by Robin Deeter
Unfortunately, his second wife, David’s mother, had also fallen to the influenza. She’d been a white woman, who had been rescued from a band of thieves by Charles's tribe. She and Charles had quickly fallen in love and Jacqueline Montclair, who’d taken the name Star Woman, had happily agreed to marry him and share him with Charlotte.
Charles had loved both of his wives equally and Star Woman’s death had caused him great grief. Star Woman had become a sister to Charlotte and she, too, had mourned her co-wife. There had never been any jealousy between the two women and their home had been harmonious.
The French and English trappers who’d become so friendly with their tribe had taught them how to play poker and other card games and Charles had grown particularly skilled at the games of chance. He’d won their land from a rich businessman who’d been going to turn the land into a feed mill.
However, he’d not anticipated coming up against the Comanche man who had just as much luck as any Irishman. Charles had beaten him soundly, coming away from the game with not only the land, but a sizable amount of money. He’d bought several good Thoroughbred mares and an excellent stud, which had been his seed horses.
They’d carefully grown their business, breeding fine horses and selling them to the military and settlers passing through the area. Cotton had helped with the operation, but he’d opposed living in the large, white man’s house. Their land included the area in back of Sundance Ranch.
The secluded location had appealed to Cotton, who’d craved solitude, preferring to deal with his grief alone. That had lasted for almost two years. During that time, David had met Bonnie and they’d married. It wasn’t long until Daniel and Sly had come along, capturing everyone’s hearts, including Cotton’s.
The twins had helped to heal his broken heart, showing him that there was still good in the world to enjoy and that life was worth living. With time, he’d returned to the fun-loving, kind man he’d once been.
Cy and Daphne had come along about the same time as the twins, bringing even more joy into his life. Now, as he kept Cy company, anticipation filled him over having a grand niece or nephew.
Leigh let out a particularly loud cry and Cy shot to his feet, shoving a shaking hand through his hair.
“Easy, nephew,” Cotton said. “It’s all part of the birth.”
Cy crossed his arms over his chest as he paced. “I know, but I can’t help her. I need to do something. I—”
“Your wife is strong and she has plenty of help. You’ve done all you can and now you must let go and trust that the Great Spirit will watch over Leigh and the baby,” Cotton said.
As Cy nodded and let out a breath, a baby’s cry sounded from upstairs. Cy shot out of the room, took the stairs two at a time, and raced down the hall to their room.
“Is it a boy or a girl? Are you all right, Leigh?” he called out.
“I’m fine, Cy,” Leigh replied. “We have a boy, honey!”
Cy let out an uncharacteristic whoop and jumped up in the air. Cotton and Johnny had followed him and they let out their own shouts of joy. Daphne soon opened the door, beaming as she handed a tiny form wrapped in a soft blanket to Cy.
“Here’s your son, Pa,” she said, her dark eyes shining.
Cy carefully took the baby, treating him as though he was fine china. He hadn’t held a baby in years and then only briefly. It was love at first sight as he gazed down at the little pink face peeking out from the blanket. The detective wasn’t one for crying, but he couldn’t contain the tidal wave of love, joy, and relief that hit him, and tears flowed freely down his face.
Johnny and Cotton stood, one on either side of Cy, looking at the baby with him.
Cy kissed the little fellow’s forehead. “Hi, C.J. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Cotton smiled. “He is named for you?”
Cy’s grin could have lit up a room. “Yeah. Leigh wanted a junior and you know that it’s no use to argue with her when she makes up her mind.”
Johnny patted him on the back. “Yeah, but it’s not like you mind any.”
“No, I don’t. He’s beautiful.”
They heard Leigh groan from inside the room.
“Everything okay in there?” Johnny asked.
Mrs. Albertson said, “Well, I hope you have an extra bassinet around. Looks like your boy is going to have a brother or sister.”
Cotton put a steadying hand on Cy’s shoulder when he saw him go white under his light bronze skin.
