Another Dawn (45 page)

      
Luke went to buy horses and supplies, leaving Sofie to suffer her doubts and misgivings alone. She looked in the mirror above her dresser, wishing more than anything that she could come to terms with her feelings for that man.

      
Later today, she would be alone in the wilderness with a man she loved and wanted desperately. A man who'd kissed her and touched her intimately.
 

      
A priest.

      
She could do this. She would do this. Within a matter of days, Luke would return to his church and his vows, and she would see a specialist who might be able to help her regain her memory and her life.

      
Please, God.

      
"Enough of this," she whispered. She had work to do.

      
She couldn't leave without at least leaving a farewell note for Jenny and the Wilsons. It would be wrong. Yet Luke had been adamant about not wanting her to go near the Wilsons' house. She had no idea why.

      
"Trust me, Sofie."

      
She did trust him, and she loved him just as much. Lifting her fingertips to her lips, she remembered his passionate kisses and singular flavor. His forbidden touch... A man who should never have responded to her at all had displayed proof of his desire.

      
And that memory was all she would ever have of him. She closed her eyes and prayed nothing would steal that precious memory.

      
A wave of dizziness punched her in the gut and she grabbed the edge of her dresser to steady herself. Pain stabbed through her temple and into her skull as the dizziness worsened. Her stomach heaved and she broke into a cold sweat.

      
Shivering, she took two staggering steps to the bed and fell onto it. The room continued to spin and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the vertigo to pass.

      
Gradually, the whirling slowed, but she dared not open her eyes. Pressing her hands to both temples, she drew deep breaths until the pain and nausea subsided.

      
Images floated through her mind, like a slide show against a background of darkness. She saw her mother's face, and the boy who must be her brother again, but older than before.

      
The dizziness gripped her again and the images rushed by faster, like a tornado with her trapped in its vicious vortex. She wanted to scream, but couldn't summon the strength.

      
Then the spinning ceased and only blackness remained. She pressed against her temples again, hoping when she opened her eyes the vertigo and pain wouldn't return. But another image stayed her.

      
Luke. Again they were in that cold, sterile room, with metallic objects and instruments. She saw him with his shaved head, a gray hospital gown covering him only to mid-thigh.

      
And she was there, wearing the same white lab coat and jeans she'd worn the day of the explosion. She must be remembering the same morning.

      
Some men led Luke toward a large metal object. She couldn't see all of it, because the men blocked her view. Somehow, she sensed the need to identify the metal thing.

      
The old priest was there as he had been in her earlier memory, and another man wearing a dark suit she didn't remember from before. Who was he?
 

      
His eyes glittered with excitement and determination, and he paced the cold room in agitation. She was trying to tell him something important, but he wouldn't listen. She needed to stop him.

      
Stop what? What had she been trying to tell him?

      
Sofie pressed harder against her temples, but the image vanished, leaving only a misty cloud in its wake. Slowly, she opened her eyes. That mist represented her memory, and she knew now that clearing that mist was the key.

      
The scene that kept replaying in her mind was important. Critical. She had to remember.

      
And now, more than ever, she knew Luke had been lying to her. The man she loved and trusted had lied to her. He was keeping knowledge and information from her deliberately.

      
Why?

      
He'd asked her to trust him unconditionally, to follow him into the wilderness, to believe he would deliver her safely to Denver....

      
And she did.

      
Yes, despite all the evidence that he was keeping big secrets, she still believed in him and trusted him. The man had saved her life, and he looked at her with adoration. Whatever his secrets, she had to trust him to tell her when the time was right.

      
She had to.

      
"Get your butt in gear, Sofie," she said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed as she eased herself into a sitting position. No dizziness. Whatever had caused the problem seemed to have passed.
 

      
Then she recalled the flying images and hope surged through her. Was this a sign that her memory would fully return? If the pain and dizziness came with every new memory, she welcomed it. Something a little less dramatic would've been equally welcome, but whatever it took.

      
If the episode signaled a serious medical condition, then she'd deal with that in Denver, too. Right now she had a trip to prepare for and good-bye notes to write.

      
As she reached for the door knob, the dizziness assailed her again. Sofie dropped to the floor and closed her eyes, waiting to see what secrets would reveal themselves this time.

      
The livery was near Miss Lottie's, meaning Luke had to walk right past the Wilson house on his way. He passed by the front, knowing Graham's room was at the rear. Still, seeing the place reminded him he had to hurry.

      
He hadn't ridden a horse since age eleven, when he'd spent the summer at camp. Still, he remembered enough about the basics to believe he could pull this off, and he'd lead Sofie's if necessary. Gentle and dependable would meet their needs well.

      
He pulled open the door and entered the dim interior, noting a set of wide double doors open at the rear, where the old man who ran the livery was mucking out stalls. Luke zeroed in on him and headed in that direction.

