River Song

by Sharon Ihle

  "So," he chuckled. "What's anave ahala, or do I not want to know?"

  Her laughter high-pitched and delicate like fine crystal, Sunny sprinkled good-morning kisses in the valley of his throat before she answered. "I am not sure, but it is Quechan and I think it has something to do with this private time." She considered telling him the first word meant rattlesnake, then chuckled and decided against it. "I only meant to say, good morning, Cole Fremont. I am very happy this morning."

  "So am I, Sunny." Cole slid his hand around to the side of her neck and found his gaze cornered by the unsettling contrast between their skin tones. Hers, a creamy berry-brown highlighted with a hint of copper, his, tanned but more palomino than buckskin. In spite of himself, of the warm feelings growing inside him, a sudden image of his father flashed through his mind.

  Cole jackknifed to a sitting position and slid out of the bed. He began to dress, careful to keep his gaze and troubling thoughts to himself, and stated as casually as possible, "If we're going to make the ranch before sundown, we'd better be on our way."

  Unsure of his thoughts, Sunny pulled on her drawers and slipped into her camisole. But when she climbed off the bed and looked around, she remembered she was in his, not her own room.

  "My dress," she muttered, afraid she would cause him embarrassment. "It is next door with my things."

  "Don't worry. I'll sneak you back in there." Cole grabbed the blanket off his bed then draped it around her as carefully as he would wrap a fine porcelain vase. Fighting to think only of Sunny, of the night and gifts they'd shared, he pulled her against the length of his body and lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. "I forgot to ask. How are you this morning, Sunshine? Do you hurt? Are you all right?"

  "Umm," she hummed, her eyes serene and heavy lidded. "I feel nothing but this happy tingling everywhere. I feel so very alive." She could have added "in love," but sensed somehow that this information would burden rather than please him.

  Something in her expression, something other than physical contentment, stirred him even as it set off a series of alarms. He'd promised her nothing and she'd accepted the night spent in his arms as just that. It sounded simple at the time. Why didn't it feel simple now? Cole indulged himself, gazed on her perfect features and cherry-stained mouth, and suddenly understood that if he didn't release her soon, the promises would fade away.

  With considerable effort, he stepped aside. "We'd better hit the trail. I feel a change in the weather, one that will have us arriving at the ranch soaking wet if we don't leave soon."

  Sensing he'd reached some kind of uneasy truce with himself, Sunny chewed on her bottom lip and gave him a short nod. "My dress?"

  "Oh, yeah. Sure." Cole opened the door a crack and when he was sure the hall was empty, he slid over to the adjoining room and fit the key in the lock. Then he motioned, and she scurried past him into her room.

  Backing away, he said, "I'll arrange for a quick bite to eat and get the horses ready while you're dressing." At the sound of approaching footsteps, he hastily added, "Stay in here. I'll come back for you after I've made all the arrangements."

  After he was gone, Sunny twirled and sashayed over to the dressing table. She pulled the gold and pearl brush through her long hair, still feeling deliciously feminine, and helped herself to several pats of lilac-scented powder before slipping into her new clothes. Was Cole feeling the same things she did this morning? she wondered. What had been going through his mind as he held her near the doorway, or when he held her all through the night? Suddenly missing Moonstar again, wishing she could ask the questions she thought she'd never want the answers to, Sunny drew in a long breath as thoughts of her mother opened the valves of her heart, flooding her with pain and a sense of loss.

  Then she waited.

  The minutes ticked by to thirty, and then to an hour. Restless and worried, Sunny began pacing back and forth in front of her window. Where was Cole? Had he run into some trouble, found himself short of money, or had he decided not to take her with him? Her imagination running wild, it was impossible for her to wait any longer. Tucking her brother's clothing in her empty pouches, she draped them over her arm and slid out of her room into the empty hallway.

  She listened for several minutes, hoping to hear Cole's welcome footsteps, but all was silent. Cautiously, Sunflower made her way to the top of the stairs, then started a quick descent. Determined to avoid any kind of trouble, she made straight for the front doors, her head low and eyes cast down, and pushed her way into the morning sunshine. Then she collided heavily with the base of a willow tree.

