A Texan's Luck

by Jodi Thomas

"I had to be here to see it," Hayes whispered to Lacy. "I heard about the captain, but I wanted to see it for myself."

  Lacy stared at the sergeant. "See what?"

  "I saw him come in all wounded and bloody. He was barely able to sit the saddle. Then he walks out a few hours later right as rain."

  Lacy almost told Hayes of the bandage and the pain Walker was in but decided not to. "What exactly do they say about my husband, Sergeant?"

  Hayes looked at her in surprise. "Well, they say he's indestructible. Like a machine." The sergeant glanced down, no longer looking her in the eyes. "They say he has no feelings. That he don't feel nothing, not even the pain of a bullet."

  "Sergeant Hayes, did it ever occur to you that they might be wrong?"

  "I wouldn't know, ma'am."

  "No, but I would." She smiled and left him standing on the porch.

  CHAPTER 24

  Walker gave his full report to major Garner. Just as the major feared, there had been an ambush before the prisoner could be delivered by six of the fort's best men. Walker had followed procedure, disappeared from the escort just after leaving the fort and rode ahead, out of sight.

  He'd been trained years ago to move across the land like a shadow. He came upon the ambush before they'd mounted. He managed to capture two of the men planning to rush the detachment and killed another in a fight. Three other outlaws lay in wait in the narrow part of a canyon, planning to pick off the soldiers as they moved through a ravine. The am- bushers were unaware Walker had taken out their point men. It had been a fiery battle, but all six soldiers returned to the fort with only minor injuries, and the prisoner was now under federal marshal's guard.

  The only thing Walker left out of his report was his disappointment in not finding Zeb Whitaker among the group of outlaws. Walker had done the major a service, commanded a dangerous mission, but as far as he was concerned, he'd wasted his time.

  "If you hadn't been here, six of my men would be dead right now." The major shook his head. "They're good soldiers, but they don't know the land like you do. They wouldn't have known the direction to ride to get out of the canyon."

  "Don't give me too much credit. I did what I've been trained to do. They're good men. They might have made it without me."

  "Not without casualties."

  Walker changed the subject to news of the old buffalo hunter.

  Zeb Whitaker had been spotted in several locations in the Panhandle. He might even be in Mobeetie, but no one, not the rangers, or the marshals, nor even the army seemed to be able to find him. Besides Nell's attempted murder, there had been two killings connected with him. It seemed he got out of prison planning to even the score with every man or woman in the country he thought had wronged him. Rumor was he'd killed a whole family over by old Tascosa so there would be no witnesses. The country was full of outlaws looking for a leader, and Whitaker campaigned for the spot.

  If someone didn't stop him soon, every crime in the state would be tied to Whitaker, if only by tall tale.

  Walker crossed back to the officers' quarters wondering how he could explain to Lacy that he'd almost gotten himself killed over a prisoner transfer. He'd also figured out that they couldn't stay at the fort much longer. Major Garner was in dire need of officers. He had fine troops with many who'd fought during the Indian Wars, but few officers. If Walker stayed, he'd be away from Lacy most of the two weeks he had left of his leave. Major Garner needed him too badly to allow him to sit around in the fort.

  He also had a feeling Garner only sent six men as escorts because he wanted to test Walker. That bothered him.

  Garner should have never risked his men to prove Walker's skill. He could have easily sent a dozen men or waited for the marshals to pick up the prisoner at the fort. But the major had played Walker like a chess piece, and that rubbed the wrong way. The sooner he and Lacy left, the better.

  He wasn't surprised that Lacy had vanished when he stepped back in their room. She might just be one little woman, but he had his work cut out for him keeping up with her.

  Walking out on the porch, he noticed Hayes standing guard two doors down.

  The sergeant silently pointed to the door, knowing Walker's question before he asked.

  Walker opened the quarters and was surprised to find probably every wife on the fort sitting around a quilting frame. Lacy sat in the middle of them, laughing.

  "I beg your pardon." He straightened. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

  The major's wife waved her hand. "Oh, it's all right, Captain. We were just breaking up to go home and bake for the dance tonight. Lacy showed a few of us some fancy stitches yesterday, and everyone else wanted to learn them today."

