Her Prairie Knight

by Kit Morgan

  Belle was still trying to grasp what Aunt Irene had done. “No, of ... of course not,” she stammered.

  “In fact, I think it would be best if I finish up a few things that still need attention. Would you mind terribly if one of the Cooke men drove you to the picnic? I could come out later.”

  “But the picnic is for you and the men who worked on the church.”

  “Yes, after the work is done. But it’s not all done. There’s something I have to take care of. Then I’ll come out, I promise. Besides, there should be another one of our hosts in attendance, don’t you think?”

  Belle blushed. “I suppose you’re right.”

  Mr. King smiled. “And I’m sure he’d love to escort you, Miss Dunnigan. And I in turn, shall avoid a black eye.”

  “I beg your pardon, Mr. King?”

  “Miss Dunnigan, when a gentleman looks at me the way Mr. Cooke was doing as we drove past, a black eye is in the making.”

  She laughed. “Oh Mr. King, if any one can tell you about black eyes, it would be Colin Cooke!”

  “So I’ve heard.” He said with a grin. And with that, he turned the wagon around.

  * * *

  Colin couldn’t believe it! Belle was going to the picnic with the new preacher! How did it come to this? He had his day all planned out, knew exactly what he would do, what he would say, even how many kisses he might steal. As long as it didn’t get too painful. Rocks were one thing, but who knew what else might happen. A tree branch could fall on his head for all he knew. This might well be the most painful courtship in Clear Creek history. One unsurpassed for generations to come.

  But Belle had let him kiss her a few days ago, and in public no less. She must feel something for him. What girl lets a man kiss her like that and not care for him, or at least hold some affection? And he knew Belle wouldn’t let just anyone take the liberty he’d taken. She was too much a lady. At least she didn’t slap him, though perhaps he deserved it. He was still upset with Mrs. Dunnigan and her cruel treatment of Belle. There would certainly be no more of that once he married her! No sirree!

  Wait a minute! Did he just seriously think of marriage? He quickly scanned the street as if someone close by might have heard his thoughts. Henry Fig had strolled down near the Waller’s house while Duncan had planted himself in front of the mercantile. Colin sat in a chair outside the Sheriff’s office.

  He leaned back in the chair and pushed his hat back. Marriage. He had used the word. It popped into his head along side Belle’s name just as natural as can be. And why shouldn’t it? He couldn’t deny his attraction to her, or his desire at this point. She was a beautiful woman with the face of an angel. His angel. Marrying her would make it permanent. But he wasn’t going to get far sitting here babysitting the town. He got up and looked down the street to see if Duncan was still sitting in front of the mercantile. He wasn’t. Colin sighed, and went to go find his brother.

  He hadn’t taken but a few steps when he heard a wagon roll into town. It approached from his end and he turned to see who it was. His gut lurched as his heart set to racing. Belle.

  The preacher, what was his name? King? Stopped the wagon next to him. “Excuse me, Mr. Cooke?”

  Colin nonchalantly glanced up at him and tipped his hat.

  “I was wondering if you’d mind escorting Miss Dunnigan to the picnic. I need to tend to some things at the church.”

  Colin slowly looked to Belle. The Lord be praised! “I think I can manage that. But the Sheriff did want three men on duty at a time...”

  “Won’t take me long to get my business done, then I’d be happy to take up your post until the next man comes.”

  “Why, that’s very kind of you.” Colin said and meant it.

  Belle leaned forward to look past Mr. King. “Harrison and Sadie must need the help. You should be there. Why are you standing guard?”

  “Names were drawn from a hat as I understand...”

  “Hmmm, I see. And my aunt did the drawing I suppose.”

  “You suppose correctly.”

  Belle and Mr. King glanced at each other and began to laugh. Colin got the distinct impression they knew something he didn’t. He stopped pondering what it might be when the preacher jumped off the wagon and motioned for him to help Belle down. Colin smiled. By rights Mr. King should be helping her. He obviously knew of Colin’s intention to court Belle or could see his affection for her some how. Crumbs, for all he knew the preacher saw the two of them kissing earlier in the week.

