“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Be careful.”
She nodded. “I’ll be back in forty-five minutes or an hour at the most.”
The sun was just peeking over the horizon. By the time she reached the turn, she had a steady rhythm going. She turned in the opposite direction from town. Hopefully, she wouldn’t meet anyone and embarrass Royce.
****
She’d said no more than forty-five minutes, and it was getting close to an hour. Royce couldn’t stand to wait any longer. He whistled for Samson. The horse nickered and trotted to the gate. Before he opened the gate, he looked back one more time. And saw Texanna’s small figure running up the road.
He breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed Samson’s ears, and patted his neck. “Sorry to disappoint you fella’, but I jumped the gun. You know I love her, don’t you?” Samson butted him in the chest and proceeded to nibble on Royce’s ears. His hat fell, and he caught it before it hit the ground. “Yeah, I love you too.” Royce walked away from the fence.
Texanna stopped in front of the water pump, dropped her hands to her knees, and drew in gulps of air. She straightened, removed the holster, and handed it to him. Royce watched her stretch her legs, one at a time, out behind her and raise and lower her heel. He shook his head. Why would anyone want to run up and down the road? She took the ladle from the hook and drank two cups full, then poured one over her head dousing her shirt—his shirt.
He turned back to the fire he was building to wash clothes. It would take a while longer for the water to be hot enough. The scrub board sat on a low table so Texanna wouldn’t have to bend too much to use it. Today he’d help her with the laundry so she’d know the routine.
“Come inside. The coffee’s hot, and I saved you some breakfast.”
Still breathing hard, she gasped. “Okay, be there in a minute.”
Royce watched from the kitchen window as she drank more water and poured another dipper full over her head. Her red curls hung straight and were plastered to her head. She was a mystery, no two ways about it. He took the warm plate from the range and set it on the table with silverware and a cup of coffee.
Texanna left her shoes on the screened-in porch and walked to the sink to wash her hands. His shirt was plastered to her body, giving him a nice view of her graceful back. His eyes traveled lower to the roundness of her butt and almost groaned when he remembered how her bare cheek had felt in his hand. The memory made him shift his weight in the chair. He picked up his coffee cup and took a drink. She dried her hands and turned to sit down. At the sight of her breasts beneath the wet shirt, he inhaled coffee and choked, gasping for breath.
She rushed around the table and pounded him on the back until he managed to say, as he wheezed, “Stop…I’m fine.” From the opposite side of the table, she watched him with concern for a few minutes.
“Eat before it gets cold. I’m all right.” Now that the shock was over, he looked his fill. The front of her shirt was wet, almost transparent, and molded to her breasts, defining their shape and size. They were beautiful.
“Thank you for the breakfast. You didn’t have to cook for me.” A lock of hair fell forward and brushed her cheek. She shoved it behind her ear drawing his eyes to the white column of her neck. He’d like to kiss her neck, right under that ear.
“It’s just as easy to cook for two as it is for one.” He tried to keep his eyes on her face but the damn things kept dropping to the breasts staring him in the face. “How far did you run?”
She finished chewing and took a sip of coffee. “Down to that partially burned house.”
Flabbergasted, his mouth fell open, and he sputtered. “That’s over two miles.” How could she run that far and then back? Sure, she looked pretty tired when she got back, but…
“Why? Why would you want to run up and down the road?”
“It’s good exercise, keeps my heart healthy, my muscles toned. I just run three times a week. A person can overdo it, especially women if they lose too much body fat.” For some reason she looked down, noticed how exposed she was, and yanked the shirt away from her body.
Royce covered his eyes, rubbed his forehead, and pretended he hadn’t noticed. He could feel her glare and peeked through his fingers. If she could shoot fire with those blue eyes, he’d be ashes about now. He struggled not to laugh out loud.
“You have a headache?” The glower he received didn’t express the sympathy her voice carried.
