He’s proposin’…tonight…
Ray nearly tripped over her own bottom lip and tried to think through the frantic emotions rioting through her body.
Is that why he wants to talk to me? Is he gonna propose to me tonight?
The sliver of hope she’d felt before blossomed into a bouquet of heartfelt promise.
She turned to go, but the other woman spoke. “That’s wonderful news. I hear she’s a beauty and comes all the way from New York. Mrs. Ducharme introduced her to me yesterday. A Miss Rebecca DuCastille, I believe.”
Ray lost all feeling and the glass she held slipped from her hand, hitting the floor with a crash. The sound momentarily woke her from her stunned stupor. “Sss-sorry about that. I…I think I’m feeling faint.”
With that, she raced from the ballroom filled with faces of people wearing expressions of shock, disgust, pity, and concern.
Once outside, Ray tried to draw a breath to clear her head. Those biddies had to be wrong. He loved her, didn’t he? She told him she loved him and now he wanted to meet her in private so he could profess his deepest feelings, too.
She had to believe that there could be no other outcome. There just couldn’t.
I love him. He’s mine. We deserve each other. The words rang out in her head, hammering strength of will into place above her heart.
Tired of hiding from the truth, of letting her fears rob her of what she wanted, of letting the man she loved slip through her fingers, Ray determined to find Billy and ask him if what the biddies said was true.
But where had he gone?
She retraced her steps to the other side of the ballroom and then out the door on the other side of the building. She checked the hotel lobby, the topiary garden, and returned for a quick peek around the periphery of the ballroom.
He was nowhere in sight.
It’s been almost ten minutes. He’s probably at the gazebo by now.
Then she made her way through the front garden to the back, where the footpaths began. At the end of the first path, she spied the very top of the gazebo through a line of lilac bushes. She rushed around the path, eager to find Billy waiting for her. But what she saw stopped her cold.
Billy was there all right, but so was Rebecca, and they were kissing.
Ray doubled over as pain, greater than she’d ever known, exploded within her.
Her breaths came in shallow pants and her heart did a three-legged gallop through her chest.
Anger took over finally. She sneered at the silly dress she’d worn in an attempt to win the heart of the idiot man she loved. She’d actually thought that dressing like a lady would make Billy love her.
You could put a pearl earring on a sow and it would still be a pig. You could put a fine dress on Ray, but she’d still be the shepherd’s daughter.
She ripped the lengths of fine, green lace from her hair and tossed it into the dust at her feet.
Unable to bear one more second of the scene before her, she walked away.
Chapter Fourteen
“Thank you for being so understanding, Rebecca,” Billy stepped back to let the woman step down from the gazebo. She turned and raised a hand as a sign of grace and acceptance.
“There’s no need to thank me, Billy. I knew all along we weren’t meant to be. I’m glad you’ve found happiness.” Her voice softened with longing and Billy knew Rebecca DuCastille wanted her own taste of joy. And he hoped she’d find it someday.
It just wouldn’t be with him.
“I’ll tell your mother I couldn’t find you. That should buy you a few moments without her…well-meaning meddling.”
They both laughed.
“Much appreciated,” he said and meant it.
Billy smiled and waved Rebecca off, then turned and glanced out over the darkened garden. Anxious and excited weren’t even close to how he was feeling in that moment. Soon, Ray would arrive, and then he’d make her repeat the words she’d blurted out on the dance floor.
“I love you…” just replaying the words in his head made his heart race.
When he’d first arrived at the party, he couldn’t get his mind to focus on anything but finding Ray and getting her alone. It didn’t take him long to spot her in the garden, draped in brilliant green. The way she looked stole his breath.
He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He wanted to touch and kiss her. He left Rebecca and started to make his way to Ray, but she ran off like a spooked doe.
Of course he chased her, he’d chase her anywhere. His reward? Their first dance together.
Nothing could be more perfect.
