Chapter 8

Dirk

Dirk was taken aback at first by her suggestion of celebrating Thanksgiving together. But then he had brought up the idea of spending the holidays together through New Years. This would be the first real holiday season that he would spend with anyone since Sarah left. Dirk wondered what Gabriella might come up with for their celebrations. He chuckled at the thought. If the blizzard would let up, he could take her to town to shop. But then again, if the blizzard let up and the pass opened up, she might insist that he take her to the train station, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for her to go just yet. He was enjoying her company too much. That's why he had suggested the arrangement, so she would have an excuse to stay through to New Years.

"Gabriella, I have an idea," Dirk gushed as he excitedly grabbed her hand. "Thanksgiving is in two days. I have some things in the root cellar, but let's go into town and we can get what we need for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner." When she hesitated, he shrugged. "I can check on Billy at the livery stables while you shop. Oh! And don't worry about the money. Put everything on my tab."

She shook her head. "No, I couldn't do that. I can pitch in—"

"Nonsense!" he cut her off as he cut into his poached egg and yellow yolk ran out. He took a bite and swallowed. "Um… this is good. Anyway, this shopping excursion is on me. Your money's no good."

One corner of Gabriella's lips curled into a smile. "Will you teach me?"

Dirk looked at her, stopping his fork in midair, almost to his mouth and then set it down. "Teach you what?" His heart stopped at her question and a multitude of possibilities ran through his mind. But he quickly pushed the thoughts aside.

Gabriella let out a deep breath. "I know about the currency in my country, but I don't know anything about the American dollar. Will you teach me?"

He nodded as he let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, of course. It's easy." He began a lesson about the value of the coins and bills while they ate. Gabriella listened, intrigued. "I'll show you more when we go to the general store. What did you do about money in your country?"

She shrugged. "Usually, Manfred would pay for everything."

Dirk's heart sank. "Manfred?" She had said that she had never married, but he suddenly wondered if she had been a kept woman, or someone's mistress, although she didn't look the type.

Gabriella nodded. "Yes, he was my caretaker."

Dirk narrowed his eyes. "Caretaker?"

She smiled as her eyebrows pulled together in concern. "My uncle had hired him as a caretaker and… bodyguard."

His eyes bulged. "You had a bodyguard?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I had many."

A crease formed between his eyes. "Who are you… exactly?"

She shrugged as she rose to her feet and took her plate with her. "I'm someone who needs to keep up my end of the bargain and clean this mess. But I warn you. You might be getting the worst end of our deal."

Dirk chuckled. "I sincerely doubt that." He took the last bite of his egg, downed his coffee, and then rose to place his dishes in the sink. "I'll finish up with the livestock while you clean up in here, and then we'll go to Whiskey River."

Gabriella grew silent but gave him a small smile as she rose from her seat and set her dishes into the sink along with his.

Dirk stopped and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "If you don't want to go—"

"No, that's fine," she cut her off. "You go take care of the livestock and I'll do my best in here." She looked around as if not knowing where to start.

But Dirk knew that she had to start somewhere. Anything she did would help her to improve her homemaker skills. "Just do the best you can and if there's anything you need, let me know and I'll help you with it when I come back in."

Dirk chuckled as he crossed the room to the back door and held it open. "Coming, boy?" he asked Buster, lying lazily by the fire. He immediately jumped to his feet and followed him out.

Dirk found himself hurrying through his daily chores so he could spend more time with Gabriella. She was quickly becoming his addiction: the more time he spent with her, the more he craved.

An hour later, the cattle and livestock were fed. He looked outside the barn and the snow had stopped for most of the day. He thought it should be safe enough to go into town before it started back up again.

"There you go, Bessie." Dirk poured the feed into the trough for his best milking cow. He gave her a gentle pat, stowed the tin feed bucket, and walked back toward the house as Buster followed.

When he walked into the house, Gabriella was on her hands and knees, her dress drenched in water, scrubbing the floor. Dirk tried not to smile, but she looked so cute on the floor with more water on her than on the floor. Why in the world she had chosen this moment to learn how to scrub the floors when they were going into town, he had no idea.

