Scars of the Heart (35 page)

Proctor looked quickly to Buckley, then the other men, as if he’d forgotten they were there. Kade took advantage of the few seconds to reach behind his back. His fingers closed around the smooth hilt of his knife. Kade pulled it from the leather sheath tucked inside his waistband, laying the blade flat against his wrist to conceal it.

Carly’s eyes darted from Kade’s fist to his face, and he realized she knew what he planned. Thankfully Junior hadn’t been as observant. Again Kade tried to convey his thoughts to Carly through a look. But Junior hid behind her, one hand wrapped in her hair, the other grasping the jagged glass bottle. Kade watched Carly swallow hard.

“No, I, uh, don’t know . . . I can’t . . . Daddy’s dead . . . You’ll win . . . no.”

Proctor continued to cry and babble. He continued to shake his head from side and side, and Kade suspected he was on the brink of snapping. He tried to reason with the man one more time.

Kade took another step forward as he spoke. “Junior, I—”

With a jerk, Proctor scrambled backward, pulling Carly along. “Stop there! Don’t come any closer!”

Carly cried out as the bottle’s broken edge sliced her neck. Crimson flowed down her throat to her dress. Kade’s breath caught in his chest.

Acting more on instinct than thought, his right arm flicked up like a sapling tree trap that had been sprung by a careless fox. The gleaming knife blade sped through the distance separating him and Carly. With a sickening sound, the finely honed metal plunged deeply into Junior’s shoulder. He yelled out and stumbled backward as his arm went limp, dropping the broken bottle to shatter around his feet.

Kade lunged forward to scoop Carly into his arms. Buckley and Adams ran to Proctor. Kade turned and laid Carly on the poker table as Tennison rushed over to help.

“Kade—”

“Be still, Little One. Let me see how badly you’re hurt.” He cradled her in one arm while he gently moved aside her hair to inspect the gash in her slender neck. Bright-red blood continued to ooze from the cut.

Tennison took a handkerchief from his pocket and doused it with water from a nearby pitcher. Handing it to Kade, he tried to steady his trembling hand and smiled weakly at Carly.

After a quick cleaning and inspection, Kade exhaled forcibly. “You’re going to be okay. It’s deep but not too deep. You’ll need stitches, but you’re going to be fine.” He gazed into Carly’s eyes, wanting nothing more than to hold her close and carry her safely away. But he knew she had risked her own life for him; for his future, his freedom, his home. Their work here was not finished.

Grabbing the fabric of Carly’s petticoat, Kade ripped a long piece loose and wrapped it gently but snuggly around her neck, holding the handkerchief in place to try and staunch the flow of blood. A tear slipped from one pale-green eye, but she smiled up at him.

“We did it, Kade. We did it.”

“You did it, my love. You were so good and so incredibly brave. I never should’ve let you talk me into this. If something worse had happened, I—” He couldn’t finish his sentence as the vision of Carly’s life slipping from her overcame him. He hugged her tightly and buried his face in her hair.

“I’m fine, Kade. You said so yourself. It’s okay. We’re okay.”

But he remained painfully aware of how close they’d come to not being okay. If that bottle had cut just a bit deeper, if that knife had missed the target and struck her instead of Junior’s barely exposed shoulder . . . A shudder rippled through Kade, and Carly clung to him.

“Roberts.” Buckley drew Kade’s attention. “We need to get them both to the doc.”

He and Adams stood on either side of Proctor, each holding an arm, more as support than restraint. Junior cried, head hanging, one hand over his bleeding shoulder. The other men had removed the knife and torn a sleeve off Proctor’s shirt to use as a bandage. The fabric was already soaked with blood, but Kade felt no remorse. Junior should feel fortunate that Kade had chosen the shoulder. Kade’s other option would’ve left Junior with a black eye patch for the rest of his days, just like his daddy.

The morning sun shone brightly, chasing the night’s chill from the earth. Mist lifted lazily from the fields, and a pair of cardinals chased each other through the trees. Kade wrapped the quilt tighter about Carly’s shoulders and eyed her warily.

“Stop, nursemaid! I’m fine. You worry too much.” Her voice was stern, but she smiled in spite of herself. “You’re driving this buggy like a granny. At this pace, it’ll be nightfall before we get there.”

