Rimfire Bride (25 page)

“What about your father? What does he do?”

Drew was silent for a moment. “My father is a United States congressman.”

“What?” Jana gasped, jerking her hand back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your father is a congressman? I—I had no idea.”

Drew chuckled. “What does that have to do with the price of eggs in China?” Once more he took her hand in his. “Jana, my father is the congressman, I’m not. To me, politics is a perfidious profession.”

“It’s just that I’m so—so . . .”

“You’re so what?”

“Pedestrian.”

Drew laughed out loud, and his outburst caused Sam to stir in his sleep. Drew covered his mouth with his hand.

“Why do you laugh?”

“Believe me, Jana, anyone who would use the word
pedestrian
out here, on the frontier, is anything but ordinary, or dull. On the contrary, I find you quite intriguing.”

“I’m a farm girl from Illinois. There’s nothing intriguing about me.”

Drew put his finger on Jana’s cheek, then gently turned her face toward his.

“Don’t underestimate yourself,” he said quietly, his lips so close to hers that she could feel his breath. “You’re the most fascinating, exciting, and stimulating woman I’ve ever met.” Now he was so close to her that as he spoke, she could feel his lips moving against hers. “Did I say stimulating?”

“Yes,” she said almost breathlessly.

“Stimulating,” he said again, the word smothering her lips.

Jana felt a quick sense of fear; they were kissing here, on the train, not three feet away from
Benji, Sam, and Elfrieda. For that matter, they weren’t that far from anyone else in the car, and though the car was relatively dark, she was sure that anyone looking toward them could see what was going on.

What was going on?

Nothing was going on. That they were in a car with several others, and so close to Elfrieda and the children, made her self-conscious, but it also gave her a sense of security because she knew that nothing more than a simple kiss could happen.

But a simple kiss? Absolutely nothing about these kisses was simple. They were urgent, and as she parted her lips to give his tongue entry, the kiss left her mouth aflame with an aching need for more.

But there could be no more, not here.

Could there?

His lips nibbled at her earlobe, then moved down to the hollow of her neck. She was glad she didn’t have to stand now because her knees were so weak that standing would be impossible.

At that moment the car ran over a rough section of track, and it jarred about. Drew and Jana separated.

“Is it another wreck?” Benji asked, waking abruptly.

“No, Son, it was just a rough section of track,” Drew said. “Everything is fine.”

“Daddy, I want to sit with you and Jana.”

“You won’t have as much room on our side.”

“Come on over,” Jana invited. “You can lean against me.”

Smiling, Benji left his seat, then hopped across to crawl up between Drew and Jana.

Jana was glad Benji had joined them. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could maintain control if Drew continued kissing her the way he had been doing. Before long, Benji had crawled up into Jana’s lap, laid his head against her chest, and was asleep. She held him close to her, running her fingers through his fine hair, and imagining what it would be like if he were her child.

The train stopped
twice during the long night to take on water. Jana woke up both times, but Drew and the others, used to these overnight trips, slept through the stops. Jana could hear voices from outside, and she felt a little guilty as she thought of how warm and comfortable she was in the heated car, compared to what the men must be dealing with outside in the cold night air.

The next morning
the train made a long curve to the right, and the morning sun, now full disk up, sent its bright rays in through the window, waking Jana. When she opened her eyes, it took her a second to realize where she was, but then she felt Benji snuggled up beside her. When she looked across at Elfrieda and Sam, she saw that Sam was staring at her.

“Good morning,” she said softly, not wanting to wake the others.

“We’re almost there,” Sam said.

“Good. I can hardly wait.”

“You won’t like it.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Little Missouri’s not like Bismarck. It doesn’t have stores. It just has saloons where people shoot one another.”

“Oh, that’s not good. But we won’t be in that town very long, will we?”

“Rimfire’s not very far away. What are you going to do there?” Sam asked.

“Your daddy asked me to help him put his new furniture in place.”

“You can’t do that because you aren’t strong enough. You’re a girl.”

Jana laughed. “Oh, I’m not going to actually move the furniture; I’m just going to tell him where I think things should go.”

“Couldn’t Elfrieda do that?”

