The Prairie Prince

by Marcia Lynn McClure

  Glancing to where the three men sat moaning and nearly unconscious themselves, a great fear, an ultimate terror caused Stover’s limbs to begin trembling and he sat down hard on the ground, cradling Katie Matthews in his arms. The realization of what might have become of his young friend had he not happened upon her when he did, created a mighty and angry fear to rise in his soul. Wiping at the perspiration suddenly gathering on his forehead he rubbed the moisture from his eyes and began looking Katie over more closely for any signs of further assault.

  No piece of her clothing was torn, her hair remained braided and unruffled, and other than her tear-stained face and the small wound in the palm of her hand, she seemed unscathed enough physically. Stover thought of the poor girl in Summerville, found murdered only the day before. He thought of what the town doctor had said the poor thing had endured before finally having her throat cut and it made his stomach twist into a sickened knot. He thought further of the guilt he’d felt when, at hearing the news of the Summerville girl’s death, for some reason his mind had instantly wandered to the pretty little Matthews girl—even before his own sisters. That fact had plagued him, eaten at his mind all through the night, and now his body began to tremble once more at the full realization of what could’ve befallen Katie. Again his eyes filled with moisture as he looked down into her peaceful young face.

  Katie Matthews was like spring come after a miserable winter. He allowed himself to caress one of her soft cheeks with the back of his hand before shaking his head and rubbing the moisture from his eyes once more. Clearing his throat, he stood up, pulling Katie to her feet. This did nothing to raise her to consciousness, however.

  “Katie,” Stover said, supporting her in one arm and searching her face for some sign of wellness. “Katie?” Still she made no sign of waking. Stover pulled her small form against his massive one and cupped her chin with one hand,

  “Katie,” he said again. “Come on now…wake up.” Still she did not stir and again the unfamiliar emotions battling within him won over. “Katie?” he whispered, as he allowed his thumb to travel over her soft lips.

  The moisture in Stover’s mouth increased one hundred fold, his body burning to hold her more closely and before he fully realized his own intentions, he bent his head to hers, kissing her sweet, soft lips. Instantly, he knew he’d made a mistake for it was obvious by the fires igniting in him that one kiss would never satisfy him.

  And so he said, “Katie,” quietly once more before bending to steal another moment of sweet pleasure from her tender lips.

  Katie could feel herself waking from the most blissful of dreams—a dream of being rescued, held, and kissed by Stover Steele. She didn’t want to wake from it, wished it could go on and on. But her mind was ready to confront what had happened with the three men, and she began to become aware of the sun on her face, of being held by strong arms.

  Slowly her eyes opened to see Stover Steele looking down at her, a concerned frown puckering his handsome brow.

  “I-I’m sorry,” Katie whispered as she began to be conscious once again of what had happened. “I’m more trouble than a one-legged raccoon,” she breathed. She was surprised when Stover smiled at her and chuckled just a little.

  “I think ya mean more trouble than a ‘three-legged mule,’” he said, gently.

  Katie felt too wrung out, too dizzy, and too relieved at having been snatched from certain death to feel humiliated over destroying the cliché. “Thank you, Mr. Steele,” she told him, finding the strength to push herself from his arms.

  Oh, how she would’ve loved nothing more than to stay in them, to be held against the strength of him, to see his rather tired looking eyes sparkling down at her. But she was uncomfortable with it all, his heroics on her behalf, her dreams of his kissing her. She staggered back and he reached out, taking hold of her arm to steady her.

  “Here,” he said, directing her to his horse. “You get on up there, and we’ll get ya back to town.” Immediately panic began to rise in Katie’s bosom.

  “I can’t go back to town!” she exclaimed. “Hillary will…” She paused not wanting to reveal Hillary Westover’s disapproval and teasing as her reason for not wanting to return.

  Stover frowned. “Get up on that horse, girl,” he said, taking her foot and tucking it snuggly in the stirrup. “We oughta have the doc look ya over and I need to get the Sheriff out here for these three.”

