Destiny's Bride (31 page)

Her voice drifting to sadness tugged at his heart but urged him to keep the mood light. “Would you like some jerky before we begin?” Lone Eagle held out a dried piece of meat.

“No thank you. I’m not hungry. I’ll just get dressed.”

She took an unusually long time, obviously stalling.  Finally, she stood before him, the sparkle gone from her green eyes and a look of sadness on her face.  “I’m ready.”

The unspoken question—was she really ready?  He wasn’t.

***

The outline of buildings appeared on the distant horizon. By the sun’s position and the hungry rumblings in her stomach, Cecile estimated it was late afternoon. She stared in the direction of the town, her heart pounding in anticipation.

Lone Eagle reined in his horse near one lone tree in the middle of the vast prairie grasses. He dismounted and walked over to her to help her down. She leaned and fell into his waiting arms, then pushing back from his embrace, stared into his eyes, searching for the right words. The look of love shining there made parting harder.

“I love you, Lone Eagle, my Sioux warrior. I will never forget you, and you will forever be the husband of my heart.” Her voice cracked with emotion and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Tears swam in his eyes. He pulled her close and covered her mouth with his in one last searing kiss. Leaving her lips ablaze with want, Lone Eagle turned and jumped astride his horse.

Cecile stood by the tree and watched Lone Eagle until he became a tiny dot on the horizon. Every part of her ached with need for her Sioux warrior as she mounted and rode toward Castroville. While she struggled not to think about the past, she wondered about the future waiting just a short ride ahead.

Chapter Thirty-six

Castroville was a fairly good-sized town. The streets reminded her of Silver City, with planked walkways and rows of horses tied to the hitching rails. As she rode past the mercantile and a noisy saloon, people stopped and stared at her. Surely, a woman dressed in men’s clothing must be a strange sight. She felt very alone and frightened and realized she hadn’t thought the plan through completely. How was she going to find Walt? Who could she ask? What if he wasn’t in town anymore?

Overcome with the urge to turn her horse around and try to catch up with Lone Eagle, she continued riding down the street.  Her tight grasp on the saddle horn whitened her knuckles. She had no idea where to begin.

Passing the town bank, she recalled Walt asking her father to wire money there for payment on his property. It seemed like a good starting point. She halted her horse at the hitching post.

The similarities of the building brought back a wave of memories of
Silver City and the job her father held there. Behind this desk sat a portly, bald little man with a very wide grin—not at all like tall, somber, business-like Harvey Palmer. She noted from a nameplate that the chubby man’s name was Jonas Matthews.

Jonas immediately jumped to his feet and pulled out a chair for her. “How can I be of service to you, miss?”

Her cheeks flamed. “Please excuse my appearance, Mr. Matthews. I just arrived after a very long journey to get here. I’m looking for someone and hope you can help me.”

“Why sure. I’m happy to help. Who are you looking for?”

“Walt Williams. Do you know him?”

“Ah yes, Mr. Williams. I do know him.”

Cecile’s heart quickened as she waited for more information.

“Mr. Williams is a very valued client. In fact he was in just two days ago to take care of some personal business.”

“Do you happen to know where I can find him?” She held her breath, hoping he was still in Castroville.

“I believe he’s staying at the boarding house around the corner.”

She’d found him so fast, she took deep breath, then stood to shake Mr. Matthew’s hand. “Thank you so much for your help. I truly appreciate it.”

Outside, she paused to gather her thoughts. Did she really want to burst in on Walt looking like this? What options did she have? She had no other clothing nor money to buy any.

She walked down the plank walkway until she reached the corner. Peering around the edge of the building, halfway down the street she spied a hanging sign that read Riley’s Boarding House. She hesitated a moment, trying to organize an ample explanation and imagine Walt’s reaction. The old turn-and-run feeling returned, but she steeled herself and rounded the corner. She quickened her pace, and her breathing became faster and her anxiety level higher. Her heartbeat pounded in her temples.

Mrs. Riley, a plump, gray-haired woman with a warm, friendly smile, greeted her at the front door. She eyed Cecile with trepidation. “Are you looking for a room, young lady?” Her friendly voice belied her suspicious gaze.

Fighting the need to explain her bedraggled appearance, Cecile squirmed beneath the woman’s inspection. “No, ma’am, I’m looking for Walt Williams. I was told he’s staying here.”

“Yes, yes he is. Come in, please. He’s such a nice young man and my only boarder at the moment. May I tell him who is calling?”

Oh, my gosh. He’s here right now!

“Yes... please tell him that...”  Her voice trembled and she didn’t know how to complete her sentence.

Tell him his wife is here. The one who’s missing and probably presumed dead.

She squared her sagging shoulders “Could you please just tell him someone is waiting to see him. I would like to surprise him.” Surprise was an understatement. Shock was more appropriate.

Mrs. Riley smiled. “Of course.  Have a seat, dear, and I’ll go fetch him.”

Cecile couldn’t sit; she was far too nervous. She paced for what seemed like an eternity before Mrs. Riley came back into the room. “He’ll be down shortly. He’s just finished his bath.”

Great, he’s fresh and clean and I look like I’ve come from hell.

Cecile tried to improve her appearance by running her fingers through her hair, pushing stay ends back beneath the tie. Glancing down at her worn and dirty clothes, she wondered why she bothered. She stopped fidgeting and stared out the front window, her heart racing like a runaway team.

Chapter Thirty-seven

Cecile froze when someone behind her cleared their throat. “Hello, are you waiting to see me?”

Her boots became like leaden weights but she managed to turn.

The color drained from Walt’s face and he grasped the wall for support. She feared he would fall. He blinked his eyes a few times as if he couldn’t believe what he saw, but when the shock subsided, he crossed the room in two giant strides and gathered her into his arms.

