Kitabı oku: «The Unlikely Wife»

Chapter One

Kansas, 1867

“The window’s so dirty I can barely see out,” Cousin Alicia Evans said.

“There’s nothing to see anyway,” responded Aunt Belle.

Rebecca Huntington’s only response to her companions’ conversation was a muttered “Hmm,” which she assumed they took as agreement. She didn’t agree, however. She leaned slightly into the aisle, quite pleased with the view. Since the train had pulled out of Kansas City that morning, she had been keeping close watch on the activities of a very good-looking soldier. His uniform told her he was a cavalry lieutenant. He was clean-shaven, something slightly unusual in the West. She thought his choice to shave could have been vanity; he had the most magnificent jaw she had ever seen, strong, square and welldefined. It would have been a shame to cover it.

He had left the car some time ago and had only just returned, stopping to talk to someone in a forward seat and giving her a wonderful opportunity to admire his profile. One hand rested on the back of the seat as he bent slightly forward. Rebecca marveled at how easily he braced himself against the train’s erratic rocking.

He ended the conversation and straightened, turning toward the rear of the car. Rebecca jerked upright but continued to watch. Three steps down the aisle, his eyes met hers. His were gray, quite a charming contrast to the tanned face and charcoal lashes.

She thought his step might have faltered when he caught her watching him, but it could have been the jerking of the train. His face didn’t register surprise, even when she refused to turn demurely away. He tipped his campaign hat, and a dark lock slid free to settle against his brow. “Ma’am,” he murmured.

Rebecca smiled, well aware that the dimples that appeared in her cheeks had a devastating effect on some men. “Lieutenant.”

He didn’t stop, and in two steps he was past. Rebecca was wondering what excuse she could use to stand and look behind her when a sharp pain on her knee made her jump.

“Don’t do that!” Aunt Belle snapped open her weapon and fanned herself briskly.

Rebecca tried not to scowl. The woman, of course, felt compelled to act as chaperone to both girls. At twenty, Rebecca considered herself fully grown and had for some time. Alicia might need her mother’s restrictions, she thought, since she was still a child of sixteen.

“Don’t do what?” Rebecca asked, feigning innocence.

Belle hissed, “Don’t smile at strange men.”

“Oh, Aunt Belle, he’s an officer. I’ve been around them all my life. Most of them are gentlemen.” She gave her companion a dimpled smile, afraid it would have little or no effect on her.

“Don’t smile at strange gentlemen, either.” With this pronouncement of decorum, the older woman returned her attention to the nearly opaque window.

Rebecca wasn’t ready to let it go. “He’s a soldier. He deserves a civil greeting.”

Belle didn’t glance at her. “That wasn’t a civil greeting.”

Pretty little Alicia was eyeing her with a combination of fear and awe. Alicia rarely defied her mother, and she never, ever flirted with men. While the look begged her to behave, Rebecca knew Alicia would be disappointed if she did.

She stretched, a most unladylike activity since it would have been impossible to accomplish if she actually wore the corset the other women assumed she did. “It’s quite stuffy in here,” she murmured. “I believe I’ll take a breath of air on the platform. Would either of you care to join me?”

Both women stared at her. Aunt Belle found her voice first. “Is that safe? Why, the train’s moving so fast you could tumble off.”

Rebecca blinked innocently. “It does happen occasionally. Still, if one is careful…” She let her voice trail off as if she were doubtful. She looked from one shocked face to the other. “No? Well, I’ll only be a few minutes.”

She stepped into the aisle and, pretending to take a moment to gain her balance, searched the rear seats for the lieutenant. She was lucky on two counts. He faced in her direction, and he hadn’t put his hat over his face to try to sleep. It took no effort at all to get him to notice her. She walked slowly past, smiling sweetly. As she opened the door at the rear of the car, she cast a glance over her shoulder, pleased that he was watching.

Lieutenant Clark Forrester enjoyed the view of swaying hips as the young lady left the car. Her message couldn’t have been clearer if she had sent a telegram. He relaxed, giving her a minute to wonder if he was coming. He knew the game. First she must pretend to be shocked at being alone with a man, then she would relent and agree to talk for a few minutes. If he said all the right things, he might be lucky enough to win a kiss.

Of course, if they were caught, she would have to slap his face and he would have to take it to save her pride. That was the gamble. He didn’t have to wonder if it was worth it. No man who had ever been stationed on the frontier passed up a chance to spend time with a woman, let alone a beautiful one. The next chance could be months away.

