by Lori Wick
“Does it hurt?” Angel asked quietly. Her mother had never gotten this far.
Rebecca looked up, her face still alight with wonder. “Not really, but it feels strange.” Travis should be here. The unbidden thought invaded her mind and wouldn’t leave. I’ve had his babies. I’ve had Travis’ babies. I never dreamed how that would feel. Will I see his face when I look at them? Will they grow up and ask me where he is? Will they shoot up and tower over me with tall strength as he did?
“Rebecca, are you all right?”
Rebecca’s eyes flew to her friend. “I think so. Why did you ask?”
“Your face,” Angel told her. “You looked as if you were in pain.”
“I was thinking of their father,” she admitted with a deep throb of agony. “I wonder what he would think.”
Angel’s eyes grew hard. “He should have given consideration to that before he married a woman for her property and slept with her without giving a thought to the consequences.”
But I ran from him, Rebecca’s heart reminded her. She didn’t know what she was feeling. It was all too much to take in. She had given birth to Travis’ twin boys. What if she’d been all wrong about him? She could be robbing the boys of a wonderful life with their father. Thanks to Aunt Hannah’s and her father’s choices, she had been forced to live most of her life without her own father. Could she really do the same thing to her sons? You’re a father, Travis, her heart cried before she shook her head slightly to dispel the image of his face; it was all too painful right now.
One of the babies had stopped nursing and lay asleep in the curve of her arm. A large wooden cradle had been set up in the corner of the room, but when she asked Angel to take the baby, Angel kept him in her arms. Another ten minutes passed before the other baby joined his brother in sleep, and after Rebecca was made more comfortable, the women, each with a baby in her arms, sat and looked at the wonders before them.
“What are you going to call these little ones?” Angel asked after a quiet few minutes. “I don’t think Sarah and Emily are going to work.”
Rebecca laughed. Those had been the only names she could put to her babies for the last few days. She looked down into their faces, both sound asleep, her eyes thoughtful.
“Tell me again who was born first,” Rebecca asked after a moment.
Angel shifted the baby in her arms. “This one. He was born first, and I put him in your right arm. This guy,” Angel now touched the downy soft head of the baby in Rebecca’s left arm, “came about eight minutes later.”
Rebecca nodded, her look content.
“You’ve decided,” Angel said, smiling.
“Yes. You’re holding Garrett, and this,” Rebecca shifted her bundle, “will be Wyatt.”
“Garrett and Wyatt Buchanan.” Angel smiled as she said the names.
“Garrett Wagner Buchanan, and Wyatt Andrew Buchanan,” Rebecca corrected her, and Angel’s grin widened.
“Why Wagner?”
“It’s my maiden name.”
“And Andrew?”
“My father’s name.”
Angel nodded. “He would have been proud of you, Becky.”
Angel’s words brought tears to Rebecca’s eyes, and seeing them, Angel knew her own were very close to the surface. She didn’t want to cry. She stood, Garrett cradled close against her.
“I think maybe I’ll put this one to bed.”
Rebecca watched as she moved to the cradle, placing Garrett gently within. She did not protest when Angel came back for Wyatt. The young mother was suddenly very tired. Angel kept these kinds of hours on a regular basis, but Rebecca was often in bed asleep by 9:00.
“Sleep now.” Angel, back at her side, easily read the fatigue in her eyes.
“All right. Thanks, Angel.”
“Sure, Becky. If you need something, pound on the wall. If not, I’ll see you in the morning.”
Rebecca thanked her again and watched as she turned the lantern low and left the room. Feeling tired herself, Angel walked down the hall, looking forward to a good night’s sleep. She had always called herself the world’s hardest sleeper, but the babies cried three more times in the night, and Angel woke every time in order to assist Rebecca. It was the longest night of the women’s lives.
Boulder
“You don’t look like you’ve slept at all!” Lavena accused Travis the next morning.
He didn’t answer her or even look up, but tucked into his breakfast without comment. While it was true that he hadn’t slept all night, he didn’t care to talk about it. He’d just about given up looking for Rebecca. He’d ridden to other towns and run another ad, but to no avail. But after last night, he thought he might search again. He had not been able to get her from his mind. So tortured was he that sleep had been miles away. Maybe she died last night. Maybe she’d been hurt. He didn’t know, but that his heart told him something profound had happened.
Lucky Harwell chose that moment to join him at the breakfast table. Both men were silent as Lavena put a plate in front of the Double Star foreman. Lucky had little to say this morning, and that suited Travis fine. He was in no mood for small talk. They ate, reached for their hats, and walked to the barn, all without need for speech. In Travis’ mind, the days stretched on without purpose or hope, but Lucky’s mind was in a different place all together.
Travis gave little thought to this as the day progressed, but when evening came and they sat again at Lavena’s perfectly prepared table and evening meal, Lucky spoke.
“Margo is pregnant. Her father says we have to get married.”
Travis looked at the younger man.
“You’re certain it’s yours?”
Lucky’s face flushed with anger. “Margo’s not like that. She doesn’t see anyone else and never has.”
