by Starla Kaye
Tom gave a curt nod, a weak smile, and stopped breathing.
Daniel pulled in a steadying breath and stood. Around them men had been shooting and crying out. He had ignored it all in his focus on the dying man.
Now he was mad. The Waltons had killed their last man, as far as he was concerned.
* * *
Jennie blinked back tears as she stood on the dirt road in front of the stage depot and hugged each of her three friends good-bye. The stagecoach was already loaded, except for her, and the driver was ready to leave.
He called down impatiently from his high perch, "Are you getting in or not? 'Cause I'm leaving in another minute."
Annabelle let go of Jennie and glared up at the scroungy-looking man with thinning hair hanging from beneath his battered hat. "This is hard for her, can't you see that?"
He shrugged, but didn't respond otherwise.
"Maybe I shouldn't go," Jennie said through a voice raw from crying. "Daniel..."
Angelica and Faith both hugged her before stepping back. Faith looked her square in the eye and said, "This is your mother. You have to go. Daniel will understand."
Jennie felt numb all over. She had gotten word that the posse would not give up this time until they found the outlaws. That had been two days ago. She'd been worried nearly to death ever since then. She sensed something bad was going to happen this time and she feared it would have to do with her husband. She desperately needed to see him, needed to hold him, needed to be sure he was all right.
"Are you coming or not? I ain't askin' agin," the stagecoach driver interrupted her tortured musings.
Angelica gently turned her toward the stage and gave her a nudge. "Go. Your father needs you."
Jennie wasn't really sure about that, but her mother did. She'd gotten a wire just hours ago while she'd been having breakfast at the cafe with Faith and Angelica. Her mother had been badly hurt in a buggy accident the day before. She was unconscious and the doctor wasn't sure she would live. Her father wanted her to come back to Boston. Actually, he'd ordered her to come back. But, of course, she wanted to see her mother, needed to see her. And it had seemed it was God's will that she did so, since the stage happened to be in town today and leaving this afternoon. But Daniel...
She raised her chin and forced back her shoulders to face her friends one last time. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Make sure Daniel understands that."
Her friends nodded, but she noticed the way neither Faith nor Annabelle looked confident. Only Angelica held her gaze and said firmly, "He will."
Still, as Jennie stepped into the stage and took her seat between two elderly women, she worried. She had left Daniel before--in a way--but she hadn't left town. He still thought she preferred Boston over Dryfork, but he was wrong. She just had to convince him of that, which would be impossible to do with her headed back to Boston now. But she had to go to her mother. She had no other choice.
* * *
Daniel glanced back at the other exhausted men riding home with him. Every one of the surviving men looked more saddened by losing one of their own than triumphant at having finally captured the Walton Gang and left them in Dodge City. Two men, as well as himself, had been shot, though not seriously. Young Tom Balders had died basically in Daniel's arms and the memory still haunted him. Fool kid. Tom's body was draped over the horse being pulled along by Adam. He would be buried at his folks's place and mourned by all.
He turned forward again, reaching up to wipe the sweat beading on his forehead. It was hotter than Hell today. He was ready to get home. Ready to have a bath and wash away over a week's worth of grime and grit. After that, he could easily flop onto his bed and sleep for a full day or two. But first he needed to see Jennie, needed to hold her close and...
"I'll check in with Andy so you can stop at the saloon," Caleb said as he rode up next to Daniel. "Unless you want to have Doc look at your arm first."
"It was just a flesh wound and it's healing fine." Daniel looked over at Caleb, who had cleansed and sewn up the bullet wound on his upper left arm. "You did a good job."
Caleb nodded. They shared a look, both grateful their other brothers hadn't gotten wounded, too. "Like I said, I'll handle things for you."
Daniel shifted his gaze back toward the town just ahead. His gut tightened. Something didn't feel right. They had stopped at his ranch, but Jennie hadn't been there, for which he'd been glad. He had hoped she would stay in town until he got back. He hadn't liked the idea of her being at the ranch alone. Finally he answered his brother. "I'd appreciate that. I need to talk to Jennie."
