Jodi Thomas (22 page)

Anna smiled. “I’m in pretty bad shape.”

Chance held her cheek in his palm as he whispered, “You are so beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

As Anna opened her mouth to argue, his lips covered her protest. He kissed her softly, gently, until she could no longer remember what she’d been about to say.

Finally, he trailed kisses to her ear and whispered, “Is that what you wanted?”

“Yes,” Anna whispered, and turned her head until their lips touched again.

Chance fought the urge to touch her. He wanted to slide his fingers over her as he kissed her. He needed to feel the flesh of her bare shoulder beneath his fingers. He wanted to pull her full-length against him, but he didn’t dare. The slightest jolt might start her shoulder bleeding again, and he wouldn’t risk Anna’s life no matter how desperately he wanted to touch her.

Chance buried his hands into the silky mass of her hair. “I’m glad I was able to oblige you with a kiss, my love, but someday I want to show you another kind of kiss—a kind with passion.”

Turning her face to the wall, Anna answered, “I want none of that.”

Chance could hear the pain in her voice. He lightly kissed her neck until she turned to him. “Someday you’ll ask for those kisses also,” he whispered against the fullness of her lips.

“Never,” she answered.

“Someday.” He breathed in the honey-spring scent of her hair. “You’ll touch me like you did when I had the fever.”

He felt her laughter on his cheek. “I wouldn’t bet on that.”

Chance moved his lips to hers, kissing her so lightly they barely touched. “I would,” he answered against her lips, thinking he’d probably already bet his heart.

He savored the way her lips felt against his own, wishing suddenly that he knew more of lovemaking. He could handle this kissing, but what if she did someday want more? What if she asked to be loved one night just as she’d asked to be kissed tonight? What would he do then? Just stand and stare as he had once before? Or would he love her the way such a woman should be loved?

Lowering his face beside hers, Chance kissed her cheek lightly. “Good night.”

Anna moved her cheek against his bare shoulder. “Good night, and thank you for the way you make me feel.”

“Anytime you want me, I’ll be here,” he whispered into her hair, wishing he understood her.

She fell asleep in his arms, but Chance lay awake for hours, not wanting to waste this last night with Anna so near. Tomorrow he would ride north with John into Indian hunting grounds. Tonight might be the last time he ever held her in his arms.

D
awn came, bringing with it a rumble of excitement that moved through the town like a runaway wagon wheel, gathering the speed of anticipation along with the wobbles of caution for the unknown.

Slipping from bed, Chance dressed without waking Anna. He could hear the rattle of harnesses and the squeak of springs as men began loading wagons. Since John Meusebach announced the morning before that the first families would be leaving at dawn for the new settlement, everyone in town had been hurrying about like squirrels on the last day before winter.

Chance silently strapped on his gun belt as he took one last, long look at Anna. She lay nestled among colorful quilts with her ravishing hair wild and free around her. An ache deep inside him spread through his very bones. How wonderful it would be to truly have such a woman as his wife, to wake up every morning for the rest of his life with her beside him. When she’d asked him to kiss her last night, he’d thought he might explode. The request still puzzled him as it had all night. How could a woman five years married and pregnant act as though she’d never been kissed? Well, he’d have a month to think about it before he saw her again, Chance thought resolutely as he lifted his hat and slipped from the tiny cabin.

He joined the other men outside as they loaded supplies needed for the trip. The society was able to give each man only the bare necessities in terms of tools and supplies. Chance had dried enough meat to live on jerky for the next three weeks, but he was thankful for the ration of salt, coffee, and beans.

After saddling Cyoty, he helped with the wagons. There were twenty-nine heavy ox-carts and a number of Mexican two-wheeled vehicles ready for the trip. Even though over half of the people had died of the fever in the past month, today was a day of rejoicing. The sun was already growing warm by the time the long train started moving. Chance helped Carl lift the last trunk onto the wagon and turned to see folks lining the streets and waving good-bye to the families.

