The Lieutenant's Bargain

by Regina Jennings

  Jack tapped his foot against the floorboard. “That’s the bargain we made. I wish it had worked out differently.”

  “Jack?” Her brow furrowed. “If Sloane was hiding in the basement, where did all the blood come from? I didn’t notice any injury when I saw him in town, and Francine said the man from the cellar had a broken leg.”

  “Broken leg? A student told you that? Hattie, you amaze me. What else did you find out?”

  His praise seemed to please her. “Nothing, really. I just talked to Francine while she was leaving, and she mentioned that he came all the way up the stairs with a broken leg. That’s all she said.”

  “I keep thinking I can come back and search again tomorrow,” Jack said, “but that’s wrong. There’s nothing to do now but go home and pack up our things. I’ll go to the adjutant’s office and pass on the information. There’ll be a lot of things there to settle before we can leave.”

  Hattie was watching him. Jack turned to her, an eyebrow raised. She slid her arm through his. “Can the office work wait until morning? I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be home alone.”

  Alone. The word had fit him for years. But not right now. Not yet. “I don’t mind,” he said. “I’ll stay with you for as long as you need.”

  He’d promised himself that he wouldn’t pressure her. He’d do everything he could to keep her from getting off track. But how could he abandon her when she needed him?

  The evening passed quietly at home, while outside the wind was howling. After supper, Jack wandered through the house, picking books to discard and estimating how many crates he’d need to move the ones he was keeping. Hattie, who had very little to pack, was unusually pensive. After a spell upstairs, she came into the parlor and picked up a book he’d chosen to leave behind.

  Perhaps they’d accomplished enough for one evening. He took his copy of Lewis and Clark’s journal and sat in his favorite chair opposite the sofa. Hattie was silent. The chestnut curl she was twisting looked as ragged as a broom end. He missed her bubbly busyness, even though he was happy she’d elected to read. Unfortunately for him that evening, reading proved impossible, but he stayed and let the words blur before his eyes.

  He looked up to find Hattie watching him, but instead of looking away in embarrassment, she held his gaze. “It’s been a trying day,” she said. “What can I do to ease your trouble?”

  He felt his throat grow tight. He forced a swallow before he answered. “I’m in the middle of the greatest exploration of our continent. What else could I want? If you’re tired, go on upstairs. No reason to wait for me.”

  She stood and walked to the window next to him. Sleet tapped against the glass with icy clicks. She was so lovely. He’d do anything for her, including letting her live her life without the weight of his age-old devotion. She turned to him, and if he hadn’t known better, he’d have sworn that her eyes were full. Walking as stately as a queen, she bent over him. Lewis and Clark slid off his lap and onto the floor as she laid her hand on his shoulder and lowered her face to his.

  “I don’t know what I need to do to get your attention, Jack Hennessey.” Her breath fogged a spot on his eyeglasses. “But when you think of it, please let me know.”

  He didn’t move as she pressed her lips to his cheek. His eyes slid closed at their velvety softness and her sweet scent. She lingered long enough that his chest ached from his need to exhale. Then she trailed her hand down his arm as she straightened and walked away.

  His eyes followed her across the room, her slow sashay hypnotizing. She caressed the post at the bottom of the banister as she spun around it and walked up the stairs.

  Did she want him to follow her? He had studied zoology and how different species signaled to their mates. There hadn’t been a chapter on Hattie, but if he were going to write one, he’d have to mention her current act as an effective summons.

  No. He’d already told her he was going to stay up and read. He had no excuse for changing his mind and following her upstairs. No logical reason that he could defend.

  It had been a trying day. That was what she’d said. He chewed the inside of his cheek. Could that mean that she was afraid to go upstairs alone? Could that mean that she wanted him to put his book away and stay with her? Yes. She was discouraged about the school, too, and he’d be a churl not to see if he could comfort her. When he stood, he barely noticed that he’d stepped on his book.

  Lewis and Clark would have to continue their journey alone.

  Hattie had made up her mind. She wasn’t leaving. Her life was forever changed. She couldn’t go on with her plans unaltered, and she didn’t want to.

  The fort, the tribes, the agency—they had all felt so foreign. The only comfort she’d found was Jack. Jack, who brought integrity to everything he did. His unselfishness, his service, his accomplishments. There was much to admire. And yet, he needed her. He needed someone who recognized the sensitive boy hiding within the capable man. Someone who would hold his hand through the discouragements and didn’t feel slighted by the time he spent at his studies.

  Hattie knew she could make him happy, and she wasn’t going to waste any more time convincing him of it. No longer was she marking time, waiting for the next phase of her life. Instead, she had made her decision and was ready to stake her claim.

  He’d said he was going to stay downstairs and read for a spell, but his book must have disappointed him. Hattie barely had time to change into her nightgown and hop into bed before he came upstairs. His bed. From his pillow, she watched him pause in the hallway with the lamp and gaze at her bedroom door. His uniform jacket was unbuttoned and hanging open. He ran a hand through his hair as he listened, but then, dropping his head, he entered his room.

