by Diane Darcy
He wouldn’t let go.
She stilled and took a deep breath. “I’m going to lose my temper.”
Curly grinned. “Really?”
Melissa’s eyes narrowed. The guy wanted her to lose it? “I didn’t want to make a scene, so remember, you asked for this.” She grabbed his hand from off her waist and got him in a finger lock that brought him to his knees.
Curly laughed, half from pain, half from enjoyment as he knelt in front of her. “You are some woman!”
Melissa dropped his hand, jumped back out of his way and left in disgust, well aware of the stares from the other dancers. The chuckles.
“I love you, Melissa!”
More laughter.
Mortified, she hurried her steps.
Richard appeared in front of her and she sank into his arms.
“Get me out of here.”
Richard looked past Melissa. “He’s leaving now. I think I’ll just go and have a little chat with the guy.”
Melissa was surprised by the steel in Richard’s voice. Was he jealous? The thought surprised her; astounded her actually. They’d been married for fourteen years and his unwarranted possessiveness surprised her and made her want to grin.
She grabbed his arm and studied his face. He was jealous! His gorgeous brown eyes were narrowed as he stared after the other man. “Don’t waste your time. Curly is harmless. Believe me, I won’t make the mistake of dancing with him again.”
Richard hesitated, then pulled her into his embrace and they started to dance.
Melissa relaxed against him, probably dancing too closely for nineteenth-century decency, but she didn’t care. Richard felt right, smelled right, was right.
His arms tightened around her.
Poor Curly.
She lifted her head. “Did you eat my pie?”
“None left or I would have.”
She looked at him skeptically.
“Scout’s honor. It was all gone.” Richard gestured with his chin. “Look over there.”
Jessica was dancing with a cute boy about her own age. Jed and Hannah were also dancing, their awkward shuffling making them look like a couple of twelve-year-old kids too. It was sweet. Melissa smiled. “I’m pretty good, aren’t--”
And faster than she could have believed, Richard was jerked away from her by a crowd of rough men.
* * *
Richard’s cowboy friends hauled him toward the edge of the park. One thing was for sure; Richard did not trust their smiling faces. “What’s up, guys?”
Merrill smirked, his grip tight on Richard’s upper arm. “It’s poker playin’ time.”
Now why didn’t he believe them? Richard tried to pull away; tried to yank his arms out of their grasps.
They held him fast.
Richard cocked his head to the side and attempted a grin. “Sorry boys, I already told you. No money.”
Everyone laughed. It was not nice laughter.
James, who strode in front, turned to walk backward. “See, we’re going to give you a chance to earn some money.”
Tex, his grip tightening, grinned. “Real easy to earn too. Isn’t that nice of us?”
More laughter. More men ran to catch up.
Richard’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t know what was going on, but he suspected that whatever it was, he was the one who would be sorry. He tried to dig his heels in, but it didn’t do any good. They simply dragged him along. His biceps knotted as he jerked his arms, trying to get free. It didn’t work. “Easy money, huh? I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“Oh, you’ll see it, all right,” said David.
They laughed even harder.
Richard suddenly realized he wasn’t the only guy being dragged along. Four other men he didn’t know were also being shanghaied by cowboys. One fought furiously, for all the good it did him.
Richard looked back over his shoulder. A crowd followed. Others hurried to catch up.
What was going on?
They reached the edge of the park and Richard was lifted feet first over the fence of a corral. A hard shove in the back sent him stumbling and he stirred up some powdered sugar dust, but managed to stay upright.
The four other men--or perhaps he should call them boys since they were young--were treated similarly. One fell, scrambled up and ran for the far edge of the corral, but his friends quickly pushed him back.
Willie stood up on the fence. “Okay, everyone, listen up. These greenhorns have volunteered to play cowboy poker!”
The crowd laughed, applauded, and Willie grinned, lapping it up.
Richard lifted a hand to block the glare of sunlight. They wanted him to play cards against the other boys? In the corral? And everyone wanted to watch?
Willie held up his hands to silence the crowd. “Last one out of the corral is the winner! Win it for the MacPherson Ranch, Kendal!” He lifted his hat in the air and threw back his head. “Yee haw, set him loose, boys!”
What?
One of his companions turned terror-filled eyes on the far side of the corral.
Maybe the crowd didn’t want to watch them play cards.
Richard followed his gaze, turning just in time to see a big, black, angry, Mexican fighting bull set loose through the gate. The monster tried to hook his horns on one of the men setting him free, but missed when the man curled his feet up above the high fence. Barely missed.
Oh, boy.
Richard’s mouth dried and he froze. Adrenaline rushed though him. He felt the blood drain out of his face. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!
Richard searched for an escape. The edges of the corral were lining with people. The crowd yelled, getting louder by the second: egging the bull on, egging the four men on. He needed to get out of there, fast. Needed to jump the fence.
But everyone was excited. Cheering. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone, and he didn’t want to look like a coward.
His flight response slowly switched over to fight. His fists clenched.
David cupped his hands to his mouth. “Come on, Kendal. The winner gets a five dollar gold piece!”