“Cece, Cece, my God, is it really you? How... where?” He kissed her forehead and her cheeks, then brushed his lips against her.

She tasted the salt from his happy tears and reached up to put her finger to his lips. “Hush a minute. Give me a chance.” She wanted his arms to feel strange, his smell unfamiliar, but they weren’t.

Before she said anything, he claimed her mouth in a passionate and probing kiss she remembered all too well. Cecile pulled back and wiped the tears that streamed down her face. Once again she looked into the face she’d fallen in love with a lifetime ago. The memory was there but overshadowed by Lone Eagle. She stiffened in Walt’s arms.

He led her to the sofa. “I’m afraid to let go of your hand for fear you’ll vanish again.”                            She pulled free and stood. Pacing, she waited for the right words to come, then taking a deep breath, she began. “I thought you were dead, and now here you are. I’m so happy you’re alive.”

“I was beaten and left for dead,” he said. “But I managed to crawl to the wagon. I tried to find help but didn’t get very far. The last thing I remember was waking up and looking at the man who saved me.”

She knew the rest of the story now. A mental image of Trader Luke crossed her mind and she shivered recalling his leering stare. She dared not say anything to indicate that she knew him. There was so much to tell and she’d eventually get to that part of the story. How did she begin? While she tried to find a logical starting place, Walt took over the conversation.

“The man saved my life by bringing me here to the doctor. I stayed long enough to get my strength back, then rode hell bent to get home. I knew you would be consumed with worry.” His brow crinkled with worry at dredging up the memory. “I didn’t know what to think when I found you gone. I knew you wouldn’t leave on your own, yet some of your things were missing, too. I found the faint prints of an unshod horse in the yard. Since Indians are the only ones who don’t shoe their horses, I feared they’d kidnapped you.”

Cecile swallowed hard when he mentioned Indians. When she didn’t offer any explanation, he seemed unfazed. “I tried following the tracks, but with the high prairie grasses, it was impossible. I was beside myself. I didn’t know what else to do so I came back here to ask the law for help. I also wired your parents. The sheriff wasn’t willing to send a posse out because I couldn’t even tell him in which direction to search.”

The look in Walt’s eyes portrayed the desperation he must have felt. She remembered the helplessness that consumed her when he didn’t return. Cecile’s mind flashed on her parents for a moment. She pictured them receiving the wire and imagined their anguish matched the sorrow that played across Walt’s face at this moment.

She moved closer to him, and touched his hand. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“I was in constant touch with your folks by telegraph, and I even made a trip to see Aunt May at Christmas. It was just too painful to stay on the ranch without knowing what happened to you. I did spend part of Christmas day with your parents. We’ve all held on to the hope you were alive. And here you are, after all these months.” He grabbed her and kissed her face all over. Abruptly, he stopped, held her at arm’s length, and looked at her with bewilderment. “Where have you been?”

There it was…the horrible question she didn’t want to answer. Cecile took a deep breath. Her thoughts jumbled. Pictures raced through her mind; she saw the faces of so many people she loved, and so many people hurt by this whole experience. “Walt,” she croaked, “I’m not sure how to begin, so much has happened and I…I…”

Her voice choked on the words and tears spilled down her cheeks. Walt reached up and brushed them away.

“It’s okay,” he said, almost in a whisper, “take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

She paced like a caged animal, her mind spinning with where to start and what to say. She sat, the words forming on her tongue. Mrs. Riley entered and interrupted with an offer of refreshment.

“That would be nice,” Walt said.

Mrs. Riley quickly deposited a tray holding a teapot and cups on the table next to the settee and announced she was going out to do some shopping.

Cecile finally sat and took the handkerchief Walt offered to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. As she leaned back and sipped a cup of the honey-flavored liquid, she fought to suppress the images of Lone Eagle and Two Clouds that kept creeping into her thoughts. She combed her fingers through the top of her hair as if the motion could wipe away their faces.

Finishing the last of her tea, she placed the cup back on the tray. She took a deep breath. “When you didn’t return, I was so scared. I had no idea how to find my way to any place…not home to Mother and Father, or even back to the nearest neighbor’s spread I was alone and scared to death, but I realize now how immature I was. I was just a child playing grownup, taking everything for granted and expecting someone to take care of me, no matter what. I should have paid attention when we left
Silver City, or when we went to visit the Stinsons. There’s no one to blame but me.”

Suddenly she realized she’d gotten to the point where she discovered she was pregnant. Should she leave this part of the story out or lie?  Having his child definitely wasn’t a small detail.

Already tired from the trip, confusion and frustration overwhelmed her, too. She started to cry again.

Walt tried to console her with a hug. “It’s okay. You’re safe now and that’s all that matters.”

But it wasn’t all that mattered. How did she tell him where she’d been without making him hate her?

Chapter Thirty-eight

“Maybe you’ll feel better if you freshen up and rest a bit,” Walt suggested. “Then you can tell me everything.”

He pulled her to her feet and guided her up the staircase to his room. It was bright and cheerful like Mrs. Riley’s personality. Next to the bed and a large window, there was an armed chair, reading table, and lamp. Cecile spied a lush garden in the backyard, opened the window and took a deep breath of fresh air. “What a beautiful view.”

“Almost as beautiful as the one I’m seeing.” Walt poured fresh water into the basin and laid out a clean cloth and towel. Walking up behind her, he embraced her. “It feels so good to hold you again, Cece.”

She sagged against his chest and wondered where this was leading. She turned to face him, feeling awkward and struggling for words. Looking up at his handsome face, she remembered how she had once yearned to be held in his arms.