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.
"Heavens child, what is it?" Katie asked as she noticed he girl's blush. "Are those rascals causing trouble?"
"Yes...I mean no. I mean..." she swallowed hard when Katie took her by the elbow and dragged her into the hall closing the door behind her.
"Now then, suppose you try telling me what all this is about?" Katie frowned at the girl.
"The major is home. I didn't know him and I scolded him. He smiled at me and I...my knees...that is...he's so tall!"
Katie chuckled.
"Land sakes, child! Is that all?" She shook her head. "That's common enough. My son cuts a fine figure even if I do say so me own self. The lassie's fair swoon when he rides by on his horse with his uniform all crisp and proper. He's a giant among men, sure enough, and he can fill a room just by walking into it. But it's an angel's heart he has and it beats only for Vicky."
"That was easy to see when he heard the baby cry. Mrs. McClintock is a lucky woman to be loved so much as that." The girl said wistfully as she looked down the empty hall way.
"Sure enough she is child, but the truth be told, my son's the lucky one. That lassie is an angel sure as I'm standing here. We can't see her wings, sure, but she spreads goodness and joy wherever she goes and she's selfless and kind hearted to a fault."
"Mama." Quin said gruffly, not the least embarrassed at the tears in his voice. "How is she?"
"She's tired, sure enough, son." Katie held out her arms and the big man hugged her. "But she's well. And your daughter is pretty as a bright new penny all shiny and new."
"Daughter?" his voice caught as he squeezed Katie tight. "A daughter."
As he stood again (for Katie was over a foot shorter than he was) he kissed her head and a grin split his face even as tears glistened in his eyes.
"Go on it, son." Katie smiled as the girl stood back and watched with awe as the big man passed.
The door opened and Vicky opened her mouth as she looked up, expecting to ask Katie what all the hullaballoo was about. Tears welled in her eyes and she only smiled as there were no words. She'd nearly forgotten just how handsome he was...so very tall. He was standing there looking at her with his heart in his eyes and it was all she could do to remember to breathe!
He'd made an effort to clean up the dust as he was clean from the waist up in a new shirt and wet hair, though his boots and pants were still trail-worn. His sleeves were rolled up and ...his arm had a bandage. Her eyes travelled over him once more and she saw...her breath caught in a gasp.
"Darlin, it's nothing compared to what you've done here today." He shrugged.
As he moved toward her his heels clicked on the floor and he cringed as he looked down. In two steps he was in the chair and removing the noisy apparel and she noticed a wince as he reached down. She frowned.
"Two fellows tried to way-lay me but I couldn't let them keep me from my best girl." He smiled sheepishly as he came over and knelt next to the bed and looked at the bundle in Vicky's arms. "See, I sorta promised her I'd come in time to welcome a very special guest."
"It looks like you only just made it." she looked at his shoulder where a spot of blood was coming through the bandage.
"Katie tells me I've a daughter." He cleared his throat and gave her half a grin "I've got a matched set then, two sons and two daughters."
"Yes and No." she smiled coyly as she lifted the blanket to reveal his suckling daughter.
Quinton's bravado failed him miserably as she moved the blanket away and he saw his daughter there in his wife's arms. The image of her suckling there was the sweetest, most natural thing in the world and it was beautiful. She was beautiful. They both were so beautiful. Tears blurred his vision and he chuckled as he blinked them away.
He felt a pang of regret than he missed Naomi Beth's birth and the first half of her short life...a familiar pain twisted in his heart followed immediately by the renewed vow never to let it happen again! This moment was like a dream for him. He'd longed for this moment since the night the twins were born. He'd never envied a man anything before that day...
Vicky wiped her cheek with her sleeve and he tore his gaze from his daughter to look at his wife. She was more beautiful than he remembered. There was a sweet little coo and they both looked down as his daughter pulled away and puckered her lips as she slept. Vicky glowed as she smiled down at her daughter and lifted her to her shoulder. She rubbed her back until she burped and then smiled at Quin.
"Would you like to hold her, Papa?"
As he took her in his arms such a wave of love swept over him. The warmth of her tiny body filled him with awe. As he looked at her tiny face he thought what a beautiful girl she would be if she had just half of her mother's beauty.
"She's bigger than either of the twins was."
"She had more room." Vicky smiled.
