by T. S. Joyce
“She said everyone already knew by then that he’d been sleeping with the maid and that I’d ruined them. She said nobody wanted to make a match with a whoremonger. They searched the house I shared with my mother and found the trinkets Barron had given me. I didn’t know it at the time, but some of them were valuable. His mother, Evelynn French, told me my mother would hang for thieving. She knew those trinkets were really gifts from her son, but she needed a way to control my future. She said I could change my mother’s fate if I lived the way she demanded.”
Not even the startling movement of a rabbit that jumped the path up ahead could stop the words tumbling from my mouth now.
“I wasn’t to see my mother anymore. Ever. And I was supposed to live the life of a whore in retribution for what I’d done to her son and to their name. My mother was everything, you understand? I would’ve died to save her from a whipping. She is the best, most pure person you could ever meet and I had to save her from what I’d done. So I told her I never wanted to see her again, because if I didn’t, she’d find me and hang for it. I packed my things and left to the room Ms. French found for me. It was in one of the filthiest brothels in the underbelly of Chicago, and after the week of rent she paid, I had to start working men to earn that lousy room. And every two weeks she would drive in with her fancy carriage, and fine, frilly dresses, with a handkerchief over her nose to keep the smell of rot and sex and sewage away and make sure I was down in the dirt where she’d put me. And Barron never came to save me. He didn’t visit even once. He married a lady as proper as would take him and moved on.”
Luke cursed softly and pulled his horse to a stop beside me. Rosy halted with a small tug on her rope.
“How’d you do it?” he asked with furrowed brows under his hat. “How’d you come out laughing on the other side of all of that?”
“I’m quite determined nobody’s going to break me, sir. And besides, you should’ve seen Ms. French’s face when she realized I was making a fool of her. I talked more like a whore, and joked like a whore, and said crass things to the woman, and anyone with a lick of sense saw the fury building in her eyes every time she came to visit. It was quite an entertaining sight to see and it got me through some tough nights. Despite everything she’d done, she was still losing part of the game and it was burning her up inside.”
I giggled and tried to stifle it with my hand. Really nothing was funny about my story, but good lord if Luke had seen the look on her face the time she walked in on me with one of her acquaintances giving it to me right, and I’d just waved and said, ‘doing just fine here, Ms. French. See you again in two weeks,’ with a toothy grin, well he’d be laughing too.
Luke leaned against the saddle horn and rubbed the two day scruff on his face with a thoughtful expression. “I understand the reasons you didn’t tell me. I get it. You were looking for a way out and a man to protect you and you just so happened to land here. This don’t scare me off, woman. I’ll be your protector if that’s what you need from me.” The horse under him turned with his able direction and headed back where we came from. Luke turned in his saddle and pointed to me. “And I won’t let anyone ever do that to your face again, you hear me?”
And as I sat there watching him go, I fell in love for the first time. Real love. Not the kind dependent on secrecy or fear like what I had with Barron, but the kind that’s warmth hit you in the gut and made your heart beg for more.
If he was my declared protector, I’d do everything in my power to protect him back.
Chapter Ten
Luke
I had a time trying not to look back at Kristina while I led her to the house. The fear of what she’d see in my eyes left me too skittish to ride side by side with her like I’d preferred. That evil woman, Evelynn French, and all the horrid things she’d done to a sweet soul like Kristina gave me a slow burning fury to rival the deepest fires of hell. I knew evil existed in the world. You couldn’t be a creature of secret and not understand that the potential laid within every man. But never had its taint landed on our homestead. Thanks to that black hearted lady, whose dark tendrils of hate swung far and wide, two evil men dragged a woman, my woman, behind a horse and laughed about it.
A wolf could sense evil. Most dogs could, in fact, and my wolf had been screaming to kill both of her kidnappers and make the world better for it. She didn’t know it, and I wouldn’t tell her, but someday, despite her saving his wretched life, I was going to kill Matthew Streider. The wolf inside of me would enjoy snuffing out the remaining evil that clung to my territory.
