"I don't think so," Merry said easily. "He'll just go out
and introduce himself, I'm sure."
Merry said all of this while laying two extra place settings,
making sure the bread was in reach, and then serving
her friend a bowl of soup. It took a moment for her to see
that Darvi was staring at her, a look of near desperation on
her face.
"What is it, Darvi?" Merry asked gently, taking a chair
close to her.
"I did it!" Darvi could wait no longer. "I asked Jesus
Christ to save me from my sins. I wanted to pick the perfect
time to tell you, but I just have to tell you now. I'm a
believer, Merry, just like you."
Having prayed for this for years, Merry was surprised
at her own reaction: one of tears. She tried to speak, but the
words stuck in her throat. Silent tears trickled down her
face, and when her little daughters saw them, their own
75
tears began. This made the women laugh.
''Tell me everything!" Merry commanded when she
finally had air again.
A Texas Sky * 43
The words and sounds coming from the kitchen in the
next minutes included an amazing blend of laughter and
breathless sobs, none of which could be heard by Calder,
who had finally spotted Dakota and was moving toward
him. Calder was nearly to the rock the Ranger was sitting
on before he realized that man had his shirt off and was
trying to stop his side from bleeding.
"Hello," Calder called as Dakota glanced at him.
"Hello."
Finally at the boulder, Calder stopped and looked down
on him. "It looks as though Darvi was something of a
tyrant."
One corner of Dakota's mouth quirked. "She rode
harder than I figured."
"Do you want me to have a loo^?"
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Dakota took his eyes from the wound. "You a doctor?"
"Yes."
Dakota shrugged a little, "I saw a doctor in Austin. He
gave me some powder."
"It wasn't Marcus Scott by any chance, was it?"
"As a matter of fact, it was."
"He's my uncle."
Dakota took a moment to compute this.
"I thought you were a Ranger."
Calder smiled. "Thafs my brother."
Dakota laughed a little.
"I'll get my bag," Calder said and started away.
Dakota was too weary to argue with him. He didn't
think he needed any more mending, but he certainly felt
worn.
Back at the house, Merry heard the door the moment it
opened and went to meet their other guest. She was surprised
to find her husband alone.
"He's hurt," Calder said by way of explanation.
Merry accepted this without questipn or comment.
77
Darvi, on the other hand, followed Calder to the door on
his way back out
44 lori wick
"Dakota's hurt?"
"Yes. I would guess a gunshot wound to his side."
Darvi's mouth opened. "He never said a word."
Calder's smile was full of amusement "Somehow mat
doesn't surprise me."
Tempted as Darvi was to go with him, she thought she
might be in the way. The blonde made herself stay put, but
as soon as she saw him, Darvi would have a few questions
for Dakota Rawlings.
--gr'3-
Dakota
woke slowly, his body telling him he was rested
and comfortable and that everything was all right. He
remembered getting to the front porch and even going
through the kitchen, but almost as soon as he'd laid on the
78
bed he had been directed to, everything had begun to fade.
Now his eyes were opening, and for the first time since
he left Desmond and Geneva's, he felt truly rested. Long
-days and nights, hard trails, and little comfort were a way
of life to him, but having bullet wounds put it all in a whole
new light.
"I found it a little surprising..." Dakota heard Darvi say
and realized she was in the kitchen, right outside his door.
For the first time he noticed the door wasn't shut
"I never thought about people in the Bible quarreling or
not loving each other, but Pastor Osman's sermon spoke to
that very thing. I've been reading in Galatians ever since."
"Are you understanding it?" Merry asked.
"Some of it May I ask you some questions?"
"Of course, Darvi. Why don't we get our Bibles and sit
in the living room. The girls will be waking soon, and I can
hear them better if I'm near the stairs."
Dakota heard their chairs move and lay in silence. It
had been like listening to his own conversation with
Marcus Scott. Darvi must have been in church on Sunday.
79
Dakota glanced around to see if his saddlebags were in
A Texas Sky 45
sight but didn't spot them. He had a sudden need to read
his Bible.
With slow but comfortable movements he eased from
the bed. A glance out the window told him where the privy
was situated, and he thought if he moved quietly, he might
be able to get out without disturbing Darvi and her friend.
It occurred to him as he pulled on boots and found the back
door that he hadn't even met the woman.
3"3r-3r
"I think I hear the girls," Merry said about 45 minutes
later.
"Thank you for explaining some of this to me," Darvi
said. "It makes sense to me now. I've sinned so many times
since I believed. I'm not sure why I thought the people in
80
the Bible would be different."
