Brides of the West-Part One

by Hestand, Rita

  And then he kissed her and everything began to fade. All the anger and frustration of the day melted away in one kiss. The kiss enflamed Bonnie, she felt little tingles all over. She felt flushed and the urgency of his kiss only fueled her own response.

  "Woman…you sure can kiss." He whispered. He held her away so he could look into her eyes. "When I first met you, I figured you as naïve as a babe. But when I kissed you I got a big surprise. I swear Bonnie, you kiss better than any woman I ever met. As though you've practiced half your life."

  "I do?" Surprise lit her face. She remembered how she had practiced with her pillow at night as she grew into her womanhood. But it wasn't as though anyone was kissing her back.

  "You do. Don't let anyone put you down, Bonnie. You're quite a woman, in case you didn't know…." And he walked off.

  She wished he had stayed because she wanted to explore more with him. But too much of a good thing could spoil a body, she decided.

  He'd gone in the house and he came back soon, with his gun.

  "You going out again?"

  "I think it's best. Send Daniel down if I'm not back by the time he comes back." He instructed her. "And don't fret about Cassie. She's not half the woman that you are."

  "She wanted you to take her home…" Bonnie blurted then wished she hadn't.

  "I know that.…but I've got my woman. I don't need another." Dal grinned at her and winked. "I don't play games like that Bonnie. If I were a mind to take another woman, you would be the first to know it. Understand…?"

  She nodded. "Be careful…" she barely managed.

  He stopped then, turned and looked at her and marched back to her side. Without a word, he took her in his arms and kissed her until she was dizzy with wants and needs. When he let her go, she was sure he could see the desire in her eyes. She could hardly catch her breath, she looked ravished.

  "That's better than mashed potatoes and gravy," he grinned and walked off once more.

  She was so weak-kneed from the kiss, she almost fell.

  She walked slowly to the house, Becky was standing at the door, still awake, and smiling at her.

  "What are you doing up?" Bonnie grinned as Becky opened the door for her.

  "Couldn't sleep. I like my new brother a lot, Bonnie. I'm glad he loves you…."

  Bonnie meant to correct her, but something stopped her.

  She started to say something, but Becky blurted, "And I'm even gladder you love him…."

  Love? Was it love?

  Some new inner knowledge grew inside her as she held on to that notion.

  "Well Becky…I’m not sure we've reached that point, yet."

  "Oh yeah, you have. Even I can see that. You two were going at it like two bees stuck on honey. Besides, don't you remember what mama used to say?"

  "What?"

  "Marriage is the heart of any family. And now we got it again, so we are a real a family again." Becky smiled at her.

  "She did say that, didn't she?"

  Becky nodded.

  "Heart of a family….yes, I remember her saying it. And I guess it is true. I think we are more of a family now than before Dal married me."

  "Sure we are. We are in this together." Becky vowed.

  Bonnie smiled now. "I guess we are."

  She took Becky's hand and they went to their bedroom. She combed her hair for a long time. "You have such lovely hair, Becky. You'll have all kinds of boys after you when you get bigger."

  "I wish it curled at the ends like yours," Becky said sincerely.

  "It's beautiful, Becky. And if you want curls we can curl it on the ends. You can't see it in the back, but it is beautiful. It hangs down your back, like a long river of gold. I love combing it for you too. You never cry when I comb it. Most girls with this long of hair, cry their eyes out when someone combs it. But you never do."

  Becky looked into her face and smiled. "That's 'cause I love you combing it. It reminds me of Mommy. I miss her a lot, sometimes. But then you do something for me like this, and I don't miss her so much. Don't ever leave me Bonnie." She cried. "I couldn't bear it."

  "I love you Becky. I always will. And I'll never leave you, I promise."

  "I'm glad you and Dal are livin' here instead of somewhere else. I'm glad he's teaching Daniel stuff too. It's a good thing you married him." Becky looked at herself in the long mirror that hung against the door. "You really like my hair?"

  "I really do…."

