Dorothy Garlock - [Wyoming Frontier] (9 page)

“It means you have as much chance making this a civilized town as you have of finding a cow in a tree.”

He grinned. She had a quick mind. Life with her would not be dull. “Stay and help me.”

“No. After we leave this town, I never want to see another miner or another mine.”

“Do you prefer a man with soft hands, a white shirt, and shiny black shoes? Do you have one waiting for you?”

“Goodness, no!” She said the words with such speed and force that he had to smile at her quick answer to the unexpected question. She stood still under the steady gaze of his black eyes. The frown of disapproval she shot at him did nothing but intensify his stare.

“That’s one hurdle we’ll not have to cross, not that I think it would complicate matters. Do you know what reincarnation means?”

Katy had turned away to look at the mountains. On hearing the question, her head swiveled around, and she looked at him to see if he were serious.

“Of course. I’m not stupid. I’ve known men who were snakes in their former lives and some who were buzzards.”

He threw his head back and laughed. With her wit, her laughter so effortless, and her slow, liquid drawl, she was enchanting. He had been waiting for her all his life. They could no more halt the tide of coming events than they could stop the sun coming up in the morning. Triumph moved through him.
She was his.
With his triumph came the need to hold her, love her, soothe and protect her. Love in the romantic sense wasn’t something he was familiar with, and it wasn’t something he had sought. Until he had met Katy, it hadn’t occurred to him that he would love a woman with all his heart and soul. He was dangerously close to doing that now.

“What would you say if I told you that I’m sure you and I have met in former lives?” He made the question a challenge, and his eyes gleamed with amusement as her mouth fell open and remained agape.

“I’d say that bullet that creased your scalp did more damage than I thought.”

“It’s very possible that we have been mates several times down through the centuries.”

“That’s certainly a farfetched but interesting assumption.” Her lips began to twitch, and then her musical laughter came suddenly as she began to see the humor in the situation. “I can see you as Claudius, Emperor of Rome, or Henry the Eighth, lopping off the heads of your wives.” Katy made some slashing movements as if she had a sword in her hand. “On the other hand, you may have been Genghis Khan, Captain Cook, or Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa Indians.” She stopped play-acting and stared into his dark eyes that had suddenly gone serious.

“You may have been Helen of Troy, Cleopatra or Lady Godiva. All were very beautiful.”

“Not my style. I’m not foolish enough to let a snake bite me, or to ride naked through the streets of Coventry I’m more the Lucrezia Borgia type.”

“You’ll not poison me, Katy. Does the name
Nightrose
mean anything to you?”

“Nightrose? Oh, sure. It tells me that you’ve been in these mountains too long,” she snorted and turned away.

“Don’t go! I’m not up to chasing after you just yet.” The commanding tone in his voice cracked across her pride like a whip.

“Don’t order me around,
King Richard.
This isn’t the Middle Ages.” She whirled to face him, flung the thick rope of hair over her shoulder and rested her fists on her hips. “Women are no longer chattels,” she spat at him. “We even vote now!” Her eyes burned at him resentfully, and her voice rose in spite of her wish to stay calm.

He looked searchingly into her eyes, and, ignoring her anger, spoke calmly.

“Katy, haven’t you ever felt for an instant that you’ve done something before?”

“Of course, hasn’t everyone? It’s a phenomenon. To attach any significance to it is just ridiculous!”

“I don’t think it is. I think that feeling opens a window into our past and offers a glimpse into our future. You and I will be continuing our relationship in this life, and we should start off on the right foot.”

“What relationship, Mr. Rowe? We’ll have no relationship because I’ll not be here, and that’s my final word on it.” She felt shaken and a little out of breath. She wrapped her arm about the porch post and leaned against it.

“Katy, I hadn’t planned to have this conversation with you just yet, but I think it best that I lay my cards on the table so that you’ll know where I stand. I don’t want you to leave Trinity, therefore you will stay until I’ve completed my business here. Then I will take you to where we will establish a home.” His face had a harshness that made her shiver. His voice was so even that it took her a moment to hear the positive note in it.

“You’re crazy!”

“
Omnis amans amens,
” he said with a shake of his head.

“What gibberish is that?” she demanded.

