Tempest

by Beverly Jenkins

  Regan thought that an ill-fitting end, even for someone as unlikeable as Minnie Gore. “How was One Eye involved?”

  “Not sure what Bailey planned to do with Anna after he killed Minnie, but he tried to take the buggy up the Old Trapper trail.”

  “You can barely get a horse up that trail,” Colt pointed out.

  “I know. I figure maybe he was looking for some place to hide out for the night. Anyway, Anna said they ran over something or something got caught in the wheel. Dun lit a lantern and got out to investigate. One Eye came out of the darkness and chose Dun for dinner. I was close by checking traps when I heard what sounded like a man tangling with a cat. He was yelling, the cat was snarling and yowling, and a child was screaming.”

  Regan’s heart broke. Anna had to have been terrified.

  “When I got there, I swung my lantern towards the buggy and saw One Eye feasting on a body on the ground. The cat looked up. I saw it was Dun, so I let him have his meal, and he dragged the body off into the dark. Inside the buggy I saw Minnie slumped over and then Anna.”

  “Thank you for bringing her home,” Colt said.

  “Why was Anna with them to begin with?” Ben asked.

  Colt told him about Minnie wanting to take Anna back East, and how she’d tricked Anna into leaving the Founders Day gathering.

  Ben said, “Minnie needed a better plan and a better partner.”

  Regan said, “I’m glad she had neither.”

  “But Dun and Minnie having Colleen’s buggy worries me,” Colt said. “I don’t believe she’d play a part in Anna’s abduction, but I’m going to ride over to her place to see what I can find out. I’m hoping he didn’t harm her or Felicity.”

  Regan wanted answers, too, and hoped he was right about Colleen not being involved, and that she and her daughter were safe.

  “I’ll go with you,” Ben said. “Then I’ll take Minnie’s body into town and turn her over to Beck.”

  “Tell him I’ll pay for the burial,” Colt said and looked to Regan for approval and she nodded in agreement. The old woman needed to be buried and she was family.

  Ben said, “You’re a better man than me, Colton, but then you always were.”

  Their eyes met and a silent moment passed between them.

  Ben rose to his feet and Regan said, “Thank you for saving Anna. You’re still welcome here, Mr. Lee. You always will be.”

  He responded by heading to the door and leaving.

  Regan shook her head in frustration and asked Colt, “Do you think he’ll ever bend?”

  He shrugged and placed a kiss on her brow. “Time will tell. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  No one answered Colt’s knock at the Enrights’ small cabin.

  “Try the latch,” Ben said.

  Colt did and the door opened. In the small front parlor, a gagged and tied-up Colleen was seated on the floor, her back against the wall. Felicity, tied and gagged as well, lay sleeping with her head in her mother’s lap.

  Grateful tears sprang to Colleen’s eyes as they moved quickly to her side. Felicity awakened and Ben’s hunting knife made short work of the ropes binding their wrists and ankles.

  Colt untied the bandanas in their mouths and a tearful Colleen grabbed him around the neck and sobbed, “Oh thank you for finding us. Thank you!”

  He patted her back consolingly and let her hold on for a few moments longer before gently prying himself loose. “Are you injured anywhere?”

  “I don’t think so,” she whispered.

  “How about you, Felicity?” he asked.

  “My hands and ankles hurt.”

  “It’s from being tied up. You should get the feeling back shortly. Are you hurting anywhere else?”

  She shook her head.

  Ben said, “Do you want water?”

  Colleen nodded. “Please.”

  Ben withdrew the canteen from his pack and held it to her mouth and then her daughter’s.

  Once they were done, Colt said, “Tell us what happened.”

  “Dun Bailey came by as we were leaving for the Founders Day parade.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Minnie asked him to.”

  Colt was confused.

  “Minnie’s been staying here since the night we had cake at your place. She wouldn’t let me take her back to town.”

  “Why didn’t you just drive her anyway?”

  “She’s an old woman, Colton. She said she was afraid being in her house alone. I was trying to be kind.”

  Felicity said, “Miss Minnie said she was going to tell everybody about the men who come to see Mama at night.”

  Colt stared. Ben’s lips thinned.

