by Bobbi Smith
It was a gentle exchange at first, but when she willingly surrendered, he deepened the kiss.
Roni was thrilled. She knew she was being brazen to respond so passionately to Walker, but at that moment, it didn't matter.
She just wanted to be close to him.
She needed to be close to him.
Walker took her in his embrace and crushed her against him. And it was in that moment that the sound of her father's voice shattered the silence of the night.
"What do you think you're doing?" Victor bit out, outrage sounding in his voice.
They broke nervously apart.
"Oh! P-Papa—" Roni stammered as he confronted them.
"Dr. Reynolds—" Walker didn't cower. He stood up to her father, stepping forward to confront him.
Victor turned on Walker, fury blazing in his condemning gaze. "I think you'd better leave us right now."
He kept his voice low as if he didn't want anyone else to hear them and learn of Roni's scandalous behavior, but there was no mistaking the seriousness of his intent.
It was plain that Walker didn't want to desert Roni. He looked down to where she was standing by his side. "Roni?"
"Go on," she said.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded, miserably.
"You heard me, boy," Victor replied threateningly.
Walker said nothing as he moved off into the night, leaving father and daughter alone.
"We're going home, right now, young lady."
"But, Papa—" she started to protest.
The look he gave Roni silenced her, and, unnerved, she said nothing more. Her father had never been this angry with her before, and she wasn't sure what was to come.
"Wait right here while I get your mother." It was an order.
Roni did as she was told.
Much later that night, Roni sat alone in her bedroom, staring out the window, unable to sleep. The trip home had been made in complete and total disapproving silence, and she had been sent directly to her room once they'd reached the house. She longed to see Walker again, to tell him none of this was his fault, but she knew that wasn't going to happen—not any time soon. Not from the way her parents were acting.
Sighing, Roni stretched out on her bed and sought sleep, unsure of what the morning would bring. Sleep proved elusive, though, as exciting memories of Walker's kiss and being in his arms lingered in her mind.
Victor and Helen sat closeted in the study, weighing the results of the decision they'd just made about their daughter's future.
"I think she'll be very happy," Victor said, trying to convince himself as well as his wife that they were right.
"Do you really?" Helen asked worriedly.
"Roni's always shown great interest in wanting to become a doctor, and she can accomplish that by going back east to school to complete her studies," he reassured her.
"But she'll be so alone—"
"You can travel with her and stay with family there until it's confirmed that she's been admitted to the medical school. It's not going to be easy for her. The prejudice against women doctors is very real, but I believe she's strong enough and smart enough to deal with it."
"I hope you're right, but what about you? You'll be here all by yourself until I can get things worked out for Roni."
His expression was fierce as he told her, "I'll miss you both. Have no doubt about that, but it'll be worth it to get her away from Walker's influence."
They shared a troubled look, worrying about the results of the decision they'd just made concerning their beloved only daughter's future.
"We'll tell her first thing in the morning," Helen agreed.
Two Weeks Later
Walker rode to the top of the low rise and reined in. He had a clear view of the road leading out of Two Guns and knew he would be able to see the stagecoach when it left.
He hadn't had the chance to be with Roni since the night of the dance. He'd gone to her house to speak with her the day after, to find out how things had gone with her parents, but her mother had told him Roni wasn't home and not to come back. He'd only found out last night from Jim that Roni was leaving this morning to go back east and study to become a doctor like her father.
Walker had wanted to see her before she left, but had realized that it wasn't going to happen. Her father had made it perfectly clear the night of the dance that he didn't want her anywhere near him.
In the distance, now, he saw the stage coming. He watched in silence as it passed by, traveling east. He thought about trying to catch up with the stage to tell Roni good-bye, but she hadn't responded to the note he'd sent her several days before, so he stayed where he was.
The stage moved on out of sight.
Walker headed back to the Dollar.
Chapter Two
Five Years Later
The annual festival had been going on all day and was a big success. It seemed just about the whole town and most of the ranchers from the outlying areas had turned out for the final event tonight: the dance. The hall was crowded, and everyone seemed to be having fun.
Off to the side of the dance floor, Matilda was keeping careful watch over the evening's activities.
"You know, Amanda," the elderly gossip began, "Roni Reynolds is back in town."
"Yes, I heard that, and I'm looking forward to seeing her again. We're so blessed that she decided to come back to Two Guns and take over her father's practice. We need a good doctor in town."
Matilda gave a derisive snort. "I doubt it was medical opportunity that called her back here."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the half-breed. Don't you remember all the talk about her and Walker before she went back east to school? Well, it'll be interesting tonight, to see if they pick up where they left off."
Amanda couldn't believe Matilda remembered all the details from so many years ago.
"You'll just have to keep watch," she told her friend, not wanting to start an argument.
"Don't worry," Matilda said with a confident grin. "I will."
Walker was standing with Jim, Chet Harrison and Stacy at the side of the dance floor.