They rode through the center of town, drawing people from the buildings to watch their return. He saw the disheartened faces as their fellow townsfolk spotted Tom's body over his horse. This was bad enough, but it could have been worse. Still, he dreaded having to go tell his neighbors that their son had been killed. First he would see Jennie, then clean up, and then go to the Balders' place.
Adam trotted up next to him. "I'll take Tom's body to the undertaker." When Daniel faced him, Adam added grimly, "I'll go tell his folks. You just see to your wife."
Daniel was grateful to his brother, although he knew it really should be his job to break the bad news. Somewhere along the trail and time away he'd made up with his brothers. They had been through a lot over the years, had each other's backs many a time when their father had gotten a little crazy. They might have disagreements from time to time, but their bonds were strong. Now he needed to strengthen his bond with Jennie.
He pulled up in front of the saloon where only a couple of horses were tied to the hitching post this early in the day. He slid from his horse. It took him a second to adjust to being out of the saddle. Damn he was sore.
He'd just put a foot up onto the boardwalk when Angelica walked out to greet him. Her eyes looked worried, her expression determined. He felt certain that he was about to find out just what that something he'd sensed was wrong was all about. And he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it.
"Jennie?" he asked, his stomach knotting.
Angelica lifted her chin almost defensively. "She left for Boston three days ago."
Daniel felt gut punched and then he cursed a blue streak. Dammit all! He'd known that sooner or later she would leave him and return to Boston. She'd stopped hounding him about going back, but clearly she hadn't given up on the idea. She probably thought he'd go racing after her. Bring her back here and make her stay. The hell he would! She'd made her choice...and he wasn't it.
He spun away and mounted his tired horse again. He wheeled the mare around, intending to head back to his ranch. And then what, he didn't know.
"She had to go, Daniel. Let me explain," Angelica called after him as he spurred his horse and raced away. "Daniel!"
* * *
Jennie made her wobbly way from the train station's restroom in Boston. She felt lightheaded and nauseous. Again. It seemed like she had been sick ever since she'd left Dryfork several very long days ago. She hadn't eaten much, couldn't keep anything down. She missed Daniel so much. Evidently it was affecting her body.
An elderly woman who had been in the restroom with her walked up and gently touched her arm. She gave Jennie a smile of understanding. "When is your baby due, dear?"
"Baby?" Jennie blinked in puzzlement.
The woman tsk-tsked. "You are with child, are you not?"
Oh my heavens! Was she? Jennie thought about it for a minute and hope filled her. In that instant, she was certain that she was carrying Daniel's child. She put a hand gently over her very flat stomach. "Yes. Yes, I am." Lord, please let it be so.
For just as instant, she considered buying a ticket for the first train headed back west. But then she remembered why she had come all this way. Her mother. She needed to see her mother and she prayed her mother was still alive.
Chapter Seven
Jennie paced her mother's bedroom as she'd been doing for the last couple of hours. She stopped to stand at the window overlookin
g the immaculately cared for back lawn and its acre of trimmed grass and the exquisite gardens in full bloom with so many colors and so many different kinds of flowers. The roses below this window were her mother's favorite. Through the partially opened window, she drew in the sweet fragrance and wondered if her mother could smell them in her current state.
She swallowed a lump in her throat and blinked back tears. Her dear, often contrary, mother. The still beautiful woman in her late 40s, now lying so pale in the big bed, had yet to open her eyes from the terrible accident. Thank God, she had begun to shift restlessly for the first time yesterday. A good sign, the doctor had told them. Jennie had arrived here two days ago with such hope in her heart. She and her mother had not been close by any means, but she loved her anyway. And Jennie desperately wanted to share her special news with her.
