Tracie Peterson (8 page)

Chapter 13

D
aughtry tried to sleep but couldn’t. Perhaps the hour was just not late enough, she reasoned; after all, the sun had only been down for an hour, maybe two. In frustration, she sat up and leaned back against the rock to contemplate her actions.

In the distant night she could make out little noises, but nothing that
offered either comfort or fear. She thought of her life and all that she’d known.

This region of New Mexico was still very rustic. They didn’t have electricity to the outlying houses, and while most of the towns sported not only electricity but running water, telephones, and automobiles, Daughtry’s world hadn’t consisted of any of these things. She felt as though she stood between the past and the future, not really taking hold of either one.

She smiled to herself as she thought of Nicholas building the small addition off the kitchen to house the bathtub. He’d seemed so happy when he realized how much pleasure it gave Daughtry.

They were a strange couple, Daughtry thought. “How could two people who had never before met be so perfect for each other?” she questioned the air. Clearly, the hand of God had been working in spite of human rebellion and disobedience.

Daughtry frowned. Her father was no doubt at her house right this very minute. What a coward she was to leave Nicholas to face him alone. She hugged her knees to her chest.
Oh, God,
she prayed,
please help him. Help Nicholas to deal evenhandedly with my father, and help my father to keep his temper under control.

She must have dozed, or so she figured, because suddenly the sound of horses clipping at a slow, even pace caused her to jerk upright. Getting to her feet, Daughtry was further stunned to see her husband, father, and three of her brothers ride casually into camp as though they were there for supper.

Standing with her mouth open and her eyes wide, Daughtry was speechless. Nicholas jumped down from his horse, throwing the reins to Joseph, while Garrett dismounted and handed his to Gavin. Before she could utter a single protest, Nicholas had her in his arms and was turning her around as if to inspect every single inch of her.

“She looks to be in one piece,” she heard her husband mutter.

Still Daughtry could say nothing, and not until Nicholas completely shocked her by handing her over to her father to continue the examination, did Daughtry finally voice her protest.

“Stop this at once!” she exclaimed and pushed away from her father. “I’m not a helpless child, you know. I’m perfectly fine—or at least I was until you all got here.”

She looked from the two men at her side to her brothers. “How dare you interfere in my life this way! I’m old enough to know my own mind. You can’t just waltz in here and think to control me!”

Garrett glanced at Nicholas and received one of his lazy, I-told-you-so grins. “I think you should spank her,” Garrett said with a slow drawl.

“Sp–sp–spank me?” Daughtry sputtered, completely enraged. “You think he should spank me?”

“That’s right,” Garrett replied.

“If he doesn’t want to do the job, I’ll do it,” Gavin called down from his mount.

“You’re all insufferable.” Daughtry put hands on her hips and struck a defiant pose. “I’m a grown woman and. . .”

“You may be a grown woman, but you haven’t got a lick of sense,” Garrett replied.

“I have plenty of sense.”

“Then what are you doing out here when you have a perfectly fine home?”
Garrett questioned.

Daughtry looked to her husband for help, but Nicholas looked away as if to keep from laughing.

Daughtry crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t be out here at all if it hadn’t been for the way you treated me. I may have run off, but you forced me to make that decision.”

“I know,” he said in a dejected tone that immediately softened
Daughtry’s heart.

Garrett pushed his black Stetson back and drew a deep breath. “I know I’ve been unfair to you, Daughtry. It’s just that ever since Julie died, I guess I felt like I had to keep a better eye on you. I couldn’t get past feeling that if I’d only watched her closer, made her take someone with her when she rode, that maybe she’d be alive today. You’ll feel different when you have your child. You’ll know just how much a child means to a parent.”

Daughtry reached out to touch her father’s cheek. “I know. I miss her too. And I also feel guilty.”

“Guilty for what?” Garrett asked in complete surprise.

“For being angry with her. Angry that she died. Angry that because of the way she died, I had to bear the consequences.” Garrett grimaced at the latter, but Daughtry continued. “We all miss her, but overprotecting me won’t change the fact that she’s gone to heaven and we’re still here.”

“You’re right, of course,” Garrett answered and opened his arms. “Will you forgive me?”

