Authors: Kathryn Long
Jess recalled the events of the evening to Daniel, including Emma's peculiar exit and refusal to talk. "Sonny's visit seemed to have an unsettling effect on Miss Emma. She must be taking this whole situation, especially Uncle Fred's condition, extremely hard," Jess suggested. "It's really starting to worry me, Daniel. She's not a young woman. It could take its toll on her health."
"Miss Emma is stronger than she looks," Daniel offered. "In fact she's probably one of the strongest people I know."
Jess noticed the warmth in Daniel's voice as he spoke of Emma. He truly cared for his employer. And she knew respect and admiration were included in his feelings. Miss Emma was very fortunate to have such loyal friends around her. Very lucky indeed. Suddenly, she realized how lucky she, Missy, and Deek were to have come here, considering what they had been through. No one here had asked them to talk about their parents, and in a way, she was relieved. It was still too painful. Maybe someday … Her thoughts trailed off until Daniel's words brought her back to the present.
"As I said, or at least intended, Lucas is not a man to be trusted." Then he added, "I don't think I'd believe anything he had to say. In fact, I don't think Miss Emma should even waste her time with that meeting."
"Do you believe she'd listen to your advice?" Jess asked.
"Probably not," he chuckled, then added, "definitely not."
"But it's worth a try to talk to her, right?" Jess implored.
"Yeah, okay," he sighed. "Wouldn't hurt." He smiled and added. "Of course, I am known to bungle things a lot."
"Oh, you!" she said, hitting his arm playfully.
Daniel responded by holding on to his arm, pretending to be in pain. "Ouch," he cried. "I'm gonna have to get you back, you know. It's only fair," he teased, then grabbed Jess' sides and began tickling her. She squirmed so much that she fell back onto the porch swing, laughing uncontrollably. Daniel lost his balance and fell against her.
Suddenly, both stopped moving, holding their breath. Daniel's eyes stared intensely at Jess. He tried with all his will to fight the feeling which now flooded over him, making him dizzy, impossible to think, to reason. Yet, at that moment nothing seemed to matter, but what he did next.
Fearful that he would lose his nerve, he moved quickly, a brief second, bringing him close, so very close, to her lips. And to the kiss. It was soft, gentle, and brief, but the electricity was there. At least, he felt it. He realized afterwards that he was still holding his breath, anxiously waiting for a reaction, good or bad.
Her eyes seemed dazed, not blinking, not moving from its hold on his. Then she reacted, not with words though. Just as Daniel had moved so quickly, she moved slowly, deliberately closer until her lips touched his. Again, soft, gentle, but this time not brief. And for this moment, this night, Daniel realized only the kiss seemed to matter.
Chapter 16
"So when are you going to talk to Miss Emma?" Jess asked as she stretched her arms. They had fallen asleep on the swing. Nearly two hours ago, she realized. The moon and stars were brightly shining against a backdrop of inky black.
"Well, I suppose I should at least wait till morning light." Daniel yawned, squinting at Jess with half-closed eyes. He was still thinking of that kiss, and all the ones that followed, making it difficult to concentrate on Emma, Lucas, Sonny, the meeting, or any of it. Just that kiss. He'd never felt this way about any woman, and now it was happening with someone who was barely more than a girl. He watched Jess as she got up to stretch and walk around the porch, her long, slender legs, the way her hips glided as she moved. She was so beautiful, and the thought of that made him dizzy again. It almost frightened him to know that he could possibly find total commitment here, a willingness to do what she asked of him, no matter how contrary to his beliefs it might be.
Oh boy, Daniel
.
You'd better be careful.
"Yes. Of course," Jess remarked as she leaned her back against the railing. "It wouldn't do to wake her." She was finding it difficult to keep her eyes on Daniel. It irritated her to know that she was just a little embarrassed about the intimacy between them, just a few hours ago. She usually confronted all situations in a comfortable, forward manner, and this one should be no different. What was happening to her? It was unfamiliar and she didn't like it one bit. Boys,
men
didn't do this to her. Make her feel like she'd been turned upside down and inside out. He was just a guy. She had to get a hold of herself.
She glanced up to see him staring at her with those intense brown eyes which now seemed heated like warm embers of a fire. Her heart lurched and the anger melted, giving way to a warm glow deep inside. She sighed in resignation of the facts. It would be tough, if not impossible, to fight this one. Yep, just about impossible. If she even wanted to fight, that is.
"We really should be focusing our attention on Emma and this Lucas person," she remarked in as serious a tone as she could manage, but Daniel didn't help matters.
"And what else could we possibly be focusing on, Jess?"
He had such a mischievous smirk on his face. Jess almost wanted to slap if off, or more likely, kiss it. She sighed once again.
"Are you going to talk to Emma, or not?" she snapped, her patience gone completely.
"I won't answer that until you calm down, come over here, and sit next to me," he answered quietly.
She wasn't sure why, but without giving it one thought, she did just that. He then took her hand in his and brought his face so very close to hers, but he didn't kiss her. Instead he talked, his words soft and warm. He talked about how much the kiss meant, how much he enjoyed spending this time with her and being able to look at her beauty. But when put into words it was just too much, too fast. She began to panic and stood up in a quick jolt.
