Whirlwind Bride

by Debra Cowan

  Home. Looking out over the vast prairie, the short grass rippling in the wind, she realized she had made a place here for herself and for her child. Marriage to Riley completed that, but even if she’d remained alone, Whirlwind would always be as much a part of her as St. Louis.

  She’d done things here that the city girl she’d been would never have done. Slowly, pride began to fill her with a confidence that had been sorely lacking when she arrived six months ago.

  All at once the ground beneath the wheels began to vibrate, as if shaking the wagon. Pru’s ears perked up, then flattened to her head.

  Alarm swirled through Susannah at the animal’s response. Something was wrong. Then she heard a low drumming. She listened hard for a moment before recognizing the sound as hoofbeats—horses thundering over the hill behind her.

  The mare broke into a gallop before Susannah could urge her to. She glanced back, fear rushing through her, though she didn’t know why. A thin cloud of dust rose at the crest of the hill and a group of horses appeared. Four riders.

  What on earth was happening? She tried to turn Pru to the left and get out of their path, but the mare didn’t respond. She ran flat out, stretching the reins taut. Susannah could see now that the riders were men, leaning low over their mounts’ necks and heading straight for her. She focused all her strength on getting Pru to move off the road.

  Finally the horse did so, the men bearing down on them like a human twister. The mare raced through the grass, slowing somewhat, but still bumping and jostling Susannah in the seat. She flew up once, her bottom cracking hard when she landed. She glanced back to make sure she was out of their way, expecting to see them pass her. Instead, a horse leaped over the bed of her wagon.

  She screamed, her heart skipping painfully at the shock. Pru jerked hard on the harness, ripping the reins from Susannah’s hands.

  Shouts and curses rained around them. Susannah fumbled for the reins. They snaked across the floorboard, and she snatched them up, wrapping them twice around her wrists.

  Pru was a mass of strength and power. Susannah fought to keep some control despite the burning in her arms and hands.

  A horse darted in front of Pru, two more behind. The mare shied away, tipping the wagon. Susannah grabbed for the footboard, screaming.

  Another horse jumped the bed, its hoof striking the side with a resounding crack. Pru veered right and hit a hole, throwing Susannah high into the air.

  The reins were yanked from her hands; the sky spun round and round. She thought she screamed before she hit the ground and everything went black.

  Riley lay low over the dun’s neck, keeping pace with his brother. The three Baldwins fanned out behind them as they chased the McDougals up the hill and onto a flat stretch of land only a mile from Riley’s ranch.

  The bastards had gone south, as Davis Lee had said four days ago, then headed east. They’d holed up somewhere around Cleburne. The posse had picked up their trail again, following it north to Mineral Wells before the McDougals disappeared.

  Riley had wired Susannah from there yesterday before putting in twelve hours of riding a trail that was cold and dead. That he and the other men had picked up the outlaws’ trail going west this morning had surprised them all. Four hours from home, they’d followed the trail of broken grass and two cold campfire remains, realizing the McDougal gang was heading for Abilene. Or Whirlwind.

  Though they were tired and angry, the threat to their homes and loved ones gave the posse renewed energy—at least it did Riley—and they had managed to pressure the outlaws into riding past both towns. They’d finally caught sight of the bastards about a mile back.

  Just as they’d closed in on them, the McDougals topped a hill. The posse charged behind them, in time for Riley to see a wagon in the distance. The gang rode straight for it.

  As one, the posse picked up speed, pushing their mounts harder. The sound of pounding hooves rolled across the prairie. The McDougals had shown more than once that they had no qualms about hurting innocent citizens. The four outlaws neared the wagon at a full-out gallop.

  “They’re trying to put the wagon between us and them,” Riley yelled as he and Davis Lee flew across the ground.

  “They think they’ll buy some time,” his brother answered.

  One of the outlaw’s horses jumped the wagon. It toppled, skittered several feet, then collapsed.

  “No!” Riley yelled. “Hell!”

