The Timeless Love Romance Collection

by Dianne Christner

  When she saw Cleo in her split skirt and boots, she was thankful she had bought the same in Flagstaff. Many women came here unprepared for the trip, so El Tovar kept a supply of the skirts and boots on hand, but Katie had decided to purchase her own. Besides, she thought they looked rather chic and intended to wear hers often.

  When they reached the spot where the mules were waiting, Katie stopped suddenly. There, standing talking to Barton, the mule skinner, was Clay. He had left two weeks ago, and now he was back. Her heart started pounding with trepidation. She hadn’t seen him come in on the evening train. How long had he been back? He turned and saw her standing there. Excusing himself to Barton, he came to her, taking his Stetson from his head and twirling it in his hands. If he had looked handsome in his suit, he was quite something in his jeans and blue cotton shirt. He looked just like one of the cowhands who often frequented El Tovar. The jeans looked as if they had seen a lot of wear, and she wondered again where his travels had taken him.

  His look quickly passed over her, and when his eyes met hers, she found her mouth suddenly dry.

  “You look well,” he told her.

  That was it? That was all he had to say? She wanted to bombard him with questions, but the only thing she could think of to say was, “You wanted to see me?”

  His slow smile had her heart turning a somersault and righting itself again. She thought she had gotten over her childish crush on him, but that look still made her heart do flip-flops.

  “I’m taking the mule trip to the bottom of the canyon. I heard you were, too.”

  She frowned. “Clay …?”

  He hushed her with a finger on her lips. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll discuss things later. Right now, let’s just have some fun, okay?”

  She would have argued, but just then Cleo joined them. She quirked an eyebrow at Katie, and Katie rolled her eyes at Cleo’s knowing look.

  “Hello, Dr. O’Neil,” Cleo said, giving Clay one of her best smiles. “Back again?”

  Clay’s narrow-eyed appraisal touched first on Katie and then on Cleo. “I had some business to attend to back home. I thought I would return and take the mule trip I’ve heard so much about. Have you been before?”

  “Once. It’s not for the fainthearted, I can tell you that.”

  Clay’s skeptical look returned to Katie, and she lifted her chin. “I’ve been looking forward to this since I got here.”

  Barton called out for everyone to mount up, effectively ending their conversation. The mule skinner moved up and down the column, checking cinches and straps. Satisfied, he mounted up himself, and they prepared to head out.

  Clay positioned himself behind Katie. Katie wasn’t certain she liked the idea of having his eyes always on her back. She suddenly felt like a child standing before her teacher and having to perform some feat she was unsure of.

  As they began their descent, the rocks misplaced by the mules’ hooves scattered and tumbled over the path’s edge to the chasm below.

  They hadn’t gone very far before Katie felt her stomach start to rebel at all the jostling. She struggled against the encroaching nausea, her breathing coming more rapidly as she tried to hold back the bile rising to her throat.

  The canyon walls seemed to twist and turn in a gyrating pattern of reds, browns, and yellows. She didn’t realize she was swaying in the saddle until she heard Clay’s panicked yell from behind.

  As though from a far distance, she heard him stop his mule. Her brow furrowed in confusion. It was forbidden to stop the animals without the mule skinner’s instructions. What did Clay think he was doing?

  She felt firm hands gripping her waist just seconds before she tumbled into darkness.

  Clay watched with his heart in his throat as Katie stirred, her eyelids fluttering open and her gaze fixing on him with a look of total stupefaction. He leaned back on the bed, watching her come to full wakefulness.

  “Why didn’t you tell someone you were pregnant?” he demanded, his fury charged by his fear. “You never should have been on that mule!”

  She turned her head away, her throat contracting as she swallowed hard.

  “Katie!” He cupped her chin, forcing her to look his way. Her blue eyes darkened with a fleeting emotion as they met his. Her chin began to quiver, and he choked back his anger and frustration. He slowly slid his fingers down the side of her cheek, reluctantly dropping his hand to his side.

