My Heart Will Find Yours (26 page)

Texanna eyed him suspiciously. She picked up Strawberry’s front hoof and looked at the new horseshoe.

“Wished I could of watched him.” Garrett was in awe of the giant of a man.

“Maybe next time.”

Texanna snorted. “Did they really need new shoes, or were they just an excuse to keep me home?”

He filled a bag of oats for each of the mares. “Why both, of course.”

****

This was the last time Texanna would bring Garrett into town with her. July was almost over, and she didn’t want to take any chances on him being around when the Bass gang entered town. He would stay with Aggie where he’d be safe. She looked at Pearl’s son atop Josie and felt her heart twist with love. How it must have hurt to be unable to return to him.

They stopped at the hardware store before going to see Royce. It didn’t take long to buy more framing material, canvas, and some paint. She’d finished Garrett’s portrait and needed additional colors for her self-portrait. While the clerk wrapped their purchases, Garrett went out onto the sidewalk to wait.

When she stepped outside, she noticed him several stores down bent over scratching a mangy-looking dog. Heavy treads drew her attention and she looked in their direction. A burly cowboy covered in road dust and Lord knows what else, strode up the sidewalk. Over six-feet-tall and probably three-hundred-pounds, he sneered as people dodged out of his way. It was that awful man Bull Tate. Before she could call Garrett, the man backhanded him. “Get away from my dog, brat.” The boy flew through the air and landed in the dirt street.

Texanna choked on her scream and rushed to Garrett’s side. She gasped as terror squeezed her lungs. She ran her hands over him to check for broken bones. “Do you hurt anywhere?” He appeared unharmed, but the breath had been knocked from him.

Garrett sobbed but shook his head.

She hugged him. “It’s all right, Garrett, you’re okay.”

The clerk joined her on the street. “We’ve sent for the marshal, ma’am. Bull Tate is worthless. I wish Royce would shoot the varmint and put us all out of our misery.”

Texanna looked down the street. The man was a half a block away and hadn’t even looked back to see if he’d done any damage. Her jaw clenched, and her hands trembled as fury ripped through her. She turned to the clerk. Her voice shook as she spoke. “Please carry him inside. I’ll be back in a minute.”

She stood. Her instincts told her to wait for Royce but rage and hatred said,
“Kick that man’s ass.”
She was on the man before she realized she’d taken off at a run. Lifting her feet, she flew through the air and landed between his shoulder blades. He hit the ground hard. She dropped and rolled before springing to her feet.

“You sorry son-of-a-bitch. How dare you treat a child like that?” Frenzy kept her from remaining calm, and crying, she shrieked. “Get up, you...you...worthless sack of s...shit.”

Before the words left Texanna’s mouth, he’d rolled to his feet and spit dirt from his mouth. “You bitch. I’m going to enjoy messing up that pretty face of yours.”

“Come on, big man. It’s a shame you don’t have the balls to attack men your own size. You’re such a pussy you have to beat up women and children.”

Texanna kicked her skirt out of her way. The damn thing slowed her down. Bull reddened and with a roar advanced. She managed to deliver two swing kicks, one to each side of his soccer ball-sized head. With each hit, his dirty hair flew out from his face. The big man shook his head and wiped blood from his mouth. He looked from his bloody hand back to her and grinned before coming at her again. Texanna swung her leg and connected with Bull’s dirty mug when his fist shot out and caught her jaw sending her flying backwards to land in the dirt on her ass. She rolled and tried to get up, but sparks danced in her head. Then darkness rose up and enveloped her.

****

Royce was tired. He’d caught Jake Tate trying to steal pies out of the kitchen at Maybell’s. Pies ended up all over the floor along with a bunch of dishes. After wrestling Jake to the ground, he’d had to literally drag the three-hundred-pound man’s worthless hide the two blocks to his office. Royce wished he’d shot him in the foot and let someone else haul him over to Doc’s. He left Jake lying in the floor of the jail cell. As soon as he’d locked the door, the fat man pulled himself up and with a grin, stretched out on the cot.

Royce had just sat down when Tommy Thompson charged through the door. His lips were trembling and tears ran down his face. Royce rushed to the boy’s side. “What’s wrong, son?”

“Come quick...Garrett and his ma...hurt...Bull Tate hit ‘um over by the hardware store.”

