by Heidi Betts
With a small sniffle, she chuckled and then tugged at his arm until he stumbled to his feet. “You're forgiven. And I will marry you, if only to keep you out of trouble for the next forty years."
A great cheer went up behind them, but David pretended they were still alone as he rolled his eyes heavenward. “Thank Ta?ahpu,” he breathed before wrapping his arms about her waist and lifting her off her feet.
His mother was hugging Hannah's shoulders from behind, his father was slapping David on the back, and everyone else was crowding in around them. But David merely held her against his chest and grinned down at her.
"You're a good woman, Hannah Blake."
"You're a good man, David Walker. I've been waiting for you all my life and I'm never letting you get away again."
He ran a hand over her hair, his breath fanning her face as he lowered his mouth to kiss her. “Without you, notsa?ka?, there's nowhere I want to go."
Epilogue
Hannah dragged the straight-back chair from her desk across the plank floor and lined it up in front of the far wall. Lifting her skirts, she climbed onto the seat and raised her arms high above her head to attach the oversize papers in her hands with tiny tacks. By the time the students came back in from their noonday meal, she wanted to have their artwork projects covering the area around the blackboard.
"What do you think you're doing?” The sharp voice startled her and she swung about, teetering on the edge of the chair. Before she could either regain her balance or fall, a strong pair of arms reached out and plucked her into the air.
"Good lord, David, you scared the life out of me."
"Which is only about half as much as you scared me when I saw you up there,” he grumbled, setting her on her feet. “What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Hanging these pictures,” she told him, crouching to pick up the pages that had scattered to the floor when he'd frightened her. “I want to have them up before I call the children in from lunch."
"A woman in your condition shouldn't be climbing around on the furniture."
Shooting him a guileless grin, she arched her back and stroked a hand over the protruding mound of her very large stomach. “Then maybe you should put them up for me."
He scowled but took the pile of youthful drawings from her and stepped up on the seat of the chair.
She settled sideways at one of the students’ desks to watch him. He wore a pair of faded dungarees and a blue chambray shirt, covered by a brown leather vest with a silver star over his heart. He was working with his father now, as the deputy sheriff of Purgatory, and Hannah was so proud of him, she nearly burst her buttons on a daily basis.
Of course, if she told him as much, he would likely say that buttons weren't made to withstand the amount of pressure she put on them nowadays, growing as big as Texas itself. If he was lucky, she would merely scowl and remind him of the part he'd played in her current state as a brood mare. If she was feeling particularly sensitive, she would no doubt burst into tears and have him on his knees, begging her forgiveness, promising never to say anything so cruel and inconsiderate again.
These days, poor David never knew when he might hit an unlucky streak.
But he loved his job, and loved working with his father. He also got a mule-sized kick out of being the letter of the law in a town he used to think despised him. His Comanche blood didn't matter one whit when there was a star on his chest, and he still puffed up like a peacock every morning when he pinned it to his shirt.
"What are you doing here, anyway?” she asked, letting her gaze drift to the finely shaped buttocks poured into his denim trousers.
"I came by to tell you that my father has to transport a prisoner to the jail in another town and needs me to be on duty tonight, probably all night,” he said over his shoulder as he tacked pictures to the wall.
"That one's crooked,” she put in. “Does that mean you won't be home for dinner, then?"
He straightened the drawing, paying more attention to the rest so he wouldn't have to do them all twice. “I'm afraid not. I know you like to stay in the new house, even though it's not finished yet, but I don't want you sleeping there by yourself."
"Are you suggesting I find myself a substitute husband to keep your side of the bed warm while you're away?"
It was his turn to whirl around and rock on his heels to avoid falling on his face. She smiled, letting him know she was teasing.
"You're a dangerous woman, Hannah Walker. Do you want me to break my neck?"
"Not until the nursery in the new house is completed,” she replied sweetly, “and you take me to your sister."
That brought the usual frown to his face. She'd been chattering for months about going to the Comanche village for the birth of their baby—a notion David was none too pleased about.
For as long as she'd been trying to convince him to take her, he'd been attempting to talk her out of it. When the time came, he wanted her to be in Purgatory, with a doctor nearby in case she needed one.
And she didn't blame him. But David had taken her to visit Bright Eyes not long after their wedding, and Hannah had fallen in love with the village and its people. She even suspected that might have been where their child had been conceived.
