by B C Yancey
Kitty's lips curled back in disgust as she whispered, "He smelled real bad Papa." She pressed her nose to his neck and pulled away with a giggle, "Almost as bad as you right now. But I don't mind 'cause I love ya." She hugged him tightly, "Mama might. She's always makin' us take a bath."
Sawyer grinned and kissed her cheek before releasing her and standing to his full height. He'd sure missed Kitty's chatter.
She gave him a questioning look and held his hand as they went upstairs, "Is Mama gonna make you take a bath?"
"I imagine she will. It's just hard to take a nice warm bath when stinky cattle and smelly men surround you," Sawyer teased.
Paul nodded in agreement as he walked beside them.
Once upstairs, they found Charlie in bed with several pillows propped behind her. She greeted them with a weak smile and outstretched hand. "I'm so glad you're back home and safe, and know I'm not the only one."
Not wanting to soil her bed, Sawyer knelt at her side, "Freddie told me you haven't been feelin' too well?" his eyes roamed over her face, taking in her pale and drawn complexion, "Doc's been to see ya?"
Charlie nodded and smiled, motioning to the pitcher of water that stood on the bedside table next to her, "He mixed up some salt and sugar water that's helped me feel better."
She relaxed back against her pillows and smoothed a hand over her stomach, "He thinks I was just dehydrated real bad on top of my mornin' sickness." Brushing a lock of hair behind his ear, she grimaced, "You need a bath, Sawyer."
He gave her a wide grin, and he leaned in to kiss her, jumping back as she started to gag and dry heave.
"Leave!" she gasped. Her eyes watered as she pleaded. "And don't come back till you've bathed that terrible stench from you and burned anything it won't come out of!" Trying to smile, she said sweetly, "But just in case that doesn't happen before the baby gets here, I love you." She shooed him away, plugging her nose as he chuckled and left the room.
On the way home, Paul and Kitty told him of their own terrifying experience at Walker's hands. When Sawyer tucked them in bed later that night, he wasn't able to resist hugging them a little longer and more tightly than he usually did.
He could have lost so much in one night, all because his wife didn't trust him.
Gazing at Lillian now, Sawyer asked, "Was it fear?" His fingers toyed with her braid where it fell over her shoulder, "Was that why you didn't tell me?"
She stared at the muscles of his chest, "I tried...I was going to tell you the day you taught me to shoot, but I was so worried." Touching his bare skin, she pressed her hand flat until his heartbeat was discernible against her palm, "I was afraid I'd put you in danger of being killed...and you were preparing for the cattle drive..."
Sawyer mulled over her confession. After everything she'd been through in her life, why wouldn't she still doubt trusting her instincts? Her reasoning was as understandable as it was dangerous and naïve.
He held her palm with one hand more firmly against his chest and tipped her chin up with his other hand to look him in the eye, "You were tryin' to protect me."
Lillian swallowed and nodded, "I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't stand the thought of him hurting you."
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he asked quietly, "That's why you had me teach you to shoot?" His fingers danced across the back of her hand in a feather-light caress. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he murmured, "I should have known. If you'd told me I was trainin' you for bein' my bodyguard I could have taught you a few more positions."
She tucked his freshly washed hair behind his ear and smoothed the wet lock between her fingers as she pulled back and whispered, "You don't hate me?"
Sawyer shook his head and breathed deeply, pulling her closer, "I was hurt at first; I thought you still didn't trust me." He studied her a moment, "Do you trust me?"
Without hesitation, she said, "Yes."
Pleased with her answer, he grunted, "Good." He was quiet for a few minutes and bit his lip before admitting, "I was mad that you put yourself and the kids in danger...but I've never hated you." He rubbed her back and murmured, "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"
Lillian shook her head against her pillow, unable to speak from the emotion clogging her throat.
"Don't cry darlin'," he whispered, wiping away the few tears that spilled from her eyes. He placed gentle kisses across her cheek and jaw, leaving a trail of fire on in his wake as his lips slowly made their way to the corner of her mouth.
He brushed his lips against hers, then pulled back and asked, "Is there anythin' else I need to know before I get my welcome home started?"
Lillian's lips bent in a tearful grin as she shook her head. "Only that I love you very much." She pressed her mouth to his and whispered, "And I missed you, dreadfully."
"Oh, you did?" he breathed, "I missed you too, darlin'." His fingers gripped her hip tightly as he brushed his lips against hers, "...Now hush, I'm gonna kiss you till our knees buckle."
"Good thing we're laying down..." Lillian whispered.
Sawyer's glorious dimpled grin made a brief appearance before his lips captured hers in a lengthy, passionate kiss.