Daughtry melted into her father’s embrace. “Of course,” she sighed. “I forgave you a long time ago. If it hadn’t been for our confrontation, I might never have met Nicholas—and, Daddy, I do love him. I didn’t just marry him to get away from home. He’s a good man, and he loves God.”

Garrett glanced over her shoulder at Nicholas.

“I’m glad you love him, Daughtry.”

As if reading her father’s feelings, Daughtry pulled back. “I’ll always love you too, Daddy. Please forgive me for the way I’ve done things. I know I was wrong. You and Momma brought me into the world and raised me up to love God and my fellow man—and now it’s time for me to go on and live my life with Nicholas.”

Garrett nodded. “I know. Just as Julie’s death isn’t the end, I know that your marriage is just the beginning of many wonderful things. Nicholas helped me to see that. He helped me to realize that life and death are just a part of the circle that makes us who we are. Julie may be gone, but now there’s your baby and life starts anew.”

Daughtry dropped her hold on Garrett and stepped back a pace. “My
what
?” Her mouth dropped open in stunned silence.

Garrett looked at Nicholas. Nicholas stepped forward with a sheepish grin.

“I think Daughtry’s been a bit preoccupied these last few weeks even to realize that she’s expecting,” he offered by way of explanation. “But I feel very confident that she is.”

Daughtry felt her face flush. She calculated the days of their marriage, her monthly cycles, and felt a strange knowledge settle over her. “A baby!” She looked up at Nicholas who seemed quite pleased to have known before even she did.

Without warning, she felt her knees buckle and she fell forward into her father. Garrett managed to take hold of her under the arms, and, looking at Nicholas with a telling smile, he unceremoniously handed the unconscious Daughtry over to him.

“Good luck,” Garrett said with a laugh. “You’re going to need it.”

Quite awhile later, Daughtry and Nicholas made their way to bed.
Garrett and the boys had taken up residency in the front sitting room, refusing to let Daughtry and Nicholas even think of giving up their room.

Daughtry brushed her long coppery hair and thought of the news that she was to be a mother. How could she have been so caught up in her guilt and fears that she hadn’t realized she was with child? She was almost humiliated that her husband had to be the one to point the news out to her.

Just then Nicholas came in, deposited his boots, and got ready for bed. Daughtry turned and stared at him for a moment. He was so very handsome with his dark hair and broad shoulders. She liked the way he moved with catlike grace and confidence.

Realizing that she was watching him, Nicholas turned and smiled. Daughtry’s hand automatically went to her stomach in wonder. How could it be that they were to become parents? Why had God chosen to bless their union so early on with such a miracle?

“How?” Daughtry questioned, getting up and slipping into bed. “How did you know?”

Nicholas shrugged and eased into the covers. “I’m not stupid. I know all about women. I have a mother after all. Not to mention my sisters.”

“Imagine that,” Daughtry said rather sarcastically. “You have sisters.”

“Yes, I have two sisters and a brother,” Nicholas replied. “I am the oldest.”

“I see.”

“Lance is twenty-eight,” Nicholas continued, knowing her unspoken questions. “Natalie is twenty-five and Joelle is nineteen. So, you see, I am more than a little familiar with things that pertain to the female species.”

Daughtry blushed and shook her head. “I can’t believe that I didn’t realize what was happening.”

“I thought maybe you did,” Nicholas replied. “But when we went to town and I told you to get anything you thought you might need, and you only worried about my underwear—well, then I knew that you didn’t know.”

Daughtry laughed. “You must think me pathetic.”

Nicholas opened his arms to her, and Daughtry slid into them eagerly. “I would never think you pathetic,” Nicholas answered softly. “You are most precious to me.”

Daughtry leaned her head against his chest. “You aren’t angry, are you? About the baby, I mean.”

“Why would I be angry?”

“Well, it certainly happened a lot quicker than I anticipated, so I figure it must be just as shocking for you.”

“It did surprise me,” Nicholas admitted, “but once I realized that it was most likely true, I kind of liked the idea.”

“It’s just so amazing and wondrous,” Daughtry said, her hand going
again to her abdomen. “But, I couldn’t bear it if you were unhappy.” She lift
ed her face to his, her eyes huge pools of blue.