As she watched her husband and her daughter she felt such warmth fill her as only a powerful love could. Her daughter would be a beautiful child if she had half of her father's warmth and charm and his striking good looks. She felt a wonderful joy the day the twins were born but there was sadness too. Today her joy was complete...as it should be.
"She's beautiful." She finally managed to find her voice, "Isn't she?"
"Exquisite." He whispered, never taking his eyes from his daughter's face as he cradled her head in his palm. "What's her name?"
"I don't know yet." She replied softly. "I really liked Elizabeth, but then I thought perhaps Elisa after your sister, or Gina after your mother."
"Lizzy?" he offered.
Just then she curled her tiny fist around his finger and he was lost. Lizzy held his heart in her tiny little hand.
"Her name is Lizzy." He said with finality.
Quin rode into Fort Canby with a heavy heart. He really hated to leave his family but he had a duty to perform. He'd sworn an oath. And besides that, Colonel Carson had asked him personally, as a favor, not to resign just yet. There were a lot of things said about the Colonel and not all of them were nice...but the one thing everyone seemed to agree on was that he was a man who understood the meaning of duty.
He was surprised there were no Navajo camped around the fort. He'd expected by now there would be hundreds. He was challenged as he rode to the gate, something he half expected as he wasn't well known here yet. Still, as he rode through and asked after the CO quarters, he was surprised at the number of soldiers posted on sentry duty.
He tied Jonah outside the Colonel's quarters and raised his hand to knock when he heard the Colonel yelling. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to...the door opened as he turned to go and he was nearly run over by the man leaving. The good captain continued on his way without slowing down or stopping to apologize. Quin watched for a moment before he was called from his musings by a grumble from behind.
"McClintock? Don't stand around dawdling, boy! Get your sorry ass in here!"
Quin bit the inside of his cheek to hide his smile. Carson's feathers were obviously ruffled. Inside he closed the door behind him and snapped off a salute.
"Sit down Quin." Carson offered wearily as he waved toward a chair. "We've got a mess on our hands and that's for certain."
"What happened?"
"Barkley is in the brig for murder."
"MURDER?" Quin's eyes grew large. "I know Barkley's a bit of a hot head, but I don't think he'd ever stoop to murder. Maybe it was an accident?"
"Nope. Three Navajo dead and two in prison. I've interviewed enough people to learn they came to surrender."
"But how did they end up dead?"
"The official story? They were placed into custody and were shot trying to escape."
"I see."
"Now mind you, there were over a hundred Navajo but they sent four ahead to negotiate."
"And now they are waiting for a chance to attack the fort?"
"I hope not but I am of the opinion that you're probably right. Barkley's stirred up a little war."
There was a knock and Carson yelled for them to enter.
"You asked to see me sir?"
"I want you to tell me what you know about the deaths."
"Not much sir. I was on sentry duty when they came waving their white flags tied on the end of their lance. Four of them on their ponies. I was a little nervous to let them in. I made them leave their lances and ponies outside. I took them to see Barkley and he had them put in irons and locked up."
"That's it?" Quin asked.
"No, sir." The young private swallowed. "A few hours later they sent two of them bucks out to bury dead dogs outside the fort. They was humiliated but they did what they was told. They was burying them dogs when shots rang out. Being on sentry, naturally I came running. I saw them two were shot and went out to see what happened."
"What did you find?" Quin asked.
"One was dead with the shovel still in his hand. He was shot in the back right between the shoulder blades and fell partly into the hole he was digging for them dogs. Deader than a stone. The other one was still alive since he was hit in the gut, but I knew he wouldn't last long. Sure enough he died during the night."
"Did you ever find out who did the shooting?" Quin asked.
"No sir. It wasn't my place to investigate nothing. I just had them buried and put a guard on the other two so they didn't end up dead. I s'pose I overstepped my authority doing that, but it seemed like the right thing to do."
"You're not in any sort of trouble here, son." Carson offered. "Major McClintock has just returned and we need to decide what should be done."
"Care to tell me how Barkley ended up in the brig?" Quin asked.
"I put him there. I needed to lock him up until I got to the bottom of this. There's over 100 Navajo out there crying murder. In here it isn't much better. I've got witnesses saying it was a sentry that thought they were escaping. I've got men swearing they were acting on orders. I've got fingers pointing everywhere and with Barkley in charge he's responsible until I find otherwise."