Southern Charms

by Trana Mae Simmons

  “Have you seen Withers, Fatima?” Shane asked. “I went by his room, but he evidently got up earlier, although I can’t figure out what for. His bed was even made.”

  The ham suddenly needed serious attention, and Ellie suppressed her giggles as Fatima shrugged her shoulders and seriously tended it.

  “You both sit down,” she said. “Everything’s ready, and I’ll fix your plates.”

  Shane pulled out a chair for Ellie, one of those unconscious gestures that thrilled her each time he made it. Settling beside her in the chair at the end of the table, he nudged his knee against hers. A thrill raced up her leg and across her belly. He continued his clandestine actions while Fatima served them plates piled high with food and poured steaming coffee. It wasn’t until they were half finished with their meals that Ellie noticed Fatima missing.

  Probably she wouldn’t have noticed then, but Shane bit into a biscuit and closed his eyes in pleasure, his under-the-table caresses sidetracked for the moment.

  “Where did she go?” Ellie asked.

  “Who? Oh, Fatima? I didn’t notice. I guess she must have gone out the back door.”

  Telling herself that had to be what happened—that the fairy woman couldn’t disappear into thin air, no matter what her eyes had told her last night—Ellie frowned at her delicious eggs.

  “Shane?” she asked. “Have you noticed anything strange about Fatima?”

  “Not unless you call being able to cook plain food to make it come out like it was prepared by some French chef strange.”

  “There’s that. But—well, what about noticing anything going on between Fatima and Withers.”

  “Fatima and Withers?” His tawny brows rose, then danced down to settle over his narrowed eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched in mirth. “You’ve noticed it, too, huh? That seems an awfully unlikely match, don’t you think? She’s probably fifteen years older than him.”

  Ellie barely concealed her snort of derision. The Fatima Shane saw looked too old for Withers to be interested in, but the Fatima whom Ellie, and evidently Withers, saw was a different woman. A younger, more beautiful woman, at least in a rather brassy way.

  The match between them seemed all the more unlikely to Ellie given that set of differences. Fatima’s saloon girl appearance counteracted Withers’ prim and proper Englishness to the point where a person would think the adage about opposites attracting was a blatant lie.

  “But...” Shane admitted with a sigh. “Like I said, I’ve seen it going on. I just wasn’t quite willing to admit it yet. Although if you’ve noticed, too, it might be time for me to start keeping an eye open for a new valet.”

  Ellie clenched her teeth before she asked Shane what he saw Fatima wearing this morning. She wasn’t quite ready to get that deep into the facts surrounding her magical fairy godmother with Shane just yet. All she knew was she finally believed magic actually allowed Fatima to foster the illusion of her appearance.

  This morning the fairy woman wore a brilliant blue gown, shimmering with sequins and ending two inches above her knees. Her black net stockings even had tiny sprinkles of silver in them, matching the silver heels on her blue high-heeled slippers. Blue and black peacock feathers were woven in her bright red hair, which ringed and cascaded around her shoulders like pictures of the old-fashioned Southern Belle hairstyles.

  But Shane evidently saw the dowdy housekeeper whom Fatima had shown Ellie that one time. Ellie shook her head. It would be different if there were only slight disparities in Fatima’s appearance—maybe something explained simply by the woman taking a difference stance or schooling her face in various ways. The two completely diverse identities Fatima showed the world were seriously divergent.

  Magic. But magic wasn’t supposed to exist, no matter how many times Fatima had tried to prove that a lie to Ellie’s eyes.

  But it did.

  And if Ellie tried to voice her concerns and puzzlement, tried to admit she was starting to believe in Fatima’s magic, she might still end up fighting captivity in an asylum. That wasn’t an option given her new-found love, Shane.

  Her love pushed his chair back and stood.

  “I really wish I could spend the day here at the ranch, Ellie, but I need to take care of a couple things in town. What if I come back out and pick you up in time for us to have dinner at the hotel this evening?”

  “I thought you liked Fatima’s cooking.” She slipped him a teasing look, knowing perfectly well what his invitation meant.

