Tempest EPB

by Beverly Jenkins

  He nodded. “They’re fine. I need to speak with you.” He could tell she was wondering why he’d sought her out at this hour, but she stepped back to let him enter.

  “Sit,” she said, gesturing to a chair in the parlor. “What brings the illustrious doctor to the door of his disreputable baby sister?”

  He blew out a breath and explained.

  When he was done, she shook her head. “Poor Regan. She must’ve been very hurt to find out her trust in that man meant nothing. As for you. She told you the truth. Did you want her to lie to you about who he was?”

  “No. I wanted the truth, or thought I did.”

  “You owe her an apology, Colton.”

  “I know. But will it be enough?”

  She shrugged. “Depends on how low you grovel.”

  “I don’t grovel, Spring.”

  “You may need to learn.”

  He looked away. “I’m not one for second-guessing myself. I never had to do that with Adele, but Regan . . .” His words faded into silence. In his mind’s eye, he could still see her furious face as she’d swept out of his study.

  “They’re two different people, Colt. You keep forgetting that. Adele always aimed to please you, no matter what. Regan doesn’t impress me as being here solely to make your head larger. She’s a woman who walks beside a man, not behind.” She paused as if to let the words sink in before continuing, “I’m still trying to understand why you chose to come to me about this?”

  “Because you helped me think through whether I wanted to marry her or not, and besides, who else is there for me to talk to? Ben? He was so rude to Regan today, I wanted to take a bullwhip to him. Whit? He’s a good friend, but he’d just find the situation amusing. You’re it.”

  “I suppose I should be flattered but you haven’t been very brotherly these past few years.”

  “And why is that, Spring? I tried to help when you were running wild and you told me what?”

  “Go to hell,” she replied softly.

  He nodded. “Yeah, you did.”

  She looked away. When Ben kicked her out of the house, she’d signed on as a hand with one of the local ranchers and the resulting scandal was still fueling gossip today.

  “Spring, I understood why you took up with Mitch. Ben left you no choice, but the rest? The drinking, the carousing. I finally threw up my hands. I had to.” He thought about all the years they’d wasted. “I miss you in my life, Spring.”

  She replied softly, “I miss you, too, brother. I was young and scared and wanted to pay Ben back. I’m sorry for the pain I caused you.”

  It was the first time they’d talked about those years. “I kept waiting to be told you’d been shot in a brawl or assaulted by some drunken cowhand. I was so afraid I was going to be burying you.”

  “But I made it,” she said softly. “And I’m proud of that, no matter what anyone else thinks.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “But I have to say, I’m enjoying watching you be turned inside out by your new wife.”

  “Why?”

  “It means you’re alive again. Feeling again. You’ve been encased in ice since Adele’s passing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this befuddled or confused. You’re quite taken with Regan.”

  “I enjoy her company.”

  “If you want to plant your flag there, fine. But it’s more than her company.”

  “She’s done so much for Anna in the short time she’s been with us.”

  “It’s also more than Anna.”

  He mused on that, too, then admitted aloud, “I’ve never been a jealous man, Spring.”

  She smiled softly. “I know. Something else adding to my enjoyment. She’s got you at sixes and sevens.”

  He dropped his head into his hands. “This is all so new.” He’d spent a lifetime building a well-ordered mind based on logic and discipline; both necessary for a man of the race practicing medicine in a nation where many viewed him as unequal and unqualified. There’d been no place for frivolous emotions like passion and desire. Although he’d loved Adele, he’d not allowed himself to be distracted by such things, and she’d been content with what he had to give. Or had she? That she might not have been was a startling thought.

  “What’s wrong?” Spring asked.

  “Just asking myself if Adele had been as content with me as I assumed she’d been.”

  “There’s no way to tell. And truthfully, you two weren’t married long enough for you to know her true feelings.”

  He pulled his mind away from Adele. He was flailing enough.

  Spring said, “Colt, go home. Apologize. Grovel to this woman you only like for her company and see where it leads.”

