“I’ll not have you stayin’ alone. You’ll come with me to Killarney Hall. Pearl will see you have a hot bath and a good night’s sleep, and then you can tell me all about it.”
“I’m going home.”
“Fine. If it’s to Boise you’re determined to go, I’ll see you get there myself.”
“Oh, Patrick.” She felt the threat of tears returning.
“I can’t let you ..”
“There’s no letting to it. I’ll have my way in this, and there’ll be no argument from you.” Petula’s wan face was streaked with tears.
“Can I lay down, Pa? I don’t feel like doin’ school work today.”
“Sure. Go ahead,” Gavin answered, feeling as miserable as the little girl looked.
“I think I’ll go with her,” Sabrina said as she closed the history book she’d been reading. They’d been like this for three days now, ever since they’d returned from the skating pond and found that Rachel was gone. He’d made up some story about her needing to be at Killarney Hall to get ready for her wedding. It sounded like a lame excuse even to him, and he doubted if either of the girls believed him. Sabrina had said Miss Harris would never leave without saying good-bye to them unless something terrible happened. Petula had kept asking if they couldn’t go to Mr. O’Donnell’s to make sure she was all right. She hadn’t taken his negative response well. It seemed to Gavin that everywhere he looked, he could still see signs of Rachel. There were the curtains at the windows and the flowers on the table and the dresses that the children wore and even the buttons on his shirt. The reminders were relentless, and he knew he missed her as much as the children did. He more than missed her. He needed her. He’d been a fool not to admit it to himself sooner. Maybe if he had, she would have been engaged to him instead of Patrick O’Donnell. After all, she’d seemed happy enough here with the children. He couldn’t give her the things Patrick could, but he could promise she wouldn’t ever be in want. And Sabrina and Petula would give her plenty of love. Ah, hell! Who was he kidding? Why would she choose him when she could have a life of ease with Patrick? And why would he want her? She’d shown her true self when she’d come to his bed while intending to marry another. He’d been right about her all along. So why didn’t he feel right about her? Why did he feel like the one in the wrong? Why did this sense of
foreboding persist? Finding no answers, Gavin put on his coat and went outside. The air was crisp, the sun brilliant. Icicles dripped from the eaves, and the snow was mushy underfoot. He found Stubs in the barn, repairing Patch’s stall railing.
“Look what that piece of buzzard meat did last night,” Stubs said as Gavin approached him.
“I swear I’d like t’take a two by four and put it right between her eyes.”
“I’ve thought of it myself a time or two.” Stubs drove a nail through the board.
“Got us a bit of a thaw today. Stage oughta make it up from Boise after all.”
“You expecting something?”
“Not me.” Stubs straightened.
“Just be glad to know Miss Harris isn’t stayin’ in town alone anymore.” Gavin stiffened.
“What are you talking about? Isn’t she at Patrick’s?”
“Nope. Had me take her to town to try to catch the stage, but she had to wait a few days.” He sent a hard glare toward Gavin.
“Seems she broke off her engagement with Mr. O’Donnell the day I took her callin’ on him. Day before she left here.”
“Broke off? But I thought…”
“Seems to me you ain’t done enough of the right kind of thinkin’, Gav. My guess is you sent that girl away when what everybody wanted most was for her to stay for good. You included.” He scratched his head.
“You most of all.”
“Why didn’t you tell me where you’d taken her?”
“I shouldn’t’ve had to.” Please, Gavin. You must let me explain. What had he done? She’d been going to tell him about Patrick, but he wouldn’t let her. Oh, God. She’d looked at him with love in her eyes, and he’d been too blind, too stupid to see it for what it was. He’d been so sure she would prove him right about women, he hadn’t noticed she’d been teaching him all along how wrong he was. He spun toward his saddle, perched on a saddle tree near the barn door. In several quick strides, he’d picked it up, along with the blanket and bridle, and was walking toward Scamp’s stall. Wordlessly, he entered and began saddling the black gelding.
“Goin’ somewhere?” Stubs asked.
“Where’s she staying?”
“The Gumbel.” Gavin led the gelding out of the stall and headed toward the door.
“Yeah?” He opened the door, then swung up onto the saddle.
“You bring her back. She belongs here.”
“I mean to do my best, Stubs.” Bundled beneath fur-lined lap robes, Rachel watched as the snowy landscape slipped away. Patrick had tried to convince her to stay at Killarney Hall just one more night, but she’d insisted that either they left at once or he took her back to Challis where she could meet the stage. Finally, he’d given in and they had departed. Rachel was going home to Boise, but her heart had yet to leave the Lucky Strike.
Chapter Thirty
Despite his promise to Stubs, Gavin returned home without Rachel. In Challis, he’d found that Patrick had taken her to Killarney Hall. He rode quickly to the O’Donnell place, only to learn that Patrick and Rachel had left for Boise that morning.
“He’s only seeing her home, Mr. Blake,” Pearl had told him.
“Rachel hasn’t changed her mind about marrying him, although Patrick did his best to make her see the light.” As night fell over the Lucky Strike, Gavin sat staring into the fire. He would leave the next morning. He would go after her, and somehow he would convince her to return with him. He wasn’t sure how he was going to do it, but he was going to do it. Sabrina wandered out of her bedroom around midnight, complaining of a sore throat. When he touched her forehead, he found her burning with fever. Petula too sickened during the night. Stubs left for the doctor before dawn.
“Influenza,” Dr. Forester said in a low voice as he turned toward Gavin two hours later.
“Both of them. I’d heard there was an outbreak up in the camps, but I was hoping we wouldn’t see it here.”
“Is it serious?”
“Influenza’s always serious, Mr. Blake.” The doctor led the way out of the children’s bedroom.
“We’ll have to do what we can to break the fever. Get lots of fluids into them. They’re both strong girls. With God’s grace, we’ll see them through this.” Dr. Forester’s meaning was clear. They could die. Both of them. Rachel, I need you. But Rachel wasn’t there. She didn’t know the children were sick. He would have to get through this without her. But so help him, when this was over, he was going after her. He was going to make sure they went through the rest of their lives together. Patrick didn’t like the look of her. Rachel seemed to grow more and more pale with each passing day. She slept much of the time. When not asleep, she stared blankly into space, the expression on her beautiful face heartbreaking to behold. He’d traded his sleigh for a sturdy carriage once they left the snowy terrain behind, and he’d pushed the team of horses to the limits of their endurance, covering as much ground as possible between sunrise and sunset every day. But it still wasn’t fast enough to suit him. He was anxious to get her home to her sister. Patrick stopped the team on the crest of the ridge above the river valley. Boise City, their destination, sprawled between the snow-capped mountains and the tree-lined river. He turned in his seat and laid his hand on Rachel’s shoulder.
“Rachel? Wake up, my lovely.
“Tis home you are. Her eyes opened.
“Home?” She straightened and looked down at the capital city.
“I’m home,” she whispered. But her expression seemed to grow even more sad as she gazed into the valley.