To Wed in Texas (25 page)

“McLain? You want to see your wife?” As Daniel stepped to the door, Sergeant Whiteley moved in beside him. “They’ll be listening,” he whispered as he cuffed Daniel.

Whiteley had just proved his loyalty.

“I know. Thanks.” The sergeant didn’t close the cuffs uncomfortably tight around his wrist as the guard had yesterday.

Daniel walked into the small room and raised his arms to his wife.

Karlee moved into his hug. “They almost didn’t allow me to see you today,” she whispered.

He smelled of her hair and just hugged her, realizing he needed her near.

She finally broke the silence. “I brought you a change of clothes.”

“Thanks.”

“How much longer, Daniel?”

“I don’t know. A day. A week. A month.” He felt her tremble with his words. “At least I know the twins are safe with you.”

Karlee buried her head on his shoulder. “Daniel, I forgot to tell you. I’m not brave. I never have been. I’m more the run-and-hide type than the stand-and-fight.”

He couldn’t hold back the laughter. “I doubt that. From what I’ve seen, I’d say you’re about as brave as a wife could be.”

“No, you got a lousy deal in this marriage. I can’t cook. I’ll never be a beauty. I head off on some plan and later wonder why. And to top it all off, I’m sure I’m a coward.”

Daniel had never seen her like this. He wished his hands were free so he could hold her tighter. She was frightened, truly frightened. And to his surprise, he realized what scared her most was the fear that she might let him down.

“Honey, listen, you
are
brave.” He leaned close, kissing the tear on her cheek. “I want you to pack the house, everything except the furniture and the kitchen, and of course what’s upstairs. Understand?”

She nodded. There was nothing left except the secret compartment in the hallway.

He raised his voice a little. “Since my church burned, we may have to move. I guess the house belongs to the church and now there’s no church it will probably be sold.” His voice lowered against her ear. “Search carefully, pack everything.”

“I will,” she promised.

He kissed her lightly. “I’ll be home sooner than you think. Logan’s a hard man but I don’t think he’ll step to drumming up false charges.”

He pulled away as he heard the door unlock. “Take care of the twins.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she promised as the guard signaled her out.

The weight of her problems settled over Karlee like an unwanted summer cold. She lingered longer at the bakery, talking to Valerie and her mother, than she’d planned. But going home without Daniel there didn’t appeal to her. Valerie’s mother had given Ida a job. The tiny German woman was like a worker ant. She seemed to carry ten times her weight and walked in almost a run from place to place. Each time she passed, the little woman smiled, proud of her job.

Valerie asked about John. She needed assurance that he wasn’t being mistreated. Karlee promised to let her know the minute she got a letter from Allie and Wes. “John’s all right,” she hugged the girl. “He’s with his sister. She’ll see that no harm comes to him.”

With the twins loaded in the wagon, Karlee finally started for home. She’d stalled long enough, there was much to be done. She’d understood what Daniel had been trying to tell her. She had to get the weapons, hidden behind the sliding door, out of the house.

She pulled to the back porch, noticing a stack of trunks beside the door. Fine, leather, hand-tooled luggage. Wolf leaned against the house looking like a hunting dog who’d been ordered outside.

“What is it?” Karlee asked, helping the twins down from the wagon.

Wolf shook his head. “About the time you think trouble is full and plenty, another scoop gets added to the batter.”

“Wolf?”

Just as he opened his mouth to explain, a tall woman in white swept from the house as though she’d been taking another curtain call.

The woman glared at Karlee for a full minute, her plastered-on smile as wide as a medicine man’s banner. “Why, Karlee Whitworth, don’t you remember your cousin, Gerilyn? It has been years and years and years.”

Karlee realized her time trying to forget her cousin hadn’t worked. She’d recognize those cold blue-gray eyes anywhere.

“You ask me,” Wolf mumbled for Karlee’s ears only. “I should pack her up and take her back until she can add a few more years onto that greeting.”

Gerilyn must have thought Karlee’s sudden smile was because of her visit. She swayed gracefully down the steps and gave Karlee an almost hug and an almost kiss.

