One Magic Night

by Cheryl Pierson

  But Shay didn’t smile. “I fear there was quite a bit of harm done, Miss Whitworth. You lost at least one suitor tonight.”

  Her heart clenched at the gentle reminder, but only because of what her father would have to say about it. He’d pinned his hopes on her marriage to the attorney. Katrina bit her lip. “Yes. I know. But I wasn’t in love with Jack.”

  It felt odd to say those words aloud. During their month-long courtship, she had tried to convince herself that she did love him. Or that the possibility of love might arise later, even if she didn’t feel it as strongly as she might have hoped earlier on. The fact was, she had never experienced the raw attraction for Jack Thompson during the past few weeks that she already felt for Shay Logan, a man she’d met less than three hours ago.

  Shay studiously concentrated on eating the last of his chicken, then laid the bone on the edge of her plate before looking up at her once more. “Have you ever been in love before, Miss Whitworth?”

  Katrina didn’t answer for a moment. She felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her lungs. His gaze snared her, held her fast, and she could not look away from his dark demanding eyes.

  “Yes,” she whispered softly. “I—I think I have. And you, Shay? Have you?”

  He took the plate from her fingers and set it on the ground, his glass beside it. “Yes. I have, too. But the young lady in question was…very young—much younger than I was. Probably about six or seven years younger, in fact. And her standing in society was…much different.”

  Katrina’s heart pounded so hard in her chest that she knew he had to be able to hear. Was he—could he possibly be talking about her?

  “What do you mean?”

  A faint smile crossed his face. “I mean…she was white—and I was not.” The spell between them was broken as he went on. “You see, Miss Whitworth, no matter how President Jackson sought to find ways to assimilate the Indians, we will never be white. And that societal standing is something most women would find very hard to live with. Possibly even harder than the age difference.”

  Katrina reached to take his hand. “I can’t see that either of those things would be an obstacle that couldn’t be overcome…as long as the love was true.”

  Shay’s fingers gripped her hand, the surprise passing quickly through his eyes to leave only determination and certainty.

  From somewhere behind them, a man’s voice surged over the noise of the crowd, calling Shay’s name. Still, Shay’s gaze held hers for another moment before he looked away.

  “Dr. Logan!” Ethan Towers pushed this way through the crowd, looking around as Shay stood to catch his eye.

  “I’m here, Ethan.”

  Relief flooded the younger man’s face as he rushed over. “The baby’s coming! Loretta didn’t want me to come for you yet but she’s in a lot of pain—”

  Coming to his feet, Shay laid a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “You did the right thing. I’ll be right over as soon as I stop by the boarding house to get my bag. Tell me where you live and I’ll—”

  “I’ll come with you, Shay,” Katrina offered, as she stood beside him.

  He turned to look at her, the gratitude plain in his face. “Are you sure? It’s liable to take all night and part of the day tomorrow.”

  Katrina smiled. “I think Loretta would welcome the company of another woman. She’s a good friend. I don’t mind—however long it takes. You’ll get there faster if I’m with you to show you where the house is. It’s kind of tricky, being in an area you haven’t been back to for so long.”

  Shay nodded, then looked back at Ethan. “You go on, Ethan, back to Loretta. Miss Whitworth and I will be along shortly.”

  “Doctor Logan,” a stout elderly woman said loudly above the crowd. “I’ll get Ellis to drive me out there directly.”

  Shay nodded. “Much obliged, ma’am.”

  “Thank you, Doctor.” Ethan’s face clouded briefly. “I don’t know how we’ll pay you, but I promise you’ll get your fee.”

  “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

  The crowd had become silent, listening to the exchange between the men. As Shay turned to look at Katrina once more, she felt his anticipation and eagerness to be with his patient. Katrina scanned the small gathering for a glimpse of her father but he was nowhere to be seen. She caught her sister Renee’s eye and motioned her over from where she stood with the Lewis boy.

  Renee was five years her junior, as tall as Katrina already. Though she was younger, she’d always had more than her share of beaux.

