by Gordon, Rose
***
Every muscle in Wes’ body contracted at once. Not because Colonel Lewis was angry. He’d been on the receiving end of his wrath a time or two and knew the man, though usually quiet and mild, could get his dander up over small things that could be easily fixed. No, the reason his muscles were knotted tighter than a hangman’s noose had nothing to do with Colonel Lewis and everything to do with the man standing to his left. More specifically, Allison’s reaction to him.
“Allison,” the immaculately dressed man with yellow trousers and a white coat said, coming over to her. He lifted his hat, which was just as white as his coat, from his head with one hand and lifted Allison’s hand to his lips with the other.
Wes jerked his eyes away. The last thing he wanted to see was this man placing his lips on Allison’s knuckles. Instead, he had to meet the cold eyes of a disgruntled Colonel Lewis.
Unlike the other times Wes had spiked his ire, it was rather clear this wouldn’t be so easy to explain.
“H-how did you get here so soon?” Allison asked, then cleared her throat.
“As soon as I got your letter, I came,” he said. He lowered his eyes to take in her shirt and skirt. “And not a moment too soon, I see.”
“Did you hire a mob to get you here?” she asked with a slight hitch in her voice.
He giggled. Yes, giggled, leading Wes to snap his head around to face the man. “Don’t be silly, the Army escorted me. That’s how I found out where you were in the first place,” he explained.
“And just how is that?” Wes heard himself ask; though why he was interested in the man’s answer, he couldn’t explain.
The man put his hat back on and, not releasing his hold on Allison’s hand, which Wes couldn’t help but notice, turned his head to address Wes. “When General Bridges came to my home, he brought Miss Pierson’s letter with him and said it had accompanied the supplies that had been sent down from here.”
McCorkle. That’s who was in charge of overseeing shipments that were sent and received from the other forts. Checking the outgoing post for missives that needed to be delivered was just a courtesy; one that most who had that position honored. It had been so long since he’d done it, he’d forgotten that fact; besides, how was he to know supplies were about to be sent to Fort Marcy? He pushed the thought from his mind. This was just another setback, albeit a rather large one, but there was still time to convince her. She still needed him to sign the papers, didn’t she?
“Of course I couldn’t leave my intended stranded in some godforsaken fort surrounded by Indians, so I slipped enough coins into the right hands, and ta da, here I am!”
“Yes, here you are,” Wes muttered under his breath as the odd little man turned back toward Allison. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said that he was refined. He was. So much so that Wes was certain he’d only met one other who was just as particular. He shuddered at the thought. His money must mean a great deal to her if she was willing to marry a man who clearly was only using her to help his image among his peers.
Ignoring the way every muscle in his body tensed to the point of pain, Wes forced his feet to carry him forward all the way out of the stable and across the courtyard, heedless to Colonel Lewis’ demands for him to halt.
A month in the stockade as punishment for disobeying orders was fine with him. It couldn’t possibly be any harder than to see the woman he loved being doted on by a man who saw her only as a tool he could manipulate, not someone he could love.
***
Allison stood frozen in the barn, her eyes unable to look away from the sight of Wes’ retreating back. Was that it, then? Was he truly walking away from her?
Her heart sank. Could she blame him? She’d pushed him away.
“Allison,” Nicholas’s soft tone drew her attention. “Now that I have reclaimed what is mine, I think it’s time we collect your things and tell Major Rawlings we’re ready to start back to Santa Fe, then onto Austin.”
“We can’t. Not yet.”
“Not yet?” He knit his brows. “What do you mean?”
Allison licked her lips and shot a glance over to where Colonel Lewis stood, shamelessly staring at them. “It’s not as simple as just leaving, I’m afraid.” She looked to Colonel Lewis again. Hadn’t he told Nicholas of her marriage to Wes? Perhaps not. “Do you remember the gentleman who was just in here?”
“You mean the barbaric-looking giant who abducted you to go riding? Yes, I saw him and he’ll be dealt with. I’ll make sure of it myself.”
Allison frowned at him. “Not too harshly, I should hope. He is my husband, after all.”
Nicholas’s face went whiter than his coat. “Your what?”
“Colonel Lewis, can we have a moment alone?”
Colonel Lewis shook his head. “No,” he said in his usual soft tone. “I have no idea what is going on here, and until I can make sense of just who is what to you, I’ve made it my responsibility to act as your guardian.”
His words would have melted her heart had she not been so frustrated—mainly with herself. “Nicholas, as I stated in that letter, I was stranded here. As you have already noticed, there aren’t exactly a lot of ladies present. Three of us, to be precise. The other two were married and there wasn’t anywhere for me to go, so I...uh...married Wes.”
His jaw dropped. “You married a stranger because you didn’t have a place to stay?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” she persisted. “I had to stay somewhere until you could come for me.”
“Is that so?” He crossed his arms. “And you’re telling me you couldn’t have stayed with one of the other married ladies?”
“I—I hadn’t thought about that,” she said. “But—”
“No, you probably weren’t given the time to, were you? He took advantage of you, Allison. He saw an opportunity and took it.”
