Christmas at Dove Creek

by Scarlett Dunn

* * *

  Thorpe saw the captain jump into Lily’s wagon, and he couldn’t help but notice they were sitting very close. He almost laughed when he saw Blue squeeze between them. He wondered what Blue thought of the captain. He had the remainder of the day to think about what the two of them were discussing. They talked nonstop until they made camp at dusk.

  * * *

  The next morning Captain Anderson and his men were saddled and ready to leave, but he instructed his men to ride ahead and he would catch up with them. He rode to Lily’s wagon and started hitching her team for her.

  “Thank you,” Lily said when she walked up behind him.

  “I wish I could go with you, but I have my orders. Duty calls.” Once he finished with the mules, he took Lily’s hand and walked to the side of the wagon. “I may not see you for several months, but when I return I will come visit.”

  “I can’t say where I will be come spring,” she replied.

  He wrapped his fingers around her shoulders and moved closer. “Lily, I want you to know I’d like to see what could develop between us. I know you are not ready to make any decisions right now about your future, and I’m not asking for guarantees. All I’m asking for is a chance to get to know each other better. Just agree to let me come for a visit. We may find we don’t suit, but we can be friends at the very least.”

  Even if she was able to stop thinking about Thorpe in the future, she wasn’t sure she would ever have the same feelings for Captain Anderson. Still, it didn’t make sense to rebuff him because he wasn’t asking for a commitment. “You can visit once I’m settled.”

  He smiled at her. “I look forward to that day. I will wire you when I have word of your grandfather.”

  “Thank you for that. It means more than you know.”

  “I feel honored to have met you.” He reached for her hand. “I want to give you a real kiss, but I know we are not alone.” He brought the back of her hand to his lips.

  Lily was touched by his declaration. “Please be careful. I will pray for your safety.” Even if she didn’t develop deeper feelings for him, she’d like to have him as a friend, and she wanted him to stay safe.

  He couldn’t help himself; he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Until then.”

  Lily watched him ride away and tried to untangle her emotions. For some reason she felt like crying. She wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision to let him walk away without offering more encouragement. Captain Anderson was a respectable man, and she might never meet another man willing to wait for her to make a decision about the direction of her life. She said a silent prayer for him and his men, asking God to keep them safe.

  In the background she heard Thorpe tell everyone it was time to leave, so she jumped into her wagon. She was relieved to have the time to herself driving the wagon; she needed to sort through her feelings. Thorpe’s face popped into her mind along with the kiss they’d shared. She didn’t want to think about Thorpe’s kiss, but she couldn’t help herself. His kiss set her skin on fire. Captain Anderson’s kiss wasn’t the kind of kiss that stirred passion, but it wasn’t altogether unpleasant. There were other differences between the men besides their kisses. The captain wanted a wife and children. Thorpe wanted what Horn wanted from Isabelle. She had no doubt Thorpe could find any number of women to give him what he wanted, but she wasn’t willing to allow a man to treat her with such little respect. Not even Thorpe.

  “Do you want me to take you back to the fort?” Thorpe asked.

  Lily hadn’t heard him ride up beside the wagon. “What?”

  “I asked if you want me to take you back to the fort.” After watching the two of them say good-bye, Thorpe thought she might want to go back to the fort and wait for Anderson.

  Lily was stunned that he would ask such a thing. “Why would I want to do that?”

  “You and the captain are pretty friendly. I thought you might want to go back and wait for him.”

  He’d been the one to suggest they go to his ranch in the first place, so why didn’t he want her there now? “Are you saying you don’t want me to go to your ranch?”

  Thorpe wasn’t sure what he wanted. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to say no. What was wrong with him? “I just thought you might want to wait for Anderson at the fort.”

  She tried to control her emotions; she wasn’t going to let him know how much his words hurt. “If you don’t want me at Dove Creek, I can go back to the fort by myself. I don’t need you to take me.”