Breathing hard, a slow grin spread across Richard’s face. Five dollars? Okay, that was motivation enough for him. He was older and smarter than these other boys. He’d win the money for Melissa. If he got out of here alive.
The bull lowered its head, pawed the ground, blew out a loud snort and headed full speed toward Richard. The animal was fast!
Nathan, standing on the rail, yelled. “Run, Kendal!”
Richard didn’t need to be told twice.
He bolted to one side and sprinted the half-circle to the middle of the corral, passed the bull, and darted across to the other side.
The crowd screamed advice.
The bull pivoted its huge body in the center of the makeshift arena, lost sight of him, and stopped.
Richard stared at the animal’s backside--exactly the view he wanted to see. Muscles bunching, the beast moved, walking slowly toward the release gate as the others scrambled out of its path. Heart pounding, Richard lightly ran back to where he’d started, taking care to stay out of the bull’s line of vision. Richard liked his own hide just the way it was and planned to keep it that way.
The bull tossed its head, bellowed aggressively, and trotted around the edge of the corral, the loose skin at its throat swaying. It looked in Richard’s direction once more.
Evil incarnate.
The hair on the back of Richard’s neck stood up.
Suddenly, the bull charged one of the other contenders, and the young man immediately jumped the fence and was pulled over by spectators.
The disappointed groans in the crowd revealed who the youth’s supporters were.
Richard let out a breath. One opponent down, three to go. He took a moment to size up the competition. One boy looked terrified, the other two jumpy, but self-assured. He could win this!
The noise from the throng escalated, and the bull tossed its head twice and made a wide sweep of the arena before
coming back toward Richard and two of the other young men who ran toward the end of the corral. One boy wore a red shirt, poor sap. The bull lowered his head and picked up speed.
Oh, boy.
All four of them scattered--Richard and one boy to the right, the other two boys to the left. Richard slipped on the slick dirt--not a good idea--and grabbed at the edge of the corral. A man leaned over the rail and screamed in his ear, the words unintelligible.
Richard looked around wildly, but thankfully, the bull ran after a boy across the arena.
He regained his balance and headed toward the gate. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He couldn’t ever remember doing anything so stupid. So dangerous. So fun!
A contender sprinted passed Richard, stumbled and fell. Richard grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked. “Get up! Get up!”
The boy shot him an incredulous look. “What do you think I’m doing?” He ran past Richard.
Switching his gaze to the bull, Richard laughed. What was he doing here?
The bull ran at one of the others and the guy jumped over the edge of the corral just in time to avoid being skewered. Many hands helped to haul him over. His friends berated him.
Two down, two to go.
The bull stopped in the center, snorted and looked around.
The crowd quieted as they waited to see what the animal would do.
“Richard!” Melissa’s voice was loud and shrill. “Get out of there!”
Richard turned and scanned the crowd, looked at the bull, then scanned again. Melissa was standing on a fence rail with the kids. She looked worried. So did Jessica. Jeremy, grinning, looked awe-struck. Richard smiled, waved. “Don’t worry, honey. I’m going to win this!”
The crowd laughed. Some booed.
The bull trotted toward Richard and another guy. Richard went one way, and the young cowboy wearing a red shirt went the other.
The bull got closer, and at the last moment, chose Richard as victim. What? The other guy wore a red shirt! Why didn’t the bull go after him?
Richard maneuvered in a circle around the bull and managed to get away. Barely. Sweating, shaking, he backed away from the now motionless beast.
He heard his name shouted along with words of encouragement. The other two men had friends who egged them on also. He could see bets being placed.
The bull ran at one of the others and the guy was quick. The bull lost sight of him; stopped.
The bull turned on Richard. Pawed the dirt.
Oh, boy.
Richard ran, darted to the left, and the bull’s attention turned to another man. It was like playing a game of pass off.
Richard bent over, leaned his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.
The bull charged and the young man jumped out of the arena; didn’t have a choice.
Three down.
Now it was just him and another guy: the kid with the red shirt. Richard’s heart pounded. He was going to win this! He could feel it!
The bull turned toward him.
Richard ran to get out of the bull’s line of vision, but the bull saw him and twisted its body to give chase.
Richard circled once--the bull followed--twice--he couldn’t lose him, and would swear he felt hot breath on his neck. He ran for the fence and jumped out of the arena, barely in time; the bull’s horn scraped the side of the corral.
Richard’s so-called friends pulled him over the fence and he landed on the ground with a bone-jarring thud.
He’d lost to a guy wearing a red shirt.
He smacked the hard-packed dirt with his open hand.
James grabbed the back of his shirt. “Lord almighty! You almost won!”
“Almost doesn’t count,” Richard grumbled.
Tex helped to heft him up. “Ya put on a good showing. Did us proud.”
“Yeah, you did good.” Merrill slapped his back.
Willie punched him in the arm. “At least you wasn’t out first or second. You did good.”
David threw him a grin. “You didn’t embarrass us. You didn’t win us any money, but you didn’t embarrass us.”
Richard’s heart started to slow. He nodded, accepting their congratulations, and turned to see the winner standing on top of the fence, crowing.
Melissa pushed her way through the crowd. “Are you all right?” Her face was white.