Unable to help myself, I snuck a glance behind. She was beautiful, sitting on that Indian pony with her pretty posture in that deep blue dress of hers. She stared off into the forest with a faraway look. It gave me a good view of her neck, long and slender, that led to curves well hidden by the modest cut of the dark fabric.
She was a natural rider and it surprised me how attractive I found it. I’d tested her time and time again to see how she fared with new people; different people. In every situation, she’d been open to them. I could’ve removed the feathers from her horse’s neck or just cut them out if I had a mind to, but a quiet place inside that I didn’t fully understand yet wanted to see how she’d react to riding an Indian horse.
She hadn’t even flinched. She’d gone further and told me to leave them in and asked what the horse’s name in Nez Perce was. Yes it was a long shot but maybe, just maybe, she’d accept all of me as well.
All the admission to her past did was intrigue me. She’d weathered much in her short life and still, she was fighting to hold onto the best parts of herself. I’d seen able men give up under less dreary circumstances.
Drawing up short, I inhaled. The smell of unfamiliar horse and cart filled my nose, but when I scented the humans who’d brought them, I relaxed. Trudy and Elias waited patiently on the porch, swinging their legs off the side and talking easily.
“Got company,” I said, and watched Kristina’s face light up. How could another person’s happiness bring me such pleasure?
In haste, she jerked her knees and the mare responded. “Oh!” Kristina said as the spotted pony pulled into a bouncing trot. She looked jostled at first, but settled into the rhythm fast enough.
Kicking my own horse, I rode beside her as she laughed breathlessly. “Doing good, just let her have some rein so she don’t slow down on you. That’s it. Flex your legs every other bounce and hold onto the saddle horn if you feel unsteady.”
As with the stitching and quilting, she proved a capable student and quick learner and when she pulled the mare to a stop in front of the house, the uninhibited grin on her face had my insides turned upside down.
Elias took the reins of the mare and calmed the excited creature while I helped Kristina down. She didn’t need it, but I wasn’t about to pass up the chance to put my hands on her waist. She smiled slowly when I left them there longer than I needed to. She shivered curiously under my fingertips and when I gave her a questioning look, a blush crept right into her fair cheeks.
To Trudy’s obvious surprise, Kristina turned and nearly tackled her with a hug. Elias and I tied off the horses as the woman slowly hugged her back. Trudy gasped at the sight of Kristina’s green bruised face, and the sound had me panicking at some unseen danger.
The dark-skinned woman pulled Kristina behind her and graced me with an infuriated glare. “What have you done to her?”
Shocked, I didn’t have an answer ready. I guess if I’d been able to get to her sooner, those men wouldn’t have beat on her, but I hadn’t known she was gone. I’d been trying to scramble and get the horses back in the downed fence. By the time I knew she’d been taken, the scent trail had been washed out by the rain.
“No,” Kristina said, pulling the woman to face her. “Luke didn’t do this. He saved me from this.”
Trudy frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Come on in and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Kristina’s coffee was
still a little on the bitter side, but she was making strides for improvement. At least it likely wouldn’t poison us. When she’d told our company all about the kidnapping, Trudy pulled Kristina’s shoes right off without a question and poked each healing gash. Likely she was looking for infection, and not finding any she turned to me.
“I’m sorry for accusing you earlier,” she said. “It looks pretty bad though. Now you boys go on out of here and tend to them horses while we chat.”
Elias put his hat back over his blond hair as soon as we were outside. “That’s a pretty little filly you got there.”
“I traded for her. Kristina told me she wouldn’t learn to ride unless I found her a polka dotted horse, so imagine her surprise when I found one so quick.”
“Trudy still won’t get on one. Says she don’t trust them but she’ll drive a wagon without a worry. Maybe I should try to find her a spotted horse too,” he said with a wink.