Fear lodged in Royce’s heart.
Garrett, Texanna? No!
Ice water hit his veins. He gripped Tommy’s shoulder. “Stay here. If Pete comes in, send him over.”

Royce grabbed his shotgun and ran three blocks up the street and over to Franklin Avenue. A large crowd blocked his way but moved at his order. He could hear the sound of fists on flesh. Sweat poured from his body as terror and fury threatened to cloud his judgment.

Texanna lay in a heap on the ground. A woman kneeling at her side quickly reassured him. “She’s all right, Marshal, just knocked out cold.” Royce was torn between checking Texanna for himself and taking on Bull Tate. The woman gestured. “Hans needs your help right now.”

Royce nodded and turned to the two men fighting in the middle of the street. Hans must’ve come to Texanna’s aid and was taking a beating. Royce stepped between the two men and handed the shotgun to Hans.

Mouth bloodied, Hans grinned. “Thought you’d never get here, Marshal.”

“Well, now, Marshal, this fight is between me and Hans. He butted into my business.”

Royce turned toward Bull. The rage on his face must have registered with the idiot because the fool took a step back and held up his hand.

“No need for me and you to scrap.” Bull grinned. He probably thought he was engaging, but Royce was beyond being pacified. Bull weighed as much as his fat brother Jake, but he was all muscle. He’d always thought Bull the smarter of the two, but today’s behavior killed that belief.

“Is that right? I think you’re mistaken. Even a fool knows we don’t take kindly to men hitting women in this town.”

Bull’s eyes flicked to Texanna. “Now, Marshal, she started it. Bloodied my mouth, she did.”

Royce felt a stirring of pride. It quickly evaporated as the thought of the danger she’d put herself in. “Good for her. I think you deserve more than that for knocking her son around.” He started toward Bull.

“Now, don’t take on so. I didn’t hurt the boy none.” He pointed to where Texanna lay. “She’s just a woman and looks like she’s gonna be just fine.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. That woman is my wife and the boy is my son.” His fist connected with Bull’s jaw, and the bulky man fell on his butt, surprise registered on his face.

Bull looked around at the people watching. Royce knew the man didn’t see one sign of sympathy. He was a troublemaker they could do without in the town. With a roar, Bull pushed up from the ground and attacked. Royce stepped aside and caught him between the shoulders with his locked fists. Bull went down again but didn’t stay. He stood and circled, his fists the size of hams. Royce knew Bull could beat him in a fair fight.

But today wasn’t fair, his fury changed the odds. Bull rushed in and caught Royce on the jaw sending him to the dirt. Royce jumped to his feet, shook his head, and charged landing three blows before Bull could react. Bull reached out and grabbed Royce’s shirt, taking him down with him. They rolled in the dirt and Royce landed on top. He pummeled the big man’s face taking pleasure in each blow.

Hands grabbed Royce from behind, pulling him away, but he fought them off and continued his attack. Suddenly he was yanked to his feet.

“Stop it, Royce. That’s enough.” Pete had him by one arm. Enraged, Royce tried to jerk free, but Hans grabbed his other arm and held like a vise. He shook them off and stood gasping for air, trembling with the force of his need to commit murder.

Royce stared at the man on the ground. Bull wasn’t worth dirtying his hands. He then nodded to Pete. “Throw him into a cell well away from his brother.”

He turned searching for Texanna. She rushed into his arms. Oh God, she’d scared the shit out of him. His hands traveled over her body.

She whispered in his ear. “I’m fine, Royce, fine.”

He pulled back and examined the swelling on her jaw. His own was rigid. “What the hell were you thinking, woman?”

“I wasn’t. I’m sorry, Royce. He hurt Garrett, and I just...” She shrugged.

Royce could understand her emotion but wasn’t relieved. “You can’t take on men like that, Texanna. You’ve got to send for me. I’ll take care of it.”

Texanna’s body trembled, and she buried her face in his chest and sobbed. “He knocked Garrett aside as if he were a piece of dirt on the sidewalk. I wanted to kill him. It took all my willpower to resist drawing my gun.”

Royce stiffened. “You can’t just go around shooting people. I don’t want to have to lock you up for murder.”

“I wouldn’t have killed him. But I’d sure as hell have hit him somewhere that would hurt for a long time.”

Royce sighed. “Come on, let’s check on Garrett. I want Doc to take a look at both of you.”

