A Dream Unfolding (41 page)

Sitting down at the table, alone, he lowered his head to say grace.
 
When he finished, Rosa shoved the full plate in front of him with a curt, “Eat.”
 
Her three favorite words were eat, sit, and shoo.
 
When she was satisfied he did not need anything else, she carried the prepared food across the lawn to the bunkhouse.

The first weeks in his house were wonderful.
 
Peaceful quiet surrounded him each day.
 
He was not on guard, constantly concerned for the image he projected to his men.
 
Instead he could truly relax.
 
Back in Texas, he craved the hour of solitude in his room before retiring each night.
 
It never seemed long enough.
 
But here, day after day, hour after endless hour of complete silence, Will felt lonely.

At first he tried to fill the silence with music from his guitar.
 
Then he would read his Bible or another book.
 
Then he would write letters to his sister.
 
But after a few nights of the same, he grew bored.
 
He added small chores to the routine, like fixing bridles and saddles.
 
But nothing staved off the loneliness.

The sound of shuffling feet drew his attention to the doorway.

“Who do you want to ride into Fort Whipple with you this morning?” Ben asked.

Will finished his last bite before answering, “I’ll take Jed and Covington.”

“I’ll have ‘
em
bring Jackson up in a few minutes then.”

As Will took one last chug of his coffee, he pushed away from the table, trying to push away the loneliness as well.

The men were waiting for him out front as promised.
 
Mounting his steed, Will led the way north to Fort Whipple.
 
Last month, shortly after Governor Goodwin arrived, Will met with the supply officer at the fort to see if they would be interested in purchasing some beef cattle from
Colter
Ranch.
 
He took a few head to show the supply officer the quality and the officer purchased them on the spot.
 
He asked Will to come back in a few weeks to discuss a contract.

Pulling into Fort Whipple a few hours later, the three men rounded the steers into a corral.
 
Will left Jed and Covington instructions to stay with the animals until he completed his discussion with the purchaser.
 
The supply officer, glad to see Will, quickly concluded the negotiations.
 
He was pleased the army agreed to purchase one hundred head to be delivered every month.
 
With the army contract and the contract with several establishments in town, Will would not need to drive more than a few hundred longhorns across the Indian infested wilderness to the California market.
 
Perhaps, in time, he would have no need to drive cattle to California at all.

Gathering his men, they headed to the mess tent to get some food before making the trek back to the ranch.
 
Beans, potatoes, and beef steak were the perfect solution to hungry bellies.
 

As they progressed their way through the line Will scanned the tent, a habit from years of scanning the horizon while working with the cattle.
 
His eyes stopped abruptly on the lovely young white woman chatting jovially with an officer as she dished up his food.
 
His heart beat faster at the sight of her.
 
Her hair was the most interesting shade of blonde with touches of red.
 
Even from this distance, he could see her eyes were as blue as the vast Arizona sky.
 
Her ivory skin looked soft.
 
What would it be like to touch her?

Snickers from Covington and Jed roused Will from his overt interest.
 
Embarrassed for acting like a school boy, Will chided himself, feeling heat rise to his face.
 
It had been a long time since he laid eyes on a young beautiful white woman.
 
That must be why she was affecting him so.

In a few more steps he and his men would be standing directly in front of her.
 
Though he tried not to stare, he could not help it.
 
Her pert lips stretched thin in a smile that did not quite make it to her eyes.
 
Her voice sounded light and sweet, like an angel.
 
He tried to take in all of her lovely features, but most were blocked by the line of men in front of him.

Suddenly, the woman yelped in pain.
 
She doubled over clutching her stomach.
 
Will jerked forward slightly, ready to lend aid.
 
In a moment the pain subsided and she stood straight again, her face still rather pale.
 
His eyes moved to where one hand lingered over the swell of her stomach.
 
It was then Will noticed she was with child.
 
He felt twice as foolish for his earlier thoughts, realizing she was probably married to that young officer he saw earlier.

“Hannah,” the young officer asked, rushing to her side, “are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Harrison,” she answered with a heavy breath.
 
“I’ll go lie down after I finish serving these men.”

The man named Harrison hesitated then returned to his half eaten meal.

Seeing it was his turn to be served, Will held out his plate.
 
“Ma’am,” he said with a nod as she lifted the ladle of beans toward his plate.
 
Before tilting the ladle to the side to deposit food on his plate, her eyes grew wide and she doubled over again.
 
The ladle slipped from her hand landing on the ground with a soft thud.
 
Instinctively, Will let his plate fall to the ground as he caught her around the waist.
 
Covington was right there with him.
 
Jed was about to take off for the post doctor when Harrison took the woman in his arms and ran out—but not before Will noticed the blood staining her dress.

It was few minutes before the men in the mess tent returned their attention to their meal.
 
Will picked his plate up, dusting off the bits of dirt.
 