Placing a hand over her flat stomach, Jennie smiled. A baby. I'm going to have a baby. She hadn't been to a doctor yet, although she could have talked to her mother's doctor about the possibility when he had visited yesterday. But she knew, just knew with all her being, that she carried Daniel's child. Oh, Daniel, I have such wondrous news for you. She just hoped he would be as happy as she was and she refused to think otherwise.
"Jennie," came a weak voice from behind her. "Is that really you?"
Heart pounding, Jennie spun around and hurried to the bed. Tears trickled down her face and she gently sat on the side of the bed. She reached out to cup her mother's cool face. "Mother." That was all she could manage to say, but the word held great emotion.
A furrow creased her mother's brow and she appeared startled that Jennie had touched her. "I'm so glad you came to your senses and...."
Jennie pulled her hand away and stood, fighting with annoyance. Be patient. But it was difficult since her father had expressed time and again much the same sentiment from the moment she'd walked into the house.
Forcing calmness, she said, "You had a terrible accident, Mother. Of course I would come see you."
Her mother tossed aside the comment about an accident, focused only on why Jennie was here. "Your father and I have been waiting for--"
Hearing her father's familiar footsteps entering the room and unable to remain patient, Jennie straightened her shoulders. She looked directly at her mother, but wanted her father to hear her as well. "My coming here has nothing to do with coming to my senses."
"Don't aggravate your mother," her father chastised. He walked up beside Jennie and looked down at his wife. For the first time that Jennie could remember she saw what appeared to be genuine love in his expression. "You had me worried, Carolyn."
Her mother glanced at him in surprise, evidently hearing the rare tenderness in her husband's tone. She studied him for a second, looked toward the window where sun shone in, and back to him. "What are you doing home now, Geoffrey? Shouldn't you be at work?" She winced and lifted a hand to rub her forehead, frowning as she felt a bandage wrapped around her head.
Again acting out of character, her father leaned down to lightly kiss her mother. Jennie watched in astonishment. As far as she could remember, she didn't recall seeing them kiss, barely recalled seeing him do more than touch her arm.
He straightened as her mother's eyes widened and her pale cheeks grew pink. "You, my dear wife, have been unconscious for nearly five days now." He choked up and cleared his throat. "The doctors weren't sure you would ever awaken. I knew they were wrong."
"Unconscious? Five days?" Her mother's face pinched in confusion, which clearly made her head ache more. "Why am I not in a hospital?"
The rather plump, stiff-natured nurse her father had hired chose that moment to walk into the bedroom behind them all. She snorted and drew her parents' attention. "You should have been." She scowled at Jennie's father. "This foolish man wanted you cared for at home."
Jennie watched shock stretch over her mother's face, a shock much like Jennie had experienced when she'd found out about her father's insistence that her mother not linger in the hospital. He'd wanted her as comfortable as possible, which meant being in her own bed. He'd also told Jennie that if her mother were going to pass on, she would do so at home. This had been a side of her father Jennie had never expected to see.
"Geoffrey." Her mother looked at him with such gentleness it made Jennie glad that she was here to see it. Not once in all her years growing up here had she seen such warmth expressed between her parents. How sad that was. She didn't want that kind of relationship with Daniel. She wanted warmth, wanted to be hugged by him and to hug him in return.
Pushing her thoughts about Daniel aside for now, she saw her father reach down to squeeze his wife's hand. Only for a second, and then he pulled back and stepped away from the bed. "Now that you are back with us, I need to get into the office."
Her mother's happiness dimmed but she nodded acceptance. "I understand."
Jennie nudged the nurse, who had been watching her parents, toward the door. "Leave us. You can check on Mother in a few minutes." She closed the door firmly behind the annoyed woman.
Now that they were alone, she turned to face her father. He frowned in disapproval but hadn't moved to leave yet. "And you, you will stay here a bit longer."
He raised an eyebrow at her obvious impertinence. "I don't have time for your nonsense, Daughter." He attempted to shift by her.
Jennie in turn shifted to block him. Her stomach fluttered with a swarm of nervous butterflies. But she was determined to talk to both of her parents. "You will stay and listen to what I have to say."
