Thunder on the Plains

by Rosanne Bittner

  She hoped Blaine would arrive soon so that she could get the painful breakup over with. She didn’t like doing that to him, but how could she marry him now? Her heart and body and soul belonged to someone else, the only man she had ever really loved. Dissolving the engagement was the only right thing to do. For once she was going to be truly happy, be with the man she had loved for ten years.

  She climbed out of the coach, leaving a sleeping Mae inside. The train ride back had taken ten hours, and it was dark outside. Sunny had not bothered to change since leaving that morning, and she still wore her riding skirt and blouse. She had left the construction site within the hour after Colt had ridden off, her own train following the one that carried back Canary and his men. They would all wait now for a message from Casement.

  Sunny had considered staying, wanting to be closer if something happened to Colt; but she knew that what was most important to him for now was that she come back home and get her personal life in order so that she could go back to him when the Indian trouble was over. There was nothing she could do at the site, since all the trouble was many miles farther ahead at the Indian burial grounds. Canary had said Blaine would be here in a few days, and she preferred to break the news to him in Omaha than to have him come to the construction site.

  Matthew unloaded some of her baggage and followed her into the house. It had rained all the way back, but the downpour had finally let up, and a sultry humidity hung in the now-still night air. By the light of outdoor lanterns that hung in the portico, Sunny caught sight of a few spring flowers that were beginning to bloom around the front steps. She smiled, thinking of the wildflowers in the sweet prairie grass where Colt Travis had first claimed her. Her cheeks burned at the memory of the things she had let him do to her, and she felt suddenly hot. She was not ashamed or embarrassed. It had all been so natural. After all these years of loving him, she had wanted to give herself totally, to please him in whatever way he took that pleasure. She wanted every intimate part of her to be owned by her handsome, brave, precious Colt; and she knew he revered her body, knew he touched and tasted and made love to her out of true love and passion and devotion. A woman couldn’t want for more, and if all he could afford to buy her was a plain gold band, then that was good enough for her. It would mean so much more to her than the expensive diamond Blaine had given her, which was still packed away. She would not wear it again.

  “I’ll go get the rest of your things, ma’am,” Matthew told her, setting down the baggage he had brought in.

  “Thank you, Matthew. I guess you’ll have to try to rouse Mae. Tell her to come in and go to bed. I don’t need her anymore tonight.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Sunny ordered a housemaid to take her bags upstairs. “Your brother is in the parlor, ma’am,” the maid told her.

  “Thank you, Sarah.” The woman took some of her bags and headed up the stairs, and Sunny stood in the entranceway a moment, breathing deeply for courage, never knowing how she was going to be greeted by Vince. It irritated her that he had chosen this particular time to show up, and she had hoped that he would at least have already gone to bed so that she didn’t have to talk to him until morning.

  She headed for the parlor, thinking that she should be tired herself after the long trip, but being with Colt, being so hopelessly in love, had given her a new energy. How could she ever sleep again? She wanted to be awake so that she could do nothing but think about her magnificent lover, her precious friend, her breath of fresh air, the man who made her feel alive and wonderful and loved—oh, so loved. No one had ever loved her like Colt did, except for her father; but even he had not understood her inner being like Colt did.

  She entered the parlor to see Vince sitting near the hearth, smoking a pipe and reading the latest edition of the Omaha newspaper. A silver tray with coffee and biscuits sat on a table in front of him. He looked up when she entered, and she did not miss the rather scathing look in his eyes as she greeted him. “Hello, Vince.”

  “What the hell are you doing dressed like that?” he asked.

  “For heaven’s sake, what difference does it make? Can’t you give me a normal greeting?” She tried to smile, walking closer and sitting down in a cabriole chair on the other side of the coffee table.

  Vince shrugged. “I’m disappointed that you weren’t here when I arrived this morning. I went over to visit with Stuart, got a look at the U.P. offices. Stuart filled me in on some of the operations and all, but he said he had no idea why you had gone out to end of track alone.”