  “I didn’t say that!” he shouted. “The way you were kissing yesterday, I just thought . . .” His voice was so loud, the mules sidestepped away from him, and Blue jumped from the back of the wagon to the seat beside Lily and gave him a strange look. Dang it all. “Just forget I said anything.” He rode away before Lily could utter another word.

  If it wasn’t for Isabelle, Lily would have turned her wagon around and headed back to the fort. She didn’t know why Thorpe was angry, but she’d given her word to Isabelle that she would help her. She wiped away the tears that were trailing down her cheek. Blue nudged closer to her. “Oh, Blue, why does he care if I kissed the captain? He made it perfectly clear that he regretted kissing me.” Well, Captain Anderson didn’t regret kissing her. He wanted to kiss her some more. She should have allowed him to give her a real kiss good-bye in front of everyone!

  * * *

  “Why have you had a burr up your butt for two days?” Stone asked Thorpe when they were constructing a corral for the animals.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Thorpe said, refusing to admit to Stone what was on his mind.

  “Does your bad attitude have something to do with Lily and the captain?” Stone knew the answer to his question; he just wanted to see if Thorpe would admit why he’d been so riled since they’d left the fort. He’d noticed Lily had been keeping her distance from Thorpe, too.

  “My attitude is just fine.” As a matter of fact, he’d told himself he was going to put Lily out of his mind. What she did with the captain was her business. He didn’t care. If she wanted to kiss him and a hundred other men, that was fine by him.

  Stone wasn’t going to let it drop. “I’d say the captain is taken with Lily.”

  Thorpe didn’t comment.

  “He sure took up most of her time at dinner. But who could blame him? She looked beautiful in that blue dress.”

  Silence.

  “He only rode with us just so he could talk to her some more.” Stone glanced at Thorpe and he could have sworn smoke was coming out of his ears.

  Thorpe started working faster.

  “Heck, I thought he was going to kiss her good-bye right in front of God and everybody.”

  “I don’t know why he didn’t since he’d already kissed her.” Thorpe spoke before he thought.

  Stone stopped working. He’d only been teasing, but he could tell Thorpe was serious. “He told you that?”

  “No, I saw them.”

  “I guess Captain Anderson moves fast.”

  “Yeah.”

  For a man that wasn’t interested in Lily, Thorpe didn’t look too happy about the situation between her and the captain. “You did say you weren’t interested in marriage.”

  “Yep, and I haven’t changed my mind.”

  “Then I guess you have no objections to the captain courting Lily?”

  “Nope.” Thorpe couldn’t think of one reason he should object.

  “He seems like a fine man,” Stone said.

  Finally, Thorpe had enough. He stopped working and glared at Stone. “Are you going to jaw all night or get this finished?”

  Stone laughed. “I don’t know. It seems to me you’re working fast enough for both of us.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The snow was falling in large white flakes by the time the entrance to Dove Creek Ranch came into view. At first glance, it was an entryway like many others with large logs and the name of the ranch forged in iron. But when they rode closer Lily saw what made th
e sign unique. There were hand-forged doves sitting on the top rail. It was the most beautiful sign she’d ever seen. She remembered Thorpe told them he’d chosen the name for his ranch because of his mother’s fondness for doves. There was a side to Thorpe that was warm and loving. She’d seen that side of him before they’d shared that kiss at Chimney Rock. He hadn’t been the same since. He’d been distant and ill-tempered. They hadn’t spoken since he offered to take her back to the fort, and she had mixed emotions about going to his ranch, knowing he didn’t really want her there. She’d told Isabelle she would see that she was settled at the ranch and then she would find a place to stay in town. She hoped she could find a job to get her through the winter and be able to help Isabelle financially once the baby was born.

  They reached the gate and pulled their wagons to a halt.

  “Mr. Thorpe, that shor’ is a pretty gate. I don’t reckon I’ve ever seen anything as pretty as those doves,” Jed said.

  “Thanks, Jed.” Thorpe saw Lily staring at the gate. “I can’t take credit for making it, but I told the blacksmith what I wanted and he did a fine job.”