  She was right of course. He’d already made a previous apology for erecting a wall after their intimate encounters. He’d just have to do it again and hope it would be enough. He stood. “Thanks for listening. Sorry to disturb you so late.”

  “That’s okay. As I said, I’m enjoying watching you trying not to fall in love with my new sister-in-law.”

  His eyes flashed to hers.

  She chuckled softly. “That is where this is going, whether you want to admit it or not. But you’ll figure it out, eventually.”

  “And here I was just about to ask you to dinner tomorrow.”

  “May I still come?”

  “Yes. I’m sure Regan won’t mind. She may not feed me, but she will you.” He viewed her silently for a few moments before saying, “Thanks, Spring.”

  “You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”

  He gave her a nod and left.

  Lying on her bed in the shadowy, predawn silence, Regan’s mind slipped back to last night’s encounter with Colt. Their agreed upon pact lasted less than a day and she placed the blame squarely on his shoulders. Should she have lied to him about Levi Spalding instead? Some women would have, but as always, she’d let truth be her guide and all she’d gotten in return was frustration.

  Last night after her bath, she’d found a note he’d slipped under her door to let her know he’d left the house and would be returning shortly. An hour or so later she heard his return and his bedroom door close. Although she wondered where he’d gone, she’d been too upset to care. She had no idea which version of himself he’d present this morning at breakfast, and truthfully it didn’t matter. She’d never begged for anything in her life and she had no plans to do so to gain his affection. Today would be her turn for distance. She knew it was childish and petty to pay him back in kind, but he’d earned it. And besides, she was still angry.

  She revisited their conversation, hearing what she’d said and how he’d responded, and she froze. Was the stodgy, but sometimes scandalous Dr. Colton Lee jealous? Her jaw dropped. She’d been so upset last night she’d failed to consider the reasons behind his attitude. But jealousy didn’t make sense. Why be jealous over a woman he didn’t love? Wasn’t he constantly pointing out that theirs wasn’t a love match? Was he starting to care for her in spite of that? She had no answer, but the question was intriguing; not intriguing enough for her to pretend last night’s heated conversation hadn’t occurred. However, it gave her something to think about as she left the bed to begin her day.

  One of the reasons Regan detested the old stove was the oven door. The hinges were rusted and so out of line, the only way to keep it closed was to prop something against it like the small sawhorse being used now. Add to that the small dirty burners and the hour the oven took to reach a reasonable baking temperature. Having to cook on it further soured her already grumbling mood.

  “Good morning, Miss Regan. Where’s Papa?” Anna asked, entering the kitchen.

  “Good morning, Anna. Not sure. Maybe he’s being a lazybones this morning.” Or maybe he was still sulking.

  “May I help you cook?”

  Anna’s smiling presence warmed Regan like beams of sunshine. “Of course. Do you want to break the eggs into the bowl for me?”

  She nodded and dragged the small crate she
used to stand on over to the counter. Once on her perch, she very carefully broke each of the dozen eggs into the bowl. “I like helping.”

  “And I enjoy having your help. It reminds me of when I first began helping my Aunt Eddy. I was a little bit older though.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Ten.”

  “Did you already know how to cook?”

  “Just a few things.”

  “Did you know how to make cakes?”

  Regan chuckled. “No, but Aunt Eddy showed me how.”

  “I can’t wait until I get my cake.”

  Regan placed fat strips of bacon into the hot cast-iron skillet and peeked in at the biscuits. When she straightened she found Colt watching them from the doorway.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  Anna greeted him with a cherry, “Morning, Papa.”

  To not upset Anna, Regan forced out a lightly toned, “Good morning,” before turning her attention back to Anna. “Let’s put some cream in your eggs and some salt and pepper.” She watched while Anna slowly poured a bit of cream into the bowl, added the seasonings, and whisked the mixture with a fork. Regan felt his eyes on her.

  “Anything I can do?” he asked.

  “I think Anna and I have everything under control.”

