“Good,” he said, “but I wasn’t worried. You’re a Texas girl and Texans are always strong and independent.”
She flushed at the compliment and pulled away from the grip of his hand. “I reckon Grasshopper and I could live here indefinitely if the soldiers’ dirty laundry holds out,” she laughed.
He smiled up at her, liking to watch her laugh. She seemed to laugh so rarely and when she did, her plain face lit up and became beautiful, with little crinkles in the tanned skin at the corners of those huge blue eyes.
He had never felt this way about a woman before. Oh, he had lusted after pretty saloon girls and had seen Olivia as a perfect, beautiful wife upon a pedestal, but there was something different about Hannah, brave and independent, yet sad and vulnerable. Olivia. What was he thinking? Hannah was married and her husband would be coming for her soon, and he had pledged his troth to Olivia. His troth, maybe, but he knew at that moment, his heart belonged to this shy, work-worn prairie girl.
Doc broke the spell just then, coming in with bowls of stew. “Hey, Colt, you’re gonna like this. This gal can cook.”
Hannah flushed and stepped back, wiping her hands on the faded blue gingham dress that was one of Olivia’s castoffs. “Oh, Doc, it’s nothing special.”
“It’s the best venison stew I ever tasted. Gal, if you wasn’t already married, I’d try to marry you myself.”
Colt saw immediately that Doc had said the wrong thing.
Hannah’s face fell and she stuttered, “I—I have to go. I’ve got a child to tend to and ironing to do.”
She turned and fled out the door.
Doc handed Colt a bowl and sat down in the chair. “What’d I say?”
Colt sighed, sat up, and took the bowl. “I think she hasn’t got good feelings toward her husband.”
“That’s too bad,” Doc muttered, “especially since the major tells me Brownley’s due here soon.”
Colt paused, his mouth full of stew. It had been delicious, but now it tasted bitter and cold. He swallowed it. “How soon?”
Doc shook his head.
“Has anyone told her?”
Doc chewed his lip. “I don’t think so.”
“It isn’t good to surprise her like that.”
“Well, maybe things have changed and he’ll be thrilled to see her. I think they lost a little boy. Maybe he’ll really want Grasshopper. That’s a cute child.”
“Yes, that would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Somehow, Colt didn’t think that was going to happen. Anyway it wasn’t his business, he reminded himself as he ate. He was set to marry the major’s daughter if he didn’t go to prison or get shot for desertion. Hannah would have to make her own decisions.
Doc scratched his bald head. “You look like you’re feelin’ fit as a hound dog.”
Colt nodded. “I am. How soon can I get out of here?”
“Maybe tomorrow or the next day, depending on what the major says about whether he wants you confined to quarters.”
“Good,” Colt said, his mind busy. He wanted to be there when Luther Brownley rode in. It might not be Colt’s business, but he intended to make sure Hannah really wanted to go with her husband. Otherwise, Colt would face him down and not allow him to take her away.
Chapter 10
It was the next day, late in the morning. Colt had spent the night in the infirmary. His arm, under the bandage, was still sore, but he was up and almost dressed when Olivia came in in a swirl of blue silk. “Surprise, darling, I’ve brought your dinner.”
He smiled at her, wishing he had shaved. “So soon? Why, it must not be later than eleven o’clock.”
She sat down in a chair near his bed and uncovered the small bowl. “It’s vegetable soup, my best.”
“Oh, that’s nice. You should have brought enough for Doc and the other patients.” He sat down on the bed across from her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, dear. I didn’t think of it. Now you just eat this like my brave little soldier and get well and strong.”
“I wish you wouldn’t talk to me like that, Olivia.” He didn’t like being talked to like a child with that condescending tone, but he took the soup from her although he wasn’t hungry because Hannah had brought him a good breakfast. Of course he knew better than tell Olivia that.
“Like what? Why you are my brave soldier.” She smiled and showed her pretty white teeth. She was so beautiful, it was hard to be annoyed with her. “Now eat your soup.”