“Yeah, didn’t get much sleep last night.” At least that was the truth.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well either.” She dropped her fork onto her plate and propped her crossed arms on the table. “Look, I need my bra back. It’s not good to run without one.”
His eyebrow twitched as he studied her to see where this was going. “Why not?”
“Well, would you just think about it? It keeps things from jiggling around.”
His face heated. “Oh. Does it hurt?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt.” She averted her eyes. “I guess it could at a certain time of the month.”
“Then why? If it doesn’t hurt, you don’t need it.”
She spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t want the tissues to break down and my boobs to hang down to my waist by the time I’m forty.”
“Boobs?”
“You know what I’m talking about—knockers, hooters, tits, breasts.” Her face was almost purple.
He coughed into his hand to hide his grin. “Oh, I see.” He sobered. Hell, he didn’t want them to hang to her waist either. “Sounds like you shouldn’t be running if that’s the case.”
She screeched. “You’re the most unbending person I’ve ever met.” Grabbing her dishes, she shoved her chair back and stood. The activity set her breasts in motion, more so when she kicked the chair under the table.
Oh, boy. What a beautiful sight. He wished her shirt were still wet. It would be a shame for them to get saggy. Unaware she watched him, he grinned. A wet dishcloth hit him and wrapped around his face.
“Ohooooo! You pervert!” She folded her arms across her breasts. “Fine then. I’ll just run like this and entertain all those men who saw me running this morning. They got an especially good view when I raised my arm and waved.”
She ran in place and held her arm over her head pulling the shirt tight across her right breast. “Yoo-hoo. How’re you this fine morning?” She lowered her arm and kept running. “Then I’ll run in place, and we’ll chat for a while.”
Okay, by God, that did it. She looked at his face and froze. He shoved his chair back and before he could get around the table, she lunged toward the door. He grabbed a handful of her shirt and pulled her back against him, his arms locked around her waist. His heart thundered, and he felt every breath she took. Her scent mixed with the sweat from her run teased his senses. He dropped his head to her hair, and his hand moved from her waist to cup a breast. It fit his hand perfectly. A groan rose from deep within his chest. He ran his thumb down the firm flesh to the nipple. She jerked in his arms and cried out. His hand returned to her waist.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.” Hell, he was torturing himself. He wanted things settled between them so he could love her half the night and then get her dander up every morning. “I was only teasing you. You can have your bra back.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.” He dropped his chin to the top of her head. “I read that section you marked in the history book last night.
She turned in his arms. “I’m sorry. It must have been hard.”
Hard, hell, he’d felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. Garrett growing up to be a train robber and then dying was inconceivable. Whether the book was real or not, he’d do his best to see Garrett lived a long, happy life.
“Yes, it hurt like hell.”
She put her arms around his waist and her cheek against his heart. “I’m so sorry, but you had to know.”
One hand on h
er head, the other on her back, he held her for just a minute. Then he stepped back. “We better get busy, or we’ll be doing the wash during the heat of the day.”
****
Texanna rubbed the clothes back and forth across the scrub board. This was not fun. She washed. Royce rinsed, wrung them out, and tossed them in a tub. They’d both hung them on the line. The wash and rinse water had to be changed twice. Her back and shoulders ached before they started hanging them. By the time they were finished, she was too tired to fix lunch. It was all she could do to drag her body into the house. She stood in the kitchen in a stupor.
“You want me to rub your shoulders?”
Too tired to speak, she nodded.
“Sit down at the table, fold your arms and lay your head on them.”
His hands were strong, and he knew how to use them. As he kneaded her sore muscles, groans and moans escaped her. “Oh, that’s wonderful. Thank you.”
“It would feel a lot better if you’d take that shirt off.” From his hands she could feel his body shaking with laughter.
She snorted. “You wish.”
“Yes, ma’am, I do.” He hit a particularly sore spot and she yelped. “Sorry. What you need is a warm bath.” He patted her shoulder and went to the screened in porch for the bathtub. He stopped and turned back. “By the way, what’s a pervert?”