Deciding he had left her in suspense long enough, he glanced toward her companions. They weren’t watching, and he rose, placing his hat in his seat so it wouldn’t be blown away, and slipped out the door. The gallant soldier-to-the-rescue was always an acceptable image, he thought, but, before he could express his concern for her safety, she turned from the railing and smiled.

“The hills are lovely, aren’t they, Lieutenant?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” The hills? The hills were lonely and barren and, though it was only June, already burned to a yellow-brown by the sun. But she was most certainly lovely. “It’s hard to even notice the scenery when I have you to look at instead.”

“Charmingly said. Come stand beside me so we don’t have to shout above the wind.” She turned away to gaze at the passing hills.

Clark hesitated. She wasn’t following the rules, and it left him unsure of his next move. The wind was blowing, of course; it was always blowing on the prairie, but, even with the constant clatter of the train, in such a small space there was no need to shout to be heard. The edge of the platform with the lovely young lady was only a step away and narrow enough that if he stood beside her, he would be standing against her. He took the step.

“I’ve been gone for six years. It’ll be wonderful to get home,” she said. “Where are you from, soldier?”

“Virginia, ma’am.”

“I thought I heard it in your voice.” She was now directly in front of him, her upturned face only inches away. He wasn’t sure how much longer he ought to wait, how much longer he could wait.

“And what would take you away for six years and leave you homesick for the prairie?” He put one hand gently on her waist, ready to remove it at the slightest sign that he was acting too quickly.

“The war first. And an education,” she said, still smiling.

Clark grinned. Now he knew the game. “Did they teach you everything you wanted to know?”

The young lady shook her head, her smile gradually fading as her whiskey-colored eyes darkened. Time to call or fold.

He lowered his head slowly, watching her eyes drift shut before his lips found hers. He kept the touch as gentle as possible, allowing her the choice of pulling away. When he felt no hesitation on her part, he brought his free hand up to her neck, urging her closer.

Her lips parted sweetly, and her tongue met his. This was not the lady’s first kiss. But he wouldn’t hold that against her. His arms tightened and felt warm, firm flesh beneath several layers of cloth. No whalebone or steel cinched this slender waist The realization made his pulse leap.

Something in her blood responded. He tasted it on her lips, smelled it on her perfumed skin. Suddenly he hated the game; he wanted this to be real.

Raising his head, he let the breeze cool his face. He would step away from her, but the tight space made it difficult. He waited for her eyes to open, then grinned down at her. “I pity the poor man who marries you, my dear.”

The saucy smile returned. “I should be deeply wounded by those words, Lieutenant, but with that soft Virginia drawl you could say just anything. Now, tell me why you pity my future husband.”

“Because, he’ll never be able to let you out of his sight.”

The dimples deepened. She leaned against him, standing on her toes. Her hands went around his neck, pulling him toward her as she whispered, “Why would he want to?”

“Good question.”

Clark took the willing lips again, knowing that she had all the cards stacked in her favor. He would take only the liberties she allowed, and when she decided to cash in her chips, the game would be over. She had picked her time and place well. He wasn’t fool enough to think he was anything more than her idea of a little adventure.

After a long leisurely kiss, she sank away from him with a trembling sigh. “I really must go back,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I’ll stay out here a few minutes, of course.”

“Do be careful,” she said, slipping away from him. In a moment she had gone inside and closed the door.

“Careful,” he murmured, resting his head against the car behind him. “You, too.” Someday that little minx was going to play with the wrong man. Or some poor fool would fall in love with her and not know it was hopeless. But not today.

Rebecca took her seat, noticing with pleasure that Aunt Belle had fallen asleep. Alicia, however, was wide-awake. “You were gone so long, I was worried,” she whispered.

“There’s a rail all around the platform. You would have to try to fall,” Rebecca assured her in quiet tones.

“That’s not what I meant.” Alicia glanced furtively at her mother and lowered her voice until Rebecca could hardly hear it. “Was he a gentleman?”

Rebecca giggled and bit her lip. Nothing roused Aunt Belle’s suspicion like merriment. “Barely,” she whispered.

She knew Alicia was aware of her fondness for men. Alicia had come to her rescue a couple of times when Rebecca had nearly been caught sneaking in or out. Though Rebecca looked on the little flirtations and stolen kisses as innocent fun, Aunt Belle saw them as signs of loose character. Rebecca knew her father was treated to every detail in his sister’s letters. At least every detail Belle knew or imagined. And that was part of the reason Rebecca hesitated to share too much of her escapades with her young cousin. What she didn’t know, her mother couldn’t force out of her.