One of the Mexican women jumped in to serve the remaining men.
 
As they found their way to a table, Will offered up a brief prayer for the woman, certain she could use it.

---

 
“Lieutenant Harrison!”
 
exclaimed Hannah as she dished up his dinner.

His heart leapt as joy lit her eyes.
 
Each day, Joshua looked forward to seeing Hannah and the few minutes of exchanging pleasantries.
 
It was always too brief, as the line of hungry men grew antsy long before he was ready to part from her company.

Taking a seat nearby, Joshua carefully watched Hannah.
 
She looked a bit peaked today and more tired than normal.
 
He watched as she served the soldiers.
 
Though she smiled kindly to each one, he could not help but notice her reaction to him was unique.
 
And it pleased him greatly.

Suddenly, she let out a cry and clutched her stomach.
 
Joshua rose, running to her side, his heart pounding.
 
After her brief reassurance that she was fine, he stood nearby, watching her.
 
Once he was convinced she was fine he took his seat again.

At first, after his foolhardy proposal, he felt awkward around Hannah.
 
Then the major sent him to escort some of the governor’s men on a tour of the area.
 
When he returned two weeks later, he and Hannah fell into a friendly banter when their paths crossed.
 
She was still grieving her lost husband, though some of the bitterness seemed to be lifting.
 
If only she would let him take care of her.

Shrugging his thoughts aside, Joshua finished his meal.
 
As he turned to leave, one of his men grabbed his arm.

“Sir, its Mrs. Anderson,” the soldier stated.

Frantic, he looked around and saw her almost hit the ground before two cowboys kept her standing.
 
He rushed to her side, swallowing the rising lump in his throat.
 
Without thought, he lifted Hannah in his arms.
 
She felt small and fragile.
 
He ran to the post doctor shouting for Mrs. Murphy to ready a bed.
 
It was when he gently laid Hannah on the bed that he saw it.
 
Her dress was covered in blood.

She screamed fiercely, barely able to catch her breath between bursts of pain.
 
Hannah clutched his hand, the pressure of her grip strong.
 
Not knowing what else to do, Joshua stood by her side.
 
She looked up at him with eyes full of fear.
 
“It’s too soon,” she panted, almost as if asking him to make it stop.
 
How he wished he could.

Dr. Murphy quickly assessed the situation and enlisted the aid of his wife.
 
Mrs. Murphy produced a stack of towels and bandages, before retrieving some water.
 
The doctor turned and asked Joshua, “When is she due?”

Joshua shook his head.
 
He had no idea.
 
It was not something they discussed.

The doctor muttered something, then Mrs. Murphy ushered Joshua outside.
 
Not wanting to go far in case Hannah needed him, he took a seat on the ground just outside of the medical tent.
 
The screams seemed to last forever.
 
He lowered his head to his hands, lifting prayers heavenward.
 
He was certain there was no hope for the child, but he prayed for Hannah, for her life.

His heart broke for the overwhelming grief she faced these last few months.
 
First the loss of her husband.
 
Now…
 
He did not want to think how deeply she would grieve if she lost this child, too.
 
He knew how it would affect him if it was his child.

Sometime around eleven at night, Mrs. Murphy laid a hand on his shoulder.
 
“I’m sorry, but the baby did not survive,” she said.
 
“Your wife is resting, but you may see her now.”

He was too concerned for Hannah’s safety to correct the doctor’s wife, though he wished what she said was true.
 
Jumping up quickly, the numbness in his legs slowed him.
 
Shaking each leg to get the blood flowing, he passed through the curtain.
 
The sight of Hannah’s frail form brought a groan from his lips.
 
Her skin was gray and her eyes appeared sunken.
 
Perspiration dotted her forehead.
 
Her hair had fallen loose of the normally neat chignon.
 
Instead, it was a tangled mess—yet beautiful.
 
Reaching over, he gently rested his hand on her head praying for the Lord to heal her.
 
She did not stir at his touch.

Not wanting to leave, he took the seat next to her and kept his hand over hers.
 
When did she become so important to him?
 
He wondered as a fierce protectiveness flooded his heart.
 
He wanted to shield her from this pain.
 
He wanted to make life better for her.
 
Keep her from harm.

Mrs. Murphy was at his side again speaking softly.
 
Judging by the crick in his neck, Joshua must have fallen asleep in the chair.

Seeing dawn lighting the tent, he shot to his feet.
 
He missed his scheduled report to the major!
 
If he did not leave now, he would have to report for his morning duties unshaven and in yesterday’s uniform.
 
He rushed back to his tent after letting the doctor’s wife know he would return later to check on Hannah, hoping he would be in less trouble than he thought.

Chapter
22

Hannah tried to move, but her limbs felt like giant logs, stiff and nearly impossible to lift.
 
She saw a kindly woman grab a wet cloth before turning to face her.