“What?” Cy asked weakly.
Johnny tickled C.J.’s chin a little. “Guess what, buddy? Your womb-mate is coming to join you.”
Cotton let out a snort of laughter. “Womb-mate?”
Johnny chuckled. “Well, we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet, so I can’t say brother or sister. So, womb-mate.”
Cy laughed at his joke. “I can’t believe it’s twins.”
“They do run in the family,” Cotton remarked.
Cy gave C.J. to Cotton, who said a prayer over the baby. Cy paced as his wife resumed grunting and groaning.
She’d barely had time to rest until the next baby had made its presence known. Even as she labored, she smiled over the double bounty she’d been blessed with. Since she’d never conceived with her first husband, she and her doctors had thought that she was barren. Apparently that had been a false assumption, and the difficulty had lain with her former husband.
“I never thought I’d have a baby, let alone twins,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m so haapppyyy!”
Daphne held her hand and supported her while she pushed, thrilled to be able to share the experience with her sister-in-law and best friend. “I’m so happy for you and Cy. These babies are going to be so spoiled.”
Leigh grinned as she leaned forward and pushed for all she was worth. Soon C.J.’s sister made her first appearance, letting out a piercing squall. Daphne hugged Leigh, the two women laughing and crying together, rejoicing in the birth of yet another healthy baby.
Joanne finished with the baby and handed her to Daphne, who gave her to Leigh.
Leigh touched the little fist the baby waved around, smiling at the cry she let out.
“She’s beautiful. She has Cy’s dark hair. Welcome to the world, Anna Decker.” They’d named her after Cy and Daphne’s mother.
“That she does,” Daphne agreed.
Shaking her head a little, Leigh said, “I feel like I’m dreaming.”
Joanne said, “I know the feeling. It was like that with all four of my boys. Daphne, why don’t you take Anna out to meet the menfolk while I take care of Leigh?”
Leigh didn’t want to give up her brand new daughter, but she knew that she’d have her and C.J. back before too long.
Cy was just as thrilled with Anna as he had been with C.J.
Wiping away tears, he said, “I’ve never cried so much in all my life.”
Cotton patted his shoulder. “These are tears of joy and there is no shame in them.”
The trio of men took the babies downstairs until Joanne was done with Leigh. Not only was the home they now lived in new, it was doubly blessed with two new little lives who brought joy and light with them.
Chapter Twenty-One
Mid July brought joy and longing with it. The Decker twins grew healthy and strong, doted on by their relatives and friends. Fortunately, although thunderstorms still rolled through the community a couple of times a week, no more tornadoes touched down in or near Chance City.
Wheels’ injuries had mainly healed by that time, except for his shoulder. Although it wasn’t nearly as painful, he still had trouble using it to transfer and push his chair. Fearing permanent damage to it, he followed Vin’s orders to the letter, not pushing the joint too hard, too fast.
His and Nora’s relationship solidified even further, and Wheels had gone back to his philosophy that when troubles arose, it could always be worse. His brush with death had made him even more grateful for all of the blessings in his life, the b
iggest being his beautiful wife.
She took care of him without complaint, helping him and supporting him. Both of them used humor to get through some of the most stressful moments, and they had plenty of help between their family members. Ollie came in handy, doing all of the things he’d been trained to do: pull down covers, fetch things, and keeping Wheels company whenever the rest of the family was busy.
One warm morning, Wheels watched Nora sleep, the sun illuminating her lovely face. It wasn’t time to get up yet, so he didn’t disturb her. He smiled as he thought about last night and the way they’d carefully made love. It had been slow and gentle, a reawakening of their passion for each other.
As the sun slowly changed position with the passing minutes, Wheels thought about the conversation he’d had with Ray about crossroads the day when they’d gone to get fitted for their tuxes. Philosophically, he thought that life was a series of crossroads, choices in front of everyone all the time, each leading down a different path.