He tasted it, but it wasn’t very good. “Mmm, delicious.” He forced himself to eat a few bites.
“I wanted to get here before that woman brought you in something. Honestly, Colton, everyone in the fort is talking.”
He blinked and paused, the spoon halfway to his lips. “About what?”
“About what? Goodness gracious, darling, you are so naive.” She laughed. “About you bringing that woman back, about what might be going on.”
“There is nothin’ going on. I rescued her; any man, at least a Texan, would do the same.”
“I didn’t mean to sound jealous, my love. You’re right,” she soothed and patted his arm. “You’re so gallant.”
She was so beautiful, and she leaned closer, her soft lips so tempting. He tried to remember that he was once so bewitched by her. “Mrs. Brownley means no harm. She brings food for Doc and all the other patients, too.”
Olivia sniffed disdainfully. “But everyone says she’s really bringing it for you. People are gossiping.”
“Then tell them to stop,” he snapped and set the bowl on the bedside table. “Mrs. Brownley is just an unfortunate woman who is grateful for my help.”
“Mmm,” Olivia said and reached out and patted his face with her manicured, soft hand. “Oh, speaking of which, I think you can forget about the charges.”
He tried not to think of Hannah’s work-worn hand that was so much gentler than Olivia’s touch. “Why?”
“Why? Well, Daddy suddenly remembered that he had given you a secret order to go rescue her and you did, almost at the cost of your life, so you’re a hero, not a deserter.”
“I see. And what did you have to do with this?” He kept his voice cold.
“Well, goodness gracious, I couldn’t marry a convict, could I?” She avoided his eyes. “Why, Mama and her family—”
“Olivia, I’m a man and I’m used to dealin’ with my own responsibilities. A Texan would never hide behind a woman’s skirts, and—”
“Well!” She stood up and glared down at him, the very epitome of righteous indignation. “I don’t understand your ingratitude. Why, you’re a whole lot like my father, never appreciating everything Mama’s family’s influence could have—”
“Olivia, I think we need to have a long talk.” He stood up, towering over her diminutive form.
“After you calm down, darling, and realize that I’m only trying to help you.” She reached up and caught his hand again, but he yanked away from her. “My,” she simpered. “My soldier boy is really in a bad mood.”
“Please don’t talk to me like I’m a dim-witted child,” Colt almost shouted at her. “Hannah never—”
“Hannah! Hannah! Hannah!” she screeched back at him. “That slut is causing people to titter behind my back, and I won’t have it, you hear?”
He wanted to strike her, but he had never struck a woman, no Texan would, so he gritted his teeth and controlled his temper. “Don’t call her a slut.”
“Well, everyone knows half those women on Suds Row do more for soldiers than just wash and iron their shirts.” She stepped back, seemingly nervous at his anger. “Now Colton, dear, you’ve been very sick, so I’ll overlook your unseemly outburst because after all, we’re to be married and you owe Daddy and me a great deal of gratitude.”
“And I suppose you will remind me of that every time we have a disagreement over the next fifty years?”
“You’re such a growly bear.” She came to him, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Why don’t we go ridi
ng tomorrow if you’re up to it and talk about our wedding plans?”
“Olivia, about that. I’ve been rethinking and I’m not sure—”
“Oh, darling, this isn’t the time to discuss our marriage, not when you’re still upset with little old me. Let’s go riding tomorrow. I’ll pack a little picnic, all right?”
Before he could protest, she had fled out the door in a swirl of blue silk.
“Well, damn it all to hell!” he grumbled and flopped down on the bed.
Doc came in just then. “I saw Olivia fleeing out of here like the devil rode her coattails. What happened?”
“I’d rather not talk about it,” Colt snapped. He might be angry with Olivia, but he was still a chivalrous gentleman.
“I see she brought you some soup.” Doc picked up the spoon and tasted it. “Okay, I reckon, but not as good as Mrs. Brownley’s.”
Colt snorted. “Don’t let Olivia hear you say that. She made it especially for me.”
