A Texas Sky (Yellow Rose Trilogy)

by Lori Wick

  had taken some searching, but he finally had it.

  Moving as though touching the pages might damage

  them, Dakota opened a book that boasted the gold-tone

  title Holy Bible on the cover. He didn't read at first but just

  paged through, recognizing books that he'd discussed with

  Desmond and realizing he knew just where he wanted to

  read. He searched for a full five minutes for the book of

  Galatians before turning to the index in the front After

  finally finding it, he settled in to study. So much was

  57

  unclear to him, but he kept at it until the fifth chapter,

  where things fell a little more into place.

  It was good to recognize things that both the pastor and

  Dr. Scott had referred to. Dakota read the chapter twice and

  sat mulling over several problematic issues. Of all the

  things that suddenly became dear to him, one was the

  thought he'd had while sitting in church the day before:

  The Bible didn't talk about things for no reason.

  "If Paul talks about this, it must have been a problem." Dakota heard his own voice and stopped. "How did they know the writing was from Paul?"

  With that Dakota was off again. He spent the next several

  hours reading and rereading, trying to get a grasp of

  the text and suddenly realizing it must have been a letter.

  33

  34 lori wick

  A Texas Sky 35

  58

  Shaking his head at times in complete confusion, Dakota

  came away with one certainty: There was a way that God

  wanted men to act, and it was laid out in this book. It didn't

  all make sense, but Dakota vowed in his heart to learn that

  way and do his best to follow it

  S^S1*^"

  "Do you want any more coffee?" Darvi asked Brace that

  night

  "No, thank you."

  "All right. I'll go ahead and wash the pot"

  Taking her uncle's coffee mug, Darvi made swift work

  of the kitchen detail. When she came back into the living

  room, she took a comfortable chair and put her feet up.

  "I enjoyed coming, Uncle Marty. Thank you."

  He waved at her as if she'd imagined his care of her.

  "Youll have a good time with Merry/' he said, ignoring

  her thanks. "But you've got an early morning coining up,

  59

  so you'd best head up to bed."

  "All right"

  Darvi stood and went to his chair. She was going to lean

  down to kiss his cheek but suddenly stopped.

  "I'm leaving after such a short time, Uncle Marty. I feel

  a little bad about that"

  There was no ducking the issue this time. Her uncle

  looked her in the eye and spoke seriously.

  "You're doing better, and that's all I care about, Darvi

  girl. And if things get rough again when you go home after

  your visit to Merry's, you just come right back here."

  With a whispered word of thanks, Darvi did bend and

  kiss him. No other words were shared as Darvi left the

  room, mounted the stairs, and readied for bed. lired as

  Darvi was, she lay awake until her uncle came up those

  same stairs, the sound of his steps a comfort to her. Praying

  for him as she felt herself relax, she drifted off to sleep some

  time after she heard his boots drop to the floor.

  3"3''5i*

  60

  Dakota was glad that Darvi wanted to leave early and

  take it slow. He was still rather tender in spots and had

  even bled some in the night, and although he no longer

  wanted to sit around Austin, it was nice to know he was

  going to have an easy day.

  All this he had decided before he saw Darvi. She and

  Brace were in the front yard when he arrived, and Dakota

  thought he'd never seen anyone so loaded for bear. Gone

  was the frilly dress and elegant hairstyle. In the morning

  light he could see that she was dressed for the trail. Darvi

  wore a brown dress he could only term "serviceable" and

  had her hair and neck covered by an all-consuming hat and

  handkerchief. It was such a contrast to the day before that

  Dakota had all he could do not to stare.

  "Here's some money," Brace said the moment Dakota

  dismounted.

  "I'm doing all right," Dakota replied, not taking the bills

  that were being held out to him.

  Brace stuffed them in Dakota's vest pocket

  61

  "Be that as it may," he said rather softly, "you never

  know whaf s going to happen with Darvi, and I didn't

  mean for you to do this without some compensation."

  Dakota opened his mouth to start to protest, but Brace

  cut him off. "I mean it!"

  Dakota watched him turn back to his niece. The two

  hugged.

  "Have you got everything?" Brace asked.

  "Yes. I'm sure I do."

  "All right Have a good time. Tell Merry I said hello;

  Caldertoo."

  "I'll do it"

  "And when you get home, tell your mother she hasn't

  written in weeks,"

  Darvi's brow lowered. "You said you just got a letter,"

  36 lori wick

  "I know, but your mother always expects me to complain

  about something, and I don't want to let her down."

  Darvi gave him another hug and turned to the horse

  62

  called Finley. With a boost she didn't need, Brace had her

  in the saddle in the blink of an eye. Dakota waited to shake

  Brace's hand and thank him before gaining his own saddle/

  and a moment later he and Darvi were on their way.

