Every Girl's Dream

by Cheryl Pierson

  The door was thrown open quickly by a tall, stately woman with graying hair and snapping cobalt eyes. “Lands sakes, Sheriff, I am here!”

  “Sorry, Livvie. Cal’s been shot. It’s urgent. You have a room—”

  “Heavens, Callen, what have you gotten into this time?” Livvie cut Sheriff Allred’s explanation short, stepping onto the porch.

  “A bunch of damned Kiowas, Livvie,” Cal answered shortly.

  “This way, Mike. Let’s get him right in here.” Livvie led the way down the hallway to the right of the entry foyer. Sheena followed closely, Cal behind her, with Sheriff Allred poised behind him to help should there be a need.

  Sheena gasped as she entered the bedroom. It was like nothing she’d ever seen. The bed was at least twice as large as her own had been back home, with a luxurious counterpane in colors of blue and gold that was finer than anything she’d ever seen.

  A blue pitcher and matching washstand stood in the corner, and a dark wooden wardrobe was placed against the wall. Across from the bed, an ornate dressing table held an array of perfume bottles on a mirrored tray.

  Livvie hurriedly pulled the counterpane back.

  Cal looked at the snow-white sheets dubiously. “You sure you want to let me on this bed?”

  “Hush, Callen, and lie down.”

  “It’s white, Livvie.”

  “You can’t do any damage that can’t be undone with a bit of my lye soap.”

  He didn’t argue any further. As he started to lower himself to the side of the bed, Sheena understood why he’d fallen silent. She’d never seen a man shot before—never realized how much blood could be lost in so short a time. He faltered as he sat down, and Livvie moved quickly to adjust the pillows behind him as he lay back.

  “Let me get your boots off,” she fussed, efficiently pulling them off as she spoke, and setting them beside the bed.

  Sheriff Allred deposited Cal’s saddlebags and Sheena’s valise beside the washstand. “I’m goin’ for the doc, Cal. I’ll see to the dead once I send him this way. Ain’t nothin’ he can do for them now.”

  “Oh, poo,” Livvie said. “By the time Doc gets here, Cal’s woman and I will have that bullet out and—”

  “You know where he is?” Allred asked.

  Livvie put her hands on her ample hips. “I sure do! Leila Brady’s having her baby. He’s been out at their place since a little before noon.” She shook her head. “He won’t be leaving there anytime soon.”

  Allred nodded. “I’ll let him know just the same. I’m sure you’ll get it taken care of.” He winked at Cal. “Got two beautiful women fussin’ over you, pardner. I think you’ll be fine.” He opened the door and stepped into the hall. “Be back later.”

  Livvie patted Sheena’s shoulder as she brushed by her. “Honey, the kitchen’s just down the hall. I’m going to go put some water on to boil.” She paused at the door. “You are…?”

  “Oh…uh…Sheena.” Sheena moistened her lips, flustered. She didn’t like lying to this woman who had been so kind to her. But now that she’d told Sheriff Allred she and Cal were married, there was little else she could do but continue the farce.

  “She’s my wife, Liv.” Cal’s voice was hoarse with pain, but firm.

  A smile washed over Livvie’s face. “Glory be! That’s wonderful, you two. I guess I better see that you heal up and spend some long happy years with your Sheena. Let me get everything together and get started on your shoulder, Cal.”

  Liv closed the door behind her, humming as she went down the hallway. Cal looked up at Sheena, his eyes warm with laughter. “You’ve gotten yourself in a mess, Miss McTavish.”

  “What about you?” Sheena asked, guilt overcoming her. “Now, because of me, your friends believe—”

  He reached to take her hand, and she sank down to kneel on the wooden floor at his side. “Sheena, it doesn’t matter. I know why you did it. You weren’t sure about Mike, and I don’t blame you after the reception we got when we rode into town. So, we’ll play it as you said, wife.”

  “Cal—”

  He pulled her to him, his mouth melding with hers as her lips touched his. A delicious shiver ran through her, surprising her. This kiss was nothing like that other, punishing, harsh taking that Richard Purl had done to her. Though Cal’s desire for her was evident, there was a tenderness in the way his hand fitted around her cheek, allowing her the freedom to pull away from him if she wanted. But she didn’t.