With the horses untied, I pulled them both behind me. “Did you come up to deliver that dress Trudy’s been working on?”
“Yeah, we hadn’t see you two for a few days and Trudy was wanting to show off her work.” Elias looked back at the house and lowered his voice. “I’m here for different reasons though. Trudy told me what you are.”
“Trudy sounds like she’s making assumptions.”
“I’ve seen you fight men in town. You’re too fast to be human and you haven’t been all that careful concealing that fact. I ain’t here to string you up, Dawson. I’m here to ask for protection if ever there comes a time me and my wife need it.”
His face was perfectly earnest as his blue eyes sought mine. This was a first. Normally, if people figured our kind out, they’d be there with pitchforks and torches by the next evening.
“What’s your game?” I asked suspiciously.
Elias held his hands up in the air. “No game, I swear. We’ll never tell your secret. Hell, we’ll even try to dispel the rumors swirling around town. But Trudy isn’t exactly safe living here with me and I want to know that if we got in a bind, you’d help us out.”
“Why don’t you move if you don’t feel safe?”
“Move where? Where is our marriage ever going to be accepted? Where will we be safe?”
The man had a point. And really, it couldn’t hurt to have friends in town. Kristina seemed to get along with Trudy real well and I’d hate to see any harm come to them.
“If it don’t put my family in danger, I’ll have your back.”
The deep line of worry in Elias’s forehead smoothed. “Much obliged.”
I threw the huge wooden door open and the barn owls went to flapping their wings sleepily above us. “You want to stay over for dinner? Kristina ain’t much of a cook yet, but you’re welcome to whatever she comes up with.”
“Thank you kindly. And don’t worry overmuch about that. Trudy will have her whipped into shape in the kitchen in no time. She’s taken a liking to your young wife.”
She wasn’t my wife quite yet, but I wasn’t about to correct him.
I liked the way it sounded.
****
Kristina
Trudy showed me how to do properly a whole lot of things I’d been doing very wrong in the kitchen. Thankfully we had some time before dinner so she taught me how to make a fruit preserve pie with some peaches she’d brought with her in a jar. And when that was in the oven, she took me out back to the vegetable garden and we picked everything we’d need to make her famous beef stew.
“Your man’s got to eat more than a normal man and it’s up to you to feed him right.”
I guessed he was taller and more fit than most men I’d ever seen so that made sense. Frying eggs was definitely not going to keep him satisfied.
“All we lack is meat. You got a smoke house?” she asked.
“Out this way.” I led her to small log building some short distance off. Luke hadn’t been hunting since Jeremiah left, and now all that remained was a row of smoked venison jerky and a leg of beef.
With a practiced hand, Trudy grabbed the beef and hefted it to the house while I trailed behind with the basket of vegetables.
“You know how to use one of these?” she asked, sliding a large knife out of a sheath at her belt.
“No,” I said in wide-eyed wonder. It was almost as big as Luke’s hunting knife.
“Well, you ought to learn. It’s good in the kitchen and you never know when knivin’ skills will come in handy.”
A vision of Luke pinning Streider’s hand to a tree with one had me slowly nodding my head in agreement.
“Honey, are you okay?” she asked, squeezing my arm gently and searching my face.
I couldn’t think about that night any more than I had to, and I definitely couldn’t start feeling sorry for myself. “I’m fine. I’ve had worse before.”
Trudy’s face grew very serious as she unlaced the buttons to her dress. “So have I,” she said as she shrugged off the sleeves and turned for me to see the welled scars that ran in a criss-cross pattern across the expanse of her back. “But I also know it takes its toll.”
I sucked air through my teeth in shock and ran a light finger over one of the healed marks. “Men can be cruel, horrible creatures,” I breathed.
“Yes.” She pulled her dress back on with a dreamy look at the door. “But they can also be caring creatures if you find the right one.”
My own eyes were drawn to where I imagined Luke would be, brushing down the horses in the barn with Elias for company. “Yes, they can be. Makes them more special when you’ve seen the darker bits of men.”
