Love by Dawn

by Therese A. Kramer

  “Blake January,” he extended his hand and Jimmy Six Shooter shook it.

  “Well Blake January, ken ya help me throw Luke’s body over his horse?”

  “Sure can, but we’ll be needing help getting Mrs. Avery and the driver into the coach so I can bring the team into the next town.”

  “Seems fair enough and I’m much obliged.”

  “Sir,” Casey spoke up. “We’re very grateful to you. If you hadn’t come along when you did we’d....” She didn’t want to think of what could have happened. What she had done was beginning to sink in, and she trembled. What was I thinking?

  Apparently you weren’t, scolded her conscience. She had to agree this time; she definitely was not in her right mind.

  “Ma’am, from where I was sittin’ ya looked as ifn’ ya had takin’ charge of things.” He hooted.

  Blake disagreed and gave her another murderous glance, which she chose to ignore. Again, he couldn’t be as annoyed at her as she was with herself. Or was he? His eyes certainly conveyed fury within him. A lecture would be forthcoming as soon as they reached the safety of the town. Jimmy Six Shooter escorted them into the nearest cow town to collect his reward. The Sheriff told her and Blake he was grateful that the money in the strong box and the mail wasn’t stolen, but sad to lose a good driver.

  Blake put her up in a hotel while he explained what happened to the sheriff. She undressed and fell into bed exhausted. What a day! She wondered how long they would be hold up in this cow town before another stage came along. When Bake came in, she feigned sleep, not up to hearing his lecture. She wouldn’t be able to put it off much longer, but she decided she’d wait until she had a good night’s sleep. He slid his nude body next to hers and held her tight and heard him sigh. He was quite upset with her and she couldn’t blame him; she had done a very stupid thing. But her pa always said that you can’t put the milk back into the cow’s utters. What was done was done.

  Blake stroked her back tenderly. “Casey, I know you’re awake. She stiffened. “Darling I won’t scold you, you were an idiot, but you were very brave. I never loved you so much as when you stood up to that outlaw even thought I wanted to strangle you. I guess any woman who had gone through as much crap as you, has the right to speak her mind, as foolish as it was.

  So choked up, she remained mute. What could she say? He had said it all.

  THIRTY-ONE

  It rained heavily the next day, so with nothing to do they stayed in bed most of the day; but there was nary a complaint from her. When one appetite was quenched, they went down to the restaurant and filled the other craving. Casey was happy for the extra time to sleep in a bed not infested with bugs like the ones at the relay stations. Between that and the men snoring in the other room she never got a good night’s sleep. No wonder she was cranky. Morning sickness and bad accommodations would make a saint complain, but this rainy day and the next day her meals settled quietly in her tummy. Once on the road again, her queasiness started up.

  Would they ever arrive in Georgia?

  The train ride was a little better for her until the locomotive hit a cow and delayed their arrival at the next town where they were going to connect with another train. The layover cost them three days, as they had to wait in the one-horse town. But they were in luck, the train had a box car for Checkers and once again she and Blake were on their way.

  As the train sped through Alabama, sad memories accosted Casey. It seemed as if it was an eternity since she and Hunter rode through the state trying to elude Blake. When they got off in Georgia, much of the war-torn state was still in shambles. They rented a wagon from the blacksmith. Checkers was not used to having a harness, but the horse didn’t complain when Blake hitched him to one to pull them to his home. By the time they finally arrived at Blake’s plantation, Casey was exhausted, still ill-tempered and thinner from losing her breakfast for two months. This was normal, women she met had told her on the stage coaches and trains, but that bit of information didn’t cheer her up in the least. Blake said that he chalked it up to being on the move constantly and promised once she settled down, so would her stomach. He was probably right and he knew it; giving her one of those lopsided smiles that any other time, she would’ve loved.

