“Where to?” Frances asked.
Luke explained, and Nick’s brows shot up.
“I’d love to see some of those myself. My mother has the fastest quilting fingers you’ve ever seen and always has something going. She gives out lots during the Christmas holidays. One thing I’ve missed since coming to Wyoming was my quilt. Maybe Mrs. Knox would let me hire her to make one for me.” Nick glanced at Luke, his expression turning abashed. “We can go another day, sir.”
“No. You can come.” Luke glanced at Judith, and she nodded, though her expression had some reluctance.
“Nick,” he said. “when you get your sleigh, tell Junior to take mine back to the Lucky L. Best put on a hustle.”
“Yes, sir.” The young man gave a nod and hurried outside, with Frances right behind him.
“I’ll get my coat and hat then,” Judith said.
Luke followed her and pulled it from the hook before she could. He held it, and she turned and slid her hands into the sleeves. She was so beautiful. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
She’d stilled at the embrace, and he buried his nose in her hair at the side of her neck. How he loved the smell of her. Without saying a word, he pressed a quick kiss to her neck and stepped back. Judith’s cheeks had gone the brightest red he’d seen, and her hands were shaking as she tried to do up her buttons.
“Don’t forget your scarf,” Luke said with a wink. Judith shot him a calculating glance. He was in for a bit of revenge, and he found himself looking forward to it.
At the sound of sleigh bells pulling up to the front of the house, Luke opened the door, and the two of them stepped outside. With her arm through his, they made their way down the steps. Since Frances held the reins, Nick had jumped down to offer Judith a hand.
“Do you wish to sit up front with Frances?” the cowman asked.
“No, you go ahead,” Luke said, confident Judith wouldn’t.
He helped her into the backseat and slid in beside her. She settled the blanket, so it covered both of them.
“That Junior is a thoughtful young man,” she said tapping the metal foot warmer filled with coals resting near their feet.
“He’s had a good teacher. Tom McDaniel is as good a foreman as I could want.”
Luke put his arm around Judith, and she cuddled next to him. It wasn’t too bad sitting in the backseat while someone else drove. He lost himself in the quiet pleasure of sitting with the woman he was courting, until Frances raised her voice.
“But I’m telling you,” she said emphatically, “Uncle William is behind the attacks on Luke’s cattle.”
“And I’m telling you again I don’t disagree,” Nick said just as firmly. “But before you can stop him, you have to figure out what he’s after, because that man is after something.”
Luke leaned forward and asked, “Who told you your uncle was involved?”
“No one,” Frances said, a note of disgust in her voice. “We figured it out ourselves.” She glanced back at them with a sly look before facing forward again. “How long have you known?”
“We’ve had our suspicions for a while, but it wasn’t until today when Edgar returned that we had confirmation.” Luke watched the two. “What made you decide it was Lancaster?”
“He’s the only one who makes sense.” Frances grumbled something under her breath that Luke couldn’t understand.
Nick shifted in his seat so he could see both Frances and Luke. “We’ve been trying to look at things the way Sherlock Holmes would.”
“Not that again.” Luke leaned back in the seat with a huff.
“Holmes has an orderly mind, and he picks up on details,” Nick said, his tone defensive.
“Don’t you mean Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has an orderly mind?” Luke asked. “Sherlock Holmes isn’t real.”
Frances muttered something again that sounded a lot like, “I told you he’d act like this.”
“Logic is logic, sir.” Nick was obviously struggling to be patient, but Luke couldn’t decide if it were with him or Frances. Nick said, “All we’re trying to do is use the same logic demonstrated in the stories to help us search for clues. That’s how we figured out it had to be William Lancaster behind the attacks.”
“I think they’re clever,” Judith said. “Tell us what you discovered.”
Luke decided to keep his mouth shut.
“Everyone kept saying wolves were attacking the herd,” Nick said. “My Pa grew up hunting wolves. Now, it can be hard to tell the difference between a wolf print and a dog print, especially if it’s a cross between a dog and a wolf.”
