Tykota's Woman (Historical Romance) (29 page)

Slowly she headed back to the house, and she
frowned as she saw buggies being brought to the
front. The guests were leaving, though it was
still early.

She weaved her way between departing
buggies. When she got to the front door, John
Kincaid was there, his gaze somber.

"Mr. Kincaid, has something happened?"

He studied the tip of his boots for a moment,
then looked up at her. "Well, ma'am, your sister got some bad news, and Mrs. Silverhorn thought
everyone should go home. I'm sorta hanging
around in case I'm needed."

John followed Makinna as she rushed inside,
looking for her sister. "What kind of news?"

"It's her husband, Miss Hillyard. I'm sorry to
be the one to tell you, but he was killed in an
accident."

"Where is Adelaide?"

"Mrs. Silverhorn took her upstairs."

Makinna hurried up the stairs and burst into
the bedroom she shared with her sister. Adelaide
was lying on the bed, and Hannah Silverhorn had
pulled up a chair and sat beside her, holding her
hand.

Makinna ran to her sister, going down on her
knees. "My sweet Adelaide, I am so sorry. I just
heard."

Adelaide's eyes filled with tears, and she sat
up, pulling her sister onto the bed and hugging
her tightly. "Why did it have to happen to Tom?"

Makinna rocked her sister back and forth as
she would a child. "We never know why these
things have to happen, Adelaide."

She felt Adelaide tremble. "I feel so guilty
because I wasn't with him." she sobbed.

"Hush, you don't know what you're saying,
dearest." She brushed a damp curl out of
Adelaide's face. "Hush. I will stay with you, and
we will go through this together."

Adelaide clung to her, and Makinna met
Hannah Silverhorn's sad eyes. "How did it
happen?" Makinna asked.

"I believe it was some kind of mining
accident. A cave-in."

Makinna shuddered. "Try to rest, Adelaide, I
will stay right here."

"We will both stay with you," the older
woman said.

It was almost morning when Adelaide finally fell
asleep. Makinna dressed in a light cotton gown
and stood at the window to watch the sunrise.
This was a sad day for both sisters. Although
Tykota was not dead, she knew she would never
see him again.

She went downstairs and found Mrs.
Silverhorn in the dining room. Hannah motioned
for Makinna to sit beside her, then poured her a
cup of coffee.

"I am sorry about your brother-in-law,
Makinna."

"I hardly knew him. He and my sister married
when I was quite young."

"Adelaide seems to be carrying a lot of guilt.
You must help her get over it."

Makinna pushed the coffee cup away and
leaned back in the chair. "Adelaide wants to go
home tomorrow. I am going with her."

Hannah Silverhorn patted Makinna's hand.
"Of course, you shall. You can get her settled and then come back. Or even better, help her
settle her affairs and bring her back with you."

"Mrs. Silverhorn, I have grown very fond of
you, and I thank you for all you have done for
me and my sister. But I will not be coming back.
Ever."

"But I thought you and my son-"

Makinna stood. "For Tykota, it is best this
way."

Hannah lowered her head. "Tykota has had so
many things forced on him, but you were the one
person that he-"

"I know," Makinna said sadly, moving to the
door. "I will always... He will always have my
heart."

At breakfast the next morning Mrs. Silverhorn
informed Makinna that John Kincaid would be
driving her and Adelaide to El Paso. Makinna
was sad to be leaving Hannah Silverhorn; she
had become very fond of the kindhearted
Englishwoman who had so generously taken her
and Adelaide into her home and made them feel
welcome.

Hannah walked Makinna to the door. John
was already assisting Adelaide into the buggy.
Tykota's mother took Makinna's hand. "Please
remember, my dear, that you will always be
welcome at Biquera Ranch. If you find that San
Francisco is not to your liking, you will always
have a home here."

Makinna kissed Hannah's cheek. "I will
remember, and I thank you for all your kindness.
But I shall not return to Texas."

"What shall I tell my son?"

"Will you do something for me?"

"You know I will. You have only to ask."

Makinna pressed a letter into Mrs.
Silverhorn's hand. "Give this to Tykota for me."

Hannah glanced at the letter, then back at
Makinna. "Is this the way you want to say goodbye to him?"

"It's the only way. You once spoke to me
about how Tykota's two well-meaning fathers
placed too much responsibility on his shoulders.
I will not add to that burden. He must feel free to
choose the road he will travel, and I know his
heart is with the Perdenelas people."

"I saw him change with you, Makinna. I saw
love and hope in his eyes. You gave that to him.
Will you take it away?"

"He does love me, Mrs. Silverhorn, and I love
him, but we walk in different worlds. I can't live
in his, and if I asked him to live in mine, he
would one day regret it."

Hannah pressed her hands to Makinna's
cheeks. "What a wife you would have made for
my son.

Makinna held back tears, not wanting
Tykota's mother to see her cry. "Try to make
him understand that I loved him enough to let
him go."

"My dear, if it is meant that the two of you
should be together, you will be."

She hugged the little woman and moved down
the steps to the buggy. John helped her inside
and urged the horses forward at a trot while three
outriders rode alongside.

Although Makinna knew that Mrs. Silverhorn
was watching them from the front veranda, she
did not look back, because she knew she would
cry if she did.

Adelaide squeezed Makinna's hand and
Makinna gave her an encouraging smile. She
needed to be strong for her sister.

Makinna was grateful that John was so
sympathetic to Adelaide. He spoke to her in soft
tones, and there was tenderness in his eyes when
he looked at her. It wasn't long until Adelaide
warmed to his kindness, and he even made her
smile when he related some of the adventures he
had had with Tykota in the London school they
attended. He spoke of the difficulty his teacher
had trying to teach a slow-talking Texan to speak
what they considered "proper" English.