  Dakota glanced back just before they were out of sight to

  find Brace reaching for his handkerchief, causing something

  to trigger in his own heart. It was a good reminder

  that Darvi was precious cargo.

  "Hey, Darvi," Dakota called to her as they turned their

  horses toward the west side of town. "How soon would

  you like to get there?"

  "Soon," she admitted. "I guess I'm not much for

  dawdling."

  "Well, be sure and let me know if we're going too fast."

  Darvi glanced at him. "Why don't I set the pace? Will

  that work?"

  "Go to it," Dakota said with easy confidence. He knew

  Eli was up to anything, and he had strong doubts that

  Darvi could wear him out. With this thought in mind,

  Dakota simply heeled his mount to keep pace with Darvi

  63

  the moment they hit the edge of town.

  3''3 "9r

  Calling it pride never occurred to Dakota. It was a perfect

  description, but the word never crossed his mind, nor

  did it occur to him to tell Darvi they had to slow down.

  More than 12 hours after he and Darvi left Austin, they

  arrived in Blake, a town not far from Stillwater. Dakota was

  in so much pain that he didn't think he could even speak.

  All five of his bullet wounds were burning, and he knew

  the one on his waist had to be bleeding.

  "I think the hotel would be good, don't you?" Darvi

  spoke like a woman in charge, and at the moment she was.

  A Texas Sky 37

  "Fine," Dakota managed, glad that the horses' hooves

  drowned out the strain in his voice.


  At a later time, Dakota would think back on the way

  64

  God moved to rescue him on this evening, but right now

  he just knew relief at how solicitous the hotel proprietress

  was, how swift she was to volunteer her son to take their

  horses to the livery, and how Darvi told Dakota she was

  going to eat in her room and turn in early. He fell into bed

  the moment he shut the door and dropped into unconsciousness

  for the next ten hours.

  5"9r-3-

  Not

  feeling what anyone would term "brand new,"

  Dakota was nevertheless at the breakfast table in a timely

  manner and not looking as pale as he felt. Darvi joined him

  just ten minutes after he sat down, and Dakota found himself

  feeling somewhat thankful that she had not seen him

  nearly swallowing his food whole. He was calmly sipping

  coffee when she arrived.

  "I'll just have a quick bite," she explained and smiled at

  the waitress when she glanced their way.

  "Don't hurry on my account," Dakota said, meaning it

  65

  with all his heart. He'd used the powder again and tried to

  patch the wounds, but the job was middling at best

  "I think we're only a half-day's ride now."

  Dakota nodded before asking, "How do you know this

  friend, by the way?"

  "She used to Uve in Austin. We played together every

  summer I visited." Darvi paused. "I certainly hope she's

  home."

  "She's not expecting you?"

  "No. We never kept in touch through the mail, and I

  didn't even know she'd moved until I arrived in Austin."

  They fell silent for a moment, and then Darvi looked at

  her companion.

  38 lori wick

  "Did you hear any screams out your window last

  night?"

  Dakota could have told her he didn't even remember

  lying down but only said no.

  "I did/' Darvi said. "It sounded like a woman was

  66

  receiving some unwanted attention. I nearly went out to

  check."

  This statement stopped Dakota's coffee cup on the way

  to his mouth.

  "Tell me, Darvi/' Dakota said, putting the cup down, his

  voice mildly curious. "What would you have done?"

  "If I'd gone out?"

  "Yes, and if the unwanted attentions had been turned

  on you?"

  "With or without my gun?" she asked in all sincerity.

  Dakota couldn't stop the smile that turned up one

  corner of his mouth, but he still managed, "With your

  gun."

  "I'd have shot him in the foot."

  Again Dakota wanted to smile but refrained.

  "And without your gun?"

  "I'd have tried to reason with him, and if that hadn't

  worked, I'd have screamed myself hoarse and tried to

  fight"

  "If s good to have a plan," Dakota said softly, all the

  67

  time trying to process whether this woman was safe on her

  own or not

  You never know what's going to happen with Darvi.

  Brace's words from the morning before came floating

  back to him. Dakota would have enjoyed some time to

  think on them, but Darvi was pushing her plate away.

  Within 15 minutes, they were back on the trail.

  r$"'$tillwater

  was a surprise. A dean, friendly-looking

  town that sat in the foothills, it was a good deal cooler than

  A Texas Sky 39

  Austin. Since Darvi had not known of her friend's move,

  Dakota assumed she also did not know where this friend

  lived, but he kept his mouth shut and let her lead the way.

  She took them straight to the general store.

  "I'll just be a minute," she said before dismounting and

  going inside.

  Watching her confident stride, Dakota realized that

  68

  Darvi must have wanted to make this journey on her own.

  He knew Brace well enough to know that man would not

  have even discussed it, but Darvi was clearly no stranger

  to being in charge. Nor did she appear timid in new surroundings.

  In the middle of these thoughts, Darvi reappeared. She

  climbed back into the saddle and turned to him, her eyes

  alight with excitement.