“And you could tell it was a dog?” Luke asked, finding himself interested after all.
“Yes, sir. Now, that beast of a dog was as big as a wolf, so I understand how everyone looking at the tracks would assume it was one by looking at his paw prints.” Nick was warming up to his topic, his hands moving for emphasis as he spoke. “But there’s a difference in the shape of their paws. A dog’s middle toe is bigger than the others. With wolves, they’re the same size. Dogs also tend to drag their toenails when they walk, so their track is messier.”
“Tell him about the path,” Frances said.
“Dogs like to wander more,” Nick said. “Pa always said wolves travel with a purpose. They’re hunters and trackers. They don’t waste energy. A wolf’s prints go in an almost straight line, and the length of their stride is longer too.”
“I’m impressed,” Judith said.
“Same here,” Luke added. “Did you happen to find any man tracks?”
“Sadly, no, though we saw some that looked like someone might have tried to disguise with branches.” Nick shifted toward the front. “We might have been able to tell better if it hadn’t been snowing every time there’s been an attack except that last one. I find that right suspicious.”
“We should have been talking to these two sooner,” Luke whispered to Judith.
“You’re right.”
Frances turned onto a side road and pulled up to a small house. Smoke drifted from the chimney, so someone was home. Old Mrs. Knox didn’t get out much, so Luke assumed it was her.
“Let me make sure it’s all right to visit.” He jumped from the sleigh and hurried to the door. Before he could knock, it opened.
“Well, Mr. Hamblin,” Mrs. Knox said. “What a pleasant surprise. Come on in.”
“I’m not alone,” he said quickly. “Do you mind having four visitors?”
She sent a doubtful glance toward the sleigh but nodded.
It had started to snow again.
“Mind if I put the sleigh in your barn?” Frances called.
“Go right ahead.” Mrs. Knox stepped back. “Hank’s in there feeding the animals.”
Luke had returned to the sleigh and flipped a coin to his sister. “Tell the boy it’s for watching the horses.” He then helped Judith down. Frances and Nick drove away.
“And who might you be?” The elderly woman asked once they were in the house. She eyed Judith with interest.
“I’m Judith Breckinridge.” She extended her hand. “Marshall is my older brother.”
“Well, my little house must seem like a back slum to a fine lady like you.”
“Not at all.” Judith was glancing around the room. “Doris has been telling me what a gifted quilter you are, so Mr. Hamblin offered to bring me here so I can see for myself.”
At a light tap on the door, Luke opened it, and the other two came in with a gust of cold air. Mrs. Knox shivered.
“We didn’t mean to disturb you on such a bitterly cold day.” Judith picked up a quilt by a rocking chair and gestured for the older woman to sit. With a bemused smile, Mrs. Knox did, and Judith settled the quilt on her lap.
Luke had to bite back a smile. Doris was certainly rubbing off.
“This is my kid sister Frances,” Luke said, “and one of my hands, Nick Reynolds.”
“How do you do, ma’am?” The young man removed his hat and gave her a nod.
“Actually, I am.” Nick explained about his wish for a nice quilt. He stepped up to one hanging on the wall. “This tumbling block pattern is the finest I’ve seen, if I say so myself.”
Judith stepped beside the cowman to get a closer look. The exact placement of the squares and the woman’s color choices gave the quilt an optical illusion of depth.
“Do you mind if I borrow your lamp?” Judith asked Mrs. Knox.
“Go right ahead.”
Judith lifted it, and the better lighting showed how even and precise the woman’s stitches were. It was almost as though it’d been done by machine.
“Mrs. Knox,” Judith said, turning to face the woman, “we’re having a Christmas Fair next week, the day before Christmas Eve, and we’re showcasing the talents of people in the area. If you would trust me to keep this quilt safe, I’d like very much to put it on display.”