Merry smiled at her friend, still feeling rather amazed
that she was even having this conversation. She had
planned to go into town for some extra shopping after the
twins awoke, but suddenly nothing else mattered. Darvi
was here, and not just any Darvi, but a new sister in Christ
"Mama?" A liljle voice floated down the stairway.
"Coming, Viwy."
"How did you know that was Vivian?"
Merry shrugged. "I just know."
Darvi sat still in the living room after her friend walked
up the stairs. She was still thinking about all the things
Merry had explained and how much she had to learn when
she heard a noise in the kitchen. With little forethought she
stood to her feet and went that way.
Dakota, who had been reading at the table, had just put
his Bible in the bedroom and returned to the kitchen when
Darvi stepped into the room.
"I can't believe you did that!" Darvi attacked him
without warning.
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46 lori wick
Dakota stared at her angry face, feeling rather dispassionate
about her ire but thinking she looked rested and at
home in these surroundings. Her yellow dress looked nice
too.
"Did you hear me, Dakota?" she tried again.
"Yes, but I don't know what you're upset about"
Darvi's hands came to her waist "You let me ride us as
though there was no tomorrow and never once said you
were hurt"
Dakota nodded with understanding. It took him a
moment to figure out what she was referring to, but this
made sense.
"I'm fine, Darvi."
Darvi looked irritated again, like a child who knew she
was being patronized.
"That's why you were bleeding!" she snapped. "I know
I always bleed when I'm fine."
Dakota tried not to smile at the sarcasm but couldn't
82
help himself.
"Don't you laugh at me, Dakota Rawlings! I'm really
. upset about this." Her voice suddenly grew quiet; she
wished she could learn to bite her tongue. "I was all het up
to come here, and I didn't think about anyone but myself.
I'm sorry."
Dakota couldn't help but respond to such repentance.
^ "I could have said something, Darvi, but I didn't. Thank
you for your concern."
Darvi smiled a little at his forgiving tone. She regretted
the way she'd talfced to him but wasn't certain how to
explain. At times she asked the Lord why He ever put up
with her mouth.
All this was still rolling through Darvi's mind when she
saw that she'd lost Dakota's attention. He was still standing
in the same place, but his eyes were focused down and
behind her; a smile was just starting across his lips.
Darvi knew what had his attention. Vivian and Filar had
come downstairs with their mother.
83
9owt,
"I'M merry scott." the doctor's wife was the first to
speak and came forward to shake Dakota's hand. The girls
stayed close beside her, but the shyness they had shown
with Darvi was not to be found. Indeed, they seemed quite
taken with this large, dark stranger.
"I'm Dakota Rawlings," Dakota said as he shook
Merry's hand, catching the girls' interest but not looking
directly at them. "I appreciate your hospitality. I'm sure I
feel better for having come inside to lie down."
"Well, Darvi tells me you'll be taking her to Aurora to
catch the train home, and you need to know that however
long you're here, we expect you to use that room."
"Thank you," Dakota said, before his amused eyes
swung to the strawberry blonde.
"Is that the plan? I'm taking you to Aurora?"
Darvi's mouth opened. "Didn't Uncle Marty tell you?"
"No. Maybe he thought you did."
"Oh, Dakota!" Darvi was horrified. "I had no idea. I
84
mean, I just assumed you two had talked."
"It doesn't matter. Like I said, I have some free time
right now."
"To rest up," Darvi said wryly, thinking she could cry.
She had been so determined to get to Stillwater that
nothing else had mattered. She now wondered whether her
uncle knew of the situation.
47
48 lori wick
"That was your uncle's plan/' Dakota answered the
unasked question, "but I don't think I'm going to be
needing much rest"
"But you're not working right now?"
"No. My time is my own."
Sounding rather crushed/she said, "And I'm sure this is
just how you had planned to spend it."
It was at that moment that the couple realized they were
85
alone. When Merry and the girls slipped away, neither of
them knew. Darvi moved toward the door that led to the
backyard, obviously upset. Dakota followed.
"You need to listen to me, Darvi," Dakota said as soon
as he followed her to the back porch. "You're upset for no
reason."
"No reason ? " Darvi began in outrage, but Dakota put his
hand up, his face stern. Darvi subsided, something rather
new for her, and waited for him to take a seat on the porch
railing as she was in the only chair.
"I was hurt midsummer. Brace didn't want me back for
six months. I came anyway. Since my escorting you puts
me nearer my family's ranch, he said I should go there
whenever we're done and check back with him in a month.
The truth is, I don't feel a hundred percent, but neither am
I dying. I'll probably be pacing at the ranch for three weeks
before I'm supposed to report back in Austin. You may take
as long as you like to get on that train in Aurora. My time
is open. And unless you want me to wrestle a bear, I'm up
for just about anything."
