Camp Camel: The Heart of Texas

by Eaton, Rosemary

  Dallas looked up from the bags, “He’ll always be yours, but he’s hers and Bo’s too. I got legal papers ordering I turn him over. You didn’t know what you were signing Lacy. You thought you were signing papers that let you take Brianna out of Arkansas before she was born. She changed her mind and they have attorneys that took it to court. I can’t let him go without someone he knows. I’ve got a forty day pass and I’m taking him with Victoria.”

  Lacy’s face cocked to the right as she considered that last statement, “Just Victoria, not Bo. The two of you at Anna Maria’s with my son.”

  Dallas could see how her mind was working and it wasn’t giving him the benefit of any doubt in her mind about what she thought they would doing, “Now Lacy. Anything I had with Victoria was a long time ago. We’re not doing anything but visiting her sister Anna Maria and her family.”

  Lacy’s face cocked to the left, “Sister? Is that what she is? Sure didn’t seem like an Auntie to me the last time we saw her. Seemed more like a lover who thought JC was her son Dallas.” Dallas swallowed as his lips twitched remembering how Anna Maria parted the day Brianna was born. She had called him, Bryan, and even JC every name in the dictionary before she stormed out. Some with justification when it came to Dallas and the promises he had made.

  The stage pulled up and Victoria and Bo stepped out. Bo walked up and looked a little embarrassed, but tried to be civil, “Well look at you Private Luellen. You clean up pretty fine. Doesn’t she Victoria.” Lacy blushed. Bo had been the Sergeant Dallas had turned her over to at Crockett’s Bluff while he made nice to Victoria behind her back. He was Dallas’ stepbrother of sorts in that they both shared the same stepfather, but different mothers. Bo didn’t go by the Sanders name. He choose to keep his own father’s name of Callahan. He was also Victoria’s current husband at least as far as Lacy knew. They had been on the edge of a divorce last year and had made up before they left Crockett’s Bluff.

  Victoria nodded, “Dallas, Lacy, why this must be Brianna.” Victoria’s eyes quickly moved to the little boy holding Lacy’s hand. He was the spitting image of Dallas. Not one iota of his appearance said he had a drop of her blood in him. He sported a Texas tan, golden brown hair, his eyes, his nose, his lips, and Dallas’ chin.

  Bo tried to find one thing that wasn’t like Dallas that he could concentrate on that didn’t remind him that the love of his life had not only slept with Dallas but had his child and not bothered to tell him. She had played fast and loose with both of them playing each of them in search of the Heart of Texas diamond. Even Dallas’s grandfather had fallen pray to her wiles until it put him in his grave.

  Dallas had tried to convince Lacy quite unsuccessfully that JC might be hers and not Victoria’s child. As much as Bo wanted to believe that, the jealous streak in him just wasn’t that sure he could swallow that version of Dallas’ truth. Lacy had believed that Dallas and Victoria had been negotiating under the sheets while Bo and Dallas threw the book at Corporal Luellen for having the nerve to do exactly what Dallas told her she was there to do. She had showed them the best fishing spots, where they caught game, and hunted and killed a bear like Davy Crockett and nearly lost her leg for the effort. Dallas threw the book at her for washing her clothes with mint of all things. Then Bo threw the rest of the book at her for not knowing she was even violating a rule of staying within the perimeter.

  Bo’s reappearance was taking Lacy down memory lane where he had carved hearts into the trees of Crockett’s Bluff proclaiming his love for the mystery girl that had captured his heart. Lacy or as she was known back then as the Dread Pirate of Crockett’s Bluff, had answered those hearts with messages of her own to the boy who wore his heart on a tree. She spent a year there when her father was convinced she was going to have Bryan’s child. All the while she waited for Bryan Travers to come and rescue her from the wayward girl’s home. To vindicate her of the accusations he knew weren’t true about her and him and any baby he might have fathered before he left White County. But he didn’t come and Lacy spent the year learning all the skills a wayward girl might need to take care of a unwanted child. They made their hope chest contents, sang songs, made soap, begged pickles and crackers from the river boats that past, and sang and danced Marcy May’s song in the moonlight and threw rocks into the river in honor of the woman who dared the best in Texas to find her wedding ring.