"Oh!" she chirped, eyeing Dirk. She waved the scrub brush and water dripped down her arm. "I didn't see you come in!"

"I just walked in."

Buster skipped over and started lapping up a water puddle on the floor.

"No, Buster! Don't do that!" Gabriella tried to get up, but her feet slipped out from under her, and she landed hard on her back side. "Ow!" She tried to get up again but fell into the wash bucket, spilling water all over the floor.

Dirk chuckled, hurrying to help her. "Gabriella, what are you doing?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I finished washing the dishes and I thought that the floor could use a good scrub." She let her hands fall onto her lap, looking down at her drenched dress.

He looked over her shoulder and through to the kitchen. To his amazement, the dishes were cleaned, but laying haphazardly on a dishtowel and crumbs were still lying on the kitchen table, where they hadn't been wiped off. He reached down to offer her a hand up. She took it, but slipped and he steadied her, pulling her into his arms.

When he looked down, she looked so vulnerable, helpless, the feisty kitten beaten. His heart quickened as he held her. It had been a long time since he'd held a beautiful woman in his arms. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and began dabbing at the mixture of tears and wash water on her face. She looked up at him with doe eyes, stirring something inside him that he hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Here." He handed her the handkerchief and then took a step back, keeping her at arm's length, but steadying her. "Why did you pick now to wash the floor?"

She shook her head. "I didn't think it would take that long."

Dirk smiled. "Scrubbing the floor takes longer than you think."

She forced a smile and said something in French.

One corner of his lips curled into a smile. "English, please?"

"For a valiant heart, nothing is impossible." She looked down at the mess on the floor. "It's a saying in my country."

He smiled at her proudly. She was down, but she wasn't beaten. "I'll tell you what. Let me show you how to scrub the floor. First, you have too much water on the floor, and you also need a rag." He took a rag from a drawer, bent down, and started to wipe up the water when he felt her warmth beside him.

"Let me help." She had another rag in her hand and carefully repeated his actions, watching his every move.

He smiled proudly at her. "You dip the end of the scrub brush into the water and then scrub the floor in circles. Then, you wipe it with the rag and rinse it in the wash water. This way, the floor dries quickly, and the boards won't warp from the excess water. You keep repeating the process until the floor is clean." They worked together side by side until the mess was cleaned.

When they were finished, Dirk stood and picked up the bucket containing the dirty water, but Gabriella placed her hand on the bucket handle, too.

"I'll do it," she said, looking up at him with beautiful blue eyes.

Gabriella seemed so eager to learn that he almost agreed. "No, I'll do this. You go clean up. I'd like to take you to Whiskey River before it starts snowing again."

It was obvious that Gabriella was about to object, but then smiled. "I'll be ready to go in a few minutes." She smiled as she headed off toward the spare bedroom.

Dirk let out a deep breath and carried the bucket outside as Buster followed. "What am I doing?" he asked as he poured out the wash water at the side of the house. He hadn't been this attracted to a woman in a very long time.

Buster wagged his tail and licked his hand.

"I know, boy. I like her, too." He started back toward the house as Buster followed. "But she has a lot to learn about life in the West. Besides, she's not from around here and I doubt that she's here to stay." His heart sank at the thought.

Dirk set the bucket on the back porch and then walked toward a shed separate from the barn where the livestock was kept. He opened the doors and inside was a red sleigh with gold accents. Then he walked over to the barn where Angel was. He had kept her in the stalls during the heavy snowfall.

"Are you ready to get out and stretch your legs, girl?" Dirk asked as he took the bridle off the peg hanging beside her stall.

She nodded frantically, nickering softly.

Dirk laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were human."

Angel shook her head back and forth.

Dirk laughed. "Hold still, now."

As if she could understand every word he said, she held very still as Dirk slid the bit into her mouth and the bridle over her head. With the bridle securely in place, he led Angel to the sleigh and harnessed her to it. Then, he drove it around to the front of the house, hoping that Gabriella wouldn't see. He wanted it to be a surprise.

"Wait here, girl. I'll be back in a little bit," Dirk said as he stepped down out of the sleigh.

