Love on the Plains

by Knight, Ciara

  Dinah balanced the plate in her lap and stared at the eggs as if they’d move. “Those men yesterday… I—”

  “I’m sorry.” Colt stiffened under the idea that his past had found him and that he’d endangered the lives of this beautiful woman and his lovely nieces and nephew.

  “For what?” Dinah asked, her voice soft.

  How could he tell her the truth? That he’d been the cause of such a horrifying ordeal the night before, ate him up inside. He couldn’t bear to see the look in Dinah’s eyes when she discovered that the unimaginable things he’d done in the past had brought terror to his front door.

  Suddenly, something dawned on him. “Those men didn’t take the children. Anna, Emma, James—they’re still here.”

  Dinah nodded her head. “No harm came to the children, thank goodness.”

  “And the board to bolt the door wasn’t broken in,” he said, flatly.

  Dinah flinched. She pushed her shoulders back before placing another piece of meat in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed and watched her squirm before saying, “You went to the creek on your own. Why?”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she placed a spoonful of egg in his mouth, and then another, until he shook his head to refuse more food. Dinah placed the cup of water to his lips. He had to admit the cool liquid was refreshing as it slid down his throat, but he didn’t forget what he wanted to ask her. Dinah was hiding something, and even as wounded and slowed down by laudanum as he was, he’d have his answer.

  When she finally set the cup back down, he asked, “Why’d you go down to the creek in the middle of the night? Were you running away?”

  Based on her curved shoulders, downcast gaze, and pouty lips pinched tight, he had his answer. And he didn’t like it.

  Dinah looked at the floor, the food, the window, but not at Colt. “Now isn’t the time to discuss it, but yes, I was running away.”

  He pressed his palm to the bed to push up, but pain shot through him as if lightening had shot into his head and out his toes. A strange wounded animal cry sounded from his own lips.

  “Stop, don’t move. You don’t have to worry. I’m not going anywhere not anytime soon.”

  He fell back, gasping for breath but his side felt like he’d been kicked, punched, shot, and trampled by wild horses. After several minutes, he managed to breathe and open his eyes again in time to stop her from giving him more pain medicine. “No. Don’t want it.”

  “I’m sorry, Colt. You don’t know how sorry I am, but if you promise to stay in bed, I promise not to leave. Not without talking to you first and not until you’re well,” Dinah said. Her eyes were clouded, as if the thought of staying blocked her natural light. “You can go. Samuel can—”

  Dinah stomped her foot. “Not another word.” She held a cup to his lips and he saw the determination in her set jaw. He was in no condition to argue now, but he knew one thing. God help him, he didn’t want Dinah to go.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Dinah was relieved when the doctor stopped in a week later. Colt still looked like he was in tremendous pain and guilt kept her at his side. Dr. Smith promised he was healing nicely and left strict instructions for Colt not to overdo it for another few weeks. Unfortunately, a few days later, his wound erupted with a violent infection and a high fever. For days, he’d tossed and turned in his bed, and all Dinah could do to help was to wipe away the sweat with cool water from the creek and pray. She was thankful when Samuel stopped in to help with the chores and to report about work. He was a good man.

  For the next three weeks after the midnight attack, Dinah, Colt, and the children had existed in a simple routine they’d settled into. Colt remained in the bedroom, and Dinah slept on the sofa, waking several times in the night to check on the healing man.

  In the mornings, Dinah would take the children to school in the wagon, and then return to the house…and to Colt. She’d cook and clean, as Colt slowly recuperated, and then in the afternoon, she’d walk partway up the path to town and join the children the remainder of the way home.

  In the evenings, she wrote letters to her sisters confessing her stupidity and embarrassment, but she didn’t mail them. Instead, she mailed empty promises of a beautiful home that she could bring them to soon and a town full of eligible bachelors for each of them.