“Talents?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Nick said almost reverently as he ran his hand over the fabric. “Though I must say I want to hire you before anyone else finds out what a gift you have.”
Judith was sure, as she returned the lamp to the table, that Mrs. Knox blushed.
“Besides sharing talents, my hope is to expose the people of Lilac City to a little culture.” Judith held her breath, hoping the woman wouldn’t take offense.
Mrs. Knox watched her for a few seconds before nodding her head. “I came from a well-to-do family, but I fell in love with a man who didn’t. We came here twenty-five years ago with our boys to raise cattle. It was good for a few years until overgrazing and the harsh winters took its toll. But about twelve years ago some of those Mormons showed up and started digging irrigation canals. With water and better management from the likes of your brother and Mr. Hamblin here, things have been improving.” She let out a deep breath. “I would like very much to live long enough to see a bit of culture here. You may take my quilt.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Knox.” Judith shook her hand.
While Nick began a negotiation with the woman about his quilt, Judith moved to the wall. Luke helped her take it down.
“It’s beautiful,” Frances said, examining it, “but I don’t understand how anyone can sit in a chair long enough to do that kind of work.”
“You’re young yet,” Luke said, giving her shoulder a nudge with his. “When you’re old enough to need to rest more often, you might want to take up something like this.”
“Just shoot me.” She glanced out the window. “We’d best get going.”
The ride back wasn’t as warm because the coals had cooled, but Judith didn’t mind, not with Luke’s arm around her. She kept her eye on the pair in the front of the sleigh. When they appeared completely engaged in a discussion, Judith shifted her face and nuzzled Luke’s neck, meaning to tease him like he’d done to her.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice gruff.
When she pressed her lips to his chin, she’d expected him to lean away. Instead, his mouth found hers, and he pulled her close. Suddenly Judith came alive in ways she’d never dreamed possible. She lost all sense of the surrounding cold, overcome by the sense of rightness his warmth brought her.
“Um, y’all better stop that,” Nick said with a touch of humor. “I’d sure hate to have to report this to Mr. Breckinridge.”
“Don’t forget who you work for, Reynolds,” Luke said, straightening, mortified at his lack of control as much as having been caught at it.
“I’ll bet Mr. Breckinridge would hire me if you fired me in this situation.” Nick grinned and faced the front again while Frances laughed.
“I can’t believe I forgot myself. And I promised Marshall.” Luke glanced at Judith and heaved out a breath. “You are a dangerous woman. Please don’t do that again. I really am a man of my word, and your brother has a right to be protective.”
“I agree.” Judith couldn’t help feeling a little smug, but she was coming to understand just how powerful her attraction was to this man and, evidently, his to her. “Just remember turnabout is fair play.”
“I will.” He said the words like they were a vow.
12
With school out until the beginning of the year, Doris had taken to visiting the homes of those in need of food or comfort. The only problem was she insisted on bringing Judith with her. It was fortunate Reverend Pearce was a widower, or his wife might have thought Doris was usurping her duties.
“But I have so much yet to finalize for the Christmas Fair,” she said when Doris wanted Judith to accompany her to visit Mary Teague whose baby was due any time.
“It won’t take long,” Doris promised as she wrapped the scarf around her face that served to hide her identity as much as to keep her warm. “She sent word one of the cowboys dropped by a drawing for the displays. She said it’s quite good, but she’d like your opinion on it.”
“I’ll come then,” Judith said with a sigh and left to get her coat and hat.
The need to hide Doris’s appearance whenever she went outside complicated and lengthened the visits. They’d drive into the Lucky L barn, and then she’d sneak into the house, change her coat, so she could then appear to leave through the front door. Judith doubted they’d have gotten away with it if the weather had been milder.
Once they finally arrived at the Teague home at the back of the dry goods store, Judith was ready to pull out her hair, worried about all she still needed to do for the fair.
