He shrugged as if to say it was none of his business. But Cady noticed a look, dark and intense. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought he was concerned about her.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes.”
In the doorway, he stepped aside to let her pass. When she was outside, beneath the overhang, he pulled the door closed and moved to stand on her other side, between her and the parade ground beyond. When he offered her his arm, she hesitated before putting her shaking hand in the crook of his elbow.
This was a protective gesture on his part, a gentleman’s action, something she was certain he would have done for any woman. Nevertheless, her pulse raced faster. As angry as she was with him for interfering with her job, she’d have thought his nearness wouldn’t affect her at all. Yet here she was, nervous as a schoolgirl with her first beau.
“It will go away,” she said under her breath.
Kane looked down at her. “What?”
“Nothing.”
The night was surprisingly pleasant, and she was much more comfortable now that she was out of her quarters. The sun was just going down behind the mountains in the distance, bathing the desert in colors of gold, red, and orange. A breeze, with the barest hint of coolness in it, lifted the hair from her forehead.
As they strolled toward the mess hall, a dog barked from across the parade ground. Passing the stables, the soft nicker of horses drifted toward them.
Cady risked a sidelong glance at Kane. His profile could have been carved from the rocks that made up the mountains in the distance. Why had she never noticed the creases that ran from his well-shaped nose to his mouth? Probably because most of the time she was too busy being mad at him. She sensed his tension now and wondered if it had anything to do with being her escort tonight. Just because he always followed orders didn’t mean he agreed with them or even liked them. No doubt he didn’t want to be with her any more than she wanted him there. Another adjustment she’d learn to make: In the army, one had to make the best of any situation one found oneself in.
Since he didn’t seem inclined to talk, she broke the silence.
“Kane, what did you say to Reynolds and John Eagle in your office after the fight?”
“Why do you ask? Have they caused a problem in school?” He looked at her sharply.
She shook her head. “Quite the opposite. They were model students yesterday. That’s why I wondered what you said.”
Before they crossed the narrow dirt road to the mess hall on the other side, he stopped her. She heard the clip-clop of hooves and the creak of a saddle, and the odor of an approaching horse drifted to them. They waited while a soldier on his roan passed by. As he did, the soldier saluted. “Captain.” He nodded at Cady. “Ma’am.”
Kane returned the salute and they continued walking. “I restricted the boys to the post for a month.” His expression turned grim when he glanced over his shoulder at the horse soldier, then down at her. “That means no riding. As an outlet for their energy, I also gave them a list of chores to do every day after school.”
“Oh, my.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, except they’re going to be very busy. My punishment was standards. Reynolds has to write two hundred times ‘I will not start a fight.’”
His forehead creased in confusion. “Why not ‘I will not fight?’”
“There are times when you can’t avoid it. I was more lenient with John. He contributed to the situation, but he didn’t start the fight. He has to write one hundred times ‘I will think before I speak.’”
“Why?” he asked. She stumbled over a rock, and he slowed and steadied her before strolling on again.
“He deliberately provoked Reynolds with what he said. I wanted to teach them to choose their battles wisely. There’s a time to walk away and a time to stand firm.”
“You do have brothers, don’t you?”
“I do indeed.” She smiled fondly. “My father always told them, Don’t start anything. But by God if anyone else does, you damn well better finish it.”
He looked down at her, obviously surprised by her swearing. “Cady Tanner, what would Miss Biddle say?”
She smiled. “She’d ask me if I quoted accurately.”
He laughed. “Your father makes a lot of sense.” Then he sobered. “I only hope R. J. learns something from this. It’s going to be a long month for him without his horse.”
“The best-learned lessons are the most painful ones. Reynolds won’t soon forget this, and perhaps the next time he’s tempted to fight he’ll think twice.”
“Well, maybe.”
In the distance, she saw the guards at the fort’s perimeter and wondered again why there was no wall around the group of buildings that comprised Fort McDowell. The sight of the soldiers cradling rifles in their arms like babies was becoming familiar to her—and a constant reminder that danger lurked beyond the scattering of adobe buildings.
“What about John Eagle?” she asked. “I didn’t expect to have an Indian in my class, not that it’s a problem. But he stands apart from the rest. I just wondered why.”
“The Apaches don’t trust the whites. And they have good reason.”
“Then why is he here at the fort, going to a white man’s school?”
“His father is an army scout, probably the best we have. It’s his wish that John learn our ways as well as his own. He can see changes coming that will affect the Indian way of life. He wants his son to be prepared for both worlds.”
“How does John feel about it?”
Kane shrugged. “He doesn’t say much. But Indians are taught to respect their parents and elders. He’ll do whatever he’s told.”
“Tell me about the boys’ friendship. I gather they were close?”
“Inseparable. Where one was, you knew you’d find the other.”
“So the hostilities started when John caught the snake and Reynolds—” She stopped, trying to think of a delicate way to say it.
“Embarrassed himself?” Kane asked with a smile in his voice.
“That must have been awful for him.”
“He was mad as a rained-on rooster when the story circulated all over the post. He blamed John.”
