Spirit Journey: Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 3) (10 page)

              His eyes bore into Black Fox’s and his pleading expression convinced Black Fox.  He couldn’t refuse his nephew when he saw how important it was to him.

              “We will go on, but our hearts will be with you,” Black Fox said.

              Owl stepped forward.  “I will go with my son.”

              Black Fox nodded.  “I expected no less.  We must go.”

              Dino, Jonathan, Peanut, Squirrel, and Striking Snake would stay to guard their camp until the others returned.  They said their goodbyes to Reckless and then the others began the three mile trip down to the road.

              Miles away from the South Dakota travelers, in their home town of Dawson, Mayor Joe Dwyer took an English saddle off a rack and left the tack room.  A lot of people would be surprised to know that Joe rode English as well as Western, but he could train any type of horse.  That afternoon he was working with a heavy hunter who needed more training over water jumps.

              He’d just put the saddle on the chestnut Thoroughbred when his junior butler, Chester Cooper, rushed into the barn.

              “Sir!  You’re wanted on the telephone.  It’s urgent,” he said.

              Joe asked, “Who is it?”

              “Switch, and he’s quite incoherent.  Something about Reckless having a heart attack, but I can’t be certain that I understood correctly,” Chester replied.

              Joe stared at Chester for about five seconds and then ran for the house.  He burst through the sunroom door and hurried to his important office, picking up the receiver, which laid on the desk.

              “Switch?  It’s Joe.  I’m here.”

              “Hi, Joe.  It’s D.J.  I had to get Switch off here because he’s having a panic attack.  I got out of him what’s wrong.  I don’t know the whole story, but Reckless suffered a heart attack and he’s in the hospital in Rapid City.  Owl and Mike are with him and they want Reckless’ family to come.”

              Joe closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.  “That means it’s really bad.”

              “Yeah.  They want Aunt Hannah and their kids to come, too,” D.J. said.  “I don’t know why.”

              “It don’t matter.  They’ve got a reason.  Ok.  Call Hannah up at the hospital.  I’ll go tell them down at the camp.”

              “You got it,” D.J. said.

              Joe hung up with him and hurried out of the house again. 

*****

              That night as they sat around the campfire, Black Fox and company couldn’t get Reckless off their minds.  They didn’t have the heart to play games and there was no flute music.  After eating supper, they mainly sat staring at the fire. 

              Black Fox had been looking forward to seeing Buffalo Gap and Hot Springs, but all of the joy seemed to have gone out of the trip now.  It was driving him insane not to know the status of Reckless’ condition.

              Raven said, “Tomorrow we’re going to Rapid City.  I can’t keep going without knowing how Reckless is.”

              Black Fox sighed in relief.  “I am glad you feel the same way I do.”

              Everyone else agreed and they packed most of their belongings before bed so that they could move out right after breakfast.

              “Did you get any?”

              The whisper from close by made Skip jump where he crouched close to the water along the stream.  He’d heard a bullfrog earlier and he wanted to catch some. 

              “Just one so far,” he whispered back to Peanut.  “Where’s Annie?”

              “With Squirrel.  I wanted to come wash up a little and then I saw you,” she said, continuing their conversation in a hushed tone.

              He smiled at her.  “Are you having a craving for frog legs?”

              “Yeah.  A really bad one, too,” she said.

              Skip let out a croak and heard one in response, which he answered.  In a moment, there was a reply from nearby.  Skip continued to draw the bullfrog in, holding his spear at the ready.  Peanut kept completely still and silent.  The prospect of seeing Skip catch a frog excited her and she didn’t want to do anything to make him miss his prey.  She thought about how delicious Skip’s frog legs were and her stomach growled loudly. 

              Skip barely held in a laugh at the sound.  Then he saw the frog hop up onto the bank and he struck out with his spear, neatly skewering the amphibian.

              Peanut grabbed his arm, shaking it excitedly.  “You got one!  More frog legs!”

              His skin under her hands tingled from her touch.  He laughed.  “You’ll have to wait until I cook them.”

              “You have four.  That’s enough for a snack,” she said.  “Cook them now.  Please?”

              Skip said, “Ok.  You like them even more than Reckless does.”

              “It’s because I’m pregnant.  I had all kinds of cravings with Annie,” she said.

              “Like what?”

              “Eggs.  I couldn’t get enough of them.  It didn’t matter how they were cooked.”

              Skip said, “And now it’s frog legs.”

              “That’ll probably change after a while,” she said.  “Next month it might be peas or something.”

              Skip picked up the two dead frogs.  “C’mon.  We’ll go over here so I can make these for you without disturbing anyone over at the fire in case they’re asleep.”

              “You don’t really have to cook them now,” she said.

              “I don’t mind,” Skip said.  “Here.  This’ll be fine.”

              He put the frogs down and gathered some dried grass, twigs, and a few larger sticks.  Peanut watched in fascination as he built a fire without the use of matches.  The flames grew larger, and she watched him in the firelight as he butchered the frogs. 

