Dakota stopped as she took the cup. Better cook extra. That Hamilton who borrowed my truck is asleep in the barn.
Shichu will not like that. Maria giggled as if she were three and not thirty-three. Lucky she didnt show up last night. The rain must have kept her from her normal wandering around the place.
Were not telling Grandmother. I swear, she gets more Apache every year. She may have been born mixed, but the Irish seems to be bleeding out. The other day she came over wrapped in a blanket and wearing Grandpas old floppy hat. Shes starting to look like the short, squatty ghost of Sitting Bull. Shes also going back in time as she ages. I dont think she knows what decade it is.
Probably not, but her senses are keen. She found a bushel of wild plums last week. Maria raised her flour-covered palm as if swearing an oath. And the old girl can probably smell a Hamilton. So tell me, did he just drop by to kill us in our sleep and decide to nap first? Marias tone told Dakota that her sister thought the whole thing was a joke.
Dakota gulped down one swallow of hot coffee and came full awake. I think he brought the truck back and decided to wait out the rain. He probably just fell asleep. Dont let him frighten you when he comes to the door. I have a feeling when he wakes hell drop by to tell us hes leaving. She shrugged. If he smells breakfast, well probably have to feed him.
He wont startle me. Im sure Ill hear him coming. Maria lifted her butcher knife. Ill meet him at the door armed and ready. Or she set the knife down Ill do the neighborly thing and invite him in for breakfast. Killing someone with a full stomach seems the right thing to do, and no man could possibly turn down my blueberry pancakes.
Dakota shook her head. Marias life might be dull and ordinary, but in her mind she lived the great adventures she listened to in her books.
When theyd been kids, Maria often elaborated on Grandmothers stories. She made the Hamiltons monsters with the smell of death on their breath. Or zombies who never stopped coming, no matter how many bullets hit their chests. Or aliens with nine long fingers on each hand, perfect for choking someone.
Now they laughed about the nightmares theyd had as children because of Marias imagination. Dakota smiled as she grabbed her robe and stepped into the tiny bathroom. She doubted any of the stories Grandmother or Maria told were based on an ounce of truth, but shed count Blade Hamiltons fingers the next time she saw him, just to be safe.
Twenty minutes later when Dakota walked back into the kitchen, tying a towel around her head, she could smell cinnamon bread in the oven and hear Marias laughter.
Maria wasnt alone.
Blade, looking like a mud truck had run over him, was sitting at the counter drinking coffee and smiling at Maria.
Have a seat, little sister. Breakfast is about to be served. Maria waved her spatula toward Blade. Mr. Hamilton will be joining us. I decided to let him live after he told me that he slept with you last night.
Blade silently raised his hands in surrender, but Dakota didnt miss the way his gray eyes moved down the thin robe now clinging to her wet skin.
I was just planning on resting a few minutes before walking back to my land. He held up two fingers. Scouts honor.
You were a Boy Scout? she snapped. Youre probably lying.
Elf, Ive been a Boy Scout all my life.
Dont call me Elf. She could feel deep anger climbing up her entire body.
Dont call me a liar, Dakota. He said her name slowly.
Dakota frowned at him, fighting the urge to yell Go away. He must have hypnotized Maria, because she barely talked to the mailman, much less a stranger.
Maria carefully served her pancakes. So, did you sleep with him, little sister?
I woke up and he was there. Dakota knew Maria was already thinking up something romantic in her mind. Biker guy falls in love with pickup girl at first sight, in the dark, in the rain, covered in mud.
Dakota figured shed be teased about this for months. She might as well play along. I guess Im guilty. I did sleep with him.
Well, well keep him alive until we find out if youre pregnant. Maria reached for the coffeepot. Do you have a job, Hamilton? Well need the child support.
Dakota gave Blade her best go-to-hell look. Hed started this and he didnt even try to look innocent.
He grinned as if she were teasing him. Ive got a job. After the army, I was hired as a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Which one are you? Maria asked, as if she thought hed given her a multiple-choice question.
Forest fires mostly. Occasionally explosives. Were federal, so we go where needed. I parachuted in the army, so now and then, while the burn is still hot, Ill go in and try to find where it started.