  Sunny caught the accusatory note in the words. “I often visit the construction site. Stuart knows that. You both know how important the railroad is to me.” She leaned over and poured herself some coffee. “It’s good to see you,” she lied. “Have you come just to see our operations here then, or is something wrong back in Chicago?”

  “I came for several reasons. I have to admit, my curiosity got the best of me. I would like to see more of the setup here, have a look at the businesses you’ve invested in—maybe even go out to end of track with you and get a firsthand look at the construction site.”

  How could she tell him that the next time she went out, she wouldn’t want him along? She would be going back to be with Colt.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re interested,” she answered, sipping the coffee. “I’m afraid that for the moment it’s too dangerous. I came back because of Indian trouble. Some of Dr. Durant’s men had also gone out to the site. They came back, too, just ahead of me.”

  “Oh, so you weren’t alone out there after all?”

  She held the cup of coffee in her hands, watching his eyes. What was he after? “Yes, I was when I first went out a couple of days ago. Durant’s men didn’t show up until early this morning.” She looked at a grandfather clock that stood in a corner of the room. It was a little after ten p.m.

  “How bad is the Indian thing?” he asked, leaning back in his chair and puffing on the pipe.

  “Pretty bad. They expect this summer to be worse than last summer.” She sipped more of the coffee. “Right now our biggest problem is that the best route out in the Nebraska sandhills goes right through an Indian burial ground. Some Cheyenne leader called White Buffalo is raising Cain about it. He’s already killed a couple of our graders. A Lieutenant Tracer has taken some soldiers out there, and the scouts are going to try to talk to the Cheyenne first, see if we can come to some kind of compromise, but we don’t expect to get any concessions. I’m afraid a real battle lies ahead.” A sick feeling moved into her stomach at the thought of Colt being in the middle of that battle. Maybe she should have insisted he come back with her after all, but then Vince would have been here. She would rather Colt faced the Indians.

  “Do you have good scouts?” he asked. “They know their business?”

  She watched those searching blue eyes that had always frightened her so when she was younger. This time he looked at her as he had years ago when he had made the remark about who she slept with. She could see it in that damn smug look of his. He knew about Colt! But how? “Excellent,” she answered. “One of them is very experienced with the Cheyenne.”

  “Mmmm-hmmm.” He puffed the pipe a moment longer. “Well, I came out here to tell you you’ve won. I’m interested in investing some of my personal money in U.P. stock. This thing with Harrison Steel has really paid off. You made a smart move there, Sunny. You’re quite a businesswoman after all, and Landers Enterprises is doing better than ever.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief, but his face was still a little flushed, as though he were angry about something. “Well,” she said, setting the coffee cup aside and leaning back in her chair. “I guess I should say thank you, but then, after all the other things that have happened between us, it’s a little difficult to thank you for anything. Is Eve with you?”

  He snickered. “You kidding? She thinks of Omaha as nothing but a
cow town. She won’t step foot out here. She is looking forward to you and Blaine returning for the wedding though. That’s another reason I came. I’ve never gotten to know Blaine too well, considering he’s had to kind of take sides between you and me. But we have a lot in common, I think. I’d like to get to know him better, travel back to Chicago with you and him. Since we’re going to be brothers-in-law, I guess we ought to get some kind of rapport going between us. I figured that would make you happy.”

  Sunny tingled all over with dread. How she wished he had at least waited until morning for this. Telling Vince she wasn’t marrying Blaine would be harder than telling Blaine himself. She felt herself shaking a little. It was easy for her to stand up to Vince when it came to business, but this was different. She knew good and well how he would treat Colt if she went through with this, and it pained her to think of it, let alone the tirade he was going to throw over the whole dilemma.

