It was her fiery MacAdams spirit.
“You’re right. I won’t need to go to Boston.” Ray found that she could smile for the first time in days. “When is this party?”
*
Ray sat at the table and winced as she arched her back to loosen the muscles that had bunched there. After her conversation with Tilly the day before, she had determined to spend today getting back into a normal routine and not think about Billy.
So far, she’d done everything she’d planned. Woken up before sunrise, ate a quick breakfast with Ma, made sure the ewes were safe for the lambing, and rode out to all four pastures, even though she didn’t have to, to speak with the caporales to get the numbers for the upcoming count. She wasn’t in any hurry to finish her work. She had nowhere to be, at least not for another five days.
Rebecca’s welcome party was at the end of the week. By then, she’d have a new dress to wear and would have worked up the nerve to do what needed to be done.
She’d tell Billy she loved him, whether he felt the same or not. He needed to know and she needed to tell him. Because if he went through with his parents’ plan to get engaged to Rebecca, she already had her ticket to San Antonio on top of her bureau. From there, she would buy a train ticket to Boston, where she’d live with Tilly’s Aunt Mildred.
Ray knew she was probably acting the coward by planning to run away. But she wanted to make sure if her heart was completely shattered, she could make a clean break by starting fresh in Boston.
She snorted.
Rebecca had come here to start fresh by marrying Billy and now Ray was moving back east to start fresh because Rebecca was marrying Billy. How ironic.
“Hard day, eh?” Her ma came into the kitchen and headed straight for the pot of boiling water on the stove. “Supper will be done soon, why don’t ye go clean up? I don’t want sheep mess at my table.”
Ray peered down at her boots and the hem of her skirt. “Sorry, Ma.”
It took her longer than usual to clean up because every muscle in her body screamed in protest, but once she was seated back at the table, there was a plate piled with meat, potatoes, and crusty bread waiting for her.
Her mom sat down across from her and Ray couldn’t help but notice that the usual third setting was missing. She’d have to ask her mom about that later, when she wasn’t already turned inside out by her broken heart.
“I saw the ticket on yer bureau.” Her ma rarely minced words, so Ray knew this was coming. “Were ye gonna tell me ye were leavin’ or was I to find out the day after when ye didn’t come home from town?” Ray knew she deserved her mother’s disappointment.
“I didn’t tell you because I don’t know if I’ll be usin’ it. It was a plan Tilly and I made. If Billy gets engaged to Rebecca, I’ll leave. Start a new life in Boston. You don’t need me here, not with Cousin Seamus coming in a few weeks. If Billy doesn’t get engaged to Rebecca, I’ll stick around, see if I can’t get him to fall in love with me.” She offered her ma a small smile, one filled with a smidgen of hope. “There’s a chance, you know. Who else besides me really knows him? Knows what makes him happy, what makes him tick, what he loves to eat, where he loves to spend time—well, I know just about everythin’ there is to know about Willem Ducharme.”
“Except whether he loves ye,” her ma pointed out, unnecessarily.
Ray sat back and dropped her fork, suddenly not hungry. “Yeah, except that.”
Chapter Twelve
“Tonight’s the night I’m going to tell her,” Billy declared to no one as he stared at his reflection in the mirror hanging beside the front door of the ranch house.
He was checking his appearance in preparation for the party his parents were throwing to welcome Rebecca to Dry Bayou. He wasn’t a fool, though. He knew their real purpose. He hated the idea of marrying her just to appease his ma and pa, but he also didn’t like the idea of making Rebecca leave, especially since she truly seemed to like their little town.
One day soon, he’d figure out a way to get Rebecca settled in Dry Bayou without having to be married to him. However, he’d worry about that another day, because tonight his focus was on someone else.
Tonight, he’d confess to Ray that he didn’t want to be just her best friend; he wanted to marry her.
He tugged on a wayward strand of brown hair and wondered what she’d say when he told her how he truly felt.
