The clock hands finally crawled to two. Millie set aside her stitching and went to the bathroom, filling the tub with water. Leisurely bathing, she used her favorite scented soap and washed her hair before she climbed out and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel.
She rubbed cream into the skin of her face and neck, spread lotion on her hands and arms and dusted her bosom with fragrant powder before slipping on her undergarments and a wrapper. In the kitchen, she sat in a stream of sunshine and waited for her thick, long hair to dry.
When only a bit of dampness remained, she returned to the bathroom and pinned up her hair. By the time she’d finished, both her arms ached but she’d achieved the dips and curls she wanted in fashioning the poufy style. She anchored a spray of silk roses and velvet leaves in her hair then finished dressing.
Soft leather shoes in a pale shade of cream encased her feet. The five pearl buttons on the side and beading across the toes made her feel feminine and flirty every time she wore the low-heeled shoes.
It was nearly five when she applied a dab of perfume, pinched her cheeks to make sure they were rosy, and tugged on her gloves.
Lacy had given her a beautiful little handbag made by her grandmother. The shells of the bag tinkled pleasantly when she picked it up and stuffed in money, a handkerchief, extra hairpins, a few safety pins, and a package of spearmint gum. She knew some people thought gum chewing a social atrocity, but Millie personally liked to keep a piece or two on hand. The minty flavor made her feel invigorated and if Gideon made good on his promise to kiss her, she wanted to have fresh breath.
The rumble of a deep voice drifted up the stairs so she hurried to make her way down the steps. She’d sent Molly home earlier in the afternoon. The phone lines had been quiet. Most everyone who had telephone service was busy getting ready for the ball.
Millie stopped on the bottom step and gazed at Gideon, looking as handsome as she’d ever seen him in a dark cutaway coat with a crisp white shirt. He wore a vest, the same shade of green as his eyes, with a black tie. A top hat rested on the counter in front of him as he spoke to Francine. Carefully combed and styled, his copper hair gleamed with a brilliant shine, yet Millie missed the somewhat tousled and mussed state in which he generally wore it.
As though he sensed her presence, he turned the full power of his dimpled smile on her.
“Miss Matlock, you look…” He swallowed hard and stepped to the end of the counter, “incredibly beautiful. I’ll have to beat off the single men with a stick if I hope to have a chance to dance with you.”
Millie blushed but accepted the hand he held out to her. She glanced at Francine and the girl gave her an encouraging smile.
“Be sure to lock the door when you leave at six, Francine. Enjoy your evening.”
“Oh, I will, Millie, but not as much as you.” The girl giggled as she turned to answer a call.
Gideon swept his hat up and settled it on his head as he walked her to the door. He held it open then escorted her over to a black phaeton with plush burgundy velvet seats. A shiny black horse with a polished harness waited to pull them to the ball.
“Oh, Gideon, it’s lovely,” she said, holding his hand as he helped her into the conveyance.
He stepped into it and took a seat beside her. Quickly lifting the reins and releasing the brake, he snapped the lines, guiding the horse down the street.
As they rolled out of town, a long line of buggies, wagons, horseback riders and even a few automobiles made their way toward Dogwood Corners.
“It looks like half the county is headed to Lars and Marnie’s place,” Gideon observed as he lightly held the reins in one hand and leaned back against the seat, resting his arm behind Millie.
With the buggy cover blocking the view of those behind and beside them, she settled against his side, pleased at his familiar gesture.
His hand trailed soft circles through the lace covering her upper arm, making tingles work from the point of contact clear to her toes. She glanced up and found him studying her.
The grin on his face deepened and he bent down, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. “You look ravishing, Miss Millie. That dress is perfect for you.”
Gideon had nearly swallowed his tongue when he looked up and saw Millie standing on the steps at the telephone office. Her hair was fashioned in a style that featured curls and swoops and made him want to run his fingers through it. A beautiful yellow gown glided over her curvaceous figure. A sash of blue satin at her waist and a ring of silk roses hovering enticingly along her bustline perfectly matched the pale shade of her intriguing eyes.
