Evelyn had led the doctor to believe that she was already married. “Yes, my husband and I are going back to his home. He was worried I might be too far along to leave.”
He smiled at her. “I think you will be fine. No doubt his family will be pleased as punch to have a new grandchild on the way. Children are such a blessing.”
A blessing. Indeed! This pregnancy had caused her nothing but problems from the moment she saw the doctor in Wyoming. She didn’t particularly want children; they didn’t fit into the life she wanted. She consoled herself knowing they would have nannies to care for the child in England, which would make things much easier for her.
The doctor helped Evelyn with her cape and wished her a safe journey. She’d told Nick she would meet him in time for tea at the hotel, but she was sidetracked when she saw a fetching hat in the window of a dress shop.
Nick was growing irritable by the time he finished his second cup of tea and there was still no sign of Evelyn. He walked to the window and looked down the street. His patience at an end, he grabbed his coat and hat and left the hotel. Entering the doctor’s office, he didn’t see anyone in the outer room. “Hello?”
The doctor walked from the back room. “May I help you?”
“Yes, I thought Evelyn . . .” Ainsworth started.
Hearing the gentleman’s accent, the doctor said, “You must be Mr. Ainsworth.” He extended his hand. “Congratulations are in order, sir.”
Ainsworth politely, albeit impatiently, shook his hand. “Thank you. But where is Evelyn?”
“Oh, she left a few minutes ago.”
“I didn’t see her,” Ainsworth said.
The doctor opened the door and looked down the sidewalk. “I bet she stopped in the dress shop. Maybe she needed a few new dresses since she will need some larger clothing. The ladies tell me by the time they are four months along, their clothing seems ill suited to the changes in their girth.”
“Four months?”
“As I told her, I think she is past four months.” Seeing Ainsworth’s stunned expression, the doctor thought he was concerned about traveling. He patted Ainsworth on the back. “Now, there’s no reason for concern. As I told her, she is strong and healthy. Her condition should present no problems on your trip. Of course, sometimes seasickness is a problem, but that can happen to those not in the family way as well.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Once he was out the door, he saw Evelyn leaving the dress shop carrying a hat box.
He caught up to her in a few strides and when he grabbed her arm, Evelyn jumped. “I told you I would meet you at the hotel.”
“I didn’t expect it would take you so long.” He took the box from her and took hold of her elbow and ushered her to the hotel.
He was walking briskly, making it difficult for her to keep up with his long strides. “Why are you walking so fast?”
“We have some things to discuss and I’d rather do it in the privacy of the room.”
Evelyn didn’t like the sound of that, nor the set of his jaw. “What do we need to discuss? Did you see the pastor?”
He didn’t respond. They entered the hotel and he practically dragged her up the stairs.
When they reached the door to their room, Evelyn jerked her arm from his grasp. “What is wrong with you?”
He opened the door and motioned for her to enter. Once she was inside, he slammed the door and dropped her hat box on the table. “I think you need to tell me the identity of the man who fathered your child. Was it that cowboy you were going to marry?”
She tried to remain calm as she walked to the mirror and pretended to be interested in arranging her hair. “What are you talking about?”
He walked to the sideboard and poured himself some brandy. “I saw the doctor. You can drop your act.”
Met by silence, Nick drank the brandy before he slammed the glass down on the table. “He said you are four months along.”
She had never seen Nick angry, but she wasn’t going to allow him to intimidate her. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him. “He’s mistaken.”
He stared at her stomach. He’d been ready to marry her when he thought he’d fathered the child, but now he was having second thoughts. “I don’t think he is mistaken. Is it Turlow’s?”
“No, it’s yours! You know I was an innocent!”
“My dear, let’s not lie to each other. You gave an adequate performance of playing the innocent, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. Your ranch foreman hinted to me that the two of you had a relationship before I arrived in Wyoming.” He had played poker with the ranch foreman and the man talked too much when he was drinking. He hadn’t really believed the foreman at the time since Evelyn was with him every night. But she could have been in his bed, or Turlow’s bed before he arrived in Wyoming.
