Everything's Fine

Jim and I grabbed something to eat before he ran off, and I walked back to the saloon wondering if he hadn't made his getaway a little too quickly. By the time I reached the saloon I'd convinced myself I was worrying too much and he probably just wanted to leave before anymore Mavericks showed up. I was just a little gunshy because it was Dandy, but I did believe him. Whatever it was he wanted me to do was perfectly legal.

The night passed quietly and uneventfully, and I started home around three in the morning. When I got to the house I took my boots off out front and opened the door as quietly as I could. For a minute I stood in the doorway listening, relishing the silence. No noise meant no one was awake. Praying I didn't wake anyone up, I cautiously made my way down the dark hallway. I was almost afraid to breathe; I certainly wasn't about to light a lamp. Having Maude and Isabelle asleep at the same time was a rarity, and I knew Doralice would never forgive me if I woke one or both of them up.

I got to the bedroom and found Doralice sound asleep and alone, meaning both girls were in their room and apparently sleeping peacefully. For a minute I just stood and watched my wife. She's beautiful, she's amazing, and she's mine. Sometimes I still wonder what I ever did to deserve her. Smiling, I undressed and eased into the bed hoping I wouldn't wake her. As much sleep as I had lost, I knew Doralice had missed out on a lot more. There are some things only Mama can take care of.

Quiet as I tried to be, Doralice still stirred as I slid in next to her. "Bart?"

"Shhh, go back to sleep."

She rolled over and snuggled up next to me. "Mmm-hmm," she muttered as she laid her head on my shoulder. She sighed and seconds later her breathing was slow and even again. I gently kissed the top of her head and settled in to get some sleep of my own, hoping the reprieve the girls had granted us would last a good long while.

As it turned out, the reprieve lasted about an hour. It seemed like I had no sooner shut my eyes than I was being awakened by a screaming infant. I felt a pang of guilt as I watched Doralice push herself out of bed with a groan and stumble to the girl's nursery. I propped myself up on my elbows and waited a minute to see if I was called. I smiled, selfishly I'll admit, when I heard nothing and laid back down. I had just gotten settled back in when another scream joined the first one. With a groan of my own, I got out of bed and followed the crying down the hallway.

By the time I staggered into the nursery, Doralice was trying to feed one and get the other one out of her cradle. "I got her," I mumbled waving Doralice away.

Doralice sank into the rocker and got baby number one situated while I got baby number two. "Shhhh, don't cry sweetheart," I mumbled. The term of endearment kept me from having to try and figure out which one I was holding. I was pretty sure it was Maude, but at this moment, I wouldn't bet my life on it.

"Bring her over here," Doralice said. "I'm sure she wants the same thing."

I carried who I believed to be Maude over to Doralice and passed her over. It took a minute, but Doralice soon had both babies settled and suckling happily. "At least they're coordinating their efforts tonight, " I offered.

"If only they would do this every night." Most nights they did this one at a time. As unnerving as it could be to have two screaming at once, it meant getting them taken care of and back to sleep faster. At least I was hoping that's way it would work. "How have they been tonight?"

Doralice sighed. "Well, I was up with Isabelle a couple of hours ago. She ate then too. And Maudie was up about an hour before that."

"How much sleep have you had?"

She smiled sleepily. "Not enough. Can you take Isabelle? I think she's done."

I reached for the baby I was sure was Isabelle and thankfully Doralice didn't correct me. Truly, in the light of day, I don't have a much of a problem telling my light-haired, dark-eyed beauties apart. But in the dark, with a sleep muddled, possibly sleep deprived, mind, it was a little harder. I put her up on my shoulder and begin to pat her back. This part of the routine I knew pretty well, and I hadn't had to be spit up on too many times before I learned how to protect myself.

I patted her back until I heard the small belch escape. "You know, one day they'll fuss at you for doin' that," I told my daughter.

"You can change her," Doralice said. "She needs it before she goes back down."

I looked over and noticed she had finished feeding Maude. "Or I could take Maudie and you can change her," I offered with a smile. It wasn't I couldn't do that, but of the two tasks . . . well, I would rather handle more burping. Doralice rolled her eyes but switched with me. As she carried Isabelle across the room I heard her muttering something about men in a singsong voice.

Isabelle drifted off to sleep again as soon as she was dry and full, but Maude remained a little fussy and it took another twenty minutes or so before she was sleeping again. By the time Doralice and I made it back to our room, we were both wide awake. Tired, but awake. That didn't stop us from climbing back in the bed, though. Even if sleep didn't come right away, the rest was needed. Personally, I was hoping we could slip in another couple of hours before the girls decided the sun was up and they needed to be up too.

Once we were back in bed, Doralice snuggled up against me. "How did things go at the saloon tonight?" She hadn't said anything about not being there, nor had we talked about when or even if she would be coming back, but I could tell she missed being a part of things there.