“Latin. Every lover is demented.”

As Katy’s startled eyes met his, an icy hand squeezed her heart. “We’re leaving as soon as we can, and you’ll have nothing to say about it.”

“But I will, Katy. You’ll stay and help me build a town,” he said confidently.

“And you’ll fly to the moon on a broomstick!”

“You and your sister will not be alone again,” he said, ignoring her outburst. “I’ll provide for you and protect you while we get to know each other better.”

It was the wrong thing to say, and Rowe realized it the instant Katy’s face turned a dull red, her eyes blazing angrily. He had trampled upon that damnable Southern pride that Southern ladies carried like a shield.

“You’ll provide for us! And what do
you
expect in return? We’re not beggars! We’ve not asked you for a damn thing. You volunteered your protection when the outlaws rode in. You demanded that we accept it. We don’t want your charity, and as far as getting to know you—bullfoot! I know you as well right now as I ever will.”

“You’re wrong, but I realize I can’t convince you of that just yet. I didn’t mean to offend you. I admire your pride and your independence.” He smiled at her, and that smile was a threat. It held admiration and such implacable determination that she shivered even though she was sweating with anger.

“You’re not planning my life, Mary’s life, or Theresa’s life,” she sputtered. “So back off!”

“I can’t do that, Katy. You’re the woman who will share my life. Sooner or later you’ll realize that fate brought us together.”

He spoke calmly again, as if he believed the ridiculous things he was saying. He’s out of his head, she thought wildly.

“What you’re saying is so farfetched it’s not even worth discussing!” Katy crossed her arms in front of her and gripped her elbows with her hands. “If I thought I’d spend my life in a mining town like this one, I’d . . . I’d jump off the highest mountain.”

“We’ll not be in a mining town forever. I have some land picked out for a ranch.”

“Sheep ranch or cattle ranch? Bullfoot! You’re making me sorry I shot that man before he could shoot you,” she blurted, knowing it was a childish thing to say. She wanted to say something that would really cut him down, but she realized she had failed when she looked into his dark laughing eyes. The humor of the situation hit her suddenly and the laughter that could come from her so unexpectedly rang out. “You’re as crazy as a bedbug,” she commented with a shake of her head and stalked off.

Behind the building and out of his sight, Katy stopped. The quiet hung heavily on the town, but Rowe’s words roared loudly in her head.
You’re the woman who will share my life. You’ll not leave until I do.
He was teasing her. Wasn’t he?

Katy had felt strangely alive when she was with him, but she had put it down to the fact that she hadn’t conversed with an interesting man in months. Suddenly she was jolted by an instant flash of memory:
This was not new to her! It had
happened before
! The next thought that came to her was that she was losing her mind. Rowe had planted the seed in her mind that they had known each other in another life. The idea was interesting but not practical, her common sense told her, and the sooner she got it out of her head the better off she’d be.

Rowe watched her leave. He wanted to call her back, but knew that she wouldn’t come. He wasn’t sure why he had said all those things to her. Hell! He wasn’t even sure that he really believed it all himself. It was interesting to think he had known her in another life. Her image had haunted his dreams as he lay in her bed. He had imagined long winter nights, holding her in his arms, loving her. She would be a passionate lover. Later, he would watch her stomach swell with his child. It wasn’t that he just needed a woman. He was a man who believed in quality rather than quantity and had gone for long stretches of time without the relief other men sought from the bangtails who followed the miners.

Abruptly, he felt bitter resentment rising in him. He didn’t like this compulsive need to look at her, to know where she was and what she was doing. He didn’t like the power she had over him. He liked being in control. Katy was delicate and elusive, yet strong, a woman with a mind of her own, who would buck him every step of the way. He was certain, however, of two things: he wanted her, and she wasn’t leaving Trinity until he did.

Mary was the first to see the train of wagons coming around the curve and down the road into town. She had been to the garden to check the potato vines for potato bugs. Since the shooting, she and Katy had moved about without fear, reassured by Rowe’s presence.

“Rowe! Wagons are coming.”

