A Dream Unfolding (59 page)

Hannah wanted to run away and cry.
 
Instead, she picked up pots and pans slamming them about on the stove to soothe her frustration.
 
What was happening?
 
Why did Will leave without speaking with her at least for a minute?
 
She thought they were growing close.
 
She thought he cared for her.
 
Had she completely mistaken the message behind those kisses?

Is this awful feeling the same thing she just caused Joshua to feel?

Will was excited to see Hannah today.
 
He knew she wasn’t expecting him, but he wanted to surprise her.
 
He needed to deliver more beef and pick up a few supplies.
 
He also hoped to have some mail from his sister Julia in Texas, now that there was regular mail service to points east.
 
But what he really wanted was to see Hannah.
 
Will had not stopped thinking of her since she visited the ranch.
 
She obviously admired the magnificent piece of land that was now his home.
 
And he thought of those kisses often.
 
She was so sweet to the taste.
 
Her skin was so soft to his touch.
 
He was definitely falling for her.
 
There was a small part of him that felt complete in her presence.
 
Who was he kidding?
 
He was in love with Hannah Anderson!

Since that day at the ranch, Will did everything with a new perspective.
 
He hummed as he worked with the horses.
 
When riding he sat taller in the saddle.
 
He was happy, even joyful.
 
Ben noticed the change and questioned him about it.
 
Will told his old friend everything, how he was in love with Hannah, how he wanted to make her his wife.

And he knew the exact moment he was sure he loved her.
 
He asked her the simple question of what her dreams were.
 
He was surprised when it affected her so.
 
When she said she longed to be a wife and mother, that’s when he knew.
 
He knew he wanted to be the man of her dreams.
 
He was going to ask Hannah to marry him, but he had to come up with something special.

For days, he thought of how he would propose.
 
Today, he would ask her if she would have dinner with him at the hotel in two days.
 
Then, he would come back to town with flowers on that day.
 
He would take her to dinner, asking for a quiet table where they could talk.
 
Then he would ask her.
 
It was a good plan and he was sure it would work.

Whitten pulled the wagon to a stop in front of the boardinghouse.
 
Will grabbed the first crate of meat and carried it into the dining hall.
 
Hannah was not there, but Betty was.
 
No matter, he was not leaving town without asking Hannah to dinner.
 
He chatted with Betty for a minute while she emptied the crates.
 
Hannah still wasn’t back from whatever chore she was working on, so he decided he would come back after they loaded supplies from Don Manuel’s store.

As he lifted a crate of flour into the wagon, Will saw Hannah walking in the town square.
 
His heart leapt at the sight of her—before he noticed she was not alone.
 
Dropping the crate into the wagon, Will watched the scene unfold.
 
Hannah was walking next to Lieutenant Harrison, the two talking with rather serious expressions.
 
She stopped and turned towards him.
 
Then Harrison paused, turning toward Hannah.
 
Will’s heart pounded loudly in his chest as Harrison took Hannah’s hands in his.
 
Will’s jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed.
 
What exactly was going on?
 
Then, Harrison moved forward to kiss Hannah.

Will could not watch the rest of the act of betrayal.
 
He turned away, his heart shattering.
 
Betty was wrong.
 
Hannah did not love him, she loved Harrison.
 
She made her choice.

Anger boiled to the surface as the truth sank in.
 
Hoisting another crate he shoved it into the wagon.
 
How could he have been so foolish?
 
Was she just toying with him that day at the ranch?
 
How could he have been so wrong?

Lifting another crate from the stack to be loaded, Will shoved it into the wagon bed with such force, the wagon rocked forward.
 
Crate after crate suffered a similar fate, until the wagon was loaded.
 
Task completed, Will mounted his horse and mumbled something to Whitten.

Pointing Jackson toward home, Will resisted the temptation to glance back at Hannah.
 
Strong determination and a severely broken heart forbade it.

Will was in a foul mood all day, well actually for two days, ever since he saw Hannah with that lieutenant.
 
Today was supposed to be the day Will would ask her to be his wife.
 
Instead, she had picked the military man.
 
