"You've known me for only a few days," she replied without looking at him. "What do you really know about me, except that I'm a whore?"
White Eagle touched her shoulder and stroked her soft skin. "I know that you're very special," he said. "You've treated me well. You've been a friend."
"I've been more than that," Emily shot back. "And you know it."
He sighed. "Yes, I suppose you have. But you've always known that I'd be riding on sooner or later. I've already been in Abilene a lot longer than I intended to be."
"The only reason you're staying is because of her."
He couldn’t argue with that, but she made it sound all wrong. "She's my stepmother," he said.
Emily rolled over, her eyes flashing. "Is that all she is to you?" she demanded.
"My God, Emily," he exclaimed, "the woman's about to have a baby!"
Emily shook her head. "That doesn't mean anything. I've heard men say that women are never prettier than when they're in the family way. Is that what you think, White Eagle?"
He didn’t reply. Instead, he swung his legs out of bed and stood up. Clearly, her resentment of Katie had been building for quite a while.
"You're wrong, Emily," he finally said, as he pulled on his clothes. "There's nothing between Katie and me but affection. I'm sorry if that disturbs you."
Emily threw back the sheet and stood up. She stalked to the dressing table to pick up the robe she had flung there the night before. As he watched the smooth movement of her sleek, nude body, he thought fleetingly that he was crazy. Any normal man wouldn’t walk out now. He would grab her and toss her onto that bed and spend the afternoon loving her...
He walked to the door with his hat in his hand and said, "I'll be back later." Then he stepped out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him.
Pausing for a moment in the hall, White Eagle took a deep breath. Fool or not, he knew what he had to do. Katie had been complaining of some new pains yesterday, and he wanted to be sure she was all right.
He was grateful that he didn’t see Addie or Julius as he left the house. They would see the look on his face and know that something was wrong, and he was in no mood to explain anything.
Besides, he thought with a grim little smile as he got his horse from the stable, he wasn’t sure that he could explain things. Many of the emotions he had been feeling lately made no sense to him.
Perhaps deep inside he felt something more for Katie than simple affection. As unlikely as it seemed, maybe he did have some romantic interest in his stepmother. All he knew for sure was that she was sweet and kind and seemed to light up when she saw his face.
He shook his head as he swung the sorrel down the street. Katie was Pierre's wife, was about to become the mother of his child.
White Eagle tied his horse in front of Pierre's house and strolled up the walk to the porch. He rapped lightly on the door and waited. When there was no response after a moment, he knocked again, a little harder this time. Still no one came to the door.
With a worried frown creasing his forehead, he pulled the screen door open and tried the knob of the inner door. It turned easily, which was no surprise; it was rare for anyone to lock a door around here. He pushed it open and stepped tentatively inside.
"Pa?" he called. "Katie? Anybody home?"
A footstep at the far end of the hallway told him that he wasn’t alone after all. Katie appeared in the kitchen doorway, her features tight with strain, her skin pale. When she saw him, though, she gave a wan smile.
"Hello, White Eagle," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't get to the door. I'm moving a little slowly today."
Without thinking, White Eagle hurried to her, put his arm around her shoulders, and let her lean on him. "What's wrong, Katie?" he asked anxiously.
She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired and a bit uncomfortable. Everything is fine."
"You're not..."
She shook her head, her smile a little easier now as she heard the embarrassment in his voice. "Don't worry," she told him. "It's not time yet. At least I don't think it is."
As he helped her into the parlor, he thought she sounded uncertain. Katie sank into one of the chairs with a grateful sigh.
"I'll be fine now," she said. "I am glad you came by. I was beginning to worry a little."
"Where's Pierre?" White Eagle asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. His father had no right to leave Katie alone at a time like this.
"He went to Junction City with a freight wagon early this morning. He said he would be back tonight."
White Eagle took a deep breath and stalked to the window. Staring out at the bright sunlit street, he tried valiantly to control his temper before turning to face her.