“Now, see here,” she hissed, her face flushing with embarrassment. “Wes isn’t the kind to take advantage of anyone. There wasn’t any place for me to go, and if he hadn’t married me, I’d have been at the mercy of all the men here.”
Nicholas gave a bark of hollow laughter. “And you believed him? Surely there was somewhere for you to go.”
“No, there wasn’t. The only two other ladies who are here don’t have a lot of extra room. Besides, it would take away from their own privacy to have another person sleep in the room with them.”
“So without asking them, you willingly jumped in bed with a stranger?” He clenched his hands at his sides, his face growing redder than the cock feather that decorated Wes’ hat. “Two years we courted and you refused to share my bed; but you jump into bed with a stranger after only a few hours.”
His words stung more than if he’d slapped her cheek. “It wasn’t like that. He— We—” She straightened her spine. “Actually, believe what you want. You will anyway.”
His lips thinned. “We can address the state of your chastity when we’re alone. Right now, we need to find a way to dissolve this marriage.” He turned his head toward their guest. “Colonel Lewis, do you know how to dissolve this—this—travesty my simple-minded intended created for herself?”
Colonel Lewis frowned and allowed his eyes to travel from Nicholas to Allison then back to Nicholas. “I am not at liberty to dissolve this union, but I know of a man who is. He’s in Fort Smith, so it should only take two or three days to get him here and get matters settled.”
“I suppose that will have to do,” Nicholas said with a huff. He turned back to face Allison. “Is there nothing else you might be able to put on? You know how I feel about my intended being seen in beggar’s clothes.”
Allison looked down at her shirt and skirt. They weren’t as fancy as the things she’d worn in Boston; and the craftsmanship of the skirt wasn’t as good of quality as it would have been had she hired someone to make it for her; but she’d become quite attached to the freedom the costume gave her, not to mention the idea had been Wes’. She swallowed. She’d certainly m
ade a mess of things where he was concerned.
Nicholas clearing his throat reminded her of his question.
“Unfortunately, all of my clothes were still on the stage, and the dress that I was wearing at the time isn’t in any better condition than this one.”
“That’s all right,” Nicholas said with a wide smile. “You can just stay inside until it’s time to leave for Santa Fe.”
~Chapter Twenty-Two~
Walking into the room where Mrs. Lewis and Sarah were sewing wouldn’t have been so hard if her legs didn’t feel as though they weighed a thousand pounds each. As it was, it took all of her strength to walk with Colonel Lewis to his home. She couldn’t even force a smile to greet the other ladies as she took her seat and waited for the colonel to return with the few personal affects she’d left in the room she and Wes had shared. Colonel Lewis had asked her if she wanted to collect them herself, but she’d declined. She’d let Wes gather them for her for she couldn’t force herself to go back into that room when everything she’d come to know and fall in love with here was now spinning out of control.
“Are you feeling well, dear?” Mrs. Lewis asked, cocking her head to the side in concern.
Apparently she didn’t know of the morning’s events. She would by tonight though. Allison was certain of it, she thought as she tried to swallow yet another sob.
“You’re just in time. Sarah was just about to start preparing the meat for dinner.”
Allison furrowed her brow. How was that good fortune? She knit her brow even more when Sarah said, “I was?”
“Yes, you were,” Mrs. Lewis said in a strange, almost strangled voice.
“Oh, right!” Sarah jumped from her spot on the sofa. “I quite forgot. Would you like to help me, Allison?”
Allison tore her eyes away from where Mrs. Lewis was smiling as if she had something to hide. “Of course. I’d love to help you.”
Sarah just beamed, seemingly as uncertain of what Mrs. Lewis was doing as Allison was.
Together, they went to the kitchen, where a brown package sat on the worktable, presumably the meat they were about to prepare.
Allison swallowed her nerves. She’d never seen raw meat before.
“Don’t worry,” Sarah murmured as she poured some water from the carafe into the basin. “If you’ve ever sat down for a meal in the dining hall, what’s in this package is no worse.”
She tentatively opened the package and nearly laughed. Sarah had been right. “The only difference between this and what they serve us each night is that the chunk residing in the middle of my plate has a hint of black along the edges and a mountain of salt on the top.”
Sarah scrunched up her nose. “Well, you take note of what I do to this and you’ll thicken your husband up in no time.”
What was left of Allison’s feigned humor faded. It wouldn’t matter if she became the best chef to ever prepare food, Wes would never eat anything she’d make. “I’ll be sure to watch carefully,” she forced herself to say.
“Is something wrong?” Sarah asked as she dipped the chunk of meat into the shallow water of the basin.
“N-no.”
Sarah removed the meat, then dipped the other side. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know you’re just as bad at lying as you are at sewing?”
Allison’s face burned.
Sarah plopped the piece of meat down on a nearby plate. “Here. Pat this dry while I look for what we need next.”
Allison obeyed, and she hummed, hoping it would keep Sarah from asking her anything else.
“That won’t work,” Sarah said, plopping three little unmarked, glass bottles down in front of her.
Allison quieted and turned the meat over to dry the other side. “Am I doing it wrong?”
