Dorothy Garlock - [Wabash River] (43 page)

“Kyle Forsythe.” She shook her head as she said his name. “My hope is that I never hear your name or see your face again as long as I live.” Her expression and tone told both men that she meant every word.

Kyle shrugged. “Fine with me.” He stepped to his horse, took the reins, and prepared to mount. John’s voice stopped him.

“There’s one more thing.”

“What now?”

“Stay away from Dillon. Don’t come near him or speak to him or about him. If you do, I’ll kill you.”

“Fine with me,” Kyle said again, and stepped into the saddle.

John had one last word. “A little advice for the sake of the men on your train. When we split off tomorrow, push those wagons from daylight until dark, and even longer if you can. Get to the fort and don’t leave it until you have a good-sized escort.”

“How many is that?”

“As many as you can get. Not less than fifty.”

“Thanks.” Kyle gave a half-salute, turned his horse, and left them.

Addie stood within the circle of John’s arms and watched Kyle ride down the slope toward the camp. She was wrung out emotionally, but happy that it was over. John turned her to face him.

“You were never married to him, Addie. Even if he hadn’t been already married at the time, I’m not sure that it would have been legal with him using a false name.”

“You must think me a fool, to have allowed him to . . . do what he did.”

“I think nothing of the kind. He’s smooth. He took advantage of you. I think he’s relieved to get that part of his life behind him. Now he can concentrate on making someone else’s life miserable. I’m kind of hoping it will be Van Winkle’s.”

“I never knew a person could be so completely selfish, so self-centered.”

“There are plenty like him. You just haven’t met them.”

“Do you think Dillon will . . . be like that?”

“Of course not. We’ll teach him to have respect for other people. Dillon is my son now. Dillon Tallman. I never want the name Hyde or Forsythe mentioned in connection with him.”

Addie slipped her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

“I love you, Mrs. Tallman. I can hardly wait to get you in our bed beneath the wagon. I intend to make you pregnant before we get home.”

“I won’t be alone this time.”

“A team of mules couldn’t pull me from you while you’re having my child. I’ll be the first to hold him . . . or her.”

Addie looked lovingly into her husband’s eyes. Her fingers smoothed his silken mustache down each side of his mouth.

“I was so . . . miserable last night.”

His smile was full of tenderness. “I’m glad. I’d hate it if I were the only one who suffered. Kiss me, sweetheart. It’s got to last a while.”

They stood close together and so still that a mockingbird settled in the cottonwood above their heads. They stayed until the light faded in the west and Victor had cropped all the grass within his reach. They realized his impatience when he snorted and pawed the ground. Lights from lanterns appeared at the cook wagon and at Addie’s wagon, where Trisha was putting the children to bed.

“You missed your supper,” John murmured against her kiss-swollen lips.

“I don’t care. I’m hungry for something else.” She laughed against his cheek. “Come on, you . . .
passerby.
You’ve got work to do if I’m going to be pregnant by the time we get home.”

E
xactly eight-eight days after Addie had left her farm in Arkansas she arrived at her new home in the mountains of northern New Mexico. John was eager to show Addie her new house and to see his parents, who were waiting there. He drove one of the wagons, followed by Trisha and Buffer in the other, through the densely wooded Cimarron Valley and on to Elk Mountain.

Sprawled out in the sunshine was a low adobe dwelling, built in the shape of a U with a courtyard and many rooms. Addie clapped her hands in delight at the scenic view that spread out before her. The house and the courtyard were surrounded by a solid rock and adobe wall.

Heavy wooden gates stood open in welcome.

As John stepped down from the wagon, a tall, slim woman came running from the house. Holding his arms wide, he went to meet her. Squealing with laughter, she threw herself into his arms. Long, thick, silver and gold hair, clasped at the nape of her neck, sparkled in the sunlight. She wore a skirt that ended halfway between her knees and ankles, and on her feet were soft leather moccasins. John whirled her in the air. She squealed and demanded to be put down.

Addie’s attention went to the smiling man who stood nearby. His clothes were identical to John’s; his hair, not quite as long, showed streaks of white. The woman stepped away and the two men shook hands, then hugged. They were of equal height, although the older man was somewhat heavier. The thought came to Addie that this was what John would look like thirty years from now.

As they came toward the wagon, Addie smoothed the skirt of the best dress she owned; she wanted to look presentable when meeting John’s parents.

“I’ve got a surprise for you, Amy.”

“It’s no surprise, you rascal.” Her voice was young, her laughter ready, belying her silver hair. “Have you forgotten you sent Anselmo in two days ago? He couldn’t wait to tell us the news, and we could hardly wait to meet our new daughter, could we, Rain?”

John lifted Addie down from the wagon. With his arm around her he proudly introduced her to his parents.

“This is Addie Faye. Addie, my parents, Amy and Rain Tallman.”