But then she said “I love you”. And he wanted to hear it again, every night for as long as they both lived.
Where was she?
He tapped his foot and waited.
And waited.
Fifteen minutes went by since she’d promised to meet him at the gazebo.
It’s not like Ray to break a promise.
Convinced she’d been waylaid by his interfering mother, he searched for her along the footpath. He stopped by the lilac bushes because something on the ground caught his eye. He picked it up.
A length of dark green lace. The pretty decoration from Ray’s hair.
Now it was in the dirt.
Why?
Truth struck him like a bolt of lightning. She must have seen Rebecca kiss him goodbye.
“Aw-dingit.”
With his hope for the future bottoming out in his belly, Billy raced from the garden with Ray’s dark green ribbon gripped like a lifeline in his fist.
He had to find her.
*
Ray kicked off the other slipper and hiked her dress above her knees so she could swing her legs over the creek without the dratted thing getting in the way.
“He’s marryin’ Rebecca. What am I gonna do now, Pa?” If her father could hear her, she knew he’d probably say something like “pull yerself up by yer breeches and make a stand fer yer man…” That was easy for him to say—he’d hunted Ma until she relented. And they lived happily, loved freely, and knew only blessings.
Oh, how she’d dreamt of having that for herself.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Because a shepherd’s daughter had no hope of becoming a lady and, certainly, no hope of being loved by Willem Ducharme.
Goodness, how she missed her pa. It was because of him she’d met Billy in the first place. He’d read the advert in the newspaper from a ranch owner in Texas looking for someone to run a new sheep operation. He’d been hired and had moved the whole family west. Ray fell in love with Texas…and the shy little boy who’d never been frog hunting before.
A little chuckle slipped out, but a mournful sob followed.
“What am I gonna do?” she whispered, the words painful, the emotions raw and real.
The whinny of a horse made her turn. Billy ambled down the pathway to the clearing. He was still dressed in his party finery and he had the look of a man with purpose.
Was he coming to tell her that he and Rebecca were engaged?
She fought back another sob and wiped her eyes, praying he wouldn’t notice she’d been crying.
Ray listened as Billy approached, the soft crunch of the gravel beneath his boot heels as he crossed the clearing and then stopped right behind the rock she sat on.
“You’re making a habit of missing our meetings, Ray.” His deep voice held a teasing tone that played along her spine like a finely tuned fiddle.
She didn’t respond, only continued kicking her feet out over the deep spot in the creek.
“Why didn’t you come to the gazebo? You promised to come.”
Ray felt him step onto the rock.
“I didn’t think it proper to meet a married man alone in the garden at night.” That was somewhat true.
He squatted behind her, his knees brushing her back. She closed her eyes and tried to stay still, though what she wanted to do was lean back and let his warmth envelope her.
“I’m not married, Ray,
at least not yet.”
She needed to go home, pack her bags, and leave Dry Bayou for good.
Billy rested a hand on her shoulder.
“Darling…why are you trying to run from me? You used to run to me, used to spend hours beside me, talking and laughing… I miss that, Ray.” He leaned forward and Ray could feel the heat of his chest against her back.
“I miss you, love.”
A sob of stark pain fell from her mouth. “But you’re gettin’ married and that means no more talkin’ or laughin’ or nothin’. It’s time that you and I parted ways. If not for Rebecca, then for me.”
Unable to contain her emotions, she jumped up, ready to leave. Billy blocked her path, but she jammed her shoulder into his chest and tried to force her way through.
“Stop it, Ray, just stop. Listen to me.” He gripped both of her shoulders and pulled her into a firm hug. “Listen to me.”
She tried to pull her face away, to look up at him, to try to make sense of everything happening, but he hasn’t willing to give an inch.
“Willem Ducharme, you let go of me this instant!”
“Never. Darling. I’m never letting go of you, Ray.”
“Stop calling me darlin’! I’m not your darlin’. I can’t be. And why do you say you’ll never let me go? You know I can’t stay here, not with you gettin’ married to Rebecca.”
