Heart of a Hero (H.O.C. #3)

Chapter 19

Fort Hays, Kansas

David breathed in deeply, letting the cold burn his lungs and throat just for a moment before a steady sigh exhaled it. El Forajido was in custody. His righteous indignation over the mistreatment of his lovely wife, and the subsequent loss of their unborn child, still burned an equal trail of anger, sadness, and a need for revenge, but now he felt a need to just get home to Lottie. To hold her. To comfort her, even if it wasn't enough. To feel her in his arms. Someday, Lord willing, they would have more. He half-grinned through the pain at the thought of children in their home.

The long ride home had been uneventful. David, however, was unable to go back to the home of the General. He has specific orders to guard the prisoner, though many soldiers were available for this painstaking task. And it was cold! The fire, lit in the courtyard, was warm enough, but what David craved could only come from holding Lottie. El Forajido would spit out some insult every few minutes, sometimes in Spanish, other times in a broken mix of English and Spanish. David had no trouble ignoring him. As the night wore on, the need to hang him from the nearest tree dissipated and was replaced with longing for home. From David's point of view, dawn could not break soon enough.

Out of the dark, a form walked towards him. A woman, from the silhouette. He knew that limp. That shape of her, intimately. As she came closer, the light of the fire made it so could see her face. Her smile lit his whole world and the sun of a hundred summer days could not brighten it as she did. In her hand was a tin cup, steam rising from the top suggested that the contents would make the chill of this too-long night a little less cold. Or maybe it was seeing Lottie.

It was definitely seeing Lottie!

He reached for the cup as she extended her arms, and then placed it on the ground just beside the door. Standing, he reached to her, unable to resist touching her dark velvet skin. His hand cupped the side of her face with the least amount of bruising, and she leaned her cheek into his palm, despite the discomfort from the wounds she had sustained. His touch felt like the fire had jumped from the ground to her body, warming her through until she could no longer feel the cold around her. He closed the distance in one reach, pulling her body next to his.

"I decided that if the man in charge won't let you come inside, then I am coming out. I am not in his Army. Let him try and stop me." She grinned as he gingerly kissed her full lips.

"You, my love, are one stubborn lady." Kissing her gently once again, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders to further shield her from the piercing wind.

"As much as holding you all night fills my being, you need to go inside and rest. It's not good for..."

"Stop right there, David." Her smile dropped into a serious frown. "I am well-rested. In fact, rest is the only thing I am permitted to do. Now I'm gonna tell you what to do. Drink that there hot tea your Ma made for you and I'm gonna go back for your stew." He opened his mouth to speak, an amused glint in his eyes. Her hand shot up and she planted her index finger on his lips. "No! Not another order from you, sir." She stood on her toes to kiss his bearded cheek before walking away.

He chuckled as he watched her walk into the darkness. After the train accident, she never had walked the same again, but she was alive, and she was his wife. That fierce woman had three sides to her personality. Most people only saw two: the sweet person who did anything for anyone without a thought for herself, and the fire of her belief in her Savior that consumed every part of her life. But only he knew the third side of her. The Lottie no one saw but him. The wife, gentle and sweet and always attentive to his needs, who loved him without holding back. He saw the woman who knew his every flaw yet loved him beyond them and made him want to be a better man. She made him want to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before God, just as she did. Lottie didn't even know this side of herself, for it was completely subjective, as only David's perspective could capture this side of her.