  “Well, I do.” He fidgeted with his shirt buttons, a blush tingeing his cheeks—an actual blush. “But—well, I mean—here there’s so many people.”

  “The hotel dining room will be full of people,” Ellie reminded him.

  Glancing around quickly to assure himself the kitchen remained empty, Shane swooped her out of the chair and whirled her once, then set her down in front of him. He dropped a kiss on her nose and whispered, “Yeah, but it’s a long drive back and forth to town. Long and private. With lots of places to stop and rest.”

  Ellie sighed in anticipation. “Private sounds nice.” He bent to kiss her, and she leaned back, placing a finger to his lips. “As does dinner. Don’t forget that part of it.”

  His lips curved in a grin against her finger, and he ran the tip of his tongue across it. Her legs wobbled, and Shane chuckled, pulling her closer with no resistance on her part. No resistance this time when he kissed her fully, either.

  They barely regained their senses when footsteps crossed the rear veranda outside the kitchen. Ellie stepped back just as Withers came in the door.

  “Bully good morning out there, Master Shane,” he said. “Only time of day to enjoy this country.”

  Shane gaped at him in astonishment. “You’ve been out walking before dawn? You, who thinks a man should ride in a buggy across the street to visit neighbors?”

  Withers shrugged. “Protocol back there dictates you make an arrival, Master Shane. You can’t do that on foot.”

  Shane shook his head. “I have some matters to take care of in town. I won’t need you with me if you’d rather stay around here.”

  “Then I believe I shall do that,” Withers mused, a secretive smile on his normally haughty face. “There are a few matters I can take care of here myself, such as seeing if any of your clothing needs sent to the laundry.”

  Ellie suppressed a secretive smile of her own. She doubted Withers’ attention would focus completely on his chores.

  Shane came to the same conclusion. “Try to keep your mind clear enough to send a note with the laundry,” he said. “Remind them not to starch my socks, like they did last time. And tell Fatima not to expect Ellie and me for dinner this evening.”

  Withers sniffed and walked toward the rear stairwell.

  Ellie laughed with Shane and accompanied him out to the barn. They managed a few quiet but filled moments in the dark privacy before each went their own way—Shane toward town and Ellie with her hands out onto the range.

  This day dragged for her as no other one ever had. Finally Shorty grumbled at her inattentiveness one further time, and Ellie decided to end her day early again. After all, she was the boss. She didn’t have to ask anyone’s permission to do exactly what she felt like.

  She rode back to the ranch and, after caring for Cinder, turned the gelding out and raced into the house. The study door was closed, so she assumed Elvina was in there once more, going over her books or something similar. Right then she didn’t let it bother her. She only wanted to get through the lower level of the house without notice.

  Upstairs she found another new dress on her bed. A little nicer than the gingham one, this one was pale blue with an ivory lace collar. A low dipping collar. Ellie held it up, then turned toward the mirror. Not only was Fatima an excellent cook, she could design dresses that made a woman feel feminine and special. Ellie could tell the dress would fit her perfectly, the collar enticing rather than a blatant display of her not-overly-generous breasts.

  She gr
inned at herself in the mirror. Shane didn’t appear to find her attributes lacking.

  She supposed she should feel guilty over their lovemaking, but somehow she just couldn’t bring herself to do penitence for something so beautiful. She had no idea where things between her and Shane would lead, but it was beyond her will to not enjoy what she had for now.

  For once in her life she felt like the most important person in someone else’s feelings. After living on the edges of relationships all her born days, subsisting on crumbs of affection, working so hard to even win those, she couldn’t deny what Shane and she had. Maybe it wasn’t permanent, maybe it wouldn’t last. Maybe she would end up with her heart shattered in a million pieces.

  She had to take that chance. She didn’t have the fortitude to deny herself the possibilities if things did work out.

  Laying the dress back on the bed, she took her robe and went to the downstairs bathing room, where all the elegant soaps, lotions and perfumes Fatima had given her were laid out. She spent an inordinate amount of time with her preparations, only hurrying back to her room when she realized how late it was getting. She barely got her dress on and began brushing her hair before she heard a buggy careen into the ranch yard.

