by Lori Wick
visit Cash for a while and then go see Slater and Liberty. If Brace
doesn't want me back by then, I'll go back to the ranch for good!
^"3"9r
"Are you going to be all right?" Dakota asked Darvi
once they had left the house. She hadn't cried when they
had said goodbye, but her face was so set that Dakota knew
she was in agony. The fact that she didn't answer him also
told him she was just hanging on.
Not in a hurry this time, they rode easily. Dakota was
very rested, and Darvi had not wanted to leave. Neither
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did she want to talk, at least not for some miles. Indeed, it
was midmoming--they were long out of Stillwater-- before she broke the silence.
"Weren't those little girls cute?" she asked quietly.
"Oh, yes," Dakota replied with a smile. "I fell in love the
first moment I saw them."
"They liked you too."
"I hope so."
"Merry told me," Darvi assured him. "She said Vivian
and Filar are usually more comfortable with women. I
guess their father owns their hearts, but with you they
made an exception."
Dakota smiled. "They weren't very vocal, but they sure
liked to look at me."
Darvi smiled as well and turned to stare at him.
"What?" Dakota wished to know.
"I'm just trying to see you through their eyes."
Dakota good-naturedly shook his head. "Well, tell me
when you figure it out"
ATexasSty 71
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With that the two were content to ride in silence for a
time. Darvi looked completely at ease, like a child who's
well taken care of, and that must have been because she
was well looked after. Dakota was constantly on the alert.
He was mentally thinking about the roads that would take
them to Aurora and also where they could lunch, as well as
finding a suitable place to set up camp before dark.
Dakota had stocked up on provisions, so he wasn't worried,
but when the sun was right over their heads, he
decided to mention to her that they were not going to make
any sort of town that night
Upon this announcement, Darvi pulled her mount to a
stop.
"We're not going back through Blake where we stayed
before?"
"Not if we're headed to Aurora so you can catch the
train. Blake would be out of the way."
Her hat shaded her face quite nicely, but she still put her
hand up to the brim and looked around them.
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"Where will we spend the night?"
"There's an oak grove about five hours from here. If s
off the road, but there's a large stand of trees, and the
stream there is deep and fast flowing. I think we'll be in
good shape if we can make that"
"Then we'll be in Aurora tomorrow night?"
"Probably not, but if you want to ride hard, we can try."
Darvi thanked him for the information and heeled her
horse back into motion; indeed, she even picked up the
pace some. At the same time, her mind gave her heart a
short lecture.
You had to see Merry. You couldn't live another day until you
saw Merry. Would you have been quite so eager, Darvi, if you had
known you were going to be sleeping on the ground? Darvi rode
on without even trying to answer.
m
Ok
"IS THIS THE PLACE?"
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Busy scouting the area, Dakota didn't answer, but Darvi
knew it had to be. He had taken them off the main road
about 30 minutes back, and the trees were just as he had
described. Darvi could also hear the rippling sound of
water over rocks.
"Okay, Darvi/' Dakota spoke as he came back toward
her on foot, "Come on this way around the trees. We'll set
up camp for the night and have some dinner."
Darvi did as she was directed, knowing that hotel room
or not, it was going to be good to get out of the saddle.
Once again she was reminded of how her determination to
see Merry had clouded all else. They had certainly ridden
harder to Stillwater, but she didn't remember feeling sore.
Now as she dismounted, she barely stifled a groan.
"You weren't sore on the way to Scotts," Dakota commented
from behind her.
Darvi turned to see him watching her.
"How did you know I was sore?"
A slow smile stretched across the Ranger's face.
"I just watched you get off that horse."
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Darvi tried to look stern but ended up laughing a little.
At least she could do that What she couldn't do was rub
the parts of her anatomy that ached with stiffness and
fatigue.
A Texas Sky 73
"Why don't you walk down by the water? I'll take care
of your horse."
Darvi looked as grateful as she felt before thanking
Dakota and unfastening her satchel from Finley's saddle.
"I think 111 freshen up a bit."
"All right Keep your eyes open and stay within earshot"
Thinking he sounded just like Uncle Marty, she went on
her way, moving gingerly as sensation returned to her
limbs. Pain or no pain, it wasn't long before she noticed
what a lovely setting it was. The day was still plenty warm,
but just the sound and sight of the water seemed to cool
her, and finding a large rock right at the edge was like an
answer to prayer. Darvi sat on it, slipped off her boots and
stockings, and placed her feet in the water. The action
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seemed to cool all of her. Had it been dark, she'd have
gotten all the way in, but for the moment this did the trick.