She wasn’t surprised Travis boasted about his conquest if he’d been drinking—he was known for his loose tongue—but she tried to act surprised. “He must have been drunk to say such a thing.” She’d known all along the baby she was carrying was conceived with Travis.
Nick gripped her by the forearms and shook her. “Were you intimate with Turlow, too? Are you trying to pass his seed off on me?”
“It’s your child!” She pulled away from him and walked to the door.
“You were engaged to him. Why should I believe you didn’t give him the same thing you so freely gave me?”
“We need to see the preacher before the stagecoach gets here.” She opened the door and walked out without saying another word.
Ainsworth was right behind her and before she reached the staircase, he clutched her arm in a bruising grip and turned her to face him. “I want the truth for once. Is this Turlow’s child?”
“I’ve told you, I didn’t share Thorpe’s bed.” She struggled to pull away from his grasp, but this time he didn’t release her.
“I don’t believe you, and I refuse to make a common trollop my wife.”
Enraged, she balled her fist and started pummeling his chest. “How dare you! I’ll have Thorpe kill you for slandering me!”
Shocked by her outbursts, Ainsworth released her arm and stepped back. When he stepped away, her fists struck air as she continued to strike him. She lost her balance, and when Ainsworth reached out to steady her, he was too late. She tumbled backward down the staircase.
Chapter Seven
Thorpe checked on the puppies several times through the night to make sure they were still breathing, and each time Blue let him know he was keeping watch over them. He’d just taken more food for Spirit in an effort to fatten her up quickly so she could nourish her pups. The temperature had dropped so he wrapped more blankets around the little family. When he jumped from the wagon, he almost knocked Lily over. She was bringing a full bowl of food for Spirit.
Thorpe smiled at her. “I guess we’re thinking the same thing. I just fed her again. That gal can eat, but I think she already looks better.”
“Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll take watch,” she told him.
“I’ll sleep by the fire. I sent Jed to sleep in his wagon about thirty minutes ago.” Thorpe followed Lily back to the fire. When they sat down, he noticed the dark circles around her eyes.
“You didn’t sleep well?”
“I couldn’t go to sleep for some reason.” She knew the reason, but she wasn’t going to tell him. Everything about Thorpe enticed her and she couldn’t sleep for thinking about him. On the surface he was a large, imposing cowboy, but after watching him with the puppies, it was obvious there was a softer side to him, which she found very appealing.
“I can stay awake if you want to try to sleep,” he offered.
“No, really, I’m fine. Go to sleep.”
Thorpe leaned back on his saddle and poured some whiskey in his cup. He held the bottle up to Lily and asked, “Want some? It’ll help you sleep.”
“No, thanks.”
“Have you ever had whiskey?”
“No. Is your shoulder hurtin
g?”
“Some.” He didn’t want to talk about his shoulder; something else was on his mind. “Why is Dora so concerned about the supplies? Don’t you have enough?”
“I purchased what I could afford and it should be enough. Isabelle and Dora couldn’t afford more. Perhaps she’s worried we will run into bad weather and supplies may run low.”
Thorpe thought she was being generous trying to make an excuse for Dora’s behavior when none was warranted. He smiled at her. “Would you really leave her behind?”
Lily made a face at him. She’d spoken in anger and she felt bad about that, but she wouldn’t allow Dora to be rude to Jedidiah, particularly after he’d defended her to those people on the wagon train.
Thorpe held up his hands. “Hey, you had me convinced.”
She laughed. “Drink your whiskey and get some sleep.”
Thorpe thought she was even more beautiful when she laughed. “Yes, ma’am.” He finished his whiskey, leaned back on his saddle, and pulled his hat over his eyes. He didn’t know if he could sleep with Lily near him, but he was tired and his shoulder ached, so he’d give it a try.
* * *
Another week passed and they hadn’t run into any problems. Thorpe’s only complaint was Dora. She tried to corner him whenever he was alone. He didn’t know if she thought he needed a wife, but if that was what was on her mind, he needed to set her straight and pronto.
