“Alright,” Corrine said, smiling.
He escorted her into the darkness and towards the dining hall. She held her skirt up from the dust and he helped her up the step and into the long wooden building. He bowed slightly and smiled shyly before taking his leave of her.
Inside were stretches of tables, lined with simple benches and at the opposite end of the room she saw the lieutenant sitting at a smaller table. As soon as he saw her he got to his feet and faced her and Corinne crossed the room.
“Good evening,” he said, pulling out a chair.
“A wonderful evenin’,” Corinne said. “I have to speak plainly, Lieutenant,” she said as she lowered herself into the chair. “I cannot imagine anyone ever doin’ anythin’ as entirely wonderful for me as you supplyin’ me with that bath. I just can’t think of how I could possibly thank you enough.”
Highland smiled. It was plainly written all over her that she had appreciated his gesture.
He knew from past experience that, although all women have a soft spot for trinkets and frills and kind words of flattery, nothing seemed to transform their moods better than a hot bath. He certainly had enjoyed his own in the officer’s quarters.
Highland studied Corinne’s face in the lamplight. He recognized the defensive posture and her cautious looks. She was always ready to turn off her feelings when she felt cornered. He knew that it took constant maintenance to stay strong that way. Don’t open your heart and no one will come inside and break it. He’d told himself the same thing many times.
She would have been so tempting once, he thought. Before she was afraid. She was beautiful and adventurous. Highland wondered what kind of man had taught her how to fear. He looked into her eyes wondering.
Corinne saw his searching look and looked away quickly. “I just wanted to make sure you understood that I enjoyed it completely,” she said. She avoided his gaze.
A soldier entered and set two full plates in front of them on the table and Corinne looked up. “Why are you bein’ so good to me?”
“Aren’t you hungry?” Lee asked, as he cut the tender beef on his plate.
“I have to say I’m just lovin’ all of this, Lieutenant, but you’ve got to know that I came out here alone for land. That’s all. Nothin’ more.”
“I understand,’” he said. “Nothing more. Just a hot meal between two people who had a hell of a day. Congratulations on your land. I’ll be bunking in the officer’s quarters tonight. You’re welcome to sleep in mine. Soft bed and all. Tomorrow you can register with the land office and get on with things.”
“That’s very kind of you, Lieutenant. Thank you.” Corinne smiled genuinely and tasted her dinner. “Oh. This is nearly as wonderful as the bath,” she said. “How can I ever thank you enough?”
“Perhaps you could repay me with a pie sometime,” he suggested.
Corinne looked up and nodded her head. “One pie,” she said.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lieutenant Lee Highland had changed. When he had enlisted all those years ago, he had felt the same emotions he saw on Corinne’s face now, although he judged she was even more defensive than he had been then. He’d failed at love before, but since then he’d learned that he could enjoy a woman’s company. But the moment a woman looked into his eyes with any longing, with any expression that hinted she wanted anything more than his acquaintance, he’d walk away.
Lee was successful as a cavalryman and an officer. He enjoyed commanding and inspiring his men and possessed a naturally organized mind. He was well liked by his superiors and respected by his peers. With the rapid expansion of the west he found himself constantly assigned to different places and this helped him stay detached in his relationships with women. It was always understood up front that he couldn’t be tied down. Lately though, he felt differently. This time he found himself envying the settlers. They were all searching for something he once imagined he would never want, land and a home of their own.
When he had first seen Corinne Greslin riding towards the fort she had simply caught his eye because of the way she rode. Anyone, man or woman, who sat that easy in the saddle would have caught his attention. But, when he approached and he saw her face beneath her wide hat, he was taken by her beauty. He could see she had ridden for days and her complexion was healthy and touched by the sun. She lived by her own labors and she had come looking for what every settler was seeking. Now he’d begun to imagine something more than just claiming land and property. Now he too was becoming engrossed with the idea of building a home.
When the cannon fired and the people began running he watched her race over the land and then vanish over the rise. Lee was overcome with the desire to catch her, to run alongside her, to be part of her adventure. His desire had been so strong that he found he had to rein in his stallion who had sensed his emotions.
Later he had looked for her. He sent the troops to cover the east while he went west trying to find her. Lee had the thought that he had enlisted because of a woman. Now he was considering putting in his resignation and he wondered if it wasn’t also because of a woman. He wondered if it was because of Corinne Greslin.
When he saw her there, pacing her land, he was overcome with the desire to be beside her, to take her hand and share her accomplishment. When he had seen her disappear under the water in the rushing river he knew in that moment he couldn’t live without her. He had to save her or die trying. There was something special about her, something essential in his life that required her.
Lee looked up from his dinner and watched her enjoying the meal. It was clear that, like him, she was exhausted and the food would satisfy all but one last need. Sleep. She looked a bit drowsy and completely at ease and he was overcome with the desire to take her into his arms. He wanted to hold her until she drifted off safe beside him, not out alone in the vast darkness of the plains but here, next to him, where he could protect her.
