by Dee Jones
"Julia," he began, preparing himself to tell her he'd lied, hoping it would keep her quiet even though he knew it would kill him.
"Please?" she begged, her tone soft, her eyes pleading. Daniel tried to stop her, he couldn't bear to see her like this, but when his eyes met hers he nearly stopped breathing. He couldn't believe the emotion he saw etched on her face. Did she understand or had she even heard him? He sighed deeply, steadying his nerves before saying the words to her again.
"I love you." Julia's tears began to flow again and she reached out for him. "Don't cry damn it," he scolded her, cupping her cheeks in his hands. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
"I never thought I'd hear those words, not from you. I thought it was a dream. I thought..." she paused, kissing his palm. It was only then that Daniel realized the tears weren't from pain or regret.
He brushed his thumb across her lips to silence her, before he demanded softly, "Do you?" Julia just stared at him, a slow smile curving across her dry lips as she touched his cheek with the tips of her fingers.
"Oh God, Daniel, yes," she whispered softly. “But I thought…” Daniel fastened his lips with hers again before she had the chance to finish her sentence. It didn’t matter what she thought; the land, the money, none of it was real. He married her because he loved her; he knew it even then only he didn’t want to admit it. His touch against her delicate lips was gentle, treasuring and worshiping them for the first time as his own.
Julia began to pant as the tip of his tongue caressed her lips, first one and then the other before. He loved her and he was determined that she know it before she became so exhausted she passed out. With a reluctant sigh, he slowly pulled away from her, staring into the eyes that glistened with unshed tears of joy.
"When?" she asked watching the smile curve his mouth.
"I've always loved you, from the first time I laid eyes on you in the stables, but I didn't realize it until your accident the other night." Julia laughed, her voice shaking with emotion and her eyes lowered under thick lashes.
"As I recall, the first time you saw me I had my behind sticking in your face."
"And a beautiful behind it is," he whispered against her neck. Julia wound her arms weakly around his neck as he hugged her tightly against his strong, bare chest.
"I could have lost you, Julia," he whispered in a grief filled voice, tears clogging his tone. "I'm so sorry for everything I did. It's my fault you ran out that night. Please, promise me you'll never leave me, never?" Julia pushed out of his arms, running a gently finger down his cheek and smiled.
"I'll never leave you darling. You should know that."
"I do now." Julia smiled as she cleared her throat and looked next to her at the empty space in the bed.
"You need some sleep Daniel," she told him. "Come to bed now."
"Here?" he asked uncertainly. After all, with the exception of the past eight days, they had occupied separate rooms since their wedding night. Julia nodded softly, the color rising in her cheeks.
"Where else would a husband sleep, if not with his wife? Besides, I'm too weak to fight you." She accepted the eager kiss he offered, before he stood up away from her, easing her back down to the blankets.
"And I'm too tired to try." Daniel walked to the other side of the bed and pulled off his pants before he crawled naked beneath the sheets. Julia's heart raced when he reached for her and pulled her gently against his bare chest.
"Go to sleep my Little Princess," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.
"I'm not sure I can with you naked beside me." He chuckled again. God, it sounded wonderful, she thought.
"I promise, once you're feeling better I'll make certain you're rewarded for your patience." It was Julia's turn to laugh as she snuggled closer to this man who loved her, this man she would soon know, as her husband.
He loves me, she thought as she slowly drifted to sleep, secure in Daniel's arms and happier than she ever thought possible. He was hers and she was his, nothing could come between them, nothing and no one.
Early the next morning Daniel slipped out of the bedroom, secure in the knowledge that Julia was asleep and resting comfortably. He went downstairs to find Louise in her usual chair in the library, a cup of coffee in one hand, book of poetry in the other.
"Good morning dear," the woman said, cheerful for the first time in days. "How's Julia feeling this morning?"
“She's resting. I don't think she'll be up to moving around much for a while, but at least she's out of danger. The doctor said she needs to rest, there's still the chance of her contracting influenza."
"Have you given any more thought to what we found at the swimming hole?" Jeremy asked, stepping into the room. Daniel glanced over his shoulder to the young man and frowned. He was dressed in a faded work shirt and a pair of blue jeans, not exactly normal attire for Jeremy Turner.
"I haven't been able to think of much else."
"Well, I've been thinking about it too and I agree with you. Dourn may have seen something we missed. I'm going to go hunt him down and get some answers. Want to come?"
"I'm right behind you." Daniel and Jeremy headed toward the door, completely forgetting about Louise who sat watching the two men.
"What do I tell Julia when she wakes up?" she asked, stopping the two from leaving. Daniel glanced to Jeremy and back to Louise who sat patiently waiting for a reply, a slender eyebrow cocked over her eye.
"Just tell her I went to check on Roustabout," Daniel answered briefly.
"And if she doesn't believe me?"
"Why wouldn't she believe you, mother?" Jeremy questioned with a soft frown pulling his own brows together.
"It just doesn't seem logical to have Daniel suddenly return to work, after he's spent so much time at her side. She's going to sense something is wrong." Daniel eyed the woman, aware that she was ignorant of the situation between he and her daughter. Jeremy cleared his throat and smiled.
