Holding the Fort

by Regina Jennings

  “If you want to court Miss Bell, you have my blessing.”

  Instead of giving his thanks, as Daniel expected, Private Willis burst into laughter.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  No one had ever accused Major Adams of lacking courage, and this proved it. Here he was, about to die of misery, and yet he was carrying through with his mission like a good soldier. Bradley was impressed, and it was in his power to end his commander’s misery.

  “Major,” Bradley entreated, choking off his laughter. When there was no answer, he stood and went to his side. “Major Adams?”

  The major stood before the folders of powders and curatives, bracing himself against the cabinet like the earth was shaking. “I’ve said what I came to say. From this point, if you want to see Miss Bell, apply to me first, and I’ll arrange proper—”

  “Major—”

  “Are you interrupting me again, trooper?” Major Adams’s chest puffed out as he turned to face Bradley.

  “It’s just that—”

  “I’m trying to do you a good turn. If you had any sense at all—”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. While I do want to see Miss Bell—”

  “Keep talking, and that offer is in jeopardy.”

  Bradley paused. Major Adams had recovered from his agony. In fact, he was about to be raging mad if Bradley didn’t tread carefully. He covered his mouth with his hand, showing his determination to wait until Adams was finished.

  But the major had had enough.

  “You have one chance to get this right. Don’t make me regret my offer.”

  Expelling his news in one breath, Bradley blurted, “Louisa is my sister.”

  The effect was instantaneous. Major Adams sagged like his knees might give out and blinked like a fish tossed up on the riverbank. Now Bradley could smile unafraid.

  “Louisa Bell is my sister. That’s why she’s been wanting to see me. I had no idea she was coming here. Nearly tripped over my own feet when I saw her.”

  Saw her dressed like a governess, he wanted to add, but he wouldn’t tell the major all her secrets.

  “So she—she already knew you?”

  “As brothers and sisters are wont to do, yes.”

  “Then there was nothing untoward in her desire to speak privately with you?” Major Adams frowned. “But why didn’t she tell me? Why hide it?”

  Bradley bounced on his toes, never having had this much fun in his short, hectic life. “Would you brag about having a brother like me, sir?”

  Major Adams cut him a sharp look, then with a shrug seemed to accept his excuse . . . which was fairly insulting, if Bradley thought about it, but he didn’t spend much time dwelling on offenses. He’d rather be thinking of how to tweak the nose of his major. All in good fun, of course.

  “You are her brother.” Major Adams kept glancing out the window toward his house. “She mentioned she had a brother who was sensitive to bee stings.”

  “That would be me. And that’s probably all she told you. But then again, I doubt you and her have had much time to converse, seeing as how she’s only the governess and so busy teaching your daughters.”

  “Yes . . .” His voice trailed off.

  “I mean, I doubt you’ve given her a second thought. Just another recruit at your command. No different than the rest of us poor grunts.”

  “No . . .”

  Major Adams was mesmerized, still staring at his house. Bradley might as well take advantage of the situation.

  “And then there’s that fence that still needs painting. I think Private Stephenson would appreciate that duty. All you have to do is say the word—”

  And just like that, Major Adams snapped to his senses. “As far as the fence goes, we don’t want to expose you needlessly to the same hornet nest. You can trade duties with someone cleaning the dining hall. That floor needs scrubbing by someone who can do it with strength and vigor. I think you’re just the person.” He turned on his heel to leave.

  “Excuse me, Major.”

  Major Adams hadn’t been able to stand just a minute earlier. Now he could hardly keep from running out the door. “What is it, Private?”

  “Please don’t tell Louisa that I told you. She didn’t want to hurt her standing in your eyes.”

  The major dropped his hat on his head and with a tap set it firm. “Who gives the orders around here?” he asked, then marched out the door.

  If Bradley had had an advantage, he hadn’t kept it long. That was how life went. Or his, anyway.

  “And I enjoyed your letter,” he said, laughing, but only when he was sure that Major Adams had left the building.

