Free A Texas Sky (Yellow Rose Trilogy) by Lori Wick Page A

you."
    "No, I don't suppose it does say that, but my tongue's
    been getting me into trouble for a long time."
    "Nevertheless, you know what appropriate attention is
    and what it is not If you wanted those men out of your
    face, you had every right to tell them."
    "But I was angry, and I didn't want to blast them with
    my temper."
    "Thaf s wise of you, but you can still tell someone, quite
    firmly, I might add, that you don't wish to speak to him."
    Darvi stopped and looked up at him.
    "I'm not going to argue with you, but I'm going to have
    to think on that"
    "Thaf s fair enough," Dakota agreed. "What did you
    think of the sermon?"
    Darvi sighed. "Wow."
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    "I know what you mean."
    "I just never thought about God having a plan for us.
    Did you?"
    "Not personally, no. My parents taught my brothers and
    me to believe there was a God, but if s only recently that I
    considered the fact that God has thoughts of me or that He
    would want a relationship with me. If s a little more than I
    can take sometimes."
    Darvi was still framing a reply when Calder pulled up
    with the wagon. The whole family was already on board,
    and the girls tried to climb onto both of them the moment
    they were seated. Darvi ended up holding the Bibles, and
    Dakota took both girls on his lap.
    "Koda?"
    "Yes?"
    But that was all Filar wanted to say. She laid her head
    against him, and Dakota held her close. Vivian spent the
    whole ride looking up into his face but didn't care to talk
    either. The girls gave him such a longing for Laura
    Peterson, his brother's young sister-in-law, that Dakota
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    determined to visit Slater right away. He was thinking
    about how he could do this when Darvi shifted beside him,
    and he was reminded of his present job. Working not to let
    his emotions take over but not quite making it, Dakota's
    thoughts were very determined.
    I'll get Darvi off safely, and then I'll make my way home. I'll
    visit Cash for a while and then go see Slater and Liberty. If Brace
    doesn't want me back by then, I'll go back to the ranch for good!
    ^"3"9r
    "Are you going to be all right?" Dakota asked Darvi
    once they had left the house. She hadn't cried when they
    had said goodbye, but her face was so set that Dakota knew
    she was in agony. The fact that she didn't answer him also
    told him she was just hanging on.
    Not in a hurry this time, they rode easily. Dakota was
    very rested, and Darvi had not wanted to leave. Neither
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    did she want to talk, at least not for some miles. Indeed, it
    was midmoming--they were long out of Stillwater-- before she broke the silence.
    "Weren't those little girls cute?" she asked quietly.
    "Oh, yes," Dakota replied with a smile. "I fell in love the
    first moment I saw them."
    "They liked you too."
    "I hope so."
    "Merry told me," Darvi assured him. "She said Vivian
    and Filar are usually more comfortable with women. I
    guess their father owns their hearts, but with you they
    made an exception."
    Dakota smiled. "They weren't very vocal, but they sure
    liked to look at me."
    Darvi smiled as well and turned to stare at him.
    "What?" Dakota wished to know.
    "I'm just trying to see you through their eyes."
    Dakota good-naturedly shook his head. "Well, tell me
    when you figure it out"
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    With that the two were content to ride in silence for a
    time. Darvi looked completely at ease, like a child who's
    well taken care of, and that must have been because she
    was well looked after. Dakota was constantly on the alert.
    He was mentally thinking about the roads that would take
    them to Aurora and also where they could lunch, as well as
    finding a suitable place to set up camp before dark.
    Dakota had stocked up on provisions, so he wasn't worried,
    but when the sun was right over their heads, he
    decided to mention to her that they were not going to make
    any sort of town that night
    Upon this announcement, Darvi pulled her mount to a
    stop.
    "We're not going back through Blake where we