  “I’m going with Dr. Logan,” Katrina told her as she neared. “Loretta Towers is having her baby, and I’m going to be with her.”

  “May I come, too?” She put out her hand looking up at Shay. “Hello. I’m Katrina’s sister, Renee.”

  Shay took her hand in his. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Whitworth, but your sister and I will manage, and Mrs. Avery will be along directly. I’m sure you’ll be needed at home later on.”

  She shot Katrina a glance. “Oh, yes—Jeremy will need me if you aren’t there—what with Papa being tipsy as he is tonight.”

  Katrina gave her a disapproving look, but turned to follow Shay, who was already starting to make his way across the lawn. He reached back to take her hand, and all thoughts of her sister, brother and father vanished. She felt as if she were floating on air.

  ****

  As Shay’s rented buggy sped toward the Towers’ home, his thoughts raced just as wildly. He surely must have lost his mind, taking Katrina Whitworth along with him on this night’s work. One of the older matrons would be more qualified to assist him in a birth.

  One glance at Katrina’s excited face banished his doubts. It made a difference that she wanted to be there with him, and not just for the delivery of her friend’s baby.

  A reluctant smile quirked his lips. “Have you ever done this before?”

  “Yes—well, no. Not for a person. Of course, when Tabby’s kittens were born, we helped her along.” Her smile widened in remembrance. “Such a miracle, those sweet, wee things! They all made it, too, and so did Tabby, though she had a hard time with the last two. She had six in that litter.”

  “Loretta—is she a good friend?”

  At that, he noted how Katrina’s smile faltered a moment. “She’s…yes, she’s a friend. She’s also Jack Thompson’s sister.”

  Shay didn’t answer. He imagined Thompson would eventually come to check on his sister’s welfare. The other implication followed shortly. “You…think your friendship may be over once Loretta finds out that you’ve ended it with her brother.”

  Katrina looked down. “Yes. She was so excited to think she and I would be sisters once Jack and I married.”

  Shay slowed the buggy, then drew it to a stop at a small widening of the road.

  “What—Shay—”

  He turned to look at her in the semi-darkness of the summer twilight. “I’ve ruined that for you, haven’t I, sweetheart?” The endearment tripped off his lips naturally, and it sounded sweet to him. By the softening of her features, he could see he had crossed a line he could never retreat from. She hadn’t expected him to ask that question, but it was obvious that the endearment had fallen on welcome ears, and a glad heart.

  “You haven’t ruined a thing.”

  In the silver shimmer of the rising moon and falling starlight, Katrina’s words sounded like a welcome affirmation of what Shay knew was happening between them.

  He reached for her, his head warning him against his rashness while his heart urged him to do what he’d wanted to do from the moment he’d seen her, standing with Delcie across the church lawn.

  “Oh, yes,” he whispered, his lips brushing hers gently. “I’ve ruined everything, Katrina.”

  She tilted her head up farther in sweet surrender and bold invitation. And he accepted. His hands were hesitant to touch, but she leaned into the shelter of his body, and he was lost. He encircled
her with his arms, holding her as if he’d never let her go, and the kiss deepened.

  Shay’s body was on fire with need for the beautiful woman he held in his arms. No surprise, he thought caustically. The thing that shocked him wasn’t the strong desire that flashed between them like lightning. It was the overpowering sense of trust he felt with her—and something else that touched his soul in places he’d thought never to feel again. Something he’d sworn never to fall to. Something that blew through his being with the alternating force of a storm gale and the first gentle stirrings of a warm summer breeze after the frozen winter. He couldn’t deny the thing he feared most to put a name to.

  As her lips parted and she surrendered to him completely, he knew he was already under Katrina’s unwitting spell.

  When he’d least expected it, love had come to him, swift, sure and with a bounty of hope. And Katrina was its name.

  ****

  Katrina’s heart melted. She knew Shay was practically a stranger to her—they’d only met this very afternoon. But she’d known him forever, in her soul. He might think that was silly, but she knew it was true. The way he kissed her was like nothing she’d ever known before. Jack Thompson had kissed her. The memory of his lips pressing against hers faded and fell away completely as Shay’s kiss drove every other thought from her mind.