“From vegetables stolen from Hannah’s garden,” Doc said.
“What?”
Doc laughed. “From my window, I saw her maid, Maria, out there picking vegetables. I reckon Maria made the soup, too. Well-born ladies don’t cook much.”
“Well, that was a cheap trick,” Colt complained. “How soon can I get out of here, Doc?”
“Dag nab it, Colt, you’re as touchy as a boil. You can leave anytime. Just take it easy for a few days. I don’t want that wound opening up.”
Colt sighed and rolled a cigarette. “I reckon the major will put me under house arrest.”
“No, I don’t think so. Here, have a drink.” Doc went over to a cabinet and poured him some liquor. “It seems you had secret orders to go rescue the damsel in distress.”
Colt swore under his breath and lit the smoke. “Now, Doc, you know that ain’t true.”
“Everyone now thinks it is, my boy.” He winked and handed Colt the tumbler of whiskey. “And if you’re smart, you’ll smile and nod when everyone congratulates you.”
“How can I? Why, it’s like hidin’ behind a woman’s skirts.”
“Would you rather do a long stretch in the federal pen after a court-martial or maybe face a firing squad?”
“No, but I knew what I was riskin’ when I set out after Hannah.”
“Then you were morally right, even though you didn’t have official orders.”
Colt sipped his drink. “I don’t think the army sees it that way.”
“They do now, so let sleepin’ dogs lie, my boy.”
“But Hannah—”
“And another thing.” Doc leaned against the wall and lowered his voice. “If I were you, I’d call her Mrs. Brownley and forget about her. You don’t think the major’s daughter saved you for any other reason than she wants a bridegroom, do you?”
“I won’t be her pet like some prissy little poodle.”
“Get used to it, Lieutenant. I think she’s already bought the collar and leash. All she needs now is the license.”
“Dammit to hell!” Colt swore and took a long drag on his smoke. Then he drained his whiskey and stood up. “Thanks for the advice, Doc, but you know Texans are pretty damned independent.” He gathered up his gear and started toward the door, turned. “I feel like a rattlesnake caught in a gigantic spiderweb.”
Doc grinned. “Just remember what they say in Texas, ‘dance with the one what brung you’ and forget about Mrs. Brownley. She’ll be gone in a few days anyway.”
“That’s right and then everything will be back to normal.” Colt almost felt a sense of relief as he went out the door and over to his own quarters.
He managed to stall Olivia for three days, telling her he still didn’t feel like riding. He found himself passing close to the infirmary or dropping by to visit Doc, but Hannah seemed to be avoiding him. To pass the time, Colt whittled a little toy horse out of a branch of Osage Orange wood. Finally Colt took some of his shirts down to her cabin to get them washed and ironed. He tucked the little horse in his pocket.
She came to the door when he knocked.
“I haven’t seen much of you lately.” He smiled.
“As you can see, I’m busy.” She wiped perspiration from her forehead and reached to get an iron off the stove.
“This is awfully hard work for you.”
“Not as hard as farm work or skinning a buffalo.” She kept her eyes on the shirt she was ironing. “Besides, I’m content; I’ve got a roof over my head and I’m making enough to buy food. I do wish the children would treat Grasshopper better, though.”
The toddler stuck his head around the corner, grinning at Colt, then ran to him.
Colt picked him up. “Hey, look what I’ve got for you.” He pulled the toy horse out of his pocket.
Grasshopper giggled and grinned as he took it. “Rascal,” he said in English.
Hannah seemed to try to hold back a smile. “He does like you a lot, Colt.”
“And I’m crazy about him.” Colt tickled the toddler, then put him on the floor, and Grasshopper played with the little wooden horse. “He needs a white name if he’s gonna fit into white society.”
She paused. “I’ve thought about that, but I didn’t come up with a good one.”
Colt watched the little boy playing on the floor. “What about namin’ him for a real Texas hero, like one of the defenders of the Alamo? Give him something to live up to.”
She nodded. “You’ve got a point there. Bowie? Crockett?”