  She obediently mounted the horse and he added, “Anyway, ya need to quit worryin’ about that Hillary Westover. She’s too big for her own britches.” He grinned rather mischievously up at her and added, “And besides, she don’t fill hers out as well as you do yers anyway.”

  Katie gasped, simultaneously astonished at his remark and delighted by it, too. Chuckling to himself, he took the horse’s reins and began leading it back toward town. As they passed the three men, tied up and in misery, the leader cursed at Stover and spit at him. Stover frowned and paused, but only for a moment before kicking the degenerate square in the chin and knocking him unconscious.

  All the way to town, Katie could not take her eyes from Stover Steele. She watched the way he walked, the way his blue jeans seemed to fit him so perfectly. She smiled at him whenever he looked back to check on her and nearly started to cry every time she saw the blood-soaked area at his wounded shoulder.

  Katie closed her eyes and tried to remember the dream she’d had when she’d fainted. It had been so beautiful, felt so real—the kissing part of it, that is. She opened her eyes in time to meet Stover’s gaze as he looked over his shoulder at her.

  “Ya all right?” he asked.

  She nodded and forced a smile as they turned the corner into town. Mostly the town folk just stared at them with curious expressions as Stover led the horse down the street. It wasn’t until they passed Mr. O’Malley’s General Store that any sort of real ruckus began.

  “Stove!” Bunny cried. “You’re bleedin’!”

  As if the child’s exclamation was some sort of prompt, people suddenly streamed out of the store, the saloon, and the Feed and Seed curious as to what had happened.

  “Please,” Katie begged Stover. “Please let me down.” She had not desire for such attention and being led in on Stover’s horse only served to raise her higher for people to stare at.

  Stover halted the horse and before Katie could dismount, he’d slid one powerful arm around her waist, lifting her down himself.

  “Berty,” Stover said as his sisters ran up to him. “Get Katie on over to the doc’s place, will ya? I gotta go find the Sheriff.”

  “But—but what happened, Stove?” Berty asked.

  “You just do what I say, Berty. Please?” he said.

  Berty nodded, taking Katie’s hand.

  “What in tarnation is goin’ on, Stover?” a man asked.

  “I think we run into the men that killed that girl over in Summerville,” Stover said, making his way through the crowd.

  Katie looked down to see three sets of little girls’ eyes staring up at her in horror.

  “What does he mean, Katie?” Bunny asked.

  “Have you girls seen Jared?” Katie asked, not yet prepared to answer questions.

  “I seen him and Pillar not five minutes ago over at the Feed and Seed,” Bonnie said. “Ya want me to go get him?”

  Katie nodded and said, “Take Bunny with ya, though. All right?” Katie watched as Bonnie swallowed hard, trying to conceal her fear.

  “And I’ll get ya on over to the doctor’s house like Stover told me,” Berty said.

  Katie shook her head and said, “Stover’s the one who needs doctorin’. We need to be sure he gets over there.”

  But Berty shook her head and said, “Stover said I was to do it and when Stover says to do somethin’—well, it better get done. Come on. Bonnie and Bunny will get yer brother.”

  

  “Well,” Doctor Daniels said as he nodded at Katie. “Except for that cut on yer hand—ya seem well enough.” He studied K
atie’s eyes for a moment and said, “Ya sure ya don’t still feel faint?”

  Katie shook her head and said, “No. Not at all.”

  The bell over Doctor Daniels door rang, indicating someone had entered. In the next moment, Bonnie and Bunny came bursting into the room.

  “We found Jared,” Bonnie said.

  “And Pillar, too,” Bunny added.

  Jared came storming into the room and straight to Katie. Taking hold of her shoulders he studied her face as he said, “What happened?” Touched by his obvious concern, Katie smiled.

  “I’m fine, Jared. Really,” she told him. “Stover’s the one who should be sittin’ here. One of the men cut him badly during the fight.”

  Pillar gasped. “Then it’s true?” she asked. “You and Stover had a run in with them men that killed that girl in Summerville?”

  “For cryin’ out loud, Katie!” Jared scolded. “What were ya doin’ out wanderin’ by yerself?”

