Finding Promise

by Scarlett Dunn

  When he heard the canvas flap open he almost groaned. Does she need to do her business now? But before he could ask, he heard her say, “Mr. McBride, is that you?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Do you need something, sweetheart?”

  “Would you mind if I came out there to sleep? I haven’t been able to fall asleep the whole time you were gone.”

  Jake scrambled to his feet and moved to the opening and looked at her. “It’s pretty wet out here.”

  She hated to be such a coward, and she was aware how much trouble she had caused him, but she was scared to be alone inside that wagon. Every little sound she heard nearly caused her heart to stop beating. She’d known the minute Jake had taken the place of the man stationed below her wagon. It surprised her that she could tell it was him by the sound of his spurs when he walked.

  “Do you think you could go to sleep if I stay in there for a little while?” His better judgment told him it was a bad idea, but on the other hand he was sick and tired of being wet.

  “I think so.” She silently thanked God for sending a man like Mr. McBride to protect her.

  When Jake jumped inside the wagon he hadn’t realized she was so close to the flap and he collided with her. She went flying backward, but thanks to his quick reflexes, he caught her by the shoulders before she fell. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were so close.”

  The light in the lantern had been dimmed, but he could see that she was covered from head to toe in the nightgown and robe he had seen in her trunk. It didn’t matter that only her toes were visible; his mind immediately conjured up the flimsy underthings she wore. “Okay, I’ll just be over here.” He pointed to the pallet that was not nearly far enough away since she looked so lovely and smelled so wonderful. “Now try to get some sleep.” Fat chance he would. His mind kept going back to the night he’d undressed her.

  “Thank you, Mr. McBride,” she whispered. “I’m not sure why, I just can’t relax when it’s dark.”

  “Call me Jake. I think it’s understandable that you would be nervous.” He glanced at her pallet and saw the open journal. He figured that was the reason she wasn’t able to sleep.

  “I read some of the journal, and I have a million questions swirling in my mind.”

  “That’s understandable as well.” He didn’t know if she wanted to talk about what she’d read, so he waited for her to say more.

  When she finally spoke, she said, “I do apologize for keeping you awake. I imagine you are quite tired.”

  “I’m fine, honey. You need to sleep. We have a long day ahead and you’ll need some rest.”

  Promise awoke feeling so warm and snuggly that she didn’t want to open her eyes. She didn’t want to remember her situation, she just wanted to stay right where she was, feeling safe and secure. When she finally opened her eyes, she gasped. No wonder she was so warm! She was snuggled on top of Jake, her head resting on his broad chest. It felt like she was lying on top of a stove. She placed her hand on his chest and tried to move away, but his arm was wrapped tightly around her. Slowly, she tried wiggling inch by inch underneath his arm and was making some headway when he opened his eyes and looked directly at her. She froze in place.

  “Well, hello,” he said, in a deeply masculine morning voice. Jake wasn’t sure if he was actually awake or having a great dream. If he was awake and on this side of the daisies with a beautiful woman snuggled up close, well, that was about as near perfect as life could get. If he was dreaming, he figured even that was better than nothing. He gently pulled her closer to his chest, securing her with both arms, pressing her tightly to him. She felt so good, soft and warm . . . but . . . who the devil was she? He couldn’t remember where he was, or who she was, but did it really matter? It wasn’t the first time he’d fallen asleep in some woman’s room. He must be in some saloon . . . somewhere. Then he kissed her. Soundly. She tasted as good as she felt. What a way to wake up! He ran a hand over her back and wondered why she had on so many clothes. He intended to remedy that problem in short order. His lips moved to her neck in search of some skin, but tasted cloth instead. He had to be dreaming because he had his clothes on too.

  Promise tried in vain to push away from him, and when his lips finally left hers and she regained her senses. “Mr. McBride!”

  Immediately, the fog of sleep cleared and realization dawned at the sound of that Southern voice, answering his questions from one second earlier. He remembered where he was, and who she was. He wasn’t dreaming! Hell’s bells! He pushed her away like she had the plague, jumped to his feet, banging his head on the beam at the top of the wagon in the process. “Dang it!” he growled, rubbing his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean . . . well, I did mean to . . . but, I didn’t know who you were.” He could tell by the look on her face that he was digging the hole deeper. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to collect his thoughts. He had a pounding headache, and probably a dent in his skull from hitting his head so hard. He just wanted to get out of that wagon pronto, and get on his horse. Opening one eye, he saw that it was already light outside, which meant he had overslept again. Which also meant the cattle weren’t moving. Which also meant every man in camp knew where he’d spent the night. The last thing he remembered about last night was thinking how good she smelled in the close confines of that wagon. He looked down at her, feeling guiltier by the second. In an attempt to explain his behavior, he said, “I wasn’t fully awake. I told you I’m a sound sleeper.” When that sounded inadequate even to his own ears, he added, “I’m sorry.” Then it occurred to him that he awoke in the same position he was in when he went to sleep . . . on his pallet. She was the one who had moved. He gave her a quizzical look. “Why were you on top of . . .” He decided he’d better put that another way. “Why were you . . . ah . . . lying here?”

