Herding Her Heart

by Kit Morgan

  “Y-you have?”

  She nodded as she looked into his eyes. Those wonderful blue eyes. Of course she’d noticed them before but she’d never looked into them the way she was doing now. “And when you’re more relaxed. And when you get angry too, strangely enough.

  He opened his mouth, licked his lower lip and exhaled. “When I-I’m calm, it’s better.”

  “Yes, it is.” She smiled and glanced at the lemonade stand. Chance and Violet were inspecting the nearest balloon, but men were beginning to shoo folks away. The race was about to start. “This is so exciting.”

  Rafe captured her gaze when she looked at him again. She’d never seen such a look, and her heart melted. “W-w-we should get the lemonade.”

  He nodded, his eyes never leaving hers.

  Jasmine could scarcely breathe. What was this? What did it mean? It was as if she’d opened her heart to this man and he was strolling inside – oh, wait. Was that what was happening? She had no idea. All she knew was that her feet wouldn’t work and her knees had gone weak. And all he was doing was looking at her!

  “W-we should go,” he said softly.

  Jasmine stared at him like a dolt. Now her mouth wouldn’t work again!

  He put a warm hand on her elbow. “Come.”

  It was only one word, but there was no stutter. He must be very calm. And so was she. An sense of peace washed over her the moment she realized she’d been talking to, interacting with and spending time with a fine man for weeks. Perhaps not directly, but they’d certainly been around each other a lot.

  They found someplace to sit as the race began. This was the first time she’d ever seen balloons actually moving. Were they interesting? Yes. Beautiful? Of course? Dangerous? Again, you wouldn’t catch her in one. Her heart began to race as they ascended into the air.

  “Wonderful, aren’t th-th-they?”

  She sat between Rafe and Violet. Violet kept looking her way and grinning. Did she hope Rafe would like her too? Jasmine gazed into Rafe’s eyes a moment. Of course she did.

  Jasmine took a deep breath. She was sitting with a wonderful man and had the support of her matchmaker and his wife. If only she’d opened her eyes and seen all of this before, instead of fretting and forcing herself to help everyone else. What a fool she’d been. But she was here now and she wasn’t about to mess this up.

  The balloons had reached a good height when Jasmine heard several people gasp. “Look at that!” a man cried. A woman nearby screamed.

  “Oh, no!” Rafe said and pointed. “L-l-look!” One of the balloons was on fire!

  Jasmine and Violet gasped in unison. “Is it Bertha and Kane’s?” Violet asked.

  “No, I think that’s Matt Crutchfield’s,” Chance said. “Bertha and Kane’s are near it. Looks like they’re steering theirs over to help.”

  Jasmine’s heart raced as fear gripped her. “Oh, please, Bertha, be careful.”

  Rafe took her hand. “She w-w-will. S-s-so will K-K-K-Kane.” He was as nervous as her.

  Everyone watched, eyes glued to the two balloons as they crashed into one another. Jasmine screamed when Bertha’s balloon caught fire as well. “No!”

  Rafe put his arm around her. “It’s all right, J-J-Jasmine.”

  The balloons began to fall. Jasmine’s hands flew to her mouth.

  Rafe pulled her into his arms, turned her face into his chest and held her there. “Shhh, don’t look. I’ve g-got you. Don’t look.”

  Jasmine sobbed into his chest. How horrible! Bertha! She held onto Rafe with everything she had. After a moment his body stiffened and she let out a sob.

  Rafe suddenly sighed in relief and loosened his hold. “It’s all right, I th-think they’re f-f-fine.”

  Jasmine drew away from him and saw men running toward a pile of wreckage billowing smoke. Two people were there bent over a third.“Is that Bertha?” she squeaked. “Oh, please tell me that’s them!”

  Rafe held her again. “I think s-s-so.”

  He was right, it had to be. There two were now standing. The one still down, but the standing ones were definitely Bertha and Kane. Matt Crutchfield must be hurt. “We’d better go see if we can help,” Chance declared. “Violet, stay with Jasmine. Rafe, come with me.”

  Rafe looked into Jasmine’s eyes. “I’ll be b-b-back. You okay?”

