by Lori Wick
Seth returned to the bank only to find that Jared had come
up with a plan of his own. Nevertheless, this job was going
to cost the banker a little more than usual.
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"You don't have to stay," Darvi proclaimed to Dakota
for the third time.
"So you've said." His reply was as calm as always, and
Darvi gave up.
They had made excellent time getting to Aurora, and
during their travels Darvi was surprised to find that
Dakota's home was very near. He could be there in a matter
of hours. Darvi saw no reason for him to stay the night just
to put her on the train. However, he was not about to leave.
Darvi was glad for the company but felt she'd been trouble
enough.
"So where do you want to spend the night?"
"I've got to get my trunk from the train station, and then I'll check into the Belmont."
"Why don't I get the trunk?" Dakota started to suggest,
but Darvi was already shaking her head.
"I appreciate the offer, Dakota, but I need my clothing
162
as soon as I check in, and I'll be able to find the trunk in no
time, since I know what it looks like."
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"Sounds fair enough. By the way, what are we doing
with Finley?"
"I'm to leave him at Garth's Livery, or some name like
that. My uncle has plans to get him back. I didn't ask where
it was, but I don't think it will be too hard to find."
"Have you stayed in Aurora before?"
"No, I haven't."
"How do you know about the Belmont?"
"Uncle Marty. He lectured me for a full 24 hours before
I left." Darvi's voice went monotone before she went on,
"What to watch for, where to go, do everything Dakota
says, don't look at strange men, don't leave your room after
dark, get your trunk from the station, leave the horse with
Garth, and I can't remember what else."
Dakota had a good laugh over this litany but thought it
sounded like Brace. He was also changing his mind about
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Darvi being on her own. He would never leave her to fend
for herself, but she was very quick to catch on to tilings and
as plucky as he'd first expected.
The train station was a bustling place, and it took some
doing to track down the bags and trunks that were being
held. Darvi had to give her name and a description of her
small trunk, and then the man was gone for what seemed
to be ages trying to find it. Because her name was not on
the outside, he made her open the top and show her name
under the lid. The fact that she had the key should have
spoken volumes.
Finally satisfied, the man released the trunk to her care.
Dakota hefted it onto Eli's back. It wasn't the ideal mode of
transportation, but if they asked the station to deliver it,
there was no telling when the heavy piece would arrive.
There was a lad of 12 or 13 who stayed close to the hotel
lobby and was willing to carry it to Darvi's room when she
checked in. Dakota followed in their wake, his own room
key in hand.
"Thank you," Darvi told the young man, slipping a coin
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to him.
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"Thank you/' he returned politely and went on his way.
"Are you on this floor?" Darvi asked Dakota.
Dakota looked at his key. "I think so, but I must be a few
doors down."
"I know ifs getting on in the day, Dakota, but can you
give me time to clean up before we eat?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing. There's no way
I'm going to enjoy my dinner until I've ordered a bath."
Darvi smiled at his understanding.
"I'll come back here in about an hour. How does that
work?"
"Wonderful. 111 see you then."
Saddlebags in hand, Dakota went to find his room, not
knowing that an hour was optimistic. Nevertheless, the two
travelers finally sat down in the hotel dining room, both
ready for a hot meal and the comfort of eating indoors.
"Dakota," Darvi asked over coffee, their order having
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just been taken, "how did you become a Ranger?"
Dakota smiled. "I caught the bug when I was about 13.
We'd had some trouble with cattle rustling, and the Rangers
came in to help. I'd never seen such tough, capable men. I
was in awe of every one of them. From that time forward I
dreamed of having my own sturdy mount, side arm, rope,
and Bowie knife. I had access to all those things on the ranch,
but they weren't mine. At the time I had no concept of the
responsibility, but even when I understood the position, I
still longed to work hard and uphold the law in Texas."
Dakota stopped for a moment before admitting, "It was
all I ever wanted until my brother Slater came to Christ.
Cash and my grandmother already believed, but I never
thought Slater would. The change in him was uncanny, and
then he left the Rangers to settle in one town. I was ready
to string him up, but he stood up to me and told me his
decision was made. The change in his life got me to
thinking that I might have missed something.
"I don't know if I thought of it when you were telling
your story, Darvi, but Slater did what you need to do.
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A Texas Sky 91
Although everyone in the Rangers was telling him he
didn't need to quit, he knew he couldn't stay on the trail.
