Beyond the Green

41

The night was fading when we came in sight of the cabin. My stomach was crying for food, not having eaten since lunch the previous day. Saoirse was at last quiet under me, her steps sure and soft. We had run for some miles, alternating with walking, and I got the feeling we all wanted nothing more than a bite to eat then sleep. When I finally swung out of the saddle my legs crumpled under me and I sank to the ground, Nolan by my side in an instant.

Slipping his arms under me he easily carried me into the cabin. Settling me onto the rocking chair he knelt by my side, studying my face. Utterly quiet the entire ride home, I knew he was fuming over the theft of his horses. No matter what had happened between he and the Indians; Nolan had not wanted to give up the herd.

"Get some shut eye, Molly." Putting a chaste kiss against my knuckles, he stood. "I'll put the horses up." Without waiting for a response, he was gone.

I was going to get up and fix something to eat for us both, but my eyes were burning, and my legs felt like jelly. The deep throbbing pain in my abdomen was back and I didn't want to move. Hungry, I sighed inwardly and closed my eyes, telling myself it was only for a moment. When I next opened them, the light was beginning to fade toward evening, throwing the cabin into shadows. Pushing to my feet rubbing my eyes, I saw Nolan sitting at the table his head bent over some papers.

Dark hair fell uncut over his brow, touching his shirt collar. Despite being as tired as I was, he'd washed up, his damp hair glistening. I could smell his clean skin, an earthy, musky scent that I liked. He was writing with a sure hand and glanced up briefly as I approached, stifling a yawn.

"Did you get any sleep at all?"

"A couple hours." His response was clipped.

"What are you doing?"

"Figurin' out exactly how many horses the army got from me."

I moved around the table and Nolan sat back in surprise when I settled onto his lap. Leaning against his chest, I relaxed, my feet not touching the floor. His heart was a strong throb beneath my ear.

"Did you?"

"Roughly," wrapping an arm around my waist he leaned forward slightly, tapping the pen. "I started out the year with close to twelve hundred head. Eyota and his people have around three hundred, and we tallied a little over a hundred yesterday."

"They took eight hundred horses? How did they do that?"

"Well, we ain't scouted the rest of my land yet, but you get yourself enough riders who know what they're about, and you could move a herd that size with very little trouble. They also took the milk cow. An' I still have to go to Fort Bridge to get paid!" He slapped his hand down on the table, a soft oath coming from his mouth.

"I am sorry, Nolan. Are you going out there soon?"

"I have to, but there ain't no way I'm gonna get what they're worth." He rubbed a hand across the dark stubble on his jaw. "Hungry?"

"Starving!" Climbing off his lap, I put a hand on his shoulder. "You sit, I'll make...well, it won't be breakfast, but food anyway."

Bustling around the kitchen, quickly getting a pot of coffee going, I fried up eggs and a side of bacon. Putting together biscuit dough, gravy was beginning to simmer when a hail came from the yard. I heard Nolan get up and go to the door while I peeked out of the kitchen window. To my surprise I saw a rented buggy with no one other than Mister Benjamin Hegwood getting down.

Nolan crossed the porch and stepped out into the yard to meet him. He stopped short, however, making the shorter man come to him. I could not hear what they said, but my husband was doing his very best to make our visitor uncomfortable. Wiping my hands absently on Nolan's pants, I went to the door and looked out, Mister Hegwood catching sight of me.