He knew how he felt about her—it burned through him like a blazing fire—but he had no clue how she felt about him. Yes, she’d kissed him back that night by the creek, but that was almost a week ago. He hadn’t seen her much since then, and never alone, so he hadn’t had the chance to ask her if she’d been as moved by their kiss as he’d been. Of course, she’d left the creek thinking he’d kissed her because he felt sorry for hurting her. He wanted to laugh at how ridiculous that was. And he probably should’ve told her the truth before she walked away. Just the memory of her soft, sweet-flavored lips was enough to make his blood chug through his veins.
“Yes, tonight is the night I tell her—”
“Tell who, what?” His mother appeared behind him in the mirror and he spun around. He blinked and tried to think of something that wouldn’t ruin his plan. A plan his ma would spoil just to keep Ray from becoming her daughter-in-law.
“Well, I—” he stammered, suddenly at a loss for words.
“No need to tell me anything, son. I think I know.” She giggled—giggled—then continued. “Rebecca will be down shortly. Then you two can make the ride into town together.”
Before he could inform his mother that he only volunteered to do that out of obligation to her rather than out of any romantic feelings for Rebecca, she patted him on the shoulder. Told him he looked quite fine in his new suit and tie, then left the room.
Billy groaned. As sure as the sun set in the sky, his ma was conjuring up images of little Rebeccas and Billys scampering through the garden, squealing for their grandma.
“She seems happy,” Rebecca’s voice made him turn.
She was dressed in a pink dress with cream trim along the hem, her hair twisted up into a becoming knot on the top of her head. She was lovely and the smile she gave him told him that she thought the same of him.
“You look handsome,” she said, not a touch of flirtation in her tone. Rebecca may have come to Dry Bayou to marry him, but since he’d made it clear that he didn’t want to marry a stranger, she’d been very good about remaining friendly without putting any added pressure on him. He appreciated that she’d given him space, especially over the last few days. All he could think about was being with the woman who wasn’t supposed to marry him.
He smiled. “Thank you. You look lovely. Are you ready?” He offered his arm to escort her to the waiting surrey.
*
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Ray mumbled as she watched Tilly through the reflection, pulling and tugging on her frizzy, malicious hair. “There’s no air in here and I know there’s no miracle you can work on my hair that’ll make it behave tonight.”
Tilly smacked Ray on the shoulder, then pulled the hair pin from between her teeth where she’d put it to keep from losing it again. “You’re just nervous. I already told you that you put that corset on too tight. Leave a little room to breathe.”
“If I can’t breathe, I can’t get up enough strength to run like a chicken when the time comes to tell Billy I love him.”
Tilly tsked. “If you can’t breathe you can’t dance with him, either. And your hair will look lovely…once I get enough pins into it—there! Get up. Look at it now.”
With a little help, Ray stood and moved to stand in front of the dressing mirror in the corner of Tilly’s room. Ray swallowed through the thickness in her throat and braved a peek. She gasped.
“I know. You look amazing, Ray!” Tilly gushed and clapped her hands.
Ray could only stare.
For tonight, Tilly decided that Ray should wear an emerald green dress that brought out t
he red of her hair and the brown in her eyes. To enhance the look of a sophisticated lady, Tilly had “borrowed” a few of her sister’s cosmetics and applied a dusting a powder over Ray’s forehead, freckled cheeks, and pinched her cheeks to bring a little color in.
Tilly had, indeed, performed a miracle. Ray’s hair was artfully piled atop her head and pinned into place. The best part of the look was that her friend had taken some deep green lace she’d made and looped it through and around the pins, making the it look like Ray wore some kind of fairy crown.
“Oh, Tilly, I-I don’t know what to say,” Ray said in hushed tones.
“Say thank you.” Her friend smiled.
Ray tore her gaze away from her reflection and turned to her dear companion. “Thank you, Tilly.”
Tilly laughed. “You’ve always been beautiful, Ray. You just didn’t let anyone see it. Especially Billy.”
At the sound of his name, Ray’s gaze returned to her reflection. “Do you think he’ll like it? Do you think he’ll choose me over Rebecca?”
