Town Social Page 22

  She walked over to the mirror and studied her face. She didn't see even one similar quality in her features to what she'd noticed the few times she'd got close enough to Charlie Duckworth to examine him. She looked like her mother — the same heartshaped face and blond, tumultuous hair; a slender nose and lips she thought a tad too full for the fashion of the day.

  Suddenly another pair of lips wavered in front of her gaze, and the hazy face took form in her mind. Those lips fit hers exactly so — except when he pursed them into a friendly kiss that would have been more appropriate as a peck on her cheek! Gritting her teeth at the vexation of the intruding thoughts, she flounced away from the mirror and crawled into bed. She closed her eyes tightly, willing sleep to her exhausted body.

  A halo of light intruded, outlining the image of rugged features and ebony hair cascading in tempting silkiness. Her finger twitched, recalling, she supposed, twisting into the damp locks last week. Her eyes flew open, and she shifted onto her elbow, leaning over to blow out the lantern on the beside table. It didn't help much, but at least the image behind her eyelids faded somewhat when she positioned herself on the pillow again.

  Funny, though, she mused, how her dreams all took place in bright daylight, needing not one iota of artificial illumination for her to see every feature on that ruggedly handsome face.

  Land sakes! Wasn't she ever going to fall asleep? She adjusted the pillow, then burrowed into it. But it wasn't until she fell deep into those whiskey eyes in her mind that darkness closed around her.

  ~~

  Sunny cheerfully accepted yet another dollar bill from a spiffied up, spurs a'jingling cowboy and directed him to hang his spurs with the others on the wall. Jake stood nearby, taking possession of any firearms the cowboys had forgotten to leave in their saddlebags. One or two grumbled about giving up their pistols, but Jake only had to mention they were able to get a refund on their money if they didn't want to comply with the rules. No one wanted to miss the show tonight.

  Word had spread already of the talents of Grace Adams, the opening night singer, and a crowd had been waiting when the stagecoach pulled in that afternoon. The singer's stylish dress, golden hair and very attractive face had the men removing their hats in awe, and each vowing to be first in line for tickets that evening.

  Sunny had considered herself extremely lucky to get two rooms at the sole boarding house for Grace and her manager. Ginny had offered her suite of rooms to Grace and said she could bunk in with one of her other employees, and even move two of them into the same room so the manager could have a private room. However, Sunny had learned of two of the boarders leaving on the stage that same afternoon and offered the boarding house proprietress a little extra for the use of the rooms for the night.

  During a break in the entering customers, Sunny scanned the room. The wall sconces would be dimmed before they opened the curtain at the end of the room, and the tables were already crowded with men and women. Vases of wildflowers set in the middle of the white linen tablecloths, and Sunny giggled under her breath when she noticed the cowboys with their hands on top of the hats in their laps. None of them dared to cock an elbow on the snowy cloths.

  Frilly sheer curtains billowed at the open windows in the front of the building, yet the odors of the women's perfumes and men's bay rum mingled in the air. Pride filled Sunny, on her own behalf and for the women and men who had accomplished turning this dingy room into a gleaming masterpiece and a fit background for the women's gay finery.

  Ginny sidled up to her, a frown on her face. "What's wrong?" Sunny asked. "Oh, please. Everything's been going so well."

  "It's nothing to worry about," Ginny said, her mouth curling in scorn. "It's that Grace Adams. What a hoity toity snoot she is!" Ginny placed the back of her hand against her forehead, and continued in a fake Southern drawl, "Why, Ah swan. Ah really must rest myself before the performance. Y'all won't mind if Ah partake of the opportunity to use that l'il old couch in your office, will you, Ginny, dear? It seems Ah have arrived a tiny bit early. And would you mind askin' that dahling Teddy child to bring me a glass of somethin' cool? To soothe mah delicate throat, doncha know?"

  Sunny snickered, then gave Ginny a chastising look. "Some performers are quite the prima donnas, Ginny. We were extremely lucky to get Grace Adams. Why, it's almost unheard of for a performer of her stature to have a propitious hole in her schedule and be able to perform in a town as small as Liberty Flats."

