Always Dakota (19 page)

“The feeling here,” she said, pressing her hand to her heart. “I hate it when I think of you with another woman. It makes me want to be sick.”

“No, Margaret, no…” He didn’t care what she did with that stupid pitchfork, but he wasn’t keeping his distance any longer. He walked right up to her and backed her against the wall. Before she could argue, he kissed her. By this time they were lovingly familiar with each other’s bodies. Matt savored the taste of her lips, inhaling the smell of hay and fresh soap—as seductive as anything he’d ever encountered.

“You wearing your lace underwear?” he whispered.

She nodded, then said, “Don’t try to sidetrack me.”

“I’d never do that,” he murmured. As he spoke, he opened her coat and made short work of the buckles holding up her coveralls. Before long, her breasts were in his hands.

“This is unfair,” Margaret protested, but he noticed she didn’t say it with real conviction.

“Is it now?” he asked, kissing away any further objection.

An hour or so later, Sadie came to the barn to call them in for lunch. The housekeeper’s eyes narrowed when she saw them.

“We’ll be there right away,” Margaret promised.

“Take your time,” Sadie muttered, pulling a piece of hay from the back of Margaret’s hair. Then she glanced at Matt and shook her head, as though to suggest he ought to know better.

That afternoon Maddy McKenna came for an unexpected visit. The two women disappeared into the house and Matt busied himself with routine chores. At the sound of a car engine, he peered outside the barn—and froze. It was Sheryl.

His heart went into a tailspin. So, it had come to this, had it?

She’d parked the car and started for the house when he stopped her. The last thing he wanted was a confrontation in front of Margaret and her friend. “What do you want?” he demanded, letting her know he wouldn’t tolerate her interference.

“Want?” she asked with a short, humorless laugh. “I don’t want anything from you, Matthew Eilers.”

“Good.” Then she could be on her way and out of his life.

“I’m here to give you something,” she told him, opening her purse. She withdrew a thick envelope and slapped it into his palm.

“What’s this?”

“I’m serving you with papers.”

“Papers?” She was
suing
him? For what?

“It’s a paternity suit. I’m pregnant, Matt, and you’re the father.”

Minutes of the March 20th meeting of the Buffalo Valley Town Council

As recorded by Hassie Knight, Secretary and Treasurer, duly elected.

The meeting was brought to order by council president Joshua McKenna with the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. Council members in attendance as listed: Joshua McKenna, Dennis Urlacher, Heath Quantrill, Robert Carr, Gage Sinclair and Hassie Knight. Reverend Larry Dawson and Rachel Quantrill sat in as observers.

1. In the matter of old business, Joshua McKenna reported that he’d heard back from the Doctors’ Clinic in Grand Forks, and it has now been confirmed that Buffalo Valley has been chosen as a branch site for the health organization. This means that a general practitioner will be scheduling regular office hours in Buffalo Valley three days a week, starting the first week of April.
   This is a major step for Buffalo Valley, and a much-needed service. Council members congratulated Joshua on his persuasive efforts and the many hours of meetings that went into convincing the Doctors’ Clinic to choose Buffalo Valley.
   
2. Also in the matter of old business, Heath Quantrill stated that he will be working four days a week at the Buffalo County Bank and traveling into Grand Forks only one day. He was asked about his announcement from last month’s meeting. Heath explained that a consulting firm has been hired by the ten-branch bank to explore the possibility of moving head office from Grand Forks to Buffalo Valley. Heath did explain that this is only in the beginning stages and that, if it does happen, it would be two to three years before the move is completed.
   
3. In the area of new business, Hassie Knight suggested that the community should plan a celebration. Buffalo Valley has experienced tremendous growth in the last three years. Her idea is to have a Summer Fest.
   
4. Heath Quantrill has other news. His grandmother’s will has recently been read, and she donated two square blocks of land to Buffalo Valley, with the stipulation that the town utilize the property as a park. Robert Carr (Buffalo Bob) added that with the number of marriages and births taking place, a park would benefit families and draw more people into town.
   
5. Much discussion followed, and the idea for the Summer Fest and the park were shelved until next month. The meeting adjourned at one o’clock.
   

Respectfully submitted,
Hassie Knight

B
undled in her coat, gloves, scarf and boots, Hassie stood on the sidewalk outside the pharmacy that had been in the Knight family for more years than she wanted to think about. Her daughter had been after her to retire, move to Hawaii and spend the rest of her days soaking up the tropical sun. As if Hassie could do such a thing! In all her life, she’d never been one to sit back, relax, take it easy. She’d be bored to death. Valerie loved Hawaii and often mailed postcards of the turquoise-colored water, white beaches and sloping palm trees, hoping to lure her to the islands. Hassie wouldn’t be opposed to another visit, but all that sunshine would be more than her system could handle. No, Buffalo Valley was her home, and recent events here were downright exciting.

The Doctors’ Clinic was open for business now. Joshua McKenna could be proud of that. The council president had negotiated long and hard to convince the clinic to set up a branch office in town. Hassie knew that Sarah’s troubled pregnancy had been his incentive; both he and Dennis were worried about her and the baby. The town needed a doctor, and even one on a part-time basis was better than none. At the rate Buffalo Valley was growing, it made sense to plan for a clinic that would eventually have office hours five days a week.

The Doctors’ Clinic wasn’t the only new sign on the block. Harvey Hendrickson had sold his farm, and instead of moving his family out of the area, he’d opened a hardware store. The town needed that almost as badly as it did the clinic. The entire Hendrickson family had moved into Buffalo Valley, and with six children, they had plenty of homegrown employees.

“What’s so interesting out here?” Leta asked, coming outside to stand on the sidewalk with Hassie. She wore several layers of clothes and only her nose was visible beneath the thick woolen scarf tied around her head and draped across her neck.

“I was just taking a gander at Main Street,” Hassie explained. It was a joy to look up and down the street and see new businesses popping up every few weeks.

“I heard talk that Rachel’s thinking about building a drive-in hamburger place.”

Hassie grinned. She’d heard the same rumor herself. Rachel had a good head for business; the success of The Pizza Parlor proved as much. “My guess is she’ll set it up across the street from the proposed park.”

“Ready to go in?” Leta led the way back into the warm store. “This town could use a fast-food restaurant. The teenagers would love it. Families, too. And tourists in the summer.”

“What do you think of Rachel as the new council president?” Hassie asked. The annual election was coming up, and Hassie had been giving some thought to potential candidates. Who was the best person to take this town into the future? The person who kept rising to the top of her list was Rachel Quantrill. Hassie walked to the back of the store, where she removed her coat and reached for her white pharmaceutical jacket.

“Wouldn’t Joshua take exception to that?” Leta asked, after shedding her own coat.

Hassie shook her head. “I doubt it. He’s commented a number of times that he’s ready to retire from the council. Can’t say I blame him. He’s been president nearly five years now.”

“I think she’d do a good job,” Leta said.

Hassie agreed; Rachel loved Buffalo Valley with the same passion and loyalty as Hassie. Like so many other towns across the Dakotas, Buffalo Valley had seen its share of troubles. But overall, living here had been a blessing. Even during the very worst times, a sense of community, of neighborly cooperation, had never entirely disappeared. And now…now things were looking up.

“How’s Sarah doing?” Hassie asked, knowing Leta had recently been to visit.

“Better, I think. Her mood was good.”

“Calla’s stopping by more often, is she?”

Leta nodded. “Thankfully, yes. She tries to avoid Dennis, though. Sarah said she always has a convenient excuse for coming over. Usually it’s something to do with the video store. Either she’s dropping off a movie or picking one up. Although, as I understand it, she usually doesn’t stay long.”

“Still, they’re communicating.”

Leta flashed her an easy smile. “So it seems. You know who I haven’t seen much of lately? Margaret Clemens.”

“It’s Eilers now,” Hassie reminded her.

“Right.” Her tone conveyed her lack of enthusiasm for Margaret’s choice of husband.

To be fair, Hassie had entertained her own doubts about Margaret’s marriage to the rogue rancher. The girl deserved better. Bernard had certainly been unimpressed by him. Hassie recalled a time, nearly a year ago now, when he’d sat at her soda fountain and asked Hassie her opinion of Matt Eilers. Hassie hadn’t been sure what to say. She knew who Matt was, knew his reputation, but not much more.

Most people tended to think of him as an outsider, the same way they’d looked at Lindsay Snyder and Maddy Washburn when they’d first arrived. It hadn’t taken Lindsay long to win the respect and affection of the townspeople. Maddy, either. Matt was a different story. He’d been part of the community far longer but was less well known, and certainly not as well liked.

Anyone with a lick of sense knew he hadn’t married Margaret for love. Apparently Margaret knew it, too. And this was the kicker—it didn’t seem to matter to her. She’d been blinded by hormones, Hassie suspected. Poor thing. However, Hassie had to admit she’d seen a softening in Margaret since her marriage.

“Lots of changes…” Leta was saying.

Distracted from her thoughts, Hassie paused, wondering what she’d missed.

“Changes in Margaret and for that matter Matt, too,” Leta went on.

“Change isn’t always bad, you know.”

Leta’s smile said she agreed. “In their case, I think it’s for the better. Those two actually seem happy. I would never have believed it, but I’m delighted.”

Hassie was pleased for them, too, and hoped that whatever they’d found would last.

If ever there was a time Matt Eilers needed a drink, it was now. He stepped into the Doctors’ Clinic for the scheduled blood test that would dictate his future and claimed a seat in the waiting room. The collar of his shirt felt like a noose around his neck and his hands sweated with the agony of the unknown. He hadn’t come by choice, that was for damn sure. He’d been ordered here by the court.

A number of people sat in the waiting room, most of whom he didn’t recognize. Thank God. The last thing he wanted was for Margaret to get wind of this. He’d taken a chair as far removed from the others as possible. He felt so worried that he was sick to his stomach. He removed his hat and, for something to do, rotated the brim while he waited for his name to be called.

Under normal circumstances, Matt wasn’t a praying man, but today he was. He’d willingly fall to his knees before the Almighty if this blood test proved he wasn’t the father of Sheryl’s baby.

Needless to say, he hadn’t mentioned the paternity suit to Margaret. Hell and damnation, he couldn’t tell his wife of only a few months that he might have gotten another woman pregnant. Seeing how Margaret had reacted to Sheryl’s phone calls, Matt didn’t want to even
think
what she’d say or do if he told her about the pregnancy. He gripped his hat tightly and prayed like never before.

Okay, so he’d slept with Sheryl, but he wasn’t fool enough to believe he was the only one. And, yes, there’d been a time or two when they’d been careless about birth control. That made him feel both weak and stupid. Sheryl had a reputation—and not just for being an easy lay. He knew about her opportunistic and frivolous lawsuits, her willingness to lie and manipulate others. More fool he for ever getting involved with her.

“Matt Eilers.”

At the sound of his name, Matt nearly stumbled out of his chair in his eagerness to get this over with.

“Hello, Mr. Eilers.” The nurse greeted him cordially, leading him to a small cubicle at the end of the hallway. She motioned for him to take a chair. “I understand you’re here for a court-ordered blood test.”

“Yes.” Matt nodded for good measure. “Isn’t this a bit unusual? I thought the normal procedure was to wait until after the baby’s born to determine paternity?”

“Generally, yes,” the nurse informed him. “It
can
be decided early, but for the baby’s sake, that’s not recommended. It causes a risk to the pregnancy.” Frowning, she glanced down and read over the court document. “Apparently, in this case, the mother insisted paternity be determined right away and went against the advice of her physician.”

It was already clear that Sheryl was bent on getting revenge—and money—as quickly and efficiently as possible. It was equally clear that the well-being of her baby was not her priority here. Matt swallowed hard and tensed.

“If you’ll roll up your sleeve?”

He did as instructed.

The procedure took only a minute. The nurse then taped a piece of gauze to the inside of his elbow, and Matt rolled down his sleeve, refastening it at the wrist.

“How long will it take before I get the results?” he asked. He had no doubt that Sheryl would be on his doorstep the minute the report came in. She was willing to put the baby at risk to prove that he was the father, just so she could drain every possible penny from him. He’d already received the bill for her test, which had been done at the Grand Forks hospital. Thank God he’d intercepted the mail that day!

“It shouldn’t be more than a week.”

So all he had to do was live with this threat hanging over his life—and his marriage. A few more days of repressed anger and pretended normalcy. Margaret
couldn’t
know.

When he was finished, Matt walked over to 3 OF A KIND, needing a stiff drink. To his surprise, the building was locked up tighter than a bank.

“What’s going on?” he asked Steve Baylor, who happened to be walking by.

“You didn’t hear?” Steve asked.

Obviously he hadn’t, or he wouldn’t be asking. “Hear what?”

“Buffalo Bob and Merrily are in California. They’re looking to adopt that kid.”

“They closed down completely?” Matt needed something to calm his nerves. That and some quiet to think about this situation.

“I understand they won’t be back for several days.”

He muttered a curse under his breath. “Anyplace else a man can get a drink?” He wasn’t aware of one, but Steve had lived in Buffalo Valley his entire life and would know better than he did.

Steve lifted the brim of his hat, frowning heavily. It shouldn’t be this difficult, Matt thought irritably.

“Hassie’s,” Steve said, after a moment.

“She serves beer?”

“Root beer,” Steve answered and laughed. “But she makes a mean chocolate soda. If you’re desperate you might check it out.”

Matt didn’t have much choice. Really, the drink wasn’t that important. What he needed most was a few minutes to compose himself before he returned to the ranch and Margaret.

Matt had lived in the vicinity of Buffalo Valley five years, and not once had he been inside Hassie’s place. No reason to before now. His ranch was equidistant from Buffalo Valley and Devils Lake. Most of the time he steered toward the larger of the two towns. Not so with the Clemenses. They seemed to have some link with Buffalo Valley.