Her satchel came next She reached for the bag and
brought out a large handkerchief, one she'd borrowed from
her father. After soaking it, she bathed her face and neck.
In very short order she felt like herself again.
"Are you all right?" she heard Dakota call.
"Yes, thank you, I am. Do you need some help?"
"No, I'm fine, thanks."
"I have my feet in the water already."
Darvi heard the laughter in Dakota's voice when he
called back, "Sounds great I'll probably join you in a
minute."
Darvi smiled in contentment, all misgivings about
camping slowly dying away. She decided as she sat there
that she wanted a fresh pair of stockings. Her hands were
back in her bag when she heard the rattle. She stopped
moving, even though she could feel the outline of her gun
beneath some of her garments. Her eyes shifting frantically,
she finally spotted it A small rattlesnake was coiled on the
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ground about a foot away from the rock. As Darvi watched,
it uncoiled a bit and started to move away from her, but
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Darvi still brought out her gun. She realized her mistake
too late. Sensing her movement, the snake recoiled to face
her, the rattles sounding off again.
"I don't think I can do this," she whispered even as she
held the gun at arm's length, her finger ready to pull the
trigger. Her mind raced through the things she'd heard
about snakes, such as their ability to jump the length of
their bodies. She wanted to gauge the distance but was
afraid to take her eyes from the reptile.
"Darvi, you all right?" Dakota chose that moment to
check on her.
The snake still watched her, his tail now silent.
"Darvi?"
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"Dakota," she managed in a small voice. Then louder.
"Dakota."
"Darvi, are you--" Dakota was saying as he came into
view, his brow lowering as he watched her hold something
black out in front of her with both hands. He moved closer
and saw that it was a stocking draped over a gun. Why it
took him so long to see what had her frozen in place, he
didn't know, but moving in swiftly, his gun coming clean
from his holster as he walked, he fired one shot before the
snake jolted with the impact and lay still.
Her eyes still huge, Darvi kept her gun trained on the
dead serpent even as she watched Dakota approach.
Dakota was compassionate when he saw the fear in her
face, but he still smiled and plucked at the black stocking.
"Does the gun work without this?"
Darvi slowly lowered the weapon. "I was afraid to
shoot. I thought I would miss such a small target."
"That still would have scared him away."
"But then I would have wondered all night where he
was." Her eyes flickered toward the snake. "Now I'll
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know."
Dakota then saw that she trembled a little.
"You were very brave."
"I don't feel brave. I feel like calling for my mother."
A Texas Sky 75
Dakota bent and put his arm around her shoulders and
gave her a squeeze.
"Thanks, Dakota."
"You're welcome. Ill stomp about some and make sure
he has no family." As Dakota started his search, he kept
speaking. 'Tell me something, Darvi, does trouble just naturally
follow you around?"
"What does that mean?" she asked, working discretely
to put her stockings on.
"Oh, first you follow a complete stranger down the
streets of Austin, who just happens to be me, and then you
have two men following you in Stillwater, and now you
attract a snake. It just causes a man to wonder."
Stockings and shoes in place, Darvi turned to set him
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straight. "I'll have you know, Dakota Rawlings, I can take
care of myself very nicely."
Dakota didn't even glance her way. "If s beginning to
make sense why Brace didn't want you coming on your
own."
"You're all the same," she muttered, checking around
the rock before climbing down. She gathered her tilings,
gun still in hand, and moved back in the direction from
which she had come. What she saw stopped her. Darvi
didn't know how Dakota had accomplished it so swiftly,
but he had set up a very orderly camp. A glance to the right
showed that he had tethered the horses near food and
water and already had a fire coaxed along, with two
bedrolls opposite each other. Darvi knew she was in good
hands, but she hadn't expected this. Dakota had told them
he could cook. Darvi didn't know why she hadn't figured
pn the rest.
He lives his life on the trail Vfhat did you expect?
"I think we're reptile-free for the moment," Dakota proclaimed
as he joined her. "I hope you like your coffee
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strong. I don't know any other way to make it."
"I do like it strong, but believe me when I tell you that
I'll eat and drink whatever you give me."
76 lori Wick
"Hungry, are you?"
"Well/ not starved, but as usual, I've acted without
thinking. It never occurred to me that we wouldn't be in a
town tonight. If I was on my own, I'd be going hungry."
As though she'd just proved his point, Dakota smiled.
