Guardian Bride (33 page)
280
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
Maisy brayed again, and again. When no movement came
from the house, Snake glanced to the men flanking him.
"Let's go, but stay down. It's hard to say if they have a bead
on us through the cracks in the sod."
As they worked their way down the hill, crawling through
sticker patches and goat heads, the rest of the group, his
brothers, the cowhands, and men from town, snuck toward
the soddy from all directions. Maisy kept braying, and Snake
kept waiting for Wainwright to exit the house to silence her.
That didn't happen. And when he was only yards from the
house, the noise he'd remembered, the hissing and rattling,
grew so loud it vibrated his entire body.
Leaping to his feet, he ran around to the front of the
shanty. The door, held precariously by one leather hinge,
hung crossways over the open. A mass of hissing, slithering
rattlers swarmed the opening. Amongst their bodies of muted
browns, grays, and blacks, and decorated with the distinct
yellow diamond shapes, was a red, swollen hand. It was a
man's hand, not a girl's, but the sight made the sweat on his
forehead pour into his eyes.
Blinking past the sting, he grabbed Rodney's hand as the
man pointed his pistol at the mass of snakes.
"Don't shoot. We don't know where the girls are."
Maisy's braying still filled the air. He swore he heard a faint
cry amongst the mule's squalls. He spun about.
"Maisy, shut up!"
A vast amount of clicks split the air, every man cocking the
guns they had aimed at the house. Maisy quit screeching. The
silence was ominous.
281
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
Snake leaped forward when September's voice barely
sounded though the thick sod, "Snake, is that you?"
"Yes, honey, it's me." He jumped as a large rattler struck.
Open mouth, its fangs bounced off his boot. Twisting his
ankle before the critter fell back to the ground, he caught its
underside with the toe of his boot and flipped it aside. The
diamondback landed several feet away, in front of Buffalo
Killer, who promptly stomped on its head. The long body,
flipping and twisting, curled around the Indian's leg.
Buffalo Killer planted his foot harder and grabbed the
withering body. With a solid jerk, he tore the snake in two.
"Damn things."
"There's rattlers in here. Lots and lots of them," Dora
Zimmerman yelled.
"Dora! Dora honey, are you all right?" Stewart Zimmerman
shouted.
"Pa! Pa! The snakes killed the men. They're everywhere!"
Dora answered. Screams came next. Loud and frightened.
Snake clenched his fists, feeling useless, and wondering
how many snake bites it took to kill a man. If he was fast
enough, maybe he'd only suffer half a dozen or so getting the
girls out of there.
"Move out of the way!" Joe, carrying what looked like an
old corral post, shouldered his way through the crowd. "Stand
back!"
"Give me that!" Kid snatched the pole away and started
flipping snakes aside. Men fired their guns as the
diamondbacks landed too close for comfort.
282
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
"Quit shooting!" Snake yelled. "You'll irritate the ones
inside to strike. Kid! Knock the door down so we can see
where the girls are."
The worn plank door hit the ground with a thud and a
renewed mass of slithering and hissing creatures covered it in
a matter of seconds. Two men, Wainwright, even larger due
to the swelling of his body, and a skinny man that Snake
couldn't have recognized even if he knew him, were sprawled
on the floor just inside the doorway. Deep puncture marks,
red and oozing, covered their exposed skin, and blood stained
their clothes from boots to collars.
The rattles and hisses were louder than a train of cattle
rolling in at high noon. Picking a trail as Kid banished the
rattlers with his pole, Snake eased toward the door. The one
side of the shanty roof had caved in and the girls were sitting
on a small ledge that had formed near the top of the back
wall. They were tightly tucked into a small alcove beneath the
roof. Diamondbacks of all lengths leaped from the ground,
striking the crumbling sod. Some hit the wall just inches from
where the girls cowered.
"Don't move. We're going to get you out. Just don't move,"
he instructed.
"What are we gonna do?" Stewart Zimmerman asked. "We
gotta get rid of those snakes."
Racking his brain, trying to come up with a plan, Snake
spun about. "Water. I need water. Rattlers hate water." The
ability to find any was dismal. The lake they'd just ridden
across was as dry as a sun bleached bone.
283
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
"There's water in this well!" Bug yelled, ripping weathered
boards from the ground. Dirt and grass flew as others joined
him in tearing the protective covering off the old hole. "I need
a rope and a bucket."
"I got a rope, but it's back on my horse," a cowboy
offered.
"Stay put!" Snake said to the girls. He turned, tugging on
his suspenders. The buttons holding them to his britches fell
to the ground as he ran toward Maisy. The mule, as if happy
to see him, clambered to her feet and met him halfway across
the yard.
She didn't protest as he untied the leather strap holding
the hat beneath her long chin. Tying his suspenders to the
strap he raced to the well. "Here, use this." He pulled his hat
from his head. "Dump it in here." As Bug fell to the ground,
dropping the suspenders holding Maisy's hat into the well,
Snake spun back to the others. "The rest of you, come fill
your hats."
The men looked at him oddly, but knowing their options
were few and far between, they formed a line to get their
hats filled. Snake ran back to the house. Water seeped out of
the bottom of his hat, but when he dumped it, sloshing water
towards the slithering mass on the door, the rattlers
scrambled, detangling like a skein of yarn.