Richard grinned. “Yes. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Melissa slapped his face, turned and walked away.
Oh, boy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Heart in her throat, Melissa marched through the crowd, needing to get away from Richard. She was so mad at him she could scream.
What did he want to do? Die here? Leave her and the children in the past? Alone? Tears gathered in her eyes.
Didn’t he realize she’d be devastated if anything happened to him, no matter what time they were in? She choked on a sob. And she’d wanted a divorce?
Hannah struggled to catch up, and Melissa belatedly realized Hannah was upset too.
Melissa tried to rein in her own feelings. To remember her responsibility toward Hannah. Melissa reached out and took Hannah’s hand. “Come on.” She dragged Hannah along behind her, pushing her way though the crowded park.
Laughter rang in the air, and Melissa could hear people discussing the size of the bull; discussing Richard and his close call. Her anger rose a notch.
“Wait! Hey! Melissa, wait!” Richard caught up, the kids trailing behind.
Ignoring them, Melissa walked faster, weaving her way around people before coming to a clearing.
Jeremy, oblivious to any emotional undercurrents, loped up beside her and pointed in the distance. “Mom, we’ll be over by the pond, okay?” He was grinning, excited.
Melissa nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
The twins quickly left in search of entertainment.
Richard put a hand to her shoulder and tried to stop her, to turn her around. “Melissa?”
Melissa didn’t even slow. She jerked her shoulder away and kept going, determined to walk all the way home.
“Honey? Lissa? What’s wrong?”
He was such an idiot! Melissa let go of Hannah, stopped and turned around. “What do you think?” She waved a hand in the air. “You risk your life, with no thought to me or to the kids. What were you doing?” She nodded. “I’ll tell you what you were doing! You were trying to impress a bunch of backward yahoos by acting like one yourself. Tell me, was it worth it? Do you feel macho? I’ll tell you what. The next time you have this uncontrollable urge to die, let me know, and I’ll kill you myself!”
Hannah whimpered and her hands went to her face. She looked around as if searching for a way out.
A crowd was gathering. People making their way back from the corral stopped to listen.
Melissa took a deep breath and tried to push her emotions down to a calmer level for Hannah’s sake, but her eyes filled with tears. “What did you think you were doing?”
“Aw, honey.” He went to take her in his arms.
Melissa hit his hands away.
Sully caught up with them and slapped Richard on the back.
“You sure know how to put on a good show.”
Jed, his muscular size an advantage, easily pushed through the gathering crowd. “You sure do. You did us proud.”
“I’ll say,” said Henry, forcing his way into their circle. “You almost won.”
At the words, at the pride in Richard’s smile, Melissa’s anger escalated again. “You three can butt out.”
Henry’s eyes widened and he hit Jed. “Yeah. Butt out. Who asked you anyway?”
Jed glanced at Hannah, then hit Henry back. “No one asked you either.”
The men got into a friendly tussle, smacking each other openhanded, no real damage being done.
Melissa rolled her eyes. This was all she needed right now.
Hannah’s hands clenched into fists and she pushed them into her cheeks. She was very ag
itated. Panicking.
Melissa’s brows tightened and she put a hand out. “Hannah?”
At the same time, Richard put his hand out toward Hannah too. “Hey, are you okay?”
Hannah, eyes glued to Jed and Henry slapping each other, started to sob.
Melissa was appalled. She hadn’t realized the extent of Hannah’s upset. She tried to get to Hannah, to reassure her, but people blocked the way.
Mrs. MacPherson pushed into their group, immediately saw Hannah, and went to her.
Hannah threw herself at the widow and clung to her, her sobs escalating.
Melissa shoved through the crowd and put a hand on Hannah’s arm. “Hannah, are you all right?”
The widow took a deep breath and started to say something, stopped, and shot Melissa a venomous look. “If you will excuse us, Mrs. Kendal?”
Melissa was stricken, both by Hannah’s emotions and the widow’s criticism. She just couldn’t handle this on top of everything else. “Hannah? Is there something I can do?”
Hannah shook her head.
The widow glared. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” She led Hannah away.
Mouth dry, Melissa watched them leave, and the earlier triumph of the day turned ugly. Her heart beat hard in her chest. It was the first truly altruistic thing she’d ever done, and it hadn’t worked out.
Trickling away, the crowd continued on to the park.
Jed was alarmed. “Where’s Hannah going? What’s wrong with her?” He moved to follow.
Melissa put a hand to Jed’s arm and shook her head. “Not right now.” She’d like to get mad at Jed and Henry for this, but had only herself to blame. Hannah had been her responsibility. She glanced at Richard for support.
He put an arm around her, pulled her close and gave her a reassuring squeeze. The much anticipated day had turned to ashes.
* * *
Melissa lifted the curtain and looked out the window. Another cabin was still in the way and she still couldn’t see the ranch house. She paced back to the stove, rinsed and wrung out a cloth in the wash pan and re-cleaned the kitchen table.
Richard sat in a chair, busy working on a piece of leather. He looked at her but didn’t say a word.
Melissa’s fist clenched on the cloth. “If they would have just shown up at church this would have been so much easier!”