A Texas Sky (Yellow Rose Trilogy) (9 page)

right, and Dakota knew why the girls played out here

everyday.

"Where is Darvi this morning?" Dakota thought to ask,

taking his mind from the foul-smelling bottle Calder had

just uncorked. Just before the painful liquid touched down,

Dakota wondered if it would burn.

"She and Merry went to town. Thursdays are my mornings

off. I keep the girls, and Merry gets out for half the day."

This said, Calder looked into Dakota's face. He knew the

stuff he was using not only smelled bad but had a tendency

to sting. Dakota's face was utterly impassive, but Calder was

not fooled. The big man was in pain and keeping his mouth

shut in order to hide it But Calder was in for a surprise

"That burns," Dakota said quietly. "If I'd known you

were going to treat me like this, I'd have gone to town with

the ladies."

Calder was still chuckling over the comment when the

girls declared they were hungry. All four went inside to

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find something to eat

^

200

"LOOK AT THIS FABRIC, MERRY. THE GIRLS WOuld look WOnerful

in this dark pink."

Merry looked doubtful. 'It would be great for trim,

Darvi, but the twins need a dark background or they never

look clean."

Darvi nodded but couldn't honestly say she understood.

As a child she was not allowed to get dirty until she

came for her annual summer visit to Austin. Her family

had a yard in St. Louis, but it was all very trimmed and

proper. She could pick flowers, but her fingers were not to

touch the dirt. For a moment Darvi wondered how she had

survived.

"What are you thinking about?" Merry asked, interrupting

her thoughts.

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"Just now I was asking myself how my mother and

uncle could be so different and still have the same parents."

Merry suddenly looked intense and said, "You've never

talked much about your mother. How is she different from

Marty Bracewell?"

Darvi looked pained. 'It would take less time to tell you

how they're the same." She shook her head a little. "My

mother must have known Uncle Marty let me run wild

during those visits. I learned to ride and shoot. I came back

with a tan, scratched up my arms and legs, and probably

had a little dirt behind my ears, but she never said a word.

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She just plopped me into the tub, proclaiming that travel

made one 'so dusty/ and put me back into my routine."

"And from then on you were expected to be a little lady

once again," Merry guessed.

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Darvi smiled wryly. "That about sums it up. I would sit

in my proper little dress and shoes and long to be back

climbing trees with you. Merry!" Darvi exclaimed with a

sudden thought. "Will there be trees in heaven?"

"I'm not sure. I have a memory of reading something in

Scripture about that, but I couldn't tell you where."

Darvi's eyes sparkled with delight "I love all these

things I've yet to learn."

Merry's eyes widened with surprise. "Most people feel

just the opposite, Darv. They want to know it all right now

and are frustrated that they don't."

Darvi gave a little sigh. "I was so smug, Merry--so settled

in my own world and sure I knew who I was and

where I was going. No matter how much I don't know

right now, I do know one thing: I'll keep searching and

being in wonder, but I won't ever forget that God's Son

died for me, and someday 111 live forever with Him."

"I have all I can do not to hug you and burst into tears

all over again."

Darvi smiled. "I don't mind. I'd probably join you, but

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I have a better idea. Let me take you to lunch."

"Lunch? Is it that late?"

"No, but we forgot to eat breakfast, and I'm hungry"

Merry, feeling she were walking on a cloud, tucked her

arm into Darvi's and said, "I'll lead the way."

3-- 'Sr-S'-

"Did

I mention how I met your uncle?" Dakota asked

between bites of the fried egg, bacon, baked bread, and hot

coffee that Calder had prepared. 1

"No, I don't think you did."

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"I first met him when I went to his office about the

wound in my side, but then I visited this church and he

was there with his family. They invited me to lunch."

As Dakota was hoping, Calder took immediate interest

"What did you think of the church?"

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"I liked it. I didn't have a Bible at the time, so it was

somewhat hard to follow along, but I've thought a lot

about what both the pastor and your uncle said."

"So you discussed the sermon with Marc?"

Dakota answered by way of explaining what the

sermon had been about and why it had been confusing. To

his relief, Calder seemed to understand completely.

"I've had some of those same questions. Were you settled

with Marc's answers, or do you still have questions?"

"I have questions, but not about the sermon," Dakota

said, realizing as he did so that he was not very comfortable

admitting this.

"About what?"

Dakota answered with his eyes on his plate. "Prayer."

Calder could see that he would need to go easy. He

simply said, "If I can help, I'd be glad to."

