Mistletoe Mayhem: Clean Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 1) (6 page)

Devon squeezed her hand.  “I can only imagine.”

“When he returned, I didn’t want anything to do with him and I moved out of our room.  I’d started training horses while he was gone and I wasn’t going to stop just because he’d come back.  I was determined to live my own life and he could live his. 

“He kept trying to apologize and make it up me, but I didn’t believe that he’d ever change from the selfish, womanizing, gambler and be someone I could count on.  I wasn’t trying to force him to change.  I just loved him so much that I’d hoped that he’d want our marriage to be a real one, not in name only.”

              “How did you make up?” Devon asked, the idea of her parents splitting up bringing tears to her eyes.

              “Well, you know your father.  He doesn’t give up easily.  Look at how strong-minded he was about getting electricity.  He was determined to win me back—to show me that he meant it when he said he loved me.  Remember me telling you about Polly?”

              “Yeah.  She was your first horse.”

              “That’s right.  When I first moved here, I missed her so much.  Joe went back to Walhalla, my home town, and bought her from my father.  He never told Amos who he was, though, because he never wanted him to track me down here,” Lacey said.

              Devon said, “Too bad he hadn’t come here so Daddy could shoot him for being abusive to you.”

              Lacey laughed.  “He would have, but then he’d have gone to jail.  While he was in Amos’ house, Joe asked to use the washroom.  He snuck into my room and grabbed things that he thought I’d like to have.  He told me he’d have brought more, but there was only so much he could hide in his pants.”

              Devon laughed with Lacey over that.  “I can just see Daddy shoving jewelry and stuff down his pants.”

              Lacey grinned.  “When he came back, he hid Polly in the barn and slipped a note under my bedroom door.  It said that there was someone in the barn to see me.  I couldn’t imagine what he was up to, but I was too curious not to go find out.  I couldn’t believe that she was here.  He knew that other than Jamie and Sammi, Polly was my best friend. 

“It amazed me that he’d traveled all the way to North Dakota to get her for me.  He wrote me the most wonderful letter, telling me how sorry he was and how much he loved me.  He said that if I’d just give him another chance I’d never regret it, and I never have.  I’m a very lucky woman.”

“And
I
am a very lucky man,” Joe said, startling them as he came out onto the veranda.  “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard your story and, well, ok, so I was eavesdropping.  You caught me.”

He had Devon scoot over and then sat down by her, putting an arm around her.  “You see, your mama is a very special woman.  She’s the most beautiful woman I know, she makes me laugh, and she doesn’t let me get away with anything, which I need.  She’s got the biggest heart and she’s got a lot of patience to have been able to put up with me all of these years.”

“I’m so sorry about your baby,” Devon said.

Joe blew out a breath.  “Me, too.  But, I guess God had a reason for it.  Maybe to make me wake up and grow up.  Whether or not that was His reason, it did both.  I’d lost a baby, but I wasn’t gonna lose the woman I loved without a fight.  So I dug in my heels and worked hard to make up all the ground I’d lost with her.

“I’m glad that I’m so stubborn because now we’re happy as clams with all of you kids and our family.  And you’re right: I wasn’t gonna stop until I got us electricity.  We might only have three electric lights in the house, but that’s more than we had before.  And now we have a telephone, too!”

Lacey and Devon looked at each other and laughed.

“See?” Lacey said.  “He’s got a one-track mind when he gets an idea in his head.”

Joe grinned.  “That’s right.”

They grew quiet a moment and Devon said, “I went to see Sawyer today.  I asked Cora to make some cookies to take to him.”

“You did?” Lacey asked.

“How did it go?” Lacey asked.

“Terrible.  He’s still angry with me.  I don’t know why I went.  I shouldn’t have.  We fought again.  Why can’t I just let it alone?”

Lacey said, “I think you know the answer to that, honey.”

Devon groaned.  “I don’t
want
to love him.  I want to be over him so I can move on.”

