by Linda Bridey
“Some corn, a few fields of hay and a big truck patch. If we don’t get some rain this spring, though, nothin’ is gonna grow,” Tom answered.
“Yeah, we sure need it,” Eddie said, tucking the information away in his mind.
Deena had heard their whole conversation and knew her father meant what he said about shooting Eddie. Once the subjects had turned friendly, she decided to wait a couple of moments before going out onto the porch. She took a couple of deep breaths and then left the kitchen.
Eddie stood when he saw her and he couldn’t look away. She was lovely in her pale pink dress with a tight, demure bodice and full skirt. Unlike Joe, Eddie knew next to nothing about women’s clothing except how to remove them, but the dress looked like satin with lace trimming and was beautiful.
Smiling, Eddie said, “You’re looking quite beautiful tonight, Deena.”
Deena blushed and said, “Thank you. Look at you in your suit. I didn’t know you owned one.”
Eddie laughed. “You sound like Joe. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Tom had also stood and came to kiss her goodbye. “You look so pretty. Just like your ma. Have a good time, but not too good of a time.”
“Pa, behave yourself,” Deena said as she kissed his cheek.
Tom chuckled and went inside.
Eddie gallantly offered her his arm and escorted her to the buggy. He’d borrowed King and Rook for the evening. They were a beautifully matched pair of bay Standardbreds. After helping Deena into the buggy, he quickly turned the buggy around and began the trip to Wolfe Point. Deena knew the town well since she’d lived there for ten years.
As they drove into Wolfe Point, Deena said, “I hated it when Pa said we were moving to Dawson. I didn’t want to move. I had friends here and I liked our farm. I still see them sometimes, but it’s not quite the same. Do you know what I mean?”
Eddie nodded. “Yeah. I lived in Helena until I was about sixteen, I guess it was. We moved here to take care of my grandparents and stayed after they passed on. I wasn’t too keen on moving, either. I’ve lost track of my buddies over the years. If I met up with them again, it’d be nice to see them, but it wouldn’t be like it was.”
“It’s funny how life works out,” Deena said. “If we hadn’t moved to Dawson, I wouldn’t have ever met you.”
Eddie smiled and shook his head a little. “I should have listened to Joe. He knew you were interested in me. I’m not surprised, though. He understands women real well. Not me, though.”
Deena giggled and said, “I can tell. I guess I’d better keep dynamite handy.”
Eddie laughed as they pulled up to Morton’s, one of the nicer restaurants in Wolfe Point. Eddie tied the team to the hitching post and helped Deena out of the buggy. Deena gazed around the restaurant as memories of the good times she’d had came to her. Eddie saw her smile and was glad that he’d brought her somewhere that made her happy.
Once they’d been seated, Eddie said, “How’s it feel to be eatin’ here again?”
“It feels very nice. Pa and I used to eat here once a month. He and Ma came here a lot, too, before she died.” Deena said. “I still miss her so much.”
Eddie held Deena’s hand as her eyes were momentarily touched by sadness. “I’m sorry about your ma, Deena.”
“Thank you. You’re a sweet man, Eddie,” she said with a smile.
“Not always,” Eddie said. “I wasn’t so sweet the other day. I’m so—”
Deena put a finger over his lips. “I said don’t apologize for that and I meant it.” She took her finger away as she smiled at him.
Eddie smiled back and said, “Ok. You win.”
Once their order was placed, Eddie said, “I’m sure it’s nice being the one served for a change.”
Deena laughed. “It is, but I know I’m gonna be critical of their service. That’s terrible of me, but I can’t help it.”
“I can understand that,” Eddie said. “It’s like me when I go with Joe to other horse ranches to look at their horses. I always pick the place apart and find things they’re doing wrong. I don’t ever say anything, though, because it would be bad for business.”
“Right. You can tell whether someone takes pride in their work or not,” Deena said.
Eddie looked at her and said, “I can tell you take pride in yours, whether it’s workin’ at the Grady House or for me. So far, so good.”