In the end, Doc looked at all three of them. Garrett was fine. Texanna needed to ice her jaw and limit her talking for a few days until the soreness subsided. Royce knew that would be a challenge. Doc also cleaned up the cuts and scrapes on his face and hands, then pronounced him fit for duty.

They walked out of Doc’s office. The humid early August heat hit them taking Texanna’s breath. “Garrett and I better get home. It’s almost lunch time.”

Royce stroked her arm. “Why don’t we eat lunch at Maybell’s today? It’s too hot for you to cook, and I’m afraid you’re going to have a headache from that blow.”

Texanna didn’t tell him she had one already. He looked like he hurt too. Garrett appeared unscathed.

They found a table, and when Maybell came to take their order, Texanna asked for a place to freshen up. The older woman led her upstairs to a room and found linens for her to wash with. The cool water felt good on her dirt-covered face.

She patted Texanna’s shoulder. “So sorry about your locket, dear. We didn’t find it.”

“Thank you, Maybell. I’m not going to give up hope.” Royce and Jason had scoured the churchyard but didn’t come across it. He’d offered a reward, and the poster was plastered around town.

When she returned to the table, Royce handed her a folded dishtowel filled with ice. She held it against her jaw.

“You’re quite a celebrity around here.”

Texanna glanced around the room to see people staring at her, smiles on their face. Some nodded. She didn’t deserve their admiration. She’d messed up again.

“Yep, you bloodied old Bull’s nose.” Garrett’s grin was proud.

Texanna didn’t return the boy’s grin. “You know, Garrett, it wasn’t a smart thing for me to do. Bull could have hurt me bad. I should’ve waited for your pa, but I let anger get the best of me.” Her actions weren’t a good example. Then she remembered her language.

Face hot, she stammered. “I used some pretty bad language. I’m sure I shocked many of the town’s people.” The men more so than the women. The women probably wanted to utter a few cuss words on occasion and understood her rage. She looked at Royce. “I’m sorry. I hope it won’t cause you any embarrassment.”

Garrett nodded. “Yeah, Tommy’s brother Nathan said you called old Bull some really foul names. Reckon you could teach ‘um to me?”

Royce ducked his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was enjoying her discomfort and trying not to laugh.

She straightened in the chair. “I most certainly will not. And I don’t ever want to hear you using foul language. Do you understand me?”

He sighed and dropped his shoulders. “Yes, ma’am.”

By the time she and Garrett reached home, her headache was raging. After they tended the horses, she took one of the powders Doc had given her and laid down. Garrett promised he’d stay in the house and work on his drawings or play with his tin soldiers while she rested. Within minutes, she was asleep.

When she woke, Garrett was curled beside her on the bed, out like a light. Contentment filled her. She had a husband and a child, and before too long she hoped to have a baby to add to their family. A boy for Garrett to play with would be nice, but she longed for a little girl—a cutie she’d name Rosie.

Shame enveloped her at her earlier behavior. With children depending on her, she needed to curb her recklessness. Her life and health weren’t the only things at stake now. She eased from the bed to keep from waking Garrett and went downstairs. At the kitchen table, she wrote the day’s events in the journal she’d started the day she and Royce married.

Chapter Nineteen

Making a frame was harder without modern tools, but Texanna managed. By the middle of the afternoon, it was finished, and she let Garrett stain it while she built an eleven-by-fourteen inch mount and stretched canvas over it. What she wouldn’t give for a staple gun.

She worked on her self-portrait for a while. It needed to dry before she added the finishing touches. Her next project was a portrait of Molly, Matthew, and the twins. She put a wash of oils and turpentine over the entire canvas and then started blending colors for the background.

Garrett came in through the kitchen, letting the screen door slam with a whap. “I’m finished staining. Can we put the portrait in it now?”

“We have to make sure it’s completely dry first.”

“Feels dry to me.”

“I’ll check it in a minute.”

“I can’t wait for Pa to see it. He’s gonna be surprised!”

Texanna grinned. Yes, indeed, he was.

As soon as Royce got home, Garrett bounced around him as he tried to unsaddle and groom Samson. The kid had so much energy he was about to bust.

“What’s wrong with you, sport?”

“Nothing, Pa,” the boy said with a grin.

Inside the house, Texanna waited for them in the kitchen. Royce took her in his arms for a kiss. Garrett burst out. “Pa, can’t that wait? Times a wastin’.”