She giggled. “A…lecher, you know, a seducer…a dirty old man.”
He threw back his head and laughed. Texanna’s heart tripped at the delightful sound and the amusement on his handsome face. The man was too damned handsome for his own good.
A horse and rider galloped into the yard. “Royce! Royce!” Royce rushed out the back door.
“You gotta come quick. Miz Molly’s havin’ her baby.”
Texanna went to the door and watched Royce stride to the man on horseback. “How long has she been in labor, Jim?”
The old man’s face was etched with concern. “‘Bout three hours, and she’s in terrible pain. Matthew is beside himself with worry.”
Royce patted the older man’s arm. “She’ll be fine, Jim. You run on to town and get Jason and Doc.” Jim turned the horse and kicked it into a full run. Royce hurried to the barn and emerged with his saddle in one arm and tack in the other.
Oh, God, no. Texanna’s heart dropped as she remembered the words from Jason’s journal about Molly having twins. He’d said one of them would die.
She raced to catch up with Royce. “I’m coming. Don’t leave me.” Inside the barn she grabbed her tack and dragged her saddle out the door. Royce had Josie standing beside Samson. He was saddled and ready to go. Royce reached for her saddle and lifted it as if it were light as air, then waited for Texanna to smooth the blanket on Josie’s back before setting it in place. Mounted on Samson, he looked down at her.
She studied his face. He didn’t look like he thought Molly would be fine. His mouth was pinched and white—his eyes filled with concern. His large hand cupped her cheek.
“I’m gonna set a fast pace. Can you keep up?”
“That depends on Josie. If I lag behind, don’t worry about me. I know the way.”
She grabbed his boot before he could kick Samson into a gallop. “Royce, I have to tell you something I learned before I came back. Molly’s having twins. One of them will die.”
Chapter Twelve
Royce looked at her in disbelief and horror, and then kicked Samson into a full gallop. She didn’t blame him for not trusting her words. He’d had a lot of shocks the last few days.
Texanna finished saddling Josie and mounted up. She took off after Royce, but he was just a speck on the road. When she reached the farmhouse, a man stepped off the porch to take her horse.
Matthew was a wild man, pacing back and forth in front of the stairs. He raked his hands through his long hair. The rawhide he’d used to tie it back was gone.
“I shouldn’t have married her. Dammit, I knew this was going to happen. She’s going to die, and it’s my fault.”
A scream drifted down the stairs and ended with a moan. Matthew’s body froze and his face furrowed with agony. “Oh God. I can’t stand to think of the pain she’s suffering.” Royce stood at Matthew’s elbow, his arm across his brother’s shoulder, his face a mask of worry. “If she survives, I’ll never touch her again.”
Yeah, that’s what they all say. Texanna walked over to Matthew and slipped her arms around the big man’s waist. He crushed her in a tight squeeze. “Women suffer during childbirth, but after Molly sees your baby, the pain will be forgotten. She wouldn’t want you to think that way.” At least that’s what Texanna had been told by Pearl and her friends who had children.
With her arm around Matthew’s waist, she led him to the sofa. He sat down and dropped his head in his hands. Her eyes met Royce’s. “Where do you keep your whiskey?”
Royce made a fast escape and returned with a bottle and two glasses. He poured two fingers of whiskey in each glass and handed one to Matthew. The second he started to raise, but Texanna took it before it reached his mouth. He looked at her in question. If she were going upstairs, she’d need all the fortification she could get. She tossed it down, gasped and coughed as the searing heat flowed to her stomach.
Texanna handed the glass to Royce and wheezed. “Don’t get drunk. She may need you two before long.”
Matthew’s eyes lit with fire. “Those damn women up there won’t let me in, even when she’s crying out for me.”
Texanna had read stories of men being barred from the room during a birth. In her opinion, it was stupid. Husbands should share in the pain and joy associated with birthing, as they did when creating a child.
“Give me a few minutes upstairs, and then I’ll call you.”
