Guardian Bride (30 page)

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Guardian Bride

by Lauri Robinson

counter. Jerome, wrapped in the yards of gingham between

her ankles, twisted to be released.

The basin, thankfully empty, slid across the narrow shelf,

and squealing as her feet went out from beneath her,

Summer hit the ground. With a ringing clatter, the basin

bounced off her head and then clanged on the ground.

Yipping and tearing up the dirt beneath his claws, Jerome

shot out from beneath her skirt like a bullet.

Before she had a chance to catch her breath, Snake was

lifting her from the ground.

"What happened?" he asked. "Are you hurt?" His hands

patted her arms and waist. When he knelt down, inching up

her skirt to examine her legs, she batted his hands away.

"I'm fine. I'm not hurt."

"Are you sure? What happened?"

She wasn't certain what had happened and glanced

around. August, clutching a squirming Jerome to his chest,

had tears rolling out of his eyes. Wary, his watery eyes

bounced between her and Snake. The fact of what the child

expected hit her.

She stepped toward August, but Snake was already

moving that way. Her throat locked up, remembering how

July had punished the child more than once.

Hiccupping and trembling from head to toe, the child

stared at Snake. "You gotta whip me, don't you, Snake?"

A crowd had gathered, and every person, man, woman,

and child, went stone silent. August's statement seemed to

echo off the wind.

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Summer wanted to rush forward and put herself between

Snake and August, but there wasn't room, Snake had already

knelt down in front of her brother, and his hands were resting

on August's small, shaking shoulders.

"What happened, August?" he asked.

The sound of his voice reminded Summer it was Snake,

not July the child had to answer to. She slumped with relief. A

hand settled on her shoulder as Lila came to stand beside

her. The comfort was appreciated.

"I threw a stick for Jerome. It landed behind Summer."

August paused to take in a shaky breath. "Jerome runs faster

than me. He got there first and slid under her skirt."

Squeezing the puppy, he shook his head. "He didn't mean to

make her fall. Honest he didn't."

"I'm sure he didn't," Snake said, rubbing the pup's head.

"But you know better than to throw sticks near people, don't

you?"

August nodded. Tears continued to run down his face.

With the edge of a thumb, Snake wiped one of August's

red cheeks. "A dog is a lot of responsibility. It's your job to

teach him how to behave. What if he'd knocked over one of

the little kids?"

Bowing his head, August answered, "They could have

gotten hurt."

"That's right. And Jerome could have been hurt, too."

August lifted his head, meeting Snake's gaze. "I

understand you gotta whip me, Snake. I won't hold it against

you."

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Lila gasped and her arm wrapped around Summer's

shoulders. She glanced at her sister-in-law. Tears fell from

Lila's eyes, too. Summer turned back to her little brother.

Snake had pulled the boy and the dog into his big arms.

"I'm not going to whip you, August." He held the child tight

for several seconds. When they separated, he kept the child's

attention by looking him straight on. "I'm not saying some

day you won't do something that I'll have to punish you for,

but this, today, was an accident. I do need you to promise it

won't happen again."

August's chin had fallen. His mouth gaped open. Blinking,

he asked, "You ain't gonna whip me?"

Snake shook his head. "But you have to promise this won't

happen again."

"It won't. I promise."

"Good enough, then," Snake said, patting August's cheek.

August set Jerome on the ground and wrapped both arms

around Snake's neck. The child whispered, but the crowd was

so quiet, everyone heard, "I sure do wish you were my Pa,

Snake. I sure do wish it."

Snake held the child, rocking him back and forth, for some

time before he gripped August's teary cheeks. "I'm not your

Pa, August, we both know that."

The child nodded.

"But I'd be right proud if you pretended I was."

August reached up and laid his little hands on both sides of

Snake's face. His steady gaze was deeply sincere. "You mean

it? I could pretend you are my Pa?"

Snake nodded.

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Beside her, Lila was sobbing now, softly, but Summer

could hear it, even over her own crying. The tears trickling

down her face increased when August asked, "September,

too?"

Snake turned and held one hand out to September. The

girl stepped forward, tears covering her cheeks as well.

"September, too," Snake said, pulling September into a

three-way embrace.

Lila pushed Summer forward. Questioning, Summer

glanced at the other woman.

"Go hug your family," Lila whispered. "I know how strongly

this family loves children who aren't of their blood. Trust me,

there's no difference in their eyes."

Summer looked back to the kids holding on to Snake.

"It doesn't matter where you're from, or how you came to

be, once you're a Quinter, you're always a Quinter," Lila said,

pushing Summer harder.

Snake turned his neck, glancing up at Summer as

September hugged his one side and August his other. His

eyes said it all. Summer stepped forward, dropped to her

knees, and wrapped her arms around all three of them. Life

couldn't get any better.

Jerome, sitting between Snake's knees, decided he needed

to be part of the affection taking place and started licking

everyone's chin. His lapping, as well as the giggles and

squirming his love ensued made everyone lose their balance.

Soon they were all four on the ground. Summer's head was

on one of Snake's shoulder, September the other, and

August, still holding onto Snake's neck was plastered on his

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chest. Jerome, with great enthusiasm leaped about, lathering

each one of them with his non-stop tongue.