  “Okay. I’ll go feed the horses and be back.”

  He left.

  She saw Anna watching her intently. The girl didn’t say anything but Regan sensed a change in her mood when she resumed whisking the eggs. She knew things weren’t right between her parents and Regan wondered if all six-year-olds were so perceptive. Thinking back on her early years with her mother, Corinne, she supposed they were.

  “Your papa and I are a bit at odds, Anna, but we’ll smooth things out. Promise.”

  “You won’t leave?”

  Regan hugged her waist and gave her a kiss. “No, honey. I won’t leave. That’s a promise, too.”

  As they ate breakfast, Regan did her best to be pleasant so Anna wouldn’t worry. “Did you sleep well?” she asked Colt, passing him the bowl of steaming scrambled eggs.

  “I did, and you?”

  “I did. I think it was my heavenly bath. Nice warm water. New bar of scented soap. Nothing like a new bar of soap, it suds up so well. I felt so good when I finally stepped out. You should try the tub sometime.” It was a dig but an innocent-sounding one.

  The way he looked up from his plate made her think the barb hit home. She gave him a sweet smile and turned to Anna. “You enjoyed your bath, too, didn’t you?”

  “I did. Papa, the soap Miss Regan got me smells like flowers. I never had flower soap before.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said, eyes on Regan.

  Regan added, “Mine smells like lavender. Maybe you’ll get a chance to smell it sometime.”

  He coughed.

  Pleased, she picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. “Are you okay?”

  He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Yes.”

  Subtly letting him know what he’d missed last night was a better way of getting his goat than hurling angry thunderbolts, and far more satisfying. She hoped he spent the day imagining her stepping out of the tub nude and wet from the water and what they might have enjoyed had he been there.

  He said to her, “I should have asked you first, but I invited Spring to have dinner with us this evening.”

  “You don’t need my permission to have your sister join us. It will be great to see her. Don’t you think so, Anna?”

  “Yes. She should come every day.”

  Amused, Regan replied, “I don’t think she’d want to come every day but she’s welcome if she does.” Regan wondered when he’d issued the invitation and why. Had they patched up their differences? She planned on roasting a chicken for their Sunday meal and adding some vegetables, so she hoped Spring would be content with the simple fare. “Anna, do you know the way to Livy’s house? I need to get a hen from her grandmother and some eggs.” Colt had been supplying their food needs, but Regan thought it time to take on the responsibility herself. She remembered meeting Lucretia Watson at Glenda Cale’s home, and store owner Lacy Miller had touted the items Livy’s grandmother sold.

  “Yes. She lives near the school.”

  “I can go for you,” Colt replied.

  “No, Anna and I will go. I need to begin taking on the household duties and it’ll give her a chance to visit with her friend. I’m sure you’d rather be reading your journals.”

  From his expression, she couldn’t tell what he thought of her response. Her plan was to spend time with Anna, so she wasted no time worrying about his take. “Anna, let’s get the table cleared and the dishes washed, and we’ll go.”

  Anna hopped up.

  Regan left him at the table.

  Chapter Twelve

  With her rifle on the floor near her feet, Regan guided the wagon over the rutted road. Having reins in her hands for the first time since leaving Arizona flooded her with memories of home, family, and delivering the mail. The leather reins felt good, and even though the two horses weren’t familiar with her, they seemed to sense she knew what she was doing and didn’t put up a fuss, strain, or try and turn around and head back to the Lees’ barn. Anna was her usual silent self, but Regan could see her studying the clouds. “What do you see up there?”

  “There’s a lady lying on her side on a sofa.”

  “Really?”

  “And a turtle, an eagle, and a castle. Thanks for teaching me this game.”

  “You’re very welcome. Let me know if you see anything else fun.”

  “I will.” She resumed her watch.

  They passed the school shortly thereafter and Anna said, “Keep going and you’ll see Livy’s road.”