Chapter twenty-eight
Paul peeked into the room, then hastily backed out and held the door open the barest of cracks so Kitty couldn't see past him. "Pa, there's a man at the door wanting to talk to ya."
Sawyer and Lillian lay in their bed in a tangled embrace. His chest was completely bare, and the covers rode low around his hips. Lillian's naked and partially exposed back faced the door. Sawyer's arm across her waist held the covers in place at her ribs. He opened sleepy eyes to look at Paul who stood peeking through a slim crack in the open door.
He raised his head, pulled the sheets further up to cover Lillian, and smiled when she opened her good eye. "Mornin' darlin'," He whispered, pressing a kiss to Lillian's forehead and adjusting the covers around his waist.
Pushing her braid behind her shoulder, he asked Paul, "A man at the door? Did he say who he was?"
"Yep," Paul beamed, "said he was a Judge or somethin'," he gave Sawyer an expectant look, "says he needs to speak about a paper that was mailed to ya."
Sighing, Sawyer ran a hand through his hair and over his tired eyes and nodded, "Alright, run and tell him we'll be down in a minute."
Paul shut the door, but the handle jiggled as Kitty complained, "I wanted to say good morning to Papa, Paulie."
"Well, you can do that when he comes downstairs." The handle stilled, and Paul and Kitty's footsteps receded, marking their progress to the stairs.
Lillian's eye widened as she groaned, "We're still naked, aren't we?"
He lifted the covers and gazed at her naked body snuggled against his. Sawyer's lips curled into a wolfish grin, "Yep, sure looks like it."
She giggled and pulled his mouth down to hers as he wrapped his arms around her.
A few minutes later, he broke the kiss and sat on the edge of the bed, throwing the covers aside. "I forgot a judge is waiting for us downstairs."
He stood and pulled on his underwear, and grabbed her chemise from off the floor gently tossing it to her as he winked, "Better get your clothes on before you get me sidetracked again."
When they came downstairs, they found the Judge sitting on the sofa in the parlor. He had thick salt and pepper hair brushed back off his forehead and a black, neatly trimmed handlebar mustache that curled at the ends.
Kitty perched on his knee, barely pausing long enough to take a breath as she said, "-And Papa saved Mama from the bad man, and Mama made him take a bath."
"She did?"
"Mmhmm, cause he smelled real bad; but I didn't mind."
"Why's that," the judge murmured, biting back a grin.
Kitty shrugged and twirled her finger in the curled end of the judge's mustache. "Because I love my Papa."
"Well," the judge said with a smile, "I'm glad to hear that, Miss Kitty."
"Mornin'," Sawyer greeted, stepping into the parlor.
His sturdy build suggested he was more suited for farm work. "Your daughter was just informing me of your family's eventful night." His eyes filled with sympathy when Lillian limped into the room. "I see she did a fair job recounting the details."
Sawyer smiled and scoffed. "I'm sure she did." He held his hand out, "Sawyer Weston, and this is my wife, Lillian. You've already met our daughter Kitty, and over there," he pointed to the kitchen entry, "is our son, Paul."
The judge grasped Sawyer's hand in a firm shake, "Judge Crowder, pleased to meet you all."
Lillian motioned Kitty over to her, bent down, and whispered, "Did you and Paul get something to eat?"
Kitty shook her head and pouted, "And Paulie wouldn't let me see you this mornin' neither." She crossed her arms in front of her in a huff, "I wanted to make sure it wasn't a dream that Papa was home."
Lillian grinned and stood, smiling at the judge and Sawyer as she took Kitty by the hand and motioned for Paul to follow her into the kitchen. "I'll let you gentlemen talk while I prepare some breakfast for the children."
Gesturing for the judge to take a seat on the sofa, Sawyer asked, "So, what brings you to these parts? I don't know much of the law, but isn't it a bit rare for you to pay a visit to our home?"
Judge Crowder took a seat, nodding as he smoothed a thumb and forefinger over his mustache, "Well, I felt I owed a personal trip, rather than summoning you to meet in town. If you'll recall, I was supposed to be here over a month ago, but I got detained in Sherman Oaks."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "There were issues with an outlaw that tried robbing a few of the ranches. It was a good deal of luck when they were able to capture and jail him after he attacked a young woman on one of the farms. We even had ourselves a trial and convicted him to hanging the next day."
The judge shook his head and sat back as he crossed his ankle over his knee, "Damn idiot sheriff fell asleep at his desk, and the outlaw escaped."
Wondering if there was a new set of trouble headed his way, Sawyer asked, "Any idea where he might have run off to."