  “Yessir, he surely did. No one ever asked me to make something like that.” Jed considered himself a competent blacksmith, but he’d never realized how he could use his talents to make something so pretty. Seeing those doves had his mind racing.

  “Jed, the blacksmith that did the work died last year,” Thorpe said.

  “That’s a shame. I’d like to have met the man that made those doves,” Jed said.

  “How far is your home?” Isabelle asked.

  “It’ll take us about thirty more minutes,” Thorpe said.

  Stone looked at Isabelle. “I bet you’re happier than anyone to be here.”

  “Yes, I am. Thank you, Thorpe, for inviting us,” Isabelle said in a monotone voice. It wasn’t that she was ungrateful, but she couldn’t muster the energy to be excited about anything. Since learning of Ethan’s deceit, she didn’t think anything would ever excite her again.

  “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” Thorpe replied.

  Lily appreciated the way everyone was making an effort to cheer Isabelle, but nothing was having an impact on her. Not even Stone had been able to get her out of her gloom.

  “How far is town from here?” Lily asked Thorpe.

  Thorpe wondered why she’d asked that question. “It’s about eight miles east of here.”

  * * *

  Curtis met Thorpe as soon as he reined in at the house. “It’s about time you came home.”

  “I’m happy to be here.” Thorpe introduced his foreman to everyone. Curtis took the men to the stable and Thorpe showed Lily and Isabelle inside his home. His home was larger than the women expected. It was two stories constructed of logs and stone. When they walked in the front door, Lily’s first thought was it was definitely a man’s home. The front parlor was large with a massive stone fireplace, oversized furniture, and bare of any colorful item. She wondered why his fiancée hadn’t added some feminine touches to his home. Or perhaps she did and Thorpe removed everything that reminded him of her.

  Thorpe carried the puppies inside, followed by Spirit and Blue. He placed them on a rug in front of the fireplace. “I’ll get a blanket for them.” He led the women upstairs and opened the door to the first bedroom. “Isabelle, you can stay in this room.” He pointed to a room across the hall and said, “Lily, you can take that room if you like.”

  Isabelle looked inside the room and saw it was nicely furnished. “This isn’t your room, is it?”

  “No, my room is at the end of the hall. There are four bedrooms. There’s a fireplace in every room and I’ll come back and get them going after I meet with my foreman. This house gets mighty cold at night.” He figured tonight would be the first time his home would be warm with all of the fireplaces blazing.

  “I didn’t expect your home to be so large,” Isabelle said.

  Thorpe explained he’d been adding onto his home every year, but he didn’t give them a reason. He didn’t tell them that he’d built his home from his mother’s description of her family home in England. She’d often described her childhood home and her stories stayed with him. He hesitated at the doorway a moment and before he turned to leave, he said, “We have a doctor in town, and one of the women on the ranch helps women with . . . well, when the time comes.” He planned to ride to town to see the doc in the morning to tell him about Isabelle and have him come out to meet her before the baby came.

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” Isabelle said.

  “No thanks needed. I’ll let you two rest and later we’ll bring some water up so you can have baths and get those fires going.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Isabelle said.

  Thorpe walked to his room and grabbed a quilt for the puppies. He’d noticed Lily didn’t say one word.

  Lily didn’t plan on staying in the room, but she would definitely take a bath. Isabelle asked her to stay in her room for a while and Lily thought something might be wrong. “Are you feeling ill?”

  “No, just tired, but I don’t think I can rest right now. I will be glad when this is over.” She plopped down in a chair and Lily did the same. “What’s wrong between you and Thorpe?”

  Lily told her about the captain kissing her and Thorpe witnessing their encounter.

  “He kissed you! Did you like it?”

  “It wasn’t like . . .” She hadn’t told Isabelle about Thorpe kissing her. “It was fine.”

  “Fine? That doesn’t sound like much of a kiss. Do you like him?”

  “Yes, I do. He’s a nice man.”

  “I told you the captain would make Thorpe jealous.”