  Colleen snapped, “Hush, Felicity! It was a lie, but I thought people might believe her, so I allowed her to stay.”

  Colt didn’t know what to make of that, so he moved past it. “Did you know she and Dun were going to abduct Anna?”

  Colleen’s eyes went wide. “No! Oh my goodness. Is that why they wanted my buggy? I kept telling him he couldn’t take it, but he said he’d shoot us both if I kept refusing, then tied us up. They took your daughter?”

  He nodded. “At the celebration, yesterday. Ben found her last night, but Minnie and Dun are dead.”

  Colleen turned to Felicity. “How are your legs feeling?”

  “Better.”

  “Then go to your room and change your clothes. I’ll be there once we’re done talking here.”

  Felicity complied and once she was gone, Colt filled her in on yesterday’s events. When he finished, she said, “Poor Anna must’ve been scared to death. Personally, I’m glad they’re dead.”

  “Do you know when Minnie and Dun made their plans?”

  “No, but she had me drive her to his place a few days ago. She said she wanted to pay him for fixing some loose boards on her porch. She went inside but I stayed in the buggy. I got the impression that he’d been working for her on and off since the spring.”

  Colt said, “Regan arrived late spring. And the first time he shot at her was just a short time after that.” That Minnie might have been planning to kill Regan from the day she arrived made his anger rise. Dun must have gone into hiding after the second attempt on Regan’s life then slipped back home. Had he ridden out the storm at Minnie’s empty place in town, knowing Whit wouldn’t look there?

  “Did you know Dun was wanted for questioning after Regan was shot?” Colt asked.

  “I did.”

  “But you didn’t tell Whit or anyone else that you’d driven Minnie to see him at his place a few days ago?”

  “No. I told you what Minnie threatened. I had my reputation to think about.”

  “What reputation?” Ben shouted.

  Colleen jumped.

  “Miller’s bragging about rutting with you, and so has Cale. You could’ve cost Anna her life!”

  Her lip quivered and tears filled her eyes. “I have to feed myself. I have a child. I need gowns!”

  “To hell with your gowns!” he roared. “Had you done what was right, Dun would’ve been in jail, Anna wouldn’t have been taken, and you and your daughter wouldn’t have been trussed up like chickens, pissing on yourselves.”

  Colt said, “Ben—”

  “I know. I’m leaving. I’ll take Minnie’s body to town and let everyone know Anna’s been found. You ride on home when you’re done here.” And he left.

  As she sobbed, Colt, like Ben, was angry that her pride had placed Anna in danger, but he was also sorry that circumstances had become so dire she’d chosen to use her body as a way out. “People would’ve helped you, Colleen. All you had to do was ask.”

  She spat angrily, “I was tired of charity. Do you have any idea how I felt being reduced to a common laundress? I deserved better! I was the one you were supposed to marry after Adele died, Colton Lee! Me! Not your precious uncouth Regan Carmichael.”

  Sympathy gone, Colt picked up his bag and headed to the door. On the way, he saw a teary-eyed Felicity
watching from the threshold of the bedroom. He wanted to pick her up and take her with him, but he knew that was impossible.

  At home, Colt found Regan in the kitchen browning beef for tortillas. “How’s Anna?” he asked.

  “Still sleeping. Colleen and Felicity okay?”

  He told her about the visit, then asked, “Did you know she’s been prostituting herself?”

  “Sort of.” And explained what she meant.

  “You could’ve knocked me over with a feather when Felicity spoke up.”

  “That poor child.”

  The memory of her watching him as he left rose in his mind. “I know. They might be better off moving elsewhere and starting over.”

  Regan nodded her agreement and stuck a spoon into the sizzling meat. “Taste this. Does it need more seasoning?”

  He let her feed him the spicy concoction and he groaned with pleasure. “Perfect. Just like the chef.”

  “Are you trying to butter me up, Dr. Lee?”

  He linked his arms around her apron-covered waist and, after placing a soft kiss against her lips, replied, “Every chance I get.”

  “Would you mind if I invite my family out for a visit before the weather changes?”