  "Thanks. But I gotta tell you something. I don't like your friend Cassie much. She never paid me much mind anyway, but I don't like her. She was makin' eyes at Dal. But he didn't pay her no nevermind. I'm awful glad. He's a good man Bonnie."

  "I know…That's the first time I seen her act like that. She was almost catty. As if I should step aside because she was here. It's the first time she cared to visit me in all the time I've known her. And I think you are right. It was because of Dal."

  "He was lookin' at you mostly," Becky said with a yawn.

  "Was he?" A tingling swept up the back of her neck and across her shoulders.

  But when she looked at Becky she realized how sleepy she was and knew she had to put her to bed.

  "You are tired." Bonnie smiled at her and put the brush up. A glint of amusement and joy made Bonnie's face shine. "Climb up the ladder honey, and goodnight."

  "You know, even Daniel likes him now," Becky said as she climbed up her little ladder.

  "Does he?"

  "Yep. He said he wasn't sure how he felt about him at first. He was such a stranger to us. But the more he's around him, the more he likes him. So I guess we should keep him, forever." Becky sighed and closed her eyes as her head hit her little pillow. It was the pillow her Ma had given her some time ago and she wouldn't part with it for anything.

  "Forever," Bonnie smiled as she pulled the covers over Becky.

  "But you gotta start sleeping with him Bonnie. Mama always slept with daddy. Don't you remember?"

  Bonnie could feel her cheeks grow warm. "Yes well, we don't have a big enough bed yet. We will someday…I guess."

  Daniel came in and was shaking his head with disgust.

  He made so much noise that Bonnie came out of her room to look at him.

  "Is everything alright?"

  "Don't ever ask me to take her home again." He chucked his boots off and tossed them into the bedroom.

  "Why, what happened?" Bonnie asked closing her bedroom door so Becky could go to sleep and waiting for Daniel to answer.

  "Nothing. She just asked a million questions was all. All about you and Dal. I told her if she wanted to know, she should ask you or Dal." Daniel said heading for his bedroom.

  "What kind of questions did she ask," Bonnie called out to him.

  "Everything. Why you two married. If he loved you. All kinds of crazy girl questions. I told her I didn't know a thing and that it wasn't her business. I told her no decent man would talk about those things, especially to a woman."

  "I bet that made her mad." Bonnie giggled despite herself.

  Daniel smiled at her.

  "It did. She whipped them horses on a run. I like to never got them settled down." Daniel laid his rifle down on the floor of his room and started undressing.

  "Did you get to see Rachel?" Bonnie called, waiting for his answer.

  "Yeah, for a minute. She's really nice. Not like her sister at all."

  "I know. And you like her don't you? I mean…really like her."

  "Yeah…I kissed her on the cheek. It was my first kiss and I'm sure it won't be my last. At first I was scared to, you know, but when I got the nerve up, I did it, and it was…nice. She always smells so good. She didn't seem to mind either."

  Bonnie noticed he exuded the confidence of a man. Dal really was good for Daniel. Daniel could learn so much from him. She thought about that a moment, wistfully. She was glad she married Dal. "It was nice, huh?"

  "Yeah…I think she liked it. We're goin' to the dance together next Saturday."

 
"Good. Thanks for taking her home." Bonnie smiled and turned to go back to her room.

  "I did it for you. I knew you didn't want Dal doing it." Daniel peeked his head out the door of his bedroom and grinned at her.

  "How did you know that?" Bonnie's eyes widened as she stared at Daniel.

  "I'm not that dumb… So—where is Dal?"

  "He's down at the creek…he told me to tell you to come on out if he wasn't back by the time you got home."

  "Okay…" Daniel winced at his hand that handled the reins where they burned as he had tried to control the horses. He started to get ready to go, and fetched his rifle once more.

  Bonnie realized too that Daniel never minded whatever Dal wanted of him. He did it. She liked that about her brother, and she knew it was a sign of maturity.

  But to everyone's surprise Dal walked in. He glanced around and saw they were the only two up.

  "Everything okay?" She had asked before he closed the front door.

  "Looks to be."