  The horse tumbled, struggling against the harness. The outlaws’ laughter could be faintly heard above the crashing noises, the felled horse’s scream.

  Riley urged his dun faster, dread tightening his gut.

  Matt Baldwin reached the scene first. “There’s a woman here, dammit.”

  The five of them reined up near the wagon. The horse lay beneath the heavy weight, its sides heaving and slicked with sweat.

  From the saddle, Riley saw a glint of blond hair in the grass beyond. Blond curls. He threw himself off before his mount even stopped. “Susannah!”

  His wife lay on the ground motionless, her hair tangled around her shoulders. That was his wagon on its side, his horse down.

  Cold fear like he’d never known sliced through him. “Susannah?”

  He rushed through the grass and knelt beside her, afraid to touch her. Blood smeared her temple, marring her pale forehead. Hardly able to breathe, he bent and put his ear to her chest, finally hearing a faint heartbeat.

  Fear and panic crowded out reason. He forced himself to check her limbs carefully, then gently gathered her to him. “Susannah, wake up, darlin’.”

  She moaned, her eyes fluttering open.

  The baby! Riley’s heart stopped. Where in the hell was Lorelai?

  He thought he might be sick. Matt Baldwin knelt beside him and spoke, but Riley didn’t comprehend a single word.

  He stroked Susannah’s hair from her face, his hand trembling. “Can you hear me?”

  “Yes,” she croaked.

  “Where’s Lorelai, darlin’?” He turned blindly to Matt. “Look for the baby. She was thrown out, too.”

  “Hell.” Matt rose and hollered for his brother and father.

  “No.” Susannah clutched weakly at Riley’s arm. “The baby’s okay. She’s with Cora.”

  Relief took the starch right out of his legs, and he sank back on his heels. “She’s okay.” He waved off the men starting through the grass around the wagon.

  Susannah’s eyes closed, her face creasing in pain.

  “You’re gonna be okay, too.” He caressed her cheek, his hand shaking as if he had palsy.

  He called out for the other men to help him with Susannah, and bent to her, his voice hoarse. “I’m going to get you to the doctor.”

  “Where did you come from? Were you chasing those men?”

  “Yes, it was the McDougals.” He forced away the savage fury that rose inside him at the way they’d endangered her. “Don’t think about them right now. Just lay quiet here with me. You’re going to be fine.”

  Davis Lee walked over and knelt beside him. “How is she?”

  “Nothing’s broken. I’m not sure about her insides.” Riley glanced at her, his jaw tightening when he recalled the sight of her flying out of the wagon. “Davis Lee, you can go on. I’ll take care of Susannah. Leave one of the Baldwins to help me and go after those McDougal bastards.”

  His brother shook his head.

  “Yes. Don’t let them get away with this,” Riley insisted.

  The other man stared into the distance. “You sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Davis Lee squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  He rose and walked over to confer quietly with the other men. After making sure Susannah was all right, J.T., Russ and Davis Lee mounted their horses and rode off.

  Matt walked over. “One of your wagon wheels is busted plumb off.”

  “How’s Pru?” Riley noticed the mare was now standing.

  “I checked her. Looks lik
e her right knee might be sprained. I’ll take care of her while you get Susannah seen about.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’ll have to take her on your horse. This wagon’s not any use right now.”

  Riley laid Susannah gently back in the grass, then got to his feet. He mounted, tensing as Matt lifted her to him.

  He tucked her in front of him on the saddle.

  “You gonna be able to handle everything?” Matt asked.

  “I think so. I’m taking her to Doc Butler at the fort.”

  “You take care, Miz Susannah.” Matt awkwardly patted her foot. “I’ll be by to check on you later.”

  “Thank you, Matthew.” Her voice sounded stronger.

  Riley prayed there was nothing seriously wrong with her. The black fury inside him wouldn’t abate, threatened to swallow him up. Time enough for that once he saw to his wife.

  Matt pulled a shirt from his saddlebags and knelt to wrap Pru’s knee. Riley headed northeast toward the fort.