  The house was quiet, which to Louisa was not a good sign. Leaving the commissary, the girls had taken off without her. She’d chased them across the fort, but since they weren’t opposed to lifting their skirts and running, she’d fallen behind. Now, standing in the doorway of the house, it felt as still as a tomb. Where were they hiding? A quick look in Daniel’s office told her that he wasn’t home, either.

  Louisa was flummoxed. She’d come to Fort Reno to look for a job and to bring her brother into the major’s good graces. Now he’d been restored, and she felt like she was banished. Common sense told her that she was free to make her excuses and leave. Free to go west and try her luck with the new skills she’d learned here, but despite the danger, she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving. What would Caroline and Daisy do without her? Who would guide Caroline through the next years, when the most important decisions of a woman’s life were made? Who would keep an eye on Daisy and not be critical of her high spirits?

  And there was an even more important development. Louisa’s prejudices against God were weakening. She had to give Him a chance, but she feared leaving this safe haven. Could she afford her new Christian virtues when she was on her own? Could she afford them here, if it meant unburdening herself of her lies?

  Louisa tossed her portfolio of musical scores on the dining room table as she passed through to the kitchen. Where were the girls? So help her, if they got hurt again, she’d kill them. The lace curtains fluttered in the empty kitchen. A bowl of snapped green beans sat on the table. A crumpled dishrag had drawn a fly that she shooed away.

  A board creaked. Louisa froze. Upstairs—in her room, if she wasn’t mistaken. Her lips tightened. What mischief were they up to now? She crept up the stairs. Her smart chocolate lace-up boots weren’t designed for stalking quietly, but the girls weren’t listening for her. Instead they were oohing and ahhing like they were watching fireworks at the Independence Day celebration.

  Standing outside her bedroom door, she could hear them clearly.

  “Look at this, Caroline. Have you ever seen anything this lovely?”

  “No. Not until I found . . . this.”

  Daisy squealed. “Why doesn’t she wear these clothes? She always dressed so ugly.”

  “I don’t know,” Caroline replied, her voice nearly drowned by a swish of taffeta. “I would definitely have worn this.”

  Louisa hit the door so hard that it flew open and bounced against the wall. Both girls jumped. Caroline clutched Louisa’s blue silk gown to her chest. Daisy stumbled backward and tripped over an errant crinoline. Her hind end thudded on the floor.

  “You’re as quiet as an Indian,” she said.

  “And you’re as guilty as sin,” Louisa replied. “Get out of my room.”

  She turned to Caroline, who wasn’t moving. “Have these clothes been hiding in here all this time?” She held the blue silk beneath her chin. “How in the world could you forget them?”

  Because Louisa had been trying to forget that part of her life existed for weeks. “Those are my private belongings.” She caught the blue dress’s skirt, but Caroline didn’t let go, and they stood with it suspended between them. “You have no right.”

  “Louisa?” It was Daniel. He was in the house.

  Carolina’s eyebrow arched. Louisa? she mouthed.

  “Put those go
wns away,” Louisa rasped angrily. Major Adams had distanced himself from her already. How cold of a reception would she get if he saw these highly suggestive gowns?

  There was a mad flurry of fabric, lace, and feathers as the costumes were shoved into the wardrobe.

  “Don’t tell Pa we’re in here,” Daisy begged. At the sound of his footsteps in the hallway, she dove beneath the bed. Caroline followed as Louisa closed the door of the wardrobe and kicked the remaining pieces beneath the bed to join the girls.

  “Louisa?” The doorway was filled with the blue of his cavalry uniform. The only pieces missing were his hat and his saber. He rested his forearm on the doorframe. “I’m glad I found you.”

  The July heat had dampened his hair, leaving it curly and sticking to his forehead. Louisa clasped her hands behind her back and moved away from the incriminating wardrobe. He’d just left her an hour ago. Had he thought of something else to say?

  “Yes, sir. Did you need me?”

  “I do.”