  “Thorpe’s not jealous. I don’t think he really wants me here.”

  “I would say you’re wrong, but it’s obvious I don’t even know when a man is lying. I’m of no help to you. I thought after you saved Thorpe’s life you two would always be together. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to ride to town tomorrow morning and see if I can find a job and get a room where I can stay.”

  “Oh, Lily, I don’t want you to go. What if I have this baby when you’re not here?”

  “I’ll come out and check on you as much as I can. But I have to earn some money.”

  “What is going to happen to us?”

  Lily reached for her hand and squeezed. “I will help you and the baby. Please don’t worry. We will work this out.”

  “I haven’t changed my mind. I don’t want this baby.”

  Lily had thought about offering to keep the baby until Isabelle came to her senses. “Well, whether you want him or not, he is coming. We will work everything out later.”

  * * *

  Thorpe had to meet with Curtis and catch up on ranch business, so he was grateful for Stone and Jed’s offer to cook dinner. The man who cooked for them was out on the range with the rest of the men. Isabelle came downstairs to find the men setting the table.

  “Why didn’t you come and get me? I would have cooked dinner,” Isabelle said.

  Stone pulled a chair out for her at the table. “We thought we would let you and Lily rest.”

  Thorpe came through the door and stopped at the dining room. “I’ll wash up and be right back.”

  Jed was pouring coffee when Thorpe returned.

  “Where’s Miss Lily?” Jed asked.

  “She said she wanted to rest,” Isabelle said.

  Thorpe figured she was probably pining for the captain. He’d noticed earlier Blue wasn’t in the front parlor with Spirit and the puppies, so he figured he was with Lily. “Let’s eat.”

  * * *

  After dinner, Thorpe asked Isabelle if she wanted to take some dinner to Lily.

  “Of course.” Isabelle walked to the door and reached for her coat from one of the hooks.

  “Where are you going?” Stone asked.

  “To Lily’s wagon.”

  “Why are you going to her wagon?”

>   “To take her dinner.”

  “But why isn’t she upstairs?”

  Thorpe overheard their conversation and walked to the door, waiting to hear Isabelle’s response. He’d thought Lily was upstairs resting.

  Isabelle looked at Thorpe. “She said she didn’t want to stay in the house.” She hoped Thorpe didn’t ask her why.

  Thorpe couldn’t believe Lily had been in that wagon the whole time. “She can’t sleep in that wagon. She won’t have a fire.” He had the men put the wagons inside a large barn that was near the stable. Lily wouldn’t be warm in that drafty old barn with no fire. The woman was driving him to distraction. What in the heck was wrong with her? He’d offered her a nice, warm room to sleep in and she’d opted to sleep in a wagon where she would freeze to death. It was infuriating. He stormed out the door without grabbing his coat.

  Once inside the barn, he saw she had a lantern lit and she was moving around inside the wagon. Before he knocked, he heard her speaking and he knew she was talking to Blue.

  Lily pulled the flap back and stuck her head out. “Yes?”

  Thorpe didn’t think before he spoke. “What is wrong with you?”

  Lily was surprised by his question. “Nothing is wrong with me.”

  “Well, what are you doing out here in the cold? Why didn’t you have dinner with us? Why aren’t you staying in the house?”

  “I’m where I want to be,” she replied. “And I’m not hungry.”

  Blue jumped down from the wagon and stood by Thorpe. Thorpe was so angry, he didn’t know what to say, but he said the one thing likely to sway her. “Well, Blue’s probably hungry.”

  Lily wouldn’t allow Blue to go hungry. She’d already planned to start a small fire so she could cook something for him. “He can go back to the house with you.”

  “Come on, you’re going to the house,” Thorpe said.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “What’s wrong with my home?”

  Lily decided he wasn’t going to leave it alone, so she told him what was on her mind. “Nothing is wrong with your home. It’s lovely. I know you don’t want me here. Tomorrow morning I plan to go into town and find a job and a place to stay until spring.”