“No, honey, that takes someone who knows how to arrange such things so that it looks pretty,” Elfrieda chimed in. “I’m afraid I couldn’t do anything like that, and neither could your daddy. You need someone who has an artist’s eye, and Jana has that.”

“I have an artist’s eye, too, but I’m glad you’re here,” Benji said as he turned his face up to Jana.

Jana swallowed hard to keep the knot that was forming in her throat from causing her to cry.

“I’m glad, too,” Drew said. He reached across the gap between the seats and took Sam’s hand. “Come over here and sit on my lap. Have you forgotten tonight is Christmas Eve?”

“Oh, no!” Benji said, loud enough to awaken some of the other passengers. “Daddy, I just thought of something. Something awful!”

“What’s that?”

“Santa Claus won’t know where to find us! He thinks we live in Bismarck. What’s he gonna do when he goes to our house and we’re not home?”

“He’ll know where you are,” Drew said.

“How will he know?”

“Because I sent him a letter.”

“You did?”

“Yes, and I kept a copy. Would you like to hear it?”

“Uh-huh.”

Jana thought Drew was teasing, but he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “Jana, will you read it for us?”

Jana smiled as she took the letter from Drew, then cleared her throat and began to read.

“ ‘Dear Santa Claus, I’m writing to tell you that my two sons, Sam and Benji Malone, will not be found at 112 East Street, in Bismarck, DT. Instead, you will find them at Rimfire Ranch, which is five miles north of the settlement of Little Missouri, on the Little Missouri River.

“ ‘Sam and Benji have both been exceptionally good boys this year, and I would not want you to forget them this Christmas. You will find some cookies under our tree that Mrs. Considine will make for you.

“ ‘I hope you have a very nice trip on Christmas Eve and get home safely.

“ ‘Your friend, Drew Malone, father of Sam and Benji.’ ”

Jana finished reading the letter and handed it back to Drew.

“Oh, Daddy, thank you, thank you. He will find us, won’t he?”

“I don’t think he’ll have any trouble at all.”

The train began squeaking to a halt, and Sam looked through the window. “Daddy, I see Devlin. He’s here to meet us.”

“Good, then we won’t waste any time in getting to the ranch.”

“Jana, are you excited?” Benji asked as he grabbed Jana’s hand and pulled her into the aisle as the train slowed to a stop.

“Yes, I’m very excited.”
And a little frightened,
Jana thought, but she didn’t say that aloud.

As soon as
the boys stepped off the train, they ran happily to a wagon that was standing nearby.

“Devlin!” Benji called. “We came to visit you! I’ll bet you didn’t know we were coming for Christmas!”

“Yes, he did,” Sam said. “If he didn’t know we were coming, he wouldn’t be here to meet us.”

“Where’s Africa?” Benji asked as, using the spokes of the front wheel, he climbed up into the wagon. When he got near the top, Devlin reached down and lifted him the rest of the way. Sam followed and also got a lift.

“Africa’s not a pullin’ horse; he’s a ridin’ horse,” Devlin said as he jumped down off the wagon, pulling a gun and holster from under the seat.

Drew extended his hand to Devlin, and after shaking hands, Devlin handed the holster to Drew and he strapped it on.

“I thought it looked like we were going to rustle
up a snowflake or two this morning, and I could come get you in the sleigh, but it didn’t happen.”

“Maybe, we’ll get some yet.” Drew looked toward the sky. “Devlin, you remember Elfrieda.”

“Yes, sir, I do. Mrs. Considine,” Devlin said, touching the brim of his hat.

“And this is—” Drew stopped and took Jana’s hand as he drew her to him. “Miss Jana Hartmann. Jana, this unsavory character is Devlin McCarthy. I’m warning you about him; believe only half of what he shows you, and none of what he says,” Drew teased.

Devlin looked at Drew, then at Jana, as a broad smile spread across his face. Again he touched the brim of his hat. “It’s just real nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“And it’s nice to meet you, Mr. McCarthy.” Jana noticed that Devlin, too, was wearing a holster and pistol.

“Aw, shucks, ma’am, there’s nobody calls me Mr. McCarthy. Even the boys here call me Devlin.”

As the train pulled away, Drew looked around quickly. “I hope they set our baggage off.”