  On the twenty-second day after the attack, Colt seemed better. He was steadily improving. His fever had done him no permanent harm, but it had set back his recovery. And on this morning, although Colt remained in bed, he was well enough along in his healing that Dinah felt free to take the time after dropping the children off at school to stop at the store in order to pick up some cooking supplies. She hoped to surprise Anna with dinner. And with luck, she wouldn’t burn the meat this time.

  She pulled the wagon to a stop outside the general store and was surprised to see a familiar face.

  “How have you been,” Andrew Sanbourn said, reaching out a hand to help her from the wagon.

  Shocked, she quickly recovered, and took his hand, pasting on a bright smile. “Fine. How have you been, Mr. Sanbourn?”

  People passed them, and to her relief, he kept a respectable distance as he walked her to the dry goods store. “I had hoped I’d run into you. Actually, I thought I’d see you a few weeks ago, but I must have missed you.” He smiled and cocked one eyebrow, as if inviting her to join in on a secret.

  Did he speak the truth? Had Mr. Sanbourn been there at the creek that night, and somehow, they’d missed each other? Dinah wasn’t sure how that could have been, and wariness crept over her.

  His smile faded, and he edged closer. “I was sorry to hear of your troubles that night. I’ve gone with a posse on several occasions looking for the men who attacked you.” His voice lowered. “I was glad to hear you were not…assaulted.”

  Still, she held her smile, and said, “I’m happy to say that Colt rescued me before any permanent harm could befall me.” At that moment, she realized she’d never thanked Colt for saving her life. Guilt flooded her veins. The minute she returned to Colt, she’d do just that.

  “Yes, Dr. Smith told me.” Mr. Sanbourn raised both eyebrows.

  The crowd thinned, and suddenly Dinah found herself being yanked between two buildings. She gasped.

  “I thought you’d changed your mind,” Andrew said, his voice thick. “I was desperate for you.”

  Could she believe him? “Did you really go to the creek to meet me that night?”

  Andrew closed the distance between them. She didn’t like his audacity in coming so close. His physical proximity made her feel…uncomfortable. She wasn’t in the mood for games, but didn’t want to cause a scene.

  “Yes, of course I was there, but you weren’t. I waited until almost dawn, then left, as I dared not risk being seen.”

  “I didn’t realize…” Had she arrived before the moon was high in the sky? Had Andrew been far away at the time when she was almost kidnapped, and Colt shot? Had he come later, when the house was ablaze with lantern light as she tended to Colt’s wounds?

  “I swear, I want you with me,” Andrew continued. “I’ll take you to the hotel now and set you up. Only we must keep it quiet so my wife or her friends do not discover what I’ve done.”

  “I can’t. Not now.” Dinah was surprised by the words she heard coming out of her own mouth.

  “Why not?” Andrew placed his hand on the small of her back.

  Dinah stiffened and stepped away. “Because I’m needed to care for the children.” Her mind spun with questions, but she was so very tired. Tired of pretending to be a belle, tired of flirting with men to get her way, tired of pursuing a future that would drown out the past. She wasn’t sure when this change in her had happened. Perhaps what Anna often said about Dinah needing more sleep was correct. “Since I hadn’t heard from you, I assumed that things had changed between us. I no longer can abandon those children, not even to Mrs. McDaniel’s care.”

  “Why? They’re not yours.”

  �
�No, they’re not.” As Dinah said the words, her chest ached. What had happened to her? At some point, she’d started caring about Anna, James, and Emma. They were such amazing children. Loving, and giving, and hardworking, too. Able to find joy even after such heartbreak. They were an inspiration.

  Andrew continued. “I thought you’d decided against my proposal. That you’d only tricked me into believing your intentions were true, that you’d wait for me until I could divorce my wretch of a wife.” He reached out and grabbed her then, pulling her into his arms. “Stay with me now, in the city. Do not return to Colt Hardin’s hovel. I’ll take care of you, like we’d planned.”

  Something had to change. In the last week or two, she’d fallen into some sort of routine she never wanted. But for some reason, the hard work of cleaning and scrubbing and cooking, didn’t bother her the way it once would have.

