“I guess he did.” Silence settled over them while they finished their meal. After clearing away their plates, he rejoined her at the table and suggested they start heading back to the livery.
As they walked, they passed many townsfolk who were paying their respects to loved ones who had passed on, and Darren did his best to be courteous and nod to people along the way. Things were going smoothly until he turned to say something to Lorna and caught a glimpse of a man with deep blue eyes – eyes that somehow seemed familiar, and yet he couldn’t recall where or when he’d seen them.
Darren watched the man closely for a long moment, his gut telling him instinctively that something about him was off. The man moved amongst the people, slipping between groups and keeping his head down much of the time, almost as if he was trying to remain unnoticed. Unable to let the alarm sounding in his head be, Darren approached the man, placing himself directly in his current path.
“Excuse me, sir. Have we met before? I feel like I know you from somewhere,” Darren said. He could feel Lorna standing next to him and he felt the tension in the atmosphere increase as if it were a physical presence.
The man merely looked at him and then looked way, laughing and shaking his head. “Sorry, you’re mistaken. We’ve never met.”
The man tried to walk away, but as he turned, Darren spied the red bandana sticking out of the man’s back pocket. Darren’s internal alarms started ringing loudly. He reached out, grabbed the man by the arm, and spun him around. That’s when he saw the scar crossing his right eyebrow, dividing it almost equally in two.
“What’s the hurry? I’m sure we’ve met before.” Darren felt the man tense, but he held onto his arm tightly. There were people all around them, but Darren needed answers and this man had them.
The man snarled and yanked his arm away, creating a small tugging match as Darren attempted to hold on. “You’d best back off, mister. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Darren narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip as the man tugged on his arm once more. He was unprepared when the man raised his free arm and shoved with all of his might in the center of Darren’s chest. Darren released his hold, stumbling and almost falling to the ground before righting himself and reaching for his pistol.
His hand was on the grip and he was ready to draw on the man when suddenly Lorna stepped between the two of them, holding her hands up and scolding them both like small children.
“Both of you need to stop this, at once. Have you no respect for the dead? This is no time for violence.”
The man sneered at Lorna and then spat on the ground in front of her feet, but Lorna didn’t even flinch. She merely held her ground and stared him down. The man cursed under his breath and then disappeared into the crowd.
Lorna took a breath before turning to Darren. That was when he saw how upsetting the small skirmish had actually been for her. She was visibly shaking but was doing her best to hold herself together. She hadn’t hesitated to step between himself and the other man, not even flinching when the other man had been crude and insulting. She had gumption and grit: two qualities definitely needed in order to live out here in the Wild West.
She had her hands clasped in front of her and was staring at the ground. Darren wasn’t sure if she was prone to tears, but he didn’t want to find out either. Deciding that the identity of the man could wait for another day, he released his hold on his pistol and gave her an encouraging smile.
“Lorna, I’m sorry. You are right. This is a day for remembering our loved ones, not fighting. Please forgive my outburst. Shall we continue?”
He held out his arm, relieved when she seemed to deflate before his eyes. She looked up at him and he was pleased to see the fear and unease fade from her face. She looked at his arm and then took a deep breath, blowing it out as the remaining tension released from her visibly.
She gave him a small smile and then slipped her arm through his. They continued their walk around the various booths and displays, not stopping until they were once more at the livery. On the way, Darren had found Ethan waiting outside the mercantile for June, and Ethan had indicated that he would retrieve her and join them soon.
Darren called the stable boy to get the horses hitched back up to the wagon, and when he turned back around, it was to find Lorna watching him carefully, as if she had a problem that needed solving. He raised one brow in her direction and tipped the brim of his hat back on his head, meeting her gaze.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked, searching his face as if she could find the answer hidden there.
“Of course.” He walked toward her, stopping when he was only a few feet away. “What is troubling you?”
Lorna bit her bottom lip for a moment, drawing his eyes to the motion. He was once again reminded of how beautiful she was. He forced his eyes back to her own, years of proper behavior when in the company of the fairer sex coming into play.
“Who was that man?”
Darren had wondered if she would bring up what had happened. Of course she would want to know the identity of the man he’d almost come to fisticuffs with, the man he’d almost drawn his gun upon. He wished for the same thing.
Deciding he had nothing to hide, especially if she planned on staying around, he answered her honestly. She might as well know there was danger lurking and be watching for it to rear its ugly head again.
Virginia City was no longer the quiet little mining town he’d known whilst growing up. The lure of progress and a chance to become like the big cities back East had blinded a few people to the reason they’d all come West in the first place. Mayor Orvis Harington was leading the pack.