But about the kid you might be carrying, Miss Maria he winked at Dakota as he changed the subject back to sleeping in the barn if Im going to have to pay child support, I want to name the baby. If its a boy, of course. I dont much care what you name her if its a girl. Girls dont seem to stay around the Hamilton place.
Both sisters let out a yelp, then laughed a moment later when they realized he was kidding.
Maria smiled and Dakota saw that her sister wasnt afraid or shy around this man. Maybe she was comfortable in her own kitchen, or maybe she was simply playing a game from one of her romance novels. It really didnt matter. Maria was happy and not just pretending to be.
Tell me, Maria said. Are you tolerably handsome, Hamilton?
Blade laughed. Im afraid not. My own mother couldnt love me. He shoveled food into his mouth as if hed been starving.
Then youre not married? Maria finally asked when his plate was almost empty.
Nope. Blade had the gall to wink at Dakota again, letting her know that he was enjoying the game as much as Maria was. Women tend to run in the opposite direction. Men wearing badges dont make that much money unless they carry life insurance, and until a few days ago I didnt think I owned enough land to bury me on. I wouldnt wish a husband who darts out the door every time theres trouble in the air on any woman.
Maria leaned on the counter and said, Then you wouldnt have any objection to marrying my sister since youve already slept with her and probably got her pregnant. In the interest of full disclosure, I might as well mention the fact that youve got plums on your land that might work for my business. I have to be thinking about what Im getting out of this mating, you understand.
Dakota fought down a scream. Maria and Mudman laughed as if they were old friends. Somehow, these two people who seemed to have nothing in common had become allies, and she felt a little left out. If Maria could see how close he looked to the villains Grandmother described, she might not talk to him, much less feed the guy.
Now, Hamilton, Maria said, pointing her spatula in his general direction. I dont want to be rude, but I can smell you from here. Youre welcome to use our shower if you like. I doubt the water works at your place, and from the odor about you, Im guessing youve already tried bathing in the lake.
Id like that very much. Im afraid any hotel would take one look at me and put up the no-vacancy sign. But first, Id like to borrow Dakotas truck and go back to my place to get my only pair of clean clothes. He stood. Ill finish this fine breakfast when I get back and help with the dishes.
Id like that very much. Im afraid any hotel would take one look at me and put up the no-vacancy sign. But first, Id like to borrow Dakotas truck and go back to my place to get my only pair of clean clothes. He stood. Ill finish this fine breakfast when I get back and help with the dishes.
Wed appreciate it, Hamilton, Maria said. You finish eating, but stay out of my kitchen. Its off-limits. Understood?
Understood, General, he answered.
Then without a word, he walked out the door.
Dakota gave up eating and decided shed best finish dressing before Mudman returned. Hopefully, hed get back before she had to be at work, but the last time he borrowed her truck for ten minutes he was gone half the night.
She thought of yelling at Maria for being so neighborly, but then again, Dakota had started it last night. Now shed just have to put up with him for a few more minutes, and then hopefully they could go back to their quiet lives and forget a Hamilton lived across the lake.
Dakota quickly dressed in one of her three work outfits: milk-white blouse, dark blazer, modest A-line skirt made of the tartan plaid her grandfather wore to church every Sunday. Hed always said he wanted the Lord to know what clan he came from when he got to heaven.
She glanced in the mirror, realizing the outfit did little to flatter her. But for selling homes, she needed to look older than twenty-five. The clothes seemed to age her. She no longer felt like the baby of the Davis family. Shed had to take charge almost five years ago when her mother died and Maria was so badly hurt. At twenty shed planned her mothers funeral, watched over Grandmother, managed the farm, and slept each night beside Marias hospital bed. In a matter of days Dakota had aged into the head of the family.
As she combed her dark hair back and began to tie it up for the day, she listed everything she had to do. Sometimes when she felt like she was sleepwalking through her whole life, the list was all that kept her on the road. Pay the bills, fix the pickup, get Marias supplies, work at a job she hated, clean house, check on Grandmother, pay the bills, get Marias supplies. The list circled back around to the beginning, never ending in her mind.
Between Marias sale of jams and jellies and her occasional sale of a house or lot, they were getting by. Living on dreams and hopes. Having no idea what someday would look like.