  "Well, she sent that manager of hers over earlier, demanding to know who had been assigned to assist her in dressing! I had to send Marg back with him, and I really needed her to help serve drinks. This whole town's been bursting at the seams since this morning, and I haven't had a day like this since I took over the saloon. I've even actually turned customers away and told them maybe Saul had room for them!"

  "Oh, dear," Sunny said with a chuckle. "I'll bet those were hard words for you to get out."

  "Bet your bustle," Ginny said with a wink. "Why, Ah swan," she continued in a lower voice. "Looka who's a comin' in the door. I better get out of here before she sees who you're talking to."

  Sunny glanced up to see her aunt and Charlie Duckworth almost at the reception desk and grabbed Ginny's arm before she could leave. "You stay right here, Ginny McAllister," she said in an undertone.

  "Aunt Cassie," she greeted. "And Mr. Duckworth, isn't it? Why, Aunt, you look so pretty tonight."

  Charlie gave Cassie a fond look. "Doesn't she, though? Blue's always been Cassie's color." He looked at Sunny, staring at her for a long, silent moment. "I haven't had a chance to tell you how sorry I am about what happened to your mother, Miss Fannin. Please accept my deepest condolences."

  "Thank you," Sunny replied. She didn't want to like this man — did she? He had such a nice twinkle when he looked at Cassie, though, and anyone who could bring a faint blush to her crotchety aunt's cheeks must have some redeeming quality. Still, she had pretty much made up her mind about him, and here among all these people wasn't the place to confront him.

  "I was wondering," she said, "if we might talk sometime about my mother. I understand you and she were very close...uh...friends."

  "We were," Charlie agreed without any hint of evasiveness that Sunny could detect, although she noticed Cassie's fingers tighten on Charlie's arm. "Just let me know when you have time to talk, Miss Fannin."

  "Please call me Sunny," she told him, and he nodded his accord. "Oh, forgive my lack of manners." She turned to Ginny, who had been trying to work her arm free of Sunny's hold with no success. "Ginny McAllister, do you know my aunt, Cassie Foster? And Mr. Duckworth?"

  "Um...yes. Good evening, Miss Foster," Ginny murmured. "And Charlie."

  Cassie smiled at Ginny, and Ginny's brows arched in surprise. "Teddy speaks highly of you, Miss McAllister," Cassie said. "And I understand the town owes you a lot for your contributions to this beautiful Cultural Center."

  "Ah...thank you," Ginny replied. "Um...Teddy brought over some of the cookies you and she baked, and I'd love to have your recipe. And Teddy's been preening all afternoon in the beautiful dress you made for her."

  "I'll write the cookie recipe down for you," Cassie said. "Now, we'd better find a seat, don't you think, Duckie?"

  "We have placecards for you and Duck...uh...Mr. Duckworth at the large table we've reserved over there for our committee members, Aunt," Sunny explained. "We hoped you'd join us."

  Cassie regally inclined her head as Charlie pulled something from his coat pocket and handed it to Sunny. "I've overlooked making a contribution to the Center, Sunny. This draft is on my bank in Dallas. Please use it however you see fit."

  He led Cassie away, and Sunny handed the bank draft to Ginny to put with the other funds she handled for the Center. When Ginny gasped, she turned from watching Cassie and Charlie make their way through the crowded room. Ginny's wide green eyes sparkled and she fanned the bank draft in front of her face.

  "Oh, my! He gave us two thousand dollars!" Ginny exclaim
ed. "That's way over twice what we've spent already on this place! I thought those rumors of him rolling in dough were just that. Rumors!"

  "Let me...."

  Jake nudged Ginny aside, turning her toward the connecting door to her saloon. "Put that damned draft in your strongbox, Ginny," he ordered. "And when the hell are you two going to get this show on the road? Those cowboys are getting restless, and some of them have been sitting at either Saul's or Ginny's all afternoon getting half drunk. You're fixing to have a riot on your hands if you don't get someone on that stage."

  "Why, Jake," Ginny said, running a finger down his cheek. "We surely don't have a thing to worry about with you keeping order. Liberty Flats is safe and sound with Ranger Cameron on patrol."