He stood up to me and to Brace, and I know God has
blessed him for it"
It was on Darvi's mind to ask Dakota if he would stay
with the Rangers now, but for some reason she held back.
His salvation was as new as hers. Maybe he hadn't thought
that far. Then again, she knew nothing of Slater. Maybe
their situations were nothing alike.
"So are you ready to go home and face your family?"
"I think I am. I'm trying not to think of conversations in
my head. I've done that in the past, and it never works. The
person never says what I think he's going to, and so everything
I've rehearsed is a waste of time."
Dakota was impressed. It was so easy to do just that.
He'd done it many times himself.
"Well, you can go knowing that I will pray for you."
"Thank you. And I'll be praying for you. I never
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thought about anyone being able to have an influence on
Uncle Marty. Maybe your life will touch his."
"I hope so. I care for him a lot."
Darvi found herself wanting to cry and hoped their
food would come soon. Quite hungry, she suddenly realized
a wave of homesickness was washing over her. The
combination of hunger, her uncle, and a need to go home
rained down on her with such intensity that she almost
gasped.
Dakota stayed very quiet They had talked for hours the
day before, and Darvi had apologized for her tears on two
occasions. Both times Dakota told her it was all right. He
hoped that if he remained quiet now, she would not feel the
need. It helped to have his stomach growl, and for Darvi to
hear it.
"I think they've forgotten us," she said, trying not to
sniff.
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"I think you might be right I'm going to have to make
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myself chew. Right now I think I could swallow things
whole."
Neither one felt compelled to talk after that. Their food
arrived about ten minutes later, and that was all they
needed. By the time they finished/ the days on the road
were catching up. With little more than a plan to meet for
breakfast they bid each other goodnight
^"S1"^"
Darvi stood on the train station platform in a navy blue
suit, her satchel open as she secured her ticket inside.
Closing the top/ she looked up at Dakota who stood in
front of her.
"All set?" he asked.
"I think so."
"You look very nice in that suit, by the way."
Darvi looked up at him innocently and asked, "You
don't think I should blacken a few front teeth?"
Dakota put his arms up in surrender.
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'I'm not going to live that one down, am I?"
"Oh, I don't know about that," Darvi said playfully. "If
you happen to see a certain uncle of mine and perhaps
mention to him that I was a perfect angel on this trip, I
might see my way clear to forget what you said."
Dakota laughed again.
"I'll do it"
Darvi smiled up at him. "Thanks for everything,
Dakota. I can't tell you how good it was to see Merry and
then hear of your revival as well."
"I like that," Dakota decided. "My revival. That just
about sums it up."
Darvi didn't want to get teary again, so she said
nothing. Not one who liked waiting for the train whistle to
blow, she said goodbye right then. Dakota gave her a great
hug, one that Darvi gladly returned, and then stood and
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watched her get on board. He searched the windows and
waved when he spotted her, but as soon as she looked
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down at her lap, he turned away. It was going to be wonderful
to get home, but he hated to see Darvi go. He walked
back toward the hotel and livery, his heart a mix of emotions.
Halfway to the hotel, Dakota stopped in midstride. He
didn't know why he hadn't thought of it sooner, but he
could keep in contact with Darvi. The whistle had already
blown, but he knew if he hurried he could get her address.
He arrived back in plenty of time, but she was not at the
window. Thinking she might have moved, he quickly
searched along the cars, surprised not to see her. When the
train began to pull away, he comforted himself with the fact
that he could get her address from Brace. Dakota turned
again toward the hotel but froze before he'd walked five
steps.
Moving along between two men was a woman: strawberry
blonde and wearing a navy suit. Dakota wondered if
he was seeing things even as his feet began to propel him
in that direction. He wasn't overly concerned. After all,
why would anyone take Darvi from the train?
His own teasing about trouble following her now came
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to mind. With no definite plan, he picked up the pace just
as they entered a crowded area of downtown Aurora.
%r%r
Darvi could not believe this was happening. Where the
men had come from she couldn't say; she had looked up
and there they were, one of them already taking the satchel
from her side. Any protest she had died in her throat upon
seeing the knife. The man hadn't pulled it from its sheath,
but he'd made sure she saw it before their eyes met For this
reason, Darvi instantly obeyed his order to accompany
them from the train.
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She now walked between them, much faster than she
would have on her own, the town passing rather swiftly.
She nearly lost her footing at one point. Starting to gasp/
she felt something hard press against her side. That these
172
men meant business was more than clear.