He’d spent the last few hours riding well behind the wagons to make sure they were not being followed. Blue left Spirit and the puppies in the wagon and was walking beside him. The little puppies were doing well, and Thorpe no longer worried that they might not survive. Jedidiah had told him Miss Lily had a fast track to the Almighty, and he was beginning to believe the truth of that statement.
Seeing Blue lag behind, Thorpe looked back to see him staring into the trees some distance from the trail. He turned Smoke around and trotted back to Blue. “What is it, boy?” Thorpe gazed over the landscape, but saw nothing amiss. They waited a few minutes, listening for any sound out of place, and when Smoke’s ears flicked forward, Thorpe instinctively knew they weren’t alone. “Come on, boy, let’s get to the wagons.”
Thorpe pulled beside Lily’s wagon and said, “Pull over near that rocky ledge ahead. We may have company.”
Lily didn’t question him; she wasted no time directing the team to the area that would offer protection from a rear attack. Once Lily pulled the wagon to a halt, she jumped down and ran to tell everyone what was going on. While Thorpe and Jedidiah unhitched the teams, Lily pulled out extra cartridges and passed them around. Once the animals were moved safely away, Thorpe told the women to go about their normal routine as if they were stopping for the night. He instructed them where to take cover if trouble came. It was dark by the time he got a fire going, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to see anyone until they were on top of him. He would have to pay attention to any sounds not commonplace to the night. But he also knew Indians could sneak up on them before they heard a thing.
Lily walked to the fire and set the coffeepot on a rock. She saw Thorpe’s Winchester resting beside a large boulder near the fire. “Indians?”
“That would be my guess. I don’t want you out here in the open. Why don’t you go back by the wagons?”
“You’re here,” she said simply.
Thorpe didn’t have time to argue the point. He heard the horses before he saw them. “Get down!”
Jedidiah was at Thorpe’s side within seconds, his rifle at the ready.
“Lily, go back by the wagons,” Thorpe instructed. “Jed, get behind that rock.”
Lily ignored him and kneeled down behind a boulder. “I’m fine right here.”
Thorpe kneeled down next to her and aimed his rifle. “You’re one hardheaded woman, Miss Lily.” He glanced behind him to make sure Dora and Isabelle were out of sight. The only thing he could see were the barrels of their pistols sticking out from the interior of the wagon. “See there. They do what they are told.”
She smiled at him. “They can’t shoot as accurately as me.”
Thorpe didn’t respond. The first arrow zoomed over Lily’s head and he started firing. Seeing that arrow so close to her put his heart in his throat, and he was thankful he could still react with precision. As he was firing, a quick count told him there were about a dozen braves, and just as quickly he shot three off their horses. Lily easily equaled his count, and Thorpe admired her for her calm in the midst of total chaos. He knew how difficult it was to stay focused with men trying to kill you. Jedidiah wounded one brave and he fell from the saddle, but another brave pulled him on his horse and they rode away with the remaining braves. Thorpe thought they would wait a few hours before they came back to collect their dead. He wasn’t inclined to kill them all, but he hadn’t started this fight. And he knew if he didn’t kill them, they wouldn’t hesitate to take the women if they got the upper hand. “We can wait for them to come back tonight, or we can pack up and keep on moving for a few more hours.”
“Do you think they will bring more braves back with them?” Lily asked.
“It’s possible. They’ve lost so many, they may just give it up. I say we should move on for a few hours.”
Lily’s instincts told her Thorpe was right. “Let’s go.”
* * *
It was past midnight before they stopped for the night. Thorpe could tell the women were exhausted and their nerves were on edge. Every little noise made them jump. He brought the puppies from the wagon, hoping they would take their mind off of the Indians for a while. His plan worked until the puppies were ready to go to sleep and the women were still wound tight.
“Are you ladies about ready to retire?” Thorpe asked.
“Not yet,” Isabelle responded.
“Do you think those braves will come back?” Dora asked.
Thorpe wanted them to relax, but he didn’t want them to be caught off guard so he wasn’t sure how to respond. “I think they’ve lost enough men, but it won’t hurt to be prepared.”