John laughed as he urged the horses up a hill,
driving the buggy slowly and trying to avoid as
many bumps as he could. "And, as you can hear
by my speech, they failed miserably."

Adelaide joined his laughter. "They seem to
have succeeded with Tykota."

"That they did. But I suspect that was because he learned English from Mr. and Mrs.
Silverhorn, who were British. Whereas my
parents came to Texas from Tennessee." He
winked at Adelaide. "We all know that Texans
and Tennesseans can't speak English."

Makinna fanned herself with a handkerchief
and shook away the dust that had settled on her
gown. "I love Texas. I hadn't expected to, but I
do."

"I suspect Tykota has something to do with
your view," Adelaide remarked.

John studied Adelaide's face carefully. "How
would you feel about making your home here,
Mrs. Johnson?"

"Like my sister, I do love this land, when, like
her, I had not expected to."

John looked pleased. "Could you... would
you feel it an imposition if, after a while, I came
to San Francisco and called on you ladies?"

Makinna realized that John Kincaid was
developing a fondness for her sister, even though
Adelaide was unaware of his feelings. She spoke
up before Adelaide could answer. "We would be
delighted, Mr. Kincaid, if you would call on us.
We will want you to bring us all the news from
Texas."

When they reached El Paso, Makinna stared at
the mud-colored huts on either side of the
narrow, dusty streets. In the distance she could
see young children splashing and playing in
the shallows of the Rio Grande. This was to
have been her destination those many weeks
ago, when the raid on Adobe Springs changed
her life forever.

John stopped the buggy before the Central
Hotel, helped the ladies with a room, and
arranged for their luggage to be brought in. "I'll
just go on down now and see to your tickets on
the morning stage," he said, setting his hat firmly
on his head. "I wonder, would you be wanting to
eat in the dining room, or would you like me to arrange for something to be
brought to your room?"

Adelaide smiled sweetly at John. "You are
kindness itself. Speaking for myself, I would
prefer the dining room. If you would care to join
us, we will dine around eight."

"I would be right pleased, ma'am." He smiled
and backed away. "Yes, ma'am, I surely would."

When she closed the door, Makinna walked to
the window, watching drovers herding cattle
down the street. "Texas is like nowhere else,"
she mused.

"Makinna?"

She turned to her sister.

"I... thank you for coming with me. We are
alone in the world now, just the two of us."

Makinna went to Adelaide and put her arms
around her. "We are fortunate that we have each
other."

"I want to tell you something."

Adelaide looked dejected, and Makinna
waited for her to continue. "Is something
bothering you?"

"It's Tom. I can't feel anything for him."

"When Mother died, I felt numb at first. I
suppose that happens when you lose someone
you love."

Adelaide sat on the edge of the bed and buried
her head in her hands. "It's nothing like that. I
stopped loving Tom a long time ago."

Makinna knelt down beside her. "Do you want
to talk about it?"

"Yes, I do. For so long I have had to keep this
locked inside me, because there was no one to
talk to."

Tears seeped out of Adelaide's eyes and ran
down her face. "Tom... didn't love me. He had
other women. He never bothered to be discreet
but flaunted them in my face. He would take
them to parties we were supposed to attend
together. He drank too much, and I always made
that the excuse for his behavior."

"Adelaide, I am so sorry! But he must have
loved you if he married you."

"He said he never had, that he had married me
to show off to his friends. He told me that when
we had been married less than a year."

Makinna held her close, feeling her heartache.
"This pain will pass with time, Adelaide. We
will go through this together." She brushed the
hair from her sister's face and wiped her eyes
with her handkerchief.

"I don't want to stay in San Francisco. It is a
town where I have been humiliated, and if I
remain there, I will only be reminded of that
humiliation."

"What do you want to do? Should we go back
to New Orleans?"

"I want to move to Texas."

"What? Here?"

"I loved it here the moment I stepped off the
stage. I want to sell everything Tom had in
California. He was wealthy. I can do anything I
want to do."

"But what would you do here in Texas?"

"I don't know. Make a new start. I have
always wanted children, but Tom didn't. Maybe
I will even find a new husband and start a
family."

Makinna was troubled. "Let's go on to San
Francisco and take it one day at a time. You
may feel differently once you have had time to
think."

Adelaide shook her head. "I will never feel
differently about San Francisco. I was never
happy there, and if I remain, I will always
remember that unhappiness."

"You know I will do whatever it takes to help
you.

Adelaide touched her sister's cheek. "I want
you to be happy, too, Makinna. You deserve
happiness. I know how many years you tended to
Mother when she was ill. She wrote me letters
telling me how you were always so cheerful and
never complained."

"You should get some rest now," Makinna
said, standing and fluffing up the pillow. "We
have three hours before dinner."

Adelaide agreed with a weary nod, and she
fell asleep the moment her head rested on the
pillow.

Makinna stood at the window. She hadn't
known what her sister's life had been like, and
neither had their mother. Adelaide had suffered
rejection and humiliation, but Makinna was
determined to help her put her past behind her
and start anew.

But, as far as Adelaide's wanting to come
back to Texas, Makinna had every hope that she
would forget that notion once they reached San
Francisco.

San Francisco was bustling with activity. The
noise from the crowded streets was a welcome
sound to Makinna's ears.

When the stage stopped at the Butterfield
office, both sisters were helped to the ground by
an attendant. "Mrs. Johnson, I believe your
carriage is waiting for you at the Golden Horn,"
the man informed her. "Accept my sympathy,
and know that we all feel the loss of your
husband."