But as alarmed as she'd been at the way
Bright Eyes had given birth to Laughing Rain, Hannah's heart was now absolutely set on having her and David's child in much the same manner. It would create an even stronger bond between David and his Comanche heritage. Bright Eyes had already agreed to assist her, and Little Bear was going to choose the baby's Indian name.
"You're not having the baby in the village,” he said, turning back around to continue posting the pictures.
"Yes, I am,” she replied simply, and then distracted him by continuing with the earlier thread of their conversation. “What do you propose I do tonight if you're working and don't want me sleeping at the new house by myself? Should I stay at the cabin instead?"
They'd lived there for several months after their marriage, but for the last little while had taken up residence in the new house they were building near his parents. She didn't mind staying at the cabin, though it would be lonely without him and she wasn't even sure what kind of condition the place would be in after standing empty for so long.
Finished tacking up the drawings, he hopped down and dragged the chair back to her desk. “I thought you could stay with Ma for tonight. I'll come by about the time you're ready to dismiss class for the day and walk you out there, then come back to take over for Pa. You don't mind, do you?"
He stood before her now and she held out her arms, letting him drag her bulk out of the child's desk and chair.
"Of course I don't mind. But I will miss you."
Smiling, he pulled her against him, bent past the swell of her belly, and nuzzled her lips. “I'll miss you, too. This is the first night we'll spend apart, you know."
"I know. And whose fault is that?"
"Mine. But I'll make it up to you."
"Oh, goody.” She never minded when David committed minor transgressions because he always did such a fine job of apologizing.
He kissed her breathless, and Hannah forgot all about where they were until scampering footsteps and childish groans broke through her consciousness.
"Eeeew, that's disgusting."
"They're doing it again."
"Ma says they'll stop someday, but I don't think so. I think they're going to be doing that forever. Yuck!"
Biting back an amused retort, Hannah pulled away from David, who was also fighting hard not to smile. She'd learned long ago that she was no good at playing the part of a staid married schoolmarm. Mostly because no matter where she and David were they couldn't help but show their affection and consequently kept getting caught kissing.
"Hello, girls,” she said. “Is there something you need?"
"We've been waiting for you to call us in from lunch. The boys didn't want us to, ‘cause they're having fun running around
outside, but we thought something might be wrong."
Hannah glanced at the polished mahogany clock case on the far wall and groaned. More time had passed than she'd realized.
"Everything's fine. Why don't you call the other children in and well start on our vocabulary words?"
The two girls ran off to ring the bell that alerted the students to return to the classroom as Hannah turned back to David. “I'm sorry,” she told him with a frown. “I really do have to get back to work."
"That's all right. You can make it up to me later,” he said with a tantalizing grin.
A shiver of longing tripped down her spine and she nodded, swallowing hard.
"I'll be by at the end of the day.” As he passed, he put a hand to her taut belly, kissing her once more, lightly on the lips. “Take care of my ohna?a? while I'm away."
"I will,” she said, understanding him perfectly.
He'd been giving her Comanche lessons and she was becoming rather fluent in the language, if she did say so herself. Of course, she thought that might have something to do with his teaching methods, which took place late, late at night and involved an almost sinful reward system when she did well.
Children began pouring in the door, talking excitedly and scraping chair legs across the floor as they settled at their desks.
With his mouth close to her ear so none of her pupils would hear, he whispered, “Nu? kamakum mui. And maybe once school's dismissed for the week, I'll take you out to the Comanche village."
"I love you, too. And I knew you would,” she said, the corner of her mouth twitching with mirth.
He narrowed one dark, long-lashed eye at her. “You did, huh? Don't you ever get tired of being right?"
"No. That's how I landed you, after all."
"Uh-huh.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, one of these days, I'll get my turn at being right about something."
She slid her hands over his forearms and leaned close. “You already have. When you stopped acting silly and asked me to marry you."
His gaze turned heated, settling on her mouth. “Yeah. I guess that did turn out better than I expected."
Using one of his favorite endearments, she promised softly, “This is only the beginning, notsa? ka?. Only the beginning."
And then, ignoring the loud groans of the two dozen students surrounding them, she stood on tiptoe and gave her husband a silent taste of their future together. It was only the beginning, indeed.
