Dan McCall's Bride

by Barbara Goss

  After they'd arrived at the Walkers, Leila excused herself. “I’m still suffering from a headache, so if you don’t mind, I’ll lay down until dinner.” Since memories had begun to trickle down, her head really did ache.

  “I hope a bit of rest will help,” Kate said. “I’ll send someone up for you when dinner’s ready.”

  She'd remembered that her name was Leila, though she preferred April because Dan had named her that.

  She lay on her bed and could do nothing but think of Dan. She’d be his romantic companion, if he wanted her to be. What difference would it make? She’d take him anyway she could. How she wished he’d made love to her the night before. Then she’d feel as if she were truly his.

  Where was she from? While she'd recalled the orphanage, she couldn’t recall where it was. She sighed. None of that mattered, now that she was April and in love with Dan McCall. From the moment she’d awakened and looked up into his big blues eyes, she’d been smitten.

  Leila decided she’d seduce Dan if she could. She’d come close the night before, so maybe the next time he’d weaken and make her his. Then she’d belong to him, truly.

  Why did remembering matter, anyway? She had no family, which only made her wonder who she’d been traveling to meet. Had it been an intended? Was it Joe? She covered her head with the pillow.

  Dan and Jack circled around the woods, crossed the lane at a spot out of sight of the cabin, and walked through the woods on the other side of the property. When they got to the barn, they were lucky to have found a large window.

  “We’ll have to break it,” Dan said. “I was hoping it would be the type that opened.”

  “What happens if they hear it breaking?” Jack asked.

  Dan shrugged out of his vest and then his shirt, and held the shirt up to the window. “Tap the glass with a rock, Jack.”

  Jack scanned the area for a good-sized rock, one that wasn't too big or too small. He found one, hit it softly on the shirt, and then a hit harder until the glass cracked.

  “Good!” Dan whispered. He put his shirt and vest back on and chipped away at the crack until he’d removed enough to get his fingers inside and silently pull out the rest of the glass.

  “That worked well,” Jack said.

  Once Dan had cleared away the glass, he and Jack crawled into the window. First they searched all of the saddlebags to find the stolen money and jewelry, which they packed into the pockets of two saddlebags they found hanging on the wall. “We’ll take these with us when we leave,” Dan whispered. “Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Jack murmured. “Shall I take my position by the back door?”

  “Yes. I’ll wait for you to get there and then I’ll slap these horses toward the house.” Dan began to open stalls as Jack went back out through the window, down the lane, into the opposite woods, and edged into position.

  Once Dan saw that Jack was in place, he opened the double barn doors, aimed each horse toward the house, and slapped their rumps, one after the other. Then, he crept up to the front yard and stood behind a tree, poised with his gun pointed at the door.

  Soon, all four men came storming through the front door, yelling.

  “What the—” one of them said.

  Another of them swore.

  “Our horses!” another yelled.

  When all four were standing outside, staring at the path the horses had taken, Dan came out from behind the tree.

  “Hands up! You’re under arrest!”

  Several of the men cursed, but each man put his arms up into the air.

  “Drop the gun belts!” Dan cried.

  The men complied. Dan thought it had been too easy. Something had to go wrong. He walked up and kicked the gun belts as far from the men as he could, while searching for Jack. No one had exited through the back door, so Dan motioned for Jack to join him.

  “Where’s Joe?” Dan asked the men.

  “He’s in town. He should be home any minute, so you’d better watch your back,” one of them snarled.

  Jack arrived at Dan’s side with his gun drawn and pointed at the men. “Tie them up,” Dan ordered.

  One of the men tried to fight Jack when he tried to tie his hands behind his back, and Dan shot at the ground near the man’s feet. “I’ll aim higher next time.”

  The man complied, as did the other three. Then, to Dan’s chagrin, a horse and rider galloped up the lane. The man slid off his horse before it had even stopped.

  “What’s going on?” he yelled.

  Dan turned his gun on the newcomer, since Jack had the hands of the other four tied.

  “Are you part of this train robbery gang?” Dan asked.