  “I didn’t know it wasn’t safe, Jared!” Katie exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. “I’ve walked home a hundred times.

  “Well, not when murderers are on the loose!” Jared growled. “Ya could’ve been killed—and worse!”

  Tears began to flow down Katie’s cheeks again as all the fear she’d felt when the three men had been chasing her sprung anew.

  “Don’t scold her so, Jared. Please,” Pillar’s soothing voice said. “She’s had a rough enough time of it.”

  Jared sighed and nodded as he said, “I’m sorry, Kate. I’m sorry. It’s just that—I’m just thankful Stover found ya.” Lovingly he gathered Katie into his arms. “I-I don’t know what I woulda done if somethin’ had happened to ya, Katie.”

  Tears began to flow down Katie’s face once more—tears of love for her brother, tears of relief for her life, tears of fatigue and worry in having to tell her parents what had happened. Her mother would scold and then cry, thankful for her daughter’s safety. But, no doubt, her father would be furious at Katie having caused what he would see as humiliation and embarrassment to himself.

  “I’m fine,” Katie heard Stover growl as the bell to the doctor’s front door rang again. “I don’t need no doctor.”

  “Doctor Daniels!” Hillary Westover sobbed as she pushed Stover into the room ahead of her. “Look at this! Look at this terrible wound on this man’s shoulder! You’ve got to tend to this right away.”

  Pillar rather pushed Hillary out of the way as she inspected her brother’s wound.

  “It’ll have to be stitched up, Stove,” Pillar sighed. “I swear you get into more scrapes.”

  Katie’s eyes met Stover’s as he shook his head and said to his sister, “It’s a scratch is all, Pillar,” he said.

  “What the devil were ya thinkin’, Katie Matthews?” Hillary exclaimed, dabbing at the tears on her cheeks. “Stover could’ve been killed!”

  “And Katie woulda been killed if Stover hadn’t a showed up, Hillary,” Jared told her. “Save yer sappy female performance for somebody who’ll be dumb enough to believe it.”

  “You’re a terrible man,” Hillary said to him.

  “And you’re a terrible actress,” Jared countered. “Come on, Katie. Let’s get home and tell Pa ‘fore somebody else does.” Taking Katie’s hand, Jared turned to Pillar and said, “I’ll see ya tomorrow evenin’ for supper then?”

  “Yes,” Pillar said smiling.

  “Thank ya, again, Stover,” Jared said, grasping Stover’s hand in a firm shake. “I’ll never be able to repay this debt.”

  “Just glad I was there,” Stover said, nodding at Jared.

  Suddenly, everyone in the room was surprised when the triplets simultaneously burst into tears. The three little Stover girls had been standing quietly to one side while the others were talking. But it seemed the emotion of the day had finally gotten the best of them.

  “Why, whatever is the matter, girls,” Doctor Daniels asked.

  “Katie almost got murdered…” Bunny began.

  “…And Stover’s bleedin’ all over…” Bonnie added.

  “…And Hillary’s been bein’ mean to Katie all day long…” Berty sobbed.

  “Can we just go home, Pillar?” Bonnie asked.

  Katie looked to Hillary to see her roll her eyes with impatience.

  “Of course we can go home,” Stover said, turning to leave.

  “As soon as Stover’s all stitched up and ready to go,” Pillar added.

  “Why don’t ya stay and watch, Katie—bein’ that it’s your fault,” Hillary whispered aside to Katie.

  “The Sheriff’s on his way to pick up them scoundrels,” Stover said as the doctor tore the sleeve from his shirt. “You get yer sister on home there, Jared. She’s had a rougher time of it than she’s lettin’ on.”

  “I’m sure she has,” Jared said. “Come on, Kate. Let’s get facin’ Pa outta the way.”

  Katie started to follow Jared out of the room when Hillary’s accusing voice stopped her.

  “Yer not even gonna thank him, Katie Matthews? Stover could’ve been killed because of you and yer not even gonna thank him?”

