Love on the Plains Read online

  “Do you know how to hitch the horse to the wagon?”

  James lifted his chin.

  She wasn’t sure what that meant, but she hoped it was yes. “Good. I’ll go inside and help Anna make some lunches, and then I’ll take you to school.”

  James stepped away from her, his mouth slack and eyes wide.

  “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to go to school?”

  He shrugged.

  Emma bounced on her toes. “He’s scared. Kids make fun ’cause he don’t talk. Besides, he don’t travel in wagons neither.”

  “Why don’t you talk?” Dinah asked.

  Emma giggled. “He can’t tell you if he can’t talk.”

  Despite herself, Dinah smiled. Emma was a darling. But she wasn’t Dinah’s responsibility, She mentally reminded herself. “Oh, I see. You’re so smart, you’ll be skipping ahead of your class.”

  “I can’t go to school. I’s too young.” Emma danced about with more energy than a dog chasing a rodent.

  “No, you’re not.”

  “I ain’t?”

  “No. So, James, you hitch the wagon, and Emma, you come with me. We need to get a move on if we’re going to get there before school ends today.”

  Emma let go of James and clung to Dinah’s arm. Her sweet little grip did something to her Dinah didn’t like. It warmed her heart. Dinah gently removed Emma’s hand from her arm. She’d spent enough time taking care of young girls, and those had been her kin. She glanced around the farm, and as confused as she was about what to do with the children and what she needed to do to survive, she was sure about one thing. She wanted what she’d traveled all the way to Iowa for: a man who would love and adore her and take care of her in the way she was accustomed to. A man who could bring her such happiness she could forget about the war. Staying here wasn’t going to make that happen.

  “Let’s go. It’s time to take control of our futures.”

  Emma ran along by her side. “You can’t control your future. Even I know that, and I is only five. God’s gotta plan for you. Even if you don’t like it.”

  Chapter Seven

  Three birds pecked at the remains of Colt’s breakfast that lay soaking into the hay. That woman was a force to be feared…and admired, he reckoned. Miss Dinah McKinnie may not understand why he couldn’t be near his nieces and nephew, but she was right about one thing. His sister would be upset at how he’d handled caring for her children.

  He pushed himself up from the ground and came to a seated position. His temples throbbed as if he’d been hit over the head with a bottle, instead of drinking its contents. Usually, he’d get another drink to help, but not today. Today, he needed to figure some things out, and hiding in the barn wouldn’t accomplish anything.

  The odor of drink, sweat, and cigars wasn’t helping his roiling stomach. A dip in the creek would offer some relief, and hopefully finish sobering him up. Last night’s accidental foray into the creek had done little to alleviate the effects of the alcohol, but at least he’d managed to find his way out of the creek bed, wobble up the hill, and pass out in the barn.

  He rose to standing, and the barn lurched to the side, causing him to stumble. The birds scattered, abandoning their feast. Ugh. How much had he drunk?

  After he steadied himself, he stumbled outside to find James standing in front of the wagon with shaking hands. Colt knew he didn’t like wagons, not since the accident, yet he didn’t ask for help. The boy never asked for anything. He only stood by, glowering at Colt, most of the time.

  The sun beat down on Colt, blinding him with stabbing pain. Something told him he deserved the agony. Maybe what little Emma would always say was right: God punished those who upset him. And Colt had upset the Lord plenty in his life.

  “You need help?” Colt offered.

  James didn’t even bother with a scowl, continuing to work in silence. The kid obviously didn’t know the first thing about horses and wagons. His pa died before he had a chance to teach him much. Poor kid.

  James dropped the tongue of the wagon onto the ground and suddenly stuck his finger to his mouth. Colt held out his hand, but James wouldn’t show his injury. Colt figured it couldn’t be too bad if he wasn’t screeching or writhing on the ground.

  Colt made quick work of the job, showing James the right way to hitch the wagon. Afterward, the boy walked off without even a nod of thanks. Fine. The kid didn’t want anything to do with his uncle. Obviously, James was a smart kid.