  Doc Butler said the cut on Susannah’s head was minor. The worst of it was that she’d dislocated her shoulder when she hit the ground. Riley had been forced to brace her body with his while the doctor jammed the bone into place. She screamed, then fainted.

  Riley would’ve done the same. He couldn’t imagine the pain of such a thing, and hated that she had to endure it. The rage he’d felt upon seeing her helpless in the grass kept nipping at the edges of his control.

  Concentrating enough to listen to the doctor’s instructions was a struggle, but Riley did it. They rode home slowly, the dun seeming to take extra care crossing the rough grassland. Doc Butler had sent some laudanum with them, as Susannah didn’t want to take anything until they got home.

  Why had she been out driving? And without Lorelai? Why had she taken the baby to Cora’s?

  Questions circled viciously in his head, tangling with the fury that snapped at him. He had questions, but now was not the time to ask them. He could wait until she was back on her feet, or at least fully conscious.

  He helped her into bed, taking off only her shoes before tucking her under the covers. The doctor had said her head was fine, and he’d ordered rest, warning that her shoulder would hurt like blue blazes for a while.

  She slept a couple of hours, and Riley stayed in their room, getting up to pace when the anger rose inside him. He stared out the window, time dragging as day rolled into night. Shadows stretched across the land and the moon floated out from behind a cloud.

  “Riley?” she said from the bed.

  He went to her, taking her hand. “Doc Butler said you should sleep as much as possible.”

  “I’m sore, but otherwise fine, I think. I want to know how you are.”

  “I’m fine, darlin’.” He sat on the edge of the bed, his callused fingers smoothing her curls off her face. He wanted this rage inside him to fade, wanted his questions to disappear.

  “I missed you.” Her fingers moved lightly against his thigh.

  He covered her hand with his. The words on the tip of his tongue didn’t need to be said right now. It would be best if he didn’t talk at all. “Why don’t you rest?”

  “I want to hear what happened with the McDougals.”

  The reminder had Riley’s emotions boiling over and he felt his common sense ebb away. “Let’s not talk about that right now.”

  “But I want to know.”

  “They got away,” he said in a hard voice, telling himself to calm down.

  “Got away? But I thought—”

  “Let’s talk about something else.”

  She shifted her head on the pillow, blue eyes clouding. “Are you angry at me?”

  He glanced at her shoulder, then away.

  “You are. Why?”

  He rose from the bed, paced to its foot.

  “Riley? Are you going to answer me?”

  “I told you not to go anywhere alone, Susannah.”

  “But your wire said you were coming home. I thought that meant you’d captured them.”

  “We’d lost them, until this morning. Thank goodness we were hard on their heels when they came across you.”

  She put a hand to her temple. “Are you angry because you think I got in the way?”

  “I’m angry because I told you not to go anywhere alone.”

  “I took Lorelai to Cora’s because I wanted us to have a night together all alone. I thought you’d like that after being gone so long.”

  “What I’d like is for you to heed instructions once in a while.”

  “That’s unfair.” She sat up in bed, wincing. “How was I to know the McDougals hadn’t been caught?”

  “You weren’t. That’s why you shouldn’t have been out alone until you did know. What if the gang had come upon you with Lorelai in the wagon?”

  “They didn’t.”

  “What if they had?” He shoved a hand through his hair. “When I couldn’t find her, I thought she’d been thrown from the wagon, too.” A numbing blackness had consumed him. “She could’ve been killed. You have to think about more than yourself now.”

  “I know that!” She grimaced, obviously in pain. “How dare you imply that I would risk Lorelai’s life!”

  “Well, you did, didn’t you?” He hated himself even as he said the words, but he couldn’t stop them, couldn’t stem the sensation that life was draining out of him. “It was foolish, especially knowing the McDougals were on the loose.”

  “I didn’t know they were right here,” she said hotly.

  “You’re so damn stubborn.”

