Luke put two fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle, making Daisy jump, but it had the desired effect of silencing the chattering crowd so Winthrop could address them.
The mayor began by thanking the rest of the town council, who’d agreed with him that a school and teacher were essential amenities for Rattlesnake Ridge and voted to allocate the funding for them. Polite applause greeted that, but when he said, “And I was delighted that a candidate as well-qualified as Miss Daisy Jackson answered our advertisement,” there was a hearty cheer.
Daisy blushed, and Luke leaned close to murmur in her ear, “No more concerns you won’t fit in here, Miss Daisy?”
She smiled at him in response before climbing the steps to stand beside Winthrop when the mayor beckoned to her. She shook his hand. “Thank you for such a lovely warm welcome!” she called when the clapping died down.
She’d written down a list of folks to thank, so she fished it from her pocket to ensure she didn’t forget anyone. She thanked each person on the list, making sure to add something personal to her thanks. “And finally, a very special thanks to Mr. Luke Rockford and Mr. Jack Hollis, who gave up their week off to finish the schoolhouse—without pay!” she finished, and there was a definite roar of approval from the crowd. Holding out her hand to quiet them, Daisy said, “One last thing. I’d like to ask Reverend Brown to join us and say a prayer of blessing for the schoolhouse.”
The Reverend beamed at her and came up the steps, opening his arms wide to embrace her and kissing both her cheeks. “The Lord smiles on you and this school, Miss Daisy. You have no need of my blessing, but you have it anyway.”
Tears of happiness pricked at Daisy’s eyes as she listened to the preacher’s blessing and Mayor Winthrop’s final words declaring the school officially complete and open to students as of Monday morning. She could see so many excited faces, children and parents both. She just hoped she could live up to their expectations and make the school a worthwhile place of learning for the children of the town.
“Please tell me you ain’t crying,” Luke said after she walked back down the steps to join him.
“They’re happy tears.” Fishing her handkerchief out, she wiped her eyes, laughing a little. “My own school—this is a dream come true for me.”
Luke placed a hand on her elbow and guided her gently to one side, deliberately placing his body between her and the crowd so nobody would see her tears. Daisy shot him a grateful look, scrubbing the tears away. She wasn’t about to let everyone see how emotional she was feeling.
“You all right now, Miss Daisy?” Luke inquired softly, his hand still on her elbow. “I could make some excuse there’s something you need to attend to inside, if you need a moment.”
She just about melted. “That’s sweet of you, but I think I’ll be fine. Thank you.”
He ducked his head in that awkward way he did when someone praised him. “Ain’t nothing, Miss Daisy.”
“It’s something to me.” She placed her hand over his and squeezed lightly to emphasize her words. Luke turned his hand and caught hers in it, squeezing back. For a moment time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other—at least until the squealing of happy children drew them from their mutual reverie.
“We’re going to school! We’re going to school!” Isabelle Jones and Victoria Handley were dancing about merrily. Ishmael, a little quieter and less demonstrative than his twin, still had a broad grin on his face… and Jack Hollis’s cowboy hat on his head again.
“You’re gonna have to buy a new hat, Mr. Hollis,” Daisy teased as Barb seized her for a hug.
“Reckon I might just have to do just that, ma’am,” Jack agreed. He didn’t look like he minded in the least, instead picking Ishmael up to sit on his shoulders. “This young cowboy’s gonna need one someday. Might as well get used to one now.”
“Long time before that’s necessary!” Barb laughed.
But Mr. Hollis was adamant. “I’ll buy one in Reno on Monday.”
“You’re going to Reno?” Barbara sounded surprised. “Whatever for?”
It was the first Daisy had heard of it too. She saw Luke and Mr. Hollis exchange a guarded glance. Curious. She wanted to ask more, but it wasn’t her business.
The silence stretched on, becoming uncomfortable. Barb’s gaze didn’t let up, and both men shifted from foot to foot. Something was going on. Something they didn’t want others—or specifically Barb—to know.