  He was the one to lean back into the pillows, reluctantly letting his fingers fall away from her. She stopped herself from reaching for his comforting touch as he moved his arm.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that,” he murmured softly. “And it seems like, maybe, you have, too.”

  Sheena’s cheeks warmed, and Cal laughed. “It’s okay, Sheena. No one will ever know. Our secret.”

  Somehow, that was oddly disappointing to her. Was he ashamed of her? The reality of their circumstances shot through her, and she felt the flush of embarrassment stain her cheeks. He alone knew she was with child; knew she was single. He’d not asked about the circumstances, only offered help at every turn.

  “Callen, I want you to know something. About the baby.”

  “Sheena, you don’t have to tell me. Once we’re done here, in a day or two when I can ride, we’ll head on across Missouri. We’ll get you back on the stage and headed out west.”

  “I don’t want to go west.”

  His eyes clouded with questioning. “Where are you going then, honey?”

  The genuine caring in his voice broke through her resolve to keep her tears inside. She was helpless to hold them back as they pooled and spilled over.

  “Hey, Sheena.” He pulled her close with a soft curse. “I didn’t mean to pry. I’m sorry.”

  “Cal, they—they sent me away.”

  “Your family?’

  She nodded and sniffed.

  “Because of the baby?” he guessed.

  “Uh-huh. But there was more to it.”

  Livvie’s steps sounded at the nearby hallway pantry. “How’re you holdin’ up, Cal?” she called.

  “I’ll live.” He grinned at Sheena and winked. “I’ve had worse than this.”

  But Sheena could hear the harsh edge of pain in his tone. He was keeping up the front for her. So far, she’d maintained a stoic façade of her own for him, as well, just until the last few moments. His kindness had undone her completely.

  What would it be like, to have the love of a man who treated her with common courtesy? Was that so much to hope for? Even her own father did little toward showing her mother kindness. Was that all there was to marriage, then? Co-existing, as her parents did, with barely a civil word passing between them for days on end?

  What would it be like, to actually be Callen Chandler’s wife? To look forward to sitting down to a meal together, to share life’s burdens…to be held at night as she drifted off to sleep?

  Foolish thoughts. Fate had thrown her into his path, and once she was safely on the next stage, she’d be out of his mind. But…he hadn’t had to follow the same route the stage had taken. And he hadn’t had to risk his life to save her, either.

  Liv rapped on the door, then pushed it open, carrying bandages and a bag of surgical implements and vials of medicine. Sheena came to her feet quickly. She swayed slightly as the queasiness surged through her stomach, and Livvie met her eyes with a speculative look.

  She knew. Dear God. It wouldn’t be long before the whole world knew. But at least, she wouldn’t be faced with the lie she’d told—they would never know she and Cal weren’t really married. And Cal wouldn’t be there when she reached New Mexico Territory.

  Livvie laid the bandaging on the bed and began to unload the vials from the bag onto the dresser. “Let’s get your shirt off, Cal,” she said as she started back toward the bed. Abruptly, she stopped and shook her head as he moved to sit up. “We’ll cut it. I don’t want you moving around any more than you have to.”


  Sheena turned to look at him, her untrained eye seeing what Livvie had evidently just spotted. The tight lines around his eyes, the deep grooves on the sides of his mouth, the determination in the set of his jaw.

  “If you can’t do this,” Livvie told Sheena, “it’s best you go into the kitchen. Keep the water boiling, maybe make some coffee, things like that. You’ll be of no use if you keel over in a faint.”

  Sheena raised her chin a notch. “I have never fainted in my life.”

  Livvie nodded brusquely and as Sheena met Cal’s eyes, she couldn’t ignore the conspiratorial glint of laughter she saw there. Well, she hadn’t ever fainted in her life until today. And after what she’d seen happen, that was more than understandable, wasn’t it?

  “Let’s get started then,” Livvie said. She glanced at Cal. “Unless you’d rather wait for Doc.”

  He shook his head, somber once more. “Your hand’s a lot gentler than Doc’s, Liv. You know I trust you to do it right.”