  She nodded, tears in her eyes. “Thank you.”

  He smiled, stroked her cheek, then left with Chase.

  Violet leaned toward her. “Jasmine. I do believe you’ve found your man.”

  Jasmine smiled, put her fingers on the place he’d touched cheek, and nodded.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bertha and Abigail’s weddings were both wonderful affairs, Abigail and her sister Alice having had a double wedding too boot! Jasmine was a bridesmaid for both, as she had been for some of her sister brides’ other weddings. Now she was the only one left, but she wasn’t running back to Noelle just yet. She hadn’t seen much of Rafe since the balloon race – business called, including furniture orders from her fellow brides. They were setting up their homes and making them their own. But every day they tried to spend at least a few minutes together.

  She turned from the bedroom window. She’d been so happy at the balloon races, despite the horror of the ballooning accident and poor Matt’s burned arm. Bertha and Kane were uninjured. And Rafe … she could still feel his hand cupping her face, see the intensity of his gaze in her mind’s eye. No one had ever looked at her with such concern. If only he had time to actually court her …

  She went downstairs to see if she could help with any chores. The house was eerily quiet without her fellow brides. “Beans?” she called as she entered the kitchen. Nothing. “Where could he be?” Then she remembered him saying something about going to the general store for supplies. She went to the parlor in search of Violet, but she too was nowhere to be found. “Oh, silly me – she’s visiting Myrakle and Joseph today.” She thought of knocking on Mr. Redburn’s office door, but he would have driven Violet out to the Penella Ranch.

  She sat in a chair and tried to decide how best to occupy her time. She should enjoy having the house to herself for a few moments. This would probably never happen again. Hmmm … should she whip up a batch of cookies and surprise Beans? He’d given some of the brides cooking lessons, her included. Yes, that’s what she’d do. She left her chair and headed for the kitchen.

  There was a knock on the front door, and her heart leapt in her chest. Could it be Rafe? He did try to stop by as often as work allowed. She hurried to the door, pinched her cheeks and opened it.

  It wasn’t Rafe, but another man, a stranger. “Oh, hello,” she said. Rats.

  “Good morning. Is this the Redburn residence?”

  “Yes, but I’m afraid Mr. and Mrs. Redburn aren’t at home. Can I tell them who called?

  He smiled, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a derringer. “No need, my dear, I have what I want.”

  Jasmine gasped and tried to slam the door shut, but the man stopped it and shoved his way in. Another man was with him – he must have been hiding to one side. “Grab her, you idiot!” the first man yelled.

  Jasmine yelped and took off at a run, but the men caught her before she could get to the kitchen, the nearest place one could obtain a sharp object. “Gotcha!” the second man rumbled. She screamed, but Number Two clamped his large hand over her mouth. She kicked him and bit his hand. “Ow!” he yelled, but didn’t let go.

  “Hold her still while I figure this out,” the man with the derringer said. He pocketed the gun and looked around. “We have to make it look like an accident.”

  Her eyes went wide.

  He stood before her and smiled. “Yes, we’re going to kill you. Now you know.”

  She struggled like a mad woman. Kill her? Why? What did she do?

  “Let’s take her into the kitchen. I know what to do.”

  “Took us long enough to get her alone,” Number Two commented as they dragged her down
the hall, looking for the kitchen.

  “You should have taken care of business when you had the chance and got on the same train.”

  “Too many people. I’d have been caught!”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t got us both caught, you idiot!”

  “You’re the one that said she’d recognize me if we did. This is your idea, not mine. I said she’s not that bright, she’d forget my face.”

  Jasmine’s brows rose as they reached the kitchen. She twisted around to see his face and recognized him instantly - the pockmarked man from the train station who’d bumped into her. But that was over a month ago and she hadn’t seen him since – why would they want to kill her now?

  “Trying to put two and two together?” Number One drawled and began searching the kitchen. “Where do they keep the knives?”

  Number Two scoffed. “How should I know?” He gave Jasmine a squeeze. “Where do they keep the knives around here, sweetheart?” Stupidly, he removed his hand from her mouth so she could answer.

  She screamed like a banshee, stomped on his foot, filled her lungs and screamed again.

