Dan McCall's Bride

by Barbara Goss

  “You did a fine job of it, too,” she said, looking soulfully up at him.

  Dan could resist her no longer. He put his arms around her and squeezed her to him. Her head rested on his chest, and he smoothed her hair as he spoke softly. “If I were a marrying man, it would be to you, Ap…er… Leila. Fact is, my job's always come first. It wouldn’t be fair to saddle a wife with a husband who’s never home, and I wouldn’t know how to do anything else for a living.”

  Leila pulled away from him, far enough to search his face. “I’ll be your mistress, then.”

  Dan groaned. “No, you can’t do that! Not for me or anyone.” He kissed the top of her head. He felt drawn to the woman. Heaven help him, but he wanted to kiss her, propose, and even marry her. She was the sweetest thing, and his heart pounded so hard because of it, it hurt. While his base instinct told him to kiss her and allow her into his life, his common sense told him it would be a mistake, since he’d dedicated his life to restoring law and order in Kansas. How could he even think about settling down with a family? He’d never take a mistress, either, as it was against the Bible and his morals. Even so, he wanted her badly.

  “I try to live my life according to the Bible,” he said, glad he’d let her know it, as it would help keep him from caving in to his desire for her. If he slipped up now, it would seem like he was a hypocrite.

  “I’m a believer—I swore to someone I cared for a long time ago to protect law-abiding citizens from bandits and gun-slingers. My parents died at an early age of natural causes, but my sister, Nellie, was shot in the back during a stagecoach robbery ten years ago. Before she died, I swore to her I’d find the men who did it to her. I found them months afterward and saw them hang. It was then I applied to be a federal marshal. I can’t give all that up, nor do I want to. I love what I do.”

  He felt Leila weeping against his chest. “You’re a beautiful woman, Leila. You can easily do a lot better than me. I’m your hero because I rescued you, and that’s all there is to it.”

  She shook her head but said nothing.

  Dan gently untwined her hands from around him and stood. “I have to meet my partner. Go and see Joe, Leila. He has more to offer you than I do—I don’t even own a home.”

  Leila looked up at him. He wished she wouldn’t look at him with those big, sad, brown eyes as they made his heart do flip-flops.

  She stood, straightened her back, and said, “Can I at least get a kiss goodbye?” She swiped at the tears running down her cheeks.

  Dan suddenly choked up. Kiss her? He couldn’t because he was sure that once he'd begun, he wouldn't be able to stop. “That’s not a good idea, Leila,” he said, looking down into the prettiest yet saddest eyes.

  “Just one,” she said. “Please?”

  Her eyes had begun to fill with tears again, so he nodded.

  She put her arms around his neck and pressed her body so close, Dan felt weak and helpless. He bent down, found her lips, and his heart—heck, everything— felt as if it had stopped. He was floating high above their embrace on a big, white, fluffy cloud. Her lips felt so good and comfortable that he couldn’t force himself to break the kiss for anything. Rather, he pulled her even closer, kissing her with more fervor than he’d ever kissed anyone in his life. She returned the kiss with just as much passion, and he never wanted the kiss to end. Her kiss seemed to suck all the willpower from him with those beautiful, soft, warm, lips of hers.

  Dan pulled away slowly, yet gently, his lips feeling cold and wet. They continued to embrace, fighting to calm their breathing. Leila clung to him, weeping softly as Dan stroked her hair. If only….

  “Take care of yourself, Leila. Don’t ever doubt my feelings for you, for I feel so much affection for you, and you have no idea how difficult this is for me.”

  Dan set her gently aside, picked up his hat from the side table, turned, left the summerhouse, and walked back toward the front of the house where he mounted his horse and rode away, still aroused by the kiss that had set his soul on fire.

  Dan stormed into the hotel room and found Jack putting on his boots. “How was your nap? Headache gone?”

  “Yeah, I feel better.” Jack stood. “What’s next?”

  “We’re off to Leavenworth again. We’ll take the train. I need to claim April’s belongings, only she has her memory back and her real name is Leila.”