Joe sighed and rubbed her arm.  “That’s the problem with you kids growing up.  I kept tellin’ y’all to stay little, but none of you would listen to me.  Now here you are, all grown up, and I can’t kiss away the hurt like I could when you were little and had a booboo.  If I could, I would.  Now, I don’t mean to pry, but it sounds like you’re not in love with Teddy.”

“No, I’m not,” she said.  “I like spending time with him.  He’s so funny and he treats me really well.  He’s very handsome and gentlemanly and I sound like I’m talking about one of my brothers, don’t I?” Devon asked.

“I didn’t wanna say it, but it kinda does,” Joe said, smiling slightly.

Devon hid her face against Joe’s chest.  “How am I going to tell him?”

“Tell who what?” Joe asked.  “Teddy that you can’t see him anymore or Sawyer that you still love him?”

Devon raised her head quickly.  “Teddy that I can’t keep seeing him.  I’ll never tell Sawyer that I still love him.  I can’t.  It won’t make a difference in how he feels about me.  He hates me now and I don’t blame him.”

Lacey said, “I doubt he hates you, sweetie.”

“It sure seems like it.  I deserve it, too.  He said I was selfish, and he’s right.”

Joe said, “You’re not selfish.  What makes you say that?  You know, you’ve never told us what happened between you two.  You just kept saying that you were fighting all the time and that you couldn’t come to an agreement.  What about?”

Devon told them, feeling more ashamed with every word that passed over her lips.  Her face was hot from it and her eyes burned with unshed tears.  “So you see, I’m a horrible, selfish person because I wasn’t strong enough to marry him knowing that he would leave soon after we did.  We would’ve just been starting our life together and then he’d leave me behind.  I would be left here brokenhearted and I was brokenhearted anyway.  I’m such an idiot.”

Joe and Lacey exchanged a sympathetic look over her head as Joe hugged her.  “Well, sweetheart, sometimes fear makes us do things that aren’t very smart.  You’re not a horrible person, Devon.  Anger and fear don’t help people make good decisions, even when we think we’re doing the right thing at the time.  See, when I went to Texas to confront Daddy, I wanted revenge, but I also wanted to make him leave me alone so that I knew that Lacey would be safe.  I wanted to do it in person, not in a letter that he could just throw away.

“No, I wanted to look him in the eye and let him know that I knew what he’d done and that if he ever tried anything like that again, I really would put a bullet in him.  I thought I was doing right, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Lucky for me, your mama forgave me, though.  I bet Sawyer might, too.”

Devon shook her head.  “No, he won’t.  He’s never going to trust me again.  There’s a chance that he might go back oversees, so he’d never—”

Lacey put a hand on her leg.  “Honey, do you love him enough to try?  It’ll take time, but if you really want him back, it’ll be worth it.  Even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll know that you did everything you could and didn’t give up easily.”

Her mother made sense, but Devon didn’t know if she could take that risk.  “Daddy would you have ever given up?”

“Not a chance, but I can’t say what’s right for you.  Only you can.  But I agree with Lacey.  You’ll never know if you don’t give it a whirl,” Joe said.

Devon sighed and then smiled sweetly at Lacey.  “Will you tell Teddy for me?”

Lacey laughed.  “Absolutely not.  Nice try.”

The sunroom door opened and five-year-old Hunter hollered, “Nana, will you come read my story to me?”

Lacey stood up.  “I certainly will.”  She kissed Devon’s cheek.  “You’ll find the words.  Goodnight, honey.”

“Goodnight, Mama.”

Chapter Six

             
Tap, tap, tap.

              Rolling over towards her window, Snow Song looked out it and started when she saw someone standing outside.  Looking closer, she recognized Joey and let out an exasperated breath.  She quickly got out of bed and went to the window, opening it a little.

              “Go away!” she whispered.  “You’re gonna get me in trouble.”