“Well, I intend to keep it that way,” Deena said.
“Glad to hear it,” Eddie said.
Their food came then and they turned their attention to it. Throughout the meal, Eddie entertained her with stories about the wild things he, Joe, and Luke had done over the years together. In return, Eddie learned more about Deena and her family. They had a wonderful time and Deena wondered again if she were dreaming the whole thing.
As they ate and talked, Deena fell all the way in love with Eddie and wanted to shout it out. However, she would keep it to herself until the right time. She’d been halfway in love with him for so long, but hadn’t been able to do anything about it until now. Deena looked into Eddie’s eyes and made a vow to herself that she would make him fall in love with her, too.
They were just finishing dessert when a man came over to their table and said, “Deena Abbott? Is that you?”
Deena looked at him and laughed. “Carter Douglas! It’s been forever since I’ve seen you. Carter, this is Eddie Baxter. Carter is an old friend of ours.”
Carter held out a hand to Eddie and the two men shook hands. Eddie looked the other man over. He was right around Deena’s age. His blond hair was a little long and his gray eyes met Eddie’s. Carter looked to be around six feet tall or so.
“Deena stole my heart when we were just kids, Eddie,” Carter told him.
“Carter, stop that!” Deena objected.
“Did she now?” Eddie said, stifling the sharp jealousy that pierced him.
Carter said, “She sure did. You’re even prettier than I remember, Deena.”
Eddie said, “Yes, Deena’s a beautiful woman.”
“Carter, when did you come back to town? I thought you moved to Helena,” Deena said.
“I did, but I didn’t like it much. So I moved back,” he said. “Eddie Baxter. Why does that name sound familiar to me?”
“You might know my good friend, Joe Dwyer. He’s the mayor of Dawson now,” Eddie said.
“That’s it! I’ve played poker with him and he was singing your praises,” Carter said. “I knew I’d heard your name before. Well, I just wanted to say hello, Deena. I’ll let you get back to enjoying your meal. Have a good night. Good to meet you, Eddie.”
“Good to see you, Carter,” Deena said and smiled as Carter walked away. “I can’t believe I ran into him like that.”
Eddie smiled. “So you stole his heart, huh? Did you give it back?”
Deena giggled. “I guess so. He was always so much fun, but he didn’t want to be with just one woman. Sort of like Joe used to be, I guess. I told him I wouldn’t stand for that and if he didn’t like it, that we were through. I guess you can figure out what his decision was.”
“That certainly worked out to my advantage,” Eddie said.
Deena looked at him and said, “Mine, too.”
A smoldering look passed between them and Eddie asked for the check.
*****
Deena looked up at the stars as King and Rook trotted along the road. It was a clear night and all of the constellations were visible. Then she turned to watch Eddie, only to find that he was looking at her.
“What?”
“You’re gorgeous. No wonder you stole Carter’s heart. I’m sure you stole a lot of young fellas’ hearts,” Eddie said.
“I’m not sure how to take that,” Deena said with a laugh.
“It was definitely a compliment.”
“Ok. I don’t think I’ve ever truly stolen anyone’s heart,” Deena said. But you’ve stolen mine. “Besides, there’s only one man’s
heart I’m interested in.”
“And what man are you talking about?”
“Leo.”
Eddie laughed and said, “Leo. Of course.”
Deena slid closer to him and said, “You know who I’m talking about, Eddie.”
“Yeah, I do.”
Eddie put an arm around Deena’s waist with one arm and kissed her lightly. Deena took his face in her hands and kissed him as she scooted even closer. Eddie pulled away for just a moment.
“King! Rook! Home!” Eddie said.
Deena asked, “What are you doing?”
“They know the way home. Joe and I trained them to do that so that when Joe’s too drunk to drive, they take him home.”
She laughed. “I’ve heard about it, but I didn’t know it was true.”
“It’s true. You’ll see,” Eddie said. “Now, where were we?”
“Right here,” Deena, said and pressed her lips to his.