  “I didn’t know,” she snapped.

  He stared at her in amazement. “How could you not know?”

  Her face turned red with embarrassment. “This is a not a proper discussion to be having.”

  Sighing with exasperation, he shook his head. “I’m a doctor, for heaven’s sake. I ask you again, how could you not know? Surely you suspected.”

  She pushed herself upright, leaning her back against the iron headboard. Brushing her hand through her already disheveled hair, she looked everywhere but at him. She plucked at the quilt nervously with shaking fingers, and Clay covered her hand with his own to still it. He remembered she’d always had this nervous habit of fidgeting with her hands.

  When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. “My monthly times have never been regular. I suspected when I was experiencing sickness in the morning; but then it went away, and I thought it was only the heat.”

  Clay didn’t know what to say. He realized he would have to tread carefully. Katie was already in a charged emotional state, and with good reason, but the hormones raging through her body would make the situation more volatile. He didn’t want her to disappear again.

  He rose from the bed, fixing her with an authoritative look. “You cannot continue to work here. I won’t permit it.”

  She flashed him an angry glare. “What do you mean you won’t permit it?”

  He took several calming breaths to still his own turbulent emotions. “Katie, be reasonable. This is no kind of work for an expecting mother.”

  Scrambling from the bed, she faced him with arms akimbo, her eyes shooting dangerous sparks. He didn’t think he had ever seen her so angry.

  “If you’re telling me I have to go back to Philadelphia, then you can just forget it. Things have changed. Other Harvey Girls have been married and had children and continued to work. I can do the same.”

  “Over my dead body. I’ll go to Miss Weston if I have to.”

  His very stillness and the quiet of his voice caused her eyes to widen with obvious apprehension. She knew he wasn’t joking and that he would not compromise.

  “Don’t threaten me, Clay. If you tell Dinah, then I’ll tell her why I’m here. I think she would be on my side.”

  “Do you really want to find out?” he asked quietly. There was power behind the O’Neil name, and she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to use that power if necessary to get what he wanted.

  She paused so long, he thought she wasn’t going to answer. When she finally did, his heart twisted at her look of defeat.

  “What do you want me to do?” she finally whispered.

  He sighed heavily. “For one thing, don’t look at me like that!”

  “Like what?” she returned angrily.

  “Like I’m about to beat you or something. For crying out loud, Katie. Be reasonable. I only want what’s best for you and the baby.”

  “As do I,” she told him and realized it was true. Although she had hoped and prayed she was not with child, God had His own plans for her life, and she found herself oddly excited at the thought of the child she finally conceded was growing within her.

  “And do you really think this is best?” he demanded. “You could lose the baby, you know.”

  She paled at the statement. Clay was a doctor, so surely he knew what he was talking about. She rubbed her forehead tiredly. “I need to think.”

  He looked as though he was about to object but then thought better of it. He went to the window and stared out, unthinkingly tapping his stethoscope against his leg. There were times when he wished he had the same k
ind of faith Katie had. Right now was one of those times. He had no clue what to do about this situation except maybe offer up a prayer or two. Frankly, he could empathize with Katie’s desire not to return to his brother. Still, this was no place to raise a child. He sighed again, telling her over his shoulder, “All right. If you’re careful, you’re early enough in your pregnancy that some work should be no problem.”

  She smiled with relief, but it was short-lived.

  “However,” he continued, “if I see you overburdened, I won’t hesitate to step in. Do you understand me?”

  She stared at him in surprise. “You’re staying?”

  “I’m giving you a week to think things over,” he stated unequivocally. “At the end of that time, I expect you to have come to your senses.”

  Katie went down to work that evening, her heart and mind full of confusion. She had been praying all afternoon God would show her what to do, but her mind seemed closed to the answer that kept repeating itself over and over in her head. This was no place to raise a child.