He took a deep breath. Corinne looked up and searched his face and then looked away. He was not what she wanted. He knew the look. She was not seeing him the way he saw her. She was looking at him the same way he looked at other women. Lee Highland knew that the more he wanted her, the harder she would be to reach.
They finished their meal and he walked her back to his quarters being as aloof as possible. When she turned to say goodnight she put out her hand.
Chapter Thirty
Lee took Corinne’s hand as she offered it in appreciation. It seemed appropriate to her, a hand shake. Friendly but businesslike. Cool, but kind. When he took it she could feel his hand was warm and firm. He did not shake it and for a brief moment she thought he was going to lift it and kiss it. Corinne froze.
Lee turned his palm and shook her slender fingers efficiently. He fought the urge to linger with the tips of her fingers in his palm.
Corinne entered the quarters and then turned to face him in the doorway again.
“Goodnight, Lieutenant,” she said and closed the door slowly.
She stood inside the doorway willing herself to drive the image of his grey eyes out of her mind. Lee Highland was unusually handsome and likely had women all over the country fawning over him. She’d only be some conquest of his out on the Great Plains.
“Perfect,” Corinne said to herself. The thought of Lee Highland waltzing with some socialite at some fancy officer’s ball squelched her emotions. Corinne undressed for bed trying to concentrate on the enormous task she had undertaken.
Once under the crisp sheets Corinne wiggled her toes in delight. The bed was soft and the sheets fresh. They smelled of clean soap and sunshine and she pulled them up to her chin and went over her plans in her mind. In the morning, early, she’d register at the land office and wire Daniel that she had claimed her land. As soon as she had her documents she’d ride back out to her claim and begin preparing to build her house. She’d set her tent poles and build a wooden mold. With the mold she would make her bricks. With the bricks she’d begin.
Corinne though
t out the process step by step. She had wood that would fit together to make several molds. She would mash the clay and some dried grass by hand and press it into the molds. As soon as each clay brick began to harden she would flip the mold and dump out the brick. She would make as many as she could over the next few days and leave them to dry in the sun. Then she would ride home for the wagon and her things and as soon as she returned she would start building. The heavy adobe bricks stacked together easily and she knew it would not be long before she would be settled in her new home.
Corinne imagined her vision for her dugout. It would be small, certainly, but her stove would be there and there she would bake her first pie. That day dangled like a carrot in her mind and she smiled at the vision of it. Then in her imaginings she saw the lieutenant. He was sitting at the table in her imagined home eating pie. That first pie, he was eating it and smiling that irritating, confident smile. Corinne groaned and pulled the down pillow over her face.
Before leaving, Lee had waited outside until the night watch crossed his path three times and then he turned away thoughtfully. As he walked, he tried to devise a way that he might visit Corinne at her new homestead. Perhaps he could think of some excuse he might make to check on her safety, to see her and share her experience. By the time he reached the officer’s quarters he was only aggravated with his plans.
“What the hell are you thinking?” he asked aloud.
Lee Highland spent the night tossing in the bed.
Chapter Thirty-One
While the bugle played reveille at sunrise Lieutenant Highland finished buttoning his uniform and checked his appearance in the mirror. He hated being awakened by the sound of the horn first thing in the morning so he had trained himself years ago to be up and dressed before the irksome tune played. It had been unusually difficult on this day having had practically no sleep. He set his hat upon his head and walked out into the early morning light.
Corinne heard the bugler’s call and pulled the pillow over her head. It was worse than a rooster, she thought, and certainly much louder. She had noticed that many of the settlers had claimed the parcels of land within earshot just across the border and she wondered how they felt upon first hearing the tune. She expected there would be other sounds of a fort as well that would have to be tolerated. Cannon fire and likely the shouts of officers training the troops. Corinne looked forward to waking up to more peaceful sounds farther out on her own property.
She dressed quickly, washing her face in the cool water of the bowl beside the bed and twisting her hair up underneath her hat. She was eager to get back to her land and she pulled open the door to step outside.
The lieutenant was there, standing in full uniform and he smiled at her in greeting. Corinne nearly groaned. He had barely been on her mind this morning and she’d hoped to slip away without having to see him. She looked at him closer as she walked up to him and it was apparent that he had not slept well. Corinne hoped it had nothing to do with her.
“Good mornin’, Lieutenant,” she smiled. “I’m off to get in line at the land office. Could you tell me where I might send a wire before I leave for my property?”
Highland nodded and pointed out the fort’s telegraph office. Corinne could see people in the distance already beginning to erect buildings in the soft morning light. She would not be surprised if there was a town on the horizon there before the week was out.
“That certainly makes me eager to get my place started,” Corinne said looking out over the fort.
“What will you do now?” Lee walked alongside her towards the land office and she soon slowed her steps, unable to outpace him.
“I’ll ride back out to my property and start buildin’,” she said curtly.
“You plan on building alone?”
“I think so. I will hire out for a few things I suppose. But mostly I plan to do it alone. I’ll stay out there for a few days and then I’ll go back to my brother’s in Texas and get my things and bring them out,” she said.