Skip had filled out more during the past year and all of the extra exercise on their journey had further increased his muscle mass.   He had no idea, but his form was very pleasing to the female eye—Peanut’s eyes, to be more exact.  Finishing with the frogs, he threw the parts of them that he didn’t want into the underbrush and caught her looking at him.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.  You’re really good at that.”

He smiled.  “Thanks.  Nothing like Pa.  You can’t trust him with sharp objects.  If he does have to cut something, he goes real slow so he doesn’t cut himself.  He’s not good with tools or shooting weapons, either.  It’s pretty funny, in a way.”

Peanut said, “You must take after your mama then.”

“Not in looks.  She has blonde hair and blue eyes.  I look just like Pa.  I act like him somewhat, too.  My sister looks like him, but our brother, Jethro, looks just like Ma.  He’s an actor in New York.  He’s getting pretty famous, too.”

“Really?  Can he make frog legs?”

“Nope.”

“Then I’m not impressed.  I’m only impressed by men who can cook frog legs,” Peanut said.

A blush stained his cheeks as he smiled.  “Is that so?  So do you know a lot of guys who cook frog legs?”  He ran the stick he’d sharpened through the legs.

Giving him a coy look, she said, “Just you.”

Skip’s face grew even hotter and he laughed a little.  He didn’t know what to say since he wasn’t used to girls flirting with him.  “I’ll be right back.  I’m gonna wash the frog guts off my hands.” 
Well, that was a romantic thing to say.
  “Just hold these above the flames and they’ll cook.”

He handed her the stick and quickly left the fire, berating himself for his awkwardness.  Finding some sand, he scrubbed his hands and forearms thoroughly.  Going back to the fire, he was about to sit across it from her, but Peanut patted the ground by her.  When he hesitated, she gave him a coaxing smile, and he lowered himself down to sit beside her.

“How long do they have to cook?” she asked.

Skip was glad to have something else to focus on.  “Let me see them.”  He took the stick from her and examined them.  “Not quite done yet.”

He held the stick over the fire again and then jerked when he felt her hand on his knee.

She giggled.  “Sorry.  You jumped more than a frog does.”

Skip laughed but stayed silent, reverting to his former shyness. 

“Oh, no.  Don’t you crawl back into your shell,” she said, putting a hand on his jaw and exerting gentle pressure.  “Look at me, Skip.”

He turned towards her, but he couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Skip, what are you so afraid of?”

“Looking like an idiot.”

Peanut’s forehead wrinkled.  “Why would you look like an idiot?”

“I’m not good at this stuff,” he said. 

“What stuff?”

“Stuff with girls.”

She chuckled.  “We can fix that.”

He started to pull away from her.  “It’s not funny.”

“I didn’t mean that it was,” Peanut said.  “You’re just so sweet.”

He threw her an annoyed look, handed her the frog legs, and started to get up.  She surprised him by shoving him onto his back.

“I wasn’t making fun of you, Skip.  I meant sweet in a good way,” she said, stretching out beside him.  “You just don’t know how cute you are.”

“You did?  I am?”

She nodded and rested a hand on his chest.  Skip’s heart thudded against his ribs so hard that he was sure she must feel it.  “Those girls back in Dawson must be blind not to see what a handsome boy you are.”

His voice cracked a little as he asked, “You think I’m handsome?”

“Yeah.  You have the biggest brown eyes and I love your messy hair,” she said, running her fingers through it a little.  “And then there’s the rest of you.”

“What about the rest of me?”

“You’re so strong and virile.”  She put a finger against his lips.  “Yes, you.”

Skip thought he was dreaming.  He never thought he’d hear a girl say those sorts of things to him.  He’d never thought of himself in those terms.  Peanut took away her finger and replaced it with her lips, pressing them lightly against his.

Skip froze, terrified and excited all at once.  Peanut slid her hand around the back of his neck and kissed him more firmly.  Instinct took over and Skip responded to her, hoping that he was doing it right.  He must’ve been because she moved closer and grew more insistent. 

She took one of his wrists and pulled his arm around her waist.  At first Skip’s embrace was awkward, but he slowly gained confidence. It felt natural for him to draw her closer.  Lying next to a fire under a star-filled sky was a very romantic setting for his first kiss, especially such a powerful one.

Peanut’s lips were incredibly soft and the way her fingers played with his hair felt so good.  He held her tighter and Peanut kissed him harder yet.  Skip growled and rolled her over, running a hand over her thigh.  Realizing what he’d done, he snatched it away and broke their kiss.

His heartbeat thumped in his ears as he said, “I’m so sorry.  I just got carried away.  I shouldn’t have done that.  It’s just that I’ve never kissed anyone before and you’re so beautiful and you feel so good.  I didn’t know it would be like that.  I mean, I’ve heard fellas talk about it, but actually doing it is so different.  Are you mad?”