G
ERILYN HADN’T CHANGED IN THE FIFTEEN YEARS
since Karlee had seen her. Her hair was still the brown of deep chocolate, her face china white, and her eyes the soulless blue-gray of a winter river.

“Hello, Gerilyn.” Karlee watched her hug each of the girls and give them an air kiss an inch away from their cheeks.

“Aunt Rosy wrote me that you came down to help poor Daniel. He must have had an impossible time finding someone adequate.” She straightened the already perfect pleats in her traveling dress as she continued, “Then I was beside myself when I heard of the fire in town. With only you as help, I knew he must be near panic. I just had to come down and make sure my nieces were all right. Precious angels.”

“They’re fine, as you can see.” Karlee followed Gerilyn into the kitchen. “We’re all fine.” The last thing she wanted to do was tell Gerilyn anything was wrong.

“And where is my poor dead sister’s husband?” Gerilyn dusted a kitchen chair with her gloves before sitting down. “Didn’t he get my telegram?”

“We’ve been busy here.” Karlee didn’t even know if there was a telegraph office anymore.

Starlett tried to show her aunt one of the dolls Karlee had made for her. Gerilyn wasn’t interested. “Wait until you see what I brought you girls.” She patted Starlett on the cheek.

“Now,” Starlett chimed. “Show us now.”

“No, not now, dear.” Gerilyn smiled at the child’s impatience. “Later, when I open my trunk. We’ll have plenty of time.”

“You’re staying then?” Wolf asked from the doorway as if the end of the world had just been announced.

Gerilyn looked as though she smelled something disgusting. “Who is this man, Karlee?” She totally ignored Wolf’s question.

“That’s Uncle Wolf,” Starlett answered. “Can we open your trunks now? Good things come in trunks. Karlee did. We want to see what you brought us.”

Gerilyn wasn’t listening, only thinking about what needed to be said. “No, child, I told you later.” She realized her words were sharp for she ended her statement with another pat. “And, of course I’m staying. You don’t think I traveled all this way to go back tonight. I’m sure Daniel will make room for me. After all, I’m his wife’s sister, not some distant cousin.”

“What’d you want me to do, Karlee?” Wolf looked as if Karlee only had to say the word and he’d toss the thin woman over his shoulder and haul her back to the dock.

Karlee lifted her head. “If Gerilyn doesn’t mind watching the twins for a few minutes, I’ll help you move her luggage up to my room and clean my things out.”

Wolf grunted, but lifted the first of three huge trunks. “It ain’t fair,” he mumbled as he followed Karlee upstairs. “You shouldn’t have to move anywhere. This is your house. Only, by the amount of traffic that passes through here, you’d think it was a Butterfield Stage Station.
Company’s a curse on the newly married. I wish they’d scatter and leave us be.”

Karlee fought down a laugh. He obviously considered himself part of the family. He was right though. It was her room. But between Wes and Allie, and now Gerilyn, she didn’t seem to be sleeping in it much.

As Wolf stacked the luggage, Karlee moved her few belongings into the twins’ room. In truth, there was plenty of space.

“I’m getting out of here as soon as I bring up the last load. If you need me, check with Ida. I’ll tell her to look in on you twice a day. All you got to do is tell her to get word to me. One of her boys will be able to find me. She’ll be proud I trust her to watch after you all. She’s lost three husbands, you know, so she’s fond of trying to keep up with people. Probably working on her skills while she looks for number four.”

Karlee giggled. “Thanks, Wolf. I’ll be fine. I’ve been around Gerilyn before.”

“But you didn’t even tell that woman you were Daniel’s wife.” He hugged her good-bye as if leaving her at the battlefront.

“She didn’t ask. She strikes me as a person who only enjoys the sound of her own voice. And my guess is she’s not going to be very happy when she finds out about the marriage. I’m the ‘poor relation’ in my family.”

Wolf headed down the stairs mumbling, “Appears to me any relations leave a fellow poorer after they stay a while.”