  He studied her. “No. I’ve been wanting to meet them and I know how much you’ve missed them.”

  “Then I’ll send a wire tomorrow and see if they can come and when. Thank you, Colt,” she said sincerely and hugged him tight.

  He kissed the top of her hair. “You’re welcome.”

  A month later, when a large buggy pulled up in front of the house, Regan, on her knees planting the tulip bulbs she’d ordered, looked up. When her sister, Portia, stepped out, followed by her husband, Kent, Aunt Eddy, and Uncle Rhine, Regan screamed and ran. The reunion was filled with rocking hugs, cheek kisses, and many tears.

  “I can’t believe you’re here!”

  Aunt Eddy, as dark and beautiful as Regan and her sister, said, “I can’t believe it either. Why does this doctor you married live in the middle of the wilderness? Took us an eternity to get here.”

  Uncle Rhine said, “Hush, Eddy, we made it.”

  Regan, still in disbelief that they were in Wyoming, looked at the people she loved with all her heart and said, “Come in. I want you to meet my family.”

  Introductions were made. Anna first.

  Her aunt and uncle smiled fondly. “We’ve heard a lot about you, Anna. We’re pleased to finally meet you.”

  “I’m glad to meet you, too.”

  Regan said, “Anna, this is my sister, Portia, and her husband, Kent.”

  They both offered smiles and hellos.

  Then it was Colt’s turn. “Pleased to meet you all,” he said. “Welcome to Wyoming.”

  Regan smiled inwardly at the skeptical look on her aunt’s face as she looked Colt up and down. Eddy asked, “Is she keeping her bedroom clean?”

  “Aunt Eddy!” Regan yelled,

  Colt laughed so hard, Regan thought he might fall over. “Traitor. Stop laughing.”

  By then, everyone was laughing, even Anna.

  Her family stayed for five days. There were nightly dinners filled with food, laughter, and tales of the past. They took rides around the countryside to meet Spring and Ed Prescott who loaned the family horses. They saw Anna’s school, went into town to see Colt’s office, and felt the coming of winter as the temperature cooled and the first leaves began to turn red and gold on the trees.

  And then came the morning they were scheduled to head home. The hired coach that would be taking them back to Cheyenne to the train depot arrived at dawn. Shivering in the cool morning air, Regan hugged each of them tight. Anna received farewell kisses from her great Aunt Eddy and great Uncle Rhine, and tight hugs from her Aunt Portia and Uncle Kent.

  As Regan and Portia shared a final parting hug, they whispered their love for each other and their wishes that both be happy. “Take care of my niece,” Regan said, wiping her tears. Portia would be having a baby after the new year, and when Portia shared the news, Regan had cried with joy and reminded her sister that growing up, they’d pledged to have only girls. Now she was shedding tears of farewell.

  Eddy said, “Colton, I hope you and Regan and my Anna will come to Arizona when the weather warms.”

  “Yes, ma’am. We will.”

  They piled into the coach and Colt put his arm around the teary Regan and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. “We’ll see them again, soon. Promise.”

  As the wagon rolled away, Regan and her family watched until they were out of sight.

  Three days later, Regan and Colt were cuddled together on the bench outside their bedroom watching the moon rise.

  “Still missing your family?”

  “Yes, but it was wonderful to see them.” She wished they all lived closer but she knew Colt would never leave the Territory and now that it was in her blood, she wouldn’t want to live anywhere else either.

  “Ben stopped by my office today. He and Odell found One Eye’s body up near his cabin. Said the way the cat’s stomach was distended, he must’ve eaten some bad meat.”

  Regan chuckled softly at the awful joke. “Dun Bailey had to be rancid.” She then told him, “Anna said Felicity and her mother are moving back East next week.”

  “Hopefully, for Felicity’s sake, they can make a new start.”

  “And hopefully, one day, I’ll forgive Colleen for keeping Dun’s whereabouts a secret.”

  “Me too. Did your sister share any further news about your mother?”

  “Yes. Our mother sent a note by the Pinkerton Aunt Eddy hired and it said she had a new life now, didn’t want further contact, and not to bother her again.”

  “How’d your sister take it?”