He pulled back and looked down at her with a confused expression.
“And don’t you worry about me,” Ray continued valiantly. “My cousin, Seamus, is comin’ in from Baltimore to take over the sheep so my ma doesn’t have to shoulder everythin’ once I’m gone.”
As close as she was to him, she actually felt him stop breathing.
“What do you mean, once you’re gone? Where are you going?”
She tipped her chin. “I’m leavin’ on the first stagecoach to San Antonio in the mornin’. Then I’ll take the train to Boston. I can make a livin’ there as a store clerk.”
“No! You’re not going anywhere.” The strength of his outburst rocked Ray back on her heels.
Angry that he’d think to deny her the one thing that would bring her peace, she glared up at him and poked her finger into his chest.
“Now see here, Willem Ducharme. I know you think you own me because I am just the shepherd’s daughter, but I have my own life. I aim to live it away from you, away from your blessed life with Rebecca, and away from all the pain I’d have to endure watchin’ you love someone else.” A traitorous sob escaped. “I can’t do it, Billy. I thought I could win you by becomin’ the lady you wanted, the woman who could make you laugh, make you think, the woman you’d long to come home to every day, the woman who you could love… But I’m not. And it hurts so bad.”
Billy caressed her cheek. She couldn’t help but press her face into it. He tipped her head back so she had to look into his eyes.
“Who told you about all that?” His voice was like velvet, wrapping her up in smooth comfort.
“Rebecca.” She answered truthfully.
He nodded thoughtfully. “And you thought I was talking about her?”
Ray blinked in confusion. “Of course. She is the one you love, after all.”
Billy stroked his thumbs along her face, then caressed her lips tenderly. “No, Baby Ray. I was talking about you.”
“What?” She couldn’t have possibly heard him right.
“I was talking about you. You are the one I long to come home to every day, the one who makes me laugh, makes me think. You are the one I need to touch, to hear…need to kiss.”
Ray didn’t have a moment to think before Billy’s lips were on hers. In a single moment, Ray’s whole world exploded with delicious heat.
It was the best feeling she’d ever experienced. She moaned and pressed into him, trying to climb into his body, into his heart and mind and never let him go. He slanted his head and kissed her harder, his breaths coming in hot blasts, his heart beating so hard she could feel it within her own chest.
Billy lifted his head, ending the kiss. He still cradled her face between both hands, the promise of more pleasure in his eyes.
“I love you, Ray. I think I’ve loved you since that first moment when you stuck out your hand in greeting and told me that Raychelle sounded uppity.”
A laughed bubbled up through the tension in her body.
I love you… that’s what he’d said.
“Say those words again,” she said, still unwilling to believe he’d said them.
He smiled down at her, then planted a kiss on her nose. “I love you, Ray, my darling.”
She laughed again, this time it sang with joy. “Do you mean it?”
“Of course!”
She still couldn’t believe it. “But what about Rebecca—I saw you kissin’ her at the gazebo. I overheard two of the old biddies at the party sayin’ you were gonna propose to Rebecca tonight.”
“I wasn’t kissing Rebecca; she was kissing me goodbye.”
“You mean you broke it off with her and she was just kissin’ you goodbye?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“What about you tellin’ your ma you were proposin’ to Rebecca tonight.”
“Shoot, she overheard me talking to myself about how I was going to tell you I love you tonight.”
Ray felt her knees wobble a little as his words sank in again.
“It was a misunderstanding. One I will discuss with my mother later. But right now…” He pulled her back into his arms.
“I only want to hold you, Ray—”
“Ray, the shepherd’s daughter.” She couldn’t help teasing him, especially after he’d bungled his introducing her to Rebecca.
“No, Ray, the rancher’s wife.”
A big, probably dopey-looking smile split her face. “I really like the sound of that.” She giggled, the joy within her, no longer capable of being contained. “I love you, Willem Ducharme.”