“But you just said John Eagle doesn’t talk much. Why would he humiliate his friend?”
“He wouldn’t. This post is like a small town. Someone, probably one of the enlisted men, saw the two boys come back with the snake and noticed the condition R. J. was in and put two and two together. The story spread like wildfire. R. J. had to blame someone, and he was jealous of John because he caught the snake.”
She shook her head. “That’s such a shame. Isn’t there some way to get them to make up?”
“I’ve tried. Nathan Eagle even stuffed the snake for him. R. J. refuses.”
They approached the mess hall. As the sun sank, the shadows grew darker and deeper and the lights inside seemed brighter. Laughter and the sound of voices drifted toward them.
Cady stopped and took a deep breath. “Why don’t you go on in? I think I’ll watch the sun set. It’s spectacular here, far more brilliant than back home.”
In spite of what her father had always told her, she didn’t feel very charming or confident at the moment.
“If you need a minute, I’ll wait with you.”
She saw in his expression that he understood. She hated that he could read her so easily when she thought she was hiding her feelings. He was being very considerate. Then she remembered; he was following orders. She couldn’t let herself believe that he was being solicitous. She was nothing more than a duty.
“Do you always follow orders to the letter, captain? I think I can get to the mess hall now. It’s not necessary for you to accompany me inside.”
“It would be unchivalrous of me to let you walk in by yourself.”
“Then let’s get it over with.” She pulled her shoulders back.
Officers, a few of their wives, and enliste
d men were gathered inside the mess hall. When Cady and Kane entered, everyone in the room stopped talking and looked in their direction. Kane felt a shiver run through Cady but she lifted her chin and appeared calm and serene, in spite of her purple eye.
She was nothing but contradictions: fiery and spitting mad one minute, soft and insecure the next. She kept him off balance, and that disturbed him.
That and the way she filled out her dress. The white material trimmed with tiny pink roses made her look like just about the daintiest, most feminine woman he’d ever seen. She smelled like roses too. In the middle of the Arizona desert, he couldn’t help thinking about a green meadow filled with flowers.
It also reminded him that he had the responsibility of protecting her. The way the men were staring at her told him it wouldn’t be an easy task.
His commanding officer’s wife hurried over to them.
“Good evening, Mrs. Wexler,” Kane said, greeting the plump, brown-haired woman politely. He held his hand out toward Cady. “May I present Miss Tanner.”
“Oh, my dear.” Mrs. Wexler pressed a palm to her ample bodice and stared in horror at Cady’s eye. “I can’t believe my son did that. His father will discipline him severely, I assure you.”
“He didn’t mean to do it. I was trying to separate the two boys, and a wild punch caught me.”
Kane cleared his throat. “I’ve already taken care of punishment detail. He and John Eagle will chop enough wood to keep Miss Tanner supplied for weeks.”
“That’s one of the chores you gave them?” Cady asked, a speculative look in her green eyes. “Are they required to do this together?”
“It is,” he answered, “and they are.”
She nodded approvingly.
“I don’t know what we’d do without Captain Carrington,” Mrs. Wexler said. “With my husband gone so much on army business, and a high-spirited boy to deal with, I’d be at my wits end without him.”
“He’s very capable,” Cady answered.
There was an edge to her voice that Kane knew meant she was still anything but happy about his involvement in the fight.
The woman smiled at Cady. “When R. J.’s not chopping wood, he’ll get to know his room a lot better, Miss Tanner.”
“My first name is Cady, Mrs. Wexler.”
“We’re not formal out here, except maybe Captain Carrington, who does everything by the book.” She smiled at Kane. “Call me Betsy.”
“I’d like that,” Cady said.
The other woman frowned as she looked at Cady’s eye. “It looks terribly painful, dear.”
Cady shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m more concerned about your confidence in my ability to keep order in the classroom. I assure you nothing like that will happen again.”
Major Wexler joined them. “Indeed it won’t. My son is learning the error of his ways.”
“So I heard,” Cady said.
The major nodded. “Losing his riding privileges will hurt the boy more than anything and teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.”
“It would me,” Cady said, nodding in understanding.
“Do you ride, Miss Tanner?” the major asked.
“I do, sir. And I’ve missed it.”
“My son is confined to the fort, and his horse is going to need exercise.” The major looked thoughtful. “Would you be interested in riding Prince, Miss Tanner?”
“Oh, yes, sir,” she said, without a moment’s hesitation or deliberation. “May I?”
Just what he needed, Kane thought. She was enough trouble inside the fort. Now she was planning to go gallivanting around in the desert.
“I have no objections.” Major Wexler looked at Kane. “Do you, captain?”
“No, sir. Not if she stays within sight of the fort.”
The other man nodded. “I agree. Some of the young Indians on the reservation are feeling their oats, getting restless. Geronimo’s escapades are stirring them up too. But if you stay close by, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be safe.”
“Thank you, major. I’ll look forward to the exercise.” She smiled at him and then at Kane.
To everyone else, her expression appeared sweet and innocent. Kane saw a triumphant look that told him she discounted all his warnings. Damnation. This would feed her starry-eyed optimism and convince her she’d done the right thing in coming out west. But that would change. Idealism wouldn’t be enough when loneliness and boredom set in.
