Page 5 of A Texas Sky


  "I don't think so," Merry said easily. "He'll just go out

  and introduce himself, I'm sure."

  Merry said all of this while laying two extra place settings,

  making sure the bread was in reach, and then serving

  her friend a bowl of soup. It took a moment for her to see

  that Darvi was staring at her, a look of near desperation on

  her face.

  "What is it, Darvi?" Merry asked gently, taking a chair

  close to her.

  "I did it!" Darvi could wait no longer. "I asked Jesus

  Christ to save me from my sins. I wanted to pick the perfect

  time to tell you, but I just have to tell you now. I'm a

  believer, Merry, just like you."

  Having prayed for this for years, Merry was surprised

  at her own reaction: one of tears. She tried to speak, but the

  words stuck in her throat. Silent tears trickled down her

  face, and when her little daughters saw them, their own

  75

  tears began. This made the women laugh.

  ''Tell me everything!" Merry commanded when she

  finally had air again.

  A Texas Sky * 43

  The words and sounds coming from the kitchen in the

  next minutes included an amazing blend of laughter and

  breathless sobs, none of which could be heard by Calder,

  who had finally spotted Dakota and was moving toward

  him. Calder was nearly to the rock the Ranger was sitting

  on before he realized that man had his shirt off and was

  trying to stop his side from bleeding.

  "Hello," Calder called as Dakota glanced at him.

  "Hello."

  Finally at the boulder, Calder stopped and looked down

  on him. "It looks as though Darvi was something of a

  tyrant."

  One corner of Dakota's mouth quirked. "She rode

  harder than I figured."

  "Do you want me to have a loo^?"

  76

  Dakota took his eyes from the wound. "You a doctor?"

  "Yes."

  Dakota shrugged a little, "I saw a doctor in Austin. He

  gave me some powder."

  "It wasn't Marcus Scott by any chance, was it?"

  "As a matter of fact, it was."

  "He's my uncle."

  Dakota took a moment to compute this.

  "I thought you were a Ranger."

  Calder smiled. "Thafs my brother."

  Dakota laughed a little.

  "I'll get my bag," Calder said and started away.

  Dakota was too weary to argue with him. He didn't

  think he needed any more mending, but he certainly felt

  worn.

  Back at the house, Merry heard the door the moment it

  opened and went to meet their other guest. She was surprised

  to find her husband alone.

  "He's hurt," Calder said by way of explanation.

  Merry accepted this without questipn or comment.

  77

  Darvi, on the other hand, followed Calder to the door on

  his way back out

  44 lori wick

  "Dakota's hurt?"

  "Yes. I would guess a gunshot wound to his side."

  Darvi's mouth opened. "He never said a word."

  Calder's smile was full of amusement "Somehow mat

  doesn't surprise me."

  Tempted as Darvi was to go with him, she thought she

  might be in the way. The blonde made herself stay put, but

  as soon as she saw him, Darvi would have a few questions

  for Dakota Rawlings.

  --gr'3-

  Dakota

  woke slowly, his body telling him he was rested

  and comfortable and that everything was all right. He

  remembered getting to the front porch and even going

  through the kitchen, but almost as soon as he'd laid on the

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  bed he had been directed to, everything had begun to fade.

  Now his eyes were opening, and for the first time since

  he left Desmond and Geneva's, he felt truly rested. Long

  -days and nights, hard trails, and little comfort were a way

  of life to him, but having bullet wounds put it all in a whole

  new light.

  "I found it a little surprising..." Dakota heard Darvi say

  and realized she was in the kitchen, right outside his door.

  For the first time he noticed the door wasn't shut

  "I never thought about people in the Bible quarreling or

  not loving each other, but Pastor Osman's sermon spoke to

  that very thing. I've been reading in Galatians ever since."

  "Are you understanding it?" Merry asked.

  "Some of it May I ask you some questions?"

  "Of course, Darvi. Why don't we get our Bibles and sit

  in the living room. The girls will be waking soon, and I can

  hear them better if I'm near the stairs."

  Dakota heard their chairs move and lay in silence. It

  had been like listening to his own conversation with

  Marcus Scott. Darvi must have been in church on Sunday.

  79

  Dakota glanced around to see if his saddlebags were in

  A Texas Sky 45

  sight but didn't spot them. He had a sudden need to read

  his Bible.

  With slow but comfortable movements he eased from

  the bed. A glance out the window told him where the privy

  was situated, and he thought if he moved quietly, he might

  be able to get out without disturbing Darvi and her friend.

  It occurred to him as he pulled on boots and found the back

  door that he hadn't even met the woman.

  3"3r-3r

  "I think I hear the girls," Merry said about 45 minutes

  later.

  "Thank you for explaining some of this to me," Darvi

  said. "It makes sense to me now. I've sinned so many times

  since I believed. I'm not sure why I thought the people in

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  the Bible would be different."