  Somewhere out there was the Heart of Texas, a yellow diamond that belonged to Marcy May, Dallas’ mother. Lacy knew where that ring was buried. It was embedded in a tree with Marcy May’s last message to the world before she jumped off the cliff and drown in the White River below Crockett’s Bluff. Lacy thought to herself, “Marcy May and Marcy May not, but I always will.” The P I U had targeted the recovery of that ring as part of Arkansas’ contribution to the war effort and put together a cast of over a hundred of Texas’ best to try to find it. They had found clues, but eventually Dallas was called on to bring her and put the second part of that plan into action as the old home came back to life as they put on a grand play to help trigger Lacy’s damaged memory. Their plan had worked. But Lacy thought to herself about the price of all of Dallas’ lies. She would never look at Dallas quiet the same as the day she first met him. Her knight was tarnished, definitely not Sir Galahad.

  Bo looked at Lacy all packed and thought about where their marriage was. Not that far from where Victoria and he had been, and maybe even worse. It was something Bo understood. He had a person like that in his life. One who had been more than good to him that he had let down when he was just a young Private in the Union Army before the war. Maybe this was his chance to make up some of the hurt that had resulted to her since then, but at what cost to his own marriage and career. Would Vic understand? Bo thought not. It might be the last straw. So here he was back at Camp Verde where the actions that colored his life and hers changed what could have been their future. One for the better, and one for the worse. Maybe his luck had run out and justice was about to be served in spades.

  Bo’s mind came back quickly to the moment as Vic looked at Brianna, “Why I thought for sure she’d have your light hair Dallas. Looks a little more like Bo’s. How did that happen you suppose?” Victoria quickly turned to JC and commented, “Hum, JC, my how you’ve grown son.”

  JC lowered his gaze then looked up at Lacy with his long lashes. He hugged Lacy’s skirts, “Mommy, who dat?”

  Bo’s brow wrinkled into a frown as he looked quickly at Brianna, “Her Dad’s got dark hair Vic, you know that. Not my cow lick and we didn’t. I didn’t cheat on you.” There was an accusation in his voice that implied he wasn’t the one who had been unfaithful. Then Bo couldn’t take his eyes off JC face as he muttered, “My God, he looks and sounds even more like Dallas now.”

  Dallas picked JC up in his arms and made sure Bo got a good look, “No doubt who his father is. But you know, I can’t seem to find one thing that makes me think that he’s hers.”

  Bo let out his breath. He was sure Dallas was going to rub in the fact the boy wasn’t his. Then a slight frown passed over his brow, “What? Exactly, what are you saying?”

  Dallas replied, “I’m saying he’s not her son and if I could open those adoption files, I could prove it Bo. Before you make the mistake of your life, maybe you should get one of your fancy lawyers to really look past the pretty picture she’s painted. Did I do her, you bet I did. But she’s not his mother. His mother is Lacy. It always was, and always will be.”

  Victoria muttered under her breath, “Battle trauma, Bo. He’s not been right in the head since Cotton Plant.”

  Bo sighed, “Dallas, I heard about what happened here. I think maybe a change of scenery would do you some good. I have orders to relieve you.”

  Dallas replied, “I’m aware of that, but don’t think you can get rid of me that easily.”

  Bo said, “I’m not the one who’s trying to get rid of someone from what I see. I’m here for the boy’s sake, nothing more.”

  Victoria
looked around the yard, “Look at this place, totem poles, stakes in moats, never looked like this when General Lee was here. Is that your work Dallas or Private Luellen’s?”

  Lacy replied, “If there had been a proper defensive wall, there wouldn’t have been a need for that.”

  Dallas looked at Lacy, “Enough. Don’t let her bait you Lacy.”

  Victoria took Bo’s arm, “Maybe we should just take JC to the Bar-S first Bo. Mr. Sanders wants to see JC too. Bet he hasn’t been home since they got here.”

  Dallas cussed, “You gold digger. That’s it, isn’t it. You want your hooks in every ranch in Texas? Watch out Bo, she’s going to use JC to butter up to Dad next. That’s a cheap shot Vic, using his grandson.”

  Lacy took JC back from Dallas’ arms, “Don’t let her bait you Dallas. She probably isn’t invited either after Senior.”

  Victoria turned her nose up and waved her hand at the house, “Small, but I guess it will have to do Bo.”

  Lacy asked, “This is MacLeod’s doing isn’t it. It’s all because you didn’t let him take Jenny.”