  “You’d mentioned your sisters.” At her wide eyes, Andrew continued. “I’ll set about bringing your sisters here. Or are you going to abandon them now, too?”

  Andrew’s words stabbed her through the heart. A deep ache remained. She’d never forget about her sisters. “No.”

  He moved closer, dropping his voice to a sympathetic tone. “You wouldn’t want them to continue suffering starvation and God knows what else, would you?”

  She clutched the rough fabric of her skirt. Being with Andrew Sanbourn was the more practical choice, rather than what was offered by Colt Hardin. Which was nothing, not even a marriage proposal any more. Not since the night he discovered that Andrew had bought her that darn dress. Only the promise to watch the children until he was well enough to do it himself. “Are you saying you’ll only bring my sisters here if I agree to your proposal?”

  “You can’t expect me to play the fool. A woman of your beauty can make a man believe anything. If I send for your sisters now, I will spend my money and resources for a woman who will only run off.”

  “Are you saying I’m a thief, sir?” She thought she had started gaining control of her temper the last week or so, but right now it surged forth like Sherman and his soldiers setting fire to Atlanta.

  “Not at all. If you move to the hotel and accept my proposal, I’ll know you mean to keep your word. I’ll send for your sisters immediately. I could send word first thing in the morning, in fact. All you have to do is leave Colt and stay in the hotel tonight.”

  “Even if I agree to this, I have to say goodbye to the children.” Colt was in no shape to stop her. There was no reason she couldn’t leave his home.

  “Fine. You go home, and return tomorrow. I’ll make arrangements for Mrs. McDaniel to be at the house before the children return from school.”

  She only nodded, not sure of her real answer, but she knew Andrew was right. How could she abandon her sisters? All Dinah had to do to bring her sisters to the safety and comfort of Sioux City was agree to marry a man who should make her happy…a man who promised her everything she wanted.

  “Done. Oh Dinah, we’re going to be so happy together.” Andrew, with too much presumption, kissed her cheek. Before she could complain, he slipped away, blending into the crowd once again.

  There. It was done. The decision had been made. Dinah could be free of the children and return to the life she’d planned. Her legs and arms felt numb. She shook off the sensation and headed inside the dry goods store to buy flour. They’d run low and she wanted to make fresh biscuits for dinner. This time she only hoped the biscuits wouldn’t break a board if they fell to the floor.

  Inside, she caught eye of some ribbons, and immediately knew she wanted to give them to Anna and Emma. They didn’t have any, and every little girl needed ribbons.

  Several women entered. She couldn’t see the women’s faces from where she stood behind two shelves, but she recognized one of the voices as Mrs. McDaniel’s, and the other as one of the mothers of a boy in James’s class.

  “Can you believe that child? He doesn’t belong in school with my Paul. He’s a mute. Aren’t there institutions for children like that?” the woman, whose name Dinah, couldn’t recall said with a huff.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Mrs. McDaniel said. “It was forever that I had that child in my home. I couldn’t sleep in for fear he’d shoot me, too.”

  “Shoot you?” The woman gasped.

  “Didn’t you hear the rumor about how his mother and father really died?”

  Dinah’s heart raced, and her breath caught in her throat. Her thoughts jumbled.

  Mrs. McDaniel’s said loudly, before the other woman could so much as say a word, “That child shot both his mother and his father and made it look like a wagon accident. The kid is a murderer.”

  Before Dinah could gather her wits, Mrs. McDaniel and Paul’s mother rounded the shelf and gasped at the sight of her. At their astonished—and guilty—faces, Dinah managed to find her words. With steely resolve, she said firmly, “Perhaps you both should go to church and start praying for your souls. How could two grown women gossip about a child? You both should be ashamed of yourselves.”

  Dinah snatched the ribbons and placed them on the front counter. Her hands shook, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had been so angry at another woman. “I need flour, too, please,” she directed to the clerk near the register.

  Open-mouthed, the clerk grabbed a sack set against the wall and placed it on the counter.

  “Well, I never,” Paul’s mother said from behind.

