by Linda Bridey
“I love you and I couldn’t wait to get back so I could tell you,” she said, tears trickling down her cheeks.
Art closed his eyes and embraced her again. “Well, that’s good for me because I love your beautiful behind and the rest of you, too.”
Hailey laughed as joy swept through her. “I don’t know why you do, but I’m so glad.”
Looking in her eyes again, he said, “I think it’s because a few minutes after I met you, you told me I could go to hell. I like that in a woman.”
She let out a loud laugh as she remembered meeting Art in a trench during the war. “I was so mad at you and Kyle.”
“Oh, I know you were,” Art said. “If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under right now.”
“It’s a good thing for me that you aren’t.”
He brushed her reddish-brown hair back from her face. “I’m glad, too. I was worried about you the whole time you were gone, but not because you can’t take care of yourself. It’s just that sometimes things happen that you can’t control, you know?”
“I know. I like that you were thinking about me so much,” she said. “I thought about you, too. I already knew before we left that you loved me. I’m sorry it took me being away from you for me to realize how much I love you.”
“It’s ok,” Art assured her. “I wasn’t gonna rush you. You had to do it in your own time. I ain’t mad.”
Hailey hugged him. “Why do you have so much patience with me?”
His laugh rumbled under her ear. “I get that from my mama. She has the patience of Job. Always did. Besides, I like a strong woman and you’re definitely that. Any woman who can sneak onto a battlefield and kill Germans is strong.”
She smiled against his chest and then bit him through his shirt.
“Hey! Barely back and antagonizing me already,” he said, fisting his hand in her hair and playfully pulling it.
“Just picking up where we left off,” she said.
He pressed his lips to hers. “I’d rather pick it up there, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind one bit,” she said, winding her arms around his neck.
Art nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent. “Mmm. You smell so good. I missed that sweet, minty scent of yours.”
“I bathed before I came up here. I was grimy.”
“Why the hell didn’t you come get me first? I coulda washed your back,” he said.
She giggled shyly. “Because.”
“Why so bashful with me? You bathe with a lot of the fellas.”
She gasped and looked at him.
“What? You don’t think I know that?” He laughed at her shocked expression. “Hailey, I ain’t mad. Jealous, but not mad. I know to them you’re just one of the boys. I don’t understand it because that’s not how I was raised, but I don’t hold it against you.”
Hailey’s cheeks flamed and she couldn’t look at him. “It’s different with you,” she said.
Pulling her back to him, he said, “I know that. I think I’ll start swimming naked with the girls.”
“Not if you value your life,” Hailey said. “Most of the girls won’t swim with the boys, so they’d be scared to death.”
“Hmm. You might be right. I don’t want to go scarin’ anyone. I’ll just go swimming naked with you then.”
Again she giggled, making him laugh.
“I bet if I told people that you giggle that they’d never believe it,” Art said. “You don’t look like a giggler.”
“I’m usually not,” Hailey said. “It’s very annoying that you make me.”
“I’ll bet.”
He kissed his way up her neck before giving her a demanding kiss. Her wild response thrilled him and he took advantage of it. She’d been gone so long and he’d craved her the whole time. She felt so good in his arms and his hunger for her grew even more powerful.
Hailey felt a little faint from the level of passion he incited in her. She clung to his shoulders, loving the way his muscles moved under her palms. Then she felt his hands move up under her buckskin shirt and press against her back.
Breaking the kiss, she met his gaze, fear in her eyes.
“You ok, soldier?” Art asked.
“I don’t know. What are you expecting?” Hailey asked.
“Expecting? Nothing. I know what I’d like, but I won’t do that if it’s not what you want,” he replied.
Hailey’s heartbeat accelerated. “I don’t know if it’s what I want. I think so, but I don’t know.”
Seeing that she was ready to bolt, Art pulled away from her and said, “Sit down with me, Hailey.”
“I should go,” she said.