Luke teased her about putting too much store in doing things perfectly, but he didn’t understand. He said he was willing to overlook her dishonored family, but what if it began to wear on him? What if it impacted his business? What she brought might not be enough to compensate. If she failed at something as simple as the Christmas Fair, might he decide they didn’t suit?
When she spent time with him, Judith didn’t doubt. At night, however, her dreams came as variations of the day Teddy had cast her aside. Only it was Luke who did it instead. Judith had fallen deeply in love with him. If he rejected her now, she would never recover.
“Miss Doris,” five-year-old Devon cried when he opened the door.
“Are you helping your mother?” she asked, carrying a soup tureen into the house.
“Yes, ma’am.” He hurried over to where his siblings were playing, leaving the door wide open. Judith closed it.
“How are you today?” Doris asked, setting the food on the table and going to the sofa where Mary lay.
“It’s been an uncomfortable morning.” Her face pinched in pain, and she put her hands to her bulging abdomen.
The woman seemed pale to Judith, the whiteness of her skin almost translucent.
“Is the baby coming?” Doris asked, her voice full of alarm.
“I’m afraid it’s begun. My babies take a long time to come, so I haven’t been worried about it.”
“Where’s your husband?” Judith asked.
“Stephen had to go to Worland and won’t be back until tomorrow.”
“Have you notified the doctor?” Doris asked.
“I tried this morning,” a boy of about seven said. “He got called away to one of the farms near Greybull.”
Judith’s neck muscles tightened. She had no idea what to do for a woman giving birth, and Doris was little better.
“We’ll get word to the midwife,” Judith said, her voice coming out a little breathy.
“I’d rather wait for the doc—” Mary’s words broke off, and she groaned, clutching her stomach.
“You don’t have a choice,” Doris said firmly. “If your baby is coming, you need someone besides myself and Judith to be here with you.”
The youngsters now huddled together, watching the women. A chill ran down Judith’s spine. Marshall’s first wife had never recovered from Lydia’s difficult childbirth and had died a few weeks later. What if something went wrong with Mary’s delivery? The children mustn’t
be here.
Judith exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Doris. She would be the best with the children, but she would also be the most calming support for Mary. Judith realized that, as little as her experience was with children, it must fall on her. But what would she do?
“Perhaps the hotel?” Doris asked, squeezing out a cloth.
The hotel. Yes. They sold cookies there, and Florence and Lydia always looked forward to the treat.
“Children,” Judith said, “where are your outdoor things? We should make a visit to the hotel to see what kinds of cookies they might have.”
“Cookie,” the youngest child, a boy she guessed must be about two, repeated.
All the children but the oldest jumped to their feet and hurried over to where their coats hung near the door. Matthew glanced worriedly at his mother, but Doris took his hand.
“There’s nothing you can do here, and Miss Judith will need your help with the others. With your father gone today, you’re the man of the house. Are you up to it?”
Matthew stood a little taller, and Judith found her eyes prickling at the boy’s bravery. He ran to help the others get their coats on.
“Mary,” Judith asked, “where in Worland is your husband going? Perhaps I could send him a telegram with word to come home right away.”
“It’s such a long trip. If he has to return early, he’ll have to go again and could be gone over Christmas.”
Judith exchanged glances with Doris again. She shot the oldest boy a quick glance and then looked back at Judith, making a subtle motion like a salute. Was this a hint about a game Doris played with her scholars?
“All right, Captain Matthew,” Judith said, trying to sound like a general, “let’s get your troops in order and head to the hotel for those cookies.”
He gave her a crisp salute, and she did her best to return it. Judith picked up the youngest child and settled him on her hip, while Matthew took the hands of his other brother and sister. He led the way out the door, and she glanced over her shoulder to Doris and mouthed thank you.
As Judith was making her way with the children down the road to the hotel, she recognized one of the Lucky L sleighs coming toward them with Luke at the reins. A sense of relief hit her powerful enough to bring tears to her eyes. She waved him over, though he was already slowing the team.
A Lady for Luke Page 8