Something else held her back, as well. This lieutenant was older than the others, more experienced. He had been a dangerous choice. She had a feeling that in another place he wouldn’t have stopped with a kiss. The notion wasn’t as alarming as it should have been.

Alicia was watching her expectantly. Rebecca grinned at her. “He pronounces prairie like it ends with a, and says the most charming things.”

“Will you see him again?”

“Of course not” Rebecca heard more conviction in her voice than she felt.

“What if he insists?”

“Alicia,” Rebecca hissed. “He won’t insist. He’s a gentleman.”

“Barely.”

Rebecca scowled at her cousin, wishing she’d be quiet. She wanted to sit and savor the warmth that still tingled in her stomach. That was by far the best kiss ever. In fact, this was the first time she wanted to corner the same man a second time. She wondered if she could see him again. No, that was a bad idea. If they met under any other circumstances now, he might think she was a loose woman and expect more than a couple of kisses.

Too bad, she thought. He was incredibly charming.

When the train pulled into the station at Fort Riley, Clark was more than ready to get off. If he had to hear the dark-haired girl’s voice or see the top of her head for much longer, he would be hustling her back out to the platform. He had no explanation for his reaction to her flirtation. It was the kind of thing he ran into often enough. On this trip back home, two different women had practiced their wiles on him. Neither had left him feeling confused the way this young lady had.

He got his bag and left the station, resisting the urge to see where the girl went. There were more important things to think about. At the post commander’s headquarters, he dropped his bag beside the door and entered. Answering the orderly’s salute, he requested a meeting with General Hale.

While the orderly stepped into the inner office, Clark took a look around the room. All headquarters looked much the same, dark and bare with only a few reflections of the person in charge. This is what my life has become, he thought, dark and bare. The observation had come to him once before, also after a visit home. Home? Virginia was hardly that anymore; he had been out here too long.

The orderly interrupted Clark’s thoughts. “Please go in, Lieutenant,” he said.

Clark nodded and entered the office. General Hale stood behind his desk, offering his hand and dismissing Clark’s salute. “We’ve been expecting you. Welcome back to the West, Lieutenant,” he said. “Did you have a pleasant trip home?”

“Yes, sir.” Clark stood at ease as the general took his seat

“I understand you’ve been at Fort Dodge and are to report to Fort Hays. You know they moved again?” He didn’t wait for a response. “They were flooded out on the eighth. Moved farther west and closer to where the railroad will run. Colonel Huntington requested more men as well as supplies. These are due to leave…” he consulted a ledger on his desk “…in two days. I’m putting you in charge.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I believe you know Sergeant Whiting. He’s been here working with the new recruits you’ll be taking with you. He’ll see about your quarters and anything else you need.” The general’s attention had already been drawn back to the papers on his desk. “Was there anything else?”

After the formalities of dismissal, Clark turned to leave the office. The orderly caught the door as he opened it, stepping aside and entering the inner office behind him. The door swung shut before Clark noticed three women waiting in the outer room. They all turned in his direction, but the dark-haired girl with the dimples was the only one he truly saw.

Habit let him walk past the orderly’s desk toward the outside door. He managed a polite, “Ladies,” as he passed. His hand was on the doorknob when the general burst from his office.

“Rebecca! This can’t be little Becky Huntington! Why, dear child, you’re all grown up!”

Clark managed to step outside and close the door gently behind him. He lifted his bag and stepped off the boardwalk with no real sense of what he was doing. Rebecca Huntington? Colonel Huntington? His daughter, no doubt. And he wasn’t lucky enough for the general to be addressing the blond girl. He had heard the returned greeting and recognized the dark-haired girl’s voice.

If the incident on the train became common knowledge, the good colonel would not look on it quite the way he did. And the little minx could be expected to protect herself above all else. He could find himself up to his bars in trouble.

* * *

In the headquarters building, Rebecca tried not to wonder about the lieutenant’s purpose. She returned General Hale’s greeting and introduced her traveling companions. “My aunt and cousin will be living with Father and me at Fort Hays,” she explained. “I heard you were here and couldn’t pass through Fort Riley without dropping in to see you.”

“Myrtle will be overjoyed. You’ll all stay with us, of course. Let me take you to the house. Masters, see about a carriage.”