  Colt climbed onto the wagon bench to wait, but he didn’t have to wait long. The girls and Miss Dinah came out of the house and walked straight to the wagon. He had to admit, when the woman wasn’t yelling at him or throwing food, she was darn pretty. No matter how much he tried not to think about it, he’d dreamt about seeing her in her nightgown. He might still be drunk, but he wasn’t dead. Not yet.

  “I see you’ve come to your senses,” she snapped out. “Are you going to let me see to the children getting settled into school, or are you going to tie me up and force me to stay in the house?”

  “School.” He didn’t like her tone, but he liked the thought of dealing with teachers and answering questions about who he was and where he came from and why he was caring for the children even less.

  James returned and crawled into the wagon, his legs crossed in front of him, eyeing his red finger. At least it didn’t look broken. Emma settled in next to him.

  “There’s no big hills to town, right?” Emma asked.

  “Why?” asked Miss Dinah.

  “’Cause James is scared. He dreams of Ma and Pa dying.”

  “Hush up,” Anna scolded, before crawling into the wagon bed and sitting across from James and Emma. Her legs were outstretched, and ankles crossed like a lady. Just how her ma used to look when she was young.

  “No hills,” Colt mumbled, and snapped the reins to set the horse headed off to town. At least while there, he’d have a chance to do some investigating and ask a few people if they saw Gabe yesterday before the young man had headed out to check his traps.

  It was a long, quiet ride, with only Emma piping in occasionally when she saw a bunny or butterfly. The kid liked her creatures. Colt eventually pulled the wagon to a stop up in front of the hotel. Miss Dinah moved her gloved knuckle away from her nose for the first time on the trip. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t have a chance to wash off before they left. He’d had to hitch the wagon.

  A man standing outside the hotel ran over and assisted her down from the wagon. She cooed and paraded around like she wore a grand evening gown, not his sister’s work rags. All the sorry saps along the road were eyeing, or waving, or making their way over to the Southern belle.

  The kids filed out, except for James, who remained in place, with his nails digging into the side of the wagon.

  “Go ahead, boy. Get out.”

  Miss Dinah rounded the wagon and stood at his side. “James, are you not feeling well?”

  Emma bounced up to the woman’s side. “I’s told you he don’t like wagons. He saw Ma and Pa die when their wagon overturned, you know.”

  Miss Dinah wrapped an arm around the boy and managed to get him to release the board. His body shook. “You’re safe and so brave. You have to be brave if you hitched this wagon with that kind of fear. Your mother and father would be proud of you. Come along, and we’ll get something cold to drink. That is, if Mr. Hardin will part with some money so that we may purchase school supplies…and maybe even a piece of candy.”

  A few women stood nearby, watching James. Colt didn’t want the poor boy to have more attention dumped on him than he needed. Quickly, he said, “The store’s over there. Tell them to put your purchases on my account. I’ll pay before we leave town. Get what you need.”

  Miss Dinah smiled up at him, an actual smile that shone brighter than the sun in the sky. If he was a man who believed in things unnatural, he’d guess that woman possessed special powers that lured men to fall in love with her. Well, that wasn’t him. No way. No how
.

  Colt waited for James to scoot to the edge of the board and hop down into Miss Dinah’s protective arms before he snapped the reins and headed for his office, careful to avoid the men who crossed the street in front of his wagon, blocking his way. He couldn’t seem to get Miss Dinah McKinnie out of his mind. The woman was something. Something that made men fools.

  He finally managed to maneuver over to his building to ask some of his men if they’d seen anything, but instead found Andrew inside, seated at his desk. The man never liked to get his hands dirty setting traps or any other kind of labor.

  Colt fell into the wood chair on the other side of the desk, and rubbed his aching head. “You find anything out?”

  “No, you?”

  “No. Haven’t yet asked around town today, but last night I got nothing at the saloon.”

  Andrew set his cigar down on the edge of the desk and stretched. “You sure it wasn’t Indians?”

  The way the man watched the front window and didn’t look Colt in the eye made him suspicious. “You ever known an Indian to leave a scalp next to the body?”