"We won't be long and if Julia should get suspicious, just tell her Daniel was needed at the stables. It’s not exactly a lie." Louise looked at the soft color that rose to Daniel’s cheeks, but chose to ignore it and nodded instead. She watched as the two men left the house, before returning her attention to the book in her hand.
She had heard the rumors whispered by the staff that Daniel and Julia were sleeping in separate rooms, but she had chosen to ignore them. It didn't seem likely that a man like Daniel Browning would allow any woman - least of all his own wife - to turn him out of her bedroom.
Louise sipped her coffee for a few moments, before setting it aside and closing her book. She walked up the stairs and quietly opened the bedroom door. The room was still warm, though the pots of water had been removed and the doors to the veranda were open a very slight amount. She sighed happily in the knowledge that Julia was sleeping contently.
The blankets next to her had been tossed carelessly across the bed and the pillow showed signs of having had a head on it, but it wasn't until she saw Daniel's discarded clothes lying on the floor that she smiled. Regardless of the rumors, Louise knew things between the young couple were either mended or well on their way to be. Her smile remained as she closed the door quietly to her daughter’s room again, returning to the library and her poetry. She was looking forward to someday soon, being a grandmother. Perhaps Europe could wait a little while longer.
The hours wore on Daniel’s nerves, escorting him into a state of total exhaustion. He and Jeremy had spent the better part of the day searching for Dourn. Ivan, one of the stable hands, told them he had gone out looking for strays, but they knew going after him would prove fruitless. He could have headed in a hundred different directions and they could spend the entire day searching and never find him.
Several hours passed by with Daniel and Jeremy laboring at the stables. A lot of work had been neglected while Julia was laid up, making them painfully aware of just how close the annual sale was. With the arrival of the four new studs Victor had purchased earlier
that spring and breeding about to begin, there were a flurry of preparations to attend to.
Twenty new ranch hands had been hired to help out, as was typical for this time of year, but that didn’t exactly relieve Daniel’s tensions. Harold had taken on the task of interviewing and screening the new workers for his partner, which did seem to relieve Daniel’s tensions a small degree, though many were seasonal workers who would travel back to Mayfield to work at Turner Stables; the conditions were good and the money was even better.
With all that had happened around the stables over the past few months, the added people caused Daniel to begin watching every corner and every horse a bit closer than normal. This wouldn’t prove easy while Julia was still recovering from her accident, and his constant desire to be where she was.
Shortly before sunset Daniel and Jeremy returned to the house; discouraged, exhausted and frustrated. Even with all the new workers, it seem like everyone was hiding from them, including Rally Overton. Daniel felt certain if there were anyone he could rely on for answers, it would be the stable's foreman, yet even he was acting reclusive.
Daniel sat at the table with his in-laws and ate the steak, baked potato, corn on the cob and peach pie Mrs. Lester had made. Louise assured him repeatedly that Julia was fine, insisting that he finish his supper before going back up to her. He hadn’t been able to get the woman off his mind all day, which didn’t help the mounting frustrations. He didn’t intend to be away from her for so many hours, but seeing the work that needed done, he couldn’t exactly turn his back on it.
After practically inhaling his meal, he gulped down his coffee, grabbed two rolls from the plate in front of him and hurried up the stairs to the room he had become so familiar with over the past week. He quietly entered the dimly lit room and sat in the chair next to Julia, eating the rolls he had confiscated.
She remained asleep, looking as peaceful as an angel. Daniel smiled softly as he traced her features with his eyes. He had memorized every detail of her beautiful face over the many hours of sitting her waiting for her to awaken. He could tell you exactly where the dimple in her left cheek began and where it ended. He knew the precise place on her lips where her smile curved upward and the arch of her top lip was delicate and feminine. He smiled as he eyed the small indent in her chin, thinking of the child’s rhyme his father told him years ago; cleft in chin, devil within. It proved her temperament and stubbornness was born to her; it was a trait he shared with her, though his was slightly deeper and his devilish ways were far more intimate.
Daniel softly cleared his throat trying to distract his wondering thoughts and traveling eyes from going any further than her collarbone. He had to remember she was still ill and needed to recover before he resumed his attempts to make her his wife. He spotted the journal Louise had given him a few days ago, lying on the small beside the bed. He picked it up and quietly began to scan through the pages. He wasn't certain what he was looking for, but he knew he would know it when he found it. Page after page was turned, but all he could find were daily reports, notes on the stallions’ trainings, suggestions for the upcoming sale and several memos about the cost of feed and mention of looking for a new supplier - which Daniel had successfully found.
He remained patient as he waited and hoped Julia would wake and keep him company. When that didn't happen he reluctantly gave in to his fatigue and quickly washed his face and torso before climbing into bed next to her. Her breathing was even and rhythmic and her skin was much cooler. He wanted to touch her, to pull her against him, to kiss her and tell her how much he loved her, but he knew she needed to rest.
With the covers pulled up across his chest he found himself happy just to have his wife lying close beside him. He gently brushed the long strands of dark hair from her face and snuggled close against her back. She was soft and alluring even in her sleep, but his own fatigue had taken hold of him and he soon found comfort in the folds of a restful slumber.