  “Gang? No, that’s my brother, Barney, and his friends, Claude, Hank, and Alfred. They aren’t a gang.”

  “What are their last names?” Dan asked, still pointing his gun at Joe.

  Barney and I are Austins, Hank and Claude are Spauldings, and Alfred’s name is Morgan. Why do you think they robbed a train? They came here for a visit only days ago and have been here ever since,” Joe said.

  “We searched their saddle bags and found the money from the train’s bank shipment, as well as a lot of different pieces of jewelry,” Dan said.

  Joe searched the faces of the four tied men. “Barney? What’s going on?”

  Barney simply shrugged. “We’ve been caught, is what.”

  “Not only did they rob the train, but they took a young woman hostage, and when they didn’t need her anymore, they threw her to the ground, causing her a severe concussion that resulted in her having amnesia,” Dan said, holstering his gun. “You’re free to go,” he told Joe.

  Dan made the mistake of turning his back on the seemingly harmless Joe, as he took the opportunity to pull out his gun and aim it at Dan. “Let Barney go. You can have the rest, but not my brother. I’ll deal with him.”

  “I can’t do that, Joe. He broke the law. He robbed people, and he’s going to jail.”

  Joe cocked the gun and aimed it at Dan’s heart. “I promised my maw I’d take care of my brother, and I can’t let you take him.”

  Jack, who’d gone to the barn to gather the saddlebags containing the loot, stood behind Joe, his gun drawn. “Drop it, Joe,” he ordered.

  Startled, Joe spun around and his gun fired, hitting Jack in the shoulder. Dan dove on Joe and punched him so hard, he ended up sprawled on the ground, knocked out, cold.

  “You all right to ride, Jack?” Dan asked.

  “Yeah, I can manage.” He took his hand off his shoulder and it was covered in blood. Dan quickly ripped Joe’s shirt and wrapped it around Jack’s arm. “That will stop the bleeding until we get to Hays,” Dan said.

  They rode into town with the five men hogtied together in the bed of a farm wagon they'd borrowed from Joe, driven by Dan. Jack rode in the back with the criminals.

  Dan and Jack led them to the sheriff’s office and saw them locked up before seeking out a doctor for Jack’s shoulder.

  Dan and Jack were warmly greeted when they arrived at the Walkers in time for dinner.

  “I’m glad you’re back so soon, and still all in one piece, too, I see,” Kate said.

  Jeremy slapped Dan on the back. “And just in time for dinner—your timing has always been great, Dan.”

  “I want you both to meet Jack, my new partner.”

  “Nice to meet you Jack,” Kate said. “I’ll set two more plates. Dan, I could use your help in the kitchen.”

  Dan and Jeremy exchanged looks of puzzlement, and then Jeremy shrugged. Dan followed Kate to the kitchen.

  Bertha, Kate’s aunt and the Walkers’ cook and housekeeper, was standing by the stove.

  “Aunt Bertha, would you go up and tell April that dinner's about ready?”

  “Sure,” the middle-aged woman said as she left the room.

  “You want me to help you carry out two plates?” Dan asked with one eyebrow raised.

  “I just need to warn you about April,” Kate sa
id. “She thinks she’s in love with you. You’re all she talks about, so just be careful since she’s still so young and vulnerable.”

  “I thought as much,” Dan said. “I think it’s just hero worship. I’m hoping she’ll soon get over it. I’ll do my best to let her down gently.”

  “Thank you, Dan,” Kate said, sounding relieved. “I wanted to introduce her to some eligible men in the area but she’s refused. She said her heart belongs to you.”

  “I’ll do what I can.” All Dan could think of was how grateful he was that his obedience to God’s word had kept him from making a huge mistake the night before. If he had—he didn’t even want to think about how things would be today if he had succumbed.

  During dinner, once again, Dan felt April’s eyes constantly on him, and when their eyes met, she smiled. He tried to glance away quickly. He had to think of a way to make her understand that he wasn’t interested. Yes, he argued with himself, he had thought about her sweet, innocent kiss all day, but that was just because it had been so long since he’d been with a woman. The bottom line was that he had to steer clear of April.