Lee looked at her, trying to imagine how much she was trying to take on alone. He wanted to help her but he knew any offer would be considered more than a gentlemanly proposal. He decided to try a different approach with her.
“You promised me pie. I won’t deny that I look forward to that. Very much so.” He cleared his throat and continued.
Corinne stopped walking and faced him, listening as he continued.
“I know you want to do this alone. I understand that completely. I’m not suggesting anything more than friendship. Building a home is not easy. I’ve got some time off coming up. I have to tell you that this run has been quite exciting to witness. So,” he took a deep breath, “I want to help you, if I might. I have no expectations. I’d enjoy it, I think, and it could help you get your place up that much sooner.” He waited.
Corinne considered his offer. The way he searched her face suggested he might expect more. A man did not look at a woman that way if he wanted nothing at all. On the other hand he was certainly fit and far stronger than she was and she could undoubtedly be in her own place much sooner. But he’d be underfoot all the time. If he did become enamored with her, assuming he wasn’t already, it would be a problem. She searched her heart, and his face for the answer. He looked so vulnerable somehow, she thought, in complete contrast to his height and physical strength. She could see he genuinely wanted to help, to join her, at least on some level.
She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Corinne spoke frankly.
“I’d be a fool to turn down your help. Just look at the difference in the two of us. You can lift things I can’t even push around. I have to get a home built. It would be far safer than bein’ out there alone. But,” she spoke firmly, “I want no man in my bed. No man.” Corinne looked him in the eye. “Don’t you be comin’ to me lookin’ for anythin’ more. I have nothin’ to give that way. Nothin’ at all.
“I could use your help,” she went on. “And, if you aren’t sniffin’ around for a woman, I expect we might be alright. You’re goin’ to get awfully dirty, you know that? It’s mighty plain to me that you like things terribly tidy.”
Lee chuckled at her forthright approach. “Hands to myself and no complaints about dirt. When do I start?”
Corinne could have kicked herself right then and there. What was she thinking telling him he could tag along? And there was a question that teased at the back of her mind.
“How come a man with your looks doesn’t have a hundred women buzzin’ around?”
“I like to be alone,” he said, and smiled.
“Remember that,” Corinne said and resumed her walk.
When she reached the land office a long line had formed and she fell into their ranks. Lee excused himself and set out to speak to his commanding officer.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Lieutenant Lee Highland stood at attention before the captain.
“At ease, Lieutenant.”
Highland relaxed his stance and stood patiently.
“That was a fine job yesterday. There were no incidences along the line before the race. Reports are that it was very different along other sides of the borders. As always, you kept good order.”
“Thank you, sir,” Highland replied.
“What brings you to see me this morning, Lieutenant?”
“I have come to request leave, sir, per your suggestion that I take some time off after the land run, sir.”
The captain had heard that his first lieutenant had been seen with a very attractive young woman in the dining hall the previous evening.
“Does it have anything to do with the woman you were with last night?” the captain asked.
“Yes, sir. Partly,” Highland responded. “If I might speak frankly, the run was exciting to watch, sir. The woman of whom you speak is a settler and has claimed some land. I’d like to be part of the experience, sir. I have offered my assistance to her, to help her get established and would like to take some time away to do that, sir.”
“You’re a fine officer, Lieutenant, and I’ve never seen you chase a skirt in all the time you have served under me. Should I be concerned that this is what is happening now?”
“I would say no to that, sir,” Highland responded.
The captain looked at the young man’s face and thought that if Highland believed that, he was lying to himself. He decided that he did not want to see the young officer behave rashly. He knew that Highland’s tour of duty would be up soon and that he had the right to leave, but he’d rather not see him go off half-cocked.
“I’ll grant you your leave, Lieutenant, as soon as the troops have cleaned up the sites from the settlers. Once that is done you are free to take your time off. I’m confident you will make sure the area is returned to its former order.”
“Yes, sir.” Highland saluted his captain and left the office promptly. He was disappointed. It would take days to clean up the area. By then Corinne would be on her property, alone. He accepted his orders and went to speak to Corinne. He found her in line at the land office and approached her calmly.
“You seem to be alright here,” he said. “I’m going to get your horse from the stable. You’ll find him at my quarters. I’ve been assigned to clean up the camp sites. I’ll be out to your claim in a day or two.” He nodded and walked away.
Corinne could see he was plainly disappointed. She wasn’t sure how she felt. She should be elated, she thought. Now she could go on her own and do as she planned all along. She watched him walk away briskly and could not help but feel his frustration. What would it be like if he was around for a while, she asked herself. She might never get rid of him.
Corinne filed her claim at the office and sent her wire to Daniel simply stating that she had claimed her land and would be returning in a few days. When she found Boomer in front of the lieutenant’s quarters he was clean and brushed and he stomped with eager anticipation. The lieutenant was nowhere to be seen. Corinne strapped her belongings to the young stallion and climbed into the saddle.
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