were sitting quietly, Seth joined them.
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"Do you want me to take her?" he offered.
"She's fine, thank you." Both adults whispered.
Seth worked to keep the emotions from his face, but
seeing Darvi with a child was doing wild things to his
heart.
"Tell me, Seth, why aren't the children in school in
town?"
"Nate was/' Seth explained, "but when it was Und/s
turn to go, the teacher didn't believe that she couldn't talk.
He believed she wouldn't talk. He hit her until she bruised
265
and even bled. When Cassy learned of it, she nearly went
after him with the shotgun but realized that it was violence
that had gotten Lindy hurt. Instead, she never took either
child back, determined to teach them on her own for all
their school years if she had to."
Darvi could have cried. It was so sad and painful to
think of someone hitting this mute little girl.
"Has she ever talked?" Darvi asked the question that
suddenly came to mind.
"Yes, but when she wasn't yet three, she watched a bull
gore her father to death. She hasn't uttered a word since."
Darvi couldn't take any more. She didn't want to care
for these people. She didn't want to get attached to this
place. She wasn't supposed to be here, not really.
Making herself speak normally, she dosed the conversation.
"Thank you for telling me." With that Darvi laid her
head back and closed her eyes. She didn't hear whether
Seth left; she didn't care if he did, but she had to be finished
hearing about this family.
266
I'm so totally off balance right now, Lord, I don't know what
I'm doing. What is my place here? How do I deal with my captors?
Lindy and Nate are innocent of what Seth has done and
what their mother and Eliot are a part of. Help me to never take
my frustration out on them, but I do ask You to take me from this
place. I don't want to be here.
ATexasSky 145
Darvi thought she might cry and made herself stop
thinking such thoughts. She was very warm and uncomfortable
and felt sweat starting to break out where Lindy
lay against her. It was with nothing but relief that she heard
a wagon approach. Lindy heard it too.
Perking up as if to say, "If s Mama!" she was off Darvi's
lap in a flash.
Darvi stayed where she was, fanning herself slightly
with her hand. Even Seth had gone to meet the wagon, and
somewhere in the commotion she heard Cassy through an
open window saying something about the next day being
267
Sunday.
Where had the days gone?
Praying for renewed strength to make it through, Darvi
put her Bible back on her bed. Not seeing any other help
for it, she went out to join the family.
"Oh, Darvi." Cassy spoke her name the moment she
came from her room Sunday morning. "Do you have a
moment?"
"Yes," Darvi said, noting absently that no one else was
around.
"The men have gone into town and taken Nate along,"
Cassy volunteered, answering the unspoken question.
Determining not to start planning an escape and
working hard not to think about how much she wanted to
be in church, Darvi accompanied Cassy to her bedroom.
Lindy was already there, sitting on the bed with a book.
Cassy walked to the wardrobe, pulled a dress out, and
268
hung it outside the door. This done, she stepped back.
"What do you think?"
"It's beautiful," Darvi said sincerely of the lavender
gown with the long sleeves and high neck. It wasn't overly
done with frills, but the bodice, neck, and cuffs were all
trimmed in dark purple lace and strips of satin. The effect
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was very attractive, and it wasn't hard to imagine Cassy,
with her blonde hair and blue eyes, looking very lovely
"It's my wedding dress."
Darvi turned to look at her.
"You're getting married?"
"Yes, and if s all because of you."
Darvi didn't know what to say. She had questions but
was afraid of the answers. What had she said or done to
Watching her search for words, Cassy thought she
might be more comfortable if Lindy left the room. Using
gentle words, Cassy asked her daughter to take the book
269
into the other room for a few minutes.
"I've shocked you," Cassy said when they were alone.
"You have, yes. I can't imagine what you mean." Cassy became rather fascinated with her fingers and nails.
"I put it to EKot this way: I was raised better than to be
living with a man who wasn't my husband. Your convictions
about God reminded me of that fact."
"And Eliof s not angry with me?"
"No. He's been asking me to marry him for five years,
and I wouldn't. It's stupid on my part. I already buried one
husband and somehow thought it wouldn't hurt as much
to lose Eliot if we weren't married, so I didn't want to take
any vows. If s ridiculous, I know. I can see that now."
Darvi was stunned. Cassy had not wanted to be married,
but Eliot had. Where Darvi came from, catching a
handsome husband was all young women could talk
about; the men, on the other hand, until they were smitten,
seemed to dread the very thought.
"Congratulations, Cassy," Darvi said suddenly, realizing
270
she was being watched carefully. "When is the day?"