  Jake bent his head toward Ginny and whispered something in her ear, and Ginny's delighted laughter trilled out. Sunny clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms to keep from slapping Ginny's hand away from Jake's face. When she clamped her teeth together, she caught the edge of her tongue between them and stifled a gasp of pain.

  Dang it! She'd been standing within six feet of Jake for the past hour and hadn't had one clumsy bout! Hurriedly blinking away the tears caused by her smarting tongue, she reached for the money box in front of her, taking care not to spill it as she handed it to Ginny.

  "Put this away, too," she said, trying desperately not to notice how close Ginny stood to Jake. Shoot, it would be hard to get a feather between them! "I think everyone who's coming is already here."

  A rhythmic clapping started on the far side of the room. "Uh oh," Jake said as the clapping spread and here and there a man stomped his boots in time. "Get your damned prima donna singer on that stage quick!"

  When Sunny gazed around inanely as Ginny rushed away, Jake flashed her an annoyed look. "Look, you've got to give these people a show right now! You've built this up for weeks. Now follow through on it."

  Glaring at him, Sunny straightened. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the rising clamor. "You're supposed to keep order! Go down in front and tell them to behave until Grace gets over here."

  "Me? Look, you aren't dealing with a bunch of high society matrons and sissified dandies here, Sunny. If I walk up there threatening them, they're gonna show me what they think of my threats, with or without their guns on their hips!"

  Shooting him a vicious glower, Sunny said, "Well, I know how to handle a bunch of out-of-control men if you don't!"

  She grabbed the matching gloves for her watered-blue silk gown from the little reception desk and pulled them on. Then she pulled one long curl over her shoulder, letting it hang down to brush the top of her cleavage. For good measure, and before Jake could stop her, she inched her dress bodice down even further, then picked up her fan and evaded him when he made a grab for her.

  She tapped a clapping man at the nearest table on the shoulder with her fan, widening her eyes and placing her index finger on her lips to shush him. He gulped and quieted, and she batted her eyes in thanks. Proceeding toward the front of the room, she paid attention to at least one man at each table in the same way. Silence spread in her wake, and by the time she turned to face the room, there were gape-jawed cowboys with quiet hands and feet all over the room. Recognizing her successful ploy at avoiding a riot instead of judging the way she managed it, the women scattered with their husbands at the other tables smiled gratefully at her.

  Jake was right there at her side. "You didn't have to pull the damned dress top down," he snarled. Stepping in front of her, he aimed a look at her cleavage, which crinkled her nipples and shot a wave of heat into her core. Gathering her wits about her, she adjusted the bodice protectively. Jake stepped aside, and she cleared her throat.

  "I want to thank all of you for coming tonight." She intentionally kept her voice low so the cowboys would have to strain to hear. "Miss Adams will entertain you in a moment," she said, hoping desperately Ginny would get the singer over there immediately. "But first I think we should all take a little time to reflect on how wonderfully well we have all worked together and...."

  Sunny's voice faded in Jake's mind, and he tried to concentrate on the crowd of people. Instead her lemony-rose scent filled his senses, and his eyes ached with the strain of keeping them focused ahead and not at her blue-silk-clad body. Well, mostly on the parts unclad! The smooth expanse of upper arm between the capped sleeves of her gown and the end of her long blue gloves. The endless creamy skin exposed by the low-cut back of the gown, with long blond, tubular curls skimming back and forth as she moved. There was a tiny black mole right on top of one shoulder blade....

  Dammit!

  When she'd pulled her bodice down, his response had almost burst his trousers! It had taken every bit of willpower he could muster not to jerk that damned gown down further and feast on those breasts right there in front of everyone. His fight for control left him grabbing at her a second too late, unable to stop her when she flounced away from him in that saucy walk through those women-hungry cowboys, her hips twitching and her petticoats rustling. All he could do was follow in her wake, glaring his antagonism while his fingers twitched beside his low-hung holsters. The one cowboy who dared to lick his lips when Sunny passed almost ended up with a bullet hole right between his eyes.