  Safely under the thick winter blankets, she didn’t make much of a bump. Not enough for him to notice, evidently, for he began to undress. Hattie’s plan, which had seemed so brave and sure, suddenly felt reckless and embarrassing. With her face turned away and her eyes tightly closed, she cringed with every piece of clothing that hit the floor. She couldn’t let this continue. What if she was wrong?

  “Jack?” she said.

  A deep cry, a thud, the smashing of glass, and the light went out. Hattie gritted her teeth.

  “What are you doing here?” The lamp rattled as he set it upright on his bureau.

  What was she doing here? “This is where I want to be,” she said.

  Even though her back was to him, she could tell he hadn’t moved. His breathing slowed. “Well, you really should give a man some warning. I don’t mind making a pallet for myself in the hallway, but—”

  “I don’t want you in the hallway,” she said.

  There was a long pause. Long enough for her to think through every time she’d taken him for granted.

  “Then I’ll go downstairs, but I have to be careful. I knocked the lamp chimney off, and if I step wrong, I’ll cut my feet. Let me pull my boots back on—”

  “Jack?” She rolled over and smoothed the blankets with her arm. The window outlined his profile, the bare shoulders and suspenders hanging down below his waist. A man. Not the boy she knew, but a man she wanted to know better. “Jack, I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay here. With me.”

  He might as well have been a statue. “In this room?”

  She flipped back the blanket on the empty side of the bed, but she was losing her nerve. “If you could just stay with me. Hold me. That’s all I’m asking.”

  “Oh, Hattie . . .” he whispered, then shook his head. “You’ve kept your end of our agreement, but this is too far.”

  “It’s not far enough.”

  “No matter how we carry on in public, how natural it feels when you take my arm, how much I love hearing people call you by my name . . . it’s all make-believe. I didn’t win your regard or your affection.”

  The ice ticked against the window. Hattie had come to love this cozy house on the prairie. She’d come to love the children and the school. And most of all, she’
d come to love Jack. Love him fiercely and deeply.

  “But somehow you have won my affection,” she said. “At first I was angry. I was scared. I was frustrated. But this place has grown on me. I’m not so anxious to leave.” She searched his eyes, looking for some encouragement to continue, but he remained shuttered. “In fact, Denver has no appeal for me.”

  “We’re not talking about a choice between Denver and the fort,” he said. “I already have orders to leave. If it’s Indian Territory that you love, then you need to find some other way to stay.”

  “It’s not the fort,” she said, “it’s you.”

  The furrows between his eyes betrayed his skepticism. “C’mon, Hattie. You know better than to taunt me. Words were said over us, holy words that I’m willing to honor, but if you truly want me, if you want this, there has to be a commitment. There’s no going back.”

  It came to this. Hattie trusted Jack to take care of her. She found life on the fort exciting. Her dreams of painting had room to grow here, as did she. And with Jack’s interest in scholarship, he made an ideal partner for her inquisitiveness. There was only one aspect that left her in doubt. Had he outgrown his devotion to her?

  “You said not to pretend in this house.” She wanted to hide, but instead she propped herself up on her elbow to look him in the eyes. “Away from here, you’re affectionate and attentive. The way you look at me, even the slightest touch makes me feel desired. But when we’re alone together, I have no effect on you. You’re impervious to my smiles, my tears, my caresses. I know a lady shouldn’t speak like this, but you’ve been so good to me, and you deserve the truth. I love you, Jack. I love your mind, your heart, and your goodness.”

  Had she gotten through to him? He sat at the foot of the bed, out of her reach. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his legs, his hands clasped between his knees.

  “You won’t be my wife only here in Indian Territory. Everyone will know, even people back home. It’ll be forever. And I’m not the easiest man to live with. When I get caught up in my work, I might forget you’re here for hours. That’s not to mention campaigns. Likely, there’ll be months in the spring and summer when you’ll never see me.”

  “I’m capable of entertaining myself.” The life he described didn’t scare her, but she was beginning to doubt her ability to convince him. “Jack, you don’t owe me anything. If you need more time to think about this—”

  “More time?” He laughed. “If you only knew how ridiculous that is. After all those years of thinking about you, you show up on the reservation, looking just as perfect as you always had.” He bent, picked up a piece of glass, and set it on the bureau. “But it didn’t take me long to realize that you weren’t perfect. You get tired and cranky. You run towards bossy if left unchecked. You hog my overcoat and don’t think twice about it—”

  “Excuse me?” Hattie chuckled at his recital of grievances.

  “I’m not finished,” he said. “I realized that you weren’t perfect, and that I’m more in love with you than ever. But hiding my feelings, that had become a habit. So you’re right. I’ve been pretending here in this house, where we’re supposed to be honest. If you want to know the truth, I’m ready. I’m asking plain. I’m asking for permission to love you with my mind, my heart, and my goodness, yes. But also with my body and soul. You will have all of me, Hattie. I’ll give you everything.”

  She looked at the empty place on the bed. The old Hattie would have wanted a big to-do with all her friends and family to mark this passage, but that was all behind her. She’d belonged to Jack for weeks now. This decision was between the two of them, and it was overdue.

  “Tonight, I’ll just hold you,” he said. “Nights are frightening for you, and I want that to go away first, but if I stay in this room tonight, the marriage is sealed. There’ll be no undoing or parting. You understand?”