  Oh, God, she prayed yet again, what am I to do?

  As she rounded the corner of the dining room, she came upon Dinah and the stranger Cleo had pointed out to her before. They were deep in discussion. The man was handsome and well dressed, his dark hair touched with gray highlights. Dinah seemed afraid, probably because of the man’s obvious anger. His dark eyes flashed with it.

  Katie recoiled from the anger she sensed, yet at the same time it sent her hurrying forward to Dinah’s defense. Before she reached them, however, she couldn’t help overhearing the man’s declaration of love, and she stopped, suddenly not wanting to intrude.

  The man gripped Dinah by her upper arms and pulled her forward. “You have got to believe me! Hang it all, Dinah, I’ve been searching for you for years. I’m not about to just walk away now.”

  Dinah pushed ineffectively against his chest with her flat palms, her head shaking slowly from side to side. “How can you say you loved me? You never gave me any indication!” Tears pooled in her eyes. “Marcie told me what you said. She told me you said I was homely!”

  The stranger looked pained. “Dinah,” he remonstrated softly, “Marcie lied.”

  Katie tried to pull back without being seen, but she couldn’t stop the conversation from reaching her ears.

  “Why would Marcie lie? She was my best friend!” Dinah told him.

  The stranger’s voice was soft when he spoke, but his words were distinct. “She lied because she knew I loved you and that I didn’t want her.”

  Dinah suddenly pushed out of his hold, her eyes blazing angrily. “I don’t believe you!”

  She turned to run, stopping when she saw Katie. The stranger had started after her, but he stopped, too.

  Katie felt her face flame. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” she said, glancing apprehensively from one to the other.

  Dinah took a deep breath, brushing shaking hands down her white dress. She visibly tried to get herself under control. “Did you need something, Katie?”

  Katie shook her head, impressed with Dinah’s professionalism. “No. I was just headed to work.”

  Dinah glanced back at the stranger before moving forward and taking Katie by the arm. “I’ll go with you.”

  The man’s voice followed them as they crossed the room.

  “Dinah Weston, we’re going to finish this conversation sometime.”

  The manager’s lips compressed, her color rising high. Katie wisely remained silent. When they reached the dining room, Dinah released Katie’s arm.

  “How much did you hear?” she asked quietly.

  “How much did you want me to hear?” Katie returned, concerned about Dinah’s white face.

  “I would like you to forget you ever heard any of it,” she replied, meeting Katie’s eyes with ones filled with doubt and regret.

  Something about her hopeless look spurred Katie on to say, “He sounded sincere to me.”

  Dinah flashed her an angry glare. “Get to work, Katie.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she agreed, accepting the rebuff without offense. It really was no concern of hers.

  The El Tovar was more crowded than usual, and Katie was nearly run off her feet. Clay had settled himself in the corner of the dining room, and it unnerved her to know he was watching her every move.

  When some miners from the Orphan Mine began to make a nuisance of themselves, Clay appeared by her side. The fierceness of his look affected more than Katie. The three miners hurriedly apologized and then retreated out the door after leaving her a hefty tip.

  Clay’s lifted eyebrows spoke more eloquently than any words he could have spoken, and Katie sighed with irritation.

  “Don’t say it,” she warned.

  He crossed his arms over his chest, a scowl marring his normally handsome features. “I don’t need to, do I?”

  Katie wasn’t sure she could handle several more days of his continued presence. He was going to make her a nervous wreck before the week was out.

  Pressing her lips tightly together to check the words she wanted to emit, she whirled around and stalked away.

  Two days later the telegram arrived.