  Hell, though. Some man, some day, would feast on those breasts. She was much too beautiful and much too caring for some man not to want her for his wife. Some man would have those arms around his neck, those lips available to him — those legs tight around his hips. Some man would take her virginity and spend the rest of his life only having to reach for her when he wanted to sheath himself in her satin welcome. That man could take her quickly, with laughter and teasing. Or he could spend as long as he wanted tasting and stroking her body, until she begged him to make her his once again.

  That man could fill her belly with his children and watch them grow. He could sit on the porch with her at sunset, reminiscing and looking back over their incredible life together.

  He could love her, and be loved in return for all the days and nights of their lives.

  Jake would be spending his nights staring at the walls of a grubby jailhouse or into the flames of a lonely campfire, remembering how her hair sparkled in the sunlight. Remembering the lemony-rose scent of her and comparing it to the smell of horse dung and wood smoke. Wondering who was holding her beneath that star-strewn sky. And wondering why the hell he hadn't realized he loved her in time to try to be the man she was spending her life with.

  Sunny nudged him in the ribs and he jumped.

  "Ginny just peeped out from the curtains and said Grace was waiting," she whispered. "Go on over to the table while I introduce her."

  He stomped away, taking his seat on one of the two empty chairs at the table reserved on the far side of the room. Ruth and Cathy Percival rose, starting around the room to turn the wall sconces down and dim the light while Sunny spoke in glowing terms of the performance they were about to witness. A small hand crept into Jake's, and he glanced down to see Teddy sitting beside him.

  "What are you doing still up?" Jake asked.

  "Sunny said I could stay for one song," she replied, "then I gots to go on over to Miss Ginny's and sleep in her office 'til it's time to go home. Isn't Sunny bee-you-tiful tonight, Ranger Jake?"

  "Yeah," he admitted with a resigned sigh. "Beautiful."

  "Did you tell her how pretty she is?" Teddy asked.

  "No," he conceded.

  "Why not? We women like to hear how pretty we are. Why, even that sissy Chester Lassiter had to admit I looked pretty this afternoon, and some of the other boys did, too. They had to go over to the schoolhouse and stay with the older girls, so's their mommies could come hear Miss Grace sing. But I got to stay for a little while, 'cause Sunny said I worked hard."

  When Jake didn't respond, his eyes glued to the vision in watered blue silk still speaking at the head of the room, Teddy kicked him beneath the table. Hard.

  "You know, Ranger Jake," she said
slyly when he glanced at her with a frown and reached under the table to rub his leg. "Me and Sunny has had lots of girl talks of an evenin'. She says some men just don't listen to their hearts like women does. 'Course women don't neither, sometimes, I guess. And Sunny says a person's gotta make up a person's own mind. Can't nobody make it up for them."

  "And what's that supposed to mean, little one?" Jake asked, willing to forgive her kicking him when she appeared so concentrated on having such an important discussion with him.

  "Well, we was talking 'bout Miss Cassie and Mr. Duckie." Teddy peeked through her lashes at him, her blue eyes solemn. "He told me I could call him that 'stead of Charlie," she said. "And I was tellin' Sunny how sad it was that Miss Cassie and Mr. Duckie spent all them years by themselves, when they could've been together."

  "I think there was a little more to it than that," Jake admonished.

  "Yeah, I s'pose, 'specially since that's what Sunny said, too. But I was thinkin' on it, and seems to me, bein' grownup don't always mean you also got smart along the way." She sighed, brushing one pigtail back behind her shoulder. "Guess I don't know which would be worse. Pa and my ma got married, then found out they was happier apart, I guess, so she left. Maybe that's why some folks are scared of getting married. They figure it won't work out, so they won't take the chance."

  "There are a lot of good marriages," Jake told her. "Look at Fred and Ruth."

  "That's what I mean." Teddy shook her head, pigtails bobbing on her back. "I don't understand why folks don't see all the good ones, too, and try at least. Like Sunny says, listen to their heart, 'stead of tryin' to figure out love in their heads."

  The curtains opened with a flourish, and Sunny glided toward the table. Every other eye in the room centered on Grace Adams, but Jake couldn't tear his gaze from Sunny. He rose and held her chair, settling back beside her as soon as she was seated. The table was crowded, and her full skirt brushed his thigh, although she kept her legs from touching his.