realize our families are close and that you have never called her Miss Colter.  Please don’t let my misunderstanding change that.”

Adam shifted again.  He looked at the table a moment before saying, “I brought two of the Larson’s finest with me, one stud and one mare.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“They were a gift from my father—a reward for the years I spent helping him breed and train horses.  They are a fine pair.  I wanted to bring something to the arrangement, and though I do not have money to contribute, this is the least I can do.”

Will was humbled by his generosity.  If he asked, he would let him keep the pair entirely for himself, yet it seemed that was not what Adam wanted to do.  Conviction pierced his conscience.  Here he had been standoffish and accusatory, when Adam had done more than his end of the agreement.  All he was supposed to do was show up.  Instead, he brought both his sister and horses. 

Picking at a loose sliver on the tabletop, Will responded, “It seems you have done a great deal more than was required.  And I’m not just talking about the horses.  It sounds like your departure was rather hasty on account of Julia.”

Adam cleared his throat.  “Yes, I left unprepared and earlier than intended.”  He paused, as if carefully weighing what he should say.

“And in the dead of night.  I don’t know what happened to cause Julia to ride out to our house in the middle of the night.  What I do know, I will not say.  I believe it is best for her to tell.  But, trust me, there was no mistaking the fear in her eyes nor the real sense of urgency to flee to safety.  It was Caroline’s suggestion that I head west that night and take Julia with me, without even saying goodbye to my family.”  The sorrow of missed goodbyes was evident in his voice.

Will took in what Adam said and wondered, yet again, what really happened to Julia.  “Thank you, for putting her safety before your own family.  It speaks greatly of your character.  Forgive me for judging you otherwise.”

“I think I might have acted the same way, should I find Caroline in a similar situation.  I might even have decked the fellow that showed up on my doorstep unexplained.”

Will laughed.  “Yes, well, had I not received the letter from you a few weeks ago, I think my initial reaction would have shocked you—when you woke up.”  Slapping Adam on the back, he hoped the teasing would repair the earlier strain.

“Listen, there’s something else you should know,” Adam said.  Will tensed again.  “Julia spotted Gideon Bates here in the dining hall.”

“Now?  Today?”  Though the answer was obvious, Will couldn’t help asking the questions.  If Bates was here…

“Yes.  Before Mrs. Colter joined us for dinner.  Julia was petrified.  I think she’s afraid he is here to take her back.”

Rubbing his chin, Will considered the situation.  “That’s not going to happen.  But, it does make me question how and why he left the Star C—and why he ended up at the same destination.  Too much of a coincidence.”

“Agreed.  I didn’t see him on the wagon train west.  I would have recognized him immediately.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” Will said, wondering how he missed seeing Julia’s reaction.  He would have to do a little digging.  See what Bates was up to and why he was here.

He didn’t exactly trust the man.  He initially hired him last year just weeks before his planned departure.  Only Bates decided Reuben’s offer of more money was enough to turn Will down—even though he already agreed to go.  That was all he knew of Gideon Bates.

He would definitely have to find out more.  In the meantime, he would make sure Julia wasn’t alone.  Best not to give Bates an opportunity if he was here to take her back.

Standing, Will and Adam walked outside towards Adam’s wagon.

It was Adam that broached the subject of returning to the ranch.  “When should we head out?”

“It is getting rather late in the day and I still have some unfinished business here in town.  I thought I might set the ladies up with a hotel room for the evening.  Perhaps you and I can camp under the stars, or see if Betty has any bunks left.”

“Camping under the stars would be just fine with me.”

“I have a feeling that Hannah is going to want to help Betty with supper preparations, so we will eat here.  I’m going to head over to the hotel to see if they have any rooms left.  The livery is right over there.”  Will pointed to it.  “You may want to board the horses there tonight.  Just tell them you work for me and that I will settle the account in the morning.”

At Adam’s nod, Will walked over to the Juniper House.  He was able to reserve a room for Hannah and Julia to share.  He would much rather be sharing it with Hannah, especially having learned she carried his child.  Was that really this morning?  It seemed like days ago now.  But, he did not want to leave Julia alone with Adam when he could provide for her, nor did he want to spend money on two hotel rooms.

As Will walked her and Julia to their hotel room, Hannah longed to have a few minutes alone with him.  They barely had a minute to celebrate or even talk about her pregnancy.  When she envisioned how this evening would unfold, she saw them together back at the ranch talking into the night about plans to get ready for the baby.

Instead, she settled for a quick kiss in the hallway with whispered promises of talking later.

Closing the door behind Will, Hannah took off her boots and stretched out on the bed.  Patting the spot next to her, she encouraged Julia to relax as well.  While it was somewhat awkward to be sharing the room with her husband’s sister, she hoped to make the situation more comfortable by getting to know her better.

Although she already knew the answer, she opened with a safe topic.  “Tell me, have you known the Larson family long?”

“Oh, yes.  My whole life really.  Adam’s younger sister, Caroline, is my best friend.  We are only months apart in age and have been inseparable most of our lives.”