  “Joe’s Leila?”

  “The same,” Dan said.

  “I just checked the train schedule and there's a train leaving in the direction of Leavenworth and Kansas City at six this afternoon. Let’s be on it,” Dan said. He put some clothes in his knapsack, and Jack did the same.

  As the train rumbled down the tracks, Dan felt miserable and alone even with Jack sitting right beside him. He’d always been a loner so why should he feel that way now? Deep inside he knew why he felt so depressed—he’d just turned down the woman he loved, all because he felt he had nothing to offer her. He had no home, no savings, and a job that kept him away most of the time. He knew he’d made the right decision, but it hurt just the same.

  “Did you catch my headache?” Jack asked.

  Dan sighed. “No, I’m just tired.” He slumped down in his seat, pulled his hat down over his face, and feigned sleep, but all he could do was to think about was April—Leila—and relive their kisses in his head. Had he made a huge mistake? He was sure, now, that he was in love with her. He couldn’t shake the feeling he’d passed up a once in a lifetime relationship.

  He was sure it wouldn’t take long for her and Joe to find each other. The thought made him feel even worse. If only he had a home and a regular job like everyone else.

  He’d never set out to fall in love. He purposely hadn’t courted any women and dodged the ones that had come after him, and he’d been successful—until now. He also felt badly for Leila because he truly believed she loved him so much, she'd even offered to be his mistress! He wished he’d never have met her because now he couldn’t forget her.

  Arriving in Leavenworth, Dan went straight to the central marshal’s office where they let him look through the train robbers’ bootie. He explained how Leila had lost her reticule.

  “What do they do with all this stuff?” Dan asked.

  “It stays in the vault until the trials, but since it’s you, Dan, you can take the woman’s reticule. We have enough here to convict them without it.”

  Dan went through all of the reticules in the collection, looking for the one with the image of Leila's parents in it. He finally found it—inside was a letter from Joe, addressed to Leila Simmons of Baltimore, Maryland.

  Dan left the marshal’s office and stuffed the reticule into his saddlebag. Giving the bag back to her might at least make up for his rejecting her in some small part.

  He mounted and continued to the Garners' home with Jack at his side. Jack insisted they stay with his aunt and uncle. This time, Pearl was cordial but distant with him, which was exactly what he needed just then.

  Dan wasn’t used to family gatherings, so he excused himself to sit out on the front porch to watch the sunset after dinner. His thoughts were still on Leila, and the pain he felt in the region of his heart that actually made him ill. He wondered how long it would take for him to forget about her.

  The sound of fabric swishing brought him out of his daze. He looked up to see Pearl taking the chair beside him.

  “I love watching sunsets here, too,” she said.

  Dan just nodded.

  “What’s wrong, Dan? You seem so sad and troubled which is so unlike the way you were on your last visit. I know you enjoyed the celebration because you seemed so happy. Something’s eating at you. Maybe I can help.”

  Dan gave her a slight smile, but knew his face still showed his pain. “I don’t think so,” he said. “It’s a rather personal matter.”

  Pearl sat silent for several minutes before saying, “How beneficial it would be, then to tell someone who you’ll probably never meet again and who might have some good
advice.”

  “I don’t know…it’s something you'd probably consider silly,” Dan said. “I appreciate your offer, though.”

  “I don’t think anything silly would be able to turn you so sour, Dan. Please, I want to help. You’ve been so good to Jack, it’s the least I can do.”

  “Okay,” Dan said. He rubbed his temples to relieve the throbbing. “I've devoted my life to chasing down criminals, so I've never put myself in a position to fall in love, but it happened anyway.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “Yes, because I have nothing whatsoever to offer her—no house, no property, no regular job, and no future.” Dan ran his fingers through his hair. “I had to set her free, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

  “That’s a tough one,” Pearl said swaying back and forth with the movement of the rocking chair. “You could quit your job and get a local one. It wouldn’t be long before you could save up enough to build a house.”