  Stepping over to her window, she saw Darlene alone in the buggy. Her sister halted the horse at the front of the house and scrambled out. Had Ellie not heard the buggy, she couldn’t have missed hearing Darlene race across the foyer and up the front stairwell. Not only did her feet pound, her sobs filled the house.

  Her sister ran into her room and slammed the door. Even through the walls Ellie could hear her miserable sobs. Laying the brush down on her dressing table, Ellie hurried out of her room, meeting Elvina in the hallway.

  “Something is horribly wrong with Darlene,” Elvina said, stating the obvious.

  “I heard. We better check on her.”

  Ellie knocked softly on the bedroom door, but Darlene’s sobs didn’t abate. Elvina reached around her and rapped harder, and when Darlene didn’t respond, Elvina pushed the door open.

  Darlene lay on her stomach on the bed, tears streaming down her face and sobs by this time nearly choking her. Both women hurried over to her side, and Elvina sat down. Finally noticing them, Darlene surged up and flung herself into Elvina’s arms.

  “Oh, Mama!” she cried. “It’s all over with. I’ll be an old maid for sure, because I’ll never love anyone like I love Rockford.”

  Elvina patted Darlene soothingly. “You need to control yourself and tell us what happened, dear. Nothing can be this bad. Everyone has lover’s quarrels.”

  “It’s more than that,” Darlene insisted. “It’s horrible. My entire future is dead.”

  Moving over to the bed, Ellie sat on the other side of Darlene, adding her comforting strokes to Elvina’s. “Dar, you need to tell us what the problem is. Maybe we can help.”

  Darlene shifted to look at Ellie. “There’s absolutely nothing anyone can do. Shane Morgan has made sure of that!”

  “Shane?” Ellie said. “What does he have to do with this?”

  “He was only toying with Rockford about helping him expand his business in New York,” Darlene said around her sobs, making Ellie’s heart pound with alarm. “He used Rockford because he was someone he knew in this area. Someone who knew the people around here and who could introduce him. He never had any intentions of following through on his offer of looking into expanding Rockford’s business.”

  Darlene wailed louder and buried her face on Elvina’s shoulder.

  “Darlene!” Ellie grimly took hold of Darlene’s shoulders and turned her back to face her. “Darlene, you have to explain that.”

  “Yes,” Elvina said. “You know Mr. Morgan was also looking at our ranch with the possibility of buying it. Was that a sham, too?”

  “I don’t know.” Darlene wiped the back of her hand beneath her nose, and Elvina sighed and pulled a handkerchief out of her skirt pocket. After Darlene blew her nose, she pushed back and sidled around to sit on the side of the bed. “I truly don’t know. All I know for sure is that Shane admitted to Rockford this morning that he didn’t have time to give Rockford the attention he would need for a business expansion. That the other Morgan businesses took up all the time he had at present, and he didn’t want to overextend himself right now.”

  “Overextend himself? Well, that doesn’t sound like he’s interested in the ranch, then,” Elvina mused. “This place will take an awful lot of effort to bring it back to the profitability it used to have.”

  Focused too deeply on her own misery, Darlene ignored her mother. “That means Rockford can’t afford to get married. The business won’t support two families. He said that he and his father would discuss some other ways they might be able to manage to bring in more profits on their own, but that it could take years.” She wiped her eyes. “I’ll be old and gray by then, much too old to even think of getting married.”

  Somehow through her shock and dismay, Ellie comforted her sister. When Darlene got to the point where she could talk again, Ellie asked, “Did he give any reason other than being too busy, Dar? I mean, you would have thought he knew that before he came here. Before he mentioned anything to Rockford.”

  “I told you, El. It was all a sham. He just wanted an introduction around the area.”

  “But what was his purpose here then?” Ellie insisted.

  “I don’t know. Rockford said he asked him that, but Shane said it wasn’t any of his business.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Shane.”

  “He didn’t say it in those exact words,” Darlene admitted grumpily. “But that’s what he meant. Rockford said when he pushed him, Shane admitted he had plans to make some changes in his personal life, and he just didn’t want to take on another business right now.”