  "Good, I'm goin' to bed, then," Daniel announced.

  "Night Daniel," Bonnie called.

  "Good…well…goodnight…"

  He stared down the hall at her. "Hey, you feelin' better about today now?"

  She nodded shyly. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. I should have been more charitable. I probably over reacted, is all. This being married is a new experience for me, and I guess I'm a little touchy about it. I got a lot of feelings all mixed up inside. I'm not prone to jealousy, but Cassie flaunts her beauty and the things she has until I do see green. It's not that I want what she has…it's that I want her to hush about what she has, and just be her. I don't like her because she lives in a bigger house and has pretty things, and doesn't have to work. I like her because she befriended me when I went to school. For that, I will always hold her in regard, but growing up—I don't know, it's just that a lot of things change."

  "I think you read her right. Now…Come here," he stretched out his arms.

  She walked slowly down the hallway. He pulled her into the shadows and touched his lips to hers. This kiss was hot and frenzied. His lips touched her face, then back to her waiting lips.

  "Now that's the way to say goodnight…" He smiled down at her. "You really are the best kisser I've ever known. You must have had a hundred beaus."

  "Not one! I guess you could say you are the first. You're very good at saying goodnight." She whispered.

  "I gotta get those beds built…" He whispered, kissed her nose and turned to go to his room.

  But before she turned the knob on her own door, she glanced his way, and she saw him staring. Her heart turned over in her chest. The look in his eyes matched the feeling in her heart.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next night the herd came back. Dal and Daniel were out at the banks and waiting. He motioned for Daniel to aim low at the ground to scare the cattle.

  Daniel nodded and waved back.

  They waited until the cattle were close enough to smell the water then opened up with their rifles. Dust flew and the cattle began to run every which way. They heard the cowboys hollering and trying to direct them back the other way.

  It took a while and they were much too busy to shoot back this time. They stayed under cover in the bushes, so no one would spot where the shots came from.

  The cattle scattered in all directions, making a cloud of dust as they ran and Dal raised his rifle in the air to let Daniel know to stop firing.

  Dal waited to see if Banister was going to show up, but he never did. Perhaps things had gone so smooth the first time he hadn't predicted a problem. He watched until the drovers were out of site, then he motioned for Daniel.

  They stared after the cloud of dust.

  "I'm surprised they didn't charge us," Daniel said his face a little pale in the moonlight.

  "Yeah, me too. But they were too confident this time. They weren't expecting any trouble. Next time it won't be as easy."

  "You think there will be a next time, Dal?" Daniel asked his face screwing up into a worried frown.

  "Oh yeah, there will be. We'll have a confrontation sooner or later. He's too stubborn a man to give up the fight. He'll be back. And we'll be waiting." He said throwing his arm over Daniel's shoulder and they headed back to the house.

  Before they reached the house, Dal glanced at Daniel. "Were you scared?"

  "A little…"

  "You've got a right to be." Dal assured him. "So was I."

  "Why don't we just let him water them for nothing?" Daniel asked. "I mean there'd be less trouble that way."

  "Can't do that Daniel. It wouldn't be fair to the others. And you can't let someone like that push you around. Once they think they got us, they won't give up until they own this land. We have to stand our ground, and we'll do it."

  Daniel looked at Dal. "How come you are so confident?"

  "I'm not. I'm just as stubborn as he is, though." Dal grinned. "Now, put on a smile because we don't want the girls to worry."

  Daniel nodded as they headed inside the house.

  Bonnie came running from the kitchen, her face a wad of frowns of concern. "I heard shots, did you have trouble?"

  He glanced at Daniel. "They showed up again. We did what we planned to do, scare the cattle back, and it worked. They were so busy and surprised by us being there that no one shot back, this time. So we were lucky."

  "You think they'll try it again?"

  "It's possible."

  "What can we do to stop them?" Bonnie cried, wringing the towel she was drying the dishes with.

  "I'm not sure. Next time they will expect us so it won't be a shock. They aren't just gonna stop Bonnie. They want that water. They will be back, but they might take their time this time and think about what they are gonna do. Or what they can do."