“No, you should sit down with me and tell me about this vision,” Art said. “I’ve heard it from some of your family, but I’d like to hear it from you.”
It was always better to back off when Hailey got scared, so he sidestepped the issue at hand, letting her escape a little. Usually when he did that, she settled down again.
Hailey sat on one of the two wooden chairs, grateful for the reprieve. She watched Art closely for any trace of annoyance, but all she saw in his eyes was curiosity as he sat down. By the time she was done recounting her experience, she felt in control again. Art asked questions and marveled again at the whole thing.
“No wonder Reckless had a heart attack. I’d have had one, too, if all those buffalo came at me,” he joked.
Hailey laughed. “No, you wouldn’t have. You’re too brave for that.”
“Well, maybe if I had a gun I’d be brave. At least I could catch some supper and a coat at the same time.”
“I don’t think you’d look good in a buffalo coat.”
“Sure, I would,” he insisted.
She shook her head. “Buckskin is a better color for you.”
“Oh yeah? Well, I don’t have a buckskin coat.”
“You don’t have a buffalo one, either,” she said, smiling.
“There are two Christmas gift ideas for you then,” Art said.
She laughed and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good.”
Hailey stood up. “I really should go. You have work in the morning.”
Art stood up with her. “And I’m sure you’re bushed. It’ll feel good sleeping in a bed again.” He embraced her. “I love you. It feels good to be able to say that to you.”
“I love you, too.”
After a brief kiss, he let her go. “You be careful going home.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
Following her out to her horse, he watched her mount up. He wanted to go with her to make sure she got home safe, but he knew that suggesting it would only make her angry. He didn’t want that the first night she’d gotten home, just like he didn’t want her to panic on him.
She leaned down for a last kiss and then rode away. Art blew out a breath, laughed to himself, and went back inside.
Chapter Eighteen
Skip started the next morning when he felt his bed shake. Opening his eyes, he saw Peanut lying down beside him without a stitch of clothes on.
At his surprised expression, she laughed and said, “Your parents are gone and Annie is sleeping.”
Skip grinned at her. “In that case, I’m overdressed.”
He shed his underwear in seconds and took Peanut in his arms. “I love you and I missed you so much.”
Running her fingers through his hair, Peanut said, “I love you, too. I couldn’t wait until you got back. I’m glad the rest of the trip was good.”
“Yeah. We had a lot of fun. Joey and I kept playing pranks on everyone. Of course, then they played them on us, too,” Skip said.
“I’m sorry I missed it,” Peanut said.
Skip kissed her hand. “Well, as fun as it was, I would have much rather been with you.”
“Really? Are you sure?” Peanut asked anxiously. “Did you change your mind about us getting married?”
“What? No! Of course not,” Skip said. “I love you an
d I can’t wait to be your husband.”
Peanut furiously tried to blink away tears. “Ok.”
Skip gathered her close. “Don’t cry, Pollyanna. Soon we’ll walk down the aisle and get married. Well, you’ll walk down the aisle. I’ll already be down there at the altar waiting for you. It would be weird if I walked with you and whoever is giving you away.”
“Don’t call me that!” Peanut said, laughing. “You know I hate it. And, no, I don’t want you to walk down the aisle with me and Raven. I’m gonna ask him to give me away. He was so nice to Jaylyn and me.”
“Good choice,” Skip said, letting his gaze travel over her. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
She shook her head a little. “No. I don’t feel beautiful.”
Skip said, “Well, you are. Why don’t I show you how beautiful I think you are and make your toes curl?”
“Good idea,” Peanut said emphatically.
“You might have to remind me how this goes since we’re not in a pond,” he said, smiling.
She giggled and then kissed him, loving the way he held her. Peanut now knew what true love felt like and, although she wouldn’t wish her children away, she did wish that Skip was the first man she’d ever been with. He made her feel cherished and wanted on so many levels and she wondered how she could’ve ever thought that Claude had loved her. Skip was passionate yet gentle and so sweet that she fell in love with him all over again.