  Lacy stood and collected her things as she said her good-byes.

  "Your wife tells me you two will not be attending the dance." Marianne Garner left a hint of a command in her tone. "I'd really love to have you join us. We've all grown quite found of your bride."

  "Of course," Walker answered and noticed the panicked look Lacy shot him. To her credit, she didn't open her mouth until they were alone.

  "We can't go." She faced him without fear.

  "We're going." He didn't understand her anxiety. It was only a dance, one of the few fun nights at a fort.

  "First, we need to get back to Cedar Point. I'm worried about Nell, and you said we'd only stay long enough to rest."

  "If you'll accompany me tonight, I'll work on getting you back home."

  "When?" She didn't trust him compromising so quickly.

  'Tomorrow."

  "Fair enough, but I have nothing to wear—"

  Walker raised his hand to stop her. "Wait just a moment. I can solve that problem." He opened the door, and Hayes almost fell in.

  "You need me, Captain?" Hayes looked like he'd been just about to knock. "Mrs. Garner told me you might be wanting the ambulance."

  "Yes, Sergeant, I do need you. Go to Mobeetie and buy my wife a new dress. Something she can wear to a dance." Walker had no idea why Mrs. Garner would request an ambulance wagon for him. He could only solve one problem at a time, and Lacy wouldn't budge without a new dress.

  The sergeant paled at the simple request. "Respectfully, begging your pardon, sir. I don't know anything about buying a dress. I ain't even got a sister, and as far as I know, my mother hasn't bought anything new since I was born."

  Walker unfolded bills. "Don't worry. There won't be much of a selection. Just pick one of the ready-made they always have dressing up the mercantile windows."

  Hayes shook his head. "What size do I get?"

  Walker glanced at Lacy as if he'd never given it a thought that women might come in different sizes. "What size, madam?"

  "I have no idea. I've never bought a ready-made dress before. This is insane." Lacy paced her three steps to the right and three steps back, even though she had more room. "I don't want to go to the dance. I could work on the quilt while you go. It's you, the hero of the day, that everyone will want to see, not me."

  "I'm not going without you, Lacy." When she frowned, he added, "It's not open to discussion. The only question here is what size of dress will do."

  Walker pulled one of her spools of thread from the open box and circled the thread around her waist. "She's about five foot, Sergeant." He clipped the thread and handed it to Hayes. "And her waist is this size. That should help."

  "What about the other measurements?" Hayes stammered.

  Walker wasn't sure which of the two, Lacy or Hayes, turned the deeper red. This wasn't going at all the way he planned. He wasn't about to measure his wife's chest size in front of the sergeant, or her hips, for that matter.

  Lacy took a deep breath and pulled the string from Hayes's hand. "How about I go with you? I can pick out my own dress if I'm to have one."

  "I'll be glad to drive you, ma'am." Hayes relaxed.

  "We can't take her into town." Walker hated putting down her plan, but it would be too dangerous. "Someone might see you."

  Hayes smi
led. "That's why Mrs. Garner must have wanted me to bring the ambulance. We can close it up, and I'll get a few guards to go along. They'll volunteer just to get to meet you, Captain."

  Walker thought they were going to a great deal of trouble for one dress, but he saw no other choice unless he wanted to decline the major's wife's invitation. "All right. Get the guards, and I'll let the major know we're taking the ambulance off grounds."

  "Oh, he won't mind. I take the ladies to church on cold days and sometimes the folks in town borrow it when they have several going to catch the train." Hayes walked out the door. "The ambulance hasn't been used to haul wounded since we've been here."

  When he'd left, Walker turned to Lacy. "Thank you for agreeing to accompany me tonight, madam."

  "I'm not aware that I did, but you're welcome. We leave for home tomorrow."

  "Of course."

  She didn't look the least bit happy about the idea of a dance, but at least she agreed. Walker decided he'd compromise and tell her that they could leave after the first few dances, if she liked. He knew she thought him unyielding, but he could bend.