  “So,” Jeremy said between bites of chicken, “how long can you two stay?”

  “We aren’t staying,” Dan said. From the corner of his eye he saw April’s face drop. “We have to escort the prisoners to Leavenworth. We leave tonight.”

  Jack turned his head, “I thought—”

  “No, Jack, it’s tonight. We’re going by train.”

  “But—” Jack started to say. He stopped when Dan’s foot hit his ankle. “That sounds perfect,” Jack added.

  The two marshals stood by the front door, saying goodbye to everyone. Dan couldn’t help but notice that April hadn’t come to see them off. Instead, she'd run up the stairs in tears. His heart went out to her, but he couldn’t stay the night and risk her coming to his room again. He didn’t have that much willpower. He and Jack were to stay at the Hays Hotel and leave by train in the morning.

  April sat in the chair by the window and watched Dan and his partner ride away. He didn't even smile or speak to her at all during dinner. He could have at least asked how she was doing. She threw herself on the bed and wept until a soft knocking on the door caused her to jump up and wipe her eyes. Could Dan have returned to talk to her? Leila swung the door open to find Kate and she felt her face drop in disappointment. She held the door wide to allow Kate space to enter.

  “You ran away so fast after dinner, I wanted to be sure you were all right,” Kate said, patting her shoulder affectionately.

  The sympathy Kate offered her made her begin to cry again. “He didn’t even speak to me, or smile, or anything.”

  “I think he wants you to get over your infatuation,” Kate said softly.

  “Why?”

  “I told you: Dan’s not the marrying kind. He knows how you feel, and he needs to put some space between you and him,” Kate said.

  Kate hugged her as she cried. “Let me introduce you to some eligible men in town. You can show Dan that you can attract more admirers than bees to honey. Show him you don’t need him at all.”

  “I love him, Kate.”

  “It’s impossible to love him when you hardly know him. He saved you, and you feel grateful and appreciative is all, April.”

  “No, I love him.”

  “Will you think about what I’ve said?” Kate asked.

  April nodded. Kate didn’t know she’d kissed him the night before. While she thought she might have loved him before the kiss, after, she knew she loved him for sure.

  Chapter 6

  Dan and Jack arrived at the sheriff’s office the first thing the following morning to collect their prisoners. As they led them out to the borrowed wagon, Joe lagged behind the others.

  “Please!" Joe Austin cried." I didn’t rob anyone. I’m an honest cattle rancher. You have to believe me when I say I had no idea I was harboring train robbers. I was only trying to protect my brother.”

  “I believe you,” Dan said, “but you did shoot my partner.”

  “It was an accident. He came up behind me and scared the daylights outta me.”

  “Still, you shot him,” Dan said. “If he wants to pardon you, that’s up to him.”

  Joe pleaded mercifully with Jack.

  “I have a mail order bride due to arrive any day now,” Joe implored. “In fact, she’s overdue. I have to wait for her at the station every day, since I don’t know exactly when she’ll arrive. I have to be here.”

  Jack shrugged. “I suppose I could pardon you, but only if you stay out of trouble. Your brother did wrong and needs to be punished.”

  “Where are you taking them?” Joe asked.

  “Leavenworth,” Jack replied. “They’ll get at least ten years, unless they killed someone during their robberies.”

  “He nearly did,” Dan cut in. “Which one of you cowards threw that woman to the ground?”

  Three of the four men pointed to Claude Spaulding.

  “Well, Claude, it’s lucky for you she survived, or you’d be hanging right now,” Dan said.

  Once on the train headed for Leavenworth, the prisoners were tied to their seats so Jack and Dan would be able to relax. Dan looked out the window while Jack dozed off beside him. He hoped his absence from Hays would cool April’s affections for him. First of all, he had no idea how old she was. According to the doctor, she could be anywhere from seventeen to twenty-five, since she had her wisdom teeth; he was twenty-eight. She had a mature face and figure, but he certainly didn’t want to mess with a teenager’s affections if she was younger than twenty.