  Livvie smiled reassuringly. “I know. Just wanted to give you the choice. Now, there’ll be no complaining when I bring you that awful willow bark tea to drink, will there?”

  Cal gave her a slow smile. “No, ma’am. I will do my best to get recovered and out of your hair as soon as possible.”

  She gave a soft laugh as she reached for the scissors and began to cut away his bloodstained shirt. “You devil. You know that’s not what I meant. The last time this happened, you were not the least bit cooperative. I’m just trying to hedge my bets a little, here.”

  “The last time?” Sheena asked, stepping forward to take the strips of Cal’s shirt from Liv. “When was that?”

  “Oh, been about five-six years ago, hasn’t it, Cal?” Liv’s conversation was easy, but when Sheena looked at Cal, his face was tight, and not just from the pain. The memories of that earlier time were haunting him as well. He seemed to force himself to relax as he spoke.

  “Six,” he answered shortly.

  Livvie went on. “Well, you showed them, didn’t you, Callen Chandler? The bastards. You lived to hunt them down and—”

  Sheena met his eyes. He didn’t want to remember. Not now. Not while he was hurt and losing blood, vulnerable, and weary.

  “Cal,” she broke in, interrupting Liv. “Are you all right, darling?”

  The gratitude in his expression was unmistakable. She moved to the other side of the bed quickly and took the hand he raised to her.

  “I’m fine, Sheena.”

  But he didn’t sound fine. His voice was low and harsh. Sheena knew he hadn’t meant for it to come out as it had. She rubbed her thumb across his knuckles and he shifted in the bed, allowing Liv to pull the rest of the material away from his body. She handed them to Sheena to hold as she carefully wiped the drying blood away to get a look at the wound.

  “I’m sorry, Cal,” Liv offered. “Listen to me, going on.”

  “It’s all right, Liv. Guess I’m just not in much of a talkin’ mood right now. Thanks for patchin’ me up.”

  She waved a hand at him and straightened, taking the bloody scraps of material from Sheena. “Be right back. We’ll get started in a minute. Have you fixed up in no time at all.”

  He nodded as she disappeared into the hallway.

  “Cal—”

  He shook his head impatiently. “Listen to me, Sheena. This is going to get bloody and ugly when Liv starts working on me. I know you’ve had a rough day already. If you want to take Liv up on her suggestion, I won’t think any less of you.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  Cal’s lips quirked. “You really aren’t one of those women who faints all the time are you?”

  “No. Truly. Today was the only time in my life.”

  Cal’s fingers traced a soothing pattern on hers. “Really, honey. Liv can handle it.”

  “You want me to go?”

  “No.” His grip tightened. He drew her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently. “I never want—” He broke off as Sheena stiffened in shock. What was he saying? That he wanted their relationship to continue, to become more substantial and for her to never leave him? What had she forced him into? Still, he’d sounded sincere, as if he wanted the future that they’d both lied about to become a reality.

  Before either of them could say anything more, Liv re-entered the room, a sharp knife in her hand. “Here we go. Do I need to find Jake and some of the others to hold you—”

  “No,” he answered firmly. Then, in a softer tone, he added, “We can manage.”

  Matter-of-factly, Liv nodded, and turned to Sheena. “Ready?”

  ****

  It was over. Finally.

  Sheena had ‘managed,’ Cal thought, but he honestly didn’t know how. When he had opened his eyes to look up into her face, he could’ve sworn he saw tears in her eyes. Her hands had caressed his cheek as he’d clenched his jaw.

  “It’s because of me,” she whispered. “All because of me.”

  The red fog surrounded him, but he shook his head to keep her from blaming herself. He couldn’t bear the pain he heard in her voice. “No,” he whispered. “No, Sheena.”

  As if she’d realized she was causing him more anguish, she bit her lip and said no more, doing what she could to help Liv. Once the wound had been sealed, Cal had been mindless with pain until Sheena’s touch fell gently across his sweat-damp forehead and face, a cool cloth in her hand as she brought him relief.