  Merry smiled at her friend, still feeling rather amazed

  that she was even having this conversation. She had

  planned to go into town for some extra shopping after the

  twins awoke, but suddenly nothing else mattered. Darvi

  was here, and not just any Darvi, but a new sister in Christ

  "Mama?" A liljle voice floated down the stairway.

  "Coming, Viwy."

  "How did you know that was Vivian?"

  Merry shrugged. "I just know."

  Darvi sat still in the living room after her friend walked

  up the stairs. She was still thinking about all the things

  Merry had explained and how much she had to learn when

  she heard a noise in the kitchen. With little forethought she

  stood to her feet and went that way.

  Dakota, who had been reading at the table, had just put

  his Bible in the bedroom and returned to the kitchen when

  Darvi stepped into the room.

  "I can't believe you did that!" Darvi attacked him

  without warning.

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  46 lori wick

  Dakota stared at her angry face, feeling rather dispassionate

  about her ire but thinking she looked rested and at

  home in these surroundings. Her yellow dress looked nice

  too.

  "Did you hear me, Dakota?" she tried again.

  "Yes, but I don't know what you're upset about"

  Darvi's hands came to her waist "You let me ride us as

  though there was no tomorrow and never once said you

  were hurt"


  Dakota nodded with understanding. It took him a

  moment to figure out what she was referring to, but this

  made sense.

  "I'm fine, Darvi."

  Darvi looked irritated again, like a child who knew she

  was being patronized.

  "That's why you were bleeding!" she snapped. "I know

  I always bleed when I'm fine."

  Dakota tried not to smile at the sarcasm but couldn't

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  help himself.

  "Don't you laugh at me, Dakota Rawlings! I'm really

  . upset about this." Her voice suddenly grew quiet; she

  wished she could learn to bite her tongue. "I was all het up

  to come here, and I didn't think about anyone but myself.

  I'm sorry."

  Dakota couldn't help but respond to such repentance.

  ^ "I could have said something, Darvi, but I didn't. Thank

  you for your concern."

  Darvi smiled a little at his forgiving tone. She regretted

  the way she'd talfced to him but wasn't certain how to

  explain. At times she asked the Lord why He ever put up

  with her mouth.

  All this was still rolling through Darvi's mind when she

  saw that she'd lost Dakota's attention. He was still standing

  in the same place, but his eyes were focused down and

  behind her; a smile was just starting across his lips.

  Darvi knew what had his attention. Vivian and Filar had

  come downstairs with their mother.

  83

  9owt,

  "I'M merry scott." the doctor's wife was the first to

  speak and came forward to shake Dakota's hand. The girls

  stayed close beside her, but the shyness they had shown

  with Darvi was not to be found. Indeed, they seemed quite

  taken with this large, dark stranger.

  "I'm Dakota Rawlings," Dakota said as he shook

  Merry's hand, catching the girls' interest but not looking

  directly at them. "I appreciate your hospitality. I'm sure I

  feel better for having come inside to lie down."

  "Well, Darvi tells me you'll be taking her to Aurora to

  catch the train home, and you need to know that however

  long you're here, we expect you to use that room."

  "Thank you," Dakota said, before his amused eyes

  swung to the strawberry blonde.

  "Is that the plan? I'm taking you to Aurora?"

  Darvi's mouth opened. "Didn't Uncle Marty tell you?"

  "No. Maybe he thought you did."

  "Oh, Dakota!" Darvi was horrified. "I had no idea. I

  84

  mean, I just assumed you two had talked."

  "It doesn't matter. Like I said, I have some free time

  right now."

  "To rest up," Darvi said wryly, thinking she could cry.

  She had been so determined to get to Stillwater that

  nothing else had mattered. She now wondered whether her

  uncle knew of the situation.

  47

  48 lori wick

  "That was your uncle's plan/' Dakota answered the

  unasked question, "but I don't think I'm going to be

  needing much rest"

  "But you're not working right now?"

  "No. My time is my own."

  Sounding rather crushed/she said, "And I'm sure this is

  just how you had planned to spend it."

  It was at that moment that the couple realized they were

  85

  alone. When Merry and the girls slipped away, neither of

  them knew. Darvi moved toward the door that led to the

  backyard, obviously upset. Dakota followed.

  "You need to listen to me, Darvi," Dakota said as soon

  as he followed her to the back porch. "You're upset for no

  reason."

  "No reason ? " Darvi began in outrage, but Dakota put his

  hand up, his face stern. Darvi subsided, something rather

  new for her, and waited for him to take a seat on the porch

  railing as she was in the only chair.

  "I was hurt midsummer. Brace didn't want me back for

  six months. I came anyway. Since my escorting you puts

  me nearer my family's ranch, he said I should go there

  whenever we're done and check back with him in a month.

  The truth is, I don't feel a hundred percent, but neither am

  I dying. I'll probably be pacing at the ranch for three weeks

  before I'm supposed to report back in Austin. You may take

  as long as you like to get on that train in Aurora. My time

  is open. And unless you want me to wrestle a bear, I'm up

  for just about anything."