  The Watson place was about a mile and a half from the school. The house reminded Regan of the Lee place in that it was built of timber and stone but it was much larger. A pack of hounds loped out to meet them, barking excitedly. Anna explained, “They don’t bite. The big one’s Basil. That’s Daisy, Seth, Julia, and Willis.”

  “Odd names for dogs,” Regan said as the pack ran alongside the wagon.

  “Livy’s granpa named them after Livy’s aunts and uncles.”

  “Oh I see.”

  When the wagon reached the porch, Lucretia, wearing a worn canvas apron over her skirt and blouse, stepped through the door. With her was her granddaughter, Livy, who Regan had met previously at the school. Livy’s grin showed her missing front teeth. “Hi, Anna!”

  “Hi, Livy!”

  “Hi, Miss Regan,” Livy called.

  “Hello, Livy. Good morning, Lucretia.”

  “Morning, Regan. How are you?”

  “Good. Wondering if you have a hen or two and some eggs I might buy.”

  “Yes, on both. Come on, and I’ll walk you round back.”

  Livy asked Anna, “Do you want to see my pony?”

  Anna looked up at Regan who said, “Go ahead. I’ll find you once Mrs. Watson and I are done.”

  They climbed down from the wagon. Anna ran off with Livy and Regan walked to the back of the property with Lucretia.

  Lucretia said, “Anna is smiling more. Glad to see the change. When she would come with Minnie she wasn’t allowed off the wagon. Might get dirty.”

  Regan sighed.

  Lucretia added, “Don’t mean to talk out of turn, but I don’t like Minnie Gore, nor the way she treated Anna. Doc Lee marrying you is the best thing he could’ve done for the girl.”

  Regan wasn’t swellheaded enough to agree but did like the small changes she was seeing in her stepdaughter.

  “So, you’re needing a few hens?”

  “And some eggs.”

  “I have some hens I readied for sale last night.”

  Lucretia removed the lid of a large copper’s barrel. Inside, among large blocks of ice were a dozen or so plucked hens. Regan was glad they weren’t strung up individually on a tree branch like stockings on a clothesline. She had n
o desire to serve her family turned fowl.

  Lucretia picked through the offerings and showed Regan two nice plump ones. “I’ll take them both.”

  They then walked to the large henhouse. Regan put a dozen eggs in the basket she’d brought along and cushioned them with the tea towel inside. “I’d like to eventually get a few laying hens.”

  “I can sell you three or four in a week or two. Rooster too.”

  Regan was pleased to hear that. Back home, they’d had a large henhouse, so she knew the ins and outs.

  “Do you need butter or cream?”

  “Both,” she said with a smile. Those items were added to her purchases as well, and Regan paid her.

  Lucretia pocketed the coins in her apron and on the way back to the front of the house said, “Heard folks talking about the fancy new stove you ordered. Has it come in yet?”

  “Not yet, but hopefully any day now. I’m sick of fighting with the old one.”

  Lucretia added, “I’ve been thinking about what you said at the meeting. I agree with Glenda about raising money for a lending library. Never learned to read myself but I made sure my children did and Livy does every night. In fact, she’s been trying to teach me.”

  “Good for her and for you.”

  “I’m wondering if maybe we ladies could raise money during the Paradise Founders Day celebration?”

  “When is it?”

  “Mid-August.”

  “Seeing as it’s now almost the end of May, we have time to plan. When’s our next meeting?”

  “Friday after next.”

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Lucretia. Let’s see what the others have to say.”

  “And I want to have the ladies’ horseshoe tournament, too.”

  Regan laughed. “Then if the idea is approved, we will add that to our offerings.”

  Lucretia turned serious. “When I first saw you at the wedding, I thought maybe you’d not fit in here.”

  Regan stopped and searched her sun-lined face. “Why?”

  “Colleen Enright said she’d met you and that you were snooty and put on airs.”

  Regan’s ire rose at Colleen and her gossipy meddling. “And now?”

  “I like you. Hoping our girls can visit more regularly, and that Anna can spend the night every now and again.”