Oh, she hoped so, with everything inside her. Otherwise, she’d be on the morning stagecoach to San Antonio with her shattered heart in her hands. Her hope for a happy future crushed beneath Billy’s heel.
“If he doesn’t pick you, then he never deserved you.” Tilly’s tone told Ray that she was almost as anxious about the outcome of the evening as Ray was.
With one last twirl in the mirror, Ray and Tilly made their way out of the Mosier home and toward the town gardens behind the hotel.
Ray’s heart pounded so hard she wondered how Tilly didn’t hear it. Once they arrived at the gardens, Ray felt the same nervous sickness roil in her belly. She forced herself to breathe evenly, slowly, calmly.
I can do this. I can do this—
Movement at the corner of her eye made her turn her head. There, escorting a gorgeously dressed Rebecca, was the man she’d come here tonight to win.
She swallowed down the fear-laced bile rising into her mouth and pulled back her shoulders.
I can do this. I can do this.
She began chanting the words like a pagan spell, willing her feet to move toward Billy and tell him.
As if feeling her presence, he turned and gazed at her.
I can’t do this. I can’t do this…
Ray watched him as he said something to Rebecca, let go of her arm, and turned to walk toward Ray. He didn’t look left or right, didn’t greet any of the party guests as he passed them, didn’t even stop to admire the decorations his ma had paid for. He just stared at her and kept coming, like a man on a mission.
Mission for what? What if he’s gonna tell me he’s chosen to marry Rebecca? What if he doesn’t give me a chance?
She continued to watch his approach and, as he got closer, she saw the look of purpose and determination on his handsome face; his beautiful blue eyes twinkling with an emotion Ray was loathe to name.
It was the unmistakable look of a man…in love.
He loves Rebecca.
The courage she’d been gathering all night abandoned her and she tried to find somewhere to hide.
Chapter Thirteen
Ray only made it a few steps into the ballroom before a strong, familiar hand gripped her arm and spun her around.
Breathless, she faced Billy…the man she really wanted to run to.
“Ray, where you going? Why did you run off like that?” Though Ray was having issues drawing in enough breath to remain conscious, Billy hadn’t even broken a sweat. His clothes were still in order, not a hair out of place—he looked well put together.
He wore all black; trousers, coat, vest, tie, and boots, and his hat was even trimmed in black, too. He looked perfect. He looked like a man who’d gone courting.
A man about to get himself engaged.
Once Ray was able to speak, she said, “I wasn’t runnin’ from you, Willem Ducharme, I was comin’ in here to see what your ma did to make the place perfect for Rebecca’s welcome to Dry Bayou party.”
She lied with a straight face. Her pa, Lord rest his soul, was probably heaving sighs of exasperation at his Perdition-bound daughter.
Billy’s eyes changed from wary to mirthful. “Baby Ray, you know you can’t lie to me. I can hear the untruth in your voice.”
No, she’d never been able to lie to Billy, not really. She could stretch the truth a bit here and there, like the night she’d caught him and Rebecca at the creek together, but Billy was always able to catch her out-and-out lies.
“So, what if I am lyin’? Can’t a girl come into a ballroom at a party without bein’ accosted?” She knew her voice sounded a little too sharp, but she couldn’t help it.
Billy let go of her arm but his piercing eyes never left her face. Ray turned to leave but, this time, he gripped her gloved hand.
“Ray, may I have this dance?” he asked, the deep timbre of his words sent currents of hot longing through her blood.
Ray blinked up at him like an idiot, then turned to look at the room. It was filling with partygoers and the orchestra Billy’s ma called in from San Antonio was starting the first strains of a…waltz?
She’d been so wrapped up in Billy and trying to get away from the feelings he made her feel, she hadn’t seen anything else happening around her.
She turned back to Billy and tried to pull her hand free. “Shouldn’t you ask Rebecca for the first dance?”