  Tears filled Katie’s eyes as she turned to glare at Hillary. She opened her mouth to thank Stover but before she could speak, Stover himself said, “Oh, don’t ya worry none about that, Hillary. Katie done thanked me right nicely already.” Pursing his lips, he kissed the air in Katie’s direction.

  Katie’s eyes widened with astonishment, her cheeks ablaze with a scarlet blush and her bosom on fire with delight in his championing her in front of Hillary in such a manner.

  Taking hold of Katie’s hand, Jared led her from the room. As he passed Hillary, her mouth gaping open in astonishment at Stover’s flirting, he lowered his voice and said, “Shut yer mouth, Hillary. Ya already smell like a dead-fish-bucket fly trap, ya don’t want to look like one, too.”

  “After all this mess today,” Jared said as he closed the door to Doctor Daniel’s house behind him, “I gotta say one thing—I like Stover all the more for puttin’ Hillary in her place just now.”

  Katie smiled as she thought of Stover’s final gesture for her benefit. “Me, too,” she said, trying to imagine what it would feel like to really kiss Stover. “Me, too.”

  Stover led the buckskin gelding carrying his three little sisters as he walked beside Pillar toward home.

  “What did ya mean today, Berty—when ya said Hillary was mean to Katie all day?” he asked.

  Berty, Bonnie and Bunny had perked up a bit after Mr. O’Malley had shown up at Doc Daniel’s place with three licorice whips in tow.

  “She’s always mean to Katie,” Berty said. “And I think it’s most times about you somehow.”

  “How can it be about me?” Stover asked.

  “If yer that stupid, Stover—ya don’t deserve to know,” Pillar giggled.

  “That’s why Katie went off today in town,” Bunny explained. “That Hillary Westover had her near to bawlin’ like a baby over whatever she was whisperin’ in her ear about ya.”

  Stover frowned and was silent.

  “Oh, don’t pretend ya don’t know Hillary Westover is plannin’ on marryin’ ya, Stove,” Pillar said.

  “What’re ya goin’ on about, Pillar?” Stover asked.

  “Yer as ignorant as a fence post, Stove,” Pillar sighed. “And yet—ya came to Katie’s rescue right nice today in Doctor Daniel’s office, didn’t ya? So ya must have some idea what Hillary’s doin’ to Katie.”

  “Hillary Westover needs her britches taken down a size or two,” Stover said. “That’s obvious by the way yer beau, Jared, treats her. I’m just followin’ his lead.”

  “He’s not my beau!” Pillar exclaimed.

  Stover looked at his sister, noted the tears welling in her eyes.

  “Course he’s yer beau, Pillar,” he said. “I don’t know how the man gets anythin’ done for moonin’ over ya so much of the time.”

  “He does like ya, Pillar,” Bonnie said. “We can tell.”

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nbsp; Stover watched his sister fight back the tears. He knew what she was thinking. “Show him yer ear and get it over with,” he said. “Just up and take off that bonnet, pull yer hair back and let him have a long, hard look at it. It won’t matter, Pillar.”

  “It will,” Pillar argued.

  “No. It won’t,” Stover said. “And if ya wanna keep him, ya gotta trust him. It won’t bother him a bit.”

  “That’s easy for you to say, Stover. Yer perfect! Every woman in town nearly swoons to a faint when ya walk by. You can’t possibly understand.”

  Stover clinched his jaw tightly shut, calming himself. Then he said, “Show him tomorrow after supper, Pillar—otherwise I’ll hold ya down and show him myself.”

  Pillar gasped, “You would not!”

  “I would!” Stover said, nodding. “Jared Matthews is a good man—ya don’t want to loose him over a mangled ear.”

  “Maybe he don’t have any toes, Pillar,” Berty said. “Did ya ever think of that?”

  “Havin’ no toes is different than havin’ no ears, Berty,” Bunny said. “Folks don’t see yer toes as much.”

  “And anyway,” Bonnie said. “Toes are ugly! I think folks would be better off without them.”

  Stover looked at his sister, and saw the tears of fear in her eyes. Even the silly goings-on of the triplets did nothing to lift her spirit or ease her worries. She needed more—something else to give her more courage.