  “I have no skills whatsoever,” Dan said. “It’s hopeless. I made the break with her, and now I need to live with it. It’s just that I don’t know if I can bear to see her with someone else, and my office is now in Hays. It’s going to be like rubbing salt into an open wound.”

  “If she’s as much in love with you as you are with her, I doubt she’d jump into another relationship so quickly,” Pearl said.

  “She might. You see, she was traveling to Hays to meet her intended, a man named Joe. Train robbers used her as a hostage, and then threw her to the ground when she was no longer useful to them. Jack followed the men, and I stayed to help the woman. Dagnabbit! I wished I would have followed the men and left Jack to care for the woman.”

  “I see. So you think she’ll marry the intended now?”

  “I urged her in that direction, so yes.” Dan put his head in his hands. “I've burned all of my bridges behind me.”

  “I'm so sorry, Dan. I thought I could help. I just went through something similar with Jack. His fiancée literally left him standing at the altar when she eloped with his best friend.” Pearl sighed. “I couldn’t help him either.”

  Dan turned and patted her hand atop the arm of the chair. “You tried, and it did feel good to talk about it with someone, so thank you for that.” He felt the need to change the subject, so he asked, “By the way, how did Jack’s parents die?”

  “He didn’t tell you?” she said.

  “No. I just happened to think of it now. He’s mentioned his aunt, his uncle, and some cousins, but never his family.”

  “It’s better that you asked me and not him—it’s still painful for him.”

  “Really? What happened?”

  “They were living on the outskirts of the small town of Shifters Bend, and at the time, the town was full of corruption. His father was a farmer. The banker, the sheriff, and their friends burned his homestead and his parents, two sisters, and three brothers were all killed in the blaze.”

  “Why would they burn down their home?”

  “Jack’s father refused to sell the land to them. They were going around threatening all the farms, offering them half of what their places were worth, and the bank was reselling the land at a higher price and making a huge profit,” Pearl explained.

  “Where was Jack at the time?”

  “Jack was the oldest. At age fifteen he was sent to live with the town’s blacksmith to learn the trade. His father wanted his boys to have a trade to fall back on, other than farming. Jack hated farming, anyway. It was such a sad time for us all. Jack’s father and my father were brothers, and they were close.” Pearl wiped away a stray tear. “I’m fairly sure that’s why Jack wanted to be a lawman. He wants to lock up people who are lawless.”

  “Jack and I seem to have a lot in common. I liked Jack right away when I met him,” Dan said.

  “You mean because you’ve both suffered through broken hearts?”

  “Not just that,” Dan said. “My sister was shot by a stagecoach robber.”

  “And that’s why you became a lawman?”

  “Yep. Jack and I are both believers, too.”

  “You do have a lot in common,” she said. “I just wish I could have helped you.”

  “You did. It felt good to tell someone. Thank you.”

  Chapter 9

  Leila left the summerhouse, scurried into the house, and up to her room, whizzing past Kate on her way, where she threw herself on the bed and wept. She couldn’t believe she’d lost Dan forever.

  She sat up when she heard a knock on the bedroom door and watched as Kate entered.

  “What’s the matter, dear?”

  “It’s Dan…he…he’s not the marrying kind, and he refused my other offer,” Leila said between sobs.

  Kate sat down on the bed and hugged Leila. “I’m so sorry, but maybe it’s for the best.”

  “I’m starting to remember some things, like my name and that I’m an orphan. I remember having ridden the train but not why I was riding it or where I was going.”

  “You might be Joe Austin’s mail order bride. When he finds out, he’ll probably want to see you.”

  “Send him away,” Leila cried. “The thing is, I know Dan loves me, too. I know he does. I could tell. Lips can lie, but his didn't when they were pressed against mine.”

  “Did Dan give you a reason for having let you down?” Kate asked.

  “He said he has nothing to offer me, that his job takes him away a lot, and that he doesn’t even have a home.”

  “Would you like to be married to a man and end up raising your children alone? His job is also dangerous. He doesn’t think it would be fair to a wife, besides the other things you mentioned.”