  She trusted him. Some instinct told her he would never hurt her, and she’d never had that with Jack. She’d been proven right in her misgivings earlier this evening with Jack’s words to her. That feeling of holding back her heart, not turning it over to Jack, had played out true with good reason.

  Shay’s tongue tested her gently, and she opened her lips. The deepening kiss was too sweet for her heart to hold. She moaned softly and he lifted his head.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “You could never do that.”

  He shook his head, a faint smile crossing his mouth. “No. Not intentionally. But I think…maybe that’s happened in spite of my good intentions.” Regret followed as the smile faded.

  “Please don’t say you’re sorry. Or that I’m too young.” Katrina moistened her lips, tasting him. A delicious shiver ran through her.

  “Only one of those things would be true, Katrina.” He bent to kiss her nose lightly, then reluctantly released her.

  “I’m nineteen, you know,” she said, patting her hair. He reached to take up the reins once more. “I’m old enough to—” She broke off, appalled at herself.

  But Shay smiled down at her. “To know what you want?”

  She nodded.

  He slapped the reins together gently and the horse began to move. “There’s the rub. What you want and what’s best for you aren’t always the same thing.”

  “Are you saying Jack Thompson is the man for me?” Katrina was numb. How could he even suggest such a thing?

  He gave a low laugh at her indignation. “No. Never that.”

  Relief flooded through her, but she drew herself up tightly, away from the warmth of his side. “If you’d rather someone else assist you tonight, I’ll understand.”

  “Katrina, there’s no one else I’d rather have with me. I know some of the others will be along shortly, but Loretta’s a friend. And you’re used to taking care of Jeremy, so I know you have a fair amount of practical medical experience.”

  She didn’t answer, and he went on in a low tone. “Don’t you think I feel this—this attraction between us, too, Katrina? I’ve been fighting it since I saw you. I don’t believe in love at first sight. But—there’s something between us. I can’t deny that. It’s crazy—we don’t know one another. I’ve never felt this way—” He stopped himself, as if he’d confessed too much.

  Katrina turned and laid a hand on his arm. “Shay, I feel the same—” She looked at the tight set of his jawline and saw how hard he fought to hold her at arm’s length. He wouldn’t allow his feeling to show unless she could tear down the walls around his heart. “Who hurt you, darling?”

  He gave her a swift, sidelong glance.

  “I call you ‘darling’ because that’s how I feel, Shay. I’m—I’m being more forward with you than I’ve ever been before with anyone. Tell me—who hurt you so badly?”

  ****

  Shay didn’t speak for a few seconds. Was there anything he couldn’t tell her? He didn’t think so. She had stolen his heart, and now she only asked for his honesty.

  “I was taken from my family when I was ten, Katrina. The cavalry came, and my people couldn’t fight them. The children were taken. I was given to Reverend and Mrs. Logan.” He kept his eyes straight ahead on the road. This was harder than he had imagined. “Reverend Logan was a good man, but he wasn’t my father. I wanted to go home, more than anything. I tried.” He gave a bitter chuckle at the memories. “But I was caught and punished. And after a while, I began to lose myself. I was forbidden to speak or sing in my language. I wore white man’s clothing, spoke his language, ate his food—but Katrina, I am not white.”

  She made a sound and he glanced at her quickly. Tears shimmered in her eyes. He turned away, unable to bear it. No one had ever cried for his losses—not even he had been allowed to do that.

  “I never will be white, no matter what school I’ve been sent to, what knowledge I have or what piece of paper declares I have it.”

  Katrina leaned against him briefly. “How I wish I could change what happened to you! It’s so unfair. But then… we might never have met. And I’m a selfish creature in that respect. I could never wish things hadn’t conspired to bring us together. I don’t want you to be white, Shay.” Her voice came to him, low and sincere. “I only want you to be you.”