“Gotta see a man about some cattle my stepfather’s interested in,” Luke said after a couple of minutes. “We’ll be back Tuesday, I expect. Then go on out to the Shooting Star on Wednesday... get back to work.”
“Yeah,” Mr. Hollis agreed quickly. With a laugh, he added, “Finishing the schoolhouse has been a nice break from wrangling stubborn steers, let me tell you.”
“Well, I assure you, I very much appreciate it.” Daisy hesitated, then said, “When you get back to town on Tuesday—would you let me cook you both supper to say thank you? You should come too, Barb, with the children.”
“Why, that sounds delightful,” Barb said at once. Once she’d agreed, there was no chance Mr. Hollis would decline. Luke accepted as well, saying he’d be honored.
“You may not think so once you’ve tasted my cooking.” Daisy chuckled, but both men insisted they were sure she was a far better cook than either of them.
“After months of eating on the trail, anything cooked on a proper stove is a fancy treat,” Luke insisted.
“Ma, I’m hungry,” Ishmael tugged on Barb’s hand.
“You’re always hungry!” Barb chuckled, cupping her son’s cheek in her hand. “Come on, then. Let’s go sample some of this food.”
“Yeah, best get in line or there won’t be anything left!” Luke agreed, catching Isabelle by a flying braid as she danced past him and tugging her gently into line. The little group made their way to the end of one of the long tables groaning with food.
Chapter 9
“There you are,” Miz May said, handing Daisy a plate. “Thought for a moment the guest of honor was skipping the feast.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Everyone’s gone to so much effort.” Daisy looked in awe at the table; even after most of the town had already been through, there were still platters and bowls piled high with food.
“The school’s important to the town,” Miz May said. “Folks want their children educated; even if they can’t read and write themselves, they all understand that an education opens doors. A boy who can read and figure his accounts might own his own ranch one day instead of working as a hand all his life, and a girl who can read, well...” The other woman’s smile was wry. “She’s more than just a warm body to carry babies.”
Daisy wondered if anyone had ever treated Miz May as just a warm body to carry babies, but the older woman’s demeanor hardly invited personal questions. Still, Daisy was curious about her, and she dared a few questions as they passed down the line. “Have you been in Rattlesnake Ridge long, Miz May?”
“A few years.” Miz May paused before nodding at Luke and saying, “My husband and I found a little gold in California, decided to move out here and open up a boarding house. The Spanish Main accident where Luke Rockford’s father died happened soon after, and we had very little business. When my husband died, I thought about leaving, but I had nowhere else to go.”
“That must have been difficult,” Daisy said sympathetically.
“It was, especially with the sheriff who came in not long after, Eli Pierce. Corrupt as they come.” They’d been speaking in English, and Miz May switched abruptly to Chinese. “I told you to make sure you bolted your door as well as locked it; that was leftover fear from those days talking. Pierce ran this town like his own little kingdom, and everyone was too afraid to tell him no. It’s not like that here anymore. Sheriff McCullough doesn’t hold with any of that sort of thing.”
“That’s good to know,” Daisy replied in the same language.
“Ar
e you speaking Chinese?” Isabelle asked interestedly. “What are you saying?”
“I’m telling her to watch out for a cheeky little monkey in her schoolroom with long brown braids.” Miz May tugged a braid and winked at Isabelle, who giggled.
They found a spot on the edge of the wooden sidewalks and sat down to eat, watching as folks moved back and forth to the tables, refilling their plates, talking and laughing.
She turned to Miz May on her other side and said in Chinese, “Mr. Rockford has been very helpful and attentive. Is he a man I should trust?”
Fine black brows rose before Miz May chuckled. “I would trust Luke Rockford with my life.”
“That’s good to know.” Unaccountably, Daisy found herself blushing beneath a knowing stare. Looking away, she concentrated on her food, at least until the first strains of music reached her ears.
Glancing up, she found the tables had been moved to one side, leaving the whole center of the street clear. Several musicians stood under the awning outside Matthew’s bakery. Fiddles, banjos, a guitar, and a harmonica were among the instruments the men sported. Within moments they began to play a lively jig.