“I couldn’t be more happy about it,” Nicholas replied and kissed her forehead. “If you’ll recall, I was the one who planned for a dozen or so.”

Daughtry laughed. “Well, one down and eleven to go.”

Nicholas joined her laughter with his own, then suddenly grew sober. “Daughtry, you have to promise me that you’ll be more careful. I nearly died when I came home and found you gone. I know you were scared, but so many things could have happened to you out there. Not to mention that I’m still not all that sure we’re safe from my past.”

His words both startled and frustrated her. Why wouldn’t he tell her what past it was that he was running from?

Daughtry eased up on one elbow to study him for a moment. She was about to protest his silence when she saw something in his eyes that made her want to comfort him. She placed her hand on his chest and smiled. “Whatever you decide is fine by me. If you need to leave this place, you’ll do so with me by your side.”

“No questions asked?” Nicholas whispered, staring hard at his wife.

“No questions asked.”

Morning light brought the blended family together at breakfast. For the first time, Daughtry used her dining room table and chairs and enjoyed preparing a feast fit for an army. Nicholas spoke about the ranch with her father and brothers, while Daughtry made sure that all the cups were filled with steaming coffee and that no one went away hungry.

“I’ve got a great deal to learn,” Nicholas confessed. “But Daughtry’s been a tremendous help.”

“She ought to be. She’s grown up ranching all her life. Piñon Canyon is probably the largest ranch in New Mexico, although I’ve never concerned myself with such things. We do a good business in beef and horses,” Garrett said between forkfuls of food. “There’s certainly enough business there, and I always presumed it would pass equally to all of my children.” As he spoke, an idea came to Garrett and he put down his fork.

“What say you and Daughtry come live at Piñon Canyon for the winter? I could teach you firsthand all that you’d need to know to get this place running, and, come spring, I would send you off with a starter herd of the best cattle this side of the Mississippi.”

Daughtry looked at her father in surprise, then to Nicholas. What would he think of the offer, she wondered? She didn’t have long to contemplate as Nicholas raised his eyes to hers. They both thought back to the day of the shootout, and Daughtry nodded as if in answer to Nicholas’s unspoken question.

“I think we’d both like that,” Nicholas replied, and Daughtry nodded and continued seeing to her brothers’ plates.

Garrett couldn’t have been more surprised or grateful. “Good,” he answered, feeling the first real peace since Daughtry left home. “I don’t think you’ll be sorry.”

“I’m sure we won’t be,” Nicholas replied. “We won’t need to do much here, maybe just board up the windows so that no harm comes to them. We’ll take our horses with us, and there’s no other livestock or obligation to contend with.”

“What about our turkey?” Daughtry asked with a grin. “I can hear him out there even now.” Everybody laughed, having heard the turkey’s protests through much of the night.

“We’ll take him with us,” Garrett announced. “We ought to be home in time for Thanksgiving, and he’ll make a great main course.”

Chapter 14

N
icholas stared down at the mammoth ranch that spread across the endless valley. Nestled between the mountains was Piñon Canyon, the home where Daughtry had grown up. He looked in awe from the empire below, to the man who owned it all, and finally to his wife.

“Like it?” she questioned with a grin. “You should see it in the springtime when all the grass is newly green and the wildflowers are blooming.”

Nicholas nodded. “I can only imagine. It’s easy to see why you love it.” Daughtry smiled. She’d only recently told Nicholas of her fondness for her childhood home.

Her father and brothers moved ahead on the trail, leaving Nicholas and Daughtry to themselves. “When I left,” Daughtry said, remembering her escape, “I thought I was leaving a terrible place. A prison. Now I can see that it was more the way I perceived things inside and not at all the way it really was.”

“Can you be happy here again?” Nick questioned, reaching out to touch her arm.

Daughtry gave him a radiant smile, and, in spite of the blustery cold winds that came down from the mountain, she was warm and content. “I can be happy anywhere that you are.”

Maggie Lucas fussed and pampered her daughter from the moment she
got down from her horse. Arm in arm, they walked off toward the house,
while the men saw to the horses and gear.