  "Hey," the tree bellowed as it jerked her off her feet and squeezed her against its trunk. "Cain't ya look where yer walkin', squaw lady?"

  Sunny's eyes flew open and she pressed her forearms against the chest of the biggest man she'd ever seen. "Let me go," she demanded, her struggles impotent against such superior strength.

  "I ain't gonna hurt you none."

  But trapped in the arms of this grizzly of a man, Sunny panicked and began to fight in earnest. She kicked out, catching the man in the knees and shins, and drove her fingers towards his eyes as she cried out, "Let me go."

  "Put her down, Jesse."

  Cole's voice, calm and without malice or warning, reached the big man's ears. He lowered the woman to the wooden planks and stepped back, ducking her flailing arms and driving feet.

  "Howdy, Mr. Fremont," he said, backing away. "I just ketched her. I didn't hurt no one."

  "I know, Jesse. It's all right." Cole waited for the slow-moving giant to make his way inside the hotel before he turned on Sunny. "Dammit all, didn't I tell you to stay in your room and wait for me there?"

  Still shaken, Sunny kept an eye on the door where the monster had disappeared and said, "Yes, but you took so long, I got worried."

  "Wasn't your run-in with the desk clerk enough?" he went on as unreasonable anger tore through him. "Do you have to go looking for trouble?"

  "I was worried about you," she snapped, a fever building in her eyes. "All I did was walk out the door and accidentally bump into that huge man. Then he grabbed me."

  "He didn't mean you any harm. Jesse is a friendly sort." Cole jerked off his hat and dragged frustrated fingers through his hair. "I told you to wait for me. This wouldn't have happened if you'd have stayed in your room where you belong."

  "I am thinking perhaps I don't even belong in this town."

  "Oh, hell," he grumbled, unwilling to consider her words, afraid she may have voiced his own thoughts. "That's not it at all." Cole brought the Stetson back to his head and worked it into the correct position. Then he blew out a heavy sigh. "Let's just forget it and get on out of here before anything else happens."

  Sunny measured him for a long moment, that sickening thought swirling in her mind again. He was embarrassed by her, ashamed of her heritage. Would the fact she was a half-breed disturb him as much at his family's ranch?

  "Sunny? You coming?" Cole offered his elbow, his green eyes filled with apology.

  Shrugging, Sunny accepted his arm and allowed him to usher her back inside the hotel for a meal of fried ham, potatoes, and biscuits. Vacillating between righteous anger and acquittal, she kept her silence as they ate. He had told her to stay in her room, had come back as he said he would, so why shouldn't he have been angry when he found her outside the hotel captured by what had to be the son of Goliath? She didn't know. And yet she did. She couldn't understand. Or maybe she understood only too well.

  Sunny ate without interest, and her meal lay in her stomach like a sack of corn flour while she and Cole walked back through the hotel and crossed the street to the livery stable.

  "Charlie?" he called after they entered the barn.

  A chestnut-skinned man with long black braids appeared from around the corner of a stall. "Ah, Mr. Fremont. Your mounts are ready."

  "So are we. Please fetch them."

  His gaze lingering on the half-breed woman, the blacksmith gave a short nod and went
after the horses.

  Well aware of Charlie's interest in Sunny, remembering his own thoughts about pairing the two of them, Cole grimaced and his mustache twitched as he informed her of the new traveling arrangements.

  "The reason it took me so long to get back to the hotel this morning was the search Charlie and I went through to find a lady's saddle for your pony. I'm afraid even the smallest one was too big for Paddy," Cole explained. "I'll tie him alongside Sage and you can ride the outlaw's horse."

  Her eyes wide, Sunny gasped as the blacksmith appeared with the horses. "But I cannot."

  "It's all right," Cole assured. "Charlie trimmed his hooves and rubbed him down. He's a little worse for the wear, but he won't have any problem carrying you to the ranch. He can wait to rest up until then."

  "You do not understand." Sunny shook her head as she moved to the shaggy horse's side. "It is not the animal. 'Tis the saddle."

  His brows knotted, Cole examined the leather seat and shrugged. "It looks fine to me. It's a standard sidesaddle. What's the problem?"