He kissed her and she kissed him back. Long minutes passed with only the sound of the babbling creek in the background.
They stood there, two hearts woven together with strands of hope, joy, and love. Ray didn’t think a more perfect moment could ever exist.
Nothing could make that moment any better.
Except…
Ray looked up at Billy and arched an eyebrow in challenge. “You wanna go frog huntin’?”
Epilogue
“Well, don’t you look like the cat that ate the cream?” Dora Mosier teased as she brought the tea tray into the drawing room.
Ray offered a sly, satisfied smile. “I should. I’m plannin’ my weddin’.” She giggled, still reeling from the reality that, within two months’ time, she was marrying the man she loved.
Tilly followed her sister into the room and smiled at Ray. “Guess what?” She shined with excitement. “I found that material you wanted for your dress and it will be delivered here at the end of the month. That means I can make you the dress of your dreams.”
Ray clapped her hands. “You know, Tilly, you really should consider openin’ your own dress shop. You do such a great job on all our dresses. You have a better hand with a needle than Doc Bartlett.”
Tilly looked at Ray with the most curious expression on her dear face. “You know, I never thought of it.” She tapped her chin and Ray could see the greased wheels turning in Tilly’s head. “I think you’re right. I’ve been saving up the money my parents have been giving me for the lace they sell in their store. I might have enough to rent that little store space at the end of First Street. I pass by there all the time on my walks, so I know ladies will see it and stop in.”
Ray jumped up and hugged Tilly, her dearest friend and maid of honor. “That’s wonderful news about that store, Tilly. It makes this day all the more blessed.” Ray sighed and returned to her seat, then picked up the catalog she’d been leafing through looking for the perfect ribbons for the bouquets.
Tilly sat beside her. “Why, what else has happened today
?”
“Besides Billy’s parents givin’ us their blessin’?” Ray grinned.
Tilly smiled. “That’s great news. Honestly, I thought you’d have to hog tie them to get them to the wedding.”
Ray nodded. “When Billy told them we were gettin’ married, his ma near had a fit right in the foyer, but after a long talk about how much we love one another and how we’d build a future together, they were persuaded.”
Tilly snorted. “You mean the thought of having grandbabies persuaded them.”
Ray blushed. “True…” Mrs. Ducharme never kept it a secret that she wanted her only son to get married and give her dozens of grandchildren to spoil. “But that isn’t the only good thing that happened today.” Ray dropped the catalog she’d been holding and picked up the letter Billy had given her that morning. “Billy got this letter from Hank Bartlett.”
At the mention of Hank’s name, Tilly visibly recoiled. “Hank Bartlett? Hank “The Bully” Bartlett?” Tilly couldn’t seem to comprehend what Ray had said. Ray watched as Tilly raised her hand and began rubbing a small, white, crescent-shaped scar over her left temple.
“Yes, the same. Why do you seem so troubled?”
Dora laughed. “Tilly’s having trouble with that bit of news, because she and Hank weren’t the best of friends growin’ up.”
That snapped Tilly from her silence. “Friends? Me and that—that hooligan, we weren’t even close to being friends. That boy was a nuisance! Always calling me “Teacakes Tilly” because he caught me sneaking tea cakes when I was seven. Ever since then, he pestered me, poked fun at me, and called me all sorts of names.”
Tilly’s face burned a bright red and Ray knew that what she had to say next would make things worse for her friend.
“Well, I’m sorry you had so much trouble with him when we were kids, but he’s been gone almost six years now. Maybe he’s changed.”
Something in Ray’s voice must have tipped Tilly off, because her friend’s blue-eyed gaze sharpened. “What’s going on, Ray?”
“He’s comin’ home in a few weeks. Actually, that’s what his letter says and that was sent nearly ten days ago…”
Tilly gasped.
The Shepherd's Daughter (Dry Bayou Brides Book 1) Page 8