The orderly saluted smartly and left, and the general saw to chairs for the ladies. “How long will we have the pleasure of your company?”

Rebecca seated herself primly in the straightbacked chair before she answered. “Only until tomorrow. We’ll be taking the train to the end of the track, then a coach on to Fort Hays.”

“Oh, but my dear, the coaches have stopped!”

“Stopped?” croaked Belle. “How have they stopped?”

Hale leaned against the orderly’s desk, crossing his feet at the ankles. “I don’t mean to alarm you fair ladies, but there has been an uprising, and all the civilian coaches have stopped until the hostiles have been remanded to reservations.”

“Indians?” Alicia and Belle said together, the former with more awe and less terror than the latter.

“I insist that you wait here,” Hale continued, folding his arms. “The end of the track is Ellsworth. We’re not even running supplies through there yet Last I heard they have but four completed buildings, three of which are saloons.”

“But surely the army hasn’t stopped moving,” Rebecca said. Much as she liked General Hale and his wife, she didn’t want to wait here. Ending the uprising could take all summer, and she wanted to see her father and get settled again. “When is the next supply caravan?”

“In two days. But that isn’t fit transportation for gentlewomen like yourselves.” Rebecca thought his smile was somewhat condescending. Before she could retort, he continued, “Your father didn’t plan an escort of any kind? I’d like to, but…”

Rebecca sat forward. “Excuse me, General, but if there are Indians to be caught, I doubt if either of you can spare the men. No, the caravan will do.” Rebecca didn’t turn to see her companions’ reactions to her pronouncement. The general’s dubious smile was enough.

“Dear girl,” he began, but the orderly chose that moment to return and announce their carriage was ready. General Hale ushered them out of the headquarters and helped them one by one into the carriage. He drove them personally to his quarters, a house near enough that Rebecca could easily have walked the distance in the time it had taken to hitch up the carriage.

Myrtle Hale greeted them effusively and her husband left, promising to send Masters to the train station for their trunks. Myrtle sent her maid scurrying to find places for them to sleep while she led them to a tiny, overdecorated room that served as a parlor. The room was dark; its one small window was covered with heavy drapes of faded maroon. But it was cooler than it had been outside.

“Please sit down,” Myrtle directed. “I’ll put water on for tea.”

“Pardon me,” Belle murmured. “If you’ll direct me to the privy…”

“Of course. Make yourselves comfortable, girls.”

The moment the older women were gone Alicia whispered, “That was your young lieutenant in the general’s office.”

Rebecca nodded, not wanting them to be overheard. She crossed the room to sit in an ornately carved chair.

Alicia followed. She picked up a china figure from the table next to Rebecca, but instead of inspecting it cast a furtive glance toward the door. Rebecca could see a faint circle where the figure had been. Now that she had seen it, she could smell the dust. Aunt Belle would be shocked but Rebecca knew how difficult it was to keep the dust out when the wind blew nearly all the time.

“But what’s he doing here?” Alicia whispered.

Rebecca shrugged and tried to sound bored. “He’s a soldier. This is a fort. He probably belongs here.” Why, in heaven’s name, didn’t I think of that? She let her fingers trace the carvings in the arm of the chair.

Alicia replaced the figure and was silent for a long moment. “I wish I could be like you,” she sighed, sinking into a chair opposite Rebecca.

Rebecca raised a questioning eyebrow.

“The way you talk to men, I mean, and flirt.” She giggled a little, and Rebecca imagined her remembering her bold perusal of the lieutenant on the train. She suppressed a groan. “If they even look at me,” Alicia went on, “I turn suddenly stupid.”

“Some men like that,” Rebecca said.

Alicia smiled, a gentle, knowing smile that always caught Rebecca by surprise. “But I don’t like the men that do.”

“Do what?” Belle entered the parlor and looked around. She chose a large padded chair near the door and, as she settled into it, began fanning herself. “Is it always this hot?”

“It’s a little unusual this early in the summer,” Rebecca offered, hoping Aunt Belle would forget the comment she had overheard. “We get some lovely weather in September.”

“This whole trip has been more misery than anything else,” Belle muttered.

Rebecca bit her tongue. Father had told her once his sister felt things more sharply than others. Her own assessment was less charitable. Yet she tried to be patient. After all, both Belle and Alicia were in mourning.

Myrtle came with the tea tray, offering each a lovely china cup and saucer. “Just one cup, and I’ll let you rest. You must all be exhausted from your trip. I find train travel so tedious.”.