“I was thinkin’ more like their leader, Colonel Travis.”
“Travis.” Hannah seemed to roll the name around on her tongue. “Yes, that’s a good, strong Texas name. All right, Grasshopper is now Travis.”
The toddler said, “Travis?”
Colt grinned down at him. “Yes, you are now Travis, and you are a Texan like your mother.”
“Like Colt and Rascal?” The toddler returned to playing with his toy and crawling around on the floor.
“Yes, like Colt and Rascal.” Hannah smiled and Colt found her smile so enchanting.
Colt watched Hannah laboring over her ironing board. “Don’t you want more than this, Hannah? Ironin’ and washin’ all day long at the fort?”
She shrugged. “I don’t expect much out of life, and what man would want me now that I’ve been with a redskin?”
Colt almost said, I would, then stopped himself. “A lot of men wouldn’t give a damn.”
She looked at him with those spirited blue eyes. “You know better than that. I can hardly walk over to the commissary without seeing women turn away and whisper, and men laugh and make crude jokes when I pass.”
“Who are they? I’ll—”
“It’s not your concern, Lieutenant. And you’d better not be seen coming here too much.”
“What? To pick up my laundry?”
She kept ironing. “The major’s daughter won’t like it.”
“To hell with the major’s daughter,” he said.
“That’s a fine way to talk about your fiancée.”
He shook his head. “I’m havin’ second thoughts about that.”
“You’ll wreck your career.”
“I’m havin’ second thoughts about that, too. I’ve only got a couple more weeks, and then I might not reenlist.”
She looked up from her ironing. “Hasn’t the army been your life? What else would you do?”
Colt shook his dark head. “The army has always been everything to me, but I don’t know. Lately, I’m not sure. I’ve got a little money saved. I might buy a ranch, raise some good cattle and horses. If the war comes, the Rangers will need men to hold back the Comanches once the U.S. forces leave Texas.”
Hannah shuddered. “You’re right. If the army should leave, the Comanches will run amok and ranches all along the Western frontier will be burned, people murdered, women—”
“I reckon you’re right. I promised Olivia I’d take her ridin’ this afternoon.” He stood up. He started to ask about her husband, de
cided not to.
“Your shirts will be ready tomorrow,” she said, “but I’ll leave them on your doorstep.”
“Why? I can come by and—”
“Colt,” she said softly and put the iron down, came around the ironing board to face him. “Don’t come here anymore.”
He was looking down into her face, and while her tone was spirited as ever, her eyes were tragic and vulnerable. He fought an urge to pull her to him and kiss her.
She must have felt the electricity, too, because her full, soft lips opened slightly and her eyes half closed. Even as he reached for her, she took a deep breath and stepped away, straightening her small shoulders. “We both know why, don’t we?”
“Yes.” She’s a married woman, he reminded himself, and you are engaged to the most beautiful and cultured woman on the frontier. Do you want to start tongues wagging? For himself, he didn’t care, but Hannah had had enough trouble in her life without him adding to it. He took a deep breath. “Of course you’re right.”
He turned without a word and strode out her door and across to the stable.
“There you are.” Olivia stood just inside the stable door with a small picnic basket. “I was beginning to think you had forgotten, darling.”
“I—I was delayed,” he said, not looking into her dark eyes. Was he loco? This girl was the most beautiful woman he had ever met and she was certainly a virgin. He could think of a million reasons why he was a lucky man to be engaged to Olivia and not one good reason to get involved with Hannah. He was an honorable man, and to a Texan, his honor meant everything.
A private walked up leading two saddled horses and saluted. “Here’s your mounts, sir, just as Miss Murphy requested.”
Colt returned the salute. “Honestly, Olivia, I would have preferred Rascal.”
“But he’s not very pretty, and we have these fine thoroughbreds here at the fort.”
The private was watching and listening, Colt decided, so he wouldn’t take that fuss any further. He was annoyed the horses had been saddled. He didn’t like treating his men like servants. “Olivia, I was capable of saddling horses.”
Colt Page 14