86
"But you were hurt some by how hard I wanted to
ride," Darvi couldn't help but say.
"At any time I could have asked you to stop, Darvi, but
I didn't. I have no one to blame but myself."
Darvi saw that he was right but still wanted to take
responsibility. She looked away from Dakota's eyes and
tried to work it out in her mind. When she looked back, he
was still watching her. For some odd reason, her heart was
wrung with compassion.
ATexasSty 49
"How were you hurt, Dakota?"
"A gunfight. It wasn't that they outnumbered me; it was
my miscalculation of where they were."
"You were shot?"
"Five times."
Darvi's hands came to her mouth.
"I'm fine," Dakota said gently. "I will tell you if I can't
do something."
Darvi mentally promised to pinch herself if she cried,
87
and it seemed to do the trick. Nodding swiftly and dropping
both her hands and her eyes, she asked herself how
God could stand all this weeping she did. Ever since she'd
understood her own personal need for a Savior, she'd been
bawling over the silliest things.
Not that Dakota's being shot is silly. I just wish I could control
myself a little more.
"Are you all right?" Dakota asked. He hadn't taken his
eyes from her since they'd sat down. Nevertheless, she did
not look at him when she answered.
"I'm fine, Dakota, thank you. I'll just trust you to tell me
if something's not right."
"All right," Dakota said as he stood. "And 111 wait for
you to tell me when you're ready to go. Like I said, any
time is fine."
He slipped back inside on Darvi's nod and found Merry
and the girls in the kitchen. In the time he'd been gone,
their fascination had melted away. They showed their faces
long enough for an introduction but were terribly shy
about looking at him. Dakota took pity on them and went
88
into his bedroom and shut the door.
^"S--^"
"How do you feel?" Calder asked Dakota the moment
he arrived home that evening and found him sitting alone
in the living room.
"Better. Thank you."
x
50 lori wick
Dakota had been sitting and looking out the large
window to the woods behind the house. It was a very tranquil
scene, and as the minutes ticked by, he felt himself
growing more relaxed.
Calder sat down with him,
"Any more bleeding?"
"No. Thanks for helping me earlier. I think I needed rest
89
more than anything else."
Calder smiled.
"What
does that look mean?" Dakota asked, his voice a
bit dry.
"Only that you sound like my brother."
"Was that a compliment or not?"
"Or not," the doctor replied, putting it plainly. "Most
days, Chet has more guts than good sense."
Dakota let himself smile over this, a smile that grew
quite wide when two little girls suddenly joined them.
"Papa!" they squealed in delight as the two scrambled
for his lap.
They were hugged, kissed, tickled, and snuggled in turn
before settling in to stare at Dakota in adorable splendor.
"Did you meet Mr. Rawlings?" their father asked.
Both dark heads bobbed up and down. Flyaway hair fell
softly around their faces, and round cheeks glowed pink
below sparkling eyes. They smiled easily, and their noses
were so soft-looking and rounded that Dakota wanted to
tweak them.
90
"How do I tell who's Filar and who's Vivian?" Dakota
asked as he studied their cookie-cutter images.
The two girls stared right back, and Dakota had to
shrug.
Calder stepped in.
"Show him, Vivvy."
Vivian obediently pointed to her eye. Again Dakota
studied her but still had to look to Calder questioningly.
"Viwy has a tiny scar next to her eye," the older Scott
explained. "Do you see it?"
A Texas Sky 51
"Oh, yes. How did that happen?"
"She had just learned to walk and waited until she was
next to a rock to take her first serious tumble/'
Dakota smiled at both girls and then looked to Vivian,
"Did it hurt?" he asked, but Vivian only smiled at him.
Mercy, you two are cute! was all Dakota could think as he
watched them. He didn't know how long he and Darvi
would be in Stillwater, but he thought he could get very
91
attached to these two girls. Though younger, they reminded
him of Lobby's sister, Laura.
"Dinner's ready," Merry announced from the edge of
the room.
The men thanked her and stood.
Calder gave Merry a kiss, and one of the girls went into
her arms.
"It smells good," Calder commented.
"Beef stew, biscuits, watermelon, and iced tea."
"Oh, my," Dakota said sofuy.
Merry turned to him, her eyes sparkling a little. "Don't
you care for beef stew, Mr. Rawlings?"
"On the contrary, Mrs. Scott, quite suddenly I'm
starving."
Having figured he would appreciate a home-cooked
meal, Merry was very pleased. She was even more pleased
when she saw that the girls were not going to stare at him
all evening and then hide their faces when he looked their