Jodi Thomas (28 page)

With a hand over his heart, Chance acted hurt. “How could you compare my cooking to Selma’s?”

“What is all this white stuff?” Anna took another bite.

“It’s gravy. I don’t see how you people have a meal without it. I’m used to eating it with everything, including breakfast.”

Anna ate another bite and raised her eyebrows.

Chance pointed a spoon at her. “Before long you’ll be stirring it up for me every day. All you need is a little grease left from frying meat. And a palmful of flour and some salt. Then when the stuff gets hot, pour in half a skilletful of milk. As it boils it gets thicker. I’ve eaten at tables where gravy was the main course and the dessert.”

Anna laughed, but continued to eat. She looked over at Maggie sitting cross-legged in a chair. The baby rested in her lap and both were sound asleep.

“Look.”

Chance followed her gaze. “Selma said Maggie was up most of the night wanting to come over and see how you were.”

“I love her dearly,” Anna said between bites. “Thanks for agreeing to let her stay with me when you leave.”

She didn’t miss the hard twitch of the muscle along Chance’s jaw, but he didn’t say anything.

He tucked Cherish into her crib and carried Maggie to her bed.

Just as Anna thought he was about to speak, the silent morning was shattered by Tobin’s yell from outside. He sounded like a man running from the devil. Grabbing his rifle, Chance opened the door.

“Come on out here, son!” Tobin shouted. “I got something you gotta see.”

Chance disappeared for a moment, then returned. He leaned his gun against the headboard and asked Anna, “Are you up to being carried outside? There’s something I think you should take a look at.”

Anna lifted her arms to Chance in answer. She was amazed at how weak she felt. Mrs. Basse had told her to stay in bed at least a week, but surely that didn’t include being carried out by Chance.

He lifted her up, blankets and all, and brought her outside. There, standing in front of the house, was a huge sorrel horse. The animal jerked at his rope and pawed the ground with wild, powerful muscles.

“Mornin’, Miss Anna.” Tobin nodded a greeting. “I hear from the racket that there’s a new little Wyatt in the house.”

Anna held tight to Chance. “Cherish Julia Wyatt,” she said, and felt the muscles across his back tighten slightly. Had he thought she would use her first husband’s last name? Or was he just shifting her weight?

“Well, that’s real nice.” Tobin scratched his dirty hair. “This family seems to be doublin’ every time I turn my back. Before long you’ll have kids runnin’ around here by the dozen. You’ll be worse than them Basses.”

“Speaking of new arrivals, what about this horse?” Chance asked, changing the subject.

Patting the sorrel’s mane, Tobin announced, “This here’s a present from Anna’s sourdough Indian. He loved your bread and decided to send you a gift.”

Anna couldn’t believe his words. This horse would have been a fine mount anywhere in Europe; he looked like a champion. He stood taller than any of the mustangs she’d seen and was far more muscular.

“It’s a Chickasaw sorrel. I haven’t seen a horse this grand since I was up north of the Red River.”

Anna couldn’t stop staring at the magnificent animal. He was dark red and had four short white socks.

As always, Tobin continued to chatter whether anyone was listening or not. “This is one horse you don’t have to worry about some Indian comin’ along and stealin’. There ain’t an Indian with good sense who’d take a Chickasaw horse. They might buy them, or trade if they can find one, but they never steal them. I reckon they figure an animal like this would be easy to spot and so would the thief.”

Chance moved closer so Anna could touch the horse. “I can’t believe it,” she murmured. “He gave me this for a loaf of bread.”

Tobin laughed, making the horse jerk. “Well, I wouldn’t say it was just for one loaf of bread. You see, if you take his gift he figures he’s welcome in your wigwam anytime. He’s liable to be back every baking day.”

Anna touched the animal’s nose, letting him have a long smell of her hand. “I don’t care if it costs me a loaf every week. I have a horse and now I can ride. If there is trouble I can get to help. I can go visit other farms.”

Chance pulled her closer. “Now, wait a minute. You’ve got some recovering to do before you even think about riding. Maybe by that time Tobin and I will have him settled down enough for gentle riding.”

Anna would have argued that she could handle any horse she chose, but she was suddenly too tired. She leaned her head against Chance’s shoulder and enjoyed being in his strong arms. The clean, masculine smell of him and the habit he had of rubbing her head with his chin made her feel sleepy and happy.

“I’d better get this lady back to bed,” Chance said to Tobin. “I’ll meet you in the fields in an hour. I’ve got planting to do, and I could use your help clearing a few stumps.”

Nodding, Tobin led the horse off to the corral, still talking, although his only listener was the animal at his side.

Chance carried Anna inside and laid her back down. As he tucked her in, he whispered, “You sleep awhile. Selma will check on you in a few hours and I’ll be in before dark.”

Anna didn’t want to let him go. “You’re going to work today after being up all night?”

“I’ve got to get the crop in as soon as possible. I’m not sure how long the season is, and a day or two might make a big difference. You sleep.” He leaned over her and brushed her forehead with a kiss.

Closing her eyes, Anna slept, as did Maggie and Cherish—until gunfire rattled the air several hours later.

C
hance barreled through the door as another pair of shots rang through the air. “Stay in here!” he yelled at Maggie and Anna as he grabbed his rifle. “Maggie, lock the door behind me and don’t open it until I call!”

Maggie awoke from her nap, terror draining the color from her face. “Indians,” she whispered and didn’t need to be answered.

“And you”—Chance looked directly at Anna—“stay in bed.”

Before she could speak he was back out the door. Maggie scurried across the floor and locked the door behind him as she’d been told. Then she crawled into bed with Anna and curled under her arm like a frightened animal.