"I have to get some sleep, Daniel," she stammered. "There's a lot we have to do tomorrow, and I for one want to be well-rested." She headed quickly for the door.
"Jess! Wait!" Daniel called out, a total look of confusion on his face, but she was already inside. He sat there for a brief moment staring at the door before realizing she wasn't coming back.
"Women!" He shook his head in disgust, got up, and walked toward the bunkhouse. At least the horses, he understood. No problem there.
As he approached the building, he noticed a dim light in one of the windows and the shadow of a figure pacing back and forth. At three o'clock in the morning that wasn't normal. He puzzled over the fact. The ranch hands needed to be up at six a.m., so most were in bed by ten. A good night's rest, Daniel knew from experience, was an absolute necessity to survive the physical demands of the job. Maybe one of the men was sick. That concerned him since they couldn't afford to lose even one hand. Not during branding. He'd have to rustle up a replacement. Pronto. Better to find out about this right away. His jaw clenched tightly. He picked up his pace, all thoughts of Jess pushed out of his mind.
As he came closer, his eyes detected a second figure in the window. This one appeared to be sitting. The sound of voices quietly arguing could be heard. Now, Daniel had new concerns. He anxiously approached the bunkhouse door. Reaching out for the handle, a sudden howl of a coyote made Daniel jump. He was surprised at how nervous he felt. He didn't even know yet what this was all about. Ever since Fred's accident, life in Chickasha had been one crazy episode after another. Everyone seemed to be on his or her guard, worrying what would come next.
A chill went through Daniel as he watched the moon darken behind a passing cloud. He looked once more at the handle and started to turn it when a slight rustling sounded behind him, then a loud, distinct thud. It was the last sound he remembered from that night.
Interlude: The Journey
Alikchi rubbed his body with oil from bear fat to keep him warm during the cool nights. He stood proudly before Nanih Waiya, the leaning mound. It was nearly forty feet high and stretched across almost an acre. Surrounding it were the remains of a wall, just bits and pieces. The mound held much power, he believed. For centuries his Choctaw ancestors would meet here for religious ritual and important tribal decisions. At least until the white man arrived, they did. Alikch
i
felt the bitter taste of betrayal in his mouth. This was a very spiritual sight. Deep inside remained the bones of many ancestors. Their spirits, he sensed, were all around him. Giving him power and courage for his journey.
He had packed his food and extra clothing, wrapped everything tightly and placed them in his bag, which he now tied securely to the rear of his horse. The mingo, district chief of Chickasha, expected him in at least twenty days. He had said it was urgent. To right a wrong. So he would leave tonight. The setting sun would be his beacon, calling him to another homeland, the land of the red people, Oklahoma. He mounted his horse and dug his mocassined heals into its sides, galloping forward. The journey began.
Chapter 17
"Ouch!" Daniel winced and jerked his head away from Emma.
"Dadblast it, Daniel! I need to tend to it whether you like it or not," Emma scolded. She reached out once more to put some antiseptic on the gash. He'd been hit so hard it had busted his head open. Emma shook a bit with the fear of knowing how much worse it could have turned out.
One of the hands had happened to hear the horses whinnying and stomping in the corral. He told Emma he suspected a coyote might have come down to the ranch and was spooking the livestock. So, he'd come out for a look and had found Daniel lying in front of the bunkhouse door.
"All in a crumpled heap," he said, shaking his head. "Looked pretty near dead."
"And you didn't hear or see anyone suspicious?" Emma questioned.
"No, ma'am. Just them horses, upset over what happened to Daniel, I reckon."
With that, Emma dismissed the ranch hand and began focusing her attention on Daniel. He'd lost quite a bit of blood. She puzzled over how and why this could have happened. She hadn't questioned Daniel, yet. He wasn't ready for that. But there were so many unanswered pieces to the puzzle. And she was anxious to find out how many answers Daniel possessed. Maybe none. That thought discouraged her. As sure as she was living and breathing, she just knew all these devilish acts had to do with Fred's attack. She walked across the room to call Doc Willis. Daniel had fallen into a fitful sleep. She wanted to care for him herself, but knew in her heart that she should have a professional check his condition. She clenched her fists after the call. She had realized a long time ago that she couldn't do it all. Now, she picked up the phone once more, glancing wearily at Daniel as she made a call to her nephew. "For what good it'll do," she muttered.
"Hello, Caleb?" Emma began. Then she proceeded to tell him of the evening's event. Besides an occasional
um-hum
, the sheriff didn't say much, and it irritated Emma. "Are you awake over there, nephew?" she hollered. "Or should I get myself to your office and shake the stuffins out of you? My foreman, and dear friend, was nearly killed tonight and I want somethin' done about it. You hear?"
"I guess I could come out to your place and, well … check it out," he replied.
"Now, I guess you could and should, Caleb Gentry," she quipped, then slammed the phone receiver down.
"Good for nothin' waste of taxpayer's money," she muttered as she crossed the room. She ran the washcloth under cold water, rung it out, then walked to Daniel's reclined figure to place it on his forehead.