Alicia and Belle groaned their agreement while Rebecca opened her mouth to disagree. Feeling outnumbered, she settled into the uncomfortable chair as best she could and listened to the others talk. When the maid announced that a room had been made ready where they could rest, the women rose. Rebecca expressed a desire to walk. The others eyed her with considerable surprise but didn’t argue.

Alicia caught her arm and held her back as the older women left the room. “Are you going to look for your lieutenant?” she whispered.

“He’s not my lieutenant,” Rebecca hissed.

“What will you do if you meet him?”

“I’ll…” Oh drat, what would she do? “Come with me,” she suggested impulsively, taking her cousin’s hand.

Alicia shrank away from her. “I can’t now. I’m too tired. And what would Mother say?”

Rebecca let her go. She resigned herself to staying at the house. In the kitchen she washed her face, then filled a tall glass with water to take with her to the porch. There were no chairs so Rebecca sat on the top step and listened to the flag snap as she sipped her water.

The row of three officers’ quarters faced another row across the parade ground. The barracks buildings made up the other two sides of the square. There was very little going on in this part of the fort this time of the day. She longed to visit the sutler’s store, to walk past the blacksmith’s shop, the saddler’s, the carpenter’s, to see if they had changed since her last visit. But she couldn’t risk running into the lieutenant.

She leaned against the porch post and closed her eyes. Why should he have such an effect on her? All her other conquests had been easy to dismiss. She should dismiss him as well and take her walk. She had nearly resolved to do just that when she thought of coming face-to-face with him. Her pulse raced just imagining it. She would probably blush and stammer like Alicia.

She would have liked to examine her surprising reaction a bit more, but she saw the general approaching. She quickly rose and went to meet him. “I didn’t expect you so soon, General.”

“I managed to get away a little early. Are the others resting?”

“I believe so.” Rebecca resumed her seat on the stairs and pulled the general down beside her. “Can’t we really go with the supply train?”

“My dear, you’re all welcome here until the coaches are running again. It’ll make a much more comfortable trip.”

Rebecca let her eyes do the pleading. “Every time we moved when I was young we would travel with the garrison. And don’t tell me Aunt Belle isn’t used to it. Mama wasn’t either until her first trip.”

“But the uprising…”

“Indians virtually never attack large groups of soldiers unless cornered.” A glance at Hale showed how little effect her words had. She cast her eyes downward. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Father.” Why was it that whimpering worked better with men than logic?

“But—” He hesitated.

Rebecca turned away and said in a small voice, “If it’s impossible, I understand.” That would have been the coup de grace with Father.

“Don’t cry, dear. Are you so eager to leave us?”

Rebecca kept her dry eyes averted and shrugged her shoulders delicately.

“Well, now, I can see how it is. But I don’t feel right ordering someone to take you. Perhaps you should talk to the officer I put in charge of the expedition. If he’s agreeable, I’ll let you go.”

Rebecca threw her arms around his neck. “Oh thank you, General,” she said, keeping her voice soft and a trifle shaky as she slipped from his arms. “Who is he? I’ll go talk to him now.”

“Name’s Forrester. I believe he’ll be camping near the commissary building. He’s likely very busy now. Perhaps you should wait until morning.”

“Yes, of course,” Rebecca said. In the morning she could contrive to look less wilted.

“I better tell Myrtle I’m home. If I know her, she’s busy with plans for an officer’s ball to honor our guests. She’ll be wanting my orderly to notify everyone.”

Rebecca smiled and waved to him as he came to his feet and left her. She had plans of her own to make. This Forrester, whoever he was, would have trouble denying her request.

Shortly after breakfast, before the day had a chance to become miserably hot, Rebecca made her way toward the commissary. She had put on one of her most flattering dresses, not at all suitable for travel but exactly what she needed to convince Forrester that he wanted three women with his supply caravan. Every soldier she met offered directions. She gave them each a grateful smile, though she was well aware of where she was going.

She saw the tent from a considerable distance. As she confidently approached it she noticed the officer, bent over a field desk. Alerted perhaps by a chorus of “mornin’, ma’am,” the officer came to his feet. The clean-shaven jaw beneath the shadow of the campaign hat belonged to her lieutenant from the train.

What incredibly rotten luck. Her footsteps faltered as she felt a strong desire to turn back. Pride kept her moving toward the lieutenant and put her brightest smile on her lips. “So you’re Lieutenant Forrester?”