Confused and angry, Anna resented being talked to as though she had no more sense than Maggie, yet she feared whatever could make Chance speak so sharply.

Anna and Maggie listened for another round of fire, but none came. The silence brought no comfort, but instead twisted their nerves tighter. Somewhere outside the safety of these walls, trouble walked on soft feet and the silent knowledge of its nearness was far more terrifying than if there had been constant cannon fire in their ears.

The minutes trickled by and Anna tried to calm Maggie. They played with the baby and talked of ways Maggie could be a help to Anna, like a second mother to tiny Cherish.

Although she made a sock doll for Maggie and told her stories, Anna’s ears never stopped straining for the sound of another shot. She found herself watching the door, waiting for someone to try the latch. Once she thought she saw the wood move, but when she looked closer, the bolt was still resting in its slot. Somehow in her mind she believed the illogical: If she continued to stare, she thought, the latch would never move.

Finally, the sound of approaching horses broke the silence, followed by footsteps and low voices. Anna waited, but they didn’t come any closer to the house. She couldn’t tell who was talking, or even what language they were speaking.

Lifting her baby into her arms, Anna heard the horses retreating. She pulled Cherish tightly against her, preparing to protect the infant with her body. A shout shattered the quiet. Chance yelled for Maggie to unbolt the door and Anna breathed for the first time in several seconds.

Sunshine flooded the room as the door opened and Chance entered. He put his rifle up and collapsed on the bench. Exhaustion showed in the tilt of his head against the back wall of the cabin. “I guess I was a little jumpy. The shots were only to round up all the folks within hearing.”

“There were no Indians?” Maggie asked.

“No, honey, there were no Indians.” He looked over Maggie’s dark curls to Anna and she saw the lie in his eyes.

He tugged at one of his sister’s curls. “I’d love to have a cold drink from the stream. Do you think you could run down and fetch me one?”

Maggie was gone even before he could finish the request.

Anna looked directly at Chance. “Tell me!”

Chance rocked forward and rested his head in his hands for a moment. His whole body looked tired, bone tired. “They’re warning all the people. The Comanches aren’t too happy about us being here. A few of the men are planning to ride north and try to make some kind of peace. They’re rounding up more to go, but with Walter Schmitz as the leader, I doubt many will follow.”

Standing, Chance paced as if restlessness were being pumped into his body with each heartbeat.

Anna hated to say what she knew was on his mind. “You want to go.”

“I should go with them, but with the crops and the baby, I’m needed here. Walter’s liable to lead them right into a trap. They need a good gun with them and I’m more than a fair shot. Not one of them knows this country as well as I do.”

Anna knew he was wavering, trying to decide what was right. Tobin had told her Chance had one of the fastest guns and surest aims he’d ever seen, and for Tobin to brag about someone other than himself was a rarity. Chance would be a great help to the men, but he was needed here more. She felt so weak she could only move in slow motion, and she wasn’t sure she could lift a rifle, much less fire one.

Laying the baby in the crib beside her, Anna watched him. “I know I’ll be alone in January when you leave, but I’ll be stronger, better prepared then.” She looked up into his bottomless blue eyes. “Don’t leave me now.”

Chance crossed to the bed and sat beside her, pulling her into his arms. He held her tightly, just as she needed to be held, and she felt secure.

“I’ll get the crops planted, then I’ll scout around for Indians. With any luck they won’t be in any hurry to have us gone. Indians have a way of watching and learning an enemy’s habits before they strike.”

Anna felt safe and content in his arms. His strong hands rested against her back and his chin touched her hair. She knew he wanted to go with the men, but she couldn’t bear to part with the one person she had ever leaned on in her life. She was too weak right now. “Stay with me,” she whispered into his ear, then felt his body stiffen slightly as he pressed his heart against her own.

Maggie burst into the cabin, breaking the mood, and was tickled to see them together. She considered Chance a knight in shining armor, and it was only fitting he hold Anna, who was no less than a princess in little Maggie’s mind.

Chance downed the water and returned to the fields without another word about leaving. There was so many things Anna would have liked to have said to him, but there was no time, or privacy.

The days passed in a blur of work. Chance was gone from their bed each morning when she awoke, leaving only the memory of his arms holding her during the night. She would see him at meals, but there were always others around, and even after dinner, when the activity of the day settled, Chance continued to work. Well into the night she would finally feel his weight on the bed as an exhausted sigh escaped him. As if almost a reflex, he’d pull her near for warmth and within minutes his regular breathing would slow as it brushed her shoulder. Sometimes, in his sleep, he’d mumble her name, but he never tried to do more than hold her.

July passed and August’s hot, steamy days lingered. Anna did all the cooking outside now to keep the cabin cooler. She put Maggie and Cherish on a blanket in the shade of the trees while she worked. She tried to keep busy and not think about Chance’s touch, but more and more her mind drifted to the warm feel of his arm lying just below her breasts while they slept. Often she thought of the times she’d felt his heart pounding against her chest as if it were seeking entry into her very soul.

One morning Anna awoke just as dawn crept into the cabin, slicing the air into rows of day and night. She smiled, remembering the way Chance had held her so gently during the night. He seemed so careful, as if she were fragile china that he was only allowed to touch lightly.

Closing her eyes, Anna thought of how she’d miss having him near. The months were sliding by and soon he’d be gone. She wondered how many years it would be before she’d stop aching for his warmth next to her at night. Anna slid her hand out and stroked the sheets where he had lain, gently touching the pillow still indented from his head. She drifted back to sleep, thinking of the unexpected joy he brought her and how welcome it was to be able to lean on someone, if only for a short time.