“True,” she said as her last button was redone. “We’re the lucky ones and the coddled women don’t even know it,” she said with a smile.
I’d never thought of it like that. My experiences made it easier for me to see the true and honest good in people. In Luke. I always knew I was lucky, I just hadn’t figured out in which way until now.
“How did you and Elias meet?” I asked as I poured cornmeal into a bowl.
“He was the foreman at the plantation I worked for. I was a house servant because I was pretty and I talked nice. Learned fast too and was handy in the kitchen when the girls in there needed help for dinner parties. Elias oversaw the slaves in the cotton fields, and never have I seen a worse foreman. He was too soft. He didn’t have it in him to punish anyone and I fell in love with him the day he saved my niece from a lashing. He lied to the other men. Said she was going to grow up right pretty and be a comfort slave if they didn’t mar her body. Said they’d ruin her skin and she’d be worthless. Now my niece was many a thing, but she wasn’t ever going to be no comfort girl. Half rabid, that girl would bite their manhood off before any white man even got close, but Elias talked and talked until they was convinced. A few months later, the Emancipation came and Elias took me in the night to avoid any violence that was coming as a result. I was a freedwoman, but that wouldn’t do me any good if I was dead. He tried to get my family to come too, but they had different plans. I get a letter every once in a while from my sister, who has the words, and Elias reads them to me as they come in. They’re making their way up north.”
“Do you miss them?”
“Of course, but Elias is home.”
“I think I know what you mean. This place feels like home to me, too.”
“Because of Luke?” she asked.
“Because of Luke.”
“He really treats you all right?”
“Oh, yes, better than any man I’ve known. Granted I haven’t known many honest men,” I said as I waggled my eyebrows, “but he carries me over mud, and offers me an arm, and he’s been taking real good care of me while I’ve been hurt. And, Trudy, you should’ve seen his face when he killed the man that dragged me behind the horse. That monster was pissin’ on my legs when Luke tracked us down and just as I thought I was going to die, he came in like some avenging angel come to earth. They were mine to kill and he took the burden.” My voice trembled like a leaf
in the wind. “I think I love him.”
Trudy grabbed my hands and squeezed. “That’s different than what I thought then. I won’t be asking you about his treatment of you anymore. I just wanted to make sure you was safe, and you sound safe enough to me.”
Chapter Eleven
Kristina
Elias and Luke came in just as the last rays of sun stretched across the clearing that cradled our house. They talked and laughed amicably in front of the fireplace while Trudy and I put the finishing touches on dinner. After days of nothing but the patter of rain against the roof, it was good to have a house filled with the sound of conversation.
My favorite time of day came with evening. Luke removed his hat, jacket and the holster for his pistols. He was completely relaxed in his space, with all of that dark hair tumbling around his face, those glorious eyes that followed me as I worked looking even brighter and greener somehow. Like the moss we’d seen on the trees, engorged with the rains and nearly glowing with vibrant, healthy color.
Elias was a tender man who touched Trudy’s back often just to let her know he was there. They had the ease of time, and the comfort of an obvious love that taught them to move around each other as if they were dancing.
Someday, I wanted to be able to touch Luke in such a way.
When we bowed our heads to say grace over the steaming plates of food lying before us, an electric current traveled up my arm from where my fingertips touched Luke’s. I snuck a glance at him and he was smiling at me in a way that made my insides want to open for him like a spring flower.
“Amen,” they all said in unison. I was just a little behind on account of being caught swimming in the depths of Luke’s liquid eyes instead, but no one seemed to notice.
Dinner was a relatively quiet affair as we filled hungry stomachs, but the hum of conversation slowly returned with the men’s second helping of stew and cornbread.
“I’ve been having some trouble with cattle disappearing.” Luke seemed to speak only to Trudy. “I really need to spend the night out there and make sure the stock’s not being rustled.”