  Chapter 6

  Clay stood at the canyon’s edge, staring into the yawning chasm. The vast space was filled with emptiness, much like his own life. How had things gone so wrong? If he had stayed around, could he have helped his brother? He snorted softly. How could he help his brother when he couldn’t even help himself? For several years now he had been fighting a battle with himself over whether to give his life to Christ. Wherever he had gone, Katie’s scriptures and admonitions had followed him. His pride had kept him from admitting he needed a savior in his life. Now, the thought of his own brother’s death and his spending an eternity in hell was the catalyst that made Clay realize he didn’t want that same fate for himself. Maybe if he had given in sooner, he could have saved his brother from that horrible fate. The guilt weighed heavily on his heart. He knew what he needed to do, but he wasn’t quite certain he deserved the grace God was willing to give him. He stared up at the heavens. God, if You’re there, show me the way.

  “Clay?”

  He turned at the sound of Katie’s voice. He stared at her quietly, wondering what she was thinking. She had taken the news of Darius’s death well. Too well. The only word he could use to describe her reaction when he told her the news was relief.

  She placed a hand against his sleeve, and he tensed.

  “I’m sorry about Darius. I really am.”

  She sounded sincere. He wasn’t about to tell her the details of his brother’s death. He had kept his promise not to tell his family where Katie was, but he had left the address with his lawyer. McQuinn needed him to come home to help settle Darius’s estate, as well as Katie’s.

  “We have to go back to Philadelphia,” he told her.

  Startled, she stepped back, her eyes going wide. She shook her head, and he sighed heavily.

  “You have to, Katie. There’s paperwork to attend to.” He smiled wryly. “You’re a very wealthy woman now.”

  “I don’t want to go back.”

  Anger sliced through him. “For crying out loud, think of someone else for a change. My parents need to have this settled!”

  He felt like a heel at the hurt that flashed through her eyes. He hadn’t meant to strike out at her, but she was the only one handy. He turned his gaze back to the canyon. They stood in silence for some time, and he could feel her sympathy reaching out to him through the fog of his grief.

  “Have you seen the movie Faust?” he asked her.

  Her forehead crinkled at the odd question. She hesitated before answering. “No, but I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it about a young man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for youth and earthly pleasures?”

  He nodded, seeing again the emptiness of the canyon before him. Darius and Faust had much in common. Darius had indeed sold his soul when he became involved with organized crime
. Although Chicago was the heart of it, he had found out Philadelphia had its fair share. And his brother had been entrenched for some time.

  “When do we need to leave?”

  Her question surprised him. He turned to her, lifting one brow in query. She smiled without humor.

  “I’ll go back and help you get things taken care of, then I’m coming back here.”

  “There’s no need,” he argued.

  “There’s nothing for me in Philadelphia, Clay. I’m happy here. For the first time in several years, I feel content.”

  He couldn’t argue with her there. He had felt the peace and serenity of the desert seeping into his own soul. Still, there was the baby to think of. He reached out and traced the blue shadows under her eyes with his finger.

  “Katie,” he remonstrated softly, “you can’t go on working like this. You’re going to wind up hurting yourself or the baby.”

  She pulled away from his touch. “I already know that. I intend to quit.”

  His heart jumped in his chest. “Then you will come back with me?”

  “Not to stay. I’ll go for as long as it takes to get legal matters out of the way.”

  He pressed his lips tightly together, turning back to the changing view of the canyon. “And then what?”

  “And then,” she told him, “I intend to buy some land and have a house built near here.”

  He wasn’t surprised. “And has it ever occurred to you that my parents might like to see their grandchild?”

  She turned to him in surprise, her mouth parted slightly. “That had never occurred to me. That’s true. This child will be your parents’ first grandchild.”

  “First and only,” he told her bitterly.

  She looked at him with sadness. “There’s always you, Clay. Someday you might get enough of wandering around and want to settle down.”

  She had absolutely no clue. “Katie …”

  “Dr. O’Neil! Dr. O’Neil!”

  Both Katie and Clay turned at the excited voice. Cleo came running up, struggling to get breath to speak.

  “I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she panted. “Come quickly! Albert has cut himself badly with a knife. There’s blood everywhere!”