  He reached up; his eyes glued to her tiny waist when he heard some sort of commotion going on down the street. All three turned to watch as Duncan launched himself off the porch of the mercantile in hot pursuit of the Duprie boy. The lad raced across the street and began to run in their direction, Duncan now hot on his heels.

  “Stop him!” Duncan yelled.

  Colin froze. Belle had already leaned forward far enough to begin to fall into his waiting hands. He couldn’t move now. If he did she’d fall flat on her face. Mr. King however, was more mobile. He rushed to intercept the boy, who dodged him well enough, but not the hitching post in front of Mulligan’s saloon. He hit hard enough to bounce off it and land himself square on the seat of his buckskin pants. Pants that Duncan grabbed along with the boy’s belt and pulled him to his feet. He then dragged him, kicking and punching to the steps leading to the saloon.

  “Stealing are we? Hasn’t your father taught you any manners?” Duncan said none too kindly. He all but fell onto the steps, pulling the boy with him, and landed him across his lap. Duncan raised a hand. “Stealing’s not allowed around here.” He swatted the boy’s derriere. The boy’s entire body stiffened, but he didn’t cry out.

  “Breaking into the mercantile could land you in jail!” He swatted the boy a second time.

  “Mr. Cooke!” Belle shouted as Colin finally set her on her feet. He’d managed to hold her up between himself and the wagon while the entire scene unfolded. “Stop this instant!”

  Duncan stopped, his hand in mid air. Colin knew what he was doing. The horror of a good spanking might keep the boy from suffering the horrors they themselves had suffered for nearly two years. Colin would probably be doing the same thing if he’d caught the boy breaking into the mercantile and stealing.

  Belle however, didn’t see things that way. “What are you doing spanking him? He’s a little old for that don’t you think?”

  Duncan scowled at the lad squirming in his lap. “You’re right. A sturdy switch would be better!”

  Belle stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Let him up!”

  “Miss Dunnigan, I might inform you that he broke into the mercantile, as to how I have no idea, and stole from you.”

  “What?”

  Duncan pried a small white bag out of one of the boy’s hands. “See? I know it’s only candy, but the fact he broke in while no one was there...”

  Belle sighed, shook her head, glanced to Colin, then back to Duncan. “Let me see that,” she said and held her hand out. Duncan gave her the bag. She took it and examined the contents. “I gave him this candy the other day. He left it on the counter. He came back for it, that’s all. Yes, maybe he should have waited. But I don’t think his English is very good and he’s extremely skittish around men I’ve noticed. He was probably afraid to ask you to get it for him.”

  Duncan continued to hold the struggling youth in place. “Still, it’s no excuse to break into a business and rob it.”

  Colin laughed. “I don’t think a few pieces of candy will mark the lad a criminal.”

  “Look who’s talking!” Duncan began. “What will happen when Mrs. Dunnigan finds out?”

  “My aunt is not going to find out. Let him go please.”

  Duncan snorted and released his hold. The boy rolled off his lap and sprang to his feet.

  “Are you all right? Ah ... Êtes-vous tout droit?” Belle asked.

  The boy rubbed his sore behind and glared at Duncan. Duncan glared right back.
/>   “He didn’t mean to strike you,” Belle began gently. “He thought you were stealing.”

  The boy looked back to her, his eyes fighting back tears. Duncan must have really walloped him. They all watched as the lad pulled his furred hat, now slightly askew, back into place. He then sniffed back his tears and stomped off.

  Mr. King stepped forward. “I’m afraid you haven’t made a friend out of him, Mr. Cooke. He’ll certainly avoid you from now on.”

  Duncan got up. “He’s like a wild animal. His father ought to keep a closer eye on him.”

  “The Duprie’s lived too long in the northern forests among the Indians. Trust me, it’ll take more than a spanking to tame that one. But he’s got a good heart.”

  “Well, he could have simply asked me to go into the mercantile and get his candy, even if his English isn’t very good, I’d have understood him well enough.”