Although Travis felt angry much of the time now, he was sorry he’d said anything. He had no reason to think that Margo’s baby might be some other man’s, but he was spoiling for a fight and spoke the first words that came to mind. He knew it wasn’t fair to take out his own feelings on Lucky.
“How serious is her father?”
“Freeman Roderick? You know what his temper is like. He’s threatened me twice.”
“Well, do you love the girl or not?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Lucky wouldn’t speak or even look at his boss. It wasn’t hard for Travis to figure out. He even managed a note of kindness when he said, “No man wants to be forced, Lucky, but if you love her, you’ll put your pride away. I would guess from the little I’ve seen of Margo that she loves you too. Don’t let that slip away, Lucky. You may never find it again.”
Lucky looked at his employer with surprised eyes. He’d never heard Travis open up like that. Indeed, since Andrew Wagner had died and Rebecca had left, he was one of the most closed-mouthed men Lucky had ever known.
“I would probably be living in town,” Lucky said seriously.
“That’s fine. You’ll still have your job. I may even see my way clear to give you a raise.”
They fell silent again now, each busy with his own thoughts—Lucky thinking how much he did love Margo, and Travis trying to picture Rebecca with a child. In some ways she had been little more than a child herself, so for him the image was impossible. Considering how short a time they’d lived as husband and wife, it was also improbable. By the time Lavena brought dessert, he’d dismissed the possibility from his mind.
18
Dan held Wyatt in his lap and smiled at the intent way the boy watched the red ribbon in Dan’s large hand. No matter where he moved the satin strip, the baby’s eyes followed. He was captivated with the red object. Dan had been holding three-month-old Wyatt for nearly an hour, and the little guy hadn’t made a sound. He’d been so quiet that he’d given his mother a chance to fall asleep while nursing Garrett.
Dan looked across the room at her. Rebecca was in the rocking chair, a quilt over the baby and herself. Fro
m the lack of movement under the blanket, Dan guessed that Garrett had fallen asleep as well. It seemed to Dan that that was all Rebecca and the babies did lately. The house was not as clean as it had been, and Rebecca was taking even less notice of her clothing and looks. Dan shook his head.
He’d never had an interest in any woman who wasn’t a picture of loveliness, style, and grace. Well, Rebecca was lovely and she was graceful, but Dan thought that a hound dog would probably have more interest in the latest fashions. But what was even more remarkable were his feelings. He loved this woman. He loved her as he’d never loved anyone in his life.
He’d been completely flabbergasted when she’d had the babies while he was away. The boys had been nearly 24 hours old by the time he’d seen them. And a part of him had been very hurt. There was nothing Rebecca could have done to stem the tide of their delivery, but Dan had dreamed of being there for months, thinking as always that his presence was the way to show her his heart.
The hardest part of all was that it still wasn’t working. He’d told himself that with time he would win her, but it had been nearly a year. His feelings had not lessened in any way, but he was starting to lose hope. He knew she cared for him and appreciated his help and friendship, but she wanted nothing more personal. From time to time Dan had tried in subtle ways to court her and show his love, but she always saw through it. In her sweetest voice she would tell him to find a better woman, one who could give him her whole heart. He never said it aloud, but in truth he would have taken whatever portion of her heart she could give. The fact that she was a married woman didn’t bother him in the least.
He knew she’d come from Boulder, and the times he had been tempted to ride there and find Travis Buchanan were legion. One thing stopped him:What if Travis had never wanted her to leave? What if the faceless Mr. Buchanan wanted Mrs. Buchanan back? Dan knew that such a thing could happen and happen easily. After all he wanted her with every fiber of his being. What man wouldn’t? No, Dan was no fool. He was not about to take the risk of bringing on a reunion by doing something so foolish as confronting Rebecca’s husband. Curious as he was, he would remain in Pine Grove and try to claim Rebecca’s heart, futile though his efforts seemed.
Boulder
“What have you done!” Travis thundered at Lavena in a way he’d never done before, but the tiny scrap of woman stood her ground.
“It’s for your own good,” she snapped. “This is your home and your ranch. It’s time you started living like it.”
“I don’t need you—”
“Do you think I don’t have eyes? It’s been a year. You’re 24 years old tomorrow, and next week is your first wedding anniversary, and the week after that it will be a year since she left! Well, I don’t know if she’s ever coming back, but the way you live is wrong!”
Travis was speechless with pain and anger. He had been pushing the events of the past from his mind for so long he’d become cold. Now Lavena had spelled out his whole miserable life for him and expected him to be pleased. And that wasn’t the worst of it. She had actually moved his belongings into Andrew’s room. Travis was horrified. It was the largest, most beautiful bedroom in the house, but it wasn’t his. He allowed her to boss him most of the time, but this time she’d gone too far. He turned to her now, his eyes so cold with fury that not even Lavena dared to speak.
“I want it changed back, and I mean now. I’m going into town to get drunk, and when I return, you had better have my room put back together.”
He didn’t say a word as he turned and left her, but he should have known it was a waste of breath. Lavena didn’t speak either, but her chin jutted upward as she watched his back. It would be a hot day in January before she’d move his clothing back down the hall.
