Page 13 of The Drifter's Bride
Poor woman must be exhausted.
He debated on waking her, but he knew she needed to eat. She mentioned she hadn’t had anything since that morning. The apple and dried beef he offered her were still untouched on the table. She looked so peaceful; he wanted to give her a few minutes before waking her. Carefully lifting her ankles, he walked her around the end of the bed, so she was fully on top of the mattress. Lifting his blanket, he placed it over her like a bedroll and tucked it around to make sure she was warm.
She gave another delicate snort and rubbed her nose before yawning, then snuggling down under the blanket. Lukas brushed the wet strands away from her face and tucked them behind one ear before picking up his candle and her discarded dress. He gave her one last glance before leaving her to rest.
Padding over to the table, he gathered the candles together so he could look at the dress. Holding it up to the light, he could see that the dress was made of a shiny fabric that was impractical for the harsh prairie. Torn lace, stained from the red clay near the creek bed, decorated the fabric edges. Giving the dress a quick turn, he frowned at the tears in the skirt and the stains from where she sat in the mud.
If he hung it to dry, she might wear it by morning. If she was still here overnight.
A loud crack boomed in the sky.
He wasn’t taking her anywhere in this weather. Better to just let her sleep and he’d camp down on the floor or with the horses. Draping the dress over the chair, he lifted the other pieces of clothing and realized what they were.
Thank goodness she couldn’t see his face, as a blush-like shadow warmed his cheeks and ears. He had a rack that he used when he was traveling to dry his clothes. The other cowboys made fun of it, but at least his britches weren’t full of bugs from drying on bushes. A simple device made from drilled boards with strings running between them. He could dry several items at once. He wondered if it would be sturdy enough to hold Addison’s dress.
Retrieving the rack from beside the corner cupboard, he set it up near the stove and draped Addy’s wet undergarments on it. He’d have to figure out what to do with the dress, but first he wanted to eat. He poked at the steak in the pan. It was near perfect. He pulled one out and covered it with cooked onions. The pan, he moved to the back of the stove to keep the other steak warm in case his guest woke up.
Sitting down, he recited a quick blessing and sliced into the tender steak. Chewing thoughtfully, he went over the conversation from earlier and he wondered if Addy was right. She said that she had been in those bushes just for him to find. If that wasn’t divine intervention, he didn’t know what was. It should probably alarm him; especially given he was to meet his potential matches in the morning. But there had been plenty of time to think about the future while lying under the stars listening to the cattle low. Bet often said that everything happens for a reason.
But why now?
Tomorrow he’d meet the two women who were expecting him to choose one of them as a wife. Then he’d either decide to court her, or just marry her. So why did his thoughts keep returning to the pretty brunette sound asleep in his bed?
Maybe this was a test of his character, he thought. To see if he had what it took to be an honorable husband to a woman he barely knew.
“God, if you are listening,” he said. “You have a sense of humor I don’t understand.”
He finished his steak and took the dishes to the sink to rinse. When he gained the cabin from Weston, it had seen better days. It wasn’t in horrible shape; it just needed some maintenance. The chinking needed to be repaired, and the only water source was a spigot on the side of the house that drew water from a well.
Lukas tapped the spigot and added the pipe leading into the house, where he installed a sink against a wall. It was better than having to haul water inside every day. When he was in Texas, there were even houses that had hot running water! He didn’t mind heating the water on the stove, but clean water worked just fine when needed.
After quickly washing and drying the dishes, he was about to drain the water when he spied the dress hanging over the chair. Picking it up, he dunked it in the water and swirled it, watching the water turn from slightly dirty to dark brown. He dunked it a few more times and drained the water. Filling the sink with clean water, he repeated the process until most of the dirt washed away. There wasn’t anything he could do about the red clay stains or tears, but at least the dress wasn’t as filthy as it was when Addy first arrived.
Squeezing the excess water from the fabric, he moved two chairs next to the rack and draped the dress between them. The stove should dry the garments out by morning. He’d just dry his wet clothes over the porch while he was gone to town in the morning. If he was lucky, the sun would be out, and his clothes would dry rather quickly.
Once he finished cleaning everything up, he wandered around the small cabin. He didn’t have a place to sit since he draped the chairs with wet clothes. The rain was still coming down as he peeked out the door and he wondered how the cowboys were faring.
He was glad he wasn’t working. Sighing, he closed the door, and shook out his arms, the nervous energy building inside him. With nothing else to do but wait, he decided he should check on his guest once more.
Addison rolled over and stretched her arms above her head. She had the most pleasant of dreams and didn’t want to wake up, but the sun was warm on her face. Flexing her toes, she winced as the memories of last night came flooding back with every twinge of her ankle.
She tried to move, but she was pinned beneath a blanket against a solid wall. Opening her eyes carefully, she looked around the room and wondered where she was. She was not at Aunt Ingrid’s. She tugged on the warm blanket as she tried to free herself, but it was stuck under the wall.
“Hey,” she whispered, poking the wall. Her throat was so dry it came out no louder than a mewl.
“Hmmm.” The wall rolled over and placed one arm around her waist, pulling her tight. A sharp nose nuzzled her ear.
Oh my goodness!
She was in Lukas Arkin’s bed. She remembered getting changed and then laying backwards for just a moment. Now she was bundled up next to the man himself.
What kind of woman was she that she wanted to snuggle in and press her head against his chest? She wondered if his heart would drum out a steady beat, or beat as fast as hers was thudding. It should be appalling and upset her delicate sensibilities, but all she felt was contentment and safety.
Aunt Ingrid would not approve, and if she wrote to Addy’s father…
“Lukas,” she said a little more forcefully, pushing him with both hands underneath the blanket. She had to get home. Aunt Ingrid was probably beside herself at this point. “Lukas Arkin. You must let me go.”
With one more solid thrust, his eyes flew open, and he suddenly let go, sitting upright with a start. Jumping from his side of the bed, the blanket released, and Addy rolled from the soft mattress to the hard floor.