Gerilyn spent the afternoon resting and unpacking. About four, she came down to complain about the noise the girls were making. “Can’t they go somewhere else besides the porch right beneath my window?”

Karlee was ironing. “Where would you have them go, Gerilyn?”

“I don’t really care,” Gerilyn whined. “The moon seems far enough. I must spend some time telling you how to discipline those two or their voices will have calluses before they’re half grown. And you really must do something about their hair. I can show you how to braid it properly in a style that becomes any little girl.”

“I didn’t know you knew such things, not having children of your own,” Karlee ventured.

“One doesn’t have to be a fish to know how to swim. Observation and a sharp mind are far more valuable than carrying a calf like some cow for nine months.”

Karlee didn’t comment. Talking to Gerilyn was a waste of time.

“Dear,” Gerilyn said sweetly as if she’d forgotten Karlee’s name. “Would you mind pressing a few of my dresses? Traveling does wrinkle them so. And use a cloth over the silk. I’ll not have it looking too shiny.”

“If I have time. I need to start supper soon. Would you like to help?”

Gerilyn gave a practiced laugh. “Oh, heavens no. I would like to talk to that brother-in-law of mine, however. I guess since he’s got you here slaving away with the house and children, he’s out running free. Lord knows he’s had these twin burdens tied around his neck long enough.”

“No, he’s not running free.” Karlee smiled. “He’s at the stockade helping with a dying prisoner.” She figured that was close enough to the truth for Gerilyn.

A few minutes later, Ida tapped on the back door. Gerilyn took one look at the little German dressed in a menagerie of rags and excused herself without an introduction.

Ida tiptoed into the kitchen as shy as ever. “I brought you some soup for your supper and bread made fresh from the bakery.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Karlee accepted the gift. “You are too good to us.”

“No, no child, you are a blessing to all of us. I have a job because of you, and both my older boys are working at a full man’s wage thanks to you. And that hairy giant who comes here brings me more vegetables and meat than I can cook. He says he finds them, but I see him in the market. His heart is big, that one…as is yours.”

“I’m glad we could help.” Karlee was a little embarrassed at the praise. All her life she’d wanted to aid others but usually she had nothing to give.

“Mr. Wolf came by the bakery and told me a witch is living in your house.” The widow leaned closer. “You want me to get rid of her? My boys could bury her where not even the wind will find her.”

“No, Ida. She’ll be gone in a few days. But the offer is tempting.” Karlee wasn’t entirely sure the old German was teasing.

“Wolf said this lady is blessed with the knowledge of knowing everything of no importance and the curse of constantly telling others. He says she tries endlessly to give everyone this knowledge, but no one will listen.”

Karlee couldn’t argue.

Ida raised one slightly bushy eyebrow. “They say the bone dust of such a woman will make a willow sapling grow into an oak.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you, Ida?”

The old woman’s rounded shoulders rolled. “I don’t know. We had such a woman in our village once. Not long after she died I started noticing a great many more oaks in the woods.”

The twins ran into the kitchen, breaking the stillness that hung in the air like a ghost.

“Look, Karlee. Look what Aunt Gerry gave us. Dolls with china faces and lace and hands that look real.”

Ida waved good-bye and winked with both eyes, making her eyebrows seesaw. She was doing it again, Karlee thought, she was brightening the day in her odd little way. Ida had been a blessing since she moved into the barn.

Kneeling, Karlee gave her attention to the girls and the fine dolls they carried. “They’re beautiful,” she said. “The most beautiful dolls I’ve ever seen.”

“They’re from Paris,” Gerilyn announced from the doorway. “Now my nieces won’t have to play with rag dolls. And, twin,” She pointed toward Starlett. “don’t ever call me Aunt Gerry. If you can’t say my name correctly, don’t say it at all.”

“I’m Starlett,” the girl answered.

“Whatever.” Gerilyn occupied herself in checking to see how the ironing was coming along. “Just go play with your dolls somewhere other than under my feet. And Karlee, the lace won’t droop if you put a towel in the sleeve when ironing.”