Skip hadn’t known it was possible to feel so much joy. Nothing mattered during that time except the woman he held in his arms. He never imagined that such a beautiful girl would get past his bashfulness and fall in love with him, despite his odd behavior. She was his now and he would show her every day how much he loved her—and that included making her toes curl.
*****
Later that morning, Skip and Peanut walked along Main Street, holding hands while Skip carried Annie. He stopped in at the Dawson Dialogue, the town newspaper, to let them know that he’d be in to work the next day. After that, they went to the bank so Skip could get out the money he owed Joey and money for other things.
They were on their way to Elliot’s when Skip heard his name called.
“Skippy!”
Turning around, he grinned as his sister, Renee, trotted towards him. He jogged to her and they embraced, laughing together. Renee kissed his cheek soundly and then pulled back.
“You are never allowed to go away like that again!” she proclaimed. “I missed my little brother too much.”
“I missed you, too. I was coming to see you after I ran some errands,” Skip said.
As they rejoined Peanut, she said, “Well, I tracked you down. I went over to the house, but no one was home. So I just started walking around, figuring that I’d catch up to you somewhere.”
“Well, here we are,” he said.
Renee put an arm around Peanut. “How is my future sister-in-law feeling today?”
Skip had been glad to hear that Renee and Peanut got along. He hadn’t been too worried about it, but it was still nice to see.
Peanut said, “I’m fine, thanks.”
“I’m sure you’re just as happy as I am that Skip is home,” Renee said, her dark eyes twinkling.
Peanut smiled. “I sure am.”
Skip said, “Well, Skip is very, very happy to be home.”
“Peanut, don’t you think it’s close enough to lunchtime to have a milkshake?” Renee asked.
“Definitely,” Peanut said.
Skip laughed. “Is that what you’re craving now?”
“Yeah. Anything with milk. Ice cream, too. Vanilla,” Peanut said. Her stomach growled, making them crack up. “Shut up. I can’t help it. Just you wait until you get pregnant, Renee. You’ll have cravings, too.”
Renee’s expression turned dreamy. “I can’t wait to have Timmy’s baby.”
Skip said, “I’m sure it won’t be too long.”
“One can only hope,” Renee said. “C’mon. To the Sweet Spot!”
*****
Peanut watched Skip talk with his other best buddy, Sawyer Samuels, who had come into the Sweet Spot for a sandwich. She hadn’t realized that Skip was so popular. It seemed that everyone who came knew him and welcomed him back home. This included girls. Skip always introduced Peanut as his fiancée to those who didn’t know her, which made her feel good.
Although Skip was oblivious, Peanut saw female appreciation in several girls’ eyes and it made her jealous. At those times, she would lay a possessive hand on his arm and narrow her eyes at them to warn them off.
Renee noticed and approved of Peanut’s subtle actions. She did the same sort of thing with other women who paid her handsome husband a little too much attention. Men could be blind to such things, but Skip, with his trusting nature, was especially so. The sweet way Skip and Peanut interacted with each other did Renee’s heart good and she loved watching him with Annie.
It also made her long for her own baby to hold and love. She and Tim hadn’t been married very long, so she kept telling herself to be patient, but she worried that she wouldn’t be able to conceive because of all of the physical trauma she’d suffered several months ago. Marcus had given her hope and told her that if there were complications that he’d give her his special concoction that seemed to help with conception.
In the meantime, she was enjoying being married to the most wonderful man in the world. Looking at her brother and Peanut, she saw that the redhead felt the same way about Skip. It was hard to believe that her once-shy brother was now engaged and already acting as a father to a baby that wasn’t his.
Sawyer ruffled Skip’s hair. “You need a haircut.”
Skip grinned. “I might get it trimmed, but I kinda like it. Mr. Dwyer wants me to cut it, though.”
Renee said, “I’m not surprised. He’s always after Joey to cut his short again.”