"Fine. No overly drunken cowboys, no sore losers; no shootouts." I was smiling as I said it, but we both knew I was only half joking. Most nights are pretty quiet, and shootouts definitely weren't normal, but that didn't mean it was outside the realm of possibility.

"Did you get a good nap, today?"

"Uhhh . . . ." I had no idea what to say to that. I wouldn't say I'd tried to hide my naps from Doralice, but I hadn't advertised them either. Honestly, I felt a little guilty that I could sneak off and get some much-needed sleep while she was here with the girls most of the day. Not that she was without help. Her mother was only too happy to lend a hand when she could, but again, some things only mama can handle.

Doralice pulled back and gazed up at me with a smile. "You didn't really think you were hiding that, did you?"

I returned the smile, albeit a little sheepishly. "I wasn't tryin' to hide it."

"Uh-huh. So, did you sleep well?"

I took a deep breath wondering how she would feel about what I was about to tell her. "Uhh, no. It was . . . interrupted today."

"By . . . ."

"Jim came to see me today."

"Jim . . . Buckley?"

"Yeah."

"You haven't heard from him since . . . . ."

"Before the wedding."

"What did he want?" I never told Doralice about Jim taking money from the saloon and never intend to. Bret always has a story ready for her about what a fiend Dandy is, but Doralice has formed her own opinions based on what's she seen. She likes him, and I'd like to keep it that way.

"He wanted a favor."

"And you agreed to do it." It was a statement, not a question; she expected nothing else.

"After listening to him, yes, I agreed."

"Do you mind telling me about it?"

"He's receiving an inheritance or somethin'. He wanted to know if he could have it sent here and if I would agree to receive and hold it until he comes back through town. He swore it was all legal and there wasn't any way it could get me in any kind of trouble."

Doralice ran her fingers across my chest for a minute, then spoke. "Do you believe him?"

"Yes. That's not to say I think he told me everything. I'm sure there's some little thing he left out, but I do think he meant what he said about it being legitimate. I think he knows better than to pull any kind of stunt right now."

"You don't sound really sure of that."

"I am. I mean I know Bret has a lot of stories and they're not untrue, but he is my friend. He's saved my life before, you know."

I'd told her about what had happened when Jim and I had tried our hand at prospecting in the Black Hills that time. I was accused of murder and had almost gotten strung up for it. Jim had helped me enough that if we hadn't been able to find out the truth about the killing, they probably would have hanged him right beside me. Jim may show his selfish looking-out-for-number-one side the most often, but he does have another side, the side I know will help me when all the cards are on the table and I really need him.

"You don't have to explain it to me, Bart. If this is what you think you need to do then do it. I was just saying you sound unsure. It is because of some of the things Bret's told me about?"

I sighed. "Maybe. But most of that was just things gettin' out of hand." Jim has caused me problems, and I don't completely trust him, but I don't think he's ever intentionally put me in a position that would hurt me. He's just a little selfish and doesn't look at the big picture. As long as Jim is taken care of, Jim is happy.

"Are you afraid things are going to get out of hand this time?"

I leaned down and kissed her. "No; I won't let them. You and the girls are the most important thing in my life. I'm not going to do anythin' that might cause harm to any of you, and that includes letting harm come to me. You trust me?"

Doralice smiled and snuggled back up against me. "Of course I do. But what's the difference between you and Bret? I mean why does he treat you different?"

"That is a very good question and one that has driven Brother Bret crazy for years. I really don't know. I think part of Bret's problem is that he and Dandy both enjoy getting a rise out of the other one. There have been times Bret's done things with him that had nothin' to do with me at all."

Doralice sort of smiled. "He's told me. So, is this going to end up being one of those stories Bret's gonna to be tellin' a few years from now when the topic of Dandy Jim comes up."

I pulled her even closer. "Nope, I won't let it. I mean it, Doralice. I got too many things in my life that are too important now to let myself get mixed up in one of Dandy's messes. At the first sign of somethin' being wrong, I get Dave Parker on it and let Dandy deal with the aftermath."

She smiled. "Just take care of yourself. You're very important to a lot of people you know."

"I know. Speaking of which . . . ." I looked towards the door. "You'd better try to get some more sleep. Those little ladies will be awake again in a couple of hours and they won't be so easy to get back to sleep."

Doralice smiled again and tried to get even closer to me. I didn't think it was really possible, but I liked the way it felt to have her close. It suddenly occurred to me there was a way to get closer and I couldn't help the grin that came to my face. I quickly pushed the thought away, however. It was still a little too soon after babies to be thinking about that, and I wasn't sure Doralice would appreciate it. For now, I would just have to enjoy having her lay in my arms like this, and that was a pretty nice feeling too.

Within a few minutes, I could tell Doralice had gone back to sleep and I felt my own eyes growing heavy. As I was drifting back off, I found myself thinking of Jim again and what I had agreed to do. What if Dandy was getting me mixed up in something that would cause me grief? I shook that thought off almost as fast as I had the thought of making love to my wife. I did believe Jim, and everything would be fine.