The Officer and the Traveler (14 page)

Gray nearly laughed at the man, instead, he settled for scoffing. “No.”

“
But you just warned him away from your wife,” General Davis said, crossing his arms and giving Gray a pointed look. “And not for the first time I suspect.”
 

“
Indeed. I had to warn him off a few days ago when he was leering at her and following her around, but there’s a difference.”
 

“
Which is?”
 

“
Everything about Michaela screams lady—” a fact which he wouldn’t soon be forgetting after last night— “she was wearing a fancy gown and wandering aimlessly around a fort full of lecherous men. Soaring Eagle’s daughter doesn’t wander aimlessly around anywhere. None of the Indian maidens do. They’re trained hunters and can wield their weapons better than some of the men here can shoot their guns—McCorkle included. He might have the stupidity and brute strength to force himself on a defenseless lady like Michaela, but he doesn’t have the stones to do that to Soft Dove.”
 

General Davis nodded his acceptance, which under any other circumstances would have made Gray itch to gloat, but he couldn’t. Not with the sickness that was swirling in his stomach. He was just as bad as he’d claimed McCorkle to be, forcing himself on a defenseless young lady for no other reason than because he could. Bitterness filled his mouth again. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to be off to see my men.”

“
Not so quick. We need to talk first, young man.”
 

Gray’s face heated slightly. The last time General Davis had said those exact words he’d proceeded to ask Gray for exact details of what had happened between Gray and Michaela when they’d gone off alone together. “I owe you no explanations,” Gray said between gritted teeth before waiting to hear General Davis’ question.

The general nodded slowly. “No, you don’t. She is your wife now.” The color rising in his cheeks belied his calm, confident tone, giving Gray an undeniable measure of satisfaction. “However, it occurred to me that I might owe you an explanation.”

Oh no. No, he didn’t need to explain anything. Gray shook his head, grunting. “There is no need. As I told you the night you arrived, I know everything I need to about—” he took a deep breath— “things.”

“
You probably think you do,” General Davis allowed. “But the kinds of women you’ve associated with before aren’t quite the same as—”
 

“
I know that,” Gray snarled. “As I said, everything about her speaks of her being a high class lady. Never fear, I’ll treat her as such.”
 

General Davis frowned. “That doesn’t mean you can’t—”

“
I have no desire to continue this conversation with you.”
 

The general’s lips thinned. “Very well. You go on to work and I’ll go sit with the ladies.”

Gray blinked at the strange man, then shrugged. If he wanted to go sit with the ladies, who was he to argue? At least it’d get the man to leave him alone.

***

Michaela had always admired her sister’s determination. Except today. Today it was dratted annoying.

“
Michaela, you can tell me if something’s wrong,” Ella whispered as they cut up the food for lunch.
 

“
Nothing is wrong,” Michaela said for the twentieth time. Nothing, that is, except her growing irritation for her sister!
 

Ella
harrumphed
and went about slicing a sad-looking tomato. “Are you refusing to say anything because Pa is here?”
 

Michaela cringed. For some reason unbeknownst to her, their father had decided to come join the ladies this morning, killing all conversation and everyone’s mood with his presence. “No. I’m not telling you because there’s nothing to tell.”

“
All right, how about if you nod if I guess right. That way you won’t be breaking any promises or risk Pa hearing?”
 

Michaela wanted to groan. “There’s no need—”

“
Did he see you naked?”
 

Michaela nearly choked and came within a centimeter of cutting her finger right along with the onion. “No, now stop it.”

Ella frowned. “No?”

Ignoring her sister, Michaela pushed the chopped onion onto a little dish and reached for a little chunk of ham.

“
He didn’t take your clothes off?”
 

Michaela’s face flamed. Did her sister have no decency? Other people—including their father—were in the same room with them, albeit across it, but still!

“
Did he take his clothes off?”
 

Michaela slammed her knife down. “Stop,” she said between clenched teeth.

“
Girls, stop fighting,” their father snapped. He was undoubtedly annoyed at having to spend the day with the ladies. He was welcome to leave as far as Michaela was concerned.
 

Feeling triumphant at least that her father had put a quick end to Ella’s prying, Michaela sent him a thankful smile, then set plates out on the table. She paused. “Who all will be joining us?”

“
Wes, Jack and George,” Aunt Lucille said.
 

Michaela and Ella both looked down at the table, then up to the plates. Not only were there not enough chairs, but there weren’t enough plates for that many people.

“
Don’t worry,” Sarah said. “I won’t be staying for lunch, I’m still tired so I think I’ll go lie down for a while.”
 

“
Do you need an escort?” Pa asked, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.
 

“
I live just across the hall. I’m sure I can manage to get there myself,” Sarah informed him dryly.
 

Any other man would have had red cheeks at her words, but not Pa, he pursed his lips and nodded once. He’d never been one to take well to having his authority undermined.

Michaela pressed her lips together to suppress a giggle at the exchange.

“
Is there anything you’d like to say, Michaela?” Pa asked, extinguishing her mirth in less than a second.
 

“
No, sir.” She turned back to cooking.
 

“
You might get away with not sharing everything with him, but I’m not so easily put off,” Ella whispered.
 

“
Yes, I know,” Michaela muttered. Since when did Ella think she’d become the older sister, bent on ferreting out information? Perhaps it was because she’d married first. As far as Michaela was concerned, that wasn’t a good enough reason. “It would be easier if you’d just accept that I won’t be telling you anything.”
 

“
Aha,” Ella said with a grin. “So something
did
happen.”
 

“
Leave it alone,” Michaela warned.
 

Ella pulled back as if she’d been burned. “I was just trying to help.”