              “Can’t we just talk about this?  I miss you so much.  Mama and Daddy haven’t told anyone about us, not even my family,” he said.

              “Shh!  My parents are going to hear you,” she said.

              “Please, Snow Song.  It’s only been a week and I’m already going crazy without you.  I love you.  Just come talk to me a little,” he pleaded.  “Please?”

              Snow Song missed him, too, and she gave in to him.  “Ok.  I’ll meet you out at the rock ledge.”

              He smiled and ran away.  Snow Song closed the window and moved silently from her room out to the parlor, quickly donning her coat.  Just as she was about to open the door, she heard someone clear their throat behind her.  She jumped and turned around to face her father.

              Raven Dwyer was just as big as his father, Black Fox, and most of the time he was just as genial and kind.  “Where are you off to, daughter?” he asked in Lakota, watching her closely.

              “For a walk.  I cannot sleep,” she responded in kind. 

              “Might this be because someone was knocking on your window?”

             
Dang it, Joey!
  There was no sense in denying it because Raven would know that she was lying.  “Yes.  A friend needs to talk to me.”

              “Would this friend happen to be a boy?”  Raven saw anger flash in her eyes and he was reminded of his cousin Minx when she went on the offense.

              “Would you be worried about it if
I
was a boy?  I do not recall you worrying about Dusty when he did not come home until late at night.  I do not remember you stopping him from leaving the house.  I am going to talk to my friend and the only way you will stop me is to tie me up,” she said.

              Raven smiled inside even as his irritation grew. 
Another fierce bravette.  I guess it’s the Great Spirit’s way of keeping Uncle He Who Run’s spirit alive in our family.  Why did I have to get two such daughters to raise, though?  She’s almost as bad as Hailey.
  “You do not think I will?  You are my daughter and I will protect you as any good father would.  I do not know this friend.  How do I know that you will be safe?”

              “It’s just Joey,” she blurted in English.

              Raven’s eyes narrowed.  “Joey?  Why is Joey coming to see you?”

              Snow Song desperately tried to keep her voice normal.  “He’s upset about something.”

              “Is there an emergency?” Raven asked, concern in his expression.

              “No.  Well, it’s an emergency to him, but you know how he is,” Snow Song said, smiling.  “I think he might be a little drunk, too.  I’ll bet him and Skip were up to no good.”

              Raven smiled.  “One day they’re going to get arrested and Joe will let him sit in jail.  Ok.  Go talk to him, but don’t be long.”

              Snow Song said, “I’ll be back soon.”

              Raven’s smile faded as she left.

*****

              Joey waited for Snow Song in the large clearing of the rock ledge that the tribe had used for generations.  It was where people had come to think, meditate, and seek visions.  Lovers had met there for trysts and couples had become engaged there, too. 

Had Raven caught her?  He wouldn’t doubt it.  He’d tried to be quiet, but she was a sound sleeper and he’d had to knock a second time.  Then he saw her tall, lithe figure walking towards him and an intense longing for her flooded him.  She sat down a ways from him and, although he wanted to hold her hand, he stayed put, knowing that she wouldn’t allow it. 

              He said, “I really wasn’t gonna tell Daddy who you were that night.  I wouldn’t have ever told him your name or that you were in my closet.  I was trying to give you the time you wanted.  Honest.”

              Snow Song folded her arms over her chest.  “Why can’t you be satisfied with what we have?”

              “
Had
.  You broke up with me.  I want you back, but only if we don’t hide our relationship.  I love you and I wanna be able to hold your hand in public and go places with you.  Don’t get me wrong, making love with you is amazing, but I wanna share everything with you, not just that.  Don’t you understand?” he asked.

              Snow Song bit her bottom lip as she thought about his response.

              Joey crawled over to her, but he didn’t touch her.  “You’re one of the bravest people I know.  Are you really gonna let what other people think interfere with our happiness?  If you are, maybe you’re not as brave as I think you are.”