Angel bobbed her head up and down as Dirk laughed.

When he walked in the house, no one was in the living room, so he went into his bedroom to get ready. He was thinking of Gabriella as he splashed his face with water and cleaned up. Then he dressed in a nice white dress shirt, a black leather vest, black trousers, and his good black boots that he kept shined for special occasions. He didn't know why, but he felt like dressing up a bit. He guessed that Gabriella was awakening feelings in him that had lain dormant for a very long time.

When he walked out, Gabriella was waiting in the living room, wearing a light blue dress that had been a favorite of his on Sarah. A familiar pang grabbed his chest, but he quickly pushed the thought aside. "You look lovely. Shall we?" He extended his arm to her, already enjoying having a beautiful woman on his arm again.

A warm blush colored her cheeks as she took it and looked up at him with big blue eyes, causing his heart to stir. Gabriella gasped when he led her outside and saw the sleigh.

Dirk looked at the sleigh proudly as he shut the door behind them. "You like it?"

"It's lovely!" She let him help her into the sleigh. "Where did you ever find it?"

Dirk slid in beside her. "I bought it last year. I grew tired of being snowed in every year." He reached behind the seat and pulled out a quilt. Then, he stretched it over her. "You'll need this to keep warm. Since the sleigh is open, it'll get us to Whiskey River, but it won't make it to Laramie."

"Besides," Gabriella added, "the pass is still closed, right?"

Dirk nodded as he smiled, glad that she didn't seem as much in a hurry to leave. "Yes, it is." He raised his eyebrows. "Ready?"

She nodded as she spread the blanket over both of their laps.

One corner of Dirk's lips curled into a smile, touched by the gesture. "Thank you."

"Well, I couldn't let you freeze." She shrugged, giving him a wink.

Dirk laughed. "Very thoughtful."

As they drove through the forest headed toward town, the trees and road were covered in a pristine white blanket, along with the evergreens and ice that hung from the dormant trees. They were halfway there when the white puffs started falling from the heavens again.

"And I thought we could get to Whiskey River and back before it started snowing again," Dirk observed, looking out over the road.

Gabriella smiled. "Maybe it'll hold off until we get back home."

Home. Dirk liked the way the word sounded on her lips, but he pushed the thought quickly aside, reminding himself that she would be leaving soon. He found he had to keep reminding himself of that more and more lately. "Maybe," he agreed, guiding Angel through the snow.

"So, tell me about the town."

"What would you like to know?"

Gabriella shrugged. "The people. What are they like?"

Dirk thought for a moment as a smile lit his lips. "Well, Daxton is the sheriff. He stops by the livery stable, keeps an eye on Billy for me, and checks on things when I can't."

"Who is Billy, anyway?"

"Billy Griffin," Dirk continued. "As you know, he runs the livery stables for me."

"Is there a chance that he'll be snowed in, too?"

Dirk shook his head. "No, he stays in a small house in the back. So, even if it snows, he'll be able to take care of things. I opened the livery stables when I first moved to Whiskey River. Owning the ranch and the livery stables became too much to handle, so I hired Billy to work the livery stables for me." He let out a deep breath. "But since my supply of horses for sale are low, I brought them with me to the ranch just before the blizzard hit."

Gabriella nodded, understanding. "Is Daxton a good sheriff?"

"The best."

"And the other people in town?"

Dirk shrugged. "Wyatt owns the saloon. He and his wife Madison married not long ago. She's the new schoolteacher I was telling you about."

"Saloon?"

Dirk smiled. "Yes, but it's respectable. If anyone comes in stirring trouble, Wyatt and his men quickly disperse it. It's really a different place since he took it over."

Dirk continued to tell her about the town and its inhabitants. But the closer they came toward town, the harder the snow fell. Soon, Dirk worried that they wouldn't be able to get back to the ranch by nightfall.

"Does it usually snow this hard in Wyoming?" Gabriella asked as she pulled the blanket up to her face, wrapping her hands in it for warmth.

"It's a bit early in the year to get this much, but yes, it snows like this every year." Dirk looked out over the road, covered with the white puffy substance. With all the markings covered, someone could easily get lost… or run off the road or into a ditch.