"You've got yourself one lovely woman," Jim complimented Chet on his recently announced engagement to Stacy. When he had first heard the news, he'd been troubled. He cared for Stacy. He always had, but quiet man that he was, he'd never let her know the truth of his feelings for her. He deeply regretted that omission now for she'd accepted Chet's proposal, and they were to be married the following spring.
"Yes, I do," Chet agreed, smiling down at Stacy as he slipped an arm around her waist and drew her closer to his side.
Jim knew he had bought a ranch in the area some four years before and had been working it hard all this time. He'd noticed Stacy the year before and had started wooing her right away. The folks around Two Guns agreed she had it all—good looks with her blonde hair and shapely figure, and money, since the Stevenson ranch, the Dollar, was the most successful ranch in the area. She would be the perfect wife.
Stacy smiled up at her fiancé, all the love she felt for him shining in her eyes. "And I've got myself one good man."
"Well, look who's finally shown up—the new doc, herself," Jim said to the others as he caught sight of Roni making her way toward them.
Walker had not seen Roni since she'd returned from back east several weeks before. He glanced in her direction now and found he couldn't look away as she paused to greet some of the other townsfolk. The pale green, modestly cut gown she was wearing fit her perfectly, and she had styled her hair down around her shoulders in a tumble of soft dark curls. Roni had always been a pretty girl, and she had grown into a striking young woman.
"It's about time you got here," Jim teased Roni when she finally joined them. "I was wondering where you were."
"There was a last-minute emergency with one of the Nelson twins," she explained.
"Anything serious?" Stacy asked.
"No. Just a little too much roughhousing.
Their mother thought one of the boys had broken his wrist, but it was only sprained. I bandaged him all up and he should be fine."
"Well, that's good news," Jim added.
Roni smiled up at him, and then she turned to Walker. "Walker. It's good to see you."
Roni had recognized Walker the moment she'd spotted him from across the room, standing there with Jim, who was now the town's banker. They were two of the tallest men in the room, and they were definitely two of the handsomest.
"You, too," Walker returned, his dark-eyed gaze warm upon her.
"You look lovely tonight—not that that's unusual for you," Jim told her.
"Jim, you are such a charmer," Roni laughed. She was excited about the evening to come. This was the first chance she'd had to see everyone again and renew her friendships.
Stacy spoke up quickly, "Roni, I want you to meet Chet—my fiancé."
"Your fiancé? Congratulations, Stacy!" Roni looked at the handsome man standing beside Stacy and smiled. "It's nice to meet you."
"Thanks. It's nice to meet you, too. I've heard a lot about you."
Roni laughed. "Good things, I hope."
"Of course," he told her with a grin.
"When did you come to Two Guns?" she asked.
"Chet bought the old Jones place a few years ago," Stacy told her.
"So, you've been turning the ranch around, have you?" Roni remembered how rundown it had been.
"I'm working on it," Chet answered confidently. "Stacy was telling me there had been some talk going around for a while that you were thinking about staying back east and setting up your practice there." Stacy had told him that Roni's mother had passed away several years before, and that her father had died of a fever the previous summer.
"I thought about it, but even with my parents both gone now, this is still home. I'm glad to be back."
"Think you're going to have any trouble convincing people you're a good doctor?" Jim asked, joining in the conversation. "Most folks think being a doctor is a job meant only for men."
"I know. My father warned me about that, and I heard a lot of talk about the prejudice in the East. I'm hoping here in Two Guns everybody will know that I'm my father's daughter and judge me accordingly."
They all knew everyone in the area had highly respected and trusted Dr. Reynolds.
The musicians started up a new tune, and Chet wasted no time getting Stacy out on the dance floor. Before Walker could ask Roni to dance, Jim claimed her.
"I've been waiting all week just to dance with you," Jim told Roni as he took her arm and led her out among the other couples.
"I can still cut in," Walker said, grinning easily and planning to do just that.
He waited until about halfway through the dance and then made his move, deftly cutting in on his friend.
They were all laughing as Jim reluctantly turned Roni over to him.
When Roni went into Walker's arms, she was surprised by the shiver of sensual awareness that trembled through her at being so close to him. They began to move together in rhythm with the music.
As Walker squired her around the dance floor, Roni looked up at him, studying the strong line of his jaw and his lean, handsome features. He sensed her gaze upon him and glanced down, and their gazes met. For a moment, they were lost, and then they both smiled.
"I remember another time when we danced like this. You'd just saved me from being trampled by Ted."
"Well, you don't have to worry about Ted anymore. His whole family moved on a year or so ago."
"You mean it's safe to be out on the dance floor in Two Guns now?"
"That's right."
They laughed and then both fell silent as other memories from that night returned. They enjoyed their time together, but as soon as the music ended, Jim was there to dance with her again.
As the evening progressed Roni visited with friends and had a good time dancing with a number of the bachelors in town. As nice as her other dancing partners were, though, she found herself occasionally scanning the crowd, looking for Walker. When he finally sought her out and asked her for the next dance, she was delighted.
Again, they moved together about the floor in perfect rhythm.
"I've been dancing so much tonight, we haven't had much time to talk yet," she said.
Walker grinned down at her. "Do you want to go outside for a while?"