  She rose, walking over to close the parlor doors, then turned to face him. “I’m not marrying Blaine,” she told him. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  She stepped a little closer, wishing she could read those eyes that she hated. He sat a little straighter, his big frame overpowering even when he was sitting. He was looking more and more like his father, his heavy thighs filling out the pants of his silk suit, his stomach beginning to bulge, his hair thinning a little now and showing a trace of white at the temples. The only thing different was that Vince did not look at her with dancing, loving blue eyes like Bo Landers had looked at her. Vince’s eyes were like slices of ice, and their coldness moved through her blood, making her shiver.

  He took the pipe from his mouth and set it in an ashtray, then rubbed his hands together as though trying to control himself, his face getting even redder. “It’s that blood-sucking, renegade half-breed, isn’t it?” he snarled. He looked her over as though she were a whore. “I know all about it, Sunny! I came out here in a great mood, ready to give in and admit that everything you’ve done has been right, ready to wish you and Blaine my best! And what happens?” He rose, stepping closer and towering over her. “I find you gone, and when I wire the work camp, I’m told you aren’t there—that you’re out riding, alone with Colt Travis! What in God’s name are you doing, Sunny! Now you come back saying you aren’t marrying Blaine? I wired this morning and learned you had left yesterday! You stayed out there all night with that goddamn worthless Indian! Did he fuck you, Sunny? Were you his whore?”

  Her eyes widened, and she felt almost faint at the way he had put it. Without taking a moment to think, she slapped him hard. He instantly grabbed her wrist, squeezing it so tightly that it hurt. She felt the tears coming then, but she fought not to cry openly, the tears more from her terrible anger at his opinion of Colt than what he had called her. “I love Colt,” she answered boldly, her teeth gritted. One tear slipped down her cheek. “And Colt loves me! If I was worth five cents, he would still love me! But that’s something you would never understand, because your first love has always been money!”

  “And you honestly believe Colt Travis isn’t thinking in dollar signs? For God’s sake, Sunny, how can you be so smart about business and so goddamn stupid about men!” He gave her a light shove. “You’re more like your mother than I thought!”

  She shivered, blinking back tears and rubbing her wrist. Her mother! What did he mean? Colt, she groaned inwardly. How I wish you were here after all. She wiped a tear with a shaking hand. “I’m twenty-five years old, Vince! I have a right to marry whomever I please—and marry for love! All my life I’ve tried to live up to everyone else’s expectations of me! And why should I even care what you think! You’ve always hated me! Why, Vince? What did you mean about my mother!”

  He sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. “Damn you, Sunny. I thought if you married Blaine, none of it would matter.” He whirled. “Did you sleep with Colt Travis?”

  “That’s my business.”

  He waved her off, his teeth gritted. “I can tell just by the look of you,” he snarled. “All this time you’ve behaved like such a lady, saved yourself for Blaine! I was a little worried the night that half-breed interrupted your dinner party, but thank God he left right away. I thought he was out of your life for good this time! When in hell did you hire him for the railroad?”

  “I didn’t even know he worked for the U.P. until last fall when I went out to the camp and he helped protect me and Stuart from an Indian raid!”

  “Stuart knows about this?”

  She closed her eyes and turned away. “No. He knows only that Colt is a U.P. scout. He doesn’t know I went out there just to see him. This was the first time I saw him after the Indian raid last summer. It was my first time out after those horrible winter snows.”

  “And after all those months you rode out there and lifted your skirts for the man? God, Sunny, as common as he is, even he must think you’re easy! The man is probably laughing right now over the fact that he fucked Sunny Landers, the richest woman in the country!”

  “Stop it!” she screamed. She whirled. “You don’t know anything about it! We’ve loved each other for ten years, Vince. Ten years! We’ve been friends all that time. It wasn’t just a sudden thing. It was beautiful. Colt loves me, and I’m going to marry him! If you’re so worried about the money, I’ll have him sign an agreement that he can’t touch any of it if something happens to me. He’ll gladly sign it, because he doesn’t care about that! Why can’t you understand that? Why can’t you let me be happy? Why do you have to make it sound so ugly when it was so beautiful and right?”