He took a deep breath, inhaling her luscious scent. If Gideon hadn’t been crazy in love with the woman before this evening, he most certainly was mad for her now.
For one evening, he’d decided not to think about tomorrow. Not to worry about what might come of his feelings for her. How his attraction to her would most likely end with both of their hearts broken. Or what would happen between the saloon owners and the temperance workers.
Tonight, all he’d think about was how fortunate he was to be the man escorting Millie Matlock to the ball.
“You take my breath away, Millie.” Another blush tinted her cheeks a becoming shade of pink and Gideon felt a twinge of pride that he put it there.
“Thank you, kind sir,” she said, casting him a long look from beneath her feathery eyelashes. “You look quite dashing and handsome in your suit and top hat.”
“Thank you. I thought about wearing my denims and Stetson, but Abel convinced me this would be a better option.”
Millie laughed at his teasing. “What would you do without your able assistant?”
Amused by her pun, he shook his head. “Abel wouldn’t be able to leave me alone long enough to find out.”
“He seems like a good man, a good person.”
Gideon nodded his head. “He is. I’ve known him since I was just a boy. If it wasn’t for Abel…” He cleared his throat. “He’s been a good friend.”
The thought that her temperance efforts might leave a nice man like Abel Jamieson unemployed with no way to provide for his lovely wife and two sweet daughters left Millie with a knot in her stomach. She wanted to rid the town of alcohol, not leave men jobless.
“Everything okay?” Gideon asked, noticing the frown on her face.
Swiftly nodding, she pasted on a smile and gave herself a lecture about enjoying the evening, not dwelling on unpleasant matters. And she couldn’t think of anything more pleasant than sitting beside Gideon McBride on the way to a ball.
The rest of the way to Dogwood Corners, they discussed his progress with Carbonado, his plans to run him in a race in a few weeks, and a funny conversation Millie heard when she was trying to chase two sweethearts off the phone line the previous afternoon.
“How did Lars talk the sprinkler wagon into coming all the way out here?” Gideon asked as they watched the wagon roll back in the direction of Pendleton.
“Ilsa said he hired it to keep down the dust this evening. He started settling the dust earlier this afternoon. Lars figured the wagon would have to make a dozen trips back and forth before guests started to arrive to be able to make it work.”
“We’ll, it’s sure nice not to have to eat dust all the way here.” Gideon expertly guided the horse off the road and up the drive between the dogwoods. “If I was given to flights of fancy, I’d say this is a rather romantic way to greet guests.”
Millie smiled. “But since you aren’t given to fanciful thoughts of romance, I won’t have to agree that I love seeing the trees in bloom every spring because it does appear quite romantic, like something from a mythical dream.”
Gideon chuckled. “I’m glad we are in accord that all those romantic notions are utterly useless and wasted on a couple of cynical souls such as us.”
In front of the house, teen boys hurried to help women to the ground then take over the conveyances, driving them to a pasture behind the backyard where the horses could graze while
they waited for their owners to leave the ball.
Gideon flipped a coin to the gangly youth who approached the phaeton. The boy stuffed it in his pocket with a smile and started to assist Millie, but Gideon hurried around to her side. He held out his hand and doffed his hat, giving her an engaging smile. “Welcome to the ball, milady.”
Millie gracefully stepped down to the circle drive and squeezed Gideon’s hand. “Everyone looks so wonderful in their finery. Let’s go inside and see if Marnie and Lars need help with anything.”
Gideon settled her hand in the crook of his arm. Together they walked up the broad steps and inside the grand entry foyer of the house.
A large bouquet that stood nearly five-feet tall graced a mahogany table in the entry, filling the space with a floral scent.
“Aundy and Marnie did the flowers,” Millie whispered, as she took Gideon’s hand and led him toward the ballroom.
After leaving Gideon’s hat and the wrap Millie had brought with two girls near the door, they stopped to speak with people they both knew. Finally, they made it inside the grand space of the ballroom.