"What was he thinking about?" he asked at last. "You should have someone with you all the time now."
Katie's expression grew stern. "I told him to go, White Eagle," she said in her husband's defense. "I told him I would be just fine by myself for the day."
"That's what he wants to think," the scout blurted. "I've talked to Dr. Keller, Katie. There's a good chance you're going to have trouble with this birth!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, White Eagle wished desperately that he could reclaim them. He saw the sudden flash of fear in Katie's eyes. She might have sensed that she was in danger, but now, in his anger at Pierre, White Eagle had confirmed it. Mentally cursing his father, he hurried over and knelt beside her chair.
"I didn't mean that the way it sounded," he began, but Katie cut him off.
"It's all right, White Eagle," she said softly. She was already recovering her composure. "I understand how worried you are. After all, this is your brother or sister we're talking about."
"And my stepmother," he said.
Katie waved a hand. "I told you, don't worry about me. All I'll be doing is what women have been doing for centuries. It's nothing special."
White Eagle suddenly knew that wasn’t true. It was very special.
Katie put her hands on the arms of the chair and began to push herself up. "Look, I'm feeling better now. Why don't I fix us some lunch?"
Looking closely at her, White Eagle saw that her color did seem a little better, but he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently eased her back. "I don't think so. You sit there and rest. I'll fix the meal." He grinned. "You'll find that I can fix a few things besides beans and flapjacks and hardtack."
Katie returned the smile. "All right. There's a ham in the smokehouse."
White Eagle nodded. "I'll see to it."
He spent the next half hour preparing their lunch. Over his objections, Katie moved into the kitchen and talked with him as he worked.
"I don't want you to think that I'm unhappy here, White Eagle, but my baby is going to have an even better place to live than Abilene. Pierre has promised that someday we'll move East. I want my baby to have a good education and all the advantages that a big city can offer."
"Just because a place is big doesn't mean it's the best place to be," White Eagle replied. "Me, I'd never be happy cooped up in some place where I couldn't see the sun or smell the earth or feel the breeze on my face."
"But you were raised in the outdoors. That's the only kind of life you know. Surely you can see how it would be better to live in civilization."
He didn’t want to argue with her, so he grunted noncommittally and went on with his work. Maybe she was right, but as far as he was concerned, civilization was overrated. From what he had heard, it was easier to get killed in the back alleys of some big city than it was in the open spaces of the frontier. At least out here a man had a better than even chance to survive, provided he was strong, resourceful, and above all stubborn.
If he ever had a child, he thought, he would want the youngster to know the lonely places, to see the splendor of a grassy valley, to experience the spectacular displays of a mountain thunderstorm, to feel the sun and the wind, and to know what it meant to be truly alive. Those things were just as
important as anything so-called civilization could offer.
He doubted that he would ever have a child. He didn’t live the kind of life that would attract a woman, not the marrying kind of woman. There were always painted ladies like Emily Sweeney to take care of his physical needs.
After they had eaten, Katie complimented him on his cooking. White Eagle grinned and said, "If a man doesn't want to put up with Army food, he's got to learn to fend for himself. A matter of survival, I guess you could say."
"You're not fond of the Army, are you?" she asked.
"Not very. I never cared for all the rules and regulations. But they're doing a job that has to be done, and my work isn't too bad when I'm out scouting and don't have some eager young officer looking over my shoulder all the time."
Talking about the Army made him think about Bear Knife. He had not told Katie about the renegade, and he decided not to tell her now. She seemed to feel better, and he didn’t want to upset her with tales about some murdering savage. But the danger from Bear Knife was just one reason why he was having doubts about going back to the Army. He was going to have to think about finding some other way of putting his talents to work for him.
He steered the conversation away from the Army while he cleaned the dishes and then helped Katie to the parlor. When she was settled in her chair, she said, "Would you mind going into my sewing room and getting the project I'm working on, White Eagle?"