  “No,” Andrew said, his tone flat. Too flat.

  “You got something to share, now’s the time.”

  Andrew stood and rocked on his heels, his thumbs hooked in his suspenders. “I don’t. I think you’re probably right. The murder is some sort of business situation. There hasn’t been a murder here from Indians in years. That said, I can’t think of who might want to kill the man. Our biggest competition is Benjamin Hedges, but he’s not a murderer. Of course, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t pay someone else to do it.”

  “I know some of his trappers. I’ll dig around some, and see if anything sounds off.” Colt dropped his head in his hands, frustrated to realize Andrew didn’t look any worse than normal. That man could sure hold his drink.

  Andrew picked his cigar back up and took a long drag. “If it was Benjamin Hedges, don’t know why he’d leave the scalp, though. He knows as much about Indians as we do.”

  “Unless he did it on purpose to throw us off.”

  Andrew coughed, and smoke exploded from his lips several times before he managed to get control. “I guess anything is possible.”

  Colt eyed the man. Could Andrew have done the same? Scalped his own employee to make it look like Indians, knowing he’d be ruled out immediately? “You still hoping to sell your share of the business to Benjamin Hedges?”

  “Hoping, yes. But you said no. We agreed that I would stay on here for two more years, so here I am.” Andrew said clearly.

  Colt narrowed his eyes. The man wasn’t slurring his words, or rubbing his head, or moaning like he was hung over. “How you not feeling the effects of last night?”

  Andrew laughed. “I do. I’ve just learned to hide it, given I have a wife who believes drinking’s a sin.”

  “Does your wife believe anything is not a sin?”

  “Not that I’ve discovered.” Andrew grabbed his hat and plopped it on his head. “Might as well go enjoy another sin while my wife isn’t around to tell me how I’m going to Hell.”

  “You gonna stay with her?”

  “We have children together. My pa left when I was little.”

  Colt frowned. “That’s not an answer.”

  Andrew raised a shoulder. “I wouldn’t like doing that to my boy.”

  With a grin, Colt said, “Guess your wife doesn’t always say no.”

  “She’s said yes four times.”

  Colt laughed. “You’ve got four kids.”

  “Exactly.” Andrew opened the door. “Let me know what you find out. I’ll ask around some more to see if anyone saw anything.”

  Andrew stepped outside, leaving Colt alone in the office. He didn’t much like to be inside; he didn’t even have a desk. Outdoors and away from people always suited him better. At least, since he’d become a businessman instead of a killer.

  Suddenly the front door flew open, and in walked Samuel.

  “You hiding out in here?” his employee drawled out. “By the way, I seen your missus.”

  “I don’t have a missus,” Colt barked.

  Samuel’s boots hit the floor with heavy steps. “Guess that’s good, since the men are all lining up to win that beauty. Dang, she’s probably the prettiest woman to ever visit these parts.”

  Colt smacked his hand against the desk, but all the action did was punish his aching head.

  “I heard you threw a few back with Andrew last night.” Samuel settled on the edge of the desk. “You know, you’re gonna lose that woman.”

  “Don’t care.” Colt crossed his arms and sat back. “I need to get a wife who will stick around and watch those little uns’ or I’m gonna be stuck here far longer than I can handle.”

  “You really think any woman is going to come to town and go raise those children with no promise of a real husband? Unless you’re Andrew’s wife, women have needs.”

  They both burst out in laughter at Andrew’s expense.

  “Yes, well, it don’t matter. I’ll find someone.”

  Samuel’s eyebrows did a stomp on his eyelids. “Really? One better than that beauty who is already here? How long you think it will take until you can get another bride? Men ’round here been waiting a lot longer than you. I hear men farther west are trying to buy women, and can’t even get them. Good luck getting another one.”

  Colt didn’t like what Samuel was saying. “You really mean that? You think I won’t get another bride?”

  Samuel removed his hat and scratched his thinning hair. “All I’m saying is it could be a while. How long you willing to wait? If you were a little agreeable, you could keep the one you got.” He placed the hat back on his head. “Have you seen her? I mean to say, I know you don’t like people much, but man, you must be blind.”