  “It wasn’t like that. You said you were coming home. I thought that meant the gang had been caught. I didn’t think there was any danger.”

  “Something like this wouldn’t have happened in St. Louis.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” She slid her legs to the floor. “We have outlaws up there, too. Haven’t you heard of the James gang?”

  “Don’t get out of bed.” He wanted to stop her, but hesitated to touch her, afraid he might cause her pain. “In St. Louis, if you’d been out, you wouldn’t have been driving alone. You certainly wouldn’t have been away from town and people to help you.”

  Bracing herself with her right hand on the mattress, she stood. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  “A matter of opinion. There are too many dangers here, Susannah. You’ve got to take them into account.”

  “And you’ve got to take into account that I’m doing the best I can. Are you telling me you’ve never made an error in judgment? Or been caught up in events, like I was today?”

  “It wouldn’t have happened if you’d stayed in like I told you. You don’t understand how it is here. You don’t understand what this part of the country is like. After what you did today, I have to wonder if you ever will.”

  Her chin came up. “You still think I don’t belong here. That I’ll never belong here.”

  “I’m just trying to protect you and the baby.” He picked up his hat and opened the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get Button. That’ll help me clear my head.”

  She held her injured arm close to her left side, the hurt in her eyes pulling at him. But he couldn’t stay. He was suffocating, and he didn’t want to say anything else hurtful.

  Hearing the thud of his boots down the stairs, Susannah walked to the window. In a few seconds, he stalked off the front porch and stopped, head bowed, shoulders stiff. Moonlight played over his strong neck, washed the blue of his shirt to nearly white.

  Grief pulled at her. Riley would never really believe she could meet the challenges here, never believe she belonged. And their daughter would grow up seeing that.

  Her daughter, Susannah corrected. Not theirs.

  She would always love him, but he would never return her feelings. That had been made painfully clear in his hard-edged words, in the disappointment that darkened his eyes today.

  She’d been wrong to marry him. She knew
what she had to do, and it broke her heart.

  Chapter Nineteen

  He’d returned with the baby and they’d shared a cold supper. Lorelai had fussed every time he and Susannah were in the same room together—because the baby sensed the tension between the two of them, Susannah decided. She stayed the night in Lorelai’s room, still hurting over the realization that his opinion of her wasn’t going to change. It was late when she heard him come upstairs, then pause outside the baby’s door. After a few seconds, he walked away and their bedroom door closed.

  The next morning, he left after breakfast to go to Whirlwind and see if Davis Lee had returned. Despite her injured arm, Susannah had her bags packed within a half hour. It took her longer to write the letter. Miss Wentworth would disapprove of addressing such a problem by letter, but Susannah knew if she told Riley her decision to leave in person, she wouldn’t be able to resist him or any arguments he made on behalf of the baby.

  As she finished writing, her vision blurred and she looked away before a tear could fall and smear the ink. Nearly numb, she sprinkled sand on the letter and left it to dry on his desk.

  The sling Doc Butler had fashioned for her arm had given her the idea to try something similar as a way to hold the baby while she drove the wagon. Since she wouldn’t be able to use both hands, she would have to trust the mare to do most of the work.

  It took awhile to hitch Pru to the wagon, but Susannah did it by focusing on her actions and trying to block her painful emotions. She led the mare right up to the porch and managed to topple her trunks down the steps into the wagonbed.

  The ink on her letter was dry now. She folded it and took it upstairs, leaving it in the middle of their bed. The tears she’d fought all morning flowed down her face. She pulled a knotted length of linen over her head and slid her good arm through, settling the sleeping baby securely against her breast.

  Susannah climbed carefully into the wagon and drove away.

  Riley took longer in town than he probably should have. Davis Lee and the Baldwins had trailed the McDougal gang north, past Tascosa in the Panhandle. There, they had run into Jericho and another Ranger on the outlaws’ trail. Wanting to check on Susannah and get back to keep the citizens of Whirlwind safe, Davis Lee had been happy to turn the chase over to their cousin.