Eddie’s quick response took Deena’s breath away. No one had ever kissed her the way he did. He was tender yet fierce, not the sort of combination one would think went together. It surprised and delighted Deena and she wanted the embrace to go on and on. Eddie was of a similar mind and became so engrossed in Deena that he barely registered where they were.
Deena’s fingers delved into his hair and she shuddered as Eddie ran his hands down her back. Then she felt Eddie begin to pull away.
“What’s the matter?” she said as he released her.
Eddie’s chest rapidly rose and fell as he ran a hand through his hair. “If we keep that up, Deena, you’re not goin’ home tonight and I don’t want your pa comin’ after me with a load of buckshot in his gun.”
“Oh. Oh! I see,” Deena said. Then she giggled.
Eddie asked, “Do you think your pa killing me would be funny?”
“No. I just never figured you being the type who would be afraid of my pa,” Deena said as her own pulse rate began to slow.
“I’m not afraid of him, but I respect your pa. But more than that, I respect you too much to not treat you right,” Eddie said.
“I’m glad that you feel that way,” Deena said as Eddie picked up the reins again.
“I do,” he said and smiled at her.
Deena hoped that he couldn’t see her feelings reflected in her eyes. She wasn’t ready to share them with him. However, as Deena looked up at the stars again, she prayed that soon she would be able to tell him.
Chapter Thirteen
That evening there was a lot of company at Brook and Reckless’ tipi by the stream. The twins were passed around and enjoyed by all. The women prepared food and took turns helping the new mother with the babies.
Brook and Reckless were very proud of their twins and loved them deeply. Reckless’ parents and all of his aunts and uncles watched the brave with the babies and smiled at how good he was already with his new sons.
He Who Runs said, “We knew our daughter-in-law would be a wonderful mother, but who knew Reckless would be a good father?”
This earned him laughs from those gathered and a scowl from Reckless.
Mike and Squirrel were congratulated on excellent deliveries and Marcus was very vocal about his pride in his nephew.
“It’s not every day that a medical student gets to deliver twins. Well done, Mike,” he said.
The sentiment was echoed by all and Mike and Squirrel accepted their praise very humbly. Towards the end of the evening, their family began leaving so the little family could get some rest. Eagle Woman was going to stay with them to help.
Rick hated to, but he had to talk with Reckless. He drew the brave far away from the rest of the family that was still there.
“I’m so happy for you both,” Rick said.
“Thank you, uncle.”
Rick sighed. “I know this is such a special time for you and I hate having to talk to you about this, but time is short.”
Reckless’ brows puckered. “Just tell me. It is fine.”
“It’s about Minx.”
“What has she done now?” Reckless asked.
“Nothing except tell us more about why she turned into a thief. Don’t judge her too harshly,” Rick said and told Reckless everything Minx had said.
As Rick spoke of Minx’s suffering at the hands of this soldier, Reckless felt weak with the hot rage that swept through his body. He swayed slightly from the force of it. Then he made his face emotionless as he said, “I want to know who he is so I can kill him.”
“That’s exactly what you’re not going to do. There’s more. He’s blackmailing her. In exchange for him not revealing your location, she has to steal for him. That’s the only reason she became a thief; to protect your tribe. That’s why I said to not pass judgment yet,” Rick said. “She’s going to help us catch him. They’re supposed to meet tomorrow night.”
“Where and when?” Reckless said as his dark eyes sparked fire.
“I could refuse to tell you, but you’d just track us down. I know you, Reckless. You’d find some way to follow us. I’m going to have you go with us, but I’m making you promise me that you will not kill him. You either promise me or I’ll lock you up,” Rick said.
Reckless and Rick stared at each other a long time as Reckless made up his mind. Everything within him cried out to avenge the heinous acts that had been committed against his little sister. He wanted to torture this man and make him scream and beg for mercy before killing him in the most painful way possible.