To Daisy’s surprise, Miz May was the first one to rise to her feet. She discovered why a moment later when Mr. Dobson came striding along the street, grinning broadly. “Let’s go dance, May!” he called to her. The pair of them whirled off into the rapidly assembling crowd of dancers.
“That was unexpected!” Daisy laughed.
“Oh, they both love dancing,” Barb told her as she sauntered up with the rest of the group. “They dance together when I’m playing the piano most nights. At least when Dobson can get away from the bar.”
“And you never get a chance to dance ‘cause you’re always playin’ that piano, so how about it?” Mr. Hollis asked.
Barb gave him her hand at once, the children running after them into the crowd, leaving Daisy and Luke suddenly alone in the midst of the party.
“What about you, Miss Daisy?” Luke drawled. “D’you like to dance?”
“It’s been a while,” she admitted, while thinking it looked like wonderful fun. Everyone was just dancing however they wished, without care for any formal pattern or steps.
“Been a while for me too, but I think I remember how.” His blue eyes twinkling as he rose to his feet, Luke bowed to her as he offered his hand. “Would you care to dance?”
“I’d love to.” Placing her hand in his, she let him pull her up and sweep her into the laughing throng. Although she was worried at first she’d crash into someone, Luke’s steady arm hooked around her waist made her feel surprisingly safe and secure. She relaxed into the dance, following his lead.
She’d danced with men before, but as she’d told Luke, not in a while. Still, she didn’t recall ever feeling this curious, shivery sensation when a man held her hand, drew her close, and looked down into her eyes before.
“You dance beautifully,” Daisy said, suddenly conscious they weren’t talking.
“So, do you.” He swept her off her feet suddenly for a full spin.
Daisy laughed with the sudden freedom of it, putting her hands on his shoulders.
“Why, you’re light as a feather!” Luke grinned delightedly.
A tall man tapped on Luke’s shoulder. “Can’t keep the lady all to yourself, Rockford.”
Luke sighed exaggeratedly. “You’ve always been a thorn in my side, Barrett. Miss Daisy, have you met Barrett Wright? He’s got three boys who will be the bane of your life once school starts.”
“We met a few days ago,” Daisy said, remembering the quiet rancher. He’d come to chat with her briefly when she’d been testing students in the church; only his two older sons would be coming to school immediately, however. She accepted his offered hand with a smile, but she couldn’t help hope she’d get another chance to dance with Luke later.
Passed from hand to hand, rancher to miner, cowboy to farmer, and back again until Daisy’s head was about to twirl away. She even danced with Mr. Dobson, before finally holding her hands up to Mayor Winthrop with an apology. “My feet are sore, and I’m desperately thirsty!”
“No wonder.” Winthrop smiled down at her. “You’ve just about danced your feet off. Go take a rest.”
There were far fewer women than men in Rattlesnake Ridge, Daisy mused as she fetched a cup of lemonade and sat down on the schoolhouse steps for a moment.
Mr. Dobson’s son, Phillip Jr., was sitting there; he offered her a shy smile. “Are you having a good time, Miss Daisy?”
“I certainly am!” Daisy looked around, shaking her head in disbelief. “For a small town, Rattlesnake Ridge sure knows how to throw a party.”
Phillip Jr. chuckled. “Everyone’s excited about the school. I know I am!”
“You might not think so when I start challenging you to stretch yourself,” Daisy teased lightly. Then, as he looked suddenly anxious added, “Oh, don’t worry yourself! I already know you’re almost beyond what I can teach you just from the essay you showed me last week!”
The teen blushed shyly. “I still want to learn anything you can teach me, Miss Daisy.”
“You shall, I promise!” About to ask him what he hoped to do when he was older, Daisy was interrupted by a deep voice.
“Could I claim you for this dance, Miss Daisy?” Grant Watson stood above her, hand extended.
Daisy thought fast. She’d finished her drink and cooled off. If she claimed weariness, Watson was liable to sit down beside her, something she didn’t particularly want. “Very well,” she said finally and rose to her feet without taking his hand. “We’ll talk another time, Phillip,” she told Phillip Jr., who smiled shyly at her in return.