He’d come to his biggest crossroad thus far when he’d been faced with the choice to swallow his pride and keep the happiness he’d found or to let his ego stand in the way of a bright future. He was immensely glad that he’d chosen the former path instead of the latter.
Ollie wandered into their room, yawning before jumping up on the bed and a softly grunting good morning to Wheels. He climbed up on Wheels’ chest and leaned over to kiss him. Wheels smiled and pet him.
Ollie let out a few bird-like sounds and then slid down into the space between Wheels and Nora. He laid down on his side so he could look at Nora and Wheels had the distinct impression that the monkey was watching her with as much adoration as him. He wouldn’t be surprised.
As he put a hand lightly on Ollie’s head, he thought about how much like a baby Ollie was sometimes and wondered if he and Nora would ever have a baby of their own. Wheels would like that very much, but he would also be perfectly happy adopting a little one who needed a good, loving home.
He almost laughed as he imagined Ollie with a baby. He’d been great with Clyde, although they’d had to watch him like a hawk because he’d wanted to pick baby Clyde up on his own. It was no wonder that Clyde often treated Ollie more like another sibling instead of a monkey.
Ollie climbed back up onto Wheels, his amber eyes meeting Wheels’.
“What do you think, buddy? You ready to have another baby to play with?” he whispered to Ollie.
Ollie grunted and bobbed his head, clearly saying yes.
Wheels whispered, “Me, too. We’ll see what we can do about that, okay?”
Ollie bobbed his head again and then curled up on Wheels’ stomach. As he watched his wife and buddy sleep, Wheels looked forward to whatever other crossroads lay ahead. Eagerly, he anticipated the good ones and as for the bad, no matter what happened, it could always be worse.
*****
Cy sat in a chair outside the Dog House, his legs stretched out before him as he drew on a tablet. He sketched a picture of Leigh smiling down at Anna as she held her as he thought about his and Brock’s latest case.
His black pug, Pudge, let out soft woof and Cy looked up to see Carly entering the yard from the office kitchen.
“Hello, Mayor Branson. How are you?” he asked, smiling.
She returned the expression as she bent to pet Pudge and his buddies, Burt and Slink. “I’m fine, thank you. I’ve come for your help. It’s time to find Ray.”
Cy stood up, stretched, and yawned. “Okay.”
Carly laughed. “Twins have you up again?”
“Always. They have their nights and days mixed up, but I don’t mind in a way since I get to see them more.”
Carly smiled. “These will be the days you’ll wish you could come back to when they’re grown.”
“I expect you’re right.”
Carly took out a packet of envelopes from her reticule. “These are all of the envelopes in which Ray has sent me money. Can you find him with them? They’re from all over, so he’s apparently travelling around.”
Cy simply smiled and motioned for her to follow him into the Dog House. Going over to a large map of Oklahoma, he began putting a pin in each location noted on the envelopes.
“How much money has he been sending you?”
“Well, to date, he’s sent me almost six thousand dollars.” Carly swallowed hard. “Which tells me that he’s been very busy at his former profession.”
Cy grunted. “Yeah, I guess so. You really love him, don’t you? Most women wouldn’t have bothered once they knew he’d gone back to hustling.”
Carly said, “You’re not the only one who’s said that to me. And yes, I love him enough to overlook what he’s been doing to make that kind of money. I know you don’t understand, but there’s so much more to Ray than anyone knows. I only hope it doesn’t take a lot of searching to find him.”
Cy tapped the map over Oklahoma City. “That’s where he is. He’s gone to a lot of towns around there to mail these. He went where he knew he’d have enough higher society customers to make that kind of cash as quick as possible.”
Carly was amazed that he’d figured it out so quickly. “So all we have to do is go to Oklahoma City and bring him back.”
Cy’s eyebrows rose. “You mean you’re going there? To a brothel? That’s most likely where he’s working.”
An enigmatic smile curved her lips. “Oh, I’m well aware of where he used to work. There are very few things I don’t know about Ray, Cy.”
