The Vicky Series: Book 3: Living A Dream

Chapter 19 part 2

As the first rays of dawn broke the sky he woke with a start from a dead sleep. A coyote howled in the distance. Once more he was instantly alert but this time there was no prickling...He looked about and felt his heart race. He was almost home. Clicking his tongue he leaned low and let Jonah race the sunrise. His heart swelled as he first laid eyes on the Arrow Q.

He was a little surprised he'd been able to approach unchallenged. His fears that something went wrong came back and strangled the breath from his lungs. He saw men milling all about and was trying to close the gate when the men started yelling. Whipping Jonah around he gouged heels and set at full gallop for the house with is heart pounding.

He leapt from Jonah and onto the porch as he ran into the house nearly pulling the door from its hinges in his haste. It banged loudly against the wall as he stopped dead in his tracks. A stranger was in his kitchen with the house rifle pointed at Quin's middle.

"That's far enough Mister." Bo growled. "State your business."

"Boss!" Will entered the kitchen but Quin's eyes never left the rifle.

"Boss?" Bo lowered the rifle. "Sorry Boss but if you'd met you the way I just met you..."

"Boss, this here is Bo. Mr. Jeremy married up with his sister. He's kin." Will assured.

"Oh." Quin said gruffly remembering the mention of the potential imposters. "You."

The sound of a baby crying filled the house and Quin's head jerked down the hall. His feet followed a moment later before he was stopped in the hall by a young woman...girl really...not more than 15 or 16.

"They're both fine." Bo said as he followed. "You're just in time to welcome the newest addition."

Quin didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. The happiness swelled within him and threatened to make him burst. He nodded at Bo and turned his feet toward his room. That girl braced her hands on her hips and glared up at him.

"You go wash up before you see the Missus and the baby. I told the foreman: no hands in here without washing up first."

"Hands?" Quin puzzled, he was in uniform...

His tunic was draped on the saddle and his hat was somewhere between the house and the gate. He stood in before this stranger in the dusty smelly tatters of his shirt and suspenders. His boots wore weeks of mud and trail dust. He hadn't shaved or washed since he left Fort Stanton three days ago. He probably did look like a saddle bum at that. He laughed aloud.

"Major!" Cato called as he stepped into the hall.

Ida Rose and Kelley followed. As the twins crashed into his legs about the time he realized Cato was holding a little boy. Things had certainly changes since he'd been gone.

"Major?!" the young girl cried about the same time as the twins began calling PA.

Quin noticed her blush and decided to be forgiving. After all, as Bo so elegantly put it...if you had met you the way I just met you...

"Tell my wife I'm home and I'll be in to see her as soon as I've washed some of this trail dust off me and changed."

The girl nodded and ran back toward the bedroom.

"Cato, could you bring me out a fresh shirt?" Quin called as he unbuttoned his shirt while walking toward the door. "I'll be outside washing the trail off of me."

The girl paused at the doorway to look over her shoulder. With wide eyes she watched as the man disappeared from sight. That was how she saw his bared shoulders as he began to shrug out of his shirt. With a gasp she closed the door and leaned upon it.