  He’d given himself up to the realm of darkness that edged ever closer as he fought for consciousness. He couldn’t hold it back a second longer. It washed over him, and regretfully, he let it come. Sheena was safe with Livvie, and so was he—at least for now. He needed rest. Just a little sleep. He hadn’t lied when he’d told Sheena he’d had worse than this, but for now, he knew his limits. When he awoke, he’d have a long talk with this beautiful sprite he found himself linked with. Somehow, from where he lay looking up at the green-eyed, flame-haired beauty, he got the crazy idea she was falling in love with him. And the notion of having a wife suddenly didn’t seem so unappealing as it had in years past, when he’d fought so hard to keep his freedom.

  ****

  “Come sit down, child, and have a cup of warm tea. It will soothe you.” Livvie steered Sheena toward the bedroom doorway.

  “Will he be all right?”

  Livvie smiled. “I wouldn’t leave him if I didn’t believe he would be. He needs rest right now, more than anything else. You and I deserve a bit of that ourselves. We’ll sit at the kitchen table, drink our tea, and relax while your man is sleeping.”

  Sheena nodded. The cup of warm tea sounded wonderful. And Livvie had been so kind to them; taken such good care of Cal. She followed the older woman to the kitchen, not sitting until Livvie motioned for her to pull out a chair.

  “Honey, it’s pretty informal here. You don’t need to be invited to sit at my table.”

  “I thought…you might need help.”

  Livvie laughed, a rich, full sound that made Sheena smile in response. “No. I run this place all alone. Sometimes, it gets to be busy, but right now, there are no guests but you and Cal. So you just have a seat and tell me all about you.”

  “Me?” Sheena was surprised that Liv would care. Unless she was trying to protect Cal.

  Liv turned to look at her fully. “I know you two can’t be married. In my business, I’ve seen enough people to be able to tell one thing from another. Now, what’s the real story, honey? Just who are you?”

  ****

  By the time Sheena told Livvie the whole story over her tea, she began to feel relaxed, and more at ease than she’d ever felt. She looked around the homey kitchen. It contained the rudimentary necessities, as her own mother’s kitchen had, with one major difference. This woman, this near-stranger, had extended the hand of friendship and caring that her own family had failed to offer.

  Livvie’s blue eyes were warm with compassion as she listened and offered soft remarks, asking questions from time t
o time.

  “When is your baby due, hon?”

  “Sometime toward the middle of November,” Sheena answered dully.

  Livvie patted her hand gently. “Don’t worry. Things have a way of working out.”

  “I don’t see how this could.” Sheena thought of the impossible decision she was still facing. Giving her baby up…If only she wasn’t being forced to do that! She would keep it, love it, and raise it with all the tenderness she had inside her, if only there was a way. She would give it all the love her own mother had never shown her.

  Liv didn’t answer, but when Sheena glanced up at her the other woman’s secret smile told her plainly that she believed Callen Chandler held the key to unlocking the solution to the whole dilemma.

  Sheena knew that wasn’t true. “Cal is just being…very kind, Livvie.”

  Livvie leaned across the table, holding Sheena’s gaze, her own filled with electric anger for a moment. “I don’t call taking a bullet for you being ‘kind,’ missy. Maybe you best rethink Cal’s motives. Or what you believe them to be.”

  Sheena sat back quickly. “I—I’m sorry. I don’t mean to offend you. Of course, if Cal was in love with me, that would be…” her voice trailed off, then she finished, “wonderful.”

  “Would it?”

  Sheena looked up at Livvie questioningly, not understand the edge of sharpness in the other woman’s tone. “Why, of course. He’s—everything I ever dreamed of.”

  “Including the Indian side of him, Sheena?”

  Nothing could have shocked her more. She’d truly not thought of that until one of the men in the group that had greeted them so rudely had made the ugly remark when she’d asked for help. And she hadn’t thought of it since.

  “Yes,” she said firmly, not looking away. “Everything about him is wonderful—much more than I could ever hope for, me with a baby already on the way. I would never expect him to…accept that.” She finally looked down at her lap, remembering her mother’s harsh stance, the words she could never take back, even had she been so inclined. “What man would?”

  “Cal Chandler just might, if you gave him the chance,” Livvie murmured. “The way he was looking at you earlier—I’ve never seen that expression on him before.”