Reckless had the knowledge and ability to do just such a thing, but he also had to consider what was best for his family and his tribe. Yes, killing this soldier who dared to call himself a man would feel good, but would it help all of them in the long run? He thought not. He heaved a sigh, the only outward expression of his inward turmoil and nodded at Rick.
“I promise to not kill him unless it is necessary,” Reckless said.
“Good,” Rick said. “That’s all I ask. Now, go back to your wife and babies and enjoy this time. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Reckless smiled and returned to their tipi.
*****
In the morning, Rick showed up at the Dwyer estate to talk to Joe. He knew breakfast would be in full swing and he’d be able to catch Joe before he left for somewhere. Randall let him in and they entered the dining room. Everyone greeted the deputy and Emily came to him for her hug.
“Where’s Curtis?” she whispered in his ear.
Rick looked into her mischievous hazel eyes and grinned. He handed Curtis’ bag to her and said, “Take him to the playroom and shut the door. Don’t let him out, ok?”
Emily nodded and ran off. Joe hated the ferret but the children were allowed to play with him as long as he was kept in the playroom and not allowed to roam the house. Rick smiled as he watched Joe listen for the playroom door and sag in relief when it was shut. Deena had never had any contact with Rick outside of the restaurant, but had heard stories about his eccentric behavior.
Over the last seven months, Rick had gotten friendly with Joe’s household members since he’d been there so much with Gina and her children. He sat down in the empty seat by Deena and smiled at her.
“So I hear that Eddie stole you away from the Grady House. Jack went in to get our usual this morning and Alice told him,” he said to her.
“Yeah. It was too good an offer to pass up,” she said.
“Joe’s famous for stealing people away from other jobs,” Rick said.
Joe nodded. “I know good people when I see them and treat them as such. I still don’t know how I ended up with you.”
“Because Jake is smarter than you.” Rick smiled as he poured a cup of coffee. “Lovely sends her regards to everyone and says she’ll be out this afternoon to work on that dress, Lacey.”
“Good. I have a lot to talk to her about,” Lacey said.
“Like what, darlin’?” Joe asked.
Lacey smiled sweetly at him. “I’m not telling you.”
“But you’re
gonna tell Gina.”
“It’s girl talk,” Lacey said.
Joe arched an eyebrow at her. “I like girl talk.”
This statement was met with laughter.
“What?” Joe said. “Y’all haven’t been properly entertained until you’re sittin’ outside a bunch of ladies’ dressing rooms listening to the conversations. Women say men are sexist and, um, letches? They’re just as bad, let me tell y’all.”
Deena listened to this with interest. She had the feeling that she was going to learn a lot about Dawson’s first family just at breakfast, let alone working there so much.
Lacey arched an eyebrow at him. “When were you sitting outside of ladies’ dressing rooms?”
“When I was but a young lad. I’ve already told you how I was coaxed into going on shopping trips with my mother and her friends. Well, while they were out in the shop pickin’ out this and that, I snuck back to the benches outside the dressing rooms and just sat there.” He laughed. “I sure got an education.”
The men present laughed and Joe rolled his eyes. “Not just that, although that was fun, too. But I gained a lot of insight into why women think the way they do and why they feel certain ways about certain things. I listened to them complain about their husbands or their beaus and thought if I ever did get married, I wouldn’t treat my wife like that.”
Darryl, a young stable hand asked, “So what do women want?”
“Ladies, please correct me if I’m wrong.” Joe thought for a moment as he chewed, then said, “Women want someone who will listen to them. I mean, really listen, not just sit there and nod his head when he thinks it’s the right place to do so. They want someone who will be honest with them. They want to be made to feel special, like no one else but them matters. Kindness is very important, too. And for God’s sake, be funny! Women like to be cheered up when they’re sad and if you can make them smile, even a little bit, that’s a good thing. Too many men are afraid of showing affection in public. Even just a squeeze of her hand can go a long way toward letting her know how you feel. A look, a certain way you smile. Damn, I should write a book about this. It would fly off the shelves.”
Deena stared in amazement at the mayor. “You learned all of this by listening outside of dressing rooms?”