  Ten minutes later, they rolled out of the fort and down the road to Mobeetie. The town had started off as a hide town twenty years ago when men needed a place to skin buffalo. Though it was now the county seat, it still held to its wild roots.

  The sergeant pulled the wagon to the side door of what he said was the best mercantile in town. One corner of it had been converted into a ladies' dress shop by the owner's wife. "I heard the major's wife say it's even got a dressing room," Hayes said proudly.

  When they walked in, a stout little woman greeted them, though she didn't look too pleased to see all the men stomping into her shop.

  "How can I help you?" She puffed up like a toad as if preparing to order them out.

  Walker moved aside so the toad could see Lacy hidden in their circle. "My wife would like a gown."

  The owner smiled and offered her hand to Lacy. "Of course, dear. I'm Mrs. Deeds, and I'm sure we can find something." She pulled Lacy behind her, then turned on the men. Her smile melted so quickly, Walker wasn't sure it had been there.

  "There's chairs over by the stove if you all think you need to wait," Mrs. Deeds said. "I'll not have you in this part of the store knocking over my nice things, so make sure you stay put. The crackers are free, but I'll expect a nickel on the counter for any pickles or candy you eat."

  Walker straightened, preparing to inform the toad who she addressed, but Lacy's laughter stopped him. He winked at his wife and followed the round little woman's orders.

  They waited for twenty minutes before the woman leaned out of the space and motioned Walker near. "I understand this is a dance your wife is attending?" she whispered.

  "Yes."

  "You'll be wanting evening clothes with all the necessaries?"

  "Yes." Walker didn't understand why she hadn't asked Lacy these questions. He had no idea what "necessaries" were and wasn't about to ask.

  "And is there an amount you wish to spend?"

  Now Walker understood. Lacy had argued with him about every dime he spent, from their evening dinners at the hotel, to buying her such fine boots. He grinned at the store owner. "My wife followed me here with only a small bag. She needs everything. How about the budget be as much as you can talk her into spending."

  The woman's whole face lit up. "Yes, sir."

  A few minutes later, Lacy walked out wearing an evening dress.

  Walker couldn't make himself form words. All he could do was stare. The dress of dark green started just off her shoulders and floated to the floor in yards of velvet. Her hips swayed with the material, her waist looked tiny, and her breasts ...

  Walker straightened. The top of her cleavage was exposed. He could see the creamy white tops of each rounded breast. Part of the dress must have been left off.

  "How do you like it, Captain?"

  "It's too low," he managed to answer.

  "Oh, no. It's the newest fashion. Mrs. Deeds says so. Even the patterns coming in are off the shoulder for evening wear."

  "It's too low," Walker repeated.

  The stout little toad appeared beside Lacy. "It is not too low; don't be a fool. I've sold several similar to it for tonight's dance." She raised her head, trying to look down at him, even though she was a good foot shorter. "Only none were as nice as this one. Every woman who's come in the shop tried it on, but your wife is the first one it fits. This dress was made for her figure."

  As if to prove her point, Mrs. Deeds pushed the material a little farther off the shoulders, showing off an inch more of Lacy's creamy skin.

  Lacy smiled. "I feel like a princess in it."

  Walker turned to Hayes, who'd moved up beside him and was staring at Lacy. "What do you think, Sergeant?"

  Hayes smiled. "I think you look beautiful, Mrs. Larson. There won't be a prettier wife in the fort. You look—"

  "That will be enough, Hayes," Walker snapped, suddenly not wanting to know what the sergeant thought.

  He glanced back to Lacy. "You'll catch cold."

  Mrs. Deeds had been waiting. She pulled a matching shawl from a box. "I have just the thing. It would be nice if she had jewelry for that delicate neck, but all I have are some cameos. She could wear one on a choker."

  Mrs. Deeds paraded behind the counter and pulled the most expensive cameo from a glass case, jerking the price off before handing it to Lacy to inspect. When Lacy smiled, Mrs. Deeds showed it to Walker as if daring him to reject it.

  "Is that the best you have?" He watched her mouth twist at the knowledge that she could have made a larger sell if she'd had the merchandise.

