Beyond The Horizon (53 page)

“We’ll meet one day,” Blade promised. “Shall we join the builders? Our new cabin can’t be built soon enough to suit me. I’m anxious to make love to you in our own home. And just in time, too. Elizabeth Davis informed me just yesterday that her son will be returning from abroad with his bride and will need his house. If Grady doesn’t have a brother or sister soon, he’s going to be one spoiled little boy,” Blade said with a twinkle.

“It’s unlikely Grady will be an only child,” Shannon returned tartly, “for you were well named, Blade Stryker.”

Laughing uproariously, Blade grasped her hand and together they walked out to greet a bold new tomorrow.

Epilogue

July 1870

T
he heat was thick and oppressive this July day; a sere
wind blew across the valley in hot, dry gusts, bringing Blade in early from the range. Pearly drops of water glistened wetly on his black hair, for he had come directly from his bath in the stream.

“Next week we drive the cattle to Cheyenne to sell to the army,” he said after he greeted Shannon with a hug. In addition to Jumping Buffalo, Blade had rehired the two hands, Slim and Milo. Fortunately, they were eager to return to work. “Is the baby sleeping?”

“Grady is napping,” Shannon answered, stepping easily into Blade’s arms.

It had taken two weeks for the townspeople to rebuild a cabin every bit as big and sturdy as the one Blade built originally. Someone had worked every day, though not always the same ones each day. They usually were accompanied by their wives, who brought food and made a picnic out of each meal. When the house was completed, enough lumber had remained to build a sturdy cabin for Jumping Buffalo and Sweet Grass. The money Shannon had saved from her fees as Justice of the Peace were used primarily to replace the furnishings lost to the fire.

Shannon had continued to function as Justice of the Peace for a short time, but when they moved out to Peaceful Valley she had resigned, citing her need to be with her family. She was grateful for the honor accorded her and relished her role in shaping the future of women in Wyoming politics. But her family’s needs came first. Blade had left the decision to Shannon but seemed pleased with her choice, though his pride in her accomplishments was boundless.

“Are you hungry?” Shannon asked.

“Famished—but not for food.”

He kissed her hungrily, thoroughly, his hands roaming freely over her lush curves.

“It’s the middle of the day,” Shannon chided with mock horror, loving how Blade smelled after his bath, the way his hair curled wetly at his nape, the feel of his ropy muscles beneath her fingertips.

“Making love with you is a pleasure any time of the day or night,” Blade asserted, grinning roguishly as he edged her toward the bedroom. “And as long as our son is cooperating…”

“Blade, wait, I hear something,” Shannon stalled as the distinct creak of wagon wheels reached her ears. “Are you expecting company?”

“No, are you?”

“I don’t think so.”

Blade grasped her hand and together they stepped through the front door onto the porch to await their guests, who approached in a horse-drawn wagon.

“I wonder who it is?” Shannon mused thoughtfully. “Perhaps Elizabeth …” Her words ground to an halt when a man jumped to the ground then turned to help the woman and child who accompanied him. “My God!”

Shannon paled, then broke out in a wide grin. “Tuck! It’s my brother Tucker!” She took off at a run, throwing herself into her brother’s open arms.

Blade stood where Shannon had left him, unwilling to intrude on so private a moment between brother and sister. Besides, he was more than a little doubtful of the greeting he would receive from Tucker Branigan.

“I can’t believe you are really here,” Shannon exclaimed happily, shifting her gaze from her brother to the lovely, slim woman standing at his side. “This must be Maggie. I can see right off you are perfect for one another. I’m so happy you brought your son.” Shannon was so excited she couldn’t seem to stop babbling.

Tucker’s warm brown eyes crinkled with amusement. “You haven’t changed, Shannon—still as impetuous as ever, I see. If you quit talking long enough, I’ll introduce you to my wife.” He placed an arm around the woman at his side and drew her close. “This is Maggie, and the little lad is our son Kevin. Maggie, meet my sister Shannon.”

Maggie Branigan stepped forward, her smile warm and friendly as she gave Shannon an exuberant hug. Shannon liked her immediately, from her curly mop of honey-brown curls to her dancing gray eyes. She’d bet her last dollar that her stubborn sister-in-law led Tucker a merry chase. It was easy to see why Tuck loved Maggie. And it was just as obvious that Maggie loved Tucker. Shannon was glad Tucker had never married that flighty Charmaine Pinkham.

“You are everything Tuck said you were,” Maggie said admiringly. “I’m so happy we’ve met at last. We received your letter announcing the birth of your son and just had to come.”

“Yes, Grady Farrell is quite a boy,” Shannon beamed proudly.

“Are you happy, Shannon?” Tucker asked, turning serious. “Mama has been terribly worried, especially after we learned you married a—a man with Indian blood.”

“You are the last person in the world I’d expect to harbor prejudices,” Shannon chided. “Wait until you meet Blade before you make rash judgments. Blade and I are extremely happy. I couldn’t ask for a better husband. Come along now,” she said, taking his hand, “it’s time you two met.”

Tucker glanced over at Blade, who hadn’t moved from his position on the porch since Shannon left his side. His expression was unreadable, the planes and hollows of his proud features mute testimony to his Indian heritage. But knowing Shannon as he did, Tucker felt reasonably certain she would not have married a man unless he lived up to her high standards.