  “OWWWWW!”

  Jasmine wrenched out of his grasp as another man rushed her captor. Both careened into the stove. Number Two hit the newcomer first, knocking him right into Number One, who fell to the ground. Her savior – oh my, it was Rafe! – punched Number Two in the jaw. Jasmine looked around and realized Number One was reaching for his derringer. “Look out!”

  Rafe spun and dove just in time to dodge the other man’s bullet. Number One, still on the ground, didn’t have time to fire again before Rafe stomped on his gut, hard. The gun went flying – right to Jasmine, who grabbed it and pointed it at the slowly recovering Number Two. “D-d-d-don’t you m-m-move!” she yelled, then realized she was stammering and giggled.

  “What the Sam Hill’s going on in here?” Beans yelled as he entered the kitchen through the back door.

  “Not sure myself,” Rafe replied, then punched Number Two in the groin. He doubled over, Rafe hit him with a right hook, and he went down, out cold.

  “You all right, Missy?” Beans asked her as he took the little pistol away.

  Jasmine nodded, still in shock.

  Rafe went straight to her and took her in his arms. “Jasmine, are you all right?”

  She slowly raised her eyes to his. “You aren’t stuttering.”

  His face broke into a relieved smile. “No, I-I guess not. No time to.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and held on with everything she had.

  Beans, who was shorter than the pockmarked man but probably weighed more, went and sat on him, pulling out a meat cleaver from a drawer just in case. He looked over at Number One, who was in too much pain to move, and sighed. “Now will one of you tell me what’s going on?”

  “I-I-I told you I didn’t know,” Rafe said, holding Jasmine close.

  He was warm and strong and she never wanted to be apart from him again. “Oh, Rafe, if you hadn’t come …”

  “I heard you scream. B-besides, the f-f-front door was open.”

  She buried her face in his chest.

  He kissed her hair. “You’re all right now. I-I’m here.”

  “I’m so glad.”

  “But why are they here?” Beans asked and pointed at his captive.

  She drew away just enough to talk. “I saw one of them before I boarded the train last month to come here. The big one. That’s all I know.”

  Number One groaned. “We wouldn’t be here … if it weren’t for that idjit. Aw, I feel like … my innards are broke.”

  “What, this idjit?” Beans tapped the side of Number Two’s head with the butt of the cleaver.

  “Nah … Colt Jennings.” He added a few imprecations for embellishment.

  “Colt Jennings?” Jasmine blurted.

  “Yeah, that …” Number One added a few slights as to Colt’s nature, parentage and personal habits. “… sorry, ma’am … he’s an associate of ours from way back. Thought we’d start up with him again. When we met with him, he’d just come from spending time with some bride to be.”

  “Never mind about that,” Beans said. “What’s that got to do with Jasmine here?”

  Number One groaned. “After talking …we realized you and someone this other idjit …” his eyes darted to his unconscious partner, “… bumped into at a train station might be the same woman. That means you’ve seen all three of us. We told Colt as much, but … he was more interested in robbing the bank that day …”

  Jasmine could only stare. “That was a month ago! I haven’t thought of it since.”

  “Colt don’t like loose ends. He sent us a note from jail … to not leave no witnesses who might recognize us and link us to him. We agreed. We knew you was a witness, and maybe Mr. Redburn, so we came here … he didn’t tell us you fight like a wolverine, ma’am.”

  Jasmine couldn’t help but smile. “But I couldn’t have done it without you,” she told Rafe.

  “I-I-I’m glad I came by. I was just going to inv-vite you to lunch.”

  She laughed – it was weak and strange-sounding, the aftermath of her ordeal. “I’m glad you came by too.”

  “So you’re part of Colt’s gang, huh?” Beans asked. The man under him stirred. Beans whacked him on the back of the skull with the cleaver handle, knocking him back out.

  “Shoot, after this … there ain’t no gang no more,” Number One says. “Without Colt or me or Willig … there goes what leaders we had. I think I need a doctor …”

  “Well, soon as one of us is free we can go get one – and the sheriff,” Beans replied. “But I need to watch Big Ugly here, and those two are, uh, otherwise occupied.”

