A Texas Sky (Yellow Rose Trilogy) (31 page)

glad the Ranger's gaze was on the water. She transferred

her own gaze back before saying, in as normal a voice as

she could manage, "I've been meaning to ask you, Dakota,

how are your bullet wounds? Has all of this mess with me

kept you from going back to work?"

"No, it hasn't. My wounds are fine. I feel I could go back

at any time, but Brace said he didn't want me for another

month after I dropped you off."

"How long has it been?"

"Let me see. I think I had dinner with you and Brace in

Austin just four weeks ago yesterday, and after that we

were in Stillwater with Calder and Merry and then in

Aurora, so that makes it about two and a half weeks ago."

"We were in Austin just a month ago?"

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"As far as I can figure."

Darvi stared at him, looking upset.

"Is that right?"

"Yes. You can check the calendar when we get back to

the house."

"That means I haven't been home for more than a

month."

Dakota, who was on the road most of the year, understood

completely. At times he missed home so much he

ached. Darvi's face told him she ached right now.

A bell rang in the distance.

"Thaf s for us," Dakota told her as he stood. "Katy must

have supper nearly ready."

A Texas Sky 207

By the time they reached the horses, Eli was rather anxious,

starting Darvi's laughter all over again.

Dakota listened in silence, hoping to find other ways to

hear her laughter in the following days. In his opinion,

she'd been frightened and sad for much too long.

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"Are you just a little bit amazed by it all?" Cash asked

kindly. Dinner was over, and they were having coffee in the

living room. "I mean, I thought about it most of the day,

and if s almost too outrageous to be true."

"I was just telling Dakota that very thing. Even in the

midst of it, I could hardly believe it."

"I don't find it so hard to believe/' Dakota stated calmly.

The two other occupants of the room stared at him.

"You don't know her, Cash, but things have a way of

following Darvi around."

"Things?" Cash questioned, even as he caught the

gleam in his brother's eye.

Dakota shook his head in pity. "Yes, things. They just

mange to follow Darvi around. I'm not sure why, but there's no doubt about it."

"Do not believe a word he says, Cash," Darvi finally cut

in, having gotten over her shock to see she was being

teased. "Dakota is very imaginative; thaf s all there is to it

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Those other incidents were just circumstances beyond my

control."

"Following a stranger down the streets of Austin?"

"I knew you were a Ranger," Darvi defended, trying not

to laugh.

"Then mere were the men in Stillwater who just had to

talk with you and wouldn't let you pass?"

"I think," Darvi responded, growing as outlandish,

"that they were wanting to ask directions to the sheriff's

office, and we didn't give them a chance."

"The snake?"

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Darvi shook her head, her expression one of pity over

his shortsightedness.

"The snake simply misunderstood the time schedule

and that it was my turn at the creek. If s all very easily

explained."

Dakota gave a huge sigh of mock exasperation and

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looked back to his brother.

"You see, Cash. Things happen to Darvi, so I'm not at all

surprised she was mistaken for another woman. She just

can't seem to help herself."

"And if that wasn't bad enough," Darvi added, almost

taking Dakota's side against herself, "even after those

people realized their mistake, they decided to keep me."

"That's the part!" Cash came forward in his seat and

exclaimed. "I can't get over that--I can't imagine what they

must have been thinking."

"It was more Seth than anyone else. If it had not been

for him, the others would have let me go."

"Are you angry about that?" Cash asked.

Darvi had to think on it

"Not exactly angry, but amazed--like you are. Seth's

and Eliofs jobs are not aboveboard, and the fact that they

believe they can do things outside the law leaves them

open to any whim. They have their own standard, which

they feel gives them the right to take someone."

"Did this Seth really think you would eventually wish

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to stay?" Dakota now asked.

"Tliaf s exactly what he thought," she replied, shaking

her head, and suddenly wanting to laugh a little more.

"Did I tell you that I tried to sneak out in the wagon?"

Both men smiled but said no.

Darvi nodded. "I did, but Seth caught me, and Cassy

went to town without me."

"Tell us about Cassy, Darvi," Cash urged her. "Did she

not have trouble with what the men were doing?"

A Texas Sky 209

"Actually, she did. In fact, my telling her about my faith

somehow prompted her into marrying Eliot They just set

a date after being together for five years."

Both men gawked at her.

"You had a chance to witness to this woman?" Cash

asked to be sure.