Michaela sighed. “I know.” She blew out a breath and shook her head slowly. “But you can’t, so please stop.”

“
You don’t know that I can’t help,” Ella said simply. “I might have married two weeks before you did, but there is a reason other than my illness that led to me having only lost my innocence the day you arrived.”
 

Michaela’s mouth tried to form a reply, but try as she might, she couldn’t; not that it mattered because before allowing enough time for Michaela to ask a probing question like older sisters were wont to do, Ella left to rejoin the others.

A moment later, Michaela was still no closer to finding the right words and reconciled herself to the fact she might never have the chance to ask her sister what she’d meant when Wes, Jack and Uncle George entered the room for lunch.

By the time Gray came to escort her home at the end of the day, Michaela was a bundle of nerves. Ella had been relentless in her pursuit of details regarding Michaela’s wedding night, and Aunt Lucille had been little better. Fortunately Sarah and Allison were polite enough to mask their interest.

Then there was her father...

He’d openly stared at her for most of the day. Sometimes straight on. Sometimes at an angle. When she’d catch his eye, he’d raise a brow in silent question. That was her tipping point. She supposed it was natural for the other women to be interested in how her night with Gray had gone, but why did her father have any interest? She supposed it was just fatherly concern. Gray did have a nasty reputation as a brothel-frequenting skirt chaser, after all. While the women’s interest could only be interest in what it was like to spend a night with such an experienced man, his interest wasn’t the same. The ladies wanted to know about her enjoyment, and he likely wanted to make sure she’d been treated well. She couldn’t fault him that, but still, she had no desire to explain anything to any of them.

Intimacies with Gray were...were...different. Not that she had anything to compare them to. But if she were to be honest, last night hadn’t been quite the image Ella had described her experience to be in hushed tones while Pa napped. Nor was it as unbearable as she’d once heard her mother describe relations to her sister the night before she married. Her experience was somewhere in the middle.  

Flushing, she glimpsed the door to their room. Would he expect them to do it again?

“
Thinking of something naughty?” Gray teased by her side, a grin splitting his handsome face and his eyes focused just beyond her left shoulder.
 

“
Maybe,” she said with a wobbly smile.
 

“
Well, stop. That’s my role.” He squeezed her arm as he said it, giving her a small measure of hope that things wouldn’t be as uncomfortable between them this evening as they had this morning. “Wes invited us to dine with him and Allison tonight. I hope you don’t mind.”
 

“
Not having to cook, how could I possibly argue with that?”
 

Gray threw his head back and gave a sharp bark of laughter as he opened the door to their room.

Michaela swallowed her unease and walked inside. She should have snuck away during the middle of the day to change the sheets before Gray could see them and be reminded of her unchaste state. She crossed the threshold and froze when her eyes landed on the bed. They’d left it unmade and now it looked pristine. “Did you...”

“
A soldier’s bed should always be made—even if he has a wife,” Gray said easily as he shrugged out of his coatee. Then he removed his shako. “Are you ready to go to dinner?”
 

Michaela stood motionless. Allison had left with Wes at the same time she and Gray had left. There was no way that Allison had already finished cooking a meal for four people. She forced herself to nod. Evidently Gray had no desire to spend time with her alone. “Do you know if my sister will be there?”

“
I don’t think so.” He paused. “Did you not get to spend enough time with her today?”
 

“
I did. But—” She shrugged. Though her sister had been a pain in the hindquarters today, she couldn’t help but wonder why Ella hadn’t been the one to offer to invite her to supper first. A thought flashed in her mind that gave Michaela her answer: Ella and Jack would likely be preoccupied with each other tonight. They were newly married, too, after all.
 

“
Is there something you need to talk to her about?”
 

Michaela started, startled by his question. “No. I just wondered.”

“
I understand that Ella is your sister, but you’ll need to make friends with Allison, too,” Gray said softly a moment later. “There aren’t a lot of women here and one day your sister might be gone and it wouldn’t be to your benefit to have alienated any possible friends.”
 

“
Oh, I’d never wish to do that. I like Allison. I just wondered,” she said quickly.
 

“
I know you weren’t trying to exclude her.” He offered her a slight smile. “As you already know, men are transferred to and from forts without much notice. I just think it’d do some good, both for you and Allison, to become as good of friends as you and Ella are.”
 

“
You’re right,” she agreed.
 

“
Besides, there’s only so much of Jack I can tolerate in a day.”
 

“
Oh, he’s not so bad,” Michaela said, giving her husband a playful swat on the shoulder.
 

Gray let out what had to be an exaggerated groan. “Oh, no. Another Davis girl has been felled by his lack of charm.”

“
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were jealous,” Michaela said, flashing him her best smile.
 

***

“
Can I help you with anything, Allison?” Michaela asked after Wes had welcomed them into the room.
 

“
No, that’s all right. You just sit down,” Allison said. She dumped a small scoop of spices into a large bowl in front of her, then grabbed a wooden spoon and started stirring the contents of the bowl as
fast as she possibly could. Her face looked pink with a slight sheen of moisture on her forehead and cheeks.
 

Michaela reached forward and touched Allison’s forearm, stopping her movements. “I apologize that my husband was rude enough to invite us over here on such short notice, at least let me make it up to you by helping.”

A small smile spread Allison’s lips. “I did invite you here—” she bit her bottom lip— “I thought when I told Wes to invite you and Gray over for dinner one night he’d know that I’d need more than fifteen minutes of warning.” She shook her head, her smile growing. “I certainly love that man—even when he frustrates me.” She cleared her throat. “This needs to be mixed and the meat needs to be cut, then dipped in these seasonings—”