  86

  "But you were hurt some by how hard I wanted to

  ride," Darvi couldn't help but say.

  "At any time I could have asked you to stop, Darvi, but

  I didn't. I have no one to blame but myself."

  Darvi saw that he was right but still wanted to take

  responsibility. She looked away from Dakota's eyes and

  tried to work it out in her mind. When she looked back, he

  was still watching her. For some odd reason, her heart was

  wrung with compassion.

  ATexasSty 49

  "How were you hurt, Dakota?"

  "A gunfight. It wasn't that they outnumbered me; it was

  my miscalculation of where they were."

  "You were shot?"

  "Five times."

  Darvi's hands came to her mouth.

  "I'm fine," Dakota said gently. "I will tell you if I can't

  do something."

  Darvi mentally promised to pinch herself if she cried,

  87

  and it seemed to do the trick. Nodding swiftly and dropping

  both her hands and her eyes, she asked herself how

  God could stand all this weeping she did. Ever since she'd

  understood her own personal need for a Savior, she'd been

  bawling over the silliest things.

  Not that Dakota's being shot is silly. I just wish I could control

  myself a little more.

  "Are you all right?" Dakota asked. He hadn't taken his

  eyes from her since they'd sat down. Nevertheless, she did

  not look at him when she answered.

  "I'm fine, Dakota, thank you. I'll just trust you to tell me

  if something's not right."

  "All right," Dakota said as he stood. "And 111 wait for

  you to tell me when you're ready to go. Like I said, any

  time is fine."

  He slipped back inside on Darvi's nod and found Merry

  and the girls in the kitchen. In the time he'd been gone,

  their fascination had melted away. They showed their faces

  long enough for an introduction but were terribly shy

  about looking at him. Dakota took pity on them and went

  88

  into his bedroom and shut the door.

  ^"S--^"

  "How do you feel?" Calder asked Dakota the moment

  he arrived home that evening and found him sitting alone

  in the living room.

  "Better. Thank you."

  x

  50 lori wick

  Dakota had been sitting and looking out the large

  window to the woods behind the house. It was a very tranquil

  scene, and as the minutes ticked by, he felt himself

  growing more relaxed.

  Calder sat down with him,

  "Any more bleeding?"

  "No. Thanks for helping me earlier. I think I needed rest

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  more than anything else."

  Calder smiled.

  "What
does that look mean?" Dakota asked, his voice a

  bit dry.

  "Only that you sound like my brother."

  "Was that a compliment or not?"

  "Or not," the doctor replied, putting it plainly. "Most

  days, Chet has more guts than good sense."

  Dakota let himself smile over this, a smile that grew

  quite wide when two little girls suddenly joined them.

  "Papa!" they squealed in delight as the two scrambled

  for his lap.

  They were hugged, kissed, tickled, and snuggled in turn

  before settling in to stare at Dakota in adorable splendor.

  "Did you meet Mr. Rawlings?" their father asked.

  Both dark heads bobbed up and down. Flyaway hair fell

  softly around their faces, and round cheeks glowed pink

  below sparkling eyes. They smiled easily, and their noses

  were so soft-looking and rounded that Dakota wanted to

  tweak them.

  90

  "How do I tell who's Filar and who's Vivian?" Dakota

  asked as he studied their cookie-cutter images.

  The two girls stared right back, and Dakota had to

  shrug.

  Calder stepped in.

  "Show him, Vivvy."

  Vivian obediently pointed to her eye. Again Dakota

  studied her but still had to look to Calder questioningly.

  "Viwy has a tiny scar next to her eye," the older Scott

  explained. "Do you see it?"

  A Texas Sky 51

  "Oh, yes. How did that happen?"

  "She had just learned to walk and waited until she was

  next to a rock to take her first serious tumble/'

  Dakota smiled at both girls and then looked to Vivian,

  "Did it hurt?" he asked, but Vivian only smiled at him.

  Mercy, you two are cute! was all Dakota could think as he

  watched them. He didn't know how long he and Darvi

  would be in Stillwater, but he thought he could get very

  91

  attached to these two girls. Though younger, they reminded

  him of Lobby's sister, Laura.

  "Dinner's ready," Merry announced from the edge of

  the room.

  The men thanked her and stood.

  Calder gave Merry a kiss, and one of the girls went into

  her arms.

  "It smells good," Calder commented.

  "Beef stew, biscuits, watermelon, and iced tea."

  "Oh, my," Dakota said sofuy.

  Merry turned to him, her eyes sparkling a little. "Don't

  you care for beef stew, Mr. Rawlings?"

  "On the contrary, Mrs. Scott, quite suddenly I'm

  starving."

  Having figured he would appreciate a home-cooked

  meal, Merry was very pleased. She was even more pleased

  when she saw that the girls were not going to stare at him

  all evening and then hide their faces when he looked their