Judge Crowder shook his head, "I'm afraid not. We tracked him a good ten miles before we lost his trail. I'd keep an eye out to be safe though since he was headin' this direction. I've let Sheriff Teller here know, and he's sent word to the US Marshals as well."
Sawyer frowned and nodded, "What's the outlaw's name?"
The judge rested an arm along the back of the sofa and said, "You might have heard of him. He and his brother were the ringleaders of their little gang. Their previous crimes consisted of train and bank robberies. They had a big one just last year that cost the lives of a few women, several of his men—including his brother Hank, and a US Marshal in Arkansas."
Lillian stared in disbelief. She couldn't have heard right, surely not. But, it wasn't possible he was talking of anyone other than Walker. The judge clearly had no idea of who she was or of her being a witness to the crimes he had just listed.
There was a sharp ringing in Sawyer's ears as Judge Crowder said, "He goes by the name of Walker Blake, but his real name is Horace Reddin'."
The blood drained from her face and Lillian dropped the glass she'd just filled for Kitty, causing milk to splatter all over the floor and the front of her dress.
Sawyer turned startled eyes to Lillian. "Did you hear that, darlin'?"
Her fingers still curled in the shape of the glass it had held as Lillian met his eyes, nodding, "Tell him."
The judge waited, watching Sawyer and Lillian closely.
Hoping that what he was about to say wouldn't land him in jail tonight and hanging from a tree in the morning, Sawyer turned back to the judge and took a deep breath, "He was the man my daughter told you about—died last night attacking my wife and kids. He's buried out in the west pasture."
The judge blinked several times and pursed his lips at the news. "Well," Judge Crowder stared at them in surprise and leaned forward, "I'm glad to hear it." He nodded his head, "Indeed, I'm delighted to hear it." He rushed to clarify, "Not about him attacking your family, of course not, but about him being dead. From what I knew of him, he was as evil as they come."
Judge Crowder leaned forward and lowered his voice so the children couldn't hear his next words, "He tried forcing himself on an eight-year-old girl. That's what got him caught. Her older brother stumbled on them after hearing her struggles and threw him in the root cellar. Next thing he knew, he was in jail and ready to hang—till that fool sheriff fell asleep."
Sawyer clenched his hand into a fist against his leg as the judge continued, "There was a ten thousand dollar reward for his capture or death. I'll notify the Marshal's to have them wire it to you." The Judge clapped his hands on his knees, then stood. "Well, I won't take up any more of your time..."
He walked to the door with Sawyer following behind him, having a difficult time absorbing the information the judge had just told him about Walker.
Judge Crowder clucked his tongue and turned back to Sawyer as he reached into his vest pocket, "I just about forgot what brought me here in the first place."
Sawyer took the large envelope the judge held out, "What's this?"
Lillian watched Sawyer break the seal and withdraw a piece of paper with a stamp and ribbon attached to the bottom of the heavy parchment.
A wide grin split Sawyer's face as he read the paper then met Lillian's expectant gaze, "It's official."
She stepped around the kitchen table, Kitty and Paul following closely behind her, "What's official?"
Paul smiled and stood next to Sawyer, looking at the paper, "Is that it?"
"Yep," Sawyer grinned and nodded, "it is."
"Is that what?" Lillian and Kitty said in unison as they waited for further elaboration.
Sawyer gathered Lillian close and kissed her soundly before stating, "They're officially ours, darlin'...no one can say otherwise." Sawyer locked gazes with Paul and held up his scarred palm.
Paul turned his palm up to expose the faint scar that matched. He'd never thought a heart could swell with so much happiness. All the people he loved most in the world were in this room, and now he could proudly claim them as his.
Never again would he believe he and Kitty didn't belong, or that something was wrong with them to have received such harsh treatment before coming to live here.
Sawyer scooped Kitty up and hugged her close, nuzzling her neck until she giggled and bestowed a wet kiss to his cheek, "I love you, Papa."
Paul wrapped an arm around Lillian's waist and sighed in contentment when she returned the embrace. Resting his head against her with a smile, he closed his eyes and whispered, "We're a Family."
Other titles by B.C. Yancey found on Amazon.com
Breathe Again
Reluctant Berserker: Book One in the Isaacson Trilogy
Fearless Warrior: Book Two in the Isaacson Trilogy
Reckless Protector: Book Three in the Isaacson Trilogy
Through the Darkness
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read this novel. I sure hope you enjoyed it! I'm always happy to hear what you liked or didn't like, in my stories, so please consider leaving an honest review. Your reviews influence other reader's purchasing decisions and help determine the success of my other novels.
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