Blade regarded Tucker Branigan with unaccustomed nervousness. What if Shannon’s brother didn’t like him? he wondered dismally. What if his Sioux blood lost him her family’s regard? Not that it made any difference, he told himself. Shannon was his wife and no one could change that. Blade’s expression remained proud and remote as introductions were made, both men wary and somewhat reticent until lasting impressions could be formed.

“Come inside,” Shannon invited them. “I’ll bet you’re exhausted after your trip—and hungry.” She couldn’t help but chatter nervously, wanting so desperately for Blade and Tuck to like one another.

“Tell me about Mama,” Shannon urged once they were all settled in the comfortable parlor that felt at least ten degrees cooler than outside. “And the children.”

By the time Tucker finished, Shannon’s eyes were misty. “I miss them all,” she sighed wistfully. Then, thinking how it must sound to Blade, she added, “But I am truly content here with Blade. Wyoming is my home now, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here with Blade and our son.”

“Where is my nephew?”

“Napping, but it is past time he woke up. I can’t wait for Kevin and Grady to meet.” Shannon rose to leave the room.

“Wait, Shannon, I’ll go with you,” Maggie offered, taking Kevin by the hand. She was astute enough to realize that unless the two men opened up to one another, the tension between them would mount. She hurried after Shannon, intending to keep her away as long as possible in order to give Tucker and Blade time to get acquainted.

“I’m impressed with your ranch,” Tucker said when the silence grew impossibly long. “Seems like a good place to raise cattle.”

Blade allowed a smile to lift his dark features. “That’s what I thought the first time I saw Peaceful Valley.”

After that short exchange the tension increased, as if neither man knew what to say next. Suddenly Blade blurted out, “I love her, you know.”

“What!”

“Shannon. She and our son are more important to me than the air I breathe. They are my life. Without them I am nothing.”

Tucker’s mouth flew open. Blade Stryker hardly seemed the type to utter flowery phrases. He looked hard and tough and dangerous. But obviously Shannon had tamed the beast in him. He smiled a secret smile. The Shannon he knew was badly in need of taming herself. She had always been a headstrong termagant, but now she appeared every inch the devoted wife and mother. She and Blade seemed a perfect match, though Tucker hadn’t a doubt in his mind that when they clashed, explosions could be heard for miles around.

“I must admit I was worried when Shannon wrote that she was remaining in Wyoming and marrying a—”

“—half-breed,” Blade finished tightly.

“A man with Indian blood,” Tucker corrected. “I don’t hold that against you, not if you are half the man Shannon said you were. We heard all about you in town, Blade. And Shannon, too. You can’t imagine how proud I am of my little sister. But I’m not sorry I came to Wyoming. I had to prove to myself that Shannon is content with her life.”

“And if she weren’t?”

“I’d take her and Grady to Boise where she has a family who loves her,” Tucker said without a moment’s hesitation. “But I can see now that won’t be necessary. I read my sister very well. Shannon is happy with you, Blade, and with your life together. I’ll not interfere with that.”

“You would have had one helluva fight if you had tried to take Little Firebird and our son from me,” Blade said, his face set in hard lines.

“Little Firebird?”

“An Indian name I gave Shannon long ago. But don’t get me wrong, I respect the love Shannon shares with her family. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“Then we understand one another perfectly,” Tucker smiled, “for I’d never interfere with your lives as long as you and Shannon love one another and are happy together.”

Tucker extended his hand. Blade hesitated only a moment before grasping it. That is how Shannon and Maggie found them when they reentered the room.

“I’m glad you and Tuck got on so well,” Shannon said later, sighing contentedly as she snuggled against Blade in their wide bed. “I’m so excited about his visit and meeting Maggie and Kevin, I don’t think I can sleep.

“Isn’t it strange how values change as one matures?” she mused thoughtfully. “At one time I thought nothing existed outside of Twin Willows. I was unable to look beyond the horizon to the future that awaited me with the man I love. No matter how special my family is, they can’t compare to you or the love we share.”

“A woman as special as you has to come from a special family. I look forward to meeting the whole clan.”

“Did you really mean what you said earlier about taking me to Boise soon?”

“If Tucker and Maggie wait until our cattle are sold next week, we can make the trip together. Would you like that?”

“Oh, Blade, you know just what to say to make me the happiest!” Shannon exclaimed joyously. “Now if you only knew how to make me sleepy,” she hinted coyly.

A wolfish grin spread over Blade’s face as he rolled over, pinning Shannon beneath him. “I know exactly how to make you sleepy.”

Later, much later, Shannon wholeheartedly agreed as she sighed in contented exhaustion and drifted off to sleep.

A LETTER FROM
THE AUTHOR

Dear Readers:

BEYOND THE HORIZON
is a tribute to women. I firmly believe it wasn’t men who conquered the West, it was women. But first they had to conquer the men. Frontier women convinced Saturday-night men to stick around until Tuesday, so to speak. They would not be ruled by convention, but demanded their own way, and fought for it fiercely.

I chose Wyoming as the setting for Shannon Branigan’s story because of the state’s liberal treatment of women. Wyoming was the first in the nation to allow women to vote and hold office. The Territory in 1869 was wild, untamed, and still beset by Indians, but women braved these hazards in true pioneer spirit. Shannon’s story is a tribute to the pioneer spirit of women the world over and to the great state of Wyoming.

I know you enjoyed Tucker Branigan’s story, PROMISED SUNRISE, by Robin Lee Hatcher, and hope you liked my continuation of the Branigan saga.

I would love to hear from you. Write to me in care of my publisher. I answer every letter I receive and will send bookmark and newsletter. SASE is appreciated.

All My Romantic Best,