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“Yes. Papa is next to you, and I’m on the other side.”
Regan followed Anna and Spring out to the hallway. Her room was even tinier than Regan’s. It held a bed, a wardrobe, and a nightstand. There was nothing that showed it to be the bedroom of a little girl. The walls were plain, the curtains beige, and a brown rug with frayed edges lay beside the bed. Regan didn’t see any toys and wanted to ask if she had dolls but didn’t. “This is a nice room, Anna.”
“Thank you.”
Regan noticed the sketch pad and pencils on the nightstand. “You draw?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“May I see?”
Anna handed her the book and Regan viewed the pages. Many were renderings of animals: a fox, an elk, birds. The drawings were rough and looked like they were drawn by a six-year-old, but all the subjects were recognizable. “These are very good, Anna.”
Anna then showed her the one she’d drawn of the two of them holding hands. “This is you and me.”
An emotional Regan eyed the two stick figures and leaned over and kissed her brow. “May I keep this? I want to frame it and place it on the wall in my room.”
“Truly?”
“Yes.”
“Aunt Minnie doesn’t like for me to draw, so I only do it at home.”
“You can draw for me anytime. Will you hold on to this until my room is ready?”
She nodded.
Regan saw the displeasure on Spring’s face at the mention of the old woman and Regan agreed with her silent assessment. Regan glanced around Anna’s room and wondered if Colt would allow her to brighten up the space. When Regan was young, Aunt Eddy let her paint a sun and clouds on a wall of her bedroom, and she still remembered how much fun it had been. She wondered if Anna might like to do something similar. Regan would also ask him about replacing the drab bedding and drapes with items a bit more cheerful.
Spring said, “I need to get back. Will you two be okay here?”
Regan asked Anna, “Do you think we’ll be okay?”
“Yes,” Anna replied. She then said to Spring, “Thank you letting me stay with you, Aunt Spring.”
“You’re welcome, and maybe we can do it again sometime soon.”
Regan added, “And thank you again for my wedding day.” The day had been memorable and the night even more so, even if she had awakened alone.
They walked Spring out to her wagon and waved as she rolled away.
Standing with Anna, Regan wondered what they might do to pass the time when a shot rang out. It was instantly followed by another. Regan quickly pushed Anna to the ground and covered the girl’s body with her own. An eerie silence followed. Over her pounding heart, Regan searched the surrounding landscape for signs of the shooter. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. I’m scared, Miss Regan.”
“I know, honey. Just lie still. I hope I’m not crushing you.” She needed to get Anna in the house, but didn’t want the girl to become a target on the way. Wondering who was shooting at them and why, she continued to study the trees.
To her relief, she saw Spring driving fast in their direction. Regan raised up cautiously. “Stay down, Anna.”
Spring jumped from the wagon, rifle in hand. “I heard gunfire, so I turned around. Are you all right?”
“Yes. Someone shot at us.” Regan helped Anna to her feet. The small hand in hers was shaking. “You were very brave,” Regan told her and hugged her close. “Let’s go inside.”
Colt checked on a few patients then spent the balance of the day in his office reading the latest medical journals and trying not to think about Regan. It was a losing battle. Everywhere his mind turned, she was there. He’d left the house while she was still asleep to keep from awakening her to pick up where they’d left off. He and Adele had never shared such a night. He’d never faulted her for her distaste for the marriage bed and he didn’t now. To do so would be disrespectful of her and what they’d meant to each other outside of the bedroom. On the other hand, Regan clearly had no such aversion. She’d been uninhibited, passionate, and as eager to give pleasure as to receive. Colt prided himself on his discipline and ability to keep his wits about him, but she’d left him so witless that all day he’d been fighting the urge to ride home, take her lush little body back to bed, and make her scream his name. The thought made him hard and he ran his hands down his bearded face. The marriage was consummated, there was no need for him to approach her again anytime soon, but the lust in his blood kept reminding him how it felt to sink into her tight warmth, the weight of her soft breasts in his hands, and the taste of her nipples in his mouth. Hardening more in response he cursed silently, drew in a calming breath and told himself everything would be fine—he’d just keep her at arm’s length and go about his life.
The clock on the wall showed it was time to head home. It occurred to him that in his haste to escape his new wife, he’d left her to fend for herself. How had she spent the day? Had she eaten? She probably thought him a poor husband to have left without so much as a note. Had he been in his right mind, and not so befuddled by their bed play, he would’ve been more considerate. He owed her an apology but had no idea what he might say by way of explanation. He certainly couldn’t tell her he’d fled because of how bewitching she was.
He gathered his bag and other personal items and left the office. After locking the door and nodding a silent greeting to people passing on the walk, he was about to mount his horse when he saw Spring drive up on her wagon. Regan and Anna were with her.