“Yes, sir, there’s a pile there, near where the baggage car was,” Devlin said.

“Good, pull the wagon up close to it, and we’ll throw it on the back.”

“Yes, sir.” Devlin got back on the wagon, clucked at the team, and drove the wagon up to where several suitcases and some boxes sat. As Sam and Benji remained seated on the front seat, Devlin helped Drew put the freight behind the last seat.

“I think that’s all we brought, so let’s get the
women on board and head for home. I’m anxious to see what you’ve built for me.”

“I’m proud of the house, and I know you’re gonna like it.” Devlin removed a two-step bench from the back of the wagon. “This’ll make it easier, ladies.”

Drew offered his hand first to Elfrieda and then to Jana as the women climbed into the wagon. It had been fitted with two more seats, and Elfrieda settled in the last one as she searched through the freight for some fresh produce she had brought from Bismarck. When she found what she was looking for, she put it under her coat to keep it from freezing during the short ride to Rimfire.

“Daddy, we’re goin’ to ride up front with Devlin,” Sam said as he and Benji remained ensconced in the front seat.

“Well, now, that would be up to Devlin, wouldn’t it?”

“Devlin doesn’t mind,” Sam said. “Do you, Devlin?”

“No indeed. Why, I’m not sure I could even drive this wagon back home if I didn’t have some help.”

“See, Daddy?” Benji said. “Devlin needs us.”

“Then by all means, help him,” Drew said as he sat on the second seat beside Jana.

Not even during
the trip by train from Chicago had Jana ever seen scenery like this. She saw an accumulation of hills ranging from rounded tops, to knife edges, to obelisks. Then, looking out across the horizon, she saw, glistening in the bright sun, what could have been a city in ruins, surrounded by walls and bulwarks, and highlighted by a palace
of huge domes. The colors ranged from soil that was white as snow, through yellows and browns, to the brick-red pyramids with their sharp-pointed summits.

“What do you think of your first trip to the Badlands?” Drew asked.

“I don’t know what I expected, but it’s both wild and fearsome looking, and yet beautiful in a bizarre and untamed way.”

Drew smiled. “I knew you’d like it here.”

T
here
it is,” Drew said, a broad smile crossing his face. “My house. Devlin, it looks fantastic!”

“I knew you’d like it, boss. The green was Toby’s idea.”

The house was made of clapboard and looked to be a long, single-story structure with chimneys at each end, as well as one in the back where a kitchen wing had been added. Dormer windows sprouting from the roof added a functional second story for additional rooms. The boards had been painted a light gray, with window shutters and a tin roof painted a dark green. It was on a small bluff facing the Little Missouri River to the south, with a covered front porch that ran from one end to the other. Jana saw at once what a wonderful place it would make to sit in the long summer evenings, listening to the rushing water and watching the western hills set ablaze with the dying sun.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Jana said. “The setting is perfect. It’s too bad I didn’t bring my art supplies because I could have painted you a picture.”

“There’ll be time for that later.” The tone of Drew’s voice and his expression said more than the words, and Jana wondered what he meant, as the wagon stopped in front of the big house.

“Devlin, did Peach make any crullers?” Benji asked as he jumped from the seat of the wagon to the ground.

“She may have,” Devlin said. “But don’t you want to see your new house before you go and find out?”

“All right. I’ll come in, but it’s only gonna be a minute, ’cause if she made crullers, and I think she did make ’em for us, it wouldn’t be polite if we didn’t eat them. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Considine?”

Elfrieda laughed. “I suppose you’re right, but come on. Let’s look first. I want to find the kitchen and put my groceries in place, that is, if you want Santa to have cookies tonight.”

“Who gets to go in first?” Sam asked.

“I think it should be you, since you’re the big brother,” Drew said. “Come on, Jana, I’m anxious for you to see the place.”

Jana followed Sam in through the front door to a huge room. Here, most of the furniture she and Drew had bought had been pushed together in the middle. A fireplace was at the far end of the room, and yellow and blue flames were curling up
around the logs in it. A gas bubble in one of the logs ignited and popped rather loudly, sending up a shower of sparks.

“This is a big house,” Jana said, drawing out the sentence as she looked around at the huge room.