Travis’ intentions were honest. He had come off the range early, cold and hungry, to find his room bare—bed stripped, dresser and closet empty. When he’d gone in search of his housekeeper and some answers, he’d found her arranging his things in the walk-in closet in Andrew’s room. His hairbrush and shaving gear were on top of the dresser, and the quilt that had been on his bed now adorned Andrew’s huge oak bed with the ornate footboard and headboard.
It was more than he could take. There was some liquor in the house, but Lavena would have hidden it. He wanted to run from all the pain, and getting drunk was the fastest method he could think of. But he hadn’t counted on the way neat whiskey would feel on an empty stomach. Without bothering to taste, he tossed back four shot glasses before he realized he was going to be sick. Not normally a drinking man, Travis’ system simply couldn’t take it. He told himself not to vomit as he moved to the door, not even paying for the bottle he’d left on the table.
Once outside, the first thing he spotted was the hotel. The thought of food made him ill, but he knew he’d never make it home unless he ate. With darkness just beginning to fall, he lurched across the street, thanking his lucky stars when he found the opposite boardwalk without mishap.
“Easy there,” a masculine voice spoke calmly, and Travis found himself looking straight into another man’s eyes. He must have run right into him. His equal height was something of a surprise, and Travis could only manage to stare.
“Are you all right?” the cultured voice asked.
“I need food,” he managed.
“Well.” Again the voice was affable. “I’m headed to the hotel dining room myself. Why don’t you join me?”
Five minutes later he found himself across a small table from the man. He didn’t even have the strength to protest when the stranger ordered for both of them.
“And hot coffee,” the man said to the woman beside their table, just before he looked back into Travis’ eyes.
“I’m Robert Langley.”
“Travis,” the other man began. “Travis Buchanan.”
“It’s good to meet you, Travis. I hope you like pork.”
Travis was saved from answering when the waitress reappeared with two steaming mugs.
“Just keep them coming,” Robert told her. He took a long pull while Travis carefully raised his cup.
Coffee did arrive regularly after that, but the men were halfway through their meal before Travis felt he could speak coherently. Robert had not forced him to converse, and this greatly impressed the half-intoxicated man.
“Thanks for getting me in here,” he said at last.
“You’re welcome. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. I just needed some food.”
Neither man mentioned the obvious drinking that had taken place to put him in such a state.
“Are you new in town?” Travis asked. “Or have I just not seen you?”
“I am new in town,” Robert told him. “I’m originally from the East, but I’m here in Boulder to start a business.”
“Some make it and some don’t,” Travis replied conversationally, feeling more like himself by the moment.
“True, but I think everyone would agree that Boulder needs a bank.”
Travis’ brows rose. He again felt impressed. There was a quiet confidence to Robert Langley that he liked very much.
“Is it still in the planning stages?”
“Until next week. The building should be started on Monday or Tuesday.”
Travis nodded. He liked a man who accomplished what he set out to do.
“What do you do for a living, Travis?” Robert took a moment to ask, his expression kind and open.
“I own the Double Star Ranch,” he told Robert without thinking, the words coming naturally to his tongue.
“The cattle ranch,” Robert nodded. “I’ve heard of it. It’s a good-sized spread, isn’t it?”
“Fifteen hundred head,” Travis said with quiet pride, his mind still not registering the change in him.
“Do you have many hands?”
“Five regulars, more during roundups and cattle drives.”
“You must market in Denver.”
“Yes.” Travis was surprised that he knew. Robert
’s pristine suit did not indicate he would know anything of ranching. “We also drive into Cheyenne, but Denver is usually more profitable.”
“I’ve read about that. I think this area is only going to grow for ranchers. I wouldn’t be surprised if the competition comes right to your door in the next few years.”
“Is that why you chose to settle in Boulder?”
“Yes. I realize it’s not New York City, but I think it’s a town with great location and potential. The mountains and wildflowers alone will be a great draw. It’s just the right distance from Denver, which is growing by leaps and bounds and getting a little too big for some. The railroad is swiftly heading this way, and I for one like the challenge of a new town. I know many other people who feel the same.”
Travis nodded. It had obviously not been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“Where are you living?” Travis asked.
Robert smiled as his eyes went to the stairway that led to the rooms above them.
“The Hotel Boulder. Room 24.”
Travis smiled as well.
“The bank will have two apartments above it. I’ll take one and rent the other.”
“You sound like you’ve done this before.”
“Yes. My family has been in banking for three generations. I never lived in an apartment above a bank because my father was established before I was born, but it’s the way my grandfather started out.”
It was on the tip of Travis’ tongue to ask Robert what his wife thought of this move, but Robert might decide to return the question, and the answer was not something Travis was willing to discuss. Still, such thoughts took his mind back to the ranch and home. He reached into his front pocket and put a coin on the table.
“Thanks again,” Travis said as he pushed his chair back. Robert made to rise as well.
“My pleasure. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
Travis liked the idea. He wouldn’t have initiated it but now suggested, “You’ll have to come out and see my spread sometime. And have one of Lavena’s home-cooked meals.”