Rowe, making a reed whistle for Theresa, looked up, folded his jackknife, and slipped it into his pocket. Holding onto the porch post, he stepped down with a slight grunt. The wound in his thigh was healing, but he was stiff from inactivity. He squinted his eyes toward the huge lumbering wagons being pulled by four mules and six mule-hitches, with the riders coming ahead of the wagons.

“It’s about time,” he grumbled.

Mary stepped up onto the porch and took her daughter’s hand. After more than two months of being here alone, it was exciting to see people coming into town.

“Is Papa coming?” Theresa asked.

“No, honey. I don’t see Papa’s horse.”

“Where’s Katy?” Rowe was suddenly anxious that she be with him when the men arrived. He would make it plain to them that she was his and that Mary was to be treated respectfully, or they would answer to him.

“She was with the horses. She’ll come when she hears the wagons.”

“I’m here,” Katy said and stepped up onto the porch behind her sister.

“You’ve nothing to fear from my men. I’ll see to that.” Rowe saw the look of distaste on Katy’s face as she watched the caravan approach.

“I know what kind of men they are. I’m prepared to take care of myself . . . and Mary.” She drew the small pistol from her pocket. “It’s small but very effective at close range.”

“My God!” Rowe exclaimed. “Have you been carrying that Derringer around with you all this time?”

“I have, and I know how to use it.” She cocked the gun. “It’s loaded, and it has come in handy more than once. You’d be surprised at how a small gun can discourage a big man.”

“That damn thing’s got a hair trigger. You’ll shoot your leg off. Give it to me.” As he made a move toward her, Katy stepped back, easing the hammer down and slipping the pistol back into her apron pocket. The commanding tone in his voice set her teeth on edge.

“If you try to take it, Genghis Khan, I’ll shoot you in your other leg.”

“Katy! For goodness’ sake!” Mary was shocked by Katy’s words and the bitterness in her voice.

Because Katy’s eyes were locked with Rowe’s, she didn’t see the horrified expression on her sister’s face. He was obviously angry, and Katy felt a brief spurt of satisfaction. He raked his fingers roughly through his tight dark curls as his eyes narrowed to piercing black slits.

“I’ll deal with you later,” he threatened, his lips scarcely moving.

“You just plain scare me to death,” Katy drawled.

The surge of anger was so strong that Rowe ground his teeth to keep from saying something he would regret later. Her face was calm, but her blue eyes sparkled angrily. She had an explosive temper, he realized, a temper that was usually hidden behind her smiles and spontaneous laughter. Rowe knew when to advance and when to retreat. He turned his back and walked down the boardwalk toward the saloon. Savoring her small victory, Katy went inside the funerary.

“Laws, Katy. What gets into you at times? What was that all about?” Mary asked.

“Nothing important. That man is so arrogant that he gets my back up. We’re going to be in the first wagon that leaves this place. Sooner or later they’ll have to go to Bannack for supplies. Let’s hope it’s sooner.”

“I don’t know, Katy. What if Roy should come back and we’re not here?”

“Bushy-face can tell him where we are.”

“He ain’t bushy no more, Aunt Katy,” Theresa said.

“He’s got a mustache, ladybug. That’s bush.”

“But where will we go?” Mary had a worried look on her face.

“To Laramie. Mara Shannon told us to come back if things didn’t work out. Both of us can work at the orphanage, and Theresa can go to school with the other children.”

“But what if we can’t? We’ll be safe here as long as Rowe’s here. And we should wait a little longer for Roy.”

“I feel about as safe with that dark devil as I would be if I were tied to a keg of gunpowder.” Katy’s blue eyes flashed angrily.

“Why don’t you like him?”

“I like him,” Theresa chimed in, but her mother and her aunt were too engrossed to pay attention, so she went to the porch.

“Bullfoot!” Katy snorted. “He’s a throwback to the Dark Ages. He’s a domineering male who thinks women were put on earth for the sole purpose of being subservient to him.”

“He doesn’t strike me like that at all. You must be mistaken about him. He’s been very appreciative of everything we’ve done for him.”

“Mary, for heaven’s sake! You’re too good for your own good. You only see what you want to see. He puts on a good face to you, but believe me, he’s deep, dark, and devious. If he keeps us here, it’ll be for some benefit to him, not out of the goodness of his heart.”