  She couldn’t help the tears. She covered her face and wept, sinking into a chair. She heard Vince pacing, felt him come to stand near her.

  “You want to know why? I’ll tell you why!” He grasped her wrists, wrenching her hands away from her face. “It’s because I don’t intend any more shame to come into this family! It’s because you’re the only one who can prove to the world that your mother was a good woman—by being an honorable woman yourself! It isn’t you I hate, Sunny; it’s what you represent! I truly do care about you, and that’s why how you conduct yourself and whom you marry means everything when it comes to what others think of you!”

  Her shoulders shook with her sobs, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head. “What in God’s name are you talking about, Vince?”

  For the first time in her life she saw a flash of true concern in his eyes. “I’m not the bad guy you think I am, Sunny. I have feelings and pride too, family pride! And because you’re part of this family, I care about the decisions you make. Do you want to know why I was so angry when you inherited so much? It wasn’t you personally, Sunny. It was the fact that you were her daughter! If your mother had been an honorable woman, I could have accepted Father putting her on such a pedestal! But she wasn’t honorable, Sunny. She was a prostitute, one of the most beautiful, highest paid prostitutes in New York City—the kind who cater only to the wealthy!”

  She wondered if she might faint. She could feel the blood draining from her face. She stared at him a moment, a thousand thoughts converging at once in her mind. “You’re lying,” she whispered.

  He let go of her wrists, straightening and running a hand through his hair. “I wish to hell I were.” He almost groaned. He walked over to the hearth. “Stuart and I resented her when Father brought her home—I guess because we were young enough that we hated anyone who Father thought could take our real mother’s place. Your mother was…truly beautiful. There’s no argument about that. She was young and always smiling. Father really did love her. But he paid for her, Sunny! She was the daughter of a prostitute he used to visit when he went to New York.”

  “My God.” Sunny covered her face again.

  Vince sighed deeply. “Now you know Father wasn’t the saint you thought he was. Stuart and I found out when we got a little older. Father was always a little e
vasive about Lucille’s background, so we hired an investigator behind his back, did some checking. When we found out the truth, we couldn’t help hating her. Her mother had already sold her to men—actually groomed her for what she was to be. When Father bought her, she was still pretty ‘fresh,’ you might say. He fell head over heels for her, paid thousands for her, told her if she’d marry him and never see other men, she’d live the life of a queen. She kept her promise. The few friends of Father’s who knew about it were warned to keep their mouths shut or suffer the consequences. They knew Father could ruin them in an instant, and that he’d do it. In fact he did underhandedly bankrupt a couple of them for spreading rumors about Lucille that Father quickly put down, saying they were false. Most people believed Lucille was the sweet, pure thing that Father passed her off to be, because she was the prettiest thing who had ever graced Chicago, and the sweetest. It would have been hard for anyone to believe what she had been. My God, you’re just like her, beautiful and sweet. Now you’ve let yourself be just like her in another way—the way I feared most. Like mother, like daughter!”

  Sunny cringed at the words. She shook her head. “It’s not the same,” she sobbed. “Colt and I love each other. Blaine has never touched me. Colt is the only man who ever has.” She gasped in a sob and faced him, rising. “I’m not a whore, Vince! How in God’s name can you say that about me! I’m not like her!”

  “Aren’t you? What did you let Colt Travis do to you? How willing were you? You aren’t even married to the man! And you were wearing Blaine’s engagement ring, for Christ’s sake!”

  She turned away, stumbling back to a chair, feeling ill. Was he right? What did she really know about men? Was Colt thinking of her that way? Was what she had done that ugly and sinful? It had seemed so beautiful, so right. He loved her, didn’t he? Yet even if what they had done was right because of that love, what would he think of her if he knew about her mother? Would he ever trust her again? Would he look at her and see a whore? She could not bear for Colt Travis to look at her with eyes like that, to have him be ashamed of her. Suddenly, it wasn’t that Colt was not good enough for her—it was she who was not good enough for him.