  "We're almost there."

  Dakota smiled at her glowing face and said, "Lead on."

  The directions Darvi received took them toward the

  edge of town. She hadn't been in as much of a hurry today,

  but now she stepped up the pace. Dakota had been on the

  edge of discomfort all during the day's ride but thought his

  body might now be nearing the end of its tolerance. His

  side was starting to burn, and he could only be thankful

  they were almost there.

  "Thaf s the house," Darvi suddenly said, their horses

  taking a road along the creek.

  Dakota feared that she would heel her horse into a run

  and knew he couldn't take that. Besides, he wanted to give

  69

  her some privacy.

  "Darvi," he said just in time.

  She turned to him in some impatience.

  "I think I'll sit here by the creek while you go on up to

  the house."

  For the first time Darvi took in his face. It was warm out,

  but she hadn't really noticed. She didn't think such a thing

  would bother him, but he looked a little strained.

  "Are you certain, Dakota? You're welcome to join me."

  40 lori wick

  "I would think a private reunion preferable, and

  beyond that, I want to stay here."

  She couldn't argue much with that, so with one more

  glance at the man who was already turning his horse off

  the road, Darvi went on her way.

  Heart pounding, breath coming in small gasps, Darvi

  rode swiftly toward the house. It was a lovely setting, not

  far from the creek and not very close to other homes.

  "White paint, white shutters, and a large covered

  70

  porch," Darvi whispered to herself, "just like the man

  said."

  Darvi tied her horse's reins to a corner of the porch

  railing and went toward the steps. Things seemed so

  quiet--she was almost afraid to hope. Taking a breath to

  quell her excitement--a move that didn't work--Darvi

  knocked on the door. A man answered.

  "Hello," he said kindly.

  "Hello. I'm looking for Merry Scott Does she live here?"

  "Yes, she does. Come right in."

  Darvi stepped inside when he held the door and

  squinted to adjust her eyes. The moment she could see, she

  realized her friend was standing not ten feet from her.

  "Hello, Darvi," Merry welcomed with a huge smile.

  "Merry," Darvi breathed, only now believing she had

  made it and moving forward to hug her friend.

  The two women, one a soft strawberry blonde and the

  other a brilliant carrot top, hugged for a long time. Calder

  Scott, Merry's husband, stood off to one side, a wide grin

  on his face. The women were still hugging when Darvi

  71

  heard someone call "Mama." She stepped away from her

  friend, her eyes huge.

  "Merry?" she questioned softly.

  Meredi
th Scott smiled the smile that first drew Darvi to

  her.

  "Come on, Darvi. Come meet my husband and daughters."

  A Texas Sky 41

  Darvi was still mouthing the word "daughters" when

  Calder stepped forward.

  "This is Calder," Merry began.

  "Hello, Darvi," the tall man said as he held out his hand.

  "I've heard so much about you."

  "If s so nice to meet you," Darvi replied sincerely. "I

  nearly panicked when I learned you'd moved away, but I

  found a way here."

  "And these," Merry continued, "are our twins, Vivian

  and Filar."

  Darvi looked to where Merry pointed, through the

  doorway to the kitchen table, where two adorable, dark-haired

  72

  moppets stared back.

  "Oh, my" was all she could manage.

  "Come, girls," Merry bade them. "Come and meet Miss

  Wingate."

  "Please let them call me Darvi," that woman whispered

  as the girls scrambled from the chairs and ran to their

  mother.

  "Here we go," Merry said in her quiet way. "Show your

  faces," she ordered the two who suddenly became shy and

  absorbed with their mother's skirt

  "Obey, girls," their father put in from the side, and the

  twins turned immediately.

  "This is Vivian, and this is Filar. Girls, this is my friend,

  Darvi. You may call her Aunt DarvL"

  "Hello, Vivian. Hello, Filar. If s so nice to meet you."

  The girls giggled over this, and Darvi turned back to her

  friend.

  "How old are they?"

  "They were three last month."

  Darvi shook her head. "So much time has passed."

  73

  "About four years," Merry confirmed. "They were born

  the first year we were married."

  Darvi could hardly believe she was here. This friend

  was so special to her. Darvi didn't know if she'd ever told

  42 lori wick

  her that, but she would this time. This time she knew she

  could.

  "Did you come alone, Darvi?" Calder suddenly asked.

  "No," she turned to him, "but my escort seemed to

  think I would want a private reunion."

  "Who is it, Darvi?" Merry asked.

  "A friend of my uncle's. He wanted to wait by the

  creek"

  Husband and wife exchanged a look before Calder

  turned away and said, "I'll just head out and invite him in

  to lunch."

  Merry waited only until her husband was gone before

  sending the girls back to the table and ushering Darvi into

  the kitchen.

  74

  "Have a seat there, Darvi, and 111 get you a bowl of