  Bo coughed, “Thomas MacLeod? He’s here now? You lily-livered coward.”

  Dallas sighed, “It’s not like that. I have it under control Bo. His methods cost us quite a bit and I think he’s gone to far this time.”

  Victoria chuckled, “Would that be too far West and then too far North?” Lacy didn’t get the inside joke, but it was obvious Bo knew MacLeod from elsewhere and maybe Victoria too.

  Bo glared, “Don’t you say another word, Vic. You know that’s classified.”

  Dallas said quite seriously, “Well, sure didn’t stop him from talking right in front his men about us.” Dallas looked at Vic, “All of us and in detail. Have either of you talked to him? He might have been presenting himself as Gage’s brother, or a Priest, or a PIU agent after the Knife or a lawyer.”

  Victoria looked at Dallas with eyes that could burn a hole in him, “Don’t know what you mean. I wouldn’t even know what he looks like. I answered a letter from Anna Maria that’s all. She wanted to know what happened when JC didn’t come back like she expected.”

  Lacy asked innocently, “Don’t suppose he knows her do you? Any missions down that way?”

  All of the sudden Bo was interested, “Doubting Thomas? The infallible judge and jury of the Almighty and the Devil himself has been here for how long?”

  Dallas replied, “At least a year. He’s be milking everyone for information on Comanche Sands and anyone connected to the recovery and their relatives. So Bo, you know him?”

  Bo said, “You could say that.” Bo wasn’t saying how he knew him. Lacy couldn’t keep a secret and he had no intention of telling Vic or Dallas why he hated MacLeod and this place so much.

  Dallas was frowning at Bo as he said, “That bad, well, he held us at gun point while he tried to prove we were in collusion with the Knife after she lead Gage to the target. She tried to warn us and he didn’t believe her.”

  Victoria asked, “You found the Spanish Gold? It’s real.”

  Bo looked around uneasily to see if MacLeod might be listening. Once he was convinced there was no one ease dropping Bo asked, “Vic, shut up. The walls have ears when that man is around.” Bo asked Dallas quietly, “So, what’s his rank, where is he, and why is he still here?”

  Dallas replied back in soft tones, “Lieutenant but he was demoted to Sergeant by Captain Bowman. But of course he’s claiming higher than his stripes and threatening retribution. He’s out at Sparrow Hawk’s old camp working with Gage Travis and Mr. Travis. We have the Knife, or I should say Bryan Travers has the Knife. He married her.”

  Victoria gasped, “HOLY SHIT. He’s got sun stroke Bo. He thinks Gage is still alive and Travers likes women.”

  Bo replied, “Gage is still alive.”

  Lacy said, “Bryan’s married. Can’t say I blame him, she’s got amazing hands, doesn’t she Dallas.”

  Victoria looked a Dallas like he had betrayed a trust, “You know the Knife? You did her didn’t you? Were you McCloud on that trip? You weren’t at school at all were you?”

  Lacy said matter of factually, “I think that was Gage. Her sons said the last two looked like Gage. So Bo, you went West with that man? You were the boy that won the Knife from MacLeod. Sure can’t say I’m going to miss Sergeant MacLeod. He is one mean son of a gun.”

  Victoria looked at Lacy, “He’s the PEEUU of P I U. Don’t even think about talking to him. He’ll sweet talk you one minute and stab you in the back the next.”

  Lacy looked a little sheepish, “I noticed, I bet you did too Victoria. Want to bet your lawyer had a degree from the Vatican?”

  Dallas quickly turned and told Lacy, “Go say good-bye to Mrs. Tyler and let her see JC once more Lacy.” Dallas handed her a small present, “Tell her thank-you for all her help. She’s been a like a Grandma to him.” Lacy nodded and took JC back inside their home.

  Victoria looked at Dallas, “Oh my God, what did she tell him?”

  Dallas replied, “Probably the other half of the story he didn’t get from you Vic. Seems both of you got taken by the man. Well, he has enough information on Bryan to put a hang man’s noose around his neck and he knows all about what happened in Arkansas. All of us. He know details on all of us. That’s why I’m staying. I’m going to Santa Fee with you and JC. Bryan will take him West and we’ll be waiting in Santa Fe when they get there.”