  “Kate, I know all that, but I love him anyway.”

  Kate hugged her. “I know, I know, but I’m going to help you get over that.”

  Leila simply shook her head. She’d never get over Dan.

  “We’ll go shopping tomorrow—”

  “Not yet, please, Kate. I need some time alone. All right?”

  Kate stood. “We’ll talk again tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that. I’m very fond of you, and I aim to do my best to see you past this.”

  Leila kept pretty much to herself for the following week. She spent most of her time walking around the Walker property, chatting with the workers, sometimes sitting in the summerhouse, reliving her meeting there with Dan. That was where she was when she heard Kate calling her from the back door of the house.

  She sighed, rose, and walked toward the house. Kate met her as she entered.

  “Joe Austin's here!” she exclaimed in a whisper. “He’s waiting for you in the sitting room.”

  “Did you tell him I was in?” Leila whispered back.

  Kate nodded.

  “How did he find out who I was?” Leila asked.

  Kate shrugged and told her, “I don’t know. What should I do?”

  “Tell him you couldn’t find me outdoors.”

  “Leila, you know how I hate lies.”

  “All right. I’ll see him, but I won’t marry him.” Leila stormed into the sitting room, ready to tell him her heart had already been taken and that he had to leave.

  She stopped short in the archway to the sitting room when she saw Joe sitting there. Judging by the way he fingered his hat, he was nervous. He looked up at her, stood, and broke out in a wide smile.

  He was tall, but not as tall as Dan, and his hair was longer. He had a charismatic smile that caused Leila to cool down, but not enough to want to return his smile. She took a seat and he resumed his.

  “Mr. Austin,” she said, “it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Simmons. I’ve been waiting for you at the train station for weeks now. I heard what happened.” He paused and gave her a sympathetic look. “Are you feeling better now?”

  “I feel fine,” she answered. “How did you find me?”

  “The clerk at the dry goods store mentioned s
he'd seen a new woman out shopping with Kate Walker, so I asked around, and someone thought I should inquire here, so I did. I’m so glad I’ve found you.” He smiled again, and she noticed he had dimples.

  She couldn’t help but compare him with Dan. He was naturally smaller than Dan and not half as muscular, but he was good-looking in a boyish sort of way, even though his sideburns had already some white in them. She thought him to be about Dan’s age, maybe a little bit older.

  “I know we were supposed to marry, but things have changed, owing to all the events that occurred. You do understand, don’t you?” she asked.

  “I aim to court you properly.” He fingered his hat again. “I’m all alone now, since those pompous marshals took my brother away. I have need of a wife, and I approve of you, just like I knew I would. You wrote me such elegant letters.”

  Leila thought that if he smiled anymore his face might crack. Was he sincerely happy, or was he acting? And did he just call Dan pompous?

  “So, may I take you to dinner tonight?”

  Leila thought how best to tell him she no longer wanted to marry him, but she hated to see his dimpled smile fade. She had a feeling she wouldn’t like his face much without it.

  “Tonight isn’t good for me. How about you stop by tomorrow and I’ll go to lunch or dinner, or whatever you want and we can talk?” she asked.

  He stood. “That’ll be just fine. I’ll be back tomorrow around noon and we’ll have lunch at Rosie’s—she makes the best stew.”

  “Fine,” she said, standing. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

  After he'd left, she went up to her room to contemplate how she’d get out of the mess. She knew any hopes she’d had to marry Dan had been lost, and she couldn’t live with the Walkers indefinitely. She might have to consider marriage to Joe, but first, she wanted to get to know him better.

  Dan and Jack kept busy, organizing their new office. The sheriff, George Boggs, had received an order from the home office in Arkansas to make room for the marshal in his office. It was somewhat cramped, but they managed to move things around to satisfy both of their needs. Boggs wasn’t happy about sharing his space, but since the government agency had given the order, he really had no choice. Dan vowed to be a respectful guest while sharing the room.