Maybe if she ran fast enough, hard enough, long enough, maybe one day she would simply fly away. For an hour. For a day. Just one day of being free and then shed come back to duty.
Only, as the years passed, she realized that might not happen. Shed simply age into the clothes if she didnt keep fighting and learning and hoping.
As she stared into her bedroom mirror, she felt like she barely knew herself. Shed gone from being a kid just testing the world of college to being weighed down with responsibilities. Shed grow old and wrinkled without ever having lived if she wasnt careful. Shed seen people who had done that and she understood them, but she swore shed never be one. She had dreams and theyd come true even if she had to give up sleep every night.
When she walked back down the hallway from her room, the bathroom door was closed and she could hear the shower.
He was back. One more thing to worry about. Add that to her list.
She tried not to let thoughts of a nude man in their house concern her, but as soon as Dakota reached the kitchen, Maria whispered, Did you open the door to see if he has tattoos?
No. Dakota sat down at her now cold, still untouched, breakfast. And before you start, nothing happened last night.
Maria was busy wrapping tiny loaves of cinnamon bread. I know that. I know you. But I can always hope. You havent had many dates lately. Maybe even a Hamilton would look good.
Dakota almost said, Since the accident five years ago. Since the night Mom died and Maria lost her sight.
Shed never forget stepping out of Marias hospital room and looking around for her mother, needing her hug, even if she was twenty. That moment, reality hit her like a sledgehammer to the heart: she was alone. There would be no more hugs from Mom. Dakota had walked out of the hospital and sat in the dark parking lot, crying, for hours. Until no more tears came.
Shed never cried again. She worked to take care of Maria and keep things together. There was no time, no thought of dating.
Now, watching Maria, she remained silent. They talked about everything else, but not the accident. Not that day. Mom had flown over to Dallas to ride home with Maria for Christmas. The roads were bad. Maria had worked the late shift at her café and crawled into the back of the car to sleep. Mom was never good driving on snow.
Dakota should have been the one to go, but shed wanted to relax at home after she got back from college. Shed fallen asleep before dark, before the ice storm moved across the plains.
The phone woke her hours later. The sheriffs call. Hed been kind and honest, but she knew his call had changed her life forever.
She should have been in the car that day. She would have been the one driving. Maybe somehow she could have avoided the wreck on the icy highway. Then Mom would be alive, Maria would still be running her restaurant in Dallas, and shed be... Dakota closed her eyes and let out a breath before she let her might have been settle in her thoughts.
She might be graduating from architecture school about now.
Maria broke into Dakotas dark thoughts. You need to get out on a date, little sister. Have some fun. Have an adventure. Im fine here. Ive got my work and my books. Im happy.
Dakota forced her tone to be light. Im happy too. And Im doing fine. I slept with a biker last night, didnt I? How much more excitement can I take?
They both laughed as the bathroom door creaked open and steam filled the hallway. The man who stepped out was bare chested, with jeans riding low on his hips. He had a towel wrapped around his neck but his tanned chest and back sparkled with moisture. His hair was slicked back, reminding Dakota of a handsome pirate in one of Marias books.
You mind if I finish dressing in the hallway? he asked, staring straight at Dakota. Its so foggy in there I cant see a thing.
She couldnt turn away, but managed to swallow a few times and whisper, No tattoos.
Darn. Maria looked disappointed. I already had that picture in my mind. Since he hangs out around fires, do you see any scars?
Dakota stared, not really knowing what to expect. She couldnt have imagined a man who looked as good as the man standing before her. Yes, she whispered back, knowing that Blade could hear them. No tattoos, but a few interesting scars.
He didnt react as he scrubbed his hair with the towel, then finger-combed it back into place with one deep plow. He pulled on a white T-shirt and then a collarless sweater of army green. I left my boots on your porch. Got them covered in another layer of mud when I parked your pickup and jumped the stream to where my bike was. Luckily, last night Id dropped my saddlebags on the porch when I looked at the house. My clothes and camera survived the night.
When he looked up at her, Dakota forced her gaze down at her food.
He ignored her as he walked past her stool and took his place at the bar. All right if I finish breakfast, Chef Maria? Then, if Dakota is still speaking to me, I thought Id catch a ride into town.