  “Rafe, they wanted to kill me!” Jasmine whispered.

  Her pulled her close again. “It’s all right, they c-can’t hurt you now.” He tucked his finger under her chin and brought her face to his. “I’m here.”

  She smiled and blinked back tears. “You’re not stuttering again.”

  “Maybe it’s because … I’m …. in love.”

  Her jaw dropped. “W-w-w-with me?!”

  “Who else?” Beans commented.

  Jasmine stared at Rafe. “You love me?!”

  He nodded. “For a while n-now.”

  “What? What’s a while?”

  He smiled and shrugged. Then made a face before he said, “The d-dance.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t have to try so hard for me. I love you, Rafe Adams, stutter and all.”

  He smiled. “Y-you do?”

  “It’s just a stutter, it doesn’t make you less of a man.”

  His brows shot up. “You r-really think so?”

  “Really …”

  “Shut up and kiss already,” Beans commented. “One of us has to go fetch the sheriff. And a doctor for that moron.”

  Jasmine’s eyes locked with Rafe’s. “He’s so impatient.”

  “Yeah, I-I-I know.” His lips fell on hers as he pulled her closer.

  Jasmine didn’t care if they had an audience. Besides, Beans, no matter how crusty he acted, was clearly a romantic at heart.

  Rafe didn’t care either. He deepened the kiss, sending Jasmine’s mind reeling. This was her first kiss and she thought she might die! She almost had, but to go this way was preferable.

  When Rafe finally broke the kiss, Beans was looking at his pocket watch. “No,” Rafe said. “Y-y-you didn’t.”

  “Time the kiss? No, I’m trying to figure out where Sheriff Jamerson might be. I’ll go fetch him. You two stand guard. Remember, there’s only one bullet left in that little peashooter you took from him, so if you gotta use it, make it count.”

  Rafe looked over the derringer. “Yessir.”

  “I ain’t going nowhere,” Number One insisted. “I played my hand and lost. And I think I soiled myself.”

  Beans went to Jasmine as she stepped out of Rafe’s embrace and handed her the meat cleaver. “I’m glad you’re okay, missy
.” He left to fetch the sheriff and a doctor.

  No sooner had he left than Rafe kissed Jasmine on the cheek. “I-I’d like to kiss you some more, b-b-but …” He waved the pistol at their two captives, then sighed, seeming to go limp. “I almost l-lost you.”

  “You didn’t,” she said, resting her hand on his arm. She couldn’t bear to not be in contact. “I’m just glad you came to see me when you did.”

  “I didn’t j- just come to see you. He reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a silver ring. “I came t-to p-p-propose.”

  She gasped and looked at him. “Propose!”

  Rafe got down on one knee and took her hand in his. “J-j-jasmine Hammond, you’d m-m-make me the …”

  Number Two groaned. “Wha’ happened?”

  “Do you mind?” Jasmine marched over and hit him on the temple with the cleaver handle, knocking him cold once more. She marched back and smiled at Rafe. “Yes, I will marry you.” She hugged him where he kneeled, his head to her chest.

  Myrakle smiled and adjusted Jasmine’s veil. “Are you happy your parents are here?”

  “Oh, yes. They wouldn’t miss this for the world. Besides, my father wanted to meet the man who saved my life.”

  “Not because he’s marrying you?” Myrakle teased.

  “Well, that too.” Jasmine stepped back and turned toward a full-length mirror.

  “You’re beautiful,” Myrakle said behind her.

  Muffin barked and put his paws on Myrakle’s leg, drawing their attention to the door. “Ya ready?” Beans asked from the doorway.

  “Is Rafe?” Jasmine asked. He was so nervous about meeting her parents. But they liked him, knew his father by reputation and were forever grateful he’d come in the nick of time to save their daughter. Heinz Willig, the pockmarked man, had killed a man at the train station, it turned out – a former gang member who’d cheated him and the old Jennings Gang out of some money. All the more reason he and Colt had to get rid of any witnesses, no matter how uninvolved.

  “I hope you’ve had enough adventure to last you awhile,” her father said as she met him just outside the sanctuary.