Skip asked, “How’s he doing with all those ferret babies? I can’t believe he helped Percy give birth.”
“He still hates Curtis, but he likes ‘his’ ferrets now. He’s decided to keep one, but he can’t decide between Fatty, Bandit, or Niña. It’s so funny,” Renee said.
Skip said, “You watch; he’ll end up keeping all three of them.”
Peanut said, “They’re so cute. It would be hard to choose just one.”
Sawyer said, “I know. Devon and I are thinking about taking one. Hey, why don’t you guys come to dinner at our place tomorrow night? You and Tim, too, Renee. And tell Joey and Snow Song, too. We’ll have a little welcome home party.”
Renee said, “That’s a great idea. I’ll bring dessert.”
“Deal,” Sawyer said. “Well, I gotta be getting back to the shop, but I’ll see you about six tomorrow night.”
They all bid him farewell as their food was delivered. Peanut attacked her sandwich and milkshake as though she hadn’t eaten in days. Skip fought to hold back a grin as he watched her. Then he met Renee’s equally amused gaze and lost the battle. Both of them laughed. Peanut saw that they were laughing at her.
“Knock it off,” she said. “I can’t help it.”
Skip kissed her cheek. “That’s ok, honey. Growing babies makes women hungry.”
Peanut just smiled and went back to eating.
Once lunch was over, Renee left for the Dwyer estate so she could do a couple of things before going to work at the Watering Hole. Skip had slipped her Joey’s money, wanting to get it to him before he forgot. Then he and Peanut went on their way to do more errands.
*****
Joe watched the white golf ball soar through the air and drop gracefully down on the green of the fifth hole on the golf course that now graced the land behind the Watering Hole.
He shot Art a baleful glance. “I hate you.”
Art laughed. “It ain’t my fault you stink at golf. You and those sand traps are real well acquainted by now.”
“Shut up,” Joe said, placing his ball on the tee. “I’m trying to concentrate.”
“You ain’t even gotten in your stance, which needs work, by the way,” Art said.
Joe leaned on his golf club. “See if I give you the day off to play golf with me again. Insulting your boss ain’t very smart.”
Art looked around dramatically. “Where is he? I don’t see Caleb anywhere.”
Joe mumbled something about disrespectful employees and prepared to hit his ball.
“Hey, Joe, hold up a minute,” Art said. “I need some advice about something.”
Joe straightened and leaned on his golf club again. “You want advice after you insulted me?”
Art nodded. “This is serious.”
“All right. I’m listening.”
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do about Hailey,” Art said. “I want to marry her, but it’s against the law.”
Joe’s expression darkened. “It’s a bunch of horseshit that whites and blacks can’t marry.”
“I agree with you,” Art said. “Raven said he’d be content with us having a Lakota ceremony, but if Hailey and I are caught living together, we could still be fined or thrown in jail. I don’t know if a judge would go easy on us since we’re both half-breeds or not.”
Joe said, “I don’t know, but I know who to ask about it. Give me a few days to get back to you.”
“Thanks, Joe. Much obliged,” Art said.
“Not a problem, my friend.”
Joe assumed a golfer’s stance again. He swung and watched with dismay as his ball fell way short of the green. Angrily, he set out after the ball. Art followed, laughing at Joe’s colorful language.
Chapter Nineteen
Living with Hope and Switch had been fun, but having both Skip and Switch in the house was hysterical. Peanut loved listening to the way they related to each other. Their conversations were disjointed and yet they somehow almost always came back to finish the subject they’d originally been talking about. They sometimes confused each other, which made it all the funnier.
It was also amusing to watch the two men vie for Annie’s affections. They made faces for her, various animal noises, and even danced—all to get her to come to one or the other. Although Annie loved Switch, if Skip made bullfrog noises, she invariably picked him. Switch always said that was cheating, but Skip didn’t care. Peanut loved hearing him refer to himself as Annie’s pa and he kept trying to get Annie to say it.