Dropping the saddle onto Jackson’s back with thud, he felt a little remorse.
 
It wasn’t his horse’s fault that Hannah was a shrew.
 
Maybe that was being a bit harsh, but it made him feel a little better.

Jackson wasn’t the only one who suffered his wrath.
 
Last night, Jed said something that set Will off.
 
He didn’t even remember what it was.
 
All he remembered was that he nearly decked the young man—poor Jed.
 
Ben’s warning glare was the only thing stopping him from making a complete fool of himself.
 
Then, this morning, the kitchen filled with tension after Will barked at Rosa for not making his eggs scrambled.
 
In truth, he hadn’t asked her to make them that way and he had treated her unfairly.
 
He was acting boorish.
 
And all over a woman.

Growling in frustration at himself, Will mounted Jackson and turned him eastward.
 
Covington reported this morning that he saw some signs of an abandoned camp at the far end of Will’s property.
 
He was going out to see if the camp was from Apaches, Mexican cattle thieves, or someone else.

Dad-blame it.
 
He sighed.
 
There was another thought of Hannah.
 
Why couldn’t he just get her out of his mind?
 
How could she have affected him so deeply and so quickly?
 

Unlike many men he knew, Will had never found love in Texas.
 
He hadn’t missed it then either.
 
He loved working with the cattle, rounding up the strays, branding the calves, and driving the herd to market.
 
He never had time for love.
 
He didn’t have time to be lonely.
 
But, now he was lonely—lonelier now for having loved Hannah and lost her than he was before he met her.
 
Why did her face haunt his dreams?
 
The laughter, the teasing, the moments of introspection.
 
He wanted it to stop.
 
He wanted to forget her and have the pain go away.
 
But he couldn’t.

Getting impatient with his lovesick thoughts, he forced his mind to other things.
 
There were still no letters from his sister Julia.
 
He sent a letter from Santa Fe over nine months ago.
 
And he sent letters in the spring through the military post.
 
He was sure she received at least one of them.
 
Why hadn’t Julia sent any letters back?
 
Was Reuben being ruthless with her, not letting her send anything out of his hatred for Will?
 
A pang of guilt pierced his already broken heart.
 
He should have brought Julia, even though it was against his father’s last wishes.

Maybe his own pain was shading his thoughts.
 
Perhaps Julia found a handsome rancher to court.
 
More realistically, Reuben would be the one to find her a wealthy rancher with no concern for age or looks or character.
 
Still, Julia was strong willed and could stand her own against their brother.
 
He respected her much more than he’d ever respected Will.
 
Will was certain Reuben didn’t love Julia, for the only thing he loved was money.
 
But respect for one’s sibling would take one far enough.
 
At least Will hoped that was true.

Spotting the ashes Covington mentioned, Will focused his attention on his surroundings.
 
Judging from the few remaining ashes, the camp was several days old.
 
Dismounting his horse, he took a closer look.
 
There were signs of boot prints, so it was unlikely the camp was Apache.
 
Looking carefully at the area around the fire remains, he spotted a small piece of bright red fabric.
 
Unless there were settlers in the area with Mexican blankets or throws, he had a gang of Mexican cattle thieves on his hands.
 
They were probably scouting the herd to make plans for when to strike.
 
Will would have to step up the number of men on the outlying areas especially at night.

Mounting Jackson, he turned the horse toward the ranch.
 
He only went a short distance when something spooked the horse.
 
Seeing the rattlesnake after Jackson, Will was unprepared.
 
His mount reared up suddenly, frightened by the snake which quickly slithered way.
 
Will lost his balance and tumbled backwards over Jackson’s hind quarters.
 
His breath rushed from his lungs as his body hit the ground hard.
 
His head whipped back making contact with something hard.
 
Pain seared through his head.
 
He had to get back on Jackson.
 
As Will tried to stand, his head started spinning and he dropped to the ground, everything going black.

Ben was getting worried as the sun lowered in the sky and no one heard from Will since the morning.
 
He couldn’t shake the ominous feeling.
 
Something was definitely wrong.
 
He saddled a mare and went to get Owens to ride along.