  Dallas could see the dust from what was probably the northern stage, “For this to work, MacLeod needs to think he’s won. Once he thinks he’s got Nahuu back, he’ll lead us to the rest of the pearls.”

  Bo swallowed, “Oh no Dallas, you’re not going after that desert schooner.”

  Dallas grinned, “Oh, but I am. We bring back that, and he won’t get the time of day from General Lee.”

  Bo looked at Victoria, “We really need to talk about this Dallas. I think maybe there are somethings you’ve should know first.”

  Dallas called out, “Lacy, stage is almost here. Time to say good-bye.” Lacy came out with tears in her eyes as Mrs. Tyler kissed Brianna good-bye.

  Dallas took Brianna from her arms and handed her to Bo to hold, “I’ll come get you I swear as soon as it’s safe.” Dallas didn’t wait for an answer and gathered Lacy into his arms and gave her a kiss that said he loved her and would always love her. He came up and looked her directly in her eyes, “Stay safe and take care of our children.”

  Bo looked at Brianna’s eyes. They were brown and soft like his. Brianna smiled and grabbed his finger and wrapped her little hand around his. Bo was cooing and making baby noises, “There now, Uncle Bo loves you doesn’t he?”

  Dallas frowned, “Until he doesn’t and lets mean Auntie Vic take you away from Mommy just because you got dark hair. Pee on him Brianna.”

  JC started to unlace his pants. Lacy’s eyes grew wide as she quickly frowned, “Don’t you dare JC. You pee on anyone it’s Daddy for letting her do this.”

  Dallas squatted down to JC level, “No peeing on people. You’re a big boy now JC. Daddy’s going to take you on a trip to meet part of your family while Mommy and Brianna goes to see her Daddy and brother. Just remember Mommy loves you most of all.”

  The stage rolled to a stop in front of them as the man riding shot gun jumped down and opened the door. Dallas helped load Lacy’s luggage and gave Lacy and Brianna one final kiss.”

  Lacy whispered to Dallas, “Stay safe. Don’t make me haul your ass back hog tied to Daisy. Find a cactus to hide behind or something.”

  Dallas nodded, “Can’t fool you anymore can I? Don’t worry Lacy. I’ll be up there to get you before you know it. They’re in my backyard now.”

  What We Left Behind

  The stage drove off toward the north. Dallas watched until it was out of sight. Dallas grunted, “Alright, let’s move to my office, or should I say your office.”

  Bo looked at Victoria, “How about you get us unpacked and settled in Vic. We’ll get you an
escort and headed South tomorrow.”

  Victoria looked up the road toward the covered wagon headed their way, “Dallas, I thought you said Bryan Travers was gone? Sure looks like him and oh my God. Is that Gage is wearing a dress and what happened to his hair?” Dallas looked at Victoria, “Get JC inside and don’t come out, Vic.” Victoria took the boy and made some excuse, “JC, how about you show me where everything is. What happens next is not for young eyes.”

  JC asked, “What’s dat?”

  Victoria replied, “Nothing that you need to know about at your age.”

  JC looked at the wagon, “Unc Bryan!”

  Victoria hurried him inside, “And his special friend.”

  JC asked, “What dat?”

  Bryan stopped the wagon and and demanded, “Where?”

  Jenny looked at Bryan but not a word came from her mouth. Then she pointed to Bryan’s office. Then turned and pointed to the Major’s home, to the barracks, to every direction in the fort.

  Bryan was fuming, “WOMAN, you’re going to tell me right now. This isn’t a game. Where is the tunnel?”

  Dallas looked at Bryan, “Tunnel? She said there’s a tunnel into the camp?”

  Bryan looked at Dallas, “This is your fault. I told you Dallas and now LOOK AT HER.”

  Bo was looking and he tried to turn away to where she didn’t have a good view of his face and muffled his voice, “Sounds like you have this. I better check on JC.”

  Jenny turned and watched him sneak off toward the Major’s home. If she had thought this day couldn’t get worse, it had. The boy was back and her forever husband was standing right there. Hanging was starting to sound like a good option. Jenny looked around trying to find MacLeod. She would confess to stealing the bag of rocks and trying to kill everyone in the fort by digging a tunnel for Red Eagle.”

  Dallas grabbed a pitch fork and start stabbing the ground. After ten minutes he came back out of breath looking a Jenny, “What do you want. Name your price but make it quick before MacLeod gets back.”