Deciding to wait until he could talk to her without fumbling and stumbling like poor Tyree must have been doing, he went back to his hotel to cool off and clean up. He’d never seen a man grovel like Tyree had done and he wasn’t about to look as ridiculous as that poor man. He spent most of the day staring at the marred image in the mirror, a puffed-up caricature of his former face, and admonishing the man who stared back at him for ‘flying off the handle’, as Buck had called it. He had acted impetuously, just as the two Comanche boys had when they had attacked him on Buck’s cabin porch and all he had to show for it was a bruised right eye, a busted lip, and a misaligned jaw. His pride didn’t fare all that well either.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Later that evening, Caid went to look into the window of the boarding house to see if by chance, Marty would appear, but he was disappointed that the house was dark and quiet. He kicked the bottom step and turned to go, but a man’s voice made him look up at the window at Tyree’s head as he stuck it out and asked who was there. A moment later, Josie leaned out and then pulled Tyree back inside. Muffled giggles waned to silence as Caid went away shaking his head, marveling at Love’s ongoing battle with Fate in the never-ending effort to either keep lovers apart or to bring them closer together, depending on which one won. Then, he went to bed and hoped that Love was the victor where he and Marty’s were concerned. Let Fate be damned.
That same evening, Greta and Buck looked at each other over their meal, wondering why Caid had not come to church and why he had not come to their house to see Marty. The day moved to dusk without incident even though the two fully expected Caid to burst through the door of their home to talk to Marty, whom they had invited to stay for lunch and then dinner. But he never came. Buck drove Marty home later that evening and as he was helping her from the surrey, he smiled almost apologetically and told her good-night.
She turned to leave him, knowing that something had happened to make them happy that morning but as the day wore on, their moods changed to sullen and worried. Still confused, she took Buck’s hand to let him guide her to the bottom of the steps, then she turned to ask him the question that had been burning in her heart, “What is it, Buck? Is Greta all right? She didn’t lose the baby, did she?”
“No,” he said quickly. Then he tried to change the subject, “Wasn’t that a fine sermon this morning?”
“I suppose,” she said. Then she admitted, “I didn’t pay much attention to it. And you didn’t either. Why did you keep looking back at the doors?”
“I was expecting someone,” he said quietly.
“Who?” Marty asked with excitement.
“Never mind,” he said, shuffling his feet. “It doesn’t matter. You have a good night, now.”
“Good night, Buck,” Marty said, knowing when to keep pressing this man for answers and when to stop.
“Sleep well, Marty,” he said and turned to go, his forlorn expression making Marty worry all the more.
Whatever was troubling him, she knew that he would not confide in her, so she decided to go to bed. When he was ready to tell her, he would. Or she would get it out of Greta later. One way or the other, she was going to find out what happened today.
She had thought of telling them about the awful experience that she’d had with Tyree at the dance, but their unusual moods made her keep her story to herself. Just thinking about how he had taken advantage of her knowing that she was engaged to another man made her seethe with anger and resentment. She was appalled that a man of his seemingly prominent stature in town would take advantage of a young woman, and an engaged one at that. It just was not decent, she felt, for him to kiss her in the presence of her students, in front of Josie, and in spite of her continuous averting of his advances.
“A perfect gentleman indeed!” Marty growled at the mirror while she unraveled the curls in her hair and thought about the night’s events. “On his best behavior! I’d hate to see him when he’s being a scoundrel!”
She had told him over and over that she was not interested in anything but a platonic relationship with him, but he could not and would not believe her.
That night at the dance, after he had taken liberties with her, she had slapped him soundly on the cheek and had walked away from him. But he had followed her to the bottom of the steps and into the shadows. He had tried again to kiss her. But all the while, he had been looking at the dance floor, which seemed curious to Marty. Finally, while he looked away again, she had raised a knee to his groin and when he’d recoiled in pain, she had fled to Josie, who had met her on the steps of the pavilion with open arms. Josie had guided Marty from the center of town back to the boarding house, but not before she’d huffed her indignation at the man who had stooped in pain.
“Men!” Josie had spat in the night air as she’d looked back at Tyree who seemed to have pled with her with his mournful eyes. But she had tucked Marty into her arms and had whispered words of indignation at the man who had taken advantage of Marty.
With her new friend there to protect her, Marty felt comfortable enough to sleep, knowing that Tyree Parnell would not dare to come into the boarding house with the shotgun cocked and leaning against the window sill. That night after the dance and Sunday night after church and a day spent with family, she felt safe, almost as safe as she had felt with Caid there to protect her.
But unknown to Marty on that Sunday night while she mentally condemned him, Tyree was sleeping just a few doors away in the arms of the woman who had vowed to hate men for the rest of her life. The shotgun had been tucked away in the closet, the years of hatred had been wiped away by the loving arms of a man who had wanted this, needed this ever since he had seen young Josie Walker trudging into town.