  Promise looked around the wagon. He had a point. She was the one who was no longer on her pallet; she was sharing his. Blushing to her toes, she whispered, “I must have gotten cold in the night.”

  Jake’s mind was spinning. Had she mistaken him for her husband in the night? He could see that would be a natural thing for a woman to do if she was cold. He couldn’t think of anything he’d like more than a woman like her cozied up to him on a cold night, but the thought of her confusing him with her husband was a different story. She looked so embarrassed that he felt sorry for her. “It was just a mistake, let’s not worry about it.” Grabbing his hat from the nail, he opened the flap and jumped out of the wagon, only to feel the continuous drizzling rain pelting him. Perfect. “You best get something to eat. We’ll be leaving soon,” he instructed over his shoulder.

  Left alone in the wagon, Promise touched her lips with shaking fingers. She didn’t even know if she had ever been kissed by a man. As comfortable as he seemed performing the act, there was little doubt he’d done a lot of kissing. If she had been kissed before, she couldn’t imagine it felt as good as Jake McBride’s kiss. He was such a handsome man it seemed likely that he had a . . . Oh no! He could have a wife! Shorty hadn’t mentioned whether Jake was married, and she hadn’t asked. Until this very moment, that question had never occurred to her. If he was married, he’d probably assumed she was his wife when he kissed her. That thought brought her up short. To imagine him kissing another woman, even if it was his wife, caused her to have emotions she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt. Was it jealousy? Surely not. She hadn’t known him long enough to develop such strong feelings that she should be emotionally invested in his marital status. Yet there was no denying her powerful attraction to him. She reasoned that he was a man with many fine qualities most women would find attractive, so it was a normal response on her part. Perhaps time was no factor when the heart was involved. And she feared her heart was definitely in danger of being involved with Jake McBride.

  Once Jake gave Shorty a good tongue-lashing for not waking him, he saddled Preacher and headed out to get the men and cattle moving. Shorty tried to tell him nobody had asked where he was, but Jake wou
ldn’t listen.

  Shorty and Promise had been in the wagon for over an hour when he finally mentioned Jake’s bad mood. “Boss sure was in a fit this morning.”

  “Was he?” Promise didn’t think he was angry when he left the wagon. Embarrassed maybe, but not angry.

  “He didn’t even have coffee or nothin’ to eat. He just tore outta camp like the devil was on his tail.”

  “Why was he upset?” Promise was genuinely puzzled.

  “I guess he was mad ’cause I didn’t wake him. But I didn’t figure a couple of hours would hurt anything. I asked Cole, and he said I should let him sleep,” Shorty grumbled. “I told him most of the men were out with the cattle, and no one asked where he was anyway.” Dang it! He hadn’t meant to say that. Sometimes he should just keep his trap shut, he told himself.

  Promise understood the implication of what Shorty said, but she remained quiet. Jake must have thought the men might misunderstand the reason he was in her wagon. And if he was a married man, that compounded the problem, not to mention that kiss was most inappropriate. She wanted to ask Shorty if there was a Mrs. McBride, but she wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. She didn’t want Shorty to get the impression she had a personal interest in his boss. If she did find the courage to ask, and Shorty told her Jake had a wife, what then? Oh, she simply couldn’t bear the thought! She might not remember her past, but she knew she wasn’t the kind of woman who would allow the advances of a married man. Not even if that man was Jake McBride, and no matter how much she wanted more of his kisses.

  Every man who tried to talk to Jake found out in short order that he was about as friendly as an old hungry grizzly. He was angry with himself for the situation he’d found himself in earlier that morning, and he was taking it out on everyone. He didn’t want the men to get the wrong idea where Promise was concerned. Not only that, but he wasn’t happy thinking about how good it felt to kiss her. She was a distraction he didn’t need. He couldn’t exactly keep his distance from her if he was going to protect her, but he sure wasn’t going to step inside that wagon again.

  Cole ignored the warnings from the other men to stay away from Jake, and rode up beside him. “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”

  Jake’s mind was racing with unanswered questions, and he didn’t hear Cole ride up. “That’s not funny,” he grumbled. “I can’t believe Shorty didn’t wake me. I fell asleep waiting for her to fall asleep. She was afraid of being in there alone.”

  Cole gave him a lecherous grin and arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Don’t go there,” Jake warned.

  Cole laughed, and in his own best interest decided to stop teasing him. If there was one thing he was certain of, Jake wouldn’t take advantage of any woman under any circumstance. “Don’t blame Shorty. I told him to let you sleep. I didn’t figure an hour or two was any big deal. You haven’t had much sleep since we left Texas.”

  “I don’t need sleep that badly. We need to get the cattle to Wyoming, and the sooner the better,” Jake growled.

  “We’ve been at this for almost eight hours. Don’t you think it’s time we took a break? We’re all soaked, and it’d be kinda nice to get into some dry duds, not to mention have some hot coffee.”

  Jake had to agree there. A steaming cup of coffee sounded good. And his stomach was reminding him that his own temper this morning had kept him from eating. “Yeah, we need to stop,” he admitted.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to think it’s going to rain all the way to Wyoming,” Cole said.