Cassy smiled. "We haven't gotten that far. I just happened
to spot this dress yesterday, so I went ahead and
bought it. Eliot likes it a lot, but we haven't really made
A Texas Sky 147
further plans. But the kids are thrilled," she added swiftly,
"and Seth hugged me and said it was about time."
This was not St. Louis. And never was Darvi more
reminded of that. Women who took up residence with men
without bothering to marry them were a shame and a disgrace
in the community. Darvi didn't think she was too
sheltered, but she couldn't honestly think of one woman
who would admit to being intimate with a man outside of
the bonds of matrimony. Texas wasn't as settled as Missouri
certainly, but right and wrong were still right and wrong.
"Well, I'm happy for both of you, Cassy. I really am."
Cassy forced herself to say only a quiet thank you. She
knew for a fact that Eliot was going to try to talk some sense
271
into Seth, but knowing how stubborn the oldest brother
could be, Cassy did not want to get Darvi's hopes up.
To distract herself, she offered breakfast and hot coffee
to the other woman, not to mention she always cooked a
slab of beef on Sunday afternoons, and time was awasting.
""^p
"Do I look all right to you?" Seth suddenly asked Eliot
Eliot frowned at him. "You look like you always do.
Why, are you feeling
sick?"
"No."
Seth's answer was short and he broke eye contact with
Eliot, but Eliot was not done. He'd been hoping all
morning for a lead-in of some type.
"Why did you ask?"
"I don't know. I was just wondering if maybe she finds
me repulsive or something."
"They don't think like we do, Seth. When are you going
to see that?"
272
The other man didn't answer. Eliot tried again.
"You can't expect to hold her body and have her heart
follow."
Seth's eyes closed. The words about holding Darvi were
a little too much for him right now. He had been tempted
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so many times just to grab her and kiss her until she knew
she was loved, but her eyes held him at bay. She was not a
woman to be trifled with, and he didn't want to do anything
now that might mess up his chances later, not to mention
the fact that he could still feel where she kicked him in
the shin.
"I just need to give her some more time," Seth repeated
in honest belief. "I can already see that Cass and the kids
care for her. Her heart is tender and sweet. She'll come to
love us. She'll come to love me. She won't be able to help
herself."
Eliot knew the door was closed. He didn't agree, and he
knew Gassy hated it this way, but this was not his call.
273
Five minutes later the men left the dining room of the
hotel. Jared had scheduled a meeting.
o-'3'3arvi
had told herself not to plan. She had scolded and
carried on in her heart, but that hadn't stopped her feet
from taking her toward the barn. She had helped Gassy
with some things in the house for a time, even going to get
eggs from the barn and vegetables from the garden with
the children, but now her mind was on escape^ and she was
not going to be stopped. If only she could get out right after
everyone went to bed for the night. She knew she couldn't
hide in the bunkhouse--that could be disastrous--and if
she hid in the barn, that would be the first place they would
look. Then she thought of the outhouse. Would anyone
ever think to look behind it? Darvi surreptitiously moved
around the outside of the barn now to have a look, rounded
a corner, and ran smack into Eliot
Not bothering to hide her frustration, she crossed her
arms over her chest and looked very stern.
274
"I thought you were in town."
"I was, but I dispensed with my business and I'm bade"
ATexasSky 149
She watched Eliot smile at her and knew he'd figured
her out
"Will you please talk to him?" she entreated quietly.
"Will you please tell your brother he can't do this?"
"It won't do any good, Darvi. He loves you."
"He can't love me." Frustration rose in her voice. "He
doesn't even know me."
Eliot shrugged. "Sometimes it works like that. I set eyes
on Cass five years ago, and I've never gotten over it."
It was one of the most romantic things Darvi had ever
heard, but it wasn't right---not here, not now.
"Why me?" was all she could think to say.
Again Eliot smiled. "Maybe if he had seen you on the
street and not met you like he did, you would feel differently.
He's not going to let you go, Darvi, so you might try
to figure out if there's something about him you can love."
275
"Eliot, it doesn't work that way. Surely you can see
that?"
"I can, yes/ but then no one is trying to take Cass and the
kids away from me. I know I wouldn't be so reasonable
then."
Darvi could see that no amount of words would sway
him. They stared at each other for a few moments before
Eliot, still dressed up for town, moved and held out an arm
for her to lead the way. Darvi wanted to argue that she
didn't want to go back inside just yet, but mentally her
mind was growing strong. She'd let them think she was
going along with everything they asked, but if she ever got
a chance to leave, she'd be gone before anyone could take
another breath.