He grabbed the hats as men carried them over, handing
them an empty one in return, and continued to splash the
rattlers. Jumping left and right as they slithered out of the
soddy and from under the broken door, Snake kept tossing
the water. The rattlers hissed and shuddered. Irritated more
284
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
by the water than by him, not one struck his way as they
slithered away from the house. The hats kept coming, and he
kept tossing the water at the slowly decreasing number of
diamondbacks. Every rattler in Kansas must have decided to
make the soddy their home.
"Stay there," he told the girls. "Don't move until I get
them all out."
The last ones were still slithering over the broken door,
when he and Rodney jumped over the prone bodies of
Wainwright and his assistant. Snake snatched September
from her perch. Hisses and rattles echoed off the sod. The
sounds vibrated up his spine, but he didn't take the time to
investigate where they came from as he leaped back out.
September clung to his neck, and he held her tighter.
Hugging her with all the love he felt for his family. Rodney
was right on his heels, and it wasn't until they were several
yards away from the soddy before they stopped.
Setting September down, he lowered himself to the ground
in front of her. "Are you bit anywhere?"
"No," she mouthed, crying too hard to speak.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded.
"We saw the rattlers as soon as the men shoved us in
there. We got on the ledge before they struck us," Dora
explained, crying. "That man made me trick September into
coming with us."
"Shush, now, your daddy's here," Steward Zimmerman
said, pulling his daughter into his arms.
285
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
Snake cupped September's cheeks. "You sure you didn't
get bit?"
She nodded. Maisy stomped over, sniffing at September
like a dog would. September patted the mule's head. "Maisy
followed me and wouldn't leave no matter what those men
did to her." Her gaze went to the sod shanty. "The rattlers
struck the men as soon as they walked in."
Her little body trembled. He sat down and lifted her onto
his lap. "Shh, don't think about it. It's all over."
Tears rolled down her face, onto his chest. "I knew you'd
come for me," she hiccupped. "I knew it."
His heart swelled nine times its size. "Of course I'd come
for you. I'm your Pa."
She stiffened in his arms. He wasn't sure how to react to
it, and holding his breath, waited for her next move.
Her brilliant blue eyes lifted to gaze at him.
He had to take the chance, convince her. "I love you,
September. I love you as much as if I really was your Pa."
"I love you, too, Pa." She melted against him. "I love you,
too."
286
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
The hoof beats were slow and steady, but thunderous
nonetheless. Summer ran to the doorway even before August
started to shout, "They're here! They're here!"
She was down the steps and in the middle of the front
yard, outpacing August by a good ten feet. September, sitting
in front of Snake on his big, gray horse, waved as the horse
walked the final few steps to stop in front of her.
"Thank God," Summer whispered, head dizzy and knees
weak.
Snake lowered himself from the gray and then reached up
to lift September down. Summer folded her arms around her
little sister, letting every ounce of her body absorb the reality
September was safe and sound.
"Where were you, Sissy?" August asked. "Did you find
Dora? Hey, Pa, why's your hat wet? Yours, too, Bug. Heck,
even Maisy's hat is wet. Why's that?"
Summer let September go and watched as the girl was
immediately encompassed in a smothering hug from Ma.
Having put off the action long enough, she let her gaze lift to
her husband.
"Wainwright?"
"We'll never have to worry about him again." His look went
from somber to slightly smug. The corners of his mouth
twitched as if he fought to hide a smile. The action, or maybe
it was the wonderful sight of him, filled her with happiness.
He spread his arms wide, giving her the option to step into
287
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
them. She took the opportunity of course, for there wasn't a
strong enough will on earth to deny how badly she wanted
those arms to fold around her.
He held her, rocking slightly on his heels as she poured
herself against him. No place on earth, or in heaven, could be
a more wonderful, righteous place to be than in his arms. She
lifted her face, and there, too, he didn't disillusion her. His
lips landed on hers, hard, demanding, and oh, so pleasurable,
for they were packed with passion, love, and devotion.
She welcomed him home with all she had. He provided her
with so much, and the deep down reality was—he always
would. The past was just that—the past. But the future was
hers, and she was going to make it the most wonderful life
anyone had ever known.
Their connection grew then, as if he read her mind and
soul. Beyond the singing of her heart, sounds slipped into her
ears, trickled her mind.
"Pa? Pa? What happened to everyone's hats?" August was
asking again.
"Come on, August. Leave them alone. I'll tell you what
happened to Pa's hat," September said.
Summer broke from the kiss, turning toward her sister.
September, holding August's hand, led him toward the house.
Ma had an arm around September's shoulders, and the
Quinter brothers either had their arms around their wives or
carried a child on their hip, walked toward the house as well.
"Supper's almost ready," Summer said, not attempting to
slip out of Snake's hold.
"In a minute," he said. "We need to talk."
288
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
She met his gaze, eye for eye. Not feeling an ounce of
remorse, she admitted, "Yes, we do." The devil himself would
need help keeping her from fighting for the man and family
she loved. She'd tell Snake about Jonas and face whatever
the outcome might be.
He took her hand and started walking. The horses were
gone. The yard empty. For a split second, she wondered just
how long they'd been kissing. Snake led her to the water tub
and set her down on one of the benches beside it. Night had
settled, covering the earth with a dark but comforting
blanket. Reflecting the light of the stars, the tub of water
shimmered behind Snake as he paced the ground in front of
her for a few stilled moments.
She swallowed, wondering where to start. Blurting out that