  “Not well. She said she wept. But I’m hoping now that she and Kent have a baby coming, she’ll let go of the past and focus on their child and the future.”

  “And you? How do you feel?”

  “I’m just glad the door is closed. I’ve already gone on with my life. Speaking of which, can I share a good secret?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m having a baby.”

  “Truly?” he asked excitedly.

  “Truly. Sometime in the spring I’m guessing.”

  He hugged her closer. “That’s grand news!”

  “All those doctor visits, I’m thinking.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “The day we met, did you think we’d wind up this way?”

  “The day you shot me?”

  She poked him gently with her elbow.

  “No, I didn’t. I just wanted you for Anna. I didn’t know I’d come to want you for myself so very much.”

  She turned to him, moved by the emotion in his tone. “I’m glad we went forward. Had we not, we would have missed this.”

  “I know.”

  She whispered, “I love you so.”

  “I love you, too.”

  As she resettled herself in the comfort of his arms, she admitted her mail-order bride adventure may not have begun well, but it was ending just fine.

  Dear Reader

  Dear Reader,

  Tempest brings us to the end of the Old West/Rhine Fontaine series, and I hope you enjoyed this final installment. Many of you were concerned about Regan heading off to Wyoming alone, and how she’d fare as a mail-order bride. I was, too, but she found love with Dr. Colt Lee and his daughter, Anna, and now, all is well.

  Tempest touched on more than a few historical notes. For me, one of the most compelling and heartbreaking was the incident at Rock Springs. The events told through Colt’s participation are true. In the end, the Chinese did return to work but it took an act of Congress to award them their back pay. The U.S. Army built Camp Pilot Butte in Rock Springs to keep the peace, and stationed soldiers there for the next thirteen years.

  Another interesting aspect was my brief mention of Dr. Alexander Augusta. Born free in Virginia in 1825, he was the highest ranking Black office
r in the Union Army, and went on to become the first African-American professor of medicine. Every African-American physician in the nation owes him tribute for his perseverance and determination. It is my hope that by highlighting him in Tempest, he and his accomplishments will no longer be unsung.

  So, for further study, your homework: please research and share

  Rock Springs Massacre.

  Dr. Alexander T. Augusta.

  Dr. Joseph Lister.

  In closing, my thanks to my editor, agent, and the Avon production team members for their patience and care. Readers, you can thank my editor for the Fontaine reunion at the end of Tempest. The first draft didn’t contain one, much to her disappointment.

  And as always, a huge Bevy thanks to you, my readers, for your love of Forbidden, Breathless, and now Tempest. This series has been fun. I’ve no idea where we’ll travel next or who we’ll meet, but I hope you’ll come along.

  You’re the best!

  B

  Announcement

  We hope you enjoyed Regan’s story in TEMPEST. If you’ve missed where it all began, turn the page for a peek at FORBIDDEN (Eddy’s story) and BREATHLESS (Portia’s story).

  Forbidden

  “It’s possible that no one sets the scene for romance better than Beverly Jenkins . . . This is historical romance at its very best.”

  —Sarah MacLean for The Washington Post

  Rhine entered his shadowy bedroom and gently placed Eddy in the center of his large four-poster bed. Another man might fret over her and her dirty clothing being laid on the clean sheets, but he was more concerned with her well-being. Her breathing was so shallow and her skin still so hot he worried that she might not pull through. Taking a hasty look back at her over his shoulder, he quickly grabbed a basin and hurried down the hall to the washroom to fill it with water so he could continue wiping her down.

  Luckily, it was a Sunday and the saloon was closed. Otherwise she might’ve been disturbed by the noise and revelry of drunk miners and card players from the floor below. He stuck the large sponge into the water-filled basin and slowly and gently slid it over her face, throat, and the tops of her breasts above the shabby shift. That she wasn’t wearing a corset was a plus. More than likely she would’ve died in the heat had she been. To his thinking, she’d be better off nude and immersed in a tub of cool water, but he needed to wait for Jim to return with Sylvie—as she was affectionately called—or Doc. The questions surrounding Eddy’s plight continued to plague Rhine, but they had to be set aside until she was strong enough to answer.