  "I'm glad they didn't shoot back." Bonnie looked at them both as though she expected something wrong.

  Dal put his rifle up and so did Daniel. "We took them by surprise this time. Next time they'll come prepared. We gotta figure a new strategy too. What are we gonna do the next time they come loaded for bear?"

  "Don't you think we should report this to the Sheriff again?" Bonnie asked as she moved toward the kitchen once more.

  "It's time we figured our options. We could go to the sheriff, but he won't do anything. Not until someone is hurt or killed, or until we start shooting the cattle itself. That's an option I'm holding open. If they lost enough cattle, they might stop." He said as he sat at the table.

  "Want some coffee?" She asked.

  "Yeah, bring us both a cup, will you?" He asked, casting her a quick glance.

  She poured two cups and set them in front of them, then poured herself one and sat down at the table beside them.

  "If you shoot their cattle, what will happen?"

  "Well, law wise, not much. Of course, he's gonna demand that we pay for what we shoot. You could expect that. But since he's trespassing the law might let me get away with a few head." Dal answered as he sipped his coffee and fretted over what to do next.

  "It would be better than killing someone, wouldn't it?" Bonnie glanced at him directly.

  "I guess so. Might hurt our pocketbook, though. Course I could always claim I didn't have the money and set it out in jail if I shoot his cows."

  "Jail!" Bonnie's eyes widened. "You can't do that, Banister would be back the minute they put you in jail."

  Daniel shook his head. "Isn't there a way of winning this?"

  "One of the first things to learn is patience. It's more a matter of wearing someone down so they'll talk peaceable. That's why we are sittin' here tryin' to figure it out, Daniel. Maybe we overlooked something, but I don't think so."

  "They are trespassin', aren't they?" Daniel asked looking straight at Dal.

  "Yes, they are." Dal agreed. "And if they put me in jail, I could claim that and have him arrested. Then we might hash out some kind of deal, both of us sittin' in the same place at the same time." He declared.
r />   "But jail!" Bonnie cried.

  "At least I'd be alive." Dal smiled at her.

  "Would the sheriff put both of you in jail at the same time?" Daniel asked.

  "He'd pretty near have to. If they have me arrested for shootin' the cows and I can't pay, and he is trespassing I see no other way to handle it. It's all too close on our minds tonight. We should sleep on it and maybe figure somethin' out in a day or two." He suggested.

  "How come bad people get a way with stuff?" Daniel twisted his head and waited for some answer.

  "It's part of life, Daniel. Just like this situation. There isn't an easy answer, and until we figure it out, there is gonna be a price to pay for it all. In the end, the bad get their comeuppance." He promised.

  "What about me? Wouldn't they take me in, too?" Daniel asked.

  "I wouldn't let them take you. I'll send you back to the house before I'd let them catch you out there. It's me and Bonnie they want. So don't be fretting."

  "If we killed him, it'd be the end of it, wouldn't it?" Daniel asked innocently.

  Dal seemed to digest that question for a while before he answered. "Killing isn't the answer to anything, Daniel. Killing leads to more killing. Killing cows are different, there is a monetary end to that. 'Course I wouldn't pay a dime for any cattle I shot on the property, and they would more than likely put me in jail for a time, but that's about all. It would only be a few days at most."

  "There's got to be a way…" Bonnie cried.

  Dal glanced at her and saw how upset she was getting. "Don't worry Bonnie, we'll handle this."

  "Sure," she stood up and pushed her chair against the table. "You'll handle it. You'll get yourself thrown in jail, or killed. And then what? I'm going to bed, to think on it." She stomped out of the room.

  "She's upset." Daniel glanced at Dal.

  "Yep, I'd say so."

  "Well, I reckon I'll turn in too. If I come up with any ideas, then I'll holler." Daniel gulped the rest of his coffee.

  "Night Daniel…" He called after him.

  "Night."

  ~*~

  It was quiet and Dal really felt bad about upsetting Bonnie so. It wasn't his intention. But he had to do some figuring to settle this.