  Somehow, the thought of her ardor cooling had left him feeling a bit empty. She’d felt so good pressed closely to him, and her kiss had sent him reeling. He had to forget about her and hope she did the same. He was almost positive the reason her kiss had affected him so strongly was because it had been so long since he’d kissed a woman. Maybe all he needed was to kiss someone else in order to forget April’s sweet, innocent kiss.

  When Dan and Jack had reached Leavenworth, they’d handed the prisoners, as well as the valuables, over to the authorities and then filled out the paperwork. They were left with half a day to spend anyway they wanted, since the next train to Hays wasn't scheduled to leave until eleven the next day.

  “What do you want to do, partner?”

  “I have family here,” Jack said, “an aunt, an uncle, and several cousins. “They’ll have my head on the butcher’s block if I don't stop to see them. They’d welcome you, too. We could even spend the night there.”

  “Sounds good,” Dan said. “Lead the way.”

  Jack introduced Dan to his aunt, Ella, and his uncle, Frank. He also met his cousins, Frank, Jr., who looked to be in his twenties; Pearl, his twin sister; Elizabeth, a teenager; and twin four-year-olds, Rebecca and Robert, whom they called Becky and Bobby.

  Dan thought Pearl to be an attractive young woman. She reminded him a bit of April since she had brown eyes, but her hair was the color of sand, and she was taller and more filled out—in the right places, he noted. She smiled brightly at him, and he returned it.

  After dinner, they sat in the sitting room and talked. Jack mentioned they had to leave in the morning, but Frank Jr. and Pearl insisted they had to stay one more day so as not to miss the Founders’ Day celebration in the park.

  “It’s going to be fantastic,” Frank Jr. said, “All the food you can eat, a pie eating contest, and fireworks at night.”

  Pearl smiled at Dan. “There'll be games and a barn dance after the fireworks.”

  “It’s completely up to Dan,” Jack said. “He’s the boss.”

  “I don’t suppose there’s any reason we need to hurry back. Sure. We’ll stay one more day,” Dan said. “That is, if it’s all right with your aunt and uncle.”

  Ella laughed. “Oh, I’d love having you both. You can stay for weeks, if you want.”

  Frank just smiled and nodded and Dan could see who was boss in that house.

>   After a good sleep in a comfortable bed and a delicious breakfast, they all prepared for the Founders’ Day celebration. They all jumped into the back of Frank’s flatbed wagon full of straw and rode to the park. Dan felt like a kid again as he leaned on a bale of straw. Pearl sat beside him and pointed out the interesting sites as they passed them.

  “Isn’t this fun?” Pearl asked.

  “It sure is. I’m reminded of my youth and the straw rides we used to go on,” Dan said. “It feels good to relax for a day and not have to chase criminals.”

  Pearl became his constant companion for the day. She led him around and even took his hand to pull him here or there. He didn’t mind, since he was enjoying the day. He even entered the pie-eating contest with Frank Jr., but both of them dropped out and a hardy farm boy won after eating sixteen pies. Frank Jr. had eaten nine. Dan was ashamed to say he'd only eaten seven. He swore he’d never eat another pie again.

  Pearl grabbed his hand after the pie-eating contest. He begged her to slow down before he got a stomachache, but she pulled him over to the games and wanted him to join her in the three-legged race.

  “I don’t think so,” Dan said, “not after eating all those pies.”

  Later, they all ate supper under a large, covered pavilion, but Dan was still suffering from the pie eating and just picked at the food.

  As the sun dipped below the horizon, they all ran to the nearby field and sat on blankets to watch the fireworks. As usual, Pearl sat beside him, while Jack spent most of his time with Becky and Bobby.

  It had been a long day, and after the fireworks, Dan had planned to go back to the Garners’ to experience that comfortable bed again, but Pearl insisted he stay for the barn dance.

  Ella and Frank Garner told them they were taking Elizabeth, Becky and Bobby home to put them to bed, and that Jack’s Uncle Frank would pick them up in two hours and bring them home.

  So, Jack, Pearl, Frank Jr., and Dan all walked over to the barn dance.