  Through the window, Ellie could hear another horse come into the ranch yard. A moment later, someone knocked on the front door.

  “I’ll go,” Ellie said. “I haven’t seen Fatima around this afternoon.”

  Leaving Elvina and Darlene on the bed, Ellie hurried down the front stairwell. Darlene had left the door wide open, and a young boy Ellie didn’t recognize stood on the veranda.

  He tipped his hat at her. “I brought a message from a Mr. Morgan for a Miss Ellie Parker,” he said, holding out an envelope. “He asked me to deliver it quick as I could.”

  “Thank you,” Ellie said as she took the envelope. The boy turned to leave, and she asked, “What if I have a reply? Can you wait?”

  “He said you wouldn’t have no reply.” Tipping his hat again, the boy raced across the veranda and jumped on his horse. He was out of the ranch yard by the time Ellie got the envelope open.

  I deeply regret it, but something has come up, and I won’t be able to take you to dinner this evening. Please forgive me, and I’ll come out tomorrow to explain things. The content told her it was from Shane, even if he hadn’t signed it, My deepest affection, Shane.

  Deep affection, huh? After she told him she loved him last night? And what the heck was going on?

  He arrived in their lives, upsetting things to no end. Darlene’s looming betrothal might be a thing of the past, as Ellie’s virginity was.

  Just a few minutes ago, she had placidly accepted what had happened, and what would be forthcoming. At least for the immediate future and as far as whatever hers and Shane’s relationship held. Now it appeared Shane was anything but reliable or true to his word. Not only had he broken their date with no explanation—something came up was not a valid excuse—he had admitted to misleading Rockford. His actions had sent Darlene’s life into turmoil.

  Did she know this man at all? Other than physically, which was wonderful but not something to build a life on.

  She owed him a chance to explain himself, though. She wouldn’t make any judgment until she knew what was going on. but she didn’t intend to spend a sleepless night waiting for him to show up tomorrow and explain himself.

  She glanced down at
her dress, then out the door at the buggy Darlene had used. The horse didn’t appear tired, just sweaty. She crossed the veranda and took his lead rein, guiding him over to the horse trough on the side of the house. Leaving him to drink and refresh himself, she went back in to tell Darlene and Elvina where she was going.

  Chapter 20

  The doorman at the snooty Cattlemen’s Hotel could have rivaled Withers with his haughty attitude. Clearly ladies didn’t arrive at his hotel unescorted. But he snapped his fingers and called a bell boy over to assist Ellie down and stable the buggy horse.

  “Might I ask if you are checking in, Miss? And if I need to have the boy bring your luggage back with him?”

  “You might not,” Ellie snarled at him, in no mood for his overbearing posture at the moment. Pulling herself up to her entire height, which still made her tilt her head back to stare the arrogant man down, she lifted her skirts daintily and swept past him. He took a step back, his face wary, probably wondering if he had insulted some major society daughter, Ellie mused.

  But her imperious demeanor didn’t work at the front desk.

  “I’m here to see Mr. Morgan,” she told the desk clerk. “Please give me his room number.”

  The desk clerk looked at her in horror. “I am truly sorry, Miss,” he said in a voice that belied his regret. “We don’t give out our guests’ room numbers. And—” He swept his eyes up and down her. “—unescorted women of our guests aren’t supposed to come in alone.”

  Ellie’s temper snapped. Land sakes, until last night, she hadn’t even known she had a temper. Well, probably knew she did, but felt too insecure to ever allow it full rein. Today letting her temper gallop seemed exactly the right thing to do.

  She gritted her teeth, stomped around the desk and grabbed the clerk by that silly black bow tie on his neck, circling the ends of it in her hand. Years of work on the range, controlling lariats, wild cattle and reins on skittish horses, gave her a strength in her arms a society woman of her size wouldn’t have.

  She pulled his face down close to hers, delighting in the choking sounds he made. “I’m not what you think I am, although I know someone whom you might mistake for that. But that’s beside the point. I’ve ridden wild horses that were easier to break than you’ll be if you don’t tell me immediately where to find Shane Morgan.”