“You know that you’re not doing anything wrong where the meat is concerned. But you’re doing a great wrong by pretending otherwise.” She took the towel from Allison and set it down. “I think that’s good enough. You still want it a little moist or it won’t absorb anything.”
Allison picked up the first bottle, uncorked it and took a sniff. “Mmm, what is that?”
Sarah laughed. “You really haven’t had any good cooking in a while. That’s just black pepper. Unground, of course.”
“Oh.” Allison recorked the bottle and set it down.
“Did you and Wes have a row?” Sarah’s question almost made Allison laugh. Almost.
“I suppose you could say that,” she admitted. She absentmindedly spun the bottle of spice, trying to force her attention onto anything other than the way her chest hurt.
“All couples have quarrels. The two of you will work it out. Just give it time.”
“You’re very optimistic,” Allison said. She did her best to force a wobbly smile as the pain of seeing Wes walk away from her so easily sliced through her.
“One who is certain can be optimistic.” Sarah poured some of this herb and a dash of that spice into a little bowl. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Allison. I don’t think there is anything to be worried about. Whatever has happened will be forgotten soon.”
Allison shook her head. “Not this.”
“Well, perhaps it won’t be forgotten so soon, but it will certainly be forgiven.” She grabbed the third bottle of spice and poured just a hint of it into her hand, then tipped the bottle and put some back in before dumping the rest into the bowl. “I know that General Ridgely and I are older than you, and our marriage might not be what some would consider exciting, what with me marrying a man fifteen years my senior. But these past few years have taught me many lessons, and I’d be happy to offer you advice if you’ll tell me what’s wrong.”
“I—I can’t.”
“It seems your lips and tongue are working just fine to me.”
“Sarah, I don’t know how to explain it.” She wiped her eyes. “I love him, but I can’t have him.”
Sarah gave her a queer look then dipped the slab of meat into her bowl of herbs. She flopped the meat around a bit then put it back on the plate and dumped the remaining seasoning on top. “Didn’t you already marry him? I might be wrong, but I think that makes him yours.”
“Only temporarily.”
Sarah rinsed her hands and dried them, then reached for Allison’s wrist and pulled her over to the table. “Sit here while I get you some water. You’re not making any sense.”
Allison reached for Sarah’s arm to stay her. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s how it is. I didn’t come here as Wes’ mail order bride or his betrothed in some other way or anything else you might have heard or thought. I came here by accident and Wes was kind enough to offer me his protection by way of giving me his last name.” She took a deep breath. “It was only supposed to be temporary, just until I could get word to my betrothed, who was to meet me in Santa Fe and take me to his home in Austin.” She dashed away the tears that were now spilling out of her eyes. “When we met, I thought Wes was handsome and charming and had a kind heart to make such an offer. We both knew it would be temporary. I never expected to fall in love with him.”
“How is this a problem? Not so long ago, most couples married because of circumstances and grew to love the other by weathering the storms of life together. This is no different.”
“Did these couples have a third person join their marriage?”
Sarah’s brows knit, and then her eyes lit with understanding. “Is that what the commotion was this morning?”
Allison nodded. “I knew he’d come for me, and I took every chance I could find to remind both of us of that; but I think I secretly wished he wouldn’t really come.”
“Does Wes know this?”
“He knows that I love him.”
“Allison, I think you’re making this into a problem that isn’t real. Just tell your suitor that you’re a married woman now and that you’ve made a vow to another that you intend to keep. He cannot force you to dissolve your marriage. Your contrac
t with him might have existed before you married Wes, but as far as I can see, your marriage to Wes has made it void.”
Allison bit her lip. That was true enough, but did it alter everything in their contract?
“Go to him.” Sarah’s soft voice brought her from her fog.
She released her lower lip from her teeth, then licked it to soothe the pain. She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t even realized she’d been biting her lip. “What should I say?”
Sarah looked at her as though she’d just asked the stupidest question. “How about, ‘I’m married to Wes and I won’t be signing any annulment papers, so you can just go back to Santa Fe right now?’”
Allison sputtered with laughter. “I can’t say that. It’s too forward. He’ll...he’ll.”
“He’ll what?” Sarah cut in. “Know you have no intention of marrying him and leave?”
Allison licked her lips. If that was his reaction, she’d be thrilled, but she knew that wouldn’t be how he’d respond. He needed to marry her. He’d given up his life in Boston, where eligible young ladies swarmed after him, for Austin, a town just starting to grow and boom, where he’d likely have a hard time finding a suitable lady within marrying age that still had all of her teeth and a sturdy constitution—or at least that’s what his letters had said when he’d written her, declaring it was time for her to come so they could be married.
He’d never made a huge fuss over her or any public displays to show his feelings for her, but in private, he’d always pressured her to marry him. It was only because of her parents’ deaths and her required mourning period that she hadn’t married him in Boston.
He was a gentleman, thus had a hard time showing his feelings, but they were still there: he wanted to marry her and she doubted that her marrying someone else would put him off completely. For if it had, he would have called off their arrangement when he assumed she was no longer a virgin—
“Allison?”
She started. “Sorry, I was just woolgathering.”
“Is there a reason you’re still here and haven’t gone out to speak to him yet?”