Catching it, Darvi's chin came up.
"I would have done fine on my own," she told him
firmly. "I would have come up with something to eat."
Fearing he would only get himself in trouble, Dakota
didn't comment. Not fully understanding the female brain,
however, he still found more than he bargained for.
"Do you doubt it?" Darvi demanded, not willing to let
the matter drop.
Dakota looked at her.
"Actually, I don't. Plucky as you are, you would probably
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do fine, but don't ask me to condone your being out
here on your own, Darvi. I won't do that."
Darvi wisely shut her mouth. She hadn't expected as
much as she got, and she determined to let it drop before
she pushed Dakota into saying something she didn't want
to hear. She believed she could do fine, and that was all that
really mattered to her.
%r%r
The meal was very good. Merry had sent some baked
goods with Dakota, and that man had a good supply of
trail food. He turned dried meat into beef and gravy over
rice, a biscuit on the side. They ate cookies with their last
cups of coffee.
Darvi volunteered to wash dishes, and she was at the
stream doing this when Dakota realized they had company.
Two men approached on one horse, a small, hard-ridden
beast. Their eyes watched him but were more
interested in the horses nearby.
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"Hello," the man on the front called.
A Texas Sky 77
Dakota didn't like his smile but still said, "Good
evening."
"Nice horses," the second man spoke as they dismounted.
Dakota saw no reason to comment. He hoped they
would move on without a confrontation, and almost at the
same moment, he heard the clank of pots and knew that
Darvi was returning.
"Not now, Darvi," he said under his breath, but there
was no way she heard. Indeed, completely unaware of the
danger, she entered the campsite talking.
"I don't know if I got this one pot clean. It was very
stubborn. I hope you aren't too--"
Dakota didn't even look at her, which meant he saw
every bit of interest on the visitors' faces. He decided to
confront the situation head on.
"The horses aren't for sale."
The men both snickered before the first one said, "We
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ain't got no money anyhow."
"Well, that only leaves you one option, gentlemen,"
Dakota went on amiably, "and it's only fair to warn you
that I'll shoot you before I let you take our horses."
They seemed to weigh this up for a time, looking at each
other and then back to Dakota, who partially blocked their
view of Darvi
"She your wife?" number two asked.
"The lady is not your business," he said flatly, his hand
not moving to his gun, but his whole body shifting in a no-nonsense
way. "And since we're camped here for the night,
I think it might be best if you head on your way."
Hesitating only for a moment, the men climbed back
onto the wea
ry animal and continued down the road. Both
Darvi and Dakota watched them for some time. Darvi's
imagination had them doubling back, so she kept her eyes
on them for as long as she could. When she finally glanced
up at Dakota, it was to find him watching her.
78 lori wick
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"I suppose you're going to say that was all my fault?"
she asked calmly.
"No, I wasn't going to say that, but it would help if you
didn't look so good."
Knowing she was not at her best, Darvi nearly laughed.
"What do you suggest?"
Seeing the amusement in her eyes, Dakota barely kept
from smiling. "Well, you could blacken a few teeth and
maybe dye your hair a mud brown."
"I'll think on it," Darvi assured him before adding, "if s
your size and color, by the way."
Dakota blinked.
"Whaf s my size and color?"
"The reason the twins stare at you, and also the reason
those men in Still water and the men today left without an
argument. Depending on who they are, people either find
you a great comfort or completely intimidating." This said,
she turned to put the pots down and then to sit down on her
bedroll, reaching for her satchel as soon as she was settled.
For a moment it was on Dakota's mind to ask which
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way Darvi found him, but he thought he knew the answer.
She'd half-hidden behind him while he talked with the
men. Somehow he didn't think she was intimidated by him in the least.
5"3r^"
Dakota did not get into his bedroll when darkness fell
and Darvi climbed into hers. There was still a small flicker
of fire left, and he wanted to go back to Calder's letter, which
was filled with Scriptures. He started to read the letter again,
thankful that Calder had written out some of the verses.
Dear Dakota,
I want to start by thanking you for asking me about this subject.
It's easy to do things by habit and not conviction. It was very
good for me to be reminded why prayer is so important.
A Texas Sky 79
Colossians 4:12 says: "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant
of Christ, salutes you, always laboring fervently for you in
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prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of
God." Epaphras is devoted to prayer.
Colossians 1:9 says: "For this cause we also, since the day we
heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might
befitted with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding." This is Paul speaking here. Note the way he