  But she got an attack of nerves again, as soon as they reached his family’s home. It was magnificent and left her speechless and in awe. The house was a two-story mansion, the likes she had never seen. A hundred of her shack she had lived in could have fit into that place. All Casey was capable of doing was to gap as they drove up the long, flower-lined gravel driveway to the mansion. Blake had to literally push her unhinged jaw up before she swallowed a bug. And that blasted man continuously chuckled at her wonderment.

  He helped her down from the wagon and before Blake could pull the cord that rang the doorbell a glum-faced man servant opened the door. Apparently they were expected, but Casey wondered how they knew the exact day or time. She assumed Blake sent a telegram on ahead. The black servant nodded and stepped aside.

  “Hello, Smithy,” said Blake. “I see you’re still as cheerful as when I left.” He just nodded again. She didn’t miss the fact that his lips twitched and she was sure he wasn’t giving the prodigal son a welcoming home response.

  Stepping into the huge marble entryway, Casey continued to be amazed at the size and cleanliness of the stone floors and neutral colored walls. Her boots clanked as she walked across the tiles and the glasslike shine reminded her of a frozen pond; she could practically see her reflection in it. What in hell had she gotten into? He never told her that his family was wealthy, only that his father was a doctor. Making loads of money off sick people didn’t seem right, but she figured someone had to do it. She continued to muse over why Blake roamed the wilderness, catching slave traders when he had all of this. What was he thinking? The object of her thoughts took her elbow.

  “Sweetheart, I know this is all overwhelming but you have to snap out of your woolgathering.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  He laughed. “C’mon, Letty will show you up to your room while I see mother. You can meet her after your nap and bath.” He kissed her cheek, but she was still in a daze and didn’t hear everything he’d said.

  “This way, Miss Walsh.”

  Casey gave Blake a bewildered glance and he nudged her forward. “Go with Letty, dear.” He pointed up at the huge, circular, carpeted staircase with his chin.

  “Oh, um, yes,” she answered still in her own little world. She followed as if she were going to the guillotine tying to recall all he had said to her. Her attention was then drawn to expensive oil paintings that were hung all the way up the wall to the second landing. She assumed they were of his family.

  Casey counted seven doors and she inquired if they were all bedrooms. The servant said that one was a small library. She was also informed that the downstairs floor, to the left of the foyer consisted of a large dinning room, a cook’s kitchen to the right, but not attached to the house. There was a large sitting room and another library; an office that was Blake’s father’s to see to his patients and a music room. Casey wondered if she’d need a map to find her way around. The opulent mansion was beyond her imagination, to be sure.

  “Miss?” the young servant showed her to her quarters and she stopped in mid-stride making Letty bump into her back.

  “Orf! Oh, sorry, miss.”

  She sucked in her breath; maybe she should pinch herself. This definitely had to be a dream. She turned to see the flush face of the servant. “Are you sure I’m to sleep in here?”

  Letty bobbed. “Yes, miss.”

  She shook her head a bit confused. “This must have been for a princess.”

  “No, miss,” replied Letty.

  No words could describe the room so Casey simply said, “Thank you Letty. She sat on the lace bedspread and looked up at the matching canopy while she waited for her bath to be drawn. When she was led into the water closet, she was speechless believing that she had died and go
ne to heaven. This was better than a brass tub in her kitchen and the privy in the yard. Much better!

  The bath was luxuriously wonderful.

  The bed was luxuriously wonderful.

  Life was wonderful, what else could a girl want?

  A husband would be nice, was her last thought before she went dozed off to dreamland.

  Casey slept late every morning for almost a week and put the weight back she had lost, and then some. Blake told her that she had never looked better. She didn’t know how to take the left handed compliment. His mother, Liana was easy going and Casey liked her from the start. She could see that Blake had inherited his coloring and good looks from her. The woman was tall and regal; no one would guess she was in constant pain. Her soft blue eyes held no ill feelings towards anyone, she discovered in the short time she had been there.

  Liana didn’t gossip. Casey thought it was an awful shame that a woman so loving should have to suffer. She and Blake respected Liana’s privacy and wishes and they never pried. His mother never confided her illness to anyone, not even her son.