Over the last month and a half, she’d visited the Chowhound and Benny’s a few times, figuring that if Ray had tried so hard to become respectable, maybe she should become a little less so. She recalled the hush that fallen over the saloon when she’d entered with Hector beside her that first time.
Although Sandy’s surprise had been just as great as Benny’s had been the night Ray had first taken her there, the bar owner had instantly grasped what Carly was up to and had jumped to help another woman who was trying to turn the tables on men.
Sandy had called out a loud greeting to Carly as though they were long-time friends and Carly’s presence in the bar was a common occurrence. Hector had followed Carly to the bar, his eyes glittering dangerously in warning as he gazed around the barroom. His attitude said that if anyone made a wrong move towards the mayor that they would wind up dead.
For the next hour, Carly had chatted with Sandy and a few of the patrons, asking a couple of the council members there to give her regards to their wives. Hector had enjoyed watching Carly put the screws to them and the shock on their faces.
Although there had been some gossip and a few negative reactions, the sky hadn’t crumbled as Carly had feared it might. If anything, it seemed to have helped her standing where men were concerned and she thought that she should’ve tried lowering herself sooner. It might have made her job a little easier. Lessons learned.
Cy arched an eyebrow, but made no further comment. “Make sure you have good security with you. I assume Hector is escorting you.”
“You assume correctly,” Carly said. “Thank you.” She looked around the Dog House. “You need a proper office, Detective.”
Cy smiled. “Maybe. This has been fine.”
Carly took the stack of envelopes back from Cy and tapped his arm with them. “Consider it taken care of.”
Cy followed her out of his shed. “What do you mean?”
Carly just gave him another mysterious smile and entered the sheriff’s office, leaving him to look after her.
*****
“Yeah, yeah! I’m coming!” Ray said when someone knocked on his door.
He sleepily dragged on underwear and padded over to it. A woman stood on the other side.
“Oh, God, it’s too early for this,” he said, still groggy. “Come back this afternoon. Everyone knows that I don’t see customers in the morning.”
The hard slap that was delivered to his face echoed in his room with a sharp crack. Stunned, he stumbled back a couple of st
eps, far enough so that the woman could gain entry into the room.
Ray put a hand to his stinging cheek. “What the hell?”
The woman locked the door and turned around. Ray forgot the pain in his face as he recognized her with a shock.
“Carly?” He shook his head, convinced that he was dreaming.
She took off her fine gray and black hat and sat it on a chair. “Yes, Ray, it’s me.”
“What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
As she took off her gloves, Carly looked Ray over, noting that he was just as sinfully gorgeous as ever. From his sleek, tousled black hair to his bare feet he was a study in male perfection. Her legs grew weak as hunger stole through her. Steeling herself against it, she undid the first few buttons on her suit jacket.
“Well, Ray, I know people who are very good at finding other people,” she said coolly.
His nostrils flared a little as he watched her pretty fingers undo the rest of the pearl buttons on the jacket and part it. “Why are you here?”
“I came on very important business, Ray.” She removed the jacket and put it with her hat. “It’s been quite eventful at home since you left town. Cy and Leigh had twins.”
Ray smiled despite his confusion and anger. “Twins? Wow.”
“Yes. They’re very sweet babies, as you can imagine. Wheels is coming along very nicely, out and about as usual. Well, almost like usual. He still has to be a little careful with his shoulder,” she said.
Ray registered her words on one level, but on another, baser level, he was focused on the way her body was bared to him one article of clothing at a time. His temperature rose with every piece she laid on the chair.
“What are you doing?” he asked when she stood in only her chemise and brassiere.
“Do you remember when you came stomping into my office the day you confronted me about spreading rumors about you?”
“Yeah.”
He almost groaned over seeing her long, shapely legs again. There wasn’t an inch of Carly’s body that he didn’t know and yet he’d never get enough of her.