  His honeyed eyes were captivating. His voice low and rich. The two words sent chills up her back. What had happened? Something significant, for his manner had changed. He extended his hand. What was she to do but offer her own? He took it, slowly and deliberately raising it, and when he paused, holding it just beneath his lips, Louisa nearly came undone. She was on the brink of ordering him to kiss it and get it over with, when he did just that. His warm mouth caressed her knuckle, and she felt a rush of exhilaration. Such a small gesture, but it affected her to the core.

  He released her hand, and she could have sworn she heard a giggle from beneath the bed. With a stomp of her heel, she silenced their hidden audience and snapped her senses to attention.

  “I came to tell you that I spoke to your . . . patient today.”

  Louisa felt mildly disappointed. Her brother had come out of this mess smelling like a daisy—no offense to Daisy—while she’d been the one judged. Cradling her recently kissed hand, she asked, “How is he?”

  “I’ve arranged for him to receive a special commendation for bravery, and he’s already back on duty.”

  What could be better news? Readjusting her expectations, Louisa responded with practiced grace. “How wonderful.”

  “I thought that would please you,” he said. “And in return for the good news, I have a favor to ask.”

  The silence was deafening. Obviously Caroline and Daisy were hanging on every word, but now Louisa was concerned they’d stopped breathing.

  Daniel ran his hand through his hair, a gesture he rarely made while in uniform. “I don’t mean to tie this favor to anything relating to Private Willis. It would be ungallant of me to expect something in return, because why should you care if I promote him or give him special honor? I just thought the good news might make you look more favorably toward any request at the moment.”

  He was rambling. If they were at the chess table, Louisa would suspect that he saw a trap ahead and didn’t know how to avoid it.

  “What I’d like to ask is if you’d allow me to escort you to dinner tomorrow night. Not here at the house, and not at the mess hall—that would be a disaster. Instead, I will take you to Lieutenant Hennessey’s next door. With Darlington evacuated, there aren’t any restaurants around in which to court a lady, and it seems lazy to stay here at home if I want to give you a special evening.”

  “I’m sorry,” Louisa gasped, “did you just say court?”

  He squared his shoulders. “Yes, I did. Court—exactly what a widower with a fine position in the U.S. Cavalry might do with a beautiful woman whom he regards highly. And it shouldn’t be a huge inconvenience. I’ve already arranged it all with Jack. We’d just go next door—”

  He turned his back to point in the direction of the lieutenant’s house. There was a sudden whisking noise, a puff of air against Louisa’s arm, and scuffling from the floor behind her.

  When he and Louisa both turned, the blue gown lay on the bed.

  Louisa wanted to run away.

  Daniel stepped inside the room, his eyes filled with wonder. “Has that been there this whole time?” Reverently, he reached out and brushed his fingertips against the blue silk. “It’s perfect for tomorrow evening,” he said. “I can’t wait to see you in it.” He dipped his chin in a ghost of a bow and added a single word that would cause Louisa no end of trouble from the girls beneath the bed. “Again.”

  Bradley Willis was Miss Bell’s brother—not her friend, not her beau. Daniel would have danced a jig if he hadn’t been in the middle of small arms practice with his men. His thumb found the hammer. He pulled it down and cocked it, sighted along the barrel, and then squeezed the trigger. The gun barely jumped in his trained hand. He didn’t have to wait for the smoke to clear before squeezing off a few more rounds. He knew where the target was, and it didn’t take but a moment for one of the troopers to check it and holler back the results.

  Daniel coolly holstered his pistol—Bradley Willis is her brother!—before repeating the steps for the troopers who were just learning how to shoot. Here was another area in which Bradley Willis would be an asset. And it was to his credit that he had a sister as refined as Louisa, too. Hadn’t Louisa mentioned being an orphan? That accounted for Bradley’s lack of discipline, but with a few years’ maturity, just think of all he could accomplish.

  And no, Daniel didn’t think it at all hypocritical that he now esteemed someone he’d despised earlier. In fact, he was relieved to be able to find value in the private. He hated being completely negative about anyone.