"Are we almost there?" A crease formed between her eyes.

Dirk smiled. "Don't worry. I could navigate these woods with my eyes closed."

Gabriella burst out laughing. "Please, don't."

One corner of Dirk's lips curled into a smile as he made a show of closing his eyes and raising the reins. "Oh? Like this?"

"No, don't!" Gabriella laughed. "I want to get to Whiskey River in one piece."

Dirk laughed. "Well, it's a good thing, because we're here." Dirk pointed to the livery stables as they passed. "See that? That's my livery stables."

Gabriella smiled her approval. "Looks nice."

A young man was standing in the hallway, brushing a solid black horse. When he saw Dirk, he lifted his brush and waved."

"Is that Billy?" she asked as she waved, and Dirk nodded.

"Yes, that's him," Dirk replied as he drove past. "I'll tell you what. Let me take you to the hotel first so you can warm up and I'll come back to take care of Angel." Dirk smiled with pride, pleased with Gabriella's reaction. A moment later, Angel pulled into town. He looked around and the town was covered in white from the tops of the wooden walkways to the rooftops of the hotel, bank, sheriff's office and more.

Gabriella's lips curved into a frown. "What do you mean ‘take me to the hotel'?"

"There's a restaurant downstairs and the hotel is upstairs. We can eat something first and then we'll go to the general store." Unable to resist, he persisted. "But if the snow falls any harder, we'll probably have to stay at the hotel tonight."

"What?" Gabriella clenched her fists at her side. "Was this your plan all along? To get me to a hotel? I have you know that I have enough money for my own room, thank you very much."

Dirk laughed. "Yes, that was my plan. I asked Mother Nature to dump some more snow onto the town in an effort to get you into my bed."

Gabriella stared at him in disbelief for a moment and then burst out laughing. "I guess you could hardly take credit for the weather."

Dirk pulled Angel to a stop in front of the hotel and restaurant and folded his arms over his leg. "Gabriella, you're a beautiful woman, but you really have to learn how to control your temper."

"My what?" she asked, her voice raising a few octaves.

Dirk chuckled. "See what I mean? Just take a deep breath and count to ten before you let your temper get the best of you, or before you jump to conclusions. I don't know what you're used to, but here not all men are evil or are out for one thing."

Gabriella looked out over the street and nodded. "Yes, my uncle is a good man. But this is my first time away from home."

Dirk's eyebrows rose in interest. "And where is that exactly?"

Gabriella bit her lower lip, as if wondering how much to tell him. "On the C?te d"Azur."

"The French Riviera?"

She nodded, surprised. "I thought you didn't speak French."

Dirk laughed. "I don't, but that doesn't mean that I'm not educated."

Gabriella's eyes opened wide. "I didn't mean to offend—"

"Don't worry about it," Dirk cut her off.

All of a sudden, the door of the restaurant opened and Harrison Curry, the restaurant and hotel owner, stepped out. "I thought I heard someone. What are you two doing out here in this mess? Come on in and get yourself warm." He wrapped his arms around himself as if to emphasize the point. "It's freezing out here!"

Dirk smiled. "This is Gabriella Grimaldi. Gabriella, this is Harrison Curry, the owner of this place."

Gabriella gave him a sheepish smile. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

For a moment, Dirk wondered what had happened to her to make her so distrusting of men. But he knew that she would need time before she told him, and he intended to give it to her. "Harrison, would you show Gabriella in, and I'll be right back. I need to take care of Angel first."

Harrisons lips curled into a smile. "Why, of course!" He proudly held out his hand to help her out of the sleigh. "It would be my pleasure."

"Now, don't get any ideas…." Dirk smiled but shot him a warning look.

Harrison laughed. "You know I wouldn't dream of it."

Gabriella gave Dirk one last look over her shoulder, causing his heart to stir. Then she took Harrison's arm and let him lead her in. At that moment, he wondered who she was and what she had endured. But one thing he was certain of was that no matter what she had suffered in her past, she was safe with him. He vowed to protect her at all cost, no matter who or what from her past came knocking on his door.