  “It sure looks that way,” Jake agreed miserably. “Go on and tell Shorty we’ll be stopping for the night. I’ll see you at camp after I make sure the men have all been in to eat. That should give you enough time to catch some rest.”

  The men were grumbling about the incessant rain, and Jake’s mood was about as rank as the longhorns. He’d made sure every man had eaten and had time to rest before he rode back to camp.

  He’d been in the saddle nearly ten hours by the time he got to camp. Shorty handed him a cup of coffee. “Sit yourself down and I’ll grab you some grub.”

  Jake had just taken his first bite when the lightning and thunder started. He waited a minute to see if it would stop, but when the ground started rumbling, he knew every man had to get back on his horse. Will this never end? Throwing his plate aside, he ran to get a fresh horse. He rode out, facing the worst storm he’d ever seen. He’d heard stories about lightning striking entire herds, but he’d never seen the tips of their horns glow like they were now. It was an eerie sight, and he had a foreboding sense this was just the beginning of another very long night.

  “I’ve never seen anything like that.” Cole yelled to be heard above the rumbling thunder.

  “Me neither. I don’t like the looks of this.” No sooner had the words left his mouth when another ear-splitting eruption shook the earth.

  “Boss, these cattle are gonna bolt,” Harm shouted. “They were restive before this started, and now they’re gonna go crazy.”

  Harm was his most experienced cattleman, and Jake paid attention when he spoke. Another deafening crack of thunder erupted, and just as Harm predicted, the cattle bolted in every direction. They were running like Lucifer himself was chasing them down. The men split up and raced after them in pairs, doing their best to guide them in one direction.

  On one hand, the lightning provided the only light they had, and the conditions were dangerous to men and animals in the dark. On the other hand, if this storm didn’t stop, some of the cattle might keep running until they dropped dead.

  They rode for miles before they were able to get the stampeding cattle under control. Jake knew there would be strays to be found later, and he was bound to have lost some, but as long as he didn’t lose any men, he could deal with everything else. In a situation like this, anything could happen. Over the next few hours as the storm calmed, the cattle quieted, too exhausted to run farther. Jake and Cole split up and rode the perimeter to make sure no man or horse was injured.

  When Jake saw Ty, the young man who was driving the supply wagon, he realized no one had stayed behind with Shorty and Promise. He cursed himself for not thinking to tell someone to stay. By now, they were several miles from camp, and that troubled him. He spotted Cole and whistled for him to join him. “Let’s hurry back to camp. Shorty is there alone with Promise.”

  Cole saw the concerned look on Jake’s face. “You think something’s amiss?”

  “I just have a bad feeling.”

  That explanation was good enough for Cole.

  Exhausted as they were, they pushed their animals as fast as they could safely go toward camp. Jake figured they were about a quarter of a mile away when they heard gunshots.

  “It’s coming from the direction of the wagons,” Cole shouted.

  “That’s what I thought.” Jake kicked his horse into a gallop.

  Riding into camp with guns drawn, Jake spotted Shorty and Promise slumped on the ground with their backs against a wagon wheel. Their clothes were plastered to their bodies from being out in the elements. Both had a pistol in each hand, and there were four rifles leaning against the wagon. With the rain hampering his vision, Jake wasn’t sure they were even alive until Shorty called out.

  “Boss, you missed the party!” Shorty yelled, sounding energized from the excitement. “They hightailed it out of here a few minutes ago when she winged one of them sons of bit—” He glanced at Promise and stopped. “Pardon, ma’am. Anyways, I think she winged one of those sons of Satan.” He smiled at Jake and guffawed, patting Promise on the back. “You should see this little gal shoot. I bet she can give you a run for your money! She’s the one who saw them coming when we were packing up.”

  Kneeling before Promise, Jake saw that her hands were shaking. He took the guns from her and gripped her by the shoulders. Examining her pale face, he feared she was in shock. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I am now.” She was reliev
ed beyond measure to see him.

  Jake took a deep breath to calm himself. Thank God she wasn’t hurt while he was out chasing cattle. “How many were there?”

  “Eight or nine. We’ve been holding them off for a while. I was sure you would hear the gunfire eventually,” Shorty answered.

  Cole picked up an empty cartridge box. “How long?”

  “Well, we weren’t exactly timing it. We were kinda busy shootin’, and we are both near deaf right now.”

  “We couldn’t hear anything out there, between the storm and the stampeding cattle,” Cole explained.

  Jake was still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that the two of them had been holding off eight or nine men. Just like last time, he wanted to ride after the killers, but he couldn’t leave her again. He should have been there to protect her in the first place. He’d failed miserably on that score, and the two of them were lucky to be alive. Even if they’d heard the gunfire, he and his men had been too far away to help them.

  Cole could see the dilemma Jake was in. “You want me to go after them?”

  Jake wasn’t going to lose his best friend by doing something stupid like sending him alone to face that many men, and he couldn’t spare another man to go with him. “No, they’ll be back. Next time I won’t make the same mistake. If I’m not in camp, you will be for the rest of the drive. I don’t care if the whole damn herd stampedes to hell and back, they won’t find them alone again.”