Marty stretched out in her bed and thought of the journey that had brought her here. Images of her friends and Cousin Elsa waving good-bye to her and Greta while the twins perched on the wagon filled with their belongings as they left the little town of Wasserburg, Germany mixed with waves of excitement that coursed through her tiny body while the giant ship carried her across the ocean to Texas.
Split-second images of faces, places and things that had been long forgotten as time-past came flitting back into her mind like fire-flies just before a stormy night. The joys mingled with the pains of growing up on the farm just outside of New Braunfels, hard-working, back-breaking work that even frail Greta dove into as if her life depended upon cultivating a living from that barren Texas dirt. Childhood joys that grew like cornstalks tangling with the sadness of losing a calf, a puppy or a chicken to the harsh, blistering sun or the tornadoes that ripped the land apart like savage demons.
Memories of being a grown woman and wishing that she could just go back to those earlier days that somehow succumbed to tragedy and heartache swirled around her like the river that had threatened to take her with it to oblivion. The losses of her unborn children and then her first husband Elias came rushing back to her like the torrid waves that her future husband had rescued her from. And finally, visions of Caid’s handsome face filled her mind and heart with the simple bliss of knowing that she was loved, that she was in love, blanketed her in a warm and cozy nothingness except that remarkable reflection as she finally drifted off to sleep. Dreams of an enchanted journey that was void of pain, of misery or loss swept her away where she drifted on a lifeboat of love, never pitching in the unforgiving wind, never rocking uncontrollably on devastating waves and never overturning to suck her into the depths of debilitating despair.
****
At nine o’clock on Monday morning, according to the tower and his pocket watch, Caid pushed open the door to the general store. He needed a new suit of clothes because he had already torn and tattered two in his haste to wreak vengeance on someone. But this was not the store owned by Tyree Parnell, for he would never be able to face that man again, even though he knew that the man would not challenge him for a rematch. Instead, he’d found his way to the first store that had been opened in Fredericksburg, a st
ore owned by J. L. Ransleben. He purchased a new pair of pants, a new white shirt and a new pair of boots and was pretty pleased with the image in the full-length mirror in the dressing room, despite the bruises and bumps on his face. Then, he marched over to the public school building to find out if his fears were warranted or if Marty still loved him.
For her, Monday morning was a blissful repeat of the day before where nature was concerned. The trees fluttered with chattering birds and the townspeople seemed to bustle about in a hurry around her as Marty made her way to the school house. She rang the bell, bringing her students into the classroom and then, she began the school day. Occasionally, she would smile and daydream about Caid and her future with him, hoping, no knowing, that hers would be as happy a marriage as Greta’s and Buck’s was.
At noon, she released the children from class and allowed them to go outside for lunch. There was a Spring storm brewing and she wanted them to enjoy the dry day while they could. She remained inside, sitting at her desk and correcting pages of homework, inching the lamp closer to the papers as she hunched over them. She was so engrossed in her reading that she failed to see the shadow that overtook the opened door of the one-room school building.
But she heard the footsteps that came closer to her, ominously echoing throughout the room. Memories of Tyree announcing himself without saying a word as he stepped across the wooden floor of the school room many times before, passed through her mind. Memories of that night at the dance, that stolen kiss, that sick feeling that it had evoked in her, made her more angry than she was that night. She jerked her head up and narrowed her eyes at the menacing figure that came toward her in just a few bounding steps. Then she jumped from her chair, sending it crashing to the floor.
“You keep away from me, Tyree Parnell!” she warned while she backed into the wall behind her and picked up a ruler for protection. “I told you the other night that I didn’t want anything more to do with you. If you lay another hand on me…”
“That’s what I came to hear,” a familiar voice pierced the air. A voice so clear and demanding, as if it conveyed emotions that the man that had spoken them had kept inside for far too long, a voice that told her that he was back to claim the woman who had promised her love for him for eternity.
Marty dropped the ruler and scrambled around the desk to fall into his arms as she exclaimed, “Caid!”
He wrapped his arms around her, winding his fingers into her long braided hair and pressing his lips to hers. With all the emotion that churned inside his body, he transferred his love for her in the kiss that took her breath away. Time unhurriedly drifted like cotton-puff clouds on a soft summer sky while he bathed her in kisses that showed her on no uncertain terms that he was back in her life whether she liked it or not. He belonged to her, not the other way around, as he had, only hours before, had declared to God and everybody when he had busted up the saloon and had put a dent if not a hurtin’ on that giant of a man called Buck.
Truth be told, if she didn’t accept him, love him, like she did before, he might as well go back to that lonesome cabin and let those Comanche braves finish the job on him. Without her, he was nothing. Without Marty, life was not worth living.
He took her face between his hands, staring into her swimming blue eyes, searching for the sign that he already knew was visible in the depths of her loving heart. A tear trickled from her long lashes onto his thumb, lingered between his skin and hers and binding him to her forever in his heart, if not his soul. Then, he slowly, ever so slowly, moved his face closer to hers, pressing lips to hungry lips, tasting the salt of her tears and the sweetness of her breath, consuming, being consumed by the surge of love that passed between them, a love that would continue to grow until he took his last breath.