Watson seems even more out of place here than I feel, Daisy thought. The man was awkwardly restrained in his dancing while everyone else seemed relaxed, almost uninhibited. She felt disconcerted with him, longing for an escape. She darted a glance around for Luke, hoping he’d appear to cut in.
“You look very pretty today,” Watson said.
She sighed inwardly. “Thank you.”
“Although I’m sure this isn’t what you’re used to, I hope you’re not offended by the townspeople’s crude attempts to impress you.” His eyes flicked over the crowd, a slight sneer making his face a lot less handsome.
“I don’t think this is crude at all!” she told him pertly. “I’m very impressed by the frankly delightful welcome. I’m certainly not used to being treated with such warmth and friendliness by everyone.” Daisy was irritated by his dismissive tone. Who does he think he is? He’s not better than everyone here.
“You’re too generous. We’re lucky to have you.”
His ingratiating tone rubbed Daisy the wrong way. She ground her teeth together to keep from snapping at Watson and looked around again in hopes of rescue.
It came in the unlikely form of Samuel Langhorne, the newspaperman beaming as he caught her eye. “There you are! Excuse me, Deputy, but I need to steal our schoolmarm away for an interview.”
Watson looked as though he wanted to object, but Daisy had already latched onto Langhorne with relief, accepting his arm and accompanying him back to the schoolhouse.
* * *
Left standing alone in the middle of the dancers, Grant Watson scowled before he strode to the side of the street. He didn’t appreciate being left standing there like a fool. Though, he supposed, Daisy had no choice but to keep the newspaperman happy.
At least he didn’t have to watch her dancing with Luke Rockford. Grant couldn’t even say what it was about the soldier-turned-cowboy that aggravated him so much, only that he felt on edge whenever those cool blue eyes were on him. It was as though he were being measured and found wanting.
“Lovely girl,” a voice said behind him. He turned to find his uncle standing there watching Daisy.
Liston Garrett was a short man, and his portly frame showed the effects of good living, or as good a living as Rattlesnake Ridge could provide. He licked his l
ips as he looked at Daisy
Grant suppressed an urge to move in front of his uncle to block his view. “She is lovely,” he agreed instead. “She’s not like everyone around here.”
“She’s a classy one, without a doubt,” Garrett agreed. “You should marry her.”
“I didn’t think you’d like her, since she’s half-Chinese.” Grant had heard Garrett’s rant about the new teacher’s race and how the rest of the town council didn’t seem to care about it a couple of days earlier.
“You have to take a real close look at her to notice.” Garrett shrugged. “If she had children with a fine white lad like you, don’t s’pose as how anyone could tell.”
Grant frowned, but the truth was without his uncle’s approval, he wouldn’t consider marrying Daisy. And they would have fine-looking children.
“She’d be a good match for you. Classy, educated. Ain’t no other woman in the Ridge who’s caught your eye in the last couple years, that’s for sure!” Garrett laughed richly. “Unless you’re hoping for one of those mail-order brides Winthrop advertised for?”
“No!” Grant denied at once. He wasn’t interested in marrying some woman he’d never laid eyes on, a woman who’d come to a place like Rattlesnake Ridge to marry a stranger because she’d run out of prospects in other places. Miss Daisy, however, was here for a different reason. He admired her pluck as well as her education and class. And yes, he admitted to himself, he wouldn’t be so keen if she weren’t quite so beautiful.
“She’s meant for better things than some ne’er-do-well cowboy,” Garrett needled as Luke Rockford passed by, heading toward where Daisy was coming out of the schoolhouse again with Langhorne.
“He won’t be around long.” Grant wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, Garrett or himself. “He was just staying to finish the schoolhouse. He’ll be back on his stepfather’s ranch soon enough, and then I’ll have my chance to court Miss Daisy.”
Coming From California (The Pioneer Brides 0f Rattlesnake Ridge Book 2) Page 7