  It had been a month since they arrived here and Casey was starting her fifth month and yet there was no mention of wedded bliss. What was he waiting for? How many hints would she have to give him? Apparently not enough, because he hadn’t taken the bait.

  “Where are we going?” Casey asked him when he handed her, her kid gloves and a shawl. Although August was hot during the day, a slight breezed had stirred up and he said he didn’t want her catching a chill.

  “It’s a surprise, m’dear. Now come along and no more nosy questions.”

  She gave him a bemused look. He was dressed in a gray suit and white shirt but he still wore the leather strap with the bear claw under the starched collar. Casey had to admit he looked very handsome with his blond hair slicked to one side, but she missed his rugged look and western attire. She also missed her comfortable pants and boots, but she was now, according to him, a Southern Belle. So, donning her bonnet over her upswept chiffon, she pulled her gloves over her fingers. Surely, she was ten pounds heavier with all the petticoats, but they hid her protruding stomach. He helped her into the family coach and she eyed him curiously. He was looked so smug, like a person who had discovered all the secrets of the universe. What was he up to? When the coach stopped before a hotel, Blake took her gloved hand and helped her down. Placing his palm on the small of her back, he escorted her through the doors and into the restaurant. Waiters were hustling about and wonderful smells wafted through the air. She turned and looked at him, as if to say, “Are we eating here?” Blake read the query in her eyes and nodded. Someone escorted them to a table where flowers and champagne in a bucket of ice was waiting for them.

  “Oh, Blake!” she exclaimed excitedly. “What’s the occasion?”

  “Patience m’dear.” He held out the chair for her and she sat. She took a deep breath and gave an anxious little cough as she tried to relax. Was he going to break some bad news? Is that why he brought her here? Flowers? Champagne? A warning voice whispered in her head.

  This can’t be good! Nervously, she bit her bottom lip. Her nerves tensed wondering what to expect.

  “Hey, don’t look so upset. Now,” he reached across the table and took her hand, “let’s enjoy our meal. After we eat I have something to tell you.”

  She only half listened, as she struggled with uneasy thoughts. Nodding, she gave him a weak smile. She knew it! But something cautioned her not to ask. You’re a coward, needled her smart-self. Maybe she was.

  The meal could have been delicious for all she knew. The problem was that she was unable to swallow past the lump in her throat and she noticed that he seemed a bit edgy. This definitely can’t be good. She declined the champagne never liking any alcohol, beside her belly was queasy enough.

  “You hardly touched you food,” Blake said. “Aren’t you feeling well?”

  Is he kidding?

  Searching for a plausible reason, Casey nodded and fibbed, “Sure, I am. It’s just that I’m… I’m a tad u-uneasy among so m-many strangers.” To her dismay, her voice broke slightly.

  “That’s understandable,” Blake agreed and wondered now if this was a good idea. Although he was not prone to subtle hints, he knew enough to understand what Casey was getting at when she said things like: You know I’m in my fifth month. And, people will soon see the proof of our out of wedlock bliss. And, what will your mother think when she discovers she’ll soon have a grandchild? And, etc. and etc.

  Blake had to bite his cheek to avoid spilling the beans; he wanted to propose to her in a

  romantic way. Luckily she wasn’t showing… yet. That is to the unknowing eye so he planned a night out, in this nice hotel restaurant. But what he hadn’t planned on was meeting an old flame of his.

  He reached into his pocket for the box which held the pearl and diamond ring he had bought for her. He cleared his throat, now he was becoming unglued a bit.

  “Honey, I want to---”

  “Yoo-hoo! Blake!”

  A young woman was getting up from another table, rushing towards them. Blake stiffened when he recognized the owner of that honey voice that went through him like a sharp blade. His lips puckered with annoyance. Shit! Of all the damn luck!