Tying Cyoty to one of John’s porch posts, Chance went to say good-bye to Anna. The train of carts would move slowly, and he’d catch up without trouble. He had to see her one more time.

She was sitting up in the chair when he entered. The golden morning sun fell across her and for a moment he could see nothing in the room except her. Mrs. Basse must have combed Anna’s hair into a bun and dressed her. Out of the corner of his eye, Chance noticed the plump old woman lifting a tray of dishes as she gave him orders he didn’t understand.

Anna laughed. “Mrs. Basse told you to build me a fine house and keep me pregnant all the time. She is a great believer in having large families.” When Chance raised an eyebrow she continued, “Mrs. Basse is moving her whole clan to Fredericksburg as soon as they block the town. She thinks this New Braunfels is too settled for her liking and she wants more room to watch her family grow.”

Chance removed his hat and stood looking down at Anna. Her cheeks had more color today, but she still looked very weak. “Mrs. Basse should join and fight the Mexicans. With her organization and planning she’d have the troops in line in no time.”

Anna laughed again, holding her shoulder as if she were restraining the pain. “She is a kind lady. I hope to be well enough in a few days to earn my keep. With eleven children, she has her hands full and she doesn’t need me to worry over.”

Chance lowered himself onto one knee. “You stay right here until that shoulder heals.”

Anna’s eyes sparkled with challenge. “Is that an order?”

He loved looking into her green depths and seeing no fear. “Yes, it’s an order, and you’d better follow it.”

For a moment he thought she might argue, but she only cradled her arm. Her shoulder was causing her a great deal of pain no matter how she tried to hide it from him. Somehow he wanted to help in her deception, even though it was meant for him. “If you don’t,” he made his voice gruff as he pulled the quilt snug over her shoulder, “I’ll tell Mrs. Basse to send in her clan to sit on you.”

Anna managed a laugh and a halfhearted look of horror. “Please, not all of them.”

When Chance brushed her hair with his hand, her look turned serious. “When will you be back for me?”

“A month, maybe more. It will take quite a while to get to the land with all these carts, but when I ride back I can make it in only a few days.” He saw the disappointment in her eyes, for she was anxious to see her land. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Anna looked up into his warm, blue eyes and nodded, knowing she had to trust him. She had no one else to trust.

“You will be safe here.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Take care,” he whispered, then withdrew before he said more. All night he’d thought about the way he felt about her. He’d remembered how she’d cried in his arms, how she’d nursed him when he had the fever, how she’d kissed him. He needed time to get his feelings under control or he’d be telling her he loved her like some love-starved kid.

Chance walked to the door without looking back. He knew she was watching him, but he wouldn’t be able to leave if he looked at her even one more time. Hell, he thought, when his year was up and he left for good, he would still think of her every day of his life.

He swung woodenly onto Cyoty and kicked the horse into action. Anna was in his blood and no amount of running could change that. But he had a month to get himself under control before he saw her again, thank God.

Chance galloped to the front of the line, then slowed his horse beside John Meusebach. The man was a strong leader and the first sign Chance had seen that this settlement might work. He was the kind of man who never accepted defeat, and men tried that much harder around him because he believed in himself.

They rode north with John in the lead and Chance riding scout most of the time. The two men enjoyed the time they spent together and soon became friends. When they were approaching the banks of the Pedernales, they saw several Indians. Chance rode ahead with John only a few lengths behind. Trouble hadn’t been expected so soon, but both men wanted to face it head-on. If there was to be a fight, now, while all the folks were together, was as good a time as any. In a month, when they were scattered throughout the valley, the Indians would have little trouble picking them off, but now, all together, the German people would make a good showing. There was not a fighter among them, but no cowards hid in their ranks.

As Chance neared the Indian camp, he saw that it held a tribe of Delawares. He lifted his arms high in the air and shouted his arrival. A moment later he heard John do the same. Chance was amazed at how fast John picked up words in the Indian tongue. Delawares were a peaceful and friendly tribe that Chance never minded running into. The only thing that bothered him was the knowledge that it wouldn’t take long before the Indians ran into Walks Tall and told him where the German settlement was headed. If Walks Tall was looking for Chance, he wouldn’t have too much trouble finding him.