Snake planted a kiss on September's crown, then August's,

and then Summer's lips, before he grabbed the dog. His

arms, still around her and September, tightened as he lifted

the pup, and kissed Jerome's puppy head before he asked,

"Will someone please take this little monster?"

Laughter boomed across the plains. Bug took the dog while

others reached down to offer a hand up. The incident was

over, yet the significance of it would last forever—for her,

Snake, September, and August.

Buffalo Killer helped her rise, and when Summer reached

down to brush the dirt from her skirts, he gathered both of

her hands. "Hold the joy you're feeling right now, little sister.

Don't let someone steal it from you again."

Her mind wasn't fast enough to respond before he let go

and walked away. As Buffalo Killer paused to speak with Lila,

Summer's head spun. She had more questions than answers.

What had Lila meant about children that weren't theirs?

Snake's arms, wrapping around her waist from behind

changed the route of her tumbling thoughts. She pivoted

inside his hold, wrapping her arms around his neck as she

spun.

"Thank you," she offered, kissing his lips.

His brows tugged down, but the playfulness of his eyes

said his frown was made up. "You want to call me Pa, too?"

She giggled, accepting the light twist he put on the

emotional episode. She knew how deeply he loved the

children. He hadn't once tried to hide the fact.

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"I don't know," she teased, "Are you going to call me Ma?"

His gaze shot around and landed on his mother for a

moment. He swallowed, quite exaggeratedly, and shook his

head soberly. She laughed and allowed his kiss to completely

absorb her, take her to that wonderful place only she and he

knew.

When they separated, the horses had been harnessed to

the wagons, and the families were gathering their items to

head to Kid's for the night.

Snake held her for a moment longer, not wanting to ever

let go. All the days of his life, he'd never forget looking into

August's little face and hearing the child tell him he wouldn't

hold a whipping against him. The child had no way of knowing

how deeply the event affected Snake. But Summer did. He

could feel it in her chest. The way her heart beat in unison

with his. Kid had been right. The more people you have to

love, the larger your heart becomes.

The others were waiting; the way they glanced their way

said so. "I guess we better mosey on over and say good-bye."

"I suspect you're right." She lifted her head to glance

toward the barn.

Whispering near her ear, he asked, "Do you want to go

skinny dipping later?"

"Skinny dipping?" Her brows furrowed.

"Skeeter says it's swimming without any clothes on," he

explained, running a hand up her arm.

"There's no place to go swimming around here. Is there?"

Her voice held a hint of excitement.

"The tub."

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"Everyone will see us."

"Not if they're asleep."

She giggled.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the barn, as if

saying good-bye quickly would make the minutes until

everyone else was snoring go by faster. It may have, because

not long after the wagons rolled away, everyone, including

Buffalo Killer who bedded down in the barn with Bug, August,

and Jerome, were settled in for the night.

Snake helped Summer undress, an act he took great

pleasure in, and looked forward to doing for years to come.

Her reaction to his aid was to assist him in removing his

clothes, a procedure he found just as enjoyable.

The skinny dipping opportunity didn't manifest, not

because of lack of interest, but because the wind picked up as

if there was a contest of which breeze could cross the nation

first. Every gust blew faster and more furious than the one

before. Heaving in and billowing out, the sides of the tent

must have stretch a good two feet in every direction before

the poles gave out and collapsed upon he and Summer with

the force of a mighty oak tumbling to the ground.

Finding their clothing amongst the flapping and twisting

canvas was not an easy task, but Summer, was as always,

resourceful and tolerant. He loved her more for the way she

took light of the situation, laughing as the wind tried to steal

her dress before he managed to help her get it over her head.

Ma and September had taken shelter in the barn before their

tent went down, so they were already settled on a mound of

hay when he and Summer blew into the barn.

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Snake had recovered some blankets, and Summer quickly

prepared a place to bed down. Snuggled together as the east

to west race continued, he and Summer drifted off to sleep to

the lullaby of snores and snorts besides the whistling wind.

The following morning, other than the downed tents, there

was no damage to report, and while the women, including his

sisters-in-law who arrived as bright and early as ever, packed

up the campsite in the front yard, the men worked double

time to make sure the family would be moved in before

nightfall.

Shortly after noon, a freight wagon rolled into the yard.

Ma's shouts brought the men scurrying out of the house and

across the yard. The porcelain bathing tub they'd ordered

before the fire had arrived.

For Snake, Ma's joy and enthusiasm, as well as that the

other women expelled, was short lived. Kid followed the

wagon into the yard, and as soon as the freight was

unloaded, he pulled the men aside.

His face alone was enough to send Snake's nerves on end.

"What did you learn?" he asked. "Did Wainwright set the

fire?"

Kid shook his head sadly. "Appears so, but that's not the

important thing right now."

"What is, Kid? Hell, the way you're acting gots my toes

jittering," Skeeter said.

"Dora Zimmerman has gone missing," he said.

"What?" Bug asked.

"The hell you say?" Skeeter slapped his leg with his hat.

"When?" Hog wanted to know.

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"Who?" The last question came from Buffalo Killer.

"She's a family friend," Snake explained. Unable to totally

comprehend what Kid had said, he continued, "Tell us all you

know."

"I was in Turley's office, asking about Wainwright when

Stewart Zimmerman came in. Dora wasn't in her bed this

morning."

"Maybe she's at a friend's house," Bug offered.