  "It's perfect," Lacy insisted, already looking like she thought Walker was spending too much money.

  He smiled at his wife. "Then it belongs on you."

  She blushed, and he was proud of himself for thinking of the right thing to say for once.

  Walker watched as Lacy lifted her hair and let Mrs. Deeds latch the choker around her throat. He caught himself being jealous of someone else touching her.

  "What do you think, Captain?" Lacy smiled as she turned, her eyes dancing with excitement. "Will I be presentable?"

  He managed a nod, but when she turned back to the dressing area, he mumbled under his breath, "I'll have to go unarmed, or I'll kill every man who looks at her."

  Hayes laughed at his side. "The curse of a beautiful wife, sir."

  Walker studied her, trying to figure out when she'd become beautiful. He remembered when he first met her, how he'd thought her short and decided he liked his women tall and lean. He'd liked her hair when he watched her comb it and loved the way her eyes expressed every emotion she felt. But when had the little woman who was his wife become unforgettable?

  An hour later, they piled into the ambulance, and Hayes drove them back to the fort. Both the guards who'd accompanied them carried boxes, and Walker realized he'd handed Mrs. Deeds money and accepted change without asking how much the bill had been.

  As soon as they were back in their quarters and alone, Lacy said, "And two," as if their conversation two hours before could be picked up again so easily. 'I can't go to the dance because I've never been to one and have no idea how to dance."

  "You could have told me earlier," he commented, as if he hadn't been the one to stop her from finishing.

  "Well, I have the dress, so we can go. Maybe I can say my husband is injured and we'd best not dance."

  "You'll have every man at the fort lined up to take my place on the floor if you use that excuse."

  "They'll soon learn I can't dance."

  "They won't care." He smiled. "We'd better get to work on teaching you a few steps."

  Twenty minutes later, Walker was sure both her feet were left. She had no rhythm, couldn't count the steps, and kept bumping into him.

  "Lacy, pay attention. You can do this."

  "I'm worried about you moving that arm too much."

  He hooked his thumb in t
he waist of her skirt. "If I rest it here and don't do any fast moves, it doesn't hurt so badly. If you concentrate on not going the opposite direction, maybe my arm can rest, almost like it's in a sling. If we move together, it might not be jerked too much."

  They started once more, but they banged together, then she twisted the wrong way, pulling his thumb from her waistband.

  He groaned in pain before he could pretend it didn't matter.

  She tried to act as if she wasn't about to cry. "I didn't think it would be so hard. I saw couples dancing one night when we stopped with the wagon train. It didn't look all that difficult. I went out on the prairie in the moonlight and tried it."

  Walker released her hand and went to the window. He closed the shutters, throwing the room in shadows. "Was it this dark that night?"

  She nodded.

  "Then close your eyes and pretend you're still on the prairie. Only you're dancing with me, not the moon."

  To his surprise, she relaxed and swayed as he hummed. He stopped concentrating on teaching her to follow steps in a pattern and moved with her as if they were swaying in the wind. The clock ticked away their steps.

  After several minutes, she opened her eyes and met his stare. "We're dancing," she whispered. "We're really dancing."

  He leaned and kissed her, pulling her off the floor and into his arms. Their feet might have had trouble matching, but there was no such hesitation in her kiss. When he finally set her down, her lips were slightly swollen and wet.

  "I like doing that," he said before he thought.

  "Me, too," she admitted as she stood on her tiptoes and brushed her mouth over his once more, silently asking for another kiss.

  He smiled and granted her request. It felt so good knowing how she liked to be kissed.

  When he stepped away, she moaned with delight, and he had to fight the urge to repeat his actions.

  "I'll leave you to dress." His hand moved along the side of her body for one last touch. "I can bathe and shave in the barracks," he whispered as he kissed her neck, loving the way she tasted, "I'll not be thinking of the planned evening, but of the night we'll have together." His mouth couldn't resist covering hers once more.

  He thought of bolting the door and forgetting the dance. The idea surprised him, for following protocol had always been his policy. But the need to hold her made his arm ache far more than the wound, and holding her on the dance floor would not be nearly enough to satisfy him.