Kinkade
"I THINK I'LL HEAD OUT TOMORROW AND visit Gram,"
Dakota said after dinner on Monday night.
"Okay/' Cash agreed quietly, setting his paper aside.
276
Dakota was not looking at htm, which gave the older
brother a chance to study him. Something was wrong. He
didn't know what Indeed, he couldn't imagine what was
troubling him, but Dakota was clearly tense. Cash had
never been anything but direct in the past and saw no
reason to change now.
"Out with it, Dak," he ordered.
That man looked up and frowned.^^
"Out with what?"
"Thaf s just it; I don't know. But something is wrong. I
can tell."
Dakota looked at him. It didn't take long to admit, at
least to himself, that something was on his mind.
"You're going to think I'm crazy."
"I already do."
Having Cash tease him was all he needed. In the next
few minutes he offered a rundown on his time with Darvi
and ended it by explaining what happened after he put her
on the train.
"So you never saw this woman's face?"
277
ATexosSky 151
"No, and if I think about it long enough I go around in
circles. It hasn't been that many days, but I just wish there
was some way to get word about whether she arrived
safely." Dakota stopped and stared at his brother. "Will I
trust more when I've been at this longer, Cash? I want to
leave it in God's hands, but if anything should happen to
Darvi, it would be all my fault"
"How do you figure?"
"I was responsible to get her home."
"No, you weren't You just told me you had to ge^her
on the train in Aurora. If you hadn't had it in your heart to
keep in touch with her and gone back for an address, you
wouldn't know a thing. None of what you've described is
your worry. I can see why you're concerned, but you did
your job."
Dakota honestly couldn't argue with him there.
"Did you see anyone else in town who you could have
mistaken her for?"
278
Dakota shook his head. "Not in the brief time I looked
around, but it's a good-sized city. If s hard to know just
how far to track."
Cash could see his point, and it was unsettling.
"Have you sent word to Brace?" *
"You mean asking if he's heard from Darvi?"
"Right"
"No, I didn't want him to think anything was wrong
when I had no proof. I guess I could ask without voicing
any of my doubts."
"Why don't you do that? If s a normal enough question."
Dakota thanked Cash for the advice and decided to stop
at the telegraph office on his way to his grandmother's the
next day. He asked for a section of the newspaper and both
men settled in to read.
5" L'^-
150
279
152 lori wick
Dakota felt better having talked to Cash and went to
bed with a light heart. He didn't figure on what would
happen in the morning. Cash was in his room before he
even finished dressing.
"I'm not a man given to foolish notions," he said
without greeting his brother. "You would agree with that,
wouldn't you, Dak?"
"Absolutely."
"So what I'm about to say to you might seem strange."
"Okay."
"Go back to Aurora and check again for Darvi."
Dakota stopped all movement.
"Do you mean it, Cash? You really think I should go?"
"Yes, I do. I can tell you want to, and I ache at the
thought that Darvi might be in trouble. I don't want you to
head off on a wild goose chase, but the truth of the matter
is she could have been taken from the train. If you don't
find her, we'll have to wait until you get word from Brace
280
as to whether or not she arrived. If she does need you,
you'll be there all the sooner."
Dakota was thoughtful. His brother was certainly not
given to impulsive or rash behavior. It had been on
Dakota's heart off and on that Darvi might need him, but
he had felt so helpless. Having Cash be so practical about
checking back in Aurora was all the permission he needed.
'Til start right after breakfast"
"All right. I'll make sure Katy has provisions for you.
Do you have any money?"
"Yes, I went by the bank yesterday."
Dakota had been enjoying his time with Cash very
much, and he loved working the ranch, but the incident
with Darvi and the train had left him doubting himself. He
thought it had been God's way of testing him to see if he
was truly trusting, and it might have been, but it was with
a light heart that he headed back the way he had come. He
asked God for wisdom and strength but also found himself
talking to the woman herself.
If you need me, Darvi, I'm on my way.
281
ATexasSky 153
^S^ar
Aurora
"What is it?" Darvi asked Seth without taking the box
he hejd out to her. They were alone by the trees to the west
where Seth had found Darvi walking.
"Just take it," he urged.
"Not until you tell me what it is."
"If s a gift for you,"
Darvi's hands went behind her back.
"You've got to stop bringing me gifts, Seth. This is not
going to work."
"Just take it"
Darvi eyed him and the box.