      
"Well, Lucifer, you're actin' like a colt again."

      
The sound of Sam's voice brought Luke to a halt halfway down the row of stalls. Though Luke didn't want a witness to his travel plans, he reminded himself that in this time, he wasn't an escaped convict.

      
Con-priest was more like it.

      
He looked at the black stallion Sam was grooming. The marshal talked to the giant beast as if it were human and understood every word.

      
The animal's eyes commanded Luke's attention. They glittered with mischief as the horse snatched the brim of Sam's Stetson between its teeth and flung the hat across the stable with a toss of its head. The horse whinnied as Sam chuckled and stomped after his hat.

      
Sam bent to retrieve his hat, meeting Luke's gaze as he straightened. "Well, guess you got to see Lucifer in action, eh?" The lawman chuckled again. "That horse is one helluva lot smarter'n most men I've known."

      
"I can see that."
 
Luke only knew one thing for sure. He didn't want a horse anything like Lucifer. "Beautiful animal."

      
"Finest horse I've ever owned."
 
Sam jammed his hat back on and jerked his head toward the stall. "C'mon over and meet Lucifer."

      
"Meet him?" Luke laughed and shrugged. The horse was aptly named, though Cujo could have worked, too. "Uh, sure. Why not?" Making nice with Lucifer would give Luke a chance to say good-bye to Sam.

      
"Mind your manners, Lucifer," Sam said as he slid in beside the horse. "We got company."

      
The horse thrust its muzzle toward Luke's clean shirt and nibbled, leaving behind remnants of horsey breakfast. "Uh, gee, nice to meet you, too."
 
He couldn't take his gaze off the horse's eyes. Lucifer really seemed to understand everything. It was uncanny...and disconcerting.

      
Sam handed Luke his bandanna. "Sorry 'bout that."
 
The lawman patted Lucifer's neck. "He's still pretty young, but damn smart."

      
"Yeah."
 
Luke dabbed horse mess off his shirt. "I'm glad I ran into you, Sam."

      
"What's on your mind?" The marshal slid a feed bag over the horse's muzzle–thank goodness–and stepped out of the stall, shutting the half-door behind him.

      
"Sofie and I are getting ready to leave for Denver," Luke said, deciding not to waste any time making up a story. "Snow will start soon and Roman said she could travel, so I figured we'd better get started."

      
Sam nodded and stroked his whiskered chin. "Yep, makes sense."
 

      
"I'm here to buy a couple of horses and we'll need supplies, too." Even as he spoke, Luke realized Sam was the perfect person to help him choose a couple of horses. Gentle horses.

      
"Henry's got a few in the paddock out back."
 
Sam started walking that way without being invited.

      
"Does he now?" Luke cleared his throat and followed his mentor to the open doors at the rear.

      
"Henry, the Father here needs a couple of mounts."

      
Henry had buried a son and almost lost another in the smallpox epidemic. Luke remembered the funeral, and he searched his mind for the other boy's name, relieved when it came to him. "Henry, how's Micah doing?"

      
The man grinned and spit tobacco juice into the corner. "Just fine, Father."
 
He wiped his hand on his overalls, then thrust it toward Luke.

      
Without hesitation, Luke shook the man's hand and mumbled words of relief about Micah's continued recovery. And meant it. He'd really fallen into his role.
Scary.

      
"So you need horses?" Henry leaned his pitchfork against the door frame and headed into the bright autumn sunshine. "Got me five decent ones here. Epidemic left a few without owners."
 
Henry sighed. "Money we get for 'em will pay their keep, then the rest'll go to any family."

      
Sam shoved his hat back farther on his head, squinting into the sunlight at the horses in the far corner of the paddock. Two of them munched on hay, while another reached over the fence to pull mouthfuls of dried grass from the ground. The others stood staring at the humans.

      
"What if there ain't no family left?" Sam asked, directing his lawman's gaze on poor Henry.

      
The other man chuckled, unaffected by Sam's query. "Anythin' left is goin' to Doc Wilson, 'course."

      
"Good, good."
 
Sam walked toward the nearest horse, running his hands over the animal expertly. "This one don't show much spirit."

      
"That's good."
 
Luke approached the animal with a grin when Sam frowned at him. "I want gentle and dependable times two. Not spirit."

      
Chuckling, Henry went around to the front of the horse and lifted its lips back to expose its huge horsey teeth. "This here ain't no youngster, Father."

      
"I appreciate your honesty, Henry."
 
Luke cleared his throat. "Frankly, I don't plan to keep the horses long after we reach Denver. I'll probably give them to the Church."
 

      
Luke made a mental note to make sure he did just that. No more lies. He'd find a church–any church–and donate the horses once he and Sofie were finished with them. After this journey, he and Sofie would be ready for a nice fast train.