  She wanted him next to her so badly that she ached. “Please,” she said.

  Picking both feet off the ground, he scooted backward across the bed and toward her. “Do you take me, John Hennessey, to be your lawful . . .”

  A calm covered her. All the fears of how she was going to get out of this predicament dissolved. This path had been ordained since she was a young lady letting a studious boy correct her composition. “I do,” she said before he could even finish. “What do we have to do to make it official?”

  “Nothing, ma’am.” The bed dipped next to her, and he pulled the blankets over himself. “By the power vested in me, by the United States government as commander of this post—”

  “You aren’t the commander anymore.” She lifted her head as he slid his arm beneath her neck and pulled her against his side. “Major Adams is back.” The length of him against her body affected her. She rested her hand against his chest to hold herself away, feeling like she needed to retain a little control, but he swooped her close, taking away the space between them and leaving her breathless.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “All that was missing was your consent. Nothing else stands between us.”

  The cold wind and the bad men somewhere outside didn’t matter a jot to her. Not as long as she had Jack to help her face them.

  It was late, and she was tired. But there was one part of the ceremony that couldn’t wait until morning. With his heart and skin warm and alive beneath her fingers, she whispered, “Do you remember the fort’s tradition?”

  “The good-night kiss?”

  “It’s been neglected long enough.”

  His voice held a smile. “I’ll remedy that immediately.”

  The arm beneath her head flexed as he sought her lips in the darkness. First she felt his palm on her cheek, but then his mouth found hers with such a sweet tenderness that she knew it was a kiss that he’d waited a decade to give. Such rich love took a lifetime to grow, but she could feel her love stretching to rival his.

  After a while, he wrapped his hand around her waist, and with a few adjustments, they were both warm and happy. Hattie wouldn’t be plagued by nightmares tonight. She was settled. And she couldn’t believe she’d caught the eye of a man as wonderful as Jack. Maybe sometime before morning, she’d make him believe that she was his for good.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  DECEMBER 21, 1885

  4:30 A.M.

  Major Daniel Adams,

  The events of Dec. 20th at the Darlington school have uncovered some potentially valuable information in regards to the disruption of classes. While in Darlington yesterday, a student whom my wife has reason to trust reported to Mrs. Hennessey that the specter that haunted them was a man with an injured leg. This is consistent with the blood stain discovered on the costume and bandages found in the basement of the school. I suggest that it is Sloane who has been hiding there, although I am not certain he has an injury. It’s likely that he is somewhere nearby, and I would request a complete search of the area.

  In other news to report, I regret to inform you that I will not be available to lead those searches. Because of the unusual nature of my recent nuptials, I’ve hesitated to claim any leave time that would normally be granted to a bridegroom. In order to correct this oversight, I request a twenty-four-hour leave to better acquaint myself with my new wife. Because of the short duration of my leave, I have no plans to depart from the security of our quarters and would request no interruptions. If this is not permissible you may accept my resignation I call you out to a duel I beg you to grant me forgiveness.

  All of my gratitude for the wisdom you have shared with me and your patient sufferance of my shortcomings.

  Sincerely,

  Lt. John Hennessey

  P.S. Please cancel my reassignment from Fort Reno with all due haste.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  DECEMBER 21, 1885

  9:45 A.M.

  Lieutenant John Hennessey,

  I received your dispatch of this morning and express my thanks for the timely report on your reconnaissance. I will personally see to it that
a thorough search is done of the area and will make you privy to the results.

  As for the second matter, it seems only decent that your leave should last forty-eight hours. If the situation is as felicitous as I perceive it is, a mere day is not adequate. However, I fear that you are not outfitted properly for this campaign. Therefore I’ve commanded Colonel Nothem to deliver hot meals to your front porch in accordance with the mess hall schedule. Whether you open the door to receive them is wholly at your discretion. You will be expected to report for duty on December 23rd, when you will resume your duties at the fort.

  The necessary dispatches have been sent to secure your future assistance here in Indian Territory.

  Sincerely and with congratulations, your friend and commanding officer,

  Major Daniel Adams

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  DECEMBER 22, 1885

  Dear Father and Mother,

  I’m married. To Jack Hennessey. Yes, Jack from Van Buren, the one who always wanted to help me with my schoolwork. It looks like I’ll be staying in Indian Territory longer than planned, because he’s an officer in the cavalry. He’s the one who rescued me from the Indians, but they were nice. They rescued me from the stagecoach robber. I don’t think I told you about that in my last letter, but everything is good now. Very good.

  Isn’t it funny? I was trying not to get married, and look at me now. I tried everything I could to get Jack’s attention, and he ignored me for quite a while, but I finally won him over. This is better than painting the Rockies, although he tells me that he’ll take me there someday. So now I’m an officer’s wife. Isn’t that a surprise? How everyone will laugh at me back home.

  We both send our love and hope to make it home to visit our families on his next leave. Oh, and I did send in a portrait for that exhibition in Denver. I am waiting for news.

  Love you both. Merry Christmas.

  Your daughter,

  Mrs. John Hennessey