“We shouldn’t even be going, Carly. You should still be in bed. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal, lost a fair amount of blood, and ended up with a half-dozen stitches in that pretty little neck of yours. I can’t believe I agreed to this.” He shook his head and considered turning the buggy around. But Carly’s color was good. Her eyes were clear. She seemed to be holding up fine . . . for now.

She giggled. “The doctor gave his blessing and even lent us his buggy so I’d be more comfortable. Quit worrying.”

The physician had done a fine job of cleaning and stitching Carly’s wound. He’d kept her in bed for three days, just to watch for signs of infection and ensure she was properly cared for. He’d even tended to her before he’d taken care of Junior, though Proctor’s injury was worse.

Tennison and the others had conveyed the evening’s events to the doctor and again to the authorities after they were summoned. The charges against Kade had been dropped. Though the doc predicted Proctor would not regain full use of his arm, Junior had survived.

Kade left enough money with the physician to continue Junior’s care and for his transportation back east. What happened to Proctor after that was of no consequence to Kade. He hoped to never see the man’s face again. The Proctors had brought him nothing but grief.

The story spread like a prairie fire. A few of Kade’s old acquaintances sought him out to apologize for their lack of support, to offer their congratulations. The ranch hands came around, wholeheartedly welcoming Kade home and pledging their allegiance. Several of the town’s women visited Carly, bringing baked goods and invitations to tea once she’d mended.

The buggy topped a hill, and there, stretched out before them, lay the ranch Kade’s parents and grandparents worked so hard to build. Kade reined the black to a halt.

The white stone house glistened in the sun. The stream running behind the structure sparkled as if jewels floated on its surface. Fat red cattle grazed contently on thick grass. Several glossy-coated mares wandered through a green pasture where their foals frolicked.

“Oh, Kade! It’s lovely!” Carly hugged his arm tightly to her side as she sat up straighter to get an even better view. “Just lovely. I’m so very happy for you.” With that she turned to smile broadly at him.

Kade barely noticed the grandeur that lay before them. He only had sights for Carly. The sun turned her hair to warm honey and danced within the green pools of her eyes. He couldn’t believe how closely he’d come to losing her . . . and yet, he reminded himself, their good-bye was inevitable. Once Carly felt strong enough, he would lose her to Virginia.

“What is it, Kade? You seem sad somehow. I’d think you’d be thrilled. We did it. We cleared your name and saved your ranch. You’re here, Kade.” She waved one hand toward the ranch that lay beyond and laid her other hand against his cheek.

For a moment, he simply stared at her, committing every detail to memory. “I am thrilled, Carly, and more grateful than I can say. You were amazing and risked everything to help me. I can never thank you enough. But I have to admit . . . I don’t welcome the day I have to let you go.”

Carly’s brow furrowed. “Let me go?”

“To Virginia. You helped me get my home back, and soon, I’ll help you return to yours.”

She looked away, across the wide-open pastures spread beneath the brilliant blue sky. “You know, Kade, Virginia doesn’t really seem like home to me anymore. It’s odd . . . since leaving there so many months ago, all I’ve dreamed of is returning to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.” She turned to gaze up into his warm chocolate eyes. “But now I’ve realized everything I want and need is right here. My heart is here, with you, in Texas.” A slow smile curled the corners of her mouth.

Kade searched Carly’s face for any sign of doubt but found none. This little ragamuffin had stumbled into his life, ensnared his heart, helped him regain his good name and ranch. And now she sat beside him, smiling broadly, meeting his beseeching gaze with confident reassurance.

Throwing his head back, Kade let out a loud whoop, startling both Carly and the black. “Then we’ll send for the preacher and be married immediately, and I’m thinking four kids, maybe five.”

“Married? What . . . wait . . . how many?” Kade’s enthusiasm was infectious, and she laughed out loud.

“Carly, you’ve just made me the happiest man in the world.” He turned and let his attention wander slowly over the picturesque ranch that lay before them, almost as if seeing it for the first time. “None of this means anything without you.” He gathered her close and kissed her deeply—a kiss that conveyed all his gratitude, all his love, all his hope for the future.

With a flick of the reins, the buggy lurched forward. The horse trotted down the winding road toward the white stone house.  Kade gazed into emerald-green pools and smiled. “Let’s get you home, Little One. Let’s get you home.”

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