Smiling, she said, “No, I’m not mad at all.”  Tears burned her eyes.  “You didn’t do anything wrong, Skip.  You make me feel beautiful and wanted.  After what Claude did, I thought that if he could do that to me that maybe I wasn’t good enough for anyone.  Why do you think I’m beautiful?  I’m pregnant and I’m getting fat and now I’m gonna cry after you made me frog legs and you’re so good at kissing that it made my toes curl.”

Skip blinked in shock over her comments.  Stroking her hair, he said, “You’re too good for the likes of him, Peanut, and you are incredibly beautiful, pregnant or not.”  Feeling daring, he put a hand on her softly rounded stomach.  “This isn’t fat, it’s a beautiful new life in there, and I’ll bet he’s gonna be just as cute as Annie.”

“He?”

“Yeah.  Brown Stag said it’s gonna be a boy and I believe him,” Skip said.

“I’d like a boy,” she said.  “Am I really the first girl you’ve ever kissed?”

Sheepishly he said, “Yes, you are, and it was … magical.”

Peanut laughed.  “Kissing a pregnant woman who already has one baby was magical?”

Skip grinned.  “It sure was.  I made your toes curl?”

“Mmm hmm.  For someone who’s never kissed before, you sure caught on fast,” she said.  “I didn’t want you to stop.”

Skip felt proud and manly that he’d done it so well.  “Uh, me, neither, but I didn’t want to take advantage of you.  Like I said, I got carried away.”

Peanut put her hand over where his still rested on her stomach and moved it up his arm, squeezing his bicep and shoulder.  Her mouth curved seductively.  “Would you like to get carried away again?”

His pulse went crazy as she continued touching him.  “Yeah, but I shouldn’t.”

“I know, but I can’t help wanting you,” she said.  “You’re so sweet and handsome.”

Skip swallowed hard.  “Wanting me?  As in…?”

Peanut smiled and nodded.  “Yeah.  How do you feel about that?”

“Well, uh, oh jeez,” Skip said, pulling away from her a little.  “I mean—” He made a frustrated noise.

Turning her head so he wouldn’t see her tears, Peanut said, “It’s ok, Skip.  I know you never thought your first time would be with a pregnant girl.”

He wouldn’t let her get up.  “Wait a second.  It’s not you being pregnant.  I don’t know what I’m doing and I never thought I’d do that until I was married.”

Peanut looked into his eyes.  “So theoretically, if we were married, you’d make love to me even though I’m gonna have a baby?”

“I sure would,” Skip said, grinning. 

“But you won’t now?”

Skip’s brows pulled together.  “I want to—so much, Peanut.  But I respect you and I want to do the right thing by you.”

“You’re such a good guy, Skip.  Those are hard to find.  I thought Claude was, but …” Peanut hadn’t meant to cry, but the tears came on suddenly.  She knew that part of it was her pregnancy and all of the fluctuations her body was going through, but there were times when the pain of Claude’s dastardly betrayal came back full force.

Her face crumpled and Skip couldn’t stand to see her cry.  Gathering her close, he rocked her and kissed her temple.  “It’s ok, Peanut.  Everything is gonna be all right.  You’re not alone.  You have people who care about you and Annie.  You’ll like it in Dawson, too.  You’ll see.”

Peanut swiped at her tears.  “Where are we gonna stay?  We don’t have much money—not enough for rent and food.  I’ll need to get a job, but who’s gonna hire a pregnant woman?  Who’ll watch Peanut while I work?  I’m so scared, Skip.”

“Don’t worry, Peanut.  We’ll figure it all together,” he said.

“I’m not your responsibility, Skip, and neither is Annie.”

He held her closer.  “Yes, you are.  Both of you are.”

She shook her head against his chest.  “No, we’re not.”

“Yes, you are, because I love you and Annie.  And if you’re a real man, you take care of the woman you love and your kids.”  Skip bit his lip while he waited for her reaction.

Peanut went very still. 
He loves me and Annie?  I must not have heard him right.  How can that be?  No one his age wants to be stuck with a pregnant woman and a baby.
 

“Skip, that’s impossible.  You don’t mean that,” Peanut said.

“Look at me, Peanut.”

Slowly she did, surprised by the conviction in his eyes and the stubborn set of his jaw.

“I would never say such a thing if it wasn’t true.  I would never lie to you or lead you on, Peanut.  So when I say that I love you and Annie, I mean it,” he said firmly.

Fear shot through Peanut.  “I don’t think I’m ready for love yet, Skip.  It’s not you.  Please don’t think that.”

He smiled and shook his head.  “I know that.  You’ve been through hell and I don’t expect anything from you.  I’ve never been in love before, but you have.  You were hurt physically and emotionally by the man you loved.  I know your heart isn’t healed enough.  I can wait, Peanut.  I’m not in a rush, but at least you know how I feel.”

She caressed his cheek.  “You are such a special man, Skip, and don’t you let anyone tell you anything different.”