The oil lanterns hanging on the walls around the room picked out the gold in Cady’s hair and set it to gleaming. Kane’s gut twisted at the thought of her beautiful hair on the end of an Apache war lance. “Just a word of caution. Stay alert.”
“I’ll do that, captain,” she said, raising her voice over the other conversations nearby.
“Betsy, let’s take Miss Tanner around and introduce her.” The major took his wife’s elbow. “There are a few men who have been waiting anxiously.” He grinned at Kane. “You’ll excuse us, captain?”
“Of course.”
His teeth set, Kane watched Cady as she moved across the room, smiling sweetly and shaking hands as introductions were made. It irritated the hell out of him that every other man there was watching her too. The straight line of her back and her slender waist made his hand itch to curl possessively around her. Her golden brown hair was tightly braided and pinned up on her head, and he had the most insane impulse to unweave those controlled strands and run his fingers through the mass until it was wild and free.
Damn it to hell! He knew each man there was thinking the same thing.
The realization made him crazy. Cady seemed to captivate every man she spoke with, but that didn’t surprise him. She was a fascinating mixture of eager young girl and sophisticated lady. With every last ounce of his being he wished she were a fat horse-faced hag. That would make his promise to Jack and to himself much easier to honor.
He was distracted for a few moments by laughter on the other side of the room. When he looked back, Cady had disappeared. Good Lord, keeping an eye on her was like trying to harness a hummingbird. It took him a minute to find her in the corner, surrounded by six blue uniforms. One man brought her a plate piled with food. Another brought her something to drink. All of them were laughing and preening, each trying to get her undivided attention. The worst of it was, he felt the same way. He wanted to walk out, so as not to have to watch her with them. If only he hadn’t given his word. If only Betsy Wexler hadn’t suggested he be her escort. If only he could drag Cady off, away from the openly hungry stares of all those men. If only he were a different kind of man, the marrying kind. He shook the thought away.
After everyone had eaten, several soldiers picked up musical instruments and in seconds the sounds of fiddle, harmonica, and guitar blended together and filled the room. The long tables and benches were pushed back against the walls to make room for dancing. As the strains of “Dixie” set their toes to tapping, men grabbed their wives and took them out into the middle of the room to dance.
Lieutenant Carlton held his palm out to Cady and she placed her fingers into it, giving him a brilliant smile. Never in his life had Kane wanted to hit a man as badly as he did now. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be writing five hundred times, “I will not start a fight.”
He turned away and walked to the punch bowl. It wasn’t often he regretted that liquor was banned from the post, but this was one of those times. As he filled a cup with the pungent, sweet-smelling liquid, an enlisted man came up beside him.
“Evenin’, captain.”
“Harrison,” Kane said, nodding.
“Nice party, ain’t it?”
“Yes.” He took a sip from his glass, wishing again that it was something strong enough to burn from his mind the memory of Cady flirting with another man.
“Miss Tanner’s a right friendly lady.”
“Is she?”
“Yes, sir. And smart, too. Said she’s gonna start some kind of meetin’ so’s we can get together
and read.”
“Literary society?”
The man’s palomino-colored brows drew together in thought. “Yes, sir, I b’lieve that’s what she called it.”
“That sounds interesting, Harrison.”
Next thing he knew, she’d have his men knitting horse blankets.
“Yes, sir. I told her I wasn’t much on readin’, but she said that’s what she’s here for, to teach. She don’t give a hoot if she’s learnin’ a grown man.”
“Doesn’t she?”
“No, sir.” The soldier glanced anxiously over his shoulder. “Nice chattin’ with ya, cap’n. I’m gonna go now and wait in line. See if I can snare me a dance with the schoolmarm.”
“Yes, you do that, Harrison.”
Kane took another sip and watched Cady as she danced every dance. The room got hotter by the second and stuffy with the smells of heat and perfume and lantern oil. The more he thought about her giving reading lessons to grown men, the madder he got. Did she really think these men wanted to learn to read? Didn’t she understand that they’d do anything in order to be alone with her? They didn’t care about book learning. They wanted her. And they’d do whatever they could to have her.
This turn of thought disturbed him. Ever since his father died and he joined the army, his duty and the orders Cady had challenged him about had always come first. As he’d been promoted and given more responsibility, his soldiers’ safety and welfare had been his primary concern. He’d never once thought about beating the tar out of one of them—at least, not over a woman.
He pulled his pocket watch out, flicked it open, and checked the time. Ten o’clock. For the last three hours he’d stood and watched her. When he looked up, he met her gaze from across the room. She turned and said something to the man beside her. His expression went from puppy-dog eager to the sorriest-looking excuse for a soldier Kane had ever seen.
Cady crossed the room. “I saw you looking at your watch, Kane. Are you ready to go?”
He’d been ready three hours ago.
“Are you?” He studied her. Her undamaged eye paled in comparison to the purple one, and it was hard to tell if he saw shadows of fatigue beneath it. But he thought he did. “You look tired.”
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