"Jennie, your father is a busy man," her mother protested, sounding puzzled.
"I realize that, Mother. Lord knows that he hardly has time to spare--"
Her father stiffened and drew in a deep breath of exasperation. "Young lady, you are being quite disrespectful. Perhaps I was wrong all these years to not have taken you over my knee. A good spanking would--"
"Geoffrey!" her mother gasped.
Jennie gaped at her father. Never had he spoken of spanking her. In truth, he had hardly ever taken the time to even show her anger at something she'd done wrong. Well, he had yelled at times, although only briefly. She thought about Daniel. He certainly took the time to let her know when he believed she'd misbehaved. He had no problem at all with baring her bottom and burning it with his hard hand.
She shoved away those thoughts, forced back how much she missed her husband. Steeling herself to be calm yet firm, she looked toward her mother, who watched her warily. "You were right, Mother, I have finally come to my senses. But not in the way you think." She raised her gaze to her father's narrowed eyes and called on even more inner strength to get this said. "Father, I am not being disrespectful, but I am asking--no, telling--you to show me some respect for once in my life."
He puffed up in his tailored suit, his chest shoving out the vest to its limits.
"I have always done as you wished." She watched his skin turn purple in his dislike at being chastised in any manner. She swallowed hard. "Yes, I know you did not wish me to marry Daniel. You made that abundantly clear from the moment I told you he had asked me to marry him. But you did approve of his family, in particular his father."
"That man was not good enough for you. Never will be," her father barked, his hands fisting at his sides.
Words she had heard too many times before she had left Boston to go to Daniel. Her father had had another man in mind for a marriage match. She wiped her sweating hands on her skirt. Facing down her father was even harder than she'd expected it would be, but it had to be done once and for all. There was now more than just her marriage to Daniel to consider.
"Daniel," she emphasized his name, "may not be perfect, but I love him. Truly love him." And she did, with all her heart. She was far from perfect, too.
"Oh my," her mother commented, sounding almost envious. But then love was never mentioned outright in this home.
Her father opened his mouth, but Jennie raised a hand to stop him from speaking. "No. You will hear me ou
t." She locked her knees to remain steady. "I am not returning to Boston to live. My husband does not wish to do so and I will live where he chooses to. In truth, I've learned to like Dryfork and I've made some good friends there." Friends she missed. She couldn't recall even one supposed friend she'd had here that she missed. A depressing thought.
"Don't be foolish. That is not the kind of life you were raised to have." Her father shook his head and started to move around her. "I really do not have any more time to waste on this subject. You are here in Boston now and you will stay here."
"Geoffrey, maybe--" her mother interrupted only to have him turn to glower at her.
"I will not stay here," Jennie snapped, bristling at the ridiculous way her father believed she would do as he said now that she was married. "In fact, I probably won't ever return to Boston again. You have chosen to make it impossible for me to even consider returning for a visit."
Jennie ignored how her father's eyes bulged at her daring and stepped back toward her mother. This was breaking her heart, but she had to make everything clear to them both. "Daniel is my husband. I love him. I will be with him wherever he chooses to live, and that place will never be Boston."
She put a hand over her stomach beneath a new day gown her father had insisted on buying her. She would be strong for all of them. "Daniel and I are going to have a child. One you will probably never see." The idea made her even sadder.
"A child?" her mother questioned incredulously, tears misting her eyes. "Did you say you are with child?"
"If you are going to have a child, then you are damn sure staying in Boston." Her father walked closer, pinning her with a look that brooked no discussion. He had spoken and that was that.
Jennie leveled her most fierce glare at him, not impressed this time. "No. I am not."
She moved toe-to-toe with him, surprised when he took a step back. "If you ever want to see this baby, you will learn to accept my marriage to Daniel. You will stop trying to conspire with his father to change him, to force him into being someone he does not wish to be. And you will have to come to Dryfork to see your grandchild."