Roni still remembered the last time they'd done that, and she didn't hesitate to answer, "Yes."
Walker expertly danced her over toward the side door. They slipped outside into the welcoming darkness and made their way to a quiet place, not too far from the building to talk.
"I'm glad you're back," Walker said, gazing down at her and finding her even more beautiful in the moonlight.
"So am I," she admitted. She fell silent for a moment, just enjoying the peace of the evening, and then asked him, "How have you been? I've thought about you over the years. I always wondered why I never heard from you again after the dance that night."
He frowned slightly. "Didn't your parents tell you that I came to the house to see you?"
She was surprised by his words. "No. You did?"
He nodded. "The day after, I stopped by, but your mother told me you weren't home and not to come back."
"I didn't know. They never said a word. I wanted to see you again, to tell you that I was going back east to school, but it all happened so fast."
"Yes, it did." He didn't tell her how he'd watched her leave on the stage that day. "Are you glad you became a doctor?"
She told him earnestly, "Most of the time, yes. It's wonderful to know you can help someone who's in pain, that you can make things better for them. And when you bring a baby into the world, it's amazing. There are the hard times, though. When someone is so sick all you can do is try your best and hope that you've made a difference in some way. What about you? I take it you never got married?"
"No, I never married. After Father and my stepmother died, I took over running the Dollar."
"From what I hear, the ranch is still doing great. Jim told me it's as successful as ever—maybe even more so," Roni praised him.
"Thanks. Stacy helps me work it, and between the two of us, we've kept things going."
"What do you think about Stacy's engagement to Chet? She seems really happy."
"I think she is. Chet seems like a good man. What are your plans? Are you going to be happy practicing here in Two Guns?"
"Oh, yes. This is where I want to be."
Walker looked down at her, his gaze soft upon her. "I'm glad."
The look in his eyes left Roni breathless. "So am I."
The moment was magical. There alone in the moonlight, he couldn't resist the temptation to finish the kiss they had started all those years ago.
Roni didn't move as he bent to her and claimed her lips. She gave a small throaty sigh and went into his embrace. Her willingness encouraged him. Walker deepened the exchange, hungry to taste of her sweetness. It was an awakening for them both, a moment of startling passion that thrilled them with its intensity. They clung together, seared by the fire that had sparked between them, until the realization of just where they were returned, and they broke apart.
"We'd better get back inside," Roni said reluctantly.
"I know." As tempted as Walker was to take her back in his arms, he controlled the need to hold her again.
They had almost reached the doorway when Jim appeared in the entrance, looking for them.
"There you are! Come on, Roni! It's time for us to have another dance!"
"No, you're going to have to wait, Jim," Walker told him. "I've already claimed Roni for this one."
She offered no protest as Walker guided her out to join the other couples on the dance floor, leaving Jim to look on.
Everyone in Two Guns knew rancher Ben Thompson was a mean man, and when he got drunk, he got even meaner. Big and stocky, and fast on the draw, he would take on just about anybody in town when he got drunk eno
ugh. When he'd started drinking earlier in the evening at the Ace High Saloon, the other men in the bar took care to stay as far away from him as they could to avoid trouble. The relief was great when Ben and his ranch hands finally left the bar. The men heard him declare he was heading over to the dance, and they couldn't help wondering what kind of trouble he was going to stir up over there.
Ben and his boys were feeling real good as they entered the hall. They stopped just inside the door to look around, and Ben spotted Walker Stevenson dancing with Roni Reynolds. He'd heard the talk around town of how she'd come back to take over her father's medical practice, and it infuriated him that the half-breed thought he was good enough to be socializing with the folks in town, let alone dancing with the new doc. Fury ate at Ben, and he smiled coldly as he tried to figure out the best way to get at Walker.
Ben hated the Stevenson family with a passion. Their ranches adjoined one another, and through the years old man Stevenson had made the Dollar the most successful ranch in the area. It hadn't mattered to Ben that Paul Stevenson had been an honest man with a fine reputation. To Ben, his success had been infuriating.
Ben knew he'd been lucky over the years that Paul hadn't caught him rustling Dollar cattle. Then when Paul died and left the ranch to his half-breed bastard son and Stacy, Ben had been even more outraged. The fact that the half-breed was running the Dollar now, and it was as successful as ever, made Ben hate them that much more.
"Well, boys, look what we got here," he muttered to the hands standing nearby. "If it ain't our good friends from the Dollar."
Mick Jones knew exactly what his boss was thinking, and it worried him. There were a lot of innocent people at the dance, and he didn't want to see anybody get hurt. "Boss, this ain't the time to go startin' anything—"
"Shut up," Ben ordered harshly. "I'm going to have me some fun tonight after all." He looked over at his men, challenging them. "I pay your salaries. Are you with me?"
They nodded, knowing they had no choice if they wanted to keep their jobs. They hung back and waited to see what their drunken boss was going to do.
Stacy was having a wonderful time dancing with Chet. This was the first social event they'd attended since they'd become engaged, and she was enjoying every minute of it—especially getting to dance with him and be in his arms.