  "The problem," Sunny glanced around then lowered her voice. "The problem is that I don't know how to ride on one of those. I would prefer to ride Paddy out of here the way I rode him in."

  "Is that all?" Cole laughed. "The way you can handle a horse, this is going to seem like a buggy ride. Come on, I'll help you up."

  But Sunny wasn't convinced. She eyed, then fingered the long horn protruding off the side of the saddle. "Cole, I really don't think I can do this."

  "You just hook your right leg over the horn and sit back and let the horse do all the work. That's all there is to it."

  Still skeptical, Sunflower lifted her arms and allowed him to hoist her into the strange saddle. After sitting there a few minutes, her leg dangling off the side of the horse, she nodded, hoping her sense of balance would return before they started moving. "I suppose I am ready."

  "Good." After a quick wink and a squeeze of her ankle, Cole turned, thanked Charlie, and mounted Sage.

  The pair traveled down the dusty street slowly as Sunny familiarized herself with the odd rhythms atop the sidesaddle. They stopped at the edge of town long enough for her to send wires to her father in La Paz and Fort Mohave, and considered sending a message to Yuma as well, but thought it a waste of money. A wire to her hometown wouldn't be read for at least three months. She would have her hands full repaying Cole for the clothing before she returned to Yuma and didn't need any more extra expenses. Proud of her good sense, Sunny allowed herself to be hoisted onto the sidesaddle for the journey to the cattle ranch.

  Back on the trail again, Cole urged her to join him in a slow trot, then onto an easy lope as she became more comfortable. But even with his concern and several rest stops along the way, by the time they reached the arched gates of the Triple F ranch, she was stiff and chafed, her waist crimped on one side and sorely stretched on the other by her unnatural posture.

  When they slowed to a stop and Sunny took her first good look at Cole's home in the lower Verde Valley, she forgot about her discomfort. Tall, gnarled junipers lined the endless white fences leading to the house, their twisted branches waving as if to greet her. In between these, bright green palo verde trees bent gracefully in the light breeze, their thick leaves a welcome respite from the setting sun.

  "Ohhh," she breathed. "This is even more beautiful than I ever imagined."

  Coaxing her down the path beneath the arched branches, Cole glanced around the property. "I suppose it is beautiful," he acknowledged, noting how the much-needed rain had filled the pastures and meadows with lush, tall grass. "Sometimes you have to go away from your home before you can appreciate it."

  "Oh, I would never find this place to be anything other than beautiful. Is it always so green?"

  Impatient to be off the trail, Cole nudged Sage and the outlaw's mount into an easy lope as he answered. "If there's green to be found in these parts, it'll be here in Verde Valley, but the last few years we've been damn near as dry as Yuma."

  Tired and giddy, Sunny laughed and nearly lost what little balance she had. Gripping the saddle horn more tightly, she glanced up the road and spotted a small dust storm heading their way. Inclining her head, she said, "What is that?"

  Squinting his eyes against the fireball of a rapidly setting sun, recognition spread a grin across his tired features as the rider approached. "Looks like we've got a welcoming committee," he said as the oncoming horse skidded to a halt and a petite young woman flung herself off the saddle.

  "Cole," she called, racing towards Sage.

  Swinging his long leg over the saddlebags, Cole dismounted and spread his arms wide. The woman flew into his arms, and the two twirled like a top, laughing and muttering words of welcome to one another.

  Elizabeth? Sunny wondered, wishing for a reckless moment she had her grandfather's war club in her hand. Or was that another admirer of the handsome rancher? She watched them, a cold knife twisting in her gut, until they finally broke apart.

  His arm still wrapped around her shoulder, Cole and the woman approached the outlaw's mount. "Sunny, I'd like you to meet my sister, Nellie." He looked down at the beaming woman and continued, "Nell, this is Sunflower Callahan. She's going to be staying with us for a while."

  "Sunflower?" Nellie glanced at Cole, then up at Sunny. "What a pretty name. Nice to meet you."

  "I am pleased to meet you, also." Sunny's smile, one of relief at first, quickly became genuine as she regarded Cole's sister. Instantly she felt at ease, as if she'd just met an old friend. Nellie's expression sparkled with eyes more hazel than green, reflecting sincerity and kindness along with a disturbing hint of sadness.