  Casey blinked. The vision seemed to float towards them. The young lady had black hair, violet eyes, and very large breasts. She was tall and beautiful too and had large breasts. Her pearly-white teeth gleamed as her face split into a wide smile and her large breasts were heaving in her low cut gown. She didn’t like her right off and it had not a damn thing to with large breasts. Not much! Before her surprised and flabbergasted eyes, the dark-haired beauty hugged Blake who had stood up from the table. She found that she was extremely upset, but that was putting it mildly!

  “Oh, Blake January, when did y’all come home? You naughty boy,” she tapped him with her fan and fluttered her long dark lashes. “You’re hear and didn’t tell little ol’ me,” she purred completely ignoring Casey who was now thinking that maybe this woman was the reason Blake never asked her to marry him.

  Her anger increased tenfold when he didn’t even think to introduce her. Well, she’d not sit there being ignored while that big-breasted hussy drooled all over him! And just look at him, he was blushing. Peeved, she jumped to her feet causing the chair to crash to the floor, as he shot her a pensive look. Was he trying to think up a good excuse? Had his plans run amuck? That woman probably wasn’t supposed to show up until he admitted the truth. He had used her; never loved her. Oh, she could die. Throwing down the cloth napkin, Casey dramatically stormed out of the restaurant under stares and bemused smiles of other patrons.

  Blake gritted his teeth. He couldn’t believe his luck; of all the people he had the misfor- tune to meet was an old flame of his. In fact, both families assumed that they would one day wed. Well, this was what she expected, not he. He was so angered that he wanted to strangle the woman who was hanging onto his arm preventing him from running after Casey. But he did call after her. Why hadn’t she given him a chance to explain about Dawn Ann Summers? That it was only by chance they met. He was resentful of the situation and Casey’s mistrust. What did she think?

  “Oh, Blake darlin’, never mind her,” Dawn Ann purred. “Come, mother and father are over at another table. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see little ol’ you.”

  Blake pulled her talon fingers from his arm, his eyes met hers disparagingly and he sneered, “I’m not interested in seeing your parents and I have no interest in re-acquitting myself with a snob like you! You have just ruined a lovely dinner. I had planned to ask the woman I love to marry me before you so rudely and crassly interrupted. Say hello to your parents and tell them they raised a cold bitch!”

  He was brought up better than that, but hell! Some people simply needed to be told the truth. Her gasp was heard by all, making heads look up again and he didn’t give a rat’s ass! Blake instructed the waiter to give the dinner bill to the woman in the p
lum colored dress and lied saying that she had insisted that she’d pay for the meal. Out in the street he cursed seeing his coach was gone, but he expected as much. Damn, why did Casey have to have such an untrusting mind?

  And you haven’t?

  Blake groaned aloud. The tables were turned on him and he didn’t like it any better than she had; jumping to conclusions seemed to be a nasty habit they both shared. Then a wagon pulled up beside him.

  “Hey! Is that you?” The young fellow pulled on the reins to steady his sway-back horse. “Blake January, it is you! Well, I’ll be damned. It’s me, Bucky.”

  “Bucky?!” This was Blake’s second encounter with an old acquaintance, but he was happy to see this young man. He had been his father’s stable boy.

  “What’cha doing standing out here all alone?” asked Bucky.

  Blake shrugged. “It’s a long story, but I’d appreciate a ride home.”

  “You bet’cha. Hop in.”

  Blake did and sat in the front seat. “How have you been?” Both asked in unison and laughed. “You first, Bucky,” offered Blake.

  “Well,” he scratched his head. “After ya pa died and all the horses had been taken by the army. I joined up to fight the Yanks, got me a wooden leg for my troubles.” He knocked on it and laughed.

  Blake didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had fought with the Union army, even though it had been a shot hitch.

  “My family is all gone, but my sister married a Yankee soldier,” he continued, “if’n ya can believe that and her husband bought out one of the ruined plantations from a widow. Doing real well and I work for him, training horses. Always loved ‘em critters. So how’s about y’all?” he changed the subject.