Darvi was working to keep her head when they suddenly
turned down an alley. They were at the side and then
the back of a building almost before she could think.
Almost. Deciding that she wasn't going to comply any
longer, Darvi began to pull on the hand holding her upper
arm, just as she opened her mouth to scream. She didn't see
the fist that came down on the top of her head, so when
blackness crowded in she had no idea why.
"3'"'3'"
Dakota had spotted them again and even knew what
alley they turned down, but to his amazement, there was
no one in sight. He couldn't even find three distinctive sets
of footprints in the gravel. Sure that he'd misjudged, he
tried the next alley down but could see that it was too far.
"I know this is where they went," he said under his
breath as he continued to study the buildings. "I just don't
know for sure that it was Darvi."
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Dakota had a look around that brought him to a door in
the back, but it was locked. Not a man given to flights of
fancy, he wondered what to do next. Finding out if Darvi
had actually left on that train was nearly impossible, but
that would have settled his mind. He tried to assess
whether or not he had actually seen anything amiss. The
woman did not look upset or forced, but she certainly had
Darvi's coloring.
Dakota was at a loss. He'd planned to send word to
Brace that he'd gotten Darvi off safely, but right now he
could not even do that. For the time being he found a bench
in front of the general store and sat down to think.
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#-$
"You knocked her out?" Eliot asked in outrage.
"She started to struggle," the taller of the two abductors
said, defending himself, but a look from Eliot quieted him.
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"When do we get paid?" the other tried, but he shut up
when Seth's eyes grew as black as his brother's.
Neither man dared to comment when Eliot opened the
door, his message dear. As soon as they were gone, Eliot
and Seth stared down at Darvi and then at each other.
"How hard do you think he hit her?" Seth asked.
Eliot lifted one of Darvi's eyelids and shook his head.
"She's out cold."
"Here, let me move her to the davenport. She's going to
topple out of that chair."
Seth lifted her easily, amazed at how light she felt, nis
heart pumping with very real fear that they had hurt the
influential Annabelle Hewett But something else happened
inside of him when he laid Darvi back against a
pillow, her face so pale that he was startled. Trying not to
hear his own heart pounding, Seth placed his fingers
alongside her neck. He picked up a steady beat and hoped
it was only a matter of time until she woke.
"She's prettier than her picture," Seth commented a
s he
stood to full height, looking down at their guest. Eliot came
175
over to look, his gaze somewhat dispassionate.
"Things must be better for her. Even knocked out, she
looks better than the last time I saw her."
"I don't know."
"We could throw a little water in her face," Eliot joked,
but Seth frowned. For some reason the idea repelled him.
He knew she could be vicious with her words, but knocked
out cold, Annabelle Hewett looked rather young and vulnerable.
"I'm going to get something to eat," Eliot proclaimed,
heading toward the kitchen of the apartment that Jared
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kept in town. Its rear exit to the alley had come in handy
many times over.
'Til join you/' Seth added, his eyes on Darvi until Eliot
called again.
"You'd better bring that bag of hers so we can check it
out. You never know what a lady like that might be
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packing/'
'~$r%f
Darvi woke in confusion. Before she even opened her
eyes, she tried to think why the top of her head felt bruised.
Her memory returned with a jolt, but she continued to
keep her eyes closed. She didn't know where she was, but
it might be to her advantage to let whoever had taken her
think she was sleeping.
"She's coming out of it," she heard a soft male voice say.
She finally gave up and opened her eyes. She did not find
the men from the train. These men were tall, well dressed,
and good looking. Darvi thought they might have rescued
her and began to sit up.
"Where am I?" she asked.
"Don't you know, Miss Hewett?"
Darvi nearly looked behind her. "Were you talking to
me?"
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Both men smiled, thinking she was very good.
"We're glad you stopped to see Mr. Silk," Seth now
went on smoothly. "Unfortunately you've missed him. He would like to see you/ however. In fact he's asked us to extend a dinner invitation to his home at your earliest convenience."
"Who is Mr. Silk?"
Eliot looked cynical, but Seth began to ask himself just
how hard she'd been hit.
"So when can we set a date?" Eliot pressed on.
"A date for what?" Darvi asked, beginning to wonder if
she had really awakened.
A Texas Sty 97
"Miss Hewett..." Seth began patiently.
"Who is Miss Hewett?" Darvi demanded.
The men's faces grew hard, and Darvi came to her feet,
albeit awkwardly.
"Where am I?" she tried again.