“He’s very nice looking, this Nicholas Dawson,” Maggie said, bringing Daughtry a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

“Yes, he is. He’s also very kind and considerate, and he’s a Christian, Momma.”

“That’s good,” Maggie said, and Daughtry heard the unmistakable sound of relief in her voice.

“I’m truly sorry for the way I acted.” Daughtry put the cup down and looked up at her mother. “I know I must have just about broke your heart in two, and I can’t live with myself any longer. Will you please forgive me for running off and hurting you like I did?”

Maggie put her arms around Daughtry and hugged her close. “I could see how bad things were. I only wanted you to be happy, but I knew how miserable you were. I tried to talk to your father, and he only snapped at me. There’s nothing to forgive. I knew in my heart, after learning that you’d left, that God was with you and that He’d guide you safely. It gave me a great deal of peace, even when I didn’t know where you were.”

“Why did it take Daddy so long to show up?” Daughtry suddenly asked.

“He was mad and real hurt. Mostly because he knew he was responsible for your actions. At first he refused to even deal with it but, as time passed, I could see the anger burning inside him like a spark just waiting for kindling to feed its flame. One day, he marched in here, told Gavin and Dolan to saddle up, and announced he was going to find you and this man who’d stolen you from him.”

Daughtry smiled and pulled away from her mother. “I take it Joey went along to keep the peace.”

Maggie nodded. “You know Joseph.” This time Daughtry nodded, while Maggie continued. “That’s what happened here. How about what happened at your end?”

“I got Daddy’s letter and it spooked me. I’m sorry to say I ran away again, because Nicholas was at a neighbor’s house and wasn’t due home for awhile. I had no idea how soon Daddy would arrive, so I packed a horse and left. I figured I’d rather camp out in the cold than face his wrath alone. Besides, I was so scared he’d take me away and I’d never see Nicholas again.”

“What happened then?”

Daughtry laughed. “They all came riding into my camp as big as you please. Nick was sporting a bruised face, and Daddy was wearing skinned knuckles. I heard later that Nick wouldn’t even defend himself. Just let Daddy have at him, then asked him to forgive him for marrying me.”

“He is quite a man,” Maggie said in surprised awe.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Daughtry said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I have a surprise for you.”

“What?” Maggie cocked her head to one side as if trying to figure out what her daughter would say next.

“Daddy asked us to live here for the winter, so that he could teach Nicholas all about ranching.”

“And your husband agreed?”

“He did,” Daughtry said with great happiness. “But we’re going home in the spring, and Daddy promised to send us with some prime stock to start our own herd.”

“Well, I am impressed,” Maggie said, taking a seat beside her daughter.

“And,” Daughtry added, reaching out to take hold of her mother’s hand, “I have one more surprise. I’m going to have a baby.”

“A baby!”

Her mother looked as though she might faint, and Daughtry squeezed her hand. “I was so worried about Daddy coming to take me away that I didn’t even know it myself, until Nicholas pointed out the obvious things.”

“A baby,” Maggie said again, this time more steadily. “I’m going to be a grandmother. Wait until Lillie hears this one.”

Daughtry laughed. “You’ll no doubt have me knee-deep in sewing projects, and before the winter is over, I’ll have enough clothes for triplets.”

The women were still laughing when the men came in the room. Maggie got up and received a heartfelt kiss from her husband, while Nicholas went to Daughtry’s side and waited to be introduced.

“Momma, this is Nicholas, my husband,” Daughtry said proudly.

Maggie surprised Nicholas by brushing aside his extended hand as she threw her arms around him in a motherly hug. “Welcome home, Nicholas,” she said with love. “I’m so glad to have acquired another son.”

❧

Nicholas spent most of his waking hours with Garrett and Daughtry’s brothers. He worked harder than he’d ever worked in his life and knew that he was in many ways facing up to whatever tests Garrett could put him through. At night he collapsed into a tub of hot water, which Daughtry always saw was ready for him, then he would crawl into bed, more asleep than awake.

More than one night, Daughtry would lie beside her husband and watch him. His dark black hair would curl just at the collar and beg her touch, but Daughtry was always careful not to disturb him. She knew her father was working him too hard, but she reasoned that both men had something to prove and, for now, she’d not interfere.