  The fireflies raced beside the buggy and in his vision they blurred for a moment, his eyes hot and stinging. His throat tightened, and he didn’t speak. If he did, he’d surely betray the emotion he felt. No one had ever said that to him, and he accepted her heartfelt statement as the sweetest gift he’d ever received.

  As if she sensed the deep emotions she’d managed to force to the surface with her quiet words, she reached to take his hand in hers.

  “Look at the fireflies, Shay. Aren’t they beautiful?” She laughed, and it was sweet music to his ears. “They’re lighting our way, along with the stars and this glorious moonlight. What a magical night this is.”

  Shay squeezed her hand lightly. “I think I have my own fairy princess riding with me.” He risked a glance at her, and was certain he’d spoken the truth. Tendrils of her auburn hair danced around her face in the warm breath of the breeze, and her green eyes sparkled with an inner glow that was highlighted by the silver warmth of the moonlight. Her full lips curved in a smile that was more than happiness—it spoke of inner contentment, as well.

  He couldn’t help but smile back at her as he said the words. She was more beautiful than any woman he’d ever known, but it wasn’t just her physical beauty he saw. Katrina had an inner strength that he admired. A rare quality that was beautiful in itself, even had she been homely—which, she wasn’t.

  “It’s a glorious night to be born,” Katrina said. “Ethan and Loretta’s little one won’t remember it, but we will never forget it, will we, Shay?”

  Never. Shay imagined when he was an old man, lying on his deathbed, his last thought would be of this moonlit summer night with the stars raining down their magical luster as he looked into the eyes of the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. This fantastical ride down the bumpy narrow road with their firefly escort would never be forgotten by either of them, he suspected. Nor would that kiss they had shared.

  “No,” he answered quietly. “We’ll never forget. This is an Independence Day to remember.” Through her unexpected love, Katrina had given him this—his freedom, at last, to be himself again.

  ****

  They arrived at the Towers’ small cabin, and Ethan met them at the front gate.

  “Thank you for coming so quickly, Doc.” He nodded in Katrina’s direction distractedly. “Katrina.” He started back t
oward the porch as Shay looped the reins around the fence post and grabbed his bag.

  When they entered the front door, Katrina heard a moan of pain from the back room. It came low, and guttural, and immediately something told her it was not natural.

  Ethan threw Shay an anxious glance. “This way, Doc. Can’t tell you how glad I am you’re here.” He lowered his voice. “I’m worried sick. We lost a baby last year. ’Course, we didn’t have a doctor here in Talihina then.”

  “Ethan, I want you to realize something.” Shay put a staying hand on the other man’s arm. “I am a doctor, but there are some things I have no control over.”

  “Surely you can deliver a baby safe and sound.”

  Shay stiffened. “I’ll need to see your wife, Ethan. It sounds as if she’d in distress, and she’s had problems before. Let me take a look.”

  Ethan gave him a long, measuring look. “This means everything, Doc. Everything.”

  Shay nodded. “I understand.”

  Ethan walked ahead of them and pulled back a curtain that separated the bedroom from the main part of the cabin. Loretta lay on the bed, bathed in sweat. Katrina immediately rushed to the far side of the bed, giving Shay access closest to the side where her friend was positioned.

  Loretta opened her eyes and looked up at Shay. “Please don’t let my baby die.” Her voice was a whisper, and Katrina noted the brief flash of worry that passed across Shay’s handsome features.

  “I’ll do my best, Mrs. Towers.”

  “Please…Loretta…call me Loretta.”

  Shay smiled. “All right, Loretta. I’m going to ask your husband to step out for a moment—”

  “Not Trina, though,” she protested weakly. “Please, Trina, don’t leave me.”

  Katrina shook her head and sat gently on the side of the bed. “I won’t, Loretta. I’ll stay with you, don’t worry.” She mustered a reassuring smile.

  “Yes…soon, we’ll be sisters. You’ll be the sister I never had.” She groped for Katrina’s hand and squeezed hard as another contraction overtook her.