He smiled, then stepped forward. She smelled him then, saddle, horse, sun, and man. There was nothing in the world quite like it.
“If I wanted to dance with Rebecca, she’d be the one in my arms.”
Ray glanced down and realized, sure enough, Billy had stepped close enough to put one hand on her waist.
Before she could refuse, he pulled her onto the dance floor and the music began in earnest. All Ray could do was follow his lead.
Ray felt everything in his arms, how the air whooshed when other couples twirled by, the floor beneath her feet as they flew over it, the eyes of everyone in the room upon her… But the warmth of Billy’s touch sent tongues of fire over her skin.
She chanced looking up and nearly stopped in her tracks at his expression. His brows were pulled down in a look that was too serious to be Billy’s. A rarely seen dimple was prominently displayed by the tight muscle in his jaw.
They continued to dance. One, two, three. One, two, three. He held her close, his hand now splayed on the small of her back.
Tell him now. Tell him while you have the chance.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and blurted, “I love you.”
Several heartbeats passed and when he said nothing, gave no indication that he’d heard her, she risked opening her eyes.
Still dancing, the song was winding down and soon her time with Billy would be over.
Ray tipped her head back and braved a look into Billy’s eyes.
The eyes of a man possessed stared back.
Before she knew it, the music had stopped and people turned to the orchestra to offer their applause. Before she could think better of it, Ray turned to run from the dance floor.
She didn’t make it two steps before Billy pulled her into a corner a few feet away.
“You’re running again, Baby Ray.” The laughter in his voice nearly made her snap with indignation.
“Stop callin’ me that!” She thrust her shoulders back. “You know I don’t like that name.”
He chuckled. “Fine. I’ll stop calling you Baby Ray if you say those words again.”
Oh, Lord. Is he gonna make a scene? Is he gonna make me tell him so everyone can hear and they can all laugh at the silly shepherd’s daughter who’d gone and fallen in love with the rancher’s son?
“What words?” She’d play dumb just long enough to slip away, then she could hide in her room until the stagecoach left for San Antonio in the morning.
Billy cocked an eyebrow. “Ray…” He drew out her name like a caress. “You know what words. Say them again.”
&nbs
p; Anger filled up all the spaces in her head where her brains used to be. “Why? So you can laugh at me, call me silly, and throw them back in my face?” She flung her arm out and stepped back. “I’m not a fool, Willem Ducharme. I know what I said and I know you heard me. That’s the end of it.”
“No, that’s not the end of it. Matter of fact, this is just the beginning—Aw-dingit. Here comes Ma,” he said, his voice tinged with annoyance. He kissed Ray’s ear and a shudder rippled through her. “Give me ten minutes, then meet me in the gazebo on the other side of the garden,” he whispered.
Surprise and wariness collided in her mind. “But—”
“Promise me, Ray,” he didn’t bother whispering this time.
Ray nodded.
Having won her acquiescence, Billy left the ballroom and, seconds later, his ma passed by, hot on his heels.
Why does he want to talk to me? What else is there left to say?
Suddenly, the hope she’d been squelching all evening rose to the surface.
Is he gonna tell me he loves me, too? That he wants to marry me and not Rebecca?
Barely able to contain a squeal of excitement, Ray knew she had to do something to fill the minutes before she met Billy outside.
What’s the harm in goin’ early? I can wait for him there. Maybe surprise him with a kiss…
The thought of kissing Billy again sent a rush of excitement through her.
Whoa, it certainly is hot in here. It certainly didn’t help that she was wearing so many layers or that the corset was still keeping her from taking any deep breaths.
She spotted the refreshment table and made her way to it. She poured herself a cup of lemonade, but the sound of Billy’s name stopped her from taking a drink.
Ray looked to the right where she saw two of the town gossips huddled together.
“No, no, it’s true. His ma told me that he’s gonna propose to her tonight,” one said loud enough to be heard. It wasn’t gossip if people around you couldn’t hear what you were saying.
The Shepherd's Daughter (Dry Bayou Brides Book 1) Page 7