He sighed and then shook his head. “I don’t know his name.”
Lorna’s brow furrowed and she frowned at him. “But you know him,” she pressed. “You said you had met him before.”
This was where Darren was also confused. “I feel like I do know him, or at least, I know his eyes. I recognize them and the scar that cuts across his eyebrow, and red bandana he had in his pocket. I’ve met him before.”
Lorna frowned and then murmured, “The outlaws who robbed the bank were wearing red bandanas over their faces.”
“So were the men who trespassed on the ranch the night Mark was shot. The man I saw today was with the men that night.”
Lorna gasped. “How can you be certain if his face was covered?”
“His eyes. The scar, too, but mostly his eyes. I’ll never forget his eyes – how cold and emotionless they were that night. There was no remorse or hint of apology in them when the man next to him shot my brother.”
“So, he’s not the one who shot Mark? But he was there that night?”
“No, he didn’t pull the trigger. But he can tell me the name of the man who did.”
Darren shook himself, realizing his thoughts were turning toward revenge very quickly. He clenched his hands into fists as anger rushed through him. He wanted to scour the town until he found the man again and could make him give up the name of the murderer who traveled with the outlaws.
Then he glanced at Lorna and realized he had other responsibilities. He’d been charged with showing Lorna the festival and with that went the unspoken duty of protecting her as well. He’d already failed at that task once today; he wouldn’t do so again.
He forced his anger back and then gestured toward the wagon as the stable boy brought it around. “June and Ethan will be here shortly. The sun will be setting soon, and I’d rather be back home before dark.” There are too many unknowns and dangers lurking in the shadows for my peace of mind. I need to get the women back to the ranch where they’ll be safe.
Lorna readily nodded and allowed him to help her up into the wagon. Darren couldn’t help but notice the way his hands spanned her waist or the way his heart sped up being this near to her. The more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to get to know her. Considering he hadn’t even wanted to come to the festival today, this was a surprising change of
heart. He would need to evaluate it once he was alone.
As soon as she was steady on her feet, he removed his hands and stepped back a pace. He forced his hands to his sides, watching her beneath half-closed lids as she smoothed down her skirts and fussed with the strings on her bonnet.
He could tell she was flustered and doing her best to hide it from him. He hid a smirk, wondering if she was feeling the same confusion he was. It wasn’t something he could ask her about; they were still practically strangers, and strangers didn’t discuss anything as personal as their feelings toward one another. It just wasn’t done.
She sat down and then murmured quietly to him, “I hope you find the man who killed Mark one day.”
Darren was once more surprised at the compassion and emotion he heard in her voice. “I will,” he assured her as he saw Ethan and June approaching. He fixed his hat and then cracked his neck before doing a quick check of the harnesses to make sure they were hooked up correctly.
When he came back to the front of the wagon, he smiled up at her. “Enough of this depressing talk,” he said as he climbed up into the wagon himself. What did you think about the Día de los Muertos festival? Did you enjoy it?”
Lorna sighed and then nodded. “Yes, very much. It was unusual and completely different from anything I’ve attended before. It was interesting learning about another culture and seeing how they deal with death. Will it last long?”
“It will go long into the night, and then tomorrow everything will be picked up and life will return to normal.” His need for revenge however, would remain until it was satisfied.
As for the man with the deep blue eyes and the scar bisecting his right eyebrow…Darren would find him again. But next time he saw that man, he was going to get some answers – one way or another.
Chapter 13
The ride back to the ranch was uneventful and gave Lorna plenty of time to think about the information Darren had shared with her. She chatted with June about the things she’d seen, the colorful clothing and the unusual food. June told her that she had learned how to cook many of the dishes and promised to teach Lorna how to do the same.
The ranch had several live-in cowhands and everyone ate together in the big farmhouse. Currently, June was responsible for preparing all of the meals and Lorna readily offered her assistance.
“I’m not the best cook, but I can learn.”
“I’d be happy for the help when you’re not in town helping Doc.”
“He will only need me a few days each week. I’ll help out as much as I can.”
June smiled and then turned her attention to the setting sun. She pointed to the horizon and told Lorna, “This is one of my favorite times of the day. The colors are different every day.”
Lorna watched as the sun began to descend toward the mountains in the distance. The sky took on a reddish-purple hue, turning into orange and red the lower the sun dipped. Lorna looked up, her eyes immediately going to the bright star that always seemed to come out about this time of night. She pointed toward it and June smiled.
“The North Star. Fishermen use it to navigate by in the dark. As long as they can find the North Star, they can always find their way home.”
Lorna nodded. “Thank you for suggesting a trip to the festival.”