She pulled Royce aside. “Where’s Garrett?”
“One of the hands took him over to Aggie’s.” He tilted her face and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry. He’s fine.” He dropped his forehead to hers and whispered, “Please tell me what you told me earlier was a lie, a mistake.”
Texanna shook her head sadly, turned, and started up the stairs. She felt like she was going to the gas chamber. Molly’s scream had been terrifying, and Texanna would love to hide. For some odd reason she needed to be there for Molly. Why, she didn’t know.
When she opened the door, both women by the bed turned. Neither looked happy at her appearance. Molly saw her and stretched out her hand.
“Please, Texanna. Stay with me.”
Texanna took Molly’s hand. The woman’s gown was drenched with sweat, her damp hair plastered to her head. “I’ll be with you, and Matthew will be up in a minute.”
The oldest of the ladies opened her mouth. “Men aren’t needed in…”
Texanna held up her hand. “If Molly wants Matthew here with her, she’s going to have him. I want some cool water and a fresh gown.” The younger woman, the one that had kept her mouth shut, ran to do her bidding.
Molly lay on a pad made of several folded sheets, with an oilcloth underneath to protect the mattress. Texanna sat beside her on the bed and stroked her hair. “We’re going to clean you up and make you more comfortable before Matthew comes up.”
Molly’s lips trembled and produced a hesitant smile. “Thank you.” No sooner had the words left her mouth than her face twisted in pain. “Ohoo…it hurts so…bad.”
Texanna knew zilch about childbirth. Well, she’d taken child development class in high school and watched a birth on television. But that was the limit of her education.
Molly arched off the bed and screamed in pain.
The desperate cry raced up Texanna’s spine and across her shoulders. She shivered. Oh, God, please help us here. The contraction ended, and Molly relaxed. “Molly, I read somewhere if you focus your mind and eyes on an object, it’s easier to control the pain.”
Molly looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.
The woman pushed through the door with a pan of water and a washcloth. Together they worked the damp go
wn up and off her body and covered her with a sheet. Texanna dampened the cloth and cooled off Molly’s face and arms and body. Texanna helped her sit up so they could slip the clean gown over her head. She brushed Molly’s long, dark hair and plaited it so the braids hung down on each side of her face.
Texanna turned to the ladies and thanked them. “I’m sorry; I don’t remember your names. I’m Texanna.”
“Lands, child, we know who you are. I’m Betty and this be Liz.” The older woman nodded toward her younger helpmate.
Texanna took Betty’s arm. “Come outside a minute.” She turned to Liz. “Please call if you need us. We’ll be back shortly.”
In the hall, Texanna bent her head to Betty’s. “Is something wrong in there?”
“Peers the little ‘un is turned wrong.”
“What’ll we do?”
“When Doc gets here, he’ll try to turn the baby. We might help by massaging her stomach.”
Sounded like a good job for Matthew. He could touch Molly and help at the same time. When Texanna called for Matthew, he ran up the stairs taking them two at a time. He rushed to the door. Texanna caught his arm before he could enter. His eyes flashed with anger, and for just a second Texanna felt fear.
“Matthew, try to calm her. As you talk, gently massage her abdomen. Tell her how much you love her.” He nodded, leaned down, and kissed Texanna’s cheek.
He knelt beside the bed and caressed Molly’s large belly as he kissed her. Then he laid his head on her breasts. She stroked his hair. His voice was thick with emotion. “Molly, Molly, my love. I’m so sorry, baby.”
Liz came out and closed the door to give the couple a few minutes of privacy. But the door had no more than closed when the sounds of Molly’s whimpers reached them.
“I’ll go in,” said Texanna. “You two need a break. Relax a while and I’ll trade out with you in a few minutes.”
Texanna went to the opposite side of the bed. “Try to focus on something, Molly, and breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth.” Now where had that come from? Something else she’d heard or read.
My Heart Will Find Yours Page 13