  Nellie turned back to her brother and patted his shoulder with a delicate hand. "Dad's at the ranch. I told him it was you coming up the road, but he didn't believe me. Let's go show him he's not always right."

  "That'd be a first. Let's get going." Cole laughed as Nellie skipped back to her horse and remounted, but when the trio started down the path again, his amusement quickly faded to apprehension. He'd meant to warn Sunny about his father, at least give her a general idea of the way the old man looked on Indians, any Indian.

  Somehow, he'd never found the right moment or the right words. Now, he thought with a heavy sigh, it was too late.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Nathan Fremont filled the doorway of his sprawling home, his hawklike eyes darting from Sunny to Cole and back to Sunny again. Speaking fluent Texan, his voice big and bold, the words hot and spicy, he drawled, "Been a hell of a long time, son. Mighty nice to see you again. What did you brought home?"

  "A houseguest, Dad." Hoping his father read the clear warning in his eyes, Cole reached for Sunny's hand and pulled her inside the doorway. "Miss Callahan, my father, Nathan Fremont."

  "Callahan?" The elder man shook his head, grumbling, "That don’t make much sense."

  "Excuse us, Dad," Cole sliced in as he coaxed Sunny past his father and into the foyer. "Miss Callahan has had quite an ordeal. Nellie's going to take her upstairs for some rest now. You two can make your acquaintances later."

  Sunny planted her feet at this. "But Cole, I am not tired."

  "You really should rest." He speared her with a meaningful gaze, then inclined his head towards the stairs. "Please go with Nellie and let her help you get settled."

  Cole exchanged glances with his sister, then removed his hat and sailed it toward a set of steer horns mounted on the wall. Turning back to his father, he raked his fingers through his hair. "We've got some catching up to do. Why don't we down a couple in your office?"

  Nathan stroked his busy beard and narrowed his scarred left eye until it was a slit. "I reckon we should, Cole. And I reckon we'll be doin' a lot more talkin' than drinkin', too."

  Sunny couldn't keep her eyes off the two men, could actually feel the frigid blast of air surrounding them, and realized with a shiver that her presence had everything to do with it. She tore her gaze away and followed the young woman u
p the gracefully curving stairway to the second floor of the huge home.

  "You can have the room next to mine," Nellie said as she opened the door to a luxuriously feminine suite and gestured for Sunflower to enter. "This used to be my room until I got married."

  Temporarily ignoring the scene she'd just left, Sunny's brows raised as she studied Cole's sister. "You look so young to have a husband."

  "I'm already eighteen," she laughed. "Certainly past marrying age, but thanks anyway."

  Nellie's words echoed in Sunny's head, but the voice was that of Moonstar. She thought of her mother, of her insistence that the marrying time was upon her. Sunny lowered her head and closed her eyes, wondering if her own nineteen years were beyond the marrying age.

  "Sunflower?"

  Nellie's voice, soft with concern, snapped her back to the present. "Oh, I am sorry. I suppose I am more tired than I thought."

  "That's understandable from what little I heard about your adventures on the trail. Why don't you just forget all that and come look around your room." Nellie spread her arms wide. "What do you think?"

  Accepting the invitation, Sunny made a visual sweep of her accommodations and sucked in her breath. Everything seemed made of clouds and gold, flowers, and sunshine. The brass bed was covered with a puffy quilt of ivory and decorated with several lavender pillows. Yards of purple velvet fringed with ivory satin tassels draped the twin windows on either side of the bed and set off the ornate brass headboard. An ivory and gold dressing table with a high curving mirror, and a large wingback chair covered with sprigs of violets on a creamy background, completed the elegant bedroom.

  Sunny turned to her hostess, hands clasped at her waist, and said, "This is very beautiful. You are lucky to live in such a home."

  "Thank you. This room has always been like a refuge to me. I'd still be in it, but Bucky says it's too frilly and girly for a man." Her guard down, Nellie's eyes dulled as she stood silent for several seconds. Then she shook off the trance and went on. "It's become the guest room."