  Mr. King looked at each of them. “But he wouldn’t have been able to, Mr. Cooke.”

  “Why not?” Asked Belle.

  “Because the boy cannot speak.” Mr. King answered solemnly.

  Twelve

  “Can you imagine having lived among the Indians and growing up a savage?” Belle asked Colin as he drove them to the picnic. “And what do you suppose happened to that boy to cause him to lose the ability to speak?”

  “To begin with, I don’t think ‘savage’ is the word I’d use. You yourself spent a little time with him in the mercantile the other day. Would a savage have stayed after his father left? No, he’d scurry away and avoid people. Trust me when I say, I’ve seen savage. And the boy does not fit the word. However, if he’s witnessed anything close to what I have, I can understand how he could become mute. I’ve seen it happen to grown men, let alone a boy.”

  Belle knew he was referring to his time spent in prison. She looked at him as the wagon bumped along, and had to finally ask, “Was it so horrible? Prison?”

  He sighed and she noted how his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. “It’s not an experience I wish to repeat. If Duncan hadn’t been there with me, I don’t know what I would have done, or be like at this point. I dare say we fought to keep each other sane. And as safe as we could...”

  His words trailed off, and Belle watched as his face became pained with memories. Bad memories. Colin closed his eyes a brief moment. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m a better man for it. But then, sometimes I wonder if I’d have turned out a better man without the experience.”

  “What did it teach you?”

  Colin looked at her with a tenderness she had never seen as his eyes roamed her face. “Mercy.”

  Their eyes locked.

  Belle froze, captured as she was in his gaze. She needed to speak before she did something foolish. Like close her eyes and lean toward him. “And what of Duncan? How has it effected him?” Her words came out just above a whisper, despite her efforts.

  Colin pulled back on the reins and brought the team to a stop. They were somewhere between Clear Creek and the picnic. Too far from anyone’s eyes to see...

  Belle swallowed, her mouth dry. Warmth seeped into her belly as the odd blanket of peace that so often accompanied Colin whenever she was with him, surrounded her. He turned to her and put one arm over the back of the wagon seat. He could easily put it around her and draw her to him if he so chose, and Belle quickly pondered if she should let him. They would surely kiss. But it wouldn’t be the chaste brush on the lips he’d given her in town a few days ago. No, if Colin kissed her now, she sensed it might consume them both.

  Something inside Belle’s stomach fluttered. That she expected. What she didn’t expect was the thing in her soul opening like a door. It was the oddest sensation, as if her very being was about to welcome this man into the deepest part of her heart.

  Their eyes remained locked. Belle could feel the heat of Colin’s body as he scooted a few inches closer and studied her face. “Duncan,” he began, his voice low. “It hardened him. He trusts no one actually, though he won’t admit it.” His arm slid further across the back of the wagon bench and brushed her back. Her entire body shivered at the contact.

  “He protected me the entire time. We protected each other. Sometimes, Duncan had to become a ‘savage’ to do so.”

  Belle took in his face, now so close to hers. He smelled of soap, leather, and pure, raw masculinity. Heaven help her, but she wanted to kiss him. Ohhh, how she wanted to kiss him. The heat from his body felt warmer than the sun over head, the air about them charged with ... well ... something. She couldn’t put a name to it. She’d never felt or heard of anything like it before and definitely hadn’t read it in some novel back in Boston.

  Colin leaned a bit closer and pushed his hat off his forehead with his other hand that still held the reins. The horses shifted about at the slight pull from his action. But still, Colin and Belle’s eyes remained locked on one another.

  “Duncan...” Belle began as Colin leaned further toward her. Surprisingly she found herself leaning slightly back. “Seems well adjusted considering everything the two of you must have ... endured.” Her last word escaped a whisper.

  Colin, the reins still in hand, reached up and brushed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

  She swallowed then gasped for breath. “I ... I...”

  “Shhhh...” He began and lowered his face. “Miss Dunnigan ... Belle ... Once again I find that I should very much like to kiss you.”