"Yes. We were talking, and she was saying how sorry

she was that I'd come to be there under those circumstances,

but that Seth was a fine man. I told her I didn't

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want him, and thinking that I meant he wasn't good

enough for me, she became angry. I had no choice but to lay

it on the line. She took it very well. It actually got her to

thinking. The next time she went to town she bought a

dress to be married in and showed it me. Then later I heard

they'd set a date."

"When is it?"

"Let me see. The days were so full and anxious at the

same time that they tended to blend together, but I think

if s this Saturday."

Dakota looked thoughtful, and Cash was the first to

catch on.

"She's going to have to go back, isn't she?"

"Eventually, yes, but I think it can wait until after she

goes home."

"Why do I have to go back?" Darvi asked with a sinking

heart.

' "Because anything that happened to you is hearsay

without your testimony." Dakota looked at her. "You do

want these people to answer for this, don't you?"

387

Nate's and Lindy's faces sprang into her mind, but she

still nodded her head yes.

"I can't say that I'm thrilled to return, however."

Dakota caught her eyes and told her plainly, "I'm not

going to let anything happen to you."

"You'll be there?"

His brows rose as though he'd been insulted, and for a

moment they only looked at each other.

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"But first," Cash cut in, "you'll get in touch with your

family and tell them you're spending the rest of the week

here resting up before starting for home." Cash paused and

smiled at her. "At least thaf s what I hope you'll do."

Darvi smiled back. "I would like to rest a little before

traveling again. Are you sure I won't be imposing?"

"Very sure."

"Does the train run from Kinkade?"

"Twice daily. You'll connect at Dallas and then be on

your way."

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"I'll telegraph tomorrow."

'Til take you in," Dakota offered.

At that point the evening came to a very quiet close.

Darvi found herself watching Dakota yawn and needing to

do the same. Cash rescued both of them and said he was

turning in.

Darvi lay down in bed just a short time later, hardly able

to remember that she'd taken a nap. She thought she might

lay there for long minutes, still in wonder over how God

had used Dakota to rescue her, but the strange sounds and

surroundings took little time to fade.

%r

"So when did you tell them you'd be home?" Dakota

asked when Darvi was finished in the telegraph office. He

saw her inside but took a seat to give her privacy.

"I'm going to take Cash's offer and stay until Friday or

Saturday."

"Why not Sunday or Monday?"

389

Darvi looked up at him. "I don't want to wear out my

welcome."

Again she received that look; Dakota's brows went up

as though he was insulted for his brother.

"I told them to look for me sometime next week," she

admitted.

A Texas Sky 211

Dakota smiled complacently and offered to show her

around town, pointing out the bank and the new hotel.

Kinkade had a fairly good-sized school, and Dakota told

her all about it

"I love Texas," Darvi mentioned at one point.

"Why is that?"

"The diversity. Some areas are huge and flat; others are

hilly and dense." She looked up at him. "Uncle Marty even

took me to Houston one summer and down to the Gulf of

Mexico. It was so exciting."

"I've never been," Dakota admitted.

"Oh, you've got to go, Dakota. If s beautiful."

390

"I think 111 do that sometime," he said with quiet conviction.

Watching him, Darvi noticed for the first time how handsome

he was. His eyes were very dark and oftentimes

serious, but when he was smiling or amused, they were

beautiful She took in the square line of his jaw to the thick

black hair atop his head. His features were strong, something

she found very appealing. Suddenly feeling shy with

him, Darvi dropped her eyes, hoping he had not caught her

gawking.

"I just spotted someone I need to speak with, Darvi.

Come on over with me, and I'll introduce you."

Feeling rescued, Darvi looked up to see they were in

front of the general store.

"Would you mind very much, Dakota, if I stopped in

here first? I'll come find you afterward."

She watched him hesitate but didn't know why.

"All right. I'll come back for you, okay?"

"Okay."

Dakota waited until she went inside before crossing the

street Darvi didn't look back but headed inside with good

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intentions. Unfortunately, they didn't last very long. She

wasn't in the mood to shop, just in the mood to think about

this new awareness of Dakota. She wandered the aisles of

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the store for a time but couldn't keep it up. With a smile to

the proprietor, she exited.

There was no sign of Dakota. Darvi was getting ready

to sit on one of the empty benches out front when she

spotted a small dog as he went limping into the alley. She

changed her mind and trailed after the stray.

"Hey, there," she said softly when she found the dog

had gone just halfway down the alley and stopped against