“Juan Carlos came for me. He did not think he could care for the child and was opposed to leaving the boy with strangers in ‘Little Mexico.’ He and Ofelia know a lot of the same people, but they are very unfamiliar with each other, so coming to get me seemed even more appropriate to Juan Carlos than caring for a child himself. If one can imagine.”
Josiah chuckled then. “No, I can’t imagine that he’d be a good candidate to watch over Lyle. Where is Juan Carlos? I would like to see my old friend.”
“Who knows? You know Juan Carlos. One minute he’s here, and the next he’s gone. You never know when he’s going to show up next.”
“It’s been months since I’ve seen him. July, before we ventured into Lost Valley.”
“I worry about him. His age will prohibit his adventures one of these days,” Pearl said, wistfully.
Josiah silently agreed. But he also knew that Juan Carlos was the kind of man that lived for adventures, and he would most likely die in the middle of one of his great escapades rather than wasting away on a deathbed. “How long have you been here?”
“Since last night. There was no word of your fate. I was prepared to wait as long as it took.” Pearl was facing him now, standing less than a foot away. In one easy step that couldn’t have been done more gracefully if she had been a professional dancer employed at the Opera House, she snuggled up into Josiah’s chest, her arms fully around him in a tight embrace. “I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you.”
Josiah was surprised but didn’t resist, didn’t pull away. He welcomed her embrace and was immediately intoxicated by her sweet smell and the feel of her body against his. A thousand emotions shot through his entire body. Finding Pearl waiting for him on his porch was the last thing he had ever expected. Molding his body to hers in a moment of welcome and relief was beyond belief.
Pearl cocked her head to Josiah. Her beauty was breathtaking. He kissed her. Kissed her long and hard, like she was his lover and he’d fought through an entire war just to return to her. She responded in kind, the kiss wholly returned.
Questions floated away, the answers unimportant at the moment. The entire world—past, present, and future—fell away. Feelings began to surface inside of Josiah that he had restrained for a long, long time. And it was then that his body began to respond to his own desire just like his heart had, and he pulled away from Pearl as quickly as she had embraced him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
She shook her head. “Don’t be.”
It was then that Josiah sensed something else, a presence behind him. He turned just in time to see Scrap stalking off again, this time shaking his head in disgust.
Josiah was sure the boy had witnessed the entire moment with Pearl, and he was certain that that would lead to nothing but trouble. Serious trouble.
At his young age, Lyle wasn’t old enough to know or understand why his father had been away longer than he was supposed to have been. For all Josiah knew, Lyle had barely missed him, had been unaware of his extended absence since there was a normalcy to it. But Lyle reacted happily when Josiah woke him. The two-year-old—almost three-year-old—boy squealed in delight once the sleep was wiped from his eyes.
“Papa!
Josiah looked at the boy oddly. He didn’t understand a word his young son had spoken to him.
“He said he’s happy to see you,” Pearl said. She was standing at the doorway and must have seen the confused look on Josiah’s face.
“I’m going to have to talk to Ofelia.”
Lyle jumped into Josiah’s arms.
Pearl shrugged. “There are worse things than a boy learning to speak two languages. Especially here.”
“It might cause him more trouble than it’s worth when he’s older.” Josiah didn’t mean to sound harsh, but his tone must have been harder than he’d intended because Pearl stepped back.
“I’m sorry. He’s your son.”
“Papa!” Lyle shouted again, not giving Josiah the opportunity to respond or apologize.
Josiah smiled then. “It’s good to see you, too, son. It’s good to see you again.”
“Don’t go,” Lyle said.
“I’m home now.”
The boy shook his head. “Don’t go. Missed you.”
Night had fallen. Scrap had disappeared. And Josiah had no choice but to see Pearl Fikes home. He did not take the time to wash the trail off himself, or to settle into being home. There was no way he was going to just thank Pearl and send her on her way . . . but seeing Scrap, realizing that the embrace had been witnessed, had been a public display with them standing on the porch, made Josiah extremely uncomfortable.
The last thing he needed was for Pete Feders to become an enemy. Major John B. Jones, too. One whisper to either man of Pearl Fikes’s affection for him would certainly be a nail in the coffin of his career as a Ranger. Though that seemed like an odd thing to be concerned about at the moment. Josiah was also concerned for Pearl. He wasn’t sure of her feelings for him, but more importantly, he wasn’t sure she could understand his lack of resources to court her properly. There was certainly no question of his desire for her; he most surely wanted to explore their mutual desire for each other as far as it would go. He was sad that it was impossible, that it could never truly ever happen. A relationship with a woman like Pearl Fikes was something beyond a dream for a man like him.
Josiah set out to ready Pearl’s buggy. Missy, Scrap’s horse, was gone from the stable, and Lady Mead had been properly tended to. He was happy to see Clipper, but the horse didn’t show any emotion or gratitude upon seeing Josiah, not that he’d expected any. But Clipper followed Josiah’s lead outside and easily took his place, tied to the back of the buggy.
For a November night the air was warm and dry. Any clouds of the day had departed, leaving the sky clear. Interior lights burned brightly in nearly every house and building, casting odd lots of shadows on the dirt street, making it look almost golden.
Josiah pulled the buggy up in front of his house. Pearl was standing there in wait, with Lyle’s hand in hers, an odd sight for Josiah to see.
There was a time when he could never have imagined another woman in his life. Josiah had loved Lily fully and completely. But he felt something for Pearl, even though those feelings seemed ill-fated.
He helped Pearl into the buggy, settling Lyle between the two of them on the single seat. The horse, a large black stallion with no hint of white anywhere on its body, responded to Josiah’s “giddy-up,” and they were on their way.
“I could have waited to return home until morning,” Pearl said.
Josiah looked away. “That would have been inappropriate.”
“I suppose, in some people’s eyes.”
“Pearl,” Josiah said, his voice exasperated. “There is nothing that I would like more than to be able to court you.”
“There is nothing stopping you.”
They passed by the governor’s mansion. The lights inside were aglow—gaslights instead of coal oil—brighter, hotter, the gold glow reflecting off the street. It was another Greek Revival building set three hundred yards from the Capitol building, bounded by Lavaca, Guadalupe, Tenth, and Eleventh streets. The bricks had been made in Austin, and the pillars were made of pine logs, shipped thirty-three miles southeast, from Bastrop. The big house was a reflection of Texas through and through.
“There is, Pearl, and you know it. Besides your mother never permitting my presence in a proper setting, I have other considerations.”
“Peter.”
“Yes, Captain Feders. I know of his feelings for you.”
“You should let me worry about Peter and Mother.”
“If only it were that easy, Pearl, but it’s not.”
