Confirmed bachelor Lieutenant Jack Hennessey has long worked with the tribe and is tasked with trying to convince them that the mission school at Fort Reno can help their children. When a message arrives about a recovered survivor, Jack heads out to take her home--and plead his case once more.
He's stunned to run into Hattie Walker, the girl who shattered his heart--but quickly realizes he has a chance to impress her. When his plan gets tangled through translation, Jack and Hattie end up in a mess that puts her dreams in peril--and tests Jack's resolve to remain single.
with author
Regina Jennings
-Regina Jennings-
Book Excerpt
With a quick salute for Spotted Hawk—Jack understood who was in charge at this tepee—he lifted the flap and ducked inside without an escort.
The dark room was cozy and warm, but the smoke took some getting used to. He heard a scuffling before his eyes adjusted and he could see the woman rising from the bedding. Her brown hair was matted and her clothing was muddied and tattered. She was younger than he’d expected. Young to be traveling alone. And prettier, too. His heart twisted at the thought of her being abandoned and left to die on the prairie. Despite the wedding cake he’d missed at the reception, he wished he could’ve reached her sooner.
He tipped his hat, but before he could properly introduce himself she said, “Quick, that woman will be back any second. We’ve got to go.”
Her voice. It was different, more mature, but so familiar it gave him chills. And while he’d never seen her so uneasy, her impatience was understandable. She came closer. It was unfathomable. How could she be here? Impossible.
“I apologize for the delay,” he said. His throat jogged painfully. He looked for a wedding ring on her finger and didn’t see one. “We got the report only this morning. And we’ll be ready to go as soon as the wagon—”
“You have to get me away from here.” She clasped her hands, straining her red, scratched knuckles. “What do we have to do? Are we going to sneak out once it’s dark?”
Jack felt like a dolt. This had to be a dream. Or a joke. Had Major Adams arranged this? But one look at the rumpled Miss Hattie Walker and he knew she had no thought of a lark. Yet here she was, and Jack’s analytical mind was spinning with what it meant.
“Sneak out?” He looked over his shoulder. She didn’t think this was a hostile situation, did she? After all, the tribe had rescued her. She had everything backwards.
Before he proceeded, he should introduce himself. Jack’s mouth felt filled with marbles. Despite all he’d accomplished since seeing her last, he felt like the same tongue-tied boy. What if he said his name and she didn’t remember him? Why couldn’t he think straight when she was around?
“When she comes back,” Hattie said, “she’ll see you and raise the alarm. We don’t have much time.”
He’d sat by her at school, helped her with her homework, walked her home when he had the courage. He’d even invited her to his send-off party when he’d joined the army. She hadn’t attended, but had she completely forgotten that her old classmate was in the cavalry? And the letters. Jack had braved a few letters to her over the years—just friendly correspondences to keep in touch—but she’d never responded.
Gathering his wits, Jack puffed out his chest. “I don’t sneak or hide, Miss. Now maybe if I’m off-duty, I might draw the shades. Never seems like the major thinks of anything he wants to chat about until then. But I don’t hide from danger, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He had to forget who she was. Treat her just as he would any other problematic civilian on the reservation.
“They aren’t going to give up a captive that easily,” she said. “Walking out seems foolhardy, if you ask me.”
“As far as danger goes, this is so diminutive I couldn’t even measure it with my caliper.” As soon as he’d spoken, Jack wanted the words back. He’d always tried to awe Hattie with his intellect, and she’d never been impressed. He could do better. “What I mean, is that I’ve been in more danger several times. A lot of times, actually.”
“I knew what you meant.” She kept an uneasy eye on the door. “Then how am I going to get out of here?”
He was fixing to suggest using the door, but Jack stopped himself. This was Hattie Walker standing before him. The Hattie Walker. If ever there was a good time to play the hero, it was now.
Back home, Jack kept his nose in a book rather than play stickball with the boys at recess. But now, now he was any man’s equal. Now he was here to rescue her. Didn’t he deserve a little credit?
Warm satisfaction spread through his bones as he found his footing. If he played his cards right, she would be in his debt. He’d rather have adoration, but gratitude was a good start.
“It’ll take considerable negotiation skills,” he said. “They might not be agreeable. They might demand a payment of some sort.” No reason for her to know that the chiefs wouldn’t keep her another day if Jack paid them.
Her eyes widened. Finally, she was looking at him like a desperate female should. “I can’t stay here. I have plans.”
“I hope it’s nothing urgent,” he said. “These treaty deals can be tricky. Could take some time.” And the longer it took, the more time Jack had to impress Hattie.
“Please,” she pleaded. “Please do whatever it takes. If I have to stay here any longer…”
“Chief Right Hand respects me, but you’re asking a lot. Let’s just pray I can persuade him.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, he was seeing respect in her eyes. About time. Jack turned to leave and that was when he saw the damp spot in the dirt and the chunks of stew on the ground. Remembering Spotted Hawk’s pantomime, he realized that her bedraggled condition might be due to more than the weather.
“How long has it been since you’ve eaten anything?” he asked.
“Three days.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I think they were trying to poison me.”
“Why would the very people who went out of their way to rescue you want to poison you?”
Hattie’s brow wrinkled. “Rescue me? I thought you were rescuing me.”
And just like that, Jack had nearly lost his advantage. Nearly.
Historical romance author Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a minor in history. She’s the winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award, a two-time Golden Quill finalist and a finalist for the Oklahoma Book of the Year Award. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and at the Oklahoma National Stockyards. Her newest book, The Lieutenant’s Bargain is set in Oklahoma Territory, at Historic Fort Reno. She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children and can be found online at www.reginajennings.com. |