Next to him, his sleeping wife lay dreaming of a cold dreadful place filled with hate, fear and revenge. She could hear her name being called, beckoning her to come forward into a world never before discovered by the living, nor left once entered.
She could see herself walking alone through a path of dead trees and flowers. Dark weathered coffins lined either side of the path, each one different in size and shape yet each as cold and forbidding as the one before. She walked slowly towards the end, following the sound of her name until at last she reached the end of the path. She stood there for some time just looking around, waiting for something to happen. The urge to turn around forced her to look back. The caskets were gone and in their place were two lone graves. The holes lay open and a light began to glow within their depths.
Julia stepped closer, her legs moving on their own accord, willing her forward. She tried to stop and turn away, she tried to run, but she could no sooner control her movements than she could control the rising of the sun.
As she came within touching distance of the first grave, flames leapt out at her, sending her stumbling backwards. She tried to scream, but her voice was trapped inside her throat unable to escape. She tried again and again until she felt something cold and wet against her ankles. She looked down and found the ground beneath her feet dissolving into a massive body of water.
Again and again she tried to call out, but no sound would come from her throat. She gazed up and saw a woman, her long dark hair lay matted and wet around her shoulders and head, her long thin fingers stretching out as her hands reached toward her. She wore a white gown, tangled with twigs and vines, caked with wet slippery mud and green pond muck. The vision called to her, forcing Julia's legs to move, pulling her into the space separating them.
The woman's hands wrapped around Julia's neck and she felt her life being squeezed from her soul. She tried to fight but couldn’t find the strength to pull away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw another figure, this one a man, older and some distance behind them. She tried to call out to him; she tried to stretch her hand to him, but she couldn't reach him. Her life was nearly gone; her death only a breath away and there was nobody who could save her.
“Revenge is mine,” she heard the woman screech through the still bitterness of the empty void.
"Why are you doing this?" she gasped, not really saying the words, but hearing them echo around the emptiness nevertheless. "Who are you?" A light shined above the woman, etching her face in a radiant glow.
Heather? Oh dear God, it was Heather! She was trying to kill her and behind her stood Victor Turner, her own father. Julia tried again to scream, but this time the sound exploded around her as it pierced the core of her destined doom. She heard a voice echoing through the eternity of terror; gently, eagerly calling out to her. Heather’s grip around her neck eased and Julia looked around, seeing a horse, black as the night posed at the top of hill beside her. On his back rode a man clothed in shining armor, his face masked by a helmet of pure silver.
The horse began to move nearer her, sword drawn and swinging in the air as the steed began to gallop, threatening those who dared to stand in his way. Julia screamed again, causing the knight to ride faster toward her, his arms outstretched and reaching for her the sword no longer of importance fell to the cold ground. She stretched forth her arms to the image as it disappeared leaving her alone in a vast emptiness, the images of fear and hate no longer visible, her father gone and Heather faded into oblivion. She was alone again, utterly and profusely surrounded by solitude filled with confusion and uncertainty.
A touch of warmth moved against her skin and for a moment she felt protected; her limbs began to relax as her eyes fluttered open. Her heartbeat pounding in her ears and sweat beaded across her brow. She began to whimper, this time her pleas answered by a gentle pull on her shoulders and strong arms pressing her against a wall of warmth. She felt secure and safe at last; certain her knight had rescued her after all, but where was she and where had Heather and her father disappeared to?
&nbs
p; "Shhh," a voice said in her ear, soothing her to a calmer state. "I'm here, Princess." Julia lifted her eyes trying to focus through the stinging tears on her surroundings as she was held gently, cradled in the strong barrier of protection. Where was she? How did she escape Heather and the revenge she vowed to claim? The face of her knight grew clearer as she blinked away the tears, until at last she knew who had rescued her.
"Daniel," she whispered, seeing the concern on the man's face. It was Daniel, he was here; he had rescued her from the world of unforgiving death. The man smiled softly, turning her in his arms and pulling her against him, wrapping his arms around her as securely as he could without hurting her. His chest was bare and the soft mat of hair covered a thick layer of muscles, cushioning her cheek as she lay against him. She could smell the odor of soap and masculine musk. He was real; he was here and he was real.
"I'm right here Little Princess," he assured her, his voice vibrating in her ear like the soft and gentle purr of a kitten. "Nothing's going to hurt you. Just relax." Hurt? What could possibly hurt her? She could never remember feeling more protected in all her life. But then the memory of that night she nearly died returned and she began to shake. Her best friend had tried to kill her, tried to take her back into the world of the dead. Her nightmares were real and so was the fear raking her heart.
"Heather wants me dead," she whispered, more to herself than the man next to her. Daniel sighed deep and eased away from her slightly, tilting her chin up so he could look into her fearful eyes.
"Heather's dead, Julia. She can't hurt you."
"I saw her Daniel," Julia insisted, her voice sounded small and weak as her head began to pound again. "She tried to drown me. She blames me for her death, and she said she wanted revenge."
"Julia, listen to me. Heather is dead and people do not return from the dead. It's impossible for you to have seen her."