"Not at all," he replied. "What is it?"
She smiled. "I'm knitting something. You'll know it when you see it."
With a puzzled shrug, he turned and went into the hall. During an earlier visit she had shown him the sewing room on the other side of the hall, toward the rear of the house. He went in and saw the spool of white yarn, the knitting needles, and a partially completed garment lying on a table. He picked them up and started back to the parlor.
As he went, he unfolded the garment and saw that it was a tiny sweater. A tender feeling swelled inside him. To think that anything small enough to wear this could be alive, a special little being who under Katie's guidance would grow into a fine adult.
Grinning sheepishly, he went into the parlor and handed her the knitting. "Looks like fine work," he said.
"It's done with love," she replied simply. "That makes it special."
The two of them spent the afternoon quietly and pleasantly sitting in the parlor, sometimes talking, sometimes just enjoying companionable silences. White Eagle had not planned to spend the entire afternoon here, but with Pierre gone and Katie shakier than usual, he couldn’t leave her alone. She had had no more pains since his arrival, but with the baby due at any time, he thought it would be wise for him to stay.
He knew that Emily was probably seething because he had not returned, but he could do nothing about that. As pleasant as his stay at Addie's had been, if it was coming to an end that was all right with him. Nothing lasted forever.
As the deep shadows of dusk began to darken the parlor, he went to the kitchen to prepare a light meal from the luncheon leftovers. He helped Katie from her chair in the parlor and gave her his arm to escort her to the dining room.
As she settled at the table, she said, "Pierre should be back soon. Won't he be surprised to see how helpful you've been? I really appreciate everything you've done, White Eagle."
"It was no bother," he said gruffly. He was still uncomfortable with her praise and gratitude. He wasn’t used to such treatment. And he would never expect his father to express such sentiments.
Katie picked up her fork and leaned toward her plate, then she suddenly dropped the utensil. It clattered to the floor. She clutched at her swollen belly as she uttered a surprised, breathless "Oh!"
Instantly, White Eagle was beside her. "What is it?" he asked.
"A pain..." Katie replied weakly. She breathed heavily for a few minutes before continuing. "I...I didn't expect it to hurt so bad...but I'm sure I'll be all ri—"
She broke off as another gasp escaped from her lips. Her face, already pale, grew more ashen.
"Oh, my God," White Eagle breathed. "It's time, isn't it? It's the baby."
Katie looked up at him and forced herself to smile. "I—I'm afraid it is," she said. "I'm sorry you had to be here to...to see me like this."
White Eagle pushed away his own worries. Panicking now would be the worst thing he could do for Katie. Dr. Keller had told him to fetch her as soon as Katie started having labor pains, so that was what he would do.
The front door opened at that moment, and booted feet clumped into the hall. "I'm back, Katie," Pierre Dandaneau called. "Where are you?"
"We're in the dining room," White Eagle rapped. "You'd better get in here, Pa!"
A moment later Pierre appeared in the doorway, frowning darkly as he peered across the table at them. White Eagle was hovering worriedly over Katie with his arm around her shoulders for support.
"Well, this is a fine sight to greet a man when he comes home tired from working," Pierre growled. "The way you're pawin' my woman, boy, if I didn't know better, I'd say you planted the seed for that whelp, 'stead of me."
White Eagle stared at his father. Pierre was swaying slightly, and his eyes were red-rimmed and glazed. White Eagle thought disgustedly, The man is about to become a father, and he's drunk!
"Katie needs help," White Eagle said tightly. "It's her time. I have to get the doctor. You need to stay with her."
Pierre reached into the pocket of his coat and took out a flask. "I'll stay," he said as he uncapped it. "And you can damn well go, but I don't want you bringin' no sawbones back here. Don't need 'em." He tipped the flask to his mouth and took a long swallow.
White Eagle could stand no more of his father's drunken arrogance. Ignoring Katie's warning hand on his arm, he blazed, "You booze-soaked old bastard! Can't you see your wife is about to have a baby? She needs help!"
