Chapter 10

Nothing went wrong that night. Brock took her to a different restaurant and then they stopped at Benny’s for a little dancing. He knew that his brother, Aaron, had been going to play there that night. They’d laughed during dinner at Cy’s reaction to having cats and learned more about each other.

As soon as they went inside the saloon, fiddle and piano music greeted their ears. Daphne saw a man in a wheelchair playing the piano and smiled. Carter “Wheels” Ellis was a much-loved figure in Chance City. His fingers moved deftly over the piano keys while Aaron Guthrie, younger than Brock by one year, stood close to the piano, sawing along on his fiddle to the jolly tune.

Although his eyes were the same blue as Brock’s, he had their mother’s dark hair. He was too busy playing to notice that Brock had arrived.

“Well, there’s a fine lass if ever I saw one,” Benny said, affecting an Irish accent as Daphne and Brock approached the bar.

“Hello, Benny. How are you tonight?”

“Better now that you’re here.” His green eyes twinkled.

The open admiration in his gaze made Brock’s stomach clench with jealousy.

“We came to dance.” Brock rested a hand on Daphne’s shoulder.

He and Benny stared at each other for a few moments before the bartender nodded. “Well, you’re in luck since Aaron and Wheels are at it. You gonna play?”

“No. I don’t have my guitar with me,” Brock said. “Another time.”

“Okay. What are you drinkin’?”

Daphne ordered a sarsaparilla and Brock requested a mug of beer. Benny poured their drinks, and they found a table as the song ended. The crowd clapped and cheered while Aaron bowed, and Wheels saluted them. Seeing his big brother, Aaron made his way over to their table, Wheels close behind him. Aaron pulled out a chair and Wheels moved into the empty space beside Daphne.

“Hello, pretty lady,” he said. “How’s the Indian princess tonight?”

Brock wanted to punch him until Daphne laughed. Apparently, she knew Wheels and didn’t mind his teasing.

“I’m fine. How’s the handsomest man on two wheels?”

“Finer than frog hair split four ways. Gonna dance with me later?” Wheels asked.

“Of course.”

Brock frowned. “Not tonight, Wheels. I’m gonna be keeping her busy.”

Daphne said, “Don’t speak for me, Brock. I always dance with Wheels.”

“Yeah, Deputy, she always dances with me,” Wheels retorted.

Brock didn’t want to watch Daphne sit on Wheels’ lap. It wasn’t proper, but Wheels coaxed women into doing it all the time. In the past, Brock had laughed as much as anyone else over it, but now that he was courting Daphne, the idea of her sitting on some other man’s lap angered him.

Brock said, “I didn’t know that you came here so much, Daphne.”

“I sometimes come with Cy and our cousins when I need to blow off a little steam.”

Aaron watched the exchange with amusement. He didn’t share his father and brother’s deep-seated hatred of Indians and had nothing against the Decker or Lone Wolf families. His brother’s jealousy towards Wheels was funny, considering they were such close friends.

Wheels said, “It’s been a while. I’ve been missin’ my favorite dancin’ partner.”

“And I’ve been missing my favorite Mississippi boy,” she said, patting his arm.

Aaron saw Brock’s eyes narrow. “Brock, I brought your guitar just in case you showed up. How about we play a song and give Wheels a break?”

Brock almost refused, but he didn’t want to look like a jealous jackass, so he agreed. “All right. Have fun, you two.”

Wheels let out a whoop and rolled out to the dance floor. Brock warmed up a little bit and then he and Aaron played a fast song. Daphne sat on Wheels’ lap and laughed when he started spinning nimbly around on the chair.

He’d been injured in the army and sent home, unable to walk after suffering spinal damage when his horse had been shot out from under him. Although initially devastated, he hadn’t allowed himself to wallow long, figuring that at least he was able to draw breath and be with his family.

His father, Vern, a brilliant inventor, who did ingenious things with metal and all sorts of machinery, had helped design a special chair using bicycle wheels and a custom-made seat that let Wheels move around more freely than a regular wheelchair would have.

Wheels had spent hours practicing speeding along, turning quickly, and spinning. As a result, his upper body had grown powerful, and he could maneuver around people and objects with ease. He’d always loved dancing and still did, even though he’d had to modify the way he went about it.

Brock watched Wheels and Daphne spin around on the dance floor and stifled his jealousy. How could he begrudge his buddy some happiness? Although popular with the women, none of them saw Wheels as a serious suitor. Brock had never asked Wheels, but he often wondered if things below the belt worked or not. It was a sensitive subject that Brock had no intention of bringing up.

As his fingers moved over the strings, Brock enjoyed listening to Daphne laugh and seeing her eyes lit up with happiness. Wheels spun, and she held on tight, squealing over the speed at which they moved. Wheels laughed and twirled in the opposite direction. The regulars at Benny’s always encouraged him to dance, amazed at the things he could do in his chair. They clapped and cheered him on.