“We all needed a break from recent events.”
Lorna told her about some of the other things she’d seen and learned about at the festival, but she kept the incident between the man with the blue eyes and Darren to herself. She didn’t know why; it just felt like the right thing to do.
Once they arrived back at the house, June quickly made her way in to check on Brian, and Ethan busied himself with the horses and the wagon. That left Darren and Lorna standing in the yard by themselves. She glanced at him from beneath her lashes, sensing that he was back to brooding and the man she’d found easy to talk to earlier had disappeared once more.
She turned toward the house, but before she could take a step, Darren stopped her.
“Lorna.”
She turned around and noticed that Darren wasn’t meeting her eyes. She waited patiently and was about to give up on him speaking when he finally lifted his head. Once he was looking into her eyes, he seemed to settle and find his voice.
“Lorna…I just wanted to tell you…what you did back there…getting between that man and me, was very dangerous. And brave.”
“I didn’t really think about the danger, I just didn’t want you fighting with him.”
“I understand that, but you could have gotten seriously injured. What if that man had tried to hurt you?”
“What if he had tried to hurt you?” she countered back. “He didn’t look to be a very amenable sort of man.”
“I don’t believe he is.” Darren looked very sad. He glanced down at the ground before he told her, “I had my hand on my gun and was getting ready to draw on him when you intervened. If it had been a few seconds later, I might have drawn my weapon.”
“You were going to shoot him?” Lorna asked, watching him carefully as emotions moved across his face. Sadness. Anger. Despair. Grief. It was all there for anyone to see. He didn’t look up again until he had his mask of neutrality once more in place.
“I don’t know if I would have shot him or not. I just wanted answers. I need to make the man who killed Mark pay.”
Lorna watched him, thinking back to what he’d told her about the man. “Why didn’t you go after him?” she asked.
“I had a responsibility to protect you.”
Lorna raised a brow and looked at him in surprise. “So, I am the only reason you didn’t go after that man?”
Darren met her eyes and, after a long pause, shook his head. “No, that’s not the only reason. I didn’t go after him because I was afraid of what might happen.”
“What is that?” Lorna asked, taking a step toward him when he lowered his voice.
“Pa has already lost one son. He practically begged me to let things go so that he doesn’t lose a second one. All I could see was the grief on his face up at the gravesite before he collapsed. I hope I don’t ever have to see that look on his face again. I don’t think he could handle it.”
Lorna was stunned by the depth of compassion and emotion Darren was sharing with her. She’d thought him to be cold and standoffish prior to the trip to the festival, but this was another side to the man. She turned toward him, watching as he took a step in her direction, bringing them within inches of one another.
“You care,” she whispered, searching his eyes.
“Too much, I fear,” he whispered back.
“I don’t think you can ever care or love too much.” She could see the sadness in his eyes and wanted to erase it. She lifted her hand, reaching for his face, but the sound of running feet and Ethan’s frantic voice had them jumping back from one another. They spun around to see a breathless Ethan gesturing for them to come inside.
“Darren. Lorna. Hurry! Something’s wrong.”
“What is it?” Darren asked Ethan when he reached their side.
“It’s Brian. He’s in a bad way.”
Before he had even finished speaking, both Lorna and Darren were racing for the house. Darren reached the door first but waited for Lorna to enter before directing her up the stairs and to the second door on the left.
Lorna hurried inside the room, her eyes seeking out the man lying in the middle of the four-poster bed. Brian was very pale, and his face was shiny with perspiration.
She went directly to his bedside and felt his forehead. “He’s burning up.” She turned to June. “Get some cloths and some water. We can wipe his face down and place them on his forehead.”
“Will that help?” Darren asked, standing directly across the bed from her now.
“Maybe. I don’t know.” She turned her attention back to Brian and asked, “Brian, does your head still hurt?”
Brian closed his eyes and moaned before answering. “It got worse after you all left for the festi
val. I thought maybe some fresh air would help so I sat out on the porch for a while, but it just got worse. I got so hot I came inside, but that didn’t help.”
Lorna nodded and began doing a thorough examination, monitoring his heartrate and checking his reflexes and breathing. He was sweating profusely.
“Can we get these quilts off of him? He’s too warm and needs to cool down.”
“Here are the cloths you requested,” June said as she returned. She poured some water into the basin and dipped a cloth into it, wringing most of the water out before handing it to Lorna. Lorna placed the rag on Brian’s forehead, and he sighed in pleasure.
“What’s wrong with him? Do I need to send for the doctor?” Darren demanded in a harsh whisper.
A Bride to Heal His Broken Heart Page 9