"Thank you."

The men went on eating, Calder almost absentmindedly

assisting the girls before asking Dakota a general question.

The men talked easily about their jobs, neither showing

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outward appearances of stress.

When do I let things ride, and when do I push a little? It was

a question Calder wrestled with all through the conversation.

The meal ended, and Dakota even helped him clean

the kitchen, but the subject of Dakota's questions on prayer

did not come up again.

^-SrS-

How

do I really know You hear me when I pray? Dakota

asked the Lord not long after the meal. I know what Slater

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and Desmond have said, and at first I felt that You heard me, but

right now I'm not so sure.

Dakota stood at the window in his room, barely keeping

himself from pacing. Things had not gone as he had hoped.

He had wanted to ask Calder where this doubt was coming

from and where the answer could be found, but Calder had

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the girls to handle, and Dakota also knew the women

would be back at any time, since the doctor had only half

the day at home.

"I can't believe You would save me like You did and

then hide from me," Dakota now whispered toward the

glass, his heart aching to be heard and to know he wasn't

alone. "If You're listening, God, I need some answers. I

need to know that this is real." Tears clogged Dakota's

throat, and he didn't try to keep praying, not even in his

heart. He didn't believe it was right to throw a challenge at

God's feet, but he couldn't think of anything else to do or

say. If only he knew where to look in the Bible for answers.

A noise coming from the kitchen beyond his closed door

drew his attention. It sounded as though the women were

back. The trained gentleman in him immediately sensed

they might need help unloading the wagon. Glad to leave

his tortured thoughts behind, Dakota went to investigate.

^"3'9r

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Dakota couldn't have said where Thursday went, but

Friday arrived in a flurry of activity. He'd been up and

dressed only a short time when he heard Darvi's and

Merry's voices in the kitchen. The little girls chimed in

from time to time, but the moving of chairs and other

activity made it sound as if spring cleaning had arrived on

September 1. Dakota stepped out to find just that. All the

curtains were off the windows, and Darvi was elbow-deep

in a sudsy tub, a tub of rinse water at her side.

"Good morning," Merry greeted him, setting a plate of

food on the table. "How about some breakfast?"

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"Thank you," Dakota replied, trying not to stare at the

chaos around him.

"Sorry about the mess. I made the mistake of saying mat

I never got to my spring cleaning. Now Darvi's on a mission."

Dakota sat down to a high stack of griddle cakes, bacon,

and hot coffee, a smile on his face.

"Trust me when I tell you that this is a feast, and

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washing or no washing, this beats where I usually eat"

"Where do you usually eat?" Darvi asked in genuine

interest

"On the trail. The first three things the Rangers want to

know is whether you can ride, shoot, and cook."

"If s Koda!" one of the twins suddenly declared from

the doorway, charging in to climb onto the chair next to his.

"All right, let me see," Dakota ordered before looking at

her eye. "Ah, no scar. This must be Filar."

That little girl smiled at him in pleasure and then settled

in to watch him eat. Dakota talked to her some, but she

would have occasional bouts of shyness and not answer.

The scene changed entirely when Vivian showed up. The

second twin looked surprised to be left out of the pleasure

of watching Dakota, and with a little frown at her sister,

Vivian pushed into the chair next to her in order to glue her

eyes on their guest.

"What are you two doing?" their mother finally turned

from the dishes she was washing to ask.

"Watching Koda."

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This stopped Merry entirely. "What did you say, Filar?"

The little girl had no idea what she was referring to, so

she just looked at her. Merry tried Dakota.

"What did she call you?"

"Koda."

Merry's mouth dropped open in an unfeminine way,

her head shaking in bewilderment.

"It doesn't matter," Dakota assured her. "I don't mind

in the least."

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"Girls," she began anyway, "I want you to call Mr.

Rawlings by his name."

Their little heads bobbed just before Vivian turned to

speak to him.

"Koda?"

"Yes, Vivian."

Merry's mouth was opening to scold her when Darvi's

laughter rang out.

"Darvi! Do not laugh at this."

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"I can't help it! They're so sincere."

Merry saw that she was right and gave up. It was not

the way she wanted the girls to address adults, but she

decided against fighting this particular battle.

Having finished his breakfast, Dakota suddenly stood

and spoke. "Here, Darvi, let me get that"

"Oh, thank you."

Dakota took the heavy basket of wet curtains from her

hands, thanked Merry for breakfast, and followed Darvi