The welcome she received brought tears to Addie’s eyes. She got a hug from a smiling Amy and a warm handshake from the tall man who stood behind her.

“Anselmo didn’t tell you that you have three new grandchildren, did he?” John had a smug smile on his face. He went to the back of the wagon, where he had told the children to hide so that they would be a surprise to their new grandmother.

Amy squealed with delight and raced around to help John lift the children down.

“This is Colin. He’s going to make a top-notch hand, Pa. He’s shouldered his share of the work all the way across the territories.”

Colin offered his hand to Amy, who ignored it and gave him a hug. Rain took the boy’s hand, then held it to keep him beside him.

“Here’s Jane Ann.” The child was clutching the doll John had given her. Her frightened eyes went to Addie, who nodded, before she allowed herself to be drawn into Amy’s embrace.

“A little girl! Oh, how pretty you are.”

“This rascal is Dillon.” John lifted the boy to sit on his shoulders.

“My name’s Dillon Tallman,” Dillon announced proudly. “I’m four.” He held up four fingers.

“Almost,” John added with a wide grin.

Amy clapped her hands. “I’ve waited a long time for this. You do things up right, don’t you, Johnny?”

“Of course, Mother. Did you doubt it?”

Trisha and Buffer arrived and were made welcome.

“We stopped at Adobe Walls Mission long enough for these two to be married,” John announced.

“We’ve planned a celebration for tonight.” Amy turned to her husband. “Rain, it’ll be a
double
celebration. Do we have enough of everything?”

“Yes, love.” Rain chuckled and ran a finger down his wife’s soft cheek. “You’ve asked me that only six times today.”

*  *  *

Addie loved everything about her new home—the warm sunny days, the cool nights. Amy came often and took the children to stay with her for a few days. Jane Ann adored her. The little girl blossomed under Amy’s love and attention.

One of the first things John did was to get Addie a half-dozen sheep. Dillon promptly named one of them Dipper.

By fall, Addie had lost her waistline and John accused her of swallowing a melon. They eagerly looked forward to spring and the new addition to their family. A beautiful baby girl with dark hair and eyes arrived in time for Easter. John caught her when she came from her mother’s body and then had to be forcibly removed from the room by the new grandmother so that the baby could be washed and dressed. They named her Liberty, after John’s aunt, but she soon became known simply as Berty.

Buffer and Trisha started their “little” place. Trisha was happy as a lark, and Buffer was proud as a peacock of his beautiful wife. Trisha wore the leather britches Buffer had bought for her at the store in Van Buren and soon was riding and shooting and throwing a knife as if she had done it all her life. The first year, the Simmonses became the parents of a big, husky boy.

The Van Winkle party came through the territories with another train and an army escort. On a recent trip to Sante Fe, Rain and Amy learned that due to Rain’s influence, Judge Van Winkle had been removed as Indian agent—recalled, after a year of service, for inappropriate behavior. Strings were pulled so that Captain and Mrs. Forsythe were able to accompany the judge back East, where the captain was reassigned to a quartermaster post.

The night John told Addie the news, they were lying in bed.

“Forsythe will earn every penny he gets out of Van Winkle and Cindy. Not many men would put up with that pompous old goat.” John was lovingly stroking Addie’s belly, which had begun to swell again.

“I’m glad . . . ah, you-know-who is hundreds of miles from here.”

“Be Christian about this, Mrs. Tallman. Without that clabber-headed, stinking polecat, you might not have met me. I’d have never gone to Freepoint. I’d never have seen you in that store. Think what you would have missed.”

“That’s true. But
you
should thank your lucky stars too. If not for that worthless buzzard bait, whom I refuse to call by name, you could be wearing socks with holes and sleeping alone in this bed.”

His sigh was long and dramatic. “I’m not real sure I should thank him. Maybe you should show me why.” He was trying to tease her, but his voice sounded gruff.

She flopped over onto her stomach, her elbows on his chest, and began to kiss and nibble on his chin.

“Sure now?” she asked, and ran her fingertips across his ribs and flat belly.

“Well . . . ?” He drew the word out. “I don’t know.”

“Mr. Passerby, you’re getting hard to please.” She lowered her hand into the thick hair surrounding his sex.

“I like that,” he said quickly.

“I thought you would.”

A second later he was in sweet agony.

“You lustful wench!” He rolled her onto her back. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to keep you!”

If you enjoyed
Yesteryear
be sure to look for—

LOVE AND CHERISH

by Dorothy Garlock

This is a frontier story of love, hope, and courage. The story is set along the untamed Kentucky River in 1779, when only a few white men had come to the area. It was a time when the men were strong, the women were cherished, and the new land was filled with promise.

The story of Cherish Riley and Sloan Benedict Carroll will make you laugh, cry, and keep turning the pages.