  Colt grunted. “I noticed.” The images of Miss Dinah, the night before, standing before him clad in that nightgown, didn’t help him keep his plans in check.

  Samuel headed for the door. “If you do decide to keep her, do yourself a favor and take a bath. You smell worse than an animal that’s been dead for days, and I’m around trappers and hunters all day. Whatever you do, do it quick. I think she’s already had four marriage proposals today.”

  Colt stood and followed Samuel’s footsteps.

  “Good man. I knew you’d make the right choice.”

  “I haven’t made any choice except to go talk to Hedges.”

  “Right,” Samuel said in a teasing tone.

  Colt didn’t acknowledge his innuendo. Instead, he marched outside and down the walk, heading over two streets to Douglas in hopes of talking to Hedges, but the man and his business associates were out of the office. Colt stood at the corner of Second and Douglas, but decided to go check in on Miss Dinah and the children at the school, so he walked up Douglas to Sixth and over to Pearl. He’d heard Miss Louisa Putnam taught the younger kids there. It only took him a breath to realize he was in the right place, when he spotted several men peeking into the window of the building that temporarily housed the school. He had no doubt Dinah was inside.

  Samuel had a point. Dinah McKinnie wasn’t a horrible woman to come home to. And since he needed a woman to take care of the children, then she was as good as any. Not that he wanted a real wife, but waking up with her wouldn’t be too bad, either. He eyed the hotel and spotted the sign, Bath. Clean water. .50.

  He thought about it for a minute, and decided the creek wouldn’t be enough to clean him up, not this time. After purchasing some clothes at WH Livingston’s, he went to clean up. It was a plan, nothing more. If he needed to act like a gentleman for a while, then he would. He never had trouble getting a woman to notice him. A woman like Dinah only needed to be told she was beautiful, and she’d believe anything. He’d have her begging him to marry her by the end of the night.

  Chapter Eight

  The teacher had agreed to take the children into the classroom even though the school day had already begun. Dinah settled
James into a seat in the back of the room. The smell of cedar and old papers filled the one-room schoolhouse. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a few hours to get you.”

  The little boy only nodded, not a word escaping his lips. She started to wonder if he’d ever speak again. It didn’t matter, though. She wouldn’t be around long enough to find out. Now that she had the children settled and Colt Hardin out of the way, she could finally speak with some of the men who’d followed her to the school, to determine their eligibility.

  The swarm of dusty and dirty-clothed men with beards and bad breath greeted her at the bottom of the steps. It was all she could manage to keep from running from the mob, but she wouldn’t. They were harmless enough, but not what she was looking for. “Do any of you gentleman know where I might be able to speak with a man of the law?”

  One man hollered out, “Sheriff Lambert’s still out with a posse.”

  “I meant to say a lawyer. Or perhaps a doctor?”

  A man spit on the ground next to her. “You sick, ma’am?”

  “Only of you poor shack of a fellows. All of you get now,” came the voice of Mr. Andrew Sanbourn.

  Dinah smiled. She wouldn’t forget the voice of the only man worth marrying that she’d met since her arrival. Unfortunately, he wasn’t available.

  The handsome man approached her, sweeping his hat off in an elegant bow. “Doc Smith’s over on the other side of Pearl Street. I can escort you, if you’d like.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Sanbourn.”

  “I’ll do better than that for you.” Andrew put his hand on the small of her back. She had to force herself not to pull away, since her body had responded with a muscle-tightening dislike. Perhaps it had been too long since she’d felt the possessive hand of a gentleman leading her along. He guided her down the street. He nudged her around the corner between two buildings, then grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt. Quietly and urgently, he said, “You need to get away from Colt, miss. He’s not stable.”

  A little shocked that the businessman had pressed her into an alley, still, she heard the concern in his words, a concern echoed in her own heart. “I do not disagree, sir, but I’m afraid the scoundrel won’t set me up in the hotel, or help me get established in another location. I will need to make other arrangements.”