“Oh, it looks positively magical,” Millie said, admiring the glow of candles and the fragrance of the flowers. She waved at Ilsa and Bertie, hurrying their direction. “You both look so lovely,” she said, giving them warm hugs.
“You two make quite a striking couple,” Bertie said, winking at Millie then smiling at Gideon. “The men are down in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to carry up the ice sculptures Tony had the brilliant idea of creating.”
Ilsa nodded. “They’re quite lovely, but weigh more than we expected. And they’re a little hard to manage since the ice is slippery.”
“If you ladies would excuse me, I’ll go see if I can add to the chaos.” Gideon tipped his head to them and disappeared out the door.
“My stars, Millie!” Bertie grasped her hand and squeezed it. “Mr. McBride is scandalously handsome in that getup. How do you keep from kissing those dimples right off his cheeks?”
“Bertie!” Shocked by her friend’s words, yet oddly pleased, Millie wasn’t sure if she should be offended or entertained.
Ilsa grinned. “He is very handsome, Millie, and so nice. Did you know he’s the one who gave Mrs. Wendell a place to live after the house fire?”
“What do you mean?” Millie asked.
“Tony said Gideon has several rental houses in town. He happened to have an empty one and insisted Mrs. Wendell move in there, at no charge, until her husband returns home and they could decide what to do about more permanent accommodations.”
“I didn’t realize,” Millie said, filled with a growing sense of admiration for Gideon. The more she discovered about him, the more she liked him, liked his kind heart and generous spirit. Too bad she never intended to wed, because Gideon would have made the most ideal husband she could imagine. At least he would if he ceased to own the Second Chance Saloon.
“Oh, look, there’s Aundy and Caterina!” Ilsa waved to her sister and their friend. The women exchanged compliments over dresses and hairstyles before buzzing around with last minute adjustments to floral arrangements, table placements, and overseeing the food table.
They watched as the men carried the large ice sculptures to the table. Set on large serving trays atop thick slabs of wood, it took four men to carry one. Garrett, Kade, Tony, and Lars hefted one shaped like a huge open shell off the wood slab onto the table. Gideon, Riley, Grant, and Lacy’s brother Walker carried one shaped like a butterfly. While the shell sculpture would hold cold foods, the butterfly was purely for ornamentation.
Once the sculptures rested on the table in positions Marnie and Ilsa deemed acceptable, the serving staff hired for the evening hurried to set out the food.
While the buffet of food sat in the spacious area outside the ballroom, the beverages remained on tables at the back of the ballroom. Lars and Kade did their best to keep anyone from spiking the drinks, but it didn’t mean a few wouldn’t try.
Millie stood with Marnie, Lacy, and Ilsa when Lars swaggered their way and kissed his wife’s cheek. “Come on, sweet thing, we need to go stand at the entry and welcome folks. The sooner they all get in here, the sooner we can eat. I’m starving since you barely let me eat a bite of lunch.”
“Sugar, you just stop your bellyaching. I saw you snitch a big piece of pie after you scolded Noah and Abe for getting into it this afternoon.” Marnie winked at her friends and breezed out of the ballroom on her husband’s arm.
Gideon took Millie’s hand in his, following Grant and Lacy as they made their way to a table with a good view of the ballroom door, the dance floor, and the orchestra. The musicians quietly tuned their instruments, preparing to play right after the meal.
Bertie and Riley joined them at the table, along with Walker and his date, a sweet-cheeked girl with light brown hair and deep blue eyes. Lacy introduced her to the group.
Millie watched as Molly entered the room on the arm of a handsome young man who tugged on his collar as though it was a size too small.
Sadie Thorsen tromped in behind her and said something to Molly that made the girl’s face red as she turned an angry gaze on her adopted sister.
Bertie leaned toward Millie. “Those two get along like a couple of cats with their tails tied together. Aundy said it’s because they’re too much alike. They’re both good girls, but boy, do they find more things to argue about.”