Pierre leveled a finger at him. "Shut your mouth, boy!" he bellowed. "You're in my house, and you'll show some respect, dammit! Now get your hands off my wife and get out of here!"
Katie cried in pain once more. White Eagle glanced down at her. The spasms were gripping her regularly now, a sure sign that the child was on the way. And he could tell from the look on her face that the pains were intense.
"What about the doctor?" he asked Pierre.
"There was no doctor anywhere around when your ma had you, and she did just fine," Pierre insisted. "Bad enough Katie wants to be pampered by havin' some pill-pusher here, but I'll be damned if I'll ever let a woman doctor set foot in this house!"
"That's your final word on it?" White Eagle rasped.
Pierre's answer was to take another swig from his flask.
White Eagle's hand tightened on Katie's shoulder.
He looked down at her and said, "Don't worry, I'll bring Rose Keller. Let me help you to your bed before I go."
"I...I think that would be a good idea," Katie said.
Pierre drained the last of the whiskey and tossed the flask aside, then started angrily around the table. "I told you to get away from my wife!" he snapped. He balled his fists and swung.
White Eagle saw the fist hurtling toward his head and let his instincts take over. He darted smoothly to the side, and Pierre's punch flailed at empty air. White Eagle stepped forward and hooked his right hand into Pierre's belly.
The older man gasped, doubled over, and staggered back. White Eagle might have followed with another punch if Katie had not clutched at his arm and cried, "White Eagle, no! Please, leave him alone!"
The scout glanced down at his stepmother. "You really do love him, don't you?"
"Of course, I do. He's my husband." Despite what she was going through, Katie's voice was strong.
White Eagle nodded abruptly. Ignoring Pierre, he helped Katie to her feet and walked with her toward the hall. "We don't have any time to waste," he told her. "I'll get you into the bedroom, and then I'll go for Dr. Keller."
Her fingers tightened on his arm. "Please hurry," s
he whispered.
White Eagle heard Pierre floundering around behind them. He glanced quickly over his shoulder and saw his father was holding his stomach with one hand. Pierre was holding himself up with the other hand flat on the table.
Within a matter of moments, White Eagle had Katie lying on the bed in her room. Her forehead was glistening with sweat, and she chewed her lower lip to keep from crying out as the pains wracked her. White Eagle smoothed a stray lock of blonde hair from her forehead and tried to smile reassuringly.
"I'll be right back," he promised her. "You just hold on."
"I...I'll be here," she replied, gamely returning his smile.
He patted her shoulder, then hurried from the room and ran to the front door. As he rushed past the parlor, he saw that Pierre was now slumped in one of the chairs. He was staring at the rug on the floor and holding another bottle in his hand.
No, the scout thought grimly as he vaulted the picket fence to his horse, Pierre Dandaneau hasn’t changed at all.
White Eagle banged his heels against the sorrel's flanks and urged the animal to a gallop. Rose Keller's office was only minutes away, but the ride seemed an eternity to him. He could imagine Katie's agony back at his father's house.
When he finally reined his horse to a stop in front of the office, he saw that luck was with him. The doctor and Lucas Flint were just stepping through the front door onto the porch. Rose was carrying her black medical bag.
As White Eagle dropped from the saddle and ran toward them, Flint hurried down the walk. "What's wrong, White Eagle?" he asked, grabbing the frantic scout's arm.
"It's Katie!" he gasped. Looking past Flint at Rose, he cried, "It's her time, Doctor. You've got to come quick."
"Of course," Rose said briskly. "I'll just get my carriage—"
"There's no time for that!" White Eagle exclaimed. "She's in so much pain."
"All right." Rose turned to Flint. "Lucas, would you mind giving me a ride?"
Flint grinned and reached out to take the bag from her hand. "Come on," he said as he hurried toward his horse, which was tied up in front of the office.
Rattler's Law, Volume One Page 91