When he finally released her, she stumbled backwards and touched her fingertips to her simmering lips before she smiled happily and said, “I thought you’d never come!”
“It took some time, but I’m here!” he said with a proud expression.
Marty touched a bright purple bruise on his cheekbone and eye and asked with concern, “What happened to you?”
“It’s a very long story,” Caid said before he embraced her again, kissing her cheeks, her eyes and finally her lips with the tenderness that she remembered.
Marty eased into his arms and pressed her body close to his, relishing the warmth that passed between them. All of the misery of missing him seemed to melt away like the winter snow.
Abruptly, Caid pulled away and held her at arms’ length and, even though he knew the answer, he wanted to hear her tell her side of the story, so he asked quickly, “Who’s Tyree Parnell and why was he ‘laying his hands on you’?”
Tossing her hand into the air to dismiss the significance of the man of whom Caid spoke, Marty merely answered, “He is nobody.”
“Sounds like he’s somebody,” Caid growled before he ranted, “and who was that kissing you Saturday night at the dance?”
“That was Tyree,” she said, not angry at him for questioning her fidelity toward him, but instead, still angry at Tyree for making advances toward her. “He forced himself on me.” Seeing Caid’s face turn to anger, she enhanced her account of the incident with annoyance of her own, “But he got a knee full of my temper in his private parts!”
Caid could not help but rear back and laugh at the woman whose feminine beauty could bring a man to his knees. But if ever the need arose, she could bring him down with her knees. Finally knowing exactly how she felt about Tyree Parnell and how ‘Fire Woman’ had defended herself, he knew in his heart that Marty loved him and him alone.
Then he became serious when he realized that Tyree had ulterior motives for his advances toward Marty when he had used her to make his true love jealous. However, Caid knew that he would not be the last man to find her irresistible and he blurted out the words that came from his heart, “Marry me, Marty! Right now—today!”
Taken by surprise, her lips curled in amazement at his spontaneous suggestion, but she argued, “We have to make plans! We have to make an appointment with the church. And, I would want Greta there.”
“But I want you to be my wife now, today!” he insisted, emphasizing his words by placing his hands on her shoulders and squeezing.
“And I want to marry you, Caid,” she said with amusement at his impatience. “But, we can wait a few days. I’ll talk to Father Dunham this afternoon.”
“We will,” he corrected her as he put his hands on his hips. “Let’s go now!”
“Wait!” she screeched excitedly. “I have my class!”
“Give them a holiday,” he offered as the children began to file back into the room and sit quietly in their chairs, but perked up with his suggestion.
“Well,” Marty started as she looked around the room at the expectant faces. “I suppose one afternoon wouldn’t hurt them. There’s a storm brewing anyway.” To the children, she joyfully declared, “Class dismissed!”
Cheers filled the room and then a flurry of scurrying feet shuffled out the door and the couple was left alone again. Marty sighed and lifted her shoulders before she said, “Let’s go to the church!”
Caid’s smiling face expressed his excitement and delight that she’d agreed with him and that they were on their way toward wedded bliss. He escorted her down the street to the church and sat with her in front of the parson while he droned on and on about each of their duties in the marriage. Then, he encased Marty’s hand into his when Father Dunham gave them a date for the ceremony.
By this time Saturday, they would be man and wife, anointed by God and let no man put asunder what was consecrated to occur. No man, including Tyree Parnell or any other man who tried to come between Caid and the woman that he loved. There would be the devil to pay for any intrusion into their lives, on their wedding day or any other. He was in love for the first time in his life and, by God, he was going to cherish that love, nurture it and protect it until his death, if that was what it would take to ke
ep it.
Marty’s anticipation and exhilaration was also apparent when they hurried to tell Greta and Buck of their news. She could not contain herself when she hugged her sister and announced their impending nuptials. And she squeezed Greta’s shoulders happily when her sister agreed to stand at the altar with her. They all had tea in the parlor, recounting the months and the perils that had kept them apart and the love that had brought them back together.
Caid asked Buck to stand beside him in the ceremony. Linda Blue Sky and ‘the boys’ would be there as well. But all were stricken with remorse when it was mentioned that Seraphina could not be a part of the wedding.
“I wish that she could be here,” Greta said sadly, wringing her hands and looking to Buck for support.
“Me too,” Buck said, hugging his wife with love in his heart. “But, she’ll be here soon enough.”
“I’ll go back to Fort Concho after the wedding to fetch our Sera Dear,” Caid offered.
“I wouldn’t think of sending you right after your wedding day,” Greta argued. “I’ve waited all these months; I can surely wait one more.”
Caid looked to Marty, who raised her shoulders and smiled before she said, “You do want a honeymoon, don’t you? And there is the business of finding a home. Josie won’t let you stay in her house with me.”
“I guess you’re right,” Caid said with a nod. He thought better of telling Marty that Tyree had been in the very house where men were not allowed. Instead, he declared, “Next month, I’ll go to get her and you can come along.”
Enchanted Heart Page 26