  He stayed at the shooting range long enough to see everyone perform once. He made corrections where needed but knew that his officers would continue to enforce whatever orders he gave even after he was gone. Getting on his horse, he decided to ride the perimeter. The whitewashing had been completed while Willis was recuperating. The stable had a healthy number of remounts, which would be needed by the reinforcements when they arrived after their long journey. At the armory, the gun powder was dry and stored correctly. The supplies were ready, should General Sheridan instigate a counteraction against the threatening tribe. The agency families had settled into their temporary quarters. It was nice to hear the voices of women and children at the fort again. He hoped the new officers being stationed with them would bring some families as well.

  Before he could consult the quartermaster about their supplies, a bugle sounded. Daniel turned his horse toward the coming messenger, who rode with a plume of dust behind him. Jack appeared from the adjutant’s office, having heard the signal.

  The sergeant saluted. “Four companies of the Fourth Cavalry are arriving. They’re making the river crossing now.”

  “Have they encountered any trouble?”

  “No, sir. They are a fearsome sight assembled. General Sheridan and General Miles should arrive shortly after with the infantry.”

  “Excellent news, Sergeant. Our displaced guests will be glad to hear that they will soon be going home. Report in at the office. Tell them to prepare for the Fourth’s arrival.”

  The trooper, anxious to spread his news, rode off, leaving Jack with Daniel.

  “While I’m glad for the reprieve, it’s bad timing for you,” Jack said. “I hope Miss Bell will be gracious enough to reschedule after General Sheridan’s visit has ended.”

  “Nonsense,” Daniel said. “I’ll greet the troops, introduce them to my best lieutenant, and he can direct them to their barracks while I enjoy my dinner. It cannot wait.”

  “I have to host eight hundred sweaty, dusty men while you entertain a beautiful woman in my dining room? I should file a grievance.”

  Daniel laughed. “Don’t worry, Jack. Someday I’ll repay the favor. You just wait.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Oh, Pa will think you look so beautiful.” Daisy danced in front of the door to Louisa’s room. Since the girls had heard their father’s request the night before, Louisa had been forced to wear her favorite dress, no matter how out of place it looked at t
he isolated outpost. But before she’d donned it, she’d spent hours with it and the sewing machine, adjusting the neckline and weeding out the frills and lace until it looked more suitable for her station.

  “How could she not look beautiful?” Caroline said. “Just look at that gown.”

  Maybe she should have done more weeding. But if Louisa detected a hint of envy in Caroline’s tone, she wasn’t bothered. It was the healthy response of a young lady who had never been to a dressmaker in her life. Even the new gown Louisa had sewn for her didn’t compare.

  “Your father wouldn’t allow you to wear this gown,” Louisa said. “A young, pretty girl like you doesn’t need finery to catch a young man’s attention. Only someone older like me . . .”

  She didn’t need to finish her sentence. Caroline rolled her eyes, but her smile told Louisa that she believed her. Louisa twisted another lock of hair and pinned it into place. She studied herself in the mirror. If she were at the Cat-Eye, she’d reach for a pot of rouge to complete the look, but she was surprised to find that she didn’t need it. Somehow the thought of Daniel asking her to spend special time with him brought color to her cheeks.

  What was she doing? Someday soon she had to tell Daniel the truth. No longer would her conscience allow her to live a lie. She didn’t know everything that God expected from her, but this was a sin she had to account for before she could be settled. She had to give Daniel up. But maybe not yet.

  “Look at her,” Daisy fake-whispered to her sister. “She’s thinking of Pa.”

  Louisa saw her own thick lashes flutter in shock before she could turn away to answer. Unable to deny it, she instead took a pillow off her bed and, much to Daisy’s delight, began to pummel her with it.

  Daisy shrieked, rolled off the bed, and scurried beneath the springs.

  “Be careful, Miss Bell,” Caroline said. “You don’t want to muss your hair.”

  No, she didn’t. She stood and smoothed her hands over her skirt, feeling more confident in her modified performance clothes. This Louisa knew what she was about. This Louisa awed her audiences with her talent. This Louisa didn’t hesitate before answering a question from a ten-year-old. And she wouldn’t cower, even before a major as majorish as Major Adams.