“And Blue will be alert,” Lily added.
“Why don’t you tell us about your ranch, Thorpe?” Isabelle suggested.
Thorpe was tired, but he understood what they were feeling, so he indulged them. “I drove cattle up from Texas some years ago and started my ranch.”
“Was Texas your home?” Dora asked.
“Yes. When my father died I decided to go west.”
“You don’t have any brothers or sisters?” Isabelle asked.
Thorpe thought about John daily, but he didn’t talk about him often; it was too painful a memory. “My younger brother, John, died when he was fourteen.”
Lily could hear the change in Thorpe’s voice when he spoke of his brother. “What about your mother?”
“She died a few years before my pa.”
“I’m sorry.” She wondered if he felt the same loneliness she felt with her family gone.
“How can you be away from the ranch so long?” Isabelle asked.
“I have reliable men who have been with me from the start.”
“You must have a lot of land,” Isabelle said.
“Yes, ma’am. Wyoming is a big place.”
“What’s the name of your ranch?” Lily asked.
“Dove Creek.”
Lily remembered the way he looked at her grandfather’s dove carving. “That’s beautiful. Did you name the ranch?”
“Yes, ma’am. My mother was partial to doves, particularly white doves, so that’s how the name came about.”
Lily wondered if he thought doves were symbols of love. “Do you see many doves in that part of the country?”
“People say they rarely saw so many doves until I named my ranch. Now we see them all of the time, but we don’t see white doves often.”
“Don’t you get lonely on that big ranch all by yourself? Or do you have a wife?” Dora asked.
“No wife. The ranch keeps me busy. As I said, I have men who work for me,
so there’s always plenty of people around.” The nights did get lonely, and he couldn’t deny that was part of the reason he’d ask Evelyn to marry. At the time, he’d thought it would be nice to have a soft warm body next to him at night. Thanks to Evelyn, he’d decided he would be better off spending his nights alone.
“Are there many females in your town?” Dora asked.
Thorpe knew where she was going with this line of questioning. “I expect there are as many as in most towns.”
“Is there a saloon?” Dora asked.
“Yeah. The town is not as large as some, but we have everything we need. It’s growing now with the railroad.”
“Do you visit the saloon?” Dora asked.
“Yeah, we go to play poker once or twice a month.”
Dora smiled at him. If he was like most men, she expected he did more than play poker. If she had to resort to working at a saloon, she wouldn’t object to seeing him a few times a month. And a growing town meant more men, and she was sure there would be many men like Thorpe who had been alone too long. “Are the men that work for you married?”
“Three of them have wives and children. Their homes are on the ranch.”
“Is it beautiful in Wyoming at Christmastime?” Lily asked.
“We always have snow, so it’s quiet and peaceful.” Generally, he didn’t look forward to snow as it made it difficult to care for the animals, but having a snowy Christmas was an exception. He loved the silence on the range on Christmas night. But that first Christmas had been difficult for him. He felt the loss of his family more than ever. He’d kept busy all day to take his mind off his family and the sadness he felt without them. When his work was finished, he didn’t want to return to an empty house, so he rode Smoke around the ranch. Before he called it a night, he decided to ride to the entryway of his ranch to see how his new log gate looked in the falling snow. Just a few months earlier he’d installed the massive lodgepole pine posts, and had the blacksmith forge the letters for Dove Creek Ranch that were mounted on the connecting rail. Seeing the sign that Christmas night made the ranch feel more like home. He’d missed Texas, but he knew it had more to do with his family than the place. He reined in at the entryway and stared at the gate, allowing the memories of the last Christmas with his family to fill his mind. The last Christmas present he’d given his mother was a brooch that had two white doves designed in little mosaic tiles against a midnight sky. He’d worked any job he could find for six months to earn the money to buy that small piece of jewelry. It was worth it though. His mother had loved that brooch, and she wore it every day until the day she died. He’d even pinned it to her dress the day he and his father buried her under the large oak tree on their land. His mother would have loved the name of his ranch.
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