  Dinah couldn’t hold her tongue, not at the verbal attack against a little boy who was nothing but gentle and kind and protective. “The problem here,” she said to the two women, “is that I was once like both of you. I used to gossip and carry on as if other people didn’t matter, so long as I was the one everyone noticed. And the more they noticed, the more I gossiped. I have a secret for you both, though.” Dinah leaned in and whispered, “Gossiping like that is a sign of insecurity and desperation. I only just now realized how truly unattractive it is.”

  The store clerk cleared his throat. Mrs. McDaniel, Mrs. Lassiter, can I get you anything?”

  Paul’s mother, Mrs. Lassiter ignored the clerk and shuffled closer. “How dare you lecture us? We’re respectable women. Unlike you. A woman living with a man she isn’t married to. Do you think because the men gawk at you as you pass, that you’re something special? You’re not.”

  Dinah was glad to see she’d gotten under the skin of the cruel woman. She had never been so bold and vulgar, but sometimes people needed a little verbal slap of reality. She should be horrified at the accusation that she was living with Colt in sin, but she didn’t care. Not like she once would have. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go make dinner for my family.” Dinah signed for the purchases, then gathered her things in her arms and made ready to leave.

  Mrs. McDaniel blocked the only path to the door. “You are going to burn in hell, living with a man and not married. I can only imagine the unspeakable things you’re doing to satisfy him. We’ll pray, all right. For your soul.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Colt woke to a slow pounding in his head like he’d had in the beginning days from lack of alcohol. He opened his eyes and blinked through the blur and pain, until he realized it wasn’t his head that pounded, but there was an actual pounding sound emanating from the kitchen. He managed to roll out of bed and stand, albeit wobbly, on his feet. He shuffled down the hallway to find Dinah at the table, covered in flour and anger.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She beat her dainty fist against the dough on the table. “Everything.”

  Colt edged into the room, wanting to make Dinah’s anger disappear. Not because he didn’t want to address whatever was eating at her heart, but because he saw the sadness behind the firm mask she held over her face. “What can I do?”

  “Nothing. Go back to bed. You’re not supposed to be up. We don’t want the infection to return.” Dinah rounded the table, a fiery stray curl falling over her face.

  “No.” He s
huffled the few steps into the kitchen. “Not until you tell me what has made you so angry at that poor dough.”

  She huffed, wiped her hands on a piece of cloth that looked suspiciously like the dress Andrew had bought her. A renewed energy filled him. Her gaze followed his to the cloth, so he quickly snapped his attention back to the dough. “Fine. If you want to kill yourself, who am I to stop you? I’ve only cared for you the last few weeks.” A blush rushed over her cheeks. “I meant to say, I took care of you.”

  A cool breeze drifted through the open front door and flowed through the main room into the kitchen, but Dinah’s gaze remained hot and fiery. Flour covered the tabletop, the floor, even her face, creating a ghostly aspect to her. Yet, Dinah looked perfect.

  “Did something happen in town? I see you managed to get the flour,” he said, chuckling lightly.

  She picked up a handful and threw it at him. He sneezed, and then doubled over in pain.

  “Oh, no! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she exclaimed, coming to his side. She’d slipped an arm around his waist before he could even recover. “Let’s get you back in bed.”

  He liked that idea. The thoughts of her by his bedside, stroking his hair, seeing to his wounds, talking to him, all drew him in that direction, but instead he shook his head. “Not until you tell me what has you so troubled.”

  “What has me troubled? Since when did you learn how to speak like a gentleman? Actually, when did you learn how to speak beyond grunts and groans?” Dinah smiled up at him, a teasing smile.

  Her smile snagged his attention. The aroma of her skin called him closer to her. She was the cleanest woman in Sioux City, and he couldn’t deny that he liked it. “I always spoke ‘gentleman,’” he teased. “I just forgot how to use it.”

  Dinah held tight to him, and he liked the warmth of her body next to his. With autumn’s arrival, the temperature had started to drop. Having a woman by his side in the winter months, their bodies warming each other, would be lovely.