Daughtry settled into the routine with misgivings. She missed the days when Nicholas had belonged just to her. Their ranch hadn’t been so demanding, and Nicholas could take plenty of time to stop and talk or hold her. Now, however, she rarely saw him until dinner time, and by then he was so tired he didn’t care whether he was married or not.

At dinner one night, the family finally began to feel comfortable enough to ask Nicholas questions and one of the first was about his family.

“My mother and father are both still living. They live near Kansas City, where my father handles investments.”

Daughtry hung onto every word but tried to appear as though this was all old news to her. She wasn’t about to inform her family that Nicholas hadn’t seen fit to confide in her.

“And do you have brothers and sisters, Nick?” Maggie questioned and Daughtry jumped in to reply.

“He has a brother and two sisters,” she said confidently before Nicholas could get a word in edgewise. She looked over at her husband, daring him to say more, but Nicholas just grinned and went on eating.

“I guess I still don’t understand how you could just up and marry a fellow after you read about him in the paper,” Jordy said and turned to Nicholas. “No offense, I think you’re as good a man for a brother-in-law as any, but my sister’s always been rather picky.”

Everyone laughed at this but Daughtry. “I’m not picky, just cautious.”

“So cautious you answered a stranger’s letter out of the
Denver Post
and sneaked away in the night to marry him? He could have been three times your age and given to fits of rage for all you knew,” Gavin said.

“He is given to small fits,” Daughtry laughed.

“So what made you do it?” Jordy pressed his luck. “I mean, other than getting away from here?”

Daughtry put her fork down and stared at Nicholas for a moment. “I fell in love with his picture.”

Garrett and the boys thought this hysterical and started laughing and slapping the table. Nicholas looked across the table at Daughtry and winked at her blushing face, while Maggie cleared her throat loud enough that the others quieted down.

“That’s a silly reason to get married,” Jordy replied.

“Sure is,” Garrett seconded. “Imagine, marrying someone just because you’ve fallen in love with their picture. Why, for all you knew, he hadn’t even sent you a picture of himself. It could have been anyone’s picture.”

“I seem to recall,” Maggie began slowly, concentrating on moving the food around her plate, “a certain love-sick cowboy who fell in love with a ‘spitfire of a girl’ as he called her. This man had never met this girl,” Maggie continued, “but her father had a portrait of her hanging in his house and that cowboy fell in love with her after staring many hours at it.”

Everyone fell into silence as all eyes were drawn to Garrett. Garrett looked across the table at his wife and smiled. Their romance had begun very nearly as she said, and now their daughter had gone and fallen for her mate in much the same way.

“Is it true, Daddy?” Daughtry asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.

“No,” Garrett said, surprising Maggie. Her eyes narrowed questioningly, but he quickly continued. “I fell in love with her the first time I saw the portrait, not after hours of studying it.” Maggie’s smile broadened, and the boys broke into laughter.

“What about you, Nick?” Don suddenly asked.

All heads turned and waited for Nicholas to reply. Even Daughtry could
n’t imagine what he might say, and her hand froze in mid-air, her water glass clutched in her fingers, as she waited for his answer.

“I prayed a lot about a wife,” Nicholas finally answered. “I was never much the courting type, and even though I had plenty of women giving me the chase, I just wasn’t interested in settling down. But I guess I started to see the benefits of having a partner, and so I prayed, then put the advertisement in the paper.” His eyes never left Daughtry as he spoke. “Then your sister answered and sent her picture—and while I thought her a remarkably good-looking woman, I can’t say that I fell head-over-heels just then.”

“What was it then?” Jordy piped up to ask.

“I guess I was intrigued by her letter,” Nicholas responded, seeing the disappointment that flickered across Daughtry’s face as she lowered her head to drink. “Of course, once I met her I knew she was exactly what I needed. She’s everything a man could want in a wife.”

Jordy thought the answer reasonable and continued the conversation by telling of a letter he’d received from some girl in town. The laughter around her did little to revive Daughtry’s spirits. Something in Nicholas’s response troubled her, and while she couldn’t quite figure out what it was, it remained between them nevertheless.