“It appears that Miss Sadie has pulled ahead in the battle,” Grant observed, watching as Sadie smirked at Molly then flounced off to sit with some of the other children from the orphanage.
“Although she’s full of sass and pepper, I’d rather have a girl like Sadie than one who didn’t have any gumption,” Riley said, giving his wife a private smile.
Bertie flushed slightly and leaned against his side.
Grant asked Gideon his thoughts about a new men’s store that opened in town and they discussed their preference for Ned, the tailor they both hired to make their suits. Conversation turned to plans to build a new city hall. The noise in the ballroom hushed when Pastor Whitting stood on the stage and asked everyone to bow their heads as he offered a blessing on the meal.
Gideon offered to bring Millie a plate, so she agreed to sit at the table with Lacy and Bertie. The two women teased her mercilessly about Gideon until the men returned.
The food was delicious and Millie ate her fill. She knew dessert would be served later, with pots of coffee and more punch.
“Did you get your dance card?” Lacy asked as she snapped open a fan and grinned.
Ilsa had come up with the idea of having paper fans serve as the dance cards. Gentlemen were to write their names next to the dance they’d like to share with a lady.
So far, Millie hadn’t allowed anyone to write on hers. She removed the cord from her wrist and set it on the table. Gideon immediately took it and boldly began writing his name next to several dances.
“Now, Mr. McBride, you know you can’t claim every dance with our Millie.” Bertie reached around Millie and tapped Gideon on the arm with her fan.
“That’s right. You have to leave a few open dances.” Walker pointed to the fan. “Pass that over here. I’ll see if Miss Matlock can keep up with me on a polka.”
“You watch out, young man. I’m not nearly as old and decrepit as I look.” Millie tossed a saucy grin at Lacy’s younger brother.
Before she could reclaim her fan, Riley and Grant wrote their names down for a dance then Grant waved to Garrett as he walked by. Garrett wrote his name and a few others on it before the fan made it back to Millie.
Quickly glancing at her full dance card, only a few empty spaces remained. Gideon waggled an eyebrow at her, letting her know he’d happily fill them with his name.
She smiled and waved the fan in front of her face, stirring the tendrils of black hair around her ears.
Transfixed by the sight of her, Gideon could barely tear his gaze away when the orchestra played a series o
f opening notes before launching into the first song.
Lars swept Marnie across the floor in a waltz. After the couple circled the ballroom once, Ilsa and Tony, Caterina and Kade, and Aundy and Garrett joined them.
Soon couples filled the floor, dancing to the lovely music.
Gideon bowed to Millie and took her hand. “Shall we, Miss Millie?”
“We shall.”
An hour later, Millie had danced every song and needed a breath of fresh air. She walked down the hall and out on a patio where the shade from the house and the nearby trees provided a cool place to stand and listen to the mumbled roar of the crowd blending with the strains of the music.
A cool, damp object touched her shoulder and she spun around.
Gideon grinned at her, holding out an ice-filled cup of punch.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the cup and taking a deep drink.
Gideon moved to lean against the railing and studied her. “Are you having a good time, Millie?”
“The best,” she said, finishing her cup of punch and setting it on a small table next to two chairs.
“Would you like to go for a walk? It’s pleasant out here compared to the warmth inside.”
Millie nodded. “I’d like that.”
Gideon took her elbow in his hand and guided her down the steps. They meandered across the lawn and past a set of hedges to a rose garden.
Although the roses were barely setting on buds, Gideon imagined how fragrant the blooms would smell in June.
He guided Millie over to a stone bench beneath a wisteria bower. Purple blossoms filled the air with an aromatic scent.
She settled her skirts and opened her fan, leisurely stirring the air. The breeze made the wisps and curls around her face engage in a tempting dance that entranced him.
Versed in the flirtatious cues of a fan, Gideon observed as Millie closed the fan partway and held it to her lips, offering permission for a kiss. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and his tongue moistened his lips in response.
Millie (Pendleton Petticoats Book 7) Page 17