  She shuddered at his touch, the nearness of him. Every fiber of her body, every nerve ending tensed in anticipation. But she knew she shouldn’t. She was too overwhelmed by him, too utterly intoxicated by his mere presence. If he kissed her now she would be completely lost to whatever he might do to her next. She now understood why a lady should never be alone with a gentleman. There were obviously some things a lady could attempt to fight but not win. And her attraction to Colin Cooke was definitely one of them.

  But despite her every intention not to, her breathing picked up as her head automatically tilted back.

  “Belle...” he whispered passionately. The sound of her name spoken with such desire sank her completely. Her lips parted as her eyes closed.

  She heard Colin swallow hard. Felt the heat from his body increase. Even with her eyes still closed she could tell every muscle in his body had tensed, and swore the air around them shuddered just as his body was doing now. So close, so wonderful, so...

  “I'll not demean you.”

  Belle suddenly opened her eyes. Colin’s face was inches from her own and held a look so compassionate, so tender, she thought she might faint. Yet his jaw was hard set, his body wound tighter than a piano wire. She sensed his entire being was coiled, his forehead now beaded in sweat with the effort it took to keep his control.

  Belle’s eyes widened. “What?” came out a high squeak.

  “I care for you, Belle Dunnigan. I'll not let anyone say I took advantage of you out here on the prairie. You’re to be cherished. Cherished as if you were the most precious jewel in the world.”

  If Belle thought a kiss from Colin Cooke would be her undoing, his words would surely be the death of her. For in that moment, as they fell deeper into each other’s gaze, Belle realized what he was doing.

  He was protecting her.

  She closed her eyes and choked back a sob. He wouldn’t have demeaned her or brought about her ruination. She would. For she knew, knew deep within her heart, that had he kissed her, she would have been unable to fight against her own passion. Yet Colin had cared enough about her to deny himself the opportunity to have her and protected her instead. Mainly from herself. And in so doing, protected them both.

  So it was, in a wagon out on the prairie between Clear Creek and the town picnic, with the sun shining overhead and the early summer flowers dotting the earth around them, Belle Dunnigan fell hopelessly in love with Colin Cooke.

  * * *

  Harrison helped Mr. Dunnigan arrange prizes on a s
mall table he hauled out to the picnic site from the ranch house. The Dunnigans had brought bags of candy, a few bags of nails, a hammer, kitchen utensils, squares of cloth for quilting which Mrs. Dunnigan folded and tied with ribbon, and various other small trinkets from the mercantile. It was at least twelve dollars or more worth of enticement to those participating in the games.

  “There, I think that does it, unless you have more?” Harrison asked.

  “Nope. This is all we brought. Should be enough. Something for everyone. Are you going to play?”

  “Of course. I brought the pig after all.”

  “Kinda doesn’t seem fair if’n you’re in the pig catching. Maybe we ought to let loose a steer and see how you do with one of those.”

  “I’m afraid I’m not as adept at that sort of thing. Not yet anyway.”

  “Your help coming soon?”

  “We certainly hope so. Sadie sent word to her father to loan us one of his foremen. He’ll probably travel with Sadie’s parents when they come for their wedding. We’ll have to hold out until then.”

  “Must be pretty hard to keep up with all the work. Especially when it’s just the two of ya.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “You and Duncan. Colin seems to spend most of his time in town these days.” Mr. Dunnigan said with a wink.

  Harrison smiled. “You don’t say? I shall have to inquire of my brother what’s caught his interest of late.”

  Mr. Dunnigan chuckled. “You do that. He’s a fine man. All three of you are, Harrison. I’m proud to know you boys.”

  “Thank you, Wilfred. My brothers and I appreciate your friendship.”

  Mr. Dunnigan sighed. “Gonna be hard convincing Irene we have to part with Belle one of these days.”

  Harrison let loose a low whistle. “Yes, I’m afraid I have to agree with you. Can you talk to her? Duncan tells me Colin probably can’t hold out much longer. He fully intends to court the girl.”

  “Intends? Ain’t that what he’s been doing the last few weeks?”

  “Well, I believe now he wishes to court her without risk of injury.”