After a short rest, the wagon train moved on, going further into Waco and Comanche territory. Chance doubted the Wacos would cause any trouble. They weren’t as warlike as the Comanches, but he’d seen too many burned-out farmhouses to think the Comanches would let these people settle on what they thought of as their land without a fight.

After several days, they reached the place where the surveying party had erected a house. The weary immigrants rested and thanked God before plotting out their land on a town site. Chance quickly picked a lot in town away from the main street, then set out for the farmland. He knew Anna might someday be interested in a house in town, but right now the most important thing was the land. The land he chose was a spot north of town were the soil looked rich but rocky.

Working the first day from dawn until dusk, Chance cleared an area between the trees for a cabin. As the days passed, he dug down five feet and framed off a large room; then he built a fireplace in one corner, and cut logs for the cabin walls and the roof. Most of the cabins were built above ground, but Chance had decided this would be safer, plus it would be cooler for the summer. After the crops were in, he’d build a cabin on top of the dugout; then they could use the dugout as a cellar to store vegetables.

Twice a week he forced himself to leave the land and go back into town, where he helped others. Many of the men had little or no skill, but a few were fine carpenters and stonecutters. The Jordans settled on the farm lot next to Chance. During the first week, Chance made a deal with Carl. He agreed to supply Carl with meat and lumber for both houses if Carl would build furniture for his cabin. The lanky German with his rounded shoulders and strong hands set to work on the task with the vigor of youth. His long, thin fingers might be useless around a gun, but they worked magic with his carpentry tools.

Selma was about as much help as a butterfly, flitting around Carl, never getting enough of his presence. Her tiny body seemed to be always in motion, and her blond curls bounced around her face continually. Chance started teasing Carl about having to raise Selma before he could think about having a family. Selma squealed and argued and finally took the teasing good-naturedly.

At the beginning of his third week on the land, Chance managed to rope a wild calf. He pulled it into the corral he’d built and, as planned, the calf ’s mother followed. Chance spent an hour each day gentling the cow. He guessed the cow had been around humans before and probably had been separated from a herd somewhere or stranded on a farm after a family left or was killed. By the time he went to get Anna, the cow would allow him or Carl to milk her each morning. In a few months the calf would be fully weaned and they’d have plenty of milk for both families. Chance could get ten dollars for her, but she’d be worth more than that to them after the baby came.

As he rode back to New Braunfels, he felt good about what he’d accomplished. He ached to get to work on the fields. There were several tree stumps to clear and rocks half the size of a wagon that would have to be moved. But he’d chosen a good spot with a stream and a break of pecan and oak trees on two sides. Thinking of the land made Chance homesick for the first time. He remembered how his father had planned the farm, discussing every detail of the homestead as if Chance understood it all.

For the first time, Chance thought of what he would do after he killed Storm’s Edge. He pictured working his farm. His father had paid sixty dollars for over four thousand acres of pastureland and almost two hundred acres of farmland in the Austin Colony. The colony’s plan had been to use the rugged farmers as a buffer against Indian attacks. His land was so vast it made Anna’s more than three hundred acres look small, but this would be enough for her and she’d be surrounded by her people.

Maybe that was the difference, he thought. Anna will be with her people. Except for Maggie, Chance had no people. His folks had hardly known their neighbors, and the only relatives he’d ever met were the second cousins near Galveston who’d taken in his baby sister. They’d been nice enough, but they’d made it plain they weren’t interested in keeping Maggie unless Chance could come up with a hundred dollars a year. Desperate, he’d sold everything the Indians hadn’t destroyed and managed to send them the first three years’ board in